Trump Defense Secretary Nominee Pete Hegseth’s mother apologized to her son immediately after sending him an emotional email in 2018 accusing him of mistreating his ex-wife in the midst of their difficult divorce, according to an email viewed Saturday by Breitbart News. In the follow-up email, sent on May 1, 2018, Penelope Hegseth apologized for sending an email the evening before out of emotion and frustration, saying she should know better. She added that the divorce had been difficult and frustrating for her and that she had felt desperate. She also added that she knew he loved the children he shared with his ex-wife and that he wanted to be in their lives, and that she wanted to support that. The email had a completely different tone than the one she wrote the evening before, which was published by the New York Times on Friday against her wishes. In the initial email she sent on April 30, 2018, she berated her son about his treatment of his ex-wife Samantha, the mother of three of her grandchildren, and whom Hegseth was married to from 2010 to 2017. Hegseth’s mother forwarded that email to Samantha, which somehow made it to the Times. When Hegseth’s mother was told by the Times that they would publish the email, she told them in a phone interview that she had sent her son an immediate follow-up email apologizing for what she had written. She also told the Times that she had fired off the email “in anger, with emotion” at a time when her son and his now ex-wife were going through a very difficult divorce. She also defended her son to the Times and disavowed what she had said in her email about his character and treatment of women. She told the paper, “It is not true. It has never been true,” adding, “I know my son. He is a good father, husband.” She also called publishing the email’s contents “disgusting.” Nonetheless, LaFraniere ran with the story, even promoting it on her X account and letting readers know that it was a “gift” or free article and not behind a paywall. LaFraniere — who was part of the Times’s Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the Russia collusion hoax — was personally biased against Hegseth, according to a New York Times source. The source said, “She said that Pete Hegseth can’t be SECDEF and that she’s going to see to it. I kind of looked at her like she was crazy and wondered how she was going to see to it, but now I guess I don’t have to wonder anymore.” According to a source close to Hegseth, several media outlets were aware of the original email but had opted not to publish its contents. The source said she did not send her follow-up email to the Times because she did not trust them, and that she would trust Breitbart News with it instead. Author and combat veteran Sean Parnell blasted LaFraniere for publishing the email, calling it “despicably low” and “sickening.” He wrote on X: The New York Times is publishing a 6 year old private email between a mother & her son. This is despicably low on so many levels. Families have issues. All the time. To make those issues public for the sole purpose of tanking a nomination is evil. Period. Pete has children. They will read this. Their friends will read it. It is irresponsible as hell to even publish such a thing. Democrats don’t have to deal with this BS. It’s sickening. Parnell also slammed LaFraniere for promoting the story on her X account: She’s so proud of publishing a 6 year old private email between a mother and her son that she’s offering you a way around the NYT paywall. President Trump is right about scum like this — #EnemyOfThePeople. “It’s an understatement to say that the media is the #EnemyofthePeople . To exploit the private pain of a family during a very difficult moment is loathsome beyond belief. Especially when small children are involved. The Hegseth family doesn’t deserve these BS attacks,” he added. Megyn Kelly, podcast host and former Fox News anchor, also derided the Times for publishing the email. She posted on X: ICYMI @PeteHegseth ’s mom sent him a “you are behaving very badly” email during his divorce (she’s a good mom!) and the NYT is ALL IN on it. Next we will hear from his aunt who accused him of being late in sending his thank you cards after Christmas six years ago. The Times ‘s reporting of the private email comes after what appears to be a concerted smear campaign against Hegseth, a Washington-outsider, in an effort to sink his nomination to lead the government’s largest agency. Follow Breitbart News’s Kristina Wong on ”X” , Truth Social , or on Facebook .
LUNCH has come early for customers of a major phone network who are giving away free food vouchers. The O2 network is giving away free £3 M&S vouchers to its loyal customers - but you will have to be quick to claim one. Advertisement 1 O2 has partnered with Prsnt to give away 5,000 £3 M&S vouchers The phone network is handing out 5,000 vouchers per day on a first come, first serve basis to put towards M&S' lunch selection, ranging from the classics to the festive favourites. Whether you're craving meat or veggie options, it's the perfect way to treat yourself for less. Eligible customers will have 48 hours to redeem the gift card in-store, and can be used on any product at M&S, excluding BP Connect and international stores. The lunch treat comes after M&S partnered with Prsnt, a gift sending and receiving app. Advertisement Read more money news CHOC SHOCK M&S confirms it has discontinued a popular Christmas drink NO DEAL Full list of retailers NOT doing Black Friday revealed How to claim The promotion is open to members of Priority who are UK residents above the age of 16 The £3 vouchers are valid from November 25 to December 4, while stocks last and subject to availabity. To redeem, tap 'USE NOW' to reveal your unique code. Then tap "Copy Code and Get App", where you will be directed to download the Prsnt app. Advertisement Most read in Money SHOP 'TIL YOU DROP Major Scots city named as one of UK's best for Xmas shopping Review FEEL GOOD FOOD First look at Sebb's - Glasgow's latest underground bar in Merchant City Exclusive HOUSE THAT Inside the Poundland family home with hidden swimming pool that's on sale LET'S DOUGH First look inside new Glasgow bakery popular with Noel Gallagher & Foo Fighters Paste or enter your code as required in the Prsnt app's home page under "Redeem Code" which will display the voucher. The voucher entitles you to claim one £3 gift card from M&S via the Prsnt app. This can be redeem against the purchase of any product at M&S. A minimum of 50,000 codes are available with 5000 available per day . Meanwhile, shoppers have been left devastated after M&S revealed it had axed a popular treat . Advertisement The posh shop has confirmed that its iconic Percy Pig chocolate bombe is no more after customers noticed its absence from shelves. The Percy Pig bombe, which is part of an entire M&S hot chocolate bombe range, was cherished for its warming winter take on the iconic Percy character. So fans were gutted when the supermarket took to X to confirm it was being discontinued. One user wrote: "Hi @marksandspencer are you bringing back the percy pig hot chocolate bombs? I've noticed Rudolph and a snowman instead this year." Advertisement To which Sparks replied: "Hello - not for this year. We have our Rudolph and Snowman options instead." A quick search on X shows how others also loved the discontinued bombe. One person wrote: "These are so yummy... and they have a surprise in them." Read more on the Scottish Sun SIP SIP HOORAY Exact time Coca-Cola truck arrives in Scotland tomorrow for Xmas tour FESTIVE CHEER Scots Xmas market tops London's Winter Wonderland as 'most stunning' in UK The strawberry-flavoured milk chocolate bombe , which comes shaped as Percy Pig himself, packs secret marshmallows inside. Advertisement All you need to do is place the bombe in a mug and pour hot milk over it and watch the magic happen. How to save money on Christmas shopping Consumer reporter Sam Walker reveals how you can save money on your Christmas shopping. Limit the amount of presents - buying presents for all your family and friends can cost a bomb. Instead, why not organise a Secret Santa between your inner circles so you're not having to buy multiple presents. Plan ahead - if you've got the stamina and budget, it's worth buying your Christmas presents for the following year in the January sales. Make sure you shop around for the best deals by using price comparison sites so you're not forking out more than you should though. Buy in Boxing Day sales - some retailers start their main Christmas sales early so you can actually snap up a bargain before December 25. Delivery may cost you a bit more, but it can be worth it if the savings are decent. Shop via outlet stores - you can save loads of money shopping via outlet stores like Amazon Warehouse or Office Offcuts. They work by selling returned or slightly damaged products at a discounted rate, but usually any wear and tear is minor.The US Navy is to transform three, white elephant, stealth destroyers by fitting them with first-of-their-kind shipborne hypersonic weapons. The USS Zumwalt is at a Mississippi shipyard where workers have installed missile tubes that replace twin turrets from a gun system that was never activated because it was too expensive. Once the system is complete, the Zumwalt will provide a platform for conducting fast, precision strikes from greater distances, adding to the usefulness of the warship. “It was a costly blunder. But the Navy could take victory from the jaws of defeat here, and get some utility out of (the ships) by making them into a hypersonic platform,” said Bryan Clark, a defence analyst at the Hudson Institute. The US has had several types of hypersonic weapons in development for the past two decades, but recent tests by both Russia and China have added pressure to the US military to hasten their production. Hypersonic weapons travel beyond Mach 5, five times the speed of sound, with added manoeuvrability making them harder to shoot down. Last year, The Washington Post newspaper reported that among the documents leaked by former Massachusetts Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira was a defence department briefing that confirmed China had recently tested an intermediate-range hypersonic weapon called the DF-27. While the Pentagon had previously acknowledged the weapon’s development, it had not recognised its testing. One of the US programmes in development and planned for the Zumwalt is the Conventional Prompt Strike. It would launch like a ballistic missile and then release a hypersonic glide vehicle that would travel at speeds seven to eight times faster than the speed of sound before hitting the target. The weapon system is being developed jointly by the Navy and Army. Each of the three Zumwalt-class destroyers would be equipped with four missile tubes, each with three of the missiles for a total of 12 hypersonic weapons per ship. In choosing the Zumwalt, the Navy is attempting to add to the usefulness of a 7.5 billion US dollars (£5.9 billion) warship that is considered by critics to be an expensive mistake despite serving as a test platform for multiple innovations. The Zumwalt was envisioned as providing land-attack capability with an advanced gun system with rocket-assisted projectiles to open the way for Marines to charge ashore. But the system featuring 155mm guns hidden in stealthy turrets was cancelled because each of the rocket-assisted projectiles cost up to one million dollars (£790,000). Despite the stain on their reputation, the three Zumwalt-class destroyers: Zumwalt, Michael Monsoor and Lyndon B Johnson; remain the Navy’s most advanced surface warships in terms of new technologies. Those innovations include electric propulsion, an angular shape to minimise radar signature, an unconventional wave-piercing hull, automated fire and damage control and a composite deckhouse that hides radar and other sensors. The US is accelerating development because hypersonics have been identified as vital to US national security with “survivable and lethal capabilities”, said James Weber, principal director for hypersonics in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Critical Technologies. “Fielding new capabilities that are based on hypersonic technologies is a priority for the defence department to sustain and strengthen our integrated deterrence, and to build enduring advantages,” he said.Todd Dewey RJ betting reporter Last week: 2-3 Season: 25-30 Dolphins -7 Texans -71⁄2 Broncos -51⁄2 Packers -2 Eagles -3 Chuck Esposito Red Rock SB director Last week: 1-4 Season: 27-27-1 Colts +7 Raiders +51⁄2 Seahawks +1 49ers +2 Rams +3 Lou Finocchiaro @GambLou Last week: 3-2 Season: 27-27-1 Colts +7 Seahawks +1 Packers -2 Eagles -3 Ravens -3 Doug Fitz Systemplays.com Last week: 3-2 Season: 32-23 Chiefs -11 Cowboys +101⁄2 Buccaneers -6 Raiders +51⁄2 49ers +2 Scott Kellen @SixthSenseNFL Last week: 1-4 Season: 33-22 Bears +3 Seahawks +1 Packers -2 Eagles -3 Ravens -3 Jay Kornegay Westgate SuperBook VP Last week: 3-2 Season: 28-25-2 Colts +7 Vikings -3 Commanders -101⁄2 Seahawks +1 Packers -2 Brent Musburger VSiN host Last week: 2-3 Season: 30-25 Cowboys +101⁄2 Buccaneers -6 Raiders +51⁄2 Packers -2 Eagles -3 Micah Roberts Sportsline.com Last week: 3-2 Season: 27-25-3 Lions -7 Bears +3 Cardinals -1 Packers -2 Ravens -3 Kelly Stewart @Kellyinvegas Last week: 2-3 Season: 22-33 Colts +7 Dolphins -7 Packers -2 Buccaneers -6 Chargers +3 Dave Tuley VSiN.com Last week: 1-4 Season: 28-27 Colts +7 Panthers +11 Cowboys +101⁄2 Patriots +7
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