Good afternoon. This is the Final NOTUS newsletter for April 3, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!
The Latest
The U.S. military has rescued a pilot from the fighter jet that was shot down over Iran, but the status of the other person on board is not publicly known. Iranian state TV said that at least one crew member ejected, adding that there’d be a reward for any resident who turned in the “enemy’s pilot or pilots.”
- Donald Trump was briefed on the incident, but has not yet made public comments about it beyond telling NBC that it would not affect negotiations with Iran. “No, it’s war. We’re in war,” the president said.
- A second aircraft was shot today in a separate incident, The Washington Post reports. The A-10 attack plane was also hit by incoming fire, and the pilot navigated the plane into Kuwaiti airspace before ejecting and being rescued, according to U.S. officials.
- Just a few days ago, Pete Hegseth told reporters that the U.S. had achieved such “air superiority” that the military began flying B-52 bombers directly over Iranian airspace.
- A new Reuters/Ipsos poll found that two-thirds of Americans think the U.S. should wrap up the war quickly, even if it means not achieving the Trump administration’s goals.