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U.S. seizes Iranian cargo ship. And, tariff refund portal launches

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Suzanne Nuyen

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U.S. forces seized an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, President Trump said in a post on social media. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement that the Iranian ship refused to comply with U.S. warnings over the course of six hours before the U.S. fired on the ship and boarded it. Trump said U.S. Marines have custody of the vessel. The incident is the latest escalation as the ceasefire between the U.S., Israel and Iran nears its end this week.

The sun rises behind a tanker anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Qeshm Island, Iran, on Saturday. Asghar Besharati/AP hide caption

Two months after the Supreme Court ruled that most of Trump's tariffs were unconstitutional, the federal government has launched an online portal for business owners to request refunds. It is set to go live this morning. U.S. Customs has estimated it owes $166 billion in tariff refunds. The agency is launching only the first phase of payouts, so not all goods imported under the illegal tariffs will qualify immediately. Federal guidance says that after refund requests are approved, it could take 60 to 90 days for importers to get their money.

A gunman killed eight children and wounded two women in northwest Louisiana, according to the Shreveport Police Department. The incident stemmed from a domestic disturbance. The adult male suspect is dead, according to authorities. He was believed to be the father of seven of the children killed. One of the women shot was his wife and the mother of seven of the children, police say.

Wegovy and Zepbound are GLP-1 weight loss treatments. Medicines made by compounding pharmacies are also available and popular. JoNel Aleccia/AP hide caption

Living Better is a special series about what it takes to stay healthy in America.

GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Zepbound are intended for lifelong use to treat chronic conditions like diabetes and obesity. But many people who start them end up quitting, either because obesity treatment is framed as a limited-duration intervention or because of the cost, loss of insurance or side effects. Some plan to restart the medication later. Research has yet to reveal the health effects of cycling on and off these drugs.

rajeshwari, 44, grades the chile's she has picked in the fields. Her sharp eyes spot the pale white pods from the sea of red. "We sort and grade these chillies by hand," she says. "The ones with the rich red color are the best, but even though the paler ones are of poorer quality, we can still sell these at the market." Viraj Nayar for NPR hide caption

On a searing hot day in Mattiyarenthal, a village in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, women farmers toil over chile pepper plants as their sharp, pungent scent fills the air. Women carry out more than 70% of agricultural activities in the region. The women farmers say that the demanding nature of the work in the chile pepper fields discourages men. But for the women, the chile plant is a godsend. The few months of hard labor can earn enough extra income to keep their homes running for the rest of the year. See photos of these overlooked women farmers.

An illustration provided by NASA depicts Voyager 1, the most distant spacecraft from Earth. AP/NASA hide caption

This newsletter was edited by Treye Green

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