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Chapter 1: What recent military incidents involving US Air Force planes occurred?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. Two US Air Force combat planes were shot down today. That's according to an official not authorized to discuss the incident. Two crew members have been rescued, but the search continues for a third. This comes despite the Trump administration saying it has destroyed Iran's anti-aircraft capabilities, as NPR's Tom Bowman explains.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S. has control of the skies over Iran and is now able to fly in the lumbering B-52 aircraft for bombing runs. And Last month, an F-35 aircraft was struck by Iranian fire, possibly a missile. The aircraft was very damaged, but the pilot was able to land back at base. The pilot was wounded by shell fragments and required stitches.
So again, this latest two aircraft down shows the skies above Iran are still dangerous for U.S. pilots.
NPR's Tom Bowman reporting, a French cargo ship has become the first Western tanker to pass through the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the Iran war. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports a fifth of the world's oil used to pass through the Strait and has now been nearly entirely choked off.
The Iranian government has said no ships linked to Israel or the U.S. will be allowed to pass. The ship had remained idle in the Gulf since early March, like many other non-Iranian vessels, after the war stopped nearly all commercial traffic. The Maltese-flagged vessel belongs to shipping and logistics giant CMA-CGM, the world's third largest container shipping conglomerate.
Ship tracking data showed the vessel navigated the approved corridor along the Omani coast. CMA-CGM, which is majority owned by a Franco-Lebanese billionaire family, is understood to have coordinated the transit with Iranian maritime authorities. Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Paris.
The Trump administration wants to begin privatizing airport security operations that are currently handled by the TSA. NPR's Joel Rose reports that proposal is part of the 2027 budget released today by the White House.
President Trump's budget proposes cutting funding for the TSA, the Transportation Security Administration, by more than $50 million. And it would require small airports to enroll in a program in which TSA pays for private contractors to staff security checkpoints. That program has existed for years, but only 20 airports are enrolled.
The Trump administration argues that privatized screening would save taxpayers money. But critics, including the union that represents TSA officers, say it would undermine security. The budget request reflects the White House's priorities, but it's Congress that ultimately sets and approves spending levels.
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Chapter 2: How is the Strait of Hormuz affected by the ongoing Iran conflict?
That's according to samples from more than 3,000 people collected during the Winter Olympics. This was the first Winter Olympics since the 1998 Nagano Games to not have a positive result. I'm Ryland Barton. You're listening to NPR News from Washington.
This week on the NPR Politics Podcast. In Iran, President Trump is both escalating and de-escalating, pausing strikes on energy sites, claiming Iran wants to make a deal, but also moving troops to the region. We unpack what we know about where those troops are headed and how talks are playing out behind closed doors. This week on the NPR Politics Podcast.
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