U.S. fighter jet downed by Iran: one rescued, one missing

This episode of All In with Chris Hayes covers the escalating crisis following the downing of a U.S. Air Force F-15E fighter jet over southern Iran, marking the first known U.S. aircraft shot down in the country. One pilot was rescued in a dangerous nighttime search and rescue mission, while the second remains missing, raising fears of capture by Iranian forces. The episode dissects the strategic and moral failures of President Trump’s war in Iran, highlighting the administration’s overconfidence, rhetoric of 'no quarter' and 'overwhelming violence,' and the dangerous consequences of such language. Congressional Democrat Adam Smith condemns the war’s unachievable goals and the administration’s alienation of allies, while experts like Philip Bump and Michelle Goldberg critique the grotesque normalization of war profiteering, including betting markets on the pilot’s rescue. The episode also turns to the political fallout, including the firing of Attorney General Pam Bondi and the ongoing investigation into the Epstein files, as well as a direct rebuke from Pope Leo, who condemned the war and the administration’s violent Christian nationalism. The episode paints a portrait of a nation in moral and strategic freefall, where war is justified through religious extremism, public sentiment is ignored, and democratic accountability is eroding.