Trump Signs Executive Order Imposing Federal Penalty for Burning U.S. Flag

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President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order directing the Department of Justice to prosecute individuals who burn or desecrate the American flag in a manner that could spark violence or incite riots.

The move marks one of Trump’s strongest challenges yet to long-standing First Amendment protections. In Texas v. Johnson (1989), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5–4 that flag burning constitutes symbolic speech and is therefore protected under the Constitution. But Trump argued the ruling does not shield actions that lead to public disorder.

“As you know, through a very sad court, I guess it was a five-to-four decision, they called it freedom of speech,” Trump said during the signing. “But there’s another reason, which is perhaps much more important. It’s called death — because what happens when you burn a flag, is the area goes crazy. If you have hundreds of people, they go crazy.”

Trump insisted that flag burning often provokes violent reactions. “When you burn the American flag, it incites riots at levels that we’ve never seen before,” he added. “People go crazy — in a way, both ways. There are some that are going crazy for doing it. There are others that are angry — angry about them doing it.”

Under the order, Attorney General Pam Bondi has been tasked with investigating and prosecuting such cases, but only in circumstances where prosecution would not violate constitutional free speech protections.

The penalty for conviction will carry a mandatory federal prison sentence. “What the penalty is going to be, if you burn a flag, you get one year in jail — no early exits, no nothing,” Trump declared. “You get one year in jail.”

The announcement immediately reignited debate on Capitol Hill. While Democrats have largely opposed Trump’s executive actions, efforts to restrict flag desecration have historically garnered bipartisan support.

Trump’s order revives the long-standing debate over whether flag burning should remain protected expression or be subject to legal penalties when tied to unrest.

With the new order in place, the Justice Department will now determine how far prosecutors can go without running afoul of constitutional limits — a battle that seems destined for another test in the courts.

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Trump Fires Federal Reserve Governor over Mortgage Fraud Allegations — But She Refuses to Step Down

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President Trump fired Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook Monday over allegations that she committed mortgage fraud.

“Pursuant to my authority under Article Il of the Constitution of the United States and the Federal Reserve Act of 1913, as amended, you are hereby removed from your position on the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve, effective immediately,” Trump wrote in a letter addressed to Cook, which he posted on Truth Social.

Cook, however, argued that Trump has “no authority” to fire her and indicated that she’s not leaving her post, in a statement.

“President Trump purported to fire me ‘for cause’ when no cause exists under the law, and he has no authority to do so,” Cook said, according to multiple outlets. “I will not resign. I will continue to carry out my duties to help the American economy as I have been doing since 2022.”

The longtime academic, who previously served on former President Barack Obama’s White House Council of Economic Advisers and former President Joe Biden’s transition team, has hired former first son Hunter Biden’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, to represent her. (Read more from “Trump Fires Federal Reserve Governor over Mortgage Fraud Allegations — But She Refuses to Step Down” HERE)

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RFK Jr. May Roll Back Major Trump-Era COVID-19 Vaccine “Achievement”

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President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are allegedly considering a plan to ban COVID-19 vaccines “within months,” according to an associate of Kennedy’s. The move would represent a reversal of what Trump previously called a “monumental achievement” during his administration.

Trump said in December 2020 that the development of the vaccine under Operation Warp Speed was a “historic” success, crediting doctors, scientists, pharmaceutical executives, and government leaders for expediting the process during the height of the pandemic. The vaccines were later met with criticism from segments of Trump’s political base, along with ongoing questions about their efficacy and safety.

Kennedy, who has faced scrutiny for past statements on vaccine safety, announced earlier this month that HHS would withdraw $500 million in federal funding for 22 mRNA vaccine development projects. He said the decision was based on data showing the vaccines “fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu.” Kennedy has maintained he is not “anti-vaccine.”

An HHS spokesperson told Newsweek the agency does not comment on potential policy decisions. The White House dismissed claims that the administration plans to end COVID vaccine access.

“The Administration is relying on Gold Standard Science and is committed to radical transparency to make decisions that affect all Americans,” White House spokesperson Kush Desai said Monday. “Unless announced by the Administration, however, any discussion about HHS policy should be dismissed as baseless speculation.”

Kennedy’s associate, cardiologist Aseem Malhotra, linked the possible shift in policy to a 2022 research paper published in the journal Vaccine. The paper reported a secondary analysis of clinical trial data for Pfizer and Moderna’s mRNA vaccines and found that vaccinated adults showed a 16 percent higher risk of “excess serious adverse events” compared to those who received a placebo.

The White House has not indicated that any formal changes to vaccine policy are under consideration.

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Washington, DC Goes 12 Straight Days Without a Murder Following Trump’s Capital Crime Crackdown — Breaking Pre-COVID Record

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The District of Columbia has gone 12 days without a single murder following President Trump’s federal takeover of DC police, a feat not seen since January, 2020, according to Metropolitan Police Department data analyzed by The Post.

The current streak of no killings is uncommon in a city that has already seen over 100 homicides in 2025, and averages nearly twice that in a typical year. The last recorded murder in the US capital was Aug. 13, two days after Trump announced the department would be federalized and the National Guard would be deployed on city streets.

“This town averaged 1 murder every other day for the last 20-30 years, which means in two short weeks the president and his team have saved six or seven lives, people who would have been killed on the streets of DC,” Vice President JD Vance said during an Oval Office press conference Monday.

“[Those people] are now living, breathing, spending time with their families because the president had the willpower to say no more, we’re not going to give streets of DC over to vagrants and robbers and murderers.”

Drug Enforcement Administration head Terry Cole, who was tapped by Trump to be the temporary leader of the MPD during the federal takeover, said there’s been an instant morale boost at the department since the president gave the order. (Read more from “Washington, DC Goes 12 Straight Days Without a Murder Following Trump’s Capital Crime Crackdown — Breaking Pre-COVID Record” HERE)

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Trump To Sign Order Aimed At Eliminating Policy That Supports Accused Criminals

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President Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order Monday ensuring “cashless bail” is eliminated for criminals arrested in the nation’s capital, a White House official confirmed to the Daily Caller.

The executive order directs the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force to ensure those arrested in Washington, D.C., are “held in federal custody to the fullest extent permissible under applicable law, and to pursue Federal charges and pretrial detention for such arrestees whenever possible,” according to a fact sheet obtained by the Caller. If the city keeps its cashless bail policy in place, the executive order permits the administration to potentially punish D.C. via federal funding decisions or other methods.

The president also is expected to sign an executive order Monday aimed at ending nationwide cashless bail policies, a fact sheet obtained by the Caller says.

Under the order, the attorney general (AG) must submit a list of states and local jurisdictions with cashless bail policies. The action then instructs the administration to “identify Federal funds currently provided to cashless bail jurisdictions that may be suspended or terminated,” the fact sheet writes.

The third executive order the president plans to sign will direct the AG to prosecute those who desecrate and burn the American flag, according to a fact sheet obtained by the Caller.

(Read more from “Trump To Sign Order Aimed At Eliminating Policy That Supports Accused Criminals” HERE)

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Report: Pentagon Blocks Ukraine From Firing Western Missiles Deep Into Russia

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The Trump administration’s Department of Defense has reportedly been blocking Ukraine from using American and British-made long-range missiles to strike targets deep inside Russian territory, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal.

Unnamed U.S. officials told the outlet that Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Eldridge Colby developed a procedure to review any Ukrainian requests to conduct long-range strikes using weapons of U.S. origin, or those that rely on American intelligence or components. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth reportedly has the final authority to approve or deny such strikes.

The restrictions affect weapons like the MGM-140 ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System), a long-range surface-to-surface missile that Ukraine has sought to use against Russia’s military and logistical hubs.

The policy reportedly coincides with President Donald Trump’s push to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. A Pentagon spokesperson declined to comment on the matter when reached by WSJ.

The Biden administration had previously allowed Ukraine to conduct strikes with ATACMS in November 2024, just weeks after Trump won the presidential election. Trump sharply criticized that move in a December interview with Time magazine, saying:

“It’s crazy what’s taking place. It’s crazy. I disagree very vehemently with sending missiles hundreds of miles into Russia. Why are we doing that? We’re just escalating this war and making it worse. That should not have been allowed to be done.”

Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Aug. 15 in Alaska for a high-stakes summit aimed at negotiating a cease-fire in the nearly three-year war. As the two leaders convened, a B-2A Spirit stealth bomber and several fighter jets conducted a flyover at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage.

Three days later, on Aug. 18, Trump held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and top European leaders to brief them on the summit discussions.

The Pentagon’s restrictions on long-range strikes are the latest flashpoint in the balancing act between supporting Ukraine’s defense and preventing escalation into a direct NATO-Russia conflict.

In July, Trump also struck a deal with NATO allies to boost weapons deliveries to Ukraine, with member nations pledging to purchase U.S.-made arms — including MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile systems — and donate them to Kyiv.

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Ghislaine Maxwell Was Honored at Clinton Global Initiative Event Years After Sex Abuse Allegations Surfaced, Report Reveals

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Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime associate and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell was celebrated at a prestigious Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) conference in September 2013—more than five years after allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation had first emerged against her, according to a new report from CNN.

Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year federal prison sentence after her 2021 conviction on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges, was publicly recognized at the 2013 CGI annual meeting as a “Commitment to Action” leader for her ocean conservation nonprofit, the TerraMar Project. Attendees told CNN that being acknowledged in this way was a “rare, prestigious” honor.

Allegations linking Maxwell to Epstein’s recruitment of underage girls had circulated since at least 2009. That same year, she was even served with a subpoena in lawsuits filed by 24 accusers as she exited a CGI event, according to Page Six. By 2011, Clinton staffers had reportedly barred her from official functions after extensive media scrutiny.

Despite that ban, CNN reports Maxwell was among a small group granted complimentary tickets to the 2013 conference—a perk so uncommon that one source said it likely required personal approval from either Bill or Hillary Clinton.

A Clinton spokesperson denied that the former president personally intervened on Maxwell’s behalf, stressing that hundreds of complimentary passes were distributed at the staff level that year.

“This is about someone working on ocean conservation attending a charitable conference 12 years ago, along with thousands of other people, and nothing more,” the spokesperson told CNN. “As we have consistently said, the Clintons know nothing about Jeffrey Epstein’s terrible crimes.”

The TerraMar Project shut down in 2019 following Epstein’s arrest on federal trafficking charges. Maxwell’s attorneys later cited her nonprofit work—and even claimed she had helped “launch” CGI—in an unsuccessful bid for leniency at her sentencing.

Maxwell’s ties to the Clintons, however, extend far beyond the 2013 CGI appearance. She and Epstein were photographed visiting the White House during Bill Clinton’s presidency in the 1990s, and flight logs show Clinton took at least 16 trips on Epstein’s private jet to international destinations where Maxwell was often present. Maxwell also maintained a personal friendship with Chelsea Clinton, vacationing with her in 2009 and attending her 2010 wedding.

In 2019, a Clinton family spokesperson told Vanity Fair that Chelsea and Maxwell had become “friendly” through a mutual friend, but insisted Chelsea had no knowledge of the accusations until years later.

The renewed scrutiny over Maxwell’s presence at CGI comes as the House Oversight Committee expands its probe into Epstein’s network of elite associates. Earlier this month, both Bill and Hillary Clinton were subpoenaed and are scheduled to testify under oath in October.

FBI Raids John Bolton’s Homes in Probe of Alleged Classified Document Mishandling

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Former Trump National Security Adviser John Bolton is under renewed investigation for allegedly mishandling classified national security documents, with FBI officials telling The Post that criminal charges should be pursued.

Federal agents raided Bolton’s Maryland home and Washington, D.C., office Friday morning, seeking evidence related to allegations he improperly transferred highly sensitive materials to a private server and shared them with family members before his dismissal from the Trump White House in September 2019.

Senior FBI officials said the allegations were first identified in 2020 through a “very specific intelligence capacity” that flagged the potential transfer of documents from Bolton’s White House desk to his wife and daughter. The investigation, which was distinct from the earlier probe into Bolton’s 2020 book The Room Where It Happened, carried into the Biden administration but was later “shelved,” according to sources.

“The [Biden administration] had probable cause to know that he had taken material that was detrimental to the national security of the United States, and they made no effort to retrieve it,” one senior FBI official said.

Some investigators characterized the case as “air-tight” and raised concerns that the Biden administration’s decision to halt the probe may have been politically motivated, given Bolton’s vocal criticism of President Donald Trump.

The matter resurfaced after FBI Director Kash Patel, confirmed in February, requested briefings on sensitive cases. Sources said Patel initially believed the Bolton file pertained to the closed investigation into his book but was told it involved an entirely separate matter that had not been pursued.

The raid was launched Tuesday in an effort to uncover further evidence regarding the alleged mishandling of classified information.

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Trump Mobilizes National Guardsmen to Assist With Illegal Immigration and Crime Crackdown

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President Donald Trump is mobilizing approximately 1,700 National Guard troops across 19 states in support of his broader effort to combat illegal immigration and crime, according to multiple reports.

Fox News reported Friday that Guard members will be activated in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming. The deployments are expected to run from August through mid-November.

While the troops will support federal operations, they will remain under the authority of their state governors, Stars and Stripes noted.

A U.S. Defense official told Fox that the mobilized soldiers will play a supporting role in a “sweeping federal interagency effort,” serving both as logistical backing and a visible deterrent. The Guard members will assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with case management, transportation, and administrative tasks linked to migrant processing. Those duties may include collecting personal data, fingerprinting, DNA swabbing, and photographing individuals in custody.

The move comes amid a broader campaign by the Trump administration to tighten enforcement of immigration laws and address urban crime. Violent crime in Washington, D.C., has dropped 22 percent in the past week, according to Breitbart News. The decline follows Trump’s recent executive actions invoking Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, which placed the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control and activated Guard forces in the capital.

The latest deployments mark a significant expansion of the administration’s use of the National Guard as both an operational and symbolic tool in addressing two of Trump’s central policy priorities: immigration enforcement and public safety.

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9/11 Families Slam Soaring Salaries of Memorial Executives as Museum Faces Mounting Losses

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Families of September 11 victims are blasting the National September 11 Memorial & Museum over skyrocketing executive salaries, even as the nonprofit continues to post steep financial losses and rely on taxpayer support.

The museum, built to honor the nearly 3,000 people killed in the 2001 terrorist attacks, attracted a reported 9,000 visitors a day last year but still lost nearly $20 million, according to its latest IRS filings. Despite charging $36 for general admission and up to $85 for combined tours, the institution reported $93 million in revenue in 2024 — including $4.5 million in taxpayer funds — against $112 million in expenses.

Leading those expenses were sharply rising pay packages for top executives. President and CEO Elizabeth Hillman, who took over in 2022, earned $856,216 last year, including a base salary of $775,084, retirement contributions, and benefits — a 63% increase from her predecessor’s final salary.

Other senior leaders also saw significant pay hikes:

Executive Vice President Joshua Cherwin collected $486,298 in 2024, a 78% increase since 2020.

Chief Strategy and Operations Officer Allison Blais made $458,652.

Director Clifford Chanin’s pay rose 66% in three years, reaching $444,999.

Chief Financial Officer David Shehaan received $432,958, nearly four times what he earned in 2019.

Overall payroll at the museum grew to $34 million in 2024, up from $22 million in 2020. Of its 411 employees, 13 earned more than $100,000.

The revelations have drawn sharp criticism from families of those lost in the attacks, who view the lavish compensation as an affront to the memorial’s mission. “It’s a slap in the face,” one family member said, pointing to the raises as excessive while the institution bleeds red ink and continues to depend on public funding.

The controversy echoes earlier backlash in 2020, when the museum paid out executive bonuses despite mass layoffs and furloughs during the pandemic, even as it reported a $47 million deficit that year.

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