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<\/p>\nThe USS Abraham Lincoln has been at sea for more than 260 consecutive days. Now, it’s set to dock in San Diego today. <\/p>\n
Oct 8, 2026<\/p>\n
Updated 8:06 am PT<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth talks to sailors and Marines on the USS Abraham Lincoln on Oct. 7, 2026. The USS Abraham Lincoln is expected to return to San Diego today after spending more than 260 days at sea without a port call. \u00a0(Courtesy of the U.S. Department of Defense)<\/p>\n
Here are the morning\u2019s top stories on Thursday, October 8, 2026: <\/p>\n
The USS Abraham Lincoln returns to San Diego today<\/a> after an intense, months-long deployment to the Middle East. The aircraft carrier spent more than 260 days at sea without a port call, and there have been multiple reports of low morale for the crew.Chico State students rallied yesterday against sexual assault on college campuses<\/a>. It\u2019s part of a nationwide outcry following rape allegations at Cornell University in New York.In the San Joaquin Valley, leaders of a faith-based nonprofit in the San Joaquin Valley announced a new initiative yesterday that trains residents to become \u201cpoll chaplains.\u201d The Merced FOCUS reports that the \u201cpoll chaplains\u201d aim to de-escalate tensions at polling places.<\/p>\n \nUSS Abraham Lincoln\u2019s return\n<\/p>\n The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is due back in San Diego today<\/a>, a homecoming that marks an end to a deployment of more than 10 months that included combat operations, supply shortages and more than 260 consecutive days at sea.<\/p>\n The morale issues among the embarked crew brought on by the arduous nature of this deployment reportedly contributed to at least one sailor jumping overboard.<\/p>\n Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao told Congress last month eight service members in the Lincoln\u2019s battle group attempted suicide \u2014 a number that is close to the suicide attempt rate Navy-wide in 2024, according to a Defense Department report.<\/p>\n Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke with sailors on the carrier\u2019s flight deck Wednesday off the San Diego coast. He said he was responsible for twice extending their deployment and praised the crew\u2019s resilience.<\/p>\n \u201cThere were a few folks in the media who tried to turn the USS Abraham Lincoln into some sort of a symbol \u2014 a symbol of dysfunction, or a symbol of low morale or a symbol of a failed mission,\u201d Hegseth said. \u201cI know it\u2019s the exact opposite.\u201d<\/p>\n Hegseth told the crew the news media often sees \u201csuccess\u201d as a symbol of things gone wrong.<\/p>\n \u201cThey see success, and they see excellence, and they see difficulty and challenge that needs to be overcome \u2026 and they want to \u2026 point at it as, as a symbol of something that was missed or wrong,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \nChico State students rally against sexual assault\n<\/p>\n Chico State students rallied Wednesday<\/a> against sexual assault on college campuses, part of a nationwide outcry following rape allegations<\/a> at Cornell University in New York.<\/p>\n Kassandra Ramondo, a student organizer, said this is a moment to speak up.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been a victim of sexual assault,\u201d Ramondo said. \u201cI just want to use my voice and my power to stand up for that community because sometimes a lot of those survivors don\u2019t have the capacity for that.\u201d<\/p>\n The protest drew more than 100 people on campus, many holding signs reading \u201cI am Jane Doe\u201d in reference to the Cornell case.<\/p>\n \nSan Joaquin Valley \u2018poll chaplains\u2019 try to de-escalate tensions\n<\/p>\n The nonprofit Faith in the Valley are promoting the so-called \u201cpoll chaplains\u201d to encourage voter turnout and dispel misinformation about elections during the election season.<\/p>\n Madeleine Guekguezian is a poll chaplain and a pastor at the United Methodist Church in the city of Merced.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you feel like you want to be a presence of calm \u2014 of trust \u2014 to learn how to de-escalate when folks want to cause a scene around a voting center, then I courage you to leave your contact information,\u201d Guekguezian said.<\/p>\n Faith in the Valley plans to hold several training sessions for volunteers before Election Day on Nov. 3.<\/p>\n The chaplains will still follow election rules, such as standing at least 100 feet away from polling center entrances.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The USS Abraham Lincoln has been at sea for more than 260 consecutive days. 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