10 Things in Politics: Masks off

Good morning! Welcome back to 10 Things in Politics, your weekday look at the biggest stories in DC and beyond. Sign up here to receive this newsletter.

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Here's what we're talking about:

• CDC says fully vaccinated Americans can mostly ditch their masks and stop distancing
• Matt Gaetz associate Joel Greenberg will plead guilty to 6 felony counts
• Everyone wants a lobbyist who can be a reconciliation whisperer

One thing to look out for today: House Republicans are expected to select a replacement for Rep. Liz Cheney as conference chair.

1. FACING A NEW DAY: The end is in sight. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendation that the roughly 118 million Americans who are fully vaccinated can almost entirely ditch their masks and stop social distancing is the biggest move yet to moving past the pandemic in the US. This doesn't mean mask mandates will end immediately. There never was a sweeping federal mask mandate, so some states and cities were already phasing out their requirements before the announcement, and others may soon follow. Private companies can also set their own requirements.

But it does show that federal officials are listening to the criticisms that they've been too slow and too cautious. It also provides the largest incentive yet to many who remain skeptical about getting vaccinated, though winning $1 million is nice too.

• But what about people who aren't vaccinated?: "We know the vaccines are so effective that fully vaccinated people, even if they are mixing and mingling with people who haven't done that, are at relatively low risk of getting infected," Dr. Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health, said on CNN.

Almost everywhere is not everywhere: For now, the CDC is still advising Americans to wear masks on planes, trains, and buses, along with other forms of public transportation. People with weakened immune systems are also advised to talk to their doctor.

• There's still a lot to sort out: So far, vaccines are authorized for those ages 12 and up. Dr. Anthony Fauci said on CNN that schools should be "should be open five days, full blast, just the way it was before."

The new guidelines are explained in this handy chart:

The announcement shocked many public-health experts: Hundreds of epidemiologists, many of whom have been more cautious in their guidance during the pandemic, told The New York Times that they expected public mask-wearing for another year.

• Experts tell my colleagues the new guidelines are really a test for how much risk you're willing to tolerate: "It doesn't mean that you have to take your mask off," said Anne Rimoin, an epidemiology professor at the University of California at Los Angeles. "It means that you can take your mask off."

More on what the new rules mean for you here.

2. Rep. Matt Gaetz associate Joel Greenberg will plead guilty to 6 felony counts: Greenberg, a former Florida county tax collector, plans to plead guilty to six counts including sex trafficking, identity theft, and wire fraud, a significant downgrade from the 33 federal charges he was facing through multiple indictments, Insider has learned. Greenberg will appear in court Monday to formalize his plea agreement. This could be very bad news for Gaetz.

• A reminder of what Greenberg might say: According to The Daily Beast, Greenberg said in a recent letter that Gaetz paid for sex with a minor.

3. Israeli forces hit Hamas' tunnel network: Israel's military conducted a large-scale operation Friday aimed at destroying Hamas' tunnel network in Gaza, The Washington Post reports of the 40-minute assault. Lt. Jonathan Conricus said Israeli ground forces were involved but did not enter Gaza, contradicting an earlier claim by Israeli officials that their troops had begun a ground incursion. Violence between Jews and Arabs in Israel is also worsening to the point at which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned against "lynching" by either side.

4. Everyone wants a lobbyist who can be a reconciliation whisperer: President Joe Biden and Democrats want a bipartisan infrastructure deal. But if his $4 trillion plan can't garner Republican support, Democrats still have a complicated legislative maneuver they might use to ram it through on a narrow majority vote. Here are 13 Capitol Hill and K-Street veterans advising some of the most powerful companies on how to squeeze their priorities in.

5. Republicans are expected to replace Liz Cheney today: Rep. Elise Stefanik, whom House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy prefers for the No. 3 leadership post, is no longer running unopposed to replace the now-ousted Cheney. Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, a former chief of staff to Sen. Ted Cruz, is mounting a conservative challenge to Stefanik, pointing out the New Yorker's past votes are far less conservative than his. Former President Donald Trump has endorsed Stefanik and called for Roy to face a primary challenge.

6. Colonial said to have paid $5 million to ransomware hackers: The operator of the major East Coast fuel pipeline paid extortionists nearly $5 million in bitcoin to recover its stolen data, The New York Times reports. The move helped ease a supply crunch that led to 10,000 stations running out of gas amid panic buying, but it complicates efforts to deter cyberattacks.

• It'll take time for the shortages to subside: Patrick De Haan, the head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia would probably take the longest to recover.

7. A major overhaul of how the military handles sexual assault is nearing passage: Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa now have more than 60 supporters for their legislation, meaning it is now filibuster-proof, The Wall Street Journal reports. The bill would still need to pass the House and be signed into law by Biden, but its supporters are optimistic it will happen this year.

8. A Trump prosecution would mean security nightmares in New York, Atlanta, and Washington, DC: Making matters more challenging for government officials and law-enforcement jurisdictions is that any Trump proceedings could take place in more than one location over weeks or months. One big reason for concern around Trump is simply his presence in a courthouse.

• Key quote: "Security would become a serious issue, and there would need to be precautions that are taken, precisely because of Trump's continuing policy of having no enemies on his right," said Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Democrat of Maryland who was an impeachment manager for Trump's Senate trial early this year.

9. Pelosi suggests House Ethics Committee should review Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's "verbal assault" of AOC: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Taylor Greene's shouting and following of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez down a hallway was "beyond the pale" and amounted to "abuse." Taylor Greene insisted she did not "scream" at Ocasio-Cortez, though two Washington Post reporters who observed the incident described her as shouting. "This is beneath the dignity of a person serving in the Congress of the United States," Pelosi said of Taylor Greene.

10. The run on trading cards is so bad that Target has temporarily halted sales: The retail giant announced that starting today it would suspend all in-store sales of MLB, NFL, NBA, and Pokémon trading cards after fights broke out. The collectible market has skyrocketed during the coronavirus pandemic, causing increasingly violent competitions between resellers and other customers. One man pulled a gun during a fight in a parking lot outside a Wisconsin Target.

Today's trivia question: What was the unofficial nickname for the president's plane before it received its "Air Force One" designation? Hint: Bart Simpson might have approved. Email your guess and a suggested question to me at [email protected].

• Yesterday's answer: Henry David Thoreau opposed the Mexican-American War so fervently that he spent a night in jail after refusing to pay a Massachusetts poll tax.

That's it for now. Have a wonderful weekend!