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A group chat of top US officials – which a journalist was accidentally added to – discussed plans to conduct airstrikes on Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis and fiery critique of “pathetic” Europe.

Editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, was added to the “Houthi PC small group” on Signal on Thursday 13 March.

He wrote about what was said in the days that followed in his article The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans.

Here’s what we know was said on encrypted messaging service Signal – in a group that included US vice president JD Vance, defence secretary Pete Hegseth, national security adviser Mike Waltz and director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.

Thursday 13 March

This day was seemingly aimed at establishing who would make up the small group.

A message to the group, from Michael Waltz read: “Team – establishing a principles [sic] group for coordination on Houthis, particularly for over the next 72 hours. My deputy Alex Wong is pulling together a tiger team at deputies/agency Chief of Staff level following up from the meeting in the Sit Room this morning for action items and will be sending that out later this evening.”

The message continued: “Pls provide the best staff POC from your team for us to coordinate with over the next couple days and over the weekend. Thx.”

One minute later, the secretary of state Marco Antonio Rubio wrote: “Mike Needham for State,” apparently designating the current counsellor of the state department as his representative.

JD Vance wrote: “Andy baker for VP.” One minute after that, Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, wrote: “Joe Kent for DNI.”

Nine minutes later, treasury secretary Scott Bessent wrote: “Dan Katz for Treasury.”

At 4.53pm Pete Hegseth wrote: “Dan Caldwell for DoD.”

And at 6.34pm, a user called “Brian” wrote “Brian McCormack for NSC.” Someone called “John Ratcliffe” then wrote with the name of a CIA official to be included in the group.

Who’s who in the chat?

Eighteen people were part of the chat – here is who appears to have been added and how they were identified in the chat:

JD Vance – US deputy president

Michael Waltz – national security adviser

Marco Antonio Rubio – the secretary of state, identified as MAR

Tulsi Gabbard – the director of national intelligence, identified as TG

Scott Bessent – treasury secretary, identified as Scott B

Pete Hegseth – US defence secretary

Susie Wiles – White House chief of staff

Stephen Miller – deputy White House chief of staff, called S M in the chat (identified only by his initials, which the report says Mr Goldberg “took to stand for Stephen Miller”)

Steve Witkoff – US Middle East and Ukraine negotiator

Jeffrey Goldberg – editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine, identified as JG

Other members included various National Security Council officials and a CIA official who was not named in the report because they are an active intelligence officer.

Friday 14 March

At 8.05am, Mr Waltz texted the group: “Team, you should have a statement of conclusions with taskings per the Presidents [sic] guidance this morning in your high side inboxes,” with “high side” referring to classified computer systems.

“State and DOD [Department of Defence], we developed suggested notification lists for regional Allies and partners. Joint Staff is sending this am [morning] a more specific sequence of events in the coming days and we will work w DOD to ensure COS [chief of staff], OVP [office of the vice president] and POTUS [president of the United States] are briefed.”

Mr Goldberg says at this point, a “fascinating” policy discussion commenced, during which JD Vance wrote: “Team, I am out for the day doing an economic event in Michigan. But I think we are making a mistake.

“3 percent of US trade runs through the suez. 40 percent of European trade does. There is a real risk that the public doesn’t understand this or why it’s necessary. The strongest reason to do this is, as POTUS said, to send a message.

“I am not sure the president is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe right now. There’s a further risk that we see a moderate to severe spike in oil prices. I am willing to support the consensus of the team and keep these concerns to myself. But there is a strong argument for delaying this a month, doing the messaging work on why this matters, seeing where the economy is, etc.”

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At 8.27am, a message arrived from the Pete Hegseth reading: “VP: I understand your concerns – and fully support you raising w/ POTUS. Important considerations, most of which are tough to know how they play out (economy, Ukraine peace, Gaza, etc). I think messaging is going to be tough no matter what – nobody knows who the Houthis are – which is why we would need to stay focused on: 1) Biden failed & 2) Iran funded.

“Waiting a few weeks or a month does not fundamentally change the calculus. 2 immediate risks on waiting: 1) this leaks, and we look indecisive; 2) Israel takes an action first – or Gaza cease fire falls apart – and we don’t get to start this on our own terms. We can manage both.

“We are prepared to execute, and if I had final go or no go vote, I believe we should. This [is] not about the Houthis. I see it as two things: 1) Restoring Freedom of Navigation, a core national interest; and 2) Reestablish deterrence, which Biden cratered. But, we can easily pause. And if we do, I will do all we can to enforce 100% OPSEC – operations security.

“I welcome other thoughts.”

Later in the conversation, Mr Waltz criticised the limited capabilities of European navies, writing: “Whether it’s now or several weeks from now, it will have to be the United States that reopens these shipping lanes. Per the president’s request we are working with DOD and State to determine how to compile the cost associated and levy them on the Europeans.”

Mr Vance addressed Mr Hegseth in a message reading: “If you think we should do it let’s go. I just hate bailing Europe out again.”

Mr Hegseth replied: “VP: I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. It’s PATHETIC. But Mike is correct, we are the only ones on the planet (on our side of the ledger) who can do this. Nobody else even close. Question is timing. I feel like now is as good a time as any, given POTUS directive to reopen shipping lanes. I think we should go; but POTUS still retains 24 hours of decision space.”

An account believed to be the deputy White House chief of staff, Stephen Miller, then said: “As I heard it, the president was clear: green light, but we soon make clear to Egypt and Europe what we expect in return. We also need to figure out how to enforce such a requirement. EG, if Europe doesn’t remunerate, then what? If the US successfully restores freedom of navigation at great cost there needs to be some further economic gain extracted in return.”

This was followed by the last text of the day, from Mr Hegseth, who wrote at 9.46am: “Agree.”

Saturday 15 March

At 11.44am, Mr Hegseth posted in Signal a “TEAM UPDATE” – but The Atlantic has not published what was said.

Mr Goldberg wrote in his article: “I will not quote from this update, or from certain other subsequent texts. The information contained in them, if they had been read by an adversary of the United States, could conceivably have been used to harm American military and intelligence personnel, particularly in the broader Middle East, Central Command’s area of responsibility.”

He did say Mr Hegseth had sent lengthy text about how the first detonations in Yemen would be felt two hours from then, at 1.45pm Eastern Time. He said he waited in his car in a supermarket parking lot, waiting to see if Houthi targets would be bombed.

He said he went on X and searched Yemen at about 1.55pm, when he saw reports of explosions being heard across Sanaa, its capital city.

He said the only person to respond to Mr Hegseth in the morning was Mr Vance, who wrote: “I will say a prayer for victory”, along with two prayer emojis.

Pic: The Atlantic
Image:
Pic: The Atlantic

At 1.48am, Mr Waltz provided an update in the group which Mr Goldberg did not quote in full, but he did say the national security adviser described the operation as an “amazing job”.

John Ratcliffe then wrote: “A good start.”

Mr Goldberg said Mr Waltz responded with three emojis: a fist, an American flag and fire.

Others soon joined in, including Mr Rubio, who wrote, “Good Job Pete and your team!!,” and Susie Wiles, who texted: “Kudos to all – most particularly those in theater and CENTCOM! Really great. God bless.”

Mr Witkoff responded with five emojis: two hands-praying, a flexed bicep, and two American flags.

Tulsi Gabbard responded: “Great work and effects!”

Mr Goldberg said the after-action discussion included assessments of damage done, including the likely death of a specific individual – he did not say who.

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Politicians send messages of support to Joe Biden after cancer diagnosis

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Politicians send messages of support to Joe Biden after cancer diagnosis

Politicians have sent messages of support to Joe Biden, who has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

The 82-year-old, who is the oldest person to ever serve as US president, was described as a “fighter” with people wishing him a “fast and full recovery”.

US President Donald Trump said he was “saddened” by the news, adding: “We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery.”

Former US president Barack Obama said: “Michelle and I are thinking of the entire Biden family.

“Nobody has done more to find breakthrough treatments for cancer in all its forms than Joe, and I am certain he will fight this challenge with his trademark resolve and grace. We pray for a fast and full recovery.”

Read more: Biden diagnosed with ‘aggressive’ form of prostate cancer

U.S. President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama attend a campaign event for Democratic U.S. senatorial candidate John Fetterman and Democratic nominee for Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. November 5, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
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Barack Obama (right) with Joe Biden at a campaign event in 2022. File pic: Reuters

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he was “very sorry to hear President Biden has prostate cancer”.

“All the very best to Joe, his wife Jill and their family, and wishing the President swift and successful treatment,” he added.

After a poor debate performance against Mr Trump and amid escalating concerns for his health, Mr Biden withdrew from the 2024 election and endorsed his vice president Kamala Harris.

Ms Harris wrote on X: “We are keeping him, Dr. Biden, and their entire family in our hearts and prayers during this time.

“Joe is a fighter – and I know he will face this challenge with the same strength, resilience, and optimism that have always defined his life and leadership. We are hopeful for a full and speedy recovery.”

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Mr Biden’s diagnosis: What we know

Former US president Bill Clinton wrote on social media: “My friend Joe Biden’s always been a fighter. Hillary and I are rooting for him and are keeping him, Jill, and the entire family in our thoughts.”

Hillary Clinton, who unsuccessfully ran for president in 2016, said she was “thinking of the Bidens as they take on cancer, a disease they’ve done so much to try to spare other families from”.

Speaker of the US House Of Representatives Mike Johnson said it was “sad news” and his family “will be joining the countless others who are praying” for Mr Biden.

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Former House speaker Nancy Pelosi described Mr Biden as a “great American patriot” and said she was “praying for him to have strength and a swift recovery”.

Mr Trump’s secretary of state, Marco Rubio, wrote on social media he and his wife were “united in prayer for the Biden Family during this difficult time”.

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Was Trump’s Middle East trip an ‘unbridled success’?

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Was Trump's Middle East trip an 'unbridled success'?

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Following President Trump’s Middle East trip – which the White House is touting as an unbridled success – Sky News’ Martha Kelner sits down with Barbara Leaf, who was US ambassador to the United Arab Emirates during Trump’s first term and assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs in the Biden administration.

She was also in the team that formed the first formal US presence in Syria after more than a decade.

On this episode, Martha and Barbara discuss the significance of Mr Trump’s Middle East visit, including his meeting with the Syrian President Ahmed al Sharaa, drawing from Barbara’s own meeting with the former jihadist.

Plus, former president Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer. Martha shares Mr Trump’s response to the news.

If you’ve got a question you’d like the Trump100 team to answer, you can email it to trump100@sky.uk.

Don’t forget, you can also watch all episodes on our YouTube channel.

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Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs: What it was like to follow ‘the Pied Piper of partying’

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Sean 'Diddy' Combs: What it was like to follow 'the Pied Piper of partying'

In 1990s and early 2000s New York, Sean “Diddy” Combs was the person to be seen with. 

Now on trial in Manhattan, his hair grey, his beard grown, it’s hard to imagine that he was “the Pied Piper… of the most elite level of partying of that time” – but that’s how Amy DuBois Barnett describes him.

She was the first Black-American woman to run a major mainstream magazine in the US, and based in Manhattan at a time when hip hop was at its zenith.

“Urban culture really ran the city,” she says. “That’s where so much of the money was… you had all the finance bros trying to get into Puffy (Combs) parties, all the fashion executives trying to get into Puffy parties.”

And while he was welcomed by the highest echelons of the arts and entertainment world, she says: “He was never known for being a calm kind of individual.”

FILE - Sean 'P.' Diddy' Combs arrives at the annual Independence Day 'White Party' at the PlayStation 2 Estate in Bridgehampton, New York, July 4, 2004. (AP Photo/Jennifer Szymaszek, File)
Image:
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs in New York in July 2004. Pic: AP

Combs was “very dismissive” with her, and she admits: “Puff never particularly liked me that much.”

But DuBois Barnett would often get invited to his parties because she was able to feature his up-and-coming artists in her magazines.

From editor-in-chief of Ebony magazine, she’d go on to become the editor-in-chief of Honey and Teen People magazines, and then deputy editor of Harper’s Bazaar.

She says the man she met at those parties “lacked warmth” and seemed “complicated”.

Amy DuBois Barnett
Image:
Amy DuBois Barnett

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“When he walked in the room, all of the energy changed. Puffy had his trusted individuals around him… immediately the area around him would become kind of crowded with everybody vying for his attention,” she says.

“I think that was also partially why he didn’t particularly like me because I wasn’t really vying for his attention.

“He really reserved that attention for the people that he was either attracted to… or the people that he thought were important enough to his business success.”

Amy DuBois Barnett at an event for Ebony magazine
Image:
Amy DuBois Barnett (right) with publisher Desiree Rogers at an event for Ebony magazine

She says it was common knowledge that he wasn’t someone to cross due to “rumours… of what he could do”.

“There were a lot of people within journalism, within media, within other industries that were afraid of his influence and also afraid of his temper,” she adds.

“When things at parties would not go his way or somebody didn’t bring him something quickly enough, or… the conversation wasn’t going his way… he would just kind of snap and he was just not afraid to yell at whoever was there.

“There was not a lot of boundaries in his communication, let’s just put it that way.”

Diddy on the red carpet at the height of his success
Image:
Combs on the red carpet at the height of his success

But she says it was a time when a tremendous amount of misogyny was running throughout music, things that in today’s culture would certainly give pause for thought.

“So many things happened to me, everything from getting groped at parties to getting locked in a limousine with music executives and having him refuse to let me out until I did whatever he thought I was going to do, which I didn’t.”

She insists: “We didn’t have the vocabulary to understand the degree to which it was problematic… it was a thread that ran throughout the culture.”

Diddy getting off a private jet during his heyday
Image:
Getting off a private jet during his heyday

Star-studded parties were the ultimate invite

At the time, a ticket to one of Combs’s star-studded “white parties” was the ultimate invite.

She admits: “It was like nothing you’ve ever seen before… the dress code was very strict.

“No beige, no ecru, absolutely white, you would literally be turned away if your outfit was wrong. Puffy did not sort of tolerate people in his parties that didn’t look ‘grown and sexy’ as it were.”

She says people would mingle by the poolside listening to the best DJs in the world, while topless models posed dressed as mermaids and waiters handed out weed brownies from silver platters.

“It was every boldface name you could possibly imagine, just this gorgeous crowd.”

At an event with model Naomi Campbell
Image:
At an event with model Naomi Campbell

Behind the glamour, prosecutors now allege there was a man capable of sexual abuse and violence, and a serious abuse of power. Criminal charges which he’s already pleaded not guilty to and strenuously denies.

Without question, Combs had the golden touch. Expanding his music career into business enterprises that in 2022 reportedly took his net worth to around £1bn. For decades his success story was celebrated.

“I think that in the black community, there is a feeling that if a black man is successful you don’t want to bring him down because there are not that many… these are cultural forces that are rooted in the systemic racism that’s present in the United States… but I think that these were part of what potentially protected Puffy against people speaking out.”

Couple became ‘isolated and very unhappy’

While Combs had amassed a small fortune over the course of two decades which she encountered him, the former magazine editor says his behaviour had markedly changed from the first party she went to, to her last.

“The last was a post-Grammys party, in 2017 or 2018, and just the vibe was very different. He was really kind of isolated in a corner with Cassie, you know, looking very unhappy.”

Diddy and Cassie together on the red carpet
Image:
Diddy and Cassie together on the red carpet

For around 10 years, Combs had a relationship with the singer Cassie Ventura which ended in 2018.

Once over she filed a lawsuit that both parties eventually settled alleging she was trafficked, raped, drugged and beaten by the rapper on many occasions – which he denied. Last week she made similar claims in court.

Casandra "Cassie" Ventura cries on the stand during redirect during Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex trafficking trial in New York City, New York, U.S., May 16, 2025 in this courtroom sketch. REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg
Image:
A court sketch of Cassie giving evidence against Combs in court this week. Pic: Reuters

Sean "Diddy" Combs listens as his former girlfriend Casandra "Cassie" Ventura (not seen) testifies as a video from a hotel is played at his sex trafficking trial in New York City, New York, U.S., May 14, 2025 in this courtroom sketch. REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg
Image:
A court sketch of Combs listening to evidence from his former partner Cassie. Pic: Reuters

“Cassie looked very glassy-eyed and there was a sadness about her energy. Whatever was happening between the two of them, I mean, it didn’t feel positive,” says DuBois Barnett.

“They were sort of holed up in the corner for almost the entire night… it did feel very different from the kind of jubilant of energy that he projected in his earlier incarnations.”

For Combs, his freedom depends on how these next few weeks go. His representatives claim he is the victim of “a reckless media circus”, saying he categorically denies he sexually abused anyone and wants to prove his innocence.

In particular, they say, he looks forward to establishing the “truth… based on evidence, not speculation”.

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