Windsor Johnston

Retired space shuttle commander Susan Kilrain says it's an exciting time for NASA.

It's a new rocket, it's a new spacecraft, and we're going to get new lunar landers.

So, I mean, this is pivotal in the space program.

The crew lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida yesterday for a roughly 10-day mission.

This is the first moon mission since Apollo 17 in 1972.

At last check on Wall Street, the Dow was down 61 points, the Nasdaq Composite up 38.

This is NPR News.

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston.

President Trump has fired Attorney General Pam Bondi.

In 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.

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.

NPR's Rebecca Hersher reports new data show a continuing trend of job cuts at the agency.

The United Arab Emirates is banning most Iranians from entering the country, including for transit.