Start your week smart: Alaska Airlines, Supreme Court, Israel’s new phase of war, Defense secretary, winter storm

By CNN Newsource

Published January 7, 2024 6:57 AM

By Andrew Torgan and Daniel Wine, CNN

(CNN) — The winter storm moving through the Northeast and mid-Atlantic this weekend serves as a reminder that cold weather can have a detrimental effect on more than just your commute and your heating bill — but your health as well. Learn how to stay safe when temperatures plummet.

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

The weekend that was

• Federal investigators are searching for the missing piece of an Alaska Airlines aircraft’s fuselage that blew off mid-flight as they investigate what led to the horrifying midair ordeal that resulted in the nationwide grounding of certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft and a slew of flight cancellations.
• The US Supreme Court said it will review the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision removing Donald Trump from that state’s ballot and scheduled oral arguments for February 8. The court also will decide whether emergency room doctors can perform medically necessary abortions in states that prohibit them.
• Three months in, Israel is entering a new phase of its war against Hamas. Israeli officials have warned of a lengthy war that could stretch through 2024 and beyond, and it will unfold in front of an international community increasingly aghast at the extraordinary humanitarian crisis and spiraling civilian deaths in Gaza.
• President Joe Biden was not aware for days that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was hospitalized, a source told CNN. Austin was admitted to the hospital on New Year’s Day due to complications from an elective surgery, and the Pentagon announced the hospitalization Friday.
• The next winter storm is already on the move in the US and is expected to bring heavy snow, blizzard conditions, strong winds, potential tornadoes and serious flooding as it carves a path from the Southwest to the Northeast starting Monday through midweek.

The week ahead

Monday
The Senate returns from its holiday recess to face a mountain of problems, including the crisis at the US-Mexico border, providing aid to Israel and Ukraine, and heading off a partial government shutdown.

A lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James in 2020 to dissolve the National Rifle Association of America, claiming the organization violated laws for nonprofit groups, took millions for personal use and committed tax fraud, is set to go to trial. On Friday, Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the NRA, said he is stepping down from his position effective January 31. LaPierre cited health reasons. In the civil lawsuit, James alleges the current and former NRA leadership “instituted a culture of self-dealing mismanagement” benefiting themselves, family, friends and favored vendors.

Pittsburgh-based space company Astrobotic is hoping for a successful launch of its Peregrine lunar lander, which aims to be the first commercial spacecraft to land on the surface of the moon in late February. Various scientific payloads will be on board Peregrine, including a radiation monitor that will inspect how dangerous the lunar surface can be for astronaut health.

Tuesday
CES, the consumer electronics industry’s largest annual gathering in the US, returns to Las Vegas. The four-day event will be heavily focused on integrating artificial intelligence into just about any product you can imagine.

Wednesday
House Republicans will begin taking steps to impeach Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas over his handling of the crisis at the southern border. The announcement of the impeachment proceedings comes as immigration is shaping up to be a top issue in the 2024 presidential election, with Republicans slamming President Joe Biden’s border policies.

CNN will host a Republican presidential primary debate in Iowa. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have said they will participate in the debate, which will take place at 9 p.m. ET at Drake University in Des Moines. Former President Donald Trump, who holds a commanding lead over the rest of the field and has skipped the first four 2024 GOP primary debates, will not be there.

Thursday
Hunter Biden will make his initial court appearance on federal tax charges in Los Angeles. He is facing nine counts, including failure to file and pay taxes; evasion of assessment; and false or fraudulent tax return. This is the second criminal case that special counsel David Weiss has brought against President Biden’s son.

Saturday
Voters in Taiwan head to the polls in a crucial presidential and legislative election as China continues to ratchet up pressure on the island under the leadership of Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, who is widely seen as cultivating an unofficial relationship with the US. Tsai’s successor candidate for the Democratic Progressive Party, Vice President Lai Ching-te, is leading in the polls and is openly loathed by Chinese officials. Lai is ahead of two other candidates who are seen as favoring closer relations with Beijing. China’s Communist Party claims Taiwan as its own territory, despite never having controlled it, and Chinese officials say they aim for peaceful “reunification” but have not ruled out using force to take control of the island.

One Thing: A border deal to nowhere?
In this week’s One Thing podcast, CNN’s Ed Lavandera checks in from Eagle Pass, Texas, to update us on the situation at the US-Mexico border amid Washington funding negotiations and upcoming impeachment proceedings against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. 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 81st Golden Globe Awards will air live tonight at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+. Comedian Jo Koy is set to host the event, which has undergone a major overhaul following the 2021 diversity and ethics scandal that saw the show go off the air in 2022, return to poor ratings on NBC in 2023, and then be acquired by Dick Clark Productions’ parent company. Top contenders include Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie,” which scored the most nominations of any film with nine, and “Oppenheimer,” from director Christopher Nolan, which has eight. On the TV front, HBO’s final season of “Succession” landed nine nominations. Here’s a list of all the nominees.

HBO, like CNN, is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. “Barbie” was distributed by Warner Bros., which is also owned by Warner Bros. Discovery.

In theaters
There’s a little something for everyone opening at the multiplex on Friday, from a new musical version of “Mean Girls” to the tale of an unlikely messiah in “The Book of Clarence” to “The Beekeeper,” starring action movie stalwart Jason Statham as (surprise!) a former operative of a secret organization hell-bent on revenge.

What’s happening in sports

At a glance …
It’s the final week of the NFL’s regular season, and several division titles will be on the line today. The playoffs kick off Saturday with Wild Card Weekend.

The Michigan Wolverines and Washington Huskies face off Monday in the College Football Playoff National Championship in Houston. In last week’s semifinal matchups, Michigan edged Alabama 27-20 in overtime in the Rose Bowl while Washington defeated Texas 37-31 in the Sugar Bowl.

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, 65% of fellow quiz fans have gotten eight or more questions right. How will you fare?

Play me off …

‘Never Gonna Give You Up’
In recognition of this, the first Sunday edition of 5 Things for 2024, we want to thank all our loyal readers who joined us — and stuck with us — throughout the last 12 months. Here’s to you! (Click here to view)

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