WATCH live: 250th celebration event at Mount Rushmore

President Trump schedule to speak at famous monument

Melania gives Congress private deadline as she works around Trump's team: report

First lady Melania Trump gave Congress a private deadline to pass her signature foster care bill, and she is pursuing it largely outside the usual White House channels, according to a new report in Politico. At a bipartisan roundtable with the House Ways and Means Committee in April, the first lady publicly called foster care legislation a "moral imperative." Then, behind closed doors, she set a target, Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO) told the outlet: "I want this on Donald's desk by the August recess." The Fostering the Future Act, which expands housing, education and workforce help for young people aging out of foster care, passed the House unanimously.The Senate has not moved it out of committee, and lawmakers are set to leave Washington around Aug. 10. At a White House picnic the day the House passed the bill, both Trumps urged the Senate to hurry. "Hopefully, it will quickly pass in the Senate," the president said. He has not publicly pressed senators since.The deadline reflects a first lady who increasingly operates on her own track. Her office, not the State Department, has led her effort to reunite children displaced by the Russia-Ukraine war, negotiating directly with Moscow and Kyiv, the White House said. She has also shown a willingness to diverge from the administration's message. She broke with the White House on Epstein, calling for survivors to testify as the president's team tried to move past the scandal, and last week put her own spin on a Supreme Court ruling her husband celebrated, voicing support for the LGBTQIA+ community.A recent book recounted how she resisted Trump's overhaul of the White House grounds and lost.

Trump announces pardons for pollution violators prosecuted for "fixing their car"

CBS News previously reported President Trump was weighing pardons of a slate of people convicted of emissions and clean air-related violations.

Sources: Trump likely to pardon pollution violators; weighing clemency for Diddy

President Trump hasn't committed to a firm number of people who will receive clemency — he's scheduled to have a meeting on pardons Friday afternoon, sources said.

What Is Iran Building Now in the Zagros Mountains?

Where to watch fireworks in LA for the Fourth of July

Whether you're looking for a massive free community celebrations or a ticketed stadium spectacle, here are the best places to catch fireworks.

Trump may weigh pardon for Diddy while granting clemency to pollution violators

President Trump announced Friday that he has pardoned several people convicted in federal vehicle emissions cases and is reportedly considering pardons for celebrities, including for rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs. The president has not made a decision on Combs or other high-profile clemency requests, but he has discussed them privately in recent days, sources familiar with…

UPDATE: Louisiana Supreme Court Temporarily Blocks Politically Motivated Indictment Against AG Liz Murrill

The Louisiana Supreme Court on Friday temporarily halted criminal proceedings against Attorney General Liz Murrill, just one day after a New Orleans grand jury returned a politically motivated 16-count felony indictment accusing the Republican attorney general of intimidation and malfeasance. The post UPDATE: Louisiana Supreme Court Temporarily Blocks Politically Motivated Indictment Against AG Liz Murrill appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.