Start your week smart: Trump’s Cabinet picks, Russian air attack, Texas execution, Bela Karolyi, Miss Universe

By CNN Newsource

Published November 17, 2024 6:00 AM

By Andrew Torgan and Daniel Wine, CNN

(CNN) — Thousands of screenshots. A growing list of unopened texts and emails. Yet another notification that your phone’s storage is almost full. That’s the reality for many of us in the digital age. But be warned: If your device is filled with too much digital clutter, it could be affecting your mental health and productivity.

Here’s what else you need to know to Start Your Week Smart.

The weekend that was

• President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team is bypassing traditional FBI background checks for some of his Cabinet picks while using private companies to conduct vetting of potential candidates. Trump has announced several controversial choices, including Matt Gaetz for attorney general and Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence. Follow live updates.
• Russia launched its largest aerial attack on Ukraine in months, hitting energy infrastructure across the country, killing at least five people and causing widespread damage. Strikes were reported in several major cities. In the capital Kyiv, residents were forced to shelter in the metro network.
• The Texas Supreme Court said the execution of a man convicted of murder in the 2002 death of his 2-year-old daughter could move forward, even as a state house committee seeks to subpoena Robert Roberson for his testimony and its bipartisan members fight to spare his life.
• Bela Karolyi, the legendary and controversial Romanian American gymnastics coach who helped lead Mary Lou Retton, Nadia Comaneci and Kerri Strug to Olympic gold, died at age 82.
• Victoria Kjær Theilvig of Denmark has been crowned Miss Universe 2024, becoming the first Dane to ever win the competition. The 21-year-old competitive dancer, entrepreneur and aspiring lawyer beat more than 120 other contestants in Mexico City.

The week ahead

Monday
The G20 Leaders’ Summit gets underway in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, amid a cloud of uncertainty brought about by President-elect Donald Trump’s impending return to the White House. Many leaders of the world’s major economies will be grappling with what Trump’s “America First” agenda will mean for the global economy and the grinding conflicts in Europe and the Middle East. China, perhaps more than most countries, will be bracing for fractious relations ahead with the US as Trump has pledged to slap 60% tariffs on all Chinese imports.

Tuesday
New York Judge Juan Merchan last week agreed to give Manhattan prosecutors and Trump’s lawyers until November 19 to hash out how to proceed in his hush money case now that Trump has been reelected, raising new questions about whether he will be sentenced after being convicted in May. It’s the latest instance where Trump’s Election Day victory has wiped away the likelihood that he will face legal repercussions after being indicted four times last year.

SpaceX is hoping to launch the sixth test flight of its Starship rocket — the most powerful rocket system ever constructed — which could one day carry humans to the moon and Mars. Starship’s fifth test flight in October included catching the rocket booster in midair as it returned to a gargantuan landing structure with a pair of massive metal pincers, which SpaceX calls “chopsticks.”

Wednesday
November 20 marks 1,000 days since Russia launched an unprecedented military assault on Ukraine by land, air and sea. Ukraine now faces a dark future following the election of Trump, who said he would end the war “in 24 hours,” but not how. Trump also said Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky “should never have let that war start” and dubbed him “one of the greatest salesmen I have ever seen” who gets $100 billion on every visit to Congress.

Thursday
The third Thursday in November is the Great American Smokeout.

Listen in

One Thing: 🎧 Bracing for deportations
In this episode of the “One Thing” podcast, CNN’s Rosa Flores tells us how two families that include undocumented immigrants feel about Trump’s plans for mass deportations. Listen here.

Photos of the week

Check out more images from the week that was, curated by CNN Photos.

What’s happening in entertainment

TV and streaming
Following the success of “Dune” and “Dune: Part Two” at the box office, HBO tonight debuts “Dune: Prophecy,” a new series set thousands of years before the rise of Paul Atreides that centers on the lives of the Bene Gesserit sisterhood. (HBO, Like CNN, is a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery.)

A new series from “Yellowstone” co-creator Taylor Sheridan premieres tonight on Paramount+. “Landman,” starring Billy Bob Thornton, Ali Larter, Jon Hamm and Demi Moore, is set in the oil boomtowns of west Texas.

The 58th annual CMA Awards will air live Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. The ceremony will feature performances by Post Malone, Chris Stapleton, Kelsea Ballerini, Noah Kahan, Dierks Bentley, Jelly Roll, Teddy Swims and many others. Country music legend George Strait will be honored with the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award.

And while the 97th Academy Awards are still several months away, we now know who will be hosting the event: Conan O’Brien. The Emmy-winning television host and comedian takes the mic from Jimmy Kimmel, who hosted the Academy Awards in 2017, 2018, 2023 and 2024. He said in August he had turned down a request to host the broadcast for a fifth time. The 97th Oscars will take place on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood and will air live on ABC.

In theaters
Gladiators enter the box office arena on Friday to do battle with a pair of witches from Oz. Are you not entertained?

Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II” — the sequel to his Oscar-winning epic from 2000 — stars Paul Mescal as Lucius, the (surprise!) illegitimate son of Russell Crowe’s Maximus, who was shipped off to North Africa as a child for his own protection. Pedro Pascal is the Roman general who raids Lucius’ village, slays his wife and brings him to Rome to be a gladiator. There he is taken under the wing of Denzel Washington’s scheming Macrinus — a former slave who trains those who are about to die … or not.

“Wicked” stars singer Ariana Grande and Oscar-nominated actress Cynthia Erivo as witches Glinda and Elphaba, respectively. The two-part movie is a cinematic adaptation of the famed Broadway musical, which is a prequel to “The Wizard of Oz” and tells an alternate version of events before Dorothy’s arrival in Oz.

What’s happening in sports

At a glance …
It’s tough, tough times for some NFL fans as we enter Week 11 of the season. Who has it worse right now: the Cowboys, Jets or Bears? Or is it the Browns? All of them had high hopes for this season — but it certainly hasn’t worked out that way. Here are five things to know for Week 11.

In college football, top-ranked Oregon held off Wisconsin 16-13 to remain undefeated, and Georgia scored two second-half touchdowns to beat Tennessee 31-17 in an SEC showdown.

And in case you missed the big boxing match Friday night, YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul defeated former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson via unanimous decision in their highly anticipated bout. Spectators were disappointed.

For more of your favorite sports, head on over to CNN Sports as well as Bleacher Report, which — like CNN — is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery.

Quiz time!

Looking for a challenge to start your week? Take CNN’s weekly news quiz to see how much you remember from the week that was! So far, 52% of fellow quiz fans have gotten eight or more questions right. How will you fare?

Play me off …

‘Defying Gravity’
Something tells us we’ll be hearing a lot of this song because something wicked this way comes … (Click here to view)

Article Topic Follows: CNN - National

Jump to comments ↓