🪖 Axios PM: Search for fighter crew

🌍 Plus: Earth from Artemis | Friday, April 03, 2026

View in browser   PRESENTED BY AMAZON   Axios PM By Mike Allen · Apr 03, 2026 🌹 Good Friday afternoon. Today's newsletter, edited by Alex Fitzpatrick, is 498 words, a 2-min. read. Thanks to Sheryl Miller for copy editing. ⚡️ Bulletin: President Trump's proposed 2027 budget would boost defense spending to $1.5 trillion while making big cuts to domestic programs. Trump had telegraphed the sizable Pentagon increase, some 44%, before the war. The president's plan would reduce spending on non-defense programs by 10%. Go deeper ... White House 4-pager ... Full budget.     1 big thing: U.S. pilot missing in Iran   An F-15 takes off from Royal Air Force Lakenheath in England in January. Photo: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images The search for the second crew member of a U.S. fighter jet shot down over Iran is continuing after U.S. special forces rescued the other airman, Axios' Barak Ravid reports. Iran is also hunting for the missing crew member. The Iranian government has promised to reward whoever finds them. The two F-15E Strike Eagle crew members ejected safely after being struck by Iranian fire, an Israeli official and a second source with knowledge of the situation tell Axios. U.S. special forces located one of the crew members and rescued him alive in Iranian territory. An Israeli official said Israel canceled planned strikes in Iran to avoid hampering the search and rescue efforts. This is the first time since the beginning of the Iran war that a U.S. jet was downed by enemy fire. Three F-15Es have been shot down by friendly fire. Get the latest.     2. 📸 "Spaceship Earth"   Photo: Reid Wiseman/NASA NASA posted one of the first photos taken by Artemis II's crew, capturing "Spaceship Earth" in all its blue-and-white marble glory. In the photo: Two auroras (top right and bottom left), plus "zodiacal light" in the bottom right. (That's sunlight scattered by interplanetary dust.) Venus also makes an appearance, as the bright dot to the lower-right of Earth. 🧑‍🚀 Artemis II is now Moon-bound. A six-hour lunar orbit is set for Monday. ☀️ 🌖 🚀 Newly added to the plan: A solar eclipse, with the Sun hidden behind the Moon from the crew's perspective. NASA calls it an "opportunity for them to look for flashes of light from meteoroids striking the Moon's surface, dust lofting above the edge of the Moon, and deep space targets, including planets." Mission updates ... Live tracker.     A MESSAGE FROM AMAZON Meet Robert: He started an IT career with help from Amazon Career Choice     Career journey: Robert started at an Amazon warehouse in Kansas City. He used Amazon Career Choice to turn an interest in IT into a career. Best part about Amazon: "The community inside Amazon definitely wants to help you move and grow. And it's been nothing short of amazing." See the impact.     3. ⚡️ Catch me up   Pope Leo XIV presides over the traditional washing of the feet in Rome yesterday. Photo: Gregor Galazka via Vatican Pool/Getty Images 🦶 Pope Leo XIV washed the feet of 12 priests yesterday, restoring a Holy Thursday tradition his predecessor had broken by including laypeople and non-Christians. On Good Friday, Leo, 70, planned to personally carry the wooden cross through all 14 stations of the Way of the Cross — the first time in decades that a pope has done so. Go deeper. 🧑‍💻 The labor market snapped back with 178,000 jobs added in March. The unemployment rate ticked down to 4.3%. Go deeper ... White House reaction. 🪖 The ousters of two top U.S. Army generals blindsided military leaders. More from Axios' Colin Demarest.     4. ⚽️ 1 fun thing: Lego footy   Image: Lego Lego is teaming up with four soccer superstars for sporty new sets ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Photo: Lego 🧱 Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi and Vini Jr. are all getting in on the brick-building action. See the sets.     A MESSAGE FROM AMAZON Meet Robert: 1 of 700,000 Amazon employees using free skills training     His story: He used Amazon free skills training to build an IT career. The impact of free skills training: "It helps you move your career into the next level." What's next? "I'm looking to move into more cybersecurity, so more like a network engineer role and go from there." Find out more.   📬 Thanks for joining us this week! Please invite your friends to join PM. 👆 Like this comms style and format? It's called Smart Brevity®. Bring it to your org — via hands-on training or internal comms software — to harness its power and impact.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Advertise with us. Axios, PO Box 101060, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. To stop receiving this newsletter, unsubscribe or manage your email preferences.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox.   Follow Axios on social media: