Start your week smart: Israel, Auto strike, Matthew Perry, Mike Pence, Maine shootings

Published October 29, 2023 6:56 AM

By Andrew Torgan, CNN

(CNN) — Looking for a little last-minute costume inspiration for Halloween? For nearly two decades, one photographer has been documenting the denizens that haunt the New York City Subway system on their way to parties or the famous Village Halloween Parade. Scroll through his spooky portraits — if you dare …

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

The weekend that was

• The Israeli military said earlier today it was “increasing the urgency” of its calls for people in northern Gaza to flee south, a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had launched the “second stage” of its war against Hamas.
• The United Auto Workers union came to a tentative agreement Saturday with Stellantis, which makes vehicles under the Dodge, Ram, Chrysler and Jeep brands. But it expanded the strike against General Motors, America’s largest automaker and the last remaining holdout of the Big Three — dashing hopes it was close to ending the last remaining strike.
• Matthew Perry, the beloved actor who starred as Chandler Bing on “Friends,” has died. He was 54. Police in Los Angeles are investigating Perry’s death, a law enforcement source told CNN. There is currently no foul play suspected, the source said. However, the incident remains under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department Robbery-Homicide Division.
• Former Vice President Mike Pence has suspended his campaign for president amid lagging poll numbers and financial challenges, vowing to help elect “principled Republican leaders” moving forward. “After much prayer and deliberation, I have decided to suspend my campaign for president effective today,” Pence said at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual conference in Las Vegas on Saturday.
• The man accused of killing 18 people at a bowling alley and a restaurant in Maine last week was found dead on Friday evening. The body of the suspect was discovered some 10 miles from the shattered community of Lewiston with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said.

The week ahead

Monday
The trial in a lawsuit seeking to block former President Donald Trump from the 2024 presidential ballot based on the 14th Amendment’s “insurrectionist ban” is scheduled to begin in Colorado. Last week, a judge rejected Trump’s fifth attempt to throw out the lawsuit, which is one of several pending suits trying to derail his candidacy based on his role in the January 6, 2021, insurrection. The 14th Amendment, which was ratified after the Civil War, says US officials who take an oath to uphold the Constitution are disqualified from future office if they “engaged in insurrection” or have “given aid or comfort” to insurrectionists. However, the Constitution does not spell out how to enforce the ban, and it has only been applied twice since the 1800s.

Also on Monday, Apple is set to hold its second product event of the season, a month after introducing its new iPhone 15 lineup. The tagline for the event — “scary fast” — is an apparent nod to the likely unveiling of its next-generation silicon chip, M3, as well as to Halloween. The company is expected to show off new iMac computers boasting the new powerful chipset.

Tuesday
Happy Halloween! If you’re carving a pumpkin this weekend, watch this short video to learn how to avoid some of the most common injuries. And make sure your little Barbie or Batman wears something warm under their costume because temperatures are expected to plummet across much of the US on Halloween night.

Wednesday
Federal Reserve policymakers will wrap up their two-day meeting with an announcement on interest rates. Economists are anticipating a “status quo policy update,” which means a rate hike is not in the cards. That expectation is being fueled by comments from Fed Chair Jerome Powell, who said earlier this month that the central bank is unwilling to make big moves and risk “unnecessary harm to the economy.”

November 1 is the day that areas of West Maui — except for burned-out sections of historic Lahaina — will reopen to tourism following the deadliest US wildfire in more than a century. Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said he made the decision following discussions with his Lahaina advisory team, the Red Cross and other partners, as well as listening to community feedback.

Friday
We’ll wrap up the week with the monthly employment report for October. The US economy added an estimated 336,000 jobs in September, blowing expectations out of the water. That was the biggest gain since January, with all major sectors showing growth — particularly leisure and hospitality jobs.

One Thing: Trump’s rough legal week
In this week’s “One Thing” podcast, CNN’s Paula Reid recaps a turbulent legal week for former President Donald Trump and tells us what it could signal about the months ahead. Listen here.

Photos of the week

Check out more images from the week that was, curated by CNN Photos. Editor’s note: This gallery contains graphic images. Viewer discretion is advised.

What’s happening in entertainment

In theaters
Fans of Elvis Presley will get a look at another side of his storied life on Friday when Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla” opens on the big screen. Elvis met Priscilla Beaulieu in 1959. He was 24 at the time, while she was just 14. Cailee Spaeny (“Pacific Rim: Uprising,” “Bad Times at the El Royale”) and Jacob Elordi (“Euphoria”) star as the famous — and famously troubled — couple.

Eight years after stepping away from Hollywood, the queen of rom-coms is back. Meg Ryan (“When Harry Met Sally,” “You’ve Got Mail” and “Sleepless in Seattle”) and David Duchovny (“The X-Files”) co-star in “What Happens Later” as former lovers who see each other for the first time in years when they’re snowed in at an airport overnight.

And Daisy Ridley trades her lightsaber for a rifle in “The Marsh King’s Daughter,” a thriller based on the 2017 novel of the same name.

Music
More than 50 years after their last recording session, The Beatles will release their last song on Thursday. “Now And Then” was written and sung by John Lennon, developed and worked on by Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, and finally finished by Paul and Ringo over four decades later.

And on Friday, the 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will stream live at 8 p.m. ET on Disney+. Inductees Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott, Chaka Khan, and Willie Nelson will perform, as well as special guests Brandi Carlile, Dave Matthews, Elton John, H.E.R., Chris Stapleton, St. Vincent, New Edition, and many others.

What’s happening in sports

At a glance …
In tennis, the WTA Finals get underway today. The end-of-year championship series — a showpiece event of women’s tennis — sees the eight top-ranked singles players and eight top-ranked doubles pairings battle it out to be crowned the ultimate champions of the year.

And in baseball, Game 3 of the World Series is set for Monday. The Arizona Diamondbacks and the Texas Rangers are currently tied 1-1 as the series now heads to Phoenix.

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, 46% of fellow quiz fans have gotten eight or more questions right. How will you fare?

Play me off …

‘Love Me Do’
In October 1962, a new single hit record stores across England. It was “Love Me Do,” the debut song by The Beatles. Give a listen to the Fab Four’s first before the arrival this week of their final collaboration. (Click here to listen)

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