NPR News: 04-07-2026 12AM EDT

President Trump provided dramatic new details about a risky U.S. military mission to rescue two crew members of a fighter jet shot down deep inside Iran. The president said 21 aircraft took part in a daytime operation to rescue the pilot of a downed F-15. Reaching the second crew member was even more harrowing: Trump said 155 aircraft were involved, many sent far from the airman’s actual location to confuse Iranian forces trying to capture him. The Air Force colonel was badly injured but managed to reach a mountain crevice well away from the crash site. His plane got stuck in wet sand on a farm and was blown up as lighter aircraft were called in to fly him out of Iran.

President Trump’s ultimatum for Iran to reach a deal to open the Strait of Hormuz — or face attacks on civilian infrastructure — is approaching. He repeated his threat to destroy all power plants and bridges if a deal is not reached by Tuesday night. Iran has rejected a 45-day ceasefire proposal. The standoff comes as U.S. gasoline prices have topped $4 a gallon for the first time in nearly four years. Despite the pain at the pump, NPR’s Stephen Pisaha reports that motorists around the country are not cutting back on travel. Data from Arity, an Allstate company that uses randomized data to track driving habits, shows people are actually driving more. West Texas Intermediate crude is now above $115 per barrel.