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No evidence aliens have made contact, says Obama after podcast comments cause frenzy

No evidence aliens have made contact, says Obama after podcast comments cause frenzy

Hours after Barack Obama caused a frenzy by saying aliens were real on a podcast, the former US president has posted a statement clarifying that he has not seen any evidence of them.

In a conversation with the American podcast host Brian Tyler Cohen over the weekend, Obama appeared to confirm the apparent existence of aliens during a speed round of questioning where the host asks guests quick questions and the guests respond with brief answers.

After he was asked “Are aliens real?”, Obama said: “They’re real but I haven’t seen them.”

He went on: “They’re not being kept at Area 51. There’s no underground facility unless there’s this enormous conspiracy and they hid it from the president of the United States.”

The comment was picked up by media outlets around the world, with headlines such as “Former US president Barack Obama says aliens are real” and “‘They’re real’: Obama’s shock alien claims”. Time Magazine covered the drama, reporting: “Obama says aliens are real, but they aren’t at Area 51”.

However, following the media frenzy, Obama released a statement on Instagram on Sunday evening.

“I was trying to stick with the spirit of the speed round, but since it’s gotten attention let me clarify. Statistically, the universe is so vast that the odds are good there’s life out there,” he said. “But the distances between solar systems are so great that the chances we’ve been visited by aliens is low, and I saw no evidence during my presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with us. Really!”

There is a long-running conspiracy theory claiming that the US government is hiding extraterrestrials at Area 51, a highly classified air force site in Nevada.

In 2019, after 1.5 million people signed up to “storm” the site, approximately 150 social media influencers gathered around the airstrip but the event ended anticlimactically, with only a few arrests, and ultimately turned into a music festival.

Declassified documents released in 2013 revealed that the secret airstrip was actually used for aerial testing of US government projects including the U-2 and Oxcart aerial surveillance programs.

“High-altitude testing of the U-2 soon led to an unexpected side-effect – a tremendous increase in reports of unidentified flying objects (UFOs),” the documents said.



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Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in the Pakistani ​capital Islamabad on Friday to discuss proposals for restarting peace talks with the United States, amid conflicting signals on whether he would meet with US negotiators there. The White House said special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would leave for Pakistan on Saturday morning to continue talks with Iran. #Iran039s #Araghchi #arrives #Pakistan #ahead #planned #ceasefire #talks">Iran's FM Araghchi arrives in Pakistan ahead of planned US ceasefire talksIran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in the Pakistani ​capital Islamabad on Friday to discuss proposals for restarting peace talks with the United States, amid conflicting signals on whether he would meet with US negotiators there. The White House said special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would leave for Pakistan on Saturday morning to continue talks with Iran. #Iran039s #Araghchi #arrives #Pakistan #ahead #planned #ceasefire #talks
had suggested the swap to President Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

In a phone interview with The Associated Press on Thursday, Zampolli said his “request is not a political request,” but rather meant as a contingency plan in case Iran could not participate in the soccer tournament.

After suggesting to the FT that, with four previous titles, the Italian national team’s appearance in the World Cup would be justified, he told the AP it was his “dream … for the Italian people and the American-Italian people.”

Italian officials pushed back hard at the suggestion, with Sports Minister Andrea Abodi saying Thursday, “first of all, it’s not possible. Secondly, it’s not a good idea.”

Luciano Buonfiglio, the president of the Italian Olympic Committee, which oversees all sports in Italy, also dismissed the idea, saying he “would feel offended,” as “you need to deserve to go to the World Cup.”

CBS/AP

#Live #Updates #Witkoff #Kushner #Iran #peace #talks #Pakistan #White #HouseWar, Iran, Israel, Ceasefire, Donald Trump, Hezbollah, Lebanon, Middle East, Oil and Gas, Benjamin Neta​nyahu, Strait of Hormuz">Live Updates: Witkoff, Kushner to head to new Iran peace talks in Pakistan, White House says
                Sports officials in four-time world champion Italy say the country is not interested in replacing Iran at the upcoming 2026 World Cup, following a suggestion of the move by a Trump administration official.Iran has not withdrawn from the World Cup, and the team is preparing to play in the championship taking place this year in the U.S., Mexico and Canada despite the ongoing war in the Middle East. FIFA, the global soccer authority behind the World Cup, has insisted that Iran’s group stage games in California and Washington state will go ahead as planned in June.The Financial Times reported this week that Paolo Zampolli, the U.S. special envoy for global partnerships, had suggested the swap to President Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino.In a phone interview with The Associated Press on Thursday, Zampolli said his “request is not a political request,” but rather meant as a contingency plan in case Iran could not participate in the soccer tournament.After suggesting to the FT that, with four previous titles, the Italian national team’s appearance in the World Cup would be justified, he told the AP it was his “dream … for the Italian people and the American-Italian people.”Italian officials pushed back hard at the suggestion, with Sports Minister Andrea Abodi saying Thursday, “first of all, it’s not possible. Secondly, it’s not a good idea.”Luciano Buonfiglio, the president of the Italian Olympic Committee, which oversees all sports in Italy, also dismissed the idea, saying he “would feel offended,” as “you need to deserve to go to the World Cup.”CBS/AP
              #Live #Updates #Witkoff #Kushner #Iran #peace #talks #Pakistan #White #HouseWar, Iran, Israel, Ceasefire, Donald Trump, Hezbollah, Lebanon, Middle East, Oil and Gas, Benjamin Neta​nyahu, Strait of Hormuz

and FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

In a phone interview with The Associated Press on Thursday, Zampolli said his “request is not a political request,” but rather meant as a contingency plan in case Iran could not participate in the soccer tournament.

After suggesting to the FT that, with four previous titles, the Italian national team’s appearance in the World Cup would be justified, he told the AP it was his “dream … for the Italian people and the American-Italian people.”

Italian officials pushed back hard at the suggestion, with Sports Minister Andrea Abodi saying Thursday, “first of all, it’s not possible. Secondly, it’s not a good idea.”

Luciano Buonfiglio, the president of the Italian Olympic Committee, which oversees all sports in Italy, also dismissed the idea, saying he “would feel offended,” as “you need to deserve to go to the World Cup.”

CBS/AP

#Live #Updates #Witkoff #Kushner #Iran #peace #talks #Pakistan #White #HouseWar, Iran, Israel, Ceasefire, Donald Trump, Hezbollah, Lebanon, Middle East, Oil and Gas, Benjamin Neta​nyahu, Strait of Hormuz">Live Updates: Witkoff, Kushner to head to new Iran peace talks in Pakistan, White House says

Sports officials in four-time world champion Italy say the country is not interested in replacing Iran at the upcoming 2026 World Cup, following a suggestion of the move by a Trump administration official.

Iran has not withdrawn from the World Cup, and the team is preparing to play in the championship taking place this year in the U.S., Mexico and Canada despite the ongoing war in the Middle East. 

FIFA, the global soccer authority behind the World Cup, has insisted that Iran’s group stage games in California and Washington state will go ahead as planned in June.

The Financial Times reported this week that Paolo Zampolli, the U.S. special envoy for global partnerships, had suggested the swap to President Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

In a phone interview with The Associated Press on Thursday, Zampolli said his “request is not a political request,” but rather meant as a contingency plan in case Iran could not participate in the soccer tournament.

After suggesting to the FT that, with four previous titles, the Italian national team’s appearance in the World Cup would be justified, he told the AP it was his “dream … for the Italian people and the American-Italian people.”

Italian officials pushed back hard at the suggestion, with Sports Minister Andrea Abodi saying Thursday, “first of all, it’s not possible. Secondly, it’s not a good idea.”

Luciano Buonfiglio, the president of the Italian Olympic Committee, which oversees all sports in Italy, also dismissed the idea, saying he “would feel offended,” as “you need to deserve to go to the World Cup.”

CBS/AP

#Live #Updates #Witkoff #Kushner #Iran #peace #talks #Pakistan #White #HouseWar, Iran, Israel, Ceasefire, Donald Trump, Hezbollah, Lebanon, Middle East, Oil and Gas, Benjamin Neta​nyahu, Strait of Hormuz

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