A high-level communication blunder involving senior officials in the Trump administration has triggered a wave of interest in the encrypted messaging app Signal, making this past week the platform’s most significant moment of US growth since it launched nearly eleven years ago.
The unexpected spike followed reports that top cabinet members had used Signal to coordinate a military operation targeting Yemen — only to mistakenly include The Atlantic’s editor in chief in their private group chat. That error set off a political firestorm and intense media scrutiny, but it also vaulted Signal into the national spotlight, fueling record-breaking user adoption in the United States.
Jun Harada, who leads growth and partnerships at Signal, said the response has been overwhelming. “In Signal’s history, this is the largest US-growth moment by a massive margin,” Harada told Wired. “It’s mind-blowing, even on our side.”
Though he declined to share exact figures, Harada confirmed that Signal’s cumulative downloads remain in the hundreds of millions. He also noted that this week’s surge has doubled the typical adoption rate seen earlier in 2025, which was already significantly higher than the same period last year. “It happened immediately” after The Atlantic’s report, Harada explained. “And it’s been sustained. We’ve been maintaining that rate every day.”
Independent data from the analytics firm Sensor Tower supports Signal’s internal findings. According to their analysis, downloads in the US rose 105 percent compared to the previous week and 150 percent over a typical week in 2024. By contrast, downloads outside the US climbed by just 21 percent, indicating the uniquely domestic impact of the incident. […]
— Read More: reclaimthenet.org
At Last, a Company With Integrity in the Gold IRA Industry
For several years, I’ve been vetting out precious metals companies in search of the best. I believe in gold and silver but it’s hard to find integrity in the Gold IRA industry. The vast majority operate with shady tactics and gigantic spreads that take advantage of Americans who simply want to protect their life’s savings.
I’ve found a handful that I like and I’ve worked with some of them. By no means would I “unrecommend” them because, again, I vetted them out and found them to be above the fold. Unfortunately, it isn’t hard to be better than the rest when the rest are so darn awful.
After years of searching, I finally found a company that truly operates with integrity. Augusta Precious Metals has three important attributes that set them far above the competition:
- Non-Commissioned Sales Team: I cannot stress how important and unique this is. With just about every other company in the Gold IRA industry, the sales teams make commission from every account they open. This means they steer their clients toward the gold and silver products with the highest commission. With Augusta Precious Metals, the team is solely focused on putting the best gold and silver for their clients into their IRA. They get paid to serve the best interests of the Gold IRA client, NOT their own commission pay.
- Incredibly Low Fees: Most Americans would be shocked if they knew the spread other Gold IRA companies charge. Augusta charges just 5% versus up to 45% elsewhere.
- No Pressure, No Gimmicks: There’s an understanding among most in the Gold IRA industry that fear and pressure is the way to go. Augusta Precious Metals takes a sober approach when working with clients because they hold integrity in the highest possible regard. This is why they don’t offer gimmicks like “free” or “bonus” silver. It’s also why they do not apply pressure tactics to get quick sales. Their educational and transparent approach to doing business is exceedingly rare in the Gold IRA industry.
