Harvard thought experiment suggests aliens may be among us
Despite a recent government report that found no evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence, some academics are urging reconsideration. Harvard and Montana Technological University published a paper that suggests UFO sightings could be the activities of intelligent beings.
The paper proposes various origins for these beings; they might be remnants of an advanced, ancient human civilization, descendants of intelligent dinosaurs, or visitors from Earth’s future.
The ideas aim to broaden the usual debate beyond simple misidentifications or extraterrestrial explanations.
Before diving deeper, it’s important to identify what is actually known.
Former President Barack Obama addressed the topic of aliens back in 2021 on “The Late Late Show with James Corden.” However, getting a direct answer from U.S. leaders has been a struggle.
“So but what is true and I’m actually being serious here, is that there are — there is footage and records of objects in the skies that we don’t know exactly what they are,” Obama said. “We can’t explain how they move their trajectory. They did not have an easily explainable pattern.”
“President Obama says that there is footage and records of objects in the skies of these unidentified aerial phenomena and he says we don’t know exactly what they are,” a reporter said. “What do you think that it is?”
“I would ask him again, thank you,” Biden said before walking off stage.
During the session, members received testimony about sightings of unexplained objects and claims that the government possesses “nonhuman” biological matter.
Former President Donald Trump shared his take on the possibility of extraterrestrial beings on Thursday, June 13.
“And am I a believer? No, I probably can’t say I am,” Trump said on a podcast with Jake Paul. “People that are very smart and very solid have said they believe there is something out there and you know makes sense that there could be. I’ve never been convinced even despite that, you know. I just for some reason it’s not my thing but a lot of people believe that it’s true a lot of very good, solid people believe it’s true.”
In March, the Pentagon released a report saying that since the end of World War II, no evidence has been found suggesting that aliens have visited or crash-landed on Earth. The report concluded that most sightings were misidentified ordinary objects.
‘Fake eyelashes,’ ‘butch body’: Insults fly in congressional hearing
A House Oversight Committee hearing on Thursday, May 16, became degenerate when lawmakers resorted to name calling and insults. The hearing was hosted by Republicans as they seek to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress.
The behavior lasted for more than half an hour as lawmakers argued over Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s, R-Ga., comment about another lawmaker’s fake eyelashes.
“I think your fake eyelashes are messing up your reading,” Greene said to Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas.
That caused an strong reaction from Democrats who pointed out that it is against the rules of decorum to attack another member’s personal appearance.
“Oh girl, baby girl, don’t even play,” Ocasio-Cortez said to Greene.
The effort to hold Garland in contempt is in response to his decision not to turn over audio recordings of President Joe Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur.
Hur was the attorney who investigated the president’s handling of classified documents found at his home and personal office.
“That’s beneath even you Miss Greene,” ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said.
“That is absolutely unacceptable. How dare you attack the physical appearance of another person,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said.
“Are your feelings hurt?” Greene responded.
Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., then brought the out-of-control meeting to a halt.
“We’re suspending,” Comer said as he struck the gavel.
Democrats called for Greene’s comments to be removed from the record and she eventually agreed. However, the battle soon resumed.
“I’m not apologizing,” Greene said to Ocasio-Cortez. “Why don’t you debate me?”
“Yeah, you don’t have enough intelligence,” Greene said.
That caused a full yelling match.
When Comer tried to move on, Crockett, the target of the insult that started the conflict, chimed in.
“I’m just curious just to better understand your ruling,” Crockett said, referring to Greene. “If someone on this committee then starts talking about somebody’s bleach blond, bad-built butch body, that would not be engaging in personalities, correct?”
“A what now?” Comer responded.
The ordeal started after Democrats tried to refer Comer to the ethics committee for sending fundraising emails about his efforts to hold Merrick Garland in contempt.
Some watching this hearing may wish they were like Chairman Comer.
Garland could be held in contempt as Biden asserts executive privilege over Hur recording
House Republicans are moving to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for failing to turn over the audio recordings of President Joe Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur. The move came after the president asserted executive privilege over the recordings.
Counselor to the president Edward Siskel informed the House Judiciary and Oversight committees of the president’s decision in a letter Thursday, May 15. That notice came hours before the committees’ meetings to move the contempt resolution to the House floor.
“The President has a duty to safeguard the integrity and independence of Executive Branch law enforcement functions and protect them from undue partisan interference that could weaken those functions in the future,” Siskel wrote.
The Republican chairmen received the transcript of Hur’s interview with President Biden. Additionally, they received Hur’s full report into the president’s handling of classified documents found at his home and personal office. The chairmen still want the audio recordings.
“This last minute invocation does not change the fact that the attorney general has not complied with our subpoena,” Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said.
“Clearly President Biden and his advisors fear releasing the audio recordings of his interview because it will again reaffirm to the American people that President Biden’s mental state is in decline,” Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said in a statement. “The House Oversight Committee requires these recordings as part of our investigation of President Biden’s mishandling of classified documents.”
Democrats contend the audio recordings are unnecessary because the Department of Justice (DOJ) cooperated with the committees. According to Democrats, the DOJ handed over 92,000 documents and made dozens of witnesses available for interviews.
“Chairman Jordan claims that he needs these records to understand the pauses, pace, and tone of the conversation,” Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., said during a hearing on the contempt resolution. “This is absurd and clearly pretextual, and in any event, does not outweigh the substantial concerns expressed by the president and the department.”
After the contempt resolution moves out of the committees, it still needs to be approved by the full House. There is not a vote scheduled yet.
Raskin opens probe into Trump’s $1 billion request to oil executives
Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, opened a probe into possible campaign finance violations by Donald Trump. The former president reportedly asked oil executives for $1 billion in campaign contributions in exchange for favorable tax and regulatory policies if he is reelected.
According to the Washington Post, Trump vowed to immediately reverse dozens of President Joe Biden’s environmental rules and policies during a second term. He described the request for $1 billion in fundraising as a “deal.”
Raskin described that as a quid pro quo proposition.
“[The reports] raise significant potential ethical, campaign finance, and legal issues that would flow from the effective sale of American energy and regulatory policy to commercial interests in return for large campaign contributions,” Raskin said.
Raskin sent letters to nine oil industry CEOs, including the heads of Chevron, Exxon and the American Petroleum Institute, requesting any information they have regarding the meeting and Trump’s reported proposal.
“Mr. Trump’s unvarnished quid pro quo offer is especially troubling evidence in light of recent accounts that the ‘U.S. oil industry is drawing up ready-to-sign executive orders for Donald Trump aimed at pushing natural gas exports, cutting drilling costs and increasing offshore oil leases in case he wins a second term,’” Raskin wrote.
According to the Post, Trump told the oil executives that his policies would open up new offshore drilling, speed permitting and relax regulations. He said those changes could lead to bigger profits.
That is a contrast to the Biden administration. According to the Post’s analysis, it overturned 27 Trump actions affecting the fossil fuel industry and completed 24 new actions.
Republicans don’t have the votes to impeach Biden, eye criminal referrals
The Republican-led impeachment inquiry into President Biden appears to be moving toward an end without much to show for it. Multiple Republicans are publicly admitting they don’t have enough support to impeach the president.
“We don’t have the votes,” Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., said. “I say vote it up or down. I’m tired of people saying they’re going to do, they’re going to vote to impeach the president, they’re going for Hunter Biden, and then they wink and nod to their buddies up here that they’re not going to do it. Let’s vote it. Let’s show where the votes are.”
There are a number of Republicans who say they’d vote to impeach the president because they believe the evidence is there.
“I’ve seen enough — $20 million, no proof they paid any taxes, Communist Chinese influence,” Burchett said. “That’s enough.”
However, even those who support impeachment admit there aren’t enough Republicans on board. So between lacking support and Democrats remaining unified in their opposition, as of now, an impeachment vote would fail.
Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., who is leading the inquiry, recently told Newsmax that he thinks it would be better to send criminal referrals to the Justice Department. Those referrals would urge the department to investigate specific crimes but they are not binding.
“Now we want accountability,” Comer told Newsmax. “And I believe that the best path to accountability is criminal referrals.”
Democrats have opposed the impeachment inquiry from the very beginning. However, they renewed their calls for its end after a key witness was indicted on charges of lying to the FBI about the Bidens.
Alexander Smirnov could face 25 years in prison if found guilty of making false statements on an official record, known as a 1023 form.
“We now know the 1023 form was a lie,” Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., said. “It was all false. It came from Russian intelligence, disinformation, the guy’s been indicted. My colleagues on the other side know this. So they know the genesis, the beginning, the birth of the fake impeachment into the president was Russian disinformation.”
There’s no timeline for wrapping up the impeachment inquiry. As of right now, there are no more hearings on the schedule.
Impeachment hearing features a witness in prison, a Putin mask, an empty chair
A congressman wearing a Putin mask, an empty chair for Hunter Biden, and a key witness testifying via teleconference from prison: that was the reality at the House Oversight Committee’s impeachment hearing into Joe Biden Wednesday, March 20. The hearing included some made-for-TV moments but no new information.
Republicans continued to push their narrative that Joe Biden and his family made $24 million off his public service.
“The Bidens sell Joe Biden, that is their business,” Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said. “Joe shows up, shakes a few hands in front of his son and says, ‘Take care of my boy,’ or something similar, and the money flows to the tune of tens of millions of dollars.”
Democrats contend that Republicans have failed to substantiate any wrongdoing throughout their investigation, which has spanned more than a year.
“With any luck, today marks the end of perhaps the most spectacular failure in the history of congressional investigations — the effort to find a high crime or misdemeanor committed by Joe Biden and then to impeach him for it,” Ranking Member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said.
Democrats brought in a former ally of Donald Trump to testify. Lev Parnas worked with Rudy Giuliani on behalf of the former president in an effort to find evidence of corruption with the Bidens’ dealings in Ukraine.
“In nearly a year traveling the world and interviewing officials in different countries, I found precisely zero evidence of the Bidens’ corruption in Ukraine,” Parnas told the committee.
Republicans brought in two witnesses who were former business partners of Hunter Biden.
Jason Galanis, who worked with Hunter Biden on acquisition projects, testified from prison.
“The entire value-add of Hunter Biden to our business was his family name and his access to his father, Vice President Joe Biden,” Galanis said.
The other witness, Tony Bobulinski, worked with Hunter Biden on a project involving a Chinese Energy company. He said Joe Biden was the brand sold by Hunter Biden to those seeking to gain access and influence with the United States government.
“Joe Biden was more than a participant in and beneficiary of his family’s business; he was an active, aware enabler who met with business associates such as myself to further the business, despite being buffered by a complex scheme to maintain plausible deniability,” Bobulinski said.
Bobulinski first came forward with these accusations in October 2020 when Trump invited him to be his guest at a presidential debate. He has repeated many of the same accusations since that time, leading to questions about the inquiry’s next steps.
Straight Arrow News asked Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., where Republicans plan to take it from here.
“What’s hopefully is going to be added is that you guys actually will cover it,” Burlison said. “Because if you ask most Americans they don’t, they don’t know the story. [Hunter] was doing business with some of the most corrupt individuals in the world.”
Rep. Raskin said Republicans appear to be preparing to write criminal referrals, rather than moving toward an impeachment vote. Those referrals would urge the Justice Department to investigate specific crimes but they would not be binding.
Democrats, Republicans want answers about outside influence on US Trade Rep
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., is opening an investigation into the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). The investigation seeks to understand how much influence outside organizations may have had on the October 2023 decision to abandon digital trade principles, which the U.S. first put forward in 2019. At the time, Trade Representative Katherine Tai said the decision would give Congress more ability to regulate Big Tech.
Digital trade is part of daily life. Buying something on Amazon? That’s digital trade. An email with a document to e-sign? That’s digital trade. Trying to buy Eras tour tickets for the shows in Madrid? That’s international digital trade.
The rules and principles that governments create to regulate digital trade impact how your information is sent and stored. The House investigation is looking into how third parties may have changed that.
“New documents brought forward through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request shed light on robust and sometimes clandestine engagement efforts made by USTR officials through their cozy relationships with former colleagues who work as ideological advocates outside of government,” Comer wrote in a letter to Tai. “Some of these individuals are associated with efforts to advance the interests of favored businesses over competitors and consumer welfare.”
The trade principles were first proposed by the Trump administration in 2019 and had strong bipartisan support. Similar provisions were included in the USMCA trade agreement, which Congress approved in January 2020.
When the decision was made in October, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said it was made with “virtually zero consultation with Congress.”
“USTR’s unilateral decision to abandon any leverage against China’s digital expansionism and to oppose policies championed by allies like Australia, Japan, the U.K. and Korea, directly contradicts its mission as delegated by Congress,” Wyden said in a statement. “It may be time to reconsider the degree of that delegation going forward.”
Tai’s decision received support from 87 House Democrats. However, in January, nearly 50 members of Congress wrote to Tai, FTC Chair Lina Kahn and Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter.
“It is shocking that USTR’s political leadership has chosen to retract its backing for long-standing, bipartisan core trade values that safeguard against compelled technology transfers, data localization, source code disclosure and further discriminatory trade practices,” the lawmakers said.
“Ambassador Tai reasserted our rights to limit the flow of Americans’ data to such countries by withdrawing U.S. support for Trump-era WTO proposals that granted data brokers and digital platforms all but total control of Americans’ data,” the group, led by Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., said.
Concern about the USTR’s lack of consultation with Congress goes back to May of 2022. A bipartisan group of senators led by Wyden wrote to Tai and accused the USTR of not living up to its own standards when negotiating a deal with the World Trade Organization (WTO) on Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).
Comer wants the trade representative’s office to hand over communications on the messaging app Signal or other non-official communications channels and all correspondence between USTR employees and individuals at certain nongovernmental organizations — including New America, Public Citizen and Center for Digital Democracy.
Comer is also requesting memos, notes and other internal communications related to digital trade negotiations.
James Biden says Joe Biden didn’t know source of funds used to repay loan
President Joe Biden’s brother James spent hours testifying to the House Oversight and Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, Feb. 21. The closed door interview was part of the impeachment inquiry into the president. Republicans are trying to prove that Biden benefited from his family’s business dealings while he was vice president.
“I have had a 50-year career in a variety of business ventures,” James Biden said, addressing the overall inquiry. “Joe Biden has never had any involvement or any direct or indirect financial interest in those activities. None.”
“I have always kept my professional life separate from our close personal relationship,” James Biden said in an opening statement. “I never asked my brother to take any official action on behalf of me, my business associates, or anyone else.”
The president’s younger brother also directly addressed an accusation the committee made in November.
The committee released bank documents it said showed President Biden received $40,000 in laundered money from China in 2017. The committee published bank statements and a check which traced the money from the Chinese company CEFC, through a shell company, to James Biden’s bank account and then to Joe Biden via a check which stated loan repayment in the memo.
“They were short-term loans that I received from Joe when he was a private citizen, and I repaid them within weeks,” James Biden said in his opening statement. “He had no information at all about the source of the funds I used to repay him. The complete explanation is that Joe lent me money and I repaid him as soon as I had the funds to do so.”
Republicans are still casting doubt on James Biden’s explanation.
“We asked what exactly did both Jim and Hunter do to earn the millions of dollars that they earned from CEFC and he said that they were always out scouting around trying to find them investments,” Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said on Newsmax. “And the next obvious question was, ‘Well did you find them any investments?’ No.”
Democrats are calling for the impeachment inquiry to end.
“Yesterday’s interview served only to corroborate the mountain of evidence that has proven time and time again that President Biden has committed no wrongdoing,” Oversight Ranking Member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said in a statement.
This isn’t the last of the Biden family’s business dealings. Hunter Biden is scheduled to testify Wednesday, Feb. 28.
FBI informant charged with lying about Biden family’s ties to Burisma
An FBI informant has been charged with falsely reporting a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme involving President Joe Biden, his son Hunter, and Ukrainian energy company Burisma. The charges were filed by Special Counsel David Weiss, who is leading the investigation against Hunter Biden, charging him with firearm and tax violations.
According to the indictment, Alexander Smirnov, 43, lied to the FBI in 2020 when he said Burisma paid both Bidens $5 million. Prosecutors said Smirnov “expressed bias” against Joe Biden, who was running for president then. Smirnov’s claims have been central to House Republicans’ efforts to impeach the president over his family business dealings.
“In short, the Defendant transformed his routine and unextraordinary business contacts with Burisma in 2017 and later into bribery allegations against Public Official 1, the presumptive nominee of one of the two major political parties for President, after expressing bias against Public Official 1 and his candidacy,” the indictment said.
Fulton County DA Fani Willis testifies in Trump election interference case: The Morning Rundown, Feb. 16, 2024
The district attorney leading Georgia’s election interference case against former President Donald Trump takes the stand. And Amazon is sued after a subscriber says the addition of ads to Prime Video is ‘immoral.’ These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Friday, Feb. 16, 2024.
Get up to speed on the stories leading the day every weekday morning. Get The Morning RundownTM newsletter straight to your inbox!
Lawyers for Trump and his 14 co-defendants are seeking to remove Willis from the case, as they argued that her romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade presented a conflict of interest. On the stand, Willis fired back at the lawyers’ claims.
“I object to you getting records,” Willis said. “You’ve been intrusive into people’s personal lives. You’re confused. Do you think I’m on trial? These people are on trial for trying to steal an election in 2020. I’m not on trial no matter how hard you try to put me on trial.”
A former friend and coworker of the district attorney testified Willis and Wade had been romantically linked before Willis hired Wade for the case, an allegation both parties deny. Though the relationship has since ended, attorneys for the defendants allege Willis personally profited from the case while the two were together, arguing that Wade had used his earnings to pay for trips for the two. Wade testified that Willis always paid him back.
Should Willis be disqualified and removed from the prosecution, a new attorney would be appointed who could either continue with the charges or drop the case. There are updates in other cases involving the former president; a judge in the hush money case has set a trial date for March 25. On Friday, Feb. 16, a verdict is expected in Trump’s New York civil fraud trial.
FBI informant charged with lying about Biden family’s ties to Burisma
According to the indictment, Alexander Smirnov lied to the FBI in 2020 when he said Burisma paid both Bidens $5 million. Prosecutors said Smirnov “expressed bias” against Joe Biden, who was running for president then. Smirnov’s claims have been central to House Republicans’ efforts to impeach the president over his family business dealings.
Congressman Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, called for an end to the impeachment inquiry. Meanwhile, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the Republican chair of the committee, said the inquiry will continue, claiming it’s based on “a large record of evidence.” Smirnov faces charges of making a false statement and falsification of records. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.
New details released in Chiefs Super Bowl parade shooting
New details have been released about what led to panic following a shooting at the Super Bowl parade in Kansas City that left a woman dead and 22 others injured. Police report that about half of the injured victims are under the age of 16, with 11 children, the youngest just 6-years-old, taken to the hospital to be treated for injuries. Nine of them suffered gunshot wounds. Seven children have since been released from the hospital.
The identity of the woman who was killed in the shooting has also been confirmed. Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a mother of two and beloved radio host for the local KKFI station, died celebrating the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl victory with nearly a million other fans.
According to Kansas City police, the shooting was not terrorism or extremism; rather, it stemmed from a personal dispute between several people. Police initially detained three juveniles but released one they determined was not involved. Police said they are working with prosecutors to file charges against the other two juveniles who have been detained.
Amazon subscriber sues over ads playing on Prime Video
Details on what games and when they will be made available have not been disclosed. Revenue for Microsoft’s Xbox-related business grew by 61% in the fourth quarter, overtaking Windows in earnings, which is largely attributed to the $75 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard in October. Microsoft is now looking to generate even more revenue as its Xbox system ranks third in sales behind its rivals.
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark becomes all-time NCAA women’s basketball scorer
History was made in college sports last night as Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark became women’s college basketball’s all-time leading scorer. Clark only needed to score 8 points early in the game against Michigan to break the NCAA record.
Hitting a three-pointer to reach the milestone, Clark scored a career-best 49 points in the game in Iowa city, which put her at the top of the list with 3,569 career points. WNBA star Kelsey Plum, who previously held the college record, said she is “grateful to pass the baton” to Clark.