July 4, 2026
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Michael's Daily Notes
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Happy Fourth of July. And not just any Fourth - today America turns 250.
A birthday is when you take stock. So here's the uncomfortable question on the way to the fireworks: at 250, how does the rest of the world actually see us?
The answer, lately, isn't pretty.
A new Pew Research Center survey of more than 42,000 people across 36 countries finds a 57 percent majority now view the United States unfavorably. Eighty percent in Sweden. Seventy percent in France. Sixty-six percent of Canadians. And it's our oldest friends pulling back the hardest. In Canada, 83 percent called us a reliable partner in 2022. Today, just 35. Across all 36 countries, only about a third still believe the U.S. contributes to peace and stability in the world - down sharply since 2023.
That's the birthday card from abroad. Not exactly warm.
But something else is happening at the exact same time. America is co-hosting the World Cup. Oxford Economics estimates more than a million international visitors are here - and they're sending word home about what they're actually finding.
The word is good.
And it's not the postcard stuff. It's the ordinary stuff. Free ice. Free refills. The sheer scale of a Walmart. Buc-ee's toured like a theme park. Ranch dressing so beloved the TSA reminded fans to pack it in checked bags. Scottish fans adopted Boston so thoroughly that locals are calling it "New Scotland."
But the part that stops you cold isn't the food. One British fan put it bluntly: "We owe America a huge apology." A Scottish woman, near tears, said they'd braced for the angry country they see on the news. Instead, they found "the America we were promised growing up."
The polls measure perception. The visitors are measuring us. And the gap between those two things might be the most American story there is.
Happy birthday, America.
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DAILY POLL
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Are you proud to be an American?
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TOP STORY
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On the eve of America's 250th anniversary, Pope Leo XIV accepted the National Constitution Center's Liberty Medal from Rome, urging the United States to recommit to its founding ideals of life, liberty and religious freedom.
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TODAY'S YOUTUBE
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SPONSORED BY PARX CASINO
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IN OTHER NEWS
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A dangerous Fourth of July heat wave is breaking temperature records across the eastern U.S., driving "extremely high" rates of heat-related emergency room visits, prompting event cancellations and power concerns, and raising health risks as forecasters warn the worst conditions will continue through Saturday.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's star-studded wedding at Madison Square Garden drew an A-list guest list of celebrities, athletes and close friends, with festivities following a rehearsal dinner and the couple's recent $26 million charitable donation ahead of their highly anticipated ceremony.
A group of Democratic governors is urging the U.S. Postal Service to withdraw a proposed rule tied to President Donald Trump's executive order on voter eligibility, arguing it could disenfranchise eligible voters and unlawfully interfere with states' authority over elections despite a federal court blocking the order.
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A MESSAGE FROM INCOGNI
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A Cato Institute/Morning Consult survey of 2,253 Americans found 46% don't know what America's 250th anniversary commemorates, even as 86% say they're grateful to be American and 56% worry the US could stop being a free country within the next 50 years.
A California man pleaded guilty to harassing the family of missing Arizona woman Nancy Guthrie by sending fake ransom messages during the ongoing kidnapping investigation, a case in which authorities say no suspects have been identified and legitimate ransom leads are still being pursued.
State Representative Francesca Hong is leading a push to expand democratic socialism in Wisconsin, testing whether the movement energizing urban Democrats can gain traction in a battleground state.
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MORE NEWS
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U.S. officials quietly warned Iran this spring that Israel was believed to be targeting senior Iranian negotiators for assassination as the Trump administration worked to broker a deal to end the conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
President Donald Trump is expected to pardon several people convicted of Clean Air Act violations while privately considering clemency requests from high-profile figures, including Sean "Diddy" Combs, as his administration continues to scale back environmental enforcement.
A federal appeals court has cleared the Trump administration to immediately replace the slavery exhibit at Philadelphia's President's House ahead of July 4, a move supporters say aligns with the administration's historical priorities but critics argue will sanitize and diminish the realities of slavery and George Washington's role in it.
For the Left
U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz condemned Iran at the U.N. Security Council over drone and missile strikes on Bahrain and Kuwait, while Iran denied responsibility and member states called for diplomacy and restraint amid concerns over shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.
For the Right
The Department of Justice acknowledged it accidentally included former special counsel Jack Smith's sealed Volume II report in discovery materials sent to the defense team of a former prosecutor accused of stealing the same document, prompting its return and a court notification.
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