Podcast Summary: Human Events Daily with Jack Posobiec

Episode: The Signal Report – Don't Buy The Fake News Narrative

Date: December 3, 2025
Host: Jack Posobiec
Location: Live from the Pentagon ("Department of War")
Theme: Dissecting "fake news" narratives, media bias in national security reporting, and the recent "Signal" report controversy involving top Pentagon officials and secure communications.

Overview

This episode tackles recent controversies concerning national security reporting, media access at the Pentagon, military legal investigations, and the so-called "Signal app scandal." Jack Posobiec questions media narratives about alleged classified leaks, highlights distinctions between sensitive and classified info, analyzes war crime allegations regarding drone strikes, and frames the new Pentagon media policy as a welcome for "new media" voices. Top guests include Commander Tim Parlatore (senior advisor to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth), Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, and General Tato.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Fourth Turning & Media Warfare

• Opening reference to the Fourth Turning and "fifth generation warfare" – the idea that much of today’s conflict is fought through information and perception rather than bullets and bombs.
  • (00:30) A: "This is what happens when the fourth turning meets fifth generation warfare."

2. Political Rhetoric & Immigrant Narrative

• Posobiec highlights President Trump’s hardline comments about Somali immigrants after fraud convictions in Minnesota, and the administration’s decision to pause immigration from 19 high-risk countries.
  • (01:24) E: "Somalians ripped off that state for billions of dollars... I don't want them in our country."
  • (02:08) B: "...may not be done with this list, possibly growing to 30 countries..."
• Shooting in D.C by Afghan national cited as rationale.

3. Legal and Chain-of-Command Issues: Senators Soliciting Leaks

• Discussion of a video by Senator Mark Kelly, accused of soliciting leaks or insubordination from military officers and undermining the chain of command. Debate centers around whether veterans in Congress can claim special status to bypass command process, and legal consequences under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).
  • (01:23) A: "Is treasonous."
  • (09:58) A: "[Kelly]...sounded like he was soliciting information or leaks or insubordination..."
  • Possible penalties: pension reduction, administrative actions rather than court-martial due to separation of powers implications.
    • (11:11) C: "They could bring administrative penalties here...reduce his pension..."
    • (12:17) C: "...if any of them get pulled to active duty, then they're an officer in the executive branch."

4. Pentagon Media Access & Policy Changes

• Shift from legacy media to "new media" (alternative/conservative outlets) in the Pentagon press room. Old policies requiring pre-cleared publications by the Office of Censorship have been replaced; now, only DoD officials, not media, are barred from releasing non-public info.
  • (03:46) C: "Building access is a privilege, not a right...the media misinterpreted that..."
  • (05:06) C: "The initial policy...was admittedly imprecise...they were saying [media had to pre-clear stories]...that used to be the policy...in the 1940s..."
  • (07:06) C: "If you're soliciting crimes, you don't get the privilege of being in the building."

5. Drone Strike in the Caribbean – Legalities & Fake News

• In-depth analysis of two drone strikes in Venezuela:
  • The first strike (cocaine-smuggling boat) described as standard, lawful military action.
  • The second ("controversial") strike targeted the surviving vessel. Key legal difference: targeting the boat (even with survivors aboard) is lawful if the intent is to destroy the narcotics cargo and deny recovery, but targeting people alone—not.
  • Media (esp. Washington Post) accused of creating a “fake narrative” that the second strike represented a war crime.
    • (16:12) C: "This is something the Navy has done for quite some time in the Caribbean."
    • (17:46) C: "If your intent is to kill the people, that's potentially a crime. If your intent is to sink the boat, that's perfectly legal."
    • (18:18) C: "The thing about shipwrecked people...you're not allowed to target...clinging to a piece of wood...But if he's shooting the boat, then that's not a problem..."
  • (19:17) A: "Commander, thank you so much for joining us here. Human Events Daily. Incredible interview."

6. The "Signal Report" Controversy

Segments: 27:00 – 36:00

• Inspector General (IG) report on the use of the encrypted Signal app to communicate about a prior drone strike against Houthi militants.
  • Headline-grabbing claim: Secretary Pete Hegseth allegedly shared classified info via Signal, potentially risking lives.
  • IG conclusion: No classified information was shared; total exoneration.
    • (25:45) D/Sean Parnell: "So the signal report is out. And I mean, it proves what we've known all along, that the secretary shared no classified information. And he's totally exonerated."
  • Media labeled "fake news" for conflating "sensitive" with "classified."
    • (26:43) D: "The secretary is an original classifier...But the point is...you're going to hear fake news outlets say that the secretary shared sensitive...just using it to make the story sound scary..."
    • (28:34) D: "Operation Rough Rider was wildly successful...No U.S. personnel were wounded or killed. So obviously Americans lives weren't put at unnecessary risk."
  • Accidental inclusion of The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg on the Signal chat labeled highly suspicious, but IG did not address it.
    • (31:01) A: "For someone who's done so much adversarial journalism...to say it was a random inclusion...It don't pass the smell test."

7. Communications in Modern Warfare

• Ongoing challenge: balancing instantaneous, secure communication between top defense officials and the President, versus outdated, sluggish government devices/systems.
  • (33:18) D: "We are...looking at that right now. It is critically important for us to be able to communicate at the speed of relevance on a 21st-century battlefield."
  • (34:28) A: "Surely the Secretary and the President have a line..."
  • (34:45) D: "...yes...they can talk, but no, it's not like the movies..."

8. Congressional Relations & Operations

• Frequent briefings to Congress on Southcom/counter-narcotics operations; claim of solid communication and transparency.
  • (36:38) D: "...The Secretary...talked to Chairman Rogers...talked to Chairman Wicker, and those conversations went...very well...There have been 13 briefings on Southcom operations..."
  • Focus on defending the homeland, especially from narcotics and border issues.
  • (38:08) D: "...just took a president with a spine like President Trump...bring it all to a stop."

9. Military Morale & Recruitment

• General Tato applauds the current administration for deprioritizing "divisive" policies (e.g., critical race theory) and focusing on unity, readiness, and quality of life for service personnel and their families.
  • (46:41) F: "We're focused on those things that unify us instead of those things that divide us..."
  • (47:18) F: "Recruiting's off the charts, Jack...already hit mission on a couple of services for the next [fiscal year]."
  • Anecdotes about record interest in service jobs, especially high-tech and Space Force positions.

Notable Quotes

• On Media Shift:
  • (04:40) C: "[Legacy media] thought that...we'd pull back [on building access policy]...But the reality is, we didn't need that. And so to have new media come in who are really covering this department...with hard, fair questions...we want to build [a] relationship."
• On Press Relations:
  • (05:56) A: "When I was in a very similar uniform...we had to get training on not releasing nonpublic information. It was very well understood."
  • (07:06) C: "If you're soliciting crimes, you don't get the privilege of being in the building..."
• On Drone Strike Law:
  • (17:46) C: "If your intent is to kill the people, that's potentially a crime. If your intent is to sink the boat, that's perfectly legal."
• On the "Signal" Scandal:
  • (25:45) D (Parnell): "...It proves what we've known all along, that the secretary shared no classified information. And he's totally exonerated."
  • (26:43) D: "They're going to use the term sensitive, because it's a meaningless term. ...They're just using it to make the story sound scary..."
• On Communication Tech:
  • (33:18) D: "...critically important for us to be able to communicate at the speed of relevance on a 21st-century battlefield."
• On Recruitment:
  • (47:18) F: "Recruiting's off the charts, Jack. ...already hit mission on a couple of services for the next fiscal year."

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Topic | |-------------|------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:30–03:06 | "Fourth turning," government/media, intro of main guests | | 03:46–07:22 | Pentagon media policy, new media vs. legacy press | | 09:58–13:03 | Sen. Kelly leak solicitation, UCMJ & legal implications | | 14:12–19:17 | Drone strike, rules of engagement, fake news analysis | | 25:45–32:29 | Signal app controversy, IG findings, media narratives | | 33:18–35:56 | Secure military communications challenges | | 36:20–38:20 | Congressional briefings, defense priorities | | 46:27–47:53 | Military morale, readiness, and recruitment |

Tone & Language

• Direct, combative, skeptical toward legacy/establishment media ("fake news"), with repeated emphasis on "unfiltered" and "factual" reporting.
• Uses military language ("chain of command," "operational planning") and a conversational, sometimes humorous style (jokes about coffee and "bug juice," inside DoD jokes about cyber awareness training).
• Frequent assertion: "Don't buy the (mainstream) fake news narrative."
• Nationalistic and administration-supportive, with undercurrents of "America First" and skepticism towards government leaks and adversarial journalism.

Conclusion

"Don’t Buy the Fake News Narrative" is a behind-the-scenes episode focusing on the intersection of military operations, legal standards, and the battle over public perception. Live from the Pentagon, Jack Posobiec and his guests go point-by-point through hot-button stories—refuting claims of malfeasance, legal wrongdoing, or operational risk, and highlighting ideological contrasts between the Trump administration and its predecessor, both in the approach to media and military policy.

"The truth needs to come out specifically. And most importantly, when it comes to issues of war, of life and death, that's what Human Events stands for. Whether now, whether in the past or whether it's in the future, we will always stand demand for that." (44:30 – Jack Posobiec)

Listeners are left with the message: always dig deeper, question dominant narratives, and support the new breed of adversarial journalism—especially in matters of national security.