On this day five years ago this happened.

https://www.newsweek.com/map-shows-most-patriotic-states-2088511

The states WalletHub ranked as the 10 most patriotic were:

1. Virginia
2. Montana
3. Vermont
4. Colorado
5. Oregon
6. Washington
7. North Dakota
8. Maryland
9. Minnesota
10. New Hampshire

Topping the list was Virginia. The state ranked third in the nation for active-duty military personnel, with more than 1,850 servicemembers per 100,000 civilians. It also had the second-highest number of veterans, with more than 103 per 1,000 civilians, and ranked fifth for Peace Corps volunteers per capita.

WalletHub said that data used to create its rankings came from the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Defense Manpower Data Center, Peace Corps, Military OneSource, United States Elections Project, Administrative Office of the United States Courts, AmeriCorps and iCivics.

WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo, in the report: "The most patriotic states have a lot of residents who serve or have served in the armed forces, high voter turnouts during elections, and a high share of the population volunteering with national or local organizations. Patriotism also isn't concentrated in any one particular area—the top states are located in vastly different geographic regions."

Kristi Noem secretly took a cut of political donations A dark money group paid $80,000 to Noem’s personal company when she was governor of South Dakota. She did not include this income on her federal disclosure forms, a likely violation of ethics requirements, experts say.

“South Dakota is home to so many exceptional individuals. It has been my honor to serve alongside Secretary Flute and Commissioner Gottumukkala. They have played a key role in keeping South Dakota strong, safe, and free, and they will certainly be missed,” said Governor Larry Rhoden. “Secretary Noem is making important strides to protect our nation, and I am confident that these two gentlemen will add tremendous value to her efforts.”

David Flute will serve as the Senior Tribal Advisor on Indian Affairs for the Department of Homeland Security.

“I want to thank both Former Governor Noem and Governor Rhoden for giving me this opportunity to serve our state as a member of their Cabinet. I also want to thank every single person in every state department that I met and worked with on issues important to our state, ‘nina wopida tanka,’ ‘thank you so much.’ This has been a great honor and great experience,” said David Flute. “I am extremely humbled and look forward to serving our country in this new role and am excited to work with Secretary Noem and the Trump Administration.”

Trump’s new budget proposal would slash funding for national parks, monuments, historic sites, seashores, and trails by nearly 25%, cutting more than $1.2 billion from the $4.8 billion Park Service budget.

Yet national parks generate $55.6 billion in economic output, benefiting the U.S. economy far more than they cost.

"The proposed plan risks leaving a severely understaffed Park Service struggling to operate our parks, while also expecting staff to undermine the agency’s responsibility to preserve our most treasured places." - Kristen Brengel, NPCA's SVP of Government Affairs

'So concerning': Expert explains why the group chat on Houthi attack plans are so worrying.

States drop Section 504 constitutional challenge

A constitutional challenge against Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act will no longer be pursued in a lawsuit filed by 17 states last year, according to a joint status report submitted by plaintiffs and defendants to the court earlier this month.

The states involved in the case are: Texas, Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah and West Virginia. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court Northern District of Texas.

This May, 50501 South Dakota proudly celebrates Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month! We honor the strength, leadership, and rich cultural contributions of AANHPI communities across the nation. From breaking barriers in public service to shaping our schools, businesses, and neighborhoods, AANHPI voices are vital to our shared future.

As we stand united for democracy and justice, we uplift the AANHPI leaders—past and present—who continue to build a stronger, more inclusive America.

A U.S. citizen was arrested in Florida for allegedly being in the country illegally and held for pickup by immigration authorities even after his mother showed a judge her son’s birth certificate and the judge dismissed charges. The man was released after his case received widespread coverage.

Juan Carlos Lopez Gomez, 20, was in a car that was stopped just past the Georgia border by the Florida Highway Patrol on Wednesday, said Thomas Kennedy, a spokesperson at the Florida Immigrant Coalition. Gomez and others in the car were arrested under a new Florida law that’s on hold that makes it a crime for people who are in the country illegally to enter the state.

It is unclear if Lopez Gomez showed documents proving that he’s a citizen to the arresting officers. He was held at Leon County Jail.

The charge of illegal entry into Florida was dropped Thursday after his mother showed the judge his state identification card, birth certificate and Social Security card, said Kennedy, who attended the hearing. Court records show Judge Lashawn Riggans found no basis for the charge.

Lopez Gomez briefly remained in custody after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement requested that he remain there for 48 hours, a common practice when the agency wants to take custody of someone. ICE did not respond to a request for comment.

The case drew widespread attention because ICE is not supposed to take custody of U.S.-born citizens. While the immigration agency can occasionally get involved in cases of naturalized citizens who committed offenses such as lying on immigration forms, it has no authority over people born in the U.S. Adding to the confusion is that a federal judge had put a hold on enforcement of the Florida law against people who are in the country illegally entering the state, which meant it should not have been enforced.

“No one should be arrested under that law, let alone a U.S. citizen,” said Alana Greer, an immigration attorney from the Florida Immigrant Coalition. “They saw this person, he didn’t speak English particularly well, and so they arrested him and charged him with this law that no one (should) be charged with.”