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Today’s top stories
U.S. forces boarded and took control of an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, President Trump announced on social media. U.S. Central Command said the vessel ignored U.S. warnings for more than six hours before U.S. forces fired on and then boarded it; the president said U.S. Marines now have custody. The episode is the latest flare-up as a ceasefire involving the U.S., Israel and Iran approaches its scheduled end this week.
Tensions between Trump and Iranian officials had already been rising, with both sides trading accusations of ceasefire breaches. Trump has pushed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to calm oil markets and has reiterated a firm stance on Iran’s nuclear program. The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline is lingering around $4, and NPR reporting notes that while some supporters remain patient, public tolerance could erode if economic pain continues.
The White House said Trump is dispatching a team of negotiators to Pakistan for in-person talks aimed at ending the conflict, though Vice President Vance had not yet departed. Iran has not publicly confirmed negotiations; its state news agency cited a senior official saying Iran had “no plans” for another round of talks even as it reviews new U.S. proposals reportedly received in recent days. The United States has not released details of those proposals.
In other news, following a Supreme Court decision that found most of the former administration’s tariffs unconstitutional, the federal government opened an online portal for businesses to seek refunds. U.S. Customs and Border Protection estimates it may owe about $166 billion. The portal launches the initial phase of reimbursements, but not every product imported under the struck-down tariffs will qualify immediately. Federal guidance says approved refund claims could take 60 to 90 days to be paid out.
NPR’s coverage cautions that the refund effort could be chaotic: roughly 330,000 businesses were forced to pay the tariffs. Although the agency intends to handle claims like typical overpayment refunds, Customs has never processed refunds on this scale before.
A gunman killed eight children and wounded two women in northwest Louisiana, the Shreveport Police Department said. Authorities reported the shooting stemmed from a domestic disturbance. The adult male suspect is dead; he was believed to be the father of seven of the children. One of the women shot was identified as his wife and the mother of seven of the victims.
Living Better
GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound are approved as long-term treatments for chronic conditions like diabetes and obesity, yet many people stop taking them. Reasons include the perception that weight treatment is temporary, high cost, loss of insurance coverage and side effects; some people plan to restart later. Research has not yet clarified the health effects of repeatedly stopping and restarting these drugs.
Use of GLP-1s among consumers is outpacing scientific study. Existing data on intermittent use are limited, and early findings suggest weight is regained more quickly after stopping GLP-1s than after programs focused on behavioral change. Experts warn that cycling on and off these medications may reduce lean muscle mass over time, potentially leaving people looking bonier with looser skin. When people discontinue the drugs, fat often returns rapidly; it’s still unclear how much lost muscle returns.
Picture show
In Mattiyarenthal, a village in Tamil Nadu, India, women work long hours harvesting chile peppers in extreme heat. Women perform more than 70% of local farm labor; many men avoid the physically demanding seasonal work. For these women, the harvest provides vital income that can sustain households throughout the year. See photographs highlighting these often-overlooked farmers.
3 things to know before you go
1) Voyager 1, the most distant human-made object, is running low on power. NASA has shut down one of its remaining scientific instruments to help prolong the spacecraft’s operational life.
2) Communities across parts of the Midwest are cleaning up after tornadoes and severe storms swept through sections of Iowa, Illinois and Missouri.
3) A man named Jay says a brief encounter in a county detention center—another inmate asking to pray for him—changed the course of his life nearly a decade ago; he still reflects on that moment.
This newsletter was edited by Treye Green.