Tag: transparency

Former Director of National Intelligence Hints at Revelatory UFO Report

In a recent interview with Fox News, former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe shared insights on the UFO phenomenon and suggested that a forthcoming government report on the subject could contain significant revelations. His intriguing comments were made during a conversation with Maria Bartiromo this past Friday evening. Positing that the former Trump administration official saw “the most intelligence than anybody has seen other than the president,” the host noted that the government is required to issue a report on UFOs to the public later this year and asked Ratcliffe if such strange objects have been seen.

Although he chuckled when Bartiromo initially broached the topic, the former DNI offered a serious response, saying that the government has “lots of reports about what we call ‘unidentified aerial phenomena.'” He went on to confirm that the government will be issuing a proverbial UFO report in a few months and claimed that he “wanted to get this information out and declassified before I left office,” but was unable to pull off such a feat. “Frankly, there are a lot more sightings than have been made public,” Ratcliffe said, explaining that these reports come from “Navy or Air Force pilots or have been picked up by satellite imagery.”

These puzzling objects, he revealed, “engage in actions that are difficult to explain,” move in a manner seemingly impossible by our current technology, and “exceed the sound barrier without a sonic boom.” Ratcliffe revealed that there are “quite a few of those” incidents on record and postulated that information on these cases is “being gathered and will be put out in a way that the American people will see.” As for what could be behind these inexplicable sightings, he indicated that “when we see these things, we always look for a plausible explanation,” citing weather effects or potential foreign technology, but conceded that “there are instances where we don’t have good explanations for what we have seen.”

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Dem Rep. Sanchez: Not ‘Appropriate’ for Journalists to See Inside Border Facilities Holding Children

Representative Linda Sanchez (D-CA) Thursday on CNN’s “Newsroom” that it was not appropriate for journalists to be inside centers that are housing the surge of unaccompanied children crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.

Anchor Poppy Harlow asked, “My last question is so transparency … All of our reporters down there have been asking nonstop to get into these facilities where Alejandro Mayorkas said are not meant for children. Are you concerned over the lack of transparency?”

Sanchez said, “I will tell you under the Trump administration, members of Congress were not allowed inside these facilities.”

Harlow interjected, “But that doesn’t mean anything now, respectfully congresswoman. Clearly, you were upset about that lack of transparency. Are you concerned about this lack of transparency?”

Sanchez said, “Sure. Well, again, when you ever have the numbers and the facilities appropriate for children, but because of COVID protocols, you have to have social distancing. So they are trying to process children as quickly as they can, and, no, these detention facilities at the border were not meant for children. Children are meant to be in licensed facilities. But because of the numbers and because of the social distancing that is required, they are doing the best that they can. I don’t necessarily think that it is appropriate for journalists to be inside centers that are not permanent places for children, that children are not placed there permanently. They are processed out of those facilities as quickly as possible and as quickly as the facilities will allow.”

Harlow pressed, “Some of them are being held there longer than they are legally supposed to be.”

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Biden Makes History As First ‘Absentee President’

Transparency and accountability now seem to be a thing of the past for the White House. Since taking office, Joe Biden has signed a record number of executive orders, proclamations and directives, but hasn’t held one formal press conference to answer for them.

In January, Biden promised to address a joint session of Congress “next month” in February, which he may not realize already passed. Biden also claimed he would hold a press conference, but that too has not happened or even been scheduled. This is quickly earning Biden the reputation of an “absentee president,” and we’re not just talking about the ballots.

This week, Biden set a 100-year record by not holding a solo press conference, something that usually happens within an administration’s first 33-days. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said there are still no plans to do so, just as there are no plans to even schedule Biden’s address to a joint session of Congress. This is something that traditionally happens in the month of February.

As what now seems customary for the Biden White House, the speech has been pushed off and made conditional. Psaki said it is contingent on certain legislation being passed in Congress.

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White House Abruptly Cuts Off Live Feed After Biden Says He Wants To Take Audience Questions

The White House abruptly cut off the live feed feed for an event President Joe Biden was hosting with the House Democratic Caucus after the commander-in-chief appeared to venture off-script by saying he would be willing to answer questions from the audience.

Biden appeared with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and other members of the Democratic Party during the live event, and spoke about his administration’s ongoing obsession with COVID-19 and the steps purportedly taken to halt its spread.

“I’d be happy to take questions if that’s what I’m supposed to do, Nance,” Biden said to Pelosi. “Whatever you want me to do.”

Within moments, the feed cut to a blue screen, and President Biden was no longer visible. A “Thank You For Joining” message informed viewers that the event was now over.

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Blackout: White House curbs press, public access as Biden struggles with public demands of job

Throughout his presidential campaign and continuing since taking the White House, Joe Biden has promised a transparent approach to press and public relations. Yet in recent weeks, his administration has closed off — at least for now — several key avenues via which the press and public have for years gained a modicum of transparency, accessibility and accountability from the White House. 

These moves to curb press and public access come as President Joe Biden himself has at times appeared to be struggling with the public demands of his job. 

Notably, the White House has said that while it will divulge records of individuals who physically visit the White House, it will not be sharing virtual visitor logs. The Biden administration has relied heavily on virtual meetings out of concerns that COVID-19 might spread in face-to-face gatherings. 

An unnamed White House official told Politico this week that the administration’s refusal to release virtual meeting logs was in line with “the same way that previous administrations didn’t release phone logs.”

Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki this week acerbically dismissed a reporter’s query into the administration’s lack of transparency on the issue. 

“[Biden is] meeting with members of the Senate virtually today,” she said. “There, I’ve released it for you. What else would you like to know?”

The White House has also shut down its comment line by which American citizens can call in to leave comments for the executive branch. A recording claims that the comment office is “temporarily closed” and urges callers to visit the White House’s contact page instead.

The Biden administration has also removed the popular “We the People” petitioning platform originally started by President Barack Obama and continued through the Trump administration. As late as Jan. 18 of this year, the program was still active, yet now any attempt to reach the older URL simply reroutes users to the White House’s main page. 

Gone, also, are White House tours, which the administration claims have been “suspended until further notice.” As late as mid-December, the Trump administration was still encouraging Americans to schedule tours through their congressional representatives. 

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LOOPHOLE ALLOWS BIDEN NOMINEES TO AVOID DISCLOSURES. WILL THEY USE IT?

“DONALD TRUMP HAS presided over the most corrupt administration in modern history,” Joe Biden’s website declared as he ran for president. By contrast, the site said, a Biden administration would “make sure that the principles of equality, transparency, and public — not private — interest drive all government decisions.”

It would be difficult for any incoming administration to match Trump for opacity and self-dealing. But an obscure exemption for executive branch officials from disclosing previous clients may generate an interesting test case for Biden’s commitment to full transparency.

The question is partly whether any Biden nominees will use this exemption themselves to conceal their recent sources of income. Perhaps more important is the question of whether the Biden administration will take steps to eliminate the exemption, thereby foreclosing its abuse by future presidents, Trumpian or otherwise.

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Why Are Political Journalists More Scared of Revealing Their Votes Than Baseball Writers?

Look, we know newspapers are going to overwhelmingly endorse Joe Biden. When political donations originating from employees of media organizations are eventually tallied up, we know they will tilt massively Democrat. Most people who are cognizant of the profession’s recent turn toward “moral clarity” over unattainable objectivity understand that that means those with non-lefty politics will be subjected to harsher adjectives.

And yet the very same media commentators who have long decried the so-called “view from nowhere” are absent in this battle for more journalistic transparency.

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