High-Tech Rescue, World Cup Visa Drama & New Sunscreen Option - Wednesday, June 10, 2026

**Erica Mandy** (0:00)
Today is Wednesday, June 10th. We'll tell you how the US military retaliated after an American helicopter was shot down in the Middle East. And what to know about the first of its kind high-tech operation to rescue the crew. Also, who was chosen for what NASA is calling one of the most highly complex missions in history? Plus a new kind of sunscreen approved for the first time in 25 years. A look at Anthropic's most powerful AI technology to ever be released. And a legend's return, what Serena Williams had to say after her first professional tennis match in four years. Those stories and even more news coming up.
Welcome to The NewsWorthy, all the day's news in less than 15 minutes. I'm Erica Mandy. Thanks so much for being here. Let's do this.
Once again, the US and Iran are attacking each other in the Middle East. Remember how we told you yesterday, a US Army Apache helicopter crashed into the sea near the Strait of Hormuz? Well, President Trump says he confirmed it was shot down by Iranian forces. So the US military retaliated. American jets struck Iranian air defenses, ground control stations and surveillance radar sites. Then Iran says it launched drone strikes against the US Navy in Bahrain. It also says it launched 21 attacks on US bases in the region, though the US military says that's not true, that nearly all missiles and drones were intercepted. And no Americans were reported hurt. At this point, both Iran and the US are saying they're just defending themselves. Meanwhile, Israel is continuing attacks across southern Lebanon. Yesterday, it struck the large city of Tyre, where at least eight people were reported to have been killed. Israel called for the entire city to be evacuated ahead of time, including, for the first time in this war, the city's Christian quarter. Tyre is considered one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities and is home to several ancient archaeological sites. In fact, the city is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its historical, cultural and religious importance. Iran is now threatening to retaliate for those attacks too. But despite escalating conflict, President Trump insists a deal with Iran is coming soon.
When that US Apache helicopter was shot down, the world got a look at futuristic warfare with humans and advanced military machines working side by side. The two crew members on board the helicopter were rescued by an unmanned American sea drone. It was a first of its kind operation that obviously had incredibly high stakes. The sea drone looks like a militarized speedboat that drives itself. It was able to locate the two crew members in the water. Once they boarded, the sea drone transported them to a location where they could be hoisted up to another helicopter and brought to safety. The whole rescue operation took about two hours, and it was considered a success. Both crew members are now expected to be okay.
It looks like ICE and Border Patrol will get enough money to keep up the immigration crackdown through the rest of President Trump's term. The US. House passed a roughly $70 billion funding bill after the US. Senate did the same last week. But as expected, it was close, with the vote falling on party lines. Every GOP lawmaker who was there voted yes, every Democrat voted no, still insisting the agencies should not get more money until there are changes to their tactics. Now, any possible reforms will have to come through a separate bill, which seems unlikely since the standoff lasted 115 days and ended without a bipartisan compromise. The bill now goes to President Trump for his signature.
As expected, President Trump's strict immigration policies have complicated plans for the upcoming World Cup. Just days before the tournament starts, Iran's soccer federation says FIFA has taken away the tickets it would normally reserve and sell to Iran's fans. That means thousands of fans with flights and hotels already booked now have no seats to Iran's games in Los Angeles or Seattle. FIFA says it's working with Iran to find solutions. Meanwhile, after weeks of uncertainty, the US actually did award visas to all the actual players on the Iranian team, so they will be allowed to compete with some guardrails. They'll only be able to enter the US one day before each of their three World Cup matches. Also, the team will have to come without some of their support staff since their visas were denied. Already ahead of the tournament, the team had to move their training camp from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico. Separately, a referee from Somalia who was selected to officiate the World Cup was denied permission to enter the US when he landed in Miami. Yesterday, he told the New York Times he had the correct visa, documentation from FIFA and other credentials. Still, US immigration authorities interviewed him for 11 hours, detained him for a few more hours, and then eventually put him on a flight to Istanbul. The referee told the Times the biggest dream of his life was shattered. Customs and border protection clarified to say decisions are made on a case-to-case basis, and that in this case, there were some vetting concerns. A few news outlets are citing a State Department official who said the referee had associations with suspected members of terror organizations. Though the New York Times found his name is similar to someone on a US sanctions list who's linked to a Somali militant group. Either way, the ref is scheduled to fly back to Somalia today.