US Armed Forces
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
The Atlantic picked up what some might consider the scoop of the year after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly shared war plans on the unsecured Signal messaging app. Included in the chat was The Atlantic‘s editor in chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, and the publication published the full text chat after top officials in President Donald Trump’s administration testified in front of Congress that the information within was not classified.
As seen in The Atlantic, Goldberg was included in a Signal group chat that included Hegseth and U.S. national security advisor to President Trump, Mike Waltz. Waltz unintentionally added Goldberg to the discussion of plans to attack Yemen’s Houthis group, and the text chain included names, details, and expected results of the attack. Goldberg made his media rounds after breaking the story, but previously did not include some of the more sensitive details of the Signal chat.
However, testimony from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard stated that the plans discussed in the chat were not classified in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday (March 25). CIA Director John Ratcliffe added in separate testimony that the chat details were not classified, and President Trump stood by that claim. Hegseth also denied that the discussion was about war plans.
With that testimony on record, the publication saw fit to publish the entire chat to allow the public to make their own determination of the facts and to push back against the attacks from Trump officials that The Atlantic is lying about what the chat is.
“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,” Goldberg and fellow journalist Shane Harris wrote.
The White House is attempting to downplay and discredit Goldberg’s assessment of the war plans, with White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt attacking the publication’s decision to frame the chat “attack plans” instead of “war plans,” as initially reported and framed that as a retraction.
“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,” Leavitt wrote on X.
On X, many are reacting to The Atlantic calling the Trump administration and its de facto war council’s bluff by publishing the full Signal chat. Check out those reactions below.
—
Photo: Getty
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
Veterans Day is here and the annual federal holiday honors those who served in the United States Armed Forces in all capacities. On social media, several Black veterans are sharing images of themselves in military garb and we’re highlighting what we’ve seen so far on Veterans Day.
To explain the history of the holiday, we look to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and their explainer below:
World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” – officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.”
Veterans Day continues to be observed on November 11, regardless of what day of the week on which it falls. The restoration of the observance of Veterans Day to November 11 not only preserves the historical significance of the date, but helps focus attention on the important purpose of Veterans Day: A celebration to honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.
According to Syracuse University’s D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF), over 350,000 Black active duty and select reserve members are currently serving in the military in addition to over 2.4 million Black veterans in the country. This is referenced in the study, “Missing Perspectives: Black & African Americans in the Military—From Service to Civilian Life.”
While Black veterans are joined in celebration, that same study wrote in their findings that 56% of respondents said they faced issues around racial/ethnic discrimination with 455 saying that their racial/ethnic identity made it difficult to get ahead at work. Adding to that, 59% said that their transition into life outside the military was difficult. It should be noted that the study highlights several positives as well.
As we salute those who joined the military at great risk and reward on Veterans Day, check out the gallery of posts below to see Black veterans shine in their element.
—
Photo: Getty
-
Pages