• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic

2

‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion

3

Power companies are using eminent domain to seize land for data centers as 70% of Americans say not in my backyard

1

'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic

2

‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion

3

Power companies are using eminent domain to seize land for data centers as 70% of Americans say not in my backyard
NewslettersMPW Daily

The short, uneasy tenure of Pam Bondi

Emma Hinchliffe
By
Emma Hinchliffe
Emma Hinchliffe
Most Powerful Women Editor
Down Arrow Button Icon
Emma Hinchliffe
By
Emma Hinchliffe
Emma Hinchliffe
Most Powerful Women Editor
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 3, 2026, 10:21 AM ET
Pam Bondi had the shortest tenure of any confirmed attorney general in 60 years.
Pam Bondi had the shortest tenure of any confirmed attorney general in 60 years. Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

It wasn’t any one thing—and it was “never enough.”

Recommended Video

President Trump’s decision to fire Pam Bondi as his attorney general yesterday was wrapped up in his dissatisfaction with her inability to quell uproar over the Epstein files—but also what he viewed as either a failure or slow pace pursuing the rest of his agenda, like prosecuting political enemies.

Bondi tried to appease her boss, from weak probes of some of his favorite targets to a banner with his face on it hanging outside the Justice Department, but it was “never enough,” the WSJ reported yesterday. Bondi started at a disadvantage; she wasn’t Trump’s first choice. First, he had wanted Matt Gaetz before scandal made his confirmation an impossibility.

Meanwhile, those outside Trump’s orbit saw Bondi’s tenure as responsible for a near-complete erosion of the Justice Department’s independence. There were some unforgivable mistakes—like releasing versions of the Epstein files with unredacted nude images of young women or possibly teenage girls. Ultimately, no one was happy.

Bondi is the second cabinet member Trump has fired in as many months; the last was Kristi Noem as Homeland Security secretary. Despite those two ousters, there are still several women left in Trump’s cabinet: Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Kelly Loeffler at the helm of the Small Business Administration, Linda McMahon as secretary of education, and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.

One of the most fascinating parts of Bondi’s firing is reading about the relationships between these women at the center of MAGA world. The WSJ reports that Bondi was close with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, even after Wiles said in December that Bondi didn’t fully understand voters’ desire for information on Epstein. Recently, Bondi was reportedly asking mutual friends about Wiles, who is receiving treatment for breast cancer. Wiles gave the Journal an interview about Bondi’s departure: “Pam is a brilliant, kind, thoughtful person and the next chapter of her life will be a wonderful one,” she said.

With 14 months in the role, Bondi ended up with the shortest tenure of any confirmed attorney general in 60 years.

Emma Hinchliffe
emma.hinchliffe@fortune.com

The Most Powerful Women Daily newsletter is Fortune’s daily briefing for and about the women leading the business world. Subscribe here.

ALSO IN THE HEADLINES

OpenAI's surprise acquisition of TBPN was spearheaded by Fidji Simo. The AI company acquired the daily tech news show, which is popular among Silicon Valley types. Simo was a fan of the show and felt that OpenAI "needed to think outside of the box when it came to promoting its vision." 

Dawn Staley's record-setting salary had ripple effects in women's basketball. During the last five years, coaches who’ve remained in their college-level women's basketball jobs have seen their salaries rise by 45%—likely influenced by Staley's decision to fight for higher pay via nontraditional negotiating methods. 

Blake Lively's lawsuit against Justin Baldoni suffers a blow. A judge dismissed Lively's claims of sexual harassment on the set of It Ends With Us—partly because as an actress, she was an independent contractor and did not qualify for some workplace protections, he said. But Lively's allegation of retaliation—as seen in a widely reported digital smear campaign—will be allowed to proceed. Baldoni has denied all allegations.

What's next for 60 Minutes? Tanya Simon is only the fourth person to oversee the news program in its history and the first woman to do so. But she was only given a one-year contract in the role. After overhauls throughout the rest of CBS News under Bari Weiss, all eyes are on what happens when Simon's contract is up and whether an outsider might be brought in to run the program for the first time ever. 

The U.S. removed sanctions against Venezuela's leader. Acting President Delcy Rodriguez was taken off the Treasury Department's Specifically Designated Nationals list, which barred American companies and individuals from doing business with her. The White House calls the move a sign of "progress" between the U.S. and Venezuela and says Rodriguez is "doing a great job." 

ON MY RADAR

The next British invasion is here, and it's led by women NYT

What it's like being a Black beauty founder today The Cut

The woman who made the machine that made Zohran Mamdani New Yorker

PARTING WORDS

"You think you know exactly what you are going to need to know, and it’s nothing like that."

— Laura Dern on serving as caregiver to her mom, actress Diane Ladd

This is the web version of MPW Daily, a daily newsletter for and about the world’s most powerful women. Sign up to get it delivered free to your inbox.
About the Author
Emma Hinchliffe
By Emma HinchliffeMost Powerful Women Editor
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Emma Hinchliffe is Fortune’s Most Powerful Women editor, overseeing editorial for the longstanding franchise. As a senior writer at Fortune, Emma has covered women in business and gender-lens news across business, politics, and culture. She is the lead author of the Most Powerful Women Daily newsletter (formerly the Broadsheet), Fortune’s daily missive for and about the women leading the business world.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Newsletters

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Newsletters

Forget ‘baby bonuses.’ Nobel Laureate Claudia Goldin says birth rates hinge on dependable fathers
NewslettersMPW Daily
Forget ‘baby bonuses.’ Nobel Laureate Claudia Goldin says birth rates hinge on dependable fathers
By Emma HinchliffeJuly 20, 2026
4 hours ago
Coinbase’s big Base mistake offers an important lesson for the crypto industry
NewslettersFortune Crypto
Coinbase’s big Base mistake offers an important lesson for the crypto industry
By Jeff John RobertsJuly 20, 2026
9 hours ago
Middle aged businesswoman talking during a meeting
NewslettersFortune Workplace Innovation
HR has a credibility problem—and it starts with not speaking the language of finance
By Kristin StollerJuly 20, 2026
9 hours ago
C-suite promotions now come with three or more jobs
C-SuiteNext to Lead
C-suite promotions now come with three or more jobs
By Ruth UmohJuly 20, 2026
10 hours ago
‘Harvest now, decrypt later’: Hackers are stealing data they can’t even read yet—banking on quantum computers to crack it later
NewslettersMarkets
‘Harvest now, decrypt later’: Hackers are stealing data they can’t even read yet—banking on quantum computers to crack it later
By Jim EdwardsJuly 20, 2026
11 hours ago
Tarek Mansour, co-founder of Kalshi, in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 29, 2025. (Photo: Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
NewslettersFortune Tech
Thanks to $5.7 billion in Kalshi and Polymarket bets, FIFA’s World Cup final may be ‘the largest gambling event in history’
By Andrew NuscaJuly 20, 2026
11 hours ago

Most Popular

'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic
AI
'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic
By Jason MaJuly 18, 2026
2 days ago
‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion
Success
‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion
By Sydney LakeJuly 20, 2026
8 hours ago
Power companies are using eminent domain to seize land for data centers as 70% of Americans say not in my backyard
AI
Power companies are using eminent domain to seize land for data centers as 70% of Americans say not in my backyard
By Aaron Walayat and The ConversationJuly 19, 2026
2 days ago
Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock
Success
Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 20, 2026
4 hours ago
Red Lobster’s 37-year-old CEO waited tables before joining the C-suite—he says it was a crash course in managing ‘difficult people and situations’
Success
Red Lobster’s 37-year-old CEO waited tables before joining the C-suite—he says it was a crash course in managing ‘difficult people and situations’
By Preston ForeJuly 19, 2026
2 days ago
Warren Buffett says his $147 billion investing career was an accident: ‘I may be one of the 10 luckiest in the world’
Future of Work
Warren Buffett says his $147 billion investing career was an accident: ‘I may be one of the 10 luckiest in the world’
By Sarah GlodekJuly 20, 2026
15 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.