Independent News Drop

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

HAST Good morning. We're tracking the fallout across the Middle East after weeks of escalating military action between the U.S., Israel, and Iran. Tourism in some of the region's most iconic destinations is collapsing. Al Jazeera reports that Petra in Jordan, one of the world's most visited archaeological sites, is now nearly empty. Jordanian tour operators say bookings have dropped sharply, and families dependent on that income are facing real hardship. The concern is that even when military tensions ease, it can take months or years for tourism confidence to return to a conflict zone.

KELI We turn to Britain now, where a major retailer's co-founder is facing prison time. The BBC reports that James Holder, who co-founded the fashion brand Superdry, has been sentenced to jail for rape. Holder was convicted in connection with an attack on a woman in her flat following a night out in May of 2022. The case has drawn attention to accountability within the business community, and Superdry's board has already moved to distance the company from Holder's actions.

HAST A legal and regulatory battle continues in Texas over smokeable hemp products. The Texas Tribune reports that businesses have been ordered to pull rolled joints and hemp flower from their shelves again. Just last month, a court had temporarily halted a statewide ban, but as the case moves through the appeals process, the restrictions are back in place. Shop owners now face uncertainty about what they can and cannot sell while the courts sort out the legal questions around hemp derivatives.

KELI The Food and Drug Administration is taking another look at a rare cancer treatment it rejected just months ago. STAT News reports that the FDA is revisiting the therapy after additional data came in. The case highlights how drug approval decisions sometimes shift as new evidence emerges, and it underscores the complexity of balancing patient access with safety standards in oncology treatments.

HAST China's anti-corruption campaign continues at the highest levels of government. NPR reports that President Xi Jinping's administration has sentenced two former defense ministers to suspended death sentences. Both convictions are part of a sweep that's been underway for more than a decade, aimed at rooting out what officials characterize as corruption within the military establishment.

KELI One more on the lead story. 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 regional instability is driving tourists away, and when peace returns, tourists will return. The structural reality is that confidence in a destination's safety doesn't respond to a ceasefire announcement the way a light switch works—there's a lag. Hotels, guides, and travel companies have already taken losses, and customers remember that. Watch for whether travel agencies in Europe and North America start booking Jordan again within the next two months. If we don't see booking recovery in that window, it suggests the damage to tourism infrastructure itself may run deeper than just fear of the conflict.

KELI So it's not just about the fighting stopping. The economic effects can outlast the political moment.

HAST Exactly.

KELI On this day in 1964, Pacific Airlines Flight 773 was hijacked by Francisco Gonzales and crashed in Contra Costa County, California, killing forty-four people.

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