Start your week smart: Ukraine, Shootings, North Korea, New Mexico, Twitter

Things looked very different at this time last year. Covid-19 vaccines were rolling out across the country and millions of people were lining up daily to get their shots – or to get swabs shoved up their noses. Fast forward to today. Following a wave of rapid innovation, the first Covid-19 breathalyzer test will soon make its way into medical offices and mobile testing sites.

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

The weekend that was

• Officials in the southeastern port of Mariupol have rejected a Russian ultimatum demanding the surrender of Ukrainian forces in the city, the scene of a sustained and brutal siege. Russia responded by saying it would “eliminate all resistance.”

• Two people were fatally shot and at least nine others were injured by gunfire overnight during a large party in Pittsburgh’s East Allegheny neighborhood, officials said early this morning. Separately, one person has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting at a South Carolina mall Saturday that left 14 people hurt, police said yesterday.

• North Korea fired two projectiles into waters off the east of the Korean Peninsula yesterday, according to the South Korean military. It was the country’s 12th such test this year.

• Firefighters battling the deadly McBride Fire in southern New Mexico were able to get the flames 56% contained by last night, a massive jump from the 0% containment reported earlier in the day, authorities said.

• Twitter’s board of directors adopted a limited-term shareholder rights plan called a “poison pill” late last week that could make it harder for Elon Musk to acquire the company.

The week ahead

Monday

The 126th Boston Marathon is set to take place on Monday, with 30,000 people scheduled to participate. Runners at event will also remember the victims of the Boston Marathon terror attack nine years ago. On April 15, 2013, double bombings near the finish line killed three people and injured at least 264. And despite qualifying, 63 runners from Russia or Belarus have been banned from participating in both the Boston Marathon and Boston Athletic Association 5K due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to organizers.

Monday is also Tax Day. If you haven’t sent in your documents yet, you can file for an extension – but if you owe money, you still have to pay up by the April 18 filing deadline.

Wednesday

There may be something in the air on Wednesday. April 20, or 4/20, is also known as “Weed Day” in some circles because the date corresponds with a numerical code for marijuana. As for where 420 got its name, Chris Conrad, the curator of the Oaksterdam Cannabis Museum in Oakland, California, says 420 started as a secret code among high schoolers in the early 1970s who would often meet at 4:20 p.m. to get high. For them, it was an ideal time: They were out of school but their parents still weren’t home, giving them a window of unsupervised freedom. The code gradually spread across California and beyond – and now it’s celebrated every year.

Thursday

Thursday is Queen Elizabeth’s 96th birthday. The Queen has been taking a step back from public appearances and events due to feeling “very tired and exhausted” following her recent bout of Covid-19, a royal source said. A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex confirmed to CNN that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visited the Queen last week, on their way to The Hague to attend The Invictus Games, which began yesterday.

Friday

Happy Earth Day! The holiday was created in the United States to increase public awareness of environmental problems and is now celebrated around the world. The theme of Earth Day 2022 is “Invest In Our Planet.”

Want more 5 Things?

This week on the Sunday edition of the 5 Things podcast, CNN’s Brynn Gingras breaks down the data around gun violence in New York City following last week’s subway shooting. We also explore how officials are looking to tackle the problem by taking guns off the street and how so-called “ghost guns” are complicating that mission. Listen here!