00:01Finally, heading home. After a record 272 straight days at sea, the USS Abraham Lincoln is on its way back,
00:08but its replacement leaves a new gap in the Pacific.
00:12Plus, sent somewhere else, the U.S. begins deporting people to Liberia, even when it's not their home country.
00:19And start your engines. IndyCar takes over the streets of Washington this weekend, with drivers flying through the capital at
00:27nearly 190 miles an hour.
00:31The stories that matter, clear and credible, from across the country to around the world. These are your Unbiased Updates
00:39from Straight Arrow.
00:43Good morning, I'm Craig DiGrelli. This morning, the USS Abraham Lincoln is finally heading home after spending a record 272
00:51straight days at sea without a port call, and after recent reports raised concerns about conditions aboard the carrier.
00:58The Lincoln and its roughly 5,000 crew members left San Diego November 21st, and the Pentagon extended the deployment
01:06in February after the war with Iran began.
01:09By the time the carrier started its journey home Thursday, the crew had spent 272 consecutive days at sea without
01:16pulling into port.
01:18The long deployment has drawn attention on Capitol Hill, with reports of dwindling food and supplies,
01:23strain on sailors' mental health, and at least one man overboard.
01:28The Trump administration disputes most of those claims, and says the sailor who went overboard was rescued.
01:34President Trump also dismissed concerns about the length of the deployment a few days ago, saying it was, quote,
01:40not nearly long enough.
01:42That was a CNN fake report.
01:44The Lincoln has been out there for a period of time, a good period of time, but over the years
01:52we've had him out there much longer.
01:53I was at a group meeting and an admiral came up to see me over the weekend.
01:59And it was at a big group, and he happened to be an admiral, retired.
02:02He said, I've been on ships that are out there much longer than that, sir, and I know people on
02:07the Lincoln,
02:07they say it's beautifully maintained and beautifully taken care of.
02:11And other people went out and they found out to be true.
02:14It was fake news reporting from CNN.
02:16The Lincoln is being replaced by the Japan-based USS George Washington, which arrived in the Middle East Wednesday.
02:23But that move creates another issue.
02:26With George Washington now in the Middle East, there is no U.S. aircraft carrier in the Pacific.
02:31And the Pentagon has not said how long that will last, or how long the George Washington will remain in
02:37the Middle East.
02:38The Trump administration has sent its first group of so-called third-country deportees to Liberia,
02:44meaning people deported to a country that is not their own.
02:47About 20 people from different countries landed outside Liberia's capital, Monrovia, on Thursday.
02:54CBS News reports a small group refused to get off the plane and had to be escorted off by American
02:59officials.
03:00They later returned to the plane, and CBS says their whereabouts were not immediately known.
03:06Liberia has agreed to take up to 1,200 third-country deportees from the U.S. over the next year,
03:11including people from Africa, North and South America, and the Caribbean.
03:16They will also be allowed to apply for asylum in Liberia.
03:19Liberia is also where the Trump administration is trying to send Kilmar Abrego Garcia,
03:24who was wrongfully deported to El Salvador last year,
03:27then returned to the U.S. to face human smuggling charges.
03:31The federal judge has blocked that deportation for now.
03:34In a separate immigration move Thursday, the U.S. deported more than 160 people to Haiti.
03:39They are the first group sent back since the Trump administration won its legal fight
03:44to end temporary protected status for some 350,000 Haitians.
03:49The group included people who had been protected under TPS,
03:52along with other Haitian nationals, including some who had served prison sentences.
03:58Back in this country, federal agents have seized former Congressman Eric Swalwell's phone and laptop
04:04and searched his Washington home as a federal investigation to sexual assault allegations against him expands.
04:11The former California Democrat has denied the allegations,
04:15but CNN reports four women have now been contacted by the FBI as part of the investigation.
04:21Federal agents with a search warrant confronted Swalwell at San Francisco International Airport last Saturday night.
04:28Court records reported on by The New York Times show they seized his iPhone and MacBook.
04:33The next day, agents searched his home in Washington.
04:36The Daily Mail first reported the searches on Thursday.
04:39The San Francisco Standard obtained the warrant, which was filed last week,
04:43and cites a federal civil rights law that prohibits public officials from using their authority
04:49to deprive someone of constitutional rights.
04:51It is not yet clear how prosecutors believe that law may apply here.
04:56Swalwell resigned from Congress and dropped out of the California governor's race in April
05:01after several women accused him of sexual misconduct.
05:05One former staffer accused him of raping her in 2024 when she was too intoxicated to consent.
05:12Swalwell has repeatedly denied the allegations.
05:15A White House aide who was barely known outside Washington a week ago
05:19is now becoming something of a headache for the White House.
05:23Natalie Harp, one of President Trump's closest and most constant aides,
05:28is back in the spotlight after new reporting about her security clearance.
05:32Harp is the president's executive assistant and is frequently at his side,
05:37traveling with him, handling information he sees, and helping with his social media posts.
05:42Earlier this week, MSNOW reported that Harp repeatedly declined to complete
05:46the process for a routine security clearance for more than a year.
05:50The outlet says she eventually finished the paperwork
05:53after concerns were raised inside the White House.
05:56She has since received a clearance.
05:58The White House is pushing back, though its response does not directly address
06:02whether Harp went without a clearance before receiving one.
06:05In a statement, Press Secretary Caroline Levitt said,
06:09Natalie Harp has a security clearance, like everyone else,
06:12and she is a loyal and hardworking member of President Trump's team.
06:16Harp's name was already getting attention this week
06:18after Democratic Senator John Ossoff of Georgia took shots at Trump
06:22during a campaign speech last weekend,
06:24saying the president would rather build his ballroom and travel with Natalie
06:28than do his job.
06:30The remarks set off a response from the White House
06:32with the president referring to Ossoff as Pee Wee Herman.
06:36And there's now been speculation about Harp's relationship with Trump.
06:39On Thursday, First Lady Melania Trump made her first public appearance
06:43in more than a month and had a little fun
06:45with the attention surrounding her own absence.
06:48I heard you missed me.
06:51Here I am.
06:54The Navy is considering a name change
06:57for one of its future aircraft carriers,
07:00replacing the name of a black World War II hero,
07:03Doris Miller, possibly with President Trump's.
07:06The Ford-class carrier is already under construction
07:09and has been set to become the USS Doris Miller
07:12since the Navy announced the name during Trump's first term in 2020.
07:16But Navy leaders have been discussing a possible name change for months.
07:20NBC News and CNN report Trump is among the names being considered.
07:25If the ship keeps Miller's name,
07:27it will become the first U.S. aircraft carrier named for a black American
07:31and the first named for an enlisted sailor.
07:34Miller was a mess attendant aboard the USS West Virginia
07:37when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor
07:39at a time when black sailors were largely restricted to service roles.
07:44Despite having no training on the anti-aircraft gun he took over,
07:48Miller opened fire on Japanese planes
07:50and helped move wounded sailors to safety.
07:53He later became the first black service member
07:56to receive the Navy Cross.
07:58Miller was killed in 1943
07:59when enemy forces torpedoed his ship during World War II.
08:03CNN reports one option under discussion
08:06would put Miller's name on another warship
08:09and recommend him for the Medal of Honor.
08:11He has previously been nominated for that award,
08:14but it has never been approved.
08:16And naming the carrier for Trump would make history of a different kind.
08:19No U.S. aircraft carrier has ever been named for a sitting president.
08:24Finally this morning, start your engines.
08:27IndyCar is taking over the streets of Washington this weekend
08:30with drivers racing past some of the country's most famous landmarks
08:34at super-fast speeds.
08:36It's called the Freedom 250 Grand Prix,
08:39part of the celebration of America's 250th birthday.
08:42The chorus winds through seven turns along the National Mall,
08:47147 laps and 250 miles in all,
08:50making this the first-ever IndyCar race in Washington, D.C.
08:54And get this, drivers will go flying up Pennsylvania Avenue
08:58at speeds approaching 190 miles an hour.
09:02Organizers expect about 140,000 people to line the streets for Sunday's race.
09:07President Trump will be there, too,
09:09taking a ceremonial ride in advance of the main event.
09:12Before the engines even start,
09:14people in Washington are already split
09:16over whether this is a great way to celebrate America's birthday.
09:20I personally don't think it's a good idea.
09:23I think it's a waste of taxpayer dollars
09:24at a time when we aren't adequately funding education
09:27and health care and so many other things.
09:29And I think it's kind of a tacky way
09:31to celebrate our country's history
09:33and our 250th anniversary.
09:37There's many more ways that could do that
09:39in a more patriotic, celebratory way.
09:41It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing.
09:42So for us to complain about traffic for a couple of days,
09:45to be able to have a full-blown racetrack
09:47right in the heart of the city that we all live and love,
09:50it's going to be really exciting, and I can't wait to see it.
09:52But, yeah, I think it's going to be a really cool celebration.
09:56Practice and qualifying on Saturday
09:58with the main event Sunday afternoon
10:00starting near the Capital Reflecting Pool.
10:02The price tag, about $35 million.
10:05Roger Penske, the Penske Corporation,
10:07and corporate sponsors are helping foot the bill.
10:11I think I'll tune in to the national news on Sunday night
10:13to see if everything went off without a hitch.
10:16Unbiased Updates is the fastest, fairest few minutes of news.
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10:25We thank you for making us part of your morning routine.
10:28Those are your Unbiased Updates for this Friday.
10:30A quick note today.
10:32This is the last time I will wish all of you a wonderful weekend.
10:36Next week, I will be departing from Straight Arrow
10:38after two years of bringing you the news each morning
10:41on Unbiased Updates.
10:43It has been my honor.
10:44In September, I am returning to my television roots
10:47as an anchor and reporter for a news station here in Omaha, Nebraska,
10:51a place my wife and I call home.
10:54I'll see you next week, and at that time, I'll say goodbye.
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