Southeast
Flagstock: UNC Chapel Hill fraternity brothers who defended American flag finally getting their 'rager'
The fraternity brothers at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill who defended the American flag during spring semester campus unrest are getting their party.
A GoFundMe page created by a third party raised more than $500,000 for the college men who prevented the American flag on Chapel Hill’s quad from touching the ground when anti-Israel agitators tried to replace it with the Palestinian flag, promising a “rager.” Country singer John Rich then offered to host a concert on Monday in their honor.
That concert turned into a large show featuring multiple artists and bands including Big & Rich, Aaron Lewis, John Ondrasik and Lee Greenwood. More than 2,000 invited Chapel Hill attendees are expected to show on Monday.
“Somebody raised these guys correctly.”
“I was so impressed that, first of all, someone had taught them . . . that you never let the American flag touch the ground, under any circumstances,” Rich told Fox News Digital when asked about his impression of the photo in May. “Somebody raised these guys correctly. They understand what’s going on.”
ANTI-ISRAEL DEMONSTRATORS GATHER AT UNC-CHAPEL HILL CHANCELLOR’S OFFICE, SMEAR RED PAINT ON BUILDING
UNC Chapel Hill students hold up the American flag during a campus protest on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. Anti-Israel agitators replaced the American flag with the Palestinian flag during the demonstration. (Parker Ali/The Daily Tar Heel)
The flag incident happened on April 30, when anti-Israel agitators set up an encampment on the quad, successfully replacing Old Glory once before UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts responded with law enforcement officers to return the American flag to its place. When activists, some of whom were not affiliated with the nation’s first public university, attempted to take it down a second time, a group of male students — including members of multiple fraternities — stepped in.
A student photographer captured the moment that went viral on social media and made national headlines as similar protests occurred on college campuses throughout the country.
UNC STUDENT WHO DEFENDED AMERICAN FLAG FROM CAMPUS MOB ‘HONORED TO GIVE BACK TO THE NATION’
UNC Chapel Hill students hold up the American flag during a campus protest on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. Anti-Israel agitators replaced the American flag with the Palestinian flag during the demonstration. (Parker Ali/The Daily Tar Heel)
“Today was a sad yet empowering day at Chapel Hill,” student Guillermo Estrada, class of 2027, said in a May 1 post on X. “When I walked to class, I saw the Palestinian flag raised on our quad flag pole, and was immediately upset at the act that these ‘protesters’ had made. I cannot say I am fully educated on the Israel/Palestine conflict but it upset me that my country’s flag was disrespected in order to advocate for another.”
Estrada added that Chancellor Roberts and officers who replaced the flag the first time “were met with profanity, middle fingers, thrown bottles, rocks, and water.” Videos circulating on social media show a group of students singing the National Anthem and chanting, “USA!” as the American flag was returned to the pole.
“We stood for an hour defending the flag so many fight to protect.”
“When the flag was raised once again, the Greek community began singing the National anthem. As the Chancellor left, the quad erupted into chaos as protesters began removing the flag once again, preparing to destroy it,” Estrada continued. “My fraternity brother and others ran over to hold it up, in order for it not to touch the ground. People began throwing water bottles at us, rocks, sticks, calling us profane names. We stood for an hour defending the flag so many fight to protect.”
About 1000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators rally at the South Building after a “Gaza solidarity encampment” was removed by police early Tuesday morning, April 30, 2024, at UNC-Chapel Hill. (Travis Long/News & Observer/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Estrada went on to explain that he comes from an immigrant family and a “military community” where he “saw first hand the sacrifices they make.”
“I will not stand for the disrespect these ‘protest[e]rs’ cause for the sake of another country,” Estrada wrote. “My LDOC will be memorable in knowing that my fraternity brothers and others fought to keep the flag up. But it was also be memorable [sic] in knowing that so many yearn to disrespect it.”
UNC FRATERNITY BROTHERS DEFEND REINSTATED AMERICAN FLAG FROM CAMPUS MOB WHO REPLACED WITH PALESTINIAN FLAG
Protestors stamp red handprint stains on the Chancellor’s building at UNC Chapel Hill, Saturday, May 11, 2024. Earlier in the day, students vandalized the Chancellor’s building in protest of the Hamas-Israel war. (The Image Direct for Fox News Digital)
The fraternities included in the American flag moment included Pi Kappa Phi, AEPi, Delta Upsilon, Delta Kappa Epsilon, Phi Gamma Delta, and Zeta Beta Tau, according to the GoFundMe.
UNC CHAPEL HILL BOARD VOTES TO DISMANTLE DEI PROGRAMS, USE FUNDS ON CAMPUS POLICE AFTER ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTS
“We told you our intent was to send any excess funds leftover from the party to worthy causes, entities that are consistent with the theme of the fundraiser. Charities proposed by the frats include: Back the Blue NC, Wounded Warrior Project, Children of Fallen Patriots, and Zeta Beta Tau Foundation to Combat Anti-Semitism. Honoring donor intent continues to be Pints for Patriots’ north star,” a June update on the GoFundMe page reads. “We are excited for Labor Day. More updates and surprises to follow in the weeks to come!”
Back the Blue was invited to attend Flagstock on Monday and issued a statement saying part of the donated funds will go toward its mission to provide resource and assistance to law enforcement officers and the families of those who have died in the line of duty. When the Chapel Hill students stopped the flag from hitting the ground in May, four law enforcement officers had just died in the line of duty in Charlotte while serving a warrant earlier that week.
The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill’s campus on Thursday, May 2, 2024. Students from the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity are being commended after photos surfaced of them holding up the American flag during an anti-Israel protest earlier this week. (The Image Direct for Fox News Digital)
“We are deeply humbled and grateful to be chosen as a beneficiary of this event,” said Lindsay LiCausi, Founder and CEO of Back The Blue NC, Inc. “The support from the community during such a pivotal time reinforces our commitment to honoring and assisting the brave men and women who protect and serve our nation.”
The “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy” singer in May commended the “bravery” of the students who held up the flag for going against the grain of the protesters and standing up for what they believe in.
“I think that when people, especially young people, have enough guts and determination to proclaim their love for the country and show their respect for the flag — when it’s an inconvenient moment, when it’s a tough moment to do it — they deserve to be recognized for that,” Rich said. “And I’m hoping that when we recognize them in such a huge way, I hope it ignites that same passion all across the country.”
Flagstock will be available to stream live online at 7:30 p.m. ET Monday.
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Southeast
Florida fraternity brother with brain damage from hazing sends lifesaving warning to future Greeks
A Florida judge last week sentenced a former Florida college student to 30 days in prison and a year of probation after he punched his peer during a fraternity hazing incident in 2018.
Oliver Walker, 26, was charged with culpable negligence inflicting harm after he sucker punched fraternity pledge Nicholas Mauricio during a tradition called “Scumbag of the Week” organized by members of FSU’s since-dissolved Alpha Epsilon Pi chapter, according to a lawsuit previously filed against the fraternity.
“Not only am I lucky to be alive, but I’m lucky to … be in a good condition upstairs,” Mauricio told Fox News Digital. “It’s taken a lot of hard work and a lot of struggling and a lot of low points.”
He said the “hardest part about” his brain injury “is that it’s not a visible injury like a broken arm or a torn ACL that takes physical rehab.” It can be difficult for his friends and family to understand that he was severely injured and has been fighting every day since the “Scumbag of the Week” incident.
OLE MISS FRATERNITY SUSPENDED OVER HAZING ALLEGATIONS AFTER VIDEO SURFACES
Oliver Walker, 26, was charged with culpable negligence inflicting harm after he sucker punched fellow student Nicholas Mauricio during a fraternity tradition called “Scumbag of the Week” organized by members of FSU’s since-dissolved Alpha Epsilon Pi chapter. (John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Mauricio, who was 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds at the time of the punch, fell and hit his head after Walker’s punch and has spent the last six years recovering from a debilitating brain injury that included two different hematomas and frontal lobe damage.
The incident came just months after FSU student Andrew Coffey died of alcohol poisoning after his fraternity brothers did not immediately call for help.
The longstanding “Scumbag of the Week” tradition required members to select a pledge to be punched in the face in front of the entire fraternity, according to the lawsuit.
MISSOURI STUDENT, VICTIM OF ‘THE WORST FRATERNITY HAZING INJURY EVER’ IS ‘ALIVE FOR A REASON’: PARENTS
Nicholas Mauricio poses with his fraternity “big brother” and “grand big brother” during a pledge night in 2018. (Nicholas Mauricio)
“It’s affecting my whole family,” Mauricio said, adding that they “like the word survivor because it’s an extension of being a victim, but you were able to persevere.”
His mother, Michelle Mauricio, told Fox News Digital waiting six years to get justice has been “atrocious.”
“I’m still so emotionally exhausted. … I’m just tired of fighting a battle we’re never going to win.”
“The stories keep going out, and every year another student is injured or dies,” Michelle said. “This is friends hurting friends.”
Nicholas Mauricio (center) poses with his two fraternity pledge brothers in 2018. (Nicholas Mauricio )
DRUM MAJOR’S HAZING LEFT HEARTBROKEN MOTHER WONDERING WHAT REALLY HAPPENED: ‘HE WAS BEATEN TO DEATH’
David Bianchi, a renowned hazing attorney who represented Mauricio in both cases, told Fox News Digital he is glad the Mauricio family is finally seeing a resolution to the criminal case.
“Most people would be amazed at the number of fraternity hazing incidents that happen every year in the United States, and that’s despite the fact that almost every state has an anti-hazing law, every major university has an anti-hazing policy and every major fraternity and sorority has an anti-hazing policy,” Bianchi said.
“These incidents are happening all the time throughout the United States, and the message isn’t getting through to the guys that do these things.”
Nicholas Mauricio’s mother told Fox News Digital waiting six years to get justice has been “atrocious.” (Nicholas Mauricio)
Bianchi added that “perhaps jail time” will show fraternity members that if they put pledges or existing members into situations where they can be seriously injured or die, suspension, expulsion and even jail time are plausible consequences.
EX-MIZZOU FRAT MEMBER PLEADS GUILTY IN HAZING CASE THAT LEFT PLEDGE BLIND, PARALYZED
Mauricio wants other college-aged men who are considering joining a fraternity to speak up if they are exposed to any kind of physical harm or alcohol if they are underage.
“You can tell them no, and you should tell them no.”
“At the end of the day, even though it may seem like they have all the power, you have more power than them. You can tell them no, and you should tell them no,” Mauricio said. “We should all be leaders more than we should be followers. You’ll be able to prevent something bad from happening to you and keep your dignity intact.”
Nicholas Mauricio received a football scholarship in high school. (Nicholas Mauricio)
Mauricio added that universities also have “a lot of skin in this game,” rather than just Greek organizations and their members. He and his mother are hoping their story educates other college students and fraternity members about the potential dangers of hazing.
Mauricio hopes to be an advocate for college hazing and others who suffer from brain damage.
Attorney Gannon Coens of Bodiford Law, which represented Walker, declined to comment at the time of publication.
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Southeast
Questions over Vindman’s military records evolve into campaign finance probe for super PAC ties
A Virginia congressional candidate whose brother was a star witness in the first then-President Donald Trump impeachment is facing allegations of campaign finance violations and misrepresenting his military record.
The campaign staff of Eugene Vindman, a Democratic candidate in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, referred press inquiries about the candidate’s military record to VoteVets, a political action committee (PAC) that supports progressive military veterans running for office. VoteVets has endorsed Vindman, a former Army infantry officer and Army lawyer.
Two watchdog groups – the Functional Government Initiative and the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust – allege in separate complaints to the Federal Election Commission that this is illegal coordination between the campaign and the super PAC. The FEC complaints allege VoteVets PAC provided a service to the Vindman campaign by managing its press inquiries.
VINDMAN WINS THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY FOR VIRGINIA’S 7TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
Alex Vindman, left, and Eugene Vindman stand outside the U.S. Capitol on March 13, 2024 in Washington, D.C. VoteVets held a press conference with senators and representatives pushing for an aid bill for Ukraine. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for VoteVets)
“The law is quite clear that providing a service to a campaign is an in-kind contribution. Communication is something a campaign usually pays for, not having a super PAC make statements,” Kendra Arnold, executive director of the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), told Fox News Digital.
Eugene Vindman is the brother of retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a former National Security Council member who testified in the 2019 House Intelligence Committee’s investigation into Trump’s phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. This led to Trump’s first House Democrat-led impeachment.
Eugene Vindman is running against Republican Derrick Anderson, a former Army Green Beret.
FACT is basing its complaint on a documented email exchange between a Washington Free Beacon reporter, Vindman’s campaign manager and Travis Tazelaar, the political director VoteVets PAC.
“We have seen campaigns push the limits with super PACs, but this is not just pushing the limits. It’s an explicit in-kind contribution,” Arnold said.
VINDMAN SAYS MUSK SHOULD BE ‘NERVOUS’ AFTER TELEGRAM CEO WAS ARRESTED: ‘FREE SPEECH ABSOLUTISTS WEIRDOS’
Yevgeny “Eugene” Vindman, the brother of Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, director of European affairs at the National Security Council, arrives back to the House Intelligence Committee hearing on the impeachment inquiry of President Trump in the Longworth Building on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Last month, Vindman’s campaign manager Jeremy Levinson said in the email to a Washington Free Beacon reporter, “I am looping in VoteVets who is going to be providing comments on our behalf to your initial inquiry.”
The campaign manager added, “All future questions on this matter or any matters can be directed to him.”
To say “or any matters” is problematic, Arnold said.
“The traditional timeline for an FEC investigation is long. We hope they can expedite this case given the circumstances,” Arnold said. “The Vindman campaign referred the press to VoteVets on this and any other issues.”
In this case, Tazelaar responded to the Free Beacon’s media inquiry with a statement on Vindman’s behalf.
A Vindman campaign spokesperson was dismissive of the FEC complaints.
WWII VETERAN RECEIVES STANDING OVATION, ‘USA’ CHANTS AFTER MOVING SPEECH
“The bottom line is that we worked with the coordinated side of the VoteVets organization on the response to the Free Beacon outreach,” a Vindman campaign spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “The FEC rules are clear that this interaction does not violate its rules and would not constitute an in-kind contribution.”
Similarly, David Mitrani, the general counsel to VoteVets, said there was no FEC violation.
Eugene Vindman is running as a Democrat to represent Virginia’s 7th Congressional District. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
“The claims made in Functional Government Initiative’s complaint is simply false,” Mitrani told Fox News Digital in a statement. “VoteVets’ activities are in full compliance with campaign finance laws.”
The statement only addressed one complaint. In a follow-up email, a VoteVets spokesperson said the statement was intended to address complaints from both the Functional Government Initiative and the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust.
The six-member Federal Election Commission is equally made up of Republicans and Democrats and rulings often end in tie votes.
Federal law on coordinated communication, or 11 CFR 109.21(h); 11 C.F.R. 106.1(c)(1), covers when campaign work “is paid for, in whole or in part, by a person other than that candidate, authorized committee, or political party committee.” The law also prohibits an outside “vendor,” within 120 days of the election from developing “media strategy, including the selection or purchasing of advertising slots,” developing “the content of a public communication,” and “producing a public communication.”
The controversy over campaign finance laws stems from the questions over Vindman’s military record.
‘STOLEN VALOR’ LETTER DEALS POLITICAL BLOW TO WALZ AS HE TOUTS MILITARY RECORD AT DNC AND MORE TOP HEADLINES
Whether Virginia Democratic U.S. House nominee Eugene Vindman may have embellished his military resume is coming into question in the heat of his 2024 congressional campaign. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)
Vindman’s GOP opponent Derrick Anderson said Vindman “should answer all these legitimate questions about inflating his military resume.”
“I respect that he served in the military, but voters deserve answers – not another D.C. politician that hides from them,” Anderson told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Right now, Vindman won’t even debate me on TV because he’s not willing to answer questions about the simple fact that he’s not being straight with voters about his resume.”
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Vindman had previously said he “fought for our nation in combat,” however a 2019 Daily Mail article said Vindman “has not seen combat.” In mid-August, the Washington Free Beacon reported that when it contacted the Vindman campaign, campaign chief Levinson copied VoteVets Tazelaar and referred “all future questions” to the PAC.
In its response to the Beacon, the VoteVets spokesperson reportedly said, “There was no front line in Iraq — and the Vindman family was grateful that Eugene was able to return home unscathed while so many other of our brothers and sisters in arms did not.”
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An original printed archetype of the United States Constitution, signed by Secretary of Congress Charles Thomson, was found at a North Carolina plantation.
The revolutionary document was discovered in 2022 at Hayes Farm, in Edenton.
It will be auctioned off in Asheville, North Carolina, by Brunk Auctions.
EXPERTS STUNNED AFTER CORPSE OF MEDIEVAL CATHOLIC SAINT IS UNCOVERED, FOUND IN REMARKABLE CONDITION
The rare piece of history was pulled from an old filing cabinet while the house was being prepared for sale in North Carolina to transform the plantation into a public historic site, according to Brunk Auctions’ press release.
An original copy of the United States Constitution, signed by Secretary of Congress Charles Thomson, that was discovered in North Carolina will soon be auctioned off. (Brunk Auctions)
The 184-acre plantation property was originally purchased by former North Carolina Governor Samuel Johnston in 1765, according to the release.
The document is one of only eight known surviving signed ratification copies and the only known copy in private hands.
“James Madison wrote that the Constitution was nothing more than a draft of a plan, nothing but a dead letter, until life and validity were breathed into it by the voice of the people, speaking through several State Conventions,” said auctioneer Andrew Brunk in the release.
The rare document was found inside an old filing cabinet at Hayes Farm, in Edenton, North Carolina. (Brunk Auctions)
The bidding will start at $1 million but is expected to sell for much more.
“This is a unique opportunity to own a cornerstone of our democracy, particularly at this time in our nation’s history. It also reminds us of the crucial role New York played in the founding of America,” Seth Kaller, a historical document expert who is collaborating with Brunk, said.
The last and only other recorded sale of a similar document was in 1891, according to Brunk Auctions.
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The rare document will be sold at Brunk Auctions on Sept. 28 to align with the 237th anniversary of the day Congress passed the ratification resolution.
The rare document will go under the hammer on Sept. 28 in Asheville, North Carolina. (Brunk Auctions)
The public is welcome to view the piece of American History at the location where the Confederation Congress met in 1787 and resolved to send the Constitution to the States for ratification.
It will be on display on Friday, Sept. 13, from 1:00 – 4:30 PM at Federal Hall National Memorial at 26 Wall Street in New York, New York.
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