 | Sunday 12.16.18 Today begins Las Posadas, a nine-day festival celebrated by Christians in Mexico and parts of the United States. Translated as "The Inns," it commemorates Mary and Joseph's biblical journey to Bethlehem, where Mary gave birth to Jesus. Here's what else you need to know to Start Your Week Smart. By Michelle Krupa | |  |  Ex-FBI chief James Comey heads back to Capitol Hill on Monday for a second closed-door interview before two House committees. After his last visit, President Donald Trump accused Comey, without evidence, of lying to lawmakers, while Comey said he was exasperated over being grilled about Hillary Clinton's emails. The next shoe in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation could drop Tuesday when ex-national security adviser Michael Flynn is set to be sentenced. Mueller says Flynn, the highest-ranking Trump administration official to face charges, shouldn't go to prison for lying about contacts with the ex-Russian ambassador to the US because Flynn helped prosecutors with at least three ongoing investigations. An order banning the Trump administration from denying asylum to people crossing the southern border between ports of entry expires Wednesday when a hearing is set in San Francisco to review it. A federal judge last month accused Trump of trying to rewrite immigration laws without Congress' approval, while the administration called the ruling "absurd." Also Wednesday, the Federal Reserve is expected to announce another interest rate hike, though the central bank has signaled it would be flexible on plans to raise rates in 2019. | | Judicial drama returns Thursday when disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein is due in New York state court to face five felony sex-crime charges. It's reportedly his last chance to argue they should be dropped; he has pleaded not guilty. Weinstein's epic fall fueled the #MeToo movement, empowering women to share their experiences with sexual harassment -- and worse -- at the hands of powerful men. Some legal experts, though, say the case against Weinstein may be unraveling.
Pop some popcorn and settle in. Russian President Vladimir Putin's annual marathon news conference is set for Thursday. During last year's, which ran for four hours, Putin dismissed allegations Russia colluded with Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. In light of recent revelations, including a US plea deal with an alleged Russia spy, we'll wait to hear whether Putin amends that answer.
| | With both sides dug in on the budget fight over Trump's promised border wall, a partial government shutdown may be in store Friday. If it happens, more than 420,000 government workers, including Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection agents, are expected to work without pay. Another 380,000 federal employees, including at NASA and the National Park Service, would be furloughed.
If the shutdown talk's got you down, know that it literally gets brighter from here. That's because Friday is the winter solstice, when the sun appears at its most southerly position. It's the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, where it marks the start of winter.
And Friday marks 50 years since the Apollo 8 launch. As millions around the globe watched and listened, Americans Col. Frank Borman, Capt. Jim Lovell Jr. and Maj. Bill Anders became the first humans to orbit the moon.
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When you make a purchase, CNN receives revenue. | | |  | A global crown Amid some controversy spawned by Miss USA, the Miss Universe pageant airs live from Bangkok, Thailand, at 7 ET tonight on Fox. | |  | | "Not sure how many lizards we found, but the snakes were large enough to give anyone crawling through a smoke-filled house a heart attack." Caney Creek Fire Chief Raymond Flannelly, on saving more than 100 snakes and lizards from a house fire in Texas. The fire was caused by a Christmas tree left with its lights on, so remember to shut 'em off before you go. | |  | Bruce in YOUR house If you couldn't get to the Boss' Manhattan theater run, " Springsteen on Broadway" gives you the best seat in the house. It premieres today on Netflix. 'A spoonful of sugar' The happiest nanny ever to arrive via umbrella lands again Wednesday in US theaters. The sequel to the 1964 Disney classic, starring Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda, is rated PG. Under the sea It's a race to stop a war between the surface-dwellers and those who live beneath the waves as the latest comic-book hero comes to life in "Aquaman." The PG-13 flick premieres Friday. Depth and simplicity James Baldwin's 1974 novel hits the big screen in director Barry Jenkins' adaptation of " If Beale Street Could Talk," in theaters now. It's rated R. | |  | Gridiron mashup College football bowl-mania continues starting Tuesday, with end-of-season matchups from Boca Raton, Florida, to Honolulu, including perhaps the tastiest of all the head-to-heads, the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. Taking the court Some NCAA Tournament faves are among eight teams vying to earn their leis and pineapples in the 10th Diamond Head Classic. Three days of hoops begins Saturday on Oahu, Hawaii. | |  | Tom Petty knew how they felt Monday is Wright Brothers Day, marking the first successful flights in a heavier-than-air, mechanically propelled plane, by Orville and Wilbur Wright, near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. ( Click here to rock out.) | | | | |
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