"Life from NPR news in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston.
President Trump has fired Attorney General Pam Bondi, an a social media post-Trump called Bondi a great patriot and a loyal friend."
He also said she did an incredible job at the Justice Department overseeing what he described
as a sweeping crackdown on crime across the country. In recent months though, Trump had criticized the department's handling of the Epstein files. Congress remains deadlocked over funding for DHS, the Senate passed a compromise
“bill last week to fund most of the agency, but it leaves out key immigration enforcement”
programs, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. "We're not going to fund a lawless ICE and a lawless CPB and the American people are overwhelmingly on our side on that." House Republicans are refusing to take up the Senate measure that was passed last night instead pushing for a short-term plan to fund the entire department.
President Trump is expected to sign an executive order today to pay workers but it's unclear how. The federal government's top emergency agency lost hundreds of workers in February, and PRs Rebecca Hershey reports new data show a continuing trend of job cuts at the agency. The federal emergency management agency, or FEMA, lost 356 workers in February.
According to the federal government's Office of Personal Management, in all, FEMA has lost more than 2,500 employees since last September. Trump administration officials have repeatedly called for FEMA to be drastically cut and
“moved to eliminate FEMA jobs, including in offices that directly help survivors of hurricanes,”
wildfires, and other disasters. FEMA is part of the Department of Homeland Security, at his Senate confirmation hearing, the U.D.H. Secretary Mark Wain Mullin argued that cuts can make FEMA more efficient. Rebecca Hershey and PR news. The United Arab Emirates is banning most Iranians from entering the country, including for
transit. The UAE did not formally announce the change but Dubai's Emirates airline and Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways quietly updated their travel advisories with MPR's A.A.B. Traway reports. These airlines listed some exemptions to the ban, like Iranians with 10-year golden visas, was married to Emirates, and professions like athletes, doctors, and engineers.
The UAE is home to nearly half a million Iranians with work permits and short-term
residences, and it's unclear how the ban applies to them. NPR asked the UAE for ministry, whether the homes and assets of Iranians could be confiscated or frozen if refused entry.
“The ministry did not respond, but in a statement said the UAE insures the rights of all”
residents and is home to a respected Iranian community. In past weeks, the UAE shut down an Iranian hospital in five Iranian schools. This comes as Iran's targeted the UAE with more than 2,000 drones and missiles in the war. A.A.B. Traway and Pair News Dubai.
This is NPR News in Washington. Dutch authorities say an ancient golden helmet stolen more than a year ago has been recovered. It had been taken while on loan to the Drens Museum. The helmet is considered to be priceless and a cultural icon of Romania. Three men were arrested shortly after the heist.
The Labor Department says applications for unemployment benefits fell last week, down by 9,200,000 fewer than many analysts had expected. The figure is watch closely as an indication of the health of the job market. Americans are feeling pessimistic about the retirement savings. NPR has given the SAHA reports a new survey from Northwestern Mutual, found 46% of respondents
believe they will not be ready for retirement. Americans typically think they will need close to $1.5 million to retire comfortably. John Roberts is Northwestern Mutual's chief field officer and he says 40% think it's likely they will outlive their savings. I don't think I'm going to prepare for retirement when the time comes and then I don't
think I'm going to have enough for as long as I expect I'm going to live in retirement. Respondents also worry whether social security will still be there when it's their turn to retire. Projections from the Congressional Budget Office indicate as a now social security's trust fund for benefits may run out in 2032.
Steven Sahaf and PR News. Boxer trading lower on Wall Street at the sour, the Dow was down 123 points, the Nasdaq down 30, the S&P 500 down 6 points. This is NPR. Iran, Lebanon, Israel, Gaza with conflict unfolding in so many places.
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