Signalgate, Part 2

Your unbiased daily news brief

Author

James Kratch
April 21, 2025

Good Monday morning! Mount Everest's top Sherpa will attempt to break his own record and reach the summit for the 31st time. And he may turn around and try for No. 32 soon after. Have a great start to your week!

In Today’s Brief

  • Supreme Court: Deportations ruling

  • Tunisia: Opposition sentences

  • Oakland: New mayor

  • DHL: Tariff response

  • Team USA: Hockey gold

... and more

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The Top Tip

Sensitive situation

Pete Hegseth has some explaining to do.

  • What happened: The Defense Secretary shared information about last month's airstrikes against Yemen's Houthi rebels in a second Signal chat, according to The New York Times. The report comes weeks after a scandal involving a reporter's accidental inclusion in a chat with several top Trump Administration officials regarding the operation.

  • More details: Hegseth, who was on the initial Signal chat in question, reportedly shared similar sensitive military information in a chat that included his wife, brother and personal attorney. The men are employed by the Pentagon, but would not have reason to be read into attack plans, according to the report.

  • Big picture: President Donald Trump largely dismissed Signalgate and decided to keep National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, who caught the brunt of public blame for the episode. But this could be the beginning of the end for Hegseth. The former Fox News personality's management of the Pentagon has come under fire amid a series of stumbles.

Quick Tips

U.S. News

  • The Supreme Court blocked a second wave of deportations under the Alien Enemies Act. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented; the Trump Administration claims it can use the wartime power to remove alleged Venezuelan gang members (More | More)

  • At least 27 states have reported measles cases so far this year. The current rate of cases nationally suggests the country could see the biggest single-year outbreak since 1992; many cases are tied to international travel and unvaccinated people (More)

  • Florida State University backed off a mandatory return to classes after last week's mass shooting on campus. Two people were killed and six injured last Thursday; the school said remote learning options will be provided (More)

  • New York City's congestion tolling remains in place, defying a Trump Administration. Federal approval for the system was revoked in February with a deadline of yesterday to comply (More)

World News

  • A Tunisian court handed down prison sentences of 13-66 years in a mass trial against opponents of the ruling regime. Critics say the charges are fabricated; Kais Saied, the nation's strongman president, has cracked down on dissent (More)

  • President Trump said he hoped Ukraine and Russia would reach a ceasefire deal this week, days after Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. could give up on peace talks. The Ukrainians said the Kremlin violated its own Easter truce over 2K times (More | More | More)

  • Vice President J.D. Vance met with Pope Francis. The vice president had a brief audience with the pontiff in the Vatican City yesterday on Easter after Francis previously rebuked Vance's immigration rhetoric (More)

  • Israel sacked a military leader and admitted "errors" in a March incident where 15 Gaza aid workers died. The probe found troops broke protocol but did not violate ethics codes when they opened fire on ambulances, a fire truck and a United Nations vehicle (More)

Political News

  • Former California Rep. Barbara Lee was elected mayor of Oakland. The Democrat represented the city in the House for over two decades; ex-Mayor Sheng Thao was recalled last fall and was indicted on federal corruption charges earlier this year (More)

  • Vice President Kamala Harris has a commanding lead in a new 2026 California gubernatorial poll. She is expected to decide whether to enter the race this summer (More)

  • Former U.S. Attorney Alexander Uballez will run for mayor of Albuquerque, New Mexico. He will mount a primary challenge against incumbent fellow Democrat Tim Keller, who is seeking a third term (More)

Business & Markets

  • Major indexes closed mixed on Friday. The Dow Jones dropped over 500 points during its third straight losing session (Dow -1.33%, Nasdaq -0.13%, S&P 500 +0.13%).

  • DHL Express suspended U.S. consumer deliveries worth over $800. The shipping giant attributed the decision to burdensome customs requirements triggered by President Trump's tariffs policies; business-to-business deliveries will continue (More)

  • President Trump continued his public criticism of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, calling for interest rate cuts. The White House is examining whether it has the power to fire him; Powell has said a termination is against the law (More)

Entertainment & Sports

  • The U.S. women's ice hockey team won the World Championships gold medal. Tessa Janecke scored an overtime goal to edge Canada, 4-3, in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic; it is Team USA's 11th world title in (More)

    John Cena defeated Cody Rhodes in the main event of WrestleMania 41, becoming a 17-time WWE champion. The scripted victory surpasses Ric Flair's record for most world titles in professional wrestling (More)

    Disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein can stay in a New York hospital during his sex crimes retrial. A judge ordered him moved from Rikers Island to get "necessary" treatment; Weinstein was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer last year (More)