An F-15 Is Down, a Pilot Is Missing, and Trump Won't Say What Comes Next

NBC News is now reporting that two U.S. Black Hawk helicopters were also struck during those rescue operations, though all crew members from those aircraft are reported safe.

That's four American aircraft hit in a single day, according to posts circulating on X with thousands of engagements.

Think about what that sentence means.

The Trump administration had, by multiple accounts, been publicly insisting that U.S. forces enjoyed **complete air superiority over Iranian airspace**.

Tonight, that claim is being questioned — loudly — on social media and in news reports.

Trump himself posted about the conflict on Truth Social, but his message did not address the downed pilot directly.

Critics online pointed to the disconnect between the administration's confident posture and the reality on the ground.

Supporters, meanwhile, argued that wars are unpredictable and that the mission itself is justified.

Both sides are shouting into the same storm.

Here at home, the day was equally packed.

Trump signed an **executive order imposing 100% tariffs on imported branded pharmaceuticals** unless drug companies agree to price cuts or shift manufacturing back to the U.S. — a move that could reshape how much you pay at the pharmacy counter.

He also signed an executive order on college sports, overhauling NCAA transfer rules, eligibility windows, and NIL collectives — effective August 1, though legal challenges are already expected.

On Capitol Hill, Trump told Republican lawmakers **not to fund the Department of Homeland Security** until Democrats pass a voter proof-of-citizenship bill — a high-stakes standoff that could affect TSA operations and border funding.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed what opponents are calling the "Voter Purge Act" the same day, adding fuel to an already volcanic debate about election access.

Meanwhile, Jack Smith's team unsealed a **165-page brief** in the January 6th federal case, reworking the superseding indictment to align with the Supreme Court's ruling on presidential immunity. The legal machinery grinds on.

And DOGE claimed it cut **$2 billion worth of federal contracts** over the past four weeks — saving an estimated $757 million — as Elon Musk escalated his rhetoric, publicly calling for the arrest of politicians he claims are involved in laundering taxpayer money through NGOs. No specific charges have been filed.

That's the world you're waking up to tomorrow.

A missing American pilot over Iran. A tariff war expanding into pharmaceuticals. A college sports overhaul. A voting rights standoff. A 165-page legal brief. And a crypto market getting its most significant regulatory clarity in years.

**Some days feel like a week.** Today was one of them.

The through-line connecting all of it is a simple question that keeps surfacing: how much is happening at once, and what comes next?

On the Iran front, that question has never felt more urgent.

A president who campaigned on ending wars now has an active military operation over Iranian airspace, a downed jet, a missing pilot, and search-and-rescue helicopters taking fire.

What he does — or doesn't do — in the next 24 to 48 hours **could define the rest of his presidency**.

You'll want to watch this one closely.

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