Defense Department Leak, Mourning Francis, SCOTUS Considers Opting Out
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What controversies surround Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth?
That's a great sound. President Trump praised his defense secretary even as an official talked of a search for a replacement.
Pete Hicks has shared details of a forthcoming attack in a second group chat. Also, why did an official in his office quit and why were others fired?
I'm Leila Faudel, that's Steve Inskeep, and this is Up First from NPR News. Some people were in tears at St. Peter's Square. They put into words their appreciation for the late Pope Francis.
His concern for others and the world and trying to set an example.
Also, some parents seek the right to pick what their kids are exposed to in school.
It's just very heartbreaking to me how many parents feel like they have to choose between educating their child and raising their children in their faith.
What are the details of the leaked Defense Department Signal chats?
A Supreme Court case tests the power to opt out of some lessons. Stay with us. We've got the news you need to start your day. We are waiting to see how, if at all, President Trump addresses the leadership of the Defense Department.
One U.S. official tells NPR that the search is underway to replace Defense Secretary Pete Hexeth. Publicly, the president is standing behind him after a tumultuous week. Hexeth's office fired some of his aides. Then came revelations that the secretary shared details of impending airstrikes in Yemen again. NPR confirmed the second chat on the messaging app Signal, which included Hegseth's wife, his brother, and his personal lawyer. The first chat was with top officials and a journalist who was inadvertently included.
NPR's Quill Lawrence is here to tell us more. Quill, good morning. Hey, good morning. So we'll note that you're reporting this story with our colleague Tom Bowman. What are you guys hearing? Yeah, a U.S.
official told us that the search has begun after this second round of headlines about Hegseth. I should add that the White House has said our anonymous source doesn't know what they're talking about. But at a Rose Garden event yesterday, the president stood firmly by Hegseth, at least publicly.
No, he's doing a great job. It's just fake news. They just bring up stories. I guess it sounds like disgruntled employees. You know, he was put there to get rid of a lot of bad people, and that's what he's doing.
How is the White House responding to the Defense Department leaks?
Quill, that phrase disgruntled employees. I think Hank Seth used a similar phrase in his public remarks about this and referred to people who were fired in his office. What's he talking about?
Yeah, there were four senior advisors to Hegseth who left in just the past week. Former Defense Department spokesman John Elliott resigned last week and then published a quite extraordinary opinion piece calling the past month at the Pentagon a, quote, full-blown meltdown and saying that this infighting is hurting President Trump. He served in Trump's first administration and appears to want to continue to serve, but Three other Pentagon advisors, Colin Carroll, Dan Caldwell, and Darren Selnick, were escorted out of the Pentagon and accused of leaking information to the press. They then put out, as a trio, the three of them put out a joint statement on X saying that their dismissal was unconscionable and that they haven't even been told what they stand accused of leaking. All three of them served in uniform. They say they understand the importance of information security. Caldwell and Selnick, notably, are longtime associates of of Hegseth.
They've worked with him over a decade back to when he was at Concerned Veterans for America, a policy group.
So I'm trying to figure out what all of this adds up to. The White House does appear to be backing Hegseth, but he's been revealed, NPR has confirmed, the original New York Times report, that there was a second chat group on Signal where he was sharing information about an impending attack.
What is the impact of the Defense Department leak on national security?
Yeah, I mean, with the first chat group, it was against Pentagon policy to use Signal for that. There were a lot of security issues with it, discussing details of an attack hours before the bombs hit in Yemen. But the people in that chat were the vice president, the secretary of state, people who would need to know.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What controversies surround Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth?
0:11–1:00
2
What are the details of the leaked Defense Department Signal chats?
1:00–2:27
3
How is the White House responding to the Defense Department leaks?
2:27–3:57
4
What is the impact of the Defense Department leak on national security?
3:57–7:19
5
How is the world mourning Pope Francis?
7:19–8:27
6
What legacy did Pope Francis leave for the Catholic Church?
8:27–10:07
7
What are the debates about Pope Francis's reforms and leadership?
10:07
8
What is the Supreme Court case regarding parents opting out of school lessons?
0:47–14:40
Speakers
11 identifiedMore from Up First from NPR
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