Anger as report says Trump hijacked US anniversary to serve own agenda – US politics live

Top House Democrat on committee that issued report says president ‘tries to steal the celebration of America’s 250th anniversary and turn it into something that’s all about Trump’ Full report: Trump hijacked US’s 250 anniversary to serve ‘political ideology and pet projects’ Sign up for the Breaking News US email One reason to celebrate America’s national big birthday – our 250th on the Fourth of July – is to honor the unusual longevity of our democratic experiment. Democracies rarely last, but ours has. Even if we know its flawed history – the land grab and slaughter of the indigenous population; slavery; enduring racial, gender and economic inequalities – it’s hard to fault the admirable, high-minded idealism of the Bill of Rights and the US Constitution. I’m all for celebrating Democracy. The bicentennial was fun. I lived outside a small rural town where there was a parade, a fife and drum corps, tricornered hats, flags and fireworks. Then president Gerald Ford had sponsored civil rights legislation. Roe v Wade was three years old. There were brilliant and honorable judges serving on the US Supreme Court. The Vietnam War had ended. Obviously there were problems: our growing military presence in Central America, the bankrupting and colonization of American inner cities, growing disparities. Even so, there was a hope in the air, a sense that things might be looking up. Continue reading...