NEWS AND OPINION:
Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena — that’s UAPs for short — are the centerpiece of a hearing Wednesday co-conducted by the two subcommittees of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee.
The panel’s subcommittees are Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation (chaired by Rep. Nancy Mace, South Carolina Republican), and National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs (chaired by Rep. Glenn Grothman, Wisconsin Republican).
The joint hearing is titled “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Exposing the Truth.”
“This second hearing on the topic of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena will attempt to further pull back the curtain on secret UAP research programs conducted by the U.S. government, and undisclosed findings they have yielded,” notes a committee press release.
“The hearing will examine the Department of Defense’s reluctance to appropriately declassify material on UAPs, and ways to make sure the American public is better informed on this topic,” the release said.
“This is our second hearing on the topic of UAPs and the American people are tired of the obfuscation and refusal to release information by the federal government. Americans deserve to understand what the government has learned about UAP sightings, and the nature of any potential threats these phenomena pose,” Ms. Mace and Mr. Grothman said in a joint written statement.
The previous UAP hearing took place on July 22, 2023, and drew considerable public interest and press coverage.
“We can only ensure that understanding by providing consistent, systemic transparency. We look forward to hearing from expert witnesses on ways to shed more light and bring greater accountability to this issue,” the lawmakers noted.
The speakers include Stephen Bassett, executive director of Paradigm Research Group; Daniel Sheehan, president and general counsel of New Paradigm Institute; Ron James, media relations director for the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON); David MacDonald, executive director of MUFON; and Robert Salas, author and a retired Air Force captain.
Jim Garrison — director of the aforementioned New Paradigm Institute — will moderate the event.
Curious? The hearing — which begins at 11:30 a.m. EST — is open to the press and will be livestreamed at oversight.house.gov. The event will also air live on C-SPAN3.
THE SEXIEST PRESIDENTS?
Yes, there is now a list of the nation’s “sexiest presidents.” It has been compiled by BetUS.com, an online site for sports wagering.
“Who’s the sexiest U.S. president? Throughout U.S. history, our previous presidents have always intrigued the American public, with their wit, charisma, and overall impact contributing to how attractive they are perceived. With this in mind, we set out to discover who ranks as the sexiest U.S. president,” the organization said in a written statement shared with Inside the Beltway.
Here is the top-10 from the list — which examined personality traits, facial features, social media mentions and other factors, and was released to coincide with the presidential election. Ready?
Barack Obama was in first place, followed by Franklin D. Roosevelt, Donald Trump, James Garfield, Rutherford B. Hayes, Joe Biden, Thomas Jefferson, John Quincy Adams, Abraham Lincoln and Bill Clinton.
Among the findings, Lyndon B. Johnson ranked 17th, Dwight D. Eisenhower 18th and George W. Bush 19th. Gerald R. Ford was in 25th place, George Washington in 28th and Ronald Reagan at 29th. John F. Kennedy was in 31st place, and Theodore Roosevelt 37th.
Find the list at betus.com.pa.
TEXANS CHEER FOR HOMAN
President-elect Donald Trump’s selection of Tom Homan as “border czar” is winning applause.
“Trump announced in a social media post on Truth Social Sunday night that Homan will be in charge of all deportations of illegal aliens back to their countries of origin. During Trump’s first administration, Homan spearheaded the government’s deportation program. Though never confirmed by the U.S. Senate, he served as the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from 2017 to 2018,” notes Texas Scorecard — a news organization based in Leander, Texas.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott also is pleased with Mr. Homan’s new role.
“This is excellent. There’s no one tougher on the border. He knows what to do, how to do it with speed, and will work collaboratively with Texas. The days of open borders are about to end,” Mr. Abbott said in a post on X published Tuesday.
A GREEN PARTY REPORT
The Green Party scored some victories in the Nov. 5 election.
“131 Greens in 23 states ran for office. Among these, 81 races were for partisan state and federal office, and 50 were for local county, city, school and special offices,” the party said in a written report.
“Of the 50 races for local office in November, at least 18 Greens were elected in Arizona, California, the District of Columbia, Maine and Florida — including 12/13 incumbents. Greens lead in two more races in California that are still too close to call and a smattering of additional local candidates are still being reported. Of the 18 elected, two were for city council, two for school board, seven for water board and two for parks board. Of the 50 races overall, the breakdown includes: city council (16), mayor (2), school board (6), water board (9), parks board (2) and county board (4),” the report noted.
Find the Green Party at GP.org
POLL DU JOUR
• 39% of registered U.S. voters feel enthusiastic about results of the 2024 presidential election; 82% of Republicans, 32% of independents and 5% of Democrats agree.
• 12% feel satisfied but not enthusiastic; 12% of Republicans, 19% of independents and 5% of Democrats agree.
• 13% feel dissatisfied but not upset; 2% of Republicans, 17% of independents and 20% of Democrats agree.
• 32% feel upset about the results; 2% of Republicans, 28% of independents and 66% of Democrats agree.
• 2% have none of these feelings; 1% of Republicans, 2% of independents and 3% of Democrats agree.
• 2% are not sure how they feel; 1% of Republicans, 2% of independents and 2% of Democrats agree.
SOURCE: An Economist/YouGov poll of 1,590 registered U.S. voters conducted online Nov. 6-7.
• Contact Jennifer Harper at jharper@washigtontimes.com. Follow her on X @HarperBulletin, on Facebook @HarperUniverse.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.