(NewsNation) — The Pentagon has begun releasing the so-called “UFO files,” which contain never-before-seen documents, photos and videos centered around unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAPs. At the direction of President Donald Trump, this is the first release of files, photos and videos with more to come on a rolling basis at war.gov/ufo.
In this breaking news episode of “Reality Check,” Ross Coulthart sits down with Luis Elizondo, a former Pentagon UFO investigator and whistleblower, and Billy Kryzak, owner of ProPixel video analysis and research, to analyze these newly declassified videos. Elizondo raises concerns over national security, while Kryzak believes one of the videos depicts the elusive tesseract craft. Coulthart also speaks with “Reality Check” research producer Rob Jones and UAP researcher and podcaster UAP Gerb. Together, they discuss this historic release and what this means for the future.
Trump’s long-awaited UFO file release sparks more questions than answers
The Trump administration’s first release of long-promised UFO files delivered fewer bombshells than disclosure advocates anticipated, but it has reignited debate over UAPs.
Ross Coulthart, Luis Elizondo underwhelmed by first UFO file dump
Coulthart framed the release as “probably one of the bigger news stories of recent times,” before asking the question dominating reaction online: “Is it a big nothing burger?”
The initial release on Friday included 162 records spanning agencies across the federal government, including the Pentagon, the FBI and NASA.
‘Drop in the proverbial ocean’
“This is a drop in the proverbial ocean,” former Pentagon UAP investigator Luis Elizondo said on the podcast.
He defended the release as an important first step despite criticism that the documents contained little new information.
“No other president has done that yet,” Elizondo said. “He made good on his promises.”
He countered that the White House may be attempting a gradual disclosure strategy to manage political and national security concerns.
“It’s a bit of dipping your toe in the water before you decide to take a high dive and cannonball into the deep end,” Elizondo said.
He also praised NewsNation and Coulthart for their coverage of UAPs.
Lunar images draw attention
Some of the NASA-linked lunar photographs included in the release showed unexplained objects near the moon. Coulthart highlighted one Apollo 17 image allegedly showing three illuminated objects arranged in a triangular formation above the lunar horizon.
“If they’re real objects and they’re not ours, clearly, then whose are they?” Elizondo asked.
UFO files: What did the Apollo 17 astronauts see on the moon?
He said he has personally viewed unreleased footage captured by U.S. military systems. “There’s some video out there that’ll knock your socks off,” he said.
‘Jellyfish’ UAPs
Billy Kryzak, owner of ProPixel video analysis and research, analyzed these newly declassified videos, describing some footage as “jellyfish” UAPs.
“When you see them initially, they look like a balloon,” Kryzak said. “But then you go back and you do the analysis… you’ll see that they’re moving against the wind.”
He suggested some of the objects could represent either unknown airborne lifeforms or advanced surveillance technology.
“It’s inconclusive right now, but those are the two working theories,” Kryzak said