U.S. Searching For Pilot Shot Down By Iran; Catholicism Making U.S. Comeback

Written By Guest User

Plus: D.C. To Put Rats On Birth Control & Cheers To The Freakin' Weekend

Good evening,

Before we get to the news this weekend, here’s a taste of what we’re up to this weekend in our weekly Cheers To The Freakin’ Weekend section:

What We’re Watching:

What We’re Reading:

What We’re Eating:

  • Mosh: Matzo brei (Happy Passover to all those celebrating!)

  • Jill: Joyva Jell Rings

  • Lauren: Silver ~Bethesda, MD

  • Laura: Easter lamb (Happy Easter to all those celebrating!)

🚨 ONE IMPORTANT THING

U.S. Jet Shot Down Over Iran; One Crew Member Rescued

A search-and-rescue operation is underway for the remaining crew members from a U.S. fighter jet shot down over Iran on Friday. American forces rescued one crew member from the F-15E fighter jet, who is now safe and receiving medical care.

  • ON THE GROUND: Iranian authorities are also searching for the missing American, reportedly offering civilians a reward of about $60,000 for information. If found, holding a U.S. service member hostage would be seen as leverage in negotiations to end the war.

    • President Trump told NBC News on Friday that the downing of the U.S. fighter jet will not impact U.S. negotiations with Iran.

  • THE LATEST: Later Friday, Iran said it shot down a U.S. A-10 attack aircraft in a separate incident, though the lone pilot went down outside Iranian borders, and was safely rescued.

The development complicates President Trump’s claim in his prime-time address on Wednesday that Iran has “no antiaircraft equipment. Their radar is 100 percent annihilated. We are unstoppable as a military force.” He has also claimed that U.S. aircraft are “roaming” Iranian skies unimpeded.

A FIRST FOR THE WAR
The downing of the F-15E fighter jet, which has two seats for a pilot and a weapons systems officer, marks the first time Iran has downed a U.S. warplane since the U.S. and Israel began strikes against the regime over a month ago. The US and Israel have conducted 20,000 missions over Iran over the last month. It was reportedly downed by antiaircraft fire by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

  • RESCUE EFFORTS: Verified photos and videos show at least one U.S. C-130 aircraft and two Black Hawk helicopters flying low over central and southwest Iran as part of a search and rescue effort to locate and recover the missing crew member.

    • U.S. fighter pilots sometimes wear GPS tracker devices, such as watches, although it is unclear if these devices are wore by Americans deployed in the war in Iran.

  • BIGGER PICTURE: So far, at least 13 U.S. military service members have been killed in the conflict in Iran and nearly 370 have been wounded, according to the U.S. Central Command.

    • While the latest incident is a setback militarily and could worsen public sentiment toward the war, the U.S. has largely maintained an aggressive and effective campaign with limited American impact. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine said this week that U.S. forces had already struck more than 11,000 targets inside Iran.

ZOOMING OUT
The U.S. continues to claim dominance over Iran’s airspace. The U.S. military’s “firepower is only increasing,” while Iran’s is “decreasing,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during his most recent press briefing on Tuesday.

  • Hegseth noted during the briefing that Iran was firing a record low number of drones and missiles since the war began. CNN reports that roughly half of Iran’s missile launchers are still standing.

WHAT ELSE TO KNOW
The war continues to impact countries not just across the Middle East, but the entire world. Governments worldwide are working to reopen the Strait of Hormuz amid oil and gas shortages straining the global economy.

  • 📌 Trump warned Thursday that he “hasn’t even started destroying what’s left in Iran” after the U.S. and Israel struck the newly opened B-1 bridge in Iran, with Iranian media reporting civilian casualties.

  • 📌 Trump said on Truth Social Friday that the U.S. “can easily OPEN THE HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL, & MAKE A FORTUNE.” He continued to pressure allies to step in and help reopen the waterway, which carries a fifth of the world’s oil.

    • Several vessels, beginning with a French-owned container ship, passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday. The French ship marks the first time a Western European vessel has passed through the waterway since the war in Iran began.

  • 📌 Iran launched a campaign last week to lower its fighting age to 12 years old, according to the nonprofit Human Rights Watch.

    • The Iranian Red Crescent said Friday that at least 1,900 people have been killed and 20,000 injured in Iran in the U.S.-Israeli strikes so far. The count does not distinguish between civilians and Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps militants.

    • At least 1,300 people have been killed in Lebanon, and 19 have died in Israel, since the war began, according to the countries’ respective governments.

🚨 ONE THING WE’RE WATCHING

A Catholic Comeback? Gen Z Heads To Church

Ahead of Easter this Sunday, Catholic dioceses across the U.S. are reporting some of their largest groups of new converts in years.

  • THE NUMBERS: In Detroit, more than 1,400 people will join the Church this Easter — the highest number in over 20 years. Houston is seeing its biggest class in 15 years, while Des Moines is up more than 50% year over year.

    • All two dozen of the nearly 200 U.S. Catholic dioceses recently surveyed by the New York Times reported growth, from major cities to smaller communities.

    • The new members will be formally received during the Easter Vigil Mass, held the night before Easter.

The rise comes about a year after Pope Leo XIV became the first U.S.-born pontiff, but the numbers appear to reflect more than just homegrown pride.


A surprising group is helping drive the surge: Young adults, fueled in part by a cohort of social media influencers encouraging peers to join church communities. Others are discovering religion through podcasts. Church leaders say many are seeking connection, meaning, and community after years of isolation.

ZOOM OUT
At the same time, for every young person coming into the Catholic Church, around 12 young people left, a 2025 Pew Research Center study found. And religion in America remains in long-term decline.

Less than 50% of Americans now say religion is “very important” in their lives, according to Gallup — down from nearly 60% a decade ago and about 75% in the 1950s and 60s.

⏳ THE SPEED READ

🚨NATION

  • Trump budget seeks $1.5T in defense spending alongside cuts in domestic programs (AP)

  • 8 arrests made in federal crackdown on alleged health care fraud in Southern California (CNN)

  • ICE detains president of Wisconsin’s largest mosque (NBC)

  • Arizona woman who went missing when she was 13 found alive 32 years later (ABC)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

  • Cuba says it will release more than 2,000 prisoners amid US pressure (THE HILL)

  • Kyiv region under ‘massive’ daytime drone and missile attack by Russia, officials say (EURO NEWS)

  • France’s Muslim gathering ban overturned by courts (BBC)

  • China’s Communist Party investigates ex-Xinjiang leader Ma Xingrui (AP)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

  • U.S. payrolls rose by 178,000 in March, more than expected; unemployment at 4.3% (CNBC)

  • United Airlines checked bag fees climbs $10-50 as fuel prices nearly double since Iran war (FOX)

  • NASA releases stunning first images of Earth taken by the Artemis II astronauts (CNN)

  • 3.1 million bottles of eye drops sold at Walgreens, CVS and more are recalled (CBS)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

  • Judge dismisses most claims in Blake Lively’s lawsuit against Justin Baldoni (NBC)

  • FX’s ‘Love Story’ hits 65 million hours streamed on Hulu and Disney+ as finale views jump 90% over premiere (VARIETY)

  • Rapper Pooh Shiesty accused of robbery and kidnap in contract dispute with Gucci Mane’s label (GUARDIAN)

  • Duke freshman Cameron Boozer named AP Player of the Year (ESPN)

ICYMI FROM THE 📲

In case you missed it… Washington, D.C.’s Department of Health is launching a $130,000 pilot program aimed at reducing the rat population, and it’s turning to birth control. 🐀📉

  • D.C. Health will deploy lethal baits and liquid contraceptives put in bait stations in rat-heavy areas, starting in the busy Adams Morgan neighborhood.

    • Officials will return every three weeks — about how long it takes rats to get pregnant and give birth — to monitor and target any surviving rats.

  • D.C. ranked the sixth most rat-infested city in the U.S. in 2025, according to pest control company Orkin. Los Angeles was #1.

The Department of Health has tied a rising rat population to new construction projects, milder winters, and people leaving their garbage outside.

Guest User
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