Navy ship without power for 4 days in South China Sea
Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Benfold (DDG 65) conducts routine operations in the South China Sea July 23, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Andrew Novak)
(WASHINGTON) — A power failure aboard a U.S. Navy destroyer operating in the South China Sea last month left the ship’s crew without potable water, hot food, working toilets or air conditioning for four days.
The outage stemmed from an engineering failure aboard the USS Benfold, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, Cmdr. Matthew Comer, a 7th Fleet spokesperson, said in a statement to ABC News.
The incident adds to concerns about the strain on the Navy as it juggles the Iran war and an expanding slate of global commitments.
The Benfold, a 30-year-old ship, was sailing with the George Washington carrier strike group on July 24 when an issue with the ship’s generators caused a complete loss of power aboard the destroyer, according to Comer.
The George Washington strike group is slated to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East, where the carrier and its crew have faced an extended deployment supporting the Iran war.
“There were no injuries to the crew, who demonstrated resilience, grit, professionalism, and unwavering steadiness in their response,” Comer said of the power failure on the Benfold.
It’s unclear why the incident wasn’t disclosed by the sea service at the time.
ABC News reached out to the Navy for more information about the circumstances surrounding the power outage.
The Benfold was towed by contracted tugboats to Subic Bay in the Philippines, arriving July 28, where Navy maintenance specialists met the ship to begin repairs. Sailors were provided food and moved into contracted lodging ashore beginning the following day, Comer said.
Power was restored July 30, and repairs were completed on Aug. 7; the Benfold departed Subic Bay a day later, Comer added.
It’s unclear whether the Benfold returned to its home port of Japan or continued to sail with the Washington.
Stock image of fire hose. (Visoot Uthairam/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Nearly 12,000 residents and over 2,000 structures have been evacuated after a wildfire broke out Tuesday in Washington state, spreading to 250 acres. No injuries have been reported.
The fire was 0% contained as of Tuesday night.
Officials said there “was an urgent need for evacuations,” in a press conference on Tuesday.
“Our teams are working hard to protect your homes. Stay out of the area. Please don’t come back, that makes it very challenging for our crews,” Spokane Fire District 9 Fire Chief Brian Mather said.
The active fire is expected to last a couple of days, according to Mather.
“Wind-driven fires are very, very dangerous. They’re dangerous to work in. They move very rapidly,” Mather said.
“We have a lot of fuel in that area, it’s a very densely populated area, and it’s tough conditions,” Mather said.
There are 10 to 15 aircraft assigned to the fire with more expected, officials said.
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said he has been briefed on the fire and is monitoring the situation closely.
“I just requested a fire management assistance declaration from FEMA, which I expect to be approved this evening. This gives our state access to federal funding for extraordinary costs in fighting this fire,” he wrote in a post on X.
The fire started on Tuesday at around 12:30 p.m., according to Spokane County officials. A red flag warning was issued around 10:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, the Spokane Fire District said.
U.S. President Donald Trump looks on during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (not pictured) on the sidelines of a visit to Zhongnanhai Garden on May 15, 2026, in Beijing, China. Trump and other U.S. officials are finishing up a visit intended to address the Iran conflict, trade imbalances, and the Taiwan situation while establishing new bilateral boards for economic and AI oversight. (Photo by Evan Vucci-Pool/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The Trump administration’s $1.8 billion compensation fund to pay those who claim they were targeted by the Biden administration is now at the center of three federal lawsuits.
The nonprofit watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington on Friday asked a federal judge to halt the creation of the fund, calling it “a jaw-dropping act of presidential corruption.”
Earlier Friday, a coalition of nonprofits and individuals, including a former Jan. 6 prosecutor, filed a complaint in the Eastern District of Virginia, alleging that the creation of the fund bypassed Congress’ authority over federal spending and violated the 14th Amendment’s prohibition on using federal funds “in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States.”
“Created following a collusive agreement between the President and his own administration, this Fund has no congressional authorization, no basis in law, and no accountability,” the lawsuit said.
The CREW lawsuit attempts to establish legal standing by focusing on the purported secrecy of the fund, which it says is in “defiance of federal records preservation and access laws.”
The new suit comes two days after former Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn and Metropolitan Police Department Officer Daniel Hodges, who both defended the U.S. Capitol in 2021 during the Jan. 6 attack, filed a similar lawsuit in D.C. asking a judge to halt the creation and funding of the controversial fund.
The lawsuit filed early Friday was brought by a former federal prosecutor who brought Jan. 6 cases, a law professor who was acquitted after being charged for his actions during an immigration raid, the National Abortion Federation, the nonprofit Common Cause, and the City of New Haven, Connecticut.
“Since its inception, this fund has been on a collision course with the United States Constitution,” the lawsuit said.
The Department of Justice’s launch of the “Anti-Weaponization Fund” — in exchange for President dropping his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS and two other civil claims — has sparked accusations of “collusive litigation” and a bipartisan uproar over the possible use of taxpayer money to pay rioters who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6.
While Trump previously said he was not involved in the creation of the fund, he took to social media on Friday to defend the use of taxpayer money in that manner.
“I gave up a lot of money in allowing the just announced Anti-Weaponization Fund to go forward. I could have settled my case, including the illegal release of my Tax Returns and the equally illegal BREAK IN of Mar-a-Lago, for an absolute fortune. Instead, I am helping others, who were so badly abused by an evil, corrupt, and weaponized Biden Administration, receive, at long last, JUSTICE!” Trump wrote.
Friday’s lawsuit is also alleging that the use of the federal Judgment Fund — an unlimited appropriation used by the federal government to pay court judgments and settlements — to create the “Anti-Weaponization Fund” is an unlawful end-run around Congress’ authority to appropriate money.
The lawsuits precede the establishment of the fund itself, which, according to the settlement agreement between Trump and the DOJ, is to be created by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche within 30 days. As part of the arrangement, Blanche is to appoint a five-commissioner committee to oversee claims.
Some legal experts have raised concerns about the viability of the lawsuits and if the plaintiffs bringing the cases — including officers who defended the Capitol and a broad coalition of affected parties — will be able to establish legal standing for the case to proceed.
ABC News Legal Contributor James Sample noted that the case filed earlier this week might struggle to establish that the two officers have been directly injured by the proposed creation of the fund.
“There’s no question that they’ve been subjected to threats and harassment, and who knows what else from a security perspective, for the manner in which they’ve spoken out about Jan. 6 since then,” Sample said — but added that “all of those are past injuries that are not fairly traceable to the judgment fund.”
Crews have suspended the search for a missing 5-year-old girl who was swept away in the ocean in Laguna Beach, California. (KABC)
(LAGUNA BEACH, Calif.) — A 5-year-old girl who went missing when she was swept away in the ocean in Laguna Beach, California, has been found dead, city officials said.
Her body was found Thursday morning about one-quarter mile north of where she went into the water, Laguna Beach officials said.
The girl went missing at about 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday near Treasure Island Beach, officials said. She was with her mother and a sibling near the shoreline when the three of them were swept into the ocean by powerful water conditions, the city officials said.
Bystanders ran into the ocean and were able to rescue the mother and one of her children, but the 5-year-old remained missing, officials said.
The search and recovery effort continued on Wednesday, with rescuers working “under challenging and hazardous ocean conditions, including large surf, powerful currents, and limited underwater visibility,” city officials said.
The search ended Wednesday evening after rescuers worked more than 30 hours and covered more than 90 square miles, the Coast Guard announced.
“Our deepest condolences go out to the child’s family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time,” Capt. Stacey Crecy, commander of Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach, said in a statement. “Suspending a search is an extremely difficult decision.”
“This is one of the most heartbreaking incidents I have witnessed during my time serving this community,” Laguna Beach Mayor Mark Orgill said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to the young victim’s family, friends, and all those affected by this tragic loss.”
“I am incredibly proud of the dedication and professionalism demonstrated by our Marine Safety, Fire, and Police personnel, as well as every agency that assisted in this effort,” the mayor added. “These men and women put themselves in harm’s way, entering the same dangerous ocean conditions in an attempt to bring this young girl home to her family.”
