This week: A taste of the midterms

There's a ton of other things happening as well. Find out here.

view in browser update subscription preferences Sunday 10.14.18 Getting ready to grab a gorgeous, Instagram-worthy brunch? There are actually restaurants that have become famous because of this super-photogenic food trend. Here's what else you need to know to Start Your Week Smart. By AJ Willingham and Faith Karimi Hurricane Michael's misery is never-ending -- with 18 people dead and people in affected areas desperate for food and water ...  In devastated parts of the Florida Panhandle, it's unclear what will happen to 26,000 displaced students   ...  The fiancee of missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi shared haunting details of their last hours together ... In New York, a woman is apologizing after she accused a 9-year-old boy of groping her ... American pastor Andrew Brunson is back in the US after his detention in Turkey ... Four people are dead after a shooting at a 1-year-old's birthday party in Texas ... Jared Kushner's net worth is $324 million, but he hasn't paid income taxes for years, reports say.      Monday could be judgment day for a retail giant of yore. Sears Holdings, the parent company of Sears and Kmart, has to come up with $134 million by then. The most recent filing from Sears showed it had only $193 million in cash on hand as of August 4, the end of its last fiscal quarter. Having so little cash available would make it difficult for the once-booming brand to pay its debt by this week's deadline. All signs point to a bankruptcy filing soon. November's midterm elections are fast approaching, and we'll get a taste of one of the biggest contests Tuesday when Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and his Democratic challenger, Beto O'Rourke, come together for a debate in San Antonio. O'Rourke's campaign had a record-smashing third quarter fundraising haul of $38.1 million -- the most ever raised in a quarter by a US Senate campaign -- but he's trailing Cruz in the polls. If you'd literally rather be on the other side of the world than deal with more political rancor, watch out for Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, as the British royals head out Tuesday for Sydney on a 16-day tour of the South Pacific. The tour will coincide with the Invictus Games (more on those later). For our Canadian friends, Wednesday will bring high hopes: Adult-use marijuana is set to go on sale in approved dispensaries throughout the country. Uruguay, which became the first country to legalize recreational marijuana in 2013, is still going through growing pains in setting up its market. Also Wednesday, President Donald Trump will award the Medal of Honor to retired Marine Sgt. Maj. John L. Canley for conspicuous gallantry. Canley fought off enemy attacks to lead a group of wounded Marines to safety during his time in Vietnam in 1968. Jamie Lee Curtis returns in the role that made her famous in a reboot of the 1978 horror classic "Halloween," opening Friday. Original director John Carpenter was an executive producer and creative consultant on the flick. The Student Gun Violence Summit will start Saturday in Washington. Representatives from around the country will review student plans to reduce gun violence, and along with input from teachers and other students, they're hoping to combine all of the proposals into a single "Students' Bill of Rights."  This was the view in Mexico Beach, Florida, after Hurricane Michael. The Gulf Coast town took the brunt of the catastrophic Category 4 storm that devastated the Florida Panhandle last week. Take a look at other moving shots from the week, curated by the CNN Photos team.    "I let people know what my goals and dreams were, and they helped me out toward putting me in the right position to posture me to get a pilot slot. I worked hard and now, here I am, living my dream."   Maj. Paul Lopez II, the first African-American pilot of the Air Force F-22 Demonstration Team. The F-22 is one of the the world's most technologically advanced fighter jets, and every year the demonstration team performs at dozens of shows in front of an estimated 10 million spectators.  'We all deserve to live in peace without fear for our lives' Much has changed for gay Americans in the 20 years since Matthew Shepard's brutal murder. And yet in some ways, little is different -- 20 states still don't consider attacks on LGBTQ people as hate crimes. Find out what advocates say remains to be done in that story, one of CNN's top weekend reads. Smells like teen spirit  Admit it, teen dramas such as "Riverdale" are total guilty pleasures, and there's no need to lie about how often they find their way into our fall TV watching schedule. In fact, go ahead and indulge with the most binge-worthy high school shows of all time.  The man who let the moon know what's what Did you get a chance to catch "First Man" this weekend? It's the Ryan Gosling flick about astronaut Neil Armstrong. And it's a winner, according to CNN's Brian Lowry.  Bring da Ruckus  Wu-Tang fans, it's your day. Hulu has just announced a 10-part original series devoted to the legendary hip-hop group.    Baseball's coming down to the wire  It's almost time for the MLB World Series, but first -- the league championships. The Milwaukee Brewers continue to take on the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS this week, and the Boston Red Sox have their hands full with the reigning World Series champs, the Houston Astros, in the ALCS. The two winners will meet in the World Series, starting October 23. Don't know which team to root for? Your friendly neighborhood newsletter writer humbly recommends the Brewers.  Oh look, basketball!  If you are done being sad about baseball or are getting sad about football, a brand new NBA season tips off Tuesday, heralding a fresh crop of opportunities to be sad about yet another sport! Why do you do this to yourself? Anyway, the Philadelphia 76ers play the Boston Celtics at 8 p.m. ET, and the West Conference gets the Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors at 10:30 p.m. ET.  True grit  The Invictus Games kick off Saturday in Sydney and run through October 27. Remember, this is the multisport competition that Prince Harry started, and it features wounded service members from around the world doing what they do best: being stone-cold warriors.    Greatest Brits  The nominees for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's Class of 2019 are in. Among the first-timers on the ballot? Def Leppard. (Click here to rock out.) Share Tweet ALL CNN NEWSLETTERS update preferences or unsubscribe CNN Five Things shows up in your inbox at 6 a.m. ET every weekday and at 9 a.m. ET Sundays. Like what you see? Don't like what you see? Let us know. We're all about self-improvement. Did a friend forward you this newsletter? Sign yourself up! Sign up to get updates on your favorite CNN Original Series, special CNN news coverage and other newsletters. Copyright © 2018 Cable News Network, Inc. A WarnerMedia Company, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to CNN's 5 Things newsletter.