Por Aileen Graef

El presidente Donald Trump dijo este jueves que ordenará al Pentágono y otras agencias federales liberar registros gubernamentales relacionados con la vida extraterrestre y los ovnis.

“Basándome en el tremendo interés mostrado, daré instrucciones al secretario de Guerra y a otros Departamentos y Agencias relevantes para que comiencen el proceso de identificar y liberar archivos gubernamentales relacionados con seres alienígenas y vida extraterrestre, fenómenos aéreos no identificados (FANI o UAP, por sus siglas en inglés) y objetos voladores no identificados (ovnis), así como cualquier y toda otra información conectada con estos asuntos sumamente complejos, pero extremadamente interesantes e importantes,” dijo en una publicación en Truth Social.

No estaba claro de inmediato qué información contienen los registros o cuándo serían publicados. El Pentágono en los últimos años ha ampliado sus esfuerzos para catalogar, rastrear e investigar reportes de ovnis a través de su Oficina de Resolución de Anomalías de Todos los Dominios, la cual reiteró en un informe de 2024 que no ha encontrado evidencia de vida extraterrestre.

Las declaraciones de Trump llegan después de que el expresidente Barack Obama atrajera la atención de los medios el fin de semana cuando pareció confirmar la existencia de alienígenas en una entrevista con el presentador de pódcast Brian Tyler Cohen.

“Son reales, pero yo no los he visto”, dijo Obama cuando se le preguntó si los alienígenas son reales.

El expresidente aclaró después en una publicación de Instagram que se refería a la probabilidad estadística de que exista vida en otros planetas dada la vastedad del universo.

“Pero las distancias entre sistemas solares son tan grandes que las probabilidades de que hayamos sido visitados por alienígenas son bajas, y no vi ninguna evidencia durante mi presidencia de que los extraterrestres hayan hecho contacto con nosotros”, agregó.

Cuando se le preguntó sobre los comentarios el jueves, Trump dijo en el Air Force One: “Bueno, no sé si son reales o no. Puedo decirte que él entregó información clasificada. No se supone que haga eso. Cometió un gran error.”

El tema de los FANI o fenómenos anómalos no identificados – comúnmente conocidos como ovnis – ha generado una tremenda atención pública, alimentada en parte por teorías de conspiración sobre el ocultamiento de evidencia de alienígenas por parte del gobierno estadounidense.

En los últimos años, ha habido esfuerzos para que haya más transparencia sobre el tema, incluyendo una audiencia de la Cámara de Representantes en 2023 donde tres veteranos militares advirtieron que los avistamientos de FANI son un problema de seguridad nacional y que el gobierno ha sido demasiado reservado al respecto.

El Pentágono, trabajando con la Oficina del Director de Inteligencia Nacional y otras agencias gubernamentales, había recibido un total de 1.652 reportes de FANI hasta 2024, según un informe publicado ese año.

Algunos de los avistamientos aún no han sido explicados, mientras que otros se han atribuido a “globos o entidades similares a globos”, así como a drones, aves, fenómenos meteorológicos o desechos en el aire como bolsas de plástico.

Jon Kosloski, director de la Oficina de Resolución de Anomalías de Todos los Dominios, reconoció en 2024 que varios casos aún no han sido explicados plausiblemente y requieren datos y análisis adicionales.

Kosloski dijo que algunos de estos eran “casos interesantes que yo – con mi formación en física e ingeniería y mi tiempo en la comunidad de inteligencia – no entiendo, y no conozco a nadie más que

The threat has ended.

The post High Wind Warning issued February 19 at 8:49PM PST until February 19 at 9:00PM PST by NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard CA appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

The post Wind Advisory issued February 19 at 8:49PM PST until February 19 at 9:00PM PST by NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard CA appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) - Red lanterns and bright displays are welcoming visitors as Santa Barbara celebrates the Lunar New Year with culture, color and community connection.

At the Santa Barbara Public Library, a new exhibit is drawing families, students and longtime patrons alike.

The showcase features Chinese-language books alongside traditional decorations and cultural items that help explain the meaning behind the holiday — from symbols of luck and prosperity to the importance of gathering with loved ones.

For some visitors, it’s a chance to see their heritage reflected on the shelves.

For others, it’s an opportunity to better understand the traditions of neighbors and friends.

This year’s celebration also honors the Year of the Horse, a zodiac symbol associated with energy, strength and determination. Organizers say those themes resonate with a community that continues to grow more diverse and connected.

Beyond the exhibit, local festivities include cultural activities and family-friendly events designed to bring people together. Whether stopping by the library or attending a community gathering, residents are finding small but meaningful ways to ring in the new year.

As the celebrations continue, the message is clear: Lunar New Year is not just about turning the calendar — it’s about honoring heritage, sharing stories and welcoming a fresh start together.

The post Lanterns, Stories and Community: Santa Barbara Celebrates Chinese New Year appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

By Kit Maher, Lex Harvey, CNN

(CNN) — Florida lawmakers have passed a bill to rename Palm Beach International Airport after President Donald Trump.

The bill to rename the south Florida hub passed the state Senate Thursday with 25 votes in favor and 11 votes against, all from Democrats, two days after Florida’s House of Representatives passed the measure 81-30.

Congresswoman Lois Frankel, a Democrat who represents West Palm Beach, said in a statement following the vote it’s “misguided and unfair that the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature ignored the voices of Palm Beach County by pushing forward a bill to rename Palm Beach International Airport without giving County residents a real opportunity for input.”

The bill now awaits Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ signature. According to the text, the act would take effect in the beginning of July. The name change is also subject to the approval of the Federal Aviation Administration.

Trademark filings raise concerns among Democrats

Ahead of Thursday’s vote, some Democrats had raised concerns that the Trump family was looking to profit from the potential name change, after related trademark applications were filed last week by the private entity that handles licenses and trademarks for the Trump Organization.

Democratic Florida state Sen. Shevrin Jones quickly filed an amendment in a Senate companion bill to explicitly prevent the Trump Organization from profiting off the trademark, but it failed. “No president, Democrat or Republican should be able to benefit” from an airport trademark license, he said.

A spokesperson for the Trump Organization said that Trump and his family would not receive royalties or licensing fees from the renaming of the Palm Beach airport, and the House bill’s text specifies that the branding would come at no cost.

“To be clear, the President and his family will not receive any royalty, licensing fee, or financial consideration whatsoever from the proposed airport renaming,” said Kimberly Benza, Trump Organization director of executive operations. She stressed that the Florida bill requires a license agreement from The Trump Organization but that they are “willing to provide this right to his hometown county at no charge.”

Still, the trademark applications for “DONALD J. TRUMP INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT,” “PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT” and “DJT” raised eyebrows, given Trump’s known interest in renaming buildings, train stations or airports after himself, the broad scope of the applications and the potential for his family to profit.

Trump has also specifically pitched renaming Washington’s Dulles International Airport after himself, as well as New York’s Penn Station, CNN previously reported. And the Kennedy Center now bears his name, after a board stacked with Trump allies voted to change the institution’s name to the “Trump Kennedy Center.”

North Carolina GOP Rep. Addison McDowell introduced legislation to rename Dulles after Trump, which was cosponsored by a handful of Republicans and is still under discussion, according to a staffer of a member on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. But those efforts could be complicated by the Palm Beach airport renaming, since two airports named after Trump could cause significant confusion.

Trump, a native New Yorker, changed his residency to Florida in 2019, declaring his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach his permanent residence.