Trump Officials Mistakenly Include Journalist In War Plans Via Group Chat
Plus: Judge pushes back on White House use of 1798 Alien Enemies Act: "Nazis got better treatment"
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Good afternoon,
Who’s ready for a little springtime cherry blossom bloom? I know I am. Back when I lived in D.C., I would snap pictures day and night (see above) of the cherry blossom canopy all over the city. It felt like a pink and white flower explosion — and I loved it.
Luckily, it’s that time of year again — and it’s not just D.C. (though, peak bloom is expected there this weekend). Last year, I saw the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s beautiful cherry blossom path and highly recommend it.
A bunch of major U.S. cities also have the Japanese trees: from Portland to Philadelphia, Dallas, and St. Louis, there are plenty of places to get a peak of the magic.
But, I’d argue it’s worth making the trip to D.C. at some point, if you’re able. The trees were first gifted to the People of the United States from the People of Japan in 1912 as a sign of friendship.
In April 2017, I even got to see the trees in Japan. Hot take: I like D.C.’s more 🌸 but living among them might have made me biased!
Lauren
Producer
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🚨 ONE IMPORTANT THING
Journalist Accidentally Included In Trump National Security Officials' Signal Chat On Military Plans To Bomb Houthis
Top U.S. national security officials — including what appeared to be Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth — accidentally included The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg in a Signal group chat titled “Houthi PC small group,” where they discussed military strikes in Yemen that occurred in mid-March. Goldberg says he was alerted in the chat to the strikes several hours before they occurred on March 15.
The Signal group included 18 individuals, from Trump diplomatic envoy Steve Witkoff, to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and likely Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller. The group was created by National Security Advisor Michael Waltz.
A couple of key issues concerning people in the national security community:
A journalist was inadvertently included in the group.
The conversation took place on the Signal App — outside of secure government platforms normally used for highly sensitive war planning.
On Monday, Trump said that he had not heard about the report. But, Congress is erupting with anger on both sides of the aisle.
Screenshots from the chat from Goldberg. Via: Atlantic
A PEEK INSIDE
In the chat, the officials debated whether to delay a potential strike on the Houthis, with Vance raising concerns about oil prices and conflicting signals to European allies. Hegseth and Miller supported moving ahead. The next day, Hegseth sent a message with operational details of the planned strikes, including targets, weapons, and attack sequencing.
“I had very strong doubts that this text group was real, because I could not believe that the national-security leadership of the United States would communicate on Signal about imminent war plans. I also could not believe that the national security adviser to the president would be so reckless as to include the editor in chief of The Atlantic in such discussions with senior U.S. officials, up to and including the vice president,” Goldberg wrote in a piece titled “The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans” published in The Atlantic today.
🚨 What ultimately convinced Goldberg the chat was real was that the U.S. carried out the strikes as described, which Waltz later confirmed publicly.
Hours later, Goldberg removed himself from the Signal group and reached out to involved parties for a statement.
Brian Hughes, the National Security Council’s spokesman, confirmed the validity of chat, but added that “[t]he thread is a demonstration of the deep and thoughtful policy coordination between senior officials. The ongoing success of the Houthi operation demonstrates that there were no threats to troops or national security.”
After the strikes, group chat members react. Via: Goldberg & The Atlantic.
LARGER CONSEQUENCES
“I’ve never seen a breach like this,” Goldberg wrote. He noted that while national security officials sometimes use Signal for logistics, it’s highly unusual to use it for official government activity, including sensitive or classified military action.
BACKLASH BEGINS
Democratic lawmakers have called for an investigation into the reports.
Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), the top Democrat on the panel that controls the Pentagon budget, said “Every single one of the government officials on this text chain have now committed a crime – even if accidentally – that would normally involve a jail sentence.” Others have called for a hearing and saying this breach could make Americans “less safe.”
Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) told Axios that there should be some form of "administrative accountability" — like retraining — if it’s discovered that this was a mistake. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) said he hoped the administration will look into the “huge screw up.”
The question is if Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress, will investigate the leak or defer to the White House.
Historical parallels: Trump has said Hillary Clinton should be jailed for using a private email server for some classified correspondence when she was Secretary of State.
🚨 ONE THING WE’RE TRACKING
Judge Challenges Trump's Deportation Of Alleged Venezuelan Gang Members: "Nazis Got Better Treatment"
A three-judge panel heard arguments today on President Trump’s appeal of a lower court restraining order halting the deportation of alleged Venezuelan gang members under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act. The law allows the administration to deport individuals without going through the courts.
Judge James Boasberg had tried to block the deportations (and called for the administration to turn around planes of deportees) saying that each individual should receive a hearing from a judge.
The roughly 200 men were still deported to El Salvador, with the Trump administration arguing that the plane was outside the judge’s jurisdiction when he issued the order.
The Department of Justice has argued Boasberg does not have the power to make that call. Trump has gone after the judge, saying he has a conflict of interest in the case and should be impeached.
The appeals court will now decide if Trump can keep using the wartime law and/or if the Venezuelans will get hearings before they’re deported.
INSIDE THE COURT ROOM
The appeals panel includes Judges Karen Henderson, Patricia Millett, and Justin Walker — two of whom were appointed by Republican presidents and Millett by Obama.
Millett said the treatment of the deportees was worse than how the U.S. handled accused Nazis during World War II — the last time the 1798 Act was invoked. A DOJ attorney pushed back against that comparison.
CNN's Elie Honig notes that during WWII suspected Nazis were granted hearings before action was taken against them, unlike the Venezuelan migrants who had no opportunity to challenge their alleged connection to the Tren de Aragua gang.
WHAT’S NEXT
A ruling from the Appeals Court is expected in the coming days. Meanwhile, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is scheduled to visit the Salvadoran prison where the men were sent on Wednesday.
On Monday, the Trump administration said it would extradite three Venezuelan men to Chile to face criminal charges under the wartime law.
⏳ SPEED READ
🚨NATION
📌 ‘This is not your grandmother’s Easter Egg Roll’: White House seeks corporate sponsorships for Easter event (CNN)
📌 Trump administration accuses pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil of hiding info on his green card application (THE HILL)
📌 Musk group offers $100 to Wisconsin voters ahead of pivotal state Supreme Court election (AP)
📌 Supreme Court hears pivotal Louisiana election map case ahead of 2026 midterms (FOX)
🌎 AROUND THE WORLD
📌 Israel considers massive new ground offensive in Gaza as it ramps up pressure on Hamas (CNN)
📌 Pope Francis thanks supporters as he's discharged from the hospital after a 5-week stay (BBC)
📌 Protests against Turkey's President Erdogan, arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, see hundreds arrested (CBS)
📌 Trump says any country buying Venezuelan oil will face a 25% tariff (CNN)
📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH
📌 23andMe files for bankruptcy, Anne Wojcicki steps down as CEO (CNBC)
📌 Law school applications skyrocket (AXIOS)
🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
📌 Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal break Broadway box office records with ‘Othello’ (CNN)
📌 ‘Snow White’ limps to alarming $43M domestic opening, $87.3M globally (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER)
📌 Nikki Glaser says she now considers possibility of death threats or being “detained” before doing political humor (DEADLINE)
ICYMI FROM THE 📲
In case you missed it… Tiger Woods went Insta-official with his new girlfriend this weekend — Donald Trump Jr.’s ex-wife and mother of their five kids, Vanessa Trump. The legendary golfer has hit the tees with President Trump several times, as recently as February, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in Trump’s first term. Now, they could be spending even more time together.
The modern family is already blending too. Woods' two children, Sam and Charlie, go to school with Kai Trump, Vanessa and Don’s oldest daughter. Kai is set to play golf at the University of Miami next year.