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🎧 The White House believes Bondi mishandled law enforcement files related to Epstein, NPR’s Carrie Johnson tells Up First. Last year, Bondi said in an interview that a list of Epstein’s clients was on her desk. The Justice Department later said no such list existed, sparking conspiracy theories. Eventually, the department made some files public, but lawmakers say a lot of information remains hidden. Trump also wanted Bondi to be more aggressive in prosecuting people he dislikes. Even though she tried to advance those criminal cases, judges and grand juries didn’t appear to support them. Johnson says there may have been a lack of evidence to execute some of these cases. During Bondi’s time as attorney general, there was a massive exodus at the DOJ. Hundreds of prosecutors and FBI agents are now gone, reshaping the institution. 
➡️ Amid the leadership shakeup, the DOJ is working to acquire sensitive voter registration data from states and plans to share it with the Department of Homeland Security. A key privacy officer in the DOJ's division tasked with enforcing civil and voting rights laws has resigned.

🎧 Shipping analysts and crisis management groups that NPR's Jackie Northam spoke with say that the process begins with government-to-government negotiations. A senior Iranian lawmaker suggested that fees could reach $2 million per vessel. Some ships, including those from India, Pakistan and China, have negotiated diplomatic deals. Iran will not allow any ship with links to the U.S. or Israel to pass through the waterway. Analysts tell Northam that they expect to see some movement in the energy crisis, but it will be slow, and the situation remains precarious.
🎧 U.K. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper hosted a virtual call with international leaders from more than 40 countries to explore ways to reopen the Strait. The meeting followed Trump’s recent remarks urging other countries to take more action to unblock the vital shipping route. The U.S. and Israel were not involved. Officials discussed both diplomatic and economic measures their countries could implement now and after the fighting ceases to help secure the shipping route, according to NPR’s Fatima Al-Kassab. The meeting focused on strategies like applying more United Nations pressure on Iran and rejecting Iran’s attempts to impose tolls on passing ships.
➡️ Hundreds of sailors have been evacuated from their base in Bahrain back to the U.S. after Iranian missiles and drones attacked the location, NPR has learned. There have been evacuations at other U.S. military bases in the region, though exact details are unknown.
➡️ As Trump's focus remains on the war, his approval rating has dipped on the issue voters say they care about most: the economy. These are the takeaways from the president's last seven days.

➡️ The Apollo 17 mission in December 1972 marked the last time humans traveled to the moon. From geopolitics to pop culture, this is what life was like then.