DENY, DEFLECT, COUNTERATTACK: After speaking by phone to President Donald Trump Sunday night, embattled Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth employed his textbook, “admit nothing, deny everything, attack the media,” defense at the White House Easter egg roll as the latest allegations that he used the Signal app on a second occasion to share sensitive operational details with unauthorized parties, including his wife.
In his two-minute harangue on the White House lawn, Hegseth railed against what he called “slash and burn Democrats” and “fake news” media “hoaxsters that peddle anonymous sources from leakers with axes to grind,” without ever addressing whether he did what he’s accused of doing. “This is what the media does. They take anonymous sources from disgruntled former employees, and then they try to slash and burn people and ruin their reputations. Not going to work with me,” he said to reporters.
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“What a big surprise that a bunch of few leakers get fired and suddenly a bunch of hit pieces come out from the same media that peddled the Russia hoax that won’t give back their Pulitzers,” he said.
PETE HEGSETH SAYS ‘DISGRUNTLED’ FIRED STAFFERS BEHIND SECOND SIGNAL GROUP CHAT STORY
TRUMP: ‘PETE’S DOING A GREAT JOB’: For now, President Trump seems willing to endorse Hegseth’s narrative that he’s a victim of a smear campaign by insiders opposed to the radical change he’s bringing to the Pentagon. “You know, he was put there to get rid of a lot of bad people. And that’s what he’s doing. So, you don’t always have friends when you do that,” Trump said. “There’s no dysfunction … There is none. Pete’s doing a great job. Just fake news. They just bring up stories. I guess it sounds like disgruntled employees.”
In an appearance on Fox News, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also blamed fifth columnists at the Pentagon. “This is what happens when the entire Pentagon is working against you and working against the monumental change that you are trying to implement,” she told Fox’s Brian Kilmeade. “Unfortunately, there have been people at that building who don’t like the change the secretary is trying to bring. So, they are leaking, and they are lying to the mainstream media.”
So far, Hegseth has lost five members of his inner circle, all die-hard Trump supporters and former friends and colleagues. Even as three senior staffers have been left in the dark about their dismissals, they have refrained from blaming Hegseth or publicly questioning his policies.
Senior adviser Dan Caldwell, who was fired Friday along with Deputy Chief of Staff Darin Selnick and Colin Carroll, chief of staff to the deputy secretary, went on Tucker Carlson’s show to deny he ever leaked anything to anyone. None of the three have been told why they were fired or even if there was any leak investigation. “I don’t even know if that’s what I’m really being investigated for again if there’s a real investigation,” Caldwell said, noting he was never given a polygraph test, nor was his personal phone checked for texts or other messages. “There’s a lot of evidence that there is not a real investigation.”
WHITE HOUSE DENIES REPORT ADMINISTRATION IS LOOKING FOR HEGSETH REPLACEMENT
CALLS FOR HEGSETH’S HEAD: Democrats have been railing against Hegseth since the day Trump nominated him. However, his record of embarrassing lapses and defiant non-denial denials is beginning to erode his support among Republicans, too.
“If it’s true that he had another [Signal] chat with his family, about the missions against the Houthis, it’s totally unacceptable,” said Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE), a retired Air Force one-star general. “I had concerns from the get-go because Pete Hegseth didn’t have a lot of experience,” he said in an interview with Politico. “Russia and China are all over his phone, and for him to be putting secret stuff on his phone is not right. He’s acting like he’s above the law — and that shows an amateur person.”
“I’m not in the White House, and I’m not going to tell the White House how to manage this … but I find it unacceptable, and I wouldn’t tolerate it if I was in charge,” Bacon said.
“I think it is amazing that he’s not been held accountable. I think it’s remarkable as well as you see a number of his senior officials quit. And this is an example, again, of chaos on steroids that are coming out of the DOD,” said Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), vice chair of the Intelligence Committee, on MSNBC. “I think it shows a guy that’s way in over his head in a job that’s much too big for him.”
“He didn’t deny that he put his family members on this chat,” Warner said. “The notion that this is somehow not classified information, the fact that attack plans were being sent out and around before our pilots had actually bombed the Houthis — I would love to take Pete Hegseth down to the Norfolk Naval Station, which is the home port of the aircraft carrier Truman, from which these strikes were launched, and explain to the family and friends that folks on the Truman how this kind of information getting out wouldn’t have put their loved ones in harm’s way, because he couldn’t.”
“When you look at the controversy over the people recently being fired, by the way, all of whom are people he hired within the past 90 days, it really gives the picture of a secretary of defense who’s a lightweight, a dilettante,” former Trump national security adviser John Bolton said on CNN. “They don’t have their act together managing a very small group of people. How’s somebody like that ever going to lead the entire Pentagon?”
“It’s what you get when you don’t really care about qualifications for jobs like that, when you’re not picking people who are experienced, when your major qualification is personal fealty to Donald Trump,” Bolton said. “I think Hegseth should resign. I don’t think he’s going to. He may leave at some point because I think he’s used up his bank account with Donald Trump. Trump doesn’t want to have to waste his resources defending his people. And that’s now what he’s doing on Hegseth.”
DON BACON BECOMES FIRST GOP LAWMAKER TO CALL FOR HEGSETH REPLACEMENT
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HAPPENING TODAY: ‘THE HOSTILITIES HAVE BEEN RESUMED’: While both sides in the Ukraine war accused the other of “thousands” of violations of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s putative Easter ceasefire, both Russia and Ukraine noted that there were fewer airstrikes, and that most fighting was among forces along the front lines. “But in general, there was still a drop in activity. We welcome this and are ready to think about it in the future,” Putin said in a session with reporters Monday.
“As we said in the beginning when we announced the ceasefire, we are always positive about a ceasefire, and this is why this initiative was suggested,” Putin said as he announced an end to the pause. “The hostilities have been resumed.”
“Indeed, there were no air raid alerts on Easter, and some sectors of the frontline remained quiet. This proves it is possible – it’s possible when Russia chooses to reduce the killing,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly video address. “But even so, this Easter, there were still Russian assaults, strikes, and shelling, there were losses, including among civilians.”
Zelensky is proposing a follow-up ceasefire that would put civilian targets off limits. “Ukraine stands by its offer — at the very least, not to strike civilian infrastructure. And we expect a clear answer from Moscow. We are ready for any conversation on how to ensure this.”
“Regarding the proposal to refrain from striking civilian infrastructure targets, this matter requires thorough examination,” Putin responded. The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War characterized that as a “rejection” of Zelensky’s overture. “Putin attempted to soften his rejection of Zelensky’s ceasefire proposal by claiming that Russia and other unspecified actors need to study strikes against civilian targets where military personnel are operating and “make appropriate decisions.”
Ukraine is expected to give a formal response to a new U.S. peace proposal in London tomorrow, where talks are scheduled with representatives from the United States, Britain, and France.
PUTIN CALLS CIVILIAN TARGETS ‘LEGITIMATE’: The ISW assesses that Putin is attempting to “justify Russia’s recent missile strikes against Ukrainian civilian infrastructure and to obfuscate his ongoing rejection of U.S. and Ukrainian ceasefire proposals.”
“Putin acknowledged that Russian forces recently struck civilian infrastructure in Sumy City — likely referring to the April 13 Russian missile strike against Sumy City — but suggested that the reported presence of Ukrainian military personnel in Sumy City constituted a legitimate military target.”
“Take, for example, the widely reported strike by our Armed Forces on the congress centre of Sumy University, I think. Is this a civilian facility or not? It is civilian. However, an award ceremony was held there for those who committed crimes in the Kursk Region – both AFU (the Armed Forces of Ukraine) units and nationalist formations,” Putin told reporters according to the official Kremlin transcript. “These are individuals we consider criminals, who deserved the punishment for their actions.”
Putin also cited a strike against a target in a “a small residential area” about 50 miles from Odesa, where he claimed “agricultural hangars,” were being used to produce a new missile. “Hence, the strike was delivered. Is this a civilian facility? It is civilian. But it was used for military purposes.”
WHO CARRIES $3,000 IN CASH THESE DAYS? Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, apparently. The wad of bills was in her purse that was purloined from a D.C. burger joint where Noem and her family were dining Sunday night.
In addition to the $3,000 the purse also contained her passport, DHS badge, blank checks, medication and her keys. According to CNN, which first reported the incident, Secret Service agents reviewed security camera footage that showed a person wearing a medical mask take Noem’s bag and exit the restaurant.
In an emailed statement, DHS said Noem had withdrawn the large amount of cash because her children and grandchildren were in town for the holiday. “She was using the withdrawal to treat her family to dinner, activities, and Easter gifts,” the statement said.
KRISTI NOEM ROBBED IN DC WHILE TAKING GRANDCHILDREN TO EASTER DINNER
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Examiner: White House denies report administration is looking for Hegseth replacement
Washington Examiner: Pete Hegseth says ‘disgruntled’ fired staffers behind second Signal group chat story
Washington Examiner: Don Bacon becomes first GOP lawmaker to call for Hegseth replacement
Washington Examiner: Pete Hegseth Signal group chat (Part 2): What you need to know
Washington Examiner: DHS debuts ads warning illegal immigrants they are ‘next’ to be deported
Washington Examiner: German teenagers refused admission into US at Honolulu airport
Washington Examiner: Kristi Noem robbed in DC while taking grandchildren to Easter dinner
Wall Street Journal: Russia Welcomes U.S. Proposal to Deny NATO Membership to Ukraine
AP: US general says allied forces can repel Asia aggression as Philippines combat drills open
Stars and Stripes: Stealth Fighters Play Aggressors in US-South Korea Tactical Airpower Exercise
Defense One: US to Allies: Don’t Use Chinese Satellite Services
Miliary.com: Joint Chiefs Chairman Caine Decides Not to Keep Senior Enlisted Adviser, Breaking with Past Precedent
Defense News: Boeing Looks to Existing Production Lines for Golden Dome Pitch
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force Plans to Start Building New Over-the-Horizon Radars in Oregon in 2028
Defense News: Next-Gen Air Defense Radar Approved for Low-Rate Production
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Lockheed Gets $180 Million to Convert Three F-35 Jets to Test Aircraft
The War Zone: China Deploys J-10 Fighters to Egypt
SpaceNews: DARPA Requests Proposals for Water-Prospecting Lunar Orbiter
Breaking Defense: Air Force Warns Airmen, Veterans of Foreign Intelligence Recruitment Ploy
Air & Space Forces Magazine: DOD’s Transgender Ban Is Caught in Courts, Leaving Some Troops in Limbo
Air & Space Forces Magazine: New Doc Spells Out How USSF Will Use Space Control to Gain Space Superiority
THE CALENDAR:
TUESDAY | APRIL 22
6:15 a.m. 2425 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Virginia — Association of the U.S. Army “Coffee Series” discussion with Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Mingus https://www.ausa.org/events/coffee-series/gen-mingus
9:30 a.m. — Brookings Institution virtual discussion: “Ally to Adversary? The U.S. and Europe in Trump’s Second Term,” with Fiona Hill, senior fellow at the Brookings Foreign Policy Program and the Brookings Center on the U.S. and Europe; Melanie Sisson, senior fellow at the Brookings Foreign Policy Program and the Brookings Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology; Tara Varma, visiting fellow at the Brookings Foreign Policy Program and the Brookings Center on the U.S. and Europe; and Constanze Steizenmuller, director of the Brookings Center on the U.S. and Europe, senior fellow at the Brookings Foreign Policy Program and the Brookings Center on the U.S. and Europe, and Brookings chair on Germany and Trans-Atlantic relations https://www.brookings.edu/events/ally-to-adversary
10 a.m. — George Washington University Project for Media and National Security and Special Competitive Studies Project Defense Writers Group Zoom report discussion: “Applying AI to Strategic Warning,” with Nandita Balakrishnan, a co-author, and Special Competitive Studies Project Director for Intelligence [email protected]
11:15 a.m. — Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies virtual discussion: beginning at 11:15 a.m., on “Ice to Meet You, Greenland? U.S. Acquisition Attempts,” with Nitin Nainani, judicial law clerk at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida; Romain Chuffart, president and managing director of the Arctic Institute; and Alexander Gray, senior fellow in national security affairs at the American Foreign Policy Council https://fedsoc.org/events/ice-to-meet-you-greenland-u-s-acquisition-attempts
5 p.m. — Common Good virtual discussion: beginning at 5 p.m., on “The Limits of Presidential Power,” with former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, chairman of the Panetta Institute for Public Policy; former Rep. David Jolly (R-Fl); and Richard Salomon, lawyer and CEO of Vantage Point Consultants https://www.thecommongoodus.org/upcoming-events/the-limits-of-presidential-power
WEDNESDAY | APRIL 23
8:50 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW — Center for Strategic and International Studies Global Development Forum: “The Role of Mining and Minerals for Ukraine’s Reconstruction and the Future of the U.S.-Ukraine Relationship: Reforming U.S. Foreign Assistance” https://www.csis.org/events/2025-global-development-forum
9 a.m. 1201 15th St. NW — Defense Strategies Institute Assured Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Summit, April 23-24, with Vice Adm. Christopher Grady, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, delivers remarks on “Assuring PNT Capabilities to Enable Military Superiority in Contested Environments” CLOSED PRESS https://pnt.dsigroup.org/
9 a.m. 1615 H St. NW — U.S. Chamber of Commerce Global Summit, April 22-23, with Norwegian Finance Minister and former NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg; Canadian Ambassador to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman; European Union Ambassador to the U.S. Jovita Neliupsiene; Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA); and Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY) https://www.uschamber.com/events/global-summit
8 p.m. — Jews United for Democracy and Justice virtual discussion: “Trump’s Foreign Policy: The Impact on Global Democracy and U.S. National Security,” with Michael McFaul, former special assistant to President Obama, professor at Stanford University, former senior director for Russian and Eurasian Affairs on the White House’s National Security Council and former U.S. ambassador to Russia; and Larry Diamond, senior fellow in Stanford University’s Freeman Spoogli Institute for International Studies https://www.jewsunitedfordemocracy.org/blog/even
THURSDAY | APRIL 24
9 a.m. — Henry L. Stimson Center virtual discussion: “Fighter Jets and Drones: Is China’s Military Aid to the Myanmar Junta Making a Difference?” with Zachary Abuza, professor, National War College; Nyein Nyein Thant Aung, graduate of the University of Glasgow; and Pamela Kennedy, research analyst, Stimson East Asia Program https://www.stimson.org/event/china-military-aid-to-myanmar-junta/
10 a.m. — National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations virtual discussion: “A Post-Assad Syria: Dilemmas, Diplomacy, and a New Strategic Vision,” with Timothy Lenderking, senior official at the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs; former U.S. Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford; fellow at the Middle East Institute; Caroline Rose, director of the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy; Neil Quilliam, associate fellow at the Chatham House Middle East and North Africa Program; H. Delano Roosevelt, NCUSAR president and CEO; and Fadi Hilani, NCUSAR senior academic and research fellow-in-residence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MLYTfzay7Q
10 a.m. 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies discussion: “Russia’s Strategic Shift in North Africa,” with Federica Saini Fasanotti, senior associate fellow at the Institute of International Policy Studies; Emadeddin Badi, nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council; Hafed Al-Ghwell, senior fellow at the SAIS Foreign Policy Institute; and Andrea Cellino, vice president and head of North Africa at the Middle East Institute Switzerland https://www.youtube.com/@thenorthafricainitiative660/streams
10:30 a.m. 1957 E St. NW — George Washington University Sigur Center for Asian Studies discussion: “The First 100 Days: Trump 2.0 and New Dynamics in U.S.-Taiwan and Cross Strait Relations.” https://sigur.elliott.gwu.edu/2025/04/07/4-24-25-the-first-100-days
5 p.m. 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies Institute for America, China, and the Future of Global Affairs film screening and discussion of “Lithium Rising: The Race for Critical Minerals,” with director Samuel George, director of Bertelsmann Foundation Documentaries; Stuart Levenbach, associate director for natural resources, energy, science and water at the Office of Management and Budget; Abigail Hunter, executive director of the SAFE Center for Critical Minerals Strategy; and Margaret Myers, SAIS ACF managing director RSVP: [email protected]
FRIDAY | APRIL 25
8 a.m. — George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs Institute for European, Russian, and European Studies virtual Third Annual Petrach Program Conference on Ukraine: “Understanding Wartime Ukraine” https://tinyurl.com/4fa4amak
9 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW — Center for Strategic and International Studies Project on Nuclear Issues report launch: “The Future of Arms Control and Euro-Atlantic Strategic Stability,” with Heather Williams, director of the CSIS Project on Nuclear Issues and senior fellow in the CSIS Defense and Security Department; Nicholas Adamopoulos, associate director and associate fellow at the CSIS Project on Nuclear Issues; Lachlan MacKenzie, research associate at the CSIS Project on Nuclear Issues; Catherine Murphy, program coordinator and research assistant at the CSIS Project on Nuclear Issues https://www.csis.org/events/report-launch-future-arms-control
9 a.m. — Peterson Institute for International Economics virtual discussion: “Europe’s Future in 3D: Fiscal Trade, and Defense Challenges,” with Cecilia Malmstrom, PIIE nonresident senior fellow, former European Commissioner for Home Affairs and former European Commissioner for Trade; Constanze Stelzenmuller, director and senior fellow for foreign policy at the Brookings Institution’s Center on the U.S. and Europe and chair on Germany and Trans-Atlantic relations at the Brookings Institution; Oliver Blanchard, PIIE senior fellow; and Adam Posen, PIIE president https://www.piie.com/events/2025/europes-future-3d-fiscal-trade-and-defense-challenges
2 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “Global Counterspace Trends,” with former Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, Deterrence, and Stability Mallory Stewart; Victoria Samson, chief director of space security and stability at the Secure World Foundation; Clayton Swope, deputy director of the CSIS Aerospace Security Project and senior fellow at the CSIS Defense and Security Department; Makena Young, fellow at the CSIS Aerospace Security Project; Laetitia Cesari Zarkan, researcher and legal practitioner at the Secure World Foundation; and Karl Bingen, director of the CSIS Aerospace Security Project and senior fellow at the CSIS Defense and Security Department https://www.csis.org/events/report-launch-space-threat-assessment-2025