Ships Under Fire in Strait of Hormuz, and Kennedy’s Pushback on Antidepressants

Summary

The Headlines – May 5, 2026

Episode Theme:
This episode covers the escalating conflict in the Strait of Hormuz and its impact on global shipping, a high-stakes Republican primary in Indiana testing former President Trump’s influence, the controversy surrounding Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s pushback on antidepressant use, and the spectacle—with protest—at the Met Gala. The show features reporting and analysis from Times correspondents and ends with a reflection on shifting public perceptions around wealth and mental health.

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1. Crisis in the Strait of Hormuz: Shipping Caught in the Crossfire

[00:35–02:01]

• Military Escalation: One day after President Trump’s plan for reopening shipping through the Strait, the U.S. military reports shooting down missiles and drones launched by Iran at commercial ships, and sinking six Iranian speedboats.
  • “The new attacks have shaken the temporary truce, and they've also added to the confusion and uncertainty for ships caught near the waterway.” — Tracy Mumford [00:53]
• Shipping Paralysis:
  • Insurance costs have skyrocketed, making it nearly impossible for most commercial ships to risk the crossing—even if captains are willing, owners and insurers remain adamant.
  • Approximately 1,600 vessels are now trapped in the Gulf; before the war, 130 ships crossed daily. Only four ships made it through yesterday.
• Diplomatic Stalemate and China’s Role:
  • Treasury Secretary Scott Besant calls on China—a nation continuing to buy Iranian oil—to use its leverage with Iran. The U.S. warns it will target Chinese entities helping Iran bypass sanctions.
• Memorable Quote:
  • “Iran needs to be part of any plan to move a large number of ships through the waterway.” — Tracy Mumford [01:45]

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2. Indiana GOP Primary: Trump’s Loyalty Test

[02:06–04:09]

• Republican Infighting:
  • Today’s Indiana primary is unusually contentious, with Trump backing challengers against Republican incumbents who resisted his redistricting push last year.
  • Seven GOP incumbents face Trump-endorsed opponents; the outcome will serve as a bellwether for Trump’s continued control of the party.
• Reporter Perspective:
  • “When you look at a suite of races in May, these are a pretty remarkable set of primaries where President Trump has laid out one singular: will you be loyal to him? And if you have crossed him before and not done his bidding, he wants you out.” — Shane Goldmacher, Times political correspondent [03:41]
• Further Coverage:
  • For in-depth analysis, listeners are directed to the Daily and to follow Times coverage as results come in.

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3. Kennedy’s Pushback on SSRIs: Mental Health Care in the Spotlight

[04:27–07:02]

• Policy Announcement:
  • Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unveils efforts to limit SSRI antidepressant use, arguing the nation faces a “dependency crisis driven by over medicalization.” [04:36]
    • “We will no longer treat them as the default.” — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. [04:44]
  • SSRIs, including Zoloft, Paxil, and Prozac, are used by nearly 1 in 6 Americans.
  • Kennedy’s measures include new clinical guidelines and training to help patients taper off medication, promoting alternatives like therapy or lifestyle changes.
• Controversy and Criticism:
  • Kennedy claims the antidepressants are overused and exceptionally difficult to quit (comparing to heroin), even referencing his own history:
    • “I was addicted to heroin for 14 years.” — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. [05:37]
  • Psychiatric professionals cite real issues with discontinuation planning but warn Kennedy’s broad critique could undermine public confidence in mental health care.
• Expert Analysis (Ellen Berry):
  • “I hear some concern about the overall statement that we overuse psychiatric medication. And the concern I hear from psychiatrists is that this conversation could end up sort of undermining confidence in an entire system of care.” [06:20]
  • Many psychiatric meds are essential first-line treatments for widespread conditions such as anxiety and depression.

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4. Met Gala 2026: Opulence Meets Outcry

[07:02–08:54]

• High Fashion and High Drama:
  • Memorable looks included Bad Bunny’s “old man” makeup (“took 53 years to put on,” he joked) and Heidi Klum’s transformation into a stone statue.
  • The gala set fundraising records for the Costume Institute.
  • The tone: “It was honestly kind of eerie.” — Tracy Mumford [07:44]
• Backlash Over Wealth Inequality:
  • Lead sponsor Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez Bezos drew protests, with activists staging alternate ‘red carpets’ and placing bottles of fake urine around the museum—referencing reported Amazon employee conditions.
  • Giant projection slogans targeted Bezos, e.g., “If you can buy the Met Gala, you can pay more taxes.”
  • Memorable protest moment:
    • “Ready to shatter the billionaire class crown, jacket black, shimmering in revolutionary red, demonstrators set up their own alternate red carpets nearby.” — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (reading from protest materials) [08:05]

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Summary Takeaways

• The Strait of Hormuz remains a global flashpoint, with diplomacy, military action, and economic pressure all at play.
• The Indiana GOP primary may reshape the Republican party’s identity, with loyalty to Trump as the defining issue.
• Health Secretary Kennedy’s antidepressant policy ignites debate on the balance between over-medicalization and continued access to needed psychiatric care.
• The Met Gala continues to spark cultural conversation, not just about fashion but also about wealth inequality and labor rights.

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Host: Tracy Mumford
Key Correspondents: Shane Goldmacher, Ellen Berry
Notable Guest: Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

This summary covers all key reported content. Advertisements, intro/outro, and sponsor messages have been omitted for clarity and focus.

Transcript

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[Tracy Mumford]

From the New York Times, it's the Headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. Today's Tuesday, May 5th. Here's what we're covering. One day into President Trump's plan to get traffic moving through the Strait of Hormuz again, the US Military says it's been shooting down cruise missiles and drones fired at commercial ships by Iran. It's responded with force, sinking six Iranian speedboats. The new attacks have shaken the temporary truce, and they've also added to the confusion and uncertainty for ships caught near the waterway. While the US Is vowing to help tankers carrying everything from natural gas to fertilizer get out, it's unclear if the shipping companies will take the risk. One trade analyst told the Times a key reason cargo ships aren't going through yet is insurance costs. Even if a captain is willing to sail through the strait, the ship's owners or the owners of its cargo could refuse, shipping companies said. Iran needs to be part of any plan to move a large number of ships through the waterway. According to the International maritime organization, around 1600 vessels are currently trapped in the gulf. Before the war, about 130 ships a day used to cross the straits. Yesterday, according to one financial intelligence firm, four ships got through. Meanwhile, China.

[Squarespace Sponsor]

Let's see them step up with some diplomacy and get the Iranians to open the strait.

[Tracy Mumford]

Treasury Secretary Scott Besant called on China to try and help get the strait open. The country has continued to buy Iranian oil through the war, which has in part kept Iran's economy afloat. But the US has been applying pressure, warning China that it will go after entities involved in those oil sales, like refineries and financial institutions. So far, the Chinese government has avoided taking a strong position on the war. In Indiana today, voters will cast ballots in a state legislative primary. Usually that's kind of a sleepy affair down ballot races without a lot of eyes on them. Not this time. Today will be a test of President Trump's power in the Republican Party. It stems from last year, when Trump urged red states to redraw their election maps to try and get the GOP more seats in Congress. Several followed suit, but not Indiana. In a rare instance of elected Republicans publicly defying the president, a critical mass of Indiana lawmakers said no to his redistricting effort. So Trump has primaried them. For months, he's been inviting challengers to the White House and putting out endorsements on social media. And tonight, seven Republican incumbents will be fighting to keep their seats against candidates that Trump backed over them. It will be one of several tests of the president's power this primary season.

[Shane Goldmacher]

When you look at a suite of races in May, these are a pretty remarkable set of primaries where President Trump has laid out one singular will you be loyal to him? And if you have crossed him before and not done his bidding, he wants you out. And he wants people in some of whom he has personally recruited who he believes, once in office, will vote lockstep with him into the future.

[Tracy Mumford]

Times political correspondent Shane Goldmacher has more on what races to watch this primary season on today's episode of the Daily and the Times will have coverage of the Indiana results as they come in tonight. In Washington.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

The United States does not just face a mental health crisis. We face a dependency crisis driven by over medicalization.

[Tracy Mumford]

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Announced a plan yesterday to rein in what he's called Americans overuse of antidepressants.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

We will no longer treat them as the default.

[Tracy Mumford]

Kennedy has narrowed in specifically on SSRIs, the most widely prescribed class of antidepressants. That includes household names like Zoloft, Paxil, Prozac. The user base is huge. Roughly 1 in 6Americans reported taking an SSRI this year. Kennedy acknowledged that patients can benefit from them, and he stressed that he wasn't telling anyone to just stop. But he argued that too many people start taking the meds without knowing how long they'll stay on them and with no plan to come off. He has singled out SSRIs before. He's previously claimed without evidence that they are partly responsible for the rise in school shootings and that they can be harder to quit than heroin.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

I happen to be an actual expert

[Tracy Mumford]

on this, something he repeated yesterday.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

I was addicted to heroin for 14 years.

[Tracy Mumford]

For his new effort, Kennedy announced several initiatives, like trainings and new guidelines to nudge clinicians to help patients get off medications and consider other treatment options like therapy or exercise. No major medical organizations were represented at yesterday's event, and my colleague Ellen Berry, who covers mental health, has been speaking with psychiatrists and other experts in the field about Kennedy's new push.

[Ellen Berry]

I think there's sort of two issues here. One is the kind of technical and structural question of what do people need to get off cocktails of psychiatric medications they've been on for a long time? And I think sort of genuinely, you hear from people inside the profession that they could absolutely do better on this. At the same time, I hear some concern about the overall statement that we overuse psychiatric medication. And the concern I hear from psychiatrists is that this conversation could end up sort of undermining confidence in an entire system of care. Some of these psychiatric meds are used by tens of millions of Americans. They are the first line treatments in many cases for anxiety and depression, very common disorders. And there's concern about undermining confidence in them.

[Tracy Mumford]

And finally, the feathers, the diamonds, the headpiece. The Met Gala is often billed as the world's most exclusive party. Can you just look at the detailing in my dress? Like it is? And last night, it brought what has become its trademark mix of high fashion and heated controversy. The event, which raised a record amount of money for the museum's Costume Institute, had a red carpet filled with sometimes eye popping looks. Bad Bunny shocked people by showing up looking old, wrinkled and gray, thanks to heavy special effects makeup that, he joked took 53 years to put on. Heidi Klum also went extreme, coming dressed exactly like a stone statue in full body makeup. It was honestly kind of eerie. Even before the night got started, though, protesters had been calling out the event as a glaring symbol of wealth inequality. The gala's lead sponsors this year were Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sanchez Bezos, which sparked a lot of backlash.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

Ready to shatter the billionaire class crown, jacket black, shimmering in revolutionary red, demonstrators

[Tracy Mumford]

set up their own alternate red carpets nearby. And some went a little further. One activist group put bottles of fake urine around the museum, a reference to reports from some Amazon workers that they're not even given time for bathroom breaks. The group also projected a giant slogan on buildings near Bezos, New York penthouse, including, if you can buy the Met Gala, you can pay more taxes. Those are the headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. We'll be back tomorrow.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

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