The Daily Brief — Apr. 2, 2026
The latest on Pam Bondi’s ouster, the Iran war, a top general stepping down, and more
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Pam Bondi Fired
President Trump today fired Attorney General Pam Bondi, ending her 14-month tenure as the nation’s top law enforcement officer. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche will serve as Acting Attorney General.
On social media, Trump praised Bondi as “a Great American Patriot” and said she would be “transitioning to a much needed and important new job in the private sector.”
Bondi is the second cabinet member removed during Trump’s second term, following the firing of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem last month.
Reports said Trump had grown frustrated with Bondi on two fronts: her handling of the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, which created a backlash among his supporters, and what he viewed as insufficient action against his political opponents. The DOJ had filed cases against former FBI director James Comey (charged with making a false statement to Congress and obstruction) and New York AG Letitia James (mortgage fraud). Both cases were dismissed by a federal judge, who said the US attorney who oversaw the case was appointed illegally.
Top General Asked to Step Down
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth today asked Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George to step down and take immediate retirement, a Pentagon official confirmed to CBS.
George, a West Point graduate and career infantry officer, was nominated by President Biden and confirmed by the Senate in 2023 for a four-year term that was expected to run through 2027. An unnamed Defense Department official told CBS: “We are grateful for his service, but it was time for a leadership change in the Army.” CBS, citing an unnamed source, said that Hegseth wanted someone who will implement President Trump’s vision in the Army.
Gen. Christopher LaNeve, the current vice chief of staff and a former military aide to Hegseth, will serve as acting Army chief. A Pentagon spokesman described LaNeve as “a battle-tested leader with decades of operational experience and is completely trusted by Secretary Hegseth to carry out the vision of this administration without fault.”
Gen. George is among the dozen senior military officers who have been removed by Hegseth, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. CQ Brown and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti.
Iran
In an address to the nation last night, President Trump said that US military objectives in Iran are “nearing completion” and vowed to hit Iran “extremely hard” over the next two to three weeks.
“We’re going to bring them back to the Stone Ages, where they belong,” Trump said. He did not offer a concrete timeline for ending the war, now in its fifth week.
Before the speech, oil prices had dipped below $100 a barrel — afterward, West Texas Intermediate crude increased 10% to $110.22 a barrel, and Brent crude climbed more than 6% to $107.35 per barrel.
Earlier yesterday, Trump posted on social media that Iran’s president wanted a ceasefire. Iran’s Foreign Ministry called the claim “false and baseless.”
Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said today it struck an Amazon’s Web Services cloud computing facility in Bahrain. The Financial Times, which first reported the strike yesterday, said the Bahraini officials extinguished fire caused by the attack but the extent of the damage is not known. The IRGC has warned it would target American companies operating in the Gulf region, naming 18 firms including Apple, Google, and Meta as potential targets.
Newsbreak
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DHS Shutdown Continues
President Trump said today he will sign an executive order to pay all Department of Homeland Security employees who have gone without paychecks during the 48-day partial shutdown — the longest government shutdown in US history.
The order expands a similar directive he signed last week covering only TSA workers. Administration officials told CNBC that the money came from last year’s Republican tax and spending package. Thousands of other DHS staffers, including FEMA workers, civilian Coast Guard employees, and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency staff have gone unpaid since the shutdown began in mid-February. The White House did not say where the funding would come from. Axios noted the move could run afoul of the Antideficiency Act, which bars federal spending without congressional approval.
Trump’s announcement came after yet another deadlock in Congress. Today, the Senate passed a bipartisan bill to fund most of DHS through Sept. 30, excluding ICE and parts of Customs and Border Protection, but the House adjourned its own session without acting on the bill. A prior joint announcement by Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune had indicated the House would pass it. The next House session begins Monday.
Trump has endorsed a two-track approach: pass the Senate bill to reopen most of DHS, then fund ICE and Border Patrol separately through reconciliation — a budget process that would bypass a potential Democratic filibuster. Trump has set a June 1 deadline for the reconciliation bill. Although Speaker Johnson is now on board, some of his Republican colleagues are opposed to any bill that excludes funding for ICE.
Florida Voting Law
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis yesterday signed a law requiring voters to prove their US citizenship when registering to vote and in order to get a REAL ID that demonstrates their citizenship, making Florida the first state to enact its own version of the federal SAVE Act, which has stalled in the US Senate.
DeSantis cited “election integrity” as justification for the law.
The law requires a valid US passport, original birth certificate, or Real ID-compliant Florida driver’s license — a new version that will indicate US citizenship — to register. The law takes effect Jan. 1, 2027 — after this year’s midterm elections but before the 2028 presidential race.
Several groups have already filed suit, arguing the law places an unconstitutional burden on the right to vote and violates the Fourteenth Amendment’s equal protection clause.
Noem-Lewandowski Probe
The Department of Homeland Security inspector general is investigating how contracts were handled under former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, including the role of her advisor Corey Lewandowski.
Under scrutiny is a $220 million advertising contract awarded to Republican-connected firms without using a competitive bidding process. One of the beneficiaries, per ProPublica, is the consulting firm Strategy Group, which had worked for Noem when she was governor of South Dakota. The firm’s CEO is the husband of former DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin. Lewandowski also worked with the firm, ProPublica reported but did not say in what capacity.
The New York Times reported yesterday that the Trump administration has received complaints about Lewandowski’s involvement in the contracting process. Among those raising concerns is Palantir, the data analytics firm that has developed technology for DHS to track individuals for deportation. The Times did not specify the nature of the company’s complaint.
NBC News reported that several companies told the White House they were asked to pay Lewandowski himself or consultants tied to him as a condition of winning — or keeping — government work. Lewandowski, who had taken an unpaid “special government employee” role at DHS, has denied any impropriety.
Meanwhile, reports have surfaced that the former DHS Secretary’s husband Bryon Noem has alleged that Kristi had an affair with Lewandowski.
White House Ballroom
The National Capital Planning Commission — the federal government’s planning agency for construction on federal land — approved President Trump’s $400 million White House ballroom project today, despite the overwhelming majority of more than 35,000 comments that the public sent to the commission opposing the plan.
The approval comes days after a federal judge ordered construction halted until Congress authorizes it. The judge has stayed his order for two weeks to allow the administration to appeal.
The commission is chaired by Will Scharf, a Trump appointee and former personal lawyer to the president. He also serves as White House staff secretary. The two other Trump-appointed White House officials — OMB associate director Stuart Leven and White House deputy chief of staff James Blair — also sit on the commission. DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson voted no, saying the 90,000-square-foot structure was “just too large” and criticizing what he called a “rushed process.” Two other commissioners voted “present.”
Ahead of the vote, the commission removed language from its official documents saying projects on federal land “require” its approval, instead describing its review as routine, after a request from a White House official, The Washington Post reported.
Trump had the East Wing demolished last year to make way for the ballroom. Trump has said Congressional approval for construction on White House property is not required. It was not clear how the administration will proceed in light of the judge’s order.
Things are really getting out of control. I think every congress member needs to hear from us and work up an intervention to help out the guy that is supposed to be president but is clearly struggling to function. Anyone else feel that way?
What’s Brent crude? I see it all the time but no one even explains it and why it’s so important to setting prices.