What Iranian strikes destroyed; primary results; promising depression therapy; and more

Summary

Podcast Summary: The 7 (The Washington Post) Episode Date: May 6, 2026
Host: Hannah Jewell
Episode Title: What Iranian strikes destroyed; primary results; promising depression therapy; and more

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Episode Overview

Today’s episode of The 7 delivers concise coverage of the seven most important stories of the day, blending exclusive investigative reporting with political updates, science news, and a look at evolving social trends. Host Hannah Jewell’s tone remains energetic and slightly cheeky, offering clarity and essential insight on complex events and studies that affect listeners’ lives.

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1. Iranian Airstrikes Cause Far More Damage Than Previously Reported

[00:33–02:14]

• Key Points:

  • New analysis by The Washington Post reveals Iranian airstrikes since the war began have damaged or destroyed at least 228 U.S. military structures or pieces of equipment across the Middle East.
  • The evidence is based on satellite imagery from Iranian state media, verified by Post reporters.
  • Destroyed assets include hangars, barracks, fuel depots, aircraft, radar, communications, and air defense equipment.
  • U.S. officials have knowingly underreported the destruction; ongoing attacks keep some bases under-staffed for safety.
  • Satellite images and details are available via the episode’s newsletter.

• Memorable Moment:

  • “The amount of destruction is far larger than what has been publicly acknowledged by the US Government, and officials have said the ongoing threat of air attacks means it’s still too dangerous to staff some US Bases in the region at normal levels.” – Hannah Jewell [01:29]

• Additional Note:

  • President Trump paused the U.S. military’s new operation to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz—a mission that had just begun.

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2. Americans React Sharply to Trump’s Religious Social Media Post

[02:14–03:14]

• Key Points:

  • President Trump’s AI-generated social media post depicting himself as Jesus faced widespread backlash, with 87% of Americans disapproving, per a new Washington Post/ABC/Ipsos poll.
  • Criticism spans the political spectrum, including 80% of Trump’s 2024 supporters and 79% of Republicans.
  • Trump claimed the image represented him as a doctor, not Jesus.
  • Pope Leo, critical of both U.S. immigration policy and actions in Iran, received positive public ratings. He quickly rebuffed Trump’s claim that the Pope was “fine with Iran having a nuclear weapon.”

• Notable Exchange:

  • “Trump has said publicly that he was responsible for putting the image on social media, but that he thought it depicted him like a doctor.” — Hannah Jewell [02:51]

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3. Indiana and Ohio Primaries Demonstrate MAGA Influence

[03:14–04:34]

• Key Points:

  • In Indiana, seven Republican state senators who defied Trump’s redistricting demands faced MAGA-backed opponents in the primaries—most lost, highlighting the cost of going against Trump in the GOP.
  • MAGA groups invested millions in these races as a warning to other Republicans.
  • In Ohio, Vivek Ramaswamy, noted for former presidential and Doge involvement, won the GOP governor’s nomination.

• Memorable Quote:

  • “We have a historic opportunity to lead Ohio to be the top state in the country, to raise a young family, to give our kids a world class education, and to be the state where we revive this quaint idea that we call the American Dream.” — Vivek Ramaswamy, victory speech [04:17]

• Additional Note:

  • Former Senator Sherrod Brown won the Democratic Senate nomination, setting up a closely-watched contest against GOP Senator John Husted as Democrats try to regain Senate control.

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4. FDA Blocks Release of New COVID and Shingles Vaccine Studies

[04:34–05:45]

• Key Points:
  • The FDA recently halted publication of vaccine safety studies, including one finding no new concerns with COVID vaccines.
  • The CDC also blocked a report showing COVID shots reduced ER visits and hospitalizations last winter.
  • Health officials fear vaccine benefits are being downplayed to align with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s skepticism.
  • Some Republican pollsters warn that this stance could alienate voters ahead of the midterms.

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5. EEOC Alleges New York Times Bias Against White Male Employee

[05:45–06:25]

• Key Points:
  • Under Trump, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is pivoting toward discrimination cases involving white workers.
  • The EEOC sued The New York Times, claiming a white male was unfairly passed over for promotion in favor of a multiracial female candidate.
  • Times denies discrimination, citing the selected candidate’s qualifications and excellence.

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6. New Therapy for Depression Aims to Rekindle Joy

[06:25–07:20]

• Key Points:
  • Traditional depression therapies focus on reducing negative feelings, but many patients struggle to feel joy—a symptom called anhedonia.
  • A new approach, “positive affect treatment,” teaches skills to boost joy, connection, and meaning via 15 weekly sessions.
  • Studies show it might outperform traditional therapy in fostering positive feelings; non-depressed people can also benefit from these strategies.
  • More details are available in The 7’s newsletter.

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7. Colleges Promote In-Person Socialization—Without Phones

[07:20–08:35]

• Key Points:
  • Universities are addressing technology’s impact on student well-being—namely, increased loneliness, anxiety, and shortened attention spans.
  • NYU’s new campaign, “NYU IRL,” aims to cultivate phone-free gatherings, and students are eager to participate.
  • At UC Berkeley, students developed a popular class on limiting tech use.
  • Hannah Jewell shares a personal anecdote from her Berkeley days: “Just follow the biggest hippie you can find up into the hills for a witchy evening in Nature.” [08:27]

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Pulitzer Recognition

[08:35–08:55]

• Key Point:
  • The Washington Post won two Pulitzer Prizes, including one for public service journalism covering Trump’s government overhaul and federal workforce reforms involving Doge.

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Closing Notes

• All major stories are covered by the Washington Post’s digital subscription.
• Hannah Jewell ends the episode with signature warmth and a call to tune in tomorrow.

Transcript

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Iran has hit far more U.S. military assets than reported. That's where we're starting the seven from the Washington Post, I'm Hannah Jewell. It's Wednesday, May 6th. Let's get you caught up with today's seven stories. Our first story is a Post exclusive. Since the war with Iran began, Iranian airstrikes have damaged or destroyed at least 228 structures or pieces of equipment at US military sites across the Middle East. That's according to satellite imagery published by Iranian state Affiliated Media, which was analyzed and verified by the Post. The strikes have hit hangars, barracks, fuel depots and aircraft. They've also hit key radar, communications and air defense equipment. The amount of destruction is far larger than what has been publicly acknowledged by the US Government, and officials have said the ongoing threat of air attacks means it's still too dangerous to staff some US Bases in the region at normal levels. To see satellite images from this story and learn more about how our reporters verified them, follow the link in today's newsletter. In other news from the region, late last night, President Donald Trump said he was pausing the military's operation to guide ships through the Strait of Horm, halting a mission that had only just begun. Americans are deeply uncomfortable with Trump's recent statements about religion. That's number two. Last month, the president posted an image on social media that appeared to depict him as Jesus. He deleted the AI generated image after backlash, including allegations of blasphemy from the religious right. A new poll from the Washington Post, ABC News and Ipsos shows that Post was very unpopular 87% of Americans have a negative view of it. That includes 80% of 2024 Trump voters and 79% of Republicans. Trump has said publicly that he was responsible for putting the image on social media, but that he thought it depicted him like a doctor. The poll also found positive ratings for Pope Leo, who has criticized US Actions on immigration and in Iran and has clashed with Trump. Yesterday, Trump said the pope's views on foreign policy are endangering people and that Leo is fine with Iran having a nuclear weapon. The pope quickly pushed back against the president's latest remarks, saying they were untrue. 3 in Indiana reinforced Trump's power in the Republican party. Back in December, 21 Republican state senators in Indiana defied Trump by refusing his demand to redraw the state's congressional districts in primary elections. Yesterday, seven of them faced Republican opponents endorsed by Trump and most of them lost. MAGA aligned groups had poured millions of dollars into the races. It was a warning to Republicans across the country that against Trump can come at a steep cost. Ohio also held primaries yesterday. One time presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who was also briefly involved in doge, nabbed the GOP nomination for governor. He spoke to supporters in Columbus after his victory.

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[C]

Also in Ohio, former Senator Sherrod Brown got one step closer to making his comeback. He secured the Democratic nomination for Senate. Brown's race against Republican Senator John Husted is a closely watched contest as Democrats try to take control of the Senate. Number four the FDA halted studies on the COVID and Shingles vaccines in recent months, the FDA stopped publication of studies about the safety of vaccines against both diseases. An abstract of one study said it had found no new safety concerns linked to Covid shots. The news comes just weeks after the CDC also blocked the publication of another COVID vaccine report. That one showed that the shots significantly reduced emergency department visits and hospitalizations among healthy adults last winter. Some current and former health officials are worried that information about the vaccine's benefits are being downplayed because it conflicts with the views of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. And Republican pollsters are worried about the political risks of those vaccine skeptical views Saying they may turn off voters in this year's midterms, A federal agency accused the New York Times of bias against a white male employee. That's our fifth story. Under President Trump, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has refocused its attention to alleged discrimination against white people. The New York Times has recently reported that staffers at the EEOC are under intense pressure to bring cases that further the Trump administration's agenda, including dismantling policies to promote diversity, equity and inclusion. Now the Times is the target of one such case. The EEOC sued the news organization yesterday. It alleged that the Times violated federal law by passing over a white male employee for a promotion. A multiracial female candidate got the job instead. The Times has denied allegations of discrimination and said the woman who was hired was the most qualified candidate and is an excellent editor. Number six A promising new therapy for depression focuses on finding paths to joy Psychotherapy and medication can be very effective at reducing negative emotions, but according to one expert in the field, it's a lot harder to get depressed and anxious people to actually feel good. The inability to experience joy or pleasure, known as anhedonia, is one of the most common symptoms of depression. A relatively new kind of therapy tries to target it. It's called positive affect treatment. It's designed to help people find more joy, connection and meaning. During 15 weekly therapy sessions, patients are taught a variety of skills that boost mood. In a new study, the results of this treatment were surprisingly positive. Researchers found it may be more effective than traditional therapy at helping people retrain their brains to feel more positive emotions and less negative ones. Even if you're not depressed, the researchers say there are strategies from the therapy that anyone can implement to feel a little happier. Learn more in today's 7 newsletter. And at number seven College students are learning how to socialize without saying cell phones. You might not think that college students would need encouragement to socialize in person, but apparently things have changed since my day. Like all things college, life has been transformed by technology. Many college leaders are concerned about the amount of time students spend on screens and social media. They're worried that it's increasing isolation, loneliness and anxiety, shattering attention spans and preventing social connections. So they are encouraging students to change the culture with phone free events and parties. NYU is implementing a big effort which the university is calling NYU IRL and students are eager to participate. At my alma mater, UC Berkeley, Go Bears, students helped create a class on limiting technology use. It's been hugely popular. I can suggest one anti scrolling activity to Berkeley students in particular, which is how I met my best friend. Just follow the biggest hippie you can find up into the hills for a witchy evening in Nature. Alright, you're all caught up. The Washington Post won two Pulitzer Prizes this week, including the prestigious award for public service. That was for our coverage of Trump's far reaching efforts to shrink the federal workforce and overhaul government through Doge. If you want to support this kind of important work and get access to read it, become a subscriber to the Washington Post. There's an intro offer that won't cost you much. Find [e-mail] subscribe and congratulations to my colleagues. I'm Hannah Jewell. I'll meet you back here tomorrow.

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