A potentially bigger UFO story than the December 2017 revelations is getting more notice. Reporters Elizabeth Vargas and Brian Entin have the exclusive interview with David Grusch—along with Jeremy Corbell footage of a 2021 "appearance" of what John Greenewald plausibly regards as flares. Newsweek reacts with U.S. Has UFOs of 'Non-Human Origin', Ex-Intelligence Officer Claims. This piece is a bit heavy on stock-images and imperfect in accuracy. Matt Stieb's Intelligencer article Ex-Intelligence Official Says Government Is Hiding Alien Technology From Congress is better grounded and emphasizes the known background and reprisals claimed by Grusch. All this has Chloe Xiang asking OK, WTF Is Going on With the 'Intact Craft of Non-Human Origin' Allegedly Recovered by the U.S. Government?, noting the lack of documentation. In the rather similarly-titled Holy fuhhhh...! Billy Cox says "never saw this coming" and ties together the recent AARO and NASA performances into "the rot at the heart of our democracy." Writing for the Society for UAP Studies in Epistemic Injustice, (Un)reliable Knowers, and the Phenomenon, Advisory Board Member Kimberly Engels calls this all "potentially a major moment of disclosure, and I look forward to the conversations to follow." The reliably skeptical Jason Colavito responds to the recent news with Whistleblower Tells Congress the U.S. Has a Secret UFO Crash Retrieval Program. Jason's observations contain suggestions about somewhat-less-than-the-highest-minded motivations among various "whistlers," while he speculates (and in some cases may be right) about the extent of, and sources for, their knowledge. (WM)

We're going all Scooby Gang today and checking out 3 potential spook stories, starting with this first out of NOLA. A shopkeeper spotted activity on their security camera of a door opening, a reflection on a pane of glass, and a light orb. Or maybe it was the wind, a customer, and a bug. Next, a Security Camera Films Eerie Shadow Figure in Costa Rican Street. Maybe we just prefer creaky doors and light orbs, but we're thinking it's time to do some maintenance on this security cam. Now here is some real weirdness: Man Barges Into Fort Myers Home While Family Eats Dinner, Claims He’s a Ghost. He was also wearing only a swimsuit, which no doubt made the meal far less appetizing. The flesh and blood spook was eventually apprehended and hopefully received the help he needed, or at least a white sheet to cover himself up properly. (CM)

The military-oriented Task & Purpose's Nicholas Slayton rather understandably highlights DoD AARO head Sean Kirkpatrick's portion of the May 31st NASA public meeting. Wish he had gotten Kirkpatrick's correct use of "UAP" right. The Mumbai-based, Millennial-focused "Team Latestly" looks at The UFO/UAP News from another angle with Alien Presence on Earth: Expert Claims Covert Extraterrestrial Involved in Government Spacecraft Development, Says Expert. The "Expert" "up first" in this article is "Paul Ascough, a prominent UFO hunter." NBC's Alex Seitz-Wald announces that As the U.S. Government Expands UFO Investigations, a New Group Forms for Pilots Who Spot Them. A down-to-Earth article, even if Seitz-Wald only tallies two objects besides the Chinese spy balloon as downed in February's "Balloongate." (WM)

Hold on to your proverbial hats, folks! The people who helped break the secret Pentagon UFO activity in December 2017 and two Navy UFO videos have another "blockbuster" for you. If true—and Kean and Blumenthal, supported by The Debrief reporters, have produced what appears a compelling case—this article may supersede the December 2017 revelations as the most noteworthy on UFOs and the Government in memory. It not only has implications for the obvious "Other Intelligence" theme, but for how some military/governments worldwide have for decades been handling the UFO problem—and for possible legal actions against such entities. Christopher Mellon was one of many estimable sources for The Debrief article, and offers his thoughts directly with If the Government Has UFO Crash Materials, It's Time to Reveal Them. Christopher states "I believe it is in our interest to follow the facts of the UAP issue wherever they lead," and the government must openly answer the question of possessing non-human technology for this to happen. But if your hopes for some kind of "D/disclosure" have increased, better read John Greenewald's The CLASSIFIED 'Mosul Orb' UAP Case: A New Chapter in Government Secrecy Tactics Unfolds. If anything, Greenewald's FOIA findings and so-far failures might support a near-total "secrecy curtain" descending onto at least the Pentagon stage. (WM)

We're going to the dogs today, specifically the upright kind that are probably the reason werewolf legends exist. A researcher looking into other paranormal topics stumbled across a cluster of Dogman sightings in Georgia, discovering they all happened within close proximity of each other. And no Dogman discussion is complete without Remembering a Werewolf Hunter, Linda Godfrey who passed away last year. Godfrey dedicated her life to following reports of upright canines, treating every witness with respect and allowing them to stay true to their experience. She believed Dogmen were likely from an alternate reality but remained open to other possibilities. Regardless of origin, she knew that people kept seeing them, and she kept investigating until the end. (CM)

Senior Science Reporter Matthew Phelan has a useful recap of the May 31st televised session, with clips from some of the main speakers. Kevin Randle also has Thoughts on the NASA Panel and a Suggestion for Data Collection. "It was basically what I had expected," he said. "I sensed a coordination here" among the speakers, which we also noticed. Kevin's observations and Fran Ridge's MADAR network example illustrate why at least one bona fide ufologist should have been empaneled, along with the two scholars possessing SETI associations, on the high-quality study team. Tobias and Emily Wayland add NASA to Release UFO Report Later This Summer. As in "by the end of July." The Waylands also note study chair David Spergel's point the team's remit is "not to resolve the nature of these [UFO/UAP] events." Now to Avi Loeb on NASA, AARO and The Galileo Project Agree on the Need for a Scientific Study of UAP. Loeb explains why he cofounded The Galileo Project and updates us on its plans and funding. He also celebrates the headline's point that the three organizations are rejecting "past anecdotal reports from uncalibrated sensors" and "eyewitness testimonies or events that took place decades ago with compromised or classified quality." There now; don't we all feel better? (WM)

They're back! The first crop circle of the season has appeared in the UK in the village of Broad Hinton in Wiltshire. It's a little late in the season for a first sighting, so whoever the talented crop stompers are, they need an alarm clock for next year. But maybe they were just on vacation in Italy, because we also have a Crop Circle Found in Italian Wheat Field. The second of the season, it was discovered by a cyclist passing by the field (which must have been tricky given crop circles are meant to be viewed  from overhead). Whether you side with alien artists, earth vibrations, or talented troublemakers, the crop circle phenomenon is an entertaining one that has just got underway for this season. (CM)

Yet another major underpinning to the story of a 1945 New Mexico UFO crash retrieval has collapsed. This in the form of researcher (and author of the first book to mention the "Trinity" tale) Ryan Wood's rather graceful acknowledgments that, based upon Douglas Dean Johnson's recent exhaustive scrutiny, "Trinity" is most likely a hoax. Wood also commends Johnson for digging up factual, documented information to make his case. On another major UFO controversy, "Wasd" offers about Bob Lazar: Education Revelations. The gist of this article and its successor Bob Lazar: Revelations Part 2 is that Lazar's assertions on his educational background are hazy but possibly true—if considerable speculating is done. And Tanner F. Boyle is back with a new "GB6" series, beginning with Still Sunny: Continued Investigations into the Gulf Breeze Six, Pt. 1. This initial installment considers the evidence about member Ken Beason's attitudes both before and immediately following their AWOL experience. Boyle also offers more recent "hints that Beason is wrestling with echoes of his experiences during the Gulf Breeze Six debacle." (WM)

Sometimes a hobby can potentially "crack" a long-time archaeological problem, per Tom Metcalfe. Justin Garnett's been making and using spear-throwers for over twenty years, and his glance at a stone-age "open ring" spawned a "eureka moment" suggesting it was a "finger loop" for such a launcher. A Belgian archaeologist says he proposed the same identification thirty years ago, but got no credence. Palaeolithic arrowheads and spears—plus genetic studies—have led a Chinese and Italian team to conclude that DNA Sheds Light On Mystery About Where Native Americans Came From. And James Felton adds "They may not be who we thought they were." But when folks did get to the New World—and possibly by the Bering land bridge rather than the Pacific coastal route postulated by the Chinese/Italian researchers—we wonder Why the Earliest Alaskans Didn't Eat Fish for 1,000 Years. Ruth Schuster has the multiplex answer, supported by fish remains that have lasted when postulated fishing nets, like the spear-throwers of Paleolithic France, have all rotted away. To top it all off, George Smith offers his Top 10 Mysterious Archaeological Discoveries That Still Baffle Scientists. Though the list likely won't much surprise, it's a useful review. Most of the video accompaniments to each short text are quite good. (WM)

This 39-minute documentary describes an area of the US that is regarded as a paranormal magnet, a place where the veil is thinner and high strangeness comes and goes at will. Covering an area in Massachusetts of 200 square miles, the Bridgewater Triangle is home to "all manner of mysterious phenomena": UFOs, Bigfoot, Pukwudgie, and other cryptids, and hauntings of every kind due to it being home to an unpleasant variety of horrific crimes. Cryptozoologist Loren Coleman has investigated this area in great depth, drawing attention to it with his 1983 book Mysterious America as a possibly cursed area that may be home to an interdimensional vortex portal. The The Bridgewater Triangle phenomenon has been covered in depth in several books since then, including Touring the Bridgewater Triangle: A Thrill Ride Through the Supernatural, Ghosts of the Bridgewater Triangle, and Hockomock: Place Where the Spirits Dwell. (CM)

The New Yorker's David Remnick tackles this existential question with the president of OpenAI along with the "Godfather of AI" Yoshua Bengio. The former delivers bland corporate platitudes and optimism, seemingly and carefully edited by lawyers to mitigate culpability, while Yoshua is more frank on the topic. While the zeitgeist's artificial intelligences aren't ready to enslave humanity, their descendents may achieve such a goal if they choose. Unaddressed here is the question, "Would AI be awful because that's its nature" or "AI would be awful because humanity, overall, is awful"? Still if you listen then read through the lines, the answer is clear. (CS)

Gene Steinberg and co-host Tim Swartz welcome longtime researcher, educator, author, and minder of the Canadian UFO Survey Chris Rutkowski for a tour through UFO topics. The chances of Life in the Universe, odds that some of that Life have and are visiting The Pale Blue Dot, the vexed abduction question, and Artificial Intelligence—past, present, and perhaps future—all come up for discussion. And both Chris and Tim relate instances of their past work with abductees that don't lend themselves to easy explanation. Chris restates his case that, even if UFOs are not a physical reality, they are at least sociological or psychological phenomena, and thus fully merit scientific study. He also avers there's been more of that over the years than most UFO-interested folks realize, referencing some lists that Isaac Koi and himself have made of literally hundreds of papers, Masters' theses, and Ph.D. dissertations. Greg Bishop's interview Diana Walsh Pasulka -- Encounters takes us into a more esoteric niche in ufology. Dr. Pasulka and Greg cover her forthcoming book Encounters, which in one way continues Pasulka's remarkable American Cosmic: UFOs, Religion, and Technology. But Encounters is a "much deeper dive" at What's Happening at current ufology's borders by one more at home in the field. Observations on the multiplicative value of teamwork, about witness accuracy, and more challenging concepts like the "overview effect" form part of this fascinating discussion. (WM)

Michael Ryan closes a highly successful inaugural season his podcast with this multi-guest set of interviews. Host Michael—and we—learned a tremendous amount about one of the most important figures in UFO history. J. Allen Hynek's son Paul provides a treasury of insights about Hynek the family man, his inquiring mind, the cottage in northern Ontario where Hynek wrote much of his two most famous books, and his "punchant" for horrible wordplay. Paul's summation of his father's life and career is both excellent and poignant. Paul Hynek gives presentations about "Growing Up with UFOs" and is thinking of writing a book with that title. The iconic Dr. Richard F. Haines talks about his unusual first personal meeting with Hynek, and Hynek's courage and evidence-based approach towards ufology. Lynda O'Connor, who volunteered for two years at Hynek's Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS) in the early 1970's, remembers the kind, mild-mannered Hynek. The closest I got to Dr. Hynek was listening to him after a presentation he gave in 1967. But I was honored to represent the Center and discuss Hynek's legacy as teacher, astronomer, ufologist, and CUFOS founder—as well as a human being who championed teamwork and respect for UFO witnesses. Michael and I also discussed CUFOS' history and current work. (WM)

Yes, Disney aside, stories of mermaids can be found as far back as the third millennium BCE in ancient Mesopotamia. And as the story states: "The dynamic nature of mermaid mythology contributes to their continuing popularity in the 21st century." But it's not just popularity. Mermaids, mermen, and menfolk are still being reported. Check out the contemporary reports featured in the new book Merbeings: The True Story of Mermaids, Mermen, and Lizardfolk by Mark A. Hall, Loren Coleman, and David Goudsward, published by Anomalist Books. (PH)

The Congressional files of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library are located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. They possess a brochure of "Buck Nelson's Mountain View Ranch" sent to Ford on March 31, 1966, after House Minority leader Ford called for a Congressional investigation as to how Project Blue Book handled the "Swamp Gas" flap. The "To" address titled Ford as "Chairman/Committee on Flying Objects & Space Ships/Congress of the United States/House Office Building/Washington, D.C./United States of America/Western Hemisphere/Planet Earth." Liz Dowell tells us about the unique man whose UFO career was wackier than even this grandiloquent Ford address. Another abduction claimant is the subject of the Eyes on Cinema offering Daylight UFO Encounter and Alien Abduction Experienced by Bill Herrmann in 1978. The controversial Wendelle Stevens co-authored a book about this, well, controversial account. And Brent Swancer tells of A Harrowing Alien Abduction in the Mojave Desert. This is the story of a young couple's camping vacation turning into a nightmare that pursued them back to their home and children. It's captured in the book Mojave Incident: Inspired by a Chilling Story of Alien Abduction, which we are told is "The most frightening UFO book ever written." (WM)

Not something you hear about everyday: A gorilla has been reported roaming the small town of Villas de Tezontepec, based on video taken by a group of teens. It's not impossible, due to a penchant by local drug lords to keep exotic pets. However, the video doesn't have us convinced, based on the lack of movement of said gorilla. Pareidolia anyone? Meanwhile, Why Would Orcas Band Together To Sink Boats? A Marine Biologist Explains This Unusual Behavior. It is likely a learned behavior, possibly originating with a member of the pod having a traumatic encounter with a boat. The most concerning issue, however, is that should these pods of aggressive orcas be considered an economic threat to tourism, there could be measures enacted in the future to eliminate them entirely. More investigation is absolutely essential. (CM)

These end-of-week articles remind how the totality of the UFO phenomenon reflects the wider human condition. Once that is understood, you might want to try this ELO (Electric Light Orchestra) All Over The World video first—or perhaps after this submission's conclusion. The Becky Ferreira article reminding us of ELO features "Key takeaways from the first public meeting of NASA's Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena independent study team." On another major news story, David Halperin offers The Trinity UFO Crash -- Reconsiderations. David wonders whether hoaxes may produce profound reflections. Yasmine Leung recently wrote that the Debate on Whether Skinwalker Ranch is a Hoax Continues. Now Leung asks Who is Brandon Fugal's Wife? Skinwalker Ranch Owner's Family Explored. Here's a small slice of how the Outside World views another center of current UFO/UAP controversy. And Dr. Joseph Felser takes us even deeper. The Disclosure Dilemma: Knowledge and Data Are Not Enough begins with a shout-out to U2 - In God's Country. And then Felser plunges into something much, much more abyssal than UFO "D/disclosure." ELO again, anyone? (WM)

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's coverage of its study team's first deliberations includes "chat" remarks that literally display the wide-range and most-often-disappointing quality of public "engagement" with this project and its group. Online harassment was an upfront topic at the first meeting, as was an emphasis on the scope of the project's remit and study chair David Spergel's succinct observation "We need high-quality data." Surprises include former NASA administrator Mike Gold emphasizing that the UFO/UAP "stigma" still stalks the NASA halls, his contemplating suggesting a NASA-sponsored symposium to help erode that stigma, and his desire for a permanent NASA office to deal with the UAP issue. AARO head Sean Kirkpatrick, who participated in both the live video and the following streamed audio media event, explained that a controversial video of an object apparently entering the water is "actually a sensor anomaly," and AARO now has over 800 cases under review, raised by about 100 just-added from FAA files over the years. The streamed audio media event that followed evoked a “slow-pitch” softball game, even when the questions were to the point and not repeats of a prior query. That’s at UAP Independent Study Event: Media Teleconference. John Greenewald has part of Kirkpatrick's material as the DoD Releases New (Explained) UAP Video. Around five minutes into the first vid the three objects are shown with reference to a cloudy background and at about 6:20 another faster/nearer/both airplane joins the "exciting" procession. The shorter "vid" seems to be "highlights" of the first one. (WM)

Brett Tingley well summarizes the message from the NASA UAP data study team's efforts presented in their May 31st public meetings. The New York Times' Julian E. Barnes seconds Tingley's lead in NASA Panel Says Data Problems Make Explaining U.F.O.s Difficult. With his usual skeptical flair, Barnes details some of those issues. Popular Science's Jon Kelvey's headline possibly goes further with UFO Data is Honestly a Mess, NASA Panel Says. Yet Kelvey also adds more useful information, referring to AARO point man Sean Kirkpatrick's observations about the legality and propriety of using some of its sensors. A team of BBC reporters give an almost "You Are There" blow-by-blow description of some meeting highlights while noting that the Nasa[sic] UFO Team Says over 800 'Incidents' Investigated. And CBS News' William Harwood does a good job summing up in text and video that the NASA Group Studying UFOs Stresses Need for Better Data in First Public Meeting. (WM)

A bit of mysterious video footage has been circulating online from a butcher shop in Argentina. What appears to be a dark figure exits the room at the same time that a knife seems to be pushed from a cutting table onto the ground. We're leaning more toward intruder than spook, but the way that knife slides off the table pointy end first is unsettling. Next are a few thoughts to spoil any discussions you may be having about spooks: If Ghosts Are Real, Then They Aren’t Supernatural. Basically anything real is natural therefore not supernatural. And anything else is pretty much impossible to investigate, therefore can't be proven. Feels a bit like a philosophical conundrum if you ask us, which does nothing to help prove or disprove the existence of anything from our highly strange world. It doesn't stop weirdness from happening either. (CM)