Jamie Ross and Hannah Jewell">

By Jamie Ross and Hannah Jewell

Listen to this briefing

Good morning. It’s Friday, May 8, and if you think you’ve had a rough week at work, spare a thought for the director of a tiny airport that suddenly has zero flights. Let’s catch up.

The U.S. launched a new round of military strikes on Iran.

• Why? They were “self-defense strikes” in response to attacks on U.S. warships, officials said. President Donald Trump said the ceasefire with Iran is still in place.
• A Post exclusive: A confidential CIA analysis said Iran can survive a U.S. blockade for months, raising new questions about Trump’s optimism on ending the war.
• The war is hitting your wallet: We explained the impacts with this pinball board.

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Trump’s attempts to impose global tariffs suffered another legal blow.

• What happened? A specialized court yesterday ruled against tariffs imposed by Trump in February as a replacement for other tariffs that were stuck down by the Supreme Court.
• Trump has been demanding gratitude: The National Park Service put up banners in D.C. showing him in a hard hat and the words “Thank you, President Trump” — take a look.

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The vote in Tennessee came in response to a Supreme Court decision last week that weakened the Voting Rights Act. (The Washington Post)

• Under the plan: Republicans would carve up a majority-Black district with the aim of winning an additional House seat in the midterms. The move has sparked fierce protests.
• In Ohio: Vivek Ramaswamy, who won the Republican nomination for governor this week, built his political career denouncing “wokeness.” Now, he’s confronting racism on the right.
• Looking ahead to 2028: Marcomentum is sweeping parts of the internet.

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Trump is withholding fire prevention money from some Democratic-led states.

• Since July: California and Colorado have received scarcely any of the money they expected from FEMA to recover from or prepare for fire disasters, according to a Post analysis.
• In related news: A Trump-appointed panel called for overhauling how FEMA operates, shifting responsibilities to states. Disaster survivors say that’s a bad idea.

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Shivon Zilis departs court in Oakland, California, this week. (Benjamin Fanjoy/Getty)

• What’s going on? Musk is suing ChatGPT-maker OpenAI and its chief executive, Sam Altman. The case has spilled billionaire secrets, and the judge has had stern words for Musk.
• Zooming in: Zilis served on OpenAI’s board and had a romantic entanglement with Musk, who then became her secret sperm donor. She testified this week — it was pretty revealing.

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Young and old men are leaving the workforce.

• A record decline: One in three American men were not working or searching for a job in March, federal data shows. That’s the highest level since 1948, excluding the pandemic.
• Why? It’s fueled by baby-boomer retirees and young men dropping out to study or because they are disabled or sick. Most opportunities are in areas typically dominated by women.

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Lawyers told The Post that more celebrities might follow Taylor Swift in registering trademarks of their likenesses. (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty)

• What’s happening? AI videos, images and audio have falsely represented public figures online. Now, Taylor Swift and other stars are trademarking their voices and likenesses.
• Should you be doing this, too? Probably not. It’s unclear whether the strategy will hold up in court, but it might make people more wary about making deepfakes of famous people.

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Before you go … what’s the secret to happiness? Buying a golf course with Bill Murray. If that feels unattainable: Here are seven simple ways to be a bit happier each day.

One more good read: They knew they were dying soon, so they threw a party.

And finally … take a game break: