USS Abraham Lincoln leaves Middle East after 9-month deployment

The USS Abraham Lincoln has left the Middle East, and its sailors and Marines are heading back home after their nine-month deployment, a U.S. official confirmed to CBS News on Thursday. The Japan-based USS George Washington, another U.S. aircraft carrier, has arrived in the Middle East to replace the USS Lincoln. Family members have voiced worries about deteriorating mental health conditions aboard the ship, as well as sanitary conditions and food shortages. The USS Abraham Lincoln and its roughly 5,000 crew members left San Diego on Nov. 21. The war with Iran, which began in February, extended the mission and intensified their workload. The ship has served as a launch point for thousands of aircraft flights supporting the strikes. Family members' concerns, as articulated in the Military Times and Stars and Stripes, have raised alarm bells on Capitol Hill. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and President Trump sought to dismiss those concerns, with Mr. Trump saying the ship hadn't been deployed long enough. Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao said media coverage of the conditions has been "dishonest." U.S. Central Command Adm. Brad Cooper tried to address complaints by visiting the U...