Plus: Savannah Guthrie Returns To Today Show

It’s a historic day for space travel. NASA’s Artemis II astronauts set a record Monday as the farthest humans ever from Earth during a lunar flyby. At about 1:57 p.m. ET, they surpassed Apollo 13’s April 1970 record of 248,655-mile. WATCH LIVE COVERAGE of their lunar flyby today until about 9:45 pm ET.

The crew will pass behind the Moon around 6:45 pm ET, temporarily losing contact with Earth.
They’ll make their closest approach to the moon at 7:02 pm — about 4,070 miles from the surface — before reaching a peak distance from Earth of roughly 252,760 miles at 7:07 pm, more than 4,100 miles beyond the previous record.
Signal is expected to return around 7:25 pm ET after a roughly 40-minute blackout.

The mission features four astronauts – three Americans and one Canadian – flying around the Moon and back on a 10-day test flight, which launched April 1 aboard the Orion spacecraft. They are expected to see parts of the Moon’s far side that no human eyes have ever directly observed.

The astronauts are already sending back images of the Moon and Earth from deep space and will attempt to recreate the iconic Earthrise photo first captured during Apollo 8 in December 1968.

WHY IT MATTERSThe U.S. is aiming to have a crewed Moon landing around 2028. Scientists are targeting the Moon’s south pole, where frozen water could provide drinking water, which could also be split into hydrogen and oxygen for breathable air and rocket fuel.

The Moon may contain helium-3, a rare material that could one day power fusion energy and ultra-cold refrigerator systems needed for data centers.

NASA’s long-term goal is to build a sustained human presence on the Moon, including infrastructure, vehicles, and power systems.

WHAT’S NEXT: If all goes as planned, Artemis II will splash down off the coast of San Diego, California on Friday, April 10.

🚨 ONE IMPORTANT THING

Trump Sets Tuesday 8pm ET Deadline For Iran: Reopen Strait Or Face Massive Strikes

President Trump warned Monday that all of Iran’s bridges and power plants could be destroyed by midnight ET Tuesday — just four hours after his 8 p.m. ET deadline — if Iran and the U.S. do not reach a deal.

He said “very little is off limits,” declining to rule out strikes on civilian infrastructure.

ESCALATING THREATS: Trump gave Iran the deadline on Sunday to reopen the Strait of Hormuz — a vital shipping route that carries about 20% of the world’s oil — in an expletive-filled Truth Social post. Tehran has restricted access to the waterway since the U.S.-Israel military campaign began five weeks ago.

But, a deal is not looking very likely. Iran rejected a 45-day ceasefire proposal on Monday, instead calling for a permanent end to the war and listing demands. Iran sent a 10-point response to the plan, which a U.S. official called “maximalist.”

Iranian officials also warned that its military would respond with “more devastating and widespread” retaliation against water and energy infrastructure in the Middle East, including striking OpenAI’s $30 billion Stargate AI data center in Abu Dhabi, if the U.S. goes through with the threat.

A CRUCIAL WATERWAY
Gas in the U.S. rose to more than $4.11 a gallon on average Monday, up from less than $3 before the war. Trump said Monday that if the choice was up to him, he would take the oil from Iran. However, he noted that the American public doesn't want the U.S. military to remain in the country.

READING THE ROOM: An Ipsos poll conducted in late March found that two thirds (66%) of Americans say the U.S. should work to end its involvement in the conflict quickly, even if it means the U.S. does not achieve all of its goals in Iran.
- Just over half of Americans (54%) expect the U.S. military conflict with Iran to last at least six more months, with 29% predicting it could stretch a year or longer, according to a mid-March Pew poll. The Trump administration has been saying the operation will end in 4-6 weeks. Ending the war after six weeks (it started Feb 28) would lead to the war ending by this Saturday.

A BLOCKBUSTER RESCUE
Trump also shared new details Monday about the U.S. military’s Easter rescue of a crew member stranded in hostile territory for about 48 hours after an American F-15 was shot down over Iran on Friday.

The U.S. military was able to rescue the wounded American officer from Iran and exit without casualties. Here’s how: ⬇️

SURVIVING AND EVADING: The unidentified Colonel used an encrypted radio after the crash to share his location with U.S. forces. He then hiked up a 7,000-foot mountain ridge and hid inside a mountain crevice.
- The officer first radioed “God is good.” U.S. officials initially feared the message could be an Iranian trap meant to lure forces into an ambush.
A MASSIVE TEAM: After CIA technology helped locate the American, Trump said U.S. forces launched a large-scale operation involving more than 150 aircraft to recover the officer. Around 200 soldiers from special operations units carried out the complex rescue mission.
A MISDIRECT: The CIA also ran a deception campaign, spreading false information that the officer had already been rescued and was being moved by ground convoy — hoping to confuse Iranian forces and buy the U.S. more time.
LAST-MINUTE PIVOTS: Two planes involved in the mission struggled due to heavy equipment and sandy terrain, Trump said, forcing crews to abandon and destroy them before three lighter planes arrived to evacuate the injured officer and the rescue team.

U.S. forces rescued the other crew member from the downed F-15 fighter jet last Friday. As of Monday, all U.S. personnel were safely out of Iran.

⏳ THE SPEED READ

🚨NATION

Supreme Court paves way for Steve Bannon contempt case to be dismissed (NBC)
Trump endorses Republican Steven Hilton for California governor, reordering wide-open race (AP)
Woman dies after being shot by police in New Hampshire (WGME)
More teens are getting hooked on gambling. Parents say it often goes undetected (NPR)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

IDF confirms IRGC intel chief killed; Quds Force commander also eliminated in strike (FOX)
Dozens missing after migrant boat capsizes in Mediterranean (DW)
Russian attacks kill 4 as Ukraine drones target oil infrastructure (AP)
Kanye West’s right to enter UK under review after festival outcry (BBC)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

The typical U.S. home is 44 years old and needs tons of work (WSJ) Housing market trends favor home shoppers, but Iran war clouds the outlook for mortgage rates (AP)
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon warns that the Iran war could bring an economic ‘skunk’ to the party (CNN)
Scientists identify ‘neural fingerprint’ of psychedelic drugs in the brain (GUARDIAN)
AP plans staff cuts, restructuring amid broader business shift (AXIOS)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ box office blasts off with $372.5 million globally (CNBC)
UConn vs Michigan national championship game prediction, how to watch, updates (USA TODAY)
UCLA blows out South Carolina for first women’s NCAA title (ESPN)
Taylor Frankie Paul leaving Mormon church after ‘Bachelorette’ scandal (VARIETY)

ICYMI FROM THE 📲

In case you missed it… Savannah Guthrie returned to the anchor desk on Today Monday morning. She had been on leave for more than two months since her mother, Nancy Guthrie, went missing on February 1.

“It is good to be home,” Savannah said. She and her co-anchor wore yellow — a nod to the yellow ribbons and flowers people have been leaving outside Nancy's Tucson, Arizona home. 💛🎗️