Good afternoon, 

Are aliens invading? People in England saw this weird blue swirl in the sky on Monday night — some probably wondered if it was time to go find a bunker.

But not this time 😅. It was just fuel released from a SpaceX launch. Others saw similar sightings following other rocket launches.

Glad I haven’t — I’d be one of those people calling 911!

Lauren
Producer 

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🚨 ONE IMPORTANT THING

Atlantic Publishes Full Group Chat After Administration Downplayed It

The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg published on Wednesday the full Signal chat – which he was accidentally included in – detailing Trump officials’ discussions about military strikes on the Houthis in Yemen in mid-March.

• Goldberg initially said he would not publish the full thread due to its sensitive nature. However, after the White House and members of the chat said it did not include classified information nor discussion of a war plan, Goldberg published the full thread today (except the name of a CIA operative disclosed in the chat).

Mo News spoke with Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), a former naval aviator, about the sequence of events — he says Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth should be fired. Other members of the military and intelligence community shared with Mo News that such messages would, under any other circumstances, be considered classified.

HE SAID, SHE SAID
On Monday, Hegseth said, “Nobody was texting war plans.” At a Senate hearing on Tuesday, Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe also said no classified material was shared.

• Senate Democrats pushed Gabbard and Ratcliffe to publish the Signal chat if there was nothing classified, but they dodged the question.

• The full release shows a message by Hegseth in which he lays out the exact timing of the Houthi strike, in advance (Slide 3, below).

Goldberg explains the move: “The statements by Hegseth, Gabbard, Ratcliffe, and Trump—combined with the assertions made by numerous administration officials that we are lying about the content of the Signal texts—have led us to believe that people should see the texts in order to reach their own conclusions. There is a clear public interest in disclosing the sort of information that Trump advisers included in nonsecure communications channels, especially because senior administration figures are attempting to downplay the significance of the messages that were shared.”

TRUMP TEAM RESPONDS
The Trump White House and members of the chat continue to dispute that the contents of the chat were too sensitive to discuss via Signal.

• Following The Atlantic’s release, White House National Security Adviser Michael Waltz tweeted, “No locations. No sources & methods. NO WAR PLANS. Foreign partners had already been notified that strikes were imminent. BOTTOM LINE: President Trump is protecting America and our interests.”

• White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted, “The Atlantic has conceded: these were NOT ‘war plans.’ This entire story was another hoax written by a Trump-hater who is well-known for his sensationalist spin.”

Hours after the messages were released, Gabbard and Ratcliffe were back testifying on Capitol Hill:

Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, questioned Gabbard about her testimony yesterday, when she said that she did not recall the details of the chat, despite the messages being from just two weeks ago.

• Gabbard stood by those remarks Wednesday. But the screen-shots of the chat show that she appears to have messaged “Great work and effects!” (Slide 4, above) just hours after the attack.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe also maintained that classified information was not discussed, and defended his use of Signal. “I used an appropriate channel to communicate sensitive information. It was permissible to do so. I didn’t transfer any classified information,” he said.

LAWMAKERS & SERVICE MEMBERS REACT
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) told Mo News on Wednesday that while it’s not feasible to fire everyone involved in the chat – as that would jeopardize U.S. national security. But he believes Hegseth should be fired for sharing military attack plans on a public app.

• Kelly said, "Convenience is great, but not when it comes at the expense of putting service members, that are already significantly risking their lives, at further risk." He added that foreign adversaries attempt to hack U.S. officials' phones and Signal chats.

• Kelly says that he uses Signal, as it is more secure than texting, but mostly to coordinate meetings in secure locations to talk about sensitive content.

Other Democrats on Capitol Hill have called for the firing of Hegseth and National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, who started the chat. President Trump on Tuesday said no one, not even low-level employees, would likely be fired over this.

📲 On the Mo News Instagram page, service members and national security experts are telling us that government employees have gotten in bigger trouble for much less. A former U.S. Navy strike officer, who oversaw the Tomahawk weapon system, said that the “idea that this discussion was unclassified is ludicrous.”

WHAT’S NEXT
If neither Congress nor the White House acts, the judicial branch may have a say. Watchdog group American Oversight has filed a lawsuit alleging that Hegseth and other officials violated the Federal Records Act. Plot twist: the judge Trump has been attacking online for blocking his use of the Alien Enemies Act for Venezuelan migrants — U.S. District Judge James Boasberg — has been assigned to this case, too.

🇺🇸 We’ll be at the White House tomorrow asking all your questions about this story and more — reply to this email with anything you want answered.

🚨 ONE INTERNATIONAL THING

Palestinians In Gaza Take Part In Largest Anti-Hamas Protests Since Oct. 7 Attacks

Anti-Hamas protests continued in Gaza on Wednesday, as video showed the largest demonstrations against the terrorist group in the enclave since the 18-month war began. Palestinians were heard chanting, “Out, out — Hamas get out!” and “Oh the shame, you sold Gaza for dollars” and “Hamas are terrorists.”

• Hamas, which has controlled Gaza since 2007, launched the war by invading and attacking Israel on October 7, 2023.

• Many residents are expressing their anger at Hamas’ rule and its continuation of the war despite the high death toll, which the group reports at 50,000 people (though it does not differentiate between fighters and civilians) in a population of about 2 million.

  • More than 1 million residents have been displaced, and much of Gaza is in ruins. Recovery is expected to take decades.

⏳ SPEED READ

🚨NATION

📌 Supreme Court upholds Biden ‘ghost gun' rule requiring background checks (MO NEWS)

📌 Tufts PhD student on visa arrested by immigration authorities, school says (NBC)

📌 Trump's Social Security check change could affect half a million Americans (AXIOS)

📌 Pilot and 2 young daughters survive the night on airplane wing after crashing into icy Alaska lake (CNN)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

📌 Four American soldiers who went missing in Lithuania have died, NATO leader says (AP)

📌 Centuries-old Buddhist temple destroyed as ‘unprecedented’ South Korea wildfires leave at least 24 dead (CNN)

📌 Bolsonaro must stand trial over alleged coup attempt, Brazil’s top court rules (GUARDIAN)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

📌 Trump to announces new auto tariffs in major escalation ahead of April 2 deadline (CNBC)

📌 Measles case confirmed in DC, individual may have exposed others on Amtrak train (ABC)

📌 Tesla is bringing its electric cars to oil-rich Saudi Arabia amid falling global sales (CNN)

📌 Stephen Curry teams up with Michelle Obama to launch sports drink (CNBC)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

📌 Alec Baldwin is an outlaw in first ‘Rust’ trailer since fatal on-set shooting (CNN)

📌 'Rust' movie trailer released 4 years after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins' on-set death (NBC)

📌 Prince Harry resigns from African charity he co-founded after leadership dispute (ABC)

📌 Will Smith gets a street named in the Philadelphia neighborhood where he was born and raised (AP)

ICYMI FROM THE 📲

In case you missed it… The queen of chic California-based lifestyle brands, has spoken: She does NOT have a problem with Meghan (Markle) Sussex or her new brand, despite people taking her recent comment as a dig. On Tuesday, Goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow posted an Instagram Story responding to a fan’s question about alleged beef between the two.

Paltrow said, “I genuinely do not understand this at all whatsoever,” then turned the camera to reveal the Duchess of Sussex snacking in her kitchen. Eat up, world.