Background The renaming of Mount McKinley to Denali in 2015 was the culmination of a long-standing debate over the name of North America’s tallest mountain. The decision involved decades of discussion, legislative efforts, and ultimately executive action by the U.S. Department of the Interior. Here is a chronological account of the events leading up to the name change and its aftermath. The Historical Names The mountain, standing at 20,310 feet in Alaska, was originally called Denali by the indigenous Koyukon Athabaskan people, meaning “The High One” or “The Tall One.” This name has been used for centuries in indigenous oral…
Author: John Greenewald
Special Counsel Jack Smith’s report, released by the Department of Justice on January 14, 2025, details the investigation into former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. Smith asserts that his team upheld the rule of law and that the evidence gathered would have led to a conviction if not for Trump’s re-election in 2024, which grants him immunity from prosecution as a sitting president. The report outlines Trump’s actions, including spreading false claims of election fraud, pressuring the Justice Department, and inciting the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. It emphasizes that these actions constituted an “unprecedented…
In response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed in May 2023 by The Black Vault, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has released 129 pages of documents concerning emails sent to and from Michael Freie, a technical advisor in the FAA’s Air Traffic Surveillance Services Office. The request, FOIA case 2024-04951, sought communications containing keywords such as “Unidentified Aerial,” “Unidentified Flying,” “UAP,” “UFO,” and related terms. The FOIA request stemmed from Mr. Freie’s involvement as a speaker at NASA’s Public UAP Meeting held on May 31, 2023. Known for his expertise in air traffic surveillance, Freie has served…
A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed by The Black Vault on November 7, 2024, with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, resulted in the release of records highlighting drone incursions over sensitive nuclear installations. The request, identified as FOIA-2025-000142, sought all materials and communications shared with the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) from June 2022 through the end of 2024. While UFO enthusiasts may have hoped for evidence of extraordinary phenomena, the documents largely revolve around repeated sightings of drones near sensitive nuclear installations. Nonetheless, these incidents provide an intriguing insight into ongoing challenges relating to these events. The…
It comes as no surprise, as celebrities and gangsters were being watched — so were the politicians. The following is a list of released records. Document Archive Abzug, Bella [980 Pages, 68MB] – Bella Savitzky Abzug (July 24, 1920 – March 31, 1998), nicknamed “Battling Bella”, was an American lawyer, U.S. Representative, social activist and a leader in the women’s movement. In 1971, Abzug joined other leading feminists such as Gloria Steinem, Shirley Chisholm, and Betty Friedan to found the National Women’s Political Caucus. She was known as a leading figure in what came to be known as eco-feminism. Acheson,…