President Donald Trump said U.S. forces have seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship that allegedly attempted to breach a U.S. naval blockade.
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In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the nearly 900-foot cargo vessel TOUSKA was intercepted by the Navy destroyer USS Spruance in the Gulf of Oman after ignoring warnings to stop. He said the ship was disabled and boarded, and that U.S. Marines now have custody of the vessel. Iran has not publicly commented on the reported seizure.
The incident underscores the ceasefire’s fragility, with each side accusing the other of violations and remaining at odds on when to resume peace talks.
Trump said negotiations would resume Monday in Pakistan, which hosted direct talks last weekend, with the current two-week ceasefire set to end on Wednesday.
However, Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim news agency reported that the country has not yet decided to send a negotiating delegation and that there will be no negotiations as long as a U.S. naval blockade remains.
War impacts Americans’ views of Trump
The ongoing conflict has had an impact on the president’s approval rating, which has sunk to a new low as Americans express growing concerns about rising costs and the war, according to an NBC News Decision Desk Poll powered by SurveyMonkey.
Overall, 37% of adults approve of Trump’s performance as president, while 63% disapprove — including 50% who said they disapprove strongly — putting his job rating at the lowest point of his second term in NBC News Decision Desk polling. Two-thirds of respondents also disapproved of Trump’s handling of inflation and the Iran conflict.
The economy continues to be the top issue for Americans, with 29% saying it’s the issue that matters most to them right now, while 24% said threats to democracy, 12% said health care and 10% said crime and safety.
More Iran war news
- Displaced Lebanese: Hundreds of thousands are weighing whether to return to homes that may no longer exist, even as Israeli forces remain and the risk of renewed violence lingers.
- The pope, the president and MAGA: Pope Leo XIV said it is not in his interest to debate Trump, pushing back at reports over their escalating war of words. Still, the president’s supporters at events in Las Vegas and Phoenix largely backed the war and sided with him over the pontiff.
Eight children killed in Louisiana mass shooting
Eight children ranging from 1 to 14 years old were killed in a mass shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana, on Sunday morning, according to police.
Officers with the Shreveport Police Department responded to the 300 block of West 79th Street just after 6 a.m. following reports of a domestic disturbance. Police spokesperson Christopher Bordelon described the crime scene as “extensive,” spanning two homes in the area and a third on Harrison Street nearby.
Ten victims in all were shot, police said, not sharing any information about the two who survived. Pictures from the scene showed a large police response.
The alleged gunman, who is related to some of the children, was killed after a vehicle chase, according to police. The investigation into the shooting is ongoing.
Members of Shreveport’s City Council gathered near the scene Sunday afternoon to pray and ask that the community lift up the affected family.
The slain children “had their whole life ahead of them,” Shreveport City Council Chair Tabatha Taylor said through tears.
‘Meet the Press’
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani called his relationship with Trump “honest, direct and productive” in an interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press.” His comments came one day before the president said Mamdani is “destroying” the city by proposing a new property tax on wealthy New Yorkers.
“We know that so much of what the city needs is also dependent on a relationship with the federal administration,” the mayor said in an interview marking his first 100 days in office.
Mamdani added that he partially credits his at times chummy relationship with the president to the fact that “New York City holds a very special place for him as well as for me. We’re both from the same city.”
Politics in Brief
- A new Old Dominion? Even after being massively outspent in a Democratic-leaning state, Republicans say they still have a fighting chance to defeat a redistricting referendum in Virginia that could tip the balance of power in the House.
- Legal waltz: A federal appeals court allowed construction to continue on Trump’s new White House ballroom until June, just a day after a federal judge halted progress.
- Rallying in Maine: Sen. Elizabeth Warren called on voters to support Graham Platner in a closely watched Democratic primary, one that’s dividing the party between the political newcomer and two-term Gov. Janet Mills.
Putin’s new critics: The celebrity influencers warning Russians might ‘snap’
Fitness videos, makeup tutorials — and now a viral manifesto on the growing problems plaguing Russia.
A celebrity influencer’s direct warning to Vladimir Putin that his people might “snap” has prompted a rare acknowledgment of public criticism from the Kremlin.
The 18-minute Instagram critique was a surprise pivot for Victoria Bonya, a Monaco-based Russian influencer whose videos are better known for their lifestyle tips. But the former reality television star struck a chord in Russia, where disquiet has been bubbling for months over issues including a sweeping crackdown on the internet.
Pancreatic cancer mRNA vaccine shows lasting results in an early trial
Less than 13% of people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer live for more than five years, making it one of the deadliest cancers, with few options for treatment.
So when doctors told Donna Gustafson about a clinical trial exploring the use of personalized messenger RNA vaccines for cancer, joining was a “no-brainer.”
It was February 2020, months before mRNA vaccines for Covid would become one of the world’s hottest commodities. Very soon after, Gustafson was the first person to get one for pancreatic cancer.
Six years later, she is still alive — as are nearly all of the patients who responded to the personalized vaccine. While scientists caution that more research is needed, the findings are a promising step forward for treatment.
Notable quote
Robots today have the body of Mike Tyson but are still missing a brain like Stephen Hawking.
Xue Qingheng, whose humanoid robot successfully finished a half-marathon
A bright-red humanoid named “Lightning” lived up to its name, smoking the competition in a Beijing half-marathon that pitted humans against robots.
The swarm of high-speed machines looked a bit like science fiction, yet behind the spectacle is a higher-stakes competition between China and the U.S. to develop next-generation humanoids powered by artificial intelligence.
In case you missed it
- Actor Dylan Sprouse tackled an intruder who broke into his Los Angeles home, according to police.
- ICE released delayed reports detailing the deaths of four detainees earlier this year after the agency failed to meet a 90-day deadline required by Congress.
- Powerful winds and reported tornadoes ripped through the Midwest, tearing off roofs, uprooting trees and rendering rural roads impassable, but no deaths were reported from Friday’s storms.
- Noemi Guzman suffered from severe mental illness for years before she was killed by police. The criminal justice and medical systems could not help her.
- Cher is again seeking a conservatorship over her son Elijah Blue Allman, alleging that his drug addiction has severely affected his mental health and led to mounting debt.
- A hot air balloon made an emergency landing in a California couple’s backyard, in a scene reminiscent of the Pixar film “Up.”
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