Marine One loses communication with air traffic controllers again
Marine One (L) carrying U.S. President Donald Trump lifts off from The Ellipse near the White House en route to Joint Base Andrews on Aug. 27, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Presidential helicopter Marine One lost communication with air traffic controllers at Reagan National Airport for the second time this month, according to audio reviewed by ABC News.
The incident occurred on Thursday, just one hour after federal officials released a report saying the problem was fixed.
President Donald Trump was about to take off from the White House Ellipse when Marine One pilots gave a three-minute warning to controllers, but in air traffic control audio another helicopter can be heard relaying the information to the tower after controllers failed to respond.
Moments later, a controller can be heard saying she did not hear anything from Marine One.
“Marine One is trying to reach you. Three minutes to lift,” a nearby helicopter pilot said to the tower.
“Oh I couldn’t hear any of that. Thank you,” a controller responded.
A few minutes later, Marine One tried to contact the tower two more times, but the controller didn’t hear the transmission and asked another chopper in the air if they can hear Marine One.
“Hey Nighthawk 8, do me a favor, I can’t hear Marine One,” the controller said. If you hear Marine One can you let me know?”
Once Marine One lifted off from the Ellipse, it regained communication ability with the tower and proceeded to take Trump to Joint Base Andrews, where he boarded Air Force One.
A similar incident happened on Aug. 4, when Marine One took off at the same time an American Airlines regional jet was lifting off from nearby Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).
The two aircraft came within .82 miles and 700 feet vertically, but were not on a collision course. Normally all air traffic is held until the president’s helicopter is out of the area.
FAA rules require that commercial aircraft maintain a minimum of 1.5 miles horizontal separation and 500 feet vertical separation from any helicopter passing near DCA.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration launched an investigation. FAA engineers determined that a radio transmitter did not allow line of sight to Marine One’s temporary landing area on the White House Ellipse. The temporary landing zone is being used while White House construction takes place on the South Lawn.
The FAA moved the transmitter to the top of the control tower at Reagan National Airport from a local residential area. Tests conducted following the move showed Marine One had no further communication issues, according to the NTSB report released Thursday.
The FAA released a statement to ABC News, but did not explain how this happened again.
“The FAA took immediate action following the Aug. 4 incident involving Marine One, including relocating an antenna to improve communications between DCA air traffic controllers and Marine One pilots and reviewing the procedures involved,” the agency said. “The three-minute notification was communicated by alternate means, acknowledged by a controller and positive contact was established with Marine One before takeoff.”
U.S. President Donald Trump departs after delivering remarks at the David S. Mack Center for Training and Intelligence on Aug. 14, 2026, in Garden City, New York. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump contradicted Vice President JD Vance on Monday after the vice president asserted last week that the administration’s top priority amid the Iran war was to keep the price of oil and gas down for Americans.
In a social media post on Monday morning, Trump said that the “number one Goal is, and always will be” that Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon.
Last Thursday, Vance laid out a different order of priorities on Fox News, saying that “goal No. 1” for the administration amid the war was to “keep oil and gas cheap for Americans all over our country.”
“And then obviously, goal No. 2 is ensure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon,” he added. “I feel confident we’re accomplishing both of those goals.”
Vance’s comments about prioritizing gas prices diverge from the president’s stated mission of eliminating Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs. And while some Republicans have acknowledged gas prices are too high, Trump said he won’t apologize for it.
In the past, the president had outright rejected the idea that the domestic American economy should factor into military decisions around Iran.
“Not even a little bit,” Trump said back in May when asked to what extent financial pressure on Americans was motivating him to strike a deal.
“The only thing that matters when I’m talking about Iran, they can’t have a nuclear weapon,” he added. “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing. We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon, that’s all.”
Asked about Vance’s comments aboard Air Force One last Friday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that “both goals are equally as important to the president.”
“Of course, we want to keep gas prices low. That’s why the administration has done so much to keep the markets stable, but also ensuring Iran can never get a nuclear weapon is the president’s priority with respect to the ongoing conflict, and it’s something he’s going to see through one way or another,” she added.
Trump’s apparent rebuke of the vice president came just minutes after “Fox and Friends” anchor Lawrence Jones reacted to Vance’s comments during the program’s Monday morning broadcast, and called for “more clarity” from the White House on the U.S. objectives. Roughly eight minutes later, the president posted his message.
“It also looks like we got an answer from the president about what is priority No. 1 for the United States,” Jones said about an hour later in the broadcast as he relayed the details of the president’s post.
While the status of the Strait of Hormuz has become a central focus of the war — injecting volatility into the global energy market even as the conflict between the two countries has ebbed and flowed — Trump has repeatedly argued that the cost of not intervening in Iran would far outweigh the higher gas prices Americans are dealing with now.
The average price of a gallon of regular is $4.02 according to GasBuddy, up 7 cents form last week and up more than a dollar per gallon since the start of the war.
Speaking at the New York police academy last Friday, Trump told the gathered crowd that he would not apologize for the price of gas.
“[Iran’s] the No. 1 state sponsor of terror in the world. We don’t want to have them have nuclear weapons,” Trump said. “So remember that when you have to pay a little bit more, you’re at $4. It’s OK. I mean, it’s, I’m not — I’m not — I will never apologize. I did the right thing.”
d holding ballot in voting ballot box with USA flag in background. USA presidential elections concept. (SimpleImages/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — A group of mostly Democratic strategists and power players are rebuilding a political action committee meant to fortify election-defense infrastructure ahead of 2028 by focusing on often overlooked state offices that control election administration, litigation and certification.
The group, Democracy Defenders, which previously worked to support legal efforts and help with post-election planning in partnership with the Harris presidential campaign, tells ABC News exclusively that they’re re-launching their political arm. It plans to spend upwards of $10 to 15 million by “protecting democracy and rule of law” in races for Attorneys General, Secretaries of State and state Supreme Court in presidential battleground states– places they see critical to safeguarding against escalating threats from Trump and his allies to subvert the 2028 election.
“The goal right now is to sabotage-proof the electoral system for 2028,” former Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair and Democracy Defenders operative Ben Wikler told ABC News.
In the aftermath of his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, Trump and his administration have made moves since the start of his second term to retool future elections.
They seized boxes of 2020 election records from a Fulton County, Georgia, election site in January and Tump called Virginia’s special election on a new congressional map last month “rigged” without evidence.
They’ve also called for Republicans to “nationalize” and “take over” elections.
Focusing on down-ballot races
The down-ballot races the PAC will focus on could determine certification disputes, election litigation, voting rules and redistricting at a time when many voting-related laws are being actively challenged in the courts, Norm Eisen, a top Democratic attorney who was a co-counsel for the House Judiciary Committee during Trump’s first impeachment, told ABC News in an interview. Eisen is pro-bono, outside counsel for the group.
“If it once again, as it did in 2020, comes down to the integrity of a handful of AGs and secretaries standing up for the genuine results, you must have pro-democracy leaders as AGs and secretary of state,” Eisen said.
Jim Messina, who was campaign manager for President Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign who will now chair the advisory board, told ABC that state office races targeted by the PAC are often “way underfunded,” even though they handle “the block and tackling” of running elections.
Also on the board is former Republican Rep. Barbara Comstock, former Secretary of Labor Tom Perez and Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers.
The day-to-day operations will be overseen by TJ Ducklo, who worked for Joe Biden in 2020 and 2024, along with Wikler and former Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes.
Ramping up fundraising
Democracy Defenders is ramping up its fundraising efforts, too, with planned events with former President Joe Biden and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris’ 2024 running mate.
Their work is starting in Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona, Nevada and North Carolina, according to the group, and likely expand to other states. They’re also focused on some off-year elections in 2027, including another Wisconsin Supreme Court race. They put “several hundred thousand dollars” into the Georgia Supreme Court race on Tuesday, though those candidates were unsuccessful, PAC organizers said.
Last year, Elon Musk dumped $20 million into the high-stakes Wisconsin Supreme Court race through his own PAC. Democracy Defenders is attempting similar work on a smaller scale. Ahead of the Georgia Supreme Court race on Tuesday, the group placed money behind former state Sen. Jen Jordan and attorney Miracle Rankin. Both lost their races, though Rankin came within 2 percentage points of beating the incumbent, according an Associated Press projection.
PAC organizers say election denialism in the Republican Party has become more sophisticated, highlighting that down-ballot candidates in key states are no longer always running on “Stop the Steal” messaging like in the aftermath of the 2020 election. But they still support voting restrictions and even law-enforcement involvement around voting.
‘Different shades of authoritarians’
“You’ve seen here Donald Trump and Burt Jones, who is running for governor [in Georgia], who is a fake elector and actually traveled to Washington, D.C., with a letter in his pocket for Mike Pence the night before the insurrection … he’s literally on the ballot today,” Georgia Democratic Party Chair Charlie Baker said in an interview with ABC News on Tuesday.
Baker continued: “Donald Trump will leave office at some point, but what he has left in his wake in the Republican Party are different shades of authoritarians, and so even when he leaves, we’re not like we can’t say we are safely done with those kinds of actions being perpetrated.”
Jones, who did not face charges in the alleged fake elector plot, did not win his primary outright on Tuesday — he is headed for a June runoff.
Messina said that despite the party soul-searching that came after Harris’ election loss, the PAC is not trying to become another presidential super PAC or rival Democratic power centers separate from bodies like the Democratic National Committee, which is largely focused on congressional and gubernatorial races. It is not coordinating directly with the DNC, however. Instead, the group said it’s working directly with state parties and candidates.
“I don’t think it’s at all a condemnation of anything,” Messina said about the re-launch of the PAC. “What we’re trying to do is bring a large checkbook and a bunch of federal money.”
Messina also said the group is still trying to “figure out” its donor base. Top Democratic donors are already in the mix, but Messina highlighted that additional — even Republican or non-partisan donors — are interested in its efforts.
“There are new donors that I’ve, some of these people I’ve never met, and I’ve been in national politics for 30 years, and people are kind of rising to the top,” Messina said.
Rep. Thomas Kean Jr. (R-NJ) arrives at the U.S. Capitol on June 30, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. of New Jersey arrived back on Capitol Hill on Tuesday after a nearly four-month absence, and announced on the House floor that he received a depression diagnosis that led to an extended hospital stay.
“Now, when people hear the word ‘depression,’ many people think, simply feel, it means feeling sad, but depression is so much more than that,” Kean said. “It is physical, it is emotional, and until you experience it yourself, it is difficult to fully understand how powerful this illness can be.”
Kean said he wanted to get back to Congress as quickly as possible, understanding the importance of representing his constituents, but ultimately decided to follow his doctor’s recommendations to stay under their care.
“The doctors recommended that I remain in the hospital to address my illness. They explained to me that this would be the fastest way to recovery, and to be honest, I was hesitant. I didn’t think that I had time for it. I had responsibilities to my family, I had responsibilities to my constituents, I had responsibilities to this institution, and like many people, I believed that I could simply push through, but I agreed to follow my doctor’s recommendations again, not believing that it would result in a long-term stay,” he said.
Kean has not voted in the House since March 5, missing more than 100 roll call votes during his time away.
The congressman had not publicly addressed the reason for his absence prior to Tuesday, raising questions on his whereabouts.
During his absence, Kean won the Republican primary (where he was unopposed) in his reelection bid and received President Donald Trump’s endorsement. Kean will face Democrat Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot, in November for New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, a toss-up district Democrats hope to flip.
Kean, on Tuesday, did not answer multiple questions from reporters on why he didn’t communicate with his constituents earlier about his health issues.
In his floor remarks, Kean said he believed he would’ve been back on Capitol Hill in a few weeks, but soon began to realize that there is “no timeline for healing, there is no timeline for recovery, only the work of getting better one day at a time.”
“Today I am grateful that I listened to my doctors. I am grateful for the exceptional care that I received from doctors, nurses, and support staff. I am grateful that I accepted help, because today I stand before you healthier, stronger, and excited to return to the work that I love,” he said.
He then thanked his family, staff, constituents, and medical team for their care and understanding, going on to advocate that “asking for help is not a weakness, it is a strength.”
“This is not a partisan issue. It touches every community, every family and every corner of this country. If sharing my story encourages even one person to seek help, if it gives one family the courage to have a difficult conversation or reminds one person that recovery is possible, then this moment will have been worthwhile,” he said as he concluded his speech.
If you or a loved one is experiencing a mental health crisis, please call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You will reach a trained crisis counselor for free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also go to 988lifeline.org.
