Start your week smart: Microsoft hack, dueling campaign visits, Trump posts bond, government funding, drug trafficking
By Andrew Torgan and Daniel Wine, CNN
(CNN) — The TSA has unveiled a new self-service screening system at a security checkpoint at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. One question: Has the TSA actually seen the condition of most people departing Vegas on an early flight?
Here’s what else you need to know to Start Your Week Smart.
The weekend that was
• Russian state-backed hackers gained access to some of Microsoft’s core software systems in a hack first disclosed in January, the company said, revealing a more extensive and serious intrusion into Microsoft’s systems than previously known.
• President Joe Biden and Donald Trump kicked off the sequel to their 2020 contest in earnest with competing rallies in what could be a decisive state this November. Few battlegrounds will be more closely watched than Georgia, where Biden won by less than 12,000 votes four years ago.
• Trump posted a $91.63 million bond as he appeals the judgment against him in the E. Jean Carroll defamation case. During the appeal, Carroll will not collect the $83.3 million awarded to her by a federal jury.
• Biden signed a package of six government funding bills into law a day after lawmakers raced to fund critical government departments and agencies through the remainder of the fiscal year.
• Juan Orlando Hernández, the former president of Honduras, was found guilty of drug trafficking by an American jury after a two-week trial in Manhattan. He was accused of conspiring with drug cartels to move more than 400 tons of cocaine toward the United States.
The week ahead
Monday
It’s the first day of fasting for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which ends at sundown on April 9. If you’re not Muslim but don’t want to come across as insensitive to your fasting friends, neighbors and co-workers, we suggest revisiting this insightful Ramadan etiquette guide.
March 11 is also the day that online sports betting goes live in North Carolina — just in time for the NCAA’s March Madness men’s and women’s college basketball tournaments. North Carolina is home to UNC, Duke and NC State, which together have won a combined 13 national titles. (Editor’s note: Sports betting can have pitfalls — that’s why at the end of every commercial for betting apps is a number to call for help with a gambling addiction.)
Tuesday
A Biden-Trump rematch in November’s presidential election is all but a lock given Nikki Haley’s departure from the race, yet primary season continues until every state and territory has had its say. Up next on this Super-ish Tuesday: Georgia, Hawaii’s Republican presidential caucuses, Mississippi, Washington, the Northern Mariana Islands Democratic primary and the Democrats Abroad presidential primary — which allows Americans living outside the US to cast their ballots.
Special counsel Robert Hur is expected to testify at a public hearing in front of the House Judiciary Committee, sources familiar with the plans told CNN. Hur investigated President Biden’s handling of classified documents but ultimately declined to bring criminal charges and said the facts stopped short of finding he willfully retained classified material. But in doing so, Hur painted a damaging portrait of an aging president beset by memory issues, who had trouble recalling dates and details during his five-hour interview with the special counsel.
The IRS will fully open its free tax filing program — Direct File — to eligible tax filers in 12 pilot states: Arizona, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming.
Thursday
Elon Musk is hoping to make a third attempt at launching his massive Starship rocket. The first two attempts failed to reach orbit after what SpaceX called a “rapid unscheduled disassembly” … which means the rockets exploded mid-flight in spectacular fashion.
March 14 is also Pi Day. What, exactly, is Pi Day? Glad you asked …
Friday
Voters in the Northern Mariana Islands, a US territory in the Pacific some 3,700 miles west of Hawaii, select a candidate in the Republican presidential caucuses.
March 15 is the Ides of March, which any Shakespeare fan will tell you is when Julius Caesar was assassinated by a group of Roman senators. Beware!
One Thing: Hollywood and antisemitism
In this week’s “One Thing” podcast, CNN’s Elizabeth Wagmeister examines the history of antisemitism in Hollywood and whether diversity initiatives are making a meaningful impact beyond the Oscars. 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
It’s Oscar night! The 96th Academy Awards will air live at the new time of 7 p.m. ET on ABC, with Jimmy Kimmel returning to host the event for a fourth time. Leading with 13 nominations, the historical drama “Oppenheimer” is widely seen as the favorite to win best picture, best actor for Cillian Murphy and best director for Christopher Nolan. Fantastical dramedy “Poor Things,” starring Emma Stone, and the Martin Scorsese drama “Killers of the Flower Moon” have 11 and 10 nominations, respectively. The summer blockbuster “Barbie” earned eight nominations, including best picture, best actor in a supporting role and two nods for best song — yet director Greta Gerwig and star Margot Robbie were surprisingly left out.
“Grey’s Anatomy,” TV’s longest-running medical drama, begins its 20th season on Thursday at 9 p.m. on ABC. Loyal viewers can expect the return of a few familiar faces in the hallways of Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.
Apple TV+ again looks to history for its latest limited series, “Manhunt,” a conspiracy thriller about the hunt for John Wilkes Booth in the aftermath of President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. The first two episodes of the seven-part series debut on Friday.
On the big screen
Justice Smith and David Alan Grier star in “The American Society of Magical Negroes,” a comedy about a young man who is recruited into a secret society of magical Black people who dedicate their lives to a cause of the utmost importance: making White people’s lives easier. The film arrives Friday.
“Arthur the King” stars Mark Wahlberg as an adventure racer who adopts a stray dog to join him in an epic endurance race.
“Knox Goes Away” features a powerhouse cast that includes Michael Keaton, Al Pacino, Marcia Gay Harden and James Marsden. Keaton plays a contract killer who has a rapidly evolving form of dementia and is offered an opportunity to redeem himself by saving the life of his estranged adult son.
What’s happening in sports
At a glance …
Play continues at the 2024 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, but without Rafael Nadal. The 22-time Grand Slam winner has been plagued by injuries and withdrew the night before the first round, saying on X that he didn’t feel prepared enough to compete at “the highest level.” The women’s and men’s finals are scheduled for March 17.
March Madness — college basketball’s “Big Dance” — is right around the corner. That means we have a week loaded with conference championships leading up to Selection Sunday one week from today.
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, 60% of fellow quiz fans have gotten eight or more questions right. How will you fare?
Play me off …
‘Here Comes the Sun’
While you were sleeping, the Daylight Saving Time goblin crept into your bedroom and stole an hour of your sleep. On a positive note, all of you early risers out there can watch the sunrise this morning. (Click here to view)
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