Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes.
On today's podcast:
1) President Trump and Iranian officials offered disparate views on the next stage of the war, casting uncertainty over whether the two sides would meet for peace talks with a ceasefire set to expire in the coming days. Tensions in the war ratcheted up over the weekend as the US Navy fired upon and boarded an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman, the first seizure in the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. That critical waterway for energy shipments remained closed early Monday after confusion over the weekend about whether tankers could transit the strait. Iran had initially said ships could pass before abruptly stopping traffic through the waterway less than 24 hours later. At a weekly press conference Monday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said there are "no plans for the next round of negotiations, and no decision has been made in this regard.”
2) Oil jumped, pushing US stocks and Treasuries lower after a turbulent weekend in the Middle East cast doubt on the prospects for peace talks ahead of a looming ceasefire deadline. Brent rose 5.4% above $95 a barrel as the US Navy carried out its first seizure of an Iranian vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. Futures for the S&P 500 fell 0.5%, with the benchmark poised to snap a five-day winning streak during which it notched a succession of highs. European stocks declined 1%, while the technology sector drove gains in Asia. The dollar was little changed. Bond yields rose sharply in Europe, whereas moves in Treasuries were more modest. Gold dropped below $4,800 an ounce.
3) A man in Louisiana killed eight children, including seven of his own, in a domestic shooting that unfolded across two homes in Shreveport early Sunday, leaving a community in shock and prompting a large police response. The gunman, identified as Shamar Elkins, 31, also critically wounded two women before being killed by officers after a pursuit. Police said the victims, ages 3 to 11, were found in a single residence, with at least one child attempting to escape from the roof. Authorities said the case appears to stem from a domestic dispute and remains under investigation. It is the deadliest U.S. mass shooting in more than two years.

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