U.S. Briefs: Trump launches new shipyard in Maryland

The World Bank

Maryland is getting a new shipyard under a public-­private deal expected to create more than 3,100 ­manufacturing jobs and help produce submarines for the U.S. Navy. President Donald Trump announced the deal during an Oct. 6 ceremony at Sparrows Point. The Navy awarded defense-technology company Anduril a contract worth up to $2.9 billion to manufacture components and large assemblies for Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarines that will be completed by prime contractors in Connecticut and Virginia. Anduril will invest $3.7 billion to build a 2-million-square-foot facility (the size of roughly 35 football fields) at the Baltimore-area site, once among the nation’s busiest yards before it closed more than 20 years ago. Arsenal-2 will be the largest new U.S. shipyard since World War II, according to Trump, and should begin operations in 2030. Virginia-class submarines are being delivered an average of four years late and over budget, due to workforce shortages, supplier constraints, and Navy changes during construction, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Analysts say the nation’s shipyards will need to increase production significantly to meet the Navy’s requirements. —Todd Vician

Montana

Filming for a con­servative movie resumed after a city commission unanimously reinstated its permit on Oct. 5. The city of Livingston suspended filming two days earlier amid complaints from residents and businesses about production of Pawn Shop, a Daily Wire–­affiliated movie about an ICE agent. Residents raised concerns about simulated gunfire and street closures, while a local food bank said the production deterred some clients from visiting. Residents also described feeling intimidated by the set’s security guards. Producers said they had canvassed filming areas and posted required notices. Daily Wire co-founder Ben Shapiro accused Livingston officials of targeting the film over its politics, saying the suspension amounted to “content discrimi­nation,” a First Amendment violation. —Kim Henderson

Florida

Gov. Ron DeSantis declared the state’s effort to fight Medicaid fraud a success in early October. Investigators have referred more than 150 cases of suspected theft to the state attorney general for possible prosecution. Since January, the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) has terminated contracts with more than 220 healthcare providers and suspended payments to 260 others. Florida began cracking down on fraud after federal officials called the state a longtime “hotspot for health care fraud.” Investigators identified applied behavior analysis (ABA) programs, typically for children with autism, as having a heightened fraud risk due to billing patterns. After switching ABA services to managed care plans, the state saved nearly $1 billion. —Claire Wilkerson

Law Enforcement Today / Facebook

Washington

Seattle officials began dismantling a sprawling homeless encampment in the city’s south after gunfire broke out there in late September. The incident reignited intense backlash among neighbors who had warned the city about the area’s hazards for years. What began as one vehicle and a pile of trash in 2024 morphed into a full-blown community of haphazard dwellings, tents, cars, and mounds of garbage. Local business owners stated in a notice of claim that the city’s delay and lack of coordination enabled the encampment to grow and increased cleanup costs. Residents complained multiple times about criminal activity, break-ins, and environmental dangers. The simmering violence boiled over when a man in an SUV shot another man whose truck was blocking the unpaved road through the encampment. “We told them that at some point it’s going to get worse and worse and somebody is going to die,” Peter Eastey, who runs a local business called Jack’s Pay-Less Auto Parts, told KomoNews. The cleanup process began in early October and will likely take several weeks. The city is offering housing to former encampment residents. —Addie Offereins

New York

Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state disaster emergency over a measles surge in rural areas and neighboring states. Hochul’s executive order expands the network of providers who can administer the two-dose measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine to include paramedics, pharmacists, and midwives. This year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recorded more than 4,000 measles cases as of Oct. 1, making it the worst U.S. outbreak in over 30 years. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. supports the MMR vaccine, but his agency has sparked controversy for recommending other changes to the childhood vaccine schedule. Critics blame that for falling MMR vaccination rates, and New York has joined 15 other states suing the Trump administration over the changes. Health policy research group KFF reported 92.4% of 5-year-olds got the MMR vaccine ahead of the 2025–2026 school year—a drop from 95% six years before. CDC data shows 95% of people who contracted measles this year were unvaccinated or had unknown vaccine status. —Grace Snell

Greenland Wildlife Overpass Colorado DOT

The World Bank

Colorado

North America’s largest wildlife overpass is providing safe passage over Interstate 25 for elk and pronghorn herds. The Greenland Wildlife Overpass opened in December and the Colorado Department of Transportation caught on camera the first elk crossing in June. In addition to elk and pronghorn, cameras have spotted bears, deer, and ­coyotes traversing the 209-by-200-foot bridge. The overpass, located between Denver and Colorado Springs, cost $15 million to build. It allows expanded breeding opportunities for herds through strategically placed fencing that guides the animals to cross the highway into previously inaccessible areas. Five wildlife underpasses allow smaller species to travel safely. Researchers expect to see the genetic results in the elk population by early 2027. The overpass has also improved safety for humans by reducing vehicle collisions with wildlife by 91%. Transportation officials hope to create similar crossings across the state with future federal grant funding. —Claire Wilkerson