NPR News: 07-03-2026 10AM EDT

Windsor Johnston· Host0:01

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. A dangerous heat wave is gripping much of the central and eastern US ahead of the holiday weekend. But even with the heat, millions of Americans are expected to gather for traditional Fourth of July cookouts. NPR's Scott Horsley reports the American Farm Bureau Federation says the cost for barbecues this summer is higher than last year.

Scott Horsley0:26

Beef prices are up more than twelve percent from this time last year. Drought-stricken ranchers have been thinning their herds, and the supply of beef cattle is at a seventy-five-year low. "The price of a store-bought tomato to top that burger's gone up even faster," says food economist Robin Wenzel of Wells Fargo.

Robin Wenzel· Soundbite0:42

We get about ninety percent of our tomatoes from Mexico. There were some adverse growing conditions impacting supply. We think, you know, we will see some relief as the growing season progresses and farmers take advantage of planting more of these vegetables.

Scott Horsley0:57

For cookout bargain hunters, pork prices are up only slightly from a year ago, and chicken prices are actually down a bit. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.

Windsor Johnston· Host1:07

The Republican National Committee has filed new lawsuits challenging the voting rights of some US citizens who cast ballots from outside of the country. NPR's Hansi Lo Wang reports.

Hansi Lo Wang1:18

Colorado, Nebraska, and Nevada are among the three dozen states that allow voting by US citizens who were born abroad and have never lived in the United States, sometimes because their US citizen parents or legal guardians