Start your week smart: US strikes Middle East, Trump cases, Biden wins South Carolina, California we
What springs to mind when you hear the words “nuclear power plant?” For many, they conjure images of Chernobyl, Fukushima or Three Mile Island. But as countries scramble to end their reliance on fossil fuels, nuclear power is undergoing a renaissance, thanks in part to a technology known as small modular reactors. Learn why experts believe that nuclear energy — in all forms, large or small — has an important role to play in addressing the climate crisis.
Here’s what else you need to know to Start Your Week Smart.
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The weekend that was
• The US and UK have conducted strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen from air and surface platforms, including fighter jets, with the support of several other countries. At least 30 targets were hit, and the strikes came one day after the US conducted major airstrikes on 85 targets across seven locations in Iraq and Syria.
• The Washington, DC, trial date in the federal election subversion case against Donald Trump, originally set for March 4, was postponed because of ongoing appeals about the power of the presidency. In the Georgia case against Trump, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis acknowledged a personal relationship with the lead prosecutor but said it doesn’t disqualify her.
• South Carolina, the state that launched Joe Biden to the Democratic nomination four years ago, delivered the president his first official primary victory of the 2024 campaign, CNN projects. Biden won all 55 delegates at stake in the South Carolina primary.
• An intense, long-lasting atmospheric river is moving into California today, bringing the potential for “life-threatening” flooding, mudslides and widespread power outages as it dumps heavy rain and snow. Some residents were ordered to evacuate.
• In a historic moment, a nationalist politician became First Minister of Northern Ireland as power-sharing resumed after a two-year break. Michelle O’Neill of the pro-united Ireland party Sinn Féin vowed to “serve everyone equally.”
The week ahead
Tuesday
Nevada will hold state-run Democratic and Republican primaries — a requirement under a 2021 state law. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (and several other Republican former presidential contenders) will appear on the Republican primary ballot. However, Trump will not — and the results of that primary are non-binding. That’s because Nevada’s Republican Party, which is controlled by Trump loyalists, has opted to award its delegates two days later through state party-run caucuses instead. As a result, Haley — who won’t be on Thursday’s ballot — will not be eligible to be awarded any Nevada delegates.
Wednesday
A federal appeals court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in the Texas border razor wire case. In January, the US Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 vote to allow US Border Patrol agents to remove the wire deployed by Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott in the Eagle Pass area. The justices’ order was considered a major victory for President Joe Biden in his ongoing dispute with Abbott over border policy. However, since the high court’s ruling, the Texas National Guard has added more razor wire.
Thursday
The US Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in its review of the Colorado Supreme Court’s unprecedented decision to remove Trump from that state’s ballot. The high court’s decision to hear the case puts the nine justices squarely in the middle of the 2024 election and represents its most significant involvement in a presidential race since the momentous decision in Bush v. Gore more than 20 years ago.
Parliamentary elections are scheduled to take place in Pakistan, a little more than a week after the country’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan was sentenced to 10 years in prison for leaking state secrets. Khan, who swept to power in 2018 before his ouster in 2022, has been in jail since August after he was found guilty of corruption.
Friday
President Biden will host German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the White House, where the two will reaffirm their strong support for Ukraine after Russia’s invasion. Biden and Scholz also will discuss efforts to prevent regional escalation in the Middle East, as well as their support for Israel’s right to self-defense and the imperative of increasing life-saving assistance and protection of civilians from harm in Gaza, the White House said.
Saturday
Time to welcome the Year of the Dragon! Lunar New Year begins on February 10, kicking off more than two weeks of celebrations in China, Vietnam, South Korea and other Asian countries — as well as in any place with a sizable population of Asian immigrants.
One Thing: Will the Supreme Court keep Trump off the ballot?
In this week’s One Thing podcast, CNN’s Joan Biskupic previews oral arguments at the Supreme Court over whether Trump should be removed from Colorado’s 2024 ballot. Listen here.
Photos of the week
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg addresses families in the room during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing that was held in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, January 31. Haiyun Jiang/The Washington Post 
Singer Taylor Swift kisses her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, after the Chiefs won the AFC Championship on Sunday, January 28, and clinched a spot in the Super Bowl. Julio Cortez/AP 
A farmer dumps waste to block a road near Vesoul, France, on Thursday, January 25. Angry farmers have been protesting for better pay and relief from regulatory burdens. Sebastien Bozon/AFP/Getty Images 
E. Jean Carroll leaves a federal court in New York on Friday, January 26, after a jury said that former President Donald Trump should pay her $83.3 million in damages. The verdict was the second time over the past year that a jury has awarded Carroll millions of dollars in damages for Trump’s defamatory statements disparaging her and denying her rape allegations. Trump blasted Friday’s verdict on social media and said he would appeal the decision. Yuki Iwamura/AP 
Bullfighter Joselito Adame performs at Plaza México, a 42,000-capacity bullring thought to be the largest in the world, on Sunday, January 28. Bullfighting was returning to Mexico City after almost two years. It had been suspended in 2022 as part of a long-running legal case, but Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled in December that events could take place once more, according to Reuters. Rodrigo Oropeza/AFP/Getty Images 
A former Ukrainian prisoner of war, recently freed after a prisoner exchange on the Ukraine-Russia border, cries while calling his relatives on Wednesday, January 31. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said 207 Ukrainian service members were returned on Wednesday, while the Russian Defense Ministry said 195 Russian military personnel had been received. Zelensky said 50 prisoner swaps had now taken place since Russia launched its full-scale invasion nearly two years ago. Danylo Pavlov/AP 
Aryna Sabalenka poses with her trophy after she defeated Zheng Qinwen to successfully defend her Australian Open title on Saturday, January 27. Sabalenka didn’t lose a single set during the tournament. Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty Images 
A man looks at blood splattered on a wall at the Ibn Sina hospital in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin on Tuesday, January 30. Israeli special forces, dressed as civilians and medical staff, infiltrated the hospital and killed three Palestinian men, according to Israeli and Palestinian officials. The hospital said the three men were sleeping at the time of the attack. One of those killed was claimed by Hamas as a member; the other two were claimed by Islamic Jihad, another militant group. Zain Jaafar/AFP/Getty Images 
The spiral galaxy NGC 1512, located 30 million light-years away from Earth, is seen in this undated image from the James Webb Space Telescope. It was part of a batch of images released on Monday, January 29. See more images from the James Webb Space Telescope. NASA/Reuters 
Children in Tongoy, Chile, play on a court blanketed with soap foam on Thursday, January 25. Matias Basualdo/AP 
Britain's King Charles III, along with Queen Camilla, waves as he leaves the London Clinic on Monday, January 29. The King underwent a corrective procedure for an enlarged prostate, CNN understands. Daniel Leal/AFP/Getty Images 
A deep-sea exploration company, Deep Sea Vision, has captured this sonar image of an anomaly on the Pacific Ocean floor that resembles an aircraft. The team announced the find on Saturday, January 27, saying it could be Amelia Earhart's Lockheed 10-E Electra that went missing nearly 87 years ago. Deep Sea Vision/PR Newswire 
Amber Glenn poses with the Progress Pride flag after winning the singles title at the US Figure Skating Championships on Friday, January 26. She’s the first openly LGBTQ+ skater to win the US women’s title. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images 
Balloons fly over Château-d'Oex, Switzerland, during the International Hot Air Balloon Festival on Thursday, January 25. Denis Balibouse/Reuters 
Masked revelers take part in a Carnival event in Venice, Italy, on Saturday, January 27. Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters 
Jannik Sinner celebrates after winning the Australian Open singles title on Sunday, January 28. Sinner overcame a two-set deficit to defeat Daniil Medvedev and become the first Italian man to win a grand slam since 1976. Eloisa Lopez/Reuters 
Palestinians wait to receive food at a refugee camp in Rafah, Gaza, on Saturday, January 27. According to the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, at least 1.7 million people in Gaza have been internally displaced since Israel launched its offensive there to eliminate the Hamas militant group. Saher Alghorra/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images 
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James dunks the ball during an NBA game in Atlanta on Tuesday, January 30. John Bazemore/AP 
Members of the Daily News Union picket during a one-day walkout in New York on Thursday, January 25. Journalists at The New York Daily News walked off the job for the first time in more than three decades, according to The New York Times. Alex Kent/Bloomberg/Getty Images 
A full moon rises next to the Corno Grande and Pizzo Cefalone peaks in Italy on Thursday, January 25. January’s full moon is commonly called the wolf moon because wolves are active this time of year and can be heard howling on cold nights, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. Lorenzo Di Cola/NurPhoto/AP 
Amit Soussana, right, is embraced by a friend after speaking to journalists in front of her destroyed house in the Israeli kibbutz of Kfar Aza on Monday, January 29. Soussana was freed by Hamas in November after being taken as a hostage in October. Leo Correa/AP 
Migrants prepare to wade across the Rio Grande, from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, to El Paso, Texas, on Tuesday, January 30. There is an ongoing legal dispute, between the Biden administration and Texas, over whether federal agents have the legal authority to cut razor wire that Texas installed on the banks of the Rio Grande. The Supreme Court recently voted 5-4 to allow wire-cutting while the legal challenge plays out. John Moore/Getty Images 
Two giraffes roam around the Nairobi National Park in Kenya on Wednesday, January 31. Brian Inganga/AP 
Indigenous artwork by artist Brett Leavy is projected onto the sails of the Sydney Opera House on Friday, January 26. It was Australia Day in the country, but many Indigenous Australians view the national day as the anniversary of their colonial dispossession 236 years ago. Wendell Teodoro/Getty Images 
US President Joe Biden speaks at a Democratic Party dinner in Columbia, South Carolina, on Saturday, January 26. Biden was campaigning in the state ahead of its primary on February 3. Jacquelyn Martin/AP 
Actress Gwendoline Christie closes the Maison Margiela haute couture show in Paris on Thursday, January 25. See the most eye-catching looks from the Paris couture shows. Simbarashe Cha/The New York Times/Redux 
Only the feet remain of a Jackie Robinson statue that was stolen and destroyed last week from a field in Wichita, Kansas. Pieces of the statue were found burned in a public trash container on Tuesday, January 30, but a Kansas youth baseball league will be able to replace the statue after a flood of private donations and a commitment by Major League Baseball. Travis Heying/The Wichita Eagle/Zuma Press 
Hondo Young, 12, rests in a pen with his pig, Cracklin, at the Hays County Livestock Show in Dripping Springs, Texas, on Thursday, January 25. Jay Janner/The Austin American-Statesman/USA Today Network 
Soldiers with the Indian Border Security Force offer sweets to one another as they celebrate the country’s Republic Day at a post near the Pakistani border on Friday, January 26. Narinder Nanu/AFP/Getty Images 
A worker inspects a high-speed train at a maintenance base in Wuhan, China, on Friday, January 26. Preparations are being made ahead of Lunar New Year travel. AFP/Getty Images 
A white rose is placed at the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin on Friday, January 26, on the eve of International Holocaust Remembrance Day. See last week in 34 photos. Fabrizio Bensch/ReutersThe week in 31 photos
Prev NextCheck out more images from the week that was, curated by CNN Photos.
What’s happening in entertainment
TV and streaming
The 66th Grammy Awards will air live tonight from Los Angeles at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+. The star-studded lineup for the show includes Dua Lipa, Burna Boy, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Travis Scott, U2, Luke Combs and Billy Joel. Making her first appearance on the Grammy stage as a performer is 80-year-old singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, who is a nominee in the Best Folk Album category. Taylor Swift, meanwhile, is up for several awards, including Record of the Year (“Anti-Hero”) and Album of the Year (“Midnights”). No word if Travis Kelce will be there to cheer her on.
The 12th and final season of HBO’s hit comedy series “Curb Your Enthusiasm” kicks off tonight at 10 p.m. ET. The final episode will air on April 7, bookending a decades-long run since the show debuted in 2000, according to Max, the show’s streaming home. Watch the trailer here. (CNN, HBO and Max are all part of the same parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery.)
New seasons of “Abbott Elementary” and “The Conners” arrive Wednesday on ABC, while the second season of “Halo” lands Thursday on Paramount+.
On the big screen
Valentine’s Day falls on a Wednesday this year, so Friday is the day a pair of vaguely related but very different films arrive. First up is “The Taste of Things,” a French romance set in the late 19th century featuring Oscar-winner Juliette Binoche as a talented cook and Benoît Magimel as the gourmet with whom she has been working for some 20 years.
“Lisa Frankenstein,” on the other (missing) hand, is billed as “a coming of rage love story” about a teenager and her crush, a reanimated corpse in need of a few replacement parts.
What’s happening in sports
At a glance …
With Super Bowl LVIII now one week away, the NFL Pro Bowl will be played today in Orlando. Peyton and Eli Manning return as head coaches of the AFC and NFC for the flag football game, which will air at 3 p.m. on ESPN. Check out the team rosters.
Speaking of the Super Bowl, here’s everything you need to know about the stadium in Las Vegas where the game will be played — affectionately known as the “Death Star.”
The Los Angeles Lakers will honor the late Kobe Bryant with a tribute and the unveiling of a bronze statue outside Crypto.com Arena on Thursday. The date — February 8, 2024 — is significant, as the five-time NBA champion wore jersey numbers 8 and 24. Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were among nine people killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, in 2020.
Finally, just days before the biggest night in football, Major League Baseball’s spring training gets underway when pitchers and catchers for the Los Angeles Dodgers report on Friday. Late last year, two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani signed a historic 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers — though he will not pitch again until 2025 after undergoing elbow surgery and will only serve as a designated hitter in 2024. Last year, Ohtani became the first player to finish in the top 15 in both home runs hit and strikeouts pitched in a season since the mound was moved to its current distance in 1893.
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 news quiz to see how much you remember from the week that was! So far, 78% of fellow quiz fans have gotten eight or more questions right. How will you fare?
Play me off …
Billy Joel - Turn the Lights Back On (Official Lyric Video)
‘Turn the Lights Back On’
Music legend Billy Joel released his first new song in 17 years just a few days ago — much to the delight of his many fans. Joel, who turns 75 in May, has five Grammy Awards and an honorary Grammy and has been named one of the 100 greatest songwriters of all time by Rolling Stone. (Click here to listen)
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