
Fighter Jets Intercept Planes Breaching Trump No Fly Zone
The U.S. military polices the airspace around the president, including over Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort or his Bedminster golf course, when the Republican is in residence.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), made up of American and Canadian forces, has frequently intercepted aircraft that violate temporary restrictions in the airspace around the president.
The First Air Force at Florida's Tyndall Air Force Base said in a statement on Saturday that a NORAD fighter jet had intercepted a "general aviation aircraft" over Bedminster at approximately 2:39 p.m. EDT. This is a broad term referring to non-commercial civilian aircraft.
A temporary flight restriction, or TFR, was in place, the military said. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) puts out Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) to air crews, which are enforced by NORAD. TFRs are typically put in place during presidential visits.
The fighter jet carried out what is known as a "headbutt maneuver" to get the attention of the civilian pilot before escorting the aircraft out of the area, the military said. This is a fairly typical maneuver for NORAD jets enforcing temporary restrictions in the airspace around where the president is.
The NORAD aircraft was an F-16, a spokesperson told Reuters.
The U.S. military had already reported three TFR violations earlier in the day, and a further incident later on Saturday brought the total to "five unauthorized incursions," according to the statement.
The FAA, as of early Sunday, had restrictions in place from July 4 until July 6. Pilots in the air are responsible for making sure they check Notices to Airmen, or NOTAMs.
Shortly after NORAD F-16 aircraft intercepted a civilian aircraft over Palm Beach, Florida, in early March, the command's chief, General Gregory Guillot, condemned what he termed the "excessive number of recent TFR violations."
NORAD said at the time that in the less than two months since Trump's inauguration, NORAD had "responded to over 20 tracks of interest entering the Palm Beach, Florida TFR area."
The First Air Force said in a post to social media on Saturday: "These TFRs are in place for a reason. No excuses! Stay sharp, stay legal, and stay out of restricted airspace."
NORAD will continue to enforce FAA flight restrictions.
Related Articles
Social Security Email Causes Anger: 'Blatant Political Statement'Tucker Carlson Previews Interview With Iran's PresidentDonald Trump's Approval Rating Flips With Baby BoomersSteve Bannon Attacks Elon Musk Over New Party: 'You're Not American'
2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Axios
39 minutes ago
- Axios
Biden defends frequent autopen use at end of term
Former President Biden insisted that he authorized the wide use of his signature via autopen at the very end of his presidency, according to a rare interview that the New York Times published Sunday evening. Why it matters: Senate and House Republicans and President Trump's Justice Department are conducting investigations into how Biden's aging affected his ability to be president. Some, particularly House Oversight Chairman James Comer, have been probing whether White House officials abused Biden's use of the autopen, which does not require the president's physical signature. Driving the news: "I made every decision," Biden told the Times. He said he used the autopen on granting widespread clemency and pardons to particular groups because "we're talking about a whole lot of people." At the very end of his term, Biden took action to reduce jail time for almost 4,000 federal convicts. Many of those pardons and clemency actions were signed using an autopen–including those signed to pardon members of Biden's family, the Times reported. Zoom in: Emails the Times obtained show that after Biden met with senior aides on Jan. 19, the day before Trump's inauguration, the Democrat's chief of staff Jeff Zients emailed a larger group of aides and wrote: "I approve the use of the autopen for the execution of all of the following pardons." Biden told the Times, "I made every single one of those. I understand why Trump would think that, because obviously, I guess, he doesn't focus much. Anyway, so — yes, I made every decision." He and aides said Biden did not approve every individual categorical clemency, but he did hold extensive discussions on the matter before signing off on the criteria for them, according to the times. A Biden spokesperson declined to comment further. Comer told Axios in a statement: "The House Oversight Committee will continue pursuing answers about this historic scandal to prevent such an abuse from happening again." Between the lines: Biden's 10-minute interview with the is his first interview with the paper since he became president in early 2021. Biden's staff largely shielded him from the press as his ability to communicate declined in his old age, something that aides attributed to a stutter from his childhood. State of play: Current and former Biden aides have been interviewed by Comer's committee in recent weeks.


The Hill
39 minutes ago
- The Hill
Axelrod suggests Trump to blame for Bondi's ‘180' on Epstein files
Democratic strategist David Axelrod suggested Sunday that President Trump is to blame for Attorney General Pam Bondi's '180' when it comes to releasing files related to disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. 'I've said this from the start: Anyone who thinks Pam Bondi decided on her own to do a 180 and inflame MAGA on the Epstein file release hasn't been paying attention,' Axelrod said in a Sunday post on the social platform X. 'There's only one guy who could have ordered it–and had a motive to–but it's sacrilege on the Right to say it!' he added. Right-wing influencers who have long promoted conspiracy theories about Epstein recently turned their ire towards the Trump administration, especially Bondi, due to a recent Justice Department memo seeking to sink those theories. The Monday memo said there was no evidence that Epstein kept a 'client list' or that he attempted to blackmail powerful figures implicated in his crimes. It also concluded Epstein's death was due to suicide, pushing back against theories that he was secretly murdered. Bondi in February said an Epstein client list was on her desk to be reviewed. The attorney general said Monday she had been referring to a variety of files related to the Epstein case, not a specific list of names. Trump has faced rare criticism from his base over the memo, angrily saying during a Cabinet meeting that people should not waste their time talking about Epstein. Bondi has reportedly clashed with deputy FBI director Dan Bongino, who regularly pushed for the release of Epstein evidence as a conservative media figure, over the handling of the case. The president praised Bondi on Saturday for doing a 'FANTASTIC' job amid the uproar. 'What's going on with my 'boys' and, in some cases, 'gals?' They're all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB! We're on one Team, MAGA, and I don't like what's happening. We have a PERFECT Administration, THE TALK OF THE WORLD, and 'selfish people' are trying to hurt it, all over a guy who never dies, Jeffrey Epstein,' Trump said in a Truth Social post. Trump told reporters on Sunday evening that Bongino was in 'good shape,' adding they spoke this weekend. 'Dan Bongino, very good guy. I've known him a long time. I've done his show many many times. He sounded terrific, actually. No, I think he's in good shape,' Trump said. The Hill has reached out to the Department of Justice and White House for comment.


New York Post
44 minutes ago
- New York Post
Trump economic adviser says White House probing Fed renovation costs, authority to fire Powell
President Trump has the authority to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell for cause if evidence supports that, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said on Sunday, and that the Fed 'has a lot to answer for' on renovation cost overruns at its Washington headquarters. Hassett, the director of the National Economic Council, told ABC's 'This Week' program that any decision by Trump to try to fire Powell over what the Trump administration calls a $700 million cost overrun 'is going to depend a lot on the answers that we get to the questions that Russ Vought sent to the Fed.' Vought, the White House budget director, last week slammed Powell over an 'ostentatious overhaul' of the Fed's buildings and answers to a series of questions about the $2.5 billion project. In a posting on X, he compared the project to France's Palace of Versailles, with rooftop gardens, water features and 'premium marble.' Advertisement 4 Renderings of the Federal Reserve's headquarters when completed. NCPC Hassett's comments confirm that the Trump administration is actively exploring the renovation costs and Powell's testimony about the project as a possible avenue to try to fire the Fed chief well before his term as chair ends next May. Trump has repeatedly called for Powell's resignation for failing to lower interest rates since Trump returned to office in January. Advertisement Vice President JD Vance piled on more criticism in a post on X on Sunday: 'Fed has been totally asleep at the wheel. As President Trump says, they're TOO LATE–both in fighting inflation during Biden and in lower rates now.' 4 National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett. WILL OLIVER/EPA/Shutterstock The Fed on Friday appeared to rebut some of Vought's claims in a 'Frequently Asked Questions' posting about the project, describing it as the first complete renovation of the buildings since their construction in the 1930s, including removing lead contamination and more asbestos than initially anticipated. It shows pictures of leaky pipes and roofs and notes that costs have risen due to increased material, equipment and labor costs. It denied assertions that there were VIP dining rooms or elevators being installed. The project will have a 'green roof' using plants to help manage water runoff and aid with heating and cooling, as many other federal buildings have used for decades but no terrace access. Advertisement 'There are no new water features, there's no beehives, and there's no roof terrace gardens,' Powell told U.S. senators in testimony in June, denying excessive spending on the project. Powell said the almost 90-year-old headquarters 'was not really safe, and it was not waterproof' while acknowledging cost overruns. The Fed has said that the project, which includes upgrades to an adjacent building, will consolidate staff into a single campus and reduce off-site lease costs. As of February, a Fed Inspector General report estimated that costs had risen to $2.4 billion from an estimate of $1.9 billion two years earlier, a $500 million increase. 4 The Fed's nearly 90 year-old headquarters 'was not really safe, and it was not waterproof,' Fed Chair Jerome Powell told senators last month, while acknowledging cost overruns. REUTERS Advertisement Asked if Trump had the authority to fire Powell, Hassett, whose name has emerged as a potential candidate to take over the Fed chair job, said: 'That's a thing that's being looked into, but certainly if there's cause, he does.' Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.), who chairs the powerful House Financial Services Committee, said Trump did not have the authority to fire the Fed chair, but Congress would continue to provide strong oversight of the central bank. 'Just because Congress created the Fed and that we believe that it should be independent in the setting of monetary policy, it doesn't mean that it's immune from criticism,' Hill told CBS' Face the Nation. 'Every president since World War II has had choice words for the Fed chair when they've not been in sync with the direction of the president.' 4 Fed Chair Jerome Powell's term ends next month. Getty Images Separately on Sunday, Kevin Warsh, a former Fed Board of Governors member who is considered a potential candidate to replace Powell, said the U.S. central bank needs 'regime change' that goes beyond the chair position. 'The Fed has lost its way. It's lost its way in supervision, it's lost its way in monetary policy,' Warsh said in a Sunday interview on Fox's 'Sunday Morning Futures' program. 'We need regime change at the Fed, and that's not just about the chairman. It's about a whole range of people, it's about changing their mindset and their models, and frankly it's about breaking some heads, because the way they've been doing business is not working.'