Trump Releases UFO Files to Distract From Epstein Files

Virginia's Supreme Court threw out voters' redistricting referendum, Republicans in Utah ousted a judge even after an investigation cleared her, and Trump wants $7.5 million to paint a landmark white

Good afternoon. I’m Ryan Rose, and this is AlterNet America.

The Pentagon dropped UFO files while the Epstein files continue to collect dust. Virginia’s Supreme Court decided that voters’ votes don’t count if Republicans don’t like the map they produced. A Utah Supreme Court justice was hounded out of her seat by Republican leaders over an allegation that was investigated and dismissed. And Trump wants to paint a historic landmark next to the White House white for $7.5 million.

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The UFO Files Landed Right On Top of the Epstein Files

The government released UFO files today. The Epstein files remain classified. Make of that what you will.

On Friday, the Pentagon released what it’s calling “never-before-seen files” on UFOs covering decades of reported sightings. The documents are now housed at a dedicated government website, War.gov/UFO, because apparently the Department of War needed a UFO page.

The drop included 162 files dating back decades, from the FBI, the State Department, and NASA. The whole thing even came packaged with a heavily stylized website using white typewriter-style font against a black background, because if you’re going to do a distraction, do it with atmosphere.

Critics cast the UFO disclosures as a distraction from Trump’s political woes, including the unpopular U.S. military campaign against Iran and public pressure to release further files tied to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Even Marjorie Taylor Greene, not historically a voice of reason, wrote that she “really doesn’t care about the UFO files” and called the release “look at the shiny object propaganda.”

The documents contained no clear, immediate revelations. One file documents an FBI interview with a drone pilot who saw a light for five to ten seconds before it vanished. Another is a NASA photograph from the Apollo 17 mission showing three dots in a triangular formation.

The Pentagon noted there is “no consensus about the nature of the anomaly.” So: no little green men, no smoking gun, no explanation for what Jeffrey Epstein’s associates have been up to.

Virginia’s Supreme Court Decided Votes on Redistricting Didn’t Count

Virginians voted for a new redistricting map. The Virginia Supreme Court voted for the old one. Guess which vote counted.

Virginia voters had approved a redistricting referendum by a 52% to 48% margin in April. The measure would have allowed the Democrat-controlled legislature to temporarily redraw congressional maps, responding to Trump’s push to have Republican-led states gerrymander their way to a permanent House majority.

The state Supreme Court, ruling 4-3, found that Democratic lawmakers made procedural errors in how they placed the question on the ballot. Specifically, the court determined the legislature began the constitutional amendment process too late, and that this violation, in its words, “incurably taints the resulting referendum vote and nullifies its legal efficacy.”

Voters approved it. The court nullified it.

Republicans will now head into the midterms with a clear redistricting advantage. Republicans could gain as many as 14 seats from redrawn maps across six states so far, compared with six for Democrats. The RNC called it a win against election-rigging with a straight face.

Virginia Democrats said they’re evaluating every legal path forward. Virginia Republicans said Democrats tried to rig elections and lost. The voters already made their voices known.

Utah Republicans Ousted a Judge Over a Dismissed Allegation

Here’s how this went: An allegation was made. An investigation was conducted. The allegation was dismissed. The judge was forced to resign anyway, because Republican leaders weren’t interested in what the investigation found.

They were interested in the vacancy.

Utah Supreme Court Justice Diana Hagen resigned Friday following controversy over an alleged inappropriate relationship tied to Utah’s redistricting case. The allegation involved a possible connection between Hagen and an attorney who had argued that Republican-proposed congressional maps were illegal.

The Utah Judicial Conduct Commission conducted an investigation and dismissed the complaint. It didn’t matter. Hagen was under intense pressure from Republican leaders, including Governor Spencer Cox, and eventually concluded that continuing to serve was not possible without, in her words, sacrificing the privacy and well-being of those she cares about.

The vacancy will be filled by the governor. The governor who wanted her gone will now pick her replacement. This is the part where someone says the system worked.

It’s worth noting that Utah recently expanded its Supreme Court by two seats, which the governor also gets to fill. One out, two in. If this looks like court-packing, that’s because it is.

Trump Wants to Paint a Historic Landmark White and It Costs $7.5 Million

The country is at war with Iran. Millions are losing their health care. But the Eisenhower Executive Office Building is the wrong color, and that’s what matters right now.

Trump has proposed putting a coat of white paint on the exterior of the 19th-century historic landmark building next to the White House, which would cost taxpayers at least $7.5 million. The Eisenhower Executive Office Building is a National Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The proposed painting is one piece of a broader plan to “make Washington more beautiful,” which also includes razing the East Wing to build a 1,000-person ballroom and closing Lafayette Park for fountain restoration.

The National Capital Planning Commission reviewed the proposal Thursday and declined to approve it, which is the kind of outcome that would stop most projects. This one has a federal lawsuit attached to it too, filed by preservationists. Neither obstacle has dampened Trump’s enthusiasm.

The $7.5 million estimate is preliminary, covers only the exterior, and was described as a starting point. The administration that spent the last year telling the country there was no money has not explained where the sense of priorities went, but the paint color has been selected.

This Newsletter Has No Billionaire

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Thanks for reading, and we’ll see you tomorrow.

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