After more than 200 demanding days on deployment, the USS Abraham Lincoln has arrived in one of Thailand’s best-known resort destinations, giving its crew a long-awaited chance to step onto dry land.

The US Navy aircraft carrier pulled into Pattaya on Wednesday, the Navy said, with roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard set to enjoy a period of rest and recovery before the ship begins its journey back to the United States.

For the American service members, the port call comes as a welcome pause after being at sea since November 21 while operating amid the war in Iran.

Local leaders in Pattaya are also looking beyond this visit, hoping the seaside city can grow into an “important vacation spot” for US troops on future deployments, Newsweek reports.

Mayor Poramase Ngampichet reportedly told American military officials that Pattaya would be pleased to host more US service members in the years ahead, whether they are visiting for military exercises or taking time off before returning home.

Pattaya had started off as a fishing village, but became a tourism center during the Vietnam War, when US servicemembers were stationed nearby.

It has since developed a reputation for sex tourism, but ahead of the ship’s arrival on Wednesday, authorities in the city launched a crackdown on prostitution. 

Police raids over the weekend saw 40 to 50 people detained with additional patrols in place for the main beachfront and nightlife district, the Independent reports. 

But city officials have also implemented a series of rules for the sailors after speaking with American military officials.

Under the agreement, service members are banned from engaging in certain recreational activities like parasailing and cannabis use, which was legalized in Thailand in 2022, according to the Guardian. 

And while famed nightlife area Walking Street will be opened to sailors, they must leave by 2am. 

Any US service member found violating Thai law will be prosecuted accordingly, City Police Chief Anek Srathongyoo vowed.

Unlike in the United States, vapes and e-cigarettes are illegal in Thailand, and anyone caught possessing one can face up to five years in prison. 

The country also has strict laws against insulting the country’s monarchy – which could see violators sentenced to 15 years in prison. 

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In preparation for the deluge of US servicemembers, authorities in Pattaya have stepped up security, adding more police officers in popular areas along the beach and in the bustling downtown area. 

Meanwhile, business owners across the city eager awaited the arrival of the sailors, with some businesses displaying banners reading: ‘Welcome all US military personnel. Thank you for your service’ and ‘All Welcome’ next to a silhouette of the aircraft carrier.

The ship’s arrival in Thailand comes just weeks after the USS George Washington was forced to abandon its post in the Pacific Ocean to relieve the strained sailors of the USS Abraham Lincoln.

The sailors onboard had reportedly experienced horrific conditions that led some service members to experience suicidal ideation due to dwindling morale.

The wife of one of the sailors even described the ship as a ‘floating metal prison’ with appalling conditions as she slammed President Donald Trump for downplaying family members’ concerns. 

The unidentified woman said that her husband described the experience aboard the aircraft carrier stationed in the Middle East as ‘the worst deployment he’s ever been on.’

‘This is not his first deployment. This is not his first time being out there, and he is saying that it is the worst deployment that he’s ever been on. And he also says that his shipmates say the same,’ she told CNN‘s Jake Tapper.

Since the beginning of the war in Iran, reports have surfaced of food shortages and rationing aboard the Lincoln, accompanied by photographs of sailors’ meals.

‘It’s not just the quality; it’s the quantity,’ the sailor’s wife told the outlet. ‘It’s the rationing. The portions are awful, so it’s really not good.’ 

Remaining anonymous out of fear of retaliation against her husband, the woman added that her spouse, who she said is typically unaffected by work stressors, ‘feels himself being angrier and more frustrated.’ 

‘You’re stuck in a floating metal prison, essentially, in the middle of the water, eating prison-like food with the same people in the same bunk beds in the same small quarters for 200 days, 250 days, you start to go a little insane working 12 hours, getting four or five hours of sleep,’ she continued.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated. 

A young man with plans

The ankle monitor

His final conversations

An Arizona man is accused of leaving his elderly mother in such severe neglect that maggots were found in her bed sores, while he allegedly spent his time sexting and collecting her Social Security payments in the period leading up to her death, according to court records released Monday.

Allen Page is facing murder charges after he contacted a hospice nurse on Sept. 18, 2025, to evaluate his 84-year-old mother, Mary Elenz, AZ Family reported. When medical personnel arrived, they discovered Elenz in what authorities described as an appalling condition.

Elenz, who was still alive but unresponsive, was found with her skin stuck to filthy sheets as flies swarmed around her body and maggots emerged from open wounds, newly released court documents said.

The hospice nurse who responded was so shaken by the scene that she began crying while recounting it, calling it “the most horrific thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” according to the court filings.

Medical authorities transported Elenz to nearby Hospice of the Valley, where doctors also determined she was malnourished. She died the following day, the documents stated.

The Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner determined her cause of death was pneumonia complicated by skin wounds, and said that neglect played a role. 

Investigators interviewed Page, who initially had inconsistent stories about how he’d taken care of his mother, including when the last time he’d had a nurse visit was or how frequently he cleaned and bathed her, according to records. 

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The dirtbag was also discovered sexting several people in his mother’s final days, all while insisting to friends that his mother was, in fact, fine, records show. 

Page, who hadn’t worked since 2022, also received a $1,600 deposit into his bank account from his mother every time she was paid by Social Security, police said. 

According to cops, the man-child would use the money for himself instead of putting it toward his mother’s care. 

Documents also show several allegations of abuse against Elenz by Page dating back to 2019, but the cases were closed after they were unable to be substantiated.  

Page’s wife had also slammed her husband as a compulsive liar and charged that he was errant in his duty to consistently keep his mother clear, not changing her diaper or bathing her enough.

Cops booked Page into jail on a charge of second-degree murder and of intentional adult abuse, as well as charges for the ownership of several guns, which he was prohibited from having due to a prior conviction. His bail was set at $1 million cash.

Page’s legal representation could not be reached for comment.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

A retired Massachusetts Superior Court judge is rejecting the idea that Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial is inevitably headed for a hung jury, saying jurors could still reach a verdict even after telling the court Tuesday that they were deadlocked.

Clancy, 36, is charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of her children — Cora, Dawson and Callan, each younger than 6 — who were found strangled inside the family’s home in January 2023.

The jury was sent home Tuesday after deliberating for more than 23 hours across four days.

In a note sent to Judge William Sullivan on Tuesday, jurors said that “after many hours of deliberation, we are unable to come to a unanimous decision.” He directed them to resume their work.

“I brought you back out because I know that this was a long trial. All right, I know there were over 80 witnesses. There were over 300 exhibits. Because of that, I’m going to ask you to go back out, keeping in mind all of the instructions that I gave you to go out and to continue your deliberations at this time. All right. And so with that, I’m going to ask you to go back out. Like I said, keep in mind the instructions I gave you reviewing the evidence, and I’d ask you to, resume your deliberations at this time,” Sullivan said.

The jurors deliberating in Clancy’s murder trial are discussing several options, which include first-degree murder, second-degree murder, voluntary or involuntary manslaughter, not guilty by reason of lack of criminal responsibility (insanity) or not guilty.

Retired Massachusetts Superior Judge Jack Lu told News Media that the deadlock note doesn’t necessarily signal a mistrial is likely, and said a verdict is still possible.

“It is common for juries that eventually reach a verdict, especially in highly emotional cases, to initially report that they are deadlocked. So you could see a unanimous verdict later in this case,” Lu said. “There should be no rush to judgment.”

“These jurors are deciding a difficult, difficult, difficult societal issue. No future jury and nobody else is going to be in a better position to decide these issues… it’s a critical public service,” he added.

Lu said that Sullivan was “150% correct” in not issuing a Tuey-Rodriguez charge to the jury today, which would have encouraged the jurors to keep deliberating toward a unanimous verdict. The instruction is used carefully in Massachusetts to avoid pressuring any individual juror, and Lu said giving it now would have been premature.

The retired judge said it was “still a little early” to read the deadlock as a sign the jury will ultimately hang.

“It’s still too early, and we could go much longer on these deliberations, and it would be totally legitimate,” he said.

Jurors will return on Wednesday morning at 9 a.m. to resume deliberations.