☕ The weekend in the Strait, recapped

Good morning!

A hearty congratulations to the team from Honor, who set a new world record for the fastest time to complete a half-marathon. Honor smashed the previous record, setting a new benchmark of 50 minutes and 26 seconds.

Well, kind of. Honor is the name of a Chinese smartphone brand, and it was their humanoid robot that set the new record in the Beijing Marathon.

Not sure how we feel about the validity of that one.

I’ve got 30 seconds

Some headlines from this morning:

• A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck off the northeast coast of Japan on Sunday, triggering tsunami warnings for waves of up to 3 meters in several coastal areas. The quake hit at 4:52 p.m. local time, with the largest waves forecast for Iwate and Aomori prefectures and Hokkaido. Several port towns, including Otsuchi and Kamaishi, issued evacuation orders. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the government had set up an emergency task force, adding: "Possible damage and casualties are now being looked into." Aftershocks are expected in the coming days.

• The U.S. military killed 3 people Sunday after striking an alleged drug smuggling boat in the Caribbean, bringing the total death toll from its counter-narcotics campaign in the region to 180. The strike was carried out by U.S. Southern Command under Gen. Francis L. Donovan. Southern Command released a 12-second video showing a small vessel speeding through water before being destroyed in an explosion. The command said the boat had been traveling "known narco-trafficking routes" and was "engaged in narco-trafficking operations."

• Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Sunday that his country's close relationship with the U.S. "has become a weakness" ahead of upcoming trade negotiations. Carney made the comments days after U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik said Canada takes advantage of the U.S. economy and called for the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement to be "reconsidered and reimagined." Carney said: "It's our future. We are taking back control." Since taking office, Carney has pursued trade deals with Europe and China to reduce dependence on the U.S.

• Police fired rubber bullets and arrested a protest leader Saturday after around 300 to 400 animal rights activists attempted to forcibly enter Ridglan Farms, a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin. Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said the group was not engaged in a peaceful protest. It was the second attempt by activists to seize dogs from the facility, which surrendered its breeding license in October to avoid animal abuse charges. Around 1,000 activists had gathered at the site before police intervened.

I’ve got 1 minute

A 31-year-old Louisiana man shot and killed eight children - seven of them his own - and injured three others in what police described as a domestic disturbance in Shreveport on Sunday. The suspect was later killed by police following a car chase. Here's what you need to know.

Details are still being clarified. Here is what we know so far.

What happened?

Shamar Elkins began his alleged rampage at one Shreveport home, where he shot a woman. He then drove to a second residence, where seven children were found dead inside, and one child was found dead on the roof. A second woman was shot and injured at that location. A teenager escaped by jumping from the roof and was also injured.

Police said most children were shot in the head while sleeping. Others were shot while trying to escape through the back door. Elkins then stole a car and fled the scene. Police pursued him and killed him in a standoff.

The victims

The 8 children killed ranged in age from 3 to 11. Seven were Elkins' children. Police have not confirmed the identity of the eighth child, though news outlets report the child was either a cousin or family friend.

The two women shot - Elkins' wife and girlfriend - are both in critical condition. One was shot in the face but is expected to survive.

Crystal Brown, a cousin of one of the injured women, described the children as: "Happy kids, very friendly, very sweet."

The motive

Police said the shooting was "domestic in nature." Elkins was due in court Monday to finalize a separation from his wife. Brown said Elkins and his wife had been fighting about the children in the lead-up to the shooting.

Elkins had a prior firearms offense from 2019. Police said they were not aware of any prior domestic violence incidents. The investigation is ongoing.

I’ve got 2 minutes

The U.S. and Iran's two-week ceasefire has unraveled over the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping waterway near Iran's southern border. After peace talks broke down, the U.S. imposed a naval blockade and seized an Iranian tanker - which Iran called "maritime piracy." Here's what you need to know.

How the ceasefire started

On April 8, the U.S. and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire following mediations supported by Pakistan. Under the deal, Iran agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

President Trump announced the agreement, saying: "Subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz, I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks."

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's ceasefire announcement explicitly included Lebanon - but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. Vice President JD Vance disputed that.

Where things broke down

On April 11, U.S. and Iranian leaders met for peace talks in Islamabad, Pakistan. Vance said negotiators met for 21 hours without reaching a resolution.

Two days later, on April 13, Trump declared a naval blockade on ships traveling to or from Iranian ports through the Strait. The U.S. Navy deployed ships at the Strait's entrance to stop vessels going to and from Iran.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf responded on X, warning the U.S. it would "be nostalgic" for current fuel prices.

This weekend

On April 17, Lebanon and Israel agreed to a 10-day ceasefire after peace talks in the U.S. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi then declared the Strait open "for all commercial vessels."

That openness was short-lived. On April 19, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said U.S. Marines boarded a "non-compliant vessel" - the tanker MV Touska - flying Iranian flags. CENTCOM said it had also directed 25 commercial vessels to leave the Strait.

Iran's military responded via state media: "The U.S. violated the ceasefire and carried out maritime piracy by firing on an Iranian commercial vessel in the Gulf of Oman, disabling its navigation system, and landing armed personnel on board. Iran will respond soon."

TDU asks