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Moon-bound Artemis II astronauts enjoy a relaxed day in space, spectacular Earth views

April 3, 2026 / 7:27 PM EDT / CBS News

The moon-bound Artemis II astronauts, enjoying spectacular views of Earth as it recedes behind them, took a break to chat with their families Friday before reviewing plans for closely observing the moon from the unique perspective of the lunar far side Monday.

Their flight plan for Friday also included rehearsals of basic medical procedures — including chest compressions and methods to clear airway obstructions — to help prepare future Orion crews for possible emergencies in deep space.

As the Orion capsule was pulling away from Earth late Thursday, April 2, 2026, commander Reid Wiseman captured a stunning view of the home planet, showing northern Africa, the Strait of Gibraltar, the lush coast of Brazil across the Atlantic Ocean and shimmering auroral displays over the poles. NASA

Plans to fine-tune the spacecraft’s approach to the moon with an “outbound trajectory correction” maneuver, or OTC, were called off because the precisely aimed Orion spacecraft remained almost perfectly on course.

But the highlights of the crew’s day in space, at least for armchair astronauts on Earth, were jaw-dropping photos of the home planet from the vantage point of deep space.

Two photos captured by Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman Thursday, shortly after a rocket firing that boosted the crew out of Earth orbit toward the moon, showed a full Earth suspended in the black of space.

The side of the planet facing the Orion capsule was in darkness, but a time exposure, captured a few seconds later, showed a clear view of northern Africa, the Strait of Gibraltar and the green coast of Brazil on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

A poignant shot of Earth through one of the Orion capsule’s cockpit windows. April 2, 2026. NASA

Also visible: colorful auroral displays over the poles and sunlight peeking around one side.

Yet another shot showed the blue-and-white planet framed in a cockpit window, an image that captured the gulf between the four Artemis II crew members and the rest of humanity.

Later in the day, a live video feed from a camera mounted on one of Orion’s solar wings showed the moon dead ahead, a tiny gray marble suspended in blackness.

“It was really great to wake up this morning and look out the window and see the full moon off the front of the vehicle,” Wiseman radioed mission control. “There was no doubt where we are heading right now, and we really appreciate all the work down there.”

Wiseman and his Artemis II crewmates — Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen — are the first people to journey to the moon since the final Apollo mission in December 1972.

A camera on the end of a solar array shows the view dead ahead of the Artemis II astronauts — the moon. NASA

They will set a new distance record Monday when they fly past the 248,655-mile mark set by the crew of Apollo 13 in 1970. The far side fly over will begin at 6:47 p.m. EDT Monday, when the Orion disappears behind the leading edge of the moon, cutting off contact with Earth.

For 40 minutes, the astronauts will be alone with their thoughts and their observation checklists, passing within about 4,000 miles of the lunar surface at 7:05 p.m. To them, the moon will appear to be about the size of a basketball held at arm’s length.

While that might not seem like a particularly close encounter, researchers say the astronauts will bring unique tools to their observations — human eyes.

“We are going to maximize every minute of looking at that far side,” Koch said before launch. The ship’s trajectory “will allow us to see things for the first time ever with human eyes, and that actually makes a difference to the people doing the scientific data analysis.”

Forty minutes after flying behind the moon, Orion will sail back into line-of-sight contact with Earth, and from there, the spacecraft will head for home, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego on April 10.

Trump gives an Oval Office primetime address on the war with Iran

2026-04-03 07:15 PM EDT / CNN

By Kaitlan Collins, CNN

President Trump addresses the nation from the Oval Office on the current state of the war in Iran and fires his attorney general, Pam Bondi, the very next day. CNN’s Kaitlan Collins reports on the week at the White House.

5:04 • Source: CNN

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伊朗媒体：美国提议停火48小时 伊朗以猛攻回应

2026年4月4日 07:27 / 联合早报

伊朗国家媒体报道，据称摄于伊朗中部的这张照片，是被击落的美国战机残骸。 （路透社）

伊朗法尔斯通讯社星期五（4月3日）引述一名知情人士报道，美国2日通过某个友好国家向伊朗提议停火48小时，伊朗以猛烈攻击作为回应。

知情人士说，在紧张局势持续升级、美军因误判伊朗军力而陷入困境的情况下，美方提出这一建议。在伊朗攻击科威特北部布比延岛的美军仓库后，美方寻求停火的外交努力愈发迫切。

报道说，伊朗方面以持续发动猛烈攻击回应美方这一提议。

另据《纽约时报》报道，美国军方3日证实，一架美国F-15E“攻击鹰”战机（F-15E Strike Eagle）被伊朗击落，机上一名飞行员获救，美国特种部队还在设法营救另一名跳伞逃生的飞行员。另有一架美国A-10“疣猪”攻击机（A-10 Warthog）几乎同时间在波斯湾地区坠毁，机上唯一飞行员已被找到并获救。

三名不愿具名的伊朗官员说，伊朗军方也在搜寻F-15E战机上的失踪美国飞行员。伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队已封锁西南部科吉卢耶省（Kohgiluyeh）和博耶尔-艾哈迈德省（Boyer-Ahmad）的一个区域，他们认为美军F-15E战机在那里坠毁。

Trump gives rare praise to persistent GOP foe after White House ballroom vote

April 3, 2026 6:04pm EDT / Fox News

The planning commission approved the privately funded project even as a federal judge ruled it needs Congressional approval

By Elaine Mallon Fox News

President Donald Trump gave a rare shout out to longtime critic, Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, on Thursday after he voted to approve plans for the new White House ballroom.

“I would like to thank the hardworking Commissioners and Staff of the National Capital Planning Commission, who just voted overwhelmingly, 8-1, to approve the magnificent White House Ballroom now rising on this Hallowed Ground,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“I am pleased to announce that even Board Member Senator Rand Paul, known as an extraordinarily difficult vote, voted a strong YES.”

TRUMP PAUSES OIL EXEC SUMMIT TO PEEK AT WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM’S PROGRESS

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., speaks during a nomination hearing with the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on Capitol Hill on April 3.(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Paul and Trump share a contentious relationship, including Paul being highly critical of Trump’s tariff policies and Trump’s military attacks on Iran. In late March, he was the only Republican to vote in favor of a war powers resolution aiming to limit the president’s ability to continue foreign military intervention.

Trump and Paul have been sparring since the 2015 GOP primary, when they clashed during the first Republican debate in August 2015. The tension has flared since, including Trump calling Paul “sick Wacko” just in November.

A McCrery Architects rendering provided by the White House of the new ballroom. (White House)

The ballroom still faces legal hurdles. On Tuesday, a federal judge halted the project, ruling that construction of the 90,000-square-foot ballroom must receive Congressional approval.

“The President of the United States is the steward of the White House for future generations of First Families. He is not, however, the owner!” Leon wrote in a 35-page ruling. “No statute comes close to giving the President the authority he claims to have.”

FEDERAL JUDGE ORDERS HALT TO TRUMP WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM PROJECT; DOJ APPEALS DECISION

An excavator works to clear rubble after the East Wing of the White House was demolished on Oct. 23, 2025, in Washington, D.C.(Eric Lee/Getty Images)

The National Capital Planning Commission proceeded with the vote despite the ruling. The commission chair, Will Scharf, said at the start of Thursday’s meeting that the judge’s ruling only prevented construction of the project.

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“We’ll move past that and continue our consideration of the East Wing modernization project,” he said.

The ballroom, which is being funded by private donors, is slated to be completed by 2028. However, the project’s end date remains unknown as the Trump administration plans to appeal the judge’s decision.

Elaine Mallon is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business covering national politics.

‘This is a recalibration’: Trump Cabinet worries no one is safe after Bondi and Noem firings

2026-04-03T22:15:35.378Z / CNN

By Adam Cancryn, Kristen Holmes

1 hr 23 min ago
PUBLISHED Apr 3, 2026, 6:15 PM ET

Kristi Noem and Pam Bondi listen as President Donald Trump speaks during an event in the Oval Office on September 15.

Tom Brenner For The Washington Post via Getty Images

When President Donald Trump ousted his attorney general, Pam Bondi, it sent a clear message to his remaining Cabinet members: The job security they’ve enjoyed until now is no longer guaranteed.

Trump has grown increasingly willing to fire top officials who he believes are underperforming, amid deepening frustration with his declining approval ratings and fears of a wipeout in the November midterm elections, a half-dozen sources familiar with the matter told CNN.

The president announced he was removing then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in March following months of damaging headlines and internal complaints, marking the first major departure from his senior ranks. On Thursday, he ousted Bondi after souring on her ability to do the high-profile job.

The twin firings have fanned fears that additional Cabinet members could soon be on the chopping block, multiple sources said. That’s brought an abrupt end to the sense of relative stability that once pervaded the administration — even as it remains unclear what changes Trump will make and when.

“This is a recalibration,” said one person close to Trump. “There are high expectations that are not being met.”

There are multiple Cabinet officials who could be at risk, according to several sources familiar. There’s Labor Department Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who has come under internal investigation following complaints within the department about her conduct. However, ousting Chavez-DeRemer could cause a headache for the White House, one source noted, suggesting the media reaction would focus on the fact that all three of Trump’s first high-profile firings were women.

There’s also FBI Director Kash Patel, who generated a series of negative headlines earlier this year after being filmed chugging beer with the Olympic hockey team — an episode that irritated Trump at the time and was viewed by some around the president as just the latest of several easily avoidable missteps.

And Trump has been hot and cold for months on Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, multiple sources said. An abrasive figure within the administration, Lutnick has also attracted a wide range of internal critics. Yet he maintains a longstanding friendship with Trump, who has so far proven unwilling to dump one of the few Cabinet officials who knew him well before his political career.

The fresh scrutiny of Trump’s top lieutenants represents a marked shift from the first year of his second presidential term, when the White House reflexively resisted carrying out any firings at all. At the time, Trump and his top aides worried doing so would amount to confirming Democratic critiques of the administration, while undercutting claims that he’d assembled the best collection of talent in White House history.

But Trump’s standing with voters has eroded significantly in recent months, driven by Americans’ angst over the economy and unhappiness with his administration’s priorities. Republicans are now increasingly likely to lose control of Congress next year, a development that would curtail Trump’s ambitions and expose his administration to a range of Democratic investigations. Depending on Senate elections — and how many seats Republicans potentially lose — it could also make confirming new Cabinet officials significantly harder.

Those stakes have fueled speculation among officials and allies that Trump will make more personnel moves, in a bid to demonstrate the high standards he’s setting for his administration — and signal that more needs to be accomplished in the coming months.

“It’s just a function of whether he thinks you’re doing the job well,” another person close to Trump said. “When it comes to this stuff, it’s an audience of one.”

In a statement, White House spokesman Davis Ingle praised the performance of Chavez-DeRemer, Patel and Lutnick.

“President Trump has the most talented cabinet and team in American history,” he said. “Patriots like Kash Patel, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, and Howard Lutnick are tirelessly implementing the President’s agenda and achieving tremendous results for the American people.”

Even for those closest to Trump, it remains unclear what the president will ultimately decide to do. The president often wavers on firing someone for months, surveying associates and floating potential replacements without committing to a final decision, sources said.

Beyond Trump’s personal feelings, there are also more conventional concerns in play when it comes to dismissing his top officials — chief among them who might serve as a viable replacement.

The White House already has a handful of pending lower-level nominees being considered by the closely divided Senate. Ousting more Cabinet officials now would mean finding more candidates who could win confirmation — and adding them to the queue at a time when Trump is already pressuring lawmakers to defy precedent and pass a sprawling legislative package just ahead of the midterms.

Even so, Bondi’s firing has ramped up anxiety in MAGA world that Trump is willing to make more changes regardless of the obstacles they create. Trump officials are increasingly aware that stepping out of line could cost them their job, multiple people close to the White House said.

And while Noem’s ouster was well-telegraphed, coming soon after a disastrous congressional hearing, a consistent subject of discussion when it comes to Bondi’s ouster has been: “Why now?”

The handling of the Epstein files, while a huge issue for the president, had been ongoing for over a year. During that time, Trump had praised Bondi both publicly and privately. There was no apparent catalyst, no defining moment, and no clear sense even in the hours before he made the decision that Trump would follow through with the firing.

“Do I think she’ll probably get fired? Yes. But could he see all the negative coverage and change his mind, also yes,” one senior White House adviser said Thursday, moments before Trump officially fired Bondi.

That sequence of events has been a source of discomfort to others in the Cabinet who have at times faced Trump’s ire. And 14 months into his presidency, it’s left them with the distinct impression that anyone could be next.

“I don’t think anybody’s safe,” said one White House ally. “Ever.”

也门胡塞武装的支持者4月3日在也门首都萨那集会，声援伊朗和黎巴嫩，地面展示一面巨大的伊朗国旗。 （法新社）

有消息指，中东多国推动美国与伊朗停火的努力陷入僵局，卡塔尔也拒绝担任主要调解方。

美国《华尔街日报》星期五（4月3日）引述调解方人士说，伊朗已正式告知，不愿在未来几天于巴基斯坦首都伊斯兰堡与美国官员会面，并明确指出美方停火条件不可接受。土耳其和埃及仍在努力寻找打破僵局的途径，正考虑把会谈地点改在卡塔尔首都多哈或土耳其伊斯坦布尔，并提出新方案。

报道说，美国和一些地区国家希望卡塔尔充当主要调解方，但卡塔尔方面上周告诉美方，不热衷于在调解中发挥关键或主导作用。这令设法推动谈判的努力变得更复杂。

巴基斯坦、土耳其、埃及、沙特阿拉伯四国外交部长3月29日在伊斯兰堡会晤。巴基斯坦外长达尔说，四国决定成立一个由四国外长组成的委员会，协商制定解决当前冲突的具体方案。他还介绍了在伊斯兰堡举行美伊谈判的前景。

达尔3月26日说，美国和伊朗间接谈判正通过巴基斯坦传递信息的方式进行。据媒体报道，伊朗此前通过调解方收到美国一份包含15点内容的停战方案。

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore: U.S. is “lurching again into another forever war”

April 3, 2026 / 4:25 PM EDT / CBS News

By Melissa Quinn

Washington — Maryland Gov. Wes Moore fears the United States is “lurching again into another forever war” paid for by the American people — yet with no clear articulation from President Trump as to what success in the military operation against Iran looks like.

In an interview with CBS News’ Ed O’Keefe on Friday, Moore, a Democrat, likened the ongoing war with Iran to the war in Afghanistan, where the governor served as a member of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division.

“I feel like we are lurching into another one of these forever wars that we’re asking the American people to pay for… but the president of the United States and the commander-in-chief has still yet to articulate what exactly it is that we’re doing,” he said.

Moore said that while Mr. Trump often touts the military success of Operation Epic Fury, the name given to the military campaign in Iran, he fails to acknowledge “the fact of the long road ahead.” The president, he continued, has not clearly addressed what the U.S. is doing in Iran or what success looks like.

The war in Afghanistan lasted roughly 20 years, while the U.S. operation against Iran is in its fifth week. U.S. officials confirmed to CBS News that an American F-15E fighter jet was downed over Iran on Friday, and one crew member has been rescued. The fighter jet is flown by a two-member crew and a search-and-rescue operation is ongoing, the sources said. U.S. officials told CBS News the plane was shot down by Iranian forces.

The downing of the jet comes after U.S. Central Command Commander Adm. Brad Cooker said Thursday that the military is “making undeniable progress” in Iran. Mr. Trump said during a primetime address to the nation Wednesday that the U.S. would complete its mission “very shortly,” and predicted Iran would be hit “extremely hard” over the next two to three weeks.

Citing the destruction of Iran’s navy and its degraded ability to launch missiles and drones, the president said in his speech that the operation’s “strategic objectives are nearing completion.” The other objectives laid out by Mr. Trump and senior members of his administration include destroying Iran’s defense industrial base, preventing Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and protecting allies in the Middle East, including Israel, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Since military operations from the U.S. and Israel started on Feb. 28, at least 16 MQ-9 Reaper drones have also been lost over Iran, CBS News reported earlier this week. Three American F-15 fighter jets were shot down over Kuwait in a “friendly fire incident,” but all crew were safe. Thirteen American service members have been killed since the war began.

Asked about Mr. Trump’s expectation that the war would be over in two to three weeks, Moore said that timeline “is sitting horribly with me.”

“I’m thinking about the families of our service members, who right now are afraid to pick up the phone because they’re afraid to hear what is on the other end of the line,” he said.

Moore said he is praying for the families of the crew of the downed F-15 jet, as well as “some clarity from the White House.”

Watch more of O’Keefe’s interview with Moore on “Face the Nation” on Sunday.

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/maryland-wes-moore-warns-us-forever-war-iran-conflict/

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

April 3, 2026 2:12pm EDT / Fox News

Todd Blanche steps in as acting AG while names like Lee Zeldin, Harmeet Dhillon and Jeanine Pirro swirl

By Ashley Oliver Fox News

Bondi was ‘every bit as undercut and impeached’ by Republicans as she was the left: Trey Gowdy

Fox News host Trey Gowdy discusses President Donald Trump’s frustration with the Justice Department and suggests potential AG replacements on ‘Fox & Friends.’

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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 attorney general. 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.

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“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.

Ashley Oliver is a reporter for Fox News Digital and FOX Business, covering the Justice Department and legal affairs. Email story tips to ashley.oliver@fox.com.

Stronger, broader hiring could ease Fed job market worries

2026-04-03 16:24:30 UTC / Reuters

By Howard Schneider

April 3, 2026 4:24 PM UTC Updated 3 hours ago

节点运行失败

View of the facade of the Federal Reserve Board building in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 17, 2025. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno/File Photo

• Summary

• March jobs report shows broader hiring gains
• Fed likely to keep rates on hold given job market resilience
• Rising energy prices and ongoing Iran conflict add uncertainty to inflation and future Fed policy

WASHINGTON, April 3 (Reuters) – Hiring that strengthened and broadened in March will likely cement the U.S. Federal Reserve’s plans to keep interest rates on ​hold for the foreseeable future, easing concerns about a weakening labor market and keeping policymakers focused on whether rising energy prices threaten higher inflation.

The March jobs report showed the economy adding workers across sectors. Manufacturing gained 15,000 jobs, the most since November 2023 when factories added 22,000 new positions, and there were gains in construction, leisure and hospitality, and transportation as well.

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The Black unemployment rate, considered a harbinger in the U.S. of coming job weakness, fell to 7.1% from 7.7%.

Along with weak job growth, Federal Reserve officials had been concerned ​that employment gains were so concentrated in healthcare that it meant the rest of the economy might be faltering, with policymakers such as Governor Christopher ​Waller closely tying their views about further rate cuts to the evolution of hiring.

“It would take a big surprise to pressure them ⁠to cut now,” Bill Adams, chief U.S. economist for Fifth Third Commercial Bank, wrote following the employment data. “They are very likely on hold for at least the ​next decision or two.”

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In a shortened holiday session on Friday, U.S. Treasury yields rose after the data and rate futures continued to price in almost no chance the Fed ​would cut rates from the current range of 3.5% to 3.75% this year. U.S. stock markets were closed for the Good Friday holiday.

Until the start of a U.S. war with Iran drove up global oil prices more than 50%, investors had anticipated that the expected confirmation of Fed chair nominee Kevin Warsh later this year would lead to at least some rate easing. Warsh is ​Trump’s pick to replace current Fed Chair Jerome Powell, who the president has pressured for rate cuts since returning to office.

The war changed that calculus, with markets for ​a while anticipating rate hikes before settling on the current view of an extended pause as the Fed sees whether rising energy costs cause a bigger shock to inflation or a ‌bigger shock ⁠to growth if firms and households pull back on spending.

The March jobs report doesn’t shed light directly on that debate. Hourly wages rising at a 3.5% annual rate, for example, are in the range that Fed officials consider roughly consistent with their 2% inflation target.

But it does show life in the job market beyond the “low-hire, low-fire” dynamic that Fed officials say has characterized the U.S. economy for much of the past year, an equilibrium that left them uncomfortable that the relatively low unemployment rate could quickly grow ​worse.

Yet even as the number of people ​in the labor force dropped by ⁠around 400,000 to 170 million, the lowest since President Donald Trump returned to office and instituted tough immigration policies, businesses found new hires among the ranks of the unemployed, which fell by more than 300,000, and also by pulling people into the job ​market. Bureau of Labor Statistics data showed the number of people moving from “not in the labor force” directly into a ​job increased by 140,000 ⁠from February to March.

The unemployment rate fell to 4.3% from 4.4% the month before, remaining in a range of 4% to 4.5% where it has been since June of 2024.

The March report may say little about the risks ahead. The U.S. began bombing Iran on February 28, and the surveys for the March jobs report would not have reflected changes ⁠in hiring ​or spending triggered by a conflict that continues to disrupt global oil supplies.

Inflation data for March will ​be released next Friday, another point in the Fed’s assessment ahead of its April 28-29 meeting.

“The U.S. labor market continues to be resilient, defying even the harshest skeptic,” said Jamie Cox, managing partner for Harris ​Financial Group. “The bad news is, if the labor market remains this stable, it will be very difficult to justify further rate cuts.”

Reporting by Howard Schneider; Editing by Andrea Ricci

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Bipartisan senators probe Kremlin-linked delegation’s meetings with US officials

April 3, 2026 1:56pm EDT / Fox News

FIRST ON FOX: A bipartisan pair of top-ranking senators want to know why sanctioned Russian officials were in Washington, D.C., and given access to the Capitol and meetings with administration officials as wars in Iran and Ukraine rage on.

Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, raised counterintelligence concerns over the recent visit of a delegation of Russian Duma members, all of whom are sanctioned for “conduct deemed to be harmful to U.S. national security.”

“The delegation came onto U.S. soil for one purpose: to advance the Kremlin’s strategic aims — including gathering additional useful intelligence,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

Sens. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Jeanne Shahenn, D-N.H., raised counterintelligence concerns with the recent visit of a delegation of Russian officials to Washington, D.C.(Alex Wong/Getty Images; Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)

“They did not come to engage in dialogue or pursue democratic aims,” they continued.

The lawmakers argued that Duma members “include Kremlin subordinates who have committed numerous cyber and ransomware attacks on Americans and have facilitated war crimes against Ukrainian civilians.”

“Remarkably, they are now helping Iran target U.S. military and diplomatic personnel across the Middle East,” Wicker and Shaheen wrote.

Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to Moscow-appointed head of Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine, Yevgeny Balitsky, during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Nov. 18, 2024.(Vyacheslav Prokofyev, Sputnik, Kremlin via AP)

Several members of the Russian Duma visited Washington, D.C., late last month on a trip organized by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla. She was joined by Reps. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., and Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, for a meeting with the delegation.

Luna later gave them a tour of the Capitol after posing for photos outside the United States Institute of Peace.

“As representatives of the world’s two greatest nuclear superpowers, we owe our citizens open dialogue, the exchange of ideas, and open lines of communication,” Luna said on X following the meeting. “We will continue to foster this dialogue and push for peace in support of this administration’s efforts, as well as economic opportunity.”

Wicker and Shaheen noted that the Duma members were “far from innocent participants in a cultural exchange.”

“It included Vyacheslav Nikonov, who in 2023 referred to the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as the ‘Fourth Reich’ on Russian television. Mikhail Delyagin has advocated for destroying Ukraine’s energy sector. Boris Chernyshov once claimed that Russian retaliatory strikes were ‘an expression of our hatred [of Ukraine],’” they wrote.

Wicker and Shaheen demanded that Rubio and Bessent explain why sanctions were waived for the Russian officials’ visit, what meetings the delegation had with Trump administration officials, what counterintelligence assessments were conducted on the visiting Russians, and provide a complete manifest of who traveled from the Russian Federation.

The lawmakers wrote that the delegation’s visit came “at a time when Russia’s intentions are unambiguously clear.”

“Numerous public reports have cited Russian support for Iran’s military targeting of American service members in the Middle East,” they wrote. “European intelligence agencies have reported that Russia intends to attack NATO member states in the coming years. And Russian President Vladimir Putin has made it clear that peace in Ukraine is a mirage. His singular ambition for Ukraine is to erase its existence.”

Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.