Civil War News: The Mississippi legislature voted over the weekend to remove the Confederate battle flag from the state flag, becoming the last of the southern states to do so. Republican Gov. Tate Reeves has said he will sign the bill which would require the flag to be removed from government buildings within 15 days.

  The red battle flag with its blue X and white stars has been featured in the upper left corner of the red, white, and blue Mississippi flag for 126 years. While many southerners see the Confederate flag as a symbol of tradition and heritage, in a state that is 40 percent black it is looked upon by its detractors as a lasting reminder of slavery and white domination.

  The decision may have been based more on economics than a realization of what the flag really represents. Walmart opposes flying the flag and college athletic associations announced they will not hold championships in states that fly the Confederate flag.

  The law removing the flag sets up a commission to produce a new design which will be required to include the motto, “In God We Trust.”

The Cresting Wave: Over the weekend the coronavirus pandemic surpassed 10 million cases around the world with more than half a million deaths.

  Here in the US the 14-day infection rate is up 76 percent with more than 2.5 million cases and 125,803 deaths. 

  Florida alone recorded more than 18,000 new cases as the states that pushed to re-open their economies pay a price. The state’s governor is blaming young people. “If you look at that 25 to 34 age group, that is now by far the leading age group for positive tests,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a press conference. He said you “can’t control” them because “they’re younger people.”

  Cases are also rising in Idaho, Nevada, Texas, Mississippi, and Montana. At least 12 states are pausing plans for re-opening.

  CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden warned Sunday on Fox News that the situation “is going to continue to get worse for weeks.”

Denial: After a NY Times report that Russia offered Taliban fighters a bounty to kill American soldiers in Afghanistan, President Trump called it “fake news” and claimed he had never been briefed on the subject.

  Trump didn’t outright deny that the story is true.

  Both the Times and Washington Post cite official sources confirming that Russia was ready to pay cash for dead Americans.

  Trump tweeted, “Nobody briefed or told me …  about the so-called attacks on our troops in Afghanistan by Russians, as reported through an ‘anonymous source’ by the Fake News @nytimes.”

 The Times says the Trump administration was told of the situation in March. The paper says two officials tell them that at least one American was killed as a result of the bounty offer.

The Village People: President Trump came under heavy criticism Sunday for retweeting video of a man clearly shouting “White power!”

  The video was of pro-Trump supporters at a Florida retirement in a golf carts festooned with Trump signs and American flags. One man can clearly be heard shouting “white power!” Trump’s message said, “thank you, the great people of The Villages.”

  When called out on it Trump deleted the tweet an hour later and left his explainers to explain for him.

  Judd Deere, a White House spokesman, said Trump “is a big fan of The Villages” and “He did not hear the one statement made on the video.” 

  Interesting, because you can’t miss it.

The Bulletin Board: Princeton University is removing the name of President Woodrow Wilson from its School of Public and International Affairs. “Wilson’s racism was significant and consequential even by the standards of his own time,” Princeton’s president said. — The Rolling Stones are threatening to sue President Trump if he doesn’t stop using their songs at his campaign rallies. The Trump campaign used the song “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” at last week’s rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma. — Four men were charged with damaging the statue of President Andrew Jackson near the White House. 

With a Side of Anger: Hugo’s Tacos offers some of the best Mexican food in Los Angeles and it’s closing its two shops because customers can’t behave during the pandemic. Some are up in arms about the requirement to wear masks.

  The company issued a statement saying, “Staff have been harassed, called names, and had objects and liquids thrown at them.”

  Hugo’s said, “A mask isn’t symbolic of anything other than our desire to keep our staff healthy.”

-30-