Start your week smart: SpaceX crew splashes down, Pope Francis, DirecTV deal, Boar’s Head plant closing, Justin Timberlake

By CNN Newsource

Published September 15, 2024 6:58 AM

By Andrew Torgan and Daniel Wine, CNN

(CNN) — When you think deeply about pizza — and who doesn’t — do you think of the frozen food aisle of the grocery store? The delivery guy who was supposed to be there in 30 minutes? Or do you envision Naples, pizza’s ancestral home? Surely Italy is where you’ll find the world’s best pizza, right? Or maybe not …

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

The weekend that was

• SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn crew is home, capping off a five-day mission to orbit — which included the world’s first commercial spacewalk — by splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico. The Polaris Dawn mission made history as it reached a higher altitude than any human has traveled in five decades.
• Pope Francis described the choice US voters must make in the presidential election as one between the “lesser of two evils,” deeming Donald Trump’s anti-migrant policies and Kamala Harris’ support of abortion rights as both being “against life.”
• A short but tense distribution dispute between Disney and DirecTV came to an end after the two sides agreed to a new deal that will restore Disney-owned channels, including ABC, ESPN and FX, to the satellite TV provider.
• Boar’s Head will close the Virginia plant that produced deli meat tied to a deadly listeria outbreak. The move is part of several changes made following what it called a “dark moment in our company’s history.”
• Justin Timberlake pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of driving while impaired in a deal with New York prosecutors. The pop star was sentenced to community service and ordered to issue a public safety announcement.

The week ahead

Monday
September 16 is Independence Day in Mexico. The holiday commemorates the day when priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla called on Mexicans to rise up against the colonial government of Spain in 1810, starting an 11-year struggle for freedom. And if you thought May 5, or Cinco de Mayo, celebrated Mexico’s independence — think again.

September 16 also marks two years since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was taken into custody by Iran’s morality police for apparently not wearing her headscarf properly. Her death sparked violent clashes between demonstrators and authorities that left dozens dead.

Wednesday
The Federal Reserve wraps up its two-day meeting on monetary policy, and officials are widely expected to trim interest rates by a quarter-point, making it less expensive for individuals and businesses to borrow money. Inflation has slowed dramatically since the central bank began its historic tightening cycle in March 2022 — and while some price pressures still linger, their focus has shifted to the health of the labor market.

Friday
Early in-person voting in Virginia and Minnesota gets underway, as does absentee voting in South Dakota.

Saturday
President Joe Biden welcomes the leaders of Australia, India and Japan for the final “Quad” summit of his term, adding a personal touch to the event by hosting it in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, senior administration officials tell CNN. The gathering comes as the president has recalibrated plans for the final months of his term in office, shifting from campaigning for reelection to refocusing his attention on domestic and foreign policy issues, including working to shore up overseas alliances as he prepares a handoff to the next administration.

Listen in

One Thing: 🎧 School cell phone bans
In today’s “One Thing” podcast, CNN’s David Rind speaks with Beech Grove City Schools superintendent Laura Hammack about how her schools are implementing Indiana’s new law restricting cell phone use in classrooms. 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
The father and son duo Eugene and Dan Levy, who co-starred in the Emmy-winning sitcom “Schitt’s Creek,” will host the 76th Emmy Awards live tonight at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. FX’s “The Bear” landed 23 nominations, including outstanding comedy series. In the outstanding drama series category, another FX series, “Shōgun,” had the most nominations this year with 25.

In theaters
“The Substance” stars Demi Moore as a fading celebrity who decides to use a black-market drug that temporarily creates a younger, better version of herself. Margaret Qualley and Dennis Quaid co-star in the body horror film that opens Friday.

Also arriving Friday is “Never Let Go,” starring Halle Berry as the mother of twin sons living in a remote cabin in the woods (isn’t it always?). The trio remain tethered together by ropes whenever they leave the cabin to protect them from an evil spirit that has haunted the family for years.

What’s happening in sports

At a glance …
While football season is now in full swing, other sports are winding down. The WNBA Playoffs begin a week from today, and Major League Baseball’s postseason will start with the Wild Card Series on October 1. But fear not, diehard sports fans — the NBA’s preseason tip-off is just a few weeks away.

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.

CNN Heroes

This mom is giving kids in her community clothes, education and a link to their Native American culture
Becoming a foster mom gave CNN Hero Elisia Manuel the family she always wanted. After experiencing serious gaps in resources, she started a nonprofit that is helping hundreds of other families like hers.

Quiz time!

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, XX% of fellow quiz fans have gotten eight or more questions right. How will you fare?

Play me off …

‘The Preamble’
September 17 is Constitution Day, which commemorates the day in 1787 when the document was signed in Philadelphia. Anyone who grew up in the ’70s or ‘80s will remember this little ditty as their first introduction to the founding of the United States. (Click here to view)

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