Trump says who he ‘always thought’ was responsible for national security chat scandal

President Donald Trump appeared to place the blame for the Signal chat scandal on national security advisor Mike Waltz. The president was asked who was responsible for the scandal while signing an executive order on Wednesday evening.

“It was Mike, I guess. I don’t know, I always thought it was Mike,” Trump told reporters before calling the media’s reaction to the scandal a “witch hunt.” 

This marks a significant change of tune for the president, who blamed someone else for the scandal when speaking to NBC. During the Tuesday phone interview, Trump told NBC that he believed that “it was one of Michael’s people on the phone. A staffer had his number in there.”

RUBIO BREAKS SILENCE ON LEAKED SIGNAL CHAT: ‘SOMEONE MADE A BIG MISTAKE’

A reporter then asked if Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth should be worried about his position amid the scandal, and Trump rushed to his Cabinet member’s defense. 

“Hegseth, he was doing a great job… How do you bring Hegseth into it? He had nothing to do with this,” Trump said in response. He also told reporters that he believes Signal, an encrypted messaging app, “could be defective” in light of the scandal.

While speaking to reporters, Trump dismissed the significance of the scandal and instead touted the “unbelievably successful” attack, saying that the media should be focusing on the outcome rather than the chat group.

ATLANTIC REPORTER PUBLISHES MORE TEXTS ABOUT ATTACK ON HOUTHI TARGETS

The Atlantic’s Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg sent the Trump White House reeling after he broke the bombshell story on Monday. Goldberg was inadvertently included in a Signal chat group with senior Trump administration officials who were discussing a planned attack on the Houthis in Yemen.

Goldberg said he “had very strong doubts” about the chat’s authenticity. However, once he verified that the actions discussed in the group were occurring, he knew it was real. 

The Atlantic editor-in-chief said he had “never seen a breach quite like this.” While Goldberg acknowledged that it’s not uncommon for U.S. officials to use Signal, he said it was primarily used as a logistics tool and not a place to discuss “imminent war plans.”

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The Trump administration has worked to downplay the report for days, and even claimed victory when The Atlantic published a follow-up describing what was discussed as “attack plans,” rather than “war plans.” 

“This entire story was another hoax written by a Trump-hater who is well-known for his sensationalist spin,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote in a post on X.

Leavitt confirmed to reporters on Wednesday that Elon Musk was helping lead an investigation of the Signal chat leak. However, it is unclear what will happen to those found responsible, as Trump has already said that he would not fire Waltz over the scandal.

Bondi and Patel witness early-morning arrest of violent gang leader

U.S. authorities have captured the MS-13 top leader for the U.S. East Coast, the FBI announced on Thursday.

Officials captured the 24-year-old suspect in Woodbridge, Virginia, just south of Washington, D.C. Authorities have yet to release the suspect’s name, but they say he is one of the top three leaders of the MS-13 gang in the U.S.

Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel watched the arrest unfold from a nearby tactical operations center. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and senior DOJ official Emil Bove were also present.

“They executed a clean, safe operation and the bad guys in custody. And thanks to the FBI, we got one of the worst of the worst of the MS-13 off the streets this morning. Virginia and the country is a lot safer today,” Bondi told Fox News following the arrest.

JUDGE FIGHTING TRUMP OVER EL SALVADOR DEPORTATIONS ASSIGNED TO LAWSUIT OVER SIGNAL CHAT LEAK

The operation included the FBI joined by the Prince William County Police Department, ATF, ICE, and the Virginia State Police.

“Great job by Pam Bondi, Kash Patel, Tom HOMAN, and Kristi N, on the capture of MS13 leader – A big deal!” President Donald Trump wrote on social media.

NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR MIKE WALTZ TAKES RESPONSIBILITY FOR ‘EMBARRASSING’ SIGNAL CHAT LEAK

Patel also praised law enforcement officers for conducting a safe operation.

“This is what can happen when you put good cops in good places to take on bad guys. And America should be watching this. And we are proud to be here standing with these brave warriors,” Patel said.

Thursday’s operation is only the latest targeting top-level members of gangs and drug-trafficking rings operating in the U.S.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION INVOKES STATE SECRETS ACT ON HIGH-PROFILE DEPORTATION CASE

The FBI has arrested three individuals on its top 10 most wanted list in the past two months alone.

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Trump’s administration has deported several top members of MS-13 to El Salvador for incarceration.

Reporters say how they found private contact information of top Trump officials

Reporters are claiming to have found private contact information online for top Trump administration officials at the center of a Signal text chain leak disclosing U.S. plans to attack Yemen’s Houthi rebels. 

Germany’s Der Spiegel said national security advisor Mike Waltz, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth are among those affected.  

The outlet reported that phone numbers, email addresses and even some passwords belonging to the officials were found on the internet by its staff after they “used commercial people search engines along with hacked customer data that has been published on the web.” 

“Most of these numbers and email addresses are apparently still in use, with some of them linked to profiles on social media platforms like Instagram and LinkedIn. They were used to create Dropbox accounts and profiles in apps that track running data,” Der Spiegel reported. “There are also WhatsApp profiles for the respective phone numbers and even Signal accounts in some cases.” 

TRUMP SAYS HE ‘ALWAYS THOUGHT’ WALTZ WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR SIGNAL CHAT SCANDAL 

The outlet, citing publicly available information, claimed an email address linked to Hegseth was in use just a few days ago. 

It said WhatsApp and Signal accounts purportedly belonging to Waltz appear to have been deactivated after it reached out to both accounts for comment. 

ATLANTIC REPORTER PUBLISHES MORE TEXTS ABOUT ATTACK ON HOUTHI TARGETS 

Der Spiegel reported that its staff also found private Google accounts linked to Gabbard in use as recently as two weeks ago.

A spokesperson for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence told Fox News Digital Thursday that “this occurred almost 10 years ago, and the platforms mentioned haven’t been used in years and the passwords have changed multiple times.”

White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly also told Fox News Digital “Passwords and accounts associated with the reported leaks are nearly a decade old, and passwords have long been changed.”

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The Department of Defense did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on Thursday.

GOP rep takes aim at taxpayer funding of NPR, PBS after disastrous hearing on bias

EXCLUSIVE: After a hard-hitting hearing by the House DOGE Subcommittee, Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, is introducing a bill Thursday to pull all government funding from “chronically biased” outlets NPR and PBS, which he says have been “pushing Democrat talking points under the fake banner of ‘public media.’”

Jackson’s bill – titled the “No Partisan Radio and Partisan Broadcasting Services Act” or simply the “NPR and PBS Act” – would fully cut off any direct and indirect government funding for both outlets, forcing them to compete instead of being propped up by the government.

This comes amid Elon Musk’s sweeping cuts to wasteful government programs through the Department of Government Efficiency.

The move also follows a high-intensity House DOGE Subcommittee hearing in which NPR’s Katherine Maher and PBS’ Paula Kerger attempted to explain why their outlets still deserve public funding.

DEMOCRATS INVOKE CHILDREN’S SHOWS IN BIZARRE DEFENSE OF PBS, NPR: ‘FIRE ELON, SAVE ELMO’

During the hearing, Maher conceded that NPR botched coverage of Hunter Biden’s infamous laptop, saying, “We made a mistake.” At the time, NPR representatives publicly called the story unserious and a distraction. During the hearing, Maher said, “We were mistaken in failing to cover the Hunter Biden laptop story more aggressively and sooner.”

She also expressed regret about remarks she made about President Donald Trump, calling him “a fascist and a deranged racist sociopath.”  

Meanwhile, Kerger’s PBS was slammed for producing such programs as “Real Boy,” which follows a transgender character exploring sexuality.

DOGE Subcommittee Chair Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., bashed PBS as “one of the founders of the trans child abuse industry.” 

REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE SCOLDS NPR CEO OVER PERSONAL VIEWS DURING FIERY DOGE SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING

Following the NPR and PBS leaders’ testimonies, Greene called the outlets “out of touch with everyday Americans,” saying: “I think from what we have heard here today, the American people will not continue to allow such propaganda to be funded through the federal government with their hard-earned tax dollars.”

Jackson told Fox News Digital that though NPR and PBS were originally founded to produce non-biased, informational and educational content, the outlets have since “turned into taxpayer-funded propaganda machines for the radical left, pushing Democratic talking points under the fake banner of ‘public media.’”

A statement by Jackson’s office further said the two outlets’ “chronically biased” programming has made them simply a “messaging arm for woke, radical Democrats.”

“Hardworking Americans are sick of footing the bill,” said Jackson. “It’s time to cut them off and stop forcing taxpayers to pay for their liberal lies!”

EXCLUSIVE: HOUSE GOP FIREBRAND DRIVES DOGE COMMITTEE INVESTIGATION OF GOVERNMENT MEDIA AGENCY CORRUPTION

Trump has expressed he is open to defunding NPR and other “biased” publicly funded outlets, meaning he would be likely to sign a bill doing so if passed by Congress.

“They spend more money than any other network of its type ever conceived, so the kind of money that’s being wasted, and it’s a very biased view, you know that better than anybody,” said Trump. “And I’d be honored to see it end.”  

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Musk has also called to defund NPR. In February, he posted a 2022 video of Maher in which she said, “Our reverence for the truth might have become a bit of a distraction that is preventing us from finding consensus and getting things done.”

Commenting on Maher’s speech, Musk said NPR “should survive on its own.”  

Judge responds to Pentagon chief over trans ban after telling her to report for duty

A federal judge denied President Donald Trump’s administration’s efforts to ban transgender people from joining the military, which was set to go into effect Friday.

The Department of Justice has since filed a notice of appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeal for the District of Columbia.

Washington, D.C.-based U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, a Biden appointee, on Wednesday, denied the government’s motion to dissolve her order that prevents the military from denying transgender people the ability to enlist in the military.

Reyes presided over a hearing on March 21, when she requested the Department of Defense (DOD) delay its original March 26 deadline to enact the policy.

TRANSGENDER MILITARY BAN SET TO TAKE EFFECT DURING ONGOING COURT BATTLE

On March 21, the defendants in the suit, who include Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, filed a motion to dissolve the injunction blocking the Pentagon’s ban. The filing argued that the policy is not an overarching ban but instead “turns on gender dysphoria – a medical condition – and does not discriminate against trans-identifying persons as a class.”

The Trump administration further requested that, if the motion to dissolve is denied, the court should stay the preliminary injunction pending appeal.

The government cited new guidance issued March 21 that it expected to enact the policy if not for the ongoing litigation. The guidance clarified that “the phrase ‘exhibit symptoms consistent with gender dysphoria’” solely applies to “‘individuals who exhibit such symptoms as would be sufficient to constitute a diagnosis.'”

Reyes said she wanted to allow more time for the appeals process. She also said she had previously allowed plenty of time to appeal her earlier opinion blocking the ban from going into effect.

On Saturday, Hegseth said Reyes should report to military bases since she is “now a top military planner.” 

“Since ‘Judge’ Reyes is now a top military planner, she/they can report to Fort Benning at 0600 to instruct our Army Rangers on how to execute High Value Target Raids…after that, Commander Reyes can dispatch to Fort Bragg to train our Green Berets on counterinsurgency warfare,” Hegseth wrote on X. 

HEGSETH SUGGESTS JUDGE REPORT TO MILITARY BASES AFTER RULING THAT PENTAGON MUST ALLOW TRANSGENDER TROOPS

On Wednesday, Reyes acknowledged that Military Department Identification Guidance (MIDI Guidance) is new, but the argument presented by the defense is not.

“Defendants re-emphasize their ‘consistent position that the [Hegseth] Policy is concerned with the military readiness, deployability, and costs associated with a medical condition,’” the judge wrote. “Regulating gender dysphoria is no different than regulating bipolar disorder, eating disorders, or suicidality. The Military Ban regulates a medical condition, they insist, not people. And therein lies the problem.

TRUMP ADMIN ASKS FEDERAL JUDGE TO DISSOLVE INJUNCTION BARRING TRANSGENDER MILITARY BAN

“Gender dysphoria is not like other medical conditions, something Defendants well know,” Reyes continued. “It affects only one group of people: all persons with gender dysphoria are transgender and only transgender persons experience gender dysphoria.”

She later noted that the opinion has generated a heated public debate, and, as the court predicted, the Trump administration will appeal.

“This is all to the good,” Reyes said. “But let’s recall that our service members make the debate and appeals possible. Their sacrifices breathe life into the phrase, ‘one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.’ The Court, again, thanks them all.”

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The legal challenge comes as the Supreme Court also considers a high-profile case dealing with transgender rights. 

The issue in the case, United States vs. Skrmetti, is whether the equal protection clause, which requires the government to treat similarly situated people the same, prohibits states from allowing medical providers to deliver puberty blockers and hormones to assist with a minor’s transition to another sex.

Contestant on popular game show slammed for ’embarrassing’ fail

Nikol, a recent contestant on “Wheel of Fortune,” made such an “embarrassing” mistake on the game show that she surprised herself.

On Tuesday night’s episode, Nikol was competing in the Song Lyrics category and the phrase was 12 words. She and her fellow contestants had gotten the puzzle nearly solved, with only one letter missing.

“See the line where the s-y meets the sea, it calls me” were the lyrics that Nikol was working with.

‘WHEEL OF FORTUNE’ CONTESTANT PUTS RYAN SEACREST IN A HEADLOCK

“Wheel of Fortune” host Ryan Seacrest reminded Nikol that the phrase did not contain any more vowels. 

She quickly filled in the missing letter with an “O,” creating the word, “Soy.” 

“No, that’s not it,” Seacrest said, while someone in the audience could be heard exclaiming “Oh!”

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Nikol immediately gasped and brought her hands to her head. “Oh my God!” she blurted out.

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The correct lyrics of the song “How Far I’ll Go” from the movie “Moana” are, “See the line where the sky meets the sea, it calls me.”

A clip of Nikol’s moment was shared on the official “Wheel of Fortune” Instagram page. Fans quickly weighed in on Nikol’s “embarrassing” slip-up.

“How embarrassing!” one user commented. “That one hurt,” another added.

“How she get on that show!!??” one person asked.

“Omgeeee!!!! Painful to watch!!!!!” another comment read.

“I thought this was an SNL skit until I saw Ryan,” another added.

Fans also came to Nikol’s defense and admitted they would be nervous, too.

“She was adorable, but I think nerves got to her for this puzzle,” one user wrote. 

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Another added, “Well it was cute. I’d probably forget my own name on WOF.”

Seacrest has been hosting “Wheel of Fortune” since Pat Sajak’s retirement in 2024. Vanna White has served as a co-host since 1982. Her contract has been extended through the 2025-26 season.

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Son of ‘Snow White’ producer rips Rachel Zegler for sinking remake of iconic film

The son of one of the producers of Disney’s “Snow White” remake is calling out its star for allegedly hurting the movie with her social media posts.

Jonah Platt defended his father, Hollywood producer Marc Platt, and slammed Zegler in a now-deleted Instagram comment that he made in response to a social media user who accused his dad of harassing Zegler over her outspoken political views. 

“Yeah, my dad, the producer of [an] enormous piece of Disney IP with hundreds of millions of dollars on the line, had to leave his family to fly across the country to reprimand his 20-year-old employee for dragging her personal politics into the middle of promoting the movie for which she signed a multi-million dollar contract to get paid and do publicity for.”

CRITICS SLAM ‘SNOW WHITE’ AS FILM ON TRACK TO BE LOWEST DISNEY LIVE-ACTION REMAKE IN HISTORY

The exchange happened in the wake of a Variety report that the elder Platt flew to see Zegler in New York City last August to speak to her about the studio’s concerns about her writing “free Palestine” in a post promoting the trailer for her film.

The younger Platt apparently lost patience after seeing an Instagram user this week say that his father’s trip to speak to Zegler was “creepy as hell.”

“You really want to do this?” Platt asked before defending his father’s reasons for the trip. He then ripped the star, saying she “hijacked” the press surrounding it to promote her own viewpoints, which he said hurt its box office performance.

“This is called adult responsibility and accountability. And her actions clearly hurt the film’s box office. Free speech does not mean you’re allowed to say whatever you want in your private employment without repercussions.”

Platt continued, “Tens of thousands of people worked on that film, and she hijacked the conversation for her own immature desires at the risk of all the colleagues and crew and blue-collar workers who depend on that movie to be successful.”

‘SNOW WHITE’ REBOOT STAR, WHO KNOCKED 1937 FILM, IS ‘THANKFUL’ FOR CRITICS: ‘MAKES ME FEEL LIKE TEFLON’

Disney’s film opened the weekend of March 21 to disappointing box office returns. Though some estimates from February predicted the film to make upwards of $85 million domestically in its opening weekend, “Snow White” opened in the U.S. and Canada to only $43 million in ticket sales. 

By way of comparison to other recent live-action Disney adaptations, “The Lion King” in 2019 made $191 million in its opening weekend domestically, and “Beauty and the Beast” in 2017 earned $174 million in its first weekend in the theaters, Forbes reported. 

Snow White has been a bomb as far as critics are concerned. It currently has a 42% score on Rotten Tomatoes, meaning the majority of reviews have been negative. 

FIVE CONTROVERSIES THAT ROCKED DISNEY’S ‘SNOW WHITE’ REMAKE BEFORE ITS RELEASE

In addition to Zegler’s pro-Palestinian comments, the actress condemned President Donald Trump’s supporters following his 2024 election win, saying, “May Trump supporters and Trump voters and Trump himself never know peace.” She later apologized for the remarks. 

Zegler also attacked parts of the original 1937 “Snow White” film in comments to the press. During Disney’s D23 expo in 2022, the actress told the media, “I mean, you know, the original cartoon came out in 1937 and very evidently so. There’s a big focus on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her. Weird! Weird. So we didn’t do that this time.”

Jonah Platt declined to comment on the story, while Disney has yet to reply to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News Digital also reached out to Zegler’s representatives for comment, but has not heard back. 

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Dem Rep Crockett refuses to apologize for ‘Hot Wheels’ remark about GOP governor

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, refused to apologize for referring to Gov. Greg Abbott, who uses a wheelchair, as “Governor Hot Wheels” on Wednesday.

Crockett refused to apologize multiple times in an interview with FOX Business before growing frustrated and ending the conversation. The lawmaker put out a statement regarding her comment earlier this week, but it did not include an apology.

“I do have a statement. Why would I apologize when I put out a statement? My statement was clear,” Crockett said when confronted on the matter.

“But you didn’t apologize for calling him ‘Governor Hot Wheels’ when he gets around in a wheelchair, you don’t understand how that’s offensive to people?” FOX Business reporter Hillary Vaughn pressed.

PAM BONDI ON JASMINE CROCKETT’S COMMENTS: WORDS HAVE CONSEQUENCES | FOX NEWS VIDEO

“I don’t understand how many times you need me to repeat this to you,” Crockett responded.

“Right. But why won’t you apologize?” Vaughn said.

“I put out a statement,” Crockett repeated.

JASMINE CROCKETT DESCRIBES DEMOCRATIC DONOR TALK ON SCHUMER ‘REMINISCENT’ OF BIDEN BEING TAKEN DOWN

“That didn’t have an apology in it,” Vaughn countered. “You don’t feel bad about making fun of someone who is in a wheelchair?”

“Okay, well. I’m done here,” Crockett said as she began to walk away. “I’m done. I’m done with this.”

Speaking at a benefit for the Human Rights Campaign in Los Angeles, Crockett mocked Abbott, whose legs were paralyzed in a running accident in 1984.

“We in these hot a– Texas streets, honey. Y’all know we got Governor Hot Wheels down there, come on now! And the only thing hot about him is that he is a hot a– mess, honey!” she said, laughing.

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Crockett issued a statement on social media regarding her comments, arguing that she had not been referring to Abbott’s paralysis.

“I wasn’t thinking about the governor’s condition—I was thinking about the planes, trains, and automobiles he used to transfer migrants into communities led by Black mayors, deliberately stoking tension and fear among the most vulnerable. Literally, the next line I said was that he was a ‘Hot A** Mess,’ referencing his terrible policies. At no point did I mention or allude to his condition,” she wrote.