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Has Amelia Earhart's plane been found?
Could recent sonar imagery show Amelia Earhart's missing plane? This could be the most compelling find in case which has baffled the world for nearly 100 years
President Donald Trump announced Friday that he has ordered the declassification and public release of all government records about aviator Amelia Earhart, who vanished in 1937 during an attempt to fly around the world.
Trump said on his social media site Truth Social that it is "such an interesting story" that "has captivated millions."
Trump orders release of government records on Amelia Earhart
What they're saying:
"I have been asked by many people about the life and times of Amelia Earhart, such an interesting story, and would I consider declassifying and releasing everything about her, in particular, her last, fatal flight!,’ Trump said Friday.
He added: "Amelia made it almost three quarters around the World before she suddenly, and without notice, vanished, never to be seen again. Her disappearance, almost 90 years ago, has captivated millions. I am ordering my Administration to declassify and release all Government Records related to Amelia Earhart, her final trip, and everything else about her. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"
Amelia Earhart disappears attempting flight around the world
The backstory:
Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, disappeared while flying from New Guinea to Howland Island as part of her attempt to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the globe. She had radioed that she was running low on fuel.
Amelia Earhart smiles as she sits clad in a leather aviator's jacket in the cockpit of a small airplane. (Credit: Getty Images)
The Navy searched but found no trace. The U.S. government’s official position has been that Earhart and Noonan went down with their plane.
Since then, theories have veered into the absurd, including abduction by aliens, or Earhart living in New Jersey under an alias. Others speculate she and Noonan were executed by the Japanese or died as castaways on an island.
Epstein files also released Friday
Big picture view:
This news comes as Trump faces growing criticism for withholding documents related to disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
On Friday, Democrats on the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform released partial records from the third batch of documents produced by the Jeffrey Epstein Estate.
The documents produced by the Jeffrey Epstein Estate include phone message logs from 2002-2005, copies of flight logs and manifests for aircrafts, copies of financial ledgers reflecting transactions recorded as cash transactions for Epstein and business entities, and Epstein’s daily schedules between 2010 and 2019.
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The documents include mentions of possible contact between Jeffrey Epstein and prominent figures including, Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Steve Bannon, and Prince Andrew.
Trump has acknowledged knowing Epstein socially but claims they had a falling-out years before Epstein's death in jail in 2019.
Trump has previously ordered the release of other classified government records, including documents related to the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
The Source: This story was reported from Los Angeles. The Associated Press, Reuters, and previous FOX Local reporting contributed.