Good morning. We're covering the aesthetics and the nostalgia of state flags. |
Flags flutter over every state capital in the U.S. They bear emblems symbolizing the states they represent: a boldface C for Colorado, a lone star for Texas. They adorn magnets, mugs and T-shirts. They fly at half-staff in mourning. |
But state flags can also become objects of contention — especially when lawmakers try to change them, as my colleagues Sarah Almukhtar and Mitch Smith reported. Some of the disagreements are aesthetic. Others are nostalgic. |
"People feel very attached and don't like the idea of change," Sarah said. |
In March, Utah enacted a bill to replace the current flag — a century-old design featuring the state seal, an eagle perched atop a shield — with a red, white and blue homage to the state's mountains, canyons and early settlers. Many liked the new standard, but opponents bristled at the idea of replacing a flag that was offending no one. "They're trying to cancel our heritage," one unhappy Utahn recently said while collecting signatures to put the flag to a statewide vote. |
What makes a good flag? Experts and designers who spoke to Sarah and Mitch favor simplicity, distinctiveness and symbols that are legible from a distance. Some of the most iconic include Alaska's, which looks like the night sky splashed with a constellation of stars; Maryland's, with its unique black-on-yellow and red-on-white geometric patterns; and California's, which features a loping grizzly bear above the words "California Republic." |
And when a flag fails to unite, some Americans just go their own way. In Maine, where I grew up, it's common to see flagpoles topped with a version of the banner the state first adopted in 1901, which depicts a pine tree and a blue star, instead of the current flag, which sets the state's coat of arms against a navy backdrop. |
"The purpose of a flag is for it to be flown," Sarah said. "Regardless of what's official, the people have chosen which one is theirs." |
- Sarah and Mitch's interactive story lets you compare state flags and see how they've changed.
- Test your knowledge of the many colors, mottoes and symbols that festoon flags with this quiz.
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 | | Ron DeSantisHaiyun Jiang for The New York Times |
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- Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida has made a reputation crusading against elites in higher education. But he has benefited from his own Ivy League connections, a Times investigation found.
- Donald Trump's growing animosity toward Fox motivated him to skip the first Republican debate this week.
- The Georgia prosecutor who charged Trump is also pursuing a racketeering case involving the rapper Young Thug. Its plodding pace could offer a preview of the Trump trial.
- Before Hunter Biden's plea deal collapsed, there were hints that it was on shaky ground.
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- Hurricane Hilary is expected to bring heavy rain, dangerous flooding and possibly even tornadoes to Southern California today. Here is the latest on the storm.
- A senior-living complex on Maui was among the first places destroyed by the wildfires. At least two residents died, and more are missing.
- Russia's robotic lunar lander crashed into the moon.
- Industry vs. history: Should Brazil protect an expanse of rainforest for a tribe with two remaining members?
- A shortage of guards has led to brutal conditions at some U.S. prisons. One Wisconsin facility has been locked down for months with little access to fresh air or toilet paper.
- England and Spain are facing off in the Women's World Cup final this morning. Follow the match live.
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Maui's emergency management claims its response to the recent wildfire was the best it could have been. "We do not agree," the experts Costas Synolakis and George Karagiannis write. |
The Sunday question: Do the authorities in Georgia have a stronger case against Trump than the special counsel? |
The 41-count Georgia indictment "is so complicated and involves so many people that any trial will be difficult to conduct," Carl Leubsdorf writes in a syndicated column in The Seattle Times, adding that the special counsel's four-count indictment is "tightly drawn." But for all its complexity, the Georgia case "is by far the most comprehensive" of the indictments against Trump, Austin Sarat writes in The Hill, and will serve as "a forum to examine the damage he has done to our democracy." |
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 | | Courtney Yates for The New York Times |
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| TALK | FROM THE TIMES MAGAZINE |
 | | Mamadi Doumbouya for The New York Times |
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Dr. Peter Attia is the co-author of "Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity," which has been a runaway best seller since it was published in March. I spoke to him earlier this year about how to live longer and healthier. |
If you were to say to someone, "If you don't do anything else to increase your health span, at least start doing X," what would X be? |
Many people, I think, are underemphasizing strength training. There's the sense that, Yep, I'm hiking, I'm walking. Those things are great, but the sine qua non of aging is the shrinkage or atrophy of Type 2 muscle fiber. That's the thing we probably have to guard most against, and you can't do that without resistance training. |
You're asking people to pay a significant amount of attention to the specifics of their nutrition, physical activity and sleep. Don't you think there's a danger of pathologizing these normal things by micromanaging them and linking them to potential risks? |
That's possible. The question is: What is the balance of benefit versus harm? We're probably still in a world where a majority of people are not paying enough attention to those things, as opposed to too many people paying too much attention. |
If I decide to become hyperfocused on well-being in the hope that I'll be healthier and have more quality time to spend when I'm older — why give away all this time and energy when I'm still relatively young and healthy? |
I see it as an optimization problem. I could say, "I am going to spend this summer in Ibiza, partying with my friends, never lifting a finger, and boy, will I have fun." But the price I will pay with my health is too great. |
 | | An Amazon warehouse in Staten Island.Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times |
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Pack for the kids in one of Wirecutter's top picks for lunchboxes. |
- Guatemala and Ecuador both hold elections today.
- The first Republican Party presidential debate is set for Wednesday in Milwaukee.
- Zimbabwe holds elections on Wednesday.
- The deadline for Trump to surrender to the authorities in Georgia is Friday.
- The college football season begins on Saturday.
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 | | Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. |
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Can you put eight historical events — including the Han Dynasty and Hank Aaron's home run record — in chronological order? Take this week's Flashback quiz. |
Thanks for spending part of your weekend with The Times. |
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