FIRST ON FOX: Florida Republican Sen. Ashley Moody introduced a bill targeting the Washington, D.C. public school system in a push to prioritize patriotism in the nation’s capital, Fox News Digital has learned.

The PLEDGE Act proposal would require teachers to feature the American Flag in their classrooms, and for administrators to provide students the opportunity to recite the Pledge of Allegiance every day.

«Currently, there are schools in Washington, D.C., the nation’s capital, that do not display our flag or set aside time for students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, but they do teach them to be activists,» claims the press release shared with Fox News Digital.

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In a city where Pride flags and progressive causes are prominently displayed across the district, some conservatives say patriotic symbols like the American flag have taken a back seat in schools — fueling concerns about how civic values are being taught to the next generations of Americans.

«Radicals want to teach kids to be ashamed of the United States of America and how to be activists instead. We should be teaching kids why America is worth loving, and most importantly, the principles and values that make America worth defending,» said Moody in the release.

Over 40 states have varying Pledge requirements in their schools — but not in the nation’s capital.

«My PLEDGE Act helps restore pride in our nation by reminding students every day of the freedom, responsibilities, and blessings that come with being an American, and the sacrifices made for our flag and everything it represents,» Moody said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital.

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Protestors repaint «Defund the Police» on Black Lives Matter Plaza on the final night of the Republican National Convention, Aug. 27, 2020. (Evelyn Hockstein/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)

The bill comes amid a mayoral race in D.C., where socialist candidate Janeese Lewis George is the frontrunner. This continues a trend in the nationwide rise of the far-left Democratic Socialist of America (DSA) movement, which often spouts anti-American rhetoric.

The DSA platform, which aims to appeal to younger voters, wants to replace free-market capitalism with social ownership. It also pushes for major constitutional changes, like abolishing the Electoral College and expanding voting rights for noncitizens.

Younger Americans are significantly less likely to express strong national pride than older generations, with just 41% of Generation Z saying they are extremely or very proud to be American, according to a June 2025 Gallup poll.

The same poll says 58% of U.S. adults say they are «extremely» or «very» proud to be American, the lowest level the pollsters have recorded since it began asking the question in 2001.

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The DC Public School (DCPS) curriculum calls for students to learn more progressive politics, from studying Harvey Milk to learning how the LGBTQ+ community has shaped and defined the Washington, D.C., community.

For example, fifth-grade social studies standards in the district require students to analyze the rise of queer culture during the Black Renaissance and also require students to compare the experiences of LGBTQ+ service members returning to the U.S. after World War II, according to their 2023 Social Study Standards.

Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., leaves the Senate floor after a vote in the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 21, 2025. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

During President Donald Trump’s second term, his administration restored patriotic symbols to the nation’s capital by installing two large American flags on the White House grounds and removing the «Black Lives Matter» street mural on the plaza just blocks from the executive residence.

Washington, D.C., has long been a focal point for political demonstrations and protests. Trump, in his second term, deployed the National Guard to help bolster safety in the city.

Fox News Digital reached out to DCPS for comment.

READ THE FULL TEXT OF THE PROPOSED LEGISLATION:

El presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, afirmó que todavía no decidió si Washington concederá a Ucrania una licencia para producir misiles Patriot, pese a que días antes Volodimir Zelensky aseguró que ambos mandatarios acordaron avanzar en esa dirección durante su reunión en la Casa Blanca.

En una entrevista telefónica con el Financial Times, Trump sostuvo que la posibilidad permanece bajo análisis y evitó confirmar que Estados Unidos autorizará la fabricación de esos interceptores en territorio ucraniano.

“No estaba seguro” de si Washington concedería a Ucrania una licencia para producir misiles Patriot, declaró el mandatario, antes de agregar: “Lo estamos estudiando”.

Trump explicó además por qué mantiene reservas sobre esa alternativa. “Es un arma extraordinaria, y… tenemos que tener cuidado con a quién le otorgamos la licencia. En realidad, no otorgamos licencias para equipos”, señaló.

Las declaraciones llegaron apenas dos días después del encuentro que mantuvo con el presidente ucraniano, Volodimir Zelensky, en la Casa Blanca. Tras esa reunión, el mandatario ucraniano describió el diálogo como “bueno” y aseguró que ambos conversaron sobre “la producción de misiles interceptores Patriot y otras ideas”.

A comienzos de julio, durante la cumbre de la OTAN celebrada en Turquía, Trump había afirmado que Washington concedería a Kiev una licencia para producir misiles Patriot, una posibilidad que Ucrania considera estratégica para fortalecer su defensa aérea.

Después del encuentro del martes en la Casa Blanca, Zelensky incluso aseguró que Trump “aceptó que nos dará licencias”, una afirmación que ahora contrasta con la cautela expresada por el presidente estadounidense.

El mandatario ucraniano también reveló contactos recientes con las empresas vinculadas al programa Patriot. “Tuve una reunión con los representantes de la producción… Espero que podamos hacer una coproducción. Esto es muy importante”, expresó.

Según la información disponible, tanto Lockheed como RTX fabrican interceptores Patriot.

El sistema de misiles constituye uno de los principales recursos de defensa aérea de Ucrania para interceptar misiles balísticos lanzados por Rusia contra Kiev y otras ciudades del país.

Durante la entrevista con el Financial Times, Trump insistió además en que su prioridad continúa centrada en poner fin a la guerra entre Rusia y Ucrania y anunció el próximo viaje de dos de sus enviados.

El presidente informó que Jared Kushner y Steve Witkoff visitarán Ucrania por primera vez en los próximos días. “En pocas palabras, queremos que termine la guerra entre Ucrania y Rusia”, sostuvo Trump.

Luego añadió: “No busco misiles. Buscamos la paz”.

En otro tramo de la entrevista, el mandatario estadounidense se refirió al conflicto con Irán y sostuvo que, pese a los recientes ataques atribuidos a Teherán contra distintos objetivos en Medio Oriente, considera que la situación terminará por favorecer a Estados Unidos. “Les estamos dando una paliza”, afirmó.

Trump también manifestó optimismo respecto del acuerdo de cooperación nuclear civil entre Estados Unidos y Arabia Saudita, anunciado la semana anterior.

El presidente indicó que conversó sobre la eventual normalización de las relaciones diplomáticas entre Arabia Saudita e Israel con el príncipe heredero saudita, Mohammed bin Salman, y con el primer ministro israelí, Benjamin Netanyahu. Según Trump, “a ambos países les agrada mucho. Podría suceder”.

No obstante, el príncipe heredero saudita había manifestado anteriormente que la normalización solo será posible si Israel adopta medidas irreversibles para permitir la creación de un Estado palestino, una condición que las autoridades israelíes rechazaron.

En la misma entrevista, Trump también comentó su primera conversación telefónica con el nuevo primer ministro Andy Burnham y vinculó esa gestión con el desarrollo energético del Reino Unido. “Lo que parece quedar muy claro es que él quiere enriquecer a su país, y sabe que puede lograrlo explotando el petróleo del Mar del Norte”, sostuvo.

Finalmente, elogió esa estrategia y cuestionó al anterior gobierno británico. “Creo que lo va a conseguir. Si Starmer lo hubiera hecho, no estaría ahora mismo sentado en casa viendo la televisión”, concluyó.

Despite a career-long commitment to combating racial disparities in housing and touting the importance of living among Black people, former Vice President Kamala Harris’ new California mansion is situated in a neighborhood with virtually no racial diversity.

Harris’ new 4,000-square-foot property, which reports indicate she acquired for $8.15 million, is located in the exclusive seaside community of Point Dume and includes ocean views, multiple wine fridges, private golf greens and enough parking to accommodate five vehicles.

Point Dume is situated entirely within Census tract 8004.08, which the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey estimated was just 0.2% Black and roughly 94% White as of 2019.

Harris’ choice of neighborhood may surprise longtime observers given past comments she has made about the importance of living among other Black Americans.

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«When you’re at (a historically Black college or university), and especially one with the size and with the history of Howard University — and also in the context of also being in D.C., which was known forever as being ‘Chocolate City’ — it just becomes about you understanding that there is a whole world of people who are like you,» Harris told a Washington Post reporter in 2019, reflecting on her experience growing up in primarily White social circles then attending a historically Black college in a predominantly African American city.

«It was more, for me, about the numerosity than it was the diversity, I grew up in a community where there were many representations of diversity,» she added. «Going to Howard, there were so many (Black people)! And they’re all in your age group, in your phase of life.»

Now, however, Harris has chosen to put roots down in a community that at least one group has accused of trying to keep their beaches closed off to minorities.

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Vice President Kamala Harris, Gov. Gavin Newsom and first partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom wave during a campaign rally opposing the gubernatorial recall election on Sept. 8, 2021, in San Leandro, California. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

«Despite the veneer of a laid back community of surfers who are one with nature, there are barriers to access that keep most BIPOC people away,» a pair of non-White surfers wrote in a 2025 review of Harris’s new neighborhood.

Harris spent a sizable portion of her career working to tear down similar barriers.

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Vice President Kamala Harris hugs second gentleman Douglas Emhoff after speaking on the final day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 22, 2024. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP)

In 2012, as California’s attorney general, for instance, she joined a Supreme Court brief arguing that the Fair Housing Act can be enforced when policies have a «disparate impact» across different racial groups, even if the policies themselves are racially neutral.

As a presidential candidate, she proposed $100 billion in assistance for families in historically redlined communities and as vice president she promoted the Biden administration’s efforts to combat racial bias in home appraisals.

During Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign, she faced questions about the authenticity of her African American identity due to her Indian and Jamaican heritage and upbringing in affluent, primarily White areas. The attacks resurfaced in 2024, when then-candidate Donald Trump accused Harris of using her Black identity for political gain.

Harris caught flak during the 2024 campaign for identifying with Oakland, California, even though she spent most of her childhood growing up in Berkeley, California, which was significantly less racially diverse. As a teenager, she moved to Montreal, another predominantly White city, with her mother.

Doug Emhoff, Harris’ husband, is also White.

Harris has returned to the headlines in recent weeks amid speculation that she may make a third run for the presidency in 2028.

A representative for the former vice president did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital Wednesday.