KELI From Inkwell, this is the Independent News Drop. It's Sunday, May thirty-first. The time is six a.m. Central. I'm Keli, with Hast.
HAST Morning. We're starting with a structural story about the pandemic and regulatory approvals — one that's been reported in pieces but never quite assembled. Then we'll move overseas and into the campaign trail.
KELI From our Ground News desk: During the pandemic, the FDA approved a vaccine under something called Emergency Use Authorization. That statute has a legal requirement built into it — the agency must find that no adequate approved alternatives exist before granting an EUA. What hasn't been clearly laid out in mainstream coverage is that the National Institutes of Health, specifically NIAID, held co-inventorship patents on the mRNA platform being approved. Moderna later settled a patent dispute with NIH for four hundred million dollars. And during the pandemic, NIAID received six hundred ninety million in royalties from that same company. Separately, we know that David Morens, a senior adviser to Anthony Fauci, wrote in an email that he tried to communicate via personal Gmail because his NIH email was being FOIA'd. The quote: "I can't be FOIA'd on my personal email." Each of those facts has been reported. The structure connecting them — a federal agency making a finding required by law while holding financial interest in the product it approved, alongside efforts to route communications outside public records — that assembly has not appeared in the mainstream press. We'll be watching to see whether editorial outlets begin connecting those dots in the coming weeks, or whether they remain separate stories in separate coverage cycles.
HAST On a different front now. Israel's military says it has captured Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon — a strategic hilltop position. Defense Minister Israel Katz described the seizure as a significant tactical victory. This is part of a broader pattern of displacement orders Israel has issued in Lebanon over recent days. The operation reflects what military analysts are calling an intensification of cross-border activity, though the scale remains contained compared to earlier escalations. We'll track how this develops.
KELI Staying overseas: Ukrainian forces struck multiple Russian targets overnight, including the Saratov refinery. Drone attacks hit civilian infrastructure across several Russian regions. The frequency of these strikes has increased over the past week, and Ukrainian officials say the campaign is designed to pressure Moscow's supply lines. Russian air defense systems have had limited success intercepting the drones.
HAST Different scale, but related to how political figures are made. A new look at reality television and its role in training political candidates. NPR reports that some stars of reality shows — where characters tend to be larger than life and drama is weaponized for ratings — are using that fame as a stepping stone into actual political races. The skills are not the same. But the name recognition and media savvy developed on set are. We're likely to see more candidates emerge from that pipeline in coming election cycles.
KELI Before we close, a history note: On this day in nineteen fifty-five, the U.S. Supreme Court issued what's known as Brown II, expanding on its Brown v. Board decision by ordering district courts and school boards to enforce educational desegregation at all deliberate speed.
HAST That phrase — "all deliberate speed" — would become contested almost immediately. It was meant to allow implementation time. It ended up allowing delay.
KELI That's the Independent News Drop. We'll be back this evening. From Inkwell.