Good Thursday morning! Two Trump & Biden debates are officially scheduled; Overdose deaths drop in the US; and an assassination attempt against Slovakia's PM.

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Good morning,

Netflix is making moves into TV's cash cow: live sports. The streaming giant is partnering with the NFL for a three-year deal to live stream Christmas Day games.

• Why it's a big deal: Football is the most popular sport to watch in the US, and it's the first time Netflix has licensed the rights to a major sporting event.

  • The Kansas City Chiefs will face the Pittsburgh Steelers, while the Baltimore Ravens take on the Houston Texans.

• 📺 Netflix is ramping up live events, with a multiyear deal with WWE wrestling, and recently streamed its first live sporting event—a golf tournament. The company says the NFL Xmas deal was less about making a big move into sports, and more about wanting to create breakthrough moments, similar to the recent “The Roast of Tom Brady.”

It has us wondering… what will the Netflix NFL theme sound like? Take a listen to the six tunes from other networks and streaming platforms!

Mosheh, Jill, & Lauren

Mo News Podcast: A daily conversation about the news that matters.

📌 BIDEN AND TRUMP SIDESTEP PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE COMMISSION AND SCHEDULE TWO DEBATES

Talk about a whirlwind. In the matter of hours, President Biden and former President Trump agreed to two presidential debates. It came after Biden’s campaign announced that he was willing to face his Republican opponent twice in events hosted by news networks, and avoid the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates. Trump quickly agreed.

Within hours, the schedule was set:

• CNN will host the first debate on June 27— extraordinarily early, before the parties’ official nominating conventions in the summer— in the network’s Atlanta studios with no audience. Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will moderate.

• ABC News then grabbed the second slot set for Sept. 10, to be moderated by David Muir and Linsey Davis. Other broadcast and streaming news networks will be able to simulcast the debate — the norm since 1988.

It’s a departure from the decades-old traditional debates hosted by the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates. Just as they have more than three decades, the commission had already scheduled three fall debates. But the candidates are saying sayonara to tradition this year.

THE ROAD TO NOVEMBER
Both Biden and Trump have said they would not participate in the commission’s proposed schedule. Trump said they were biased against him, while Biden’s camp blamed them for being “unable or unwilling to enforce the rules” during the 2020 debates. That is when Trump talked over Biden and the moderators. Flashback to Biden saying: “Will you shut up, man? This is so unpresidential.”

• Now, Biden’s team wants the debates to be held inside TV studios, without an audience, as well as microphones that cut out when a speaker’s time limit ends.

  • CNN is requiring that candidates be on enough ballots to win the Electoral College and receive at least 15% in four separate national polls. That means independent candidate RFK Jr. is currently ineligible.

RISKS & REWARDS: Both Trump and Biden believe there is more to gain than lose by debating. But there are certainly risks. If Biden stumbles, the president risks confirming voter worries that he is too old to stay in the job. For Trump, a repeat of his 2020 debate performance, where he showed his volatility, could remind Americans about concerns about his temperament. It could make the election a choice (something the Biden camp wants), instead of a referendum of Biden’s first term and inflation.

THE BACK STORY: Officials from both teams have reportedly been talking over recent weeks about a possible debate. Last month, major TV networks and newspapers sent a joint letter urging Biden and Trump to debate.

📌 SLOVAKIA PM FIGHTING FOR LIFE AFTER ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot multiple times yesterday in the abdomen and is “fighting for his life,” according to government officials.

The populist, 59-year-old, pro-Russian leader was shot in the town of Handlova, about 90 miles northeast of the capital Bratislava after a government meeting.

WHAT HAPPENED?
Immediately after the assassination attempt, Fico was transported to a local hospital and then moved to a trauma center via helicopter. Law enforcement officers detained the suspected gunman at the scene. The initial investigation found "a clear political motivation" behind the shooting.

• About the PM: Fico served as Slovakia’s prime minister between 2006 and 2010, then again from 2012 to 2018.

  • In March 2018, he was forced to resign after weeks of mass protests over the murder of journalist Jan Kuciak, who reported on corruption with some people connected to Fico and his fiancée, Martina Kušnírová Kuciak.

• Fico won a third term last October after running a campaign criticizing western support for Ukraine, pledging to block Ukraine from joining NATO, and ending Slovak military support for Ukraine.

  • He’s blamed “Ukrainian Nazis and fascists” for provoking Vladimir Putin into launching the invasion.

💉 OVERDOSE DEATHS DROP SLIGHTLY IN U.S. — FIRST TIME IN FIVE YEARS

Drug overdose deaths slightly dropped in 2023, the first time since 2018. However, more than 100,000 people still died of a drug overdose last year— double what we were seeing a decade ago.

The early data from the CDC shows that overdose deaths remain extremely high, about three-quarters of which are from fentanyl. At the same time, deaths from stimulants like cocaine and methamphetamine rose.

TRACKING THE NUMBERS
Drug overdoses overall in 2023 were estimated at 107,543 — that’s actually down 3% from 111,029 in 2022.

• Opioid deaths fell by 3.7%, while deaths from cocaine rose by 5% and from meth by 2%

• Appearing to plateau: Dr. Brian Hurley, president of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, called the news “the leveling of the overdose curve.”

• Looking at states: Some states, including Oregon and Washington, saw sharp rises in overall overdose fatalities while four states — Indiana, Kansas, Nebraska and Maine — all saw declines in overdose deaths by at least 15%.

OPIOID CRISIS
Fentanyl is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. About a decade ago, dealers started mixing it with heroin as a way to stretch their supply. While the report does not hypothesize why we saw the slight drop, medicines to reverse opioid overdoses have become more widely available.

• In 2023, 22 million doses of Narcan, the best-known brand of the drug naloxone, were distributed in the US and Canada.

• Test strips for users to detect the presence of fentanyl in a drug became more popular, and many communities and clinics offered programs that hand out sterile syringes.

⏳ SPEED READ

🚨NATION

📌 Senators urge $32 billion in emergency spending on AI after finishing yearlong review (AP)

📌 Grandson says Jimmy Carter is ‘coming to the end’ in brief update about former president’s health (CNN)

📌 Truck driver in deadly Florida bus crash told authorities he smoked marijuana oil the night before, arrest report says (CBS NEWS)

📌 Florida HBCU launches investigation after record $238 million ‘gift’ from 30-year-old hemp mogul is deemed likely worthless (FORTUNE)

📌 17% of voters blame Biden for the end of Roe v Wade (NY TIMES)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

📌 Mexico is stopping nearly three times as many migrants now, helping keep U.S. border crossings down (NBC NEWS)

📌 France imposes emergency in Pacific territory of New Caledonia as violent unrest turns deadly (NPR)

📌 Biden plans to send $1bn arms shipment to Israel (BBC) Massive US dock to deliver food and other humanitarian aid to reach Gazans today (NBC NEWS)

📌 Massive manhunt underway for escaped inmate known as "The Fly" after officers killed in prison van attack in France (CBS NEWS)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

📌 Google and Harvard unveil most detailed ever map of human brain (CNN)

📌 Uber announces shuttle rides, features for caregivers and Costco perks (CNBC)

📌 New inflation data could signal cheaper grocery prices, more discounts, expert says (ABC NEWS)

📌 Billionaire Frank McCourt assembles "people's bid" to buy TikTok (AXIOS)

📌 FDA approves self-tests for cervical cancer, as an alternative to the dreaded pelvic exam (USA TODAY)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

📌 Kansas City Chiefs player faces backlash for graduation speech criticizing working women, calling Pride month a 'deadly sin' (ABC NEWS)

📌 Magician David Copperfield’s alleged sexual assault victims speak out (GUARDIAN)

📌 Elton John’s new photo exhibition: 'I collect photos but hate ones of myself' (BBC)

📌 'Law & Order' actor Angie Harmon files suit after dog shot and killed by Instacart shopper (NBC NEWS)

📌 Sophie Turner and daughters stayed at Taylor Swift's NYC apartment after divorce bombshell (PEOPLE)

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🗓 ON THIS DAY: MAY 16

• 1866: US Congress passed legislation that called for the creation of a five-cent piece composed of nickel and copper; the currency became known as the nickel. Back in 1865, the US nickel was a three-cent coin.

• 1929: The first Academy Awards were held with 12 categories and 270 guests. The show lasted for 15 minutes.

• 1965: Spaghetti-O's was first introduced to grocery stores.

• 1986: The blockbuster film “Top Gun” was released in US theaters, making Tom Cruise a household name.

  • 🧠 The Mo You Know: John Travolta was initially approached to take on the central role of 'Maverick' but it didn’t work out because he wanted too much money. Other actors considered for the lead role included Matthew Broderick, Michael J Fox, John Cusack, Nicholas Cage, Tom Hanks and Patrick Swayze.