Mississippi close to removing rebel emblem from its flag

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi legislators are working to change the state flag to erase a Confederate battle emblem that’s broadly condemned as racist.

The House passed a bill Sunday, sending it to the Senate for more debate. The flag’s supporters resisted efforts to change it for decades.

But rapid developments in recent weeks have changed political dynamics.

Protests against racial injustice have spread in the United States.

And leaders from business, religion, education and sports are pushing Mississippi to change its flag.

A commission would design a new flag that cannot have the Confederate symbol and must have the phrase, “In God We Trust.”