Start your week smart: Debt ceiling deal, Texas impeachment, Russian drone attack

By CNN

Published May 28, 2023 6:47 AM

By Andrew Torgan and Daniel Wine, CNN

(CNN) — We hope you are relaxing this Memorial Day weekend and enjoying your favorite outdoor activities. Wherever you are, don’t forget the sunscreen. Check out these tips on which types of sunscreen you should choose — and which types to avoid. Without further ado, here’s what else you need to know to Start Your Week Smart.

The weekend that was

• The White House and House Republicans have an agreement in principle on a deal to raise the debt ceiling for two years and cap spending, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy confirmed, moving the nation one step back from the brink of a historic default.

• The Texas House of Representatives voted to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton, an unprecedented move following a legislative probe that faulted the third-term Republican for a yearslong pattern of corruption, including abusing his office’s powers, retaliating against whistleblowers and obstructing justice.

• Russia launched its largest drone attack of the conflict yet on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, leaving one person dead and sparking fires across the city. The attacks come amid rumors of an imminent Ukrainian counteroffensive.

• A South Carolina judge temporarily blocked the state’s new abortion restrictions from going into effect, just one day after Gov. Henry McMaster signed them into law.

• Polls have opened in Turkey’s presidential runoff today as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan fights for a historic third term. Erdogan is going head-to-head with opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu.

The week ahead

Monday

The last Monday in May is Memorial Day — a day to honor the men and women who died while serving in the US military. Initially known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971.

Tuesday

Disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes is expected to report to prison after her last-minute bid to avoid starting her sentence was denied by an appellate court earlier this month. Holmes was originally due to begin serving her 11-year sentence for defrauding investors on April 27 but filed an appeal seeking to remain free on bail while she fought to overturn her conviction.

Wednesday

Some Amazon corporate workers have announced plans to walk off the job over frustrations with the company’s return-to-work policies, among other issues, in a sign of heightened tensions at the e-commerce giant after multiple rounds of layoffs. The work stoppage is being jointly organized by an internal climate justice worker group and a remote work advocacy group, according to an email from organizers and public social media posts. Workers participating have two main demands: that Amazon put climate impact at the forefront of its decision-making, and that the company provide greater flexibility for how and where employees work.

Thursday

June 1 marks the beginning of Pride Month, when the world’s LGBTQ communities come together and celebrate the freedom to be themselves.

Friday

If it’s the first Friday of the month, it’s employment report day. We will see how many jobs the US economy added in May following April’s surprising increase — and what the numbers mean for you, your employer and the Federal Reserve.

And we’ll end the workweek on a high note: It’s also National Donut Day!

One Thing: A maritime ‘Me Too’ moment

In this week’s “One Thing” podcast, CNN Investigates senior writers Blake Ellis and Melanie Hicken join the show joins to discuss how the US Coast Guard has allowed sexual assault at sea to go unchecked for years, and how one young mariner helped bring the problem to light. Listen here for more.

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

Tonight is a bittersweet night for fans of two popular HBO shows. “Succession” and “Barry” will air their series finales at 9 p.m. ET and 10 p.m. ET respectively. No “Succession” spoilers here for those who are still catching up … unless you really want to know where things stand with the backbiting Roys before the finale kicks off. (HBO, like CNN, is a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery.)

The much-loved AppleTV+ series “Ted Lasso” draws to a close Wednesday, when AFC Richmond play their final match of the season. Regardless of where all the characters wind up, rest assured it won’t be the last you’ll see of Hannah Waddingham. (“Ted Lasso” is produced by Warner Bros. Television, which like CNN is part of Warner Bros. Discovery.)

And if words are your thing, you won’t want to miss the Scripps National Spelling Bee, airing Wednesday and Thursday from 8-10 p.m. ET on ION.

In theaters

“Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse,” the sequel to the Oscar-winning animated hit featuring Miles Morales, arrives Friday.

What’s happening in sports

At a glance …

The 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 — known as “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing”— takes place later today.

In the NBA playoffs, the Boston Celtics are on the verge of making history after a dramatic buzzer-beating victory against the Miami Heat to force a Game 7. Boston is trying to become the first team to win a playoff series after trailing 3-0. The winner of that series will play the Denver Nuggets, who swept the Los Angeles Lakers in four games to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in the franchise’s 47-year history.

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

Quiz time!

Looking for a challenge this holiday weekend? Take CNN’s weekly news quiz to see how much you remember from the week that was! So far, only 9% of fellow quiz fans have gotten eight or more questions right. How will you fare?

Play me off…

‘Summertime’

Kick back this holiday weekend with a Gershwin classic performed by the one and only Willie Nelson. (Click here to view)

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