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What to know about changes to mask rules on planes · Apple News Today

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  Shumita Basu, Narrating: Good morning! It's Tuesday, April 19th. I'm Shumita Basu.
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  Duarte Geraldino, Narrating: And I'm Duarte Geraldino. This is "Apple News Today." Each morning, hear about some of the most fascinating stories in the news and how the world's best journalists are covering them.
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  Basu: A new ruling from a federal judge means travelers on airplanes and other forms of public transit won't be required to mask up. The judge said the federal mask mandate covering transportation exceeded the authority of the CDC.
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  Geraldino: There's been a lot of news related to wearing masks to slow the spread of COVID on planes, trains and at major transit hubs. And it's easy to get confused, so "USA Today" put together a summary which includes some of the key facts. The mandate was originally set to expire Monday, but the CDC extended it by 15 days to allow more time to look at the impact of a fast-spreading coronavirus subvariant.
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  Basu: When news of this ruling reached travelers yesterday, it wasn't clear what was supposed to happen. One person on a flight from Florida says there was a lot of drama onboard, with some passengers refusing to wear masks. Another person tweeted yesterday evening that a gate agent for Southwest Airlines told people they must be masked. "USA Today" checked in with airlines after the ruling and found many of the major carriers are making masks optional on domestic trips. Amtrak is doing the same. The airline industry has been lobbying to end the mask mandate for months.
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  Geraldino: Supporters of the mask mandate have attacked this judge's record. She's a Trump appointee. When U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle was nominated, the American Bar Association rated her, quote, "Not Qualified" for the position. It cited her limited trial experience and short tenure practicing law.
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  Basu: The Biden administration says it's looking into potential next steps. But for now, the TSA won't enforce the federal mask mandate. The CDC still recommends that people continue to wear masks in indoor public transportation settings.
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  A warning that this next story contains graphic depictions of sexual violence.
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  Many know Joe Paterno as the once-celebrated Penn State football coach. He was ultimately fired when it became known that an assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky, was molesting young boys and that Joe Paterno was aware of some of the allegations and didn't take strong enough action.
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  Geraldino: Now, new reporting from "ESPN" tells us there was another serial sexual predator in the Penn State football community. His name was Todd Hodne, and he arrived to play football for Penn State in 1977. Tom Junod reported this story with Paula Lavigne. He told us about how Hodne attacked another student named Betsy Sailor.
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  Tom Junod: She went into her bedroom, turned on the lights, the lights didn't go on. There was a hand around her mouth, there was a knife at her neck, and there was a person there saying, "If you open your mouth, I'll kill you."
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  All of this was going on while Paterno was effectively in charge of discipline on the Penn State football team.
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  Junod: Joe Paterno was known as kind of a fierce disciplinarian. You know, we had one player say that, basically, if you weren't wearing socks, you'd hear about it from Joe. So, Joe was a stickler for everything. But at the same time, the players enjoyed a great deal of license. I mean, everybody I've talked to in this story had said, "Well, it was the '70s, and it was a different time." And when I asked them what they meant, what they're referring to was, you know, sexual license.
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  Basu: Hodne was eventually caught and convicted for what he did to Betsy Sailor. But moments after the verdict, the judge did something that stunned the courtroom into silence. He allowed Hodne to go home while awaiting sentencing.
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  Junod: The crimes were notable for their cruelty and their violence. These are all, you know, first-degree felonies. That he was convicted for those crimes and able to somehow walk out of that classroom, get in a car with his parents and go back home is the central mystery of the case.
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  Geraldino: Hodne, he continued to attack women while he was free. He would later plead guilty to other counts of rape and sexual abuse during this period after his earlier conviction. He served a seven-year sentence. Soon after his release from prison, he murdered a taxicab driver. Hodne spent the rest of his life back in prison. He died in 2020.
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  Sarah Palin is back in politics. This former vice-presidential contender is now running for Congress. So "POLITICO" went to Alaska to see what people in her home state think about what she's up to.
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  Basu: Palin was, at one point, a huge star in her state. And her profile grew when she was John McCain's running mate. But nearly 15 years later, things are different.
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  David Siders: Palin fever has diminished quite a bit.
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  Geraldino: "POLITICO" reporter David Siders found a lot of people who are skeptical of her now. One former Republican state lawmaker said these days, Sarah Palin is seen as an opportunist, quote, "a little bit as a carpetbagger in her home state." At a recent meeting of local Republicans, one of Palin's competitors openly mocked her. And people in the audience, they were just laughing along.
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  Basu: And according to this article, a lot of Alaskans seem to be holding their breath. Some told "POLITICO" that they're tired of all the drama surrounding the Palins. Whether it's the family getting into physical fights or Palin participating in the TV show "The Masked Singer," her family has become the butt of a lot of tabloid jokes.
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  Geraldino: The polls also suggest her support has plummeted. According to one longtime pollster, her favorability is hovering around 30 percent. But, with all of this being said, a lot of political watchers say, don't count her out yet.
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  Siders: There is some sense of, a feeling, I think, of solidarity or something with somebody who they feel got a raw shake in 2008. There's a lot of resentment for her leaving the governor's office in 2009, but there's also a lot of resentment for how the media treated her run in 2008. And what goes along with that is also some depictions of Alaska that they think may have been too simplistic and perhaps unfair.
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  Basu: She's running to replace Congressman Don Young, who died earlier this year. His death opened the door to a pretty wild race.
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  Siders: The energy around the race is chaotic because there's nearly 50 people running. I think it's 48 right now. And then, there's also kind of a funky system in which this congressperson will be decided. It's an all-party primary. Four people advance out of the primary to a ranked choice vote.
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  Geraldino: And in a crowded race like this one, name recognition can count for a lot. Love her or hate her, Alaskans definitely know the name Sarah Palin.
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  By now, you've probably heard of the viral game "Wordle." This is the game where you have to guess a five-letter word in six guesses. Last week, Vice President Kamala Harris said she's a big fan. The folks at "The Ringer" wanted to find out more, so they called her up, and she did an extensive Q&A about how she plays.
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  Basu: Now, whether you play yourself, or you've just heard everyone else talking about it, you probably know a lot of the strategy hinges on that first word that you guess, right? It's about getting the right mix of vowels and consonants that can give you an edge when you guess in the future. Now, Harris says that she always starts with the word "NOTES." Which, at two vowels, three pretty common consonants, seems like a solid choice.
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  Geraldino: Another feature of this game is that it tracks your winning streaks. The Vice President said there was a hiccup a few weeks back when the game moved over to "The New York Times," which messed up her streak recordkeeping. And if you're wondering how you compare, when she talked to "The Ringer," her streak was 48.
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  Basu: The Vice President tells "The Ringer," one of the reasons why she's a fan of this game is because she sees it as a "brain cleanser." You know, something quick, short, easy enough to squeeze into very busy and high-pressure days.
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  Geraldino: And if you're wondering if the Vice President ever shares her results with her friends, she says nope. Apparently, her phone doesn't allow her to text anyone. So for now, her squares are for her and her alone.
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  Basu: You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app.
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  Geraldino: And when you're in the app, keep listening to hear narrated articles from our News+ partners.
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  Basu: We'll talk with you again tomorrow.
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