Friday morning news: April 3, 2026

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Bondi out as Attorney General » Attorney General Pam Bondi is out. President Trump fired her Thursday after 14 months on the job. He has named Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche as acting head of the Justice Department until he picks a nominee to replace Bondi.

Blanche, who previously served as Trump's personal defense lawyer, takes the helm immediately. 

The president did not announce a reason for the change, but Republican Congressman Chip Roy says in his view the president needed someone more aggressive in the role.

ROY:  We have a limited period right now with President Trump in the White House, uh, with the House Republicans and Senate Republicans. We have got to be on offense for justice and accountability. … What are we doing about ANTIFA, and what they're doing radically across this country to endanger us? Open borders, the radical Marxist networks?

Trump praised Bondi in a statement, calling her "a great American patriot." For her part, Bondi called the role "the honor of a lifetime" and plans to transition to the private sector.

Her tenure drew mounting frustration from conservatives over the Justice Department's handling of Jeffrey Epstein files.

This is the second cabinet shakeup in less than 30 days. President Trump fired and replaced former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem last month.

DHS funding deal » A partial government shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security continues as Republicans in Congress grapple over the path forward.

With most lawmakers back home for Easter and Passover recess, a handful met in a pro forma session on Thursday.

That came after the Senate approved a plan to fund all of DHS except for agencies involved in immigration enforcement. Senate Majority Leader John Thune:

THUNE: You know we have to do this now without Democrat votes. And the way to do that obviously, is to do it through the budget reconciliation.

That process allows both chambers to pass budget issues on a simple majority. House Republicans have opposed funding DHS without immigration enforcement, but Speaker Mike Johnson said in a statement Wednesday he now favors the approach.

However, on Thursday, the House punted the resolution until next week.

Meantime, President Trump plans to sign an executive order authorizing paychecks for the rest of DHS after approving partial back pay for TSA agents last week.

Ukraine latest » In Ukraine:

SOUND: [Firefighters in Odesa]

Firefighters battled massive flames Thursday after an overnight Russian drone attack on the port city of Odesa. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin reports:

KRISTEN FLAVIN: Local authorities say civilian and port infrastructure was hit. And officials say two people were killed and three others injured in Russian aerial attacks Thursday.

Meanwhile, Russia is inviting its students to join newly created drone units.

PESKOV: [Speaking Russian]

FLAVIN: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says the new units require personnel with specialized skills.

All of this comes as negotiators for both countries are trying to hammer out a possible prisoner exchange for Easter.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously proposed a ceasefire for the holiday weekend, but the Kremlin says it’s not interested in a temporary truce.

For WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

Artemis update » Four astronauts are coasting toward the moon today, two days into NASA's Artemis II mission.

The Orion capsule, carrying the crew, locked onto its lunar path last night after a critical Translunar Injection burn.

President Trump saluted the astronauts, noting they will boldly go where no man has gone before, that is, deeper into space than anyone has ever gone.

TRUMP: And will very substantially pass the moon, go around it and come back home from a distance that has never been done before. It's amazing. They are on the way and God bless them, these are brave people.

Today, the crew is planning to perform the first of several smaller mid-course correction burns to fine-tune their path.

The closest lunar approach comes Sunday before splashdown in the Pacific one week from today. Artemis II is the first crewed deep-space mission since Apollo Seventeen in 1972, paving the way for another moon landing as early as 2028.

White House ballroom approval » President Trump's White House ballroom project is moving forward, despite a federal judge's order to halt construction. 

WORLD’s Benjamin Eicher has that story:

BENJAMIN EICHER: A key planning commission voted eight-to-one Thursday to approve a $400 million-dollar project. Commission chair Will Scharf said the judge's ruling applies to construction activity, not the planning process, so Thursday's vote was legally sound.

The ruling has been stayed two weeks while the administration appeals. Trump also tweaked the design Sunday, dropping a south staircase that critics called too large and adding a west porch.

The ballroom is funded through private donations, with public dollars covering security upgrades. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has sued, arguing congressional approval is required.

For WORLD, I’m Benjamin Eicher.

And I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: John Stonestreet is standing by for Culture Friday. And later, a review of the new animated Super Mario Galaxy Movie.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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