BRAVE MAG

The impending political brawl on Capitol Hill to supplant the embattled attorney general, fired byPresident Donald Trumpon April 2, as the nation's chief law enforcement officer is already getting underway.

For a litany of reasons, it won't be easy or quiet, regardless of whom Trump chooses to permanently take her spot.

Fury over the Justice Department'sbungled handling of the Epstein fileshas spread like wildfire in Congress among both Republicans and Democrats. Tamping down that frustration will be a crucial variable in determining how much support her successor gleans in the GOP-controlled Senate. While the next nominee will only need a simple majority vote to become the next attorney general, just a few Republicans could derail confirmation.

Live updates:Trump fires Attorney General Pam Bondi after criticism over Epstein docs

President Donald Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi after several investigations of his perceived enemies were thwarted and her handling of files related to accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein came under criticism.
Attorney General Pam Bondi arrives before President Donald Trump speaks about the Iran war from the Cross Hall of the White House on April 1, 2026 in Washington, DC.

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Key moments from Pam Bondi's career as US Attorney General

President Donald Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondiafter several investigations of his perceived enemies were thwarted and her handling of files related to accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein came under criticism.Attorney General Pam Bondi arrives before President Donald Trump speaks about the Iran war from the Cross Hall of the White House on April 1, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Bondi's replacement will have to answer for much bigger changes at the traditionally apolitical Justice Department, which for the first time in recent history has actively pursued investigations into the president's political enemies under Bondi's leadership. In extraordinary legal moves, Democratic senators, the former FBI director and the New York state attorney general have all been targeted. The controversial pattern has drawn the ire even of some GOP senators who the White House will need on board with Bondi's replacement.

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-North Carolina, for instance, has been blocking the nomination of Trump's pick to lead the Federal Reserve until the DOJ drops a probe into the current Fed chair, Jerome Powell.

Tillis, crucially, sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, where his support may be needed to push the next attorney general confirmation through.

Democrats promise a fight

In February 2025, every Republican senator and one Democrat, Sen. John Fetterman, of Pennsylvania, voted to confirm Bondi to lead the DOJ.

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A lot has happened since to rattle the Senate's GOP moderates.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, has been critical of some the DOJ's controversial moves and joined with Democrats to call for an investigation into Bondi's oversight of the release of the files connected to Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, has spoken out against DOJ budget cuts andpreviously saidthe investigation into the Fed raised "a lot of disturbing questions."

Exactly whom the president nominates to succeed Bondi will be a determining factor in how much Senate support that person musters. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin,who just took over from Kristi Noem after Trump fired her, faced a glide path to Senate approval, in part because he was a sitting senator and has friends across the aisle in the chamber.

Trump reportedly has considered replacing Bondi with Lee Zeldin, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, according toThe New York TimesandCNN. He immediately named Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche as the acting attorney general.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, praised Bondi's leadership in a statement and said Senate Republicans are prepared to get the next confirmation started.

"The Judiciary Committee stands ready to advance President Trump's next Attorney General nominee," he said. That process won't begin until after Trump names a nominee, though. And the Senate doesn't return from a two-week recess until April 13.

Democrats are vowing to stand in the way. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said while his caucus is happy Bondi's gone, "the rot at the Department of Justice begins and ends withDonald Trump."

"As long as his focus is on using DOJ as a tool for revenge and not law enforcement, the cover up of the Epstein files, along with the countless other problems at DOJ, will continue," he said.

Zachary Schermele is a congressional reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Who replaces Pam Bondi as AG? A showdown looms in the Senate

Health Minister Roger Kamba told journalists that the government had made the determination that the outbreak was over and no longer a national emergency.

Congo, a vast country in central Africa, wasat the center of an outbreakof the infectious viral disease that spread to neighboring countries in 2024 and prompted the World Health Organization to declare ita global health emergencyas it spilled over borders. WHO ended the global health emergency declarationin September.

The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there were more than 161,000 suspected cases of mpox in Congo during the outbreak between 2024 and this year, with around 37,000 of them confirmed through tests.

The Africa CDC said there were 2,286 suspected deaths but only 127 were confirmed by tests.

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Mpox, also known as monkeypox, was first identified by scientists in 1958 when there were outbreaks of a "pox-like" disease in monkeys. Until a few years ago, most human cases were seen in people in central and West Africa who had close contact with infected animals.

In 2022, the virus was confirmed tospread via sexfor the first time and triggered outbreaks in more than 70 countries that had not previously reported mpox.

The most common symptoms of mpox, according to WHO, are a rash and fever, but it can sometimes cause serious illness. Most people recover fully.

For more on Africa and development:https://apnews.com/hub/africa-pulse

The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP'sstandardsfor working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas atAP.org.

Greece Dust Storm

The sky'ssurreal red hueswere reminiscent of apocalyptic scenes overCretewhere the storm that hit the island with gale-force winds combined with a Saharan dust storm.

On the mainland, Greek media reports said a 55-year-old man died after becoming trapped under a car as he was swept by surging waters in the town of Nea Makri, some 25 kilometers (16 miles) northeast of the Greek capital Athens.

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Fire Department official Yiannis Tsingas told state radio that fire engines responded to some 500 calls for assistance including cutting felled trees, pumping water out of flooded homes and rescuing 33 people trapped by the high floodwaters.

Power was down in various suburbs of Athens while traffic became snarled in the city center from downed trees and cars stalled as a result of high waters.

On other islands in the Aegean, streets turned into small rivers while stormy seas compounded the heavy rains on coastal areas. On the island ofParos, vehicles were swept away while a small bridge collapsed. The island's mayor said schools were closed on Thursday.