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US security breach – war plans shared with journalist

Donald Trump's USA

Published 25 March 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and Vice President JD Vance were three of the group's participants.

Jewish-American editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, thought someone was making fun of him when he was suddenly added to a secret chat group, along with what appeared to be the top US political leadership.

However, he soon realized that the chat group was real and he witnessed the powers-that-be discussing a secret military operation against the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Vice President JD Vance reportedly discussed details of a sensitive bombing operation against Houthi targets in Yemen in an encrypted Signal chat – which inadvertently included Jeffrey Goldberg. The editor-in-chief revealed this himself in an article published Monday, while a Cabinet meeting was underway at the White House.

According to Goldberg, on March 11, he was added to a Signal group of 18 participants by a user who identified himself as national security adviser Mike Waltz. The group, titled “Houthi PC small group,” included profiles that appeared to belong to Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hetseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.

Initially, Goldberg was skeptical, thinking at first that he had been the victim of some kind of disinformation campaign.

– I had very strong doubts that this text group was real, because I could not believe that the national-security leadership of the United States would communicate on Signal about imminent war plans, he explains.

On March 14, participants began discussing the exact timing of the military operation.

“Hate bailing Europe out again”

I think we are making a mistake”, wrote a user named JD Vance, arguing that Europe benefits more from the attacks than the US.

3 percent of US trade runs through the suez. 40 percent of European trade does. There is a real risk that the public doesn’t understand this or why it’s necessary. The strongest reason to do this is, as POTUS said, to send a message”, he continued.

Vance added, however, that he was willing to agree to support the plans if the others were in favor of an attack but added that he is “not sure the president is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe right now” and pointed to the risk of increased oil prices.

Security adviser Mike Waltz also declared that it will be the Europeans who will pay for the attacks, and Vance expressed that he “just hate bailing Europe out again”.

I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. It’s PATHETIC”, Hegseth replied.

White House confirms miss

On March 15 at 1:45 p.m. ET (according to Hegseth’s message in the chats), attacks also began against the Houthi rebels. Goldberg described checking social media at 1:55 p.m. and seeing reports of explosions in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa. The chat feed then featured congratulatory messages from Mike Waltz and others.

The existence of the secret chat group was real, Goldberg said, and he had apparently been invited by mistake, without any close scrutiny and without any of the top security officials seeming to realize he was even there. He also states that a large amount of highly sensitive information was disseminated in the group, but that he himself does not want to publish it further for US security reasons.

Shortly after the attacks, Goldberg left the chat and on the same day, Donald Trump declared on his Truth Social platform that he had “ordered the United States Military to launch decisive and powerful Military action against the Houthi terrorists in Yemen”.

The White House has confirmed that an outside user was accidentally added to the secret chat group but not why covert military operations and decisions were discussed in such an uncertain and casual manner.

According to the US National Security Council (NSC), the messages appear to be “authentic” but the chat group posed “no threats to our service members or our national security”.

“Stunning carelessness”

At a press conference, Trump dismissed knowledge of the incident – and instead pointed out that he did not like The Atlantic newspaper. His press secretary also emphasized that the president has full confidence in his security team.

Democratic Senator Jack Reed is not as impressed, calling it “one of the most egregious failures of operational security and common sense I have ever seen”  and calling for an immediate investigation.

– Military operations need to be handled with utmost discretion, using approved, secure lines of communication, because American lives are on the line. The carelessness shown by President Trump’s cabinet is stunning and dangerous, he continued in a statement.

Nebraska Republican Don Bacon is also highly critical, saying it is deeply problematic that the security team does not even appear to have used secure phones or been protected from outside interception.

Goldberg also stated that Waltz set up for some messages to be deleted after one and four weeks respectively a potential violation of law since federal rules require the archiving of official documents.

Others are more skeptical about the scandal, arguing that it is highly unlikely that a complete outsider and a journalist at that would be invited to a group like this by mistake. Instead, they speculate that the intention from the outset was for the information to get out though it is unclear why.

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Fewer people travel to the US

Donald Trump's USA

Published 23 April 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The declining numbers of tourists are thought to be due to a number of factors.

The number of travelers to the United States has declined significantly since Donald Trump took office. The decline is visible in almost all parts of the world, but mostly from countries in the Caribbean and Central America.

In March, the number of travelers to the country fell by nearly 12%, compared to the same time last year. In February, the number of travelers decreased by two percent, compared to the previous year. According to data from the International Trade Administration, there were 17 percent fewer visitors from Western Europe in March, 24 percent fewer from Central America and 26 percent fewer from the Caribbean compared to a year ago, reports the Washington Post.

When Trump took office in January, international tourism in the country had almost returned to pre-corona figures, but now the decline is at the same significant level as then. Experts believe the decline is due to Trump’s statements, including that the imposed tariffs are creating tension internationally. Some countries have also tightened travel advisories to the US.

The reaction of international travelers to avoid the US is entirely predictable, says Adam Sacks, CEO of Tourism Economics, an industry research firm:

– The combination of policy and rhetoric that has been so divisive and combative and isolationist – each successive policy and related polemics have been making the situation worse.

May affect tourism revenues

The downturn is the first significant one since the coronavirus crisis and could result in the loss of millions of dollars in tourism revenue if it persists. The U.S. Travel Association estimates that travel added $1.3 trillion to the US economy and created 15 million jobs last year.

– We attribute this to a variety of factors, including a strong dollar, long visa wait times, concerns over travel restrictions, a question of America’s welcomeness, a slowing U.S. economy and recent safety concerns, says Allison O’Connor, a spokeswoman for the organization.

In a response to a request for comment on the decline, the White House said Trump’s policies would strengthen the country’s image.

– President Trump’s agenda to make America wealthy, safe, and beautiful again benefits Americans and international visitors alike, said White House spokesperson Anna Kelly.

World Bank softens climate rhetoric to keep US backing

Donald Trump's USA

Published 21 April 2025
– By Editorial Staff
World Bank President Ajay Banga was appointed by Joe Biden and has been a vocal advocate of the 'green transition' in the past.

The World Bank has clearly toned down its previously very explicit climate profile as the Donald Trump administration evaluates its support to international organizations and aims to reduce funding for various climate programs around the world.

However, according to sources within the department, this is a purely strategic adjustment to ensure continued US support, while the actual climate policy remains largely unchanged.

The Nordic Times reported that NATO is dropping its politically correct language and has removed or revised formulations relating to gender and climate in an attempt to appease the conservative Trump administration.

And they are not alone in trying to adapt to reality and the new US administration the World Bank and its top officials have also clearly changed their rhetoric since Trump became president.

World Bank President Ajay Banga has focused in recent months on labor issues and Republican-friendly energy sources such as nuclear power and natural gas, although he still believes that climate investment does not conflict with the Bank’s core mission of fighting poverty.

Remember, we have a board which has representatives of all our shareholders and all these words and thinking go through their system, Banga said during a press conference ahead of the bank’s spring meetings in Washington.

“Do you want to scream this all loudly?”

He confirmed that 45% of the bank’s loans in 2025 will go to climate-related projects, but also emphasized a broader energy strategy than before.

– There is no reason why a country in Africa should not care about affordable, accessible electricity – and it includes gas, geothermal, hydroelectric, solar, wind and nuclear where it makes sense.

According to former employees and current sources within the World Bank, the rhetoric is a trade-off to avoid conflict with the US, whose support is crucial. The Biden administration pledged $4 billion to the bank’s poverty-fighting work, but the sum must first be approved by a Republican-controlled Congress.

– Now, do you want to scream this all loudly? Probably not in this environment, said Samir Suleymanov, former head of the World Bank’s strategic initiatives.

A spokesperson for the bank, however, argued that the agenda has been consistent:

– For two years, we’ve been working to make the Bank faster, more efficient, and focused on creating jobs.

“Sort of a relief”

Trump allies have called on the US to leave the World Bank, arguing that it favors China and diverges from US interests. An investigation into US participation in international organizations is expected in August. However, a full withdrawal is considered unlikely, as it would open the door to China buying up US shares.

Karen Mathiasen, a former US representative at the Bank, notes a sharper tone compared to Trump’s first term:

– Now everything feels very hostile and adversarial.

But others welcome the rhetorical shift. Suleymanov argues that in the past, the focus on clean energy limited other emission-reducing projects.

– It may sound funny, but there is sort of a relief that this kind of pretend thing is over. The ideological underpinning took so much space. Everybody had the feeling they were caught in the game, like this is something that they have to do, but not necessarily with a clear practical outcome in mind.

It is worth noting that the World Bank’s sister organization, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), has also recently toned down its climate rhetoric choosing instead to focus more on “trade growth and global challenges”. Here, too, it is said to be trying to maintain a good relationship with Trump and his inner circle.

US shuts down Biden’s censorship agency

Donald Trump's USA

Published 18 April 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Members of the Trump administration have long expressed concerns about how freedom of expression is being restricted and curtailed in various ways.

The United States has now officially shut down an agency that, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, was used by the Biden administration to systematically censor US citizens with uncomfortable views.

The Global Engagement Center (GEC) was established in 2016 within the US Department of State, with a mission to “recognize, understand, expose, and counter foreign state and non-state propaganda and disinformation”.

In December, the center was renamed Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (R/FIMI), but on Wednesday, Marco Rubio announced that it had been permanently shut down.

– Under the previous administration, this office, which cost taxpayers more than $50 million per year, spent millions of dollars to actively silence and censor the voices of Americans they were supposed to be serving, Rubio said.

– This is antithetical to the very principles we should be upholding and inconceivable it was taking place in America.

In an interview published Wednesday with conservative activist Mike Benz, Rubio explained that the GEC was initially intended as a tool to combat extremist propaganda from groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS, but that the operation later began “going after individual American voices”.

– We ended government-sponsored censorship in the United States through the State Department, he declared.

“Worst offender in US government censorship”

Rubio added that the Biden administration had supported groups that “literally tagging and labeling voices in American politics – Ben Shapiro, The Federalist, others – tagging them as foreign agents”.

The GEC had an annual budget of $61 million and employed about 120 people. In December, Republican members of Congress refused to provide continued funding for the unit.

President Donald Trump and his supporters have long accused Democrats of using government institutions to silence conservative views online. In 2023, tech billionaire Elon Musk also criticized the GEC, calling it “worst offender in US government censorship & media manipulation” and “a threat to our democracy”.

Journalist Matt Taibbi also accused the center of trying to suppress discussions on COVID-19 under the pretext of fighting “Russian personas and proxies”.

Already last year, a group of Republican members of Congress harshly criticized the GEC in a letter to then Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The letter accused the Center of bias in favor of “American progressives” and of trying to silence opinions that were “deemed politically inconvenient or disagreeable”.

Trump: Deport American criminals to El Salvador

Donald Trump's USA

Published 15 April 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Trump wants to get rid of America's worst criminals - but there are doubts about its constitutionality.

Donald Trump wants to review the possibility of deporting the country’s worst violent criminals to El Salvador – even if they are US citizens.

We also have homegrown criminals that are absolute monsters”, the President said during a press conference, stressing that the law must be reviewed.

It was during a White House meeting with El Salvador’s outspoken president, Nayib Bukele, that Trump declared that he wanted to deport not only foreign criminals to the country but also American criminals.

– We always have to obey the laws, but we also have homegrown criminals that push people into subways, that hit elderly ladies on the back of the head with a baseball bat when they’re not looking, that are absolute monsters, he explained.

– I’d like to include them in the group of people to get them out of the country, but you’ll have to be looking at the laws on that, the President continued.

During his election campaign, Donald Trump promised to use unorthodox methods and get tough on the widespread violent crime in the country but the move has nevertheless led to strong reactions and a lot of criticism.

“No provision under US law”

Many critics point out that, as a rule, US citizens cannot be deported and that there are only a few exceptions to this rule. These include people born in other countries who have been granted citizenship but lied during their application process or committed terrorist crimes or treason.

– There is no provision under US law that would allow the government to kick citizens out of the country, Erin Corcoran, an immigration law expert at the University of Notre Dame, told the AP news agency.

The civil rights organization ACLU is also highly critical and believes that deportation of American citizens would be a direct attack on the US Constitution.

Sent to mega prison

However, Trump has emphasized that his proposal will only be implemented if it is deemed compatible with the country’s laws. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt later explained that the move should be seen as a proposal that has been “raised but not yet decided. According to analysts, the Constitution must first be revised if deportations of US citizens are to become a reality.

The background to the president’s statement is that Nayib Bukele during a previous meeting opened up to receive American prisoners an idea that Trump praised and said he “loved”.

Already today, the United States is sending hundreds of migrants with suspected criminal links to El Salvador’s controversial mega prison, the Terrorism Confinement Center, under a contract in which the US pays the country $6 million for their detention.

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