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Today: March 25, 2025
Today: March 25, 2025

Start your week smart: DNC in Chicago, Russian volcano erupts, Gaza ceasefire talks, Ernesto hits Bermuda, Somerset House

August 18, 2024

(CNN) โ€” Have you ever signed up for a free trial of a streaming service or downloaded an app on your phone? At some point in the process, you clicked on โ€œagreeโ€ or some similar wording โ€” and that simple click could have sweeping legal ramifications youโ€™d never have suspected.

Hereโ€™s what else you need to know to Start Your Week Smart.

The weekend that was

โ€ข Kamala Harris shocked even people close to her with how sheโ€™s been coming across in the four weeks since she became a presidential candidate. Her campaign has been defined by the shortness of the race, but sheโ€™s also reaping the benefits from years of a quietly revamped internal operation.
โ€ข A volcano erupted following a 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck off Russiaโ€™s east coast, spurting a column of ash miles into the air, according to state-run media. The Shiveluch volcano is about 280 miles from the coastal city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
โ€ข Seven members of the same family were killed in an Israeli airstrike in central Gaza, medical officials said, as Secretary of State Antony Blinken travels to Israel to push for a ceasefire and hostage deal.
โ€ข Ernesto delivered a blow to Bermuda and was ramping up coastal danger for much of the United Statesโ€™ Eastern Seaboard after it thrashed Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without power.
โ€ข A blaze that broke out at Londonโ€™s historic Somerset House required around 125 firefighters to bring it under control, according to the London Fire Brigade. Smoke was seen rising over central London from the buildingโ€™s roof as firefighters worked from a crane to douse the flames.

The week ahead

Monday
The Democratic National Convention kicks off in Chicago. The party moved swiftly to tailor the convention to its new nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, after President Joe Biden announced he would not seek a second term โ€” in part drawing from the 2008 convention when Barack Obama accepted the nomination given the historic candidacy of Harris herself. Biden is spending his weekend preparing his speech for the opening night.

Tuesday
Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey will resign his seat, according to a copy of his resignation letter obtained by CNN. In July, Menendez was convicted of 16 counts โ€” including bribery, extortion, wire fraud, obstruction of justice and acting as a foreign agent โ€” for his role in a yearslong bribery scheme. Before his conviction, Menendez had faced mounting pressure from within his own party to resign or face the threat of expulsion from the Senate. New Jersey Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy announced late last week that he will appoint George Helmy, his former chief of staff, to fill the remainder of Menendezโ€™s term, which ends at the beginning of next year.

Alaska, Florida and Wyoming will hold nonpresidential primary elections.

Thursday
Harris will formally accept the Democratic Partyโ€™s nomination for president.

Friday
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell will deliver remarks on the economic outlook during the Kansas City Fedโ€™s annual symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Wall Street will be looking for any comments from Powell that suggest an interest rate cut is coming in September. The central bank has been waging a yearslong battle with inflation that sent rates spiking to a 23-year high while simultaneously trying to avoid a recession. A report last week that showed consumer price hikes slowed more than expected in July โ€” dipping below 3% for the first since 2021 โ€” is fueling hopes that the Fed will reduce borrowing costs to try to get job growth booming again.

French President Emmanuel Macron will host party leaders for talks aimed at naming a new prime minister and forming a government following Julyโ€™s snap elections.

Listen in

One Thing: ๐ŸŽง Ukraineโ€™s cross-border gamble
In todayโ€™s โ€œOne Thingโ€ podcast, CNNโ€™s Daria Tarasova-Markina explains why Ukraineโ€™s surprise incursion into Russia appears to be paying off. Listen here.

Photos of the week

Check out more images from the week that was, curated by CNN Photos.

Whatโ€™s happening in entertainment

On the big screen
When a tech mogul invites a waitress and her friend to vacation on his private island, things quickly go from sensational to psychotic. Thatโ€™s the plot of โ€œBlink Twice,โ€ Zoรซ Kravitzโ€™s directorial debut. Channing Tatum plays the aforementioned mogul, billionaire Slater King, alongside Adria Arjona, Alia Shawkat, Christian Slater, Simon Rex, Geena Davis and Haley Joel Osment. โ€œBlink Twiceโ€ opens Friday.

โ€œThe Crowโ€ is an exceedingly violent reboot of the 1994 cult classic, starring the late Brandon Lee. It features Bill Skarsgรฅrd, FKA Twigs and Danny Huston. โ€œThe Crowโ€ flies into theaters Friday.

Whatโ€™s happening in sports

At a glance โ€ฆ
The WNBA season resumed this weekend after taking a break for the Paris Olympics. Hereโ€™s what you should be watching for in the sprint to the finals.

In football, the NFL preseason continues today with the Green Bay Packers taking on the Denver Broncos, and the New Orleans Saints facing the San Francisco 49ers.

The college football season gets underway on Week 0 (yes โ€ฆ zero) with seven games scheduled for Saturday. Week 1, when most schools kick off the season, begins August 29.

For more of your favorite sports, head on over to CNN Sports as well as Bleacher Report, which โ€” like CNN โ€” is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery.

CNN Heroes

Meet CNN Hero Ron Davis Alvarez, an accomplished violinist, conductor, teacher and founder of the Dream Orchestra. Since 2016, his free program has given hundreds of refugees, immigrants, vulnerable young people and native Swedes the chance to learn an instrument, connect with others and enrich their lives.

Quiz time!

Looking for a challenge to start your week? Take CNNโ€™s news quiz to see how much you remember from the week that was! So far, 67% of fellow quiz fans have gotten eight or more questions right. How will you fare?

Play me off โ€ฆ

โ€˜Blue Moonโ€™
Look up in the night sky Monday and youโ€™ll see a rare supermoon thatโ€™s also a blue moon! A supermoon is at its closest point to Earth, and a blue moon โ€” while not blue in appearance โ€” refers to two full moons within the same calendar month. Hereโ€™s a rendition of Elvisโ€™ classic song by the Cowboy Junkies to get us all in the mood for Mondayโ€™s event. (Click here to view)

The-CNN-Wire
โ„ข & ยฉ 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

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