How Was Your July Fourth?

 

How was your Fourth of July weekend? Some people had a great time. There was a grand show on the Capitol Mall in Washington, D.C. If you saw it with me, for as long as I did, I get most of this kind of coverage from watching reels on YouTube, and I punched out of it early (sorry), you saw vapidly wide-eyed white people singing along with country-inflected anthems. I got away from it before Trump began dancing to the Village People.

Other people, on the other hand, endured a darker version of these celebrations. No, I am not speaking of the physical dangers of setting off illicit fireworks displays. I am referring to the migrant hell that those who have been pulled into blank vans by armed groups of masked unaccountable people – ICE agents, presumably, though they seldom carry visible identification to that effect.

The Supreme Court also delivered a judgement to further bolster these kinds of offenses. According to a recent story in the Guardian a new Supreme order allows the Trump administration to deport people to countries where they would probably be tortured, in this case South Sudan. The article cites a recent judgment lifting an injunction that paused the removal of “…the eight men who have been held for weeks at an American military base in Djibouti to war-torn South Sudan, a country where almost none of them have ties.” (2025).

As fireworks began to commence, communities in Texas experienced a sudden, unexpected flood event along the path of the state’s Guadalupe River. According to a recent story in the Independent, a leading international news service, Texas State and Local officials have been questioning the accuracy of the “…forecasts ahead of Friday’s destructive flooding, months after President Donald Trump’s administration gutted the agency and experts warned forecasts could suffer.” (2025).

It makes for a tough piece of news to follow, considering how the deaths of at least 81 people, including several children. can be tied to that event. Scientists in an open letter sent as early as May of this year warned that “…the Trump administration’s staff firings and funding cuts at the National Weather Service (and its parent, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)” would disrupt crucial operations and “…turn back the clock on forecasting.” (2025).

So there you have it. From fireworks in Washington, D.C. to flood-works in Texas. The shadow of Trump’s administration touches all of it.

Stay strong. Stay alert, and stay tuned.

Thanks!

 

References.

The Guardian (2025). “US supreme court clears way for deportations of eight men to South Sudan”. Retrieved 7/6/2025 from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/03/us-supreme-court-south-sudan.

Hawkinson & Keller. (2025). “Texas officials question scaled-back Weather Service’s flood forecasts - but experts say the agency did all it could.” Retrieved 7/6/2025, from https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/doge-nws-cuts-texas-flood-b2783357.html

Thompson & Visser (2025). “How Trump’s National Weather Service Cuts Could Cost Lives”. Retrieved from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-trumps-national-weather-service-cuts-could-cost-lives/#:~:text=Now%20meteorology%20experts%20are%20urgently,able%20to%20get%20it%20back.%E2%80%9D

Chincilla, R. (2025). “At least 81 dead as search efforts intensify after Texas floods“. Retrieved 7/6/2025 from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/texas-floods-live-updates-rcna217104

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