Start your week smart: Blinken meeting, Trump trial gag order, Nepal earthquake, January 6 sentence, Washington Post CEO

By CNN Newsource

Published November 5, 2023 7:53 AM

By Andrew Torgan and Daniel Wine, CNN

(CNN) — A new series of photographs appears at first glance to depict Pacific Islanders in ordinary poses. Upon closer inspection, viewers realize that the subjects — all residents of Fiji — are in fact sitting on the ocean floor. The project by photographer Nick Brandt is a striking commentary on the islands’ vulnerability to rising sea levels and climate change.

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

The weekend that was

• US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah today amid escalating settler violence in the West Bank following the Hamas attack on Israel. The visit comes as the United States grapples with the Israel-Hamas war and resulting humanitarian catastrophe. Follow live updates.
• The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial has expanded a gag order in the trial to extend to Trump’s attorneys after continued lengthy discussions about the judge’s communications with his law clerk during court this week.
• At least 157 people have been killed in an earthquake that struck a remote part of northwestern Nepal and toppled multiple buildings, according to police, as officials warned that the death toll could rise.
• A former State Department appointee of Donald Trump was sentenced to 70 months in prison for his violent role on January 6, 2021. Federico Klein was found guilty this summer of multiple counts, including assaulting police officers.
• The Washington Post named news media veteran William Lewis as its new publisher and CEO at a critical time for the newspaper, as it contends with financial trouble, a rapidly shifting media environment and a looming presidential election.

The week ahead

Monday
Former President Donald Trump is slated to testify in the civil fraud trial against him, two of his adult sons and his company as he continues to attack the trial, the judge and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, who helped run the Trump Organization while their father was in the White House, took the stand last week. Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka, who is no longer a co-defendant and lives in Florida, is expected to testify on Wednesday after a court denied her request to postpone her court appearance after she claimed she’d suffer “undue hardship” if forced to appear during a school week.

Tuesday
Special counsel David Weiss is expected to voluntarily appear before the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee for a transcribed interview about his role overseeing the Hunter Biden criminal investigation, two sources familiar with the plans tell CNN. Weiss likely won’t be able to say much, as it is rare for a special counsel to be interviewed by Congress while a criminal investigation is ongoing. Typically, Congress waits until the conclusion of an investigation.

Tuesday is also an off-year election day, with voters in several states heading to the polls. Ohio in particular will be watched closely as it will either become the latest state to enshrine abortion rights into its constitution or enter a period of uncertainty as the state Supreme Court considers allowing a six-week abortion ban to be enforced. Last year, voters in Michigan, Vermont and California voted to add abortion protections to their state constitutions, while Kansas, Kentucky and Montana voters rejected efforts to roll back access.

Wednesday
The third Republican presidential primary debate will be held in Miami with a smaller number of candidates on the stage. Former Vice President Mike Pence suspended his campaign for president late last month amid lagging poll numbers and financial challenges, vowing to help elect “principled Republican leaders” moving forward.

Friday
Some 35,000 workers will go on strike across 18 casino resorts on the Las Vegas Strip if an agreement on a five-year contract is not reached by 5 a.m. PT (8 a.m. ET). Members of the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165 voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike last month. The unions are asking for better pay, a reduced workload and quotas, and the provision of safety protections, among other things.

Friday is also when Veterans Day is observed as a federal holiday.

Saturday
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) regional economic forum kicks off in San Francisco. The 21 APEC Member Economies account for nearly 40% of the global population, nearly 50% of global trade, and more than 60% of US goods exports.

One Thing: Biden’s balancing act
In this week’s One Thing podcast, CNN’s Phil Mattingly explains how President Joe Biden is weighing humanitarian concerns, geopolitics and campaign pressure in calculating how to handle support for Israel in its war with Hamas. 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
“Yellowstone” producer Taylor Sheridan brings yet another Western to the small screen tonight with the premiere on Paramount+ of “Lawmen: Bass Reeves,” a series that will devote each season to a different frontier lawman or outlaw. CNN’s Brian Lowry has a full review of the eight-episode series featuring David Oyelowo as the Black 19th-century US marshal.

Tuesday will see CBS’ “NCIS” franchise head Down Under with the debut of “NCIS: Sydney,” while “A Murder at the End of the World” hits Hulu.

Instead of a rocket, NASA is planning a different kind of launch for Wednesday with the official rollout of NASA+, its new ad-free, no-cost streaming service.

Finally, K-pop fans will get their fix when Amazon Prime rolls out “BTS: Yet to Come” on Thursday.

In theaters
Brie Larson reprises her role as Carol Danvers —aka Captain Marvel — in “The Marvels,” which arrives on the big screen Friday. You’ve probably seen the commercials for the latest entry in the MCU, but due to the Hollywood actors strike, you have not heard anything about it from its stars.

And going into wider release this week is “The Holdovers,” from director Alexander Payne. Set in a stiff New England private school in 1970, “The Holdovers” stars Paul Giamatti as a cranky history teacher forced to babysit a handful of students who can’t go home over the holidays. Brian Lowry calls it very funny, occasionally touching and a sterling example of the bonds that can be forged by an unlikely family.

What’s happening in sports

At a glance …
The New York City Marathon will just be getting underway as this newsletter arrives in your inbox — and if you plan to watch the race either on the streets of the Big Apple or on TV, you may notice something a little different on the feet of the elite runners: so-called “super shoes” that are helping athletes break records at a blistering pace.

The NBA is barely into the 2023-24 season, but a new tournament is already underway. The league’s inaugural In-Season Tournament (Really? That’s the name?) tipped off this weekend. According to the tournament’s format, all 30 teams play a group stage and then a knockout round, which includes the semifinals and the final in Las Vegas. Winners will get to hoist the NBA Cup (Again, really?) on December 7.

And in tennis, the WTA finals wrap up today. Here’s everything you need to know about watching the end-of-year championship.

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, 61% of fellow quiz fans have gotten eight or more questions right. How will you fare?

Play me off …

‘Now and Then’
We told you last week that The Beatles were about to release what is described as their final song, featuring the voice of the late John Lennon decades after he first wrote it. Well, here it is — thanks to a little help from artificial intelligence. (Click here to watch)

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