Air travel this summer has been challenging to say the least. About 55,000 flights have been canceled in the US since the Friday before Memorial Day, according to data from flight tracking site FlightAware, and nearly a quarter of all flights have been delayed. But some industry experts are cautiously optimistic about air travel this Labor Day weekend, with predictions for a smoother fall travel season.
Here’s what else you need to know to Start Your Week Smart.
• NASA will not pursue a launch of Artemis I for the remainder of the launch period, which ends on Tuesday, according to an update from the agency Saturday after a second scrubbed launch attempt.
• As a prolonged record-setting heat wave tightens its grip on the West, millions in California are again being asked to reduce their energy consumption amid worries about a strained power grid.
• Ukraine’s largest nuclear plant lost its main connection to the power grid again Saturday amid sustained shelling, despite the presence of international inspectors.
• The death toll in Pakistan due to catastrophic flooding has surpassed 1,200, and almost a third of the victims are children.
• A worker at an airport who stole a twin-engine plane Saturday morning and threatened to crash it into a Mississippi Walmart was arrested after he eventually landed in a field, police said.
Monday
Happy Labor Day! It’s the unofficial end of summer in the US and the last big beach or barbecue day of the year. And for many, it’s going to be a scorcher: A dangerous heat wave is expected to continue to impact much of the West into the middle of the week. Temperatures will range 15 to 20 degrees above normal with highs over 100 degrees.
(A note to our weekday readers: 5 Things is taking Monday off. We’ll be back in your inboxes bright and early on Tuesday.)
Tuesday
It’s primary day in Massachusetts, and Bay Staters will cast votes to narrow the Democratic and Republican fields ahead of the November midterms. There are five competitive statewide races on the ballot this year: governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state and state auditor.
Wednesday
Apple is widely expected to unveil its new iPhone 14 lineup at an event on September 7. The company’s invite, which is always closely scrutinized for hidden meanings, features the night sky in the shape of the Apple logo and the tag line: “Far out.”
Also on Wednesday, former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama will return to the White House for the unveiling of their official White House portraits. While there had been a decades-long tradition of first-term American presidents hosting their immediate predecessors at the White House to unveil their official portraits, a ceremony for the Obamas never came during former President Donald Trump’s time in the Oval Office.
Thursday
September 8 is International Literacy Day. According to UNESCO, at least 771 million young people and adults worldwide currently lack basic literacy skills.
Saturday
September 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day. In July, the new 988 dialing code to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline launched in the US.
Want to hear more CNN reporting?
In this week’s One Thing podcast, CNN Investigates producer Curt Devine explains how a small piece of plastic is fueling a rise in machine gun fire across the US. Listen here.
Photos: The week in 34 photos
Carlos Barria/Reuters
Phillip Young, a resident of Jackson, Mississippi, takes a break while helping local volunteers distribute water bottles in the city on Wednesday, August 31. The state capital has been struggling with a water shortage this week.
Severe rains and flooding have killed more than 1,000 people in Pakistan since mid-June, officials said.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img” height=”2000″/>Photos: The week in 34 photos
Fida Hussain/AFP/Getty Images
Photos: The week in 34 photos
Emilio Morenatti/AP
Olga Gregorievna Styglyuk faints during her son’s funeral in Bucha, Ukraine, on Wednesday, August 31. Yury Styglyuk was a Ukrainian serviceman who died in combat.
Serena Williams celebrates her second-round win at the US Open on Wednesday, August 31. Williams, who has said she will “evolve away” from the sport after the tournament, upset No. 2 seed Anett Kontaveit 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-2.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img” height=”1666″/>Photos: The week in 34 photos
Corey Sipkin/AFP/Getty Images
scrubbed and rescheduled after one of the rocket’s four engines could not reach the proper temperature range required for liftoff. This uncrewed mission is the beginning of a program aiming to return humans to the moon. ” class=”gallery-image__dam-img” height=”1845″/>Photos: The week in 34 photos
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Photos: The week in 34 photos
Her Oscar de la Renta mini dress was draped in crystal chains.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img” height=”1666″/>Photos: The week in 34 photos
Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images for MTV/Paramount Global
Photos: The week in 34 photos
Vyacheslav Oseledko/AFP/Getty Images
A man holds his golden eagle during a hunting festival outside Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Monday, August 29.
Mikhail Gorbachev at the Fathers of Unity memorial in Berlin on Wednesday, August 31. Gorbachev, the last leader of the former Soviet Union, died Tuesday night at the age of 91. He was credited with introducing key reforms to the USSR and helping to end the Cold War.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img” height=”1615″/>Photos: The week in 34 photos
Lisi Niesner/Reuters
The wildfire began near Castaic Lake and grew so rapidly that a portion of Interstate 5 was shut down in both directions.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img” height=”1667″/>Photos: The week in 34 photos
Eric Thayer/Bloomberg/Getty Images
In a prime-time speech to the nation, Biden warned that former President Donald Trump and his closest followers are trying to undermine American democracy.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img” height=”1667″/>Photos: The week in 34 photos
Evan Vucci/AP
The “world’s largest food fight” was in its 75th year.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img” height=”1679″/>Photos: The week in 34 photos
Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Images
Photos: The week in 34 photos
Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty Images
A young girl and her mother interact with a “robot dog” that was made by Ghost Robotics and displayed during an event in Seoul, South Korea, on Wednesday, August 31.
Photos: The week in 34 photos
Johan Ordonez/AFP/Getty Images
Humboldt penguins swim at the La Aurora Zoo in Guatemala City on Wednesday, August 31.
May’s school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img” height=”1800″/>Photos: The week in 34 photos
Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman/AP
Photos: The week in 34 photos
Fadel Senna/AFP/Getty Images
Horsemen in Rabat, Morocco, fire their rifles while performing at a Moussem culture and heritage festival on Saturday, August 27.
Photos: The week in 34 photos
Mario Tama/Getty Images
US Air Force Airman Michael Drah, originally from Ghana, looks back at his wife, Akosua, and his daughter Rashana before he officially became a US citizen on Monday, August 29. The naturalization ceremony was held at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
Photos: The week in 34 photos
Gabriel Monnet/AFP/Getty Images
Pro golfer Thriston Lawrence plays a shot from a bunker during the final round of the European Masters in Switzerland on Sunday, August 28. He won the event in a playoff.
Photos: The week in 34 photos
Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images
US Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, sign a piece of Artemis III hardware while touring the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, August 29.
Photos: The week in 34 photos
Oliver Bunic/Bloomberg/Getty Images
A visitor cools off in the shallow waters of the Danube River near Novi Sad, Serbia, on Monday, August 29. Europe’s drought has left parts of the Danube shriveled.
Photos: The week in 34 photos
Mario Anzuoni/Reuters
Singer Avril Lavigne poses on her star after it was unveiled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Wednesday, August 31.
ordered the buildings to be razed after ruling that its builders had violated a series of critical construction rules.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img” height=”2667″/>Photos: The week in 34 photos
Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters
displaced by flooding, sleeps under a mosquito net at a makeshift camp in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, on Monday, August 29.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img” height=”1067″/>Photos: The week in 34 photos
Abdul Majeed/AFP/Getty Images
Photos: The week in 34 photos
Hannah Mckay/Reuters
A young pitch invader is removed by a steward after a Premier League match in Southampton, England, on Saturday, August 27.
Photos: The week in 34 photos
Paul Bersebach/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register/Getty Images
An employee at the El Rodeo Equestrian Center cools off Apricot the horse during a hot day in Yorba Linda, California, on Tuesday, August 30.
Photos: The week in 34 photos
Jeremias Gonzalez/AP
Migrants are rescued by volunteers of the Ocean Viking, a migrant search and rescue ship, south of the Italian island of Lampedusa on Saturday, August 27.
Photos: The week in 34 photos
Tim de Waele/Getty Images
Belgian cyclist Remco Evenepoel is cheered by fans during the Tour of Spain’s ninth stage on Sunday, August 28.
Stunning new images produced by the Hubble Telescope and the James Webb Telescope showcase the Phantom Galaxy, a spiral of solar systems 32 million light-years away from Earth.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img” height=”994″/>Photos: The week in 34 photos
NASA/ESA
Williams’ last tournament as she has said she will “evolve away” from tennis.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img” height=”1681″/>Photos: The week in 34 photos
Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images
Photos: The week in 34 photos
David Rodriguez Munoz/USA Today Network
Kindergarten teacher Stephanie Cleland gives a hug to a former student at Daly Elementary School in Inkster, Michigan, on Monday, August 29. It was the first day of school.
Photos: The week in 34 photos
Mahmoud Illean/AP
People swim in Jerusalem’s Ein Haniya spring during a heat wave on Monday, August 29.
Princess Diana at the Liberty Flame, above the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris on Wednesday, August 31. Twenty-five years after her untimely death, Diana remains a beloved figure.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img” height=”2637″/>Photos: The week in 34 photos
Kiran Ridley/Getty Images
Photos: The week in 34 photos
Hyoung Chang/Denver Post/Getty Images
Lilly Downs, an 18-year-old who has been in and out of the hospital with long Covid, pets facility dog Posey at Denver’s Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children on Tuesday, August 30.
See last week in 32 photos.” class=”gallery-image__dam-img” height=”2333″/>Photos: The week in 34 photos
Romina Amato/Red Bull/Getty Images
Check out more moving, fascinating and thought-provoking images from the week that was, curated by CNN Photos.
Party at the House of Mouse
Disney’s D23 Expo 2022, billed as “the ultimate Disney fan event,” kicks off on Friday in Anaheim, California. All of Disney’s entertainment properties – including Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars – will be represented across film, television and theme parks.
‘Cobra Kai’
The “Karate Kid” revival series returns for its fifth season Friday on Netflix. Following a loss at the All Valley Tournament, the new season begins with the team licking their wounds but quickly finding the fire to get back up and defend their honor.
US Open
The action at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, New York, continues today and Monday with the men’s and women’s Round of 16. The tournament wraps up over the weekend with the women’s final on Saturday and the men’s final a week from today.
NFL Kickoff
The NFL season begins on Thursday with the Buffalo Bills facing the reigning Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams at home in what could be an early preview of Super Bowl LVII.
Take CNN’s weekly news quiz to see how much you remember from the week that was! So far, 65% of fellow quiz fans have gotten eight or more questions right. How will you fare?
Rock your way into Monday!
Celebrate Labor Day with this pure 80s flashback. (Click here to view)
