00:00The Glock is ticking on Iran.
00:03President Trump issues a blunt warning, reopen the strait or face what he calls hell.
00:08Plus, Trump jumps into California's governor's race.
00:11He picks a side and may have just made it harder for Republicans to win.
00:16And NASA's Artemis crew is heading toward a history-making moment.
00:21Later today, they fly past the moon, farther from Earth than anyone ever before.
00:28The stories that matter, clear and credible, from across the country to around the world.
00:34These are your unbiased updates from Strait Arrow News.
00:40Hello everyone, I'm Simone del Rosario, in today for Craig Negrelli.
00:44This morning, President Trump's deadline for Iran to reopen the strait of Hormuz is a day away,
00:49with a warning of major consequences if it doesn't happen.
00:52As that clock ticks down, the U.S. and Israel are escalating strikes.
00:57Overnight, U.S. and Israeli forces launched a new wave of strikes on Tehran,
01:01killing more than 25 people, including a top intelligence official in Iran's Revolutionary Guard.
01:06Iran fired back, launching missiles at Israel and targets across the region.
01:11In northern Israel, a missile strike hit a residential building in Haifa, killing at least two people.
01:16And across the Gulf, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates say they activated air defense systems
01:24to intercept incoming missiles and drones.
01:27Diplomatic efforts are still underway, with mediators pushing for a ceasefire, but time is running out.
01:33All of this unfolding as Trump warned Iran will be, quote,
01:48The U.S. has already hit major infrastructure, including key bridges, following Trump's address last week,
01:55where he said operations were nearing an end, while also promising more strikes.
02:00Iran's Revolutionary Guard responded Sunday, saying the strait will, quote,
02:05Never return to its former state, and warning a new security order is taking shape in the Persian Gulf.
02:12And a new banner has gone up in Tehran's Engelab Square, reading in Persian, quote,
02:17The Strait of Hormuz will remain closed. The entire Persian Gulf is our hunting ground.
02:22It is not clear who put it up.
02:24Democrats and one Republican are criticizing President Trump after that Easter morning post
02:30threatening news strikes inside Iran.
02:32Several questioned his fitness for office, and some even floated the 25th Amendment.
02:37In a post on X, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders said, quote,
02:41These are the ravings of a dangerous and mentally unbalanced individual.
02:45Congress has got to act. End this war.
02:48Senator Chris Murphy went further, saying cabinet officials should consider removing the president
02:53by declaring him unfit for the job, saying, quote,
02:57If I were in Trump's cabinet, I would spend Easter calling constitutional lawyers about the 25th Amendment.
03:03This is completely, utterly unhinged.
03:05Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Trump is threatening potential war crimes and damaging alliances,
03:12writing, quote,
03:13The President of the United States is ranting like an unhinged madman on social media.
03:17This is who he is, but this is not who we are.
03:20And on NBC's Meet the Press, Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna said Trump's rhetoric
03:24is only making the situation in Iran worse.
03:28Let me tell you what won't reopen the straight-up formula is threatening war crimes of bombing
03:33indiscriminately power plants, cursing at Iran.
03:37Well, we need a statesmanship like President Obama had.
03:40While Senator Tim Kaine called Trump's words embarrassing.
03:43This is all embarrassing and juvenile.
03:46And it's people trying to act like they're puffed up and tough when what we really see
03:51from the administration in this war is the absence of a plan, the absence of a clear rationale,
03:57no effort to get allies on board, and thus deep unpopularity of this war with the American public.
04:03And in a further break from the president, former ally Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote on X that
04:08Trump's post was, quote, madness, writing, I know all of you and him, and he has gone insane,
04:14and all of you are complicit.
04:16We're learning new details about the high-stakes rescue of a U.S. airman trapped behind enemy
04:21lines in Iran.
04:23Iran shut down an F-15E Strike Eagle Friday with two Air Force officers on board.
04:29Now, the pilot was quickly rescued, but the weapons officer remained missing.
04:33That's when the CIA stepped in.
04:35The agency helped launch a deception campaign designed to mislead Iranian forces and buy
04:41time to find the airmen, according to a senior U.S. official who spoke to The New York Times.
04:45It's a role the CIA has played before, supporting rescue missions when American air crews are stranded
04:51in enemy territory.
04:53And the plan worked.
04:55The injured officer made his way up a 7,000-foot ridge line, hiding in a crevice while search
05:01teams closed in.
05:02Once they found him, U.S. forces used airstrikes to hold Iranian troops back during the extraction.
05:09The airman was flown to Kuwait for treatment.
05:12The president said he was injured, but that, quote, he will be just fine.
05:16Retired General Frank McKenzie, former head of U.S. Central Command, told CBS News the mission
05:21shows how prepared U.S. forces are for this kind of scenario.
05:25So I think I'd draw two lessons from it, Ed.
05:27First of all, the excellence of the joint force, our ability to rapidly pivot, to look for a
05:33downed air crewman.
05:35We train for this endlessly.
05:37It's a part of every time we send air crew over enemy territory, we have detailed, elaborate
05:41plans to go get them.
05:43The other lesson, I think, is a hard lesson for Iran.
05:46First of all, they were not able to find the missing air crewman.
05:50Second, you know, they put out a broad appeal to their people to turn him in, reward, asking
05:55for all kinds of leads.
05:57That does not appear to have been successful.
05:59And that would, I think, that's maybe a sign of disaffection.
06:02McKenzie also said Iran's failure to find the airmen, even after public appeals, points
06:07to a breakdown in their response.
06:09And he put it this way, it takes a year to build an aircraft, but a military culture that
06:14doesn't leave anyone behind takes generations.
06:17Trump will hold a press briefing later today on the rescue mission.
06:21President Trump is jumping into the California governor's race, giving his full endorsement
06:26to Republican candidate Steve Hilton.
06:28In a Truth Social post early this morning, Trump praised Hilton and said he can turn California
06:34around, promising federal support if he wins.
06:37Hilton is a former Fox News host and political advisor in the UK, now running in a crowded field
06:43to replace Governor Gavin Newsom.
06:45He's competing against another Republican, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, along
06:50with several Democratic candidates in California's open primary.
06:54Trump's backing could reshape the Republican side of the race, but it may also make it harder
07:00for two Republicans to advance to the general election.
07:03Political analysts say the endorsement could also shift strategy for Democrats, who may no
07:09longer need to spend heavily boosting a GOP candidate themselves.
07:12That's a strategy they've used in the past.
07:15Savannah Guthrie is back on the air this morning, more than two months after her mother
07:19disappeared, and she's opening up about the uncertainty and faith she's been living through.
07:25The Today co-anchor returns to the show as the search continues for her 84-year-old mother,
07:30Nancy Guthrie, who vanished from her home in Tucson in early February.
07:35Investigators believe she was abducted.
07:37Surveillance video shows a masked man approaching the home overnight, and despite thousands of tips,
07:42no arrests have been made.
07:44Over the weekend, Guthrie shared a deeply personal Easter message, reflecting on the pain of not
07:50knowing what happened to her mother.
07:52Recently, though, in my own season of trial, I have wondered, I have questioned whether Jesus
07:59really ever experienced this particular wound that I feel.
08:04This grievous and uniquely cruel injury of not knowing, of uncertainty and confusion, and answers
08:12withheld.
08:13I see a bright vision of the day when heaven and earth pass away because they are one on
08:20earth as it is in heaven.
08:22When we celebrate today, this is what we celebrate, and I celebrate too. I still believe.
08:31Guthrie says returning to work is part of her purpose right now, even as the investigation
08:35continues with no clear answers. Authorities say Nancy Guthrie did not wander off, and her family
08:42continues to push for answers, urging anyone with information to come forward.
08:46Finally this morning, NASA's Artemis 2 mission is hitting a major turning point, now heading
08:52into its close flyby of the moon. Early this morning, Orion crossed into the moon's sphere
08:58of influence, where lunar gravity takes over from Earth. NASA says the spacecraft has been
09:03so precise, flight controllers canceled its first two course corrections. Later today, the
09:09four astronauts are expected to break Apollo 13's distance record, traveling farther from
09:14Earth than any humans in history. Orion is projected to reach more than 252,000 miles from Earth,
09:22that's about 4,000 miles beyond the previous mark. During the flyby, the crew will document
09:28about 30 targets on the moon, including rare views of the far side. The spacecraft will also
09:34go dark for about 40 minutes, losing contact with Earth as it passes behind the moon. After
09:40that, the mission remains on track for a splashdown in the Pacific near San Diego on April 10th.
09:46Well, before we head out, here's what we're tracking today. The White House hosts its annual
09:50Easter egg roll on the South Lawn this morning, families, kids, and the president marking one
09:55of the longest running traditions. At one, Trump holds a press briefing on the U.S. crew
09:59member rescued in Iran. This afternoon, the window for the Artemis II crew's lunar flyby begins at
10:062.34 Eastern. And tonight, we should have contact again. We're expecting interior shots of the crew
10:12just after the blackout ends with their flyby wrapping later this evening. No noise, no sides,
10:18just the story. NewsGuard gives us a perfect score for reliability. All sides gives us a center rating
10:25with balance certification. We give you the facts first without the spin. Those are your
10:31unbiased updates for this Monday. Craig will be back with us tomorrow. For all of us here
10:35at Straight Air News, I'm Simone Del Rosario. Have a great day.
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