Deputy AG Todd Blanche was announced as acting AG, with EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin widely reported as the frontrunner for permanent replacement.

Bondi’s departure was driven by two compounding failures: a mishandled Epstein files rollout and a string of collapsed political prosecutions.

In February 2025, Bondi told Fox News a client list was “sitting on my desk right now.”

Days later, she distributed binders to conservative influencers at the White House, with the contents were largely public documents.

By July, DOJ issued a memo concluding no client list existed, directly contradicting her on-air promise. The MAGA base turned on her.

Laura Loomer called for her resignation.

In December, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles — a close Bondi ally — told Vanity Fair on the record that Bondi had "completely whiffed on appreciating that that was the very targeted group that cared about this," and had given them "binders full of nothingness."

It was a rare public break from within the West Wing itself.

Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act 427–1, forcing DOJ's hand on disclosure.

When the department missed its 30-day release deadline, the House Oversight Committee subpoenaed Bondi directly, with five Republicans crossing the aisle to join Democrats in the 24–19 vote, a sign the fallout had moved well beyond partisan lines.

After Trump’s now-deleted September 2025 Truth Social post that was accidentally made public, demanding “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!,” DOJ moved fast.

Trump’s former personal lawyer Lindsey Halligan, who had never prosecuted a criminal case, was installed as interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Subscribe now

She indicted former FBI Director James Comey in September and New York AG Letitia James in October.

By November 24, a federal judge dismissed both indictments, ruling Halligan’s appointment was unlawful.

Subsequent grand juries refused to re-indict James twice.

An Axios source put it plainly: “This was all about his enemies list and Pam wasn’t getting the indictments.”

The Civil Rights Division of DOJ lost roughly 75% of its attorneys and more than 200 former employees signed an open letter decrying its "destruction."

The Public Integrity Section, the post-Watergate unit built to prevent politicized prosecutions, was gutted. Over one-third of DOJ's senior career managers, at least 107 of roughly 320, departed in eight months, taking with them what Bloomberg Law described as "centuries of combined expertise."

Justice Connection, a network of DOJ alumni, estimates more than 6,400 employees left the department across 2025 alone.

Federal judges rebuked the department repeatedly for defying court orders. Bondi defended her tenure as a necessary house cleaning of politicized career officials, pointing to crackdowns on violent crime and drug cartels.

But the bottom line was stark: she dismantled the DOJ's independence, failed to deliver the prosecutions Trump demanded, and botched the one transparency moment her own base was watching.

Bondi leaves behind an institution critics say could take generations to rebuild. She was dismissed not for going too far, but for not going far enough.

Whoever succeeds her inherits the same impossible mandate of satisfying Trump's demand for retribution inside a legal system still capable of saying no.

In a statement posted publicly, Trump praised Bondi’s tenure, calling her a “great American patriot” who “did a tremendous job” leading a crackdown on crime.

Trump said Bondi will transition to a role in the private sector, with further details to be announced at a later date.

Todd Blanche, who has been serving as deputy attorney general, will step in as acting attorney general, according to the statement.

The announcement follows earlier reporting that Bondi had been ousted, though the White House had not initially confirmed the move.

It was not immediately clear what prompted the leadership change.

The response came after BDN reached out to the White House seeking clarification following conflicting public statements about potential negotiations between the two countries.

“These are sensitive diplomatic discussions and the United States will not negotiate through the news media. As President Trump and his negotiators explore this newfound possibility of diplomacy, Operation Epic Fury continues unabated to achieve the military objectives laid out by the Commander in Chief and the Pentagon.” — Karoline Leavitt

The response follows a series of mixed public signals in recent days. U.S. officials have suggested that talks may be happening, while Iranian officials have denied that any negotiations are underway.

At the same time, the White House is signaling that diplomacy may be underway even as military operations continue.

That framing introduces a level of ambiguity that leaves the central question unresolved: whether formal talks are actually taking place.

While the refusal to comment aligns with standard practice, the messaging creates a gap between what is being asked and what is being answered.

The statement also underscores a broader reality of modern conflict. Diplomacy and military action are not always mutually exclusive, and governments may pursue both at the same time without publicly confirming either in detail.

For now, the White House is making clear it will not publicly define the status of any talks, leaving the situation unclear as tensions continue.

Thousands of Iraqi Kurdish fighters have launched a ground offensive into Iran, according to a U.S. official who spoke to Fox News, marking a new development as tensions continue to escalate across the Middle East.

The reported push across the border comes amid an expanding war involving Iran, the United States and Israel.

The United States has denied direct involvement in supporting an insurgency inside Iran. Earlier Wednesday, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the U.S. military is not providing weapons to Kurdish fighters operating inside Iranian territory, though he noted that other parts of the U.S. government could potentially be involved in activities in the region.

At the White House, press secretary Karoline Leavitt also pushed back on reports that the Trump administration had approved a plan to arm Kurdish forces. She confirmed that President Donald Trump has spoken with Kurdish leaders about security issues tied to the U.S. presence in northern Iraq, but said claims that Washington agreed to provide weapons to Kurdish fighters are false.

This is a developing story.

The strikes hit the leader's compound and other key regime sites as part of a broader campaign against Iran's nuclear and military infrastructure. Israeli sources said Khamenei's body was recovered from the rubble.

President Trump confirmed Khamenei’s death in a post to Truth Social.

“Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead,” the President wrote

Iranian state media pushed back, claiming the supreme leader was "steadfast and firm in commanding the field," but offered no proof he survived.

The death would end more than three decades of Khamenei's rule and throw the Islamic Republic into uncharted territory.

This is a developing story.

He was arrested over his involvement in an anti-ICE protest inside of a church in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

“At my direction, early this morning federal agents arrested Don Lemon, Trahern Jeen Crews, Georgia Fort, and Jamael Lydell Lundy, in connection with the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota,” Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote in a post to X.

He was in Los Angeles to cover the Grammy Awards when he was arrested in a hotel lobby just after 11:00 pm local time.

Lemon is expected to appear in federal court on Friday.

Subscribe

Authorities confirmed the suspect, Anthony Kazmierczak, was taken into custody following the incident, which drew widespread attention due to Omar's high-profile status.

Kazmierczak was convicted of felony auto theft in 1989. He’s also had multiple driving under the influence arrests and traffic citations.

Law enforcement officials identified the suspect as having a criminal history, including a previous felony conviction. Investigators also noted the individual had posted pro-Trump content on social media prior to the attack. The relevance of these posts to the case has not been publicly detailed.

The attack occurred amid ongoing concerns about safety and security for elected officials. Omar was reportedly unharmed during the incident.

Officials continue to investigate the motives and circumstances surrounding the attack. No additional suspects have been reported, and further updates are expected as the case develops.

The incident took place on Tuesday, prompting Ecuador to issue a formal statement regarding the situation.

According to officials, the consulate grounds are considered Ecuadorian territory, and unauthorized entry by foreign agents is not permitted under diplomatic protocol. The Ecuadorian government has classified the attempted entry as a violation of international agreements governing consular facilities.

U.S. officials have not yet responded to the claims made by Ecuadorian authorities. The incident is under review by both governments to clarify the circumstances that led to the attempted access.

Ecuador’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized the importance of respecting diplomatic norms and agreed-upon international frameworks. The case may influence ongoing discussions about cooperation between the two countries on immigration and law enforcement matters.

DHS says the man was armed.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said he spoke with the White House following the incident.

“The President must end this operation. Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now,” Walz added. 

Large crowds of protesters have gathered at the scene and tear gas has been reportedly used.

This is a developing story.

He also said that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were captured and being flown out of the country.

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez seemingly corroborated President Trump’s announcment after saying that the government is unaware of the whereabouts of the Maduro and his wife.

“We demand immediate proof of life from the government of President Donald Trump regarding the lives of President Maduro and the first lady,” Rodríguez said in a call to state-run media.

This is a developing story.

Subscribe now

The official also stated that the White House will make a statement when U.S. forces are out of Venezuelan airspace.

The U.S. military’s involvement in the explosions were also confirmed by Reuters and Fox News.

The FAA issued a ban on U.S. commercial flights in Venezuelan airspace because of “ongoing military activity” ahead of the explosions in Caracas.

According to the Associated Press, low-flying aircraft were seen flying over Caracas at about 2 a.m. local time on Saturday.

Footage, confirmed by CNN, shows dual-rotor helicopters flying in Caracas. Venezuela is not known to operate any of these aircraft.

This is a developing story.

It is believed that the port was operated by the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

In an interview with WABC Radio on Friday, the President let it slip that the US had conducted a strike on a “big facility where ships come from,” though the details were not known at the time.

The operation represents a significant escalation in Washington’s pressure campaign against both drug trafficking networks and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Subscribe

Up until this point, U.S. counter-narcotics operations in the region had largely focused on strikes against suspected drug vessels in international waters.

Neither the White House, the Pentagon, nor the CIA has officially confirmed the specifics of the mission.

Subscribe

U.S. Special Operations Command was reported to have provided intelligence support for the operation, though a military spokesperson later denied direct involvement.

The Venezuelan government has not issued an official public response to the strike, and independent verification from within Venezuela remains limited.

Some analysts argue the strike could further heighten diplomatic tensions and raise questions about international law and national sovereignty given the unprecedented nature of a CIA-driven drone attack on Venezuelan soil.

President Donald Trump met Sunday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for nearly three hours at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, as US-led efforts to end the war in Ukraine continued.

Trump said he believes negotiations are moving closer to a peace deal but stressed the talks remain complex and could still fall apart.

He declined to give a firm timeline, saying it would take weeks to know whether an agreement is possible and warning that unexpected issues could derail the process.

He said “one or two very thorny issues” remain, including the future of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, which Russia has demanded Ukraine surrender. Trump said progress is being made but acknowledged the issue remains a major hurdle.

Any give up’s of territory would face legal limits in Ukraine, where the constitution requires a national referendum to approve ceding land.

Trump described the meeting as “excellent” and said progress had been made toward ending the war. During their talks, Trump and Zelensky also spoke by phone with European leaders, including officials from several NATO countries and the European Union, to discuss next steps.

Trump said he would be open to traveling to Ukraine or speaking before its parliament if it would help secure a deal, though he suggested such a trip was unlikely. Zelensky welcomed the idea.

Despite the diplomatic push, fighting continued in Ukraine on Sunday, with Russian attacks killing and wounding civilians and following Kyiv’s longest drone and missile assault of the year.

Any agreement would still require approval from Russian President Vladimir Putin, as the war continues on the ground.

Subscribe now