News Brief: New Messages From Government Signal Group Released; US Blacklists Dozens of Chinese Companies

The White House responds after a magazine releases new messages from a top-level government chat group...

The White House and the U.S. Department of the Treasury in Washington on March 10, 2025. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

Good morning, and welcome to The Epoch Times News Brief for Thursday, March 27, 2025. I’m Bill Thomas, we have some compelling stories to share with you right now, and here’s what’s happening both nationally and around the world.

The White House responds after a magazine releases new messages from a top-level government chat group; the Trump administration bans dozens of Chinese companies from doing business with the U.S. due to national security concerns; and Ukraine’s president weighs in on the status of a critical mineral rights deal between his nation and the United States.

Also, another international student is detained by immigration officials—we’ll tell you why, and critical personal data of millions of Americans is at risk of being sold to the highest bidder after a major DNA testing firm files for bankruptcy.

We have a number of pressing stories to share with you today and we begin here. The lead editor of a D.C.-based magazine is accidentally included in a chat group with high-level White House officials. Military plans are discussed in that chat group, the magazine is sharing what they’ve learned, and more now on our top story.

New Messages From Government Signal Group Released

An investigation is now underway into how The Atlantic magazine’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was added to a group chat on an app called Signal which included a number of top U.S. officials, including Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The chat revealed information regarding a planned attack on Houthi terrorists in the Middle East. The chat also included Hegseth allegedly stating the exact time drone strikes would occur, as well as when F-18 fighter jets would launch.

Goldberg says his magazine is releasing the texts so that people can reach their own conclusions about the accuracy of his reporting, which alleged that the officials disclosed “war plans” and classified information. He also says there’s a “clear public interest” in disclosing the information because members of the administration are trying to “downplay” the significance of the messages.

However, The Atlantic has declined to release other portions of the chat thread, saying that some of the contents could conceivably be used to harm American military and intelligence personnel.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe say that neither war plans nor classified information was shared by the group. Furthermore, the White House says The Atlantic has conceded in their follow-up article that the messages were not “war plans.”

Additionally, Gabbard told Congress that Signal comes pre-installed on government devices. She went on to point out that a December 2024 memo issued by the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency advises “highly targeted individuals” within the government to use end-to-end encrypted messaging applications, such as Signal, for their regular communications.

Meanwhile, Ratcliffe told the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday that Signal was already loaded onto his computer when he was sworn in earlier this year, and he went on to say that use of the app by government employees goes back to the Biden administration.

By the way, national security adviser Mike Waltz is taking full responsibility for the error, saying that he assembled the group and it’s his job to make sure everything’s coordinated properly. Additionally, Trump says that moving forward, the government will likely not be using the Signal messaging app.

Still, Democrats are calling for an investigation into why officials used that app to discuss attack plans and how the leak happened, with one senator saying that coordinating war plans in such a “haphazard and dangerous way” puts every single American at risk.

We stay with national security now and to keep foreign adversaries from exploiting American technology, the federal government bans dozens of Chinese companies from doing business with the U.S. and more now on that story.

US Blacklists Dozens of Chinese Companies

The Trump administration has just added more than 50 Chinese organizations to a trade blacklist, making it difficult for them to receive shipments of U.S. goods and further restricting China’s ability to access advanced U.S. technology.

Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick says his department is making the move because the Trump administration “will not allow adversaries to exploit American technology to bolster their own militaries and threaten American lives.”

The newly blacklisted companies include China’s leading computer server manufacturer, as well as a number of subsidiaries of a top Chinese cloud service provider that’s allegedly developing powerful supercomputers intended for military use.

Also added to the blacklist are a pair of organizations associated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) which are developing large artificial intelligence (AI) models and advanced computer chips to support the CCP’s military modernization efforts.

For their part, the Chinese regime is accusing the U.S. of suppressing Chinese companies. However, the Trump administration says the move is simply intended to send a “clear, resounding” message that they will do everything in their power to prevent U.S. technology and goods from being misused in ways that threaten our national security.

Something else we’re following very closely right now concerns a massive deal between the U.S. and Ukraine, which could be worth nearly half of a trillion dollars to our country, and more now on this developing story.

Zelenskyy Says US Has Offered ‘Full-Scale’ Critical Minerals Deal

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the U.S. has just proposed a new “full-scale agreement” which grants our nation access to hundreds of billions of dollars worth of deposits of rare earths and critical minerals in Ukraine.

He also says that this “major agreement” goes into much greater detail than the previous framework.

Zelenskyy says that so far, his team has only briefed him on the new deal, which he’s calling a “serious document.”

He went on to say that he’s asked them to thoroughly review the agreement before preparing a clear explanation for him regarding all of its details, and that most likely, both sides will continue to refine the document.

By the way, rare earth metals are a group of 17 essential elements that play a key role in powering modern technology, from electric vehicle motors to missile guidance systems. Zelenskyy has previously said that Ukraine will sign a deal if the U.S. can provide security guarantees for his nation, while the U.S. views access to these minerals as compensation for past and ongoing military aid provided to Ukraine.

Meanwhile, securing crucial supply chains for these elements has been a priority for President Donald Trump as he seeks to strengthen our nation’s manufacturing base. The U.S. said the deal would attract private investment, foster economic growth and stability in Ukraine, and align the long-term interests of both of our nations.

Additionally, Trump recently said he expects that a revenue-sharing agreement concerning Ukraine’s critical minerals will be signed very soon, and that he’s also talking to Ukraine about the possibility of American firms owning Ukrainian power plants.

These latest developments come as both Russia and Ukraine have apparently agreed to a possible maritime cease-fire on the Black Sea, following U.S.-led negotiations which have been taking place throughout this week in Saudi Arabia.

An intriguing immigration story to share with you now. A woman from Turkey who’s a student at one of our country’s most well-regarded academic institutions is now in the custody of federal officials; why she’s being held and what the university is doing to aid her cause.

International Student at Tufts University Detained by Immigration Officials

Officials at Tufts University in Massachusetts say that an international graduate student at their school has just been detained by federal immigration authorities.

The university’s president says the student was taken into custody at an off-campus apartment building. He also says the university has been informed that the student’s visa has been terminated, and that if requested, the school will help her obtain legal help.

Meanwhile, an attorney has already filed a petition in federal court which seeks the release of the student, who’s a Turkish national. In response, the judge issued an order which prevents the student from being transferred out of the state without prior notice to the court.

Last year, the student was co-author of a school newspaper article which urged the university to cut financial ties with Israel following that country’s retaliatory offensive after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led terror attack. That article called on the school’s officials to hold Israel accountable for what they called a “Palestinian genocide” and the “indiscriminate slaughter of Palestinian civilians.”

This latest detention follows a number of similar deportation actions which have been taken against other international students linked to pro-Palestinian activism considered by authorities as pro-Hamas. Earlier this month, judges blocked the deportation of a pair of students associated with protests at both Columbia and Georgetown universities, after the administration accused each of them of having close connections to Hamas.

Meanwhile, in related news, the families of some hostages who were kidnapped by Hamas have just filed a lawsuit against that detained Columbia University protest leader, along with several pro-Palestinian groups, accusing them all of acting as the “propaganda arm” for terrorists as well as having prior knowledge of the Oct. 7 attack.

Finally today, a Northern California-based company which may be in possession of your DNA data files for bankruptcy. That company, once worth $6 billion, says your data is safe, but two state officials are advising people to take action. More now on a story which could affect millions of customers.

23andMe Customers Urged to Delete Data as Company Files for Bankruptcy

The attorneys general for both New York and California are urging customers of a company called 23andMe to immediately remove all of their personal data from the DNA testing company’s website, to safeguard it from being sold to a third party.

Their warning comes after the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this week. Although 23andMe says the restructuring process will not affect how it stores member information, many people remain concerned about how the company is handling the sensitive genetic data in its possession.

In case you’re not aware, 23andMe is a biotechnology company that specializes in genetic testing services that allow customers to learn about their ancestral origins and medical health.

New York’s attorney general says that data collected by the company is “sensitive information that must be protected at all costs.” She went on to provide instructions telling customers how to delete their personal accounts, change their preferences, and withdraw their previous consent which allows researchers to use their genetic data.

Meanwhile, California’s attorney general is also urging customers to exercise their rights under that state’s privacy laws, to request the deletion of their data, and to order the destruction of their genetic sample which is stored by 23andMe.

For their part, the company is seeking to reassure customers of their commitment to continue safeguarding user information, with the chair of the board of directors saying that data privacy will be an important consideration if the company ends up being sold.

By the way, in 2023, hackers leaked the personal data of nearly 7 million 23andMe customers on an online forum, dealing a major blow to the company’s reputation and raising alarms about how DNA-testing companies handle their data.

And now, it looks like our time is just about up for today, so we’re gonna call it a wrap for the Thursday edition of The Epoch Times News Brief.

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Finally, as we do each day on this program, we wrap everything up with a very notable quote, and this one comes to us from Robert Redford, who said:

“I have no regrets, because I’ve done everything I could to the best of my ability.”

Redford has starred in so many great movies over the years, including “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “Jeremiah Johnson,” and “The Sting.” You’ll also recall him from “The Way We Were,” “All the President’s Men,” and so many other great films.

For all of us here at The Epoch Times News Brief, I’m Bill Thomas.

The Epoch Times News Brief program is written each day by David Ross.

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Enjoy the remainder of your day and we’ll see you right back here next time for another edition of The Epoch Times News Brief.

For now, it’s imperative that we all continue to watch out for one another and have an absolutely superb day today. Bye for now.