Confederate flag debate heats up

Lawmakers in South Carolina will debate removing the Confederate flag from the state capitol grounds. And the debate is growing.

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley called for the flag to be moved to a museum. A few lawmakers spoke out, saying the flag should stay. Others said they're saving speeches for the debate on the issue this summer.

Some politicians and businesses nationwide are taking a stand on the issue.

Earlier this week the Texas Supreme Court upheld Texas' refusal to issue specialty license plates with the battle flag and Virginia's governor banished the plates.

Walmart, Sears, Amazon, Kmart and eBay have all removed Confederate flag merchandise from stores and websites.

As summer classes were about to begin, students at UT Austin saw graffiti spray painted on the statues of Robert E. Lee, Albert Sidney Johnson and Jefferson Davis, who were Confederate leaders with little or no ties to UT.

The paint said "Black Lives Matter" and "Bump all the Chumps" -- a reference to a campaign that recently got underway to remove the statues.

But, organizers of the removal effort condemn the graffiti as being counterproductive. Workers used paint remover and scrub brushes to remove the paint and a community forum was held to discuss race relations.

UT's vice president for diversity said a new study group will come up with suggestions on what to do with the Davis statue.