America is 250 years old. The ideas that shaped it are even older - ideas like freedom, justice, and respect for the rule of law. Others, like equality under the law, have evolved over time.

To better understand the American journey from 1776 to 2026, we're turning to historians like David McCullough and journalists like Bret Stephens.

Bret Stephens has been an opinion columnist for The New York Times since 2017. Previously, he served as a foreign affairs columnist and deputy editorial page editor at The Wall Street Journal. In 2013, he received the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary. From 2002 to 2004, he was editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post in Israel. Stephens holds degrees from the University of Chicago and the London School of Economics.

This conversation comes at a pivotal moment, as many Americans are asking fundamental questions about the state of the American idea—and America itself.

We'll explore those questions, including the presidency of Donald Trump. Then, tomorrow, on the Fourth of July, we'll revisit an archival conversation with the late David McCullough.