A town in upstate New York voted to remove the LGBT &#8220;Pride&#8221; flag earlier this month, sparking outraged protests and an act of vandalism.
For the first time in the town&#8217;s history, Webster Town Supervisor Alex Scialdone on June 1 raised the gay flag at Town Hall and issued a &#8220;Pride Month&#8221; proclamation. After public comment from residents, Republicans elected to the town board voted to effectively remove the &#8220;Pride&#8221; flag by adopting a policy that limits flags on town property to the U.S. and New York state flags. By June 5, the &#8220;Pride&#8221; flag was removed.
At the removal, protesters gathered outside Town Hall, and some LGBT activists screamed and yelled about the flag removal, which was captured on video taken by town supervisor candidate Kevin Lockhart. One woman wearing a rainbow sweater claimed she &#8220;nearly died five times in the last month,&#8221; supposedly over LGBT opposition. Another said &#8220;children will kill themselves for this.&#8221;
&#8220;We see, we hear, we will not live in fear,&#8221; was also chanted by protesters.
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Days later, the American flag at Town Hall was moved to the bottom of the flagpole, and an LGBT flag was flown far above it. According to U.S. Flag Code, no other flag should be flown above the American flag when displayed together.
&#8220;I remain steadfast in my advocacy for the LGBT community; however, I do not condone any flag being placed above the American flag,&#8221; Scialdone <a href="https://www.rochesterfirst.com/webster/unauthorized-pride-flag-spotted-above-us-flag-at-webster-town-hall/">said</a> in a statement. &#8220;When Town personnel became aware of the unauthorized lowering of the American flag on Town Hall property, immediate action was taken to raise it back into place.”
It&#8217;s unclear if anyone has been held accountable for the unauthorized tampering. The Webster Police Department confirmed to The Daily Wire that an investigation into the matter was opened, but was recently closed. No other details were provided.
Lockhart, who&#8217;s running as the first independent candidate for Webster town supervisor, said he wants peace for all town residents and &#8220;will not hesitate to stand for the principles&#8221; important to Webster residents.
&#8220;As the town of Webster’s first independent candidate for town supervisor, I have spent countless hours listening to residents and hearing their concerns about preserving our town’s history, culture, and values,&#8221; he told The Daily Wire via email.
&#8220;As a Christian, I believe pride is a sin and that every person, myself included, is called to humility, repentance, and faith in Jesus Christ. While I would rather avoid cultural and political conflicts over symbolic issues such as flag displays, I will not hesitate to stand for the principles I believe are important to our community,&#8221; Lockhart added. &#8220;Above all, my prayer is not for division but for reconciliation — that all people would come to know Jesus Christ, receive His gift of salvation, and experience the transforming power of His grace.&#8221;
Currently, the American flag is the only flag flying at Town Hall, and padlocks have been added to the flagpole.
<div id="attachment_1118601" style="width: 1354px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1118601" class="wp-image-1118601 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/flag.jpg" alt="" width="1344" height="1318" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/flag.jpg 1344w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/flag-300x294.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/flag-587x576.jpg 587w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/flag-768x753.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1344px) 100vw, 1344px" />Screenshot: Kevin Lockhart</div>
Penfield, New York, another suburb of Rochester, garnered national attention last year too. <a href="https://www.penfield.edu/47280_2">School board members</a> representing Penfield Central School District alarmingly walked out on <a href="https://x.com/K_DeRosa_NY135/status/1889461199873446305">a packed house of parents</a> who were upset about an inappropriate book titled “The Rainbow Parade&#8221; by Emily Neilson that was on display at the elementary school library.
The book in question is about a young girl attending a pride parade with her lesbian parents. The illustrations show men in sexual BDSM gear holding hands, drag queens, and naked people.
Instead of taking on comments from concerned parents, the board’s president called a motion to adjourn and ended the meeting abruptly. Kimberly DeRosa, who attended the meeting, told The Daily Wire that it ended after “more than an hour of presentations celebrating &#8216;Black History Month&#8217; and the superintendent detailing the process of submitting objections to books in the school.”
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/school-board-walks-out-on-parents-angry-over-rainbow-parade-book-for-kindergarteners">School Board Walks Out On Parents Angry Over ‘Rainbow Parade’ Book For Kindergarteners</a>

Town Votes To Remove Gay Pride Flag. What Happens Next Is Disturbing.

Town Votes To Remove Gay Pride Flag. Leftists Desecrate American Flag. 

American Flag

New York

Pride Flag

Pride Month

Protest

President Trump suggested via executive order that burning the American flag could be punishable by law.
This is good.
But some people are critical of it because they are misreading the executive order.
What President Trump said publicly was a very simplified version of what the executive order actually stated. He said, “If you burn a flag, you get one year in jail. No early exits, no nothing. You get one year in jail. If you burn a flag, what it does is incite to riot. &#8230; You burn a flag, you get one year in jail, you don&#8217;t get ten years. You don&#8217;t get one month, you get one year in jail. And it goes on your record, and you will see flag-burning stopping immediately.&#8221;
People are saying that Trump’s order criminalizes all forms of flag burning. That is not true. The president does not have the authority via executive order to make anything criminal. You can&#8217;t make things criminal via executive order at the federal level. That requires a congressional act. The president can&#8217;t deem an act illegal and then it magically becomes so. He can enforce the current law by directing his DOJ to prosecute certain crimes that are already on the books.
So what exactly did the president sign? The executive order doesn’t say if you burn an American flag in a protest that you&#8217;re going to go to jail, because that would violate Texas v. Johnson.
What it does say is that if you do something that is likely to incite imminent lawless action that is not protected by the First Amendment — if I tell you, “Let&#8217;s go attack that courthouse” — you can be prosecuted.
Why? Because the action is likely to incite imminent lawless action.
Thus, this order doesn&#8217;t do what some critics think it does. It does not say that if you burn a flag under any circumstances, you are going to jail.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2267-trump-protects-the-american-flag-plus-we-break-a-major-story?elementPosition=3&amp;row=2&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h3>
Two things can be true at the same time. First: According to the Supreme Court, the Constitution of the United States protects flag-burning as a form of expression, so long as it doesn&#8217;t violate other issues such as incitement to violence. Second: The Supreme Court decision in Texas v. Johnson is wrong and a bad decision. That 5-4 decision, which is held in high esteem by libertarians and members of the Left, violated centuries of American precedent. The First Amendment was not designed to protect flag-burning.
So why is the Supreme Court decision in Texas v. Johnson wrong?
By 1932, every single state in America had a flag desecration statute. Even though, according to the Supreme Court, the flag was a federal symbol, states could still criminalize desecration of the American flag. Typically, this was designed not only to prevent marking, mutilating, trampling, defacing, defiling, or defying the flag; in many states, it was meant to ban the use of the American flag in advertisements — a ban that has been jettisoned over the course of time.
In 1943’s West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnett, the Supreme Court started to assert that people could not be compelled to salute the flag because refusing to do so was freedom of speech.
You could say that was a fairly decent argument. Justice Robert H. Jackson wrote, “If there&#8217;s any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion.”
That&#8217;s an arguable opinion. I think saying that you should like the country and like the flag is not a horrible prerequisite to being an American citizen. But you can see the counterargument, which is that freedom of speech exists at the federal level, not at the state level. The First Amendment to the Constitution applies to Congress, and Congress shall make no law abridging freedom of speech. That does not apply to the states. In the early days of our Republic, states routinely made laws abridging freedom of speech.
But then we saw attempts by the Supreme Court to carve back much of the law surrounding the flag. In 1968, Congress passed a federal flag desecration law, which was meant to mirror many of the state laws. The federal law made it illegal to knowingly cast contempt upon any flag of the United States by publicly mutilating, defacing, defiling, burning, or trampling upon it.
Then there were a bunch of Supreme Court cases under the very liberal Warren Court that carved a lot of that back the other way, including in 1969 saying that you could curse the flag, in 1974 saying that you could sew the flag to your pants, or you could sit on it in a way to shame it.
That culminated in the Texas v. Johnson decision, which was written by Justice William Brennan, which found that flag burning was symbolic speech and that the Texas statute was content-based. Justice Scalia, the deciding vote in that case, said, “If it were up to me, I would put in jail every sandal-wearing, scruffy, bearded weirdo who burns the American flag. But I am not king.”
But as Justice William Rehnquist wrote in dissent, “In holding this Texas statute unconstitutional, the court ignores Justice Holmes&#8217;s familiar aphorism that a page of history is worth a volume of logic. For more than 200 years, the American flag has occupied a unique position as the symbol of our nation; the uniqueness that justifies a governmental prohibition against flag burning in the way respondent Johnson did here.”
He pointed out that every single state except for Alaska and Wyoming had statutes at the time prohibiting the burning of the flag. He added that the “American flag, throughout more than 200 years of our history, has come to be the visible symbol embodying our nation. It does not represent the views of any particular political party. It does not represent any particular political philosophy. The flag is not simply another idea or point of view, competing for recognition in the marketplace of ideas. I cannot agree that the First Amendment invalidates the act of Congress, and the laws in 48 of the 50 states which make criminal the public burning of the flag. The government may conscript men into the armed forces where they must fight and perhaps die for the flag but the government may not prohibit the public burning of the banner under which they fight?”
Rehnquist was right about that.
On the merits, President Trump is not wrong. Flag burning is bad. And the executive order does not prohibit flag burning per se, as Trump has no power to do that.
Another reason the order is good is that it is smart politics. You’re now going to see a bunch of lefties going out in the streets burning the American flag, which is precisely what Trump is tempting them to do. He’s baiting them.
President Trump is saying, “You believe that America is all about burning the American flag? That American citizenship is about &#8216;Dissent is patriotic?'&#8221;
Americans don’t like burning the American flag.
The American flag is special. I&#8217;ve backed a constitutional amendment that would criminalize flag burning for my entire political career. That’s because, as our institutions fall apart, we have less and less fealty to anything in common.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_campaign=summer&amp;utm_content=editorialsummersale&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial">End of Summer Sale &#8211; Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</a>
Fealty to the American flag remains, along with fealty to the Constitution of the United States, the basis for being a good American.
You should love the American flag. It&#8217;s the flag of your country. You should love the Constitution of the United States, the organizing founding document of our country.
If you are going to form an Americanism around ideas, loyalty, and love for the country, the American flag is a very good place to start.

President Trump Signs Executive Orders In The Oval Office Of The White House

Trump Protects The American Flag

Antonin Scalia

Ben Shapiro

First Amendment

Opinion

President Trump

Supreme Court

President Trump signs executive orders to eliminate cashless bail nationwide and prepare National Guard units for deployment to crime-ridden cities. Alleged MS-13 member Kilmar Abrego Garcia is detained by ICE and faces deportation to Uganda after turning down a plea deal. Cracker Barrel apologizes after a &#8220;woke&#8221; rebranding effort sparks a massive customer backlash and costs the company nearly $100 million.
It’s Tuesday, August 26, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
Morning Wire is available on video! You can watch today’s episode here:
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If you’d rather listen to your news, today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
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<h2>Trump Signs Executive Orders to Crack Down on Crime</h2>
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Topline: Emboldened by a dramatic drop in crime in Washington, D.C., President Trump signed a series of executive orders on Monday aimed at cracking down on &#8220;soft on crime&#8221; policies nationwide.
The first executive order targets cashless bail, a policy that allows suspects to be released from custody without posting bail while they await trial. The order begins by eliminating the policy in D.C. and threatens to withhold federal funding from any other jurisdiction that keeps the policy in place. &#8220;Somebody kills somebody, they go, don’t worry about it, no cash, come back in a couple of months. &#8230; You never see the person again,&#8221; Trump said.
A second order directs Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to establish specialized National Guard units in each state, specifically trained and equipped to quell &#8220;civil disturbances.&#8221; A third order targets the desecration of the American flag. While the Supreme Court has ruled that flag burning is protected speech, the order directs the Attorney General to &#8220;vigorously prosecute&#8221; offenders for related crimes like trespassing and calls for the revocation of visas for any non-citizens who burn the flag.
The moves were met with defiance from some Democrats. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker warned federal officials against trying to &#8220;incite my people into violence as a pretext for something darker and more dangerous.&#8221; 
<h2>Alleged MS-13 Member Detained, Faces Deportation to Uganda</h2>
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Topline: Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an illegal alien and alleged MS-13 gang member, was detained by ICE on Monday and may be deported to Uganda after he rejected a plea deal on human smuggling charges.
Abrego Garcia was taken into custody at an ICE office in Baltimore on Monday after turning down a deal that would have allowed him to plead guilty to human smuggling and be deported to Costa Rica. He now faces potential deportation to Uganda, one of several African countries that have agreed to take non-violent illegal aliens from the U.S. His attorney immediately filed a lawsuit to block the deportation. The case has been assigned to Judge Paula Xinis, an Obama appointee who has previously sided with Abrego Garcia.
The detention comes as the Trump administration celebrates a major victory in its war on cartels. On Monday, Mexican cartel kingpin Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a top official in the Sinaloa Cartel, pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and is expected to be sentenced to life in prison. &#8220;El Mayor will spend the rest of his life behind bars,&#8221; Attorney General Pam Bondi said. &#8220;Their reign of terror is over.&#8221; 
<h2>Cracker Barrel Apologizes After ‘Woke’ Rebrand Backfires</h2>
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Topline: Cracker Barrel has issued an apology after a major rebranding effort, which critics blasted as an attempt to distance the chain from its traditional Southern roots, sparked a massive customer backlash and cost the company nearly $100 million in market value.
Last week, the restaurant chain unveiled a new, modern logo that removed the iconic barrel and &#8220;Uncle Herschel&#8221; character, and began remodeling its stores with a blander, white-walled aesthetic that was widely mocked online. After losing nearly $100 million in market value, the company released a statement Monday saying they &#8220;could have done a better job&#8221; with the rollout.
The backlash is seen as part of a larger culture war debate. Critics have pointed to the company&#8217;s recent embrace of Pride month, its removal of &#8220;Duck Dynasty&#8221; merchandise, and the revelation that its former head of management training served on an advisory council for the LGBTQ activist group the Human Rights Campaign as evidence of the company kowtowing to left-wing activists.
Brand consultant Andrew Beck told Morning Wire that the company&#8217;s new communication strategy is attempting to &#8220;reach a customer that looks more like the people &#8230; that were recruited to do this change than it does the actual customers of Cracker Barrel.&#8221;

MRN 8.26.25 Thumbnail V1

Morning Brief: Trump EOs Tackle Crime, ‘Maryland Man’ Faces (Re)Deportation, Cracker Barrel Backfire

Cracker Barrel

Donald Trump

Illegal Immigration

Kilmar Abrego Garcia

U.S.

President Donald Trump signed an <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/08/prosecuting-burning-of-the-american-flag/">executive order</a> on Monday seeking to investigate and prosecute people who burn the American flag if it “is likely to incite imminent lawless action,” such as a riot.
“To the maximum extent permitted by the Constitution, the Attorney General shall vigorously prosecute those who violate our laws in ways that involve desecrating the American Flag, and may pursue litigation to clarify the scope of the First Amendment exceptions in this area,” the order states.
“When you burn the American flag, it incites riots at levels that we’d never seen before. People go crazy,” Trump said. “If you burn a flag you get one year in jail. No exits, no nothing. &#8230; And you will see flag-burning stopping immediately. Just like when I signed the Statute and Monument Act. Ten years in jail if you hurt any of our beautiful monuments. Everybody left town; they were gone. Never had a problem after that. &#8230; The people in this country don’t want to see our American flag burned and spit on.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
BREAKING: President Trump signs executive order to mandate one full year in jail for protesters who burn American flags
TRUMP: “The people in this country don’t want to see our American flag burned and spit on &#8230; They’re bad people that are trying to destroy our nation&#8230;” <a href="https://t.co/Qo1Ib712F0">pic.twitter.com/Qo1Ib712F0</a>
— Fox News (@FoxNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/FoxNews/status/1959997861321646519?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;
In case Democrats object, it would be instructive for them to remember that in 2006, then-New York Democrat Senator Hillary Clinton declaimed, “So I hope, Mr. President, that we can pass a law that criminalizes flag burning and desecration. &#8230; I agree that this burning, this desecration, that can happen to our flag, is something that people have a right to ask this body to try to prohibit and prevent.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Today, President Trump will sign an executive order cracking down on those who burn the American flag.
Before Democrats pretend to be outraged, here&#8217;s Hillary Clinton in 2006:
&#8220;I hope&#8230;.we can pass a law that criminalizes flag burning and desecration.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/z6UUoQuJuE">pic.twitter.com/z6UUoQuJuE</a>
— Christian Collins (@CollinsforTX) <a href="https://twitter.com/CollinsforTX/status/1959976482224169181?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
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In 1984, Gregory Lee Johnson burned an American flag outside of the Republican National Convention in Dallas, Texas. He was arrested and charged with violating a Texas statute. The Supreme Court decided 5-4 that flag burning was a form of “symbolic speech” protected by the First Amendment.
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In his dissent, Justice William Rehnquist <a href="https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/supreme-court-case-library/texas-v-johnson">wrote:</a>
<blockquote>
For more than 200 years, the American flag has occupied a unique position as the symbol of our Nation, a uniqueness that justifies a governmental prohibition against flag burning . . . . The American flag . . . throughout more than 200 years of our history, has come to be the visible symbol embodying our Nation. It does not represent the views of any particular political party, and it does not represent any particular political philosophy. The flag is not simply another “idea” or “point of view” competing for recognition in the marketplace of ideas. Millions and millions of Americans regard it with an almost mystical reverence regardless of what sort of social, political, or philosophical beliefs they may have.
The Court insists that the Texas statute prohibiting the public burning of the American flag infringes on respondent Johnson’s freedom of expression. Such freedom, of course, is not absolute. . . . the public burning of the American flag by Johnson was no essential part of any exposition of ideas, and at the same time it had a tendency to incite a breach of the peace.
</blockquote>
Justice John Paul Stevens added:
<blockquote>
The ideas of liberty and equality have been an irresistible force in motivating leaders like Patrick Henry, Susan B. Anthony, and Abraham Lincoln, schoolteachers like Nathan Hale and Booker T. Washington, the Philippine Scouts who fought at Bataan, and the soldiers who scaled the bluff at Omaha Beach. If those ideas are worth fighting for—and our history demonstrates that they are—it cannot be true that the flag that uniquely symbolizes their power is not itself worthy of protection from unnecessary desecration.
</blockquote>

TOPSHOT-US-POLITICS-CONSERVATIVES-CPAC

Trump Signs Executive Order Urging One-Year Jail Sentence For Flag Burning

Crime

Executive

Politics

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American Cities Are Making The Pride Flag Their Official Flag

Boise

flags

Idaho

LGBT

Matt Walsh

Utah

President Donald Trump announced today he will personally fund the installation of two nearly 100-foot-tall American flags at the White House, declaring that the presidential residence has &#8220;needed flagpoles for 200 years.&#8221;
The President was spotted Wednesday morning with White House groundskeepers surveying the north side of the grounds, gesturing to demonstrate where the massive flagpoles would stand.
&#8220;We&#8217;re putting up a beautiful, almost 100-foot-tall American flag on this side and another one on the other side, two flags, top of the line,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/04/23/us-news/trump-announces-self-funded-change-to-white-house/">told</a> reporters outside the White House, per the New York Post.
The two flags, to be positioned on the North and the South Lawns respectively, will significantly alter the White House&#8217;s exterior appearance, making the American flag more prominently visible from multiple vantage points around the presidential residence.
Currently, there is no freestanding flagpole on the White House property, with the only American flag flying from the top of the building itself.
&#8220;They needed flagpoles for 200 years. It was something I&#8217;ve often said, you know, they don&#8217;t have a flagpole per se,&#8221; Trump explained to reporters. &#8220;So we&#8217;re putting one right where you saw us, and we&#8217;re putting another one on the other side, on top of the mounds. It&#8217;s going to be two beautiful poles.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
President Trump: &quot;We&#39;re putting up a beautiful, almost 100 foot tall, American flag&#8230;they&#39;ve needed flag poles for 200 years.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/AxTJul7Z2K">pic.twitter.com/AxTJul7Z2K</a>
&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1915065116300558484?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 23, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Trump emphasized that the new additions would be &#8220;paid for by Trump,&#8221; noting the flags are scheduled to arrive next week.
The patriotic addition is part of several changes Trump has made since returning to office, the Post reports, including transforming the Oval Office with more portraits of past presidents and gold-accented decorations reminiscent of his Mar-a-Lago estate.
He has also announced plans to rebuild the Rose Garden with an artificial platform instead of grass to make it more practical for hosting events without dealing with soggy ground.
Trump previously proposed building a $100 million ballroom at the White House during the Biden administration, but apparently &#8220;never heard back.&#8221;
The President stated his intention to carry out the proposal himself to create more room for ceremonies without requiring massive, bulky tents.
The President recently <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/04/08/us-news/trump-uses-golden-shovel-to-plant-replacement-for-historic-jackson-magnolia/">participated</a> in planting a replacement for the historic Jackson Magnolia on the South Lawn, using a golden shovel to plant a 12-year-old sapling that is reportedly a descendant of the original tree, which was nearly 200 years old and had been deemed a safety hazard.
Previous presidents have similarly made changes to the executive residence, from Jackie Kennedy&#8217;s historic restoration efforts to the Obama family&#8217;s addition of a vegetable garden.

President Trump Inspects White House North Lawn For New Flagpole Placement

Trump To Personally Fund New Patriotic Addition To White House Grounds

Patriotism

White House

California Democratic Gov. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/gavin-newsom" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gavin Newsom</a> will order U.S. flags to be raised to full-staff on Inauguration Day as President-elect Donald Trump is sworn into office.
Newsom joins Republican governors around the country who have said that U.S. flags in their states will be raised to full-staff for the inauguration. Izzy Gardon, a spokesman for Newsom, confirmed to the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/gavin-newsom-flag-trump-inauguration-02a521a422b128b71b8e8cac4f02e3dd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Associated Press</a> on Wednesday that the governor will direct the raising of the American flags on Monday.
Following the death of former President Jimmy Carter on December 29, U.S. flags will fly at half-staff for 30 days. Republican Governors Ron DeSantis (FL), Greg Abbott (TX), Kay Ivey (AL), Bill Lee (TN), Kim Reynolds (IA), and Kelly Armstrong (ND) announced earlier this week that U.S. flags in their states will be raised on January 20 and then lowered again to half-staff on January 21. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/speaker-johnson-orders-flags-at-u-s-capitol-to-fly-at-full-staff-for-trumps-inauguration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ordered</a> U.S. flags at the Capitol to be raised on Inauguration Day.
Earlier this month, Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-says-dems-are-giddy-about-american-flag-being-flown-at-half-staff-during-inauguration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said,</a> &#8220;Nobody wants to see&#8221; the American flag at half-staff during the inauguration, adding, &#8220;no American can be happy about it. Let&#8217;s see how it plays out.&#8221; The president-elect also blasted Democrats who he said were &#8220;giddy about our magnificent American Flag potentially being at ‘half mast’ during my Inauguration.&#8221;
&#8220;They think it’s so great, and are so happy about it because, in actuality, they don’t love our Country, they only think about themselves. Look at what they’ve done to our once GREAT America over the past four years – It’s a total mess!&#8221; he wrote on Truth Social.
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Newsom&#8217;s decision to join Republican politicians in ordering flags to be raised to full-staff comes as he faces intense criticism from Republicans, including Trump, on his handling of the state&#8217;s wildfire prevention after fires erupted across Southern California last week.
Last week, Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/113793724958051185" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accused</a> Newsom of refusing &#8220;to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way.&#8221; Newsom shot back, saying Trump&#8217;s criticisms are &#8220;incomprehensible to anyone that understands water policy in the state,&#8221; NBC News <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/newsom-slams-trump-disinformation-california-wildfires-rcna187301" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.

Gavin Newsom

Gavin Newsom To Order That U.S. Flags Be Raised For Trump Inauguration

California

Elections

Inauguration

Former President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a> said during a rally in Florida on Friday that the pro-Hamas extremists who rioted in the nation&#8217;s capital this week were supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris, who became the Democratic Party&#8217;s presumptive presidential nominee this week.
Trump&#8217;s comments come after the far-Left rioters <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pro-hamas-protesters-chant-allahu-akbar-as-they-tear-down-and-burn-american-flags-hamas-is-coming" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tore down</a> American flags and burned them while chanting “Allahu Akbar” and waving Hamas terrorist flags.
The United States Park Police (USPP) released a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/republicans-blast-pro-hamas-extremists-while-few-democrats-speak-out-this-is-the-democrat-base" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statemen</a>t saying that officers had arrested eight extremists at the riot at Columbus Circle because they “damaged and destroyed park property, including vandalizing statues and fountains, tearing down and burning flags, and starting several small fires.”
&#8220;Within days of the heinous October 7th attack on Israel, Kamala Harris praised the anti-Israel protesters,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;She praised them. She betrayed America&#8217;s ally and sided with the radical fringe of her party, only for political gain, maybe for personal gain. I don&#8217;t know.&#8221;
&#8220;And this week, many of those Kamala Harris supporters burned American flags in the heart of our nation&#8217;s capital and desecrated our monuments,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;They sprayed very powerful spray paint into limestone. Magnificent. The lions, the bells. You saw it. And, you know, when that gets into limestone, you never really get it out. You&#8217;ll see it in 100 years from now. They desecrated it.&#8221;
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WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
During the &#8220;Believers Summit&#8221; in Florida, Republican nominee for United States President Donald Trump claims that Vice President Kamala Harris&#8217; supporters burned American flags in Washington D.C. earlier this week. <a href="https://t.co/3k5cPZzEPl">pic.twitter.com/3k5cPZzEPl</a>
— KATV News (@KATVNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/KATVNews/status/1817007942744375521?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 27, 2024</a></blockquote>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-park-police-made-few-arrests-during-violent-far-left-riot-because-it-was-severely-understaffed-union-chief" target="_blank" rel="noopener">U.S. Park Police Made Few Arrests During Violent Far-Left Riot Because It Was Severely ‘Understaffed’: Union Chief</a>

Presidential Candidate Donald Trump Addresses Turning Point USA Summit

Trump: ‘Kamala Harris Supporters Burned American Flags … And Desecrated Our Monuments’

Kamala Harris

Pro-Hamas

Former President Donald Trump said on Thursday morning that demonstrators who light the American flag on fire should face a one-year jail sentence.
Trump called for jail sentences for flag burners during an interview with &#8220;Fox &amp; Friends&#8221; hosts the day after anti-Israel protesters gathered in Washington, D.C., and burned an American flag as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Congress.
&#8220;Rarely have we seen anything like this,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;And I think you should get a one-year jail sentence if you do anything to desecrate the American flag. Now people will say, &#8216;Oh, it&#8217;s unconstitutional.&#8217; Those are stupid people. Those are stupid people that say that.&#8221;
&#8220;We have to work in Congress to get a one-year jail sentence,&#8221; he added. &#8220;When they&#8217;re allowed to stomp on the flag and put lighter fluid on the flag and set it afire — when you&#8217;re allowed to do that — you get a one-year jail sentence, and you&#8217;ll never see it again. And all over the world, Putin and President Xi of China, all over the world they&#8217;re watching this. Kim Jong Un, he looks at us like we&#8217;re a bunch of babies. They see that, that wouldn&#8217;t happen in their countries. It&#8217;s impossible for that to happen in their countries. We look so bad to the world. That was a disgraceful display yesterday.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Donald Trump calls for a &#8220;one-year jail sentence&#8221; as punishment for desecrating the American flag.
&#8220;People will say, &#8216;Oh, it&#8217;s unconstitutional.&#8217; Those are stupid people. Those are stupid people that say that.&#8221;<a href="https://t.co/sGXcTwd1my">pic.twitter.com/sGXcTwd1my</a>
— The American Conservative (@amconmag) <a href="https://twitter.com/amconmag/status/1816482353189163048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
A large group of anti-Israel demonstrators faced off with police at Union Station in the nation&#8217;s capital on Wednesday as they protested Netanyahu&#8217;s speech before Congress. The protesters chanted &#8220;Allahu Akbar&#8221; and painted the words &#8220;Hamas,&#8221; &#8220;Gaza,&#8221; and &#8220;Free Palestine&#8221; on a monument outside of Union Station. Hamas flags and headbands were also spotted on Capitol Hill.
As Trump calls for flag burners to be jailed, some Republicans have introduced legislation &#8220;to deport any foreigner involved in violence and vandalism on federal property,&#8221; according to Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR).
&#8220;The actions of the pro-Hamas lunatics at Union Station in DC are shameful, and anyone on a visa who took part should have it revoked immediately,&#8221; Cotton said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
This morning my colleagues and I introduced a bill to deport any foreigner involved in violence and vandalism on federal property.
The actions of the pro-Hamas lunatics at Union Station in DC are shameful, and anyone on a visa who took part should have it revoked immediately. <a href="https://t.co/A0I2FVmeh8">pic.twitter.com/A0I2FVmeh8</a>
— Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenTomCotton/status/1816244870387745259?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 24, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 
Burning the American flag is protected political speech. In the 1980s, a Texas man named Gregory Lee Johnson was sentenced to one year in jail for burning an American flag to protest the Reagan administration. A Texas Court of Criminal Appeals reversed Johnson&#8217;s conviction, and the Supreme Court ruled in <a href="https://www.oyez.org/cases/1988/88-155" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Johnson v. Texas</a> in 1989 that the Texas man&#8217;s burning of the flag was protected speech under the First Amendment. The 5-4 majority opinion was written by liberal Justice William Brennan Jr. and joined by conservative Justices Anthony Kennedy and Antonin Scalia.
Shortly before his death, in a 2015 public appearance, Scalia <a href="https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/originalism-on-trial/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">commented</a> on the precedent-setting 1989 decision, saying, “If it were up to me, I would put in jail every sandal-wearing, scruffy bearded weirdo who burns the American flag. But I am not king.”

Trump Calls For Jail Time For Demonstrators Who Burn The American Flag

anti-Israel

Fox News

Washington D.C.

Several House Republicans replaced the three American flags that were torn down in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday by &#8220;pro-Hamas protesters&#8221; who burned them while chanting &#8220;Allahu Akbar&#8221;.
&#8220;Earlier today, pro-Hamas protesters took down the American flags at Union Station, burned them and raised Palestinian flags,&#8221; House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) posted on X. &#8220;Tonight, we righted their wrong. American flags are once again flying over Union Station. We will not let the terrorist mob win.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨 Speaker Johnson and a group of House Republicans led by <a href="https://twitter.com/RepWilliams?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepWilliams</a> say the Pledge of Allegiance after replacing the American flags that were taken down by those protesting Prime Minister Netanyahu’s visit to Capitol Hill <a href="https://t.co/lvwm0SMBoS">pic.twitter.com/lvwm0SMBoS</a>
— Ryan Schmelz (@RyanSchmelzFOX) <a href="https://twitter.com/RyanSchmelzFOX/status/1816298016917058026?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2024</a></blockquote>
Johnson was accompanied by multiple Republican members of Congress, many of whom are U.S. military veterans, including Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI), and Rep. Morgan Luttrell (R-TX).
&#8220;We raised the flags back up🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸,&#8221; Crenshaw posted on X. &#8220;Earlier today, terrorist sympathizers tore down the American flags at Union Station, burned them, and raised the Palestinian flag in its place. After votes tonight, a group of members, including many veterans and the Speaker of the House, took our flag back and raised it.&#8221;
&#8220;Took a while to get it done because the Hamas supporters broke the connections, but DC police helped us out and got us zip ties,&#8221; he added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
We raised the flags back up🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Earlier today, terrorist sympathizers tore down the American flags at Union Station, burned them, and raised the Palestinian flag in its place. After votes tonight, a group of members, including many veterans and the Speaker of the House, took… <a href="https://t.co/hYbqLmxe21">pic.twitter.com/hYbqLmxe21</a>
— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) <a href="https://twitter.com/DanCrenshawTX/status/1816307303588474895?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2024</a></blockquote>
&#8220;Tearing down and burning the American flag in the name of Hamas is disgusting and reprehensible,&#8221; Van Orden wrote. &#8220;These terrorist sympathizers will not win. The American flag will fly again.&#8221;
The extremists, some of whom were flying Hamas flags and wearing Hamas headbands, were protesting in response to the Israeli Prime Minister delivering a speech on the floor of the House of Representatives on Wednesday where he thanked lawmakers for their continued support of Israel.
“We recently learned from the U.S. Director of National Intelligence that Iran is funding and promoting anti-Israel protests in America,” he said. “They want to disrupt America.”
He said that those participating in the protests were “Iran’s useful idiots” since they were supporting a terrorist regime that “hangs gays from cranes and murder women for not covering their hair.”
“Some of these protestors, it’s amazing. Absolutely amazing. Some of these protesters hold up signs proclaiming, ‘Gays for Gaza,’” he said. “They might as well hold up signs saying, ‘Chickens for KFC.’ These protesters chant, ‘From the river to the sea,’ but many don’t have a clue what river and what sea they’re talking about. They not only get an F in geography, they get an F in history.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin <a href="https://twitter.com/netanyahu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Netanyahu</a>: “They refuse to make the simple distinction between those who target terrorists and those who targets civilians, between the democratic state of visual and the terrorist thugs of hamas we recently learned from the national security… <a href="https://t.co/eYH02IEWQo">pic.twitter.com/eYH02IEWQo</a>
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) <a href="https://twitter.com/CurtisHouck/status/1816180871298249209?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 24, 2024</a></blockquote>

US-ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-CONFLICT-PROTEST

Republicans Raise American Flags, Recite Pledge Of Allegiance After Far-Left Protesters Tore Them Down, Burned Them

Congress

Dan Crenshaw

Hamas

Mike Johnson

An internal memo from the 24 Hour Fitness Center labels <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/black-lives-matter">Black Lives Matter</a> and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/pride">Pride</a> Symbols “freedom of expression” has drawn backlash over concerns the gym would be limiting display of the American flag. 
In the letter obtained by <a href="https://x.com/libsoftiktok/status/1800516615970365573/photo/1">Libs Of TikTok</a>, it informs employees that the fitness company is committed to “creating a more inclusive environment” before it details what is and is not allowed.
The memo said it encourages employees to “bring their full selves to work everyday” and then lists that “team members” can wear apparel that shows their “solidarity and support” for the following movements.
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">“Black Lives Matter/BLM words.”</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">“‘Pride’ and or pride rainbow logo.”</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">“Juneteenth logo, symbol or date on Juneteenth (June 19).”</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">“[US] Flag or United States logo” on federal holidays like Memorial Day, Flag Day, July 4th, Veterans Day, Patriots Day, etc.”</li>
</ol>
The leaked memo details come as Americans are being inundated all month long by corporate America from LGBTQ activists about embracing Pride.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
HOLY SHLIT. Internal memo from 24 hour fitness <a href="https://twitter.com/24hourfitness?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@24hourfitness</a> advises that BLM and pride symbols are always approved forms of “freedom of expression” but the American Flag and US logos are only allowed to be worn on Holidays.
Credit: <a href="https://twitter.com/Carlos__Turcios?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Carlos__Turcios</a> <a href="https://t.co/G8iPd1NmeD">pic.twitter.com/G8iPd1NmeD</a>
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1800516615970365573?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 11, 2024</a></blockquote>
In a statement to Newsweek, 24 Hour Fitness said that it would encourage all employees to wear American flag pins any day of the year.
&#8220;Currently and historically, 24 Hour Fitness&#8217; policy regarding staff expression has allowed and encouraged wearing symbols like American flag pins any day of the year, including prominent national holidays like Memorial Day, Flag Day, July 4th, and Veterans Day,&#8221; a spokesman <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/24-hour-fitness-american-flag-boycott-conservatives-1911978#:~:text=However%2C%20in%20a%20statement%20to,holidays%20like%20Memorial%20Day%2C%20Flag" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Newsweek.
Last year, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/target">Target</a> faced a massive backlash when it put its June “Pride” merchandise like “tuck-friendly” female swimsuits front and center in the store.  This year the retail store has decided it will tamp back the LGBTQ push after it faced boycotts and sinking sales. 
The retailer <a href="https://apnews.com/article/target-lgbtq-pride-667ab2f6545645f5f86ca76394e531d6">told</a> the Associated Press that only a limited number of its stores would be carrying special LGBT-themed merchandise in June. The store said the merchandise would only be available in select markets, based on “guest insights and consumer research.”
Despite the pullback, the store said that it still maintained that it fully supported the LGBT movement. 
“Target is committed to supporting the LGBTQIA+ community during Pride Month and year-round,” Target said. “Most importantly, we want to create a welcoming and supportive environment for our LGBTQIA+ team members, which reflects our culture of care for the over 400,000 people who work at Target.”
Last year, merchandise that was part of the store’s Pride collection, like “extra crotch coverage” female swimsuits and Pride-themed onesies, spurred calls for boycotts of Target, leading to declining sales and stock prices. Its <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/target-sales-sink-after-pride-backlash">sales plummeted</a> during the second quarter, after the backlash started, and fell for the first time in six years, falling 5.4% compared to the same period last year. Online sales fell nearly twice as much, 10.5%, Target said. 
Leif Le Mahieu contributed to this piece.
This article has been updated to provide clarity about the memo and include comment from 24 Hours Fitness. 
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/planet-fitness-stock-plunges-after-it-canceled-membership-of-woman-who-photographed-man-in-the-womens-locker-room" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Planet Fitness Stock Plunges After It Canceled Membership Of Woman Who Photographed ‘Man In The Women’s Locker Room’</a>

Fitness Center Internal Memo Labeling Pride/BLM Symbols ‘Freedom Of Expression’ Draws Backlash

Black Lives Matter

fitness center

LGBTQ

News

Pride

The man who raised more than half a million to throw a &#8220;rager&#8221; for the University of North Carolina fraternity brothers who protected the American flag from the horde of pro-Hamas protesters on their college campus has set a date for the party, promising that &#8220;every cent of donor dollars&#8221; will go to the event.
The event, Flagstock 2024, will be held on Labor Day later this year, and will be free-of-charge for all invited guests. Though the exact location won&#8217;t be announced until closer to the event, organizers say &#8220;planning is in full swing.&#8221;
&#8220;These great young guys defended our flag and created a unifying national cultural moment,&#8221; said John Noonan, a military veteran with a long career of work for Republican officeholders. &#8220;Everyone in America wanted to thank these fine young patriots. On Labor Day, we will get to do just that.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_745489" style="width: 1020px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-745489" class="size-full wp-image-745489" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/Screenshot-2024-06-03-at-10.13.31-AM.png" alt="" width="1010" height="524" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/Screenshot-2024-06-03-at-10.13.31-AM.png 1010w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/Screenshot-2024-06-03-at-10.13.31-AM-300x156.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/Screenshot-2024-06-03-at-10.13.31-AM-768x398.png 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1010px) 100vw, 1010px" />Pints for Patriots</div>
Noonan <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gofundme-set-up-to-fund-rager-for-frat-boys-who-defended-american-flag-on-unc-campus">raised the money on GoFundMe</a> after video of the UNC students holding up the flag in the face of angry anti-American protesters went viral. The fundraiser, which was closed after a few days, ended up at $515,517, leaving big expectations for the rager that was promised to the fraternity men.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Students at UNC Chapel Hill protect the American Flag from anti-Israel protesters who allegedly attempted to take it down.
<a href="https://t.co/FfKvPHtJqz">pic.twitter.com/FfKvPHtJqz</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1785703770631856563?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Noonan has set up an organization, Pints for Patriots, to plan and execute the event and says that it will &#8220;ensure every cent of donor dollars goes to throwing these fine young Americans the epic rager they earned.&#8221;
One of the men who sprung into action said he felt compelled after seeing that his &#8220;country&#8217;s flag was disrespected in order to advocate for another,&#8221; and he posted video of the men getting profanities and projectiles launched at them as they stood strong to protect the flag.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
(Thread) Today was a sad yet empowering day at Chapel Hill. When I walked to class, I saw the Palestinian flag raised on our quad flag pole, and was immediately upset at the act that these “protestors” had made. I cannot say I am fully educated on the Israel/Palestine conflict <a href="https://t.co/tZrZEOSu8a">pic.twitter.com/tZrZEOSu8a</a>
— Guillermo Estrada (@estradguillermo) <a href="https://twitter.com/estradguillermo/status/1785431824660873451?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 
Country music star John Rich, an outspoken conservative and multi-platinum artist, has been enlisted to lead talent engagement for the event. The event says updates regarding plans for the rager will be posted at <a href="https://flagstock.live/">Flagstock.live</a>.
&#8220;Thank you to Americans of all stripes for their support,&#8221; Noonan said after he initially closed the fundraiser. &#8220;Done right, it will truly be &#8216;one for the ages&#8217; — and will inspire Americans all over again.&#8221;

North Carolina

RAGER ON: After Raising $500k For Frat Boys Who Protected Flag, Organizers Set Date For ‘Flagstock’

College

Protests

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