Did Kaepernick nix Nike's flag shoes?
Nike's controversial flag kicks, the most UFO-ridden states and the Chicago Bean under attack. It's Ashley. Here's Tuesday's top news.
But first, burning the American flag: It's seen as the ultimate form of protest, but here's why veterans set fire to 25,000 flags in Kentucky.
If the shoe doesn't fit ...
Nike spiked plans to release a shoe featuring an early design of the U.S. flag known as the "Betsy Ross flag" after former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick reportedly told him the flag was offensive. (The "Betsy Ross flag" – a U.S. flag with 13 stars in a circle – has been used as a white nationalism symbol by some extremist groups.) The Betsy Ross kerfuffle spurred even more drama as Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey yanked millions of dollars in state incentives offered to Nike. "Instead of celebrating American history the week of our nation’s independence, Nike has apparently decided that Betsy Ross is unworthy,” Ducey wrote on Twitter.
America's 'horrifying' and 'haunting' border
U.S. lawmakers who visited Texas border facilities Monday described a “broken” and "horrifying" system of immigration detention where women were allegedly told to drink water from a toilet. The group of lawmakers met 15 to 20 mothers detained "for over 50 days" at the Border Patrol Station in northeast El Paso, said U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas. Some had been separated from their children, and the cell where they were held didn’t have running water to drink, he said. Lawmakers visited two Border Patrol processing centers: the station in El Paso and in Clint, where unaccompanied minors have allegedly been held in unsafe, unsanitary conditions.
Aliens, please come in peace 👽🖖🛸
Turns out you might get some extraterrestrial visitors from time to time if you live in the North. That’s one way, anyway, to interpret a new report on states with the most unidentified flying object sightings per capita. Washington state topped the list, followed by Montana, Vermont, Alaska and Maine. Or maybe Northerners just believe more ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. You may be more safe from alien invasions if you live in Texas, Louisiana and Georgia, which have the least frequent UFO sightings. The list was put together by space nerds at SatelliteInternet.com, which culled data from the National UFO Reporting Center and the U.S. Census just in time for World UFO Day on July 2.
What people are talking about .
U.S. will play for Women's World Cup title after beating England 2-1 in a thrilling match.
Fun without alcohol? Sober bars offer social connections without peer pressure to drink.
Less than $8,000: That's the average net worth of Americans ages 18 to 35.
On the other hand: This woman is 28 and works for Trump. Here's how much she makes.
A serial toilet clogger was sentenced to 150 days in jail. Why’d he do it? He gets urges to do odd things, apparently.
A girl vanished in Rome 36 years ago. The Vatican is opening tombs to investigate.
The Bottle Cap Challenge: According to my brother and Jason Statham, it's the latest viral trend.
Trump hints at defeat over census question
The Trump administration said Tuesday it has begun printing 2020 census forms without a question on citizenship, indicating it may back down from a lengthy court battle. After the Supreme Court's 5-4 ruling last week that the Commerce Department failed to justify its proposal, a Justice Department attorney advised lawyers in the case that "the decision has been made" to print without asking about citizenship. The decision came days after President Donald Trump suggested delaying the census in the wake of the Supreme Court decision. "I have asked the lawyers if they can delay the Census, no matter how long," he tweeted.
Kamala's gaining on Joe
The first Democratic debate reshaped the presidential race in Iowa: Kamala Harris is surging while Joe Biden's front-runner status has come into question. In a new Suffolk University/USA TODAY Poll, Biden continues to lead the field, backed by 24% of those who say they are likely to attend the Democratic caucuses in Iowa. Harris jumped to second place, at 16%, leapfrogging over Bernie Sanders. At 9%, Sanders finished fourth, behind Elizabeth Warren at 13%. The second set of debates, scheduled for the end of the month in Detroit, could change everything yet again.
Keep your hands off The Bean, vandals
Seven people were arrested for allegedly vandalizing two of Chicago’s most iconic landmarks. Cloud Gate, commonly referred to as “The Bean,” and the Cancer Survivors’ Wall were tagged with spray-painted graffiti after midnight Tuesday. The seven suspects were arrested a short time later. Officers on the scene told NBC Chicago that the suspects in custody are all adults and are a part of the “35th Street Crew,” a gang of “known taggers.”
Real quick
A stowaway died after falling into London from a Kenya Airways plane.
President Trump accused New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo of targeting his businesses.
A viral video appears to show a woman licking a tub of ice cream ... then putting it back in the store freezer.
This brave grandma killed a 4.5-foot-long cobra with a shovel to protect neighborhood kids.
A mother says she is struggling to walk after an epidural was stuck in her back for days.
Beijing's ominous warning to protesters
China's mainland government condemned demonstrations rocking Hong Kong Tuesday as a challenge to Beijing's authority that "trampled" rule of law and required swift prosecution. Protesters were undeterred. The ominous warning was issued hours after protesters, angry at Beijing's growing control over Hong Kong's affairs, stormed the city's legislative building and occupied the governing chamber. The unrest came as hundreds of thousands gathered for the latest in a series of often huge and sometimes violent demonstrations against Hong Kong's leadership.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Did Kaepernick nix Nike's flag shoes?
