It’s Monday, April 6. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: The American freelance journalist kidnapped in Iraq. Are we headed for a global recession? How some of the most prominent Catholic influencers are corrupting the church. And much more.
But first: America’s advantage in Iran, and can it last?
It was a remarkable weekend in the Iran conflict. On Friday, for the first time in more than 20 years, two U.S. aircraft were shot down in combat: an F-15E fighter jet and an A-10C Thunderbolt. The A-10C pilot ejected safely, and one of the two F-15 pilots was recovered later that day. Then, early Sunday, news broke of a special operations mission that secured the second airman.
The moment felt almost miraculous. For more than a day, it was uncertain whether the Iranian regime would capture what Zineb Riboua calls “the single most valuable propaganda asset of the entire war—a prisoner whose image alone could have rewritten the narrative of a campaign that has been catastrophic for the Islamic Republic from the first strike.”
But America got there first—a moment, Zineb writes, that underscores just how decisively U.S. military power has eclipsed Iran’s, and leads to the increasingly inescapable conclusion that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is approaching its “terminal phase.” Read her full piece to understand why she says so.
But can this military advantage last? Just hours after announcing the airman’s recovery, President Trump issued a threat on Truth Social:
Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell—JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah. President DONALD J. TRUMP.
As Eli Lake notes, it’s often difficult to tell when the president is bluffing. But bombing civilian infrastructure would harm “the very people whom Trump at first said he was hoping to liberate,” he argues. If America’s aim is to dismantle the regime, it should empower the Iranian people, not punish them.
Finally, Armin Rosen addresses the chorus of so-called expert voices pushing a very different note—that Iran is winning the war. His essay today unspools this narrative, why it has taken hold, and why Iran itself seems more aware of its precarious position than the “mandarins of American media and academia.”
—Jillian Lederman
Last Tuesday afternoon, American journalist Shelly Kittleson was kidnapped in Baghdad—an abrupt tragedy, though one she understood the risks of all too well. For nearly two decades, Kittleson has reported from some of the most dangerous regions on Earth. Today, fellow war journalist Hollie McKay reflects on a friend who met a gravely difficult profession with tenacity, kindness, and a steadfast commitment to “making sure the world couldn’t look away from people in impossible situations.”
President Trump’s deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is still a day away, but the oil market is already reeling. Many Americans witnessing higher prices at the pump—and elsewhere—are left to wonder: Can this spike in oil prices cause a recession? “Absolutely,” says Tyler Cowen. In his latest column, he breaks down exactly why a global recession is perhaps a likely outcome of the oil-market mayhem.
If you’ve ever been on the Catholic social media algorithm, you’ve likely come across rhetoric that’s not especially Catholic. Despite the Bible’s teachings, many of today’s most prominent self-identified Catholic influencers are engaging in slander and outright antisemitism—with some going as far as to argue that a “Christian must be anti-Jewish.” Where did this come from? And how can the leaders of the church return the community to its core principles? Maddy Kearns dove deeply into the Catholic world to find out.
Linda Chavez once held the highest-ranking position of any woman in Ronald Reagan’s White House. But when she was nominated to be Secretary of Labor under George W. Bush, her candidacy unraveled after it emerged that she had been sheltering an undocumented immigrant in her home. This week, as the Supreme Court weighs Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship, Chavez sits down with Coleman Hughes to make the case that—whatever one’s policy preferences—the constitutional question is far more settled than critics want to admit.
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THE NEWS
An Air Force officer whose jet was shot down by Iran was rescued by U.S. Special Operations forces on Saturday. The operation reportedly involved intelligence efforts from the Central Intelligence Agency. After extraction by Navy Seal Team 6, President Trump announced that the rescued officer “sustained injuries, but he will be just fine.”
In an Easter Sunday speech yesterday, Pope Leo called on world leaders to choose negotiation over military might. “Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace!” he said. The comments came as President Trump is applying increased pressure on the Iranians to reach an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The Cuban government began its release of more than 2,000 recently pardoned prisoners this weekend. Cuba’s embassy in the U.S. called the move a “humanitarian and sovereign gesture,” one that follows months of pressure and an oil blockade from the Trump administration.
The Trump administration filed an emergency appeal Friday night after a federal court blocked construction of the White House ballroom. In addition to the motion, the administration announced a $10 billion plan designed to beautify the D.C. area beyond White House premises. (For more on the government’s ambitions, read Suzy Weiss’s profile of Joe Gebbia, the country’s first chief design officer.)
On Friday, a federal judge blocked Trump’s order requiring colleges to provide data proving they aren’t considering race in admissions. The judge said the government likely has the authority to collect the data, but delayed the demand due to its “rushed and chaotic” rollout.
President Trump issued a directive designed to “save” college sports on Friday. The rules would add new regulations around athlete compensation and the transfer portal, and calls for more funds for women’s sports. (For more on how paying college athletes changed the game, read Joe Nocera’s “Paying College Athletes Has Created a Mess. It Was Still the Right Thing to Do.”)
UCLA defeated the University of South Carolina in the women’s college basketball championship Sunday. The Michigan Wolverines will take on the UConn Huskies in the men’s final tonight.
I didn't have to read far that she's totally full of shirt. No idea the evil forces against humanity
I'm unclear over how Iran has closed Hormuz. Have they really demonstrated an ability to prevent transit? Do they still have that ability? Or is it just an implied risk and ships are not able to obtain insurance for that passage now?