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:
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/02/waltzs-team-set-up-at-least-20-signal-group-chats-for-crises-across-the-world-00266845


"Signal for Secure Comms: Convenience Over Security Without the
Record-Keeping" by Howard Altman | The War Zone:
https://www.twz.com/news-features/signal-for-secure-comms-convenience-over-security-without-the-record-keeping


"Boeing Wins F-47 Next Generation Air Dominance Fighter Contract"
by Thomas Newdick & Tyler Rogoway | The War Zone:
https://www.twz.com/air/boeing-wins-air-forces-next-generation-air-dominance-fighter-contract


"F-47 Was Born Out of Secret X-Planes Built by Both Boeing and
Lockheed" by Tyler Rogoway | The War Zone:
https://www.twz.com/air/f-47-was-born-out-of-secret-x-planes-built-by-both-boeing-and-lockheed


"Oleg Gordievsky, K.G.B. Officer Turned Double Agent, Dies at 86"
by Clay Risen | The New York Times:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/26/world/europe/oleg-gordievsky-dead.html


"The Godalming Connection: The Curious Surrey Saga of Fleming,
Bond, Putin & the KGB Colonel" by Mark O’Connell:
https://markoconnell.co.uk/the-godalming-connection-the-curious-surrey-saga-of-bond-fleming-putin-and-the-kgb-colonel/


More about Shane Harris

Read Shane’s work at The Atlantic:
https://www.theatlantic.com/author/shane-harris/
Follow Shane on Bluesky:
https://bsky.app/profile/shaneharris.bsky.social
Follow Shane on Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/shaneharris

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Secrets and Spies sits at the intersection of intelligence,
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