Flag-burning case drops charges in White House protest

Federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C., moved to drop two misdemeanor counts against Jan Carey for burning an American flag outside the White House—a protest linked to a Trump executive order directing the DOJ to investigate flag burning. The counts targeted where or how the fire was lit and were punishable by a fine or up to six months in jail. Carey had pleaded not guilty. The move comes amid a broader clash between the president’s order and the First Amendment’s protection of symbolic speech.