‘Something This Big and Dumb’
Republican sentiment on Capitol Hill is divided about the administration’s security blunder, with some eager to change the subject and others expressing concern.
“I don’t know if a head will roll or has to roll yet, but this has got to be the last time something this big and dumb happens,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.).
“I hope somebody owns up to the fact that it was a major mistake and apologizes and says it will never happen again,” said Cramer, an ally of President Donald Trump. “That’s what adults do, responsible adults do.”
Maeve Sheehey reports that Democrats focused on Pete Hegseth’s fitness for his office, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) writing that the Pentagon chief should be fired as “the most unqualified Secretary of Defense in American history,” and Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) saying, “The debate among national security professionals is over whether the Secretary was just incompetent or whether he was drunk.”
Hegseth had promised not to drink as defense secretary after past reports of his substance use triggered concerns from senators during his confirmation hearing.
Pentagon rules bar sensitive information from social messaging platforms like Signal, which was used by national security adviser Mike Waltz, Vice President JD Vance, Hegseth, and others to discuss the operational details of a planned military strike. Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally included in the chat.
In an interview with NBC News, Trump said “Michael Waltz has learned a lesson, and he’s a good man” — a stance echoed by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).
“They’ve acknowledged that there was an error, and they’re correcting it,” Johnson (R-La.) told reporters. Read More
There’s already a lawsuit and CBS News reports that in February — before the mistake was made — the National Security Agency cautioned its employees about hacking. CBS quoted from an internal bulletin that said, “A vulnerability has been identified in the Signal Messenger Application. The use of Signal by common targets of surveillance and espionage activity has made the application a high value target to intercept sensitive information.”
For a final bit of backstory, the Wall Street Journal recapped how Trump used to condemn Goldberg at campaign rallies. In 2020, Goldberg reported that Trump referred to soldiers killed in battle during World War I as “losers” and “suckers,” with Trump’s chief of staff at the time confirming he used those words.
Maybe a Mood Changer
Between the sloppy blunder by his national security brain trust, a courtroom loss over refugee resettlement, and a consumer confidence measure falling to its lowest level in four years, this week hasn’t exactly started out with sunshine and rainbows for the president.
Maybe the vibes will change today when Trump makes what he told reporters would be “a very big” business announcement. He didn’t provide any details.
PBS, NPR, and GOP Grievances
Executives of National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service are showing up for a televised grilling today by a House subcommittee.
Lest there be any question about what to expect, the title of the hearing is “Anti-American Airwaves” and the official notice said the scrutiny is a response to “systemically biased content.”
PBS’s budget gets 16% of its funding from the federal government, while the radio broadcaster pulls in 1% directly from US government sources. The networks also receive money from sponsors and individual donors.
At the White House, Trump suggested there’s no longer a need for the public broadcasters. “There’s plenty of coverage. It was from a different age, and they spend more money than any other network of its type ever conceived,” he said yesterday. “So the kind of money that’s being wasted, and it’s a very biased view.”
The New York Times previews the hearing and Bloomberg Government subscribers can check out more on the day ahead on Capitol Hill in BGOV’s Congress Tracker.
‘Unreliability of America’
With a week to go until the next US tariffs come online, Canada’s new prime minister says he’s “not rushing to the table” to bargain, though his top cabinet ministers are in contact with White House officials and want to have “serious” negotiations.
“The point is not theater, the point is to get serious — sovereign nation to sovereign nation,” Mark Carney told reporters in Halifax, Nova Scotia. “That’s what we’re looking for in terms of putting this trading relationship back on a new path — a new path that works best for Canada, given the unreliability of America.”
The US imported about $413 billion of goods from Canada last year and exported $349 billion, according to US Commerce Department data. Trump announced import taxes on autos and Canada retaliated with tariffs of its own. Read More
Trump has promised a sweeping tariff announcement next Wednesday, touting it as a “Liberation Day” against trading partners he has long accused of “ripping off” the US. The date is to be headlined by reciprocal levies for countries that impose their own tariffs on US goods, though the White House hasn’t disclosed the exact size, scope and method for those tariffs.
Belatedly Appreciated
Greg Giroux found some noteworthy analysis in a new report by the Center for Effective Lawmaking. First, no surprise that for the third straight Congress, the research center’s metrics ranked Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) as the most effective senator. Peters announced in January he won’t seek another term next year.
High up on its effectiveness ranking for Republicans: Marco Rubio of Florida, who left the proficiency he acquired for that job to become secretary of state.
“We see situations in which a substantial amount of institutional memory and process knowledge is also leaving with them,” Alan Wiseman, a Vanderbilt University political scientist and co-director of the research center, said. The center is a collaboration between the University of Virginia and Vanderbilt. Read More
Before You Go
A few more things to know as Washington’s day begins:
- Elon Musk’s demand for federal workers to submit five bullet points detailing their week’s work hit a new snag: the inbox is full. Read More
- Justin Henry and Meghan Tribe report that Trump’s revenge-by-executive order march continues, targeting another law firm. Read More
- The next nominees to face the Senate gauntlet have just as tight a rope to walk as Trump’s cabinet. Lillianna Byington highlights the six to watch for maximum fireworks, including picks for the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the FAA. Read More
- Trump wasted no time fulfilling Democrats’ chief fear for the funding bill they just passed — spending cuts. Jack Fitzpatrick has the details. Read More
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