Hegseth Directs Navy to Rename Ship Previously Honoring Harvey Milk.

3 weeks ago 1

PULSE POINTS:

❓What Happened: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the U.S. Navy to rename the oiler ship USNS Harvey Milk, originally named after gay rights activist Harvey Milk, who had a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old runaway boy while he was in his thirties.

👥 Who’s Involved: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and the late Harvey Milk.

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📍 Where & When: The renaming order was issued at the start of Pride Month in June of 2025, affecting a ship named in 2016 during a San Francisco ceremony.

⚠️ Impact: The decision has sparked criticism from Democratic leaders, but draws attention to Milk’s controversial relationship with underage boy Jack Galen McKinley.

IN FULL:

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed the U.S. Navy to rename the USNS Harvey Milk, a ship named in honor of the late gay rights activist and politician. The order, issued at the start of Pride Month, was revealed through a memorandum issued by the Department of Defense (DoD).

The USNS Harvey Milk was named in 2016 during a ceremony in San Francisco. Milk, a Navy veteran, became the first openly gay elected official in California in 1977, serving on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors before being assassinated in 1978. However, Milk also had a sexual relationship with an underage runaway, Jack Galen McKinley, while he was in his thirties, which has led many conservatives to challenge the status he has been awarded as a civil rights hero.

This renaming initiative is reportedly part of Hegseth’s broader efforts to “reestablish the warrior culture” within the military. Since assuming his role, Hegseth has worked to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, aiming to restore what he refers to as the “warrior ethos.”

In addition to the USNS Harvey Milk, other ships on a Navy renaming recommendation list include the USNS Thurgood Marshall, USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg, USNS Harriet Tubman, USNS Dolores Huerta, USNS Lucy Stone, USNS Cesar Chavez, and USNS Medgar Evers.

The decision has drawn sharp criticism from Democratic leaders. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) condemned the move, stating, “The reported decision by the Trump Administration to change the names of the USNS Harvey Milk and other ships in the John Lewis-class is a shameful, vindictive erasure of those who fought to break down barriers for all to chase the American Dream.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) also expressed outrage, calling the renaming “disgusting, blatant discrimination—and during Pride Month to boot.” He added that Milk “served the U.S. Navy and his country honorably, and he was assassinated while serving the public and fighting for LGBTQ+ rights.”

Schumer did not reference Milk’s unlawful relations with McKinley.

Jack Montgomery contributed to this report.

PULSE POINTS:

❓What Happened: Elon Musk publicly criticized President Donald J. Trump’s flagship tax and spending bill, calling it a “disgusting abomination.”

👤Who’s Involved: Elon Musk, President Donald Trump, Speaker Mike Johnson, Senator Rand Paul, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, and Senator Chuck Schumer.

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🧾Key Quote: “Shame on those who voted for it,” Musk wrote on X.

⚠️Fallout: The rebuke could signal an impending rift between Musk, who recently departed the administration, seemingly on good terms, and President Trump.

📌Significance: Musk’s break with the Trump administration is his most direct since leaving government service at the end of May.

IN FULL:

Elon Musk lashed out at President Trump’s landmark tax and spending legislation on Tuesday, calling the bill a “disgusting abomination” and accusing lawmakers of saddling Americans with unsustainable debt.

Musk’s remarks came just days after his departure from the Trump administration, where he had served as the frontman for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative aimed at cutting government waste, with mixed results.

In posts on his X platform, Musk said the bill would raise the deficit to $2.5 trillion and was filled with “outrageous” pork-barrel provisions. “Shame on those who voted for it,” he wrote.

The bill, passed by the House in May, would extend Trump’s first-term tax cuts, cut taxes on tips, overtime, and social security, boost border security and defense spending, and raise the debt ceiling to $4 trillion. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated it would increase the deficit by at least $600 billion in the coming fiscal year.

President Trump’s Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, responded to Musk’s criticism by saying the America First leader “already knows where Elon Musk stood on this bill.”

Members of the administration, such as Stephen Miller, have explained to Musk that substantial cuts cannot be achieved in the “one big beautiful bill” because it is a reconciliation bill. Under the law, the reconciliation process can only impact discretionary spending. Most federal agency budgets, which Musk’s DOGE cuts impact, are considered nondiscretionary spending, and must be dealt with separately.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said he spoke with Musk about the bill for 20 minutes earlier this week and noted that its phasing out of certain tax credits may affect Musk’s Tesla company. “I just deeply regret he’s made this mistake,” Johnson said.

Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky has said he won’t support the measure if it includes raising the debt ceiling. “The GOP will own the debt once they vote for this,” Paul said.

So far, Trump has held fire against Musk, who is also avoiding attacking Trump directly, instead stressing that the bill is “Congressional.” However, Trump has fired back against Rand Paul on social media, arguing he has “very little understanding of the bill” and that “the people of Kentucky can’t stand him.”

Despite the friction, Senate Majority Leader John Thune signaled the GOP would “proceed full speed ahead.” The administration has set a July 4 deadline to pass the legislation.