©  Greg Nash

A House Oversight panel held a bombshell hearing on unidentified anomalous phenomena — commonly known as UFOs — and what the federal government has known and covered up.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have been pushing for more information.

They heard from witnesses that include whistleblower David Grusch, a former Air Force intelligence officer who has accused the government of withholding information related to UFOs.

“This is an issue of government transparency,” Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), who pushed for a public hearing. “We’re not bringing little green man or flying saucers into the hearing.

“We’re just going to get to the facts. We’re going to uncover the cover up,” he added.

Grusch said he “absolutely” believes the U.S. government is in possession of UAPs.  

“Absolutely, based on interviewing over 40 witnesses over four years,” he told lawmakers.

Former Navy pilot David Fravor told Congress about his experience in 2004 as part of a squadron that witnessed a UAP drop from 80,000 feet down toward the surface of the ocean.

“I’m not like a UFO fanatic — that’s not me. But I will tell you that what we saw with four sets of eyes over a five minute period, still, there’s nothing we have nothing close to it,” Fravor said. “It’s just an incredible technology.”

More from The Hill.

It’s Wednesday, July 26. I’m Elizabeth Crisp with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here. 

The plea deal between Hunter Biden and federal prosecutors on two misdemeanor tax charges appeared in jeopardy before reportedly being resolved.

The president’s embattled son had hoped to square things away with probation, but U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika, a Trump appointee who is overseeing the case, had brought up concerns about the terms of the government’s agreement with Biden.

Ultimately, CNN reported that both sides agreed to a slimmed-down version of the previous agreement.

House Republicans have been hammering at Biden’s case and questions over whether he got a sweetheart deal, as alleged by two whistleblowers who recently testified in a House hearing.

Stay tuned to The Hill for updates.

Senate Republicans are largely uninterested in dealing with a potential impeachment of President Biden — a risky move that could cost moderate voters in the 2024 election cycle.

Now, they are just hoping that the House GOP will come to the same conclusion.

“Staying focused on the future and not the past is in my view the best way to change the direction of the country and that’s to win an election,” Senate Republican Whip John Thune (S.D.) told reporters this week.

As the Republican-controlled House continues to edge toward an impeachment vote this fall, Senate Republicans have generally tried to stay away from thorny issues related to Biden and his family.

GOP senators say they instead want to keep the focus on kitchen table issues that affect Americans rather than settling past political scores.

House conservatives have been pushing for an impeachment vote, even though it’s unclear whether there would be enough support in the chamber to impeach Biden.

With Democrats in control of the Senate, a conviction is unlikely.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told reporters that no decision has been made, but strongly signaled that the House could move forward with an impeachment inquiry.

“How do you get to the bottom of the truth? The only way Congress can do that is go to an impeachment inquiry,” McCarthy said. “What an impeachment inquiry does, it gives us the apex of the power of Congress for Republicans and Democrats to gather the information that they need.”

The Hill’s Alexander Bolton dives into the issue and what’s at stake.

The federal budget runs up at the end of September, but the gulf between House and Senate lawmakers on a spending plan for the coming year is as wide as ever.

Without an agreement to keep government funded, there will be a shutdown Oct. 1, until lawmakers hash out their differences. The last shutdown stretched from late December 2018 to late January 2019.

Where things stand: If Congress doesn’t finalize the 12 annual spending bills in time, a stopgap spending measure will be necessary to keep the government afloat.

While a common tactic to buy more time, the House — where Republicans hold a slight majority — and the Democrat-controlled Senate have shown few signs of working together.

What they are saying: It’s always doom and gloom around this time, and it will get worse before it gets better. But lawmakers themselves are not optimistic about avoiding a shutdown.

“We’re gonna have a government shutdown because we’re gonna fight between the House and Senate about appropriations,” Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) told The Hill.

“We are going to scare the hell out of you,” he said. “We’re really good at that.”

The Hill’s Aris Folley breaks down the factors that could signal a shutdown on the horizon.

A proposal to enshrine abortion access in Ohio this November could be a test-run for views on the controversial issue heading into the 2024 election cycle.

Both sides of the debate over abortion access are looking to the Ohio vote as a potential bellwether, more than a year after the Supreme Court upended the landmark Roe v. Wade case and several states began imposing anti-abortion laws.

Democrats have already set their sights on reproductive rights as a major issue heading into the presidential election next fall. Vice President Harris, in particular, has taken on a key role in promoting abortion access.

What’s happening in Ohio: When Ohio voters head to the polls in November, they’ll be asked whether “every individual has a right to make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions, including but not limited to decisions on contraception, fertility treatment, continuing one’s own pregnancy, miscarriage care and abortion.”

Abortion rights advocates pushed to get the measure onto a ballot and ultimately submitted 710,000 signatures — twice the 413,000 needed.

A USA Today Network/Suffolk University poll released this week found that 58 percent of Ohio voters said they support the abortion-rights amendment, while 32 percent said they opposed it.

More from the Hill.

Former President Trump, who has expressed skepticism against early voting in the past, is shifting gears. He recorded a new video released today encouraging Republicans to vote early.

The move follows muddled messaging from Trump recently, after the Republican National Committee launched its “Bank Your Vote” campaign to encourage Republicans to vote early.

“We must defeat the far left at their own game or our country will never recover from this disastrous crooked Biden administration,” Trump, the current frontrunner in the race for the GOP 2024 presidential nomination, says in the video. (The Hill)

Trump blames GOP rival Chris Christie for Romney loss in 2012. (The Hill)

Here’s another depressing fact about the record heat wave stretching across America: The ocean just off the Florida coastline is so hot that it’s passed hot tub temperature levels — to a point where it could seriously threaten the ecosystem there.

National Weather Service meteorologist George Rizzuto told The Associated Press that the 100.2 degree temperature measured Sunday is a “potential record.”

And the heat could continue to rise. (The Hill)

Most of the country is facing a severe, record heat wave right now, and former Secretary of State and 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton took a swipe at her former rival for that.

“Hot enough for you? Thank a MAGA Republican,” Clinton, who lost to Trump and his army of “Make America Great Again” Republicans in 2016, posted on Twitter.

More than 40 million Americans are living in cities experience ‘heat islands,’ according to a new study. (The Hill)

Many people consider the Health and Human Services building, located just off the National Mall and down the street from House office buildings, one of the ugliest federal buildings, right? Well, don’t say that to HHS’s face (or on Twitter/X).

In response to such a tweet calling out the building as being a leading contender for the title of “ugliest” around, the official HHS had a hilariously perfect response:

“Hey, there. Be nice. They call this concrete chic and we’ve been serving looks to the American public since 1976 😎,” the official government account posted.

The House and Senate both came in at 10 a.m. They are having their weekly caucus lunches today, so expect a break in the action. President Biden and Vice President Harris are in D.C. with no public events on their schedules

• 9 a.m.: President Biden received the Presidential Daily Briefing.
• 10 a.m.: The House Oversight Committee began its much-anticipated hearing on UFOs.

• 1 p.m.: Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre briefs reporters.

• 2 p.m.: Senate Intel Committee will have a closed meeting to be briefed on sensitive matters.

• 2 p.m.: A panel of House Homeland Security Committee members will hold a hearing (billed as the first in a three-part series) on border issues.

• 2:30 p.m.: Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will hold a news conference.

•  3:30 p.m.: House Administration and Senate administration will meet for a joint hearing on the Capitol Police Board.
  (NOTEWORTHY: This hearing will feature the Capitol Police Chief, acting Architect of the Capitol and the sergeants at arms for the House and Senate. Expect the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol to be a key topic.)

All times Eastern.

There are so many committee hearings today, so check out the full list here.

• 10 a.m.: The House Oversight Committee began its much-anticipated hearing on UFOs. (Tune in here to catch up)

• 1 p.m.: Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre briefs reporters. (Watch here)

•  2 p.m.: A panel of House Homeland Security Committee members will hold a hearing (billed as the first in a three-part series) on border issues. (Watch here)

•  3:30 p.m.: House Administration and Senate administration will meet together for a joint hearing on the Capitol Police Board. (Watch here)

Today is National Bagelfest Day — a great day to enjoy a tasty bagel. Toasted or not and topped however you want, they make for a great quick breakfast (or lunch). Some people (*ahem* NEW YORKERS) will claim that there are no good bagels in D.C., but I beg to differ. There are plenty of good options.

And because you made it this far, check out this video of an adorable pygmy marmoset!

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