S9 Ep37: Espresso Martini | Signalgate with Shane Harris, Boeing’s F-47, and Remembering Oleg Gordievsky

The Atlantic’s Shane Harris joins Chris and Matt to unpack Signalgate, the extraordinary national security scandal where top Trump officials coordinated airstrikes over Signal and accidentally included a journalist in the group chat. They discuss the operational fallout, legal implications, and the strain on Five Eyes allies. Then, they dive into the reveal of Boeing’s F-47, the U.S. Air Force’s first sixth-generation fighter and potential final manned combat jet. Finally, Chris remembers legendary KGB defector Oleg Gordievsky and his legacy for British intelligence.

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Articles discussed in today’s episode

"The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans" by Jeffrey Goldberg | The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/03/trump-administration-accidentally-texted-me-its-war-plans/682151/

"Here Are the Attack Plans That Trump’s Advisers Shared on Signal" by Jeffrey Goldberg & Shane Harris | The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/03/signal-group-chat-attack-plans-hegseth-goldberg/682176/

"A Rare Moment of Bipartisan Disbelief" by Mark Leibovich | The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/03/trump-cabinet-security-leak/682172/

"Signal Chat Leak Angers U.S. Military Pilots" by Helene Cooper & Eric Schmitt | The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/27/us/politics/pilots-signal-leak.html

"Waltz and staff used Gmail for government communications, officials say" by John Hudson | The Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/04/01/waltz-national-security-council-signal-gmail/

"Hegseth’s younger brother is serving in a key role as liaison and senior adviser inside the Pentagon" by Tara Copp | Associated Press: https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-brother-signal-dhs-hired-68678a8a653c79a4c6ae31a8bee64836

"Hegseth Brought His Wife to Sensitive Meetings With Foreign Military Officials" by Katherine Long, Max Colchester, Daniel Michaels & Lindsay Wise | The Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/hegseth-brought-his-wife-to-sensitive-meetings-with-foreign-military-officials-c16db0ea

"'Should I Fire Him?’ Inside Trump’s Deliberations Over the Fate of Michael Waltz" by Maggie Haberman & Tyler Page | The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/29/us/politics/trump-signal-michael-waltz.html

"Waltz’s team set up at least 20 Signal group chats for crises across the world" by Dasha Burns | Politico: .css-j9qmi7{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;font-weight:700;margin-bottom:1rem;margin-top:2.8rem;width:100%;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:start;justify-content:start;padding-left:5rem;}@media only screen and (max-width: 599px){.css-j9qmi7{padding-left:0;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;}}.css-j9qmi7 svg{fill:#27292D;}.css-j9qmi7 .eagfbvw0{-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;color:#27292D;}