<![CDATA[The Free Press: The Free Press Investigates]]>https://www.thefp.com/s/the-free-press-investigateshttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XTc7!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9cb7f208-a15c-46a8-a040-7e7a2150def9_1280x1280.pngThe Free Press: The Free Press Investigateshttps://www.thefp.com/s/the-free-press-investigatesSubstackThu, 23 Apr 2026 14:20:44 GMT<![CDATA[The Harvard Astrophysicist Who Wants to Believe in UFOs]]>https://www.thefp.com/p/the-harvard-astrophysicist-who-wants-to-believe-in-ufoshttps://www.thefp.com/p/the-harvard-astrophysicist-who-wants-to-believe-in-ufosTue, 21 Apr 2026 21:36:50 GMT“Very, very soon,” President Donald Trump teasingly said last week about the promised release of secret government documents related to UFOs. “This process is well underway, and we found many very interesting documents, I must say.”

The president’s announcement, at a Turning Point USA event in Phoenix, pushed the conversation about UFOs yet another step closer to the mainstream and further away from the swirl of conspiracy culture, even though Trump also sounded like he hasn’t made up his own mind about what to believe. “I figured this was a good crowd because I know you people, you’re really into that,” he said with a chuckle. “I don’t know if I am.”

Why did the president treat the UFO announcement so lightheartedly? Was he trying to lower expectations? Or send a signal that he isn’t alarmed by what the government has found? What should we be looking for when the documents are released?

One person with a lot to say about the last question is physicist Avi Loeb. In the second part of this four-part series, the longtime Harvard University professor explains why he keeps an open mind about extraterrestrial visitation and what Americans should make of this phenomenon.

Loeb became a scientific celebrity in 2017 after the discovery of ‘Oumuamua, the first confirmed object from another star to visit our solar system. Most of Loeb’s colleagues were thrilled about the discovery but content to reason that it was likely a comet or meteor. Loeb, intrigued by ‘Oumamua’s unusually flat shape, proposed that it might be an alien artifact. While the scientific establishment criticized Loeb’s reasoning, he was undeterred, and has since suggested that another interstellar object, 3I/ATLAS, could be some sort of alien craft.

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]]><![CDATA[Unpacking ‘Spiral: Murder in Detroit’]]>https://www.thefp.com/p/unpacking-spiral-murder-in-detroithttps://www.thefp.com/p/unpacking-spiral-murder-in-detroitWed, 29 Oct 2025 09:01:41 GMTOn October 21, 2023, Jewish community leader Samantha Woll was found brutally stabbed to death outside her home—just two weeks after Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel. At first, it seemed like an open-and-shut case: a hate crime. But police quickly ruled that out.

Instead, investigators found themselves with two unrelated suspects. When they finally cha…

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]]><![CDATA[Spiral | 5. A Beautiful but Imperfect System]]>https://www.thefp.com/p/spiral-5-a-beautiful-but-imperfecthttps://www.thefp.com/p/spiral-5-a-beautiful-but-imperfectTue, 21 Oct 2025 09:30:00 GMTIt is 2009 at the Supreme Court of the United States and Justice John Paul Stevens reads his ruling for the majority on a case involving financial fraud and insider trading. Fifteen years later, this decision will upend the murder trial of Michael Jackson-Bolanos, who is accused of killing Samantha Woll.

The jury delivered a mixed verdict at Michael’s tr…

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]]><![CDATA[Spiral | 4. Bring It On]]>https://www.thefp.com/p/spiral-4-bring-it-onhttps://www.thefp.com/p/spiral-4-bring-it-onTue, 21 Oct 2025 09:25:00 GMTNearly eight months after Samantha Woll was killed, viciously stabbed outside her home, the man accused of her murder is now on trial.

About three weeks in, Michael Jackson-Bolanos takes the stand. The 29-year-old had Sam’s blood on his clothes and was seen racing away from her home in the early hours of October 21, 2023. At first, he denied to police ha…

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]]><![CDATA[Spiral | 3. Motive and Opportunity]]>https://www.thefp.com/p/spiral-3-motive-and-opportunityhttps://www.thefp.com/p/spiral-3-motive-and-opportunityTue, 21 Oct 2025 09:20:00 GMTIt’s November 7, 2023, in a parking lot in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and Jeffrey Herbstman is laying on the ground next to his car. It’s nighttime. The police have just arrived, and he’s telling the cops that he thinks he might have killed his ex-girlfriend, Samantha Woll, but he can’t remember.

“I had the motive, the opportunity, and I don’t know what the th…

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]]><![CDATA[Spiral | 2. Wrong Place, Wrong Time? ]]>https://www.thefp.com/p/spiral-2-wrong-place-wrong-timehttps://www.thefp.com/p/spiral-2-wrong-place-wrong-timeTue, 21 Oct 2025 09:15:00 GMTA man seen breaking into cars near the crime scene is arrested, and he lies to police about what he’s been up to. But does that make him a killer? As the case builds against him, his defense team uncovers a piece of evidence that could change everything.

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]]><![CDATA[Spiral | 1. One of 36 Angels]]>https://www.thefp.com/p/spiral-1-one-of-36-angelshttps://www.thefp.com/p/spiral-1-one-of-36-angelsTue, 21 Oct 2025 09:11:00 GMTSamantha Woll, 40, was a beloved Detroit Jewish community leader with her life ahead of her. Tragically, she is found stabbed to death outside her home exactly two weeks after the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel. Investigators follow a mysterious figure caught on camera: Is this truly a hate crime, or something else?

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