Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has weighed in after Kid Rock received some special visitors at his Tennessee mansion overlooking Nashville over the weekend. The video Rock posted, which garnered millions of views on social media, sparked mixed reactions from supporters and detractors as well as the president himself.

Rock’s video showed him standing outside by his pool clapping and saluting as an AH-64 Apache helicopter hovered near the residence. A second helicopter can momentarily be seen flying in the background of the video as well.

‘Carry on, patriots.’

In a statement to Blaze News Tuesday afternoon, U.S. Army spokesman Maj. Montrell Russell reported that the pilots were suspended pending the investigation:

The Army has confirmed that on March 28, two Apache helicopters from the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade at Fort Campbell conducted a flight in the Nashville area that has attracted public and media attention. This incident is now under an Army Regulation 15-6 administrative investigation. The personnel involved have been suspended from flight duties while the Army reviews the circumstances surrounding the mission, including compliance with relevant FAA regulations, aviation safety protocol, and approval requirements.

However, Sec. Hegseth responded to Rock’s X post, reversing the threat of investigation as well as the pilots’ brief suspension.

RELATED: Kid Rock catches heat for viral Apache helicopter social media video — Army launches investigation

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

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

President Trump, speaking from the Oval Office on Tuesday, seemed unsure whether the pilots should have done the flyover, the Daily Mail reported. He added, however, “I like Kid Rock, maybe they were trying to defend him, I don’t know.”

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​Politics, President trump, Kid rock, Tennessee, Apache helicopter, Ah-64, Fort campbell, Montrell russell, Pete hegseth, Us army, Secretary of war 

You’re the son of an immigrant. How could you support ICE?

Someone recently asked me this question. This same person also felt that I should be supporting the No Kings protest. It showed me how effective the Democratic Party has been at framing these issues to Democrats’ advantage.

It is naïve to think that those who are willing to skip the process to come here illegally will automatically follow the laws once they arrive.

I lovingly and jokingly say my mother is a fresh-off-the-boat immigrant. She met my father in the Philippines during the Vietnam War. They fell in love and got married in the United States.

She grew up in abject poverty and had an idealistic view of the United States while growing up. Her country, the Philippines, was liberated by the United States twice: once in the late 1800s from Spanish colonial rule, and again during World War II from imperial Japanese rule.

She has more pride in being American than almost any other American I know.

She understands that the United States offers more than any other country in the world. It is something that the children and grandchildren of immigrants often forget. Thankfully, her children didn’t. She supports ICE and President Trump, and I think I can explain why.

For legal immigrants, the rule of law is incredibly important. Many of them come here for the simple reason that the rule of law in their countries broke down. Money misspent, officials and law enforcement taking open bribes, and government tyranny are some of the many reasons an immigrant would decide to come here.

Others in her family followed my mother’s journey, but they followed the legal process. Some had to wait years before coming. To them, seeing someone skip the process, skip the interviews, and skip the sponsorship requirements to come here while others they know are still patiently waiting is an insult.

ICE prioritizes removing convicted criminals, gang members, and repeat offenders. This is common-sense protection for our communities and families. It is naïve to think that those who are willing to skip the process to come here illegally will automatically follow the laws once they arrive.

Not everyone in the world likes us. Some openly call for our death and destruction. Some are motivated to hate by their religion, some by strict adherence to an economic or social ideology.

Immigrants can understand the importance of examining those who wish to live here, for those may bring the evils they hoped to escape.

Illegal immigration places downward pressure on wages. Many legal immigrants take jobs in sectors such as construction, hospitality, and caregiving. Enforcement of immigration laws helps those who came here legally and comply with our laws to earn a fair wage.

What about the costs of housing and health? If you know the basic economics of supply and demand, you understand the negative impact illegal immigration can have.

Legal immigrants also understand that illegal immigration brings bad actors who can negatively taint the positives of immigration and turn a populace against those who followed our process.

RELATED: Memo to Trump: Stop negotiating and ramp up deportations

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Unfortunately, failing to enforce immigration laws leads to the bias of lumping all immigrants in the illegal category. Recent immigrants value the long-term viability of the American dream. Many feel a duty to support the laws that made their success possible. For them, supporting ICE is a natural and easy thing to do.

For the same reasons, supporting the No Kings protests is silly. Let’s start with the obvious: We don’t live under a king, and Trump was democratically elected. The executive branch is constitutional, and checks and balances still exist. Even though an immigrant and the son of an immigrant may disagree with these No Kings protests, we understand that people are allowed to protest, and the fact that protests are allowed is incredibly important. We did not see anyone stopping them from speaking out or deplatforming them on social media.

Perhaps we should be unhappy with the president’s foreign policy decisions? I think I’ll defer to the majority of the Venezuelans and Iranians living here. I can also not overlook the checkered and violent tyrannical past of a theocratic government that openly chants “Death to America.”

The United State has elections, and these protesters might be surprised at the results. Their protests reminded many immigrants of the importance of voting.

​Ice, Immigration, Legal immigration, Illegal immigration, Deportations, Border security, Trump, Dhs, Separation of powers, Opinion & analysis 

President Donald Trump has made history at a Supreme Court hearing on Wednesday about his executive order to end birthright citizenship, reports say.

On Wednesday morning, Fox News reported that Trump arrived at the Supreme Court and that Attorney General Pam Bondi was expected to join him. With this attendance, Trump has become the first sitting president to witness Supreme Court oral arguments.

‘One of the many Great Scams of our time!’

Trump’s Executive Order 14160, signed on Inauguration Day, could impact roughly 225,000 individuals born each year.

The executive action states that “citizenship does not automatically extend to persons born in the United States: (1) when that person’s mother was unlawfully present in the United States and the father was not a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident at the time of said person’s birth, or (2) when that person’s mother’s presence in the United States at the time of said person’s birth was lawful but temporary … and the father was not a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident at the time of said person’s birth.”

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday that he plans to attend the Supreme Court hearing.

“Because I have listened to this argument for so long,” Trump stated.

He argued that birthright citizenship was not intended for “Chinese billionaires, or billionaires from other countries, who all of a sudden have 75 children … becoming American citizens.”

RELATED: SCOTUS gives Trump a unanimous victory on persecution claims in asylum cases

Al Drago/Getty Images

“This was about slaves,” Trump continued, adding that birthright citizenship was implemented at the end of the Civil War.

“The reason was, it had to do with the babies of slaves and the protection of the babies of slaves. It didn’t have to do with the protection of multimillionaires and billionaires wanting to have their children get an American citizenship,” he said. “It is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen.”

When asked about the Supreme Court justices, Trump responded, “I love a few of them. I don’t like some others.”

RELATED: US Catholic bishops call on SCOTUS to shut down Trump birthright citizenship order and protect ‘human dignity’

Win McNamee/Getty Images

In a post on social media, Trump called birthright citizenship “one of the many Great Scams of our time!”

Around 9:30 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday, Trump’s motorcade was spotted leaving the White House en route to the Supreme Court.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​News, Donald trump, Trump, Trump administration, Trump admin, Supreme court, Scotus, Birthright citizenship, Immigration crisis, Illegal immigration crisis, Immigration, Illegal immigration, Politics 

On the 41st day of the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, members of Congress decided it was time to fly home for their spring recess despite failing to reach a deal to reopen the agency.

And Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck couldn’t be more upset with our politicians — especially Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.).

“He gets onto a plane, and he is out. Friday morning, he is gone. He makes a deal in the middle of the night knowing that the House is not going to accept this. So when the House gets it, they’re like, ‘No, we’re not doing this. We’re not doing this,’” Glenn explains, asking, “And what happened?”

“He’s on a two-week vacation now. They have stopped working in the Senate for two weeks,” he says.

Glenn points out that Trump can use his power to make a difference.

“The president has the ability to call back into special session and convene the Senate in the Constitution. It’s article 2, section 3. And he can do it on extraordinary occasions,” Glenn explains.

“Well, I don’t know how you define extraordinary, but let me try. Let’s see. We’re at war with the number one terrorist state in the world. Millions have come in from God only knows where, and we don’t know where they are. Fifteen-hundred terror cells came in from that terror state. We don’t know where they are,” he continues.

“Domestic terror is on the rise. The American people are shut up in airports, long, long lines. We have ICE doing that job, which means they can’t go out and do their other job. I don’t know what ‘extraordinary means’ is, but I think extraordinary, extraordinary occasions means like what we’re going through right now,” he adds.

Want more from Glenn Beck?

To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​The glenn beck program, Glenn beck, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcasts, Blaze podcast network, Blaze media, Blaze online, Blaze originals, John thune, Dhs shutdown, Department of homeland security, Congress, Senate, President trump, Trump administration 

NASA is counting down to the launch of Artemis II on Wednesday, the first time in more than 50 years the space agency has sent a crewed mission to the moon.

After suffering a series of significant setbacks last year, NASA is ready to go with the crewed lunar orbit and prepping their systems for launch.

‘Engineers are powering up flight hardware … and preparing the rocket’s cryogenic systems.’

NASA has a targeted launch time of 6:24 p.m. ET, with a window that extends to 8:24 p.m. ET.

Online viewers can watch on NASA’s YouTube channel (below) and alternatively C-SPAN, which requires a registered account.

In person, Artemis II will launch from Kennedy Space Center’s LC-39B platform in Merritt Island, Florida.

RELATED: ‘Near-impossible’: NASA reveals plans for moon and Mars landings

The Artemis II mission is a crewed lunar orbit that will test landing systems for future missions to the surface.

Artemis III is set for mid-2027, while Artemis IV is targeted for early 2028 and will include a lunar landing.

Artemis V is to include another lunar landing, aimed at launching by the end of 2028, which NASA previously said is when it expects to “begin building its moon base.”

The last lunar mission by NASA was Apollo 17 in December 1972.

RELATED: America’s historic return to the moon suffers ANOTHER setback

Miguel J. Rodriguez CARRILLO/AFP/Getty Images

The Artemis II crew includes NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.

“Engineers are powering up flight hardware, checking communication links, and preparing the rocket’s cryogenic systems for the precise fueling sequence required to load hundreds of thousands of gallons of super-cooled liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen,” NASA said in a countdown press release.

If any weather or technical issues arise that would delay the launch, NASA has a second launch window of 7:22 p.m. to 9:22 p.m. ET on Thursday, Today reported, with 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday serving as a final window.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​Return, Nasa, Artemis ii, Lunar mission, Space launch, Nasa mission, Artermis, Lunar landing, Moon mission, Tech 

President Donald Trump says Iran’s “new regime” has asked the United States for a ceasefire just over a month into the conflict, but the commander in chief still has one major hang-up.

Trump said Wednesday he would consider the ceasefire only if the Strait of Hormuz, which controls about 20% of the world’s oil supply, is reopened. This announcement comes the morning of Trump’s highly anticipated address to the nation, which is slated to take place at 9:00 pm Eastern Time.

‘We will consider when …’

“Iran’s New Regime President, much less Radicalized and far more intelligent than his predecessors, has just asked the United States of America for a CEASEFIRE!” Trump said in a Truth Social post Wednesday. “We will consider when Hormuz Strait is open, free, and clear.”

“Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages!!!”

RELATED: ‘Delayed courage’: Trump tells allies to fend for themselves amid oil crisis

Ian Forsyth/Getty Images

This development comes just a day after Trump urged American allies who have been impacted to fend for themselves and get their own oil. He also criticized countries like the United Kingdom and France for their inaction throughout this conflict, saying they will have to “start learning how to fight for [themselves].”

“All of those countries that can’t get jet fuel because of the Strait of Hormuz, like the United Kingdom, which refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran, I have a suggestion for you,” Trump said in the Truth Social post Tuesday. “Number 1, buy from the U.S., we have plenty, and Number 2, build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT.”

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​Donald trump, Iran, Iran war, Ceasefire, Oil, Strait of hormuz, Truth social, No new wars, Politics