The Brief | "WE GOT HIM": The Daring Rescue That Almost Didn't Happen, and Easter Day F-Bombs 😬
Plus: Trump gives Iran until Tuesday, Soleimani's niece gets the boot, and humanity heads back to the Moon.
Happy Monday, friends!
I hope your Easter weekend was filled with more peace than the news cycle and the President’s Truth Social feed, which got a little colorful.
Also, can we take a moment to appreciate the current pinned post on Sec. Rubio’s X profile.
It has riled up a few left-wing outlets, and I am here for it.
IKYMI
He Is Risen — Even Here
The world feels chaotic, and it has for some time. We have moments of peace, but beneath the surface, chaos is always lurking. With the conflict in Iran, Ukraine, and the persecutions of Christians across the globe, I thought about how those in the past, in times of uncertainty, still celebrated Easter.
We’ve got a lot to cover today, so grab your coffee and let’s get into it.
In today’s Brief:
A wounded American colonel hid in an Iranian mountain crevice for 36 hours with nothing but a handgun and a prayer — and the rescue mission that brought him home is one for the history books.
Trump dropped an Easter Sunday f-bomb on Iran and gave them until Tuesday at 8 p.m. to open the Strait of Hormuz or watch their power plants disappear.
Marco Rubio revoked the green cards of Soleimani’s niece and her daughter, who were living their best Instagram life in LA while calling America the “Great Satan.”
Artemis II flies by the Moon today — the first crewed lunar mission since 1972 — and you can watch it on literally every streaming platform.
The Rescue of “Dude 44”: An American Colonel, a Mountain Crevice, and One of the Most Daring Missions in U.S. History
It’s Good Friday. An F-15E Strike Eagle with the call sign “Dude 44” is conducting combat operations over southwestern Iran when it gets hit. Both crew members eject. The pilot is recovered quickly. But the weapons systems officer — a highly respected Air Force colonel whose name still hasn’t been released — lands deep in the Zagros Mountains, 200 miles inside enemy territory. He’s seriously wounded. And he’s alone.
The following story is destined to be a movie script, and it all played out on Easter weekend.
Despite his injuries, this man climbed a 7,000-foot ridge and wedged himself into a mountain crevice. He had a handgun. That’s it. Meanwhile, Iranian state television was broadcasting a $60,000 bounty for his capture and urging civilians and tribesmen to hunt him down. “Thousands of these savages were hunting him down,” Trump told Axios.
Then came the radio message that almost derailed everything. From his hiding spot, the colonel transmitted: “God is good.” Officials in Washington initially feared it was a trap; the phrase sounded too close to “Allahu Akbar,” and they worried Iran had captured him and was sending false signals to lure more Americans into an ambush. Turns out, the man is simply a man of deep faith. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth later posted the same phrase on X.
Once the CIA confirmed his identity and location — described as finding “a needle in a haystack” — they launched a deception campaign, spreading false intel inside Iran that U.S. forces already had the airman and were moving him overland. While Iran chased a ghost, 100 special operations forces led by SEAL Team 6 moved in. Delta Force and Army Rangers were on standby. Four B-1 bombers dropped nearly 100 satellite-guided bombs. MQ-9 Reaper drones struck anyone who got within kilometers of the colonel’s position.
The extraction wasn’t clean. Two MC-130J transport planes got stuck in the terrain of a makeshift airstrip inside Iran. Rather than let $200 million worth of sensitive military equipment fall into enemy hands, commanders ordered them destroyed, along with two MH-6 Little Bird helicopters. Three replacement aircraft were sent in to complete the exfil.
Just before midnight Saturday, the colonel was out of Iranian airspace and on his way to Kuwait for medical treatment. At 12:08 a.m. Easter Sunday, Trump posted two words that said everything: “WE GOT HIM!”
You cannot write this stuff! Down and trapped behind enemy lines on Good Friday, saved by Easter Sunday.
No American rescuers were killed. The colonel sustained serious injuries but is expected to recover. Trump will hold a press conference at 1 p.m. today from the White House to discuss the operation.
Here’s what you won’t hear on most networks: this was the first time a U.S. fighter jet was shot down in hostile territory in over 20 years. The media would love to frame that as a failure. But this is a story of American dedication, excellence, and grit. The fact that we sent 100 operators 200 miles into enemy territory, fought our way to a wounded man hiding in a crevice, and brought him home alive — destroying $200 million in equipment rather than leave a screw behind — is not a failure. It’s a statement.
We do not leave Americans behind.
Side Note: How was the Left doing while all of this was happening?
Trump — who typically flies to Mar-a-Lago every weekend — stayed in Washington. The White House called a lid at 11:08 a.m. Saturday, locking out the press pool as the president received constant in-person briefings from Secretary Hegseth on the rescue operation.
So naturally, the geniuses on Bluesky and left-wing social media did what they do best: they started a viral rumor that Trump was at Walter Reed because he was sick or in critical condition. Anonymous posts claimed roads near the hospital were blocked. It trended for hours. White House communications director Steven Cheung eventually had to go on X to shut it down, confirming Trump had been working nonstop in the Oval Office. Because apparently, the idea that the Commander-in-Chief might be quietly managing the rescue of a wounded American airman trapped behind enemy lines in Iran was just too boring a theory.
No — must be a health crisis. These people are unserious.
Trump’s Easter F-Bomb: “Open the F*in’ Strait, You Crazy Bastards”**
Look, I’ll be the first to say that dropping f-bombs on Easter Sunday is not exactly what Emily Post would recommend. But let’s be real — I’ll take a president who curses at a terrorist regime over one who spent Easter 2024 declaring Trans Day of Visibility. Priorities.
Here’s what Trump posted on Truth Social Sunday morning:
“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the F***in’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell — JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah.”
Yes, he signed off with “Praise be to Allah.” CNN’s Jake Tapper had to read the whole thing on air with a parental warning. The man is a content machine.
The substance behind the showmanship: Trump has given Iran until Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET to reopen the Strait of Hormuz — through which 20% of the world’s oil flows — or he starts hitting power plants and bridges. He told Fox News’ Trey Yingst there’s a chance for a deal by Monday. He told Axios that the U.S. is in “deep negotiations” with envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who are leading talks through Pakistani, Egyptian, and Turkish mediators. But he also made it crystal clear: “If they don’t make a deal and fast, I’m considering blowing everything up and taking the oil.”
Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, fired back on X, accusing Trump of “following Netanyahu’s commands” and dragging America into “a living HELL for every single family.” Which is rich coming from the guy whose regime just offered a bounty to civilians to hunt down a wounded American airman.
The question now: is Tuesday a real deadline, or is it leverage? With mediators still working and no breakthrough in sight, we’ll know soon enough. Either way, the pause on energy strikes expires today, and the clock is ticking.
Soleimani’s Niece Was Living Her Best LA Life While Calling America “The Great Satan.” Rubio Said: Not Anymore.
On Friday, ICE agents in Los Angeles arrested Hamideh Soleimani Afshar — the niece of Qasem Soleimani, the Iranian terror mastermind Trump turned into a crater and “died like a dog” in January 2020 — along with her 25-year-old daughter, Sarinasadat Hosseiny. Rubio had revoked both of their green cards.
The State Department’s case against her reads like a parody. While living in the United States, Afshar promoted Iranian regime propaganda, celebrated attacks against American soldiers, praised the new Supreme Leader, and called America the “Great Satan,” all while posting photos of her lavish LA lifestyle on Instagram. Louis Vuitton hoodies. Champagne in the desert next to a helicopter. Bikini photos. Her daughter was clubbing in Miami and partying in Las Vegas.
Here’s the kicker: Afshar entered the U.S. on a tourist visa in 2015, was granted asylum in 2019, and got her green card in 2021, under the Biden administration. She then traveled back to Iran at least four times. DHS called her asylum claim “fraudulent.” You think?
Meanwhile, women in Iran are being sentenced to death for showing too much hair. But sure, the niece of their top terror general needed asylum in America, where she could sip champagne and trash our country from the comfort of her $740,000 Tujunga home.
Rubio said it plainly on X: “The Trump Administration will not allow our country to become a home for foreign nationals who support anti-American terrorist regimes.”
Good riddance.
Artemis II Flies By the Moon Today — Here’s How to Watch
In news that has nothing to do with war, cursing, or deportations, humans are going back to the Moon today.
NASA’s Artemis II mission, which launched on April 1st carrying astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, will make its historic lunar flyby today. This is the first crewed mission to the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. Let that sink in — over 50 years.
Here’s the schedule (all times ET):
12:41 a.m.: Orion enters the Moon’s gravitational sphere of influence
1:00 p.m.: Live coverage begins on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Hulu, HBO Max, Roku, NASA+, and YouTube
1:56 p.m.: The crew is expected to break Apollo 13’s record for the farthest humans have ever traveled from Earth
2:45 p.m.: Lunar observations begin
6:44 p.m.: Communications blackout as Orion passes behind the Moon (~40 minutes)
7:02 p.m.: Closest approach to the Moon — just 4,070 miles above the surface
7:07 p.m.: Maximum distance from Earth: 252,760 miles
7:25 p.m.: “Earthrise” — Earth comes back into view
8:35–9:32 p.m.: Solar eclipse as seen from Orion
Watch it. Show your kids. This is the kind of thing that reminds you what this country is capable of when we’re reaching for something bigger than ourselves.
Quick Rundown
March jobs report crushed expectations: The economy added 178,000 jobs in March — triple the 59,000 predicted — and unemployment dipped to 4.3%. Healthcare led the way with 76,000 new positions, while federal government employment fell by 18,000. Good news, but rising energy prices from the Iran war could cool things off.
White House Easter Egg Roll is today: First Lady Melania Trump’s 2026 edition features a patriotic theme for America’s 250th birthday, 40,000 hand-dyed eggs, 150 live baby chicks (a first), a sensory-friendly egg hunt, an AI Creation Station from Meta, a NASA Lunar Exploration activity, and storytime with the First Lady, Second Lady Usha Vance, and Karoline Leavitt.
Trump’s 1 p.m. press conference: The president will address the nation from the White House press room today to provide details on the F-15E rescue mission and answer questions from reporters. Expect fireworks.
Karoline Leavitt@PressSecDue to popular demand from the press, President Trump’s news conference tomorrow will now take place in the White House Briefing Room. 1PM ET.
9:49 PM · Apr 5, 2026 · 1.41M Views2.33K Replies · 6.97K Reposts · 42.4K LikesIran deal deadline looms: With negotiations ongoing through Pakistani, Egyptian, and Turkish mediators, Trump’s Tuesday 8 p.m. deadline approaches. Witkoff and Kushner are reportedly exchanging texts directly with Iran’s foreign minister. If no deal is reached, Trump has promised power plants and bridges start falling.
IDF struck a mobile ballistic missile launcher in Tabriz over the weekend, continuing joint U.S.-Israeli operations to degrade Iran’s missile capabilities as the war enters its sixth week.
Let’s Talk About It
That rescue story is absolutely unreal. A wounded man, alone in enemy mountains for 36 hours with a handgun, while thousands hunt him — and we brought him home. What part of the rescue mission hit you the hardest?
Are you watching the Artemis II flyby today? Be honest: did you even know we had astronauts headed to the Moon right now?
Drop your takes in the comments. I’ll see you on Wednesday.
The Brief publishes on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Forward to someone who needs to be brought into the loop.