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Hegseth says 'no punishment' for Army pilots who flew near Kid Rock's house

By Phil Stewart

March 31 (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday that Army pilots would not be punished after flying attack helicopters near singer Kid Rock's house over ‌the weekend in an apparent show of support for the vocal backer of President ‌Donald Trump.

Hegseth's announcement, in a social media post, followed remarks by Trump who appeared to play down the incident near the musician's house in Nashville, Tennessee.

"They probably shouldn't have been doing it. But they like Kid Rock. I like Kid Rock," Trump said. "Maybe they were trying to defend him."

Reuters, citing a U.S. official, reported earlier on Tuesday that aircrew involved in the incident had been suspended after appearing to deviate from their mission.

The U.S. ‌military is supposed to be apolitical, ⁠loyal to the U.S. Constitution and independent of any party or political movement.

Rock posted a video on X on Saturday, standing in front of his swimming ⁠pool and saluting one of the helicopters.

Hegseth, who has a home in Tennessee, praised Kid Rock as he exonerated the crew.

"Thank you @KidRock. @USArmy pilots suspension LIFTED. No punishment. No investigation. Carry on, patriots," Hegseth wrote on X.

Military helicopters were also seen flying close to demonstrators in Nashville taking part in organized protests against Trump's policies ‌that were part of the anti-Trump "No Kings" rallies that took place across the country.

Reuters reported on Monday that the Army was investigating the incident and an Army spokesman declined further comment when contacted by Reuters on Tuesday.

"Army aviators must adhere to strict safety standards, professionalism, and established flight regulations. An administrative review is underway to assess the mission and verify compliance with regulations and airspace requirements," U.S. Army ‌spokesperson Major Montrell Russell said on Monday.

"Appropriate action will be taken if any violations are found. Until the review is complete, there will be no further comment," Russell added.

Since being sworn in last year, Hegseth has moved quickly to ‌reshape the military, firing top generals and admirals as he seeks to implement Trump's national security agenda and root out diversity initiatives he calls discriminatory.

Democratic lawmakers have warned the Trump administration is increasingly trying to use the military for political gain.

In his post about the helicopters, Rock took a ‌swipe at Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom, adding: "God Bless America and all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to defend her."

(Reporting by Phil Stewart; Additional reporting by Jasper Ward; Editing by Nia Williams and Cynthia Osterman)

byVincento Seyarto

in

April 01, 2026

Hegseth says 'no punishment' for Army pilots who flew near Kid Rock's house

By Phil Stewart March 31 (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday that Army pilots would not...

Nevada lithium mine clears major hurdle despite conservationists' worries for rare wildflower

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A federal judge in Nevada has ruled against conservationists who wanted to stop a lithium-boron mine they said would harm anendangered wildflower.

The ruling marks a major legal victory for the 11-square-mile (28.49 square-kilometer) Rhyolite Ridge Lithium/Boron Mine Project in Esmeralda County, located between Reno and Las Vegas. The land holds the largest lithium and boron deposit in the world outside of Turkey, said Bernard Rowe, managing director of Ioneer, the Australia-based company behind the project.

U.S. District Judge Cristina Silva ruled Friday that the federal government properly approved the project and sufficiently examined the impacts the project will have on the rare wildflower called Tiehm's buckwheat, whose entire population grows within 10 acres (4.05 hectares) of land in the project area. Environmental groups behind the lawsuit say they may appeal.

Lithium is an essential component of electric vehicle batteries. Rhyolite Ridge would beNevada's third lithium mine, and one of few mines that will process the materials on site, Rowe said.

"Rhyolite Ridge will create hundreds of new American jobs, reduce reliance on foreign materials and processing, and provide a domestic source of two critical minerals," Chad Yeftich, vice president of corporate development and external affairs at Ioneer, said in a statement.

Growing US manufacturing

Ioneer wants construction to start by the end of this year and production in 2029, though it is still looking for a financial partner after a major investor pulled out last year. Sibanye Stillwater said the project did not make financial sense. In January 2025, the Department of Energy finalized a nearly $1 billion loan for the project.

The $2 billion mine would have a life span of over 77 years and would produce enough lithium carbonate for around 400,000 electric vehicles per year, Rowe said. It will also produce boric acid, which is used in pest control, flame retardant, and medical and personal care.

Rhyolite Ridge wasfirst approved under the Biden administrationas an part of the former president's clean energy agenda. The Trump administration has alsosupported lithium projects in Nevadaas a way to bolster US manufacturing of critical minerals. The Interior Department declined to comment.

Protecting the wildflower

The Center for Biological Diversity, which haslong fought to protectthe wildflower and successfully pushed for its endangered species designation in 2022, is not finished in its fight, Great Basin Director Patrick Donnelly said.

His organization is considering appealing the ruling to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, arguing that the case could have implications for other species and protected habitats on the Endangered Species Act.

"This can seem like a little remote flower in the middle of nowhere. But if we lose on Tiehm's buckwheat, you know, what else are we facing with the whittling away of the Endangered Species Act?" Donnelly said.

Tiehm's buckwheat is a wildflower a couple inches tall that grows in an area the size of seven football fields in the Silver Peak Range. In the spring, the plant produces green leaves and yellow flowers that look like pom-poms. When it blooms, it is the epicenter of a vibrant pollinator community, Donnelly said.

Silva, a Biden-nominated judge, found Ioneer's mitigation efforts, which include fencing around the habitat and buffer zones between the mining activities and the buckwheat, were sufficient for the purposes of the Endangered Species Act. Silva wrote that of the buckwheat's 1.4 square mile (3.63 square kilometers) of critical habitat, it will lose 4.9% due to the project.

Donnelly maintains the mining project will increase the risk of the wildflower going extinct, which would affect the ecosystem's biodiversity. He cast doubt that fencing around the flower's habitat will protect it.

"There's been this kind of death by a thousand cuts for Tiehm's buckwheat," Donnelly said, adding that if it were to move forward, it would be the "death blow" for the wildflower.

byVincento Seyarto

in

April 01, 2026

Nevada lithium mine clears major hurdle despite conservationists' worries for rare wildflower

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A federal judge in Nevada has ruled against conservationists who wanted to stop a lithium-boron mine the...

Appeals court suspends order for Voice of America employees to return to work

WASHINGTON (AP) — An appeals court panelagreed Tuesdayto suspend a federal judge's order for the Trump administration to bring hundreds of Voice of America employees back to work from paid leave.

The three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued a stay pending the government's appeal of the lower court'sMarch 17 ruling. More than 1,000 employees of Voice of America will remain on administrative leave while the appeals court weighs the case, a process that could take months.

U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth ordered President Donald Trump's administration to restore the government-run Voice of America's operations after it had effectively been shut down a year ago. Lamberth was nominated by Republican President Ronald Reagan.

The case is assigned to Circuit Judges Karen LeCraft Henderson, Robert Wilkins and Gregory Katsas.

Henderson was nominated by Republican President George H.W. Bush. Wilkins was nominated by Democratic President Barack Obama. Katsas was nominated by Trump, a Republican.

Voice of America has broadcast news reports to countries around the world since its formation during World War II. Before Trump's executive order, it had operated in 49 different languages, broadcasting to 362 million people.

Voice of America has been operating with a skeleton staff since Trump issued an executive order to shut it down.

Lamberth also has ruled that Kari Lake, Trump's choice to lead Voice of America, did not have the legal authority to do what she had done at the agency.

byVincento Seyarto

in

April 01, 2026

Appeals court suspends order for Voice of America employees to return to work

WASHINGTON (AP) — An appeals court panelagreed Tuesdayto suspend a federal judge's order for the Trump administration...

Why there's a giant golden toilet near the Lincoln Memorial

A towering golden toilet statue has taken a seat near the Lincoln Memorial, the latest Trump‑themed art installation to appear on the National Mall in Washington, DC.

The nearly 10‑foot sculpture, unveiled March 30 by the anonymous group The Secret Handshake, was inspired byPresident Donald Trump's recent renovation of theWhite House's Lincoln Bathroom. The group says the installation uses humor and spectacle to prompt political discourse.

In an emailed statement to USA TODAY, The Secret Handshake said visitors are allowed to take photos by sitting on the golden throne. The installation is titled "A Throne Fit For a King."

The statue appeared almost a month after the same group installed a separate sculpture on the National Mall depictingTrump and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epsteinas characters from "Titanic." The group is also behind another Trump‑Epstein statue that appeared in Washington, DC, in September.

A person wearing a MAGA hat sits on a statue featuring a large golden toilet, titled "A Throne Fit for a King," as it is displayed near the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 30, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

Meaning behind the statue

The Secret Handshake said it created the piece as a tribute to Trump during what it described as a time of "unprecedented division,escalating conflictand economic turmoil." In that context, the group said, the president focused on what "truly mattered": remodeling the Lincoln Bathroom.

The statue, the group added, is meant as a reminder that Trump "isn't just a businessman," but is "taking care of business."

"It's a tribute to a visionary," the group said in its statement, "who looked down, saw a problem and painted it gold."

White House renovations

Trump revealed amarble‑and‑gold makeover of the Lincoln Bathroomin October, according to previous USA TODAY reporting. The cost of the renovation has yet been disclosed.

"I renovated the Lincoln Bathroom in the White House," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post at the time. He said the bathroom's previous 1940s art‑deco green tile was "totally inappropriate for the Lincoln Era."

The bathroom overhaul is one of several renovation projects Trump has pursued during his second term. Since his inauguration, the president has paved over the Rose Garden lawn,demolished the East Wingand moved forward with plans for a 90,000‑square‑foot ballroom —a project a federal judge ordered haltedTuesday, March 31.

The golden toilet statue, however, is expected to remain on the National Mall for several days, according to The Secret Handshake.

Michelle Del Rey is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at mdelrey@usatoday.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Giant golden toilet statue appears near Lincoln Memorial

byVincento Seyarto

in

April 01, 2026

Why there’s a giant golden toilet near the Lincoln Memorial

A towering golden toilet statue has taken a seat near the Lincoln Memorial, the latest Trump‑themed art installation to a...

Thousands more US troops are heading to the Middle East

WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands of additional U.S. troops are heading to the Middle East as the Trump administration has insisted thatprogress has been madein talks with Iran and hasthreatened to escalate the warif a deal is not reached soon.

The aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush deployed Tuesday and is slated to go to the Middle East along with three destroyers, two U.S. officials said. The carrier strike group consists of more than 6,000 sailors.

It comes as thousands ofsoldiers from the 82nd Airborne Divisionalso have begun arriving in the Middle East, according to two other U.S. officials, who, like the others, spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military plans.

While the majority of those troops are part of a rotation of forces planned before the war, some are among roughly 1,500 paratroopers the Trump administration decided to surge into the region last week.

The Trump administration has not said what those troops will be doing, but the 82nd Airborne is trained to parachute into hostile or contested territory to secure key territory and airfields. A U.S. Navy ship carrying about2,500 Marines recently arrivedin the Middle East, and another 2,500 Marines also are being deployed from California.

The extra forces, on top of tens of thousands of service members already in the region, come as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other administration officials have avoided questions about whether or not the U.S. military will deploy ground troops against Iran.

"You can't fight and win a war if you tell your adversary what you are willing to do or what you are not willing to do to include boots on the ground," Hegseth told reporters Tuesday.

He added, "Our adversary right now thinks there are 15 different ways we could come at them with boots on the ground. And guess what? There are."

But he also said the goal is to reach a deal with Iran through talks because "we don't want to have to do more militarily than we have to."

Additional resources are heading in as the war has strained the troops and assets already in the region.

The world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, had a fire in a laundry room on March 12, which forced it to return from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea to undergo repairs at a naval base in Crete.

According to a Navy press release, the fire damaged seven berthing compartments aboard the ship, likely forcing hundreds of sailors to find new sleeping arrangements, and damaged personal effects.

While Ford is now in Croatia for time off, Navy leaders said the aircraft carrier will likely set records for the length of its deployment. The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier alsoarrived in the regionin January.

"You're going to see a recordbreaking deployment by Ford," Adm. Daryl Caudle, the Navy's top officer, said during a Center for Strategic and International Studies discussion Tuesday.

Caudle said the aircraft carrier would probably go into the 11th month of deployed operations — a length of time that would put the ship returning to Norfolk, Virginia, around the end of May. The Ford wasin the Mediterraneanbefore beingsent to the Caribbeanto take part in the military operation in January thatousted Venezuela's leader, Nicolás Maduro, and then was deployed to support the Iran war.

"For those that are not in the Navy, that's an extraordinary thing to even think about something of that kind of deployment length," Caudle said.

byVincento Seyarto

in

April 01, 2026

Thousands more US troops are heading to the Middle East

WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands of additional U.S. troops are heading to the Middle East as the Trump administration has insi...