Vox Sentences - Masking's up to you

The federal mask mandate ends for airlines and most transportation; the war in Ukraine slashes expectations for global economic growth.

Tonight's Sentences was written by Jariel Arvin.

The end of airplane mask mandates, for now

 Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images 

• On Monday, US District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle struck down the CDC’s federal mask mandate for airlines and other types of transportation, arguing that the agency had overstepped its authority. [CNN / Tierney Sneed]
• The federal government said it would stop enforcing the mandate in response to the ruling. The CDC had extended the mandate through May 3 amid rising cases of the omicron BA.2 subvariant. [Washington Post / Lori Aratani, Dan Simmons, Mary Beth Gahan, and Michael Laris 
• Several major US airlines immediately made masks optional for customers and employees. Airlines have filed more than 7,000 unruly passenger reports since 2021 — largely tied to fights over face coverings. [NBC News / Marlene Lenthang]
• While scenes emerged Monday of many passengers cheering the end of mask requirements after two years, some Americans still worried about the virus responded with dread. [New York Times / Niraj Chokshi and Heather Murphy]
• The status of mask mandates is mixed for ground transit. Amtrak, New Jersey transit, Philadelphia, and DC have ditched their transit mask mandates while Chicago and San Fransisco kept theirs. [USA Today / N’dea Yancey-Bragg and Morgan Hines] 

Economists slash expectations for global growth

• As the world recovers from the coronavirus pandemic, the Russian invasion of Ukraine is disrupting supply chains and driving inflation higher. Economists are slashing expectations for global growth. [NYT / Ana Swanson and Alan Rappeport]
• On Tuesday, the International Monetary Fund said the global economy would expand 3.6 percent in each of the next two years, a substantial drop from 2021’s 6.1 percent. [CNN / Julia Horowitz]
• Supply shocks from Western sanctions on Russian oil and gas and the lack of wheat from Ukraine are driving up prices. The IMF now says inflation is a problem worldwide. [Reuters / Andrea Shalal]
• While there is considerable focus on Ukraine, reports released on Monday indicate that zero-Covid lockdowns are hurting China’s economy. Factory shutdowns there could exacerbate global problems. [Axios / Matt Phillips and Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian]

On Monday, the Food and Drug Administration announced an investigation into reports that Lucky Charms cereal has made some people sick. [NYT / Jesus Jimenez]

• Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) lost her bid to block Georgia voters from challenging her reelection over her alleged involvement in the January 6 insurrection. [ABC News / Hannah Demissie]
• Last week, Venezuelan police arrested a 72-year-old Venezuelan woman for making viral TikToks mocking politicians.[Washington Post / María Luisa Paúl]
• A Shawnee State University professor who was reprimanded after refusing to use a trans student’s pronouns won a $400,000 settlement against his employer for violating his religious rights. [NBC News / Matt Levietes]

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 “That’s up to them.”

[President Joe Biden on whether people should wear masks on planes. Recent CDC guidance suggests travelers should continue to do so.]

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