Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner built a national reputation as an anti-corporate crusader while cashing checks written by lobbyists and executives representing those same corporations, campaign finance documents show.

Platner has made criticism of big tech, the pharmaceutical industry, large banks and defense contractors a cornerstone of his campaign to unseat incumbent GOP Sen. Susan Collins. Federal Election Commission and Lobbying Disclosure Act records reviewed by Fox News Digital show that Platner accepted more than $30,000 from lobbyists representing a range of interests and executives at major companies between August 2025 and March of this year.

The donations were made personally by lobbyists and executives, not by the corporations themselves.

"Our new ad speaks to one of the most urgent issues I hear on the campaign trail: our healthcare system is collapsing," Platner posted to X on March 24, referencing a campaign ad where he promised to take on the drug industry if elected to the Senate. "We should shut down Big Pharma, not our hospitals."

UNEARTHED FEC RECORDS EXPOSE VULNERABLE DEM SENATOR'S HYPOCRISY ON TAKING CASH FROM BILLIONAIRES

The Senate hopeful also signed a pledge on March 25 promising to "to put patients over profits" by refusing "contributions over $200 from the executives, lobbyists, and PACs affiliated with the corporate health care industry, including private insurers, pharma corporations, and private hospitals who are organizing to take over our health care system."

Platner, however, months earlier, accepted a $1,000 donation from a lobbyist at Cornerstone Government Affairs who was working as a lobbyist for AbbVie, a major pharmaceutical company, lobbying records show. Shortly after making his post on X, Platner accepted another $1,000 from a lobbyist at Brownstein who represents the drugmakers Novartis and Moderna.

A source at Brownstein told Fox News Digital that Platner's campaign returned their lobbyist's donation, seemingly consistent with his pledge. Cornerstone Government Affairs did not respond to a request for comment.

Platner also criticized Collins for attending an event that was "literally funded by Big Pharma," only to then attend a coffee fundraising event put on by healthcare lobbyists.

"Graham Platner’s faux rage against the oligarchy falls apart the second you follow the money," National Republican Senatorial Committee national press secretary Bernadette Breslin told Fox News Digital. "He’s a shell of a candidate whose phony ‘working-class’ rebrand collapsed before it even got off the ground."

PLATNER’S ONLINE PAST GETS RAUNCHIER WITH CRUDE TAKES ON ‘LATIN AMERICAN HOOKERS,’ CHEATING ABROAD  

Academic research has found evidence that contributions to a member of Congress increase access to their office, suggesting that lobbyist donations are motivated by a desire to shape policy.

Defense contractors have been another target of Platner’s anti-corporate ire on the campaign trail.

On his campaign page, Platner accuses defense contractors of perpetuating "massive waste in procurement" and engaging in war profiteering.

NEW WEBSITE PUTS PLATNER ON NOTICE BY AMPLIFYING SCANDALS: 'ONE RED FLAG AFTER ANOTHER'

"We need to take the funds currently paying for mansions in Virginia and Maryland for defense contractors, and reinvest them into closing the massive shipbuilding gap," his campaign website reads.

Campaign finance and lobbying records, however, show that Platner has accepted thousands of dollars from lobbyists representing major defense contractors such as RTX, Boeing and Anduril.

On banks, Platner has chided Collins for allegedly siding with the interests of big banks over her constituents, while accepting donations from lobbyists representing UBS, Visa and Citigroup and taking cash from a Bank of America executive.

PLATNER'S DELETED REDDIT SPARKS OUTRAGE AGAIN AS HE APPEARS TO MOCK WOUNDED SOLDIER: 'DIDN'T DESERVE TO LIVE'

Speaking about tech, Platner has pledged to break up large firms like Amazon and Google and stated that we will "come after" Jeff Bezos to make sure he pays more taxes. Despite these assurances, Platner has accepted contributions from lobbyists representing Blue Origin, a space technology company founded by Bezos, as well as some working for Amazon, Google and Salesforce.

The banking, tech, pharmaceutical and defense lobbyists who donated to Platner all work for third-party lobbying firms that contract with major corporations to represent their interests in Washington. Google, for example, has no control over who third-party lobbyists decide to make political donations to using their personal funds.

Large corporations, similarly, have no control over who their executives decide to send funds to.

In addition to taking cash from rank-and-file lobbyists, Platner has also accepted donations from executives and partners and multiple lobbying firms.

A partner at Forbes Tate, for example, gave Platner $1,000 at the end of March. Forbes Tate represents clients such as AMD, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Blackstone, Eli Lilly and Co., General Atomics and PhRMA — all of which belong to industries Platner has been critical of. 

He also took $2,350 from senior leadership at Pioneer Public Affairs, a firm that represents the tech company LG and some energy interests, as well as thousands more from executives at the Sony Group Corporation.

While Collins receives considerable support from corporate lobbyists, PACs and executives, she hasn’t been a staunch critic of corporations like Platner. Current campaign finance records only cover up until March, making it likely that Platner has accepted even more money from lobbyists and executives than public documents reveal.

The Platner campaign did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital.

Tennis legend Martina Navratilova says Democrats had a chance to listen about transgender athletes and women’s sex-based rights.

They didn’t.

Navratilova, an 18-time Grand Slam singles champion and one of the most prominent openly gay athletes in sports history, told OutKick in a recent interview that she attempted to get a message to Kamala Harris as Republicans hammered Democrats over the issue of transgender athletes and women’s sex-based rights during the 2024 election.

"I tried to get to Kamala Harris’ campaign," Navratilova told OutKick. "Nobody would listen to me."

MARTINA NAVRATILOVA SAYS BILLIE JEAN KING’S TRANS-ATHLETE STANCE ‘DOESN’T SQUARE’ WITH HER OWN WORDS

OutKick contacted Harris’ office and a former senior communications official for Harris’ 2024 campaign seeking comment on Navratilova’s claim. Neither responded.

For Navratilova, that wasn’t just a campaign problem. It was a Democratic Party problem.

She said the silence from Democrats does not reflect what many of them say privately.

"The politicians, I’ve spoken to some of them, Democrats, and they agree with me. But they said, ‘If I say so publicly, I will get primaried. I will not get reelected,’" Navratilova said.

That leaves Democratic leaders stuck between voters and activists, according to Navratilova.

"Most Democratic voters agree that this is not okay," Navratilova said. "They are against all inclusion and self-ID, and they are for women, but Democrats don’t see how they’re throwing women under the bus this way, and it’s just infuriating."

Polling has shown the issue cuts across party lines. A January 2025 New York Times/Ipsos survey found 67% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning respondents said biological males who identify as girls or women should not be allowed to compete in women’s sports.

Navratilova is not speaking as a conservative outsider.

Navratilova has been publicly out since 1981 and spent decades advocating for gay rights. She still considers herself part of the left.

That’s part of what makes her warning so pointed.

Navratilova said she tried to reach Harris’ campaign through a person connected to the campaign, but couldn’t break through. She said advocates for women’s sex-based rights have run into the same barrier when trying to speak with Democratic lawmakers.

"When we try to get a meeting with the Democratic senators and congresspeople, the staff won’t let us through," Navratilova said. "They’re young people, and they are the ones that control everybody. And they’re the ones that are telling them what’s what."

Navratilova said part of the problem is that Democrats often want to avoid conflict at all costs.

"I mean, we’re Democrats, we want to make everybody happy, right?" Navratilova said. "And women, particularly, they’re taught to be that way, so we don’t want to make anybody mad and upset and hurt, but they’re not seeing the other side, that they’re actually hurting so many women on this front."

That is the heart of the issue, according to Navratilova.

Democrats can talk about inclusion, but biological males entering women’s sports creates consequences for female athletes. It costs them roster spots, podium spots, championships and opportunities.

And Navratilova said those consequences are not limited to college or professional sports.

"It starts at the high school level," Navratilova said.

She pointed to high school athlete AB Hernandez, who won California high school girls’ high jump and triple jump titles in 2025 and defended both state titles in 2026, and other recent cases involving trans-identifying male athletes winning girls’ state championships.

INSIDE THE LAST DANCE OF AB HERNANDEZ

"It’s not just one-off," Navratilova said. "It doesn’t matter how many because one affects everybody around them."

And even one athlete, she argued, can change much more than an individual result.

"Whether they’re on their team or on the opposing team, they win the school championship because the boy won the high jump and now everybody on that team wins and the other team loses because it was not a fair fight," Navratilova said.

Republicans have repeatedly hit Democrats over transgender issues, particularly on biological males in women’s sports. Navratilova said Democrats should not expect that to stop.

"Look how much Trump is bringing it up every chance he gets," Navratilova said. "They are going to keep using it."

One of Trump’s 2024 attack ads targeted Harris over statements she made during the 2019 Democratic primary supporting access to gender-transition procedures for prisoners and detainees, and closed with a simple message: "Kamala’s agenda is they/them, not you."

The ad became one of the clearest examples of what Navratilova says Democrats failed to confront.

"They used it," Navratilova said. "They’re very clever, and it was used against the Democrats in a very effective way."

According to the Associated Press, Harris Deputy Campaign Manager Quentin Fulks called the Trump ad "very effective" and said it made Harris "seem out of touch."

Navratilova’s point is not that the ad alone cost Harris the election. It’s that Democrats made themselves vulnerable on an issue that many voters see as clear-cut.

"I have had so many people say to me, if they can’t say what a woman is, how can I trust them on anything else?" Navratilova said. "Honestly, it’s just so obvious."

She added that the problems go beyond sports.

In her view, Democrats and progressive activists have allowed women’s spaces, awards and opportunities to be redefined in ways that often elevate biological males who identify as women, not females who identify as men.

Sarah McBride became the first openly transgender member of Congress after being sworn in to represent Delaware’s lone House seat. Rachel Levine became the highest-ranking openly transgender federal official in U.S. history after being confirmed as assistant secretary for health under former President Joe Biden.

Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender influencer, was named Woman of the Year by Attitude magazine after the Bud Light controversy.

That is the dynamic Navratilova is talking about.

"Guess who is getting the prizes? Guess who is getting the positions of power?" Navratilova said. "Where is the congresswoman here, or a board of directors here, or head of this charity, or this beauty pageant? It’s always males coming into women’s spaces. It’s not the other way around."

That is why Navratilova believes Democrats are making both a moral mistake and a political one. They are not just losing an argument, she said. They are refusing to have it.

Navratilova tried to warn the Harris campaign.

She says Democratic politicians privately know there’s a problem. But publicly, she says, the party keeps choosing activists over women. And Republicans, Navratilova warned, will keep taking advantage of it.

"If they can’t say what a woman is, how can I trust them on anything else?"

Last week, my organization, the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland on behalf of 17 of Maryland’s 24 sheriffs challenging the state’s newly enacted "Community Trust Act."

This so-called "trust" legislation is nothing less than a dangerous sanctuary mandate that deliberately obstructs cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. We decided to represent these sheriffs because they are on the front lines of public safety, sworn to uphold both the state and federal constitutions, yet they have now been placed in an impossible constitutional bind by Annapolis politicians.

These 17 plaintiffs represent 70 percent of Maryland’s county sheriffs. They came to us not seeking political gain but relief from a law that handcuffs their ability to protect their communities. As executive director and general counsel of FAIR, an organization dedicated to immigration policies that serve America’s national interest, I could not stand by while dedicated officers are ordered to release criminal illegal aliens back into neighborhoods where they pose ongoing threats.

The ironically named "Community Trust Act" prohibits or severely restricts local correctional facilities from honoring U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers, sharing critical information with federal authorities, or detaining removable criminal aliens beyond their scheduled release — except in the narrowest of circumstances. This is not "community trust." The law demands judicial warrants for routine cooperation that federal law already authorizes. It is state-mandated obstruction that turns Maryland into what the sheriffs rightly call an "ultra-sanctuary" state.

MARYLAND LAWMAKERS CLOSER TO PASSING ROADBLOCK TO ICE DEPORTATION EFFORT

I decided to take this case because the human cost of sanctuary policies is no longer abstract; it is measured in the shattered lives of American families. At our press conference, we stood alongside Angel parents Patty Morin, Jim Walden and Tammy Nobles. Patty’s daughter Rachel was brutally raped, beaten, and murdered in 2023, and her body was stuffed into a drainpipe by an illegal alien who had evaded removal thanks in part to lax enforcement and sanctuary protections. Lance Cpl. James (Jimmie) Walden III was killed in 2017 when the motorcycle he was riding was struck by a speeding Mexican national. Tammy lost her daughter Kayla to similar preventable violence. These tragedies were not inevitable. They resulted from policies that prioritize illegal aliens over law-abiding citizens.

Sanctuary laws have failed repeatedly across the country. From New York to California to Chicago, jurisdictions that limit cooperation with ICE have seen surges in crimes committed by individuals who should have been deported long ago. Repeat offenders — convicted of assault, drug trafficking, sexual abuse, and homicide — are released back into communities because local police are prohibited from notifying or assisting what should be federal partners. The data is clear: When cooperation ends, lawlessness increases. Innocent Americans pay with their lives. Maryland is now doubling down on this failed experiment despite the evidence and despite the pleas of its own sheriffs.

This lawsuit is about more than Maryland. It is important for all Americans to oppose sanctuary laws because immigration enforcement is a national responsibility, not a local option. The Constitution’s Supremacy Clause ensures that federal law prevails in areas of national authority like immigration. States cannot nullify federal statutes or commandeer local officers to undermine them. When one state creates safe havens for criminal aliens, it affects every American through increased crime, strained resources, higher taxes, and an eroded rule of law. Criminals cross state lines, and we cannot allow a patchwork of resistance that renders federal immigration policy meaningless.

ANGEL PARENTS SLAM ILLINOIS SANCTUARY LAWS AFTER 'PREVENTABLE' TRAGEDY IN STUDENT'S DEATH

Our sheriffs are not asking for new powers. They simply want to do their jobs without fear of state punishment for complying with federal law. The act forces them to choose between violating their oaths or facing state penalties. By interfering, Maryland is not only endangering its residents but inviting federal preemption challenges.

FAIR has long documented the failures of sanctuary policies. Law-abiding, legal immigrants and citizens alike suffer when criminals are shielded. Police cannot effectively combat gangs, drugs, or human trafficking without full access to immigration databases and detainer authority. The notion that restricting cooperation somehow makes communities safer defies both logic and experience.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION

Gov. Wes Moore allowed the bill to become law without his signature, citing implementation concerns yet refusing to veto it. Sheriffs and citizens deserve better than half-measures and virtue signaling. Public safety demands full enforcement of immigration laws, secure borders, and cooperation at every level of government.

This fight transcends partisan lines. It is about whether we remain a nation of laws or descend into selective enforcement that favors lawbreakers. FAIR stands shoulder-to-shoulder with these Maryland sheriffs because their battle is America’s battle. We will pursue every legal avenue to strike down this dangerous law and restore the ability of law enforcement to keep criminal illegal aliens off our streets.

Americans everywhere should watch Maryland closely. If sanctuary ideology prevails here, it will spread. The stakes are innocent lives — daughters, sons, neighbors — who deserve protection, not political experiments. 

We filed this suit to defend the rule of law, honor the lives of innocent victims like Rachel, Jimmie and Kayla, and ensure that sheriffs can fulfill their sacred duty. For Maryland and for the nation, this reckless policy must be stopped.

A Democratic candidate waging a high-stakes bid for one of the most competitive congressional districts in the country touted connections to a group pushing to keep laxer restrictions around commercial driver's licenses (CDLs) for undocumented immigrants.

Rebecca Cooke, running in Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District to unseat incumbent Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wisc., highlighted an endorsement from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).

"I’m honored to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the hard-working men and women of AFSCME.," Cooke wrote.

Cooke’s alignment with AFSCME continues Democrats' pushback against crackdowns on proof of citizenship status in certain industries.

TRUMP-BACKED VAN ORDEN PROJECTED TO DEFEAT DEM CHALLENGER IN COMPETITIVE WISCONSIN DISTRICT

Cooke did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Over the past year, the Department of Homeland Security has highlighted several instances where Americans were killed by illegal aliens who acquired CDLs.

In one such case, Dawood Hussain, a Pakistani native, was charged in April with vehicular homicide after driving a commercial truck down the wrong way of a highway, killing a U.S. citizen in a collision.

"Illegal aliens should not be operating 80,000-pound tractor-trailers on American roads," USCIS spokesman Matthew J. Tragesser said of the incident.

TRUCKER SLAPPED WITH CHARGES IN FATAL DRIVING INCIDENT PREVIOUSLY IMMIGRATED TO US ILLEGALLY: SOURCE

"This tragedy, like many others, was completely preventable. Under President Trump’s leadership, USCIS remains committed to safeguarding our communities by helping to ensure dangerous illegal aliens are removed from our country, as well as supporting the president’s call for even tougher measures to prevent future truck tragedies."

As states and federal lawmakers evaluate rules surrounding CDLs, AFSCME has pushed back, arguing that the standards should remain open to encourage job maximization — even for illegal immigrants.

The group published a toolkit, instructing businesses on how to circumvent restrictions on CDLs to illegal aliens.

Additionally, the group has sued the Trump administration for imposing federal requirements through the Department of Transportation that would require states to secure proof of lawful immigration status.

Cooke’s alignment with AFSCME is especially noteworthy in Wisconsin, a state with a trucking workforce.

CALIFORNIA TO REVOKE 17,000 COMMERCIAL DRIVER’S LICENSES GIVEN TO IMMIGRANTS AMID TRUMP ADMIN PRESSURE

Over 186,600 residents of Wisconsin are employed in the trucking industry, according to the Wisconsin Motor Carrier Association — a figure accounting for roughly 1 in every 14 jobs in the state.

Cooke last lost a congressional election to Van Orden, 51.3% to 48.6%, in 2024.

Christian Pulisic is considered to be one of the best American-born soccer players in the world and is expected to be a major part of the U.S. national team’s run in the upcoming World Cup.

It’s why the goal drought going into a friendly against Senegal was absolutely bizarre. Pulisic hadn’t put one into the back of the net since Dec. 28 when AC Milan defeated Hellas Verona in a Serie A match.

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He got the weight off his back on Sunday when he scored in the 19th minute of the U.S. match against Senegal.

"Now maybe we can stop talking about it," he said after the match.

The Americans won, 3-2, despite Sadio Mané tying the match early in the second half. Folarin Balogun put the U.S. ahead in the 62nd minute.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Pulisic was scoreless in his final 19 matches for AC Milan. The score also ended an eight-match scoreless streak while playing for the U.S. national team.

"I felt this confidence, like I have played really well in recent months, but all everyone seems to want to worry about is goals. So, hopefully, we can stop talking about it," Pulisic said. "We have games ahead and I have to be ready."

US SOCCER LEGEND CLINT DEMPSEY PREVIEWS TEAM'S WORLD CUP CHANCES, DISCUSSES 'RESPONSIBILITY' TO GROW THE GAME

Pulisic added that it was a relief to finally get the goal.

"The performance of Christian, for 45 minutes, was really, really good," U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino said. "He still has the potential to improve. But I think it is the way that he is training from day one. (The) way he played for 45 minutes was the habits that he created last week. Every day training with this attitude, with this commitment, with this energy. I think now we need to try to extend (it) until 90 minutes.

"I am happy for him also because after a long time, a few months, he scored again. Obviously, that is important for our players in the preparation to the World Cup."

The U.S. will play Germany in its next friendly on Saturday. Then, it’s off to its first World Cup Group D match against Paraguay.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A new, secretly filmed documentary profiling one of the most prominent names in the UFO disclosure movement has crash-landed at the height of the federal government’s release of unclassified documents pertaining to otherworldly encounters. 

"Sleeping Dog," directed by Michael Lazovsky, follows prominent investigative journalist Jeremy Corbell throughout his decades-long efforts regarding unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) transparency. 

Corbell has served as a key figure in the disclosure movement by platforming UAP whistleblowers and facilitating Congressional hearings to bring attention to the topic, with the documentary focusing primarily on his efforts to implore federal officials to release classified information regarding UFOs to the American public. 

"There are machines, there are craft of unknown origin that fly with impunity in our restricted airspace, and our government has been assessing this as a national threat for decades," Corbell told "The Sunday Briefing" earlier this month. "The jig is up. People now know UAP are real."

EXPLOSIVE NEW DOCUMENTARY PROBES '80-YEAR GLOBAL COVERUP' OF UFO SECRETS

The documentary — which was filmed in secret over the span of several years — also reveals previously unreleased footage from Corbell’s investigations and includes interviews from several prominent names in the movement, including astronaut Edgar Mitchell, David Grusch and George Knapp. 

"[Corbell] revealed a bunch of videos that he had access to that ended up being a part of the Department of War's UAP file drop — which was fascinating. So he's in the know," Josh Golembeske, senior director of production at Gaia and guest host of the series "Cosmic Disclosure," told Fox News Digital. 

Corbell has spent 14 years compiling UAP-related secrets at a time when information surrounding the phenomenon has been met with public skepticism and government pushback.

REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK: MILITARY WHISTLEBLOWERS TESTIFY TO CONGRESS ABOUT UNEXPLAINED UFO ENCOUNTERS

The result of his efforts has been far-reaching, with experts pointing to a newfound sense of legitimacy toward UAP footage and documentation. 

"The evidence is overwhelming that we’re being visited," Golembeske said. "There’s been a lid put on it."

GOT A TIP?  

"We have all this information, but I think it's more about the information coming to light finally," he added.

TOP DEM APPLAUDS TRUMP UFO FILES RELEASE IN RARE SHOW OF SUPPORT

The film comes on the heels of President Donald Trump’s push for federal transparency pertaining to UAPs, with a second batch of declassified documents released by the Department of War last week.

FOLLOW US ON X 

"There's been a long push from the public and behind the scenes to get to this moment," Golembeske said. "That push also leaked into the [Trump] administration. So now this administration is more open to it." 

While Golembeske has long advocated for full federal transparency, he believes that the current method of controlled information releases by officials is the best way to acclimate the public to news of UAP discoveries and sightings.

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"I think this is a slow drip disclosure, and you could argue it's compassionate disclosure," Golembeske told Fox News Digital. "This is actually how I would do it, because I know that people are going to be shocked and I wouldn't just drop everything on them."

WATCH: American public ‘can handle’ truth about UAPs, whistleblower says

However, Golembeske cautions against officials using the releases to negatively portray the possibility of alien life, potentially skewing the public perception of otherworldly beings and technology.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE US NEWS

"I like what I'm seeing now, but I worry about a fear-based disclosure versus a hope-based disclosure," Golembeske said. "Part of my mission here and part of my mission at Gaia is to empower the evolution of consciousness – and all the evidence suggests there is nothing to fear." 

In light of the renewed interest in UAP disclosure and discovery – along with high-profile documentary releases, such as "Sleeping Dog" – Golembeske remains optimistic that the narrative surrounding UFOs will continue to gain traction nationwide.

"I wouldn't have said this five years ago, but it feels like something is imminent," Golembeske told Fox News Digital. "It does feel like we're building towards a moment and the genie can't be put back in the bottle – I think it's gone too far." 

Fox News Digital reached out to Corbell and the film's distributor, Falcon Scout Media, for comment.

NEW ORLEANS — The sounds of ship horns and ceremonial salutes echoed across the New Orleans waterfront this week as the city marked the first stop of Sail 250, a nationwide celebration marking America’s 250th anniversary.

Tall ships and military vessels from around the world docked along the Mississippi River as part of the months-long maritime celebration, offering the public a look inside ships that are rarely open to visitors.

Among them is the USCGC Eagle. It’s known as "America’s Tall Ship," a 295-foot training vessel and the only active square-rigger in U.S. government service.

Stepping aboard the Eagle feels like stepping back in time.

With 23 sails, six miles of rigging and roughly 150 Coast Guard trainees on board, life aboard the ship still runs the old-fashioned way. Cadets climb towering masts, work the rigging by hand and train high above the deck while learning the fundamentals of seamanship.

VETERANS TURN WAS STORIES INTO MUSIC AT KENNEDY CENTER 

Below deck sits another reminder of America’s history, a newspaper printing of the Declaration of Independence.

"Back then, the best technology was the newspaper broadside, a single printed page," said Seth Kaller, an expert in historical documents. "What people needed to hear, to be able to read, is the text of the Declaration of Independence. And this is how somebody in 1776 would have experienced the Declaration of Independence."

The Eagle serves as a training ground for future Coast Guard officers, teaching leadership, teamwork and technical seamanship skills.

"And for 80 years, since 1946, this ship has sailed with the future officers of the United States Coast Guard," said Capt. Christopher Ensley, commanding officer of the USCGC Eagle. "Teaching leadership, teamwork, technical skills like seamanship and navigation and frankly, getting them salty, getting them ready to serve at sea."

AMERICA’S DEBT TO THE FALLEN STILL REMAINS 

That training eventually leads to ships like the USCGC Mohawk, where Coast Guard crews carry out modern-day missions ranging from migrant interdictions to drug enforcement operations.

"We have two small boats on board that we pretty much use on a daily basis and that help us do all of our missions that we can’t quite accomplish just on a larger boat," said Ensign Riley Thorburn aboard the Mohawk.

But Sail 250 is not just showcasing history. It's also highlighting modern military life at sea.

Docked nearby is the USS Kearsarge, an amphibious assault ship home to nearly 3,000 sailors and Marines during deployment, including about 1,250 sailors and 1,800 Marines. Inside, the ship functions like a floating city, with pilots, flight crews, cooks, doctors and firefighters all working around the clock while deployed around the world. 

"Every sailor is a firefighter to a certain extent," said Damage Controlman Allison Anutta during a firefighting demonstration aboard the Kearsarge.

Fox News embedded with sailors and Marines during the ship’s journey into New Orleans, getting a firsthand look at daily life, including suiting up in firefighting gear used during emergency response drills.

The ship’s firefighting capability is part of a broader mission set that extends far beyond combat operations. The Kearsarge can be configured to carry around eight F-35 aircraft depending on mission requirements and supports a wide range of deployments, from humanitarian response to combat readiness.

Onboard is also a 39-person Fleet Surgical Team responsible for stabilizing and treating patients at sea.

"We are a microcosm of the American population," said Cmdr. Timothy Brooks, senior medical officer aboard the ship. "All the chronic health issues that happen in America are also over here… and so we're doing everything we can to maintain just good general health."

Other crew members described the versatility and pride of their roles.

"We rescue, we protect, and we deliver, on a moment’s notice anywhere in the world," Naval Air Crewman Bryan Morch explained. 

The arrival in New Orleans also featured ceremonial moments, including a 21-gun salute and the sound of ship horns echoing along the Mississippi River as the fleet marked the start of the national celebration.

For Marines aboard the ship, the mission is rooted in service and sacrifice.

"Greater love is no man than he who would lay his life down for a friend," U.S. Marine Grace Shneider quoted from the book of John in the Bible. "When I think of the military, that’s what I think of."

As America approaches its 250th anniversary, crew members said they view their work as part of a continuing legacy of service and history.

AMERICA 250: WRIGHT BROTHERS 

"Anybody who wants to raise the right hand to serve the country… they can’t help but appreciate the history of great things that have gone before," Cmdr. Brooks said.

The Sail 250 fleet will continue its journey up the East Coast with upcoming stops in Norfolk, Baltimore, New York and Boston as celebrations continue nationwide.