‘Nonsense’: Atlantic editor-in-chief blasts Trump administration ‘smokescreens’ on Signal chat
ABC News
(WASHINGTON) — The Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg responded to the Trump administration’s pushback over the publication’s Monday article about a Signal chat discussing a U.S. attack on Houthis in Yemen it says was accidentally shared with Goldberg.
Speaking to ABC News, Goldberg said The White House is engaging in a semantic game by focusing on his use of “attack plans” instead of “war plans” in his followup report, which was published on Wednesday.
“It’s just all nonsense. It’s nonsense. They’re throwing up all these smokescreens to avoid being questioned about why they were so reckless as to have sensitive conversations like this in Signal, and why they invited a journalist and didn’t even know that the journalist was there,” he said on Wednesday. “I mean, war plan, attack plan. I mean, you know, it’s just not nonsense talk, but attack is actually an accurate term for what they were doing.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — Rudy Giuliani reached a settlement agreement with two former election workers he was found to have defamed, a joint letter from both parties said Thursday.
The former New York City mayor had been a no-show to his non-jury civil trial that was set to begin Thursday in Manhattan federal court. The proceedings had been adjourned until Tuesday.
“All parties reached a resolution,” Giuliani’s attorney, Joseph Cammarata, said outside court.
He read a statement from Giuliani that said the settlement does not include an admission of guilt.
Giuliani’s statement said he gets to keep his New York co-op and Florida condominium along with all his personal belongings. He has agreed not to talk about Freeman and Moss in a defamatory way.
Andrew Giuliani said he will retain possession of the World Series rings, which he has said his father gifted to him.
Giuliani was scheduled to be the first witness in the case, which was to decide whether he must turn over his Florida condo to the two Georgia election workers.
When ABC News asked whether Giuliani was coming to court on Thursday morning, his attorney said “I’m not going to comment on anything right now.” Asked whether Giuliani was OK, the attorney responded “yes.”
A jury found Giuliani liable in 2023 for defaming Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss by falsely accusing them of tampering with the 2020 presidential vote in Georgia, and awarded the two election workers a $148 judgment.
The former New York City mayor has already turned over a Mercedes and other assets to the women, but is fighting to keep the condo, which he claims as his permanent residence.
Giuliani has been disbarred in New York and in Washington after his law license was stripped over his efforts aiding former President Donald Trump’s bid to overturn the 2020 election.
He has been held in contempt twice this month by two different federal judges, and is also fighting to keep three Yankees World Series rings that he owns.
The NYPD is searching for a man who allegedly tried to rape a woman in Brooklyn on Feb. 11, 2025. NYPD
(NEW YORK) — Authorities in New York City are searching for a man who allegedly impersonated a federal immigration enforcement agent before trying to rape a 51-year-old woman in broad daylight, according to police sources.
The victim was waiting for a cab outside a Brooklyn CityMD just before 11 a.m. Tuesday when the suspect approached and said he was an ICE agent and needed to talk to her, according to police sources.
The man allegedly forced her into a basement stairwell, punched her and tried to rape her, the NYPD said.
He took her phone, her purse and a chain before fleeing the scene, police said.
The woman suffered lacerations to her face, bruising and scratches, and was hospitalized in stable condition, police sad.
The suspect never showed any identification, according to police sources.
(NEW YORK) — Oklahoma is under alert for fire danger on Monday after being devastated by deadly blazes over the weekend, and amid a continued fire threat in the Plains.
More than 50 million Americans are under alert for fire weather conditions on Monday. Red flag warnings and fire weather watches have been issued in more than a dozen states, from Texas and Oklahoma up to the Dakotas as well as Florida, due to the chance for high winds and low humidity.
Parts of Oklahoma, as well as Kansas, New Mexico and Texas, face a critical threat of fire danger, with gusts up to 45 mph possible along with relative humidity down to 9% in places.
The continued fire threat comes after four people were killed and over 140 injured in Oklahoma due to high winds and raging wildfires that ignited on Friday, officials said.
More than 130 fires were reported in 44 counties, the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management said Friday.
More than 400 homes and structures have been destroyed in the fires, the agency said. That includes Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt’s ranch near Luther; the governor said his farmhouse experienced a “total loss” in Friday’s fires.
“We’ll be rebuilding with all of Oklahoma,” he said in a video posted to social media over the weekend.
Stillwater Fire Chief Terry Essary told ABC News on Monday that 75 structures were lost in his area alone after multiple wildfires broke out on Friday amid high winds that made for challenging conditions.
“The wind was blowing so hard,” Essary said. “It was a very helpless feeling, but you just keep at it. You do what you can, you save what you can, and you keep moving on to the next and helping as many people as possible.”
A state of emergency remained in effect on Sunday for 12 Oklahoma counties due to the wildfires and fire weather conditions, the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management said.
The fire threat continues in Oklahoma and increases in West Texas on Tuesday, with an extreme critical risk for weather conditions. Winds could gust 60 to 75 mph with relative humidity down to 7% in places. Any fires that develop in these conditions can spread easily and will be very difficult to control.
ABC News’ Mireya Villarreal and James Scholz contributed to this report.
