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FAA seeks permanent airspace restrictions near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago as expert warns rules are ‘not good enough’

FAA seeks permanent airspace restrictions near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago as expert warns rules are ‘not good enough’

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has proposed permanent flight rules around President Donald J. Trump International Airport in Palm Beach, Florida, to secure the airspace near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate amid heightened concerns over unauthorized aircraft and rogue drones — moves that some say are insufficient to deter dedicated adversaries. The regulatory action was initiated at the request of the U.S. Secret Service, in the “interest of national security,” the agency confirmed to Fox News Digital. “At the request of the U.S. Secret Service in the interest of national security, the FAA is proposing Special Air Traffic Rules for the airspace near Donald J. Trump International Airport (DJT),” an FAA spokesperson said. NORAD FIGHTER JETS INTERCEPT 2 AIRCRAFT NEAR TRUMP’S GOLF CLUB, 3RD PLANE DELAYS HIS NJ DEPARTURE Under the proposed mandate, a Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA) would be established. Aircraft flying below 2,000 feet within one nautical mile of the designated zone would be required to obtain explicit clearance, maintain two-way contact with air traffic control, and continuously transmit an assigned transponder code. Arriving and departing aircraft would also need to meet strict security criteria before entering the airspace. TRUMP HAS BECOME AMERICA’S MOST TARGETED LEADER, FACING THREATS EVERY FEW MONTHS The heightened precautions follow multiple threats against Trump, including a June plot where five suspects attempted to coordinate an ambush using explosive-laden drones aimed at targeting him and other high-profile officials during the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House. However, drone experts argue that regulatory boundaries are “not good enough.” AMERICA’S POWER GRID, FOOD SUPPLY AND MORE ARE UNDER THREAT FROM DRONES “When you look at what happened in Butler [Pennsylvania] it was discovered later on that the shooter had done very basic surveillance with a drone — a Chinese drone that you could buy off Amazon — before he conducted the attack against the president,” Brett Velicovich, a former U.S. Army special operations intelligence analyst and drone expert, told Fox News Digital. Velicovich emphasized that government agencies must move faster to adopt active interdiction capabilities rather than relying solely on airspace designations. “We’re going to have to have more counter-drone systems in place because it is not good enough simply for the FAA to send a message saying this area is a no-drone zone,” he added. “When you’re a bad actor, that doesn’t matter.” The FAA proposal remains open for public comment through Oct. 2. The White House deferred questions regarding the security framework to the U.S. Secret Service, which did not immediately provide additional comment.

The primary is over; now come the primetime mistakes

The primary is over; now come the primetime mistakes

There’s a reason football great Deion Sanders was known as “Primetime.” Sanders epitomized his sobriquet with electric performances on “Monday Night Football” and in the playoffs. But not every political candidate is ready for primetime. The roadside is littered with political failures from both sides. Candidates are better suited for late-night public access in the suburbs. Consider for a moment someone else who also wasn’t bad in primetime: former football star Herschel Walker. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1982. But when Walker ran for the Senate in Georgia in 2024, his political acumen could barely qualify him for a political practice squad. UNEARTHED INTERVIEW REVEALS EL-SAYED’S SHARIA ‘OBLIGATION’: ‘NOT BECAUSE OF FEAR’ This year, Democrats trotted out political novice Graham Platner to try to defeat 30-year veteran Sen. Susan Collins, R-Man. But his Nazi-era tattoo and allegations of rape and sexual abuse revealed that Platner was more downtrodden than Down East. So, how will some of this year’s political hopefuls fare? Platner would have been the Democrats’ most controversial candidate of the 2026 Senate election cycle. But Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed has eclipsed Platner. El-Sayed is progressive. He holds extreme views and previously associated closely with left-wing influencer Hasan Piker. During an appearance on Fox, El-Sayed compared Sharia law to canon law in the Catholic Church, pitched ditching the Second Amendment and somehow wound up discussing private parts. El-Sayed’s performance scored headlines. But he also created headaches for Democrats. The party needs to hold the Michigan seat to flip the Senate. And El-Sayed is exactly what Republicans were looking for. Since El-Sayed captured the Democratic nomination to face former Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., Republicans hope to use him to nationalize the midterms. They want to portray El-Sayed as “what’s wrong” with the Democratic Party and why he’s not aligned with mainstream voters. The GOP believes that message will trickle down to other Democratic candidates around the country. In other words, could El-Sayed’s echo undercut Democratic candidates beyond the Wolverine State? When campaigning, El-Sayed promoted polished policy positions. “You deserve good health care,” said El-Sayed. “You deserve protections at your job.” But when asked on Fox about boys playing sports with girls and sex changes for kids, his rhetoric devolved to this: “Circumcision is surgery on a kid’s ding-a-ling. So, you really want to bring that up? I just think you guys are really selective about how you guys want to talk about things,” El-Sayed told Fox’s Jesse Watters. Political consultants on both sides of the aisle will likely agree. If a candidate finds himself on national television using euphemisms for private parts and not discussing the war in Iran or the cost of groceries, something is wrong. El-Sayed also backs Medicare-for-all and slavery reparations. “I just think it’s past time to have that conversation. That shouldn’t be a crazy thing,” said El-Sayed. Republicans are clamoring to hear more from El-Sayed. “It’s common sense versus communist crazy. And don’t believe my word. Listen to what El-Sayed says,” House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain, R-Mich., told Fox Business. DEMOCRATS WHO ‘NEVER VOTED REPUBLICAN’ BACK ROGERS OVER EL-SAYED IN RAZOR-CLOSE RACE El-Sayed’s association with Piker worries Democrats because Piker espouses antisemitic views. “Those comments were dangerous, malicious and antisemitic and shouldn’t be tolerated by anyone in the public square,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said. But now El-Sayed is distancing himself from Piker. “I got so much exposure and empowerment from the Jewish community,” said El-Sayed at a rally. “Jewish people are a light unto the world.” But not everyone is buying it. “His response was pathetic, and it did not answer the call,” Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., one of the most pro-Israel Democrats in the House, said on Fox. “This is not a guy who any of us should embrace.” In fact, the campaign of Rogers went as far as to say that El-Sayed was making the case for their candidate. President Trump recently escalated the trade war with Canada. He renamed Lake Ontario as “Lake America.” El-Sayed vanquished moderate Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., in the primary. With all of this tumult, one wonders if Democrats would feel better wrestling with the president over trade with Stevens as their nominee versus El-Sayed. That said, politics is a funny thing. This doesn’t mean that El-Sayed is unelectable. Progressives throb with energy inside the Democratic Party right now. Someone like El-Sayed could actually bolster turnout among the left. This could work to the Democrats’ advantage if Republicans stay home because they’re disappointed in President Trump. Or, as House Democratic Caucus Vice Chairman Ted Lieu, D-Calif., told voters this week, “Just go fu—– vote.” On the Republican side of the aisle, few had heard of Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., until brother Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., died unexpectedly. Republican South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster quickly appointed Darline to her brother’s seat and cajoled her to run for the full term. Darline Graham was a political neophyte. And despite President Trump tapping her for the permanent gig, it was far from clear that she was ready for primetime. During a debate in the GOP primary runoff with Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., Graham stumbled when asked about U.S. interests regarding Taiwan. “I’m not that informed on national security,” said Graham. “But I do support the military.” Of course, foreign policy was her brother’s forte. He died just after jetting back to Washington after meetings in Turkey and Ukraine. But Darline Graham used the gaffe to pivot. She claimed that voters are more concerned with kitchen table issues. “You know how many (people) brought up Taiwan or national security?” Graham said when stumping. “Not one. They’re talking about the rising cost of health care and affordability.” A reporter pressed Graham for details about harnessing inflation. “Is there something from you, affirmatively (could do like) a piece of legislation, to help drive down the cost of goods?” a scribe asked. “We’ll see when I get there,” Graham replied. Well, Graham is already “here.” She’s been in

Blue state creates six-figure role for trans inmate services amid budget shortfalls

Blue state creates six-figure role for trans inmate services amid budget shortfalls

The Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) hired a gender-affirming care coordinator last month, and the job will pay between $78,000 and $115,000 annually. The job includes oversight of a program for “managing and monitoring needs and safety risks of transgender, intersex and non-binary adults in custody,” according to the listing. The position also chairs a multidisciplinary team focused on their individualized needs. The role, which comes as the DOC is projected to have a $55 million deficit in 2026, continues gender-related initiatives spearheaded by Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, a longtime champion of the trans community, as she pursues re-election to a second term.  It also highlights the logistical difficulties associated with trans prisoners. BIOLOGICAL MALE KILLER HOUSED IN OREGON WOMEN’S PRISON WINS HIGH-DOLLAR LEGAL SETTLEMENT IN SEX ABUSE SUIT After a 2023 review of Oregon’s only women-only prison, the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, Kotek said her administration would look for ways to address what the report called delayed care for its cisgender and trans inmates. “Transgender residents [are] being denied or delayed access to needed care, including hormone replacement therapy. This creates significant medical and mental health issues for some residents, including gender dysphoria,” the report stated. The report included one example of a transgender resident at the Coffee Creek who said her request for continuing her hormone blocker treatment had gone unheeded. “I had been accessing prescriptions at the county. I did not get it when I got here. … I sent several [requests], but they kept bumping me to different places. Now I’ve gotten my period twice. It’s been terrorizing and humiliating,” the resident, a biological woman, said. Kotek promised to address issues raised by the report. “In the wake of national, systemic shortcomings in meeting the needs of women who are incarcerated, I am resolved to confront these issues head-on,” Kotek said in a press release. FORMER TOP OREGON GOP OFFICIAL SECURES NOMINATION FOR GOVERNOR AS REPUBLICANS TARGET BLUE-STATE PICKUP “The GIPA report was sobering to read. It is incumbent on Oregon’s corrections system to ensure that the use of carceral settings yield the best possible public safety outcomes and sets people up for successful re-entry.” As a part of the response, her office created the Advisory Panel on Gender Responsive Practices in Corrections. In turn, the panel recommended training staff who make decisions about housing and medical and behavioral care for the needs of transgender, nonbinary and gender-diverse inmates. The panel did not specifically recommend the gender-affirming care coordinator position. The role is similar to a position that would have been established through SB 1120, a failed bill. Among other provisions, that law would have created a role tasked to “provide coordination of efforts and training across staff and adults in custody on best practices for supporting transgender, nonbinary or gender-diverse adults in custody.” The hire clashes with Kotek’s instruction to agencies to reduce spending. In 2025, when Republicans in Washington, D.C., passed tax cuts through President Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill,” Oregon’s tax picture also changed.  The state’s tax code mirrors many of the definitions of taxable income used by the federal government. When those definitions shrank, so did Oregon’s revenue, leaving the state with a negative general fund balance of $373.7 million, according to state reports. “This is not what we had planned for, but it is what we must do. I am asking you to leave no stone unturned to save tax-payer dollars. This challenge is not unique to Oregon, but how we respond will be. Our resilience, teamwork and determination have carried us through hard times before. They will again,” Kotek wrote in a letter to state department heads. Like other departments, the DOC was also affected, reporting a projected $55 million deficit. To remedy this, the department was instructed to slow operational spending, prepare for operational cost reductions and suspend non-essential out-of-state travel. Even so, Kotek has highlighted trans care as a priority, strongly advocating for a government-led approach to expanding access to trans procedures, calling them part of “health care.” “I want to be very clear. Gender-affirming care is health care. Period, end of story,” Kotek said at a bill signing in 2023 after the legislature passed a reproductive and gender-affirming care package. She has also pushed back against attempts from the Trump administration to limit federal funding for hospitals that provide transgender procedures to minors. TRUMP DIRECTS CMS ADMINISTRATOR MEHMET OZ TO END MEDICAID GENDER TRANSITION FUNDING FOR MINORS “The Trump administration cannot change the rules and restrict funding to hospitals and doctors who provide gender-affirming care to young people. Gender-affirming care is recognized by major medical organizations and plays an important role in helping young people stay safe, healthy and supported for who they are,” Kotek said in a video release. Kotek’s office did not respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital about the new position and additional details about its duties.

Vance’s mom fires back at El-Sayed over second family jabs: ‘Probably punch him’

Vance’s mom fires back at El-Sayed over second family jabs: ‘Probably punch him’

Vice President JD Vance’s mom, Beverly Vance Aikins, says she’d like to clock Michigan Democratic Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed after his repeated attacks on the second family. “I’d probably punch the guy if I ever seen him, and then that would get me in trouble. So, I’ll just go with the flow,” Aikins told Outkick and Fox News host Tomi Lahren when asked how she felt about El-Sayed’s crude comments. Aikins sat down with Lahren for a wide-ranging interview about her triumph over opioid addiction, Netflix’s “Hillbilly Elegy” and her son’s rise to the vice presidency.  She made the comments after El-Sayed has repeatedly taken aim at Vance and his family. VANCE’S DECADE-OLD ‘GREAT REGRETS’ RESURFACES AS EL-SAYED’S JAB AT SECOND LADY COMES BACK TO BITE HIM Lahren asked Aikins if she laughs off comments like El-Sayed’s or if she gets mad. “I mean, it makes me mad, honestly, because he doesn’t know JD, and he doesn’t know, you know, what type of person he is, and I do. But, in the long run. I’m not going to do anything about it. … I’d probably punch the guy if I ever seen him, and then that would get me in trouble,” Aikins said in jest.  “So, I’ll just go with the flow.” El-Sayed made comments about second lady Usha Vance and the Vance children during an April appearance on “The Allen Analysis Show,” clips of which have recently resurfaced. “I think they’re jealous, honestly. I mean, JD is 42 years old. He’s handsome. He’s the vice president of the United States,” Aikins said. SWING-STATE DEM CANDIDATE’S ‘DISGUSTING’ COMMENTS ABOUT JD, USHA VANCE’S ‘BROWN CHILDREN’ SPARKS OUTRAGE “He’s got a beautiful wife, four beautiful children, and jealousy is the only thing I can think of,” she added. “I mean, he can take all the shots he wants. It’s going to go, you know, it’s going to get no merit from any of us.” El-Sayed suggested in April that the vice president’s political views are at odds with his own children’s biracial background. “JD Vance has brown kids who he thinks are less American than everyone else. Like, that’s wild to look at your own kids and be like you don’t actually belong as much in this country that I brought you into,” said El-Sayed. “Bro, it must break you every time you hug your own kids.” The Michigan socialist said he hopes Vance’s kids grow up to “undo” the vice president’s politics. SECOND LADY USHA VANCE FIRES BACK AT POINTED JAB FROM DEMOCRATIC SENATE NOMINEE ABDUL EL-SAYED He also appeared to call for the second lady to leave her husband, saying, “Usha get out … you’ve still got time.” El-Sayed more recently launched the attack after JD Vance slammed him for his stated adherence to Sharia law during a rally in Ohio, suggesting the practice would be completely alien to his grandfather, whom he calls his “Papaw.” VANCE UNLOADS ON EL-SAYED OVER SHARIA REMARKS: ‘THAT’S NOT MY GRANDPA’S DEMOCRATIC PARTY’ “So, do we think JD is taking Usha with him back in time to meet Papaw, or no,” El-Sayed said, seemingly in reference to the second lady’s Indian ethnicity. The vice president addressed El-Sayed’s more recent remarks while rallying for GOP Senate nominee Mike Rogers in Michigan. “I actually think that the people of Michigan think it’s kind of weird when you talk about another guy’s wife,” Vance said. “But whatever you want to talk about, Abdul, keep my wife’s name the hell out of your mouth, because she’s way out of your league,” he later added in the speech. Fox News Digital reached out to the office of the vice president and El-Sayed’s campaign for comment.

Sheriff suing Maryland says sanctuary laws ignore lessons of 9/11: ‘Stupidity at its best’

Sheriff suing Maryland says sanctuary laws ignore lessons of 9/11: ‘Stupidity at its best’

A Maryland sheriff leading 17 of the Old Line State’s 24 counties in a lawsuit challenging Annapolis’ sanctuary city policy told Congress the lessons of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks are being forgotten as the nation prepares to mark the 25th anniversary. Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler of Harford County — where local women Rachel Morin and Kayla Hamilton were murdered by illegal immigrants in 2023 and 2022, respectively — is leading the suit and echoed concerns about the consequences of mandated limits on cooperation and communication between local and federal law enforcement. “There’s just many things that [Annapolis’] legislature has done over the past eight years or so, unfortunately, rang into that bell. But when you pass legislation in a world post-9/11 – in 9/11 we learned that we need to communicate with … all federal partners to keep our community safe,” Gahler said when questioned by Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, as to why he called Maryland’s sanctuary laws as “pro-criminal.” 9/11 TAUGHT US DEADLY LESSONS. 25 YEARS LATER, WE NEED A NEW MODEL TO PREVENT ATTACKS “Yet, we in our state see fit to pass legislation to say we can’t communicate with this law enforcement or that law enforcement,” Gahler added. “It’s stupidity at its best.” Gahler also told lawmakers that Maryland’s law has changed what his deputies can do when federal immigration authorities want to take custody of someone being released from local detention. He said the restrictions can require deputies to release people they believe could pose a danger rather than hold them for federal authorities. SANCTUARY COUNTY REFUSED 615 ICE TRANSFER REQUESTS, TURNED OVER JUST 11 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, RECORDS SHOW Seated behind Gahler were several of the other plaintiff-sheriffs in the suit against the Moore administration. Gov. Wes Moore, who is locked in a gubernatorial rematch with former Del. Dan Cox, R-Frederick, signed Maryland’s ban on 287(g) agreements earlier this year while allowing a broader bill to become law without his signature. State Sen. Clarence Lam, D-Elkridge, authored the bill, called the Community Trust Act, which prohibits “Agents of State,” law enforcement and corrections officials from questioning immigration status, detaining suspects to investigate citizenship or immigration status, or detaining them because police believe they committed a civil immigration violation. The new law also bans law enforcement from notifying federal immigration authorities that a detainee is in their custody unless required by a court order, rather than just an ICE detainer. Gahler said it is not a burden on his job to honor detainers, contrary to Democrats who have considered whether working with ICE takes away resources from local communities. DHS UNLOADS ON ‘SANCTUARY CALAMITY’ VIRGINIA AFTER ILLEGAL ALIEN ACCUSED OF HEINOUS CRIME RELEASED: ‘SICKO’ He answered in the affirmative when asked by Gill whether illegal immigrants who become “petty criminals” should be removed rather than limiting enforcement to cases involving more serious crimes. “That’s 100% what I believe,” Gahler said. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER Moore has said the Community Trust Act advances important goals by keeping law enforcement focused on crime reduction, according to Ocean City’s NPR affiliate, while citing logistical concerns that should be addressed through executive action or during the 2027 legislative session. Meanwhile, Gahler and the other sheriffs suing the state argue the Community Trust Act prevents them from pursuing those goals in cases involving people sought by federal immigration authorities.