Start your week smart: Huge winter storm, New Orleans grit, Mike Johnson, hush money case, Cybertruck explosion

By Daniel Wine, CNN

(CNN) — January brought some good news for seniors on Medicare: a $2,000 annual cap on out-of-pocket drug costs. It’s one of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act’s most helpful provisions to lower prescription prices.

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

The weekend that was

• Nearly 70 million people are under winter alerts nationwide, with a powerful weather system expected to bring a potent mix of snow, ice and blizzard conditions, accompanied by winds gusting up to 50 mph. The storm will create treacherous travel conditions and potential power outages across at least a dozen states.
• For a generation now, New Orleans residents have been tested by a bevy of high-profile scourges. So many have internalized a hard and potent lesson that often gets celebrated here as “resilience” but really boils down to this: How to carry on in the face of the unimaginable.
• President-elect Donald Trump helped get Mike Johnson across the finish line, but the dramatic House speaker vote signals that there are challenges ahead. Johnson informed Republicans at a closed-door meeting that Trump favored moving his agenda as one sweeping package.
• Trump will face no legal penalties for his conviction in the hush money case, a New York judge ruled. Judge Juan Merchan, however, upheld his conviction. Merchan set sentencing for January 10 but indicated the case is essentially over.
• The active-duty US Army Green Beret who authorities say exploded a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas struggled with injuries relating to his military service and said he was depressed while they were together, an ex-girlfriend told CNN.

The week ahead

Monday
Congress will convene in a joint session to count electoral votes and certify the results of the presidential election.

Tuesday
Former President Jimmy Carter, who died last week at the age of 100, will lie in state at the US Capitol as members of the public are invited to pay their respects.

Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, accused of setting fire to a woman who was asleep on a New York City subway, will be arraigned on murder and arson charges.

The Consumer Electronics Show, the largest tech gathering of its kind, gets underway in Las Vegas so companies can show off their latest products and prototypes.

Thursday
Carter’s official state funeral will be held at the Washington National Cathedral starting at 10 a.m. President Joe Biden, who declared January 9 a National Day of Mourning for the late president, will deliver the eulogy to honor his longtime friend. Carter will then be flown to Georgia and laid to rest in a private service for family and friends.

Later in the day, Biden is scheduled to travel to Italy, where he plans to meet with Pope Francis and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who just met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago.

Friday
The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on whether a controversial ban on the social media app TikTok violates the First Amendment. The case thrusts the justices into a high-profile fight between Congress — which has cited national security concerns over China’s control of the app — and the platform’s users and executives, who argue that the ban violates freedom of speech.

Hoda Kotb, one of the most famous faces on NBC, will co-host her last “Today” show. Kotb joined the network in 1998 and, in announcing her departure in September, she said “this is the right time for me to move on.”

Listen in

One Thing: 🎧 ISIS inspiration
In this episode of the “One Thing” podcast, CNN’s Katie Bo Lillis explains why ISIS sympathizers radicalized online pose such a unique threat. 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 Golden Globes air tonight at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. The musical “Emilia Pérez” leads the pack with 10 nominations, and comedian Nikki Glaser will host the awards.

“Jerry Springer: Fights, Cameras, Action,” a new Netflix documentary series, takes you behind the scenes of the controversial talk show starting Tuesday.

In theaters
“The Last Showgirl,” starring Pamela Anderson as a glamorous showgirl who must plan for the future when her show abruptly closes after a 30-year run, opens Friday. Jamie Lee Curtis plays her best friend.

“Diane Warren: Relentless” tells the story of a songwriter who shaped an entire generation of music. The documentary brings some serious musical star power, including Cher, Common, Jennifer Hudson, Gloria Estefan, Kesha and LeAnn Rimes.

What’s happening in sports

At a glance …
In the NFL, the last few playoff spots are up for grabs. In Saturday’s games, the Baltimore Ravens cruised past the Cleveland Browns to clinch the AFC North, and the Cincinnati Bengals edged the Pittsburgh Steelers to keep their playoff hopes alive. Here’s what to watch for in today’s games.

The College Football Playoff semifinal matchups are all set. Penn State will play Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl on Thursday, and Texas will face Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl on Friday. The winners of those two games will meet for the national championship on January 20.

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!

Last chance to see how much you remember from 2024! So far, the average score on our Year in Review quiz is 15 out of 20 questions. Think you can do better? Not to worry — our regular news quiz will return next week.

Play me off …

‘January’

In the spirit of new beginnings, we bring you this aptly titled song from Elton John. (Click here to view)

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