“President Donald Trump said he had earned at least $26 million in income from an array of new real estate ventures abroad, illustrating how his fortune has grown as his family embraces foreign deal-making in his second term,” Bloomberg reports.

“Magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll asked a judge to release more than $5 million to her one day after the Supreme Court rejected President Donald Trump’s effort to challenge a jury’s finding that he sexually abused and defamed her,” CNN reports.

“Carroll’s lawyers asked the trial judge to expedite the briefing schedule on her motion to release the funds, saying both sides previously agreed to do it after the nation’s highest court ruled.”

“President Lyndon B. Johnson’s wife owned a profitable radio station. George W. Bush was on the board of an oil company while his father was in the White House. And Hunter Biden was paid by a Ukrainian natural gas company while his father was vice president,” the New York Times reports.

“But never before in American history has there been anything like Donald J. Trump, a president who in his first year back in office has collected about $1.4 billion in new revenues from cryptocurrency businesses that directly benefited from his actions as president, a financial disclosure report made public on Tuesday shows.”

“Overall, Mr. Trump’s revenue in 2025 jumped to at least $2.2 billion, compared with a minimum of $622 million in 2024 before he returned to office.”

“President Donald Trump reported earning at least $1.2 billion in 2025 from crypto and memecoin-related businesses,” Bloomberg reports.

“President Donald Trump has begun construction on a new White House helipad, his latest change to the historic grounds,” the Washington Post reports.

“Construction crews worked into the night Monday on the White House’s South Lawn, with the project blocked off by a large fence.”

New York Magazine: Trump threatens to put tacky gold eagle on White House.

“President Trump on Tuesday called the Supreme Court ruling upholding birthright citizenship ‘too bad for our country,’ and falsely asserted that Congress could reverse the decision through legislation,” the New York Times reports.

Said Trump: “No long and unwieldy Constitutional Amendment is necessary! Congress should start TODAY to work on ending expensive and unfair to our Country, Birthright Citizenship. They will have my Complete and Total Support!'”

“One big reason why D.C.’s July 4 fireworks show is being pushed later: President Trump is scheduled to give a 45-minute speech on a National Mall stage,” Axios reports.

“With temperatures expected to hit 102 and inauguration-level security on the Mall, every delay ripples through the evening — keeping people in the heat longer, slowing trips home and pushing bedtimes.”

“Yes, but: Trump’s penchant for rollicking speeches makes it hard to pinpoint when the show starts.”

New York Magazine: “The Great American State Fair is a 16-day event happening right now on the National Mall. Freedom 250, the White House-affiliated organization planning many of the events marking the nation’s 250th birthday, described it as, ‘A world-class exposition and modern-day World’s Fair celebrating the people, traditions, innovations, and spirit that make America the greatest nation on Earth.'”

“In reality, it’s turning into Donald Trump’s answer to the Fyre Festival.”

“To be fair, no Americans are trapped in disaster relief tents on the National Mall subsisting on dry cheese sandwiches (yet). But the event, which kicked off on June 24 and ends on July 10, has been plagued by one embarrassment after another, from low attendance to power outages to a janky wooden replica of Trump’s planned triumphal arch.”

NOTUS: State Fair on the Mall Sputters out of the Gate.

“White House officials last year secretly awarded a no-bid contract worth up to $500 million for the construction of the East Wing ballroom in an unusual arrangement that sidestepped typical contracting procedures designed to control costs,” the Washington Post reports.

“The White House routed the contract through the Executive Residence, the document shows, an office that is exempt from rules that require federal agencies to solicit competitive bids and disclose details to the public.”

“President Donald Trump Monday evening posted what appeared to be an AI-generated image of a large, golden eagle affixed to the Truman Balcony of the White House,” CNN reports.

Wrote Trump: “A Golden Gift to the White House for its 250th Birthday Year!”

“But the image does not appear to be a real photograph, based on small differences between the railing of the balcony in the picture and the real-life Truman Balcony. The shield also features 11 stars, as opposed to 13, which traditionally reflect the original 13 colonies at the time of America’s founding.”

The Atlantic: “Since returning to the White House for his second term, Trump has wielded his authority to grant clemency with abandon. He issued pardons or commuted the sentences of nearly 1,600 people associated with the January 6 Capitol riot on his first day back in office and has publicly mused since about preemptively pardoning aides and allies.”

“Now the White House is discussing a possible announcement of presidential pardons as a centerpiece of the nation’s semiquincentennial celebrations over the Fourth of July weekend, according to 14 people familiar with the conversations. The idea has been described as ‘250 pardons for 250 years,’ an initiative that would put one of the most politically fraught constitutional powers at the forefront of the country’s birthday festivities.”

“President Trump said Monday he will nominate Keith Sonderling to lead the Department of Labor permanently,” CBS News reports.

“Sonderling was elevated to the role in an acting capacity after Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer left the position in April.”

“President Donald Trump on Monday remained undecided over whether he’d sign a bipartisan housing bill, saying shortly after the House speaker sent it to the White House that it was ‘so unimportant’ compared with his efforts to secure a controversial overhaul of federal elections,” CNN reports.

Said Trump: “Big deal. It’s a yawn.”

Washington Post: Housing bill that Trump refuses to sign heads to his desk.

“Rebecca Slaughter, the former Federal Trade Commission member whose firing was upheld by the Supreme Court on Monday, warned that the justices allowed for the possibility of abuse of presidential power,” the New York Times reports.

Said Slaughter: “Today’s ruling makes it possible for presidents to fire watchdogs who won’t put politics over principle, and replace them with lap dogs. It’s a recipe for corruption; working families will pay the price.”

Bloomberg: Supreme Court expands Trump’s power to fire top officials.

“John Yoo — a well-known and, in some legal and political circles, infamous conservative lawyer — will assist a Justice Department investigation that has theorized a yearslong conspiracy against President Donald Trump and is looking at several former high-ranking federal officials,” CNN reports.

“Yoo, now a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley, was the head of the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel under President George W. Bush during September 11, 2001, and is most known for authoring the ‘torture memos’ used for detainees after the attacks. He is also a national security specialist with experience on the law around presidential power and a proponent of expanding authority for the executive branch.”

“Congress wanted the nation’s 250th birthday to unite America in celebrating its founding principles, common bonds and democratic institutions that have made the country so unique. It passed bipartisan legislation a decade ago creating a commission to support events in the capital and around the country to mark the occasion,” NOTUS reports.

“Instead, the semiquincentennial events in Washington, D.C., have become intensely partisan, with President Donald Trump essentially taking over as master of ceremonies.”

Mediaite: Mark Kelly blames Trump for lack of liberal joy over America’s 250th birthday.