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White House Downplays Signal Chat Controversy; Democratic Infighting: Where Does the Party Go Now? Aired 6-6:30a ET
Aired March 27, 2025 - 06:00 ET
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AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: It is Thursday, March 27. Here's what's happening right now on CNN THIS MORNING.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you still believe nothing classified was shared?
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Well, that's what I've heard. I don't know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: OK. So, was it classified? Was it a mistake? What's going on? The Trump administration doesn't seem to be on the same page about the group chat scandal.
Plus, this.
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MARK CARNEY, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: This is a direct attack, to be clear. A direct attack.
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CORNISH: Canada prepares to retaliate as President Trump announces massive new tariffs on all cars coming into the U.S.
And protests in the streets of Gaza. Thousands of Palestinians calling on Hamas to step aside and end its war with Israel.
And then.
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ROBERT F. KENNEDY, SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: We're providing vaccines. We're -- we're providing Vitamin A.
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CORNISH: Doctors fighting the measles outbreak now face a new challenge. Some people appear to be taking dangerous amounts of a vitamin that does not prevent you from catching the virus.
It's 6 a.m. here on the East Coast, and here is a live look at a windy morning in Boston. Actually, in my hometown. Hello, Boston.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Audie Cornish. Thank you for waking up with me.
We're going to talk about the many things we have heard this current scandal described as: a hoax, a witch hunt. Nothing classified to see here. That's the messaging coming from the White House over how detailed military strike plans ended up on a messaging app, in a group chat that a journalist was invited to join.
So, "The Atlantic," of course, published the full group chat, where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth outlined strike plans hours before they were set to happen.
The U.S. defense official familiar -- a U.S. defense official familiar with the operation tells CNN that the plans are, quote, "highly classified" to protect troops in harm's way.
But in public, members of the president's team, they're saying the opposite.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: There was no classified information transmitted.
PETE HEGSETH, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: No classified information.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was it classified, the information? MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Well, the Pentagon says it was not.
TULSI GABBARD, U.S. DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: No classified information was shared.
JOHN RATCLIFFE, DIRECTOR OF THE CIA: I didn't transfer any classified information.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: The president himself also downplaying the whole thing, blaming the report -- the reporter himself, more than his own cabinet officials.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Should Secretary Hegseth consider his position over the Signal?
TRUMP: Hegseth is doing a great job. He had nothing to do with this.
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: Hegseth. How do you bring Hegseth into it? He had nothing to do.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But he said he --
TRUMP: Look, look, it's all a witch hunt.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: OK. That doesn't mean the fallout isn't still rattling Capitol Hill, as even Republican senators expressed disbelief at how all of this happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JERRY MORAN (R-KS): I can't see any rationale for the kind of conversation that took place over Signal, for not taking place in a more secure manner than that. I think that's hard to explain.
SEN. LISA MURKOWSKI (R-AK): I'm worried about everybody and how they have handled this Signal controversy.
Does it concern me? Hell yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: Joining me now to talk about all this: Jerusalem Demsas, staff writer at "The Atlantic"; Hans Nichols, political reporter at Axios; and Jasmine Wright, White House reporter at "NOTUS."
So, hell yes, Lisa Murkowski is concerned. Not subtle. You guys both. I think I want to start with you, because you know what people on the Hill are saying. And Jasmine, you're covering the White House very closely.
So, let's start with the "hell yeses." Is that just as her usual, being independent, or are you hearing more?
HANS NICHOLS, POLITICAL REPORTER, AXIOS: So, Murkowski voted against Hegseth. So, Murkowski, McConnell and Collins, I think, were the three no votes on Hegseth. So, that's the first place reporters go to when you're looking for a spicy quote like Manu got from -- from Murkowski there.
One little thing about Murkowski that everyone should know: she always takes the stairs. So that part wasn't that unsual.
CORNISH: That's how you catch her. That's how you catch her.
NICHOLS: That's how you catch her. There's an escalator/scare [SIC] -- stair debate, and she's on -- she's on the stair side.
[06:05:01]
Look, members are upset. I think ultimately, where it's going to come down to is this investigation. Those quotes are interesting, but they're -- now, whether or not it's an investigation or a closed-door briefing.
CORNISH: Yes.
NICHOLS: But that's what Senator Wicker is calling for.
CORNISH: Because I think what's confusing for the public is you were seeing some of the people in the chat in hearings. Now, those hearings just happened to have been scheduled.
NICHOLS: Right. Fortuitous.
CORNISH: Exactly. So --
NICHOLS: Fortuitous for the public, not for the -- the -- yes.
CORNISH: Yes. But otherwise, we wouldn't have heard anything from any of them, most likely.
NICHOLS: Yes. Well, there's -- I mean, Hegseth lands in Hawaii. He has a camera thrown at him. I mean, there's opportunities to talk to administration officials, especially the ones that travel like Rubio, who's the most interesting in this. Right?
CORNISH: Yes.
NICHOLS: I mean, Rubio is the one that's kind of -- seems to be covering himself a little bit.
CORNISH: Yes.
NICHOLS: But he's in Jamaica. So -- but ultimately, there will be a conversation between the
committees of jurisdiction, and they're going to want to know the question that we all are -- kind of, I think, want answered, the question we all want to know. And that is who put Jeffrey Goldberg on the Signal chat?
CORNISH: I don't know that's the only question we want.
NICHOLS: I think that's the first one. To me, that's the first.
CORNISH: OK. So, CNN's Stephen Collinson writes in his latest analysis, quote, "In Donald Trump's White House, it matters less what you screw up than how hard you fight back."
JASMINE WRIGHT, WHITE HOUSE REPORTER, "NOTUS": Yes.
CORNISH: Jasmine, you've covered them for a long time. Does that sum it up?
WRIGHT: Yes. I mean, I think that's a very good summarization. Listen, I was in that briefing room yesterday, and let me tell you, it was tense. There was a lot of sparring going on with reporters and Karoline Leavitt, the press secretary.
Her completely downplaying the amount of information, or whether or not that information was classified.
CORNISH: Or playing semantics with the language.
WRIGHT: Playing semantics.
CORNISH: Is it war plans or attack plans?
WRIGHT: There was no war plans.
Why did they downgrade it to attack plans? They obviously are conceding that their take was wrong in the beginning. You know, you have all those kind of -- really kind of word play choices that she was making, trying to respond and back down this -- this -- this report.
CORNISH: But I think works, right? I feel like, when you hear Trump say, "Russia, Russia, Russia," that is shorthand for look at the liberal media, look at Democrats.
WRIGHT: Sure.
CORNISH: They're going nuts, saying something over and over again that you don't care about.
WRIGHT: Sure. And I think that, you know, some of their base certainly, like Dave Portnoy, a barstools guy, was saying, OK, somebody needs to cop to this.
But other parts of their base are saying, this is nothing and we need to ignore it, which is basically the messaging coming from the White House.
I think also, you have the principal, Donald Trump, basically acting like he doesn't care that he doesn't find this interesting at all. Now, of course, that --
CORNISH: Is that a sign of how much he likes these people? Right? Like they are the loyalists?
WRIGHT: I think he's battle-tested.
CORNISH: OK.
WRIGHT: I think it's less about the people. Obviously, he doesn't want shame to come upon his White House.
But I think he's battle-tested, particularly when we're talking about things of classified nature.
Now, of course, I think he was probably more upset that Jeffrey Goldberg's phone number may have been in Mike Waltz's phone, although there are a number of reporters in Donald Trump's phone.
If you want my number, Donald Trump, let me know.
CORNISH: We'll put that in the chyron later.
Let me bring in Jerusalem, because she is from "The Atlantic." Right? So, I can imagine it has been a busy day in "The Atlantic" group chats.
JERUSALEM DEMSAS, STAFF WRITER, "THE ATLANTIC": Yes. Yes. I mean, I think every group chat in America has now been checking its security.
CORNISH: Yes. Or -- or been renamed --
DEMSAS: Exactly.
CORNISH: -- to "Houthis small chat group."
DEMSAS: Yes. I mean, I think this is one of those things, like Jasmine is saying, where the president has clearly, over and over again, not wanted to give the media, the public, the ability to determine his staff.
The idea that a shaming campaign or an outrage campaign, or even just a response to an actual scandal like this one, would cause him to have to make a personnel decision, that feels anathema to him.
He likes the idea that, you know, universities are bending to his will. Law firms are bending to his will. "The Atlantic" choosing to respond and just publishing those -- those texts was in defiance.
CORNISH: I see what you mean. That is not bending to the will.
DEMSAS: That is not bending to the will. CORNISH: Yes. No, you guys stick around, because this is something
people are going to be talking about and we will be talking about throughout the hour.
Coming up on CNN THIS MORNING, the president also teased yet another tariff. Ahead, why his big tax on imported vehicles could actually raise prices on cars made in the USA.
Plus, play ball. It's opening day. Can anyone topple the world champion Dodgers and their half-a-billion-dollar payroll?
And then this week's "Assignment." I take a deep dive into the Democratic divide. I spoke with Chicago's mayor about what his party needs to do to find a pathway forward.
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BRANDON JOHNSON (D), MAYOR OF CHICAGO: Organizers in this moment have more power than they realize. There are a number of people who still have not been politically engaged, who want to see a better pathway forward.
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CORNISH: OK, its 13 minutes past the hour. I want you to get going, and I want to give you your morning roundup. Some of the stories you need to know to get your day going.
Homeland security chief Kristi Noem visits the super prison in El Salvador, where Trump administration officials recently deported nearly 200 people. She then issued a new warning to other migrants using locked up prisoners as a backdrop.
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KRISTI NOEM, U.S. HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: This facility is one of the tools in our toolkit that we will use if you commit crimes against the American people.
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CORNISH: Noem's trip through Latin America continues today with a visit to Colombia.
And the CDC pulling back roughly $11 billion in COVID funding that was given to state and local public health departments. The agency says it will start recovering the money in about 30 days, but some health experts warn the impacts will be devastating to public health efforts.
And Southern Texas could be in for half a year's worth of rain. Some inland coastal areas have already received almost five inches, while totals of a foot or more are expected across the region. Flood watches will remain in effect until Friday.
And you've got to see this. A cargo plane makes an emergency landing and skids off the runway in Siberia. Eventually, it came to a stop in a snowbank with one wing stuck in the ground.
Authorities say the plane's landing gear failed, and fortune -- and fortunately, no one was injured.
Still to come, later this hour, it's been several months since the 2024 election. Democrats are still divided. What will it take to get them on the same page? That's this week's "Assignment."
Plus, more on a secret message sent to murder suspect Luigi Mangione via a sock.
And good morning, Arlington, Texas, home of Globe Life Field. Later today, the Rangers will host the Red Sox for MLB's opening day.
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CORNISH: OK. Ever since Democratic -- the Democratic Party lost the presidential election, it feels like the only thing that they can agree on is that they need to agree on something.
So, there are all these debates over how to take on oligarchy; the rise of abundance politics. And now there's something else called "new economic patriotism."
So, this ideological tug of war is basically playing out in real time. And the people who are caught in the middle are Democratic leaders: people still in office who are facing this politically stronger Donald Trump, a fractured party, and then increasingly frustrated voters.
So, this week on "The Assignment," I sat down with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. I wanted to ask him what role he thinks activists should still play in a party, and who's fighting about who gets to define its future.
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CORNISH: What advice would you give progressive activists now? They're experiencing a backlash, and they're being told by the Democratic Party establishment, maybe you guys need to chill out, because we've got to appeal to all Americans; and this isn't working.
JOHNSON: Knock on doors and have conversations.
CORNISH: But they're being told by the Democratic establishment, you're not -- you're not the face of us.
JOHNSON: Well, keep in mind, you know, I beat the Democratic establishment, right? The first mayor in an entire generation that did not have ties to the Democratic political machine. Organizers in this moment have more power than they realize. There are
a number of people who still have not been politically engaged, who want to see a better pathway forward.
I'll give you a quick example. I won by roughly 26,532 votes. Twenty- seven thousand new voters voted in the second round that did not vote in the first round.
Organizers created a lane in which a progressive, working-class black man can run one of the largest economies in the world.
It's not just about what people think they know. It's about the expression of power. And I'm encouraging every single organizer to step your game up; to build a more inclusive economy for everyone. That's what's possible through organizing.
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CORNISH: So, the group chat is back to talk about this. I actually spoke to the mayor, because he's a former teacher. He's a union member. He sort of represents a particular kind of figure in the party.
Hans, you've been paying attention to the people who are retiring.
NICHOLS: yes.
CORNISH: The open seats coming up. When it comes to Democrats. What's going on in terms of how that's playing out, who's coming forward?
NICHOLS: Well, for -- on the Senate side, with these some of these senators retiring, it's a huge opportunity for House members that were looking to move up.
But that has a knock-on effect, a domino effect where that's going to open up some close seats, some purple seats. And so, Republicans are salivating, looking at these open seats if the sort of a House lawmaker, say, in New Hampshire runs. So --
CORNISH: And stay there for a moment, because then that, you get chatter like, should AOC run for Schumer's seat? Right, Jasmine? Like, it becomes a game of speculation.
WRIGHT: Yes. Yes. I mean, there's a game of speculation. I think Schumer is a specific person, because it kind of feels like the time is ticking on him. And they're trying to figure out who could replace him. And AOC, for a lot of people, is the natural successor for him.
But certainly, you're getting folks like, should AOC run? I know that you had a great scoop in New Hampshire about Chris Pappas running, kind of all of these folks who have been known in this area.
Could they be, at least, some part of Democratic leadership or the voice of Democrats? Can they move up, and can they kind of replace the old guard, per se? But of course, I think, to Hans's point, it comes with some risk,
right? It comes with sacrificing potentially some of seats in the House. Obviously, the House, when it comes to 2026, is likely the only place that Democrats are going to make major, major gain when you look at the Senate map and how difficult it is for Democrats.
And so, I think that there are a lot of conversations happening around the Democratic Party of where we can put people.
CORNISH: Right.
WRIGHT: But again, that's something that --
CORNISH: And then who those people are and what they talk about.
WRIGHT: Yes.
CORNISH: Are they economic populists? Do they care about abundance? Do they care?
Jerusalem, I want to play for you, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, who stepped up his media appearances. Here's how he described the Democrats' problem.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. J.B. PRITZKER (D-IL): Donald Trump didn't just ride into power on the backs of oligarchs who wanted tax cuts so badly that they were willing to throw a record stock market into the toilet for them.
No, a number of Americans, 49.8 percent, went to the ballot box agreeing with Democratic positions on the issues most important to their lives, and they picked the other guy.
If we want to regain the trust of the voters that we stand for, Democrats have to deliver.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: When Republicans started to listen to Tea Party activists, it changed the direction of the party. Right? What do you see in this moment?
DEMSAS: Well, when you're listening to Governor Pritzker talk right there, you can hear this growing anxiety within the Democratic Party, which says, when we -- when voters look to Chicago, when they look to San Francisco or Los Angeles, do they see places that show them the direction of the country?
[06:25:08]
CORNISH: Something they want to emulate? Right. Or --
DEMSAS: Yes, exactly. And I think it's a big problem for Democrats, that in a cost-of-living election, no one sincerely believes that they know how to bring costs down for working families. And this wasn't just a problem with Biden and Harris and inflation in
-- in the last few years. It's a long-running problem of everyone knows these states are really expensive, and have they been able to tackle that problem effectively?
And if this continues to be a cost-of-living political environment, which, as we're seeing with tariffs, seems very likely it will be --
CORNISH: Yes.
DEMSAS: -- then can Democrats actually credibly say, we know how to make your pocketbook feel better? And that's not something they've been able to do in the past, you know, election.
CORNISH: All right. Well, if you want to get in on the conversation, look for new episodes of "The Assignment." They drop every Thursday.
Straight ahead on CNN THIS MORNING, protests erupt on the streets of Gaza. Palestinians, fed up with the war, now turning their anger toward Hamas.
Plus, RFK Jr. promoting the use of Vitamin A during the recent measles outbreak. Why that's now a new challenge for doctors.
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