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CBS’ ‘The Great American Block Party 250’ July 4 special features Zac Brown Band, more

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Americans are ringing in the nation’s 250th anniversary of independence with coast-to-coast celebrations and star-studded concerts and performances. Join CBS for “The Great American Block Party 250,” a primetime special Saturday, July 4, hosted by “CBS Evening News” anchor Tony Dokoupil and “Entertainment Tonight” co-host Nischelle Turner. 

Dokoupil and Turner host live from the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. The show features exclusive performances by the Zac Brown Band, Jon Batiste, Goo Goo Dolls, The War and Treaty and more. 

There will also be select songs from America 250 concerts in Los Angeles and Philadelphia, with Queen Latifah performing at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and The Roots and Jill Scott at the One Philly: Unity Concert for America.

The night finishes off with what organizers are calling the largest fireworks show in history in the skies over the nation’s capital. 

Along with the festivities in Washington, we’ll bring you celebratory moments from Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Charleston, New York, Philadelphia, Mount Rushmore and Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and mark the opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, North Dakota. 

Watch “The Great American Block Party 250” on Saturday, July 4, at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and stream it on Paramount+ and CBS News 24/7

US launches deadly strike on alleged drug boat, believed to be the first in two months

(CNN) — The US military said early Monday it struck an alleged drug trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific, marking the first known strike in more than two months.“Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere executed a lethal kinetic strike on a low-profile vessel operating along established narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific,” US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said in a statement on X.Two people were killed in the strike on Sunday, according to SOUTHCOM.The strikes are believed to be the first since June 21. It was not clear why the strikes in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific paused, as CNN has reported.Prior to the pause, the US military had destroyed at least 67 vessels and killed at least 221 people since the “Operation Southern Spear” campaign began in September 2025, according to official announcements and CNN’s analysis of search and rescue efforts.The administration has told Congress the US is in an “armed conflict” against drug cartels, labeling those killed “unlawful combatants” and claiming the ability to engage in lethal strikes without judicial review due to a classified Justice Department finding.Law enforcement officials and experts have expressed skepticism over the Trump administration’s strategy and its effectiveness at bringing meaningful change to the region’s drug trade.In its statement Monday, SOUTHCOM Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan reiterated the US military’s commitment to combating the drug trade, saying: “We are committed to imposing total systemic friction on narco-terrorists – disrupting their operations, dismantling their leadership, and eliminating cartel terror across the region.”“This operation is a powerful demonstration of our lethal precision, overwhelming capability, and absolute resolve to protect the U.S. homeland,” Donovan said in the post.This is a developing story and will be updated. The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
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