Start your week smart: Buffalo shooting, NATO, Ukraine, Eurovision, North Korea
By Andrew Torgan, CNN
Do you ever get a “case of the Mondays” — that feeling of dread brought on by the thought of having to go to work after a carefree weekend? Take a little advice on career happiness from Walter Orthmann, a 100-year-old man who’s worked at the same company for 84 years.
Here’s what else you need to know to Start Your Week Smart.
The weekend that was
• Ten people were killed in a racially motivated mass shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, yesterday by a suspect in tactical gear who was livestreaming the attack, law enforcement officials said during a news conference.
• Finland’s government announced earlier today it will apply to join NATO, ditching decades of wartime neutrality and ignoring Russian threats of possible retaliation as the Nordic country attempts to strengthen its security following the onset of the war in Ukraine.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with a congressional delegation led by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in Kyiv yesterday and called for Russia to officially be recognized as a “terrorist state.”
• Ukraine’s folk-rap group Kalush Orchestra won this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, surfing a wave of goodwill from European nations to clinch the country’s third win at the glitzy event.
• North Korea appears to have resumed construction at a long-dormant nuclear reactor in recent weeks that, if completed, would dramatically increase its capacity to produce plutonium for nuclear weapons, according to new satellite images obtained by CNN and a source familiar with recent US intelligence reporting on the matter.
The week ahead
Monday
Karine Jean-Pierre begins her first full week as White House press secretary following the departure of Jen Psaki last Friday. Jean-Pierre is the first Black and out LGBTQ person to hold the position.
Also Monday, Amber Heard is set to resume her testimony in the $50 million defamation case brought by her ex-husband Johnny Depp, following a weeklong break in proceedings.
Tuesday
Voters will head to the polls for primary elections in Idaho, Kentucky, North Carolina, Oregon and Pennsylvania in what will be another test of former President Donald Trump’s endorsement power. Ahead of the midterm elections in the fall, Trump has so far backed winners in the Ohio Senate race and in a House primary in West Virginia, even while his candidate fell short in the Nebraska gubernatorial primary. Much of the focus will be on Pennsylvania, where GOP Senate candidate Kathy Barnette has emerged as a major threat to Trump-backed Mehmet Oz — the celebrity heart surgeon and former television personality.
Follow all of CNN’s in-depth coverage of the 2022 midterm elections here.
Tuesday also promises to be out of this world! A House panel will hold an open congressional hearing about UFOs for the first time in more than 50 years. The public hearing will focus on a Pentagon program that was established last year after the US intelligence community released a preliminary assessment on 144 reports of “unidentified aerial phenomena” since 2004 — and could explain only one.
Friday
It’s World Bee Day! In 2017, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring May 20 as a day to remind people of the importance of preserving bees and other pollinators.
Also Friday, look for Anglophiles to be abuzz for two reasons: The Crawley family will return to theaters in the film “Downton Abbey: A New Era,” and Harry Styles’ new album, with the inviting title “Harry’s House,” is set to debut.
Saturday
May 21 is Armed Forces Day, a holiday observed in some areas of the US to honor all branches of the armed forces.
Want more 5 Things?
This week on the Sunday edition of the 5 Things podcast, we hear from a small-business owner having to adjust to high levels of inflation. Then, CNN Chief Business Correspondent Christine Romans tells us how we should interpret the (chaotic) state of the US economy. Listen here!
Photos of the week
Check out more moving, fascinating and thought-provoking images from the week that was, curated by CNN Photos.
What’s happening in entertainment
Naomi Judd memorial
A public celebration for the life of Naomi Judd will take place later today featuring tributes from family and friends, along with never-before-seen performances. “Good Morning America’s” Robin Roberts, who is a close family friend to the Judds, will host the memorial for the famed country singer who died in April.  She was 76. Ashley McBryde, Brandi Carlile, Emmylou Harris and Allison Russell, Little Big Town and The Gaithers are among the artists schedule to perform. The memorial airs commercial free at 6 p.m. ET on CMT.
2022 Billboard Music Awards
The Billboard Music Awards will broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas tonight at 8 p.m. ET. The Weeknd leads as a finalist in 17 categories, the most of any artist this year. The leading female finalist is Doja Cat, with nods in 14 categories, including top artist, top female artist and top hot 100 artist.
What’s happening in sports
NBA playoffs
The NBA playoffs continue later today with the Milwaukee Bucks facing the Boston Celtics and the Phoenix Suns taking on the Dallas Mavericks.
PGA Championship
The PGA Championship, one of professional golf’s four majors, begins Thursday at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma. World No.1 Scottie Scheffler and 4-time PGA Champion Tiger Woods are in the field of more than 150 of the world’s best players.
Preakness Stakes
The 147th Preakness Stakes — the second leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown — will be run on Saturday at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland, without Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike. Owner Rick Dawson made the decision last week, opting instead to let the horse rest until the Belmont Stakes on June 11.
Quiz time!
Take CNN’s weekly news quiz to see how much you remember from the week that was! So far, 73% of fellow quiz fans have gotten an 8 out of 10 or better this week. How well can you do?
Play me off
Starman
In honor of the upcoming hearing on UFOs later this week, travel back in time — and into space — with this ’70s classic from the incomparable David Bowie. (Click here to view)
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
