There’s been political uproar in the US after the White House confirmed that a journalist was inadvertently added to a group chat in which senior US officials discussed plans for a strike against the Houthi rebel group. Listen to the Trump 100 on the growing scandal as you scroll.
Tuesday 25 March 2025 09:55, UK
Key points
- Trump administration facing calls for investigation after journalist accidentally added to secret war chat View post
- ‘I know nothing’ about leak of military plans, Trump says View post
- ‘National security in the hands of amateurs’: Fury from Democrats – as Hegseth blasts journalist View post
- Podcast: How was a journalist sent the US’s private war plans? View post
- Tap hereto follow Trump 100 wherever you enjoy podcasts
Live reporting by Mark Wyatt
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2 minute ago2m ago11:55
Who’s who in the chat?
Eighteen people were part of the Signal group chat – here is who appears to have been added and how they were identified:
- JD Vance – US deputy president
- Michael Waltz – national security adviser
- Marco Antonio Rubio – the secretary of state, identified as MAR
- Tulsi Gabbard – the director of national intelligence, identified as TG
- Scott Bessent – Treasury secretary, identified as Scott B
- Pete Hegseth – US defence secretary
- Susie Wiles – White House chief of staff
- Stephen Miller – deputy White House chief of staff, called S M in the chat (identified only by his initials, which the report says Goldberg “took to stand for Stephen Miller”)
- Steve Witkoff – US Middle East and Ukraine negotiator
- Jeffrey Goldberg – editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine, identified as JG
Other members included various National Security Council officials and a CIA official who was not named in the report because they are an active intelligence officer.
17 minute ago17m ago11:40
Analysis: Leak raises huge questions about national security as Trump officials lambasted for ‘amateur hour’
By David Blevins, Sky correspondent, in Washington
“FUBAR” – that’s one congressman’s response to the jaw-dropping news that Trump officials discussed war plans in a group chat on the Signal app.
It’s an old military acronym meaning ‘F***ed up beyond recognition” or “…beyond repair”.
“Only one word for this: FUBAR,” said Democrat representative Pat Ryan, an army veteran who sits on the armed services committee.
The leak raises huge questions about national security, but legal experts suggest establishing the group on Signal may violate the espionage act.
Tap here to read more
27 minute ago27m ago11:30
Messages blast ‘pathetic, freeloading’ Europe
Along with the classified military intelligence shared in the group, Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg also got a look behind the curtain at how top-level US officials discuss America’s allies.
Messages discussed the potential for Europe to pay for US protection of key shipping lanes.
Mike Waltz, White House national security adviser, criticised the limited capabilities of European navies.
He wrote: “Whether it’s now or several weeks from now, it will have to be the United States that reopens these shipping lanes.
“Per the president’s request we are working with DOD and State to determine how to compile the cost associated and levy them on the Europeans.”
JD Vance addressed Pete Hegseth, Trump’s defence secretary, in a message reading: “If you think we should do it, let’s go. I just hate bailing Europe out again.”
Hegseth replied: “VP: I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. It’s PATHETIC.”
The Atlantic
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42 minute ago42m ago11:15
What’s been the political reaction in the US?
There’s been political uproar in the US in response to the news that a journalist was accidentally texted classified US military information.
Democratic leader Chuck Schumer has demanded a “full investigation” and said “very harsh consequences” should be faced by any government employee who shared the sensitive military plans.
Another senior Democrat, senator Elizabeth Warren, said on social media that, “Our national security is in the hands of complete amateurs”.
She labelled the leak “blatantly illegal and dangerous beyond belief,” adding: “What other highly sensitive national security conversations are happening over group chat? Any other random people accidentally added to those, too?”
Democratic leader Chuck SchumerReuters
Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary who was identified as a member of the group chat, spoke with reporters in Hawaii about the messages published in The Atlantic’s article.
He said Jeffrey Goldberg was not a serious journalist, claiming that he was “highly discredited” and “peddles garbage”.
“Nobody was texting war plans and that’s all I have to say about that,” he added.
Mike Johnson, the Republican Speaker of the House, said the Trump administration “acknowledged it was a mistake”.
“What you did see, though, I think, was top level officials doing their job, doing it well,” he added.
Pete Buttigieg, Joe Biden’s former transport secretary, was pretty straight with his opinion, calling it an “epic f*** up”.
Watch his comments here…
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1 hour ago1h ago10:52
Podcast: How was a journalist sent the US’s private war plans?
There’s one topic on the lips of everybody in the US today, and it’s no different for the hosts of the Trump 100 podcast.
On Day 65, US correspondents James Matthews and Martha Kelner discuss this major blunder, how it happened, and what the consequences could be.
Plus, the second lady Usha Vance and national security adviser Michael Waltz have been in Greenland, a move that has sparked anger from officials there.
If you’ve got a question you’d like James, Martha, and Mark to answer, you can email it to trump100@sky.uk.
1 hour ago1h ago10:37
Watch: ‘I know nothing’ about leak of military plans, Trump says
When asked about his defence officials texting war plans to The Atlantic editor yesterday, Donald Trump said he knew “nothing” about the story.
But he did tell reporters that he was “not a big fan” of the magazine, saying it was one that was “going out of business”.
Watch his comments in the video below:
1 hour ago1h ago10:31
Trump administration facing calls of investigation over ‘most stunning breach of military intelligence’
As we mentioned in our first post, the Trump administration is facing calls for an investigation after a journalist was inadvertently added to a group chat where senior US officials discussed plans for a strike against the Houthi rebel group.
In an article titled The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans, Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine, revealed he “knew two hours before the first bombs exploded that the attack might be coming”.
The group included US vice president JD Vance, defence secretary Pete Hegseth, national security adviser Mike Waltz and director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard among others.
Brian Hughes, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said the thread appeared to be authentic.
Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine, in 2022Reuters
Emojis and classified intel
Goldberg was initially sceptical about the veracity of the group and initially thought “someone could be masquerading as Waltz in order to somehow entrap me”.
He soon realised this was not the case, as classified military intel was sent openly, and the bombs discussed in the group actually began dropping on Yemen on 15 March.
After the strikes, participants used emojis like praying hands, the US flag, a fist and a fire to respond to the successful strikes.
The Atlantic
Trump ‘knew nothing’
When asked about his defence officials texting war plans to The Atlantic editor yesterday, Donald Trump said he knew “nothing” about the story.
But he did tell reporters that he was “not a big fan” of the magazine, saying it was one that was “going out of business”.
‘Almost certainly’ crimes committed
Senior Democrats have been highly critical of the incident. Congressman Jamie Raskin told Sky’s Martha Kelner: “This is such a basic error to be talking about war plans and military strategy in such a sloppy and open and public way.
“Almost certainly there were crimes committed in the process.”
When asked about the use of emojis in the group chat, Raskin said: “It doesn’t surprise me coming from this crowd.”
Democratic leader Chuck Schumer has called for a full investigation, saying: “This is one of the most stunning breaches of military intelligence I have read about in a very, very long time.”
‘Pathetic European free-loading’: What was said in leaked group chat
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1 hour ago1h ago10:31
Good morning
Hello and welcome back to our US coverage.
Last night, the extraordinary news broke a reporter was accidentally included in a group chat where senior US officials discussed conducting airstrikes on Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis.
The Trump administration is facing calls for an investigation after Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine, revealed he “knew two hours before the first bombs exploded that the attack might be coming”.
We’ll be bringing you all the latest on this story and the reaction to it, as well as all the latest news from Washington.
8 Mar8 Mar01:15
That’s all for now
We’re pausing our live coverage now after a day of more diplomacy done the Donald Trump way.
Kicking off with an unexpected news conference from the Oval Office – which he still managed to be more than an hour late to – Trump said he finds it easier dealing with Moscow.
It’s “difficult” with Kyiv, he said, acknowledging his decisions to halt military aid and stop sharing intelligence have caused Russia to “hit harder”.
But he insists he’s determined to agree a peace deal – which he said won’t come before security guarantees for Ukraine – and he made a rare public rebuke of Russia, warning he’s considering further sanctions.
Meanwhile, he defended his use of tariffs in recent weeks, telling reporters there will always be “changes and adjustments” as he tried to explain why they appear to flicker between on again and off again every other day.
And yet, this may have been one of the quieter days in Trump’s second term so far – that extraordinary meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy was only a week ago.
If you want more on some of the other big issues in and around his presidency, our US team took your questions in a live Q&A earlier today.
Catch up on that in the link below…
Are Trump voters still backing him? Will JD Vance be next president? What’s behind minerals deal obsession?
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8 Mar8 Mar00:45
Starmer and Macron ‘compare notes’ on bid to create ‘coalition of the willing’
Donald Trump has had a fair bit to say on the Ukraine war again today, telling reporters he finds it more difficult dealing with Kyiv than with Moscow (see our 17:23 post).
That comes as European leaders continue to make plans in a bid to mitigate any impact on Ukraine as much as possible.
Sir Keir Starmer and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron are among those at the forefront of efforts on the continent, and they have spoken today to “compare notes” on their work for a lasting peace.
That’s according to Downing Street, which said the pair have been leading efforts to form a “coalition of the willing” to protect Ukraine.
8 Mar8 Mar00:18
South Africa slams ‘megaphone diplomacy’ after Trump’s latest order against country
South Africa won’t engage in “megaphone diplomacy” after Donald Trump cut all funding for the country.
The president had already signed an executive order to cut all US financial assistance last month, and today he announced all federal funding will now be halted.
Trump – along with ally and billionaire Elon Musk – has been critical of South Africa’s land policy and genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
“To go a step further, any Farmer (with family!) from South Africa, seeking to flee that country for reasons of safety, will be invited into the United States of America with a rapid pathway to Citizenship,” Trump wrote in a social media post.
This process will begin immediately, he said.
South African President Cyril RamaphosaReuters
Spokesperson to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Vincent Magwenya, told Reuters news agency the country is “not going to partake in a counterproductive megaphone diplomacy”.
For context: White landowners still own three quarters of South Africa’s freehold farmland, while only 4% is owned by black people.
According to the latest land audit in 2017, that’s despite black people making up 80% of the population, while white people account for 8%.
Ramaphosa signed a law in January allowing the state to expropriate land “in the public interest”, in some cases without compensating the owner, partly in an effort to redress this imbalance.
US assistance to South Africa came in at $323.4m last year, according to government data.
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7 Mar7 Mar23:50
Trump slams ‘troublemaker’ reporter after question on Rubio-Musk ‘clash’
A tetchy exchange to bring you now from the White House.
Ahead of an order on a World Cup task force (see the post below) a reporter from our US partner network NBC News asked Donald Trump about reports of a clash between Elon Musk and Marco Rubio, the secretary of state.
It’s been said the pair disagreed at a Cabinet meeting over cuts overseen by Musk and his so-called Department of Government Efficiency, which aims to save hundreds of billions of dollars in the government budget.
Trump was not happy with the question.
“No one clashed, I was there, you’re just a troublemaker – and you’re not supposed to be asking that question because we’re talking about the World Cup,” he said.
“Elon gets along great with Marco, and they’re both doing a fantastic job. There is no clash.”
He then asked who the reporter is with, and when he responded “NBC” Trump replied: “Oh, no wonder, that’s enough.”
7 Mar7 Mar23:27
Trump forms task force for World Cup
Just before he wrapped up his remarks at the crypto summit a few minutes ago, Donald Trump signed yet another executive order.
Appearing alongside FIFA president Gianni Infantino, he officially created a task force to prepare for the World Cup next year, which will be held in North America.
The tournament will be hosted across the US, Canada and Mexico, with millions of tourists expected on the continent.
“It’s a great honour for our country to have it,” Trump said of the World Cup, adding he’d like to attend multiple games.
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7 Mar7 Mar23:07
We’re ending operation choke point 2.0, says Trump on cryptocurrencies
Speaking now at the White House crypto event, Donald Trump says his administration will “end the federal bureaucracy’s war on crypto”.
He adds they will “pave the way for groundbreaking innovations and institutional finance”.
“And we are ending operation choke point 2.0,” he says.
Yesterday, he signed an order to form a strategic bitcoin reserve, which officials described as a “digital Fort Knox for digital gold”.
This order also created a separate stockpile of digital assets.
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7 Mar7 Mar22:45
Donald Trump is now speaking again
As we mentioned in a post a little earlier, Donald Trump was expected to speak during the crypto summit at the White House (see 19:54).
He’s now up for his second media appearance of the day. Watch in the live stream below, or stay with us for relevant updates.
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7 Mar7 Mar22:35
Satellite imagery firm blocks access to intel in Ukraine
Russia, according to Donald Trump, is “bombing the hell out of Ukraine” – and he acknowledged his pause in intelligence sharing is allowing Moscow to start “hitting harder”.
As a result of Trump’s order, Maxar Technologies, an aerospace company providing satellite imagery, has disabled access for Kyiv.
In a statement, the firm said it has contracts with the US government and dozens of allied nations, and “each customer makes their own decisions on how they use and share that data”.
“The US government has decided to temporarily suspend Ukrainian accounts in GEGD,” Maxar said, referring to the Global Enhanced GEOINT Delivery programme, which gives access to satellite imagery collected by the US.
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7 Mar7 Mar22:15
Watch: The ‘five Rs’ that define Trump’s worldview
Five words – all beginning with R – explain Donald Trump’s view of the world.
That’s according to former US deputy national security advisor Matt Pottinger, who spoke to us about the president’s thinking – and how it’s shaking up the world order.
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7 Mar7 Mar21:54
Trump expected to speak at White House crypto summit after ‘digital Fort Knox’ order
The elite from the cryptocurrency industry are gathering at the White House to discuss Donald Trump’s vision to make the US the “crypto capital of the world”.
He’s expected to speak tonight – we’ll bring you the latest if and when he does – and he may well elaborate on an executive order he signed only yesterday.
That order was to form a strategic bitcoin reserve, which officials described as a “digital Fort Knox for digital gold”.
Fort Knox, for those who aren’t aware, is the country’s traditional home of a large part of the country’s gold reserves.
This order also created a separate stockpile of digital assets, which would address some of the concerns voiced by participants ahead of the summit about the prospect of creating a single multi-coin strategic reserve.
Two sets of rules
Treasury secretary Scott Bessent and commerce secretary Howard Lutnick will be allowed to “develop budget-neutral strategies for adding to that [bitcoin] reserve”.
Just as gold has been treated as a strategic asset held without worrying about price fluctuations, so too will the administration not worry about short-term movements in the price of bitcoin, according to officials.
But the rules are different for the digital asset stockpile, which will hold positions in cryptocurrencies other than bitcoin – and the Treasury may not purchase additional holdings for this stockpile.
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7 Mar7 Mar21:33
Elon Musk’s rocket explosion disrupted nearly 240 flights
In a blow to Elon Musk’s ambition to land astronauts on the moon and even Mars – an aim vocally backed by Donald Trump – his SpaceX Starship exploded again for the second time in two months.
Debris scattered in the sky near Florida last night, causing the Flight Aviation Authority to ground flights in the area for just over an hour.
The FAA has now confirmed nearly 240 flights were disrupted, with more than two dozen planes forced to divert over concerns about the falling debris.
Planes were held at for four Florida airports – Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Palm Beach.
There were delays to 171 departures, while 28 flights were diverted and 40 airborne flights were held for an average of 22 minutes.
In a statement, SpaceX said: “During Starship’s ascent burn, the vehicle experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly and contact was lost.”
It added they will review the operation and the flight “will offer additional lessons to improve Starship’s reliability”.
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7 Mar7 Mar21:11
Trump’s base turns on Supreme Court judge he appointed
Beware any disloyalty towards Donald Trump.
Or, at least, that appears to be the message from a section of his supporters angered by one of his Supreme Court appointees.
Staunch conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett was picked in 2020 by Trump to form part of the nine-judge panel at the country’s highest court, and she has since voted to strike down abortion rights.
But that hasn’t calmed the outrage growing over her recent rulings, which have, in the eyes of Trump’s fans, seen her on the wrong side of 5-4 votes.
She was among the justices rejecting the Trump administration’s bid to avoid paying federal contractors as part of the gutting of the US foreign aid programme.
“She is a rattled law professor with her head up her a**,” said Mike Davis, who once worked for another Supreme Court justice.
For the full story, click on the link below…
Not loyal enough to Donald Trump? MAGA turns on Supreme Court judge appointed by president
