New York Gov Hochul rejects Trump’s ‘Lake America’ renaming with blunt message
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday responded to President Donald Trump’s executive order to rename Lake Ontario to “Lake America” amid his ongoing trade war with Canada, saying her state would continue using the old name. “New York won’t be calling it that,” Hochul, a Democrat, wrote on X. Trump’s order, directs the Interior Department and Board on Geographic Names to update federal records and provide guidance so federal references reflect the new name. But Canada and international bodies are not required to adopt the new name. TRUMP RENAMES LAKE ONTARIO ‘LAKE AMERICA’ AMID INTENSIFYING US-CANADA TRADE DISPUTE “The name Lake Ontario comes from the Wendat word Ontari’io, which, appropriately, means ‘the lake is beautiful, the lake is big.’ The name is more than 400 years old, predating both the Confederation of Canada and the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America,” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a statement. “We know that America is changing. Their trading relationships, their foreign policies, their national monuments, their hydronyms. Canadians also know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario — then, now and always,” he added. U.S. states are also not bound by the order and can continue using “Lake Ontario” on state maps, highway signs and tourism materials. Hochul, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers and Vermont Gov. Phil Scott were among state leaders who criticized or mocked the move. “And I just renamed Lake Michigan Lake Wisconsin. See, I can sign napkins that say things, too,” Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, wrote on X alongside a video of himself writing “Lake Wisconsin” on a McDonald’s paper napkin and signing the bottom. Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican, called Trump’s move to rename the lake over the trade feud “petty and disappointing.” “We should be at the negotiating table, finding a path forward that strengthens both the U.S. and Canadian economies. Further escalating tensions does nothing to help American or Canadian families and businesses,” Scott said. The name Lake Ontario is also commonly traced to an Indigenous word translated as “lake of shining waters,” and includes around 5.6 million Americans and Canadians in its watershed, according to the Center for Great Lakes Literacy. The lake borders Canada’s Ontario province and New York, connecting the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean through the St. Lawrence Seaway. Hochul has criticized Trump for the trade war with Canada, saying earlier this week that the president is “treating our allies as enemies” and that “American families continue to suffer because of it.” TRUMP TAUNTS CANADA ON RENAMING LAKE ONTARIO THE ‘LAKE AMERICA’ AMID RISING BORDER TRADE RIFT New York is among many states expected to be hit hard by the trade war with the U.S.’s northern neighbor. U.S. goods and services traded with Canada totaled an estimated $872.3 billion last year, according to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer’s office. Carney said the Canadian government would impose retaliatory tariffs on the U.S. beginning Sept. 8 in response to the Trump administration’s new 50% tariffs on about $20 billion worth of Canadian goods, which took effect earlier this month. The prime minister said Canada “will match Washington’s new tariffs dollar for dollar in order to protect Canadian workers, farmers, families, and businesses.”
RNC threatens legal action against New Jersey officials over noncitizens on voter rolls: ‘On notice’
The Republican National Committee is escalating its fight with New Jersey election officials over voter roll records, threatening legal action as it seeks information related to noncitizens found on the state’s rolls. The RNC sent formal National Voter Registration Act violation notices Wednesday to New Jersey’s secretary of state and election officials in Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Somerset and Union counties. The committee is seeking records related to noncitizen removals, citizenship verification efforts and other voter roll maintenance activities. Officials have until Sept. 15 to produce the records or potentially face litigation, according to the RNC. NEW JERSEY GOVERNMENT UNDER CONGRESSIONAL INVESTIGATION AFTER EXPLOSIVE REVELATIONS ON NONCITIZEN VOTERS “Democrat (Gov.) Mikie Sherrill admitted what the RNC already uncovered through public records requests: Noncitizens are on New Jersey’s voter rolls,” RNC Chairman Joe Gruters said in an RNC release. “Now, election officials are refusing to turn over records explaining how it happened. “Voters deserve answers, and the RNC is putting officials on notice: Comply with the law, hand over the records or face legal action.” The RNC claims Bergen County records identified 134 noncitizens removed from New Jersey voter rolls between January 2023 and August 2026. Of those, 91 registrations were linked to the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC), according to the committee. Sherrill’s administration has separately disclosed that a software error at the MVC improperly registered approximately 6,600 people to vote between June 2023 and June 2024, before she took office. DEMOCRATS CONCEDE NJ VOTER-ROLL FAILURE WAS ‘HORRIBLE’ — BUT REJECT BROADER FRAUD FEARS Her administration said approximately 5,100 people affected by the error were removed from the voter rolls because they had no separate registration or attestation of eligibility. Another approximately 1,450 registrations were changed to rejected status pending further review by county election officials. The state said approximately 340 people newly registered because of the software error voted. It also identified approximately 220 people affected by the error who voted but had previous registrations or separate attestations indicating they may have been validly registered. Sherrill said county officials had been directed to resolve remaining cases before the November election. HOUSE REPUBLICANS CONFRONT NJ GOVERNOR OVER 6,600 NONCITIZENS REGISTERED TO VOTE IN ALLEGED SOFTWARE FAILURE She has also accused the Trump administration of seeking greater federal control over state voter rolls and resisted federal efforts to obtain nonpublic voter information, calling the effort a “phishing expedition here in New Jersey.” The governor’s office has said its investigation into the MVC error remains ongoing. The RNC, The New Jersey Secretary of State’s office and Sherill’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Social media erupts after cops reportedly raid home of Ilhan Omar’s son: ‘Not a good look’
Social media is in a frenzy over a report that police raided the home of Rep. Ilhan Omar’s son over allegations against his roommate. Minneapolis police raided the home of Adnan Hirsi earlier this week and confiscated guns and ammunition before arresting his roommate, Abdulrahman Abdi, Alpha News reported. Hirsi, Omar’s son, has not been implicated in any wrongdoing, nor was the congresswoman implicated in the incident. CAUGHT ON CAMERA: SQUAD DEM SQUIRMS WHEN PRESSED ON VANCE DOJ FRAUD PROBE But the report’s mention that the suspect shares an apartment with the progressive lawmaker’s son was enough to make her right-wing critics on social media erupt. “Nothing to see here. Move along,” Steve Ferguson, a small business owner with nearly 300,000 followers on X, posted. Right-wing activist Benny Johnson wrote, “Not a good look for Ilhan Omar.” Online influencer “Spitfire” wrote on the site, “This Omar investigation is getting more interesting by the day.” “Anyone shocked that a horrible person would be a horrible mother? What do you expect from someone who marries their brother?” Townhall columnist Derek Hunter wrote, referencing an unproven online conspiracy theory that Omar previously was married to her brother, which she has denied. REP ILHAN OMAR’S DAUGHTER STRIKES HARD-CORE COMMUNIST POSE AS MOM BATTLES CLAIMS SHE IS RICH Commentator Gunther Eagleman called to “deport Ilhan Omar and her family.” “Ilhan Omar: Supports violent jihad. Ilhan’s daughter: Arrested during pro-Hamas campus riots; traveled to Cuba with a CCP-linked group. Ilhan’s son: Home raided by police; guns and ammunition seized,” Eitan Fischberger, a former staff sergeant in the Israeli military and a current opinion columnist, wrote. The report itself was also shared without comment by former Trump advisors Corey Lewandowski and Sean Spicer. The report said a search warrant was executed Tuesday at the home Abdi shares with Hirsi, and that guns and ammunition were recovered. Abdi was reportedly arrested earlier in the day. No wrongdoing by Hirsi was reported. The Minneapolis Police Department declined to comment when reached by Fox News Digital. Fox News Digital did confirm that Abdi was arrested by Minneapolis police and booked just after noon on Tuesday. He was released just before midnight the next day, records show. Omar is a staunch advocate for gun control. Fox News Digital reached out to her office for comment on the incident.
Gov Shapiro sues Trump administration over ‘lifesaving reproductive care’ in escalating abortion battle
Democrat Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro joined a multistate lawsuit against the Trump administration Thursday challenging new conditions on federal family planning grants, including requirements aimed at ensuring taxpayer resources do not support elective abortion and promoting “life-affirming” services. Shapiro announced the lawsuit by accusing the Trump administration of making it harder for low-income Pennsylvanians to access what he called “lifesaving reproductive care and family planning services,” specifically pointing to cancer screenings and testing for sexually transmitted infections. But the 63-page complaint also challenges abortion-related provisions in the Trump administration‘s new requirements for Title X grants, including a directive that recipients “maintain strict separation from prohibited activities” and contribute to broader U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) efforts to “safeguard life-affirming, lawful, and ethical program delivery.” PLANNED PARENTHOOD ACROSS MIDWEST AT RISK DUE TO LACK OF FEDERAL FUNDS AFTER 3 FACILITIES CLOSE IN MICHIGAN Live Action blasted Shapiro’s characterization in a statement to Fox News Digital, accusing him of fighting to keep taxpayer dollars flowing to Planned Parenthood. “Governor Shapiro is calling Planned Parenthood’s services ‘lifesaving care’ while fighting to keep taxpayer dollars flowing to the nation’s largest abortion chain,” Noah Brandt, vice president of communications and government affairs at Live Action, said. “There is nothing lifesaving about abortion.” FEDERAL APPEALS COURT BLOCKS MAILING OF ABORTION PILLS IN RULING WITH NATIONWIDE EFFECT Brandt said women deserve access to cancer screenings, prenatal care and other medical services, but argued that does not require taxpayers to subsidize Planned Parenthood. “Governor Shapiro should stop hiding the abortion industry behind euphemisms and be honest about what he is defending: the killing of our youngest children,” Brandt added. Title X funding is already prohibited from being used for abortion. Shapiro’s lawsuit challenges the Trump administration’s additional conditions aimed at “life-affirming” program delivery. The administration’s new funding terms state that HHS will prioritize programs that uphold federal abortion-funding protections and “do not use taxpayer resources to promote or support elective abortion.” COALITION OF 25 STATES SUES TRUMP ADMIN OVER MEDICAID WORK RULE DESIGNED TO PREVENT FRAUD Recipients are also expected to maintain “strict separation” from prohibited activities, according to language reproduced in the lawsuit. The states argue the rules could cost providers Title X funding even when abortions are performed outside the federally funded program. Pennsylvania received $12,729,659 in Title X family planning funding in fiscal 2026, according to the complaint. SUPREME COURT KEEPS BROADER ACCESS TO ABORTION PILL MIFEPRISTONE IN PLACE WHILE LEGAL FIGHT CONTINUES Shapiro’s administration has backed Medicaid coverage for abortion, increased reimbursement rates for abortion services and joined legal efforts seeking expanded access to mifepristone. The filing marks Shapiro’s second lawsuit against the Trump administration in as many days. On Wednesday, the potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender joined a coalition challenging new federal requirements for mail-in ballots ahead of the November midterms. SUPREME COURT KEEPS BROADER ACCESS TO ABORTION PILL MIFEPRISTONE IN PLACE WHILE LEGAL FIGHT CONTINUES Neither Shapiro’s office nor the White House responded to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The lawsuit, led by New York, Maryland and Massachusetts, and joined by more than 20 mostly blue states and governors, asks a federal court in Maryland to block the administration from applying the challenged conditions to Title X applicants and grantees. Fox News Digital’s Alec Schemmel contributed to this reporting.
DHS hits back at James Talarico after Democrat claims ICE ‘kidnapped’ 5-year-old boy deported with father
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin responded to criticism from Texas Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico about the deportation of a young boy who was detained with his father by federal immigration authorities. Victor Martinez Nieto and his 5-year-old son, Liam Tadeo, were both deported Tuesday. The pair were detained by authorities in Austin, Texas, earlier this month while on their way to a soccer match. On Wednesday, Talarico, who has highlighted the case in his criticism of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement agenda, said Tadeo, who was slated to start kindergarten this week, should have spent his first day of school in a classroom. DEM’S STUNNING IDEAL STANDARD FOR IMMIGRATION DETENTION CONDITIONS RESURFACES AMID TEXAS SENATE BID “ICE kidnapped Liam Tadeo on his way to a soccer game with his dad,” Talarico wrote on X. “Liam should be in kindergarten. Instead, our government has thrown him in a prison camp hundreds of miles from home.” On Thursday, Talarico posted that Liam had been deported. HOMAN BLASTS DEM HYPOCRISY ON DEPORTATIONS, RECALLS PAST WHEN ‘OBAMA GAVE ME AN AWARD’ FOR ENFORCING BORDER Looking to set the record straight, Mullin said Talarico “won’t tell the American people the full story.” He said the boy was deported with Martinez Nieto at his father’s request. “ICE does NOT separate families,” Mullin wrote. “Parents are asked if they want to be removed with their children or ICE will place the children with a safe person the parent designates. In this case, both the father and son were deported together.” BIDEN JUDGE OVERRULED ON KEY TRUMP IMMIGRATION POLICY Mullin noted that parents are responsible for what happens to their children “just as any U.S. citizen parent who breaks the law is when they are arrested.” The father and son were both held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center. Fox News Digital has reached out to the family’s attorney. Martinez Nieto was arrested by immigration officers in November 2025 and deported in February. He later reentered the United States illegally, The Austin American-Statesman reported.
Abbott taunts far-left AG with fiery warning over ICE extradition fight: ‘Such bad lawyers’
Minnesota’s progressive Attorney General Keith Ellison accused Texas Gov. Greg Abbott of turning the Lone Star State into a “sanctuary state for violent criminals” after an ICE agent charged in the shooting of a man in Minneapolis was released from a Texas jail, escalating a politically charged extradition fight between the two states. Christian Castro, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent charged in connection with a non-fatal January shooting in Minneapolis, was released Thursday from a south Texas jail after a federal judge denied Minnesota’s emergency request to keep him in custody and compel Abbott to sign the extradition warrant. Texas law generally limits pre-extradition detention to 90 days, and Abbott has not yet decided whether to approve Minnesota’s request. “This is not politics — this is not a game,” Ellison said in a statement after Castro’s release. “If a governor can delay extraditions and cherry-pick cases according to their political tastes, then no state will be able to hold fugitive criminals accountable.” COLORADO DA PURSUES ASSAULT CHARGE AGAINST FEDERAL IMMIGRATION OFFICER, DHS CONDEMNS ‘POLITICAL STUNT’ Meanwhile, Ellison wrote on X that by “refusing to extradite Castro, Greg Abbott is turning Texas into a sanctuary state for violent criminals.” “You guys are such bad lawyers. You showed up unprepared, uninformed & unpersuasive. You don’t know the law & it showed,” Abbott wrote on X in response to Ellison’s post calling Texas a “sanctuary state for violent criminals.” “Minn. is the literal definition of a sanctuary state because you refuse to assist in enforcing immigration laws,” Abbott shot back. “I’ll put Minneapolis at the top of the list for future bus drop offs if we ever have a President like Joe Biden again.” Castro faces four felony counts of second-degree assault and one misdemeanor count of falsely reporting a crime – charges filed by a Minnesota state court. He is accused of firing through the front door of an occupied north Minneapolis home during an ICE operation in January, striking Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg. Castro has maintained that he acted in self-defense. EXCLUSIVE: LA ICE DIRECTOR REVEALS OFFICERS FOLLOWED HOME, HARASSED AS POLICE FAIL TO HELP IN SANCTUARY CITY Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty’s office filed the underlying state charges against Castro following an investigation by Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. The Trump administration initially cast the episode as an attack on an ICE officer, but ICE later placed Castro and another agent on administrative leave after its acting director said they appeared to have made “untruthful statements” about what happened. Minnesota prosecutors say surveillance video and other evidence contradict Castro’s account that he fired after being attacked with a broom and snow shovel. Federal assault charges initially filed against Sosa-Celis and another man were later dismissed after prosecutors said new evidence was “materially inconsistent” with the original allegations. WATCH: HOUSTON FACES $110M HIT AS TEXAS GOV LAYS DOWN LAW ON ‘SANCTUARY’ POLICIES Abbott has said Texas is investigating whether Castro qualifies as a fugitive subject to extradition, noting that the agent returned to Texas on federal orders rather than voluntarily fleeing Minnesota. The governor’s office praised the judge’s ruling, accusing Minnesota of trying to force a deadline on Abbott’s review. Fox News Digital asked Abbott’s office about how the governor was planning to act on Minnesota’s extradition request and for clarification on Texas’ review of Castro’s fugitive status, but did not receive a response before publication.
US removes radioactive cancer-treatment material from Central American country over ‘dirty bomb’ risk
A highly radioactive material used to treat cancer is back on U.S. soil after American officials removed it from Guatemala over concerns it could be stolen and used to create a “dirty bomb.” The cobalt-60 source had been housed inside a disused medical radiation device before U.S. and Guatemalan teams removed the radioactive component and transported it to secure storage in the United States. The U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announced the operation Thursday, saying it was part of a broader effort to prevent dangerous radioactive materials from falling into the hands of terrorists and other adversaries. The operation began in May, when specialists from the NNSA’s Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico worked with a facility in Guatemala to remove part of a U.S.-origin teletherapy machine containing cobalt-60. Guatemalan officials assisted with transportation, logistics and physical security. TRUMP SAYS US COULD ‘TAKE’ IRAN’S URANIUM AFTER STRIKES: HOW IT WOULD WORK Cobalt-60 is used in medical devices to treat cancer, but the NNSA said highly radioactive sources can pose a security threat if stolen. The agency said the material removed from Guatemala could have been used to create a radiological weapon, commonly known as a “dirty bomb.” The removal comes as the Trump administration emphasizes preventing terrorists from obtaining chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear weapons. The administration’s 2026 Counterterrorism Strategy identifies preventing terrorists from acquiring such weapons as a critical U.S. national security responsibility. “Our mission is simple: protect American citizens, secure our borders, and ensure our adversaries never get their hands on materials that could harm our country,” Matthew Napoli, deputy administrator for the NNSA’s Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation, said. LIVE EXPLOSIVE DEVICE FOUND NEAR HOMELAND SECURITY OFFICE IN CLEVELAND, FORCING MASS EVACUATIONS “This successful removal is a massive win for homeland security and demonstrates our positive relationship with the Guatemalan government. NNSA will do whatever it takes to defend America and keep our communities safe,” Napoli added. Guatemala’s National Centre of Radioactive Wastes and Ministry of Energy and Mines provided transportation, logistical and physical security support during the operation, according to the NNSA. “Thanks to our collaboration with NNSA and DTRA in removing high-risk radioactive material from our facility, we were able to eliminate the danger it posed to our community and country,” Mayra Villatoro, head of the Unit of Technical Laboratories at Guatemala’s Ministry of Energy and Mines, said. After the NNSA securely packaged the cobalt-60 component, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) provided secure transportation back to the U.S. “The successful repatriation of the cobalt-60 source is a product of vital U.S. Government interagency cooperation,” Robert Bridges, DTRA program manager of Nuclear Transportation & Disposition, said. “We are proud to work with NNSA to take meaningful action in their mission to eliminate radiological risk and keep America safe.” The operation is part of the NNSA Office of Radiological Security’s work with foreign governments and other partners to remove high-activity radioactive material and strengthen protections around radioactive sources.
White House silent on Iran-Oman Hormuz plan Tehran says would ban US warships
The Trump administration spent months insisting Iran did not control passage through the Strait of Hormuz. But after Iran and Oman unveiled a proposed framework that Tehran says would exclude military vessels if finalized, the White House would not say whether President Donald Trump would accept any restriction on U.S. warships under the arrangement. U.S. Central Command, meanwhile, rejected Iran’s underlying claim of authority. “Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins told Fox News Digital. “The strait is an international waterway that commercial vessels continue to transit with U.S. military assistance.” IRAN FAILS TO STRIKE DEAL WITH US AS DEADLINE PASSES AND TRUMP CALLS FOR ‘WHITE FLAG OF SURRENDER’ Fox News Digital asked whether Trump would accept a restriction on U.S. military vessels if the proposal becomes binding, whether American forces would be expected to comply and whether U.S. warships retain the right to operate in the strait regardless of any future arrangement. The White House did not respond. Hawkins said U.S. forces have helped nearly 1,500 vessels transit the strait since early May. The silence marks a shift after months in which the administration publicly challenged Iranian efforts to dictate passage through Hormuz. Secretary of State Marco Rubio repeatedly called a proposed toll system illegal and unacceptable, while Trump threatened Oman this month if it “gets in the way” of a U.S. deal with Iran. TRUMP THREATENS ‘UNPRECEDENTED’ ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES FOR ANY NATION AIDING IRAN The administration has also spent months applying military and economic pressure aimed at reopening the strait on U.S. terms. American forces have struck Iranian military targets, protected commercial shipping and maintained a blockade of Iranian ports, while the administration expanded sanctions through its new Operation Economic Outcast campaign. Those measures have helped push some ships back through Hormuz, but traffic remains far below pre-war levels. Oil flows through the strait stood Monday at about 5 million barrels per day, down from more than 20 million barrels per day before the war, according to Reuters, which cited provisional Vortexa tracking data. Iran is now pursuing a reopening arrangement that, by its account, would preserve a measure of control over the waterway while excluding foreign military vessels. Oman and Iran announced a proposed framework Monday to reopen the strait through a joint temporary navigational corridor and a joint mine-clearing project. Their joint statement said technical talks would continue on a permanent corridor, future administration of the strait, traffic management and security services, leaving key terms unresolved. Iranian officials filled in some of those blanks Tuesday. Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the temporary arrangement would route commercial ships entering the Persian Gulf through Iranian waters, with outbound traffic moving through Iranian and Omani waters. He said the proposal would exclude military vessels if it becomes binding. Separately, Sepah News, an outlet run by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, quoted IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebbi as saying Iran and Oman had reached agreements on “each country’s share of the strait’s waters” and the two countries’ “share of its revenues.” Mohebbi also accused the U.S. of obstructing the talks. US CLAWS BACK KEY CONCESSION TO IRAN AFTER FRESH ATTACKS ON COMMERCIAL SHIPS IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER But Oman’s public statement did not mention a military-vessel ban, transit fees or revenue sharing, and described the framework as proposed. Iranian officials also told Reuters the arrangement was not yet final. That leaves the arrangement’s most consequential question unresolved: whether Iran can use the emerging commercial shipping framework to restrict American military access to the strait — and what the Trump administration intends to do if Tehran tries.
Trump helicopter’s radio warnings went unheard before close call with passenger jet, report says
Marine One’s crew made repeated but unsuccessful attempts to notify Reagan National Airport that President Donald Trump’s helicopter was preparing to depart Aug. 4 before it flew near a commercial passenger jet, according to a preliminary federal report released Thursday. The National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report said the crew’s first call to Reagan National’s helicopter-control frequency before departing from the Ellipse was not received. A second transmission was “broken and completely unreadable.” After failing to reach the tower, the Marine One crew tried to relay the required three-minute notification through the helicopter facility at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, but that effort was unsuccessful as well, according to the report. TRUMP EYES NEW WHITE HOUSE LAWN PROJECT THAT COULD RESHAPE PRESIDENTIAL TRAVEL The missed warning meant Reagan National controllers did not receive notice that would have required them to stop departures before the presidential helicopter lifted off. Instead, Envoy Air Flight 3742, an Embraer E-170 bound for Pensacola, Florida, was cleared to take off from Runway 1 as Trump departed the White House aboard Marine One for a planned trip to Los Angeles. The passenger jet was beginning its initial climb as Marine One departed the Ellipse, about 2 miles north of the airport, the NTSB said. The FAA’s preliminary estimate found the aircraft came within about 0.82 nautical miles of one another laterally and roughly 700 feet vertically. No one was injured, neither aircraft was damaged and both flights continued without further incident. FAA PROBES JFK NEAR MISS AFTER ANOTHER RECENT CLOSE CALL FUELS SCRUTINY OF AIR TRAFFIC SAFETY The Envoy flight crew said the jet’s traffic-collision system announced, “Traffic, Traffic,” as the aircraft climbed and accelerated after takeoff. The pilots did not visually spot Marine One but said the helicopter appeared to the right and below their aircraft on the cockpit display. The system did not issue a resolution advisory, a more urgent instruction telling pilots to climb or descend to avoid another aircraft, according to the NTSB report. PILOTS ACCIDENTALLY BROADCAST ‘MEOWING’ OVER REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT FREQUENCY Marine One was eventually able to contact the tower after climbing high enough to establish reliable communications. Controllers then issued a traffic advisory, and the helicopter crew immediately reported having the Envoy jet in sight, the report said. The newly released report also shows the communications concern had been raised just days earlier. HOUSE TO VOTE ON AVIATION SAFETY BILL AFTER DEADLY DC MIDAIR CRASH On July 30, Marine Helicopter Squadron One, known as HMX-1, met with Reagan National tower staff to discuss operations in the area. During that meeting, HMX-1 told controllers that communications had been “spotty,” the NTSB said. Controllers had also raised concerns that HMX-1 crews had not always provided the required three-minute warning before takeoff. The two sides agreed that helicopter crews would use backup methods to reach the tower, including relaying the notification through another aircraft, if direct radio communication failed. NTSB REPORT DETAILS HOW CONTROLLER DECISION AND TECH FAILURES LED TO DEADLY RUNWAY COLLISION That is what Marine One’s crew attempted on Aug. 4, but the message still did not get through. FAA technicians later determined there was not adequate line-of-sight coverage between the radio transmitter-receiver site and the Ellipse, where Marine One was temporarily operating during construction at the White House. The FAA subsequently moved the radios used for the airport’s helicopter-control frequency from a nearby residential neighborhood to the top of Reagan National’s control tower, according to the report. FAA INVESTIGATES AFTER INCOMING PLANE EXECUTES GO-AROUND DUE TO AIRCRAFT LEAVING FROM INTERSECTING RUNWAY The agency later conducted radio checks with two HMX-1 aircraft operating near the Ellipse and reported no deficiencies after the equipment was moved. The FAA and NTSB began reviewing the incident earlier this month and previously characterized the event as a “momentary loss of separation.” “Based on our preliminary safety review, there was momentary loss of separation, after which the aircraft continued to move away from one another,” the FAA previously told Fox News Digital. “The air traffic controller was in contact with both the commercial pilot and Marine One pilot during the loss of separation.” While the aircraft were estimated to be less than 1.5 nautical miles apart horizontally, the NTSB said the preliminary estimate of 700 feet of vertical separation met the applicable FAA standard. In the relevant Class B airspace, the standard requires either 1.5 nautical miles of lateral separation or 500 feet of vertical separation. AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL AUDIO CAPTURES TENSE MOMENT TWO PLANES NEARLY COLLIDED AT BOSTON LOGAN AIRPORT The NTSB said it is continuing to review surveillance data to calculate and confirm the closest point between the two aircraft. The White House previously said Trump was never in danger. “Marine One flights are piloted by some of the best aviators in the world, and at no point was the president in harm’s way,” White House spokesman Kush Desai told Fox News Digital. The NTSB told Fox News Digital its preliminary report “is intended to present the factual information developed to date” and does not contain “analysis, conclusions, or findings related to probable cause.” “The investigation remains ongoing, and we are not providing additional comment beyond the information contained in the preliminary report,” the agency said, adding that any safety recommendations would be publicly announced and further findings would be released through its public docket and final report process. Fox News Digital’s Robert McGreevy contributed to this report.
Mamdani stands by DSA insider accused of stiffing landlord amid $1.4M townhome makeover
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani repeatedly declined to distance himself from embattled New York City Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) co-chair Gustavo Gordillo, after being pressed on allegations that the DSA leader failed to pay thousands in rent on a Crown Heights apartment while his family spent a reported $1.4 million renovating the NYC townhouse where he lives—a contrast critics say is difficult to square with the anti-landlord, rent-abolitionist socialist housing agenda he helps champion. Mamdani said Sunday that people working for a “more affordable life” and a “fairer life” for New Yorkers “should be welcomed into this work.” When asked again Monday whether Gordillo should step down and whether he condemned allegations that Gordillo lied about his employment, the mayor said he welcomed anyone committed to making New York “a city that everyone can belong to.” Meanwhile, asked directly whether he condemned Gordillo’s alleged actions and lying, Mamdani ended the exchange: “Thank you very much.” Gordillo, an Ivy League graduate who as a NYC-DSA co-chair met weekly with Mamdani and his campaign manager as the group coordinated fundraising, field and communications efforts, later served on Mamdani’s Economic Development & Workforce Development transition committee, according to public reporting. He is named in a pending Brooklyn Housing Court case, in which a former landlord alleges Gordillo failed to pay $5,000 in rent on a $2,500-a-month Crown Heights apartment, while his family’s townhouse was undergoing its $1.4 million in renovations, according to the New York Post. Gordillo’s family reportedly bought the Bed-Stuy townhouse in 2019 for $935,000, while Gordillo’s father has said it is for Gordillo and his brother to live in. SOCIALIST BIGWIG BLASTS THE WEALTHY WHILE LIVING IN $1.4M BROOKLYN BROWNSTONE WITH EYEBROW-RAISING BACKSTORY “The Democratic Socialists of America have become the Double Standards of America — demanding transparency, fairness, and accountability from everyone else while ignoring serious questions about one of their own,” Rev. Kevin McCall, a Brooklyn pastor who also assists tenants in New York City Housing Authority complexes, told the New York Post. “The allegations surrounding NYC chapter co-chair Gustavo Gordillo raise troubling questions about whether he misled working-class New Yorkers about where he lived, how he obtained housing, and his labor credentials. DSA leaders and elected officials must answer these questions publicly and call for Gordillo’s resignation,” the Reverend added. NEW YORK CITY MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI STRUGGLES TO DEFINE ‘WORKING CLASS’ Neither Mamdani’s office, the NYC-DSA nor Gordillo, responded to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment. The housing case involving Gordillo remains pending and no judgment has been issued. Questions about Gordillo’s working-class credentials were also central to Monday’s exchange between Mamdani and reporters about Gordillo. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers told the New York Post that its Joint Apprentice Training Committee terminated Gordillo’s electrician apprenticeship in March after a “prolonged absence from and failure to participate in required work and classes.” FRUSTRATED BLUE-COLLAR UNION BOSSES RIP SOCIALIST POLITICIANS, WARN OF LABOR EXODUS FROM DEM PARTY The New York Post reported that Gordillo later sought and received approval for a $95,000 annual salary from NYC-DSA without disclosing the termination to members. The outlet also reported that the Bed-Stuy renovation used nonunion contractors and was hit with a city stop-work order over permit issues—prompting further criticism of a DSA leader who has cast himself as a union electrician and advocate for working people. A source close to the union, according to the New York Post, said Gordillo “didn’t have a strong work record to begin with” and took the job “just for show,” while hogging “a slot from someone who probably really needed the opportunity.”