Pete Hegseth Overturns Review of Pilots in July 4 Stunt

Eight pilots flew Apache helicopters over a beach in South Carolina.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth cut off a safety investigation into eight National Guard pilots who were suspended after they used military helicopters to buzz a crowded beach.

Crowds gathered to celebrate the Fourth of July on the coast of South Carolina were treated to a “Salute to the Shore” demonstration, featuring low-flying Apache helicopters manned by members of the South Carolina Army National Guard. But the moment that the officers landed, they all received notice that they had been suspended, ABC15 reported.

In a statement, Maj. Lisa Allen confirmed that the officers were suspended pending an investigation into possible safety violations that occurred during their demonstration. She said she could not provide further details or speculate on any specific allegations, but she stressed that the suspension was “not punitive.”

“A temporary suspension from flight duties is a routine administrative measure whenever a flight profile is under review,” she said.

MAGA was abuzz over the fact that no reason had been given—and it caught the eye of Hegseth.

“We’ll fix this. Carry on, Patriots,” Hegseth wrote in a post on X Thursday.

The next day, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell announced that “effective immediately, the suspension of all involved South Carolina pilots has been lifted.”

This isn’t the first time Hegseth has personally intervened to get officers out of trouble. He previously reinstated two suspended pilots who’d decided to fly their helicopters around Kid Rock’s house during a No Kings protest in March.

Gay Republican Sues Members of His Own Party Over Homophobic Slurs

The Republican candidate for Wyoming’s only House seat says he’s shocked by the harassment he’s facing from his own party.

Reid Rasner, an openly gay Republican running for Wyoming’s lone House of Representatives seat, is suing members of his own party for defamation stemming from homophobia.

Semafor reports that Rasner is pursuing a case against former Wyoming State Senator Austin “Kit” Jennings, who allegedly pushed rumors that Rasner committed sexual misconduct. The rumors began after Rasner garnered national attention in 2025 for making a personal $47 billion bid to buy the social media site TikTok, and got worse from there.

Rasner, who came out when he was 20, is also settling a case against an Iowa man who repeatedly called him a “pedophile” under his campaign’s Facebook posts. The man claims that his accusation was based on “multiple social media posts and news articles accusing Reid Rasner of serious sexual misconduct,” but didn’t specify any specific posts.

Meanwhile, Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray, who is running against Rasner in the Republican primary, piled on and issued a poll telling respondents that Rasner “married his gay husband in New York.” That poll showed Rasner initially behind Gray by single digits, but losing support after voters were told about his sexuality.

“I’ve never experienced anything like this in my entire life,” said Rasner, 42, to Semafor. “This just isn’t the Wyoming I knew or thought I knew. The state needs to come to terms with the hate and ignorance that’s........

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