1 Trump Signs Order Aiming for One-Year Jail Terms for Flag Burning
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Aug. 25 seeking to penalize people who burn flags, although courts have long upheld the practice as legitimate expression under the First Amendment. The order aims to prosecute people who burn flags associated with other violence, such as inciting a riot, Trump said. "If you burn a flag, you get one year in jail," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, although the order doesn't specify a jail sentence. "You will see flag burning stop immediately." The First Amendment protects speech and peaceful protest. The Supreme Court in 1989 ruled in a 5-4 decision that burning a flag itself is a form of political expression and isn't illegal. Bob Corn-Revere, the chief counsel of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, said "flag burning as a form of political protest is protected by the First Amendment" even if Trump finds it "uniquely offensive and provocative." But Attorney General Pam Bondi said Trump's goal of prosecuting flag-burning could be accomplished without violating the high court's decision. "We will do that without running afoul of the First Amendment," Bondi said. The executive order focuses on a provision in the Supreme Court decisions that Trump argued said "fighting words" or inciting lawless action aren't protected by the First Amendment. “What happens when you burn the flag, the area goes crazy," Trump said. “When you burn the American flag, it incites riots."
2 President Trump Says He's Removing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
President Donald Trump made an unprecedented move on Monday by firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, posting the termination letter on Truth Social and citing allegations of mortgage fraud. This represents a significant escalation of Trump's attacks on the Federal Reserve and pushes the central bank into uncharted territory that will likely result in a legal battle reaching the Supreme Court. The Federal Reserve Act of 1913 limits presidential authority to remove Fed governors, stating they can only be fired "for cause," which historically means serious concerns about an official's ability to serve. Trump's administration claims Cook committed mortgage fraud by allegedly listing two different properties as her primary residence simultaneously.
3 House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Epstein Estate For Documents
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, led by Rep. James Comer, has issued a subpoena to Jeffrey Epstein's estate demanding extensive documents as part of their investigation into the government's handling of the Epstein case. The subpoena seeks over a dozen categories of materials from 1990 through August 2019, including communications referencing all presidents and vice presidents, videos from Epstein's properties, and entries from his contact books. A key focus of the subpoena is a leather-bound book compiled by Ghislaine Maxwell for Epstein's 50th birthday in 2003, which reportedly contains contributions from dozens of associates including President Trump, billionaire Leslie Wexner, and attorney Alan Dershowitz. The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump allegedly wrote a "bawdy" birthday letter stating "may every day be another wonderful secret," though Trump has called this "fake" and filed a $20 billion defamation lawsuit against the Journal.