Evacuation disrupts Trump's planned DC speech after threat of thunderstorm

By Callum Jones in Washington DC. Donald Trump's plans to celebrate the US's 250th birthday with “the greatest show of all” in the heart of Washington DC were disrupted on a Saturday evening by fears of a thunderstorm. Thousands of spectators who had filed onto the National Mall for a show featuring a speech by the US president and an extensive fireworks display were instructed to evacuate the site. Many opted to stay, as the clouds grew darker overhead. An extreme heatwave across the US east coast already had upended some of the weekend's long-planned celebrations. As the US semiquincentennial festivities approached their crescendo, temperatures had been expected to rise above 100F (37.8C) in Washington amid sweltering conditions. Saturday's Independence Day parade through the nation's capital was abruptly canceled, a day after a parade was also canceled in Philadelphia, where the country's Declaration of Independence from Britain was signed in 1776. But the weather started to turn after the first attendees filed onto the site of Trump's planned speech on Saturday. More details soon ...