CNN
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With the arrival of December, the year is drawing to a close – and some might say not a moment too soon. What does 2023 hold in store for us? Well, it appears the future looks bright … magenta to be exact.
Here’s what else you need to know to Start Your Week Smart.
• Former President Donald Trump called for the termination of the Constitution to overturn the 2020 election and reinstate him to power Saturday in a continuation of his election denialism and pushing of fringe conspiracy theories.
• Beijing has set up more than 100 so-called overseas police stations across the globe to monitor, harass and in some cases repatriate Chinese citizens living in exile, using bilateral security arrangements struck with countries in Europe and Africa to gain a widespread presence internationally, a new report shared exclusively with CNN alleges.
• OPEC and its allies decided today to stick with their existing policy of curtailing oil output, just hours before new Western sanctions on Russian crude exports come into force.
• An extensive power outage affecting nearly 40,000 customers in North Carolina’s Moore County is being investigated as a “criminal occurrence” after crews found signs of potential vandalism at several locations, authorities said.
• Lionel Messi scored in what was the 1,000th game of his storied career as Argentina beat Australia 2-1 on Saturday to advance to the World Cup quarterfinals.
Monday
It’s the start of National Influenza Vaccination Week, an annual observance in December to remind everyone 6 months and older that there’s still time to get vaccinated against flu – especially children and adults whose chronic health conditions put them at higher risk.
Tuesday
The final undecided Senate race of 2022 will be settled as Georgia voters head to the polls for the runoff election pitting Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock against Republican challenger Herschel Walker. Warnock holds a narrow lead over Walker among those likely to vote in the runoff, according to a new CNN Poll conducted by SSRS. Warnock finished narrowly ahead of Walker in November but without the majority needed to avoid a runoff.
Wednesday
December 7 marks 81 years since the Japanese attack on the US Navy base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Saturday
Louisiana will hold a runoff election for a seat on the Louisiana Public Service Commission. Climate activist Davante Lewis of Baton Rouge is trying to unseat Lambert Boissiere III, a member of a prominent New Orleans political family who chairs the commission. Both men are Democrats.
December 10 is also World Human Rights Day, a day to commemorate the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.
Hear why protesters took to the streets in China
In this week’s One Thing podcast, CNN International Correspondent Selina Wang checks in from Beijing, where mass protests against Covid lockdowns led to the relaxation of some aspects of the country’s zero-Covid policy. She looks at how that policy has impacted ordinary citizens and whether the protests could spark even greater change. Listen here for more.
Unprecedented protests swept through China, triggered by a deadly fire in Urumqi, the capital of the far western region of Xinjiang. Videos of the incident appeared to show that lockdown measures had delayed firefighters from reaching the victims. The protests in China often featured demonstrators holding pieces of blank white paper, a symbolic protest against censorship.” class=”image_gallery-image__dam-img image_gallery-image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image_gallery-image__dam-img–loading’)’/>
runs onto the field with a rainbow flag during a World Cup match between Portugal and Uruguay on Monday, November 28. The Italian was also wearing a shirt that said “save Ukraine” on the front and “respect for Iranian women” on the back. In a series of posts on his Instagram story, Ferri called himself the “new Robin Hood” and said, “Breaking the rules if you do it for a good cause is NEVER A CRIME.” He was banned from attending future matches.” class=”image_gallery-image__dam-img image_gallery-image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image_gallery-image__dam-img–loading’)’/>
pro-government rally in Mexico City on Sunday, November 27.” class=”image_gallery-image__dam-img image_gallery-image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image_gallery-image__dam-img–loading’)’/>
state dinner at the White House in Washington, DC, on Thursday, December 1.” class=”image_gallery-image__dam-img image_gallery-image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image_gallery-image__dam-img–loading’)’/>
visiting Boston on Wednesday, November 30. The royal couple came to the United States to attend the Earthshot Prize Awards that William founded two years ago.” class=”image_gallery-image__dam-img image_gallery-image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image_gallery-image__dam-img–loading’)’/>
See the best photos of the 2022 World Cup.” class=”image_gallery-image__dam-img image_gallery-image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image_gallery-image__dam-img–loading’)’/>
deadly landslide on the Italian island of Ischia on Saturday, November 26. The landslide also damaged buildings and obliterated transport infrastructure.” class=”image_gallery-image__dam-img image_gallery-image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image_gallery-image__dam-img–loading’)’/>
This latest image captured by the James Webb Space Telescope shows the beautiful chaos of two merging galaxies located some 500 million light-years from Earth. US Vice President Kamala Harris and French President Emmanuel Macron viewed the new image, along with a new composite of the Pillars of Creation, during a visit to NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, November 30.” class=”image_gallery-image__dam-img image_gallery-image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image_gallery-image__dam-img–loading’)’/>
the victory, the United States advanced to the tournament’s knockout stage. Pulisic was injured on the play and substituted at halftime.” class=”image_gallery-image__dam-img image_gallery-image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image_gallery-image__dam-img–loading’)’/>
is seeking access to “all” transcripts and other evidence collected in the House’s investigation of last year’s attack on the US Capitol, Garland said in response to a question from CNN’s Evan Perez. During this news conference, Garland also put the spotlight on several other cases brought by the department — including new litigation related to the Jackson, Mississippi, water crisis — that he said encapsulated the department’s commitment to the rule of law, public safety and the protection of civil rights.” class=”image_gallery-image__dam-img image_gallery-image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image_gallery-image__dam-img–loading’)’/>
was passed by the Senate on Tuesday, November 29. At right are US Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Tammy Baldwin. The legislation would protect same-sex and interracial marriage. It now goes to the House, which is expected to pass it before the end of the year.” class=”image_gallery-image__dam-img image_gallery-image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image_gallery-image__dam-img–loading’)’/>
topped a record-breaking $9.12 billion this year, according to Adobe Analytics, kicking off a solid start to the holiday shopping season despite inflation and other economic concerns.” class=”image_gallery-image__dam-img image_gallery-image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image_gallery-image__dam-img–loading’)’/>
Severe storms and tornadoes swept through parts of the South.” class=”image_gallery-image__dam-img image_gallery-image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image_gallery-image__dam-img–loading’)’/>
Bankman-Fried admitted he made mistakes as chief executive, but he said he “didn’t ever try to commit fraud on anyone.” Bankman-Fried resigned as FTX’s CEO last month after it and dozens of affiliated companies filed for bankruptcy. It was one of the most stunning corporate implosions ever. Almost overnight, customers around the world were left scrambling to recover billions of funds that they’d deposited on the platform.” class=”image_gallery-image__dam-img image_gallery-image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image_gallery-image__dam-img–loading’)’/>
for a state visit this week. It’s the first state visit during Biden’s administration.” class=”image_gallery-image__dam-img image_gallery-image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image_gallery-image__dam-img–loading’)’/>
crashing in Montgomery Village, Maryland, on Sunday, November 27. The pilot and its passenger were stuck in the plane for nearly seven hours and taken to the hospital with serious injuries.” class=”image_gallery-image__dam-img image_gallery-image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image_gallery-image__dam-img–loading’)’/>
See last week in 34 photos.” class=”image_gallery-image__dam-img image_gallery-image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image_gallery-image__dam-img–loading’)’/>
The week in 32 photos
Check out more moving, fascinating and thought-provoking images from the week that was, curated by CNN Photos.
TV and streaming
“Pinocchio” is back … again. This time around, Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro reinvents the classic story of a wooden puppet brought to life, featuring the voices of Ewan McGregor, David Bradley, Gregory Mann, Tilda Swinton, Finn Wolfhard and Christoph Waltz. “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” begins streaming on Netflix Friday.
In theaters
“The Whale” stars Brendan Fraser as a reclusive, obese teacher who is trying to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter Ellie (Sadie Sink from “Stranger Things”). Fraser, whose film credits have thinned in recent years after he enjoyed action star status in the “Mummy” franchise two decades ago, received a prolonged standing ovation for his turn in “The Whale” at the Venice Film Festival in September. The film, directed by Darren Aronofsky, hits theaters on Friday.
World Cup
The Round of 16 got underway Saturday and continues through Tuesday. Later this morning, reigning champion France takes on Poland, and then England will play Senegal. The quarterfinals are set to begin on Friday. CNN is providing special coverage of the World Cup 2022 in Qatar through the final match on December 18.
Take CNN’s weekly news quiz to see how much you remember from the week that was! So far, 77% of fellow quiz fans have gotten eight or more questions right. How will you fare?
‘Christmas is Coming’
Here’s a little something to enjoy while you untangle strings of holiday lights and unpack broken ornaments. (Click here to view)
