Brian Hughes

Very boring. Lots of extra time to sleep and have fun.

Very boring. Lots of extra time to sleep and have fun.

Well, as we see every day, President Trump only has one gear, and it goes very, very fast. So whether it's the work we do here at home or on America's behalf out in the rest of the world, the President's commitment level and the pace are serious.

Well, as we see every day, President Trump only has one gear, and it goes very, very fast. So whether it's the work we do here at home or on America's behalf out in the rest of the world, the President's commitment level and the pace are serious.

There's a lot of important things happening in the world today, and the President remains focused, and we at the National Security Council are trying to implement his vision every day.

There's a lot of important things happening in the world today, and the President remains focused, and we at the National Security Council are trying to implement his vision every day.

You know, the operation against the Houthis is massive, and it's growing, and it's very successful. We've taken out key leadership. We've degraded their capacity to attack in the international shipping lanes. There's certainly more work to do. But there's no doubt that we've degraded. And as you note, essentially the Houthis, Hezbollah, Hamas, these are all proxies of Iran.

You know, the operation against the Houthis is massive, and it's growing, and it's very successful. We've taken out key leadership. We've degraded their capacity to attack in the international shipping lanes. There's certainly more work to do. But there's no doubt that we've degraded. And as you note, essentially the Houthis, Hezbollah, Hamas, these are all proxies of Iran.

They are organizations that were, like Iran itself, on their back heels. uh when Trump left office the first time but Biden did so many things wrong that Iran was able to get his cash flow back up and Iran uses that cash to directly yes fund attacks on us and our allies

They are organizations that were, like Iran itself, on their back heels. uh when Trump left office the first time but Biden did so many things wrong that Iran was able to get his cash flow back up and Iran uses that cash to directly yes fund attacks on us and our allies

You know, they're going. I think the president has made and continues to make a really important good faith effort. The president would rather get to a place at a negotiation table rather than the alternatives, but he's holding every option and hoping that Iran sees that he is extremely serious about his commitment that they'll never have a nuclear weapon.

You know, they're going. I think the president has made and continues to make a really important good faith effort. The president would rather get to a place at a negotiation table rather than the alternatives, but he's holding every option and hoping that Iran sees that he is extremely serious about his commitment that they'll never have a nuclear weapon.

A nuclear weapon, Iran, would so destabilize the Middle East beyond where it's been under Biden, that it simply can't happen, and the president's commitment is steadfast. But again, the president will always try to do that through discussion and negotiation, but they should make no mistake about it that all options are on the table.

A nuclear weapon, Iran, would so destabilize the Middle East beyond where it's been under Biden, that it simply can't happen, and the president's commitment is steadfast. But again, the president will always try to do that through discussion and negotiation, but they should make no mistake about it that all options are on the table.

Well, you know, all options are all options. And you've kind of identified the far ends of the spectrum. A full normalization with Iran seems as hard to imagine as war. Yes. Where we're living is in the middle space, and that's where I think it would be best solved. But all options are all options because we simply cannot accept an Iran with a nuclear weapon.

Well, you know, all options are all options. And you've kind of identified the far ends of the spectrum. A full normalization with Iran seems as hard to imagine as war. Yes. Where we're living is in the middle space, and that's where I think it would be best solved. But all options are all options because we simply cannot accept an Iran with a nuclear weapon.

The instability in their own government is both a good reason for them to be at the table, but also a good indicator of why they cannot possess a nuclear weapon. They are a fanatic regime that has its own instability internally that would make that just untenable.

The instability in their own government is both a good reason for them to be at the table, but also a good indicator of why they cannot possess a nuclear weapon. They are a fanatic regime that has its own instability internally that would make that just untenable.

We are. I mean, there's always a complicated dance that our regional partners have to do there. But I think our allies in the Middle East the Emirates, the various other nations, I think they understand the same as we do, that it would be too much of a destabilizing force to see them with a nuclear weapon. So they're certainly helping.

We are. I mean, there's always a complicated dance that our regional partners have to do there. But I think our allies in the Middle East the Emirates, the various other nations, I think they understand the same as we do, that it would be too much of a destabilizing force to see them with a nuclear weapon. So they're certainly helping.

I mean, we have partners like Oman and UAE that are helping facilitate discussions. So it's an important part of what's happening now.

I mean, we have partners like Oman and UAE that are helping facilitate discussions. So it's an important part of what's happening now.

Is there anything to read into that particularly? Well, you don't have to imagine it, and I'd hate to say that the Biden administration got anything right, but you can look back to CISA, the folks that look at cybersecurity for the government.

Is there anything to read into that particularly? Well, you don't have to imagine it, and I'd hate to say that the Biden administration got anything right, but you can look back to CISA, the folks that look at cybersecurity for the government.

CISA during Biden in 2024 issued a report that really comprehensively looked at the threats, particularly in China and Iran, as it comes to cyber and to technology. So even the Biden administration had suggested to senior officials in that report that encrypted end-to-end encrypted messaging was better for public or senior officials.

CISA during Biden in 2024 issued a report that really comprehensively looked at the threats, particularly in China and Iran, as it comes to cyber and to technology. So even the Biden administration had suggested to senior officials in that report that encrypted end-to-end encrypted messaging was better for public or senior officials.

And they even introduced in that report that Signal is a good option. Again, what's most important to understand about it, and I think Both my boss, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and Secretary Hegsath of the DOD have been trying to make sure this is understood. No classified information has been put through Signal.

And they even introduced in that report that Signal is a good option. Again, what's most important to understand about it, and I think Both my boss, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and Secretary Hegsath of the DOD have been trying to make sure this is understood. No classified information has been put through Signal.

Everyone universally understands and agrees that it's not a platform for classified. But as an encrypted end-to-end app, it works for unclassified material. In fact, Um, uh, many departments load signal, the signal be loaded on devices. And in fact, the white house, I have a white house cell phone and it has signal, the signal app added to it. So signal is another tool in a communication toolbox.

Everyone universally understands and agrees that it's not a platform for classified. But as an encrypted end-to-end app, it works for unclassified material. In fact, Um, uh, many departments load signal, the signal be loaded on devices. And in fact, the white house, I have a white house cell phone and it has signal, the signal app added to it. So signal is another tool in a communication toolbox.

Yes. It is completely for unclassified, uh, no one in the government, uh, in any of this, uh, And this reporting has been shown no one is using it for classified information.

Yes. It is completely for unclassified, uh, no one in the government, uh, in any of this, uh, And this reporting has been shown no one is using it for classified information.

Correct. And most of that is a function of timing. When something starts, the classification of it dramatically changes. But we have very good, very solid, secure systems. Yeah. And we use them every day in a variety of ways. But for unclassified material, there's a lot of different ways to communicate.

Correct. And most of that is a function of timing. When something starts, the classification of it dramatically changes. But we have very good, very solid, secure systems. Yeah. And we use them every day in a variety of ways. But for unclassified material, there's a lot of different ways to communicate.

And again, even since the Biden era, Signal has been one of those suggested as a good alternative for unclassified encryption.

And again, even since the Biden era, Signal has been one of those suggested as a good alternative for unclassified encryption.

What are you encountering? It is rampant, and it's been what President Trump talked about in his first term, really came to understand the power of it in his first term, and then committed to changing the culture dramatically. And there is extreme resistance. The swamp...

What are you encountering? It is rampant, and it's been what President Trump talked about in his first term, really came to understand the power of it in his first term, and then committed to changing the culture dramatically. And there is extreme resistance. The swamp...

And the deep state, as we talk about, there are deeply entrenched bureaucracies across our federal government that are, they've been here for decades. They have power bases that they are very hesitant to give up to elected officials. And they are absolutely petrified about the type of transparency and openness that President Trump is forcing on the government and the people that work for him.

And the deep state, as we talk about, there are deeply entrenched bureaucracies across our federal government that are, they've been here for decades. They have power bases that they are very hesitant to give up to elected officials. And they are absolutely petrified about the type of transparency and openness that President Trump is forcing on the government and the people that work for him.

So what happens when you encounter that resistance?

So what happens when you encounter that resistance?

Well, the first thing you have to do is confront it with force. Expose it. You mentioned a great example, which is D&I Gabbert. She's very, very aggressive. And again, her wheelhouse in the Intel community is perhaps the most entrenched bureaucracy. They live in a veil of secrecy, in some cases for good reason, but in some cases just as a nature of this separate...

Well, the first thing you have to do is confront it with force. Expose it. You mentioned a great example, which is D&I Gabbert. She's very, very aggressive. And again, her wheelhouse in the Intel community is perhaps the most entrenched bureaucracy. They live in a veil of secrecy, in some cases for good reason, but in some cases just as a nature of this separate...

view they have of the world so she's extremely aggressive and many of us are about exposing it um and the other thing you just have to do is is put your head down i mean there are forces in this town that uh very much hate disruption you've seen what they've done going after elon musk you've seen them go after my boss nsa waltz secretary of hegseth

view they have of the world so she's extremely aggressive and many of us are about exposing it um and the other thing you just have to do is is put your head down i mean there are forces in this town that uh very much hate disruption you've seen what they've done going after elon musk you've seen them go after my boss nsa waltz secretary of hegseth

DNI Gabbard, I mean, across the federal bureaucracy, when President Trump's mandate is brought into departments and agencies, and that mandate is to shine the light, open it up, let people see what their government's doing, and hold government accountable, they are very much resistant.

DNI Gabbard, I mean, across the federal bureaucracy, when President Trump's mandate is brought into departments and agencies, and that mandate is to shine the light, open it up, let people see what their government's doing, and hold government accountable, they are very much resistant.

He really doesn't have to because he has empowered such a great group of leaders. When you look at his cabinet and senior leadership team, there is nobody on the sidelines quietly rooting for the old guard.

He really doesn't have to because he has empowered such a great group of leaders. When you look at his cabinet and senior leadership team, there is nobody on the sidelines quietly rooting for the old guard.

These are people who understand what the president's mission was as he gave them, which is get in, disrupt this, open it up, put it under the bright lights, and let's make this a government that is more responsible to the people who elected it.

These are people who understand what the president's mission was as he gave them, which is get in, disrupt this, open it up, put it under the bright lights, and let's make this a government that is more responsible to the people who elected it.

Well, it's better today than it was just three three months ago. I mean, it. When you look at what the president's done, securing our border, we had no idea, no vetting on millions and millions of people who came to this country. We have, for all intents and purposes, stopped that flow completely. And at the same time, have an extremely aggressive campaign to get the worst of the worst out.

Well, it's better today than it was just three three months ago. I mean, it. When you look at what the president's done, securing our border, we had no idea, no vetting on millions and millions of people who came to this country. We have, for all intents and purposes, stopped that flow completely. And at the same time, have an extremely aggressive campaign to get the worst of the worst out.

The designation of these transnational gangs as terror organizations, is appropriate first. And second, it has led us to getting extremely violent, bad people out of our country. So we are more secure than we've ever been, but we're also extremely vigilant and even more committed to that mission, which is keep the homeland safe. Listen, let's make no mistake about it.

The designation of these transnational gangs as terror organizations, is appropriate first. And second, it has led us to getting extremely violent, bad people out of our country. So we are more secure than we've ever been, but we're also extremely vigilant and even more committed to that mission, which is keep the homeland safe. Listen, let's make no mistake about it.

When you talk about foreign policy, The greatest tool in the world for peace is a strong and secure America at home. That's for sure. All right. Deputy National Security Advisor, Brian News.

When you talk about foreign policy, The greatest tool in the world for peace is a strong and secure America at home. That's for sure. All right. Deputy National Security Advisor, Brian News.

Very boring. Lots of extra time to sleep and have fun.

Well, as we see every day, President Trump only has one gear, and it goes very, very fast. So whether it's the work we do here at home or on America's behalf out in the rest of the world, the President's commitment level and the pace are serious.

There's a lot of important things happening in the world today, and the President remains focused, and we at the National Security Council are trying to implement his vision every day.

You know, the operation against the Houthis is massive, and it's growing, and it's very successful. We've taken out key leadership. We've degraded their capacity to attack in the international shipping lanes. There's certainly more work to do. But there's no doubt that we've degraded. And as you note, essentially the Houthis, Hezbollah, Hamas, these are all proxies of Iran.

They are organizations that were, like Iran itself, on their back heels. uh when Trump left office the first time but Biden did so many things wrong that Iran was able to get his cash flow back up and Iran uses that cash to directly yes fund attacks on us and our allies

You know, they're going. I think the president has made and continues to make a really important good faith effort. The president would rather get to a place at a negotiation table rather than the alternatives, but he's holding every option and hoping that Iran sees that he is extremely serious about his commitment that they'll never have a nuclear weapon.

A nuclear weapon, Iran, would so destabilize the Middle East beyond where it's been under Biden, that it simply can't happen, and the president's commitment is steadfast. But again, the president will always try to do that through discussion and negotiation, but they should make no mistake about it that all options are on the table.

Well, you know, all options are all options. And you've kind of identified the far ends of the spectrum. A full normalization with Iran seems as hard to imagine as war. Yes. Where we're living is in the middle space, and that's where I think it would be best solved. But all options are all options because we simply cannot accept an Iran with a nuclear weapon.

The instability in their own government is both a good reason for them to be at the table, but also a good indicator of why they cannot possess a nuclear weapon. They are a fanatic regime that has its own instability internally that would make that just untenable.

We are. I mean, there's always a complicated dance that our regional partners have to do there. But I think our allies in the Middle East the Emirates, the various other nations, I think they understand the same as we do, that it would be too much of a destabilizing force to see them with a nuclear weapon. So they're certainly helping.

I mean, we have partners like Oman and UAE that are helping facilitate discussions. So it's an important part of what's happening now.

Is there anything to read into that particularly? Well, you don't have to imagine it, and I'd hate to say that the Biden administration got anything right, but you can look back to CISA, the folks that look at cybersecurity for the government.

CISA during Biden in 2024 issued a report that really comprehensively looked at the threats, particularly in China and Iran, as it comes to cyber and to technology. So even the Biden administration had suggested to senior officials in that report that encrypted end-to-end encrypted messaging was better for public or senior officials.

And they even introduced in that report that Signal is a good option. Again, what's most important to understand about it, and I think Both my boss, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and Secretary Hegsath of the DOD have been trying to make sure this is understood. No classified information has been put through Signal.

Everyone universally understands and agrees that it's not a platform for classified. But as an encrypted end-to-end app, it works for unclassified material. In fact, Um, uh, many departments load signal, the signal be loaded on devices. And in fact, the white house, I have a white house cell phone and it has signal, the signal app added to it. So signal is another tool in a communication toolbox.

Yes. It is completely for unclassified, uh, no one in the government, uh, in any of this, uh, And this reporting has been shown no one is using it for classified information.

Correct. And most of that is a function of timing. When something starts, the classification of it dramatically changes. But we have very good, very solid, secure systems. Yeah. And we use them every day in a variety of ways. But for unclassified material, there's a lot of different ways to communicate.

And again, even since the Biden era, Signal has been one of those suggested as a good alternative for unclassified encryption.

What are you encountering? It is rampant, and it's been what President Trump talked about in his first term, really came to understand the power of it in his first term, and then committed to changing the culture dramatically. And there is extreme resistance. The swamp...

And the deep state, as we talk about, there are deeply entrenched bureaucracies across our federal government that are, they've been here for decades. They have power bases that they are very hesitant to give up to elected officials. And they are absolutely petrified about the type of transparency and openness that President Trump is forcing on the government and the people that work for him.

So what happens when you encounter that resistance?

Well, the first thing you have to do is confront it with force. Expose it. You mentioned a great example, which is D&I Gabbert. She's very, very aggressive. And again, her wheelhouse in the Intel community is perhaps the most entrenched bureaucracy. They live in a veil of secrecy, in some cases for good reason, but in some cases just as a nature of this separate...

view they have of the world so she's extremely aggressive and many of us are about exposing it um and the other thing you just have to do is is put your head down i mean there are forces in this town that uh very much hate disruption you've seen what they've done going after elon musk you've seen them go after my boss nsa waltz secretary of hegseth

DNI Gabbard, I mean, across the federal bureaucracy, when President Trump's mandate is brought into departments and agencies, and that mandate is to shine the light, open it up, let people see what their government's doing, and hold government accountable, they are very much resistant.

He really doesn't have to because he has empowered such a great group of leaders. When you look at his cabinet and senior leadership team, there is nobody on the sidelines quietly rooting for the old guard.

These are people who understand what the president's mission was as he gave them, which is get in, disrupt this, open it up, put it under the bright lights, and let's make this a government that is more responsible to the people who elected it.

Well, it's better today than it was just three three months ago. I mean, it. When you look at what the president's done, securing our border, we had no idea, no vetting on millions and millions of people who came to this country. We have, for all intents and purposes, stopped that flow completely. And at the same time, have an extremely aggressive campaign to get the worst of the worst out.

The designation of these transnational gangs as terror organizations, is appropriate first. And second, it has led us to getting extremely violent, bad people out of our country. So we are more secure than we've ever been, but we're also extremely vigilant and even more committed to that mission, which is keep the homeland safe. Listen, let's make no mistake about it.

When you talk about foreign policy, The greatest tool in the world for peace is a strong and secure America at home. That's for sure. All right. Deputy National Security Advisor, Brian News.