Hormuz tensions spike as Trump warns Iran; Artemis nears historic moon flyby

The Glock is ticking on Iran. President Trump issues a blunt warning. Reopen the street or face what he calls hell

Plus, Trump jumps into California's governor's race. He picks a side and may have just made it harder for Republicans to win

And NASA's Artemis crew is heading toward a history-making moment. Later today, they fly past the moon, farther from Earth than anyone ever before

The stories that matter, clear and credible, from across the country to around the world

These are your unbiased updates from Straight Arrow News. Hello everyone, I'm Simone del Rosario, in today for Craig Negrelli

This morning, President Trump's deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is a day away

with a warning of major consequences if it doesn't happen. As that clock ticks down, the U.S. and Israel are escalating strikes

Overnight, U.S. and Israeli forces launched a new wave of strikes on Tehran

killing more than 25 people, including a top intelligence official in Iran's Revolutionary Guard

Iran fired back, launching missiles at Israel and targets across the region

In northern Israel, a missile strike hit a residential building in Haifa, killing at least two people

and across the Gulf, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates

say they activated air defense systems to intercept incoming missiles and drones

Diplomatic efforts are still underway, with mediators pushing for a ceasefire, but time is running out

All of this unfolding as Trump warned Iran will be, quote, living in hell if the strait is not reopened in an expletive-laden message Eastern morning

Writing, open the effing straight, you crazy s, threatening to target Iran's power plants and

bridges by Tuesday. The U.S. has already hit major infrastructure, including key bridges

following Trump's address last week, where he said operations were nearing an end while also

promising more strikes. Iran's Revolutionary Guard responded Sunday, saying the strait will

quote, never return to its former state, and warning a new security order is taking shape

in the Persian Gulf. And a new banner has gone up in Tehran's Engelab Square, reading in Persian

quote, the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed. The entire Persian Gulf is our hunting ground

It is not clear who put it up. Democrats and one Republican are criticizing President Trump

after that Easter morning post threatening news strikes inside Iran. Several questioned his

fitness for office and some even floated the 25th Amendment In a post on X Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders said quote These are the ravings of a dangerous and mentally unbalanced individual

Congress has got to act. End this war. Senator Chris Murphy went further, saying cabinet officials should consider removing the president by declaring him unfit for the job

Saying, quote, If I were in Trump's cabinet, I would spend Easter calling constitutional lawyers about the 25th Amendment

This is completely, utterly unhinged. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Trump is threatening potential war crimes and damaging alliances, writing, quote

The President of the United States is ranting like an unhinged madman on social media

This is who he is, but this is not who we are. And on NBC's Meet the Press, Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna said Trump's rhetoric is only making the situation in Iran worse

Let me tell you what won't reopen the strait of hermules, threatening war crimes of bombing indiscriminately power plants, cursing at Iran

Well, we need a statesmanship like President Obama had. While Senator Tim Kaine called Trump's words embarrassing

This is all embarrassing and juvenile. And it's people trying to act like they're puffed up and tough when what we really see from the administration in this war is the absence of a plan

the absence of a clear rationale, no effort to get allies on board

and thus deep unpopularity of this war with the American public. And in a further break from the president, former ally Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote on X

that Trump's post was, quote, madness, writing, I know all of you and him, and he has gone insane, and all of you are complicit

We're learning new details about the high-stakes rescue of a U.S. airman

trapped behind enemy lines in Iran. Iran shut down an F-15E strike eagle Friday with two Air Force officers on board

Now, the pilot was quickly rescued, but the weapons officer remained missing

That's when the CIA stepped in. The agency helped launch a deception campaign designed to mislead Iranian forces and buy time to find the airmen

according to a senior U.S. official who spoke to The New York Times. It's a role the CIA has played before

supporting rescue missions when American air crews are stranded in enemy territory

And the plan worked. The injured officer made his way up a 7,000-foot ridge line

hiding in a crevice while search teams closed in. Once they found him, U.S. forces used airstrikes to hold Iranian troops back during the extraction

The airman was flown to Kuwait for treatment. The president said he was injured but that quote he will be just fine Retired General Frank McKenzie former head of US Central Command told CBS News the mission shows how prepared U forces are for this kind of scenario So I think I draw two lessons from it Ed

First of all, the excellence of the joint force, our ability to rapidly pivot to look

for a downed air crewman. We train for this endlessly. It's a part of every time we send air crew over enemy territory, we have detailed, elaborate

plans to go get them. The other lesson, I think, is a hard lesson for Iran

First of all, they were not able to find the missing air crewmen

Second, they put out a broad appeal to their people to turn him in, reward, asking for all kinds of leads

That does not appear to have been successful. And I think that's maybe a sign of disaffection

McKenzie also said Iran's failure to find the airmen, even after public appeals, points to a breakdown in their response

And he put it this way. It takes a year to build an aircraft, but a military culture that doesn't leave anyone behind takes generations

Trump will hold a press briefing later today on the rescue mission. President Trump is jumping into the California governor's race, giving his full endorsement to Republican candidate Steve Hilton

In a Truth Social post early this morning, Trump praised Hilton and said he can turn California around, promising federal support if he wins

Hilton is a former Fox News host and political advisor in the UK, now running in a crowded field to replace Governor Gavin Newsom

He's competing against another Republican, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, along with several Democratic candidates in California's open primary

Trump's backing could reshape the Republican side of the race, but it may also make it harder for two Republicans to advance to the general election

Political ysts say the endorsement could also shift strategy for Democrats, who may no longer need to spend heavily boosting a GOP candidate themselves

That's a strategy they've used in the past. Savannah Guthrie is back on the air this morning, more than two months after her mother disappeared

and she's opening up about the uncertainty and faith she's been living through

The Today co-anchor returns to the show as the search continues for her 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie

who vanished from her home in Tucson in early February. Investigators believe she was abducted

Surveillance video shows a masked man approaching the home overnight, and despite thousands of tips, no arrests have been made

Over the weekend, Guthrie shared a deeply personal Easter message, reflecting on the pain of not knowing what happened to her mother

Recently though in my own season of trial I have wondered I have questioned whether Jesus really ever experienced this particular wound that I feel this grievous and uniquely cruel injury of not knowing of uncertainty and confusion

and answers withheld. I see a bright vision of the day when heaven and earth pass away because

they are one on earth as it is in heaven. When we celebrate today, this is what we celebrate

And I celebrate too. I still believe. Guthrie says returning to work is part of her purpose

right now, even as the investigation continues with no clear answers. Authorities say Nancy

Guthrie did not wander off and her family continues to push for answers, urging anyone

with information to come forward. Finally this morning, NASA's Artemis 2 mission is hitting a

major turning point, now heading into its close flyby of the moon. Early this morning, Orion

crossed into the moon's sphere of influence, where lunar gravity takes over from Earth

NASA says the spacecraft has been so precise, flight controllers canceled its first two course

corrections. Later today, the four astronauts are expected to break Apollo 13's distance record

traveling farther from Earth than any humans in history. Orion is projected to reach more than 252,000 miles from Earth

That's about 4,000 miles beyond the previous mark. During the flyby, the crew will document about 30 targets on the moon

including rare views of the far side. The spacecraft will also go dark for about 40 minutes

losing contact with Earth as it passes behind the moon. After that, the mission remains on track for a splashdown in the Pacific near San Diego on April 10th

Well, before we head out, here's what we're tracking today. The White House hosts its annual Easter egg roll on the South Lawn this morning

Families, kids, and the president marking one of the longest-running traditions. At 1, Trump holds a press briefing on the U.S. crew member rescued in Iran

This afternoon, the window for the Artemis II crew's lunar flyby begins at 2.34 Eastern

And tonight, we should have contact again. We're expecting interior shots of the crew just after the blackout ends with their flyby wrapping later this evening

No noise, no sides, just the story. NewsGuard gives us a perfect score for reliability

All sides gives us a center rating with balance certification. We give you the facts first, without the spin

Those are your unbiased updates for this Monday. Craig will be back with us tomorrow

For all of us here at Straight Hour News, I'm Simone Del Rosario. Have a great day