INTERNACIONAL
Pam Bondi is out as AG — here are the contenders who could replace her

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
President Donald Trump announced a Department of Justice shakeup on Thursday, ousting Attorney General Pam Bondi and looking to name her permanent successor.
Trump tapped Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to fill the role in an acting capacity, but other names, like Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin’s, have swirled since the announcement of Bondi’s departure, which was first reported by Fox News Digital on Thursday.
Blanche, Trump’s former personal defense lawyer, could serve as acting attorney general for up to 210 days. Trump is staring down the possibility of Senate Republicans shrinking or losing their majority in the midterms, which could complicate the president’s ability to secure a nominee’s confirmation if he waits too long to replace an acting official.
KARL ROVE: TRUMP DROPPED BONDI, BUT THE REAL POLITICAL FIGHT IS JUST BEGINNING
Contenders for attorney general, one of the most prestigious and influential, yet least secure jobs in Washington, would also need to win over tough but critical votes from current senators.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., a member of the committee tasked with vetting attorneys general, ruled out anyone who defended the 2021 U.S. Capitol breach in a CNN interview Thursday.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi testifies before the House Judiciary Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Feb. 11, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
«The threshold for somebody following Pam Bondi ends the moment I hear they said one thing that excused the events of January the 6th,» Tillis said.
Bondi faced a series of public missteps during her time as AG. They involved her failure to tamp down bipartisan criticism about the DOJ’s handling of files related to Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking cases and her inability to find enough evidence to bring reliable criminal charges against politicians viewed as Trump’s political foes aside from former National Security Advisor John Bolton, who was indicted for mishandling classified documents.
Asked for comment about possible contenders to succeed Bondi, a White House spokesperson pointed to Trump’s Truth Social post from Thursday announcing Bondi’s exit and Blanche as her interim replacement.
Todd Blanche
Trump did not rush to tease a permanent replacement when he announced that Blanche would be filling in, leaving the incoming acting attorney general to effectively try out for the permanent role.
Blanche could persuade Trump to nominate him and the Senate to confirm him in the coming months, having both proven his loyalty to Trump while retaining traditional bona fides as a longtime lawyer in the Southern District of New York and in private practice. He left a prestigious New York law firm in 2023 to defend Trump against Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and special counsel Jack Smith.
«Our Deputy Attorney General, and a very talented and respected Legal Mind, Todd Blanche, will step in to serve as Acting Attorney General,» Trump wrote on Truth Social Thursday.
PAM BONDI FACES BIPARTISAN SUBPOENA OVER FRUSTRATION WITH DOJ’S RELEASE OF EPSTEIN FILES

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, joined by President Donald Trump, speaks at a news conference on recent Supreme Court rulings in the briefing room at the White House June 27, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Blanche’s direct involvement in those cases could present tricky conflicts of interest as the DOJ pursues investigations into the people involved with prosecuting Trump, and Democrats have made clear that Blanche is, in their view, a top culprit in the department’s handling of the Epstein files.
Lee Zeldin
Trump has spoken with Zeldin about potentially serving as attorney general, including this week, Fox News Digital reported Thursday.
One downside for the president, however, would be that Zeldin’s transition to attorney general would require two major confirmation hearings, one for Zeldin and one for a new EPA administrator. One source familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital that Zeldin was interested in the job.

Former Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., Trump’s nominee to be administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, speaks during his Senate Environment and Public Works confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill Jan. 16, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Harmeet Dhillon
A vocal contingent online has urged Trump to promote Dhillon from the head of the DOJ Civil Rights Division to attorney general.
«That’s up to the president,» Dhillon told Fox News Digital when asked about the prospect. «I’m flattered to be mentioned by many online, but it’s his choice, and I serve at his pleasure only.»

Harmeet K. Dhillon speaks at the IAC National Summit 2026 at The Diplomat Beach Resort Jan. 17, 2026, in Hollywood, Fla. (Noam Galai/Getty Images)
Several conservative influencers sang Dhillon’s praises on X upon Bondi’s firing. Scott Presler said she would be an «exceptional» attorney general. Mike Cernovich said Dhillon was «filing civil rights lawsuits on behalf of Trump supporters who were attacked by ANTIFA. In 2016. Who was around in 2016?»
Jeanine Pirro
Trump tapped Pirro, a close ally, to lead the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, D.C., the most high-profile of the 93 in the country.
A former Fox News host, judge and district attorney, Pirro has risen to the occasion, filling the jobs of ousted prosecutors and promoting her role in reducing violent crime in the nation’s capital.
Still, Pirro’s seen some hurdles, including failing to convince grand juries to indict six Democratic lawmakers and a man who stood accused of throwing a sandwich at an immigration officer. Pirro reduced the man’s charge, but a jury acquitted him.
Trump told New York Magazine Pirro was «fantastic» when asked if she would replace Bondi. Fox News Digital reached out to Pirro’s office for comment.
TRUMP CABINET SHAKEUP EXPANDS AFTER NOEM EXIT, BONDI FIRING — WHO’S UNDER PRESSURE NEXT?

Jeanine Pirro, U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, spoke during a news conference at the Department of Justice on Feb. 6, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Sen. Eric Schmitt
Schmitt, the former attorney general of Missouri, was on Trump’s first shortlist for attorney general and is now making the rounds as an option again.

Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., during a Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., Feb. 9, 2023. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
As a state attorney general, Schmitt led high-profile litigation against the Biden administration, including a closely watched jawboning lawsuit challenging the federal government’s involvement in social media censorship. The Supreme Court sidestepped weighing in on the case, but last month Missouri and Louisiana notched a victory by reaching a settlement with several government agencies.
Fox News Digital reached out to Schmitt’s office for comment.
Unlikely contenders
Several conservative influencers also floated Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, as an option, but Lee poured cold water on the idea on Friday, saying on X, «I’m not going anywhere.»
Other long-shot options include Alina Habba, Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Alina Habba speaks from a podium. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Habba promoted her tight relationship with Trump online on Friday, but one source said Habba was happy in her current role as a DOJ senior advisor, while another said she was not having active conversations about the job but had not been ruled out as a possibility.
DeSantis’ name made the rounds online, and the Florida governor, whose stardom rose during COVID-19 but faltered during his failed presidential run, remains constantly in touch with the White House. Fox News Digital reached out to his office.
Paxton is an unlikely choice, according to another source. The Texas attorney general, once impeached over bribery allegations but acquitted by the state Senate, has Republican enemies in the upper chamber who would be needed for votes come confirmation time.

Attorney General Pam Bondi testifies before a House Judiciary Committee hearing on «Oversight of the Department of Justice» on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Feb. 11, 2026. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty )
Tom Fitton, president of the conservative Judicial Watch, told Fox News Digital the attorney general «need not be a lawyer.»
«I would support most anyone if there were a serious commitment to massive reform, transparency, etc.,» Fitton said. «The agency should be shrunk, transformed and defanged.»
Justice Connection, a group comprising many former DOJ employees who resigned or were fired under Trump, warned against a nominee who would mimic Bondi’s allegiance to Trump.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
«Replacing [Bondi] with a more competent attorney general who — like her — believes their sole client is the president and not the country may just make things worse,» Stacey Young, the group’s executive director, said in a statement.
Katelyn Caralle contributed to this report.
justice department, pam bondi, donald trump, politics
INTERNACIONAL
La Iglesia católica de Honduras pide una “paz desarmada” durante el Viacrucis en Tegucigalpa

La Iglesia católica de Honduras ha realizado un enérgico llamado a la sociedad para recuperar el sentido espiritual de la Semana Santa y construir una nueva humanidad basada en una “paz desarmada y desarmante”. Durante la celebración del Viacrucis del Viernes Santo en Tegucigalpa, el arzobispo José Vicente Nácher enfatizó que la verdadera transformación no se logra por la fuerza ni por el poder, sino mediante la entrega y la donación, elementos centrales del mensaje cristiano, según datos de la agencia EFE.
“El Señor no se impone con la fuerza del poder, sino que redime a través de la entrega y la donación. Es esa nueva lógica, la lógica de Dios, que es más grande que la de los hombres en un mundo, desgraciadamente, en el que pareciera que las armas son la única voz posible”, afirmó Nácher ante una multitud marcada por la presencia femenina y las altas temperaturas, consignó EFE.
Durante el recorrido por las catorce estaciones, el prelado hondureño subrayó que la Iglesia seguirá proclamando que la paz auténtica solo se alcanza cuando se renuncia a la violencia y se respeta la dignidad de los más vulnerables. Nácher pidió a los fieles que se conviertan en “misioneros en el reino de Dios mediante nuestras oraciones y nuestro apoyo a los demás”, y rogó por “un corazón generoso” para que la solidaridad guíe las acciones de los creyentes.
Uno de los mensajes más contundentes del arzobispo, según EFE, estuvo dirigido a la defensa de los territorios indígenas y al respeto por la dignidad de los más desfavorecidos. Nácher exigió al Estado hondureño asumir su responsabilidad en la reparación de los daños ocasionados a comunidades despojadas de sus tierras, haciendo un llamado explícito a proteger los derechos humanos y a combatir la indiferencia.

“Pedimos perdón por la indiferencia ante el sufrimiento de quienes son manipulados por intereses ajenos al bien común”, expresó el religioso durante la ceremonia, y exhortó a la sociedad y a las autoridades a trabajar por una sociedad “más justa”.
El arzobispo también lamentó que los pobres “son descartados de los planes de los que tienen el poder” y exhortó a que el mensaje de Jesucristo llegue “a los oídos y el corazón de los gobernantes”, reiterando la urgencia de atender a los sectores excluidos y marginados.
En el inicio de la Semana Santa, la Iglesia católica hondureña hizo un llamado a la esperanza frente a los desafíos de la pobreza, la violencia y la migración. Recordó a los fieles que el mensaje de la cruz no representa una derrota, sino un “signo de victoria” y un motivo de solidaridad con los más marginados.
“En nuestra realidad hondureña, marcada por la pobreza, la migración, la desintegración familiar y la violencia, muchos sienten que la cruz es demasiado pesada. Sin embargo, Jesús nos enseña que no estamos solos, él camina con nosotros, toma sobre sí nuestras cargas y nos anima a mirar siempre adelante, a no perder la esperanza”, subrayó la Iglesia en su mensaje a la población.

El Viacrucis del Viernes Santo, celebrado en Tegucigalpa y replicado en las principales ciudades del país, reunió a miles de personas en un acto de fe y reflexión. Honduras, con una población de 10 millones de habitantes, se caracteriza por su mayoría católica, y la Semana Santa constituye una de las manifestaciones religiosas de mayor arraigo y participación en la vida social. En la capital, una de las alfombras más largas, elaborada por decenas de hombres y mujeres contratados por la Alcaldía, superó los 600 metros en la Avenida Cervantes, sirviendo de escenario para la procesión del Santo Entierro.
El llamado de la Iglesia católica de Honduras, recogido por la agencia EFE, invita a la sociedad a rechazar la violencia, defender la dignidad de los pueblos indígenas y mantener la esperanza, apelando a la fe como motor para una transformación profunda en el país. El mensaje busca recuperar el sentido espiritual de la Semana Santa, proponiendo una humanidad nueva, donde la paz, la justicia y la solidaridad prevalezcan sobre la fuerza y el poder.
INTERNACIONAL
Cuba releases 2,000 prisoners amid Trump pressure, energy crisis

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Cuba’s government released more than 2,000 prisoners as the island faces mounting economic pressure linked to U.S. sanctions and worsening fuel shortages.
The Cuban Embassy in Washington said authorities granted pardons to 2,010 inmates under provisions of the country’s constitution, citing factors such as good behavior, time already served and health conditions.
«This humanitarian and sovereign gesture was based on a careful analysis of the nature of the offenses committed by the inmates, their good conduct while in prison, [and] the fact that they had served a significant portion of their sentences,» the embassy said in a statement posted on X.
RUSSIA SHIPS FUEL TO CUBA USING ‘SPOOFING’ TACTIC CHALLENGING TRUMP EMBARGO: REPORTS
Inmates celebrate as they walk free from La Lima prison in Havana on April 3, 2026, after Cuba announced it would pardon 2,010 prisoners amid mounting U.S. pressure. (Yamil Lage/AFP via Getty Images)
Officials said those released include young people, women, older adults, as well as foreign nationals and Cuban citizens who live abroad but were imprisoned on the island.
The government said it excluded prisoners convicted of serious crimes, including murder, sexual assault, violent robbery, drug offenses and corruption of minors, as well as repeat offenders.
CUBA’S ENTIRE ELECTRICAL GRID COLLAPSES, LEAVING WHOLE ISLAND WITHOUT POWER
The move marks the second prisoner release this year and comes during Holy Week, which Cuban officials described as a customary period for such actions.
The release comes as Cuba grapples with a deepening economic and energy crisis driven in part by a renewed pressure campaign from the Trump administration aimed at cutting off the island’s access to foreign oil. The restrictions have contributed to widespread fuel shortages, blackouts and growing unrest across the country.
WATCH: Cuban power blackout sparks protests as Trump hints at US intervention
President Donald Trump has threatened tariffs on any country that sends oil to Cuba and has pressured nations such as Mexico to halt shipments as part of a broader effort to squeeze the island’s energy supply.
The U.S. also allowed a tanker to deliver fuel to Cuba earlier this week after months of severe shortages, with the White House framing the move as a humanitarian exception rather than a shift in policy.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

A man embraces a loved one after being released from La Lima prison in Havana on April 3, 2026, as Cuba began freeing more than 2,000 inmates. (Yamil Lage/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump has also escalated his rhetoric, recently saying «Cuba’s next» while discussing U.S. actions abroad, though he later sought to downplay the remark.
The deepening crisis has also sparked protests and clashes across the island.
Cuba has been under communist rule since Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution, and is now led by President Miguel Díaz-Canel, who succeeded Raúl Castro in 2018.
cuba, world, donald trump, energy, foreign policy, geopolitics, sanctions
INTERNACIONAL
Final charge dropped in yearslong Harris-era case against pro-life activist

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A California judge on Wednesday cleared the final legal hurdle in the long-running prosecution of a pro-life activist who alleged in undercover videos that abortion providers were illegally profiting from fetal tissue.
«As promised, the final charge has been DISMISSED and the case completely expunged— —after a couple months’ administrative delay, and a truly bizarre last-minute ‘April Fool’s’ attempt by @PPFA and @NatAbortionFed to overturn the State’s agreement,» Center for Medical Progress founder David Daleiden tweeted on Wednesday, including a previous statement made on the reached settlement.
Daleiden, who alongside undercover journalist Sandra Merritt, faced 15 charges filed by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra in 2017. The charges stemmed from an investigation prompted by former California Attorney General Harris’ office, who left her position as state attorney general in January 2017 after being elected to the U.S. Senate.
APPEALS COURT HEARS MEDICAID FRAUD CASE THAT COULD COST PLANNED PARENTHOOD $1.8 BILLION
David Daleiden, a defendant in an indictment stemming from a secret investigation of his undercover videos of Planned Parenthood, stands in a Houston courtroom, Feb. 4, 2016. (David J. Phillip / Ap)
In January 2025, Daleiden and Merritt each pleaded no contest to one felony count under a settlement with California, which dismissed the remaining charges. Under the agreement, they faced no jail time, fines, or admissions of wrongdoing.
On Wednesday, San Francisco County Judge Brian Ferrall dropped the last charge against Daleiden and expunged the case.
In a statement made last year, Daleiden said that the end of «the lawfare launched by Kamala Harris [is] a huge victory for my investigative reporting for the public’s right to know the truth about Planned Parenthood’s sale of aborted baby body parts.»
NEWSOM BAILS OUT PLANNED PARENTHOOD WITH $140M TO KEEP 100 CLINICS OPEN AFTER TRUMP CUTS

Planned Parenthood chapters in Texas worked with a national organization to create a guide which eliminates women from discussions on pregnancy. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
In January 2025, California Attorney General Rob Bonta cast the plea deal as a victory for reproductive healthcare access, saying in a press release that his office had secured felony convictions. Under the agreement, Daleiden and Merritt were required to have no contact with, stay away from, and not name the victims in the recordings, and to obey all laws, including by not making additional unlawful recordings.
DEMOCRATS ESCALATE ANTI-TRUMP LAWFARE BY TARGETING CONGRESS IN PLANNED PARENTHOOD FUNDING FIGHT
«While the Trump Administration is issuing pardons to individuals convicted of harming reproductive health clinics and providers, my office is securing criminal convictions to ensure that Californians can exercise their constitutional rights to reproductive healthcare,» Bonta said in a statement at the time. «We will not hesitate to continue taking action against those who threaten access to abortion care — whether by recording confidential conversations or other means.»
Daleiden released the videos in 2015 of Merritt having conversations with Planned Parenthood leadership and abortionist doctors, who described procedures ensuring fetal organs remain intact and can be harvested.

State Attorney General Rob Bonta taking questions on Aug. 28, 2025. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
In response to the videos, Harris’ office opened an investigation into Daleiden and Merritt for violating the state’s recording law. In April 2016, California’s Department of Justice issued a search warrant and raided Daleiden’s Huntington Beach apartment, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Daleiden accused the raid of being politically motivated at the time.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The release of the videos pushed the Senate Judiciary Committee to call the Department of Justice to investigate Planned Parenthood Federation of America. No charges were ever brought against the nation’s largest abortion provider.
Daleiden was sued by Planned Parenthood for damages and was ordered in 2019 to pay $2.4 million in damages and more than $13 million in attorney’s fees.
Fox News Digital reached out to Planned Parenthood, Harris, Daleiden, and the National Abortion Federation for comment.
abortion, kamala harris, california, trials
POLITICA3 días agoEl Gobierno reevalúa la estrategia de comunicación por el caso Adorni y mide el impacto en la imagen de Milei
POLITICA1 día agoMilei se pone al frente de la defensa de Adorni y lo suma a un acto por Malvinas en una nueva muestra de respaldo
CHIMENTOS1 día agoOriana Sabatini sorprendió al elegir a una famosa como madrina de Gia, su hija con Paulo Dybala















