Plus: Ovechkin’s final home opener in DC{beacon} It’s Wednesday, and there is no shortage of news coming to us today...  In today's issue: Hegseth greets crew from USS Abraham LincolnHinson and Turek debate in IowaVance comments on Iran nuclear negotiations Ovechkin's final home opener in D.C. Programming note: We're Joshua Feldstein and Abigail Walker filling in for Cate today.

Please send us your tips, comments and story ideas to jfeldstein@thehill.com and awalker@thehill.com. Join The Hill's Zach Schonfeld and Sophie Brams on The Gavel as they unpack the first week of the new Supreme Court term — including Monday's climate argument and Justice Samuel Alito's new book. Hill Insiders can join the live discussion at 3 p.m. EDT.   ON DEFENSE Hegseth welcomes back USS Abraham Lincoln Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Brian M. Wilbur, U.S. Navy via AP, File Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth today will greet the crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln, which will return to the U.S. this week following its lengthy deployment in the Middle East.

As The Hill's Filip Timotija reports: "According to the Pentagon, Hegseth will speak with the ship’s crew, participate in physical training and eat lunch with the service members while in San Diego."

The Lincoln departed San Diego in November and spent more than 280 days without returning to port. Democrats in Congress demanded answers following reports of poor conditions and mental health crises on board this summer. Trump administration pushed back: "Listen, we make sure that every ship, every crew, every captain has everything we can provide them at every single moment," Hegseth said in August, adding that “some deployments are longer than others."

"The rampant misreporting on Abraham Lincoln’s historic deployment is a disservice to our men and women in uniform and their loved ones," U.S. Central Command, which oversaw the mission, wrote in an August social media post on X.Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao said the media's claims of mistreatment were "trying to paint our warriors as victims."

Follow today’s live blog ➤ WATCH OUT CARTELS: The Pentagon plans to expand missions targeting drug cartels in South America.U.S. Southern Command (Southcom) Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan spoke with The Hill about Southcom's objectives, particularly its “Offensive Campaign Plan.”"

Based on our assessment of what needs to be done, this plan focuses on five core lines of effort: dismantling illicit networks, attacking network logistics, preventing adversary regeneration, bolstering partner sovereignty and security, and building a strong coalition," Donovan said in the interview. For over a year, the U.S. military has been striking small vessels it deemed drug boats. In a recent escalation, the Trump administration put American forces on the ground in Ecuador to collaborate with local authorities and take down traffickers the U.S. now labels as foreign terrorist organizations.

One successful attack allegedly killed a Tren de Aragua gang leader. A senior Pentagon official who spoke on the condition of anonymity told The Hill, "That’s kind of like a graduation of how we’ve been able to work with that country, but certainly not the endpoint. Just kind of like progress along the way. So I think you will expect to see more operations, especially as capabilities begin to start to develop."

The same official added that Guatemala and Honduras have inquired about similar joint missions.   ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL Hawkeye State takes center stage (again): A night after Iowa's gubernatorial candidates, Zach Lahn (R) and Rob Sand (D), duked it out on the debate stage, the Hawkeye State's highly contested Senate race will be in the spotlight Wednesday night. Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa) is set to go up against Democratic opponent Josh Turek in a state that has seen the lead dwindle for Republicans, according to recent polling.

What to watch for: As of late, Hinson has distanced herself from President Trump due to frustrations among Iowans surrounding high gas and grocery prices. In September, Hinson wanted the House to return to session "immediately" over the rising diesel prices thanks to the Iran war — another subject that has split the GOP Senate candidate and Trump. "Iowans are being squeezed and shouldn’t have to foot the bill at the pump or the checkout line for the war in Iran. We need to use every option at our disposal to provide some relief from high prices," Hinson wrote on social media.

All talk on Turek: No Democrat has won a Senate seat in Iowa since Sen. Tom Harkin in 2008, and no presidential candidate has won the state since former President Obama in 2012. But Turek has received Obama's endorsement, something that has only happened twice in this election cycle. A September poll from Marist University shows Turek with an 8-point lead over Hinson, while Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ) lists the state as a toss-up.➤ KEY DEBATE IN THE KEYSTONE STATE:Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) will go head-to-head Wednesday night with state Treasurer and Republican candidate Stacy Garrity, a close ally to President Trump.

Mind on measles: Shapiro has made headlines recently over his feud with Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the state's measles outbreak.RFK Jr. accused Shapiro of failing to cooperate with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), igniting a response from the Pennsylvania Democrat. "Incompetence is letting measles, a disease that was declared eliminated in 2000, reemerge," Shapiro wrote on the social platform X. "Incompetence is spending your time promoting outright lies instead of urging people to get a vaccination that would protect them against this deadly disease.

Incompetence is denying the tragedy of four measles-associated deaths in Pennsylvania." According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the state has now recorded over 1,000 cases of measles, including 198 hospitalizations and five deaths.

Who supports data centers?: Garrity and Shapiro have released ads targeting one another on protecting data centers. Garrity's claimed that Shapiro supported Amazon building data centers in the state last year and bashed the Pennsylvania governor’s 2025 Fast Track data center permitting program. Amazon invested $20 billion in the program to build two facilities in Luzerne and Bucks counties. At the time of the Fast Track data center program, Garrity said it would be a great thing for the state and create thousands of jobs but has since backtracked her remarks.

Shapiro responded to the ad, saying he will not allow his state to "be bullied by developers and bulldozed by the lawyers" working for these tech companies. An August poll from New York Times/Philadelphia Inquirer/Siena has Garrity trailing Shapiro by 15 points. ➤ OTHER DEBATES TO succeed Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.). Arizona 1st Congressional District: Former NFL kicker Jay Feely (R) is set to debate former state Rep. Amish Shah (D).

The winner in November will succeed GOP Rep. David Schweikert.  OTHER NEWS: Vance lays down the law to Iran:Vice President Vance emphasized in an interview with Reuters on Tuesday that Iran must do something "meaningful" related to their enriched uranium to make progress in nuclear negotiations with the U.S."If you don’t want a nuclear weapon, then why do you need 60% enriched fuel? And if you want to show commitment to not building a nuclear weapon, don’t build highly enriched fuel. That’s a very basic threshold issue,” Vance said during the interview.

Not doing anything nuclear: According to a report from The Hill's Laura Kelly, Iran is not looking to build a nuclear weapon with its stockpile of enriched uranium, but the U.S. says otherwise."I think if they want to show a commitment to not building a nuclear weapon, they would do something meaningful on their enrichment capacity," Vance said on Iran's claims.

Leadership questions: Vance noted that Iran's leadership crisis is another reason no deal has been made, but the country's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei stated, "the problem is actually the opposite." Read Kelly’s full report on Vance and Iran here   ➤ QUICK HITS: — The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) is urging Russia to provide more details on the recent death of a researcher at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute in Siberia.

Russian authorities say the woman died from severe pneumonia, drawing international concern. But the WHO chief is now pressing the global superpower for answers on the source of the infection. — A record number of books were banned this year, according to a study from PEN America. Between 2025 and 2026, almost 12,000 books were removed from shelves, primarily in Texas and Florida, which removed 8,100 and 3,200, respectively.

In Texas, the increase in bans may be driven by a September 2025 law restricting titles deemed sexually explicit or harmful. — The execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, the convicted terrorist in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, has been scheduled for December, according to the U.S. Army. Hasan was convicted of shooting unarmed American soldiers at the base, killing 13 people and injuring 32 others. — Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) said she was "horrified" by Trump's remarks at a Monday rally in Nebraska that Iran could "take out" LA and San Diego.

"The role of the president is to protect and defend the American people," Bass told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Tuesday.   ➤ MORE READS: Associated Press: Ebola disease in Congo spreads to new hot spots New York Times: Tropical Storm Isaias Could Become the First Atlantic Hurricane of the Year Politico: Can ‘Berlin’s Mamdani’ convince Jewish Berliners to trust the Left? NBC News: Nobel Prize in chemistry awarded to Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai COMING UP The House and Senate are out.

President Trump is in Washington, then San Antonio for a rally. (All times EDT)  1 p.m.: President Trump will host guests at the White House to make an announcement on Trump Accounts.2:10 p.m.: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks at USS Abraham Lincoln in San Diego7 p.m.: South Carolina 1st Congressional District debate7 p.m.: Trump rally in San Antonio8 p.m.: Iowa Senate debate8 p.m.: Pennsylvania governor debate 8 p.m.: Arizona 1st Congressional District debate10 p.m.: Oregon governor debate INTERNET BUZZ Celebrate: Today is National Frappe Day, so grab your favorite Frappuccino, Dunkin’ Coolata or whatever sweet coffee treat you love!

Tonight is Washington Capitals’ captain Alex Ovechkin’s last home opener at Capital One Arena, as they face familiar foe Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Ovi announced over the weekend that he would be retiring at the end of the season.  AND FINALLY… Because you made it this far, check out this cute family of elephants! Stay Engaged We love hearing from you — send your feedback, tips and favorite cookie recipes to jfeldstein@thehill.com and awalker@thehill.com.

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