USS Lincoln crew strained by record deployment; Midwest flooding turns deadly

Trouble aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln

Reports of low morale and depression among the crew as another ship heads to the Gulf to provide some relief

Plus, roads turn to rivers, massive flooding swamps parts of Indiana, destroying homes and knocking out critical utilities

And the Trump name could be coming back. The Kennedy Center approves a new way to put it on the building just two months after a judge ordered it removed

The stories that matter, clear and credible, from across the country to around the world

These are your unbiased updates from Straight Arrow. Good morning, I'm Craig DeGrelli

This morning, a new carrier strike group is heading to the Middle East as reports of supply and mental health issues grow aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln

now in a record-setting stretch at sea. The Lincoln has been supporting the U.S. war against Iran

and has now spent more than 260 straight days at sea without a port call

The extended deployment is raising concerns about the toll on sailors and the strain on the ship and its equipment

In recent months, there have been reports of food shortages, water and plumbing problems, and mental health concerns on board

The Navy has acknowledged the war disrupted traditional supply hubs, leading to shortages, but says sailors now have access to clean water and healthy meal options

Now, the USS George Washington is heading west from the Asia Pacific and is expected to replace the Lincoln in the Middle East

But that would leave the Pacific without a U.S. aircraft carrier for an unknown period of time

Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers are demanding answers from the Pentagon about conditions aboard the Lincoln

Reports that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called completely misrepresented. I want to be clear that I don't expect for an aircraft carrier to be the Holiday Inn, right

I don't expect for it to be a luxury lifestyle. Our Marines and our sailors, they are the best of the best

They sign up for hard duty. But we also should expect basic habitability

We should expect running water and clean drinking water, enough food to eat, working plumbing, the basics

Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee

sent a letter to Hegseth and Acting Secretary Hong Kao Wednesday demanding answers about

conditions on board and how the Navy is supporting sailors mental health during the extended deployment Hegseth pushed back again Thursday in an interview with Newsmax saying some deployments are longer than others and insisting the Pentagon make sure every ship and crew has everything it can provide

Meantime, as the war with Iran continues, the United States is threatening to tighten the economic squeeze on Tehran even further

Treasury Secretary Scott Besant says the U.S. is preparing what he calls

unprecedented economic isolation, working in tandem with the blockade of Iranian ports

We are going to apply measures like have never been seen in the history of economic isolation on a country

And I think the reason we are succeeding is because it is a one-two punch

So it will be a combination of economic isolation like the world has never seen before

and the continued blockade in the Strait of Hormuz that will keep anything from going in or out of the Iranian ports

Besant said to watch for coming announcements next week, but didn't say what those new measures will be

Vice President J.D. Vance, meanwhile, says the administration's goal number one is keeping oil and gas prices down for Americans

and that the president is using diplomatic, military and economic pressure to get there

I think what is really happening is that you're seeing a president of the United States at the height of his authority with a lot of tools, diplomatic, military and economic

What I think is really going on from the inside is that we're using those tools very selectively, very strategically to get the outcome that the president of the United States needs to get for the benefit of the American people

But for now, the disruption to oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz is still keeping global oil prices elevated

Brent crude, the global benchmark, was above $83 a barrel early this morning, with U.S. crude around $82

Those prices are well below the highs reached after the war began, but American drivers are still feeling it

The national average for a gallon of gas remains above $4, according to AAA

Days of relentless rain have turned parts of the Midwest into a flood zone, and the water is still rising

In Cambridge City, Indiana, floodwaters soared to the rooftops of some homes, covering cars and forcing dozens of people to be rescued by boat

One of the people dealing with the aftermath is Michelle Wilson. She was at work when her son called to say their home was flooding

By the time she got back she says about eight feet of water had filled the basement and the garage was also flooded And I don know when we can turn our power back on if it would be safe to even turn it back on without our house catching on fire because it was sparking and stuff like that from the outlets downstairs

In nearby Newcastle, more than 11 inches of rain fell in just over a day, an amount with only about one in a thousand chance of happening in any given year

And the water is still moving through the region. Authorities ordered evacuations along the Whitewater River Thursday night as it rose to dangerous levels

Indiana Governor Mike Braun has declared a statewide disaster emergency and mobilized the National Guard

So every state agency involved has been on alert since we watched it happening in real time

We've got the National Guard involved up in the northwest because of all the debris

trees down everywhere. Here there will be a Black Hawk helicopter. Stay on call because

sadly the forecast says we could get two to four more inches down here. So be prepared, beware

At least three storm-related deaths are confirmed across the region, two in Ohio and one in Indiana

Many already soaked communities are still dealing with rising rivers and the threat of more flooding

Luigi Mangione is expected to plead guilty in federal court later today

in connection with the 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City

The New York Times was first to report the expected plea. NBC News has also confirmed it

Negotiations are still underway, and NBC reports nothing is final until Mangione actually enters that plea in court

Prosecutors accused Mangione of stalking Thompson, than fatally shooting him outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel in December of 2024

Surveillance cameras captured the killing. He is not charged with murder in the federal case

and it is still not clear which of the two remaining stalking-related charges

he is expected to plead guilty to. A conviction could bring a life sentence

But today's expected plea could also have an impact on Mangione's separate murder case

which is supposed to go to trial next month. If he pleads guilty federally, NBC reports his lawyers are expected to try to get some or all of those state charges thrown out

arguing that prosecuting him again would violate double jeopardy protections. State prosecutors are expected to fight that arguing the two cases address different crimes This case has since drawn national attention including a vocal group of supporters who regularly show up for Mangione court appearances President Trump name could soon be back up on the Kennedy Center just two months after a federal judge ordered it taken down

The Kennedy Center board voted Thursday to add a new inscription beneath the building's name, reading

Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump. You'll recall, Cruz added Trump's name to the building last year after the board voted to rename it the Trump Kennedy Center

But a federal judge later ruled that only Congress can change the name of the institution, and workers removed the Trump letters in June

This time, the board is leaving the Kennedy Center name in place, but directing officials to honor Donald Trump for his work on the center by, quote, all legal means

Ohio Congresswoman and Democrat Joyce Beatty, who challenged the earlier name change, said in a statement

this latest development is a transparent effort to circumvent the court's ruling and flies in the face of the statutes that Congress passed

The board also voted to move forward with closing the Kennedy Center's main building for renovations

A newer part of the campus, known as the Reach, would remain open for limited programming and as an active memorial to John F. Kennedy

The judge who blocked the closure plan is now set to review the board's latest decision

Finally this morning, extreme drought in Rome is bringing a piece of ancient history back to the surface

Parts of Nero's Bridge, named for the Roman Emperor, are emerging from the Tiber River as water levels drop

The ancient bridge dates back to the 1st century A.D., not far from where the Vatican sits today

Rome has been grappling with long stretches of hot, dry weather, pushing the Tiber lower than it typically falls during the summer

The bridge once connected the center of Rome to the right bank of the Tiber. And now with parts of it exposed

archaeologists are getting a rare look at a piece of Rome's ancient infrastructure

The ruins are usually hidden beneath the Tiber, but this summer they're back in view

That's pretty neat. Unbiased Updates is the fastest, fairest few minutes of news

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Those are Unbiased Updates for this Friday. We'll see you back here next week. For all of us here at Straight Arrow News, I'm Craig DiGrelli

Have a fabulous Friday and a wonderful weekend. Thank you