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UNC 'Flagstock' erupts in 'USA!' chants as John Rich, Lee Greenwood tells students 'it's OK to be patriotic'

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UNC 'Flagstock' erupts in 'USA!' chants as John Rich, Lee Greenwood tells students 'it's OK to be patriotic'

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – It’s OK to be patriotic. 

That’s what John Rich of Big & Rich wanted college students at the University of North Carolina to feel at Flagstock 2024, the concert-turned-music festival he put on in honor of the fraternity brothers who stopped the American Flag from hitting the ground during anti-Israel protests in May, according to Rich’s manager, Marc Oswald.

“My question for you is this: Do you still love America?” Rich asked students in the crowd during his performance on Monday at the local American Legion in Chapel Hill.

The crowd responded by chanting, “USA! USA! USA!”

FLAGSTOCK: UNC CHAPEL HILL FRATERNITY BROTHERS WHO DEFENDED AMERICAN FLAG FINALLY GETTING THEIR ‘RAGER’

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A patriotic flyover graces the stage. (The Image Direct for Fox News Digital)

Rich wanted to host a “protest to support patriotism” — hence the name “Flagstock” — and “make sure students and people in general feel it’s OK to be patriotic,” Oswald told reporters on Monday when asked about the name of the concert.

Several hundred Chapel Hill students attended the music event, which included performances from Big & Rich, Lee Greenwood, Aaron Lewis and John Ondrasik, a.k.a. Five for Fighting — less than the anticipated 2,000 students organizers expected earlier in the week. Roman Rene Ramirez of Sublime also made a surprise appearance.

Still, those who did show were proud to express their support for the country with “USA” chants, while others wrapped themselves in American or Israeli flags.

ANTI-ISRAEL DEMONSTRATORS GATHER AT UNC-CHAPEL HILL CHANCELLOR’S OFFICE, SMEAR RED PAINT ON BUILDING

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Students embrace draped in American and Israeli flags

UNC draped in the US and Israeli flags embrace. (The Image Direct for Fox News Digital)

Matthew Broderick, a senior and a journalism major, told Fox News Digital that the “vibes on campus have been very split” in the lead-up to Flagstock.

“There’s a lot of people who are in huge favor of this. They love this. And then there’s a lot of people who think this is a really bad idea,” Broderick said. “I mean, I think some fraternities and sororities have been telling the people … ‘Hey, don’t come to this. We think it’s a bad look.’ And then some have been like, ‘Hey, please go to this is. It’s a really good look. It’s good for our fraternity and our sorority.’ … But I don’t think there’s a consensus about this.”

“It’s very split.”

— Matthew Broderick, Chapel Hill senior

Back in May, activists on campus tried twice to replace the American flag on Chapel Hill’s quad with a Palestinian flag, but when they began taking it down the flagstaff for the second time, a group of students stepped in to prevent Old Glory from touching the ground. 

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. 

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UNC Chapel Hill students hold up the American flag during a campus protest

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 one during the demonstration. (Parker Ali/The Daily Tar Heel)

UNC Chapel Hill students hold up the American flag during a campus protest

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 one during the demonstration. (Parker Ali/The Daily Tar Heel)

After the photo caught the country’s attention, a GoFundMe page created by a man named John Noonan, who initially started the fundraiser to buy “a few kegs” for the students and give his friends a good laugh, ended up raising more than $500,000 to throw the students a “rager.” Noonan ended up creating a 501 C-4 organization called Pints for Patriots, complete with a board of directors, to help organize the funds and the event it would eventually grow into.

Then, Rich offered to help by hosting a concert in the student’s honor. At first, Rich was planning on putting on a small show in front of a fraternity house, but plans changed when they raised half-a-million dollars, according to Oswald.

John Rich performs

John Rich performs in front of the iconic photo. (The Image Direct for Fox News Digital)

Noonan broke down how some of the funds that helped put the show together while giving reporters a tour of the venue on Monday. The stage itself, from Technical Arts Group (TAG) Live, cost $100,000, though TAG also donated a lot of material support for the event. 

“We haven’t seen kids do what these kids did in a long time,” TAG Live Operations Director Jarrod Choury told Fox News Digital, adding that the students’ actions on campus “spoke to” TAG Live to be a part of the concert.

“We haven’t seen kids do what these kids did in a long time.”

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Students draped in American and Israeli flags

UNC students attend Flagstock in Chapel Hill, N.C. on Labor Day Monday, September 3, 2024. The concert was in honor of the fraternity brothers who stopped the American Flag on campus from hitting the ground during anti-Israel protests in May. (The Image Direct for Fox News Digital)

The security budget for the event was approximately $80,000, including plainclothes security, 20 Orange County Sheriff’s Office staff, fire and EMS personnel. Pints for Patriots chartered more than a dozen 50-passenger buses to transport students to and from campus, according to Noonan. 

Dan Cragg, an attorney working for Pints for Patriots, offered about $15,000 to $20,000 worth of pro-bono general counsel legal work for the event. 

 “We want to create an incentive system where sticking their neck out like that — defending the flag — there’s a there’s a bonus for that.”

— Dan Cragg, attorney, Eckland & Blando

‘What those kids did was honorable and patriotic,” Cragg told Fox News Digital. “And we want to support that. … And certainly, we want to create an incentive system where sticking their neck out like that — defending the flag — there’s a there’s a bonus for that. There’s a reward for that.”

Flagstock 2024 UNC Chapel Hill

UNC Chapel Hill students and VFW members gather for “Flagstock 2024” in North Carolina.

Numerous VFW and American Legion personnel volunteered to help put the event together, as well, forgoing their Labor Day to help set up tents, port-o-potties and more.

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While the show started out small and somewhat quiet, eventually, a large crowd of Chapel Hill students in attendance found their way to the stage as the night wore on and took part in the patriotic messages that singers presented during their sets.

‘What those kids did was honorable and patriotic. And we want to support that.”

John Rich performs at Flagstock 2024 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

John Rich performs at Flagstock 2024 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (The Image Direct for Fox News Digital)

Noonan told reporters it is unclear exactly how much — of any — leftover funds will go toward charity, but he is determined to remain transparent about what donor money was used for.

“We are extraordinarily cautious and judicious about ensuring the funds are used properly,” Noonan told reporters on Monday.

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Southeast

Fani Willis' reputation 'damaged' after disqualification from Trump case: Georgia reporter

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Fani Willis' reputation 'damaged' after disqualification from Trump case: Georgia reporter

Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Greg Bluestein told MSNBC on Thursday that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’s reputation was “damaged” after a court disqualified her and her office from prosecuting President-elect Donald Trump in the election interference case against him.

“Her reputation is damaged, right? This was an unforced error as we said earlier, and, you know, this was all of her own doing, and now it unravels or might unravel one of the signature cases, not just of her career, but in Georgia. It leaves her damaged and it will be interesting to see what case she tries to make when she is expected to appeal this to the Georgia Supreme Court,” Bluestein told MSNBC’s Ana Caberra when asked about what was next for Willis.

The Georgia Court of Appeals on Thursday disqualified Willis and her team from prosecuting Trump and co-defendants in her election interference case. The court did not toss the indictment but declared that Willis and her team now have “no authority to proceed.” 

Bluestein noted that Willis had just won re-election in Georgia and that it wasn’t a surprise because Fulton County is a Democratic stronghold.

Reporter tells MSNBC Fani Willis’ reputation is damaged after she was disqualified from prosecuting the case against Trump. (Screenshot/MSNBC)

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 FANI WILLIS FACES NOTHING BUT SETBACKS IN CASE AGAINST TRUMP, THE LATEST PENDING WITH SUPREME COURT

“After carefully considering the trial court’s findings in its order, we conclude that it erred by failing to disqualify DA Willis and her office,” the filing states. “The remedy crafted by the trial court to prevent an ongoing appearance of impropriety did nothing to address the appearance of impropriety that existed at times when DA Willis was exercising her broad pretrial discretion about who to prosecute and what charges to bring.” 

Bluestein said, “It is expected to be appealed to the Georgia Supreme Court, but this is a really decisive order against Fani Willis being able to continue this case.”

Willis, who was spearheading the sweeping prosection case against Trump, came under fire after she was accused in February of having an “improper” affair with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, whom she had hired to help prosecute the case.

Wade was ultimately forced to step down from the prosecution team.

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Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is seen in Atlanta.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is seen in Atlanta. (Alyssa Pointer/Getty) (Alyssa Pointer)

JUDGE RULES FANI WILLIS MUST STEP ASIDE FROM TRUMP CASE OR FIRE SPECIAL PROSECUTOR NATHAN WADE

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Trump said the “whole case has been a disgrace to justice.” 

Trump additionally said that the case “should not be allowed to go any further.” 

Catherine Christian, a former assistant Manhattan district attorney, also weighed in on the disqualification on MSNBC.

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“But usually appellate courts defer to the lower court, the trial judge, who fashioned a remedy. He said Nathan Wade, the man she was having an affair with, had to leave so the office could stay, and this court has said, nope. This court said that Judge MacAfee did not really appreciate that her decision-making wasn’t just the indictment. It was who to charge, how to charge it, and that’s at the time when this alleged romantic relationship was going on, and they said that also was one of the reasons why they think it’s more than an appearance of impropriety. It’s a conflict of interest, and not just her, the entire office is disqualified,” Christian said.

Fox News Digital reached out to Fani Willis’ office for comment.

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Navy wife goes viral for surprising husband with hunting trip after his 3-year deployment

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Navy wife goes viral for surprising husband with hunting trip after his 3-year deployment

A Navy aviator was in for a surprise after returning home ahead of Christmas from his third deployment in three years.

Patrick Brennan of western Kentucky has been stationed in Japan since the spring of 2022, serving as a weapon systems officer in an F/A-18 fighter aircraft.

His wife, Cecilia Brennan, told Fox News Digital that her husband often shares with her how he misses his friends and hobbies, specifically hunting.

FLORIDA ARTIST’S PATRIOTIC ANDY WARHOL PIECE FEATURED AT POPULAR EVENT DRAWING THOUSANDS OF VISITORS

Brennan said her husband even mentioned planning a hunting trip sometime next year or in 2026 but that he never expected to take one this year.

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Patrick Brennan was surprised with a hunting trip with his friends after returning home from being stationed in Japan. (Cecilia Brennan)

“I was catching up with his best friends and keeping them in the loop. They told me they were going on their yearly duck hunting trip to Fowl Plains Outfitter. They were thinking about driving from their home in Virginia to Kansas, and I asked if they would want to stop by in Kentucky,” Brennan said.

Fowl Plains Outfitters is located in Great Bend, Kansas, offering duck and goose hunts.

“Turns out, the same time they would be driving through Kentucky happened to be the same time my husband would be back from deployment. I asked if they could make room for one more. It was God’s perfect timing,” Brennan said.

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She packed all of his clothes and hunting gear and “gifted” his belongings to him for Christmas.

Kentucky couple Patrick Brennan Navy soldier goes viral

Cecilia Brennan told her husband his friends were just stopping by before surprising him with a hunting trip. (Cecilia Brennan)

In a video posted to her Instagram, which reached 1.5 million views, Brennan captured the moment she tricked Patrick and told him his friends were stopping at their home to “drop something off.”

The serviceman’s friends are seen entering the house decked out in their hunting gear.

After catching up with the men, Cecilia Brennan takes out her husband’s suitcase to reveal that he is also going on the trip.

“Having his best friends knock on the door was a surprise enough, but to actually be going with him, he was in shock. I still can’t believe we pulled it off,” she said.

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Patrick embarked on a five-day trip with his best friends for duck hunting.

Kentucky couple Patrick Brennan Navy soldier goes viral

‘After all he has sacrificed, he more than deserves a chance to relax and recharge before he dives head-first into family life,’ said Cecilia. (Cecilia Brennan)

Cecilia and Patrick Brennan have a 6-month-old daughter, and Cecila said that for the majority of the year, she and her husband had been apart due to his service to America.

“After all he has sacrificed, he more than deserves a chance to relax and recharge before he dives head-first into family life,” she said.

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She added that she is her husband’s biggest fan, and that includes supporting his hobbies.

“Nothing brings me more joy than knowing he’s happy. And now, we will be having duck for Christmas.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Fowl Plains Outfitters for comment.

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Watchdog seeks to halt 11th-hour Biden DOJ effort to ‘handcuff’ Kentucky police over Breonna Taylor incident

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Watchdog seeks to halt 11th-hour Biden DOJ effort to ‘handcuff’ Kentucky police over Breonna Taylor incident

EXCLUSIVE: A conservative legal watchdog is expected to file a brief with a Kentucky court to urge a judge against blessing a consent decree forged by Attorney General Merrick Garland and the city of Louisville and Jefferson County, Ky., that would reform police practices after the controversial 2020 death of Breonna Taylor.

The Oversight Project is placing its amicus brief on the docket of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky on Friday morning as a judge prepares a schedule to rule on activating the agreement.

Oversight Project Executive Director Mike Howell said the consent decree includes a “laundry list of BLM-type standards that have been argued for over the years since George Floyd[‘s death in 2020]” and the riots that followed.

“Louisville would be a sanctuary city for gangbangers,” Howell warned, adding he hopes Friday’s addition to the docket gives the court pause before agreeing to any accelerated timeline for approval.

PROPOSED CHICAGO POLICE RESOURCE CUTS COULD LAND CITY IN COURT UNDER CONSENT DECREE, OFFICIALS WARN

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Taylor was killed in a hail of police gunfire after Louisville officers sought to serve a drug warrant at her boyfriend Kenneth Walker’s house, when her beau fired a “warning shot” through the door and struck Officer Jonathan Mattingly in the leg.

A hail of return fire followed, fatally wounding Taylor, and five officers were later involved in legal cases where one was found guilty of deprivation of rights under the color of law for reportedly firing blindly through a window amid the chaos.

Walker later alleged he mistook the police for intruders and did not hear them announce themselves. Louisville wound up paying Taylor’s family $12 million in a wrongful death settlement.

Last week, Garland announced the consent decree with Louisville, saying it will bring about needed systemic reforms to policing to prevent a repeat of what happened to Taylor.

Howell said, however, that the decree will only hamstring the police department and also defy the will of Kentucky voters who elected new Republicans on the Louisville council on the issue of law and order.

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“[The decree] basically limits the ability for officers to react quickly and in a strong way. It’s very heavy on the de-escalation techniques, particularly as it relates to this category of people who they call ‘behaviorally impaired’ or something to that effect,” Howell said.

BIDEN ADMIN HIT WITH FOIA SEEKING 25TH AMENDMENT-RELATED COMMS

Howell said there is concern over the spiking teenage murder rate – violence committed by suspects aged 11-17 – and that the decree wrongly imposes new standards for dealing with youth offenders as well as stop-and-frisk restrictions.

One of the most glaring issues with the agreement is the fact Louisville councilmen, Kentucky lawmakers and the general public will all be prevented from making further adjustments to policing policies for five years, if the judge signs the decree.

In a consent decree system, an official monitor appointed by the judge, and not the relevant legislature, is the arbiter of policies that fall under said agreement unless both parties that forged it agree to change them.

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Howell said, in that regard, the Biden Justice Department and Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg, a Democrat, appear to be rushing through the legal process to head off the likelihood a Trump Justice Department will balk at the agreement.

“The most basic responsibility of government is to keep our people safe while protecting constitutional rights and treating everyone fairly,” Greenberg said in a statement about the decree. “As mayor, I promised to uphold that responsibility, and I have.”

“The Department of Justice saw the action we’ve already taken and our commitment to aggressively implement police reform. As a result of these improvements, we have a consent decree unlike any other city in America.”

Greenberg said any decree must build on reforms made in recent years, cannot “handcuff police as they work to prevent crime” and also be financially responsible and have a clear sunset date.

“I felt comfortable signing this because our officers will have clear guidance and goals to meet, the DOJ can’t move the goalposts, and our officers can focus on good police work, not paperwork,” added Louisville Police Chief Paul Humphrey.

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The Oversight Project’s amicus brief is backed by law enforcement advocacy leaders like Jason Johnson, president of the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund.

Johnson, whose group promotes constitutional policing and studies similar consent decrees, told Fox News Digital it’s clear the Biden DOJ realizes such an agreement would be “D.O.A.” when President-elect Donald Trump assumes the Oval Office. 

“Most of these police consent decrees are more of an activist wish list than effective means to remedy constitutional violations by police agencies. The Justice Department is trying to impose burdensome rules that far exceed their authority under law,” Johnson said.

He suggested that technical assistance letters, which aim to encourage reforms without imposing a judicial arbiter, are generally preferred in most cases.

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“But, the activist lawyers in the Biden administration prefer to use a sledgehammer instead of a scalpel. This approach has proven counterproductive time and again — hurting public safety, police morale, and police-community relations more than it helps.”

Meanwhile, Howell said he hopes the Kentucky judge will see that Greenberg and Garland are trying to “turn him into a legislature” when it comes to law enforcement practices.

Under the consent decree system, the policy changes will be untouchable by a more hawkish Trump DOJ for up to five years, rendering the new administration’s predicted actions in the law enforcement realm moot in Louisville.

Criminals will likely endorse the decree, he said, as they will use the encyclopedia of new policing standards to their benefit.

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