Today in one sentence: Biden and Trump agreed to a pair of presidential debates before the November election; the Supreme Court restored a congressional voting map in Louisiana that includes two majority-Black districts; the Biden administration will send an additional $2 billion in aid to Ukraine; the Biden administration plans to move forward with the sale of more than $1 billion in arms and ammunition to Israel; and House Republicans are expected to force a vote on legislation compelling Biden to deliver all congressionally mandated aid to Israel, including weapons.

1/ Biden and Trump agreed to a pair of presidential debates before the November election. The first debate is June 27. It’ll be hosted by CNN and will not have an audience. The second debate will be Sept. 10, and hosted by ABC News. Earlier in the day, Biden said he’d “received and accepted an invitation” from CNN to participate in a debate. “Over to you, Donald. As you said: anywhere, any time, any place,” Biden said. Trump accepted the invitation shortly after, saying: “Let’s get ready to Rumble!!!” Neither debate will involve the Commission on Presidential Debates, which has been organizing and hosting debates for nearly 40 years. Meanwhile, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. – aka The Worm – accused Biden and Trump of “colluding” to exclude him from the debate stage “because they are afraid I would win.” (Politico / NBC News / Associated Press / Axios / New York Times / Washington Post / NPR / CNN / Wall Street Journal)

2/ The Supreme Court restored a congressional voting map in Louisiana that includes two majority-Black districts. Louisiana’s Republican-controlled legislature drew new district lines in January after the Supreme Court found the state’s map diluted the power of Black voters in violation of the federal Voting Rights Act. A federal court later blocked the new map, saying the creation of a second majority-Black district amounted to an “impermissible racial gerrymander” that violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution. The Supreme Court order allows the use of the map with the two majority-Black districts in the upcoming elections, increasing Democrats’ likelihood of taking control of a second congressional seat in Louisiana. (Associated Press / CBS News / NBC News / New York Times / Washington Post)

3/ Inflation climbed 3.4% in April compared with the year before – down from 3.5% in March. Prices rose 0.3% in April compared with the month before. Inflation peaked at an annual rate of 9.1% in 2022. In response, the Federal Reserve increased interest rates to cool the rising prices, raising rates 11 times between March 2022 and July 2023 to their highest level in more than two decades. Stubborn inflation, however, prompted Federal Reserve officials to push back on expectations for rate cuts in 2024, saying they need “greater confidence” that inflation is falling back down to their 2% target before they reduce borrowing costs. (Axios / CNBC / Associated Press / Bloomberg / CBS News / New York Times / Washington Post)

4/ The Biden administration will send an additional $2 billion in aid to Ukraine, but remains opposed to allowing Ukraine to strike targets inside Russia with U.S. weapons. The U.S. is also “rushing” most of the military aid from the $60 billion package Biden approved in April. “Ukraine is facing this renewed brutal Russian onslaught,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. “We are rushing ammunition, armored vehicles, missiles, air defenses. Rushing them to get to the front lines to protect soldiers, to protect civilians,” pointing out that air defenses are “a top priority.” (Washington Post / CNN / ABC News)

5/ The Biden administration plans to move forward with the sale of more than $1 billion in arms and ammunition to Israel. It’s expected to take several years before any weapons in the package are delivered. The notification of the potential sale, however, comes less than a week after the White House withheld a shipment of 3,500 bombs over concerns Israel would use them in a potential invasion of Rafah, where more than 1 million refugees have been sheltering. The new, proposed package includes about $700 million for tank ammunition, $500 million in tactical vehicles, and $60 million in mortar rounds. (Wall Street Journal / Associated Press / Politico / Washington Post / New York Times / USA Today)

6/ House Republicans are expected to force a vote on legislation compelling Biden to deliver all congressionally mandated aid to Israel, including weapons. The bill requires the “prompt delivery” of arms to Israel, restricts funding to the State Department, and Pentagon, and condemns “the Biden Administration’s decision to pause certain arms transfers to Israel” if they refuse. The White House vowed to veto the bill, while House Democratic leadership is actively persuading their colleagues to vote against it. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, acknowledged the tensions with the U.S. over his planned military offensive in Rafah, said: “Yes, we do have a disagreement on Gaza. Rather, on Rafah. But we have to do what we have to do.” And, in a separate meeting with his security cabinet a day after Biden warned Israel against an attack on Rafah, Netanyahu said: “We are not a vassal state of the United States!” (Politico / Axios / NBC News / CNBC / ABC News)

Five years ago today: Day 846: Escalating tensions.
Six years ago today: Day 481: Hindsight.