CDC

With a hearing scheduled next week, attorneys for Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration are asking a federal judge to reject arguments by Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings that a state ban on so-called “vaccine passports” is unconstitutional.

Cruise lines that operate from Florida ports have no intention of violating federal health and safety guidelines even as Gov. Ron DeSantis celebrates a recent court ruling stripping the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of authority over cruising in the state.

Under the policy, federal employees who are not confirmed as vaccinated would be required to wear masks at all times while at work and be tested regularly for the virus.

Reversing earlier guidance, the agency is encouraging indoor masking for fully vaccinated people under certain circumstances.

The agency argues that vaccinated people are safe without masks. But the guidance leaves room for plenty of unvaccinated people to mingle dangerously, and many argue that this is fueling case surges.

The CDC says COVID-19 was the largest factor, along with drug overdoses, homicides, diabetes and chronic liver disease. The decline was even greater for Hispanic men.

WLRN's Americas Editor Tim Padgett gives an update on the situations in Haiti and Cuba. A structural engineer who investigated the Pentagon after the attacks of Sept. 11, and the FIU bridge collapse, now investigates the Surfside condo collapse. And, a conversation on cruise ships and COVID-19 vaccinations.

More than 93,000 people died of a drug overdose in the U.S. last year, according to new CDC data. Fentanyl and other synthetic opioids accounted primarily for the rise, which the pandemic exacerbated.

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings has filed a lawsuit asking a federal judge to block a state law banning COVID-19 vaccination “passports” so the company’s fleet can resume operations.

"Americans who have been fully vaccinated do not need a booster shot at this time," read a joint statement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration.

A battle between Florida and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about cruise-industry restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic went to an appeals court Tuesday, as federal-government attorneys also argued that a lower-court ruling should be put on hold.

By a 5-4 vote, the court left in place the nationwide moratorium on evictions put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The moratorium is set to expire on July 31.