The Fourth of July holiday, also known as Independence Day, celebrates the Second Continental Congress’ unanimous adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. A year later, according to the Library of Congress, a spontaneous celebration in Philadelphia marked the anniversary of American independence. But observations weren’t commonplace until after the War of 1812, when they quickly took off. Congress was late to the party, finally passing a law making Independence Day a federal holiday on June 28, 1870. Here’s what is open and closed this year on the Fourth of July: Government buildings Government offices, post offices, courts and schools are closed. Banks and the stock market U.S. stock markets and banks are closed Friday.

Israel’s coalition government is weighing a proposed change to one of the state’s most foundational laws — the Law of Return — that would dramatically alter the criteria for who may claim citizenship as a Jew, JTA reports.
The legislation seeks to abolish the clause that currently allows individuals with at least one Jewish grandparent to immigrate to Israel, even if they are not considered Jewish by halacha. Since 1970, that clause has enabled roughly half a million people to move to Israel, but it has also sparked growing internal debate and international concern, particularly among Jewish communities abroad.

During a press briefing on Thursday, President Donald Trump was asked whether he still supports the idea of the United States taking control of Gaza, a concept he introduced several months ago. In response, he emphasized concern for the local population, saying, “I want to see the people of Gaza safe, they have been through hell.”
The president also addressed the topic of Iran, expressing a willingness to reengage diplomatically. “Iran does want to speak and I think they’d like to speak to me and it’s time that they do,” Trump said. He made clear that the United States is not seeking confrontation, stating that he hopes Iran can “be a country again,” and remarked, “Iran had been beat up really bad.”

LISTEN:

https://matzav.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Bitachon4Life-Shiur-1534-Tocheles-Part-54-Keep-Pushing.mp3
​​For more info, email bitachon4life@gmail.com.

The massive tax and spending cut bill that Congress passed Thursday ends federal tax incentives for electric vehicles. Buyers have until Sept. 30 to qualify for the federal tax credits on EVs before they are terminated. But experts say there are still strong financial reasons to consider buying the vehicles even without those incentives. Before the bill passed, new electric vehicles came with a $7,500 federal tax credit, and used EVs included up to $4,000. Those incentives were originally designed to help make the vehicles more affordable. According to the latest data from Kelley Blue Book, the average purchase price of a new EV is roughly $9,000 higher in the United States than the average new gas-powered car. Used EVs on average cost $2,000 more than comparable gas cars.

A strike by nearly 10,000 city workers in Philadelphia stretched into a third day Thursday as trash piled up in some areas and more than 30 Medical Examiner’s Office staffers were ordered back to work because of a growing backlog of bodies in storage. The latest talks between the city and leaders of District Council 33 — the largest of four major unions representing city workers — ended late Wednesday without a deal, and no new talks were scheduled for Thursday. Both sides have said they were willing to continue negotiations. The union represents many of the city’s blue-collar workers, from trash collectors to clerks to security guards. Police and firefighters are not on strike.

TRUMP: “165 days into the Trump administration, America is on a winning streak like, frankly, nobody has ever seen before.”

The president of the University of California this week reiterated that student governments are prohibited from financial boycotts of companies associated with any particular country, including Israel, as the Trump administration continues its probe of alleged antisemitism on college campuses. Michael Drake did not mention Israel by name, but he did single out student governments in a letter he sent to chancellors of the university system. He said that while freedom of speech and inquiry are core commitments of the university, its policies also require that financial decisions be grounded in sound business practices, such as competitive bidding. “This principle also applies to student governments,” he wrote.

Assemblyman Schnall celebrates the House’s passage of Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” which could result in hundreds of millions of dollars worth of tax credits flowing to yeshivos and other private schools nationwide.