Hegseth Honors USS Abraham Lincoln Strike Group With Presidential Unit Citation Ahead of Homecoming
Also in this update: Category 3 Isaias bears down on the Florida Panhandle for an evening landfall; Trump strikes Russian diesel deal with Putin. Trump names Katie Zacharia press secretary; the Supreme Court returns Tuesday after Columbus Day.
At 4 p.m. CDT the National Hurricane Center placed Hurricane Isaias about 90 miles south of Pensacola with 115 mph winds, moving north at 17 mph, and said it is expected to make landfall on the western Florida Panhandle coast this evening with little change in strength. Forecasters warned of storm surge of 6 to 9 feet from the Alabama-Florida border to Grayton Beach, and said hurricane-force winds could reach as far as 100 miles inland into southern Alabama. A gust to 56 mph was already reported at Pensacola Naval Air Station, and 4 to 8 inches of rain, locally up to 15, is expected.
Correction (Oct 9, 2026): An earlier version of this story put the phrase '40 days of combat operations and an ironclad maritime blockade against Iran in support of Operation Epic Fury' inside quotation marks as text from the Presidential Unit Citation. That wording is a news description of the citation, not a direct quote from it. We're sorry for the error.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth flew out to the USS Abraham Lincoln at sea Wednesday and awarded its carrier strike group the Presidential Unit Citation, the military’s highest unit award for valor, one day before the carrier returned to San Diego from a record-setting deployment in support of operations against Iran.
President Trump said Friday that after a call with Vladimir Putin, Russia will immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel, followed by 500,000 tons in November and more after that, and Treasury issued a temporary license allowing Russian diesel onto the global market, AP reported. The U.S. national average diesel price was $6.23 a gallon, according to AAA, after a record $6.52 on Sept. 22. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called it "a weak decision" by strong partners, as U.S. envoys met Ukrainian officials on a peace proposal.
President Trump announced on Truth Social on Friday that he has appointed Katie Zacharia as White House press secretary, the Washington Examiner reported. Trump wrote that she had worked on his campaigns in key swing states and called her "a loyal and brilliant supporter."
The Supreme Court's hearing list marks Monday, Oct. 12, as a legal holiday and sets argument Tuesday, Oct. 13, in Beaird v. United States, a case from the Fifth Circuit. On Wednesday, Oct. 14, the justices hear Salazar v. Paramount Global, with Paul D. Clement arguing for the respondent.
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