← The NewsWorthy
The NewsWorthy
Iran Speech Takeaways, AI Election Ads & 'Godspeed, Artemis II' - Thursday, April 2, 2026
00:14:59
Loading summary
Transcript1 lines
- [00:00]
A
Today is Thursday, April 2nd. We'll recap President Trump's address to the nation last night, all about Iran and why hundreds of thousands of immigrants could get their US Legal status back. Plus how AI video is being used to depict political opponents in campaign ads, what four NASA astronauts are up to now as their historic mission to the moon is officially underway, and which candy and chocolate products are getting a recipe makeover. Those stories and even more news to know next. Welcome to the newsworthy all the days news in less than 15 minutes. I'm Erica. Mandy. Thanks so much for being here. Let's do this. For the first time since the war in Iran began more than a month ago, President Trump gave a national address. But he didn't make any revealing announcements. Instead, he described the military action against Iran as an overwhelming success that was nearing completion, but not complete yet. The President promised Iran would be hit extremely hard in the coming weeks. But Trump also insisted this wasn't going to be a so called forever war. And he reminded Americans that this conflict has not been going on for nearly as long as past ones like the wars in Iraq or Vietnam. He also spoke directly to Iranian leaders demanding they negotiate an end to the war or else lose all of their electric plants to American strikes. It's still not clear what's going on with peace talk since there have been a lot of mixed messages. Trump said on social media yesterday that Iran's new regime president asked the US For a ceasefire. There are questions as to who exactly Trump is referring to. It's not believed to be Iran's new supreme leader who recently took over for his father. Iran does also have a president, but he's not new. And yesterday that Iranian president published a long letter to the people of the US Basically saying Americans are being lied to and that Iran is not choosing aggression. Officially. Iran still denies any formal talks are even happening. And new Reports say multiple U.S. intelligence agencies have have determined Iran still is not willing to take part in real negotiations since Iranian officials believe they're in a strong position in the war. Iran has continued to fire projectiles at Gulf countries in Israel even on the first night of Passover. And Israel has struck more targets in Iran. More US Troops are headed to the Middle east now. Republican leaders in Congress say they now have a deal to end the partial government shutdown. Basically, it seems House Republicans have now come around on the Senate deal they shot down last week. Remember, both Republican and Democratic senators voted on that compromise to fund all of DHS except ICE and parts of Customs and Border Protection. Since Lawmakers still can't agree on how immigration laws should be enforced. Originally, GOP leaders in the House rejected it because it did not include money for immigration agencies and because they wanted it to include voter ID requirements, as President Trump had been pushing for. But in the face of increasing pressure, it seems they've changed their minds, and they say the bill will be passed in the coming days. It's not clear exactly how since Congress left for a two week recess, but President Trump has said he would sign it into law. So the next question, even if that does happen, is how Congress will address immigration enforcement. Democrats are still demanding reforms, and Republicans won't agree to all of them. So Republicans now say they'll go about that another way, too, through what's known as budget reconciliation. That kind of bill can only address spending and cannot make any real policy changes. So it's seen as an incomplete solution, but one that would get everyone paid. An advantage for the GOP is that kind of bill can be passed with a simple majority vote in the Senate instead of 60 votes. In other words, it could happen without any Democratic support, though it's not a done deal either. Stay tuned. Hundreds of thousands of immigrants could now get their legal status restored. We're talking about immigrants who came to the US Legally through a pathway that was introduced under former President Biden. More than 900,000 immigrants used the CBP1 app to make appointments with immigration officials at ports of entry in hopes of later applying for a way to enter the U.S. but in one of his first acts as president, Trump ended that function of the app, and DHS sent notices to those who used it to actually enter the U.S. they were told the government was ending their legal status despite having already been vetted and they would have to leave the country or be deported. Well, now a judge says that was not legal. The Trump administration disagrees and promises to appeal the ruling. Meanwhile, the US Is facing new scrutiny over immigrants who have died in detention facilities. Nearly 50 people have now died in government custody since President Trump reentered the White House. At least that's according to figures ABC News says it got from lawmakers. The news outlet also reports the first 14 months of the new Trump administration represents the most deadly period for the federal detention system in recent years, with the exception of 2020, when COVID 19 contributed to deaths. Now family members, activists, lawyers, and even the Mexican government are demanding full investigations. The Trump administration insists there's an internal review after every death already and that detention facilities are safe and monitored. Of course, the detention centers are also especially full right now, as President Trump has promoted the largest deportation campaign in history and has promised mandatory detention even for those in the process of getting legal status. The Trump administration is also still working to increase space to detain more immigrants in an effort to address overcrowding and disease. To be continued, Some pretty big updates are coming for the U.S. forest Service. The agency announced its headquarters is moving out of the nation's capital to Salt Lake City, Utah. It's part of a strategy to put the service closer to the Western states that make up the vast majority of America's forests. The overhaul also involved shutting down research facilities in 31 states. Utah's governor called it a big win for Utah and the west, but environmental groups called the move a costly bureaucratic shuffle that could prompt a lot of experienced staffers to quit. Trump similarly moved the Bureau of Land Management's headquarters to Colorado during his first term, leading to 90% of the staff to leave the agency. Many, but not all, of the positions stayed vacant for years. At this point, it's not clear exactly how many Forest Service staffers will have to relocate or if the overhaul will include any layoffs. NASA has officially sent astronauts back toward the moon with a successful launch kicking off the historic Artemis 2 mission. Four, three, two, one. Booster ignition and lift off. Good luck. Godspeed, Artemis 2. Let's go. All around the country, people gathered for watch parties to see the launch live, and hundreds of thousands of viewers tuned in to the live feeds. Yesterday's launch now kicks off a landmark journey that will take them closer to the moon's surface than anyone has been in more than a half a century. Remember, they're taking a journey around the moon. They won't actually land on the surface, but the plan is for this crew to travel farther into space than anyone in history. It includes the commander, who's a Navy veteran, as well as the first woman, the first person of color, and the first Canadian to ever travel to the moon. For the next 10 days, they're living in a space that's roughly the size of two minivans. It's equipped with living essentials like an exercise machine, a toilet, and sleeping bags that can be attached to the walls when it's time to go to bed. There have already been some hiccups, but no major setbacks so far. And there are a lot of unique tools in place to make this mission as safe as possible. For example, the spacesuits are fire resistant and can provide breathable air while removing carbon dioxide, keeping astronauts alive for about six days. In emergency situations. This single mission is estimated to cost $4.1 billion. The real purpose is to test many different systems, including communications, navigation, and the life support systems that will be needed for future endeavors like when astronauts are sent to the moon's surface and even further, like Mars. We'll be talking more about the significance and impact of this mission in this weekend's Special edition Saturday episode. More news still ahead, but first, a break to tell you about our sponsor. If you're someone who doesn't want to constantly track the market or overthink every financial move, you're not alone. A lot of people are just looking for a simple, reliable way to grow their savings without turning it into a second job. That's exactly what gainbridge is designed for. Gain gainbridge is an online platform offering financial products with a guaranteed rate over a set term that you choose. That means you decide how long your money is invested and how much you want to put in. And from there it grows at a fixed rate. There are no hidden fees or commissions, which makes it easier to understand exactly what you're getting. And the setup is straightforward. Open an account, fund it and let it do its thing. They offer two main products, one for shorter term goals like saving for a major purchase or milestone, and another design for longer term planning and retirement. If that kind of approach resonates with you, you can check it out@gainbridge.com Gainbridge let your money work for you. Now back to the news. SpaceX has now filed the paperwork to go public. Reports say a SpaceX IPO could rank as the biggest ever and could make founder Elon Musk a trillionaire. Already, several investment banks are lining up to help raise tens of billions of dollars to fund Musk's ambitions with SpaceX. Remember, SpaceX is the biggest commercial launch company in the industry, and it's won $6 billion in contracts from NASA and other government agencies in the last five years. It also owns the world's largest satellite communications company, Starlink, social media platform X, and artificial intelligence business Xai. It's not clear exactly how much SpaceX plans to raise, but the figure is reportedly as much as $75 billion, easily eclipsing the last record breaking IPO. SpaceX is now on track to potentially list shares by this summer. Millions of Americans looking to take GLP1s for weight loss now have another option in the form of a pill rather than a shot. The FDA approved the latest one from Eli Lilly called Foundao. It's expected to compete directly with the Wegovy pill from Novo Nordisk that's been on sale since the start of this year and grow what's already a $70 billion plus market for GLP1s. Foundao is a once daily medication that can be taken any time of day with or without food, making it a little more flexible than Wegovy, and it's similarly effective with all GLP1s. The most commonly reported side effects are stomach issues. Eli Lilly says it will start selling Foundao next week. The lowest dose will cost $140 a month for customers not going through insurance. Pro football team owners have approved some new rules ahead of the 2026 NFL season. Some of them have to do with the game itself. For example, where players line up during kickoffs is being adjusted and there's now more of a penalty when a kickoff goes out of bounds. There are also some changes with officiating in the face of a referee labor dispute. Like at least for this year, league officials will be able to step in during games to correct clear mistakes from replacement referees if there's a work stoppage that impacts the usual refs and the officials can decide if a player needs to get thrown out outside of games. Injured players can now return to practice sooner and teams must have a full time mental health professional on staff. The next NFL season starts in September. Candy giant Hershey is changing the recipes for some of its most iconic products. For starters, Reese's. That's been the subject of a recent backlash. The grandson of the Reese's peanut butter cups inventor took to social media earlier this year, claiming the Hershey company had changed his grandfather's recipe. At first, Hershey defended itself by saying it only made adjustments to create new innovations fans have come to love, like Reese's Easter eggs. But now it says it will use classic recipes only starting next year. Also, Hershey says the recipe for Kit Kat bars will be enhanced to make it creamier. Plus it's transitioning to natural colors, something federal regulators have encouraged. That last one is a commitment that's been made a lot lately from companies like Kraft, Heinz, Campbell's, Kellogg and many more. Well, that's it for the Maine News today. So now it's time for Thing to Know Thursday. But first a quick break to thank our sponsor. Spring cleaning season is a great time to upgrade to a more natural sleep with Birch's organic mattresses. We spent so much time in our beds. This really was an important part of getting a new mattress for me, knowing that I'm sleeping on natural materials and avoiding harmful off gassing that can happen in the manufacturing process. And of course comfort is also key. And my Birch Natural Mattress really delivers there too. It's stylish, it's comfortable, and it's constructed with non toxic materials. There's really no better way to test a new Birch mattress than by sleeping on it in your own home. And that's why Birch offers a 120 night risk free trial to see how your body adjusts and Birch mattresses are shipped directly from their facility to your door for free. The mattress comes rolled up in a box and is super easy to set up. I want all my listeners to enjoy a deep, restful night's sleep with a new mattress from birch. Go to birchliving.com newsworthy for 20% off site wide. That's birchliving.com newsworthy and get 20% off sitewide. Birchliving.com newsworthy now back to Thing to Know Thursday this midterm year, there's at least one thing very different from the last election cycle. Realistic artificial intelligence is now more common than ever. Dozens of campaign ads featuring AI generated content have run in the last few months. AI is being used in state, local and federal elections everywhere from school board campaigns to governors races. For example, Senate Republicans released an online ad in which a real looking but actually fake version of James Talarico, who's a Democratic Senate candidate in Texas, appears to speak directly to the camera as he reads old tweets. The narrator describes it as a dramatic reading and a small AI generated disclosure is on screen for almost the whole ad. Meanwhile, in Massachusetts, there's an ad without a disclaimer that has Democratic Governor Maura Healey saying things she's never actually said, and the caption says it's what her radio ads would sound like, quote, if she was honest. AI usage in political ads is largely regulated at the state level, so the laws vary. At the federal level, there are no specific restrictions. Bills have been introduced to require all political ads disclosed when they use AI, but as of this morning, they haven't made it to a vote in either chamber. So at this point, tech experts have some advice to spot deepfakes. They suggest looking closely at things like candidates eyes, hairline and hands when they speak. And generally don't believe everything you see. Thank you so much for listening today. We'll be sure to catch you up on more news to know tomorrow. Until then, have a great day.