A United States flag waves next to carnival rides as fireworks burst in the air during the Fourth of July Independence Day show at State Fair Meadowlands, Tuesday, July 3, 2012, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
A United States flag flies over a field during the Fanfare and Fireworks celebration at the University of Florida on Tuesday, July 3, 2012, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/The Gainesville Sun, Matt Stamey)
Fireworks light up the sky against the backdrop of a full moon during a Fourth of July celebration in Kansas City, Kan., Tuesday, July 3, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Fourth of July fireworks are set off on Lake Winnipesaukee, Tuesday, July 3, 2012 in Alton Bay, N.H. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)
Banners with the United States flag colors wave as fireworks burst in the air during the Fourth of July Independence Day show at State Fair Meadowlands, Tuesday, July 3, 2012, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Spectators watch fireworks streak across the sky during the Fanfare and Fireworks celebration at the University of Florida on Tuesday, July 3, 2012, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/The Gainesville Sun, Matt Stamey)
Spectators watch fireworks streak across the sky during the Fanfare and Fireworks celebration at the University of Florida on Tuesday, July 3, 2012, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/The Gainesville Sun, Matt Stamey)
Spectators watch fireworks streak across the sky during the Fanfare and Fireworks celebration at the University of Florida on Tuesday, July 3, 2012, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/The Gainesville Sun, Matt Stamey)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Independence Day is being celebrated — or endured — in many parts of the U.S. that have been without power for days. Hundreds of thousands of customers were still without power after powerful storms struck the Midwest and across the Mid-Atlantic region …