The Morning Sixpack - March 26, 2025
Trump war plans Signal chat illegal, released by Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic. More to follow. BREAKING.
BREAKING NEWS: The Signal war plans chat is blowing up. Trump blames the journalist, Congress grills two participants (and gets nowhere—SURPRISE!), and The Atlantic releases the whole enchilada. Stay tuned. More reports will be published throughout the day.
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Leaked Signal Chat Exposes Trump Advisers’ Real-Time Attack Plans—and Raises Alarming Security Questions
In a shocking breach of operational security, Trump administration officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and National Security Adviser Michael Waltz, discussed upcoming U.S. military strikes on Yemen in a Signal group chat that inadvertently included The Atlantic’s editor in chief, Jeffrey Goldberg.
Despite public denials from top officials like Tulsi Gabbard and John Ratcliffe claiming “no classified material was shared,” The Atlantic has now published the raw text messages—highlighting detailed operational timelines that experts say could have endangered American lives.
“Godspeed to our Warriors,” Hegseth wrote, moments before fighter jets launched.
The Signal group—dubbed the “Houthi PC small group”—included Vice President J.D. Vance, CIA Director Ratcliffe, and CENTCOM leadership.
Hegseth’s message, time-stamped just 31 minutes before U.S. warplanes launched, listed specific launch times and strike targets, even identifying a Houthi figure as “Target Terrorist” and confirming their location.
“TIME NOW (1144et): Weather is FAVORABLE. Just CONFIRMED w/CENTCOM we are a GO for mission launch,” Hegseth announced in all caps.
Experts have warned that if this message had fallen into the wrong hands, the results could’ve been catastrophic.
The White House continues to argue that the messages weren’t technically “classified,” yet it objects to their publication—without identifying what elements were sensitive.
The Atlantic notes that real-time intelligence was shared during the operation, including Waltz’s message confirming the killing of a top Houthi missile expert in a collapsed building.
The administration’s attempts to downplay the incident only intensify scrutiny.
As Goldberg points out, “people should see the texts in order to reach their own conclusions.”
The group chat, whether a mistake or a symptom of deeper dysfunction (it can be both), reveals a level of recklessness rarely seen in matters of national security.
Source: The Atlantic
Trump Team’s Messaging Meltdown: War Plans Sent to a Journalist via Group Chat
In a blunder that feels more like a political satire than real life, top Trump officials accidentally added The Atlantic’s editor in chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, to a private Signal group chat—right as they were discussing detailed plans for a military strike in Yemen.
President Trump, who reportedly had never heard of Signal before this, initially brushed off the fiasco in front of reporters but has since stewed privately over the "sloppiness" of his team.
Meanwhile, instead of focusing on the national-security breach, Trump and his allies have resorted to their usual playbook: Attack the media.
“That’s an app that a lot of people use. And somebody got on. I happen to know the guy is a total sleazebag. The Atlantic is a failed magazine, does very, very poorly. Nobody gives a damn about it,” Trump snapped when asked about Goldberg’s involvement.
Behind the scenes, administration officials admit the president was “not happy” about the optics—especially after Goldberg confirmed that key players like Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and VP J.D. Vance shared strike details in real-time while Goldberg watched.
Incredibly, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz—who actually added Goldberg to the group—claimed to be investigating the leak.
Waltz hasn’t been fired, but insiders suggest he’s on thin ice depending on how much heat this story continues to generate.
“The last thing he wants to do is give you guys [in the media] a scalp,” one official said, echoing Trump’s obsession with perception over substance.
The fallout has drawn sharp rebukes from Democrats, confused testimony from intelligence leaders, and more gaslighting from Trumpworld.
“This is one more example of the kind of sloppy, careless, incompetent behavior, particularly toward classified information,” said Senator Mark Warner.
Meanwhile, former Pentagon spokesperson Chris Meagher warned bluntly,
“Using a commercial messaging app like Signal to discuss sensitive national-security operations is sloppy, inappropriate, and puts our troops at risk.”
Even VP Vance expressed doubts in the chat about the mission itself, grumbling, “I just hate bailing Europe out again,” before ultimately pledging, “I will say a prayer for victory.” Prayer emojis followed. Chaos? Yes. Accountability? Not so much.
Source: The Atlantic
Trump’s Voter Crackdown: Show Your Passport or Stay Home on Election Day
In a bold move that voting rights groups are calling both unconstitutional and nakedly political, President Trump has signed an executive order requiring documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote.
The order takes a sledgehammer to the current voter registration system by demanding passports, military IDs, or REAL ID-enhanced licenses—despite the fact that most Americans don’t have any of those documents.
Legal experts are already calling foul. “It’s illegal at many different levels,” said Sean Morales-Doyle of the Brennan Center for Justice, warning that the order conflicts with federal law and exceeds Trump’s authority.
Not content to wait for Congress, Trump’s executive order piggybacks on the Republican-backed SAVE Act and would overhaul the federal voter registration form—historically governed by bipartisan commissions, not presidential whims.
It also demands that states purge their voter rolls of noncitizens and share Social Security and immigration records with federal agencies to sniff out supposed election crimes.
What ever happened to “State’s rights?” And what about that pesky Constitution that says States run their own elections?
One tiny problem? There’s no actual evidence of widespread noncitizen voting. But this doesn’t matter to Trump/MAGA. They just don’t want non-whites to vote. Duh.
For context, voters already swear under penalty of perjury that they’re citizens, and anyone caught lying can face jail time or deportation.
But none of that has stopped Trump from using “election integrity” as a sledgehammer against the electoral process. The order also threatens to withhold funds from states that count valid mail ballots postmarked by Election Day but received after—yet another attempt to suppress absentee voting, a method that’s ironically popular among Republicans.
Birth certificates? Not mentioned as acceptable proof.
Naturalized citizens without passports? Out of luck.
With lawsuits already loading into the chamber, this executive order looks less like a safeguard and more like a voter suppression grenade with the pin pulled.
Source: NPR
More: Trump signs order seeking to overhaul US elections, including requiring proof of citizenship
Donate to the ACLU.
Vance Retreats from Diplomatic Storm in Greenland as Trump’s Expansionism Looms
A last-minute change in Vice President J.D. Vance’s itinerary has brought a wave of cautious relief to officials in Greenland and Denmark, who have been bracing for fallout from the Trump administration’s renewed push to assert U.S. influence over the Arctic territory.
Originally slated to include a visit by Usha Vance to a dogsled race in Sisimiut, the trip has now shifted entirely to a stop at the U.S. Space Force base at Pituffik—sidestepping potential clashes with local residents and leaders who have made it clear that the U.S. delegation was not invited.
"Greenland and Denmark have stated very clearly that they don’t want the U.S. to visit right now," said Marc Jacobsen of the Royal Danish Defense College.
Though technically allowed under a 1951 defense agreement, Vance’s visit struck a nerve at a sensitive time.
Denmark’s foreign minister labeled the original trip “unacceptable pressure,” and Greenland’s government posted bluntly that no official or private invitations had been extended.
Vance, however, framed the pivot to the military base as a national security move, claiming Greenland has been “ignored for far too long” and that the region is now threatened by foreign adversaries.
In a video, he implied the visit was part of a broader strategic defense posture, not a provocation.
Still, critics see echoes of Trump’s first-term bluster—when he floated buying Greenland—resurfacing in the administration’s latest Arctic ambitions.
Trump’s return to power has reignited dreams of territorial expansion, with reported ambitions to make Canada the 51st state, reclaim control of the Panama Canal, and even convert Gaza into a luxury development.
Dwayne Ryan Menezes of the Polar Research & Policy Initiative warned, “If Trump was smart enough to understand Greenland’s strategic importance, then he should also be smart enough to know there is no greater way to weaken America’s hand… than turning its back on its allies.”
For now, the Vances’ toned-down travel plans may have defused a diplomatic flashpoint, but the broader tension over Arctic influence—and Trump’s vision of American expansion—shows no sign of cooling.
Source: MDGN
DOGE Wunderkind “Big Balls” Linked to Cybercrime Gang that Swatted an FBI Agent
In a plot twist straight out of a Black Mirror episode, a 19-year-old tech prodigy nicknamed “Big Balls” — yes, really — who now advises multiple U.S. government agencies under Elon Musk’s DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) initiative, once provided digital infrastructure to a known cybercrime ring.
According to records reviewed by Reuters, Edward Coristine, a.k.a. Big Balls, ran a company that supplied backend services to the cyber gang EGodly — a group infamous for swatting, hacking law enforcement emails, and cyberstalking an FBI agent.
The gang even publicly thanked his company, DiamondCDN, for “generously providing us with their amazing DDoS protection.”
Coristine, whose LinkedIn proudly lists him as a “Volunteer (Intern) Plumber” for the U.S. government (because apparently cybersecurity and plumbing now overlap), did not respond to requests for comment.
Neither did Musk’s DOGE team — which, for the record, is not an actual government agency but still somehow has tentacles inside the State Department and CISA.
“The recency of the activity and the types of groups he was associated [with] would definitely be concerning,” said Nitin Natarajan, former deputy director of CISA.
Translation: Maybe don’t hand federal cybersecurity keys to someone recently applauded by hackers for protecting their sketchy website and being cyper jackasses to multiple entities.
The FBI didn’t comment either, but one retired agent targeted by EGodly wasn’t holding back: “These are bad folks. They’re not a pleasant group.”
No kidding. The gang posted a video of someone screaming “EGodly says you’re a bitch!” outside the agent’s house — after doxxing him online.
Meanwhile, Coristine’s brush with infamy somehow landed him a senior adviser title and Musk’s public praise: “Big Balls is awesome,” Elon posted.
At this rate, maybe the next cybersecurity czar will be a TikTok prankster. Or a raccoon with Wi-Fi. Either way, this one’s going in the “What Could Possibly Go Wrong?” Hall of Fame.
Source: Reuters
Mike Johnson Floats Nuking Federal Courts Because Judges Keep Hurting Trump’s Feelings
In the latest episode of “Checks and Balances? Never Heard of Her,” House Speaker Mike Johnson suggested that Congress could straight-up eliminate federal courts that rule against Donald Trump.
Under pressure from MAGA diehards furious about court decisions blocking Trump’s executive orders—especially one involving the deportation of Venezuelan migrants—Johnson casually floated axing entire district courts.
“We do have the authority over the federal courts... desperate times call for desperate measures,” Johnson said, apparently unaware that threatening judges like a cartoon villain doesn’t exactly scream constitutional fidelity.
To be clear, Johnson tried to walk it back, saying he was simply noting Congress’ “broad authority” over federal courts. Sure, Mike.
That totally explains the upcoming House vote on a bill to ban district court judges from issuing nationwide injunctions and Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan hinting at budget cuts to courts that don’t toe the MAGA line.
Even GOP Sen. Josh Hawley raised a red flag—likely the first time he’s ever played the reasonable adult in the room—warning that eliminating courts would create “massive, massive backlogs.”
His real concern?
“If we take away seats, we can’t get more Republican judges.”
Despite the fire and brimstone, this MAGA tantrum is unlikely to go anywhere fast. GOP appropriators would have to gut court funding bills—and good luck convincing moderates like Rep. Dave Joyce or getting seven Senate Democrats to join that circus.
But the larger message is crystal clear: The GOP’s war on the judiciary is escalating.
When judges do their jobs, Republicans want them fired, defunded, or erased. As Rep. Tim Walberg put it, “The judges… are overstepping their boundaries.”
Translation: How dare they uphold the law.
Source: NBC News
You think the plot gets better?
At the heart of it all, trump is turning this country into a feudal colony. He wants us (the masses) uneducated, uninformed, impoverished and at the mercy of his benevolence. His vassals will fight for his favor and fear his wraith…