The Nightmare on the USS Lincoln

For all their bluster about “warfighters,” this administration seems to be failing the people actually fighting their war.

Apple Podcasts will only work on MacOS operating systems since Catalina . We do not support Android apps on desktop at this time.

These links will only work if you're on the device you listen to podcasts on.

We're sorry, but something went wrong while fetching your podcast feeds. Please contact us at [email protected] for help.

The situation aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier is reportedly dire: broken toilets, shortages of water, rationed, lousy food, little access to laundry, or communication with their families, all while engaged with Iran and its proxies. It’s bad enough that at least two crew members have tried jumping overboard.

But even though this deployment has been three months longer than usual, over the weekend President Trump said it wasn’t “nearly long enough.”

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Rob Gunther, Evan Campbell, Madeline Thames-Ducharme and Patrick Fort.

Paige Osburn is the senior supervising producer of What Next and What Next TBD.

The problem with the news right now? It’s everywhere. And each day, it can feel like we’re all just mindlessly scrolling. It’s why we created What Next. This short daily show is here to help you make sense of things. When the news feels overwhelming, we’re here to help you answer: What next? Look for new episodes every weekday morning.

Lizzie O’Leary is the host of What Next: TBD, Slate’s show about technology, power, and the future. Previously, she created and hosted Marketplace Weekend . She has reported for CNN, Bloomberg News, and the New York Times Magazine, among others. She is also a contributing writer at the Atlantic.