U.S. Fighter Jet Shot Down Over Iran – What You Need to Know – Friday, April 3, 2026

[0:04] This is what you need to know now. [0:06] A U.S. fighter jet appears to have been shot down by Iran. [0:09] Search and rescue underway. [0:11] Artemis II now propelled out of the Earth's orbit. [0:14] Through is go for TLI. [0:17] With this burn to the moon, we do not leave Earth. [0:21] Our Gio Benitez speaks with four astronauts in space. [0:25] Oil and gas prices up 11% in one day. [0:28] The national average for a gallon of gas surging [0:30] as consumers take the hit on increased baggage fees and shipping. [0:34] The new jobs report is out. [0:36] What's behind the higher than expected employment stats? [0:39] And Pope Leo celebrates his first Holy Week as pontiff. [0:42] We have much more what you need to know now. [0:45] I'm Rachel Scott from ABC News. [0:47] It is Friday, April 3rd. [0:48] This is what you need to know. [0:50] Let's get right to the big story. [0:51] A U.S. fighter jet appears to have been shot down by Iran over Iranian territory. [0:56] That's according to three U.S. officials. [0:58] Search and rescue operations are currently underway. [1:01] Iranian state media published pictures and video [1:03] that allegedly show parts of the data [1:04] downed plane, including one of the ejection seats. [1:07] Those images suggest it was an F-15 fighter jet. [1:11] It confirmed it would be the first time since the war began [1:13] that a U.S. aircraft was downed by enemy fire. [1:16] The U.S. military and the White House have not commented. [1:18] Stay with ABC News streaming right here for the latest on this story. [1:22] President Trump posting that with a little more time, [1:25] the U.S. could reopen the Strait of Hormuz, [1:27] taking its oil and making a, quote, fortune for America. [1:30] The president posting, quote, it would be a gusher for the world. [1:33] President Trump's claims, [1:34] come after the White House's intervention in Venezuela [1:37] led to American redevelopment of that country's oil industry. [1:40] This all comes as oil prices rose more than 11% yesterday, [1:45] the biggest one-day spike since the pandemic. [1:48] Oil prices are now at the highest level since the Iran war began. [1:52] The national average for a gallon of gas is now $4.10 a gallon. [1:57] Skyrocketing diesel and jet fuel costs are already getting passed on to consumers. [2:02] United says it's hiking up baggage fees for the, [2:04] first time in two years, [2:06] now charging an extra $10 per bag for flights in the U.S., [2:10] Canada, Mexico, and Latin America. [2:12] And starting in two weeks, [2:13] Amazon telling its sellers it will tack on an extra 3.5% [2:16] of fuel and logistics-related surcharge. [2:19] Meanwhile, the Army's top officer has been ousted. [2:22] Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the retirement [2:24] of Army Chief of Staff General Randy George. [2:27] Two other top generals were reportedly forced out as well. [2:30] This is all coming five weeks into the war in Iran [2:32] and the U.S. and Israel carried out, [2:34] a deadly airstrike near Tehran, [2:36] taking out the tallest bridge in the Middle East. [2:39] The Artemis II astronauts completing their final major engine firing overnight, [2:43] propelling them out of the Earth's orbit. [2:45] The engine firing off with 6,000 pounds of thrust [2:48] for nearly six minutes just before 8 p.m. Eastern time Thursday. [2:52] The trans-lunar injection burn, [2:54] blasting with enough power to accelerate a car from zero to 60 [2:57] in less than three seconds. [3:00] The clue is go for TLI. [3:02] Put this burn to the moon. [3:04] Do not leave Earth. [3:07] Our Gio Benitez spoke to the crew overnight [3:09] just after they completed the burn. [3:11] There was a moment about an hour ago [3:14] where Mission Control Houston reoriented our spacecraft [3:17] as the sun was setting behind the Earth. [3:19] You could see the entire globe from pole to pole. [3:22] You could see Africa, Europe, [3:25] and if you looked really close, [3:27] you could see the northern lights. [3:29] It was the most spectacular moment [3:31] and it paused all four of us in our tracks. [3:33] I heard that there was a little bit of an issue with the toilet. [3:36] Which one of you was the plumber? [3:37] I'll take that one. [3:39] I'm the space plumber. [3:40] I'm proud to call myself the space plumber. [3:43] I like to say that it is probably [3:44] the most important piece of equipment on board. [3:47] So we were all breathing a sigh of relief [3:49] when it turned out to be just fine. [3:51] It was just an issue, I think, of sitting for a long time [3:54] and needing a little time to warm up, a priming issue. [3:56] And luckily, we are all systems go. [3:59] Jeremy, I know this is your first time in space [4:02] and you're surrounded by all of these space vets. [4:05] What's it been like for you? [4:07] That this is your first mission there? [4:09] I really like it up here. [4:11] I wish I could have got here sooner. [4:13] It's just such a tremendous place to be. [4:15] The views are extraordinary. [4:18] It's really fun to be floating around [4:20] and it just makes me feel like a little kid. [4:24] What do you want to tell Americans here at home [4:26] who are watching this right now? [4:28] First and foremost, I would just like to say thank you. [4:30] Your support and trust in us has enabled this [4:33] and so many people that have worked for so long [4:36] to make this possible. [4:37] But also, we're just getting started. [4:39] Stay with ABC News Live for the very latest [4:41] on the historic moon mission, [4:43] including the astronauts returning back here to Earth. [4:46] And we're now going into the very first weekend [4:48] since TSA officers started receiving paychecks. [4:51] Airports around the country reporting back to normal wait times [4:54] of just 10 to 25 minutes. [4:56] This as spring break travel is at its height. [4:59] And take a look at this. [5:00] A 24-year-old training instructor [5:01] safely landed an aircraft in a busy Philadelphia park, [5:05] narrowly missing homes and a university. [5:07] After the plane lost engine power [5:09] about an hour into the training flight [5:11] over the Delaware River, [5:13] the pilot had to make a difficult call. [5:16] As we were about to land in the park, [5:17] I was like, yep, this one's for real. [5:19] He was flying us back to the airport [5:21] to practice some landings [5:22] and noted that we didn't have any power. [5:27] And then I took controls [5:28] and I tried like a quick little checklist [5:31] and then was immediately looking for the best place to land. [5:36] The pilot suffered minor injuries. [5:37] He was also injured. [5:38] He was injured. [5:38] The student remains hospitalized [5:39] with nine life-threatening injuries. [5:41] No other injuries were reported on the ground. [5:44] Pope Leo presiding over Holy Week services, [5:47] he participated in the washing of the feet of 12 priests [5:49] and the traditional Holy Thursday ritual. [5:52] The pontiff pouring water from a golden pitcher [5:54] over the priest's feet and drying them with a cloth [5:56] and what Pope Leo described in his homily as a humble gesture. [6:00] It's Pope Leo's first Holy Week as pontiff. [6:02] He's expected to carry the cross himself [6:04] through all 14 stations of Rome's Colosseum site [6:07] with the first Holy Week. [6:08] The first time a Pope has done this [6:09] since the solemn tradition was brought back in 1959. [6:13] Let's get into what to watch. [6:14] 2020 takes us inside the tragic case [6:16] of a Florida mother of four [6:18] fatally shot by her neighbor in 2023. [6:20] Don't miss 2020, The Neighbor From Hell, [6:23] streaming on Disney+. [6:24] And we have much more of what you need to know. [6:37] Here's your daily briefing. [6:38] Other big stories we are following on ABC News. [6:41] New details about the deadly crash at LaGuardia Airport [6:44] when an Air Canada plane hit a fire truck on the runway. [6:47] The New York Times reports, [6:48] investigators are now looking into [6:49] whether an air traffic controller stepped away [6:52] to use an emergency telephone just before the crash. [6:55] A California pharmaceutical company [6:57] has issued a voluntary recall [6:59] of over three million bottles of eye drops [7:01] distributed nationwide. [7:02] The FDA says there's a, quote, [7:04] lack of assurance of sterility in the products. [7:07] The eye drops are sold at stores [7:08] including Kroger, Walgreens, as well as other retailers. [7:12] The Trump administration is suing Illinois, [7:14] Arizona, and Connecticut [7:15] to stop them from regulating prediction markets. [7:18] The administration says the industry should be regulated [7:20] by the federal government, not states. [7:23] And new today, a much better than expected jobs report [7:26] showing a big boost in hiring in the American economy. [7:29] 178,000 jobs were added to the workforce in March. [7:33] The expectation had been just 59,000 new jobs. [7:36] There was a big increase in healthcare, [7:39] also big gains in employment and construction, [7:41] the restaurant chain industry, and manufacturing. [7:44] And more favorable stats, the unemployment rate ticked down [7:47] to 4.3%. [7:48] Economists say the big question is now [7:51] if companies will scale back their hiring plans [7:53] due to uncertainty over the war in Iran. [7:57] And now one more thing before you go. [7:58] An eight-year-old boy from Texas [8:00] is celebrating with some dance moves [8:02] after surviving leukemia. [8:04] Royce was diagnosed in July of 2025 [8:06] and began treatment at Cook Children's Medical Center. [8:10] In March, Royce's doctor said he was in remission [8:12] and that he could go home. [8:14] The viral video shows Royce smiling, [8:16] dancing down the hospital corridor, [8:18] doing a cartwheel, and finally ringing that victory bell. [8:22] And that is what you need to know. [8:23] For breaking news and live updates throughout the day, [8:25] check out ABC News, streaming on Disney+. [8:30] New episodes streaming every day on Disney+.