NPR News: 04-04-2026 6AM EDT

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston.

Two U.S. military planes were shot down in separate incidents on Friday escalating tensions

and the ongoing conflict with Iran.

NPR's Tom Bowman reports to American crew members were rescued, but another remains missing.

Officials are telling me the F-15 were shot down over southwest Iran, not sure what took

it out anti-aircraft gun or a missile.

Now the aircraft carries a pilot in a weapons officer.

We're also not sure which one was rescued and also NPR just confirmed a New York Times

report that a second U.S. aircraft was shot down a A-10 warthog somewhere near the

street of horror moves.

That pilot was rescued.

NPR's Tom Bowman, meanwhile Israel says it's carried out a new series of attacks on

key infrastructure in Tehran.

The Artemis 2 astronauts are now more than 130,000 miles away from Earth.

NPR's Nalgreen Field Boys reports the crew members are heading toward the moon for

the first lunar flyby in over 50 years.

With the Orion spacecraft now on the trajectory that will take it around the moon and back,

the crew has more time to rest.

The four astronauts finally got to talk to their families back on the ground and they've

been taking pictures.

Howard Hugh is the Orion program manager at NASA.

He says his favorite photos so far shows the inside of the spacecraft and one of its

windows.

It's just awesome to see from our spaceship.

Out the window are beautiful home planet Earth.

The astronauts have plenty of cameras on board so there's more pictures to come, especially

during their closest approach to the moon on Monday.

Nalgreen Field Boys, NPR News.

A shift seems to be underway in how the federal government carries out immigration enforcement.

NPR's Meg Anderson reports Homeland Security Secretary Mark Wayne Mullin says he wants

eyes to work more closely with local police.

Mullin's comments point to a federal program that deputizes local police to act as ice

officers.

It has exploded in growth during President Trump's second term.

In Florida and Texas in particular, more than 40 million people live in places where local

police have signed on.

Immigrant rights groups say the program creates situations where minor traffic stops quickly

turn into immigration arrests.

And when local police do the work, they say it makes immigration enforcement more hidden.

Kristen Eder is with the Texas Immigration Law Council.

Detention, mass deportation, but do it in a way so that the public doesn't think it's

happening anymore.

In a statement to NPR, a DHS spokesperson says the department has quote, supercharged

its efforts to work with local police.

Meg Anderson and NPR News.

This is NPR.

At California, raw milk producer has issued a recall for several products under pressure

from federal officials.

The FDA says multiple cases of E. coli have been linked to the company.

Raw farm says it's voluntarily recalling more than a half a dozen varieties of raw milk

cheddar after previously resisting requests for a recall.

The first game of the national semifinals of the NCAA men's basketball tournament will

feature the Yukon Huskies after their dramatic last second win against Duke last Sunday.

Greg Ecklin has a preview of the game.

Yukon freshman Braille and Mullens is back in his home state after hitting the game

winning shot against Duke, but says the Huskies and their semi-final game against Illinois

can't rest on their laurels.

We have to flip the page and just like focus on Illinois.

So yeah, I mean, the last couple of days, I think that's been the mindset just trying

to forget about the game on Sunday, because I mean, it wasn't the national championship

game.

In the second semi-final, two number one seeds will square off Arizona against Michigan.

Arizona Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd in his fifth season with the team announced

that he has agreed to terms on a new contract.

For NPR News, I'm Greg Ecklin in Indianapolis.

Women's college basketball is said for its national championship game.

South Carolina will take on UCLA on Sunday afternoon after winning their semi-final matches.

I'm Windsor Johnston NPR News in Washington.

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