Start your week smart: Conspiracy theories, Brooklyn Bridge, Pope Leo XIV, Fertility clinic explosion, PGA Championship

By Andrew Torgan and Daniel Wine, CNN

(CNN) — Summer is right around the corner, and with it comes a new concern for inflation-weary consumers: Americans can expect to shell out a record $784, on average, to cool their homes from June through September, according to a new analysis from two energy policy groups. That’s a more than 4% jump from the same period last year and 14% higher than in 2020. Residents of New England and the Midwest will be hit especially hard, with costs projected to increase between 13% and 18% from last year.

Here’s what else you need to know to Start Your Week Smart.

Sunday spotlight

In our digital world, conspiracy theories and misinformation spread in no time at all. Even smart people go down the rabbit hole.

Examples aren’t hard to find: JFK’s assassination. Sandy Hook. QAnon. Covid-19.

Shortly after the Los Angeles wildfires broke out in January, rumor and speculation began to swirl online before exploding into a blaze of outlandish theories.

Elon Musk spread a falsehood that large numbers of undocumented immigrants are getting Social Security benefits. Right-wing media figures suggested the government was hiding secrets relating to convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

1️⃣ Who believes them? CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan has been covering conspiracy theories for years. He discovered that the people behind them are disillusioned, disaffected and — in some cases — desperate. But they’re not crazy.

2️⃣ Inside the ‘manosphere’: O’Sullivan took a deep dive into the male-oriented podcast world and found misguided men searching for community. It’s a place where hate, misogyny and misinformation proliferate.

3️⃣ Slippery slope: CNN’s misinformation experts explain why facts don’t always change people’s minds and share what they’ve learned during their reporting.

4️⃣ Medical myths: Health misinformation is on the rise. If you come across something that just seems “off,” it probably is. Experts explain the red flags to look for.

5️⃣ What you can do: If you’ve ever been fooled by misleading claims online, there are ways to protect yourself. Learn how to identify what’s true and what isn’t.

Top headlines

• Two dead after Mexican Navy training ship strikes underside of Brooklyn Bridge.
• Pope Leo XIV condemns exploitation of the poor during inaugural Mass.
• Palm Springs fertility clinic ‘targeted’ in explosion that leaves one dead.

The week ahead

Monday
Prime Minister Keir Starmer will welcome European Union leaders to the UK for the first UK-EU Leaders’ Summit. Issues on the table include a potential defense pact in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, trade and fishing rights.

Tuesday
G7 finance ministers and central bank governors will meet in Canada to discuss current global economic and financial challenges, with a focus on how the G7 can work together. Ukraine’s finance minister is also expected to attend. The meeting comes ahead of next month’s larger G7 Leaders’ Summit.

Wednesday
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is scheduled to meet with President Donald Trump at the White House to “reset the strategic relationship between the two countries.” The visit follows the move by the Trump administration to grant refugee status to White South Africans due to alleged discrimination. Since Trump began his second term, the US has taken a series of punitive measures against South Africa, whose government has been met with ire not only from Trump but also from Elon Musk, who was born and raised in the country.

Thursday
AAA is projecting that a record number of people — 45.1 million — will travel at least 50 miles from home over the Memorial Day holiday period, which begins on May 22 and lasts through May 26. That number would eclipse the previous record set back in 2005 of 44 million people.

Listen in

One Thing: 🎧 Is the tariff damage done?
In this episode of the “One Thing” podcast, CNN’s David Rind speaks with a business owner about how he’s navigating the uncertainty of President Trump’s trade policy. Listen here.

Photos of the week

Check out more images from the week that was, curated by CNN Photos.

Sports + entertainment

Sports at a glance …
The final round of the PGA Championship tees off later today in Charlotte, North Carolina. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler propelled himself to the top of the leaderboard on Saturday after shooting a blistering 6-under par 65, leaving him at 11-under par for the tournament. He sits three strokes ahead of Alex Noren, who shot 5-under to put himself at 8-under par for the championship.

The NBA Western Conference semifinals wrap up today when the Denver Nuggets take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 of the series. In the East, The New York Knicks reached the conference finals for the first time in 25 years on Friday night, strolling to a 119-81 victory over reigning champion Boston Celtics in Game 6. The Knicks will face the Indiana Pacers in the conference finals, the same team they played last time they made it this far in 2000. Game 1 is on Wednesday night in New York.

In Round 2 of the NHL’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Florida Panthers face off against the Toronto Maple Leafs later today in Game 7. The Dallas Stars beat the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday to advance to the Western Conference finals. They play the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 on Wednesday.

And the favorite Journalism came from behind on Saturday to win the 150th Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty did not compete in the second leg of the three races that make up the Triple Crown. The colt instead is preparing for the Belmont Stakes on June 7.

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.

In theaters

The 8th and (allegedly) final installment of the “Mission Impossible” franchise opens on Friday. “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning” stars, of course, Tom Cruise, who first appeared in the role of super-spy Ethan Hunt at age 34. He’s now 62 and is still hanging onto airplanes for dear life.

Also hitting the big screen for the long Memorial Day weekend is Disney’s live-action/CGI reboot of “Lilo & Stitch.”

Quiz time!

Looking for a challenge to start your week? Take CNN’s weekly news quiz to see how much you remember from the week that was! So far, 7% of readers who took the quiz got a perfect score and 35% got eight or more questions right. How will you fare?

Play me off …

‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’
Music icon Bob Dylan turns 84 on Saturday. If you have tickets to see him when the Outlaw Music Festival makes a stop at the Cascades Amphitheatre in Ridgefield, Washington, be sure to wish him a happy birthday! (Click here to view)

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