On the eve of America's 250th birthday, NPR's Michel Martin asks House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York about the Democratic Party's midterm future.

When the U.S. bought Alaska from Russia in 1867, it took ownership of the Pribilof islands, home to the Russian-American Company's commercial fur-seal enterprise — and to the Unangax^ people who were forced to harvest the seals as "wards of the state." Indigenous residents continued to live under government supervision until 1983, when Congress finally transferred local control of the Pribilof Islands to the Unangax^ people themselves. From Theo Greenly of Alaska Public Media.

The heat dome encasing much of the eastern U.S. is reviving concerns about protecting workers from the heat. Many states have laws in place but some, including Florida, have rolled them back.

A father who lost his 18-year-old daughter in the flooding at Texas' Camp Mystic now advocates for greater protections at other camps for young people.

Tomorrow, the United States of America celebrates its 250th anniversary. The planning of events has been marked by the cancellation of long scheduled programs.

The designer of today's American flag remembers the day he created it for a student project.

After 90 minutes of play, the electronic board signaled 10 minutes of added time, and it was difficult to imagine at that point just how much drama would be packed into the coming minutes.

The 5-year-old seal has a social media following twice the size of Tasmania's population, and his antics include bending traffic bollards and blocking roads.

Lam was one of five people from Causeway Bay Books who disappeared in 2015. He later detailed his detention by Chinese authorities.

A 55-page report from House Democrats accuses Freedom 250 of America's birthday celebrations for profit, using questionable fundraising methods. Watchdog groups had already sounded alarms.