The average price of virtually everything is going up – from food to houses, cars, clothes and toys. Now there are growing expectations that the Federal Reserve will soon dramatically hike interest rates in order to put a brake on surging consumer prices.
Here’s what else you need to know to Start Your Week Smart.
• French voters will choose between two very different visions for their country during today’s presidential runoff election, as the centrist President Emmanuel Macron seeks to fend off a challenge from his far-right opponent, Marine Le Pen.
• Tyson Fury retained his WBC heavyweight title yesterday after beating Dillian Whyte by technical knockout in the sixth round in front of a raucous 94,000 fans at Wembley Stadium in London.
• The Biden administration will renew its push with lawmakers to secure Covid-19 funding next week when Congress returns from recess, a White House official told CNN, following inaction from the Senate on a $10 billion funding package before the two-week Easter break.
• Former Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, the longest-serving Republican senator in US history, died in Salt Lake City yesterday at the age of 88. Hatch, the former Senate president pro tempore, served in the chamber for 42 years from 1977 to 2019.
The week ahead
Monday
Anzac Day, a major national holiday in both Australia and New Zealand, takes place on Monday. The term “ANZAC” is an acronym that refers to the soldiers who served in the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. Anzac Day commemorates a World War I mission in which the Anzacs assisted the Allied Powers in an attempt to gain new fronts and a valuable trade route to their Russian allies. Though it originally honored the Anzacs who lost their lives during World War I, the holiday has broadened to remember every citizen’s death resulting from military conflict. People in Australia and New Zealand will wear the red poppy flower Monday as a symbol of remembrance.
Tuesday
Tuesday is the grim anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. On April 26, 1986, an explosion tore through Chernobyl’s No. 4 reactor near Pripyat, Ukraine, killing more than 30 people. Countless others have died from radiation symptoms in the years since, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency and the World Health Organization. In late February, during the first week of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the plant and its surrounding territory fell into the hands of Russian troops, who withdrew a month later.
Friday
On this day in 1992, four white LAPD officers were acquitted of beating black motorist Rodney King – sparking massive riots across Los Angeles that spanned over five days and left more than 50 people dead and more than 2,000 injured. The rioting destroyed or damaged over 1,000 buildings in the Los Angeles area. The estimated cost of the damages was over $1 billion. More than 9,800 California National Guard troops were dispatched to restore order and nearly 12,000 people were arrested, though not all of the arrests were directly related to the riots.
Saturday
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will attend the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday, continuing a tradition eschewed during the Trump administration. It will be the first time that the sitting President has attended the black-tie dinner – which usually draws a crowd of reporters, media execs, administration officials, politicians, and celebrities – since 2016.
This week on the Sunday edition of the 5 Things podcast, CNN Chief Climate Correspondent Bill Weir explains how more frequent run-ins with extreme weather are shaping American’s view on the climate crisis. He also gives us a reality check on the progress of President Biden’s ambitious climate ambitions amid rising gas prices and legislative logjams. Listen here!
Photos of the week
was struck down by a federal judge.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img”>
Photos: The week in 33 photos
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images
Passengers, some wearing face masks and some not, travel on an American Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Denver on Tuesday, April 19. It was the day after the federal mask mandate was struck down by a federal judge.
Russia invaded Ukraine, and intense fighting continues.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img”>
Photos: The week in 33 photos
Alkis Konstantinidis/Reuters
A woman mourns over the body of her father after Russian shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Monday, April 18. It has been nearly two months now since Russia invaded Ukraine, and intense fighting continues.
has been under lockdown since March.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img”>
Photos: The week in 33 photos
Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images
Residential units are seen in Shanghai, China, on Sunday, April 17, as the country battles its biggest wave yet of Covid-19. The city has been under lockdown since March.
performs at the Coachella festival in Indio, California, on Saturday, April 16.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img”>
Photos: The week in 33 photos
Amy Harris/Invision/AP
Photos: The week in 33 photos
Peter Dejong/AP
Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, hug Lisa Johnston, a former army medic who won a medal at the Invictus Games in The Hague, Netherlands, on Sunday, April 17. Prince Harry founded the Invictus Games, which is a sporting competition for service members and veterans who have been wounded, injured or sick.
McBride Fire in Ruidoso, New Mexico. The 82-year-old said he and his son protected their home with a couple of water hoses until they got help from the local fire department a few hours later.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img”>
Photos: The week in 33 photos
Ivan Pierre Aguirre/Ruidoso News/USA Today Network
Ron Romack stands on his patio on Friday, April 15, overlooking an area that was burned by the McBride Fire in Ruidoso, New Mexico. The 82-year-old said he and his son protected their home with a couple of water hoses until they got help from the local fire department a few hours later.
Photos: The week in 33 photos
Loren Elliott/Reuters
Elvis Presley impersonators board a train in Sydney before heading to the Parkes Elvis Festival on Thursday, April 21.
clashed early Thursday around the entrance to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City. Israel responded to the rockets fired from Gaza with airstrikes.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img”>
Photos: The week in 33 photos
Amir Cohen/Reuters
Streaks of light are seen from Ashkelon, Israel, as the country’s Iron Dome air defense system intercepts rockets launched from Gaza on Thursday, April 21. Palestinians and Israeli security forces clashed early Thursday around the entrance to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City. Israel responded to the rockets fired from Gaza with airstrikes.
was killed in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. Jane lost a leg in the attack.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img”>
Photos: The week in 33 photos
Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe/Getty Images
in his defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard. Depp is suing Heard for $50 million over a 2018 Washington Post op-ed in which she wrote about her experience with domestic abuse. She did not name Depp in the piece, but he claims it cost him lucrative film work in Disney’s "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise. Heard has not yet taken the stand.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img”>
Photos: The week in 33 photos
Evelyn Hockstein/Pool/AFP/Getty Images
Actor Johnny Depp testifies Wednesday, April 20, in his defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard. Depp is suing Heard for $50 million over a 2018 Washington Post op-ed in which she wrote about her experience with domestic abuse. She did not name Depp in the piece, but he claims it cost him lucrative film work in Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise. Heard has not yet taken the stand.
Queen Elizabeth II poses with two fell ponies for a portrait that was released on her 96th birthday on Thursday, April 21. This year marks the Queen’s 70th year on the throne.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img”>
Photos: The week in 33 photos
henrydallalphotography.com/Getty Images
Photos: The week in 33 photos
Bakr Alkasem/AFP/Getty Images
People break fast together near damaged buildings in Tadef, Syria, on Monday, April 18. The Muslim holy month of Ramadan lasts until May 1.
Photos: The week in 33 photos
Prakash Mathema/AFP/Getty Images
Revelers smeared in vermilion powder take part in the Bisket Jatra festival in Thimi, Nepal, on Friday, April 15. The festival marks the start of the Nepali New Year.
Photos: The week in 33 photos
Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Pro golfer Justin Thomas inspects his ball’s lie during the first round of the RBC Heritage event in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, on Thursday, April 14.
Photos: The week in 33 photos
Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images
People who fled Mariupol, Ukraine, meet with relatives and friends as they arrive at a registration center for internally displaced people in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Thursday, April 21.
Photos: The week in 33 photos
Jerome Miron/USA Today Sports
The University of Oklahoma’s gymnastics team celebrates after winning the NCAA championship on Saturday, April 16.
White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday, April 18. It was the first Easter Egg Roll hosted by Biden since he took office.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img”>
Photos: The week in 33 photos
Doug Mills/The New York Times/Redux
A shrub shaped like the Easter Bunny wears aviator sunglasses — a favorite of US President Joe Biden — near Secret Service agents who were attending the traditional White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday, April 18. It was the first Easter Egg Roll hosted by Biden since he took office.
it had been stuck in the bay for a month.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img”>
Photos: The week in 33 photos
Jerry Jackson/The Baltimore Sun/AP
Michelle Micheals and Robert Fenstermacher fish in Sandy Point, Maryland, as the Ever Forward container ship approaches the Chesapeake Bay Bridge on Sunday, April 17. The ship was freed that day after it had been stuck in the bay for a month.
Photos: The week in 33 photos
Andrew Kelly/Reuters
A costumed person stands next to a person waiting with bags during New York City’s Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival on Sunday, April 17.
fist-bumps a young child after making a shot and falling out of bounds during an NBA playoff game on Tuesday, April 17.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img”>
Photos: The week in 33 photos
Matt York/AP
Phoenix guard Devin Booker fist-bumps a young child after making a shot and falling out of bounds during an NBA playoff game on Tuesday, April 17.
Photos: The week in 33 photos
Manjunath Kiran/AFP/Getty Images
Fishermen cast a net in a lake on the outskirts of Bangalore, India, on Tuesday, April 19.
spent three decades in prison for a murder he didn’t commit.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img”>
Photos: The week in 33 photos
Northern California Innocence Project/AP
Photos: The week in 33 photos
Tsafrir Abayov/AP
An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man wrapped in a Ukrainian flag visits the Western Wall in Jerusalem during the Passover holiday on Monday, April 18.
Photos: The week in 33 photos
Stringer/AFP/Getty Images
Chinese astronaut Ye Guangfu is helped out of his spacecraft’s capsule after landing in China’s Inner Mongolia region on Saturday, April 16. Three Chinese astronauts returned to Earth after spending six months on the country’s new space station.
Photos: The week in 33 photos
Will Heath/NBC/Getty Images
Singer Lizzo and cast members from “Saturday Night Live” perform as twerking orchestra members during a sketch on April 16.
Israeli police clashed with Palestinians outside the mosque.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img”>
Photos: The week in 33 photos
Mahmoud Illean/AP
Photos: The week in 33 photos
Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images
Men dressed as knights stretch as they prepare to take part in the International Jousting Tournament in Leeds, England, on Monday, April 18.
Photos: The week in 33 photos
Fadel Dawod/Getty Images
People in Cairo celebrate with fireworks during a mass iftar gathering in Cairo on Saturday, April 16. During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, iftar is the breaking of fast after sundown.
Photos: The week in 33 photos
Alfredo Estrella/AFP/Getty Images
Guadalajara soccer player Alexis Vega tries to choke Cruz Azul’s Ignacio Rivero during a match in Mexico City on Saturday, April 16. Vega received a red card.
Photos: The week in 33 photos
David Guttenfelder/The New York Times/Redux
Four freshly dug graves are seen at a cemetery in Irpin, Ukraine, on Saturday, April 16.
Photos: The week in 33 photos
Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press/AP
Canadian rugby player David Richard reaches for the ball as he’s lifted by Brennig Prevost during a match against Scotland in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Sunday, April 17.
Photos: The week in 33 photos
Jason Miller/Getty Images
Actor Tom Hanks holds Wilson, the famous volleyball from his 2000 movie “Cast Away,” as he throws out the ceremonial first pitch at a Cleveland Guardians baseball game on Friday, April 15.
See last week in 43 photos.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img”>
Country music fans worldwide will make their way to Indio, California, on Friday for Stagecoach 2022. Stagecoach is a huge festival that boasts some of the biggest and brightest names in country music. This year’s headliners include Thomas Rhett, Carrie Underwood and Luke Combs. Beyond the music, Stagecoach is also a country culture experience with Southern food, gift shops, an amusement park – and of course, plenty of cowboy boots!
The 2022 NFL draft is back! The 32 teams in the NFL will select new players this week in a total of seven rounds that will run from Thursday to Saturday. This year, the event is in Las Vegas. The Jacksonville Jaguars currently hold the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, followed by the Detroit Lions and the Houston Texans.
Quiz time!
Take CNN’s weekly news quizto see how much you remember from the week that was! So far, 59% of fellow quiz fans have gotten an 8 out of 10 or better this week. How well can you do?
Play me off
Come and Get Your Love
A great song is one that can connect with you regardless of the decade you were born in. This is one of those songs! Enjoy this 1970s hit by the Native American pop rock band Redbone – which had a resurgence in popularity in 2014 after it was featured in the Marvel film “Guardians of the Galaxy.” (Click here to view)