US Domestic News Roundup: Trump holiday speech divides Americans; Strong aftershock jolts California and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Love of country? Or a political stunt? Trump holiday speech divides Americans

Jan Shairrick and two friends drove more than a thousand miles from southern Arkansas to join President Donald Trump's "Salute to America" Independence Day celebrations in Washington. Some residents of the capital, however, stayed well away from the nearby festivities for fear of being wrongly identified as Trump supporters.

Strong aftershock jolts California as residents mop up after quake

A strong aftershock shook Southern California early on Friday as residents were still assessing the damage from the July 4 quake, the strongest in the region in 25 years, which was felt by more than 20 million people. The temblor, one of many aftershocks predicted by seismologists, struck the same desert region as Thursday's major earthquake with a magnitude of 5.4 about 11 miles (18 km) west of Searles Valley at 4:07 a.m. local time, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Dismissing criticism, Trump presides over July 4th holiday with a military show

U.S. President Donald Trump will preside over July Fourth Independence Day celebrations on Thursday with a speech about patriotism and a show of military might that critics say is politicizing an important holiday and wasting taxpayer money. Trump, a Republican who admired flashy displays of national pride and military strength put on by France, has dismissed concerns about the expense and militaristic overtones of the Washington event, which will take place in front of the Lincoln Memorial and feature fireworks, a flyover by Air Force One and a display of tanks.

Trump says immigrants 'unhappy' with detention centers should stay home

President Donald Trump, facing renewed criticism from Democrats and activists over his handling of a migrant crisis on the U.S.- Mexico border, said in a Twitter post on Wednesday that immigrants unhappy with conditions at detention centers should be told "not to come." Democratic lawmakers and civil rights activists who have visited migrant detention centers along the border in recent days have described nightmarish conditions marked by overcrowding and inadequate access to food, water and other basic needs.

Coal baron Cline among seven dead in Bahamas helicopter crash: media

Coal tycoon and self-made billionaire Christopher Cline, 61, was among seven people who died in a helicopter crash on Thursday in the Bahamas, the Register-Herald of West Virginia reported, citing friends of Cline. West Virginia Governor Jim Justice confirmed Cline's death on Twitter but offered no details on how it happened.

One killed in Calcasieu River Ship Channel accident in Louisiana: Coast Guard

One person was killed and another injured on Wednesday after a vessel collided with a dredge pipeline operating on the Calcasieu River Ship Channel near Hackberry, Louisiana, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) said. The channel has been shut down from two miles south of lighted aid 78 to two miles north of lighted aid 80, for six hours for search and rescue operations, USCG said in a statement on Thursday.

White House considering 'every option' for adding citizenship question to census

With a court deadline looming, the Trump administration is looking at "every option" as it seeks to add a contentious citizenship question to the 2020 census, a White House spokesman said on Thursday. Government lawyers are scrambling to meet a Friday afternoon deadline set by Maryland-based U.S. District Court Judge George Hazel, who wants the administration to state its intentions.

As Trump plans July 4 speech, his challengers march to a different drummer

U.S. presidential contender Joe Biden and two Democratic rivals marched on Thursday in the same 4th of July parade in Iowa, a small-town scene in sharp contrast with Republican President Donald Trump's plan to speak at Washington's Lincoln Memorial accompanied by battle tanks and military flyovers. Barbecue and marching bands mixed with presidential politics during Independence Day celebrations in the Midwestern farming state that in seven months kicks off the Democratic presidential nominating race to challenge Trump in the November 2020 election.

U.S. Senator Warren proposes executive action on women of color pay gap

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, on Friday proposed a plan to help women of color get better wages and a path to the leadership positions they have been denied. Warren announced executive actions she would take on Day One of her presidency if she were elected, the latest plan in the progressive candidate's policy-heavy campaign that has centered on fair wages, workers' rights and access to healthcare.

Chestnut-crowned July 4 hot-dog champ again but can't top his own record

This year's Nathan's Famous hot-dog eating contest proved a mild disappointment to Joey Chestnut, the Fourth of July event's perennial champ, even though he handily won the annual display of gastronomical excess for the 12th time this year. Chestnut took the crown in the annual U.S. Independence Day competition by downing 71 dogs and buns in 10 minutes. But the 35-year-old "competitive eater" from San Jose, California fell short of his record-setting performance of 74 at last year's contest, staged for decades on the beachfront in New York City's Coney Island.