As nation turns 250, many Americans say the Stars and Stripes is now a red flag

The American flag: To some, it’s Old Glory. To others, it’s a MAGA hat on a stick.

June 29, 2026, 6:01 AM EDT
By Corky Siemaszko


To fly or not to fly an American flag? That was never a question for Bruce Watson, who has put his national pride on display for years — and nudges neighbors in his small New England town to do the same.

“I’m very proud of our flag,” the writer said. “It’s the symbol of ‘We, the People.’”

But as the polarized nation marks its 250th birthday, Watson, 72, worries his Stars and Stripes may now need an asterisk. “If we do fly the flag, we will also put out signs to make it clear that we are not MAGA,” he said.

Bruce Watson, at his home with his dog, Mavis, in Montague, Mass., says he plans to put a disclaimer next to his flag. Hannah Beier for NBC News

The American flag is a symbol striped with many meanings, whether it’s hung on front porches, waved in parades, protests and World Cup matches, or stamped on lapel pins and boxing trunks. Like so much else in American life, it has also been tangled up in politics and the policies of President Donald Trump.

NBC News asked readers to share their feelings and practices around the flag in a moment, polls suggest, when patriotism, national pride and optimism for the country’s future are all fraying. Like Watson, some say the flag can be taken as an endorsement of the current administration. For others, it isn’t tied to any one party but is a way of life.

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I am a centrist Democrat and I am terrified of success | Opinion

We appeal to 'the center,' which is an ambiguous blob-like thing that exists only in the minds of Democratic strategists whose brains stopped working in the 1990s.

Rex Huppke
USA TODAY
June 28, 2026, 5:08 a.m. ET

Hello, I am a centrist Democrat who is terrified that progressive liberal candidates keep winning primary elections.

I am also terrified of my own shadow, but this is somehow worse.

Suddenly, voters are being won over by liberal candidates ‒ even a few who are democratic socialists! ‒ who aren’t afraid to lean into populist messages with passion and an apparent drive to actually do things that will make people’s lives better. What is that all about? Since when did the things voters want become so important?

Following the embrace of New York City’s popular democratic socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani, two democratic socialist candidates and one progressive candidate won their recent congressional primary races. I immediately took to my living room's fainting couch. (Like most centrist Democrats, I have a fainting couch in every room.)

Like my good friends in the Republican Party, I fear any kind of democratic socialist as well as any progressives who are actually progressive. They all seem far too fixated on helping "the people." Blech.Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!
As a centrist Democrat, I cannot accept new ideas. Or winning.

I recently read this in The Nation, a progressive magazine I can only read while on a fainting couch: “In Michigan’s open Senate race, Chuck Schumer has made his support of moderate Representative Hayley Stevens clear. But that hasn’t stopped Abdul El-Sayed from climbing in the polls. Running on a platform of taxing billionaires, ending the corrosive effects of money in politics, and Medicare for All.”

It said El-Sayed has been endorsed not only by Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Ro Khanna of California but also the “influential United Auto Workers union.”Opinion: Democratic socialism is thriving in New York. This is good.

AUGH! What kind of radical Democrat would talk about taxing billionaires in a moment when income inequality is at the top of voters’ minds and people are struggling to afford food?

That’s edging too far away from the center, which is the safe place where I reside and insist all other Democrats must reside. It’s nice here. There are comfy pillows a corporate lobbyist once gave me, and we just sit and occasionally furrow our brows.

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The German Theologian Bringing Protestants and Catholics Together

Jayson Casper

Evangelicals have critiqued the ecumenism of former World Evangelical Alliance head Thomas Schirrmacher.

Christianity Today

June 25, 2026

Image courtesy of Thomas Schirrmacher

Eleven American Pentecostal pastors sat nervously with Pope Francis at the Vatican in June 2016. The meeting, arranged by Thomas Schirrmacher, then chair of the theological commission of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), was an opportunity for the guests to ask the pontiff anything they wanted. Two years earlier, Francis had publicly apologized for past Catholic persecution of the charismatic movement.

At the time, the Italian Evangelical Alliance had cautioned against growing ecumenical openness where “insurmountable” doctrinal obstacles exist. The American delegation was similarly opposed to Schirrmacher’s engagement but had agreed to the meeting. No one wanted to ask the first question. Amid the awkwardness, Francis took the initiative.

He asked the delegation to pray for him.

Schirrmacher said what followed was a life-changing experience for the Pentecostals. They prayed for the pope. He prayed for them. By the end, he said, their theological concerns didn’t matter much anymore as they agreed with Schirrmacher that Francis was a genuine believer and had no intention to convert them to Catholicism.

Matters of theology and doctrine have always mattered to Schirrmacher, who turns 66 today. The German theologian has four doctoral degrees and authored more than 100 books, including a six-volume treatise on ethics. Committed to Christian unity, he served as general secretary of the World Evangelical Alliance from 2021 to 2024. Yet his life has been a lightning rod of controversy—particularly when he neared the halls of power.

Even seemingly straightforward truths, he finds, have prompted critical reaction.

“If I say, ‘God is love,’” said Schirrmacher, “it could start a global discussion.”

Born in 1960, Schirrmacher traces his family history to 18th-century Huguenots exiled from Austria to Prussia. His father served on the board of the missions agency World Evangelization for Christ, and Schirrmacher interacted with many visiting missionaries. He met Billy Graham as a child, and again in 1983. By then, Schirrmacher was a young pastor who had planted seven churches. Graham advised him to continue pursuing advanced theological studies.

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JD Vance calls his meeting with Vatican officials right before Pope Francis died ‘unsettling’ in new book

The vice president accused the Vatican of being ‘unwilling to move its moral guidance’ in extracts from his memoir Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith

Owen Scott

Tuesday 16 June 2026 13:03 BST


JD Vance says Pope Leo should be careful when speaking on theology

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

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Vice President JD Vance has launched a fresh attack on the Vatican in a new book on his faith.

In his memoir, Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith, Catholic convert Vance details his encounter with church officials in April last year.

In extracts published by The Washington Post, Vance wrote that the Vatican’s secretary of state Cardinal Pietro Parolin discussed the topic of migration with him during their meeting.

However, the vice president was not pleased with the tone of the conversation and described it as “unsettling.”

​“Here I was, the most senior Catholic in the United States government, and the Vatican seemed unwilling to move its moral guidance past the point of trite platitudes,” Vance wrote. ​

Vice President JD Vance has branded his meeting with Vatican officials as ‘unsettling’ in his memoir, which also lifts the lid on his meeting with the late Pope Francis (Vatican Media)

The Bible and Separation of Church and State

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Texas board approves adding Bible stories to required reading for public school students

Updated on: June 26, 2026 / 2:29 PM CDT / AP


Texas public schools will require students to read Bible stories under a reading list approved by the state's education board Friday, widening conservative efforts to bring more Christian teachings into U.S. classrooms.

The Texas State Board of Education, which is controlled by Republicans, approved the list of over critics who argued the titles lacked diversity and and blurs the separation of church and state.

Under the mandate, more than 5 million public school students in Texas must read traditional literary works such as E.B. White's "Charlotte's Web" and Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations." They'll also be required to read Bible stories, including passages from the New Testament and excerpts from the Book of Job. The rollout will be staggered, starting with elementary school students in 2030.

For months, critics have blasted both the push to require Bible readings and the state mandating what books are read by students, which are decisions typically left up to teachers. Teachers could still assign students other books to read on top of the required titles.

Supporters say Judeo-Christian traditions were fundamental to the nation's founding and that should be reflected in the public school curriculum.

Texas, which educates roughly 1 in 10 of the nation's public school students, has been at the forefront of a charge by conservatives to incorporate more religion into classrooms. The state already allows public schools to hire chaplains to counsel students, mandates the display of the Ten Commandments in classrooms and has approved an optional Bible-infused curriculum.

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Call Sin by its Right Name

The greatest want of the world is the want of men,–men who will not be bought or sold; men who in their inmost souls are true and honest; men who do not fear to call sin by its right name; men whose conscience is as true to duty as the needle to the pole; men who will stand for the right though the heavens fall.–Education, p. 57.

​ Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. Isaiah 58:1

We are living in the solemn scenes of this earth’s history. If ever there was a time when things should be called by their right name, it is now. This is no time to call sin righteousness, and righteousness sin. We must lay hold by faith now. It is time for every one to be wide-awake.—Pamphlet 146.

Deal faithfully with wrongdoing. Warn every soul that is in danger. Leave none to deceive themselves. Call sin by its right name. Declare what God has said in regard to lying, Sabbathbreaking, stealing, idolatry, and every other evil. “They which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” Gal. 5:21. If they persist in sin, the judgment you have declared from God’s word is pronounced upon them in heaven. In choosing to sin, they disown Christ; the church must show that she does not sanction their deeds, or she herself dishonours her Lord. She must say about sin what God says about it. She must deal with it as God directs, and her action is ratified in heaven. He who despises the authority of the church despises the authority of Christ Himself.—DA 805.

​​The history of Achan teaches the solemn lesson that for one man’s sin the displeasure of God will rest upon a people or a nation till the transgression is searched out and punished. Sin is corrupting in its nature. One man infected with its deadly leprosy may communicate the taint to thousands. Those who occupy responsible positions as guardians of the people are false to their trust if they do not faithfully search out and reprove sin. Many dare not condemn iniquity, lest they shall thereby sacrifice position or popularity. And by some it is considered uncharitable to rebuke sin. The servant of God should never allow his own spirit to be mingled with the reproof which he is required to give; but he is under the most solemn obligation to present the Word of God, without fear or favour. He must call sin by its right name. Those who by their carelessness or indifference permit God’s name to be dishonoured by His professed people, are numbered with the transgressor,– registered in the record of heaven as partakers in their evil deeds….

“We Are Here.” Glendale City Church Attends Pride in the Park

Tony Biehl|June 23, 2026|Reports

Earlier this month, the Glendale City Church in Glendale, California, was invited to join GlendaleOUT’s Pride in the Park event—a bring your own lunch picnic in Adam’s Square Mini Park a couple of miles from the church. To honor our LGBTQ+ siblings, about a dozen of us trundled down to the park after church. I like to attend Pride events, so I looked forward to this one. Parking, however, was impossible. I wandered in the parking wilderness for a while, despairing at the sight of what seemed like endless cars and no spaces until a spot finally appeared—Yay!

I clumped two blocks down the street and over a crosswalk with earth tone patterns artistically adorning it—nice. The Mini Park was indeed mini, though well maintained—its central a retired 50s gas station building which served as the main attraction, decorated with Pride banners. There was a crowd, of course, but not overwhelming, and I easily found our group sitting on blankets under a small tree. Since my aging body does not like blankets on the ground—let alone getting on them—I unfolded my special cane into a seat and sat. I munched on my lunch along with everyone else (their own lunches, not mine). Our pastor offered me some chips the church had brought and his wife loaned me a little cloth stand for my soda. They also brought pie for dessert!

Glendale City Church announced the Pride in the Park event on social media. Glendale City has long been an affirming congregation and was home to Adventism’s longest-serving, out pastor. @glendalecitychurch/Facebook

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Pope Leo is wrong about hunger

Opinion by David Harsanyi, Washington Examiner

Pope Leo is wrong about hunger

For Catholics, the Pope is the vicar of Christ and the spiritual leader of the Church — which is to say, his positions are typically none of my business. Then again, any time the pope delivers a statement that speaks to the political aspirations of the secular left, the media amplifies it to lecture the rest of us.

The latest such comment has to do with world hunger.

“It is important to resist the commodification of basic human needs,” the Pope said, criticizing slow humanitarian aid from the United States to the U.N. World Food Program. “Food, water and healthcare cannot be subordinated to market considerations or geopolitical interests.”

Virtually every major modern famine in history occurred in places that “subordinated” the commodification of food for a greater good. Though, Leo has it backward. The market is the natural state of economic activity. We subordinate the market. The question is, are we better off when we do? Almost every time, the answer is no.

It’s not an accident that capitalistic nations create so much wealth that they can be generous not only to their own hungry but also to the hungry elsewhere. The proportion of the global population facing hunger today has declined dramatically over the past 30-40 years because of technological advancements and efficiencies fueled by trade and market-driven profits.

Which is why the U.S. has pledged nearly $750 million to the U.N. World Food Program, far more than any nation. China generally contributes under $20 million and Russia around $30 million.

It should also be noted that government aid is not the only assistance we give. Americans are the most charitable people in the world.

“Access to adequate food is a fundamental human right grounded in the dignity of every person,” the pope went on. “Meeting this need not only alleviates suffering but also addresses underlying causes of geopolitical instability. Indeed, food security is an essential component of global and integral security.”

Most people acknowledge that feeding and caring for the poor is a moral imperative. Being fed is not a “fundamental human right,” however, because it requires compelling another person to provide it. Americans believe — or should believe — that only the “fundamental rights” are those that call on others to abstain from interfering. That includes things like freedom of speech and religion. Your healthcare can’t be a right.

Moreover, helping the poor without any expectation that the government will change its policies that strip its people of dignity does nothing to help the underlying causes of geopolitical instability. If we choose, Americans have every right to attach expectations to their aid.

The United Nations, after all, is teeming with illiberal tyrannical nations that drive their own people into destitution. The areas most in danger of hunger, according to a recent U.N. report, are Sudan, South Sudan, Yemen, Nigeria, Somalia, and the Gaza Strip. All of them struggle in part because of Islamism, which carries a political agenda that runs counter to every Christian tenet imaginable. It would be nice if the Church spoke out about corrupt regimes and Islamists with the same passion it does the U.S., which has done more for the world’s poor than any institution that has ever existed.

Source