New threats and a rescue in Iran: what to know after a busy weekend

Summary

Apple News Today – April 6, 2026

Episode: "New threats and a rescue in Iran: what to know after a busy weekend"

Overview

This episode, hosted by Cecilia Ley, explores a dramatic series of events in the Middle East, an in-depth look at Trump’s tariff legacy, highlights from the NCAA tournaments, and updates from the Artemis 2 crew as they travel around the moon. The episode brings together reporting and analysis from top journalists and experts, providing context to breaking stories and commentating on their broader implications.

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1. Daring Rescue and Rising Tensions in Iran

[00:05–03:30]

Key Points:

• US Fighter Jet Downed: An American F-15 was shot down over southern Iran. The pilot was rescued quickly, but the weapons systems operator was left evading capture for two days.
• High Stakes for the Pentagon: Iran put out a bounty for the lost airman, intensifying the urgency of the rescue mission.
• Miraculous Survival and Extraction: The airman, injured and hiding in a mountain crevice, managed to evade Iranian searchers long enough to link up with a US rescue team.
• SEAL Team 6 Involvement: The extraction drew in hundreds of US special ops, culminating with SEAL Team 6’s direct intervention.

Notable Quotes & Moments:

• "He was in a mountain crevice essentially and keep in mind he had just been shot down and so he's injured."
  —Shelby Holliday (WSJ) [01:09]
• "It was really a race against the clock for the US to get him before anyone in Iran could get to him."
  —Shelby Holliday [01:27]
• "He managed to evade the Iranians...that in and of itself is described as pretty miraculous."
  —Shelby Holliday [01:49]
• "The calculation seems to have changed in that the US is feeling more resolved and more emboldened and more willing to strike targets than ever before."
  —Shelby Holliday [03:03]

Escalating Rhetoric

• President Trump publicly celebrated the rescue, calling it one of the most daring in US military history, while simultaneously issuing and repeating threats against Iranian infrastructure.
• "He [Trump] posted a series of profanity laden threats against Iran’s power plants, bridges and other civilian infrastructure if the country doesn’t open the Strait of Hormuz by tomorrow."
  —Cecilia Ley [03:30]
• Trump’s threats include language that some experts note could constitute war crimes.
• The administration’s position on Iran continues to shift between aggressive posturing and demands for international action.

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2. Tariffs: A Year Later

[04:05–07:48]

Key Points:

• Trump’s Tariff Policy: A year since Trump’s so-called “Liberation Day,” most initial blanket tariffs have been ruled unconstitutional but replaced with targeted, industry-specific measures (e.g., 100% tariffs on some pharmaceuticals).
• Impact and Reality Check: While Trump promised a resurgence in US jobs and manufacturing, the outcomes are mixed: inflation remains high but manageable, and manufacturing jobs have not rebounded as claimed.
• Business Uncertainty: The unpredictability of tariffs makes long-term business planning difficult.

Notable Quotes & Moments:

• "They went from a world where the trade landscape looked super, super steady...now it’s a totally different story.”
  —Courtney Brown (Axios) [05:11]
• “At one point, the effective tariff rate was at a peak of 21%. According to Yale Budget Lab, now we’re back down to about 11%.”
  —Courtney Brown [06:26]
• “Now, after the ruling, about half [the tariffs collected] needs to be refunded to businesses… making long term decisions in an environment defined by short term whiplash.”
  —Courtney Brown [07:03, 07:28]

Broader Implications:

• The shift toward tariffs as a tool of coercion rather than cooperation has triggered a global move toward bilateral and regional trade agreements, further fragmenting international trade.

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3. NCAA Championships: March Madness Wrap-Up

[08:20–10:23]

Key Points:

• UCLA Women’s Victory: UCLA wins its first NCAA women’s basketball national title, defeating South Carolina.
• Men’s Final Preview: Michigan Wolverines (favorites) face the UConn Huskies, with injuries a major factor for both teams.
• March Madness Moments: Thrilling upsets and last-second shots have defined the tournament’s excitement.

Notable Quotes & Moments:

• "If this were a best-of-seven series, you'd probably pick Michigan... But that's the beauty of March Madness, it's one game."
  —Eddie Pelz (AP Sportswriter) [09:04]
• “These players...you know, what we see during these three weeks is them giving everything for that team and that school at that time. So it gives you a little bit of hope that this is something worth saving.”
  —Eddie Pelz [10:23]

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4. Global and Space Updates

[11:06–13:15]

A. Easter in St. Peter’s Square

• Pope Leo XIV’s First Easter Mass: Thousands gathered as the new pope calls for global peace amid ongoing wars, echoing a message against "the globalization of indifference."

B. Artemis 2's Historic Lunar Mission

• Deepest Human Spaceflight: Four astronauts, including pilot Victor Glover, reach the moon’s far side, becoming the most distant humans in history.

• Perspective from Space: Glover gives a moving reflection on unity and Earth’s fragility during an interview from lunar orbit.

  "In all of this emptiness...you have this oasis, this beautiful place that we get to exist together. ...this is an opportunity for us to remember where we are, who we are, and that we are the same thing, and that we got to get through this together."
  —Victor Glover [12:49]

• Mission Outlook: The trip is going smoothly, with minor technical issues. The crew is scheduled to splash down on Friday.

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5. Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Shelby Holliday on the rescued airman: "That in and of itself is described as pretty miraculous." [01:49]
• Courtney Brown on trade turmoil: "Businesses have only recently started to recover." [06:26]
• Eddie Pelz on college basketball: "It gives you a little bit of hope that this is something worth saving." [10:23]
• Victor Glover on togetherness: “...we are the same thing, and that we got to get through this together.” [12:49]

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6. Timestamps for Key Segments

• US-Iran rescue and tensions: 00:05–03:30
• Trump’s tariffs, economic impact: 04:05–07:48
• NCAA championships highlights: 08:20–10:23
• Pope Leo XIV's Easter message: 11:06–11:55
• Artemis 2 lunar mission: 11:55–13:15

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This episode provides a comprehensive, cliffhanger-laden account of a dramatic weekend in geopolitics, economics, sports, and human exploration, blending urgent news coverage with reflective moments from those making history.

Transcript

[Cecilia Ley]

Good morning. Aviators rescued behind enemy lines. The Wall Street Journal takes us inside a daring mission.

[Shelby Holliday]

In any war, if one of your people goes down in enemy territory, the worst case scenario is the enemy capturing them.

[Cecilia Ley]

But as Trump celebrated a successful return, he also issued new threats and deadlines to Iran. Also Axios grades the effects of tariffs. One year later and the Artemis 2 crew are about to go deep into space than any human's in history.

[Victor Glover]

Sending four humans 250,000 miles away is a herculean effort and we are now

[Eddie Pelz]

just realizing the gravity of that.

[Cecilia Ley]

It's Monday, April 6th. I'm Cecilia Ley and this is Apple News Today. It's been a perilous and dramatic weekend in the Middle East. The tension ignited on Friday when an F15 US fighter jet was shot down over southern Iran. US forces found the pilot quickly, but the weapons systems operator wasn't so lucky. He spent two days trying to evade capture.

[Shelby Holliday]

He was in a mountain crevice essentially and keep in mind he had just been shot down and so he's injured.

[Cecilia Ley]

Shelby Holliday is a national security correspondent for the Wall Street Journal. She told us that after the news emerged, Iran put out a reward for anyone who might find the crew member.

[Shelby Holliday]

And that set off a scramble. I mean it was really a race against the clock for the US to get him before anyone in Iran could get to him.

[Cecilia Ley]

If Iran located the US Airmen first, it would have been a worst case scenario for the Pentagon. US officials were worried that the regime would use a potential capture for sweeping concessions. Holiday said that at first little was publicly known about the crew members condition.

[Shelby Holliday]

He's trying to communicate and he's following his training. He's by himself. He managed to evade the Iranians and it's unclear what kind of injuries he has at this point, but we know he was able to move, he was able to move to meet the rescue team. And that in and of itself is described as pretty miraculous.

[Cecilia Ley]

On Sunday, President Trump posted on social media that the US military had quote, pulled off one of the most daring search and rescue operations in its history. He said the US had been tracking the crew members whereabouts and that he had sustained injuries, but quote, will be just fine. In total, hundreds of special ops and other troops were involved in what turned out to be a massive and risky effort in mountainous terrain. It was the famous SEAL Team 6 that ultimately extracted him group that was set up in the wake of the Iran hostage crisis of 1979. The jet was one of two U.S. planes that were targeted in the battle zone Shortly after the F15 went down, an A10 known as a warthog was taken out by Iran. That pilot was able to navigate the plane outside of Iranian airspace and ejected safely over friendly territory. Holiday says all of this highlights how Iran, despite suffering heavy losses to its military, can still do a lot of damage.

[Shelby Holliday]

The calculation seems to have changed in that the US Is feeling more resolved and more emboldened and more willing to strike targets than ever before. And we've heard that rhetoric out of the president publicly when he's threatening to bomb Iranian infrastructure and bridges and oil facilities. And we're hearing it from sources quietly that this, this may mark actually an escalation rather than some sort of withdrawal or turnaround in the war.

[Cecilia Ley]

There were more signs of escalation from Trump's social media feed over the weekend. On Sunday, he posted a series of profanity laden threats against Iran's power plants, bridges and other civilian infrastructure if the country doesn't open the Strait of Hormuz by tomorrow. In many cases, these could be considered war crimes. This deadline is one that Trump has issued and extended several times already. It's another shift in his approach to the closed off strait. Last week, Trump suggested that the shipping route was primarily a problem for other countries to solve. But on Sunday, he told Fox News that he was, quote, considering blowing everything up and taking control of Iran's oil. He will hold a press conference later today with the military in the Oval Office. It's been just over a year since President Trump set out to reshape the American economy with a wave of tariffs, but a moment he dubbed Liberation Day. This will be indeed the golden age of America. It's coming back. We're going to come back very strongly. Most of those blanket tariffs were eventually struck down by the Supreme Court, but Trump hasn't abandoned them by any means. He continues to target countries while shifting to a more industry specific approach. Just last week, he signed an order that threatened 100% tariffs on pharmaceuticals if companies don't reach pricing deals with the White House. The administration's efforts are ongoing, but the global trading system has already been upended. Courtney Brown is a senior economics reporter with Axios and has been looking back on the impact of so called Liberation Day.

[Courtney Brown]

I think the most significant way that it's reshaped the American economy is really through the lens of American businesses. They went from a world where the trade landscape looked super, super steady. There wasn't a question what tariffs were going to be if you were bringing in goods from India. Now it's a totally different story.

[Cecilia Ley]

Right at his ceremony a year ago, Trump promised that jobs and manufacturing would come back to the US and that consumer prices would fall. Critics, meanwhile, raised the alarms for a possible recession. So far, predictions from both the biggest detractors and boosters have not exactly panned out. Inflation has remained elevated, but far from its four decade high in 2022. And while there are fewer jobs in the manufacturing sector compared to a year ago, the jobs report on Friday did show some promising signs.

[Courtney Brown]

Do manufacturers over the last three months, have they been feeling more optimistic?

[Shelby Holliday]

Yes.

[Courtney Brown]

Does that turn into reinvigorated hiring decisions to build more factories, spend more money? The types of things that drive GDP growth, we'll have to wait and see.

[Cecilia Ley]

In some ways, Brown said that the economic predictions were based on what was happening before the Supreme Court's ruling.

[Courtney Brown]

At one point, the effective tariff rate was at a peak of 21%, according to Yale Budget Lab. Now we're back down to about 11%. So what would have been the economic effects if we stayed at that peak? We don't know as far as what's actually happened in the economy. There is evidence if you look at the Consumer price Index that goods prices have risen more rapidly. And when you look at some of the anecdotes from US Manufacturers, they were in pain over the past year and they've only recently started to recover.

[Cecilia Ley]

Tariffs generated tens of billions of dollars in revenue for the federal government, money Trump has promised will help cover his tax cuts and spending commitments. But now, after the ruling, about half of that needs to be refunded to businesses. And the administration is still working on a plan to figure out how to do it for businesses of all sizes. Right now, the challenge is making long term decisions in an environment defined by short term whiplash.

[Courtney Brown]

Once President Trump leaves office, what happens then? Do the floodgates open and you know, all these tariffs are beat back and reduced and you know, I get crushed because now I'm sourcing within the US and it's much more expensive compared to my competitors that might have just hung on and waited for more tariff relief that may or may not come in the next administration.

[Cecilia Ley]

But by then, global trade may already look very different. As the Wall Street Journal notes in its own analysis, tariffs fundamentally pivoted the US Policy away from cooperation and toward using as a tool of coercion. And in response, countries have moved faster to strike deals elsewhere. On Sunday afternoon in Phoenix, the UCLA women's basketball team beat South Carolina to win this year's national title.

[Sports Announcer]

The Bruins have captured their very first NCAA national championship.

[Cecilia Ley]

Now it's the men's turn tonight as the Michigan Wolverines and the Yukon Huskies square off in Indianapolis for the championship game at this weekend's Final Four. The two seed Yukon beat the three seed Illinois by nine points and in a matchup of number one seed Giants, Michigan beat Arizona in a lopsided victory to win a spot in tonight's title game. Michigan is the heavy favorite to win, but that doesn't mean you can count the Huskies out completely.

[Eddie Pelz]

I definitely think we need to be on upset alert a little bit.

[Cecilia Ley]

Eddie Pelz is a national sports writer for the Associated Press.

[Eddie Pelz]

Both of the coaches actually made a good point. If this were a best of seven series, you'd probably pick Michigan to win it 41 or 4 2. But that's the beauty of March Madness is it's not a best of seven series, it's one game. It's who comes in a little bit healthier. It's who comes in with a little bit better plan. Who gets over the jitters.

[Cecilia Ley]

Pel says a number of key players on both teams are coming into tonight's game with injuries. Michigan star forward Yaxel Lindenborg is dealing with a bone bruise but says he'll give it a go. Meanwhile, UConn guard Solo Ball was seen in a walking boot after tweaking his left foot during the team's Final Four win. Tip off for tonight's game is at 8:50pm Eastern Time. The matchup brings to a close another year of March Madness that featured some amazing moments like UConn's Braylon Mullins. Last second three pointer to knock off the tournament's top seed Duke Boozer.

[Sports Announcer]

That ball deflected and stolen by Mullins caravan. Two seconds. Mullins tosses it out. It's good with point three. UConn goes in front.

[Cecilia Ley]

Despite widespread criticism that college sports is all about money, moments like these make the tournament special for sports fans. Pell says this year's matchups have provided a glimmer of hope for the future of the game.

[Eddie Pelz]

Nobody's against players getting paid, but there's a spiraling financial picture here that doesn't seem that sustainable. And these players, even though they're getting paid and even though they might be looking at another school to go to, you know what we see during these three weeks is them giving everything for that team and that school at that time. So it gives you a little bit of hope that this is something worth saving. Now can they save it? I don't know. We're fixing to find out over the next couple years, but we love to watch it, and I think that came shining through this year once again.

[Cecilia Ley]

And finally, some other stories were following. Thousands of worshipers gathered in St. Peter's Square yesterday for Pope Leo XIV's first Easter Mass as pontif. In his address, Chicago's own Pope Leo called on global leaders to choose peace. He urged people to, quote, abandon every desire for conflict, domination and power and implore the Lord to grant his peace to a world ravaged by wars. And he borrowed a phrase from his predecessor, Pope Francis, as he cited the increasing globalization of indifference. Pope Leo didn't mention any conflict by name, but he has become increasingly outspoken about these issues during the US Israeli war with Iran and the Artemis 2 mission is expected to be on the far side of the moon today, the deepest into space anyone has ever traveled. The crew of four astronauts are on a lunar flyby trip, providing them a view of the moon that can't be seen from Earth. And for a 40 minute period today, the moon will block out connection with mission control, providing a truly unique moment of solitude for the crew. Over the weekend, NASA released new images captured by the team, which show the moon oriented upside down, with its south pole facing upward and parts of its far side visible. The astronauts gave interviews with TV networks over the weekend, sharing their observations hundreds of thousands of miles away from Earth. Here is pilot Victor Glover, the first black astronaut to travel around the moon, speaking to CBS News after being asked to reflect on Easter Sunday. Like the Pope, he also urged unity

[Victor Glover]

and peace in all of this emptiness. This is a whole bunch of nothing, this thing we call the universe. You have this oasis, this beautiful place that we get to exist together. I think as we go into Easter Sunday, thinking about, you know, all the cultures all around the world, whether you celebrate it or not, whether you believe in God or not, this is an opportunity for us to remember where we are, who we are and that we are the same thing, and that we got to get through this together.

[Cecilia Ley]

The crew said it's been a smooth trip overall, except for a few issues, including with their onboard space toilet. If all goes according to plan, they are expected to return to Earth on Friday with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego. To see those captures of the moon from a new angle, check out the link in our show Notes. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up Next, Vox reports on the phenomenon known as looks maxing, where people take extreme measures to improve how they look and what might happen if we lose diversity of physical appearance. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.