Confederate Flag

The Democratic presidential contender calls the deadly shootings of nine black church members in South Carolina "an act of racist terrorism perpetrated in a house of God."

She's welcomed news that South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and legislators are working to remove the Confederate battle flag from the grounds of the South Carolina Statehouse.

Clinton addressed church members Tuesday in suburban St. Louis, near the epicenter of violent protests that occurred in Ferguson, Missouri, after the August death of Michael Brown.

And lawmakers inside took their first step toward removing the historic but divisive symbol.

Within minutes of convening a special session on the budget Tuesday, legislators agreed to debate the flag removal once the final budget is approved during another session later this summer.

Gov. Nikki Haley's unexpected call for the flag to come down also reverberated around the South Tuesday, as a growing number of other politicians announced their own against the rebel standard.

Sears Holding Corp. says it is removing Confederate flag merchandise from its website, and a spokesman says that no Confederate flag merchandise is sold inside Sears or Kmart stores.

On Monday, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said it would remove all items from its store shelves and website that feature the flag after the shooting suspect, Dylann Storm Roof, appeared in photos holding the flag.

However, the companies that make Confederate flags and confederate-themed products, as well as smaller operators that sell them, expect sales to surge, at least temporarily.

The Republican's about-face comes after nine black church members were gunned down, allegedly by a young white man who embraced the flag as a symbol of white supremacy.

"150 years after the end of the Civil War, the time has come," Haley said after rousing applause, surrounded by Democrats and Republican lawmakers. "That flag, while an integral part of the past, does not represent the future of our great state"

The flag has flown in front of the state capitol for 15 years after being moved from atop the Statehouse dome.

The murder took place inside a historic black church.

U.S. Sen. Lindsay Graham, now seeking the Republican presidential nomination, will call later Monday for the flag to come down, a person familiar with his decision told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, to avoid precluding Graham's announcement.