The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | April 7th, 2025: Revealed: How A Reporter Was Added To Yemen War Chat On Signal & Iran-Backed Militias Back Down

Episode Date: April 7, 2025

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:   New details emerge about how Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg ended up in a Signal group chat where Trump officials discussed military strikes in Yemen—tracing back to a simple contact mix-up and a campaign-era email.   Several powerful Iranian-backed militias in Iraq signal a willingness to disarm for the first time, in a potential effort to avoid direct confrontation with the Trump administration.   To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Birch Gold: Text PDB to 989898 and get your free info kit on gold TriTails Premium Beef: Visit https://TryBeef.com/PDB for 2 free Flat Iron steaks with your first box over $250 Jacked Up Fitness: Go to https://GetJackedUp.com and use code BAKER at checkout to save 10% off your entire purchase Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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It's Monday, the 7th of April. Welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. We'll start things off with new revelations about that war plans chat group on Signal. Remember that? It was a bizarre story that captured the headlines for a few days, and then, much like everything else that happens in Washington, D.C., it disappeared from view. We're now learning how the Atlantic editor, Jeff Goldberg ended up in the chat about U.S. strikes in Yemen. It all traces back to a contact mix up, an old campaign email, and one very unhelpful iPhone. Later in the show, several powerful Iranian-backed militia groups in Iraq are reportedly prepared to disarm for the first time

to avert the threat of an escalating conflict with the U.S. Trump administration. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. We're finally learning the details of exactly how Atlantic Magazine editor Jeffrey Goldberg wound up in a signal group chat where senior Trump administration officials were discussing upcoming military strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen. And the answer is, it was a contact list mix up on an iPhone. Of course it was. It's a very 2020's mistake. Speaking with the Guardian in the UK, three sources familiar with the White House's internal investigation, said the table was set for the incident way back in October during the presidential campaign. Goldberg had emailed the Trump campaign about a critical story that he was writing, one that questioned Trump's views on wounded

service members. In response, the campaign brought in Congressman Mike Walts, a national security surrogate, to push back. Now, here's where it gets, let's call it unusual. Goldberg's email, which included his signature block and phone number, you know how emails do sometimes, was forwarded to Waltz by Trump campaign spokesman Brian Hughes, who just copied and pasted the whole thing into a text. Okay, Waltz never called Goldberg, but somehow, likely due to his iPhone's contact suggestion algorithm, Goldberg's number was saved under Hugh's contact card. It's always the algorithm, isn't it? Fast forward to March, Waltz now Trump's national security advisor, goes to create a signal group chat called Hootie PC Small Group to coordinate with top officials about U.S. military action in Yemen.

And a crazy coincidence, I also have a chat group called Hootie PC Small Group. You think, what are the odds? So Walt's meant to add Hughes, but thanks to the contact card mix-up months earlier, well, he added Jeffrey Goldberg instead. And as they say, the rest is history. The editor of the Atlantic was suddenly looped in on high-level sensitive conversations about upcoming U.S. military strikes on an unclassified messaging app. According to reports, Trump was furious when the story broke, but not just because of the security

implications. What really ticked him off? Well, apparently it was that Goldberg, editor of a magazine that Trump openly loathes, was in Waltz's phone at all. Trump reportedly considered firing waltz, but ultimately decided against it, partly to avoid the optics of a media-driven firing just weeks into a second term, and partly because the White House's internal review showed that it really was just an accident, an embarrassing bureaucratic digital age blunder. That same review triggered a forensic audit by White House IT staff. They confirmed the iPhone had automatically merged Goldberg's number into the wrong contact,

a quote, contact suggestion update, gone wrong. For his part, Waltz told Fox News that Goldberg's number had been sucked into his phone, his words, noting he'd never communicated with Goldberg. But when the Guardian reached out, Goldberg said something slightly different, quote, I'm not going to comment on my relationship with Mike Waltz beyond saying I do know him and have spoken to him." Despite the fallout, Trump has stood by waltz. Just days ago, the president boarded Marine One with Waltz by his side, along with Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and personnel chief Sergio Gore, a clear show of support.

And while this whole situation raised alarms about security and oversight, officials say that the White House had approved the use of signal in the first place, simply because there wasn't a better real-time alternative for inter-age. agency communication. I mean, unless you count the secure phones that they're supposed to use, but other than that, no. Let this be a lesson for all of us, frankly. The next time you start a chat group to discuss bombing and Iranian proxy group, well, select your group members wisely. Coming up next, a potential significant development in Iraq. Several powerful Iranian-backed militias say that they're ready to disarm, marking a potential turning point as they look to avoid a direct clasp.

with the Trump administration. I'll have those details when we come back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Well, take a look around of the economy. What do you see? I'll tell you what we see. We see some tariff wars. We certainly have those. We see ongoing recession fears, and we see some stubborn, sticky inflation. So it's no wonder that gold has been routinely hitting all-time highs. And look, in volatile markets, well, like the one that we have right now, don't just sit on the sidelines with your head in the sand and hoping that things will get better. Take control and safeguard your savings. It's why so many Americans today are turning to Birch Gold Group.

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air strikes under the Trump administration. The move follows months of stern warnings from the White House, which has quietly pressured Baghdad to bring the Iran-aligned militias to heal or face the consequences. Since President Trump's return to office, U.S. officials have repeatedly made clear that the era of tolerance for Iranian proxy attacks is over. According to six commanders, representing four major militias, including Khatayim Hezbollah, the most formidable of Iraq's Shiite factions, negotiations with Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohamed Shia al-Sudani are, quote, very advanced, as reported by Reuters. There's a growing consensus among militia leaders that, in continued defiance,

risks drawing overwhelming U.S. military retaliation. These militias fall under the umbrella of the Islamic resistance in Iraq, an Iranian-sponsored network overseen by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC. Since the eruption of the war in Gaza, these factions have launched dozens of drone and missile attacks on American and Israeli targets, purportedly in solidarity with Hamas. Two senior Iraqi security officials told Reuters that militias, command an estimated 50,000 fighters and stockpaw weapons that include long-range rockets and anti-air systems. Akataib Hassabala commander admitted, quote,

We know Trump is ready to take the war to worse levels. We want to avoid such a bad scenario, end quote. While formal disarmament agreements remain on the table, proposals under discussion include transitioning the militias into political entities or integrating them into Iraq's national armed forces. It's a strategy that mirrors past efforts at neutralizing paramilitary threats. Prime Minister Sudani is seeking to consolidate control as made it clear that all arms must fall under state authority. His foreign affairs advisor told Reuters the government is pursuing,

quote, constructive dialogue with various national actors to achieve that end. Some factions have already begun repositioning, quietly withdrawing from urban flashpoints, moving command centers and ramping up personnel security protocols. Several commanders now reportedly rotate phones, cars, and safe houses on a near-daily basis to avoid being targeted by American air power. Perhaps most notably, the IRGC appears to have loosened its grip. For the first time in recent memory, Tehran is allowing its Iraqi proxies to act with a degree of autonomy, prioritizing survival over ideological consistency as regional setbacks mount. This shift comes at a volatile moment for Iran's so-called axis of resistance,

which, of course, has suffered heavy setbacks across the region. Hamas and Hezbollah have absorbed Israeli bombardments and significant losses to their leaderships. The Houthis are undergoing ongoing U.S. air assaults, and December's fall of Syrian President Assad, a cornerstone of Iran's regional strategy, has further undercut the Iranian regime's influence. Secretary of Defense beat Hegzeth reinforced Washington's red lines in a call on 16 March with Sudani shortly after U.S. strikes on Houthi positions in Yemen. Hegzeth warned that any future militia reprisals on U.S. personnel or Israeli assets

would trigger a decisive American response. For Iraq, a nation long-caught between Washington and Tehran, the latest developments suggest that its balancing act may be tilting under renewed American pressure and the militia's instinct for survival. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin from Monday, the 7th of April. Now, if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. Of course, to listen to the show ad-free, it's very easy. Just become a premium member of the president's daily brief by visiting pdb premium.com.

I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool. Hey, Mike Baker here. Well, have you heard about the Maha movement? I'm talking about the Make America Healthy Again movement. It's all about inspiring people to make fitness a priority. That's why I'm excited to be working with Don Mastrangelo and the team of jacked up fitness. Look, their commercial grade power rack pro has everything you need for a full body workout at home. Seriously, look, this is an amazing setup. The cable crossover system with integrated 200-pound weight stacked and the Smith machine, they allow you to do hundreds of exercises, basically everything that you can do at the gym.

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