Pete Hegseth’s office loses showdown with State Dept over troops at Paris NFL game: WaPo

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's inner circle waged a behind-the-scenes fight with another Cabinet department over a marquee sporting event abroad, according to a new report.The Washington Post reported Friday that Hegseth's office tried to scrap all U.S. military involvement in the NFL's first-ever game in Paris, only to reverse course after State Department officials objected.Sunday's matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints at Stade de France, just outside the French capital, had been slated to include dozens of service members, according to officials who spoke to the Post anonymously about internal discussions. Hegseth's team moved to pull them all following a weekend of unrest in Paris that President Donald Trump has publicly criticized.State Department officials pushed back, arguing that putting American troops on display at such a visible event carried diplomatic weight. They also told Hegseth's staff their department had not concluded that Americans or U.S. personnel in...