Start your week smart: Shutdown averted, Tupac Shakur case, Georgia guilty plea, Mark Milley, Dianne Feinstein

By CNN Newsource

Published October 1, 2023 5:55 am

By Andrew Torgan and Daniel Wine, CNN

(CNN) — Generation X, the roughly 65 million people born between 1965 and 1980, witnessed many innovations: MTV, web browsing, digital music downloads and smartphones, to name just a few. They were also the first generation to enter the workforce after the shift from employer-run pension plans to 401(k)-style accounts. But when it comes to saving for retirement, most Gen Xers appear to have missed the memo.

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

The weekend that was

• President Biden signed into law the stopgap bill to avert a government shutdown passed by Congress just hours ahead of a critical midnight deadline when funding for federal agencies was set to run out. The measure will keep the government open through November 17. Follow live updates.
• A grand jury indicted Duane Keith “Keffe D” Davis on charges of murder with use of a deadly weapon in connection with the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur, Las Vegas authorities announced. Shakur was shot and killed while leaving a boxing match on the Las Vegas Strip.
• One of Donald Trump’s co-defendants pleaded guilty to five counts in the 2020 election subversion case in Georgia. Bail bondsman Scott Hall, 59, is the first defendant in the case to take a plea agreement with prosecutors.
• In an impassioned speech, departing Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley defiantly proclaimed that the US military does not swear an oath to a “wannabe dictator.” It was a pointed swipe at Donald Trump, who has accused Milley of “treason.”
• Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, whose three decades on Capitol Hill made her the longest-serving female senator in history, died at age 90. Feinstein was a fixture of California politics for decades and was first elected to the Senate in 1992 after a historic political career in San Francisco.

The week ahead

Monday
Talks are set to resume between striking actors and studio representatives, two-and-a-half months after the more than 160,000 members of the SAG-AFTRA union went on strike and one week after the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers reached a tentative contract agreement. SAG-AFTRA and the WGA have both sought contract changes related to streaming residuals and artificial intelligence. Actors are also asking for better relocation expenses for actors working out of state or country and limited long breaks between television seasons in order to give actors more stability while under contract. SAG-AFTRA has been on strike since July 14.

It’s the beginning of Nobel Prize week. The 2023 Nobel Prizes for Physiology or Medicine, Physics, Chemistry and Literature will be announced Monday through Thursday, respectively, ending with the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday. The Sveriges Riksbank Prize In Economic Sciences, created in memory of Alfred Nobel, will be announced the following week.

Tuesday
President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, is set to be arraigned on three criminal charges stemming from a gun he purchased in 2018. Hunter Biden had sought to appear virtually for his first court hearing, but a judge denied his request last month. It’s the first time in US history that the Justice Department has charged the child of a sitting president.

October 3 is also “Mean Girls” Day — a nod to the 2004 cult classic comedy. Why October 3? Find out here.

Wednesday

Tens of thousands of Kaiser Permanente workers are preparing to walk off the job in what would be the largest strike of health care workers in history. More than 75,000 employees who work at hundreds of Kaiser Permanente facilities across California, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Virginia, and Washington, DC, plan to strike Wednesday through Saturday. The union representing the workers is demanding better pay, adequate staffing levels and guaranteed performance bonuses.

Be prepared for your mobile phone to go off when FEMA and the FCC conduct a nationwide test of the Wireless Emergency Alert System at about 2:20 p.m. ET. And if you happen to also be watching TV or listening to the radio at that time, you’ll get a double dose of alerts. Basically, don’t schedule any meetings for that time.

Finally, it’s National Vodka Day — which is terrific timing as you might need a stiff drink after all those alerts go off simultaneously.

Friday
The Bureau of Labor Statistics will release the monthly employment report for September. In the prior month, the economy added 187,000 jobs — roughly in line with the monthly average seen from 2010-2019 and a figure that was considerably below the white-hot job gains that marked the pandemic recovery. August’s somewhat better-than-expected total marked the 32nd consecutive month of job growth.

Saturday
As proof that there is indeed a day for everything (see above), October 7 is National LED Light Day. Why? In 2014, the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to three researchers who had invented a new energy-efficient and environment-friendly light source — the blue light-emitting diode (LED) — which enabled the development of bright and energy-saving white light LED lamps that last far longer than traditional light bulbs.

One Thing: Hunter Biden FAQ
In this week’s One Thing podcast, CNN’s Kara Scannell gets us caught up on the legal issues surrounding Hunter Biden and how they are fueling political drama for his father, President Joe Biden. Listen here for more.

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
“The Simpsons” — the longest-running prime-time scripted show in television history — kicks off its historic 35th season on Fox tonight.

The second season of Marvel Studios’ “Loki” lands on Disney+ on Thursday. Season 1 ended more than two years ago, so here’s a spoiler-filled recap of the season finale from CNN’s own Brian Lowry to help jog your memory.

In theaters
“The Exorcist: Believer” creeps into theaters Friday, roughly 50 years after the release of the original 1973 film. Also returning to the franchise after five decades is Oscar winner Ellen Burstyn, who is reprising her role of Chris MacNeil, mother of head-twisting, levitating Regan. “The Exorcist: Believer” was originally set to open on Friday, October 13. However, when the “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” movie set its release for the same day — prompting the hashtag #Exorswift — “Exorcist” producer Jason Blum moved up the release date by a week, later telling Entertainment Weekly “The one thing that scares me to death is Taylor Swift!”

What’s happening in sports

At a glance …
It’s a busy day today for early risers. The final day of the 44th Ryder Cup is underway at Marco Simone Golf Club outside Rome. Team Europe stunned Team USA Friday, preventing the Americans from winning a single match on Day One. The European team held a commanding 10.5-5.5 lead entering today’s singles matches.

The NFL is back in London this morning. The Atlanta Falcons are taking on the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium.

The WNBA postseason continues today with the New York Liberty playing the Connecticut Sun. That series is tied 1-1. The Las Vegas Aces closed out the Dallas Wings to advance to the WNBA Finals.

And finally, Major League Baseball’s postseason gets underway Tuesday with the start of the Wild Card Series in both leagues. The American League Division Series and the National League Division Series begin Saturday. The first game of the World Series is slated for Friday, October 27.

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, 56% of fellow quiz fans have gotten eight or more questions right. How will you fare?

Play me off …

‘Wake me up when September ends’
Consider this a reminder that today is October 1. Rabbit, rabbit … (Click here to view)

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