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On July 4, 2026, the United States will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

President Donald Trump kicked off the countdown to the anniversary at a rally in Iowa – right as Congress passed his sweeping domestic policy bill.

But how has this country's identity changed in 250 years? And what innovations – in science, technology, and democracy – have led us to this moment?

In this installment of If You Can Keep It, we discuss what can we learn about the future of American innovation and democracy through its past.

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Search crews and volunteers continue to scour miles along the Guadalupe River for the dozens of people still missing after deadly Texas flooding last week.

President Trump's reciprocal tariffs are put on hold, again. And while the president calls the U.S the "hottest" country in the world, economists and industry experts warn his policies are positioning the country to be less competitive on the global stage.

Meanwhile, President Trump has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize once again, this time by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Pentagon freezes munitions to Ukraine and within hours the president made a U-turn on that move. Also this week new audio emerges of the U.S president expressing frustration with Russian president Vladimir Putin. This comes as Russia launches fresh aerial attacks on Ukraine.

And, the world's most famous pygmy hippo turns one.

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President Trump's so-called "One Big Beautiful Bill" which was passed last week will have major implications for most Americans.

How much will this cost you? Well, there's the effect this will have on climate change – and the rising costs of electricity Some estimates suggest electricity bills in states like Texas could be $777 more a year by 2035.

The Senate version of the legislation repeals the clean energy tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act for all solar and wind projects that don't start construction within a year after the bill's passage or that aren't completely operational by 2028. But these projects can often take longer than that. And they're a fast-growing segment of the country's energy grid.

We discuss what the future of clean energy looks like in the U.S.

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Last week saw dangerous weather in Europe, where a brutal heat wave swept across the continent. Now wildfires from that heatwave are scorching several Mediterranean countries.

Closer to home, hundreds of heat records were set across the U.S in the month of June, including Baltimore, which saw a record high of 105 degrees. Nearly 130 million people were under extreme heat warnings or heat advisories on last Thursday, according to NOAA's Weather Prediction Center.

Heat is a deadly threat that has been intensifying each summer. And while some of us turn to air conditioning, many don't have that option.

We discuss the power of shade to help cool us down as rising temperatures become the new normal.

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On Friday, central Texas, near San Antonio, was hit by what officials are calling a "100‑year flood." Heavy downpours caused a deadly 30‑plus-foot surge on the Guadalupe River and catastrophic flash flooding.

Nearly 90 people have been killed and dozens remain missing. Search and rescue operations continued Monday as more heavy rain threatens the region. Operators of Camp Mystic, a century-old summer camp in the Texas Hill Country, said they lost 27 campers and counselors, confirming their worst fears after a wall of water slammed into cabins built along the edge of the Guadalupe River.

Authorities vowed that one of the next steps will be investigating whether enough warnings were issued and why some camps did not evacuate or move to higher ground in areas long vulnerable to flooding.

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On Friday, President Donald Trump celebrated the passage of his signature tax and spending bill into law.

At nearly 900 pages, the legislation is a sprawling collection of tax breaks, spending cuts and other Republican priorities, including new money for national defense and deportations. It will also reduce Medicaid spending by more than $1 trillion over the next decade. That will result in an estimated 11.8 million people losing health insurance coverage. Among those who will be hardest hit? Rural Americans.

We discuss what kind of challenges people living in rural areas could face with the new law and what ripple effects the law could have across rural public health systems.

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Who are we as a nation? What's important to us? And who do we want to be?

1A recently spent some time at the Aspen Ideas Festival where Gallup Research unveiled data that indicates most Americans can agree broadly on the answers to those queries, but differ on which ones are the most important.

We sit down and get into what values make an American, an American.

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Unless you're a physicist, you've probably only encountered quantum mechanics on TV.

And even when it was explained, you might've still been a little confused.

The field of quantum mechanics was created a century ago. Today, scientists are using it to create methods of communication that can't be hacked, higher quality digital images, and to develop medications.

But many of us don't even understand what quantum mechanics is — or how it's deepening our understanding of the universe.

For today's installment of our series, "The Scientific Method," we answer your quantum-related questions.

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Meta Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth, Palantir Chief Technology Officer Shyam Sankar, OpenAI Head of Product Kevin Weil, and Thinking Machines Lab advisor Bob McGrew are now lieutenant colonels in the U.S. Army Reserves.

They're part of a military unit called Detachment 201, also known as the the Executive Innovation Corps. Their US Army says their swearing in is the "start of a bigger mission to inspire more tech pros to serve without leaving their careers, showing the next generation how to make a difference in uniform."

We discuss what the Army hoping to innovate and the capacity these tech executives will serve in the armed forces.

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The so-called 'big, beautiful bill' has squeaked by in the Senate and now moves back to the House.

The massive piece of legislation is the centerpiece of Trump's agenda, filled with tax breaks and spending cuts that would touch just about every American.

We discuss what's on the table now in the GOP mega bill. And how might it affect us if it passes.

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