Independent News Drop

KELI From Inkwell, this is the Independent News Drop. It's Friday, May eighth. The time is eleven a.m. Central. I'm Keli, joined by Hast.

HAST Good morning. We're tracking developments across diplomacy, health policy, and domestic tensions this hour.

KELI We begin with an update on Italy and the United States. Rome is managing a delicate position as tensions with Iran escalate and the Vatican weighs in on the conflict. The strain is affecting economic ties and NATO coordination. Italy's government faces pressure from domestic constituencies concerned about involvement in Middle Eastern conflict while maintaining its alliance with Washington. Officials are navigating competing interests—security commitments to the US and economic exposure to disruption in the region.

HAST In a lighter discovery: a drive-thru meal brought something unexpected. The Christian Science Monitor is following this story as it develops. We'll have more details as they come in.

KELI On mifepristone, the medication abortion pill, there's new input from former FDA leadership and pharmaceutical industry voices. The central question, as one expert framed it, is jurisdiction—who actually gets to regulate this drug. Former FDA officials are entering the public record on how the agency originally evaluated mifepristone's safety and efficacy. This comes as legal briefs pile up ahead of what looks like a Supreme Court decision on telemedicine prescribing.

HAST Related to that: legal observers note the Supreme Court briefs are in, but the FDA itself hasn't filed. That's a procedural detail worth watching as justices prepare their decision on whether telemedicine prescriptions for mifepristone can continue.

KELI One more on this. Hast, the temptation here is to read this story a certain way. What should listeners watch for?

HAST Right. The simple read is going to be that the FDA is being sidelined by the courts, or that political actors are overriding the agency's expertise. The structural reality is that the Supreme Court has asked a narrow legal question about standing and jurisdiction, and the FDA has a choice about whether to file its own brief—they haven't yet. Watch for whether the FDA files before oral arguments. If they do, it signals they want to defend their original approval. If they don't, the simple read holds, but it might also mean the administration believes the courts will decide this without needing fresh agency input.

KELI So the absence itself tells us something about how the government sees its role here.

HAST Exactly.

KELI Colorado is charting an independent course on vaccines as the federal government changes direction. State leaders are passing new laws to make vaccinations more accessible, and a coalition of doctors, public health advocates, and residents is organizing a public conversation about vaccine importance. This reflects a broader shift where states are filling gaps left by federal policy changes.

HAST Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded to recent US military actions, calling them a "reckless military adventure" and saying diplomatic solutions keep getting bypassed. That's part of the continuing backdrop to the Italy story we led with—escalation and diplomatic positioning playing out simultaneously.

KELI And finally, a public health note: people who promoted ivermectin during the COVID pandemic are now making claims about the drug's use against hantavirus. Public health experts say these claims lack evidence. The Intercept reports on how this cycle repeats—unverified treatments gain traction during health crises, drawing attention away from established protocols.

HAST Sixty-seven years ago today, in nineteen fifty-seven, South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem began a state visit to the United States—his regime's principal military and economic sponsor.

KELI That's the Independent News Drop. We'll be back next hour. From Inkwell.