A &#8220;really important week&#8221; in peace talks is coming up after President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-meets-with-zelensky-at-vatican-ahead-of-popes-funeral-very-productive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">met</a> with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Vatican over the weekend amid the funeral for Pope Francis, according to the Trump administration&#8217;s top diplomat.
Russia and Ukraine are &#8220;closer in general than they&#8217;ve been any time in the last three years&#8221; to reaching an end to their war, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday on NBC&#8217;s &#8220;<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/video/marco-rubio-says-russia-and-ukraine-both-have-to-give-something-up-for-peace-full-interview-238424645879" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Meet The Press,</a>&#8221; although he conceded the two sides have not yet reached a resolution.
This past week, Rubio told moderator Kristen Welker, &#8220;has really been about figuring out how close are these sides really, and are they close enough that this merits a continued investment of our time as a mediator in this regard.&#8221;
Rubio said he thinks it would be &#8220;silly&#8221; to set a specific date for a peace agreement. &#8220;I can just tell you that almost 100 days into this presidency, the president has dedicated a tremendous amount of time and energy to this, and we think we brought the sides closer than they&#8217;ve been in a very long time,&#8221; he added.
&#8220;But we&#8217;re not there yet, and it needs to start happening,&#8221; Rubio continued. &#8220;We need to start — I think this is going to be a very critical week. This week is going to be a really important week in which we have to make a determination about whether this is an endeavor that we want to continue to be involved in, or if it&#8217;s time to sort of focus on some other issues that are equally, if not more, important in some cases, but we want to see it happen. There are reasons to be optimistic, but there are reasons to be realistic, of course, as well. We&#8217;re close, but we&#8217;re not close enough.&#8221;
The White House said the meeting at the Vatican was &#8220;very productive,&#8221; a sign of progress after an explosive <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-explodes-on-zelensky-for-making-the-worst-statement-on-the-ukraine-russia-war" target="_blank" rel="noopener">confrontation</a> between Trump and Zelensky at the White House earlier this year. Trump also criticized Russia for continuing to attack Ukraine. He <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-says-putin-might-have-to-be-dealt-with-differently" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suggested</a> that Russian President Vladimir Putin needs to be “dealt with differently” moving forward. All that happened after Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/apr/25/steve-witkoff-moscow-vladimir-putin-volodymyr-zelenskyy-russia-ukraine-peace-plan-talks-europe-latest-updates-news" target="_blank" rel="noopener">traveled</a> to Moscow on Friday to meet with Putin and discuss ending the war.
One major point of contention has been territory. While Zelensky <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/22/world/europe/ukraine-cease-fire-talks.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">insisted</a> that Ukraine will not &#8220;legally recognize&#8221; Russia&#8217;s occupation of Crimea, Trump <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/donald-trump-crimea-stay-with-russia-ukraine-war/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that Crimea will &#8220;stay with Russia.&#8221;
In an <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/video/6371995251112" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> on &#8220;Sunday Morning Futures,&#8221; National Security Advisor Mike Waltz emphasized both Russia and Ukraine need a desire to end the war for the years-long conflict to come to a close when anchor Maria Bartiromo asked him if Zelensky understands that he&#8217;s likely not going to get more land back.
&#8220;There&#8217;s been a number of discussions of territory, of what they need to make sure that this war never continues, that it is permanent,&#8221; Waltz said. &#8220;We have talked to our European partners, who you saw the images of both Starmer from the United Kingdom and Macron from France, that Europe has to step up. I know that you have ambassador Whitaker, our new NATO ambassador, who&#8217;s fantastic coming on, on talking about how the Europeans need to take the lead in the future.&#8221;
He added: &#8220;All of those things are key parts of the discussion with both Zelensky and with Putin. And next is to drive both sides to the table, but they both have to want it. And the president has expressed his frustrations in whether both sides genuinely want to end this war. But he is determined to have the United States of America and him — I will just say this: the current leader of NATO, who was here this week, said only President Trump could break the deadlock that we saw 100 days ago under the Biden administration. And he&#8217;s done just that, starting with his call with both Putin and Zelensky just a few months ago.&#8221;
Uncertainty also rests with a rare earth minerals deal between the United States and Ukraine that has been <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/stop-the-bloodshed-trump-says-russia-and-ukraine-are-very-close-to-peace-deal">discussed</a> for months but has yet to be finalized.
The agreement is &#8220;going to get done,&#8221; Waltz said. &#8220;The negotiators were working hard over the weekend. That is first and foremost on both [Treasury] Secretary Bessent and the president&#8217;s mind. It&#8217;s going to get done, Maria. The president is determined to make it so.&#8221;

Secretary Of State Marco Rubio

Here’s Where We Stand After Trump Met With Zelensky At The Vatican

Donald Trump

Marco Rubio

Mike Waltz

National Security

Russia

Tim Walz

U.S.

Ukraine

Ukraine-Russia War

Vladimir Putin

Volodymyr Zelensky

On Wednesday, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced that she recommended charges related to a pair of leaks.
&#8220;Politicization of our intelligence and leaking classified information puts our nation’s security at risk and must end. Those who leak classified information will be found and held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,&#8221; Gabbard <a href="https://x.com/DNIGabbard/status/1915150870255210774" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a post on X.
&#8220;Today, I referred two intelligence community LEAKS to the Department of Justice for criminal referral, with a third criminal referral on its way, which includes the recent illegal leak to the Washington Post,&#8221; she added.
Gabbard was alluding to a disclosure on Iran and Israel to The Washington Post, which she <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gabbard-aggressively-pursuing-intel-community-leaks-to-legacy-media" target="_blank" rel="noopener">referenced</a> in March when announcing her inquiry into various leaks to the media.
The post did not disclose any further information, including who may have been the subject of the referrals. It remains to been seen whether the Department of Justice (DOJ) and its FBI look into the matter and decide whether charges are warranted.
&#8220;These deep-state criminals leaked classified information for partisan political purposes to undermine POTUS’ agenda. I look forward to working with [the DOJ] and [the FBI] to investigate, terminate and prosecute these criminals,&#8221; Gabbard concluded.
A combat veteran and former House lawmaker from Hawaii, Gabbard was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-confirms-tulsi-gabbard-as-director-of-national-intelligence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">confirmed</a> by GOP-led Senate to become the director of national intelligence in President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration in mid-February via a 52-48 vote.
One month later, Gabbard vowed to track down leakers within the vast U.S. Intelligence Community, which has 18 <a href="https://www.dni.gov/index.php/what-we-do/members-of-the-ic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">members</a> that include the CIA, National Security Agency, military branches, and the FBI.
&#8220;Our nation’s Intelligence Community must be focused on our national security mission. Politically motivated leaks undermine our national security and the trust of the American people, and will not be tolerated,&#8221; Gabbard <a href="https://x.com/DNIGabbard/status/1900525561786646903" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> at the time in a threat posted to X.
&#8220;Unfortunately, such leaks have become commonplace with no investigation or accountability. That ends now. We know of and are aggressively pursuing recent leakers from within the Intelligence Community and will hold them accountable,&#8221; she continued.
Gabbard then listed some &#8220;recent examples of unauthorized leaks&#8221; within the Intelligence Community that resulted in disclosures to The Washington Post, HuffPost, and The Record. She also mentioned a &#8220;leaker within the IC sharing information about the U.S. &#8211; Russia relationship with NBC.&#8221;
She concluded that X thread by saying: &#8220;Any unauthorized release of classified information is a violation of the law and will be treated as such.&#8221;
The probe was announced before The Atlantic&#8217;s Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg first reported that he gained access to a Signal group chat group in which leading Trump administration officials discussed plans for airstrikes on Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen.
In the ensuing fallout, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz took responsibility for the breach, which has been <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/so-damn-dangerous-signal-chat-breach-linked-to-automated-suggestion-feature-on-iphone" target="_blank" rel="noopener">linked</a> to the “automated suggestion” feature on his iPhone. But the Trump administration denied there was classified information in the conversation and the president has stood by Waltz.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard

Tulsi Gabbard Targets ‘Deep-State’ Intelligence Leakers With Criminal Referrals

Director of National Intelligence

Leak

National Intelligence

Tulsi Gabbard

WASHINGTON — Up to ten officials from President Donald Trump&#8217;s National Security Council were fired following a White House visit from activist journalist Laura Loomer, who reportedly presented opposition research on several White House staffers to the president.
Axios <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/04/03/trump-laura-loomer-fire-national-security-council">first reported the firings</a> on Thursday, suggesting that the firings were linked to Loomer&#8217;s Wednesday visit to the Oval Office in which she reportedly presented Trump with research on National Security staff and pressed Trump to fire specific individuals. A source familiar with the meeting told Axios that that the firings were &#8220;being labeled as an anti-neocon move.&#8221;
Trump confirmed the personnel moves to reporters aboard Air Force One, but didn&#8217;t directly credit Loomer for them.
“We’re always going to let go of people — people we don’t like or people that take advantage of or people that may have loyalties to someone else,&#8221; Trump told reporters on Thursday.
“Laura Loomer is a great patriot. She’s a very strong person,&#8221; Trump said, when asked about the activist reporter. “She makes recommendations and people, and sometimes I listen to those recommendations. I listen to everybody and then I make a decision. She always has something to say and it’s usually constructive &#8230; She recommended some people for jobs.”
That official told Axios that Loomer was angry that &#8220;neocons&#8221; had &#8220;slipped through&#8221; the Trump administration&#8217;s vetting process, saying: &#8220;She went to the White House yesterday and presented them with her research and evidence.&#8221; The official also said that three senior NSC members had been fired, and as many as ten staff members had been fired total, warning that it was looking like a &#8220;bloodbath.&#8221;
CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/03/politics/nsc-firings-trump-laura-loomer-meeting/index.html">reported Thursday</a> that three of those fired are Brian Walsh, Thomas Boodry, and David Feith. Walsh was director for intelligence and a former staffer for Marco Rubio. Boodry was a senior director for legislative affairs who formerly served as Mike Waltz&#8217;s legislative director in Congress. Feith was a senior director overseeing technology and national security matters who had previously served in the State Department under the first Trump administration.
National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Vice President JD Vance, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and director of the Presidential Personnel Office Sergio Gor also took part in the meeting, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-waltz-laura-loomer-national-security-council-959b718b04b240c5c8ba3736b4d8aa62">the Associated Press reported</a>. Axios reported that Loomer did not believe the staff she presented to Trump were sufficiently loyal to his agenda.
NSC spokesman Brian Hughes declined to comment on the firings, telling The Daily Wire that the NSC does not comment on personnel matters.
<div id="attachment_902761" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pentagon-ig-to-investigate-pete-hegseths-signal-use/president-trump-meets-with-nato-secretary-general-mark-rutte-in-the-oval-office-of-the-white-house-3" rel="attachment wp-att-902761"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-902761" class="wp-image-902761 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2204329121-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2204329121-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2204329121-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2204329121-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2204329121.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>(Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)</div>
Loomer did not respond to a request for comment from The Daily Wire, but in a <a href="https://x.com/LauraLoomer/status/1907820422902448173">post on X</a> on Thursday morning, she accused &#8220;people in and around the West Wing&#8221; of leaking to the &#8220;hostile, left-wing media&#8221; about Trump&#8217;s private meetings in the Oval Office.
&#8220;I want to reiterate how important it is that people who gain access to the White House or the administration respect the privacy of their conversations with President Trump and his senior staff,&#8221; she added. &#8220;Out of respect for President <a class="css-1jxf684 r-bcqeeo r-1ttztb7 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3 r-1loqt21" dir="ltr" role="link" href="https://x.com/realDonaldTrump">@realDonaldTrump</a> and the privacy of the Oval Office, I’m going to decline on divulging any details about my Oval Office meeting with President Trump.&#8221;
&#8220;It was an honor to meet with President Trump and present him with my research findings,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;I will continue working hard to support his agenda, and I will continue reiterating the importance of, and the necessity of STRONG VETTING, for the sake of protecting the President of the United States of America, and our national security.&#8221;
Per the president&#8217;s travel pool, Waltz, Wiles, Gor, and a few other senior officials accompanied Trump to Florida.

(Photo by Julia Beverly/Getty Images)

Multiple National Security Council Staffers Fired After Laura Loomer White House Visit

Pete Hegseth

The &#8220;case has been closed&#8221; at the White House after the high-profile leak of a Signal group chat in which leading Trump administration officials discussed plans for airstrikes on Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced on Monday.
Leavitt also indicated that National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, who has taken responsibility for the breach, will stay on the job.
&#8220;As the president has made it very clear — Mike Waltz continues to be an important part of his national security team and this case has been closed here at the White House as far as we are concerned,&#8221; Leavitt <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXWhrp20VKg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> reporters.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on the Signal group chat:
&quot;As the president has made it very clear &#8212; Mike Waltz continues to be an important part of his national security team. This case has been closed here at the White House.&quot;<a href="https://t.co/Hz9Ow3YTEj">pic.twitter.com/Hz9Ow3YTEj</a>
&mdash; The American Conservative (@amconmag) <a href="https://twitter.com/amconmag/status/1906766213209878693?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Since The Atlantic&#8217;s Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/03/trump-administration-accidentally-texted-me-its-war-plans/682151/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">broke</a> the news last week that he was added to the Signal chat and revealed its contents, some have called for Waltz to resign or be fired. Waltz <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg12ewv7xyo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Fox News that he took &#8220;full responsibility&#8221; for the breach in which Goldberg was added to the chat because he built the Signal group. President Donald Trump <a href="https://x.com/Acyn/status/1904615849450971537" target="_blank" rel="noopener">informed</a> reporters that Waltz was a &#8220;good man&#8221; and &#8220;would continue to do a good job.&#8221;
The controversy that stemmed from the breach, which has become known as &#8220;Signalgate,&#8221; has embroiled other top members of the Trump administration who took part in the thread. One of those officials, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has also faced calls to resign over the information he shared in the conversation. Some lawmakers have <a href="https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/press-releases/chairman-wicker-ranking-member-reed-request-inspector-general-probe-into-signal-incident" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pushed</a> for an investigation by the Pentagon&#8217;s inspector general. Hegseth has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hegseth-fires-back-at-the-media-over-signalgate-reporting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> his &#8220;job&#8221; was to &#8220;provide updates in real-time, general updates in real-time, keep everybody informed.&#8221;
In a post on X last week, Leavitt <a href="https://x.com/PressSec/status/1904512527699968437" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that no classified material was included in the thread and warned that Goldberg &#8220;is well-known for his sensationalist spin.&#8221; She also rejected Goldberg&#8217;s characterization that &#8220;war plans&#8221; were discussed, affirmed that the National Security Council was &#8220;looking into how Goldberg&#8217;s number was inadvertently added to the thread,&#8221; and noted that the White House Counsel&#8217;s Office had provided guidance on communications across different platforms.
On Monday, Leavitt said there have been &#8220;steps made to ensure that something like that can obviously never happen again and we&#8217;re moving forward and the president and Mike Waltz and his entire National Security team have been working together very well if you look at how much safer the United States of America is because of the leadership of this team.&#8221;

National Security Advisor Mike Waltz

‘This Case Has Been Closed’: White House Shuts Book On Signalgate, Stands By Mike Waltz

White House: Signalgate 'Case Has Been Closed,' Stands By Mike Waltz

Executive

Houthis

Karoline Leavitt

Politics

Scandals

White House

Yemen

Sen. James Lankford (R-LA), a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said on Sunday that he does not believe there is an &#8220;issue of leadership&#8221; with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth following the leak of a Signal group chat in which Trump administration officials discussed plans for airstrikes on Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen.
During an interview on CNN&#8217;s &#8220;State of the Union,&#8221; anchor Dana Bash asked Lankford if Hegseth should take responsibility after noting that the defense secretary &#8220;shared the specific information about the timing and aircraft being used&#8221; in the Signal chat.
&#8220;I think he just joined into an encrypted app,&#8221; Lankford said, adding that he did not &#8220;see it as much of an issue&#8221; because &#8220;they all believed that this was a closed circle of conversation&#8221; and Hegseth was trying to give them &#8220;a heads up&#8221; of the attack plan &#8220;as we had given a heads-up to our foreign partners overseas as well.&#8221;
The White House has <a href="https://x.com/PressSec/status/1904512527699968437" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg, who publicized the contents of the conversation, was &#8220;inadvertently added&#8221; to the Signal chat and the breach would be investigated by the National Security Council.
In response to the Signal controversy, Hegseth <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hegseth-fires-back-at-the-media-over-signalgate-reporting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> his &#8220;job&#8221; was to &#8220;provide updates in real time, general updates in real time, keep everybody informed.&#8221; Meanwhile, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz has <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg12ewv7xyo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">taken</a> &#8220;full responsibility&#8221; for the leak, noting that he built the Signal group.
Lankford said the Signal app was being used for &#8220;normal communication&#8221; and what was &#8220;not normal&#8221; was having a reporter &#8220;in the middle of the&#8221; conversation.
When Bash pressed Lankford on whether he had any doubts about Hegseth&#8217;s leadership, the senator <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1906336511341064491" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, &#8220;No, I don&#8217;t see this as an issue of leadership.&#8221;
Lankford, who had earlier said an inspector general inquiry into the leak would be appropriate, went on to say that people calling for Hegseth for Hegseth to resign was &#8220;way overkill.&#8221;
Hegseth &#8220;is stepping in and has actually led a very successful first attack here on somebody that had attacked the United States over and over again,&#8221; Lankford said. &#8220;During the Biden administration, they had very limited response. Pete Hegseth has actually organized and coordinated an initial response to pushback and make them stop.&#8221;
Lankford also <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1906334416953114725" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>: &#8220;The story behind the story here is that Houthis have attacked American ships 170-some-odd times. So, for the Trump administration to push back on them is an entirely appropriate thing to be able to do. And they are pushing back on them strong to be able to stop their attack on American warships.&#8221;

No ‘Issue Of Leadership’ With Hegseth After Signal Leak: Senate Intel Republican

Congress

James Lankford

U.S. Senate

On Wednesday, FBI Director Kash Patel clashed with a Democrat lawmaker who pressed him on whether the bureau should investigate the leak of a Signal group chat in which Trump administration officials discussed plans for airstrikes on Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen.
The question about the Signal conversation came up during a hearing before the House Intelligence Committee on &#8220;worldwide threats,&#8221; in which Patel testified alongside Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
&#8220;Do you believe that it is now time, potentially, for the FBI to open an investigation into this?&#8221; Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) asked.
Without a moment&#8217;s hesitation, Patel replied, &#8220;I&#8217;m not going to comment on that.&#8221;
Houlahan shot back, &#8220;Because you’re the director of the FBI, you don’t believe it’s appropriate to comment on that?&#8221;
With his answer, Patel noted there are ongoing responses to the Signal controversy. He alluded to a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/judge-boasberg-blocked-deportation-signal-chat-lawsuit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lawsuit</a> filed by American Oversight, an organization that claims the Trump administration officials involved in the Signal chat violated the Federal Records Act.
&#8220;Because there&#8217;s a process in place,&#8221; Patel said. &#8220;There’s ongoing litigation. The National Security Council is reviewing this matter, and I’m not going to discuss any open or closed investigations.&#8221;
In response, Houlahan said, &#8220;That ongoing investigation literally — the lawsuit happened today or yesterday afternoon, and the idea that you don’t have an opinion on this at this point is frustrating to me.&#8221;
Patel retorted, &#8220;No, it’s not.&#8221; As Houlahan attempted to cut him off, he added, &#8220;I’m not going to prejudge any matter, and the men and women of the FBI will call the balls and strikes. Not you.&#8221;
Houlahan repeatedly said, to no avail, that she was &#8220;reclaiming my time&#8221; as she tried to ask one &#8220;final question.&#8221; When Patel finished his statement, she appealed to House Intelligence Chairman Rick Crawford (R-AR) for backup.
&#8220;The Gentlewoman is recognized,&#8221; declared Crawford, who then said, &#8220;You have four seconds remaining.&#8221;
Houlahan insisted, &#8220;No! I have more than that.&#8221;
But Crawford did not heed the Democrat&#8217;s words, observing, &#8220;You have two seconds remaining.&#8221;
Houlahan kept going, arguing that she deserved more time because Patel &#8220;would not acknowledge me.&#8221;
It ended there as Crawford slammed his gavel and announced &#8220;the Gentlewoman&#8217;s time has expired&#8221; before moving on to another member to ask questions of the witnesses.
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FBI Director Kash Patel

Kash Patel Shuts Down Democrat Asking Whether FBI Should Investigate Signal Chat Leak

kash patel

U.S. House of Representatives

On Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said he did not believe anyone should lose their job in response to a controversy regarding a journalist &#8220;inadvertently added&#8221; to a Signal group chat in which Trump administration officials discussed plans for airstrikes on Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen.
While some Democrats have called for <a href="https://x.com/MarkWarner/status/1904535761304576311" target="_blank" rel="noopener">resignations</a>, Johnson emphasized how the White House <a href="https://x.com/PressSec/status/1904512527699968437" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> no &#8220;war plans&#8221; were discussed in the conversation, which was how Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg characterized the Signal thread to which he was included. Johnson also pointed out the White House denied that classified materials were sent to the thread and is looking into how the number was &#8220;inadvertently added&#8221; to the chat.
&#8220;Obviously that was a mistake and a serious one, but I just want to say: thanks to President Trump and his strong leadership and &#8230; everybody on that group chat — the leaders on that group chat — are extraordinary people,&#8221; Johnson said during a House GOP leadership press conference on Capitol Hill.
&#8220;I know them all personally. They&#8217;re patriots, they&#8217;re doing a great job for the country, and that was a successful mission,&#8221; the speaker added. &#8220;I mean, we&#8217;re taking out Houthi terrorists. That&#8217;s what the American people expect the administration to do — to restore peace through strength and to act decisively.&#8221;
The Signal thread had a number of top officials from President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration, including Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.
Johnson, a Trump ally, dismissed the notion that he would have responded more harshly if such a breach had happened to the previous administration under former President Joe Biden.
&#8220;Look, they&#8217;ve acknowledged that there was an error, and they&#8217;re correcting it, and I would have asked the same thing of the Biden administration,&#8221; Johnson said. &#8220;I don&#8217;t think anyone should have lost their job over that — because an errant number, you know, found its way onto a dialogue between leaders. It&#8217;s a mistake, but we got to correct it going forward and they will.&#8221;
Johnson declined to get into whether he believed the use of Signal to discuss national security matters was appropriate.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t use Signal. &#8230; I don&#8217;t know all the parameters of it, so it&#8217;s not my — I&#8217;m not in a position to determine whether 
that&#8217;s appropriate or not,&#8221; Johnson explained. &#8220;You have to leave that to others but I would just say obviously we got to be careful with these things and I know that they will.&#8221;
Trump <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-stands-national-security-adviser-leaked-military-plans-saying-mi-rcna197944" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> NBC News that one of Waltz&#8217;s staffers put Goldberg in the Signal chat. Yet he defended his national security adviser, saying, &#8220;Waltz has learned a lesson, and he’s a good man.&#8221;
Johnson also vouched for Waltz and noted that they were former colleagues in the House. He also said Waltz &#8220;was born for the job. He is highly qualified&#8221; and stressed that &#8220;the president said he has total confidence in him, and we do as well.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerJohnson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpeakerJohnson</a> on Signal group chat: &quot;They&#39;ve acknowledged that it was an error and they&#39;re correcting it&#8230;I don&#39;t think anyone should have lost their job over that.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/afOPw8XPTr">pic.twitter.com/afOPw8XPTr</a>
&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1904579992203203034?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
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U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA)

Speaker Johnson Responds To Signal Group Chat Fracas

Mike Johnson

Trump Administration

A PhD candidate at Cornell University whose hatred of the United States &#8220;knows no bound” has been ordered to surrender to immigration authorities after his student visa was revoked by the Trump administration.
Momodou Taal, a dual citizen of Gambia and the United Kingdom, is a plaintiff in a lawsuit attempting to block the enforcement of Trump’s executive orders to deport foreign nationals who participated in anti-Israeli protests at various American universities. Taal is an outspoken left-wing activist whose <a href="https://africasacountry.com/2024/09/from-cairo-to-cornell">academic career</a> has centered on the study of Marxism, Islam, anti-colonialism and Pan-Africanism.
“We cannot allow international students, faculty, immigrants and people of conscience to live in fear,” Taal <a href="https://x.com/MomodouTaal/status/1901258157545967998/photo/4">stated</a> after filing suit. “This is a fight for a future free from oppression. A fight that refuses to normalize genocide and our ability to speak out against it. I expect this will be a long drawn out battle, but we will be victorious.”
On Friday, the Trump administration <a href="https://freebeacon.com/campus/trump-admin-yanks-visa-from-cornell-protest-leader-who-said-he-takes-his-cue-from-the-armed-resistance-in-palestine/">sent</a> Taal and his legal counsel an e-mail informing him that his visa was revoked and that he was no longer welcome in the United States. &#8220;ICE invites Mr. Taal and his counsel to appear in-person at the HSI Office in Syracuse at a mutually agreeable time for personal service of the NTA and for Mr. Taal to surrender to ICE custody.&#8221;
Taal’s supporters claim that his visa was revoked as retaliation for the lawsuit.
“Lawyers at the so-called Justice Department made this request to his attorneys within hours of us having asked the court to stop them from doing precisely that,” immigration attorney Eric Lee told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/21/ice-cornell-university-student-sued-trump-administration">The Guardian</a>. “It’s very difficult to explain how unprecedented this is.”
Hundreds of Cornell students and faculty rallied in support of Taal on Thursday, after a failed attempt by law enforcement to detain him.
“We have academic freedom on this campus; we have freedom of speech on this campus,” Cornell Professor Risa Lieberwitz <a href="https://www.wbng.com/2025/03/20/rally-held-cornell-momodou-taal-amid-lawsuit-against-trump/">said</a>. “We will act together collectively to push back and to protect our colleagues, our students, and our staff.”
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-895987" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/original_taal_1-1024x375.png" alt="" width="1024" height="375" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/original_taal_1-1024x375.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/original_taal_1-300x110.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/original_taal_1-768x281.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/original_taal_1.png 1158w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></div>
Those who support deporting Mr. Taal have pointed to his long history of violent anti-American rhetoric. In 2022, shortly before entering the United States, Taal wrote: “The end of the US in our lifetime in sha Allah [god willing].” He has also <a href="https://thepostmillennial.com/trump-admin-revokes-visa-of-cornell-student-that-took-cue-from-the-armed-resistance-in-palestine-called-for-americas-destruction">stated</a>: “My Hatred of the US Empire knows no bounds” and that “absolutely anyone the US calls an enemy is my friend.”
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-895989" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/original_taal_2-1024x189.png" alt="" width="1024" height="189" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/original_taal_2-1024x189.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/original_taal_2-300x55.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/original_taal_2-768x142.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/original_taal_2.png 1180w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></div>
As if to belabor the point, in the aftermath of the October 7th attacks, which killed roughly 1,200 civilians in Israel, including more than 40 Americans, Taal <a href="https://freebeacon.com/campus/trump-admin-yanks-visa-from-cornell-protest-leader-who-said-he-takes-his-cue-from-the-armed-resistance-in-palestine/">voiced</a> his support for Hamas, stating: “Wherever you have oppression, you will find those who [are] fighting against it. Glory to the resistance!&#8221; In a 2024 campus demonstration, Taal told fellow protestors to take their “cue from the armed resistance in Palestine.”
Taal has also called for the destruction of the state of Israel, repeating genocidal slogans such as “from the river to the sea” and stating that “there can be no path forward except for the complete eradication of zionism.”
The case bears some similarities to the recent arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia student whose green card was revoked in response to his participation in violent anti-Israel campus protests during his time as a grad student.
“In the past 48 hours, the administration has taken unprecedented steps to bypass the courts, by pressuring our client, Mr. Momodou Taal, to surrender to ICE,” Taal’s lawyer, Maria Kari, <a href="https://x.com/MomodouTaal?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">said</a> in a statement. “This case is a litmus test for the state of free speech in America. Each of us &#8211; regardless of our political beliefs &#8211; should be alarmed by the government punishing people for their opinions.”
The Trump administration remains adamant that the deportation of Taal, Khalil, and their fellow travelers is a matter of national security, not an infringement on freedom of speech, and that immigration to the United States is a privilege and not a right.
“I find it ironic that a lot of these people out there defending the First Amendment speech, alleged free speech rights of these Hamas sympathizers, they had no problem pressuring social media to censor American political speech,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rubio-rips-censorship-advocates-for-saying-pro-terrorist-foreigners-have-first-amendment-rights">said</a> last week during his appearance on CBS’ &#8220;Face the Nation.&#8221; “The bottom line is this, if you are in this country to promote Hamas, to promote terrorist organizations, to participate in vandalism, to participate in acts of rebellion and riots on campus … you’re going to leave. We don’t want terrorists in America.”

Sturgeon Moon Over Cornell

Trump Admin Revokes Visa Of Self-Styled ‘Enemy Of America’

anti-Israel

Cornell University

General

Immigration

Radical Islamic Terror

President Donald Trump yanked security clearances for former President Joe Biden, his family, members of his former administration, and others on Friday evening.
The president issued a memo revoking a slew of security clearances from a number of Biden administration officials, as well as people who pushed legal cases and the Russian collusion conspiracy against Trump in recent years.
The memo listed as those who would be effected by the order as “Antony Blinken, Jacob Sullivan, Lisa Monaco, Mark Zaid, Norman Eisen, Letitia James, Alvin Bragg, Andrew Weissmann, Hillary Clinton, Elizabeth Cheney, Kamala Harris, Adam Kinzinger, Fiona Hill, Alexander Vindman, Joseph R. Biden Jr., and any other member of Joseph R. Biden Jr.&#8217;s family.”
“I hereby direct every executive department and agency head to take all additional action as necessary and consistent with existing law to revoke any active security clearances held by the aforementioned individuals and to immediately rescind their access to classified information,” the memo says. “I also direct all executive department and agency heads to revoke unescorted access to secure United States Government facilities from these individuals.”
The order specifies that if any of the affected individuals received a security clearance through work with a private entity, that entity should lose its access to protected material, as well.
“This action includes, but is not limited to, receipt of classified briefings, such as the President&#8217;s Daily Brief, and access to classified information held by any member of the Intelligence Community by virtue of the named individuals’ previous tenure in the Congress,” the memo states.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
NEW: Trump just revoked security clearances and access to secure govt facilities for
-Hillary Clinton -Kamala Harris -Joe Biden and his whole family -And many, many others <a href="https://t.co/V1QbmbCCYf">pic.twitter.com/V1QbmbCCYf</a>
&mdash; Brent Scher (@BrentScher) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrentScher/status/1903264387315507507?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 22, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The move against well over a dozen people comes after Trump in January <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-trump-bans-intel-officials-who-pushed-russian-disinfo-hoax-from-federal-buildings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">banned</a> dozens of former intelligence officials from entering government facilities. The officials had previously all endorsed a letter casting doubt on the authenticity of information pulled from Hunter Biden’s laptop, suggesting it was “part of a Russian disinformation campaign.”
“These individuals no longer possess a need to access secure facilities, and as outlined in the Executive Order, do not have the appropriate security clearances to access classified information,” the January memo said.

In Late Night Order, Trump Strips Security Clearance From Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Others

Trump Strips Security Clearance From Joe Biden, Officials Who Pushed Russian Disinfo Hoax

Hillary Clinton

Joe Biden

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard recently completed her second international trip, where she met with world leaders from Japan to Thailand to focus on advancing &#8220;America First policies&#8221; across the Indo-Pacific region, according to a summary of her trip shared with The Daily Wire.
During her trip, Gabbard went to Hawaii, Japan, Thailand, India, and France, a spokesman for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said. 
“President Trump remains unwavering in his commitment to achieving peace through a strategy rooted in realism and pragmatism,” Gabbard said. “Securing peace through strength requires strong leadership with a clear-eyed and realistic understanding of global challenges and opportunities, a commitment to fostering cultural and economic ties that reduce the likelihood of an escalation to conflict, and a dedication to reinforcing mutual interests.”
While in Hawaii, Gabbard spoke with U.S. Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo, senior NSA leaders and intelligence officers, and Naval Special Warfare sailors.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
It was great meeting with Naval Special Warfare Sailors at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam this week, learning more about their maritime special operations capabilities. Mahalo to our servicemen and women who serve our country every day at home and abroad! <a href="https://t.co/QEHj5G5EFW">pic.twitter.com/QEHj5G5EFW</a>
— DNI Tulsi Gabbard (@DNIGabbard) <a href="https://twitter.com/DNIGabbard/status/1900521451490361618?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Having been born and raised in the Indo-Pacific region, DNI Gabbard brought a nuanced understanding of the area’s crucial partnerships and complex challenges as she explored opportunities to advance President Trump’s America First policies across the Indo-Pacific,&#8221; the ODNI spokesman said.
The spokesman added that Gabbard &#8220;reiterated the importance of accurate and timely intelligence that protects Americans’ Fourth Amendment rights&#8221; during a visit to the NSA&#8217;s Hawaii headquarters. 
While in Japan and Thailand, Gabbard met with intelligence officers and other senior diplomats to discuss intelligence collaboration.
&#8220;While she did not have the opportunity to visit Hiroshima or Nagasaki during this trip, she looks forward to doing so on her next visit to the region, to honor the lives lost, highlight the immeasurable cost of nuclear war, and President Trump’s commitment to counterproliferation and preventing nuclear war,&#8221; the spokesman said. 
Gabbard met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss intelligence-sharing and counterterrorism. She also spoke in India at the Raisina Dialogue, an Indian conference on geopolitics and economics.

US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard in New Delhi

Here’s How Tulsi Gabbard Spent Her Second International Trip As Director Of National Intelligence

Japan

National Security Agency (NSA)

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) CEO C.C. Wei announced at the White House on Monday that his company will further invest at least $100 billion in chip-manufacturing plants in the United States over the next several years.
President Donald Trump, who attended the event where the announcement was made, noted that had TSMC manufactured the chips in Taiwan and shipped them to the United States, they would have been subjected to 25%-50% tariffs.
&#8220;By doing it here, there’s no tariffs,&#8221; Trump said.
Trump said that the deal was critical to United States national security as Taiwan faces the threat of invasion by communist China.
&#8220;Without the chips and semiconductors, nothing runs today,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;You can&#8217;t buy a car without them, you can&#8217;t &#8212; a radio, a television, you can&#8217;t get anything.&#8221;
&#8220;We thought it was very important, obviously business-wise, but we thought even in terms of national security, to have this large percentage of the chips, semiconductors, and other things&#8221; made in the United States, Trump added.
TSMC will invest the money in Arizona to expand the manufacturing plant that it has in Phoenix, where it employs 3,000 people, and will construct three new chip plants, two chip-packaging plants and a research and development center, Wei said at the White House.
TSMC came to the United States during Trump&#8217;s first term in office when it announced a $12 billion investment in Arizona, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The company has since expanded in the state, bringing its total investment up to $65 billion. The new announcement brings the company&#8217;s total investment to $165 billion.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="TSMC Announces Massive Investment In U.S. That Will Create Thousands Of Jobs" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KKQsRY3rRjY?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

President Trump Makes An Investment Announcement In The Roosevelt Room Of The White House

Semiconductor Giant Announces $100 Billion Investment In U.S. Manufacturing

Arizona

Communist China

Taiwan

Technology

President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order directing Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to investigate implementing tariffs on copper imports with the goal of increasing domestic production. 
Trump said in the order that America&#8217;s reliance on other countries for copper seriously undermined national security. With that in mind, he directed Lutnick to examine potential tariffs on copper, export controls, and other incentives to increase copper production in the United States. 
“Copper is a critical material essential to the national security, economic strength, and industrial resilience of the United States,” Trump said in the executive order. “The United States faces significant vulnerabilities in the copper supply chain, with increasing reliance on foreign sources for mined, smelted, and refined copper.”
Trump said copper was useful for defense applications, infrastructure, and new technologies, including clean energy, electric vehicles, and electronics. 
Lutnick’s investigation was authorized under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which allows the president to restrict imports based on national security concerns as determined by the Department of Commerce. Last year, most of America’s copper imports came from Chile, Canada, and Peru. 
The order referenced China, which leads the world in copper smelting and refining. 
“A single foreign producer dominates global copper smelting and refining, controlling over 50 percent of global smelting capacity and holding four of the top five largest refining facilities,” the executive order said. “This dominance, coupled with global overcapacity and a single producer’s control of world supply chains, poses a direct threat to United States national security and economic stability.”
Trump told Lutnick to look at different policies to strengthen America’s supply chain, including strategic investments, permitting reforms, and enhanced recycling initiatives. Lutnick was directed to produce a report on his findings with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum, and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. 
“Like our steel and aluminum industries, our great American copper industry has been decimated by global actors attacking our domestic production,” Lutnick said after the announcement. “To build back our copper industry, I will investigate the imposition of possible tariffs. Tariffs can help build back our American copper industry if necessary and strengthen our national defense.”
“American industries depend on copper, and it should be made in America,” he added. “No exemptions, no exceptions. ‘America First’ creates jobs and protects our national security. It’s time for copper to come home.”

US-POLITICS-COMMERCE-TRUMP-LUTNICK

Trump Warns Reliance On Foreign Copper ‘Poses A Direct Threat’ To National Security

China

Department of Commerce

Executive Orders

Tariffs

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