NPR News: 04-05-2026 3PM EDT

A Sunday morning U.S. military operation rescued an Air Force officer who ejected from a jet shot down in Iran on Friday, amid heightened tensions over the Strait of Hormuz. The broadcast also covers President Trump's executive order restricting mail-in voting, a new Pope's Easter message, damage to California's sequoias from wildfires, and NASA's Artemis II mission nearing the moon.

Rescue Operation and Iranian Threats

U.S. forces rescued the officer, along with another crew member, in what President Trump called on social media "one of the most daring search and rescue operations in U.S. history," ending his post with "Praise be to Allah." Iran's Tasnim News Agency, linked to the Revolutionary Guard, reported at least five people killed by U.S. and Israeli forces during the operation. A Revolutionary Guard spokesman issued a profanity-laced threat, declaring Tuesday "Power Plant Day and Bridge Day" and vowing strikes on critical infrastructure unless Iran reopens the Strait of Hormuz by tomorrow. The strait handles one-fifth of global oil supply, and gasoline prices have surged since the war started. Reopening faces delays from potential mines, damaged infrastructure, trapped ships, and oil field repairs in Iraq and elsewhere; restarting fields risks further damage due to aging equipment, likely taking months.