Start your week smart: Trump on trial, presidential poll, measles on the rise, Chinese interference, Andrew Tate
CNN
CNN’s 5 Things brings you all the news you need to start your week smart.
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. • 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. TuesdayBritain’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. WednesdayFlorida’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.
Congressional Republicans have sent lawmakers home for the holidays without voting to address the Obamacare subsidies cliff that will hit millions of Americans on New Year’s Day — infuriating some of their own rank and file.
A jury found a Wisconsin judge – accused of helping an undocumented immigrant dodge federal authorities – guilty of obstruction Thursday, marking a victory for President Donald Trump as he continues his sweeping immigration crackdown across the country.
A number of Jeffrey Epstein survivors voiced their concern in a private meeting with female Democratic lawmakers earlier this week about the intermittent disclosure of Epstein-related documents and photos by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee, sharing that the selective publication of materials was distressing, four sources familiar with the call told CNN.
The US military conducted strikes against two alleged drug-trafficking boats in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Thursday, killing 5 people, according to US Southern Command.
Four-term North Carolina Democratic Gov. Jim Hunt, a towering figure in North Carolina politics in the late 20th century who helped leaders from both major parties strive for public education reform, died Thursday at the age of 88, his daughter Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt announced.
President Donald Trump announced Thursday the White House will host the “Patriot Games,” a competition with young athletes from across the county, as part of the celebration of the United States’ 250th anniversary next year.
Susie Wiles’ recently published interviews in Vanity Fair are remarkable for a multitude of reasons. But perhaps leading that list was what the White House chief of staff said about Venezuela.
With under two weeks to go before he’s sworn in, New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has not announced many hires for his administration. One of the few that he has announced was forced to almost immediately resign Thursday after her past antisemitic tweets came to light.
The board of trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts voted Thursday to rename the facility after both the former president and President Donald Trump.
Peruvian scientist Rosa Vásquez Espinoza joins forces with indigenous communities to protect a disappearing species that is crucial to the health of the rainforest.
Frustration is mounting inside the Justice Department as it races to redact thousands of pages of files related to Jeffrey Epstein before they must be released Friday, multiple sources familiar with the process told CNN.
The GOP-controlled House passed a bill that would block Medicaid funds from being used for gender identity care to minors.
The one-time bonuses President Donald Trump said Wednesday will be paid out to over a million US service members will be pulled from funds already approved by Congress to cover housing and other household costs for troops as part of a military stipend program.