Good morning, and happy Tuesday.

A federal judge in Florida ruled Monday that the Centers for Disease Control exceeded its authority and failed to follow proper rulemaking procedures when it required people on planes and public transit to wear masks. In the hours after the ruling airlines dropped their mask mandates. That includes Delta, the commercial carrier with the most service to Minnesota, as well as Sun Country Airlines. The Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport also said masks are now optional in its terminals. Metro Transit noted the change on its coronavirus information page, saying the federal mandate was no longer in effect, without explicitly addressing its own mandate. The transit agency noted the CDC still recommends that masks be worn on public transit.

Speaking of public transit, MPR’s Matt Sepic reportsofficials have released their preferred route for the Blue Line extension from downtown Minneapolis to Brooklyn Park, even as they scramble to come up with another $500 million to complete the beleaguered Southwest light rail project. The proposed 13-mile route of the Blue Line Extension follows Lyndale and West Broadway Avenues into north Minneapolis. It stops at North Memorial Health Hospital in Robbinsdale, and continues along Bottineau Boulevard into Crystal before rejoining West Broadway. Planners put the last of the 11 stations on Oak Grove Parkway near Highways 610 and 169, steps from Target’s suburban office campus. The Metropolitan Council hasn’t worked out a new budget yet. A 2018 estimate put the cost at $1.5 billion. The agency has already spent at least $129 million on planning. But that was for a route shared with a BNSF Railway freight corridor. The Met Council had to go back to the drawing board in 2020 after it couldn’t reach an agreement with BNSF on sharing eight miles of its right-of-way.

MPR’s Kirsti Marohn reports:Citing threats from pollution and climate change, a new report lists the Mississippi River — from its headwaters in northern Minnesota down to the Gulf of Mexico — as one of the most endangered rivers in the United States. Every year, the environmental advocacy group American Rivers publishes a list of the 10 U.S. rivers it considers most at risk. The group considers a waterway's significance, as well as the magnitude of threat it faces. The group’s 2020 report included a portion of the upper Mississippi from Minnesota to Missouri. But this year is the first time American Rivers has listed the river’s entire length, at No. 6. “The Mississippi River is America’s most famous and culturally significant river, and it is degrading due to climate change, habitat loss, invasive species and water pollution,” Olivia Dorothy, American Rivers restoration director based in Illinois, stated in a news release. “This has real impacts on local economies, public safety and quality of life.” The Mississippi is the source of drinking water for 20 million Americans in 50 U.S. cities, and generates an estimated $400 billion a year in economic activity. It’s also home to more than 800 species of fish and wildlife, and is a major flyway for waterfowl and migratory birds.

MinnPost has a look at who has raised the most money in the special election campaign in the 1st Congressional District. On the Republican side,  Matt Benda of Albert Lea has reported raising $168,651, which is the most among 1st District candidates so far. Benda loaned himself $15,000 and has more than $170,000 on hand. Just behind him is Brad Finstad — a former state lawmaker and USDA director of rural development for Minnesota under president Donald Trump — who reported raising $156,196 and has about $150,000 on hand. Trailing Finstad by a hair is former state Republican party chairwoman and Hagedorn’s widow, Jennifer Carnahan, who reported raising $151,000 and has roughly $121,000 on hand. Neither Finstad or Carnahan reported any loans. State Rep. Jeremy Munson State Rep. Jeremy Munson loaned himself $200,000, and raised another $100,000. He has more than over $297,000 left for the May 24 special primary. By far, the DFL candidate with the most financial resources — and the only DFLer with anywhere near the amount of cash that some of the Republicans have raised — is one of the party’s most recent entrants to the race: Jeff Ettinger, the former CEO of Hormel, who announced his candidacy in mid-March and reported raising more than $148,000. He has $143,000 on hand. The story also talks about which candidates have the most endorsements. 

The Star Tribune checks some other congressional fundraising : In the Twin Cities, two DFL members of Congress face competitive primaries. In St. Paul's Fourth Congressional District, longtime incumbent U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum outraised DFL challenger Amane Badhasso. McCollum brought in over $476,000 while Badhasso reported raising over $298,000, giving McCollum a cash advantage of over $400,000. In the Fifth Congressional District covering Minneapolis, two-term U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar was outraised by former Minneapolis City Council member Don Samuels, who kicked off a Democratic primary bid last month. Samuels brought in around $352,000 while Omar raised a little under $276,000. Omar has close to $493,000 in her campaign account while Samuels campaign reported having a little over $318,000. Both Omar and Samuels were outraised by GOP candidate Cicely Davis, though the Davis campaign reported total receipts of around $545,000 while spending around $550,000, leaving her campaign with under $98,000. Fellow Republican candidate Royce White raised more than $206,000 and has over $184,000 in cash.

From the Associated Press regarding our neighbors to the east: Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, a Republican elected to four terms starting in the 1980s, announced Monday that he will not run again in a bid to take on the Democratic incumbent in the battleground state. A campaign by the 80-year-old Thompson would have put him on the ballot for the first time in a decade and 24 years after his last win. The winner of the Aug. 9 Republican primary will advance to face Gov. Tony Evers. Thompson contemplated seeking yet another comeback in his unparalleled career in Wisconsin politics that spans more than half a century, even meeting last month with former President Donald Trump at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort to discuss it. Thompson said in a statement announcing that he would not run that it was a “very difficult decision.” Thompson’s entry would have shaken up an already crowded Republican field that includes former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, businessman and former Marine Kevin Nicholson and state Rep. Timothy Ramthun. Last week, Madison businessman Eric Hovde decided against a run.