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An Austrian company plans to build a vessel worthy of a James Bond villain: a customized submersible superyacht that’s more than 500 feet long and can remain below the ocean’s surface for up to four weeks. Eat your heart out, Jeff Bezos.
Here’s what else you need to know to Start Your Week Smart.
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• Jurors have a three-day weekend to think about the first full week of testimony in Donald Trump’s hush money trial. Lawyers’ questioning of a former tabloid publisher set the stage for witnesses such as adult film star Stormy Daniels and former lawyer Michael Cohen. The trial will resume Tuesday.
• Trump continues to hold an advantage over President Joe Biden as the campaign moves forward, according to a new CNN poll. Most Americans say that Trump’s term as president was a success, while a broad majority says Biden’s has been a failure. At the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Biden took jabs at his predecessor and poked fun at his own age.
• The number of measles cases around the world nearly doubled from 2022 to 2023, researchers say, presenting a challenge to efforts to achieve and maintain elimination status in many countries. Measles is a highly contagious airborne disease that can cause serious health consequences or death.
• Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US has seen evidence of Chinese attempts to “influence and arguably interfere” with the upcoming elections, despite an earlier commitment not to do so. Blinken just returned from a three-day to trip to China, where Xi Jinping said the countries should be “partners rather than adversaries.”
• The human trafficking and rape trial of self-proclaimed “misogynist” online influencer Andrew Tate can move forward, a Romanian court said. Tate was indicted in June along with his brother and two Romanian citizens. They have denied the allegations.
Tuesday
Britain’s King Charles III will resume public duties following “a period of treatment and recuperation,” Buckingham Palace announced Friday, two months after revealing that the 75-year-old monarch was being treated for cancer. King Charles will be joined by his wife, Queen Camilla, for a visit to a cancer treatment center “where they will meet medical specialists and patients,” according to a palace statement.
Wednesday
Florida’s six-week abortion law, which includes limited exemptions for rape, incest and to protect the life of the mother, goes into effect. The measure makes Florida one of the most restrictive states in the country in which to obtain an abortion and sets up a presidential-year fight over reproductive rights in the Sunshine State. Floridians will decide in November whether to enshrine abortion protections in the state’s constitution when they head to the polls. Constitutional amendments in Florida need the support of at least 60% of voters to be approved.
The Federal Reserve wraps up a two-day meeting on interest rates, with policymakers widely expected to stay the course and keep rates where they are until the country makes clearer progress on taming inflation.
The White House will hold a “state dinner” for its Teacher of the Year celebration, part of the Biden administration’s ongoing efforts to champion public education. The White House typically hosts a National Teacher of the Year event each year, but this year’s celebration will welcome the National Teacher of the Year — Tennessee educator Missy Testerman — and teachers of the year from all 50 states.
May 1 is also the beginning of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
Thursday
Voters in the UK turn out for local elections that will likely go badly for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s governing Conservative Party. Sunak has said that he will hold a general election this year but has yet to confirm its date. The prevailing political wisdom is that he is hanging on as long as possible to avoid a catastrophic loss that could force his party into a decade of political irrelevance.
Friday
May 3 is World Press Freedom Day, dedicated to the importance of journalism and freedom of expression. This year’s theme is “A Press for the Planet: Journalism in the Face of the Environmental Crisis.”
One Thing: 10 years after #BringBackOurGirls
In this week’s “One Thing” podcast, CNN’s Stephanie Busari tells us how the Boko Haram schoolgirl abductions 10 years ago have set the stage for continued terror. Listen here.
Jay Janner/Austin Statesman/USA Today Network/Reuters
Texas state troopers try to break up a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas in Austin on Wednesday, April 24.
Brendan McDermid/Pool/AP
Former US President Donald Trump sits in the courtroom during
his criminal trial in New York on Monday, April 22. For the first time in history, a former US president is standing trial on criminal charges. Trump was charged last year with falsifying business records to commit or conceal another crime. Prosecutors allege that the former president engaged in a cover-up scheme to hide reimbursement payments made to his former attorney, Michael Cohen, who had paid hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels to stop her from going public about a past affair with Trump before the 2016 presidential election. Trump has pleaded not guilty to the 34 charges and denied the affair.
Aaron Hughes/World Surf League/Getty Images
Surfer Gabriela Bryan
shares a wave with a pod of dolphins during the final of the Western Australia Margaret River Pro event on Sunday, April 21. She went on to win the competition.
Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
Refugees stand outside a makeshift shelter as a sandstorm approaches in Adre, Chad, on Sunday, April 21.
The war in Sudan has triggered a major hunger crisis in the country, and many have fled to neighboring Chad and South Sudan.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Abortion rights supporters rally outside the Supreme Court in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, April 24.
The court's justices appeared deeply divided Wednesday as they heard oral arguments on a challenge by the Biden administration to Idaho's abortion ban and whether it can be enforced in medical emergencies. A decision is expected by the end of June.
Rodrigo Buendia/AFP/Getty Images
Soldiers carry electoral material at a school in Quito, Ecuador, on Saturday, April 20.
Early results from Ecuador's referendum Sunday suggest President Daniel Noboa has won public backing for security measures aimed at boosting his war on crime.
Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP/Getty Images
A couple sits on the Tourkovounia hills as southerly winds
carry waves of Saharan dust through Athens, Greece, on Tuesday, April 23. Clouds of dust moving from northern Africa to Greece and other regions is a phenomenon that occasionally occurs, bringing limited visibility and prompting warnings of breathing risks.
Zac Goodwin/PA Images/Getty Images
Arsenal's Leandro Trossard reacts after teammate Ben White scored the London side's fifth goal of the game during a 5-0 Premier League victory against Chelsea on Tuesday, April 23.
Stringer/AFP/Getty Images
A body unearthed at Nasser Hospital is set on a stretcher and covered with flowers before being buried in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Tuesday, April 23.
Nearly 400 bodies have been found in mass graves at the hospital following Israeli troops' withdrawal from the area earlier this month, the Palestinian Civil Defense in Gaza said on Thursday. The Israel Defense Forces has said any suggestion that it buried Palestinian bodies in mass graves was false, and that a grave at the Nasser complex was dug by Palestinians in Gaza some months ago.
Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times/Redux
US House Speaker Mike Johnson talks to the press after the House passed a foreign aid bill in Washington, DC, on Saturday, April 20.
The speaker's embrace of Ukraine aid represents a remarkable evolution for Johnson, who voted against funding for the country as a rank-and-file member and was facing an all-out revolt from his right flank.
Gregory Bull/AP
The San Diego Padres' Randy Vazquez pitches against Toronto during a Major League Baseball game on Saturday, April 20.
Ian Forsyth/Getty Images
A man dressed as "Star Wars" character Chewbacca walks near the Scarborough Spa in Scarborough, England, on Sunday, April 21. The seaside town was hosting a sci-fi convention.
Hannah McKay/Reuters
A woman in Tel Aviv, Israel, reacts during a protest marking 200 days since the start of the conflict between Israel and Hamas on Tuesday, April 23.
Adrees Latif/Reuters
Michel, a Venezuelan migrant, holds her 7-year-old daughter Aranza at the US-Mexico border near El Paso, Texas, on Wednesday, April 24.
Stringer/AFP/Getty Images
People rush to humanitarian aid packages being dropped over northern Gaza on Tuesday, April 23.
Itamar Grinberg/AP
People gather around a piece of a ballistic missile near the Dead Sea in Israel on Saturday, April 20. Almost all the ballistic missiles and drones Iran launched at Israel in
an unprecedented attack this month were intercepted and failed to meet their mark, according to Israeli and American officials. The attack followed an Israeli strike on an Iranian diplomatic complex in Syria.
Jordan Pettitt/PA Images/Getty Images
Two Household Cavalry horses run through the streets of London after
breaking free on Wednesday, April 24. Six soldiers and seven horses were taking part in an exercise that morning when the animals became spooked after some concrete fell off a conveyor belt being used in nearby construction work and hit the ground, according to the British Army. The army said in an update on X on Thursday that five horses tried to bolt and four broke loose. They were recovered, but two are in "a serious condition," a British government minister said.
Oded Balilty/AP
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men and children burn leavened items in final preparation for the Passover holiday in Bnei Brak, Israel, on Monday, April 22.
Jack Dempsey/AP
Denver Nuggets guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope rises for a shot as he is defended by the Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James during an NBA playoff game on Saturday, April 20. The defending champion Nuggets won the opening game of the series.
Kevin Frayer/Getty Images
A sailor stands on the deck of the Guyiyang destroyer as members of the public line up to visit the ship in Qingdao, China, on Saturday, April 20. China was marking the 75th anniversary of the country's navy.
Ronny Adolof/AFP/Getty Images
The Mount Ruang volcano erupts in Sitaro, Indonesia, on Friday, April 19. Authorities ordered hundreds of villagers to evacuate following
multiple eruptions.
Tatyana Makeyeva/Reuters
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich makes a heart-shaped gesture inside a defendants cage before a court hearing in Moscow on Tuesday, April 23.
Gershkovich has spent over a year in Russian detention. He is being held on espionage charges, which he and his employer vehemently contest.
Omar Marques/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Highlanders walk with their sheep to start the grazing season in Ludźmierz, Poland, on Sunday, April 21. Every year, shepherds visit the local church to celebrate the start of the season and pray for a good grazing.
Mary Altaffer/AP
New York police officers inspect a backpack on Friday, April 19, after a man
lit himself on fire in a park outside the criminal court in Manhattan where former US President Donald Trump is standing trial.
Sajjad Hussain/AFP/Getty Images
A burqa-clad woman shows her inked finger after she cast a ballot in Kairana, India, on Friday, April 19. A mammoth exercise in democracy is underway in India, where nearly a billion people will go to the polls over the next six weeks to vote in
the world's largest-ever general election.
Geoff Burke/USA Today/Reuters
The bat of Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani shatters during a Major League Baseball game in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, April 23.
C.S. Muncy/The New York Times/Redux
Pro-Palestinian protesters camp on a lawn at Columbia University in New York on Monday, April 22.
Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images
People celebrate at a United Auto Workers vote watch party in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Friday, April 19. Hourly workers at Volkswagen's plant in Chattanooga
overwhelmingly voted to join the UAW, a major breakthrough in the union's effort to organize workers at plants nationwide.
Craig Hudson/Reuters
Marine One, with US President Joe Biden aboard, prepares to land at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Friday, April 19.
See last week in 29 photos.
Check out more images from the week that was, curated by CNN Photos.
TV and streaming
FX’s “The Veil” is an international spy thriller starring Elisabeth Moss, Yumna Marwan, Dali Benssalah and Josh Charles. It premieres Tuesday on Hulu.
The six-episode series “A Man in Full” debuts Thursday on Netflix. Based on Tom Wolfe’s novel of the same name, it features Jeff Daniels as Atlanta real estate tycoon Charlie Croker, who is facing bankruptcy and the dismantling of his empire.
On the big screen
The action comedy “The Fall Guy” stars Ryan Gosling as a stuntman with the most stuntman-ish name of names: Colt Seavers. Emily Blunt, Hannah Waddingham, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and many others, including real-life stunt performers, join in on the car-flipping, explosion-filled, set-the-guy-on-fire fun. (Note to all you ’80s kids: Colt Seavers was actor Lee Majors’ character in ABC’s “The Fall Guy” series.)
Music
Take a moment on Monday (or Tuesday) to wish country music legend Willie Nelson a happy 91st birthday. Nelson celebrates his birthday on April 29 and April 30 because, as he tells it, he “was born before midnight on the 29th, but it didn’t get registered in the county courthouse until the next day.”
At a glance …
The 2024 NBA playoffs are underway with all 16 teams seeing action this week. Depending on the outcomes, the conference semifinals could begin as early as Saturday.
And if it’s the first Saturday in May, it’s Kentucky Derby Day. The 150th “Run for the Roses” will take place at Churchill Downs in Louisville. Last year’s race was marred by an unusually high number of horse deaths in the days preceding the main event. Among the favorites with a week to go are Fierceness, Sierra Leone and Catching Freedom.
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.
Looking for a challenge to start your week? Take CNN’s news quiz to see how much you remember from the week that was! So far, 54% of fellow quiz fans have gotten eight or more questions right. How will you fare?
Happy ‘Star Wars’ Day!
Saturday is the fourth day of May, so … may the Fourth be with you, always. (Click here to view)