Uproar after journalist accidentally added to Trump officials' war plan chat

Hillary Clinton's reaction to this story says it all.

The former US secretary of state shared the Atlantic's article on X with a short caption.

"You have got to be kidding me," she wrote.

Eighteen people were part of the Signal group chat - here is who appears to have been added and how they were identified:

• JD Vance - US deputy president
• Michael Waltz - national security adviser
• Marco Antonio Rubio - the secretary of state, identified as MAR
• Tulsi Gabbard - the director of national intelligence, identified as TG
• Scott Bessent - Treasury secretary, identified as Scott B
• Pete Hegseth - US defence secretary
• Susie Wiles - White House chief of staff
• Stephen Miller - deputy White House chief of staff, called S M in the chat (identified only by his initials, which the report says Goldberg "took to stand for Stephen Miller")
• Steve Witkoff - US Middle East and Ukraine negotiator
• Jeffrey Goldberg - editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine, identified as JG

Other members included various National Security Council officials and a CIA official who was not named in the report because they are an active intelligence officer.

By David Blevins, Sky correspondent, in Washington

"FUBAR" - that's one congressman's response to the jaw-dropping news that Trump officials discussed war plans in a group chat on the Signal app.

It's an old military acronym meaning 'F***ed up beyond recognition" or "…beyond repair".

"Only one word for this: FUBAR," said Democrat representative Pat Ryan, an army veteran who sits on the armed services committee.

The leak raises huge questions about national security, but legal experts suggest establishing the group on Signal may violate the espionage act.

Along with the classified military intelligence shared in the group, Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg also got a look behind the curtain at how top-level US officials discuss America's allies.

Messages discussed the potential for Europe to pay for US protection of key shipping lanes.

Mike Waltz, White House national security adviser, criticised the limited capabilities of European navies.

He wrote: "Whether it's now or several weeks from now, it will have to be the United States that reopens these shipping lanes. 

"Per the president's request we are working with DOD and State to determine how to compile the cost associated and levy them on the Europeans."

JD Vance addressed Pete Hegseth, Trump's defence secretary, in a message reading: "If you think we should do it, let's go. I just hate bailing Europe out again."

Hegseth replied: "VP: I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. It's PATHETIC."

There's been political uproar in the US in response to the news that a journalist was accidentally texted classified US military information.

Democratic leader Chuck Schumer has demanded a "full investigation" and said "very harsh consequences" should be faced by any government employee who shared the sensitive military plans.

Another senior Democrat, senator Elizabeth Warren, said on social media that, "Our national security is in the hands of complete amateurs".

She labelled the leak "blatantly illegal and dangerous beyond belief," adding: "What other highly sensitive national security conversations are happening over group chat? Any other random people accidentally added to those, too?"

Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary who was identified as a member of the group chat, spoke with reporters in Hawaii about the messages published in The Atlantic's article.

He said Jeffrey Goldberg was not a serious journalist, claiming that he was "highly discredited" and "peddles garbage".

"Nobody was texting war plans and that's all I have to say about that," he added.

Mike Johnson, the Republican Speaker of the House, said the Trump administration "acknowledged it was a mistake".

"What you did see, though, I think, was top level officials doing their job, doing it well," he added.

Pete Buttigieg, Joe Biden's former transport secretary, was pretty straight with his opinion, calling it an "epic f*** up". 

Watch his comments here...

There's one topic on the lips of everybody in the US today, and it's no different for the hosts of the Trump 100 podcast.

On Day 65, US correspondents James Matthews and Martha Kelner discuss this major blunder, how it happened, and what the consequences could be.

Plus, the second lady Usha Vance and national security adviser Michael Waltz have been in Greenland, a move that has sparked anger from officials there.

If you've got a question you'd like James, Martha, and Mark to answer, you can email it to [email protected].

When asked about his defence officials texting war plans to The Atlantic editor yesterday, Donald Trump said he knew "nothing" about the story.

But he did tell reporters that he was "not a big fan" of the magazine, saying it was one that was "going out of business".

Watch his comments in the video below:

As we mentioned in our first post, the Trump administration is facing calls for an investigation after a journalist was inadvertently added to a group chat where senior US officials discussed plans for a strike against the Houthi rebel group.

In an article titled The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans, Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine, revealed he "knew two hours before the first bombs exploded that the attack might be coming".

The group included US vice president JD Vance, defence secretary Pete Hegseth, national security adviser Mike Waltz and director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard among others.

Brian Hughes, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said the thread appeared to be authentic.

Emojis and classified intel

Goldberg was initially sceptical about the veracity of the group and initially thought "someone could be masquerading as Waltz in order to somehow entrap me".

He soon realised this was not the case, as classified military intel was sent openly, and the bombs discussed in the group actually began dropping on Yemen on 15 March.

After the strikes, participants used emojis like praying hands, the US flag, a fist and a fire to respond to the successful strikes.

Trump 'knew nothing'

When asked about his defence officials texting war plans to The Atlantic editor yesterday, Donald Trump said he knew "nothing" about the story.

But he did tell reporters that he was "not a big fan" of the magazine, saying it was one that was "going out of business".

 'Almost certainly' crimes committed

Senior Democrats have been highly critical of the incident. Congressman Jamie Raskin told Sky's Martha Kelner: "This is such a basic error to be talking about war plans and military strategy in such a sloppy and open and public way.

"Almost certainly there were crimes committed in the process."

When asked about the use of emojis in the group chat, Raskin said: "It doesn't surprise me coming from this crowd."

Democratic leader Chuck Schumer has called for a full investigation, saying: "This is one of the most stunning breaches of military intelligence I have read about in a very, very long time."

Hello and welcome back to our US coverage.

Last night, the extraordinary news broke a reporter was accidentally included in a group chat where senior US officials discussed conducting airstrikes on Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis.

The Trump administration is facing calls for an investigation after Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine, revealed he "knew two hours before the first bombs exploded that the attack might be coming".

We'll be bringing you all the latest on this story and the reaction to it, as well as all the latest news from Washington. 

We're pausing our live coverage now after a day of more diplomacy done the Donald Trump way.

Kicking off with an unexpected news conference from the Oval Office - which he still managed to be more than an hour late to - Trump said he finds it easier dealing with Moscow.

It's "difficult" with Kyiv, he said, acknowledging his decisions to halt military aid and stop sharing intelligence have caused Russia to "hit harder".

But he insists he's determined to agree a peace deal - which he said won't come before security guarantees for Ukraine - and he made a rare public rebuke of Russia, warning he's considering further sanctions.

Meanwhile, he defended his use of tariffs in recent weeks, telling reporters there will always be "changes and adjustments" as he tried to explain why they appear to flicker between on again and off again every other day.

And yet, this may have been one of the quieter days in Trump's second term so far - that extraordinary meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy was only a week ago.

If you want more on some of the other big issues in and around his presidency, our US team took your questions in a live Q&A earlier today.

Catch up on that in the link below...