the idea of fireworks for the 4th of July. Um, you know, it used to be a lot of cannon fire, a lot of, you know, bombs going off, but that became too too difficult. Then we had a tradition in the United States of building pyramids.Towns, particularly New England, would take old whiskey barrels or flower barrels and pile them up high to see how big a pyramid they could have for for July 4th. Fireworks in Pyroch Nick started improving and were easy to do. And now it's really tied to the hip of the 4th of July ...

At least one person was killed after #fireworks set several homes ablaze in the #LA area. #California #Pacoima For more context and news coverage of the most important stories of our day, click here: https://www.nbcnews.com » Subscribe to NBC News: http://nbcnews.to/SubscribeToNBC » Watch more NBC video: http://bit.ly/MoreNBCNews NBC News Digital is a collection of innovative and powerful news brands that deliver compelling, diverse and engaging news stories. NBC News Digital features NBCNews.com, MSNBC.com ...

Government Policy & Legislation - President Trump's tax cut and spending bill passed, heading to his desk to be signed into law [1] - The bill includes extending tax cuts, new military spending, and funding for a mass deportation plan, paid for partly by cuts to food aid, clean energy, and Medicaid [3] - The bill eliminates taxes on tips and overtime [7] - The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill will cause nearly 12 million people to lose healthcare coverage and add approximately $3 trillion to the national debt [11][12] Political Landscape - The bill passed largely on party lines, with some Republican holdouts needing persuasion [2][4] - Democrats strongly opposed the bill, attacking its overhaul of social safety net programs [6] - Republicans view the bill as fulfilling campaign promises, including no taxes on tips and overtime pay [13] - The bill is expected to be a political football, with Democrats planning to campaign against Republicans in the midterms [12][13] Immigration & Border Security - The bill includes funding for border security [3][13] - A new immigration detention center in Florida, dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," has opened, raising human rights concerns [18][19] - Lawmakers have been denied access to the facility, leading to concerns about inhumane conditions and environmental impacts [19][20] - The facility has approximately 3,000 to 5,000 beds to house migrants [21] Social Issues - The Supreme Court will review state laws banning transgender athletes from competing in girls' and women's sports [23] - The cases concern whether such laws violate the 14th amendment [24] Weather & Travel - Severe weather caused flight delays and damage in the Northeast, impacting holiday travel [30][32] - Federal agencies are not tracking any specific threats but are highly aware heading into the holiday [33] - Approximately 62 million people are driving to their holiday destinations [36] - New York will host its iconic fireworks display, with 80,000 shells, the biggest show ever in New York [37][38][39]