Signal chats, leaks, and sackings... What's going on in the Pentagon?
Americast
BBC
4.2 • 2.8K Ratings
🗓️ 24 April 2025
⏱️ 28 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
There’s trouble in the Pentagon - again!
Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump have dismissed new reports that the defence secretary sent details of confidential military plans to his wife, brother, and personal lawyer on Signal.
They both criticised journalists at the annual White House Easter event between egg related activities, but reports keep coming about unrest at the top of the defence department.
Justin, Marianna, and Anthony discuss whether Hegseth will survive or not and whether the accusations could start also damaging Trump’s reputation.
Plus, have we found the oldest Americast listener?
HOSTS: • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter • Anthony Zurcher, North America Correspondent • Marianna Spring, Social Media Investigations Senior Correspondent
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This episode was made by George Dabby, Rufus Gray, Grace Reeve and Claire Betzer. The technical producer was Jack Graysmark. The series producer was Chris Flynn. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts. |
| 0:04.8 | So I'm really proud of what we're doing for the president, |
| 0:07.6 | fighting hard, across the board, |
| 0:09.6 | and I'm going to go roll some Easter eggs with my kids. |
| 0:12.4 | Thank you very much. |
| 0:13.9 | Roll those eggs. |
| 0:14.8 | That's not quite as random as it sounds. |
| 0:16.6 | It was the Defense Secretary, Pete Hegsteth. |
| 0:19.0 | You may have recognized his voice. |
| 0:21.8 | This week, being forced to defend himself again at an Easter egg role event at the White House because |
| 0:28.0 | he's been accused again of sharing information about military strikes in another signal group chat. |
| 0:35.4 | And the Easter-themed nature of politicians' communications might seem like the weirdest thing here, |
| 0:40.8 | but perhaps the most strange is that actually, certainly in this administration, |
| 0:45.1 | it seems like Pete Hegseth is safe, but lots of the people around him are not so much. |
| 0:50.2 | Because as this has all been playing out in public, there are reports of total chaos in the |
| 0:55.2 | Defence Department as Pete Higgseth grapples with the kinds of stuff that seems to be making |
| 1:00.3 | its way into the media. |
| 1:01.8 | Welcome to AmeriCast. |
| 1:05.3 | AmeriCast from BBC News. |
| 1:08.4 | You're gambling with the lives of millions of people. |
| 1:11.1 | You're gambling with World War III. |
| 1:13.4 | President Trump's message is very simple. |
... |
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