Forget the First Amendment. Donald Trump Now Wants to Criminalize Flag Burning.

“Perhaps a loss of citizenship or a year in jail!”

Brian Cahn/ZUMA

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In 1989, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that flag burning constituted free speech and was therefore protected under the First Amendment—a decision even the late Justice Antonin Scalia agreed with.

President-elect Donald Trump, however, has a different opinion. He tweeted the following proposal on Tuesday:

Trump’s tweet is another terrifying sign of how he may crack down on dissent during his administration, even if it means trampling the Constitution in the process. 

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In "It's Not a Crisis. This Is the New Normal," we explain, as matter-of-factly as we can, what exactly our finances look like, how brutal it is to sustain quality journalism right now, what makes Mother Jones different than most of the news out there, and why support from readers is the only thing that keeps us going. Despite the challenges, we're optimistic we can increase the share of online readers who decide to donate—starting with hitting an ambitious $300,000 goal in just three weeks to make sure we can finish our fiscal year break-even in the coming months.

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