🗞️Trump fires Attorney General Bondi

April 2nd, 2026

What happened today 🇺🇸,

• President Trump has fired Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy AG Todd Blanche will step in as acting AG

• Maine is moving to become the first U.S. state to ban major new data center construction until November 2027, aiming to assess impacts on the environment and electricity infrastructure amid the AI boom

• Defense/War Secretary Hegseth has asked U.S. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George to step down and retire immediately

• President Trump, using a tariff authority that was not affected by a recent Supreme Court ruling, has imposed up to 100% tariffs on certain imported branded and patented drugs from pharmaceutical companies that have not struck major price‑reduction deals with the White House

• The Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Health and Human Services announced that they will begin monitoring the impact of microplastics and certain pharmaceuticals in drinking water, taking a first step toward possible future federal regulation

• Versant, the publicly traded media company spun off from Comcast, has acquired StockStory, which is an AI‑powered financial‑insights platform that generates investment recommendations, market analysis, and stock evaluations for individual investors

• OpenAI has acquired TBPN, a live tech‑industry talk show that streams deep‑dive interviews and real‑time news coverage for AI and startup news

• Starbucks is rolling out a new bonus program that lets baristas and shift supervisors earn up to $1,200 per year if their store meets sales, operational, and customer‑service targets

• Newsletter platform Beehiiv is introducing native podcast hosting, so creators can upload, distribute, and monetize episodes directly inside the same environment they use for newsletters

• Mortgage rates have risen for the fifth straight week, with the average 30‑year fixed mortgage reaching 6.46% up from 6.38% the last week

• S&P up .11% / Nasdaq up .18% / DOW down .13%

Plus: A look at countries with the most supercomputers

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Quote of the day: “Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle.”—Christian D. Larson

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