Hegseth & Kid Rock Fly Military Helicopters, Spark Criticism

0:00Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Kid Rock took turns flying an army Apache attack helicopters at a base in Virginia on Monday. This comes weeks after military pilots face questions for buzzing near Kid Rock's home in Tennessee back in March. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell explained the flights were part of a community relations event for the White House's Freedom 250 Initiative, gearing up for America's 250th birthday. Kid Rock connected with troops, spoke to service members, and shot videos for Memorial Day and his own tour. Critics like California Governor Gavin Newsom jumped on social media, questioning why taxpayers foot the bill for million dollar helicopters giving. Joy rides to a celebrity, Colorado Democratic Representative Jason Crow, a former Army Ranger echoed that, calling out the use of public funds. Earlier this year, the Army probed those Tennessee flybys from Fort Campbell pilots, but shut it down fast after Hegseth stepped in. The Virginia helicopters came from the same base, with Kid Rock jetting in from Nashville at 6.30 a.m., and heading back by 3 p.m.

1:06Hegseth shared photos praising Kid Rock as a big troop supporter, framing it all as patriotic outreach amid the political pushback. That's the story for today, Durham News Today, driven by AI.