Hegseth's contradictory Iran statements and D4vd arrested in teen's murder: Morning Rundown

Morning RundownHegseth's contradictory Iran statements and D4vd arrested in teen's murder: Morning RundownPlus, Democrat Analilia Mejia won a special election to fill New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill's seat in the House. Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00ShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 17, 2026, 7:08 AM EDTBy Elizabeth RobinsonPete Hegseth acknowledges that Iran still has some missiles and launchers despite saying its defenses were decimated. Trump allies — and foes — unite to oppose a blockbuster television merger. And the singer D4vd is arrested in the murder of a 14-year-old whose remains were found in his abandoned car. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Here’s what to know today.Pete Hegseth says Iran is digging out missiles and launchersAdd NBC News to GoogleHegseth says U.S. is 'locked and loaded' if Iran talks fail00:47A week ago, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that Iran’s missile program was “functionally destroyed,” with stockpiles depleted, decimated and ineffective. But yesterday, he acknowledged that there are at least some stockpiles remaining, saying that Iran is “digging out” its remaining missiles and launchers.This is Morning Rundown, a weekday newsletter to start your day. Sign up here to get it in your inbox.The Trump administration has sought to showcase that its military prowess caused devastation to Iran’s capabilities. Officials, however, have offered conflicting messages on how bad that devastation has been. Roughly half of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers were still intact and thousands of one-way attack drones remained in its arsenal as of earlier this month, NBC News reported. Multiple missile stockpiles buried underground in Iran were undamaged.Another contradiction: President Donald Trump said that China has agreed not to send arms to Iran and was “very happy” with the U.S. effort to clear the Strait of Hormuz. But U.S. inte...