Start your week smart: Voting rights, Ukraine, Car bomb, Wendy’s, Mogadishu

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.

The weekend that was

• 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.

The week ahead

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.

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.

It’s also primary day in Florida and New York, and there will be primary runoffs in Oklahoma.

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.”

September 8 is International Literacy Day. According to UNESCO, at least 771 million young people and adults worldwide currently lack basic literacy skills.

Friday

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 of the week

US President Joe Biden hands Sen. Joe Manchin the pen used to sign the Inflation Reduction Act at the White House on Tuesday, August 16. Also pictured from left are Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Majority Whip Rep. Jim Clyburn, Rep. Frank Pallone and Rep. Kathy Castor.

Author Salman Rushdie is tended to after he was attacked and stabbed several times before a lecture he was scheduled to give at the Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York, on Friday, August 12. As of Monday, Rushdie was hospitalized but awake and "articulate" a law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the investigation told CNN. Hadi Matar, the man suspected of stabbing Rushdie, has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder in the second degree and other charges.

A goose looks for water in the dried lake bed of Lake Velence in Velence, Hungary, on Thursday, August 11. Last week, around 63% of the land across the EU and UK had either drought warnings or alerts, according to the EU's European Drought Observatory.

Supporters of Kenyan presidential candidate Raila Odinga burn tires in Nairobi after Kenya's Deputy President William Ruto was announced as the country's President-elect on Monday, August 15. During a televised address on Tuesday, Odinga spoke for the first time since he lost the election saying his coalition "totally and without reservations reject the presidential results."

A man shows three newly born lion cubs at a zoo in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, August 13.

Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney delivers her concession speech during a primary election party in Jackson, Wyoming, after losing to Trump-backed attorney Harriet Hageman on Tuesday, August 16. Despite her conservative credentials and party pedigree, her role as Trump's chief GOP critic on Capitol Hill made her a heavy underdog in a state the former President won with nearly 70% of the vote in 2020.

Family members mourn during a funeral ceremony for Ukrainian serviceman Anton Savystski near Kyiv, Ukraine, on Saturday, August 13.

The shadow of a climber is seen on the wall during the women's lead sport climbing semi-final at the European Championships in Munich, Germany, on Saturday, August 13.

A bull rider competes at the 100th annual Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial Association Rodeo at Red Rock Park near Gallup, New Mexico, on Sunday, August 14.

Rudy Giuliani, who served as a lawyer to former President Donald Trump during the 2020 election, arrives at Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta, Georgia, on Wednesday, August 17. Giuliani was there to testify as a witness before the grand jury that's investigating Trump's attempts to undermine the election.

Easton "Tank" Oliverson of Utah's Snow Canyon Little League team lies in bed at the Geisinger Janet Weis Children's Hospital in Danville, Pennsylvania. The photo was shared Tuesday, August 16, on an Instagram account set up to provide updates on his condition. The 12-year-old player in the Little League World Series suffered a fractured skull after falling from a bunk bed in the players' dormitory early Monday morning. Doctors say he is expected to make a full recovery.

Mourners carry the casket of a victim of a mosque bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Thursday, August 18. The explosion erupted during evening prayer on Wednesday, killing 21 people and injuring 33 others, according to a spokesperson for the Kabul police chief.

Belgium's Nafissatou Thiam competes in the women's Heptathlon Shot Put during the European Athletics Championships in Munich, Germany, on Wednesday, August 17.

A farmer dries marigold flowers in Bijie, China, on Wednesday, August 17.

A man tries to extinguish a fire at a home in Ukraine's Donetsk region after a Russian airstrike on Tuesday, August 16.

Players from the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds take the field before the annual Field of Dreams Major League Baseball game in Dyersville, Iowa, on Thursday, August 11.

A child holds a candle during a baptism ceremony in Goias, Brazil, on Monday, August 15.

A girl looks out the window of her house surrounded by floodwaters on the outskirts of Yangon, Myanmar, on Wednesday, August 17.

A person rides a bicycle in Dubai on Tuesday, August 16.

Athletes compete during a heat of the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase at the European Championships in Munich, Germany, on Thursday, August 18.

A visitor at the Wilhelmshaven Naval Museum attempts to get out of an escape room in Wilhelmshaven, Germany, on Friday, August 12. The museum offers the "Escape Game" in a former ship, where museum visitors are voluntarily locked in a room and try to solve a series of puzzles together in order to break free.

The Colorado River flows through the Grand Canyon in Arizona on Monday, August 15. On Tuesday the federal government announced the Colorado River will operate in a Tier 2 shortage condition for the first time starting in January as the West's historic drought has taken a severe toll on Lake Mead. States in the region are facing mandatory water cuts and being asked to devise a plan to save the river basin.

Volunteers carry a replica of the Cabuchet Statue of the Virgin Mary during the Torchlight Marian procession in Lourdes, France, on Sunday, August 14.

A boy takes part in a competition during Independence Day celebrations in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Wednesday, August 17.

Athletes perform during the European Gymnastics Championships in Munich, Germany, on Thursday, August 18.

The Artemis 1 mega moon rocket is seen shortly before its rollout to the launch pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, August 16. Artemis 1 is scheduled to launch an unmanned mission to orbit the moon on August 29.

A performer dances with fire at a beach in Khao Lak, Thailand, on Saturday, August 13.

In this photo taken from video footage released by Roscosmos Space Agency, cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev and Denis Matveev take part in a spacewalk outside the International Space Station on Wednesday, August 17. The spacewalk was cut short due to an issue with Artemyev's spacesuit. NASA officials said during a livestream that the cosmonaut was never in any danger. Still, issues with the battery pack that powers his spacesuit were concerning enough for flight controllers to urgently order him to return to the space station and attach his suit to ISS power.

A woman cries as a wildfire advances toward her house and peach tree orchard in Orjais, Portugal, on Tuesday, August 16.

Washington defensive end Shaka Toney grabs the facemask of Carolina quarterback Matt Corral during the second half of a preseason NFL game on Saturday, August 13. Carolina won 23-21.

Russian rockets strike Kharkiv, Ukraine, at dawn on Monday, August 15.

Goalkeeper Kyeonghee Kim and Suin Lee of South Korea fight for the ball with Mercy Idoko of Nigeria during their 2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup match in Alajuela, Costa Rica, on Sunday, August 14. Nigeria won 1-0.

Visitors pose for selfies as a young boy walks on the observation deck of the Seoul Sky Observatory atop the Lotte World Tower in Seoul, South Korea, on Friday, August 12. See last week in 31 photos.

The week in 33 photos

Prev Next

Check out more moving, fascinating and thought-provoking images from the week that was, curated by CNN Photos.

What’s happening in entertainment

Party at the House of Mouse

The highly anticipated prequel to HBO’s blockbuster series “Game of Thrones” premieres tonight at 9 p.m. ET. CNN’s Brian Lowry says “House of the Dragon” is a series “whose epic visual grandeur belies a smaller and less addictive power struggle, more narrowly focused on the Targaryen line.” It also has dragons aplenty. HBO, like CNN, is part of Warner Bros. Discovery.

What’s happening in sports

US Open

College football season begins with games scheduled throughout the day on Saturday – including the overseas matchup of Nebraska and Northwestern in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin, Ireland. 

Quiz time!

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?

Play me off

Rock your way into Monday!

To put all of you “GoT” fans out there in the mood for “House of the Dragon” tonight, here’s a little reminder of the melody you hummed for eight straight seasons. And if you’re not a fan, this is still worth a listen. (Click here to view)