Daily Brief: Saturday, July 4, 2026

St. Louis news worth your time today — curated by PubDef, with receipts from the archive. Click through for the full stories.

Supreme Court’s willful blindness to racism

“The majority claims to see no evidence that race played any role in the Haiti decision. But the evidence is there, plain to see, in the President’s statements, which the majority (and for that… — St. Louis American

📼 From the PubDef archive: “VIDEO: McCaskill on Equal Pay” (Apr 2008)

Muni Long reveals double lung transplant

Singer-songwriter Muni Long revealed that she underwent a double lung transplant after doctors said she had only a week to live. Long, 37, has been public about her decade-long battle with Lupus, but… — St. Louis American

📼 From the PubDef archive: “Irene, Maida and Mike — a Tale of Delusion, Promise and Possibility” (Nov 2008)

PJ Morton’s full circle MATI moment

Exactly 15 years ago, PJ Morton was supposed to be headlining Fair St. Louis as a member of Maroon 5. The weather had other plans. Torrential rain and thunderstorms made the outdoor performance… — St. Louis American

📼 From the PubDef archive: “Irene, Maida and Mike — a Tale of Delusion, Promise and Possibility” (Nov 2008)

How the nation celebrates its 250th year

It’s been 174 years since the famous abolitionist, Frederick Douglass, issued his scathing address on July 4 celebrations. The nation couldn’t handle the truth then, and it cannot handle it now. The… — St. Louis American

St. Louis approves $255 million spending plan

More than a year after a powerful tornado devastated North St. Louis, city leaders on Thursday committed $120 million in Rams settlement proceeds to rebuilding and long-term recovery, ending years of… — St. Louis American

St. Louis roll carts could replace alley dumpsters

Nearly a year after St. Louis ended alley recycling because of widespread contamination, a city task force is recommending the biggest overhaul of the city’s refuse collection system in decades:… — St. Louis American

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