Needham native Suni Williams should have been home from the International Space Station by now, but despite still being in orbit, the NASA astronaut made an early call to the Esplanade for the Fourth.

“Hi, everybody! I’m so happy to be here,” Williams said in a call with Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart. “The Fourth of July in Boston is the best place to be. It’s where it all started.”

The call came in around 12:45 p.m., less than an hour after gates opened for the 50th Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular.

Thousands of people from near and far – decked out in America’s colors – trickled in throughout the day, packing the oval in front of the Hatch Shell and banks of the Charles River hours before the patriotic concert and display.

Williams called Lockhart alongside her five crewmates – all Americans – on the ISS. And even above the atmosphere, the Fourth of July provided a special meaning for the astronauts.

“We are having a lot of fun, being able to sleep in a little because it’s a holiday. We’re all Americans so …,” Williams said before the crew sang America the Beautiful.

Williams and crewmate Butch Wilmore on Tuesday climbed into Starliner at the ISS and worked with flight controllers and engineers during a power-up of the spacecraft, according to Boeing.

This week marks the fourth that Wiliams and Wilmore have been in orbit. The pair took off on a test drive of Boeing’s new capsule on June 5, and at the time, they expected to head home from the ISS in a week or so.

But equipment problems and helium leaks popped up on their way there, calling off three potential landing dates and putting their return flight on hold.

“I want to make it very clear that Butch and Suni are not stranded in space,” NASA’s commercial crew program manager Steve Stich said last week.

Williams and Wilmore can stay docked at the ISS through the end of July, while Boeing continues to test the Starliner.

Despite what could be an uneasy situation, Williams and her crewmates were in good spirits Thursday, with the Needham native looking forward to finding out whether she could see the fireworks from space.

“This is my first Fourth of July up in space so I am excited to stay up a little bit later, take a nap … and try to see them.”

A crewmate added: “Everything looks like fireworks when you’re up here.”

Lockhart, speaking with reporters, called conducting the Boston Pops on the Fourth a “great responsibility and a great honor.” This is his 29th year leading the show.

While Lockhart said he’s looked to “keep traditions alive” such as Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, the concert sees slight alterations each year.

“Somehow we try to make it reflective of America,” he said, “which is difficult this year because America is in a very strange place. … But we are trying to keep it light and hopeful and seek commonalities which is what this day is all about.”

Lou Spelios showed up at 3 a.m., nine hours before gates opened at noon – a tradition for the Back Bay resident. After reading about and watching the annual celebration on television since his childhood, he learned showing up before the crack of dawn is required to get a close seat.

“I love this concert,” Spelios told the Herald. “I love what it stands for – choice and our ability to function independently. That’s what we celebrate, just being able to control our own destiny.”

After wet and wild weather interrupted the festivities for several hours before the skies cleared last year, Thursday featured similar muggy conditions with oppressive humidity.

Camilla Erices, a native of Chile, and her boyfriend Adam Provost, of Springfield, came out for their first Fourth at the Esplanade.

“It’s been awesome,” Erices, of Haverhill, said of living in America and celebrating the nation’s 248th birthday in Boston. “I’ve been having a great experience. I’ve been living here for the past three years, but honestly, I have nothing bad to say.”

Provost said he has been trying to visit “all of the nation’s original hotspots” for the holiday including Washington, D.C., New York City, and Philadelphia. Being in Boston, he said he felt like he was “reliving history.”

“I just feel proud,” Provost said of being an American. “I feel safe, I go home and feel safe each night, and I know a lot of people don’t get that, and I am glad I do.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report

The Boston Bruins will kick off their 2024-25 season on September 22nd with an exciting slate of seven preseason matchups against four different teams. The first of which will occur vs. one of the best teams in the NHL last season, the New York Rangers, at 5 PM on September 22nd.

While the Rangers may not bring their top players to this matchup, and there is a good chance the Bruins won’t either, the game could be a way for fans to see some of the more fringe players in action. That said, the Bruins and Rangers will meet again on September 26th in New York with a 7 PM start time, and there is a good chance that this game could feature a better preview of what to expect in a regular season that should see both teams as among the most competitive in the Eastern Conference. 

On September 24th and October 5th at 7 PM and 5 PM, respectively, the Bruins will face the Washington Capitals, with the game on the 24th occurring at home and the preseason finale on the road. We know the Capitals were that “just happy to be there” playoff team last year, but that shouldn’t be the case in 2024-25. For one of these two games, expect the Bruins to play those “new-look” Capitals best squads.

The Bruins tour against the Metropolitan Division will continue in back-to-back preseason matchups against the Philadelphia Flyers on September 28th on the road and October 1st at home, with both games taking place at 7 PM. Philadelphia nearly became that final playoff team last year, and this season, we don’t know what to expect from them, but the Bruins will likely get a good idea in one of these two matchups. 

Boston will also play the Los Angeles Kings at 7 PM on October 3rd at a neutral site, and LA is a team looking to find more consistency in 2024-25. The Kings did finish third in the Pacific last season, but it didn’t come without a coaching change and some major highs and lows last season. 

Overall, we’re mainly seeing the Bruins get a small tour of the Metropolitan Division, featuring a powerhouse team in the Rangers, an organization that made a lot of moves in the offseason in the Washington Capitals, and a potential up-and-coming organization like the Flyers.

As confidence in Joe Biden circles the drain, the president’s team is circling the wagon.

Biden’s Wednesday schedule included a sit-down with a group of Democratic governors in a closed-door meeting at the White House, the Hill reported.

As the Herald reported, Gov. Maura Healey was on the invite list, and the gist of the meeting was to reassure supporters that he could win in the November election, despite his train wreck performance in last week’s presidential debate.

Also settling into the comfy chairs: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the chair of the Democratic Governors Association, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, their offices confirmed to The Hill.

Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Delaware Gov. John Carney were also heading to the White House for the meeting, according to a source.

“Democratic governors are proud to be some of the President’s closest partners and allies on the campaign trail,” Walz said in a statement to The Hill, adding, “The president has worked side by side with us to deliver for the people of our states and we’re looking forward to talking with him today.”

A CNN/SSRS survey found former President Donald Trump maintaining a six-percentage point lead (49%-43%) over Biden among registered voters following the Atlanta debate.

What’s worse for Biden, 75% said they believed Democrats would have a better chance of winning the White House if someone else was the party’s nominee.

It’s all hands on deck at the White House and among many Democratic leaders to right the ship, even as it keeps taking on water.

This could be good for Massachusetts.

Healey, as have many governors wrestling with the migrant influx,  called upon Washington for help time and again. The state is footing a nearly $1 billion bill for shelter and care for migrant families, and room and money keeps running out.

Biden needs Healey, who has always been a supporter he could count on. Now it’s time to pay it back.

Whether it’s on the list of talking points now or in the coming months, Healey has to make it clear that if Biden wants her help, then he has to step up to help with the migrant situation in Massachusetts.

Ideally, Biden could close the border to give beleaguered states some breathing room. The Healey Administration sent a team to the southern border to “educate” would-be Massachusetts-bound migrants that there’s no room for them here.

Hard to pull off with a right-to-shelter law, but at least they tried.

If the president really expects to get governors to pull out the stops for Biden as plausible, winnable candidate, then he needs to start writing checks.

First, to reimburse the state for some of the funds already spent on migrant housing and care, second, to establish a funding pipeline for future arrivals and schooling costs, and third, to put some muscle and manpower behind properly vetting asylum seekers and keeping criminals from crossing the border.

Healey needs that for Massachusetts. And now Biden needs Healey.

Make him earn your support, governor.