By LOLITA C. BALDOR

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the Navy to rename the USNS Harvey Milk, a highly rare move that will strip the ship of the moniker of a slain gay rights activist who served as a sailor during the Korean War.

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U.S. officials say Navy Secretary John Phelan put together a small team to rename the replenishment oiler and that a new name is expected this month. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said the next name had not yet been chosen.

The change was laid out in an internal memo that officials said defended the action as a move to align with President Donald Trump and Hegseth’s objectives to “re-establish the warrior culture.”

It marks the latest move by Hegseth and the wider Trump administration to purge all programs, policies, books and social media mentions of references to diversity, equity and inclusion. And it comes during Pride Month — the same timing as the Pentagon’s campaign to force transgender troops out of the U.S. military.

The decision was first reported by Military.com. Phelan’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

The USNS Harvey Milk was named in 2016 by then-Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, who said at the time that the John Lewis-class of oilers would be named after leaders who fought for civil and human rights.

Milk, who was portrayed by Sean Penn in an Oscar-winning 2008 movie, served for four years in the Navy before he was forced out for being gay. He later became one of the first openly gay candidates elected to public office. Milk served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and had sponsored a bill banning discrimination based on sexual orientation in public accommodations, housing and employment. It passed, and San Francisco Mayor George Moscone signed it into law.

On Nov. 27, 1978, Milk and Moscone were assassinated by Dan White, a disgruntled former city supervisor who cast the sole vote against Milk’s bill.

The ship was christened in 2021, and during the ceremony, then-Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro said he wanted to be at the event “not just to amend the wrongs of the past, but to give inspiration to all of our LGBTQ community leaders who served in the Navy, in uniform today and in the civilian workforce as well, too, and to tell them that we’re committed to them in the future.”

The ship is operated by Military Sealift Command, with a crew of about 125 civilian mariners. The Navy says it conducted its first resupply mission at sea in fall 2024, while operating in the Virginia Capes. It continued to resupply Navy ships at sea off the East Coast until it began scheduled maintenance at Alabama Shipyard in Mobile, Alabama, earlier this year.

While the renaming is rare, the Biden administration also changed the names of two Navy ships in 2023 as part of the effort to remove Confederate names from U.S. military installations.

The USS Chancellorsville — named for the Civil War battle — was renamed the USS Robert Smalls after a sailor and former enslaved person. And the USNS Maury, an oceanographic survey ship originally named after a Confederate sailor, was renamed the USNS Marie Tharp after a geologist and oceanographic cartographer who created the first scientific maps of the Atlantic Ocean floor.

Maritime lore hints as to why renaming ships is so unusual, suggesting that changing a name is bad luck and tempts retribution from the sea gods.

A large federal law enforcement presence drew protests in south Minneapolis Tuesday.

Officials from the FBI, ATF and Department of Homeland Security gathered with tactical vehicles at the corner of Lake Street and Bloomington Avenue late that morning.

The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, in a statement posted online, said the operation was for the execution of a search warrant as part of a criminal investigation.

“The incident was not related to any immigration enforcement,” the sheriff’s office reported. It said its deputies partnered with federal agencies to execute “multiple search warrants at multiple locations in the metro area.”

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey posted a statement saying that the incident “was related to a criminal search warrant for drugs and money laundering and was not related to immigration enforcement.” He said no one was arrested.

While Minneapolis police were at the scene once the operation started, Frey said their presence was only for crowd control.

The FBI told MPR News that the agency was “conducting court authorized law enforcement activity,” and that it did not have any other information to share.

But the incident in south Minneapolis happened amid heightened concerns over federal immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota and across the country — concerns that prompted protesters to gather in the area.

Some attempted to block law enforcement vehicles from leaving the area on Lake Street. MPR News journalists at the scene witnessed protesters throw tires and other items in front of departing vehicles.

At least one law enforcement officer appeared to deploy a chemical irritant in response.

There were no immediate details on any injuries in connection with Tuesday’s law enforcement action or subsequent protests.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara was seen walking with federal agents at the scene.

Minneapolis police said they were not given any advance notice of a federal operation in the city; the department said it responded to the area once the operation was underway, and after the crowd had gathered.

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Hip hop star Lil Wayne will return to Minneapolis’ Target Center on Aug. 20.

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday through Ticketmaster. Tyga and Belly Gang Kushington are also on the bill.

Born Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., the 42-year-old rapper known as Lil Wayne has released 29 singles that went platinum or better, including “Lollipop,” “Got Money,” “Drop the World,” “6 Foot 7 Foot,” “Love Me” and, most recently, 2021’s “Gang Gang.” He’s also hit platinum more than 40 times serving as a guest on singles from other artists.

But he’s had his share of troubles, including an eight-month prison stint in 2010 on a weapon charge, a series of seizures that required hospitalization and messy, public battles with his record label. He’s also become notoriously unreliable as a live act, particularly in the Twin Cities. He headlined successful local arena shows in 2009 and 2011, but canceled his next three metro area concerts at the last minute, including a March 2017 Target Center show he pulled the plug on at 10:32 p.m., after several opening acts had already performed.

More recently, Lil Wayne headlined the Soundset Festival at the Minnesota State Fair in 2019 and shared the bill with Blink-182 at St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center later that year. In 2023, he played a club gig at the Fillmore Minneapolis.

“Tha Carter VI,” the sixth in his series of semi-autobiographical albums, is due out Friday after years of delays.

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Vikings legendary defensive lineman Jim Marshall — a founding member of the Purple People Eaters that dominated in the 1960s and 1970s — died on Tuesday following a lengthy hospitalization. He was 87.

Though he was born in Wilsonville, Kentucky, and went to high school and college in Columbus, Ohio, Marshall eventually made a home in the Twin Cities thanks to an illustrious career with the Vikings.

As much as his stats speak for themselves when looking at Marshall’s impact, his toughness was undoubtedly his calling card when it comes to his legacy. There aren’t many people on the planet that embodied what it meant to play for the Vikings quite like he did.

In a statement released on Tuesday following the announcement of his death, the Wilf family mourned the loss of Marshall while praising him for everything he meant to the Vikings during his life.

“No player in Vikings history lived the ideals of toughness, camaraderie, and passion more than the all-time iron man. A cornerstone of the franchise from the beginning, Captain Jim’s unmatched durability and quiet leadership earned the respect of teammates and opponents throughout his 20-year career. Jim led by example, and there was no finer example for others to follow. His impact on the Vikings was felt long after he left the field. Jim will always be remembered as a tremendous player and person. Our hearts are with his wife, Susan, and all of Jim’s loved ones.”

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