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flag A 3,000-pound ice sculpture spelling "DEMOCRACY" melts on the National Mall, symbolizing the fragility of democratic institutions amid a government shutdown.

flag A 3,000-pound ice sculpture spelling "DEMOCRACY" was installed on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., melting rapidly under midday sun as a symbolic warning about the fragility of democratic institutions. flag Created by artists Nora Ligorano and Marshall Reese as part of the Up In Arms campaign led by Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen, the 5-foot-tall, 17-foot-wide artwork is expected to fully melt within 10 to 12 hours. flag The installation, placed near the U.S. Capitol during a government shutdown, aims to provoke public reflection on threats to civil liberties, due process, and democratic norms. flag Writers read excerpts from historian Heather Cox Richardson’s “Letters from an American” every half-hour, and a live stream will document the sculpture’s disappearance, emphasizing urgency in protecting democracy.

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