Is America's 250th birthday celebration too partisan?

Summary

The NPR Politics Podcast: “Is America's 250th Birthday Celebration Too Partisan?”

Date: July 2, 2026
Hosts: Myles Parks, Danielle Kurtzleben, Tamara Keith

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Overview

To honor the 250th anniversary of the United States, huge celebrations have been planned across the country. But as the episode explores, what should have been a unifying, patriotic moment has instead become deeply partisan, especially in Washington, D.C., where the festivities have been shaped—and overshadowed—by President Trump and his Freedom 250 initiative. The hosts break down how the semi-quincentennial has turned into a political Rorschach test, discuss new polling on American pride, and look back at how past milestone birthdays were handled. They also feature thoughtful—and conflicted—perspectives from voters and share their light-hearted “Can’t Let It Go” moments at the end.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Lineup of 250th Anniversary Events (00:46 – 02:47)

• National Celebrations: Major events are planned not just in D.C., but all over America: massive fireworks in NYC, Taylor Swift’s wedding, and a huge event at Mount Rushmore. The Fourth of July centerpiece is a concert on the National Mall with military bands, aerial flyovers, and a record-breaking fireworks display in D.C., immediately preceded by a Trump rally and speech.

  • Memorable moment: “The rehearsals were happening today and we heard all— I mean, wow, that was loud.” (Tamara Keith, 01:23)

• Florida Weather Antics: Hosts joke about D.C.’s predicted 107-degree Fourth and Trump enduring full sun in a suit during a preview speech in Medora, ND.

  • Quote: “He gave that speech in the, like, full sun. It was—you know, 85, 90, which I know not hot by current D.C. oven standards. But as he was saying that, I was thinking, Godspeed, man.” (Danielle Kurtzleben, 02:16)

2. America 250 vs. Freedom 250: Duelling Visions (02:50 – 06:45)

• Origins: Congress formed the bipartisan America 250 Commission years ago to plan an inclusive celebration. After Trump’s election, he created Freedom 250—a parallel, more Trump-centric set of events, pulling funds and drawing controversy.

• Partisan Divide: The D.C. events, rebranded as Freedom 250, include spectacles like a UFC fight on the White House lawn and the “Great American State Fair.” These events have faced logistical issues, low attendance, and artist withdrawals citing surprise at the overt partisanship.

  • Quote: “This whole thing has turned into sort of a partisan Rorschach test where either you look at, say, the Great American State Fair and say this is an awesome idea, or you look at it and say, oh my gosh, this is partisan … Trump put his face all over it.” (Tamara Keith, 04:40)

• Scandals & Allegations: There are allegations by Congressional Democrats of financial malfeasance, wire fraud, and access selling in Freedom 250 fundraising. The organization refutes these, calling reports “nothing more than a partisan smear” and “categorically false.” (Danielle Kurtzleben quoting spokesperson, 06:42)

3. The Blurring of Patriotism, Branding, and Partisanship (06:45 – 11:04)

• Trump’s Influence: Trump’s direct involvement—hosting a rally and heavily branding events—has supercharged the partisanship. Social media boasts about these as “the most spectacular Trump rally of them all—a tribute to America.”

  • Quote: “Even the idea of having a Trump rally as part of this celebration feels like he himself is kind of adding this partisan layer.” (Myles Parks, 07:22)
  • Reply: “I mean, it couldn’t get more blatant than that, right? Yes, he’s making it partisan. And Trump is the Republican Party right now.” (Danielle Kurtzleben, 07:39)

• Symbolic Takeover: Freedom 250 has put Trump’s image everywhere, even in commemorative passports and banners, a sharp turn from historical precedent.

  • Quote: “There is a special Freedom 250 … anniversary of America passport with a portrait of President Trump.” (Tamara Keith, 08:28)

• Contrast with 1976 Bicentennial: Comparing Ford’s nonpartisan approach in 1976 to today’s climate illustrates the sharp shift: Ford made careful efforts to stay above party politics, despite running for re-election.

  • Quote: “Ford was very careful about making it nonpartisan … he could have had a personal interest in inserting himself, but he didn’t.” (Tamara Keith, 09:30)

4. How Do Americans Feel? New Polling & Reflections (12:27 – 19:38)

• Pride in America Now a Partisan Marker:

  • 93% of Republicans say they’re proud to be American
  • 61% of Independents
  • 45% of Democrats

• Analysis:

  • Quote: “Traditional symbols of patriotism … especially post-9/11 … have become right-wing coded.” (Danielle Kurtzleben, 13:17)
  • Democrats and leftists may still express patriotism—but often with more nuance or criticism, echoing James Baldwin’s paraphrased quote: “I love America and that’s why I the right to criticize her.” (14:18)

• Swing Voter Voices: NPR shares anonymous quotes from swing voters expressing both pride and embarrassment in America:

  • “Yes, I am and always have been proud to be an American.” (16:00)
  • “I would still say yes here, but with some slight embarrassment.” (16:04)
  • “I do have some pride to be an American. However, I also have a lot of shame.” (16:19)

• Perception of Founding Principles: An eye-popping 83% of Americans say the country “has moved away from its founding principles.” But it’s unclear what “founding principles” means to different people.

  • Quote: “If you were to ask … what are America’s founding principles … you would probably get very, very different answers [from Democrats and Republicans].” (Danielle Kurtzleben, 17:35)
  • Quote: “Americans agree the country is divided. Americans agree that the system isn’t working … Americans disagree about who’s to blame.” (Tamara Keith, 17:22)
  • On democracy anxiety: “Republicans and Democrats say yes, it’s just for very different reasons. Right?” (Myles Parks, 18:39)

• Systemic Change & Concentration of Power: Recent years have seen the president amass more executive power, with Congress and the Supreme Court acquiescent—reflecting dramatic changes in government that are driving concerns across the spectrum.

  • Quote: “Things are changing. It’s just a question whether you think it’s a good or bad thing.” (Danielle Kurtzleben, 18:56)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the nature of the celebrations:
  • “Freedom 250 has become a fig leaf for inserting President Trump and his image and likeness in places where ordinarily you wouldn’t see the President of the United States.” (Tamara Keith, 08:28)
• On American pride:
  • “I love America and that’s why I have the right to criticize her.” (Danielle paraphrasing James Baldwin, 14:18)
• On historical contrast:
  • “Ford was very careful about making it nonpartisan … he could have had a personal interest in inserting himself, but he didn’t.” (Tamara Keith, 09:30)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Description of July 4th events: 00:46 – 02:47
• America 250 vs. Freedom 250: 02:50 – 06:45
• Scandal and accusations: 05:01 – 06:45
• Trump’s impact on partisanship: 06:45 – 09:17
• Historical perspective (Ford, 1976): 09:30 – 10:55
• New polling on national pride: 12:27 – 15:30
• Swing voter reflections: 15:30 – 16:44
• What are founding principles?: 16:44 – 18:39
• Systemic changes in government: 18:39 – 19:52

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“Can’t Let It Go” Segment Highlights (21:18 – 28:55)

A breezy end to the episode, featuring:

• Gracie the Giraffe Update: After escaping, “Gracie” the giraffe is found “fat and happy,” to the delight of all. (22:08)
• World Cup Outrage: A controversial red card for US soccer star Balogun sparks bipartisan outrage among Americans on social media. For once, political divides vanish in defense of a soccer player. (23:39–25:47)
• Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce Wedding at Madison Square Garden: Hosts playfully imagine what they would do if their weddings were held in MSG, from playing the organ to holding a basketball game or hiring AC/DC. (26:28–28:55)

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Takeaways

• The country’s 250th birthday has become a symbol of the nation’s growing partisanship, with official commemorations reflecting profound political splits.
• Trump has explicitly branded the D.C. events as both a celebration of himself and America, leading to logistical, symbolic, and ethical controversies.
• Patriotism and pride are increasingly expressed in partisan ways—while most Americans feel the country has lost its way, their diagnoses and desired remedies differ sharply.
• Even the most festive national milestones, once carefully depoliticized, are now up for grabs in America’s culture wars.
• In moments ranging from lost giraffes to soccer upsets, the hosts find humor and rare unity—reminders of the lighter side of American life.

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For listeners seeking a deeper understanding of the 250th’s partisan turn, this episode is a sobering but witty look at how even birthday parties can become political battlegrounds.

Transcript

[A]

This message comes from Schwab. At Schwab, you can get everything from self directed investing to full service wealth management all in one place. No matter your investing goal, life stage, amount to invest or know how you can invest your way with Schwab.

[B]

All right. You may have heard America is celebrating its 250th birthday this year. That sounds like a unifying patriotic occasion, right? Well, like almost everything these days, it has become partisan. Let's get into it. It's the NPR Politics podcast. I'm Myles Parks. I cover voting.

[C]

I'm Danielle Kurtzleben. I cover the White House.

[D]

And I'm Tamara Keefe, senior political correspondent.

[B]

Okay. So it's this July 4th weekend birthday 2:50 for the country. Tam, there's a lot of events and celebrations going on. Can you walk us through just kind of everything that we're watching for this weekend?

[D]

There are a lot of things planned not just in Washington, D.C. but all over the country. There are going to be massive fireworks in New York City. Also, Taylor Swift is getting married. There is a huge event happening actually tomorrow at Mount Rushmore. And then the big event is on the national mall for the 4th of July, a concert featuring sort of a mega group of military bands and choruses, flyovers happening all day with aerial tricks being performed. Actually, the rehearsals were happening today and we heard all, I mean, wow, that was loud. And then a, a record breaking or at least that's the plan to have a world record breaking fireworks spectacular here in Washington, D.C. which will be immediately preceded by a Trump rally. President Trump is going to give a speech and yesterday he gave a little bit of a preview.

[B]

And by the way, on July 4th,

[C]

it's going to be approximately 107 degrees out.

[B]

And I'm going to go and I'm going to make a really long speech just to show that I can do anything.

[C]

I just want to interject and add that as he was giving that speech, I was there. This was in a place called Medora, North Dakota, where he was there to dedicate and open the Teddy Roosevelt Memorial Library. He gave that speech in the like full sun. It was, you know, 85, 90, which I know not hot by current DC oven standards. But as he was saying that, I was thinking, Godspeed, man. Like we're, we're like I was already just dying. I don't know how that's going to work, but let's see how it goes.

[D]

And he's wearing a full suit.

[C]

No kidding. Yeah.

[B]

I will just say as the Floridian on the podcast Here, growing up in 100 degree weather, it's a little less impressive to me, but the full suit does put him over the edge. But yes, drill down a little bit on what exactly is happening, because I'm a little confused. Tam, I've heard the term America 250 and also freedom 250 related to different events associated with the celebration. Can you explain that a little bit?

[D]

Let me try. So many years ago, actually, Congress created the America 250 Commission, which was supposed to be bipartisan and would plan celebrations of America's semi quincentennial all over the country. Um, and then President Trump was elected and he didn't like what they were doing, didn't think it was good enough, wanted to do his own thing. And so he bigfooted and created Freedom 2:50, which actually pulled some of the funding and has been putting on these very big events, including the, the UFC fight on the South Lawn of the White House and something called the Great American State Fair on the National Mall that is ongoing right now. It has been plagued by all kinds of problems, including power outages. The, the weather's very hot, not a lot of people are showing up. And immediately when it was announced that there would be a concert series attached to it, artists started pulling out. No sooner were their names announced, saying they didn't realize that this was actually a partizan thing that was associated with Trump. And the only artist that really stuck it out was Vanilla Ice, who was supposed to perform last Friday and then his concert was canceled because of inclement weather. This whole thing has turned into sort of a partisan Rorschach test where either you look at, say, the Great American State Fair and say this is an awesome idea, or you look at it and say, oh my gosh, this is partisan. This is a Potemkin Village that is lightly attended and everything is terrible and Trump put his face all over it.

[C]

Right. And to add to that, it's not as if America 250 disappeared. America 250 is still having events. What has happened is President Trump and Freedom 250 have most definitely, as Tam put it, big footed everything in the Washington D.C. area. Most definitely America 250 is still having events in other parts of the nation. They still have a, what they're calling a block party, a big concert in Los Angeles, for example, one in Philadelphia, one presumes, weather permitting, because Philadelphia is under this heat dome. Yeah. So that is still happening. But the controversy around Freedom 250 just keeps rolling on. I mean, there were all of These discussions around the UFC fight about the fact that, first of all, you couldn't even watch it if you didn't have a Paramount plus subscription. So, okay, I don't know, is this supposedly 250th anniversary thing just a profit making enterprise and also a way, you know, for Trump to cozy up to his buddies like the head of ufc? But not only that, there was just a report put out by Congressional Democrats alleging all sorts of malfeasance around freedom to 50. Now, I should again stress alleging, but they are saying that Freedom 250 their words, may have conducted wire fraud by luring donors to send their money to places they didn't mean to. They also alleged that President Trump was selling access to people willing to pay for it, that sort of thing. So you can imagine that throughout the rest of this year, those sorts of allegations are going to keep flying around. Now, we should also add that we reached out to Freedom250 and their spokesperson, Danielle Alvarez responded with, quote, this so called report is nothing more than a partisan smear. And she also called it categorically false.

[B]

I totally see what you mean about the political Rorschach test, Tim, because I think the UFC fight is a great example. Like that also, like, had the highest ratings of any UFC event they announced after the fact. So I feel like that is like if you were in favor of that, you would say, wow, this was a huge success. But to Danielle's point, also a subscribers only event for the nation's anniversary. I don't know. That is fascinating. I guess I'm curious about how much of this devolving into pure partisanship is specifically related to how President Trump has branded this whole thing. I mean, looking ahead to the event on July 4, he wrote on social media that at the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument on July 4th in beautiful and safe Washington, D.C. we're gonna host the most spectacular Trump rally of them all. A, quote, tribute to America. I mean, even the idea of having a Trump rally as part of this celebration feels like he himself is kind of adding this partisan layer.

[C]

I mean, it couldn't get more blatant than that, right? Yes, he's making it partisan. And Trump is the Republican Party right now. So I mean, that it's just kind of by the transit of property. Yeah, it's partisan because it's about Trump. But I mean, to me, what's been fascinating about so much of this is that the White House keeps making these sort of motions toward nonpartisanship, trying to put up some sort of a Veneer that it's not. For example, around the UFC fights, you heard President Trump and people in the administration saying, well, it's on Flag Day. It just happens to be on President Trump's 80th birthday, but it's not about him. This is for Freedom 250, but it was on President Trump's birthday. So you hear these words, but then you see what's happening, and it's really sort of a some cognitive dissonance going on.

[D]

Freedom 250 has become a fig leaf for inserting President Trump and his image and likeness in places where ordinarily you wouldn't see the President of the United States. Like passports, uh, there is a special freedom 2:50, 250th anniversary of America passport with a portrait of President Trump. Inside of the passport. There are pictures of him, giant banners hanging from buildings all over Washington, D.C. um, and then he has also said that all of these renovation projects that have been happening, including the American flag blue and the reflecting pool, all of these changes are, according to him, related to the celebration of America's 250th birthday.

[C]

And we should say there are more events that are planned. For example, there are Patriot games. These are going to be athletic competitions here in the nation's capital, and also an IndyCar race around the streets of D.C. so still more to come.

[D]

And let me just add a little bit of contrast here. I looked at speeches that then President Gerald Ford gave back in 1976 for America's bicentennial, and America really did it up for that. Birthday events all over the country. It was a big thing. Ford was very careful about making it nonpartisan, about keeping partisan politics and out of it. And I should note that it was a presidential election year. He was going to be on the ballot. He could have had a personal interest in inserting himself into these celebrations, but he didn't. If you go back through his remarks.

[C]

Well, as long as we're talking about contrasts, when I was reporting on the UFC fight a couple of weeks ago, I talked to a professor of presidential history, Julian Zelizer, he's from Princeton. And he was saying that there's just this obvious contrast between now and 1976, which is that so many of the events in 76 were about America. Fittingly, you know, you had President Ford speaking in Philadelphia and doing all of these speeches at these historical sites. And zealous are asked the rhetorical question, what does the UFC have to do with American history? What does an IndyCar race have to do with that? Now I mean, you could argue, well, it's just for fun. Sure. But there is most certainly a very heavy contrast.

[D]

I also think that we're in a moment where there's a really big disagreement about how to tell American history with President Trump having very specific ideas.

[B]

Yeah, exactly. I was going to say it just feels hard not to think about that same battle. Tam. All right, that seems like a good place to leave it for now. More on all of this in just a moment.

[A]

This message comes from Schwab. At Schwab, you can get everything from self directed investing to full service wealth management all in one place. No matter your investing goal, life stage amount to invest or know how you can invest your way. With Schwab.

[E]

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[F]

This week on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. We talked to best selling author Carol Claire Burke about how it feels to write the hit book of the summer.

[B]

I've been very dissociative, so that's a problem for my future therapist.

[F]

Yeah, I say it.

[B]

Let's talk about the fact you're not in therapy. That's fascinating.

[F]

Don't miss our full conversation and the rest of our games. Listen to the Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me podcast in the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[B]

And we're back. So on this celebration of America's 250th, I want to turn now to how Americans feel about the United States. NPR has some new polling out this week in partnership with PBS News and with Marist, where people were asked how proud they are to be American. And the answers are really interesting, specifically along partisan lines. 93% of Republicans said they're proud to be American, compared with just 61% of independents and only 45% of Democrats. Danielle, what do you make of those results?

[C]

Well, it's not terribly surprising, first of all, because we see on any number of metrics that there's this kind of a partisan divide. For example, on how's the economy doing? Well, while Trump is president or any Republican as president, these days, Republicans tend to see it with rosier colored glasses than Democrats do. So, yeah, if there were a Democratic president right now, I do believe that Democrats would maybe be a little more proud and Republicans maybe less. But that all said, I think there's also something much deeper going on here, which is that, and I'm speaking very broadly here, traditional symbols of patriotism in the US especially in recent decades, maybe post 911 especially, have become right wing coded. You drive through Trump country or red states, rural areas, you're going to see more flags. God bless the usa, support the troops. That's a very particular expression of patriotism. You're going to see a lot more of that overt expression of patriots patriotism than maybe you'll see in a more left leaning part of the country. Now, the wrinkle here is that it's not that Democrats and leftists aren't patriotic, but it's that the two parties seem to have very, very different thoughts about how to express patriotism, especially right now. I mean, on the right, especially with Trump as president, you have a lot less complicated proclamations. It's just, you know, I'm proud to be an American. And then you play the Lee Greenwood song. On the Democratic side, expressions of patriotism seem to have more criticism. They reckon with America's very imperfect past and present. I imagine if you go to no Kings protests or if you went to other protests, which I did, you know, women's marches, Occupy, you could find people who would say, yes, I'm patriotic, yes, I love my country. And also there's plenty of stuff wrong with it. It's kind of the, I'm going to paraphrase James Baldwin here, but it's that quote he had of I love America and that's why I the right to criticize her. I think that you see a bit more of that attitude on the left than on the right. And one more thing is that this isn't new. In 2012, you think about how Republicans criticized Obama for going on a quote, unquote apology tour when he went around the world and talked to other leaders. You see a bit, you've long seen this divide over how we think of and tell America's story.

[D]

Yeah. And just to build on this, I have been working on this project called Swing Shift where I talk to voters from swing states who have voted for both parties. So everyone who I spoke to for this project has voted for President Trump at some point along the way, many of them in the most recent election. And I asked them the same question, are you proud to be an American And I think that the result came back both yes and with nuance.

[B]

Yes, I am and always have been proud to be an American.

[E]

I would still say yes here, but with some slight embarrassment. I'm proud to be an American. This is the greatest country on the planet Earth.

[D]

We live in the best country in the world. You know, we have democracy, we have freedom.

[B]

I do have some pride to be an American. However, I also have a lot of shame.

[D]

That was Jason, Wally, Gerald, Teresa and Evan. And NPR is only using their first names so that they can speak freely about politics in these polarized times. And I think that you hear that, you hear that they are both proud, but they also have thoughts and feelings.

[B]

I feel like I'm going to be thinking about the guy saying, like, yes, I'm proud, but I'm also slightly embarrassed. Like, that was just like, yeah, I don't. That encapsulates so many voters who you talk to right now. I want to ask about another poll result which caught my eye here, which is that 83% of Americans in this most recent survey said that America as a country has moved away from its founding principles. And this one caught my eye for the same reason. Any poll result that has more than 80% of people saying anything catches my eye. Just having that level of agreement on something like this was like, I was like, whoa, that's something to pay attention to. But I don't really know exactly what to make of it. Do you guys have thoughts?

[D]

I mean, my overriding thought is Americans agree the country is divided. Americans agree that the system isn't working for everybody. Americans disagree about who's to blame.

[C]

Yeah, I mean, listening to you just talking about that poll question, Miles, that phrase, founding principles, if you were to ask the Democrats and the Republicans who answered that question, what are America's founding principles or what are the most important ones, you would probably get very, very different answers. That's just an educated guess here. But I mean, you think about, you think about like the preamble to the Constitution, right, which says in it, provide for the common defense and promote the general welfare. Well, right off the top of my head, I would bet that a right wing person would be more likely to cite common defense as a founding principle and someone from the left might be more likely to say, promote the general welfare. I mean, I think that you, there is just such a broad interpretation of what the founding principles are and which principles you hold so dear that you think the country has absolutely lost hold of. So to me, I, I feel like I'm raining on the parade. But this feels like another one of those questions, like, how do you feel about the economy? Like, well, like, well, how do I feel about how things are right now? There's just so much there.

[B]

That's a great point. It also reminds me of like on my beat, on the voting beat, people always ask, like, are you worried about the state of democracy? And Republicans and Democrats say yes, it's just for very different reasons. Right. It's like voter fraud one side and like suppression or any number of other interference on the other.

[C]

But I do want to say, though, that when we say something like that, that, like, people on both sides have fears. People on both sides think the country has moved away from its founding principles. I think when we say stuff like that, it can sound invalidating or like, well, well, everybody thinks it. Well, it's people on both sides. But that's not to say that there are not real questions or worries about democracy because things definitely have changed very rapidly. I mean, in this second Trump term especially, you have had a president who has amassed more and more executive power and who is running roughshod over Congress. I mean, things are changing. It's just a question whether you think it's a good or bad thing.

[D]

And running roughshod over Congress with the consent of Congress.

[C]

Sure. Absolutely.

[D]

Run by Republicans at this time and also with the consent of the U.S. supreme Court, which has again expanded the president's executive power. Right.

[B]

All right. Well, we can leave it there. We're going to take one more quick break and then it's time for Can't Let It Go.

[E]

This message comes from Cachava. It can be tough to stick to your wellness routine, especially when you're on the go. Cachava's new travel packs make it easier. Just one packet provides nutrition ready for wherever life takes you with protein, fiber, greens, probiotics, electrolytes, and more. Take your daily ritual with you. Go to kachava.com and use code NPR. New customers get 15% off their first order. That's K A C H A V A.com code NPR.

[B]

Recently, cybersecurity researchers discovered a striking computer virus seemingly related to the conflict between the US And Iran over Iran's nuclear program. Everything about this thing straight screams special. A cunning cyber weapon meant to gaslight nuclear scientists. Listen to Planet Money on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[F]

Hi, it's me, Peter Sagal, host of Wait, Wait, don't tell me. It's summer. And if you want to turn your pool party into a Nerd fest. Check out our news quiz. We got comedians, we got celebrities, we got games to help you laugh about the week's news. Yeah, that news. It'll be just like we're all hanging out at your backyard barbecue. Listen every week to. Wait, wait, don't tell me. On the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[B]

And we are back. And it's time to end the show like we do every week with Can't Let It Go, the part of the podcast where we talk about things from the week that we just cannot let go of, politics or otherwise. And I am going to start us off because I have a Can't Let It Go that is related to last week's Can't Let It Go, an important one that I think all listeners are probably very curious about. Last week, I don't know if you heard this, Danielle, but Mara Liasson had a Can't Let it Go about this giraffe in Texas named Gracie that had escaped from where it was being held and had not been seen in two weeks. And Mara was very concerned about this giraffe. We were all, Tam and I were also very concerned about this giraffe.

[D]

I did not imagine the giraffe was living her best life.

[C]

Let's just say I don't know how to feel, but I'm on pins and needles.

[B]

Well, I know we were like, I don't know that. It honestly left us all in a pretty dark place after the taping, just thinking about Gracie the giraffe. But I come to you with a happy update. Gracie the giraffe has been found, quote, fat and Happy, two weeks after escaping the ranch. That is according Fat and Happy, the quote from in the New York Times. So she's fine. They basically, the manager of this place got a helicopter and spotted this giraffe in an uninhabited part of this property. And she was just chomping down, hanging

[D]

out, eating the leaves.

[C]

I mean, what food source did she find that she was so into trees?

[B]

Basically, what happened is she was like, she seemed to be like, she was just munching on trees. I did it in a park.

[C]

There was something more specific.

[B]

I don't have anything more specific for you, Danielle. I'm not a Gracie the Draft reporter.

[C]

And she just went to.

[B]

Yeah, no, she, I guess she, like, ended up in a part of this thing and we got really into some tree she found and ended up over the fence and was wandering around for two weeks. And I think they got her back. So that is. That's your good news item. For the day. Gracie is fine.

[C]

Yay, Gracie Tam.

[B]

What can't you let go of?

[D]

So what I can't let go of is last night's World cup match between the US And Bosnia Herzegovina.

[B]

Usa.

[F]

Usa. Usa.

[B]

Usa.

[D]

Like, you know, spoiler alert, we won and it was awesome. And at the end they played country roads and it was awesome. However, what I really can't let go of is that Fuller and Baligan, the top scorer on the US team, was given a red card for a tackle. I don't, I, I, I. Honestly, most of the soccer I watch involves eight year olds, so I can't tell you what happened exactly, but you only get cited with the red card if you are intentionally trying to injure the other player. And it was a, you know, a tough collision out there. But I think that this red card was totally bunk. I don't think it was valid.

[B]

I totally agree. And I feel like it was in the moment. I was like, what? I was watching the game at a bar and everyone was very confused because it just looked, I mean, it looked bad. He did step on the guy's foot or leg. But then after the game, I feel like everyone's all usually mad in the moment, but after the game, I feel like they talk to all the players and all the people who are usually like, kind of a little bit more distancing themselves or a little bit more like qualifying it being like, yeah, it wasn't great. But in this case, everyone was like, I have no idea why they called the red card. And it's crazy. Now he's going to be, he's going to have to miss the next match.

[D]

Yeah. It's actually almost amazing that the US still won after him getting booted from the game about 2/3 of the way through.

[C]

Right. Because they had to play down a man.

[B]

Right?

[D]

Yes.

[C]

That's bonkers. And also, I mean, look even bigger. Way to go, usa. That's awesome.

[D]

And what was sort of lovely is I was watching television with a third screen experience, as one sometimes does, and had X up on my computer. I know, I know I should just not have done that. But what I found was bipartisan outrage. It was amazing. You had such a wide range of American political figures who I follow on social media, all agreeing for once on one thing that this red card should not have been called.

[B]

That's great. But I do wonder whether we're still a little bit of bubble, because I agree with you. I was. Everyone around me in the bar I was in was outraged. Everyone on the Internet was Outraged. But I have not heard from the Bosnians.

[C]

Yeah, we need to poll agree.

[B]

They got their. The guy got his foot mashed. And I'd be curious to know if they also agree that if it was an over call or if we have just drank too much of the USA Kool Aid.

[D]

You know what? After the pod we just had, I think it's okay to drink a little bit of USA Kool Aid.

[C]

Woo. Woo. Usa.

[B]

Usa. This is the first time I've heard you do the USA chant, Danielle. I like it.

[C]

Well, actually, my can't let it go is just chanting that for five minutes straight. Is that cool?

[B]

You could put it on loop at your fourth of July barbecue and you could just have it playing to the speakers.

[C]

Guys, I'm gonna take a solo. No. Okay, so my can't let it go. This is gonna sound boring, but just hear me out. Is the Taylor Swift Travis Kelce wedding.

[D]

Because what is boring about that?

[B]

Well, because, yeah, I'm not bored.

[C]

Because who isn't paying attention to that? I get it. But like, my can't let it go is the, like not just the fact that it's at Madison Square Garden, but just like thinking about what you do in Madison Square Garden. Because I'm read. I've been reading some of the coverage of it. Here's some snippets here. This is from the New York Times. The Garden complex is a labyrinth with a five story circular ramp leading to the arena floor. The playing surface ice for hockey, hardwood for basketball is on the fifth floor above Penn Station, and a theater used for shows and concerts. Okay, people, reports that contrary to earlier reports, they are not building a castle inside. Okay. There's gonna be a thousand people there. But I've just been thinking, all right, how would I use Madison Square Garden at my hypothetical wedding do over? And so this is the game we're gonna play. We're all gonna say how we're gonna use Madison Square Garden at our weddings here. I'll go first because I've been thinking. I want to incorporate the organ, you know?

[D]

Yes. Danielle Wood.

[C]

Da, da, da, da. Like when I'm doing my first kiss with my spouse. Oh, I want people to yell charge.

[B]

When you. I just heard you do the da, da da, da da. I was like, you're not actually gonna use that in your wedding, but no, you actually want that in your wedding.

[C]

I want a way to use the defense. I don't know how, but it would be so fun. Everybody does the wave. All right, let's do this. Miles how are you using the garden for your wedding?

[B]

This is too easy. I'm such a competitive person. This is actually my dream scenario where we would use the basketball court and we would, me and my wife would draft our teams, go one by one and pick people to play, and we would just play a game of basketball.

[C]

Are there stakes here?

[B]

But it's beautiful. I don't think I want there to be. I would like to still be married after the fact. So I don't think I want there to be any stakes other than pride. But that's a pretty powerful drug.

[D]

Okay. Wow.

[C]

Tim.

[D]

You know, I think I'd just get AC DC to perform for the reception.

[C]

How did I not guess? That's perfect.

[D]

Or Taylor Swift. Either one. Whoever's available and alive.

[C]

Fantastic. I love it.

[B]

All right, well, that is a wrap for today. Our executive producers, Muthoni Muturi. Our editor is Rachel Bay. Our producers are Casey Morrell and Bria Suggs. Special thanks to Dana Farrington and to Dan Tridle and member station wcai, where I've been recording this podcast all week. It has been a pleasure. I'm Myles Parks. I cover voting.

[C]

I'm Danielle Kurtzleben. I cover the White House.

[D]

And I'm Tamara Keith. I cover politics.

[B]

And thank you for listening to the NPR politics podcast.

[E]

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[D]

The fatal shooting of a teenager at a protest in Seattle has gone unsolved for six years.

[B]

This is open. In your face. How are there no answers?

[D]

Our investigation has uncovered new evidence and witnesses who say they've never talked to police.

[B]

Did police ever call you?

[F]

Not once.

[D]

Us listen to We Keep Us Safe, a new true crime series on the embedded podcast from npr.