Time to celebrate Independence Day weekend -- and the founding of America 244 years ago.

"President Trump is expected to deliver remarks at Mount Rushmore on Friday night at a celebration which is slated to include a fireworks display and military flyovers to kick off the July 4 weekend." (Fox News)

President Trump will start Independence Day weekend with a speech at Mount Rushmore tonight. Attendees will also enjoy fireworks and a special military plane flyover.

On Saturday, the president will return to Washington, D.C. for the traditional Fourth of July celebrations. More than 10,000 fireworks(!) will be launched, starting just after 9pm Eastern.

We weren't able to find any mention of a Biden campaign event to celebrate Independence Day (but if there is one, let us know!).

One Congressman is starting Independence Day weekend with a monuments-focused road trip.

"Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and members of his congressional staff traveled to Philadelphia, Baltimore, and several landmarks in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. They visited Independence Hall, Fort McHenry, the Jefferson Memorial, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Theodore Roosevelt Island, and the U.S. Capitol." (The Daily Signal)

Congressman Chip Roy of Texas started the holiday weekend with an East Coast roadtrip to major American monuments, including the Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln monuments in D.C. 

At each stop, the Congressman hopped out of the car to film a short video, sharing his trip with followers on social media.

Essential pre-weekend reading: three (of many) reasons that America is great.

"America has always been great and can be greater still. This is certainly not an exhaustive list of why America is great, of which there are almost countless examples big and small." (The Daily Signal)

Here's a short selection from the post (with the emphasis our choice); read it in its entirety here:

"That’s the spirit of America.

"We have used our tremendous resources not only to improve our own lives but the lives of others.

"And because of our enormous prosperity Americans remain, by far, the most generous people on Earth.

"This Fourth of July, as with every Independence Day, we should be thankful and grateful to be Americans, we should be proud of what our country—though imperfect as all of mankind is imperfect—has accomplished."

This is the perfect accompaniment to a viewing of Disney+'s Hamilton release today.

"A loss of faith in the United States would be devasting for democratic self-government, for the protection of individual rights, and for the rule of law everywhere. Hopefully, Disney’s release of Hamilton the Musical will remind us of the promise of the American founding." (National Review)

Read this thoughtful piece for an analysis of this moment in American history -- and what the release of Hamilton on Disney+ today can bring to us on this special weekend.

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And in closing...
Happy Fourth of July!