It’s Monday, July 6. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: Frannie Block on the Chinese pastor finally set free. Arthur Brooks on why Taylor Swift’s prenup won’t protect her marriage. Aaron MacLean on whether Ukraine is winning the war. Dr. Cornel West on Conversations with Coleman. And much more.
But first: Two takes on the 250.
America is officially 250 years old. For the past year, we have been counting down to the semiquincentennial of the greatest nation on Earth—and it delivered.
Across the country, Americans poured into stifling heat, decked head to toe in stars and stripes. They flocked to the annual hot dog eating contest in Coney Island; lined the streets for parades in Ohio; reenacted the Revolutionary War in Boston; watched fireworks over Los Angeles; and, in Philadelphia, lowered a time capsule into the ground for our descendants 250 years from now to discover: a snapshot of America in 2026.
It was brash and joyous. In other words, it was American.
Which means it wasn’t complete without politics. Over the weekend, Americans were also treated to a series of speeches from elected officials. Two speeches—by President Donald Trump and New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani—were “built up by pundits as a political doubleheader,” writes Liel Leibovitz today, “offering twin visions of America present, past, and future, one from the left and the other from the right.” So what did these two addresses say about our politics? Liel’s verdict: Anyone hoping either would offer an accurate, let alone inspiring, account of American exceptionalism would have been sorely disappointed.
Read Liel’s piece to understand why our leaders got it so horribly wrong—and what he says is the truth about American exceptionalism at our 250-year mark.
—Jillian Lederman
Ezra Jin, Pastor Jailed by China, Is Free
On July 4, 2026, I woke up to learn that Ezra Jin, a pastor who had spent more than eight months in a Chinese prison, was free—and in the arms of his family members in America.
The Free Press’s Frannie Block has covered Ezra’s story tirelessly since his arrest on October 14, 2025, when Chinese police executed a series of raids across China, rounding up nearly three dozen pastors and church leaders. They were charged with illegally disseminating religious information online.
Ezra’s daughter, Grace Jin Drexel, worked endlessly for her father’s release. “The Chinese Communist Party will never be able to put God in a box,” she told The Free Press in October, adding that she would do “everything in my power to bring attention to his story” and to fight for his freedom.
Fight she did. She traveled the globe—from Geneva, London, Rome, Berlin, and Brussels—to tell her father’s story and put pressure on both the U.S. and Chinese governments to consider his case, speaking twice in front of Congress. The case made it onto the negotiating table when Trump met Chinese president Xi Jinping in Beijing in May; after the summit, Trump announced that the leader was “seriously considering” releasing Jin.
The Drexels believe that Ezra Jin’s release on the eve of the Fourth of July is a “miracle.” It surely is. But it is also the result of months of determined work to raise his case to some of the most powerful decision-makers in the world, including both the president of the United States and China’s president. It is a testament to the power of advocacy, international pressure, and to one family’s resolution to never give up even in the face of the most daunting obstacles.
Read the latest news here:
And don’t miss Frannie’s agenda-setting deep dive into this case, and Beijing’s war on Christianity, “China vs. God”:
On Friday, America celebrated its version of a royal wedding when Taylor Swift wed Travis Kelce at Madison Square Garden. But underneath all the confetti and roses was a complicated legal arrangement: The celebrities’ union was reportedly accompanied by the “most sophisticated” prenuptial legal agreement in history. Are the billionaire singer and her NFL star husband right to protect their fortunes—or does planning for the end of a relationship only make its demise more likely? Arthur Brooks explains how the prenup took over our culture, what it says about the health of modern marriages, and whether they’re a good idea.
More than four years into the war with Russia, the conventional wisdom about Ukraine is that the small European nation has far outperformed expectations, and after a tough winter, may even be pulling ahead. But the narrative is outpacing reality, says Aaron MacLean. Has Ukraine really shifted the dynamics in the conflict, and what will it really take to break the world’s bloodiest stalemate? Aaron dives into those questions for us today.
For many, America’s 250th birthday was not only an opportunity to debate what makes this country exceptional, but whether it’s a force for good in the world at all. This week on Conversations with Coleman, Coleman Hughes sat down with gadfly public intellectual Dr. Cornel West for an honest look at American history—and the lessons it offers for the next 250 years.
MORE FROM THE FREE PRESS
THE NEWS
Tens of thousands of people flooded into Tehran this weekend for the funeral services of the former Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. One of the attendees was former child political star turned Islamist Calla Walsh, whom we’ve reported on extensively; you can read our full investigation of her descent into radicalism here.
Michigan Democrat Mallory McMorrow withdrew her Senate bid this weekend. During her candidacy, McMorrow tried to strike a balance between the establishment candidate Rep. Haley Stevens and the hard-left candidate Abdul El-Sayed; her departure could leave El-Sayed with an easier path to victory.
President Trump pardoned 11 people on Friday, most of whom were convicted of violating the Clean Air Act. He also pardoned Adam Kidan, a key Republican donor, raising questions about potential biases. (For more on the pardon industrial complex, read Gabe Kaminsky’s investigation.)
The Trump administration piloted a new program providing investment accounts to millions of American children on Saturday. The so-called “Trump accounts” will start these children off with a $1,000 deposit, and families and employers will have the option to contribute more funds over time.
A marine heat wave is sweeping the Pacific Ocean, extending across an area over eight times as large as the United States. The temperature change could signal a rise in intense storms and heat waves in the coming weeks, after this weekend’s storms took out power grids across several states.
Team USA’s top scorer Folarin Balogun had his controversial red card repealed on Sunday. The decision reportedly came after Donald Trump called FIFA president Gianni Infantino, and makes Balogun eligible for today’s match against Belgium, which will kick off at 8 p.m. ET.
Marine heat wave in the pacific, well below average in the Atlantic. Why not mention that?
Maybe the storms are because of the cold Atlantic?
My feeling is that Don Jr. bet heavily on Belgium today (dad's dough of course).Currently 1-3 with 30 minutes to go. Thanks Dad?