Heat threatens U.S. 250th celebrations, Russian advances slow as Ukraine hits back, infighting risks derailing Democrats' House hopes.

Democrats are hoping they can win back the House majority this fall, but fighting within the party could complicate their plans.

On the eve of America's 250th birthday, NPR's Michel Martin asks House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York about the Democratic Party's midterm future.

When the U.S. bought Alaska from Russia in 1867, it took ownership of the Pribilof islands, home to the Russian-American Company's commercial fur-seal enterprise — and to the Unangax^ people who were forced to harvest the seals as "wards of the state." Indigenous residents continued to live under government supervision until 1983, when Congress finally transferred local control of the Pribilof Islands to the Unangax^ people themselves. From Theo Greenly of Alaska Public Media.

The designer of today's American flag remembers the day he created it for a student project.

Nearly four and a half years after Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia's frontline advances have slowed almost to a halt as Ukrainian counterattacks and defensive tactics become increasingly effective.