Podcast
Ask a Pol uaps
Hosted by Ask a Pol by Matt Laslo · EN
33episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Ask a Pol UAP informs Sen. Mike Rounds that his UAPDA is included in House NDAA
6d ago00:00:51Tap to summarizeWho?Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) — Original sponsor, UAP Disclosure ActAsk a Pol asks:Did you hear Rep. Eric Burlison got your UAP Disclosure Act with Sen. Chuck Schumer included in the NDAA — National Defense Authorization Act — over in the House of Representatives?Key Rounds:“No, I hadn’t heard that,” Sen. Mike Rounds exclusively tells Ask a Pol UAP — before adding, “Well, if it is, it’s old news.”**ICYMI — Senate Dems are blocking NDAA over IranWelp. Consider a paid subscription ASAP!Ask a Pol’s on Venmo, PayPal, Cash App…or just buy the team a beer!Caught our ear:Have you looked at any of the newly declassified “UFO files” the Pentagon’s been releasing yet?“We’ve been busy on other stuff,” Rounds tells us. “No.”Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD), slightly edited for clarity.TRANSCRIPT: Sen. Mike Rounds (8-6-2026)SCENE: Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo recorded Sen. Mike Rounds updating reporters on a host of issues — from government funding to a stalled crypto measure — but Laslo left the scrum early when the staffer’s aides boarded a Senators Only elevator.Laslo slips onto a different elevator and rushes to the 2nd floor of the US Capitol, just off the Senate floor. When the Senator and his aides finally arrive, Laslo’s waiting outside their elevator.Mike Rounds: “Hey, you’re quick!”Rounds laughs.Matt Laslo: “Did you hear [Rep. Eric] Burlison got your UAP Disclosure Act with [Senate minority Leader Chuck] Schumer included in the NDAA over there [in the US House]?”Rounds: “No, I hadn’t heard that.”ICYMI — Burlison’s announcement (July 22, 2026)Laslo: “You hadn’t?”Rounds: “Well, if it is, it’s old news.”Laslo: “Oh yeah? But with the NDAA do you think you guys would be able to keep that in?”Rounds: “I hope so. I hope so. I think we’ve done everything we can to keep it in the right, you know, with the right approach. And once again, I’m just concerned that we do this in such a fashion that we don’t release anything which would be considered to be any breach of security in terms of the other projects that we work on regularly.”Laslo: “Have you talked to AARO at all — those folks — since the Pentagon started releasing stuff?”Rounds: “No, I have not.”Laslo: “No?”Rounds: “I have not.”Laslo: “Have you looked at the UFO files yet?”Rounds: “We’ve been busy on other stuff.”Laslo: “Yeah?”Laslo: “Have you looked at what the Pentagon’s been releasing?”Rounds: “No.”Laslo: “No?”Another congressional reporter steps in.Other Reporter: “Senator, has there been any movement on…”About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapoluaps.com/subscribe
Transcribe →
SCOOP: HPSCI leaders weren't part of UAPDA negotiations; Ranking Dem hasn’t seen UFO files
2w ago00:01:53Tap to summarizeWho?Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) — Ranking Member, House Intelligence CommitteeAsk a Pol asks:Have you looked at any of these UFO files the Pentagon’s been dropping?Key Himes:“I think I’ve looked at what I understand to be almost all of the compartments that, you know, are relevant, but I’m not current on what the [Defense] Department has been doing lately,” Rep. Jim Himes exclusively tells Ask a Pol Politics.They’ve released four batches of recently declassified UFO videos and documentation that are new to the rest of us. But that hasn’t really gotten on your radar?”“Not really,” Himes says. “I haven’t been tracking it, but I’ll take a look.”UAPDA — UAP Disclosure Act marches on (for now…)Have you heard about Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s UAP Disclosure Act getting included in the House-passed version of the NDAA?“Yeah, no, I can’t remember,” Himes replies. “I’ll take your word for it.”But the UAPDA didn’t come up in NDAA talks in the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence — or HPSCI?“Didn’t come up in Intelligence, no,” Himes says. “We were really focused on the IAA [Intelligence Authorization Act].”Find us on Venmo, PayPal, Cash App, etc.Or just buy the team a beer!Caught our ear:“Uh, oh,” Himes quips to Laslo. “I thought I was gonna get out of here without some question about UFOs or whatever, psilocybin.”ICYMI — Find Ask a Pol on YouTube, TikTok or Instagram!Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), slightly edited for clarity.TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Jim Himes (7-23-2026)SCENE: Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo catches Rep. Jim Himes as he’s walking from the US Capitol to his office across the street.Matt Laslo: “Mr. Himes.”Jim Himes: “Uh, oh — I thought I was gonna get out of here without some question about UFOs or whatever, psilocybin.”Laslo: “Watch out now, I’m going to put you on video.”*GRRR — Laslo’s phone was out of storage the last day the House of Representatives was in session until September. We’re still not over it. First and last time that happens.Laslo: “Have you looked at any of these files? The ‘UFO files’ that the Pentagon’s been dropping?”Himes: “I think I’ve looked at what I understand to be almost all of the compartments that, you know, are relevant, but I’m, I’m not current on what the department has been doing lately.”Laslo: “They’ve released like four batches of videos, some that are new — well, new to the rest of us, I guess, a lot of them are declassified, but that hasn’t really gotten on your radar?”Himes: “Not really. I haven’t been tracking it, but I’ll take a look.”Laslo: “Have you heard about the UAP Disclosure Act? I guess it got included in the NDAA here.”Congressman Himes gets a message on his phone.Himes: “Sorry.”The Congressman answers a text from an aide before slipping his phone into his pocket.Himes: “Yeah, no, I can’t, I can’t remember.”Laslo: “Yeah? It wasn’t really debated.”Himes: “I’ll take your word, I’ll take your word for it.”Laslo: “But I guess — but it didn’t come up?”Himes: “Didn’t come up in Intelligence, no. We were, we were really focused on the IAA.”Laslo: “Yeah?”Himes: “Which we’ll hopefully tag on to the NDAA.”Laslo: “What’s that?”Himes: “What’s that?”Laslo: “What’s the IAA?”Himes: “The Intelligence Authorization Act.”Laslo: “Oh, that’s right. That’s right.”Himes: “Yeah.”Laslo: “The one I’m never allowed to hear about.”Himes: “No, no, you can you can see. You can’t see the classified annex.”They laugh.Laslo: “Yeah?”Himes: “Sorry about that.”Laslo: “I can’t see the fun stuff!”Himes: “But you can see most of it.”Laslo: “Hey, have a good August.”Himes: “Alright, take care — you too.”Laslo passes some Capitol Police officers.Laslo: “Have a good one, man.”A Congresswoman waves to Laslo from the passenger seat of her aide’s car.Laslo: “Have a good August.”Laslo crosses the street back to the Capitol.LAST WEEK before August recess — what should we be asking US Senators?About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapoluaps.com/subscribe
Transcribe →
"It’s a fistfight," Burchett says, "deep state" is hiding full UFO disclosure from President Trump
3w ago00:00:42Tap to summarizeWho?Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) — Co-chair, Congressional UAP Caucus; OversightAsk a Pol asksWhat’s happening with the UFO files?Key Burchett“Yeah … it is the ‘deep state.’ I think they realize what we’ve encountered.”Can you spare $5 to help a struggling startup out?Ask a Pol’s on Venmo, PayPal, Cash App, etc.Or just buy the team a beer.Caught our ear“We’ve had enough hearings. We just need disclosure.”Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN), slightly edited for clarity.TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Tim Burchett (7-23-2026)SCENE: After members of the US House of Representatives cast their last votes Thursday — the last votes the chamber is scheduled to take until September! — chaos descended on the Capitol steps. Aides sat idling in cars as many confused lawmakers were heard on their cells trying to figure out where their taxpayer-funded chauffeurs were so they could rush to the closest airport. All the while, the congressional press corps frantically chased lawmakers as they locked in the final interviews they need for their annual August recess features that need to hold as smart, forward-looking pieces despite Congress being MIA.Matt Laslo: How much are you guys talking with Stephen Miller these days?Tim Burchett: Regularly, yeah. He’s running into problems, though. The deep state’s blocking a lot of this stuff that the President’s trying to get to. Laslo: How do you get past that?Burchett: Well, there’s some legislation that moved on some whistleblower stuff that was in one of the bills…ICYMI — The US House passed the “Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act” this July Burchett: “…so, I hope maybe that’ll help clear up a lot of it. But it’s a fistfight. It’s been that way since 1947, and we’re not going to do it overnight.Laslo: Does [Miller] now get [President] Trump at the table a little bit more in these [UFO disclosure] talks?Burchett: Oh, he’s in it. He’s in it, but he’s the one that’s being denied. I mean, the deep state is real and it crosses party lines, and it’s crooked as a dog’s leg.What should we ask your US Senator?About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapoluaps.com/subscribe
Transcribe →
WATCH: White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller gets UFO question at US Capitol
3w ago00:00:06Tap to summarizeWho?Stephen Miller — White House Deputy Chief of Staff for policy and Homeland Security AdvisorSCENE:Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo bumped into White House Deputy Chief of Staff for policy and Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller who dropped by the US Capitol with his wife, children and large security detail this week.Ask a Pol asks:How’s UAP disclosure going?Key Miller:“Hmm,” Miller smirks.Find Ask a Pol on Venmo, PayPal, Cash App, etc.Can you spare $5 to help us stay afloat?Or just buy the team a beer!WATCH: Full video on YouTube**of note, especially to aspiring journalists: the herd of congressional reporters and photographers stay grouped together, but Laslo positions himself between Miller and the Capitol entrance. While we didn’t get an answer, Ask a Pol was the only outlet to get a question in.What should we ask Congress next?About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapoluaps.com/subscribe
Transcribe →
Burlison says “the public has to fight to keep" the UAPDA in the NDAA
3w ago00:00:25Tap to summarizeWho?Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO) — Oversight & Government Reform Committee; Task Force on the Declassification of Federal SecretsAsk a Pol asks:Are you worried the Senate is going to try to strip the UAP Disclosure Act out of the House-passed National Defense Authorization Act [NDAA]?Key Burlison:“I am,” Rep. Eric Burlison exclusively tells Ask a Pol UAP. “The public has to fight to keep it in.”ICYMI — Find Ask a Pol on YouTube, TikTok or Instagram!Caught our ear:“Diligence,” Burlison tells us. “Diligence, and like absolute relentlessness.”Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO), slightly edited for clarity.TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Eric Burlison (7-23-2026)SCENE: After a quick interview with TMZ, Rep. Eric Burlison’s rushing up the US Capitol steps to cast his last votes before the US House left Washington for its monthslong summer recess.While Burlison asks to do the interview later,* Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo peppers the second-term Congressman with some quick questions on how he got the UAP Disclosure Act included in the House-passed National Defense Authorization Act or NDAA.*FEW: Laslo didn’t see Burlison in hectic start of summer for the US House of Representatives after the vote series.Eric Burlison: “I have to go vote. I don’t want to miss this.”TMZ: “Okay, go go vote. Go vote. Thank you, sir.”Matt Laslo: “Wait, real quick. You got the UAPDA…?”Eric Burlison: “Can I talk on the way back?”Matt Laslo: “But you got the UAPDA…?”Eric Burlison: “I know.”Matt Laslo: “…in there?”Eric Burlison: “High five.”Laslo awkwardly laughs and waves his notepad at Burlison’s hand.Matt Laslo: “How’d you do that?”Eric Burlison: “Diligence. Diligence, and like absolute relentlessness.”Matt Laslo: “Yeah?”Eric Burlison: “And so, it’s a longer story. I’ll tell you later.”Matt Laslo: “Are you worried the Senate’s going to try to strip it out?”Eric Burlison: “I am. They — the public has to fight to keep it in.”Matt Laslo: “Yeah?”About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapoluaps.com/subscribe
Transcribe →
Scooplet: Chuck Schumer still hasn't looked at Pentagon UFO files
4w ago00:00:13Tap to summarizeVisit Ask a Pol UAP ~ asking your lawmakers your questions at your US Capitol ~ Let us know what to ask next!In our latest episode:Who?Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) — Senate Minority LeaderAsk a Pol asks:Have you been able to check out any of these Pentagon UFO files?Key Schumer:“Yeah, no,” Sen. Chuck Schumer exclusively told Ask a Pol UAP. Asked if we’ll see his UAP Disclosure Act: “Hope so.”About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapoluaps.com/subscribe
Transcribe →
Astronaut, Senator Mark Kelly mocks Pentagon's declassified UFO files
Jul 1100:01:07Tap to summarizeWho?Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) — fmr. NASA astronaut, US Navy combat pilotPSA:Congress is out; interview predates 4th UFO file dumpAsk a Pol asks:Is there anything in these Pentagon UFO disclosure files that’s moving your staff or you on this?Key Kelly:“No. No. No,” Sen. Mark Kelly exclusively told Ask a Pol UAP. “The only compelling thing I’ve ever seen — you can go online and find the 60 Minutes interview with the guy who’s the squadron F-18 squadron commander, and the wingman. That is hard to explain.”Caught our ear:“It’d be good if we had more information,” Kelly told us. Asked whether he thinks it’s adversaries with advanced tech, Kelly said: “No idea. No idea.”Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), slightly edited for clarity.TRANSCRIPT: Sen. Mark Kelly (6-10-2026)SCENE: Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo catches Sen. Mark Kelly — a former NASA astronaut and Navy combat pilot — at the Capitol to get his read on the Pentagon’s latest UFO disclosure files.Matt Laslo: “You know, one of these — the UFO disclosure stuff — I had my [staff] print out all the UFO files. We have them in binders, so people can look through them. There’s some interesting stuff in there. Drawings of aliens. Is there anything that’s moving your staff or you on this?”Sen. Mark Kelly: “No. No. No.”Laslo: “Yeah?”Kelly: “But, you know, I’ve been in meetings about this.”Laslo: “Yeah.”Kelly: “The only compelling thing I’ve ever seen — and you can go online and find the 60 Minutes interview with the guy who’s the squadron F-18 squadron commander—”Laslo: “Yeah, yeah.”Kelly: “—and the wingman. That is hard to explain.”Laslo: “Yeah.”Kelly: “And I just don’t — I mean, it’d be good if we had more information.”Laslo: “Do you think it’s adversaries with advanced tech?”Kelly: “No idea. No idea. I’ll tell you what — he doesn’t think it is.”Laslo: “Yeah.”Kelly: “’Cause I’ve talked to that guy a couple times.”Laslo: “Oh, yeah?”Kelly: “And that MD who thinks it’s somewhere else. But, okay.”Laslo: “Great. Have a good one, sir.”What should we ask Congress next?About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapoluaps.com/subscribe
Transcribe →
"They give you a hard time,” AOC complains it's harder to get SCIF briefings since leaving Oversight
Jul 900:00:36Tap to summarizeWho? Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) — former Member, House Oversight CommitteeAsk a Pol asks:Have you had time to look at these UFO or UAP files the Pentagon’s been dropping?Key AOC:“I’m not on the committee of jurisdiction. I’ve moved off of Oversight,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez exclusively told Ask a Pol UAP. “When you’re not on the committee of jurisdiction, they don’t tell us when these things go out.”“It reminds me when they first released the Epstein files, and they were just like binders with nothing in them,” AOC told Ask a Pol UAP in a separate exchange on June 2, 2026.Caught our ear:“If you try to see these for yourself, they give you a hard time. They’re like, ‘why do you want to see this?’” AOC tells us.Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interviews with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), slightly edited for clarity.TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (6-25-2026)SCENE: Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo catches Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at the Capitol and asks whether she’s had a chance to review the latest Pentagon UAP file releases — only to learn she’s since lost access after leaving the Oversight Committee.Matt Laslo: “Have you had time to look at these UFO or UAP files?”Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: “I have to. Are they in the SCIF?”Laslo: “No, they’ve just been dropping them.”AOC: “I shouldn’t be asking you this. I shouldn’t know.”Laslo: “Pentagon dropped three different batches of them. Is it less interesting to you now?”AOC: “No, it’s not that. It’s that I’m not on the committee of jurisdiction. I’ve moved off of Oversight. So what also happens is that when you’re not on the committee of jurisdiction, they don’t tell us when these things go out. And if you’re not on the committee of jurisdiction and you try to see them for yourself, they give you a hard time. They’re like, ‘why do you want to see this?’”Laslo: “That’s a decent excuse.”AOC: “Have a good one.”TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (6-2-2026)SCENE: In a shorter exchange weeks earlier, Laslo asks AOC for her take on the substance of the Pentagon’s UAP disclosures — and she draws an unexpected comparison.Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: “It reminds me when they first released the Epstein files, and they were just like binders with nothing in them.”Matt Laslo: “Right.”What should we ask Congress next?Join Matt Laslo’s subscriber chat -- Available in the Substack app and on webAbout Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapoluaps.com/subscribe
Transcribe →
SCOOP — House Oversight Chair James Comer: “I would like to have another [UFO] hearing”
Jun 2700:01:18Tap to summarizeAbout Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapoluaps.com/subscribe
Transcribe →
Smoking out the opposition: Sen. Rounds plans to use UAPDA to "find out who will object to it"
Jun 2600:03:24Tap to summarizeAbout Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapoluaps.com/subscribe
Transcribe →