Attorney General Pam Bondi has been subpoenaed to answer questions from Congress about the Justice Department's sex trafficking investigation of Jeffrey Epstein and the agency's handling of millions of files related to the disgraced financier. Bondi was ordered Tuesday to appear for a deposition on April 14 by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform after a vote earlier this month that was supported by five Republicans. The Justice Department's failure to fend off the subpoena from the Republican-led committee underscores widespread discontent among President Donald Trump's own base over Bondi's management of the review and release of a trove of documents from the criminal investigation into Epstein.
By SEUNG MIN KIM and DAVID KLEPPER Associated Press
President Donald Trump is pushing back against claims by the director of the National Counterterrorism Center about the motivations for the Iran war. In announcing his resignation Tuesday, Joe Kent claimed Iran "posed no imminent threat" to the United States. Trump says Iran is a "tremendous threat." Kent also says it's clear the U.S. started the war "due to pressure from Israel." The Republican president previously has denied Israel forced the U.S. to act. Kent is a former Washington state political candidate with connections to right-wing extremists. As head of the National Counterterrorism Center, Kent was in charge of an agency tasked with analyzing and detecting terrorist threats.
Gregory Bovino, who became a face of the Trump administration's aggressive immigration enforcement tactics in large cities, says he plans to retire from the U.S. Border Patrol in the coming weeks. Bovino joined the Border Patrol in 1996 and steadily rose through the ranks but wasn't well-known outside the agency until last June, when he took command of a crackdown in Los Angeles. Bovino was a near-daily presence as Minnesota's Twin Cities turned into a battleground between demonstrators and immigration authorities in January that led to the deaths of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
The Supreme Court will hear arguments over the Trump administration's push to end legal protections for people fleeing war and natural disaster from countries around the world, including Haiti and Syria. The justices refused to immediately lift the protections for hundreds of thousands of people Monday, allowing them to live and work in the U.S. legally for now. The court is expected to hear the case next month. The conservative-majority court has sided with the Trump administration on the issue before and allowed the end of similar legal protections for a total of 600,000 people from Venezuela while lawsuits play out, exposing them to potential deportation.
By CHARLOTTE KRAMON, ALEX VEIGA and MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press
In a rare bipartisan effort for a deeply divided Congress, the Senate has passed a broad bill to make U.S. housing more accessible and affordable. The bill passed on Thursday would reduce regulations, regulate corporate investors and expand how housing dollars can be used to build affordable homes and rentals. It now heads back to the House, which passed a separate version earlier this year. It is unclear whether President Donald Trump would sign it after declaring last weekend that he won't sign any new measures unless Congress passes legislation that would require voters to show proof of citizenship.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom says there's no imminent threat to the state from Iran. ABC News says the FBI warned California that Iran had aspired to send drones to the West Coast in retaliation for war. The FBI later released text of the alert, which noted that the information was based on "unverified information." The White House now says, "No such threat from Iran to our homeland exists." Newsom says California and various agencies plan for worst-case scenarios. Police in Los Angeles and San Francisco say they are monitoring world events for any risks.
Americans are divided along party lines on U.S. military action against Iran, according to polls conducted since the war began, with most polls showing opposition is higher than support. Polls suggest that many Americans are worried the military action is making the U.S. "less safe," even as they see Iran as a threat to U.S. security. President Donald Trump gave conflicting messages on Monday about the war's timeline, suggesting it could be near its end while also threatening additional force against Iran if the country disrupted the global flow of oil. Fluctuating oil prices may already be alarming voters. A poll found about 7 in 10 registered voters are "very" or "somewhat" concerned that the war will cause oil and gasoline prices to rise.
The White House says it fired an NTSB board member for serious misconduct, and he says the claims are false. President Donald Trump's administration on Monday accused Todd Inman of drinking on the job, harassing staff, misusing government resources, and skipping many meetings. Inman says he denies the allegations and plans to defend his reputation in court. Inman is a Republican appointed during former President Joe Biden's administration. The NTSB has declined to comment on Inman's dismissal. The agency now lists only three members, though the U.S. Senate has confirmed an American Airlines executive to join. The NTSB is investigating over 1,000 cases and will issue safety recommendations when it releases its final reports.
A bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security is stalling out again in Congress. Republicans invoked the war in Iran and the prospect of retaliatory terrorist attacks as they tried Thursday to pass a bill funding the department. But Democrats blocked the legislation as they insist on changes to immigration enforcement operations. While the House will also take up the bill later Thursday, the vote will be more about putting lawmakers on the record again about where they stand. In the end, a bipartisan compromise will have to be reached to end a DHS shutdown that began Feb. 14.
