Pam Bondi Out, Iran Charges Strait Tolls, International Meeting on Hormuz
Up First from NPR
NPR
4.6 • 59K Ratings
🗓️ 3 April 2026
⏱️ 13 minutes
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Summary
Iran is formalizing a toll system for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, charging up to two million dollars per vessel, as the energy crisis deepens and critical goods remain stuck at sea.
And more than 40 countries met to discuss reopening the strait, but neither Iran nor the U.S. were at the table.
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(0:00) Introduction
(02:18) Pam Bondi Out
(05:59) Iran Charges Strait Tolls
(09:45) International Meeting on Hormuz
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey, good morning. Every day we talk to you, and now we'd like you to talk to us. |
| 0:05.1 | Tell us what you like or don't like about up first. Help us out by answering a few questions online. |
| 0:10.0 | Go to npr.org slash spring survey. That's npr.org slash spring survey. Say what you think. Thanks. |
| 0:21.7 | Pam Bondi's time as Attorney General is over. |
| 0:24.9 | She obeyed the president's demands to read partisan talking points and prosecute political |
| 0:29.2 | opponents, but lost his confidence over the handling of the Epstein files. |
| 0:33.0 | I'm May Martinez. That is Steve Inskeep, and this is up first from NPR News. |
| 0:40.5 | Iran is considering charging up to $2 million per ship to allow passage through the Strait of Hormuz. |
| 0:47.0 | They are comparing the transit through the straits to say what the Egyptian government does with the Suez Canal. |
| 0:54.0 | How long will Iran make money off of other countries' oil? |
| 0:56.9 | The U.S. and Israeli war drastically increased the hazards of passing the strait. |
| 1:01.3 | Then the United States seemed to abandon efforts to secure it, |
| 1:04.1 | so what do 40 other nations plan to do about it? |
| 1:08.0 | Stay with us. We've got the news you need to start your day. |
| 1:17.7 | Attorney General Pam Bondi is out. Yeah, Bondi made history as Attorney General, |
| 1:22.6 | going to exceptional lengths to make the Justice Department subservient to the political whims of her |
| 1:27.3 | boss. |
| 1:28.0 | Federal prosecutors spent tax dollars seeking indictments of the president's political opponents, |
| 1:32.2 | and they were repeatedly accused of misleading judges or defying court orders. |
| 1:36.3 | But there was at least one way that Bondi displeased the president. |
| 1:40.3 | For that, we turn now to NPR Supreme Court and Justice correspondent Carrie Johnson. |
| 1:45.7 | And if it has anything to do with the law, Carrie covers it. |
... |
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