Future said mask off
 THE BIG STORY
We did it, fam: Fully vaccinated people can now ditch their masks and start returning to normal
On Thursday, the CDC released new guidelines, and guess what guess what guess what — fully vaccinated people in the US can now ditch their masks and stop socially distancing in almost all indoor and outdoor settings.
It's a bit of a surreal sentence to type, because it's an extraordinary milestone to reach after the restrictions of the last year in the pandemic. But the CDC director Rochelle Walensky put it simply like this: "If you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing the things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic."
She cited the data on the real-world effectiveness of the vaccines and their ability to protect against variants, the low risk of transmission to others, and universal access to vaccines for those 12 and older.
A few exceptions to the guidance: the CDC says fully vaccinated people should still wear masks while traveling on planes, buses, trains, and other public transport, and also at airports and stations in the US.
 Start your training now. @alisonwillmore / Twitter STAYING ON TOP OF THIS
Ellen said she didn't know she was toxic because her celebrity guests were having a good time
On Wednesday, Ellen DeGeneres announced that the next season of her talk show will be her last. In a TV interview on Thursday, she denied any knowledge of a toxic workplace environment where top producers engaged in sexual misconduct and suggested that the allegations were "orchestrated."
"I really didn't understand it. I still don't understand it. It was too orchestrated. It was too coordinated," she told Today. "I don't know how I could have known when there's 255 employees here and there are a lot of different buildings."
This fits with what former employees of The Ellen Show previously told BuzzFeed News: it's likely DeGeneres herself was not aware of what goes on behind the scenes as she does not spend enough time interacting with employees, and her top producers "insulate" her from details. SNAPSHOTS
He bought the land where he crossed into the US illegally. Now he's offering it up for other immigrants to do the same. Ociel Mendoza was just 18 when he crossed the US–Mexico border and traversed a 400-acre ranch in Texas as an undocumented immigrant. More than four decades later, he owns the land and makes crossing easier for others like him who are seeking a better life.
Asian American adoptees are grappling with incomplete histories and cultural gatekeepers. In response to the surge of racist violence, many Asian Americans are reconnecting with their ancestral cultures. But that's not so easy for those who were adopted into white families.
This woman shared the bad experience that left her scarred on TikTok. In a TikTok that has now been viewed nearly a million times, Victoria Quezada revealed why a recent experience with a cryolipolysis machine left her "traumatized." Rather than revealing a taut jawline, Quezada unveiled what she says was a three-day-old second-degree burn from the procedure. SINISTER INTENTIONS
The eerie and unsolved case of the Jan. 6 pipe bombs at the DNC and RNC
For four months, the FBI and reporters have been asking for information. Anything they can use. Any kind of lead. They've posted eerie security footage of an "unknown individual" in a hoodie and Nike Air Max Speed Turfs. This person is walking the nighttime streets of Capitol Hill — in an alley, then out, stopping, then gone.
Authorities believe this person placed pipe bombs at both the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee headquarters on the evening of Jan. 5.
Yet for all the ads around Washington, DC — all of them featuring screengrabs of the footage — there is little to go on. "No arrests have been made," Washington police Chief Robert Contee said Wednesday during a congressional hearing. "No suspects have been identified."
Katherine Miller goes into the eerie and unsolved case of the pipe bombs, and why there hasn't been a proper reckoning with the sinister intentions.  FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO BE EASED BACK IN Longreads for people wary of the pre-pandemic life returning in full force
It's fair. Maybe you understand the excitement everyone else has, but you want to be eased back into the Before Times. These recent longreads from the last few weeks are for you.
The world is going back to "normal." For many people that's not a good thing. Some people are just not ready for the return of commutes, or the return of working from an office. And after a year of social distancing, masking up, and avoiding crowds, those with lingering anxieties about getting sick are also wary of resuming close contact with others. Here are their stories.
How quarantine has affected introverts. More than a year of limited gatherings and fewer social obligations? For some introverts, that's the dream. For others, this is too much quiet, way more than they ever asked for. Read how introverts are taking lockdowns.
The pandemic has made "summer body" pressure even worse. Ahead of a summer with already lofty expectations, many people are obsessing over how their bodies have changed in the pandemic. Wishing you a day where you feel treasured and cared for, Elamin 📝 This letter was edited and brought to you by Elamin Abdelmahmoud and BuzzFeed News. You can always reach us here.
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