Iran vows retaliation after US seizes ship; Father kills 8 children in Louisiana
President Donald Trump threatens to strike Iran’s infrastructure after a U.S. naval clash at sea. Now, Tehran is warning of retaliation as talks hang in the balance.
Plus, a Louisiana father kills eight children, including seven of his own, before police shot him. Investigators point to a domestic breakdown, but key questions remain.
And a bar fight erupts into gunfire near the University of Iowa. As of Monday morning, five people are hospitalized, and police are searching for those involved.
These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Monday, April 20, 2026.
Iran vows response after US ship seizure
Iran has vowed retaliation after a U.S. naval strike and ship seizure over the weekend, and it’s now putting fragile talks on the brink.
Video posted online by U.S. Central Command shows a U.S. Navy destroyer opening fire on an Iranian-linked cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman. The ship ignored warnings, so the navy fired into the engine room, disabling it at sea.
U.S. Marines then boarded the vessel and took control. It’s now in U.S. custody.
Iran has called it an act of “piracy” and warned that a response is coming.
In a post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump said the ship tried to break a U.S. blockade and was stopped “right in its tracks.”
All of this now puts planned talks in doubt.
U.S. officials are heading to Pakistan for another round of negotiations, but Iran said it has no plans to attend. The ceasefire is set to expire Wednesday, and the stakes are global.
The Strait of Hormuz is effectively shut down again.
Oil prices are climbing, with crude jumping sharply as tankers stay out of the waterway.
“It is not safe now to go through the Strait of Hormuz,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright told CNN. “That is correct.”
As for when the Strait will be safe and open again, Wright said after a deal is reached.
“It won’t be in the too distant future. People are ready to go, ships are there,” he said. “The United States put two warships through the Strait, we can open it one way or the other. But the best way to do it is to have an end to the conflict.”
Separately, the Israeli military said it’s investigating after an image surfaced of a soldier smashing a statue of Jesus in southern Lebanon.
The Israeli Defense Force called the act serious and says those involved will face consequences.
Father kills eight children in rampage before Shreveport police kill him
Eight children were killed in a domestic rampage in Louisiana on Sunday. Police said a 31-year-old father shot his wife at one home, then went to another house and killed eight children, seven of whom were his own.
The victims ranged in age from 3 to 11 years old.
Investigators said some of the children tried to escape, running out the back door and even climbing onto the roof. One teenager jumped and survived with injuries.
Two women, including the suspect’s wife, were also shot and remain in critical condition.
“It is very difficult, this is. A lot of times, you have homicides that are people who know each other and are fighting with each other,” said Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux. “This is totally an unprovoked circumstance, involving eight children.”
After the shootings, police said the gunman carjacked a vehicle and led officers on a chase into another parish.
Police shot and killed him.
Authorities said the violence appears to be domestic, but they’re still working to understand what triggered it.
Five hospitalized after brawl turns into shooting in Iowa City
Five people remain hospitalized in Iowa City, one in critical condition, after a shooting near the University of Iowa campus early Sunday. Police said a large fight broke out at the pedestrian mall, a busy bar area about a block from campus, just before 2 a.m. CT.
Video posted to social media shows a chaotic brawl, with people throwing punches and screaming before gunfire erupted. Five people were hit.
On Sunday, Iowa City public safety released images of five persons of interest believed to be connected to the shooting, and is asking for the public’s help in identifying them.
University officials said three of the victims were students.
In a statement, President Barb Wilson called it “A difficult moment for our community,” acknowledging many students are shaken and trying to process what happened.
Small plane crashes in Tampa suburb, kills one
A small plane crashed in Wesley Chapel, a suburb of Tampa, on Sunday morning, resulting in one fatality. Investigators said a twin-engine Cessna went down in a yard, sparking a fire and damage to at least one home.
The flames were doused by mid-morning.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane took off from Tampa North Aero Park, a public-use airport, and went down around 8:35 a.m. ET. The pilot was the only person on board.
Officials have not confirmed whether the person killed was the pilot or someone on the ground.
The NTSB is now leading the investigation and sending a team to the scene.
“I heard metal against metal. I heard the plane coming in. And then of course, I heard it crash, and then I saw all of the flames and everything,” Cheryl Korth, a Grand Oaks resident, said.
Investigators said a preliminary report is expected within 30 days.
Starmer pressed on Mandelson vetting lapse as Epstein ties raise concerns
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces a tense showdown in parliament Monday over a growing scandal tied to a failed diplomatic appointment.
At the center: how Peter Mandelson was tapped to serve as ambassador to Washington, a role requiring top-secret clearance, despite security officials warning against his approval due to ties to Jeffrey Epstein. And why that warning never reached the prime minister.
Starmer said he was “furious” to learn about it after the fact, especially after telling lawmakers proper vetting had been followed.
“That I wasn’t told that Peter Mandelson had failed security vetting when he was appointed is staggering. That I wasn’t told that he failed security vetting when I was telling parliament that due process had been followed is unforgivable.”
— Keir Starmer, UK prime minister
Downing Street said civil servants could have flagged the failed vetting without exposing confidential details. The fallout is already hitting the top ranks.
A senior foreign office official has lost his job and is scheduled to appear before lawmakers Tuesday to explain what happened. Starmer’s allies have called it a breakdown in communication.
His opponents are calling it something else and pushing for him to resign.
Humanoid robot runs half-marathon faster than humans, sets record
In Beijing, a humanoid robot just ran a half-marathon and set a new world record.
The robot, called Lightning, finished the 13-mile race in just over 50 minutes. That’s about six minutes faster than the best human time ever recorded.
Dozens of robots took part: some ran on their own, and others were guided remotely. It’s a big leap from last year, when the fastest robot needed more than 2.5 hours to finish.
And yes, not all of them stuck the landing. One robot went down right at the start, while another ran into a barrier.
Still, the winner didn’t slow down.
More from Straight Arrow News:
Why NASA wants to own its brilliance once again
Half a century after humans last traveled to the moon, the Artemis II mission’s successful return to Earth earlier this month has reinvigorated public interest in the cosmos.
But even as forward momentum builds, NASA’s workforce is caught in a familiar pendulum swing.
The agency’s federal headcount was decimated last year, with nearly 4,000 people — 20% of its civil servants — taking part in two deferred resignation programs.
NASA’s reliance on contractors grew.
Now, agency Administrator Jared Isaacman has laid plans for a sharp course correction: Rebuilding the federal workforce and reducing reliance on contractors.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
