By the Dawn’s Early Light: The Story of the Star-Spangled Banner 🇺🇸
The story of America's most iconic flag, plus ~ a rundown of the week’s top stories, including those that slipped under the radar amid breaking news.
211 years ago today, Francis Scott Key watched from a ship as a 25-hour battle between British and American forces took place. Key – an American attorney and amateur poet – described the evening as if “mother earth had opened and was vomiting shot and shell in a sheet of fire and brimstone.”
He assumed the British would win but instead woke up to see the American flag waving. Specifically, this American flag. 👇🏽
The experience inspired him to write lyrics that were later set to music and published under the name, “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
🗣️ Your Conversation Starters:
🚔 “We got him”: On Friday morning, officials announced the arrest of the suspect accused of killing prominent conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The Wall Street Journal editorial board calls Kirk’s death a “dangerous moment for the country.” - here’s why.
🚊 Charlotte Light Rail Case: Federal prosecutors filed charges against a man accused of fatally stabbing 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on Charlotte’s light rail. He also faces state charges of first-degree murder. A former NYPD department chief weighs in, calling this a case of “multiple failed opportunities ... in the mental health space and in the criminal justice space.”
👩🏽⚖️ 9/11 Trial: As the nation marked the 24th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks this week, five men charged in connection with the plot remain held at Guantanamo Bay awaiting trial. The death penalty case has stalled for years over evidence disputes, including whether confessions obtained after CIA “enhanced interrogations” can be admitted in court.
🧩 Final Puzzle Pieces: New inflation data this week showed an increase in prices for many goods and services, pushing inflation to its highest point since January. At the same time, the Labor Department noted an increase in unemployment filings for the week. Both data points come just days before next week's Fed meeting, where officials are widely expected to cut rates.
📚 “Sobering”: New Nation’s Report Card data shows steep declines in scores for core subjects, with the sharpest drops among lower-performing students. The data suggests pandemic disruptions accelerated an already downward trend in achievement, raising concerns about widening gaps and whether graduates will be prepared for college and the workforce.
👑 Royal Reconciliation? Prince Harry met his father, King Charles III, for tea at Buckingham Palace – their first visit in nearly 18 months.
🐡 “Adorable”: A Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute deep-sea expedition off the coast of California uncovered three new species – including the bumpy snailfish. 👇
🍪 New Cookie Alert: Step aside, Thin Mints – a new Girl Scout cookie inspired by Rocky Road ice cream joins the 2026 lineup.
🎶 "The Organ of Bethlehem": In Jerusalem this week, a musician played the oldest organ in the Christian world for the first time in 800 years. The 11th-century instrument, originally buried by Crusaders for safekeeping, was uncovered in 1906 and recently underwent a restoration. Click the video below to hear it play.
Video Credit: Associated Press
🐐 Screaming Simon: To their surprise, authorities responding to an "urgent report of a woman screaming" instead came upon a goat named Simon who "seemed to have plenty to express." Simon's owners posted this video of him after the brush with law enforcement ... watch if you could use a good laugh.
🎙️ This Week From Jenna:
Six years ago, I recorded this two-part audio interview for Independence Day – and today, as we mark the writing of the Star-Spangled Banner, it feels just as timely.
The American flag we often associate with the fight for independence really became the symbol we know it as today years after the American Revolution – during the War of 1812. The flag that flew over Fort McHenry during a pivotal battle against the British inspired America's national anthem and has survived for more than 200 years. In this conversation, Fort McHenry Park Ranger Shannon Lucas shares the story behind the flag's creation, the writing of the Star-Spangled Banner, and what both still mean to America today.
Part 1:
WATCH ABOVE OR BY CLICKING HERE. You can also listen on podcasting platforms everywhere (Apple, Spotify).
Part 2:
WATCH ABOVE OR BY CLICKING HERE. You can also listen on podcasting platforms everywhere (Apple, Spotify).
🎙️ SCOOP (approx. 51 minutes) What Does Winning Look Like? The Post 9/11 World, The Current Economy & How We Became The “United” States of America. Listen. (SCOOP Insiders can attend this live broadcast once a week and get their news questions answered; they also receive the special video report EXCLUSIVELY delivered to their inbox along with a "cheat sheet" for the week ahead — learn more HERE).
🙌🏽 What We Found SmartHER This Week:
While scrolling through Instagram, we came across this post from one of our SCOOP Insiders. Written the morning after a difficult news day, she gave a reminder rooted in resilience and reflection – and a book recommendation that feels especially timely. Thank you for allowing us to share, Aubrey:
"I was coming into this week somber and reflective of how much our world changed 24 years ago today.
And then yesterday happened.
And it felt like a serious kick in my already sore soul.
I find myself wondering how to hold fresh wounds and scars together in time.
How to lean into the pain from all sides, both past and present.
One of my childhood heroes was Fred Rogers of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood fame.
One of his quotes I often remember was: "When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping."
I feel it's an especially poignant reminder today.
Look for the helpers.
Be a helper.
If your mind, your soul, needs a moment of peace and a reminder of the goodness in humanity today, I refer you to one of my favorite reads (of course I'd recommend a book).
It's a story I've decided to build into how I remember this day for the rest of my life.
It's a story of helpers.
It's the story of how the good people of Gander, Newfoundland came together and cared for the trans-Atlantic passengers stranded in Canada when the airspace closed in the US on 9/11.
It's a remarkable story that will fill your soul and inspire you.
In the middle of so much darkness, I feel the need to remember light.
Maybe you do too.
This is my way of remembering."
P.S. Looking for a SmartHER way to talk with your kids about 9/11? Here’s our pick 👇🏽
“The Star-Spangled Banner is more than an artifact—it’s also a national symbol. It evokes powerful emotions and ideas about what it means to be an American.”
- The Smithsonian Institution
In 1907, a damaged and fragile 30 by 34 feet flag left a New York City safe deposit vault for the Smithsonian Institution, where conservators launched a painstaking restoration. Here's the story of how that Fort McHenry flag – flown on the evening of September 13, 1814 – became the exhibit you now see at the National Museum of American History.
And that's The Weekend Digest!
❤️,
Jenna and the SHN Team
Daily news, interviews, our latest podcasts and more at www.SmartHERNews.com.
