by: Raquel Martin

Posted: Jul 4, 2026 / 03:14 PM CDT

Updated: Jul 4, 2026 / 03:38 PM CDT

WASHINGTON, D.C. (DC Bureau) — As the United States approaches its historic 250th birthday, a new landmark on the National Mall is being introduced. This monument is dedicated to acknowledging the influential women who have played a pivotal role in shaping American democracy, ensuring their contributions are honored in the nation’s narrative.

The Women’s Suffrage National Monument will be the inaugural memorial on the National Mall that focuses entirely on the campaign which granted women the right to vote. Advocates highlight this as a significant moment to honor the many women who fought tirelessly to expand the nation’s fundamental commitments to freedom and equality.

Washington Correspondent Raquel Martin spoke with the leaders behind the project about why they believe America’s “front yard” should reflect not only the nation’s founders, but the women who spent decades pushing the country closer to a more perfect union.

The special also explores the years-long bipartisan effort to bring the monument to life, why its location carries symbolic significance, and how Americans will help shape its final design as the nation marks America 250.

President Donald Trump, in anticipation of his upcoming meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, emphasized that Netanyahu “knows who the boss is.” This remark came ahead of their scheduled meeting in Washington, D.C.

In a conversation with Axios on Saturday, Trump revealed that Netanyahu might arrive as soon as next week. He reassured that the connection between the two leaders remains robust. “We get along very good,” Trump stated, underscoring their continued alliance.

The possibility of a face-to-face meeting follows after Trump’s attendance at the NATO summit in Turkey, set for July 7-8. Despite these plans, Israeli officials suggest that such a meeting might not occur until the subsequent week.

According to a statement from the Israeli prime minister’s office, Trump and Netanyahu communicated over the phone on Friday, where they agreed to arrange a meeting “in the near future.”

The pair spoke on the phone Friday and agreed to meet in “the near future,” according to a statement from the Israeli prime minister’s office.

“The Prime Minister said in the conversation that the US is a guarantor of global freedom, and Israel highly appreciates the close bond between the two nations,” the statement added.

This will be Netanyahu’s first meeting with Trump since he pressed for war with Iran in a Situation Room meeting in February.

Though Trump maintains that he and Netanyahu have “a very good relationship,” tensions have risen between the two in recent months over the Memorandum of Understanding with Iran and Israel’s conduct in its war against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Trump called Netanyahu “f–king crazy” over his attacks in Lebanon on June 1.

”You’d be in prison if it weren’t for me. I’m saving your ass. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this,” Trump confirmed to The Post he grilled the Israeli PM over airstrikes in Beirut.

Israel and Lebanon signed a tripartite agreement with the US on June 26 which called for a phased Israeli withdrawal for Southern Lebanon with the Lebanese Armed Forces assuming control of areas currently occupied by the Israel Defense Forces, as well as a demilitarization of Hezbollah.

Vice President JD Vance also slammed members of Netanyahu’s coalition for criticizing the emerging Iran deal in a June 18 press conference.

“Donald J. Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time, and he happens to be the head of state of the world’s superpower,” he said.

“The problem for Israel is not Donald J. Trump, and anybody in Israel who thinks their biggest problem is the president of the United States needs to wake up and smell the reality of the situation that country is in.”

In an extraordinary operation, Tehran is gearing up for the interment of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on July 9, over four months following his demise. Authorities are deploying the Basij militia and enhancing security measures in anticipation of an anticipated “historic” public gathering.

The protracted delay preceding the funeral has sparked curiosity regarding the preservation methods of Khamenei’s body. Experts note that Islamic customs typically advocate for swift burials and discourage the use of chemical embalming.

“The preservation is most likely achieved through refrigerated cold storage rather than embalming, as chemical embalming is prohibited by Islamic tenets,” explained Dr. Omar Mohammed, a counterterrorism expert, in an interview with News Media.

He further noted, “Shia law permits delayed burials and preservation through refrigeration in special circumstances, and obtaining a clerical exemption for an individual of the Supreme Leader’s stature is relatively straightforward.”

“Iran’s forensic morgues already hold bodies for months, so four months in freezing is not exotic. That is what ‘religious and legal standards’ cover,” Mohammed said.

Operation Epic Fury began on Feb. 28 with a targeted U.S. strike that killed Khamenei at his compound in Tehran. He had ruled the Islamic Republic for 36 years.

“There may not be much of a body to present. Khamenei was killed by a bunker-penetration strike, and others killed with him were recovered weeks later and identified by DNA,” Mohammed explained.

“A regime holding an intact body does not cancel the farewell, shift the burial site repeatedly, and confirm that he can be buried only days out.

“It reads less like reverence and more like remains they could preserve but not display,” he said.

With that, Iranian authorities are portraying the funeral as both a farewell to the leader and a show of strength under the slogan “We Must Avenge.”

According to Iranian state media, Yaqoub Soleimani, deputy for cultural and educational affairs at the Martyrs Foundation and one of the funeral’s organizers, said Wednesday the ceremony would be conducted “with full grandeur.”

Soleimani said a turnout of a million people would make the event “a historical occasion” and “a national epic in the memory of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

The schedule starts with public viewings Saturday and Sunday in Tehran. A funeral procession is scheduled for July 6, where local authorities estimate 15 million to 20 million people could attend.

Another procession is planned the following day in Qom, one of Shiite Islam’s holiest cities.

“The numbers the regime is putting out — up to 20 million mourners in Tehran, 35 million nationwide, more than 90 countries represented, 14,000 journalists credentialed — are not logistics,” Mohammed, of The George Washington University Program on Extremism, said.

“They are the message. Tehran is spending everything it has to project continuity and strength because, after the war, both are in question.”

According to Iran International, Tehran is also preparing a massive security operation for the funeral.

“The Basij and the IRGC running this is the story, not a detail,” Mohammed said.

“The Basij is coordinating logistics — highways turned into parking, each Tehran district assigned a province, five public holidays declared — and the Guard has crowd control.

“This is a mobilization dressed as a funeral. The same apparatus organizing the grief this week is the apparatus that put down the January protests and denied funerals to the families of the people it killed then. American readers should hold those two facts next to each other,” he added.

While senior Iraqi officials will attend the funeral, representation from other major powers will be limited.

Although Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian personally invited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India will instead send a lower-level official delegation.

Reports on June 30 also confirmed that Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili will attend the ceremony.

“No major power is sending its top leader,” Mohammed said.

“For a regime that claims to lead a front stretching from Beirut to Sanaa, a regional turnout at its founder-successor’s funeral is the isolation showing through the pageantry.

“For Washington, it is a useful readout: the war left Tehran’s axis smaller and more regional than the regime advertises,” he added.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have seemingly orchestrated one of the most glamorous weddings in recent memory. The grandeur, however, extends beyond the galaxy of celebrities gracing the event; it’s the enthralling whispers swirling from within that truly captivate attention.

While Friday night’s star-studded celebration at New York’s iconic Madison Square Garden (MSG) grabbed headlines, it was the more exclusive affair on Thursday that had insiders buzzing. Those in the know confided in the Daily Mail about the rich tapestry of high-profile tales woven during the intimate prelude, tales that will reverberate through Hollywood circles long after the final flute of Champagne was raised.

One particularly well-positioned source emphasized that when it came to the festivities, the newlyweds spared no expense.

Within the smaller confines of MSG’s Infosys Theater, the scene on Thursday night was nothing short of a metamorphosis. The space was completely transformed into an opulent haven, barely recognizable from its usual state. “Super posh,” remarked the source.

“You couldn’t tell it was MSG,” they added with awe.

The lavish makeover came after days of feverish construction at the famous venue, with truckloads of towering trees, decorative shrubbery, luxury furnishings and endless fresh flowers disappearing behind black privacy screens. 

And with a guest list that stretched to 1,000 people across the multi-day extravaganza, Thursday’s gathering gave the couple’s closest friends and family a chance to celebrate before Friday’s main event.

According to our mole, there were ‘lots of speeches’ throughout the evening, with both bride and groom taking on emcee duties.

In an adorable personal touch, Kelce introduced Swift’s nearest and dearest before they addressed the room, while the pop superstar returned the favor by welcoming his closest friends to the microphone.

But if anyone stole the show, it was one of Swift’s oldest friends.

Girls creator Lena Dunham quipped during her speech that ‘American football is just straight guys reenacting gay porn’.

The crude line instantly became one of the night’s biggest talking points, with our insider saying the joke drew a ‘divided’ response of ‘gasps and laughs’ from gathered guests.

And while the joke may have raised a few eyebrows, one person was clearly delighted.

According to our insider, Swift immediately declared Dunham a ‘genius’ after her speech.

The two women have been close friends for more than a decade, with Dunham frequently defending Swift publicly and the singer serving as a bridesmaid at the actress’s own wedding in 2021.

But not every conversation during the evening centered on speeches.

Away from the microphones, another juicy tidbit quietly spread through the room –  and it involved someone who wasn’t there.

According to a second insider, a household-name celebrity had privately asked for an invitation before the wedding only to be politely turned down.

Ouch.

The identity of the rejected A-lister must remain a closely guarded secret, but the Daily Mail can confirm that their name would spark feverish chatter across Hollywood.

Of course, not every famous face was expected to make an appearance.

One notable absentee was Blake Lively, whose once-close friendship with Swift detonated last year amid the actress’s legal battle with Justin Baldoni.

A source previously told the Daily Mail that Lively had failed to make the final guest list following the collapse of their relationship, marking a dramatic end to one of Tinseltown’s most high-profile friendships.

For everyone else lucky enough to score an invitation, getting through the door reportedly required almost military-level screening.

As the Daily Mail has exclusively revealed, guests were required to sign nondisclosure agreements before receiving key details about festivities – a rule said to apply even to some of the couple’s closest friends and family. 

Only after RSVP’ing were invitees sent a link to the agreement, which prohibits them from discussing any aspect of the celebrations.

Interestingly, the NDAs reportedly carry no financial penalty for anyone who breaks them.

Instead, the couple are said to have relied on a far more clever safeguard by individually watermarking every invitation with each guest’s name, ensuring any leaked copy could be traced back to its owner almost instantly.

The extraordinary precautions go some way toward explaining why so little has emerged from inside Madison Square Garden despite days of feverish activity surrounding the venue.

Outside, however, it’s been impossible to miss.

For much of the week, giant tractor-trailers have rolled up at all hours.

Boxes of fresh lobster from Maine have been wheeled through loading docks, while black privacy tarps have been hung to shield workers constructing what multiple reports suggest is a life-sized fairytale castle inspired by Swift’s iconic 2008 Love Story music video.

Workers wearing shirts bearing the logo from Swift’s Speak Now album have also been spotted darting in and out of the venue, only adding to the mystery.

The security operation has proven just as eye-catching.

More than 130 NYPD officers have reportedly been assigned to the celebrations, with additional security posts erected around Madison Square Garden, National Guardsmen stationed near VIP entrances and cooling stations installed to help officers cope with Manhattan’s sweltering holiday weekend temperatures.

Police sources previously told the Daily Mail that Thursday evening would host the rehearsal-style gathering before Friday’s main celebration. In a statement Friday, Swift’s publicist confirmed the pair had been officially married in a ceremony officiated by comedian Adam Sandler.

And if Thursday night’s guest list was impressive, Friday’s looks set to be even bigger.

Jay-Z, Steven Spielberg, Bradley Cooper and Zoe Kravitz were among the latest A-listers already spotted arriving in New York, joining confirmed guests including Ed Sheeran and expected attendees such as Gigi Hadid, the Haim sisters, Dua Lipa, Graham Norton and Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

With Stevie Nicks and Paul McCartney both rumored to perform, there is every chance the reception could double as one of the most exclusive concerts ever assembled.

For now, though, the biggest stories aren’t coming from the stage – they’re coming from the whispers between speeches, the conversations away from the cameras and the snippets of gossip slowly leaking beyond the venue’s tightly guarded walls.

Taylor Swift recently broke new ground by donning a Christian Dior Haute Couture bridal gown.

Renowned designer Jonathan Anderson, who took charge of the iconic French fashion brand in April 2025, crafted this wedding dress, marking his debut for a high-profile celebrity like Swift.

Both fans and fashion aficionados are eagerly anticipating a first look at Swift’s ensemble, designed for her grand wedding to Travis Kelce at Madison Square Garden. With over 1,000 guests in attendance, the details of this gown are elusive, though clues might be gleaned from Anderson’s previous work.

Collaborating intimately with both Swift and Kelce, Anderson’s one-of-a-kind creation promises to be as unexpected as it is exquisite. However, looking at his recent designs for other brides might provide some insight into his artistic approach and skill.

In fact, just last month, Anderson, who also operates his own JW Anderson label and formerly headed Loewe, made memorable wedding gowns for both model Ming Xi and influencer Elisa Zarzur.

While Xi was plotting her own design, Anderson was busy working on his inaugural haute couture collection for Dior, which hit the catwalk in January 2026 and ended with a one-shouldered bridal gown covered in flower petal-like appliqués.

However, it was the ceramic works of Magdalene Odundo, also an inspiration for the entire collection, that served as the catalyst for Xi’s architectural open-back design, per Vogue.

Xi wore a bateau-neck long-sleeved dress made from wild silk charmeuse, with the wing-like open back held ingeniously held in place by a piano wire and finished with a sweet bow.

Zarzur, meanwhile, said “I do” in a long-sleeved structural look that took over 640 hours to create, as reported by Harper’s Bazaar UK.

Here’s latest on Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding at MSG:

The top half featured a French Chantilly lace bodice that opened up in a petal-like design around her collar bone and dipped into a deep open back. Two long trails of lace extended well past her train for a dramatic, untied effect. The bottom skirt was crafted of crystal beading and duchesse satin.

While there’s a definite pattern here — long sleeves, sculptural, open back — we’re not sure if Swift would choose to repeat the pattern. After all, New York City hit 100 degrees Friday night (though the bride did enter MSG via private car and the arena was surely heavily air-conditioned).

One thing’s for sure: With a wunderkind like Anderson and an international superstar like Swift, whatever the bride chose is sure to be one of the most memorable wedding gowns of all time.

An undocumented truck driver, who authorities stated defied orders to exit the United States, stands accused in the fatality of a Pennsylvania State Police trooper. The officer had recently returned to the area to assist his ailing mother during her cancer battle.

This tragic accident adds to a growing list of fatal truck-related incidents where noncitizen commercial drivers are involved, prompting the Trump administration to reconsider rules pertaining to commercial driver’s licenses.

The tragic sequence unfolded as 44-year-old Michael E. Pahira Jr. was performing a routine commercial vehicle check on Interstate 81 in Schuylkill County. Without warning, another semi-truck veered off the road, colliding with Pahira’s official vehicle and the truck under inspection before striking the trooper, as reported by the Pennsylvania State Police. Both trucks erupted into flames following the collision, and tragically, Pahira succumbed to his injuries at a nearby hospital.

The driver, Michael Bon, a 33-year-old Haitian immigrant residing in Brockton, Massachusetts, is charged with vehicular homicide, involuntary manslaughter, and reckless driving, among other charges. He is currently held at Schuylkill County Prison with bail set at $700,000, and his next court appearance is slated for July 15.

The Department of Homeland Security has lodged an immigration detainer against him.

Bon entered the United States through Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in July 2024 under the Biden administration’s humanitarian parole program. He later applied for Temporary Protected Status, but the application was denied. DHS terminated his parole in June 2025 and ordered him to leave the country, but he remained in the United States.

While living in Massachusetts, Bon obtained a non-domiciled commercial driver’s license in March 2025. The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles said he first qualified for the license in 2025 while he was authorized to work under federal law. It was renewed in February 2026 before the Trump administration directed states to stop issuing or renewing non-domiciled CDLs for drivers who no longer met federal eligibility requirements.

Pahira’s death comes as Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has made tightening commercial driver licensing rules a top priority following multiple fatal crashes involving non-domiciled CDL holders over the past two years.

Last year, Duffy launched a nationwide audit of states issuing non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses after a series of deadly crashes, including crashes in Wyoming, Florida and California. During his State of the Union address, President Donald Trump said at least 17 fatal crashes in 2025 that killed 30 people involved immigrants living in the country illegally driving commercial vehicles with CDLs.

The Department of Transportation has also threatened to withhold federal funding from states found to be issuing licenses to drivers who are ineligible under federal law. In April, the Transportation Department withheld more than $73 million in federal funding from New York, saying the state failed to revoke commercial driver’s licenses issued to drivers who were no longer eligible. Duffy said the move was intended to hold states accountable for ensuring only qualified and properly vetted drivers were allowed behind the wheel of commercial trucks.

“Secretary Duffy is laser-focused on restoring integrity to America’s trucking industry by ensuring truck drivers on our roadways are qualified and vetted,” a spokesperson for the Transportation Department previously told News Media. “The Department is going after every link in the chain to root out bad actors, fraudsters and chameleon carriers who put American families at risk.”

Pahira became a trooper for the Pennsylvania State Police in 2007.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro remembered Pahira as “the very best of us,” saying the veteran trooper had recently moved back home to help care for his mother as she underwent cancer treatments.

“I spent time with Mike’s parents, Patti and Mike, his sister, Jen, and some of his friends and fellow troopers,” Shapiro said during a press conference. “They told me about Mike — about how great a man he was, about his high school wrestling record, his love of cooking, and his commitment to caring for his mother as she battles cancer. Just in the last few days, he helped her shave her head as she is going through her treatments.”

CHICAGO (WLS) — As Fourth of July approaches, the skies of Chicago, its suburbs, and even Northwest Indiana are set to sparkle. Here’s a guide to some of the fireworks displays that will light up these areas.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 34/7. Click here to watch.

In an unprecedented exclusive, the Daily Mail has unveiled captivating new footage, providing a sneak peek into Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s clandestine wedding held in the heart of New York City.

Set against the iconic backdrop of Madison Square Garden, the couple’s nuptials were nothing short of a fairy tale brought to life. The renowned venue had been transformed into a magical setting, adorned with towering trees, lush emerald drapes, and majestic archways. It was there, amidst a gathering of A-list celebrities, cherished friends, and family, that the pair exchanged their vows.

Guests were visibly eager as they congregated at the altar, soon vanishing into the couple’s ethereal reception space, a testament to their dream-like vision for the event.

The vibrant atmosphere was perfectly complemented by Candi Staton’s disco classic, “Young Hearts Run Free,” energizing the room and setting the tone for a night of celebration.

The ceremony blended elegance with a touch of spectacle. Swift, donning a stunning gown, reportedly made her grand entrance down a stage-like aisle accompanied by a string rendition of one of her own beloved songs. As the formalities concluded, attendees poured through discreet doors to join the opulent reception.

One guest told the Daily Mail that after the vows, attendees ‘headed into the festivities room behind the altar’s magic doors’, where the real party began. 

The guest described an interior styled in a ‘whimsical Tinker Bell fairytale’ theme. Footage shows arrangements of green foliage and large trees, playing into the ‘garden party’ theme the bride is said to have requested for her big day. 

Emerald green drapery hung from the ceiling to complete the ambience, while the stadium’s usual blue seats were chicly covered in nude-colored coverings.

A towering ceiling-height structure, with gray embellishments and archways, dominated the space, resembling a chapel or the ‘castle’ that sparked frenzied speculation prior to the event.

The exclusive video also shows a romantically lit hallway with pink walls, peach drapery and matching carpet. It appears to be just beyond the glamorous carpet-covered stairway some guests posted to social media. The entrance also featured a sentimental touch, as several photos of Swift and Kelce throughout their relationship were featured on the walls. 

All of the sweet photographs, including the couple’s August 2025 backyard proposal, were inside large gold frames. A large ‘T and T’ logo, which seems to have featured in other parts of the nuptials, was displayed in the center.

A separate part of the footage shows the ceremony space itself, where the pop superstar and NFL pro’s elegantly attired guests lined up in another area of the arena, apparently where Swift and Kelce exchanged their vows. 

‘It was really this garden inside The Garden,’ Good Morning America host and wedding guest George Stephanopoulos said on Saturday. ‘It was just so beautiful.’ 

AMC CEO Adam Aron also gushed about MSG’s magical transformation.

‘Immediately upon entry, everything… floors, walls, ceilings… was draped in peach and white. Large blown-up pictures of Taylor and Travis at each age, year by year from one-year-old to late teenager-hood were on display,’ he wrote in a since-deleted post on X.

He also noted that the space was ‘devoid of any notion that a basketball or hockey game [had] ever shared the space.’

The exterior of Madison Square Garden was bathed in pink light to mark the occasion, with giant illuminated screens displaying ‘JUST&T MARRIED!’ adding to the spectacle. 

Industry experts estimated that Swift and Kelce, both 36, spent more than $15 million to transform it into the fairytale wedding of their dreams.

And a source told The New York Times that between lighting, sound, catering, flowers, decorations and labor, it could cost between $10 million and $12 million.

Leading up to Swift and Kelce’s big day, there were several NYPD officers and security members patrolling MSG, which reportedly cost taxpayers about $1 million.

For days beforehand, dozens of staffers were seen unloading equipment, boxes of food and the decorations now visible in the exclusive video from a fleet of trucks and caravans. 

The massive event was met with some criticism from local business owners, who claimed business was halted during a holiday weekend due to street closures.

Swift’s publicist issued a press release shortly after the newlyweds said ‘I do,’ sharing several of the intimate details about the nuptials.

She shared that Adam Sandler officiated the wedding, the couple wore custom Christian Dior Haute Couture, Swift opted out of bridesmaids and chose her brother, Austin Swift, as her ‘man of honor’ instead and, as Daily Mail exclusively reported, Kelce named his big brother Jason Kelce as his best man.

Later in the evening, the wedding celebration reportedly turned into a concert, as Stevie Nicks, Paul McCartney and Tim McGraw, among others, took the stage.

It is believed that even Swift herself performed for her new husband and guests, including best friends Selena Gomez, Gigi Hadid, Sabrina Carpenter and other surprising attendees like Karlie Kloss, Hugh Grant and Barbara Corcoran.

Friday’s festivities followed a more intimate gathering on Thursday of 100 of the couple’s closest family and friends inside MSG’s smaller Infosys Theater.

Sources told the Daily Mail exclusively that the ‘super posh’ rehearsal dinner featured several speeches from many of Swift’s dear friends, including Lena Dunham, who delivered a punchline so rude that it left guests ‘gasping and laughing.’

The Girls creator quipped that ‘American football is just straight guys reenacting gay porn,’ but we’re told the bride was not bothered, however, by the crude comment and reportedly called the joke ‘genius.’ Swift served as Dunham’s bridesmaid at her 2021 wedding. 

Taylor Swift’s wedding: Read all the top stories

Each guest left Thursday night’s intimate affair with a black velvet box that reportedly contained custom diamond-encrusted champagne flutes.

Although details of the multi-day celebration have been trickling out via the press, Swift and Kelce went to great lengths to try and keep everything under wraps.

The Daily Mail was first to report in April that the couple issued nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) with their save-the-dates, and guests had to sign it in order to get a formal invitation to the wedding. 

Guests were also asked to surrender their phones upon entering the event in an attempt to prevent leaks.

Perhaps part of the reason Swift had her wedding under such strict controls is because she is planning on cashing in on the footage she obtained, sources told us. 

Insiders have been telling the Daily Mail since as early as March that ‘the whole thing will be recorded,’ as Swift wants to give her fans a peek into her special day. 

‘It’ll happen on Taylor’s timeline, after she’s edited it and is ready,’ another insider said of the full release of the wedding footage.

‘If Taylor wanted total privacy, she could have quietly gotten married at home with a handful of people.’