It’s a busy Tuesday in Washington. HBO’s “The Last of Us” is returning on April 13! If you’re planning on rewatching the first season, now is a good time to do so. |
- Intel chiefs testify amid group chat fallout
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Trump stands with Waltz
- Top Intel Democrat calls for Hegseth, Waltz to resign
- Journalist elaborates on “war plans” in interviews
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Text STOP to opt out of sensitive military texts: |
All of Washington is aghast over one thing (hey, look! Unity!): President Trump’s national security adviser Mike Waltz reportedly added The Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg to a group chat with Trump’s most-senior national security team by accident — that included highly sensitive discussions over then-imminent plans to attack in Yemen. 🤯
Read the original report: ‘The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans’ (Gift link)
What we learned from this mishap:
Of all private citizens who could have been added to the chat: Goldberg is one of the most experienced journalists to handle this story. His first instincts were spot on: He assumed this was a sophisticated disinformation campaign. He did not publish while the situation was ongoing, he withheld sensitive details of the military operations and he voluntarily left the chat. Goldberg is well known for his decades of foreign affairs coverage but is a top target of ire for Trump and his allies over his past reporting. |
Sen. Mark Warner (Va.), the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, called for Waltz and Hegseth to resign. “There’s plenty of declassified information that shows that our adversaries, China and Russia, are trying to break into encrypted systems,” Warner said. “If this was the case of a military officer or an intelligence officer and they had this kind of behavior, they would be fired.”
CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee Tuesday during a public hearing on global threats. Ratcliffe maintained in the hearing that senior administration officials are permitted to use Signal and other end-to-end encryption apps, But lawmakers and security experts have raised concerns about sharing sensitive info over such platforms and whether it’s protected from foreign adversaries.
Tidbit: that a recent Pentagon memo warned of Signal’s vulnerability.
This hearing is worth your time: 💻 Watch
But Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said he doesn’t think discipline is needed for those involved.
🗨️ Follow today’s live blog for continued fallout |
A big lingering question is whether Waltz will get fired for this. President Trump told NBC News’s Garrett Haake this morning that “Michael Waltz has learned a lesson, and he’s a good man.”
The White House is downplaying the leak: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt claims that “no ‘war plans’ were discussed” and that “no classified material was sent to the thread.” 🔎 Read Leavitt’s full response
^ Here’s a serious question: If the contents of these texts are not classified, could they be released? Goldberg says he’s open to sharing Hegseth’s full war plan texts publicly.
From an Atlantic reporter who viewed the texts: Shane Harris, who helped Goldberg report the story, appeared on CNN this morning to respond to the White House’s claim that no classified information or war plans were discussed.
“The information that I saw … the types of aircraft that were involved in this airstrike, the targets they were over, the munitions they were using, the times they would be on target, the sequence they would do the bombing run-in, the individual human targets who were on the ground. I think most people would call that a war plan.”
Hear from Goldberg: Goldberg has already done several media interviews on his reporting.
📹 Watch his interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins
📹 Watch his interview with MSNBC’s Jen Psaki
Curious how Fox News’s Jesse Watters framed this?: “I’m sure it won’t happen again,” Watters told viewers. 📹 Watch this clip |
➤ SOME LIGHTER TIDBITS ON A VERY SERIOUS STORY: |
How are Republicans generally reacting?: The Hill’s Al Weaver and Mychael Schnell spoke with Republicans on Capitol Hill. They are concerned and see the episode as “embarrassing,” but are treading lightly in their responses. Read more GOP reactions
Hillary Clinton enters the chat (no, not that chat lol): “You have got to be kidding me,” Clinton posted. Remember how Republicans seized on her use of a private server to send classified emails while she was secretary of State?
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) slammed the ‘leftist media’: “They can’t argue with the policies, which the American people support, they can’t argue with this new demonstration of American strength that is keeping Americans safe at home and abroad, so now we’re griping about who’s on a text message and who’s not,” Hawley said on Fox News.
📹 Watch Jon Stewart’s segment on ‘The Daily Show’
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) thinks there’s ‘no doubt’ Russia and China saw this: “They intentionally put highly classified information on an unclassified device,” he told CNN’s Manu Raju. “I would have lost my security clearance in the Air Force for this and for a lot less.”
Former Transportation Secretary and veteran Pete Buttigieg had some sharp words: “From an operational security perspective, this is the highest level of f—up imaginable. These people cannot keep America safe,” Buttigieg posted.
From Fox News’s Brit Hume: “Oh for God’s sake, the administration has already confirmed the authenticity of the message,” Hume said, responding to Hegseth’s criticism of Goldberg. Hegseth argued Goldberg has “made a profession of peddling hoaxes time and time again.” |
➤ MORE READS FROM THE WHITE HOUSE: |
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Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and key committee chairs are meeting today to discuss President Trump’s stalled agenda.
Why it stalled out: House and Senate Republicans still do not agree about the approach. Johnson wants it passed in April or May, but Thune thinks that’s unrealistic.
Why they have to pass Trump’s agenda in a complicated way: “The reconciliation process is critical because it will allow the legislation to dodge a Senate filibuster, ensuring that Democrats cannot block the measure in the upper chamber. But the measure will also have to meet various rules required for budget reconciliation packages.” Read Alexander Bolton’s reporting: ‘Thune, Johnson seek breakthrough on stalled Trump agenda’ |
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What do you think about our new look?!: |
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The House and Senate are in. President Trump and Vice President Vance are in Washington.
(All times EST) |
12:30 p.m.: Trump and Vance have lunch together. (would love to be a fly on the wall for this 👀)
12:30 p.m.: Senators meet for weekly caucus luncheons.
1:30 p.m.: First and last House votes. 📆 Today’s agenda 2 p.m.: Trump signs executive orders.
2:15 p.m.: Two Senate votes. 📆 Today’s agenda
Wednesday morning: The Hill’s Health Next Summit. Entrepreneur Mark Cuban is among the speakers. 🖊️ RSVP to attend virtually Thursday p.m.: Opening day for Major League Baseball (MLB) 🌭 |
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🦞 Celebrate: Today is National Lobster Newburg Day.
🐰 Easter 2025, brought to you by big bunny: “The White House, through an outside event production company called Harbinger, is soliciting corporate sponsors for this year’s Easter Egg Roll, which is prompting major concerns from ethics experts and shock from former White House officials from both parties.” (CNN)
🏀 This shot is wild: NBA star Steph Curry nearly hit a wild full-court short during warmups. He did it with one hand. 📹 Watch this 20-second clip
🩺 The pope was *very* sick: Pope Francis came very close to dying during his hospitalization. At one point, his doctor considered ending his treatment. |
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Because this has been an intense day in the news, let’s end this on a happier note. Have you ever met a professional counter surfer? Now you have. 😉 |
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📺 Miss yesterday’s newsletter? Catch up with a 1-minute video recap here. I love hearing from you — send your feedback, tips and favorite cookie recipes 🍪 to cmartel@digital-release.digital-release.thehill.com. Check out more newsletters here. See you next time! |
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