Trump’s Next Chat Scandal: The Coverup

Summary

Podcast Summary: What A Day – Episode: Trump’s Next Chat Scandal: The Coverup Release Date: March 27, 2025

Host: Jane Coaston | Produced by Crooked Media

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Introduction

In this episode of What A Day, host Jane Coaston delves into the latest political controversies shaping the United States, with a primary focus on the emerging Signal Gate scandal. Released on March 27, 2025, the episode provides an in-depth analysis of the Trump administration’s handling of sensitive military communications, new automotive tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, and the Supreme Court’s decision on Biden-era ghost gun regulations. Additionally, Coaston touches on significant local elections and ongoing threats to public broadcasting funding.

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Signal Gate Scandal: An In-Depth Analysis

[00:02 – 03:08]

The episode opens with the Signal Gate controversy, where the Atlantic published a leaked conversation among Trump administration officials discussing strikes on Houthi militants in Yemen. Despite assurances from the administration that no classified information was shared, the chat included detailed timings of potential bombings and intelligence gathered from attack sites, raising significant security concerns.

Jane Coaston highlights the gravity of the situation:

“The chat itself contained a ton of information, timings about when the first bombs will definitely drop and details about intelligence gathered at attack sites.” [00:02:00]

White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt defended the conversation as an internal deliberation among senior staff, downplaying its significance. However, critics, including Democratic Representative Jason Crow, argue that such leaks could jeopardize American troops’ safety.

Expert Insight: Paul Rosenzweig Jane Coaston interviews Paul Rosenzweig, a former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy at the Department of Homeland Security under President George W. Bush and a cybersecurity professor at George Washington University Law School.

Rosenzweig criticizes the administration’s response:

“To be exceedingly credulous and unreservedly pro Trump to think that this is not a big deal.” [03:09]

He explains the technical aspects of the mishap, emphasizing the potential risks posed by the leaked information:

“The Houthi rebels could have absolutely shut down American aircraft and killed American service members with this information.” [02:21]

Rosenzweig advocates for stringent measures, including banning the use of Signal for high-level communications and retraining officials to prevent future breaches:

“The signal app needs to be taken off their phones and… the President needs to admonish them that if it ever happens again, they're out of work.” [04:27]

Comparative Analysis with Previous Administrations

Rosenzweig contrasts the Trump administration’s handling of the scandal with past administrations, sharing a personal anecdote about inadvertently sharing classified information under President George W. Bush. He underscores the lack of accountability and oversight in the current administration:

“The American people are getting what they voted for. They voted for a man who prizes loyalty over competence.” [09:05]

He further discusses the improbability of an independent investigation or special counsel being appointed under Trump’s leadership:

“If we actually had inspectors general still, which we don't, because Trump fired them all… we would have a ripe topic for inspector general investigation.” [08:01]

Administration’s Spin and Public Perception

Coaston explores the Trump administration’s efforts to downplay the scandal, presenting officials and media personalities who attempt to frame the incident as non-issue.

Justice Department’s Perspective: A spokesperson emphasized support for Second Amendment rights while acknowledging concerns:

“It was not a Second Amendment ruling and now some good election news for once.” [16:14]

Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski: Murkowski expresses concern over the administration’s handling:

“I'm worried about everybody and how they have handled this signal controversy.” [21:40]

Defense Secretary Hegseth: Attempts to reframe the conversation:

“The American people should be grateful to these individuals and especially to President Trump for putting together such a competent and highly qualified team who are killing terrorists that the Biden administration allowed to run wild in the Middle East.” [22:12]

Fox News’ Will Kane: Attempts to normalize the leaked communications:

“You and I have been told for years that President Trump surrounds himself by yes men lackeys. But now, through this leak and inadvertent transparency, you see a team not just of disruptors, but of rivals with thoughtful deliberation.” [22:46]

Automotive Tariffs: Impact and Reactions

[14:56 – 15:42]

President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing a 25% tariff on all vehicles imported into the United States, a significant increase from the existing 2.5%. This move aims to protect American automakers but is expected to raise car prices by up to $10,000.

Trump’s Statement:

“We had the best market ever in my first term. It was the strongest market ever, the best economy ever. And I think this blows it away.” [15:06:00]

Experts warn of potential economic repercussions, including decreased sales for foreign automakers and increased costs for consumers. Shares of companies like Tesla reacted negatively to the announcement.

Supreme Court Upholds Ghost Gun Regulations

[15:42 – 17:27]

The Supreme Court ruled 7-2 to uphold Biden administration regulations on ghost guns, which require serial numbers on parts and mandate background checks for buyers. Justice Neil Gorsuch highlighted the dual use of ghost guns by hobbyists and criminals:

“One of the gun kits... its intended function as instrument of combat is obviously really the kit's name says it all. Buy, build, shoot.” [16:14]

Conservative Justices Alito and Thomas dissented, arguing against the regulations. The decision is seen as a victory for gun control advocates, despite opposition from gun rights groups and ghost gun vendors.

Local Elections: Shift in Pennsylvania State Senate

[17:27 – 19:36]

Democratic candidate James Malone won a seat in the Pennsylvania State Senate, flipping the Republican majority. Malone, the mayor of East Petersburg, won by less than 1%, a significant shift in a district previously dominated by Republicans, including support for Trump.

James Malone’s Statement:

“The everyday voters are not liking what they're seeing in the federal level. They don't like the chaos.” [18:16]

This victory marks the first Democratic hold of the seat since 1890, adjusting the state Senate balance to 27-23 in favor of Republicans.

Threats to Public Broadcasting Funding

[19:36 – 23:08]

Republicans in Congress, led by Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, are threatening federal funding for NPR and PBS. They allege left-wing bias and inappropriate content in public broadcasting, likening shows like Arthur to indoctrination.

PBS’s Defense: President and CEO Paula Kurger emphasized PBS’s commitment to community service and education:

“Our job at PBS is to support our stations so that local stations can serve their communities.” [19:36]

Despite these threats, PBS highlighted that federal funding constitutes a small portion of the national budget and is crucial for maintaining stations, especially in rural areas.

Final Thoughts and Future Implications

[23:08 – 25:22]

Coaston summarizes the administration’s attempts to deflect the Signal Gate scandal through misleading terminology and minimal accountability. The lack of involvement from President Trump in addressing the issue directly underscores the administration’s strategy to minimize the fallout.

Jane Coaston’s Closing Remarks:

“Top members of the Trump administration all chatting about high level military escapades on an encrypted app is, to me, not ideal.” [21:45]

Concluding Remarks

The episode wraps up with a recap of ongoing political struggles and the administration’s handling of critical issues. Jane Coaston stresses the importance of staying informed and encourages listeners to engage with the content through subscriptions and reviews.

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Key Takeaways

• Signal Gate Scandal: Significant security breach involving Trump administration officials discussing military operations on an unsecured app, Signal. Raises concerns about national security and administrative competence.
• Automotive Tariffs: President Trump’s imposition of 25% tariffs on imported cars aims to protect U.S. automakers but is likely to increase consumer costs and impact international trade relations.
• Supreme Court Decision: The Court upheld Biden’s ghost gun regulations, marking a victory for gun control advocates amid strong opposition from conservative justices.
• Local Election Shift: Democratic candidate James Malone’s win in Pennsylvania signifies a rare Democratic hold in a historically Republican district, reflecting voter dissatisfaction with federal leadership.
• Public Broadcasting Funding Threatened: GOP-led efforts to defund NPR and PBS continue, highlighting persistent political battles over public media narratives.

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Notable Quotes

• Jane Coaston: “The Houthi rebels could have absolutely shut down American aircraft and killed American service members with this information.” [02:21]
• Paul Rosenzweig: “To be exceedingly credulous and unreservedly pro Trump to think that this is not a big deal.” [03:33]
• Justice Neil Gorsuch: “Buy, build, shoot.” [16:14]
• James Malone: “The everyday voters are not liking what they're seeing in the federal level. They don't like the chaos.” [18:16]

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Conclusion

This episode of What A Day offers a comprehensive examination of pressing political issues, emphasizing the implications of the Signal Gate scandal and the Trump administration’s policies. With expert analysis from Paul Rosenzweig and critical insights into administrative actions, Jane Coaston provides listeners with a nuanced understanding of the current political landscape.

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Subscribe to What A Day on your favorite podcast platform and join Jane Coaston each morning for incisive reporting and analysis on the stories that matter.

Transcript

[Jane Koston]

It's Thursday, March 27th. I'm Jane Koston. This is what a Day. The show celebrating Will Smith for getting a street named after him in West Philadelphia where he was born and raised. You know, on the playground where he spent most of his days chilling out, maxing, relaxing, all cool and as I recall, shooting some B balls outside of the school. On today's show, surprise. President Donald Trump has gifted automakers with double digit tariffs for cars made outside of the US and the Supreme Court upholds a Biden rule on ghost guns. But let's start with Signal Gate, the controversy that continues to roil Capitol Hill. On Wednesday morning, the Atlantic published the full Signal conversation centered on strikes on Houthi militants in Yemen between multiple administration officials and mistakenly, Atlantic Editor in Chief Jeffrey Goldberg. Trump administration officials had emphasized on pretty much every platform there is that nothing classified was in the conversation. But I did find it interesting that when asked by the Atlantic, White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt said in an email, this was intended to be a an internal and private deliberation amongst high level senior staff and sensitive information was discussed. She went on to object to the release of the totally not classified, totally fine for signal information. Sure, the chat itself contained a ton of information, timings about when the first bombs will definitely drop and details about intelligence gathered at attack sites. And interestingly, a real time debate about doing the strikes in the first place with Vice President J.D. vance voicing concerns that doing so helped Europe because, quote, I just hate bailing out Europe again. And that information, particularly the specific timings, if exposed beforehand, could have put American troops at real risk. As Colorado Democratic Representative Jason Crow attempted to explain on Fox News Wednesday.

[Paul Rosenzweig]

Let me explain how an SA3 and an SA6 works. These are the two systems that the Houthis have that they got from the Russians. If they know that aircraft are flying over a region or an area, not even a specific target, they can launch an SA3 and an SA6 much like they did when they shot down the MQ9 Reaper drone last year. So they don't need to know the exact location.

[Jane Koston]

In layman's terms, yeah, the Houthi rebels could have absolutely shut down American aircraft and killed American service members with this information. Now, let's be real here. This is the Trump administration. And unlike the first Trump administration, there are no adults in the room this time, unless you count FBI Director Kash Patel. And you shouldn't. So I am not expecting an independent investigation into how this happened. But I wanted to get some context on the scale of the scandal and what it would mean under pretty much any other president. So I had to talk to Paul Rosenzweig. He was a Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy at the Department of Homeland Security under President George W. Bush, and he teaches cybersecurity at George Washington University Law School. Paul, welcome to what a day.

[Paul Rosenzweig]

Thanks for having me.

[Jane Koston]

I think National Security Advisor Mike Walsh has been the most critical of this signal snafu thing. But what do you make of the overall line from the Trump administration and Trump himself that this is no big deal? Even while many in the intelligence community and most people watching this see this as an extraordinary security breach, you have.

[Paul Rosenzweig]

To be exceedingly credulous and unreservedly pro Trump to think that this is not a big deal. To be sure, nobody died, which is to say that they only included a responsible journalist who kept quiet. But we don't even need to imagine that it was a Russian on the call. It could easily have been another journalist, perhaps one with a different value set, who immediately published this information on, you know, social media, x Blue sky, wherever, at grave risk to American pilots.

[Jane Koston]

So it sounds like, and I've been thinking about this, they got exceedingly lucky. So what should the White House response be?

[Paul Rosenzweig]

Well, without, you know, demanding people being fired, which they won't do, ban the use of signal for all high level actors, mandate that all future discussions of anything trenching on classified or military activity take place in the channels that are built for this. At a minimum, all the people need to be retrained, the signal app needs to be taken off their phones and, and the President needs to admonish them that if it ever happens again, they're out of work. I mean, they should be out of work now. I mean, that's really what it should do. But I'm trying to be reasonable in answering your question in a way that might actually be responsive to what Trump should do.

[Jane Koston]

How would previous administrations have handled a scandal? And I, I'm gonna call it a scandal. It is a scandal. We are calling it a scandal. But how would they have handled something of this nature?

[Paul Rosenzweig]

Well, first off, I don't think that they would have happened to them, but I can tell you about what happened to me personally in this nature. I was participating in the discussion of a briefing that was to be given by the secretary I was working for to the President of the United States. And it was supposed to be an unclassified briefing. So we were working on it and editing it on unclassified systems. Somebody accidentally, I mean, completely inadvertently included one slide that had classified information. Once that was realized, all of the emails and versions of that were collected and destroyed from our unclassified system. I had to give my computer, personally, the one I'd been using, to a security officer who swept it for the classified information and overwrote where that had been on my hard drive with random information. And it took them two days before they gave me my computer back. And all I had done was be the inadvertent recipient. And then all of us got a retraining lecture, if you will, on let's be careful out there. And it was completely accidental. But that's what a past administration did. And it's routine, I think should be routine.

[Jane Koston]

Is this the sort of situation where a special counsel could or should be brought in? Or short of that, what are the other legal options available to the administration in a world in which they believed that they should face consequences?

[Paul Rosenzweig]

Well, if we lived in that mythical world, I mean. Well, first off, before I get to the special counsel, another reason to ban the use of Signal is because Signal has the disappearing message functionality. These are, without a doubt, presidential records that ought to be subject to the Presidential Records act and thus preserved for posterity, even in a classified form, until they're released in 50 years, like JFK's assassination files were just released. As for special Counsel, I guess I'm not really a fan of that. I don't value prosecuting people for gross negligence at a criminal level, to be fair. Clearly none of this was a deliberate effort, a purposeful effort to expose our war plan, say, to the Russians.

[Jane Koston]

But these are Cabinet officials. This is the Vice President of the United States speaking to the Secretary of Defense about war plans and then responding with flag and fist emojis.

[Paul Rosenzweig]

I mean, they are miserable human beings who should never have been elected. They are clowns who are not competent. But I tend to think, I mean, we've only used the gross negligence prosecution statute once before, and that was with respect to Julian Assange. We usually reserve criminality for purposeful malicious intent and conduct and think deliberate leaking. I 100% think that if we actually had, say, inspectors general still, which we don't, because Trump fired them all, this would be a ripe topic for inspector general investigation. If we had a Congress that had a spine, which we don't, this would be a ripe subject for congressional inquiry in the Intelligence Committee's scandal.

[Jane Koston]

Yeah, we don't have any of that. So what then?

[Paul Rosenzweig]

You know you're asking a bigger question than Signal Gate, right? I mean, the. For four years, I'VE been saying that the electorate has to save us, and they didn't. For four years I've been saying that Congress needs to change what it's doing, and they haven't. For four years, I've been saying that the courts are good, but not enough. And that's still true. You know, I mean, the American people are getting what they voted for. They voted for a man who prizes loyalty over competence. And this is a painful demonstration that they got exactly what they voted for.

[Jane Koston]

Is there a situation where you could imagine the administration would be actually compelled to really look into this? Like, what would it take for the administration? Now, keep in mind, you and I both know who is involved in this administration. What would it take for this administration to take this seriously if it were.

[Paul Rosenzweig]

To recur, but the leak went to the Chinese People's Liberation army or if it were to recur and American soldiers died because of the negligence, there's very little I can imagine that would motivate Donald Trump to. To admit he's wrong. He never does.

[Jane Koston]

And I've been thinking about the ways in which the Trump administration has attempted to flatten all means by which it can be stopped, including threatening outside law firms who have worked with Democrats or for Democratic causes. If the administration is squashing dissent from within, both with its hires and with its firing and threatening outside firms, too, where does that leave us?

[Paul Rosenzweig]

In a difficult place. I just published an article in the Atlantic about how law firms need to step up and how Paul Weiss is a craven, coward institution.

[Jane Koston]

The law firm Paul Weiss. Yes.

[Paul Rosenzweig]

Yeah, I'm sorry. The law firm Paul Weiss. That perhaps the adverse publicity there will embolden other law firms to step up. I saw a couple of congressmen, Representative Don Bacon, for example, calling for an investigation. You know, if four Republicans are willing to vote with the Democrats to start one, maybe we can get something in the House of Representatives. But it's just very hard and very difficult to do.

[Jane Koston]

Paul, thank you so much for being here.

[Paul Rosenzweig]

Thank you for having me. I appreciate it very much.

[Jane Koston]

That was my conversation with Paul Rosenzweig, deputy assistant secretary for Policy at the Department of Homeland Security under President George W. Bush. We'll get to more of the news in a moment, but if you like the show, make sure to subscribe. Leave a five star review on Apple Podcasts. Watch us on YouTube and share with your friends. More to come after some ads. What a Day is brought to you by Nutrafol. You should love your hair, but that can be hard to do if you're dealing with shedding or thinning. Luckily, Nutrafol is here to help their whole body approach to hair health works from the inside out so you can start loving your hair again. Nutrafol is the number one dermatologist recommended hair growth supplement brand trusted by over one and a half million people. You can see thicker, stronger, faster growing hair with less shedding in just three to six months. With Nutrafol, everyone's root causes of hair thinning are different, so a one size fits all approach to hair growth doesn't work. Nutrafol has multiple formulas that are tailored to give your hair what it needs to grow throughout different stages such as postpartum and menopause, as well as for different lifestyles such as plant based diets. And while many supplements rely solely on ingredient studies, Nutrafol clinically tests final formulations to ensure their efficacy. In a clinical study, 86% of women reported improved hair growth after taking Nutrafol. Women Hair growth supplement for six months physician formulated with 100% drug free ingredients, Nutrafol supplements support visibly thicker, stronger hair from within by targeting root causes of thinning including stress, hormones, aging, nutrition, lifestyle and metabolism as they evolve throughout a woman's life. Start your hair growth journey with Nutrafol. For a limited time, Nutrafol is offering our listeners $10 off your first month subscription and free shipping. When you go to nutrafol.com and enter the Promo Code Day. Find out why over 4,500 healthcare professionals and stylists recommend Nutrafol for healthier hair Nutrafol.com spelled n u t r a f o l.com, promo code day that's Nutrafol.com, promo code day.

[Paul Rosenzweig]

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[Jane Koston]

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[Paul Rosenzweig]

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[Jane Koston]

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[Paul Rosenzweig]

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[Jane Koston]

Here's what else we're following today. Head of lines.

[Paul Rosenzweig]

What we're going to be doing is a 25% tariff on all cars that are not made in the United States. If they're made in the United States, there's absolutely no tariff.

[Jane Koston]

Trump announced more tariffs Wednesday, this time on cars. The president signed an executive order to impose 25% tariffs on vehicles not made in the U.S. that is a huge jump from the current U.S. tax on imported cars, which stands at 2.5%. Here's Trump speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, telling them that this is the greatest thing ever and we all win.

[Paul Rosenzweig]

I think we're going to have a market the likes of which nobody's ever seen before, not in this country. You know, we had the best market ever in my first term. It was the strongest market ever, the best economy ever. And I think you're going to, I think this blows it away.

[Jane Koston]

Experts say these new tariffs could drive the cost of cars up by as much as $10,000. Shares of Automakers, including Tesla, fell on Wednesday before the tariffs were announced. Trump also said these new auto tariffs are permanent, by the way. So to recap, the US now has double digit tariffs on foreign cars, aluminum, steel, as well as imports from China, Canada and Mexico. And more on the way. Remember those reciprocal tariffs Trump promised earlier this month? The ones that are supposed to go into effect next week? The president said that those are most definitely happening. Fun. The Supreme Court upheld requirements aimed at regulating ghost guns, a win for gun control advocates. Ghost gun parts can be bought in kits online and assembled at home, making them really hard to trace. The regulations were issued by the Biden administration and include requirements from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Such gun components must have serial numbers and that buyers go through background checks. In the 7:2 decision Wednesday, Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote home. Hobbyists enjoy assembling them, but criminals also find them attractive, Gorsuch noted. One of the gun kits, quote, comes with all necessary components and its intended function as instrument of combat is obviously really the kit's name says it all. Buy, build, shoot. Conservative Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas both dissented. The legal challenge was brought by gun rights groups and ghost gun vendors. A Justice Department spokesperson said the administration will continue to support and defend the Second Amendment rights of all Americans. To be clear, it was not a Second Amendment ruling and now some good election news for once.

[Paul Rosenzweig]

Honestly, very excited obviously, and really, really happy that all the work that we put in has paid off.

[Jane Koston]

Democratic candidate James Malone flipped a seat in the Pennsylvania State Senate, thinning the Republican majority in the chamber. Just a reminder, there are no off years. State and local elections are happening all the time and they have a huge impact on your community. Malone, the current mayor of East Petersburg, beat out his Republican opponent by less than 1% of the vote. He'll go on to represent the state's 36th district in Lancaster County. The mayor's victory was shocking given that President Donald Trump won the district by 15 points in the 2024 election. The last time a Democrat held the seat was 1890. Malone spoke to a local NBC affiliate Wednesday about his victory on the floor.

[Paul Rosenzweig]

The everyday voters are not liking what they're seeing in the federal level. They don't like the chaos. And you know, we want to be sure that we as Pennsylvania are standing up for our neighbors and are standing up for our state.

[Jane Koston]

The GOP majority in the state Senate now stands at 27 to 23. In a tale as old as time, Republicans in Congress are once again threatening federal funding for National Public Radio and public broadcasting. You know, because Elmo is a communist and Curious George has been asking too many tough questions. The heads of NPR and PBS were on Capitol Hill Wednesday to testify in front of the new House subcommittee Delivering on Government Efficiency, or doge. It's chaired by Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, so you can imagine how this went.

[Paul Rosenzweig]

This means that PBS is one of the founders of the trans child abuse industry, all while taking taxpayer money. Brainwashing and transing children is an issue.

[Jane Koston]

So hated by parents across the country.

[Paul Rosenzweig]

That it was a driving force in the landslide Republican and Trump victory in the 2024 election cycle and presidential race.

[Jane Koston]

She has clearly seen some episodes of Arthur that were not available in my area and missed the educational programming on what landslides are. The fight over federal funding for PBS and NPR has been going on for decades, all the way back to when Richard Nixon was president. And for just as long, NPR and PBS have been fighting allegations of left wing bias in this foul year of our Lord 2025. It was President and CEO of PBS Paula Kurger's turn to call bullshit on these claims, but in the most public media way possible. There's nothing more American than PBS as a membership organization. Our local service is at the heart of our work. Our job at PBS is to support our stations so that local stations can serve their communities. We've been proudly fulfilling our mission for nearly 60 years, using the public airwaves and other technologies to help educate, engage and inspire the American people. But this time around, the threat is a little more real because Republicans control all branches of government. Trump's Federal Communications Commission chair has also opened investigations into both PBS and NPR. For context, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting gets about $535 million annually in federal funding to help pay for NPR and PBS stations. A lot of that money helps stations in rural parts of the country stay afloat. And it is a teeny, tiny fraction of the federal government's $6.8 trillion budget. I think this is where we break in for a pledge drive. And that's the news. One more thing. I'm sorry, I cannot let this story go. But if you're a normal person or the founder of Barstool Sports or even at least one Republican senator, you know that signal gate is bad. Here's Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski agreeing with me.

[Paul Rosenzweig]

I'm worried about everybody and how they have handled this signal controversy.

[Jane Koston]

Yes, I am also worried, Senator, because top members of the Trump administration all chatting about high level military escapades on an encrypted app is, to me, not ideal. So it has certainly been interesting to see the many, many ways that members of this administration and its biggest supporters have been trying to spin this scandal. The first spin, as always, is actually everything is awesome. Here's Press Secretary Caroline Levitt explaining that we should be thrilled about this.

[Paul Rosenzweig]

The American people should be grateful to these individuals and especially to President Trump for putting together such a competent and highly qualified team who are killing terrorists that the Biden administration allowed to run wild in the Middle East.

[Jane Koston]

Girl, come on. And not to be outdone in the. Well, I can't use the word I'm thinking about right now, but let's go with obsequious Olympics. Here's Fox News's Will Kane trying to make a signal group chat containing the worst guys ever into Abraham Lincoln's team of rivals.

[Paul Rosenzweig]

You and I have been told for years that President Trump surrounds himself by yes men lackeys. But now, through this leak and inadvertent transparency, you see a team not just of disruptors, but of rivals with thoughtful deliberation, with authenticity, who they are privately or who they are publicly.

[Jane Koston]

Okay, now another spin effort was more specific. Very, very specific. See, the title of the original Atlantic piece on Signal Gate was the Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans. And when Atlantic editor in Chief Jeffrey Goldberg published the text he'd seen, that article was entitled Here Are the attack plans that Trump's advisors shared on Signal. Now, again, you're probably a normal person and you're thinking there really isn't that big a difference between attack plans and war plans, but that's why you're not working for the Trump administration. Here's Defense Secretary Hegseth defending himself on Wednesday. Again, nobody's texting war plans.

[Paul Rosenzweig]

Well, I noticed this morning, out came something that doesn't look like war plans. And as a matter of fact, they even changed the title to attack plans because they know it's not war plans.

[Jane Koston]

Now, a funny thing I learned on Twitter is via our guest on yesterday's show, the Wall Street Journal's Alex Ward. He did some reporting and found that some military officials think that attack plans, specific details about an operation are more sensitive than war plans, the full scale operation for something like the invasion of Ukraine. So arguably, sharing, quote, attack plans on a goddamn texting app is worse. And seriously, Trump officials, do you really want to do a semantics debate with Democrats? Because you will lose every time. But then again, Hegseth reverted back to spin number one. Everything is super cool. Here he is on cnn.

[Paul Rosenzweig]

I know exactly what I'm doing, exactly what we're directing.

[Jane Koston]

In general, I have found that people who say I know exactly what I'm doing rarely do. Now, you may have noticed that the president of the United States has been absent from the spin session. But don't worry, Trump is on top of it and definitely knows what Signal is. Here he is on Newsmax.

[Paul Rosenzweig]

What it was, we believe is somebody that was on the line with permission, somebody that was with Mike Waltz, worked for Mike Waltz at a lower level, had, I guess, Goldberg's number or called through the app and somehow this guy ended up on the call.

[Jane Koston]

He 100% thinks this was a phone call. So in total, this was a phone call that wasn't a phone call about attack plans, not war plans. And the phone call that wasn't a phone call was awesome and we should all be proud of it. As always, hooray for Donald Trump. Great. Before we go on the newest episode of Assembly Required, Stacey Abrams sits down with Sky Perriman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, to break down Trump's most brazen legal battles, from ignoring federal injunctions to unlawfully detaining immigrants. Then Mandela. Barnes joins to discuss Wisconsin's crucial Supreme Court race, an election that could reshape 2025. Tune into this important conversation now on the assembly required feed or on YouTube. That's all for today, if you like. The show. Make sure you subscribe. Leave a review don't use the passwords of top Trump administration security officials, even if you happen to find them on the Internet. And tell your friends to listen. And if you're into reading and not just about how the newspaper Der Spiegel was able to find the private emails, phone numbers and passwords of Secretary of Defense Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz just on the Internet like me. What a Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and [e-mail] subscribe I'm Jane Coston and I know I feel way more secure knowing that the security state can't secure its own either. Email accounts Water Day is a production of Crooked Media. It's recorded and mixed by Desmond Taylor. Our associate producers are Raven Yamamoto and Emily Foer. Our producer is Michelle Aloy. We had production help today from Johanna Case, Joseph Dutra, Greg Walters and Julia Claire. Our senior producer is Erica Morrison and our executive producer is Adrienne Hill. Our theme music is by Colin Gilliard and Kashaka. Our production staff is proudly unionized with the Writers Guild of America. East.

[Paul Rosenzweig]

TaxAct knows filing taxes can be confusing, so we have live experts on hand who can help answer any questions you may have. Questions like Can I claim my SUV is my home office? If I answer work emails in my car? If I adopted 12 dogs this year, can I list them as dependents and am I doing this right or am I doing this very, very wrong? Our experts have the answers to those questions and many others. Taxact let's get them over with.

[Jane Koston]

Substance use disorder and addiction is so isolating. And so as a Black woman in recovery, hope must be loud. It grows louder when you ask for help and you're vulnerable. It is the thread that lets you know that no matter what happens, you will be okay. When we learn the power of hope, recovery is possible. Find out [e-mail] brought to you by the National Council for Mental well Being, Shatterproof and the AD Council.