Start your week smart: Trump on trial, presidential poll, measles on the rise, Chinese influence, Andrew Tate

By Andrew Torgan and Daniel Wine, CNN

(CNN) — An Austrian company plans to build a vessel worthy of a James Bond villain: a customized submersible superyacht that’s more than 500 feet long and can remain below the ocean’s surface for up to four weeks. Eat your heart out, Jeff Bezos.

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

The weekend that was

• Jurors have a three-day weekend to think about the first full week of testimony in Donald Trump’s hush money trial. Lawyers’ questioning of a former tabloid publisher set the stage for witnesses such as adult film star Stormy Daniels and former lawyer Michael Cohen. The trial will resume Tuesday.
• Trump continues to hold an advantage over President Joe Biden as the campaign moves forward, according to a new CNN poll. Most Americans say that Trump’s term as president was a success, while a broad majority says Biden’s has been a failure. At the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Biden took jabs at his predecessor and poked fun at his own age.
• The number of measles cases around the world nearly doubled from 2022 to 2023, researchers say, presenting a challenge to efforts to achieve and maintain elimination status in many countries. Measles is a highly contagious airborne disease that can cause serious health consequences or death.
• Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US has seen evidence of Chinese attempts to “influence and arguably interfere” with the upcoming elections, despite an earlier commitment not to do so. Blinken just returned from a three-day to trip to China, where Xi Jinping said the countries should be “partners rather than adversaries.”
• The human trafficking and rape trial of self-proclaimed “misogynist” online influencer Andrew Tate can move forward, a Romanian court said. Tate was indicted in June along with his brother and two Romanian citizens. They have denied the allegations.

The week ahead

Tuesday
Britain’s King Charles III will resume public duties following “a period of treatment and recuperation,” Buckingham Palace announced Friday, two months after revealing that the 75-year-old monarch was being treated for cancer. King Charles will be joined by his wife, Queen Camilla, for a visit to a cancer treatment center “where they will meet medical specialists and patients,” according to a palace statement.

Wednesday
Florida’s six-week abortion law, which includes limited exemptions for rape, incest and to protect the life of the mother, goes into effect. The measure makes Florida one of the most restrictive states in the country in which to obtain an abortion and sets up a presidential-year fight over reproductive rights in the Sunshine State. Floridians will decide in November whether to enshrine abortion protections in the state’s constitution when they head to the polls. Constitutional amendments in Florida need the support of at least 60% of voters to be approved.

The Federal Reserve wraps up a two-day meeting on interest rates, with policymakers widely expected to stay the course and keep rates where they are until the country makes clearer progress on taming inflation.

The White House will hold a “state dinner” for its Teacher of the Year celebration, part of the Biden administration’s ongoing efforts to champion public education. The White House typically hosts a National Teacher of the Year event each year, but this year’s celebration will welcome the National Teacher of the Year — Tennessee educator Missy Testerman — and teachers of the year from all 50 states.

May 1 is also the beginning of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Thursday
Voters in the UK turn out for local elections that will likely go badly for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s governing Conservative Party. Sunak has said that he will hold a general election this year but has yet to confirm its date. The prevailing political wisdom is that he is hanging on as long as possible to avoid a catastrophic loss that could force his party into a decade of political irrelevance.

Friday
May 3 is World Press Freedom Day, dedicated to the importance of journalism and freedom of expression. This year’s theme is “A Press for the Planet: Journalism in the Face of the Environmental Crisis.”

One Thing: 10 years after #BringBackOurGirls
In this week’s “One Thing” podcast, CNN’s Stephanie Busari tells us how the Boko Haram schoolgirl abductions 10 years ago have set the stage for continued terror. 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
FX’s “The Veil” is an international spy thriller starring Elisabeth Moss, Yumna Marwan, Dali Benssalah and Josh Charles. It premieres Tuesday on Hulu.

The six-episode series “A Man in Full” debuts Thursday on Netflix. Based on Tom Wolfe’s novel of the same name, it features Jeff Daniels as Atlanta real estate tycoon Charlie Croker, who is facing bankruptcy and the dismantling of his empire.

On the big screen
The action comedy “The Fall Guy” stars Ryan Gosling as a stuntman with the most stuntman-ish name of names: Colt Seavers. Emily Blunt, Hannah Waddingham, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and many others, including real-life stunt performers, join in on the car-flipping, explosion-filled, set-the-guy-on-fire fun. (Note to all you ’80s kids: Colt Seavers was actor Lee Majors’ character in ABC’s “The Fall Guy” series.)

Music

Take a moment on Monday (or Tuesday) to wish country music legend Willie Nelson a happy 91st birthday. Nelson celebrates his birthday on April 29 and April 30 because, as he tells it, he “was born before midnight on the 29th, but it didn’t get registered in the county courthouse until the next day.”

What’s happening in sports

At a glance …
The 2024 NBA playoffs are underway with all 16 teams seeing action this week. Depending on the outcomes, the conference semifinals could begin as early as Saturday.

And if it’s the first Saturday in May, it’s Kentucky Derby Day. The 150th “Run for the Roses” will take place at Churchill Downs in Louisville. Last year’s race was marred by an unusually high number of horse deaths in the days preceding the main event. Among the favorites with a week to go are Fierceness, Sierra Leone and Catching Freedom.

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 news quiz to see how much you remember from the week that was! So far, 54% of fellow quiz fans have gotten eight or more questions right. How will you fare?

Play me off …

Happy ‘Star Wars’ Day!
Saturday is the fourth day of May, so … may the Fourth be with you, always. (Click here to view)

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