NPR News: 04-02-2026 8PM EDT

This NPR News Now broadcast from April 2, 2026, rounds up developments across U.S. domestic policy, including changes at the Justice Department and migrant handling, alongside environmental updates, an international dispute over the Strait of Hormuz, and briefer items on infrastructure and technology.

Justice Department Leadership Transition

President Trump announced that Attorney General Pam Bondi is leaving her post to transition to the private sector, with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanch stepping in as acting attorney general. NPR's Ryan Lucas highlighted how this comes amid broader chaos at the Justice Department over the past 14 months. Traditionally, the department maintains a degree of independence from the White House, especially in investigations, to shield them from partisan politics. Under Bondi, that independence eroded as the DOJ targeted the president's perceived enemies. Career prosecutors and FBI officials were fired, entire sections were gutted, and the department's credibility in courts declined. This shakeup underscores ongoing tensions over politicization, potentially affecting future probes and legal proceedings.