Axios PM

April 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

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.
2. 📸 "Spaceship Earth"

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."
3. ⚡️ Catch me up

- 🦶 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

Lego is teaming up with four soccer superstars for sporty new sets ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

🧱 Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi and Vini Jr. are all getting in on the brick-building action.
📬 Thanks for joining us this week! Please invite your friends to join PM.
Sign up for Axios PM

