https://news.usni.org/2019/04/15/submarine-rescue-ship-air-force-u-2-join-search-for-missing-japanese-pilot-f-35a

A U.S. surveillance plane and a recently commissioned Japanese submarine rescue ship are now scanning the ocean floor in search of a downed F-35A.

Over the weekend, Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force identified the pilot of the F-35A as Maj. Akinori Hosomi. His F-35A crashed into the Pacific Ocean Tuesday evening, about 85 miles east of Misawa Air Base, the fighter’s home field located in the northeastern part of Honshu, Japan’s main island, according to U.S. 7th Fleet.

Also over the weekend, Japan dispatched one of its newest ships, JS Chiyoda (ASR-404), the flagship of Japan’s submarine rescue fleet, Japan’s Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya, said during a media briefing Friday according to The Japan Times. Along with sensors, Chiyoda carries two deep-sea search vessels outfitted with cameras. The F-35 is thought to have crashed in a part of the Pacific that is about 5,000 feet deep.

A U.S. Air Force U-2 reconnaissance plane joined the U.S. military and Japan self-defense forces search for the F-35A, Stars and Stripes reported.

The U.S. Navy sent USS Stethem (DDG-63) and P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft assigned to Patrol Squadron (VP) 8 and Patrol Squadron (VP) 5 to assist with the search efforts.

U.S. and Japanese forces are attempting to recover as much of the downed aircraft as possible. The concern is if other nations, such as Russia and China, find part of the downed aircraft, their scientists could figure out ways to neutralize the effectiveness of some the F-35’s stealth, radar and sensors.

https://us.cnn.com/2019/04/15/politics/bernhardt-interior-ig-investigation/index.html

The Interior Department's Inspector General has opened an investigation into Secretary David Bernhardt's potential conflicts of interest, just four days after the Senate confirmed him to the job.

Bernhardt, a former fossil fuel lobbyist, was confirmed in the Senate 56-41 last week following intense scrutiny from Democratic members of Congress and advocacy groups about how he has been spending his time at the agency since joining in 2017.

"We now have an Interior secretary who has been on the job for one full business day and is already under investigation," Wyden said in a statement.

Interior spokeswoman Faith Vander Voort said that Bernhardt is in "complete compliance with his ethics agreement and all applicable laws, rules, and regulations,"

"Secretary Bernhardt is hopeful the Inspector General will expeditiously complete a review of the facts associated with the questions raised by Democratic members of Congress and DC political organizations," she said

https://www.breitbart.com/middle-east/2019/04/15/chinese-state-media-urges-iran-consider-strategic-retreat-syria/

China’s state-run Global Times newspaper published a commentary Sunday that urged Iran to withdraw from Syria and Yemen in response to America’s State Department designating its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a terrorist organization last week.

Using the IRGC – which regularly operates alongside terrorist organizations like Hezbollah – to expand its influence through proxies, the Iranian regime is active militarily in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, and wields significant influence in Lebanon and Venezuela through Hezbollah. Iran is closely allied to the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Damascus and supports Yemen’s Shiite Houthi rebels.

“IRGC’s Quds Force’s support to the Houthis, an anti-government force in Yemen, and the Hezbollah movement in Lebanon could not be tolerated by the US and its allies in the Middle East,” Yin writes. “Arab nations and Israel have lauded the US’ move on IRGC.”

“Tehran’s strategy is to outlast Trump’s presidency until 2020 and then hope that he loses the elections, but the US president will not give Iran so much time,” Yin writes. Acknowledging that President Donald Trump is seeking to limit Iran’s military influence and arguing that conceding to Washington will soothe some of the pressure, Yin suggests yielding to America.