Vox Sentences - Traveling this weekend? Brace yourself.

US travel will be chaotic over the July Fourth weekend; the WNBA’s Brittney Griner faces drug-smuggling charges in Russia.

Tonight's Sentences was written by Jariel Arvin.

A chaotic weekend for US air travel

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

• US air travel could be dreadful over Independence Day weekend amid pilot and other airline staff shortages. Air carriers have already canceled 1,800 flights this week, and experts predict further disruptions. [Guardian / Edward Helmore]
• On Tuesday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) sent a letter urging Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to fine airlines for scheduling flights they cannot staff and delaying scheduled flights. [NBC News / Rebecca Shabad and Sahil Kapur]
• Despite high gas prices, a record 42 million Americans could choose to drive to a Fourth of July weekend destination. AAA says the increase could be related to unpredictable air travel. [Axios / Kelly Tyko]
• Although the situation seems particularly bad for air passengers, the percentage of flight cancellations and delays this year is similar to 2019. The problem is that most disruptions happen during busy weekends. [New York Times / Heather Murphy]
• Globally, the tourism industry hopes to rebound after two-plus years of the coronavirus pandemic. However, supply chain issues, labor shortages, and continuing Covid-19 infections mean a full recovery is unlikely until 2024. [Associated Press / Laurie Kellman]

Brittney Griner appears in Moscow court

• On Friday, WNBA star Brittney Griner was charged with carrying cannabis oil in her luggage when she arrived in Russia in February. [Washington Post / Robyn Dixon and Mary Ilyushina]
• Prosecutors accused Griner of carrying two vape cartridges containing a total of 0.702 grams of cannabis oil, which Russia classifies as a narcotic. She faces 10 years in prison if convicted. [CNN]
• The US says Griner is “wrongfully detained,” and the government’s top negotiator is working to bring her home. [Guardian / Andrew Roth]
• Russia might release Griner in exchange for the release of a Russian prisoner. However, such a move could encourage further detainment of Americans abroad. [NYT / Michael Crowley]

Donald Trump’s PAC and allies paid legal fees for witnesses testifying before the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, events at the Capitol, raising ethical questions about Trump’s influence. [NYT]

• On Thursday, gun owners sued Washington, DC, for the right to carry concealed firearms on the Metro system. [Washington Post / Paul Duggan]
• On Friday, Simone Biles, John McCain, Gabby Giffords, and 14 other Americans received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Joe Biden. [Politico / Olivia Olander]
• A bison gored a 71-year-old woman in Yellowstone National Park on Wednesday, the third incident this year. Her injuries are not life-threatening. [Guardian / Victoria Bekiempis]

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“It’s a complicated situation, and nobody has clean hands except the customers who bought tickets thinking they were going on vacation or flying for business.”

[Robert Mann, an airline industry expert, on the air travel chaos / Guardian]

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