NPR News: 07-03-2026 3PM EDT

Louise Schiavone· Host0:01

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Louise Schiavone. Extreme heat continues to hover over parts of the nation, including the Northeast. It's so hot that in Washington, D.C., where temperatures have hit 100 degrees, officials decided to temporarily close the Great American State Fair until 5:00 PM. As for attendance at the fair so far on the National Mall, NPR's Frank Langfitt has this report.

Frank Langfitt0:26

I went over two days, spent seven hours. Small line one day, none the other.

Louise Schiavone· Host0:30

Mm.

Frank Langfitt0:31

And probably we'll see far more people on the weekend for the fireworks. There was a lot of engagement in some of the pa- pavilions. There was a faith and family one, which had conservative Christian groups.

Louise Schiavone· Host0:43

Mm.

Frank Langfitt0:43

Uh, overall, the crowd there was, was mostly white, and everybody I talked to was a supporter of President Trump.

Louise Schiavone· Host0:48

For his part, the president will be at Mount Rushmore this evening. Military displays and a big fireworks display are on tap at the landmark in South Dakota, and Trump is gearing up to deliver a major speech. The big celebrations are still ahead tomorrow, the Fourth of July, to be kicked off tonight in New York City with a ball drop in the city's Times Square. The CDC says the West Nile virus season has started early this year. NPR's Rob Stein has details.

Rob Stein1:18

The CDC says at least 48 cases of West Nile have already been reported. That's the highest number of West Nile cases to emerge by this time of year since 2004. The virus