Trump denies weapons shortage reports; FAA investigates Marine One close call
Iran says an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is nearing completion, as President Donald Trump forcefully rejects new reports that the U.S. is running low on key weapons.
Plus, a routine presidential flight turned into a close call after Marine One and a commercial jet came far closer than intended.
And the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first mRNA-based seasonal flu vaccine, a decision that could change how quickly scientists respond to each year’s evolving flu strains.
These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026.
Trump defends US arsenal following reports of a shortage, adding Hormuz deal could come this week
Trump has pushed back on reports the U.S. is running low on key missiles while expressing new optimism about talks to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
On Wednesday, Straight Arrow and other news outlets reported the U.S. has sharply drawn down some of its most important missile stockpiles during the war with Iran.
Early Thursday morning, Trump rejected those reports, writing that the U.S. has “massive amounts” of munitions while warning the “leakers” of what he called “treasonous statements” are being hunted down and could face long prison sentences.
But The Washington Post reported Trump privately clashed with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week after learning the shortages were more serious than he believed. The Post said concerns about U.S. munitions have also factored into his military decisions.
Meanwhile, Trump said a deal involving the Strait of Hormuz could come this week.
Iran said Thursday it is in the final stages of drafting an agreement with Oman, but said the talks are about shipping routes and vessel movement, not a full reopening of the Strait.
In Las Vegas on Wednesday, Trump reiterated that the U.S. is in talks with Iran while also doubling down on threats.
“I’d rather make a deal because I don’t want to kill people. I do not want to kill people. But at some point we’re going to — we had — we were set for the biggest attack of any attack. And we’ve hit them very hard for the last few months. But we were all set for the biggest attack since World War II. And they called me, and they said, ‘Please don’t do it; let’s talk.’ And then they don’t. They say, we never said that. You know what the fake news knows. They did say that. But we are talking. Let’s see what happens.”
President Donald Trump
Trump said he still prefers a negotiated deal with Iran, but warned the U.S. is prepared to take further military action if talks fall apart.
FAA probes safety incident involving Marine One, after it departed before airspace cleared
Federal aviation officials have launched an investigation into a close call involving Trump’s Marine One helicopter after it departed before air traffic had been fully cleared at Reagan National Airport.
The incident happened Tuesday as Marine One lifted off from the ellipse near the White House, heading to Joint Base Andrews.
Under standard procedure, the crew must give Reagan National’s control tower at least three minutes’ notice so controllers can stop other air traffic.
Air traffic recordings show the pilot tried several times to make that call, but the transmission was never clearly received.
Marine One departed while commercial traffic was still moving, prompting the tower to warn the crew that an American Airlines regional jet was taking off.
The pilot acknowledged the traffic and said the helicopter would take a “momentary delay.”
The FAA said the two aircraft briefly lost the required separation, but were already moving away from each other and never came dangerously close.
Officials tightened flight rules around Reagan National after last year’s deadly midair collision between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet, which killed 67 people.
The FAA is now reviewing this latest incident to determine whether any additional corrective action is needed.
Blanche backs Trump’s power, saying he has the right to fire Pirro
Trump is still leaving the door open on the future of his top federal prosecutor in Washington, even as the man hoping to become the next attorney general says the president has every right to fire her.
The questions surrounding Jeanine Pirro continue after her office dropped the felony case against former Olympian David Hearn and three others accused of damaging the new Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
Prosecutors now say new evidence shows the damage was caused by a botched installation, not vandalism. But Trump has repeatedly rejected that conclusion. He said he told Pirro to her face this week.
“Everybody saw the vandalism; all you have to do is look at the tape. If you look at tape, plus we have a witness or two witnesses that saw the vandalism,” Trump said. “So certainly when there was vandalism, it was actually, in my opinion, it was major vandalism. And I told her I was not happy.”
Trump told reporters he has not decided whether Pirro will keep her job.
On Wednesday, Todd Blanche was asked whether firing Pirro would send a message to federal prosecutors who make charging decisions. He didn’t weigh in on the case itself, but he made one thing clear: Trump has the power to fire Pirro if he so chooses.
“Hypothetically, if the president chose to fire a United States attorney, it turns out he’s allowed to do that because he’s president of the United States,” Blanche said. “And by the way, if President Trump wanted to fire anybody within his administration, he understands he has the power to do that.”
The comments come as Blanche’s own nomination to lead the Justice Department faces a critical test in the Senate.
Republicans can afford to lose just one more vote after Sen. Susan Collins announced her opposition.
That leaves Louisiana’s Bill Cassidy and Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski as two of the last undeclared Republicans ahead of a confirmation vote expected as early as Thursday.
FDA approves first mRNA flu vaccine for adults 50 and older
The FDA has approved the first mRNA-based seasonal flu vaccine.
On Wednesday, the Trump administration’s health officials approved Moderna’s mFLUSIVA vaccine for adults 50 and older. The approval comes with a condition: Moderna must complete an additional clinical trial to further study the vaccine in adults 65 and older.
In a late-stage clinical trial, the shot was about 27% more effective than a standard flu vaccine. Like Moderna’s COVID-19 shots, it uses messenger RNA technology.
The company said the platform can produce a new vaccine in about two to three months, compared with roughly six months for traditional egg-based flu vaccines, giving scientists a better chance to match the strains circulating each season.
The approval comes after the FDA delayed its review of the vaccine earlier this year, then reversed course and moved ahead with the application.
Perez Hilton hospitalized, family issues first statement since livestream incident
Editor’s Note: This story contains descriptions of self-harm and potential suicide. If you or someone you know is in crisis, help is available. Visit the National Crisis Line website or call or text 988 for immediate support.
For the first time since celebrity blogger Perez Hilton was hospitalized, his family and team are speaking out.
Tuesday night, paramedics rushed Hilton to a Miami-area hospital after he appeared on a TikTok livestream covered in blood from apparent self-harm, prompting multiple 911 calls and a response from Miami-Dade Sheriff’s deputies.
Deputies said they found Hilton alone inside the home and used de-escalation techniques. Emergency services then transported him to a hospital for medical care. The sheriff’s office said its crisis response unit and licensed mental health professionals also provided support to his family.
On Wednesday, Hilton’s family and team posted their first public statement since the incident.
“We can confirm that Perez is receiving medical care, and our family’s focus right now is on his well-being. We kindly ask that you respect Perez’s privacy, as well as the privacy of his family, during this difficult time.”
They also thanked people for their support and said they would provide additional updates if they were able.
In a second update, his team and family confirmed Hilton was able to communicate, sparking hope for his recovery.
“This has been incredibly difficult and emotional for us, made even harder because very little information has been made available to our family. While we continue to wait for further updates, we remain hopeful. We have also been able to confirm that Perez is able to communicate, which has given our family hope,” the statement said.
TikTok said its automated system flagged the livestream, but a moderation error delayed its removal.
The company says it alerted law enforcement, removed the video and disabled the account.
Sharpest-ever look at the sun reveals details never seen before
A look at the sun like we’ve never seen it before.
Scientists in Hawaii have captured the highest-resolution images ever of the sun’s surface, revealing details previously invisible.
The photos, taken with the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, show feathery, wave-like patterns stretching across the sun.
Researchers believe they’re observing the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, a phenomenon scientists have long predicted but have never seen this clearly on the sun.
The discovery could help explain how energy moves through the sun’s atmosphere and improve scientists’ understanding of solar activity. The findings were published this week in the journal Nature.
More from Straight Arrow:
Can housing replace jail? A Manhattan non-profit has tested the answer for almost half a century
NEW YORK — Inside a five-story building tucked into the heart of Chelsea, an art hub in downtown Manhattan, residents greet each other by name. Some gather around a table to play Chinese Checkers. Others hit the nurse’s office for their morning meds.
The people living in this restored 1897 townhouse have schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or another serious illness. Before arriving, they spent years without homes. Some cycled through homeless shelters or jails.
At St. Francis Friends of the Poor, residents have something many haven’t had in years, or even a lifetime: their own room, medical care and a permanent address. Unlike at a shelter, they don’t leave each morning and find a new bed by nightfall. Unlike at jail, no one is locked inside.
For nearly 50 years, St. Francis has quietly operated one of America’s earliest examples of what is today known as permanent supportive housing. This model helps keep vulnerable populations more stable — out of jail and out of psychiatric institutions — by offering them a private room, paired with on-site psychiatric and medical care.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
