5 things to know for May 16: Presidential debates, Gaza, Assassination attempt, Campus unrest, Stock market

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If you tend to be easily distracted during work — squirrel! — you’re not alone. Medical experts say our attention spans are getting shorter, but a few mindful practices can help increase your focus. Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have accepted an invitation from CNN to debate on June 27, a historically early showdown that will set the tone for the final months of the 2024 campaign. The debate will be held at CNN’s Atlanta studios with no audience present — an anomaly in debates between presidential candidates. Republicans have for months been piling the pressure on Biden to debate Trump after the president offered non-committal answers on whether the face-offs would take place. But several sources say that the debate had actually been in the works for weeks, as the campaigns separately came to the conclusion that debates over the summer would benefit both their candidates and American voters. A US-built floating pier that will allow for humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza was anchored to a beach today along the besieged enclave. The pier aims to “support the humanitarian mission to deliver additional humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians,” US Central Command said in a statement. Dozens of trucks are expected to begin moving the humanitarian aid ashore in the coming days, officials said, adding that no US troops had entered Gaza. Amid signs that Israel may launch a full-scale incursion in Rafah, aid agencies are warning any escalation in the southern Gaza city risks exacerbating the already deteriorating humanitarian situation. Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico is in stable but serious condition after being shot five times in what officials described as a politically motivated assassination attempt. The 59-year-old populist leader was attacked on Wednesday after an off-site government meeting in the town of Handlova. The alleged shooter is in custody and no one else was injured, officials said. Slovakia’s defense and interior ministers blamed rising hate speech and division for the political atmosphere in the country, which they said led to the assassination attempt. Fico, an ally of Russia, was elected in October after running a campaign that criticized Western support for Ukraine. Police arrested at least a dozen pro-Palestinian demonstrators at the University of California, Irvine, as they cleared an encampment in front of a lecture hall on Wednesday. This comes as several pro-Palestinian encampments were removed from at least three other college campuses in recent days as schools across the country continue to call in law enforcement to quell demonstrations. Additionally, at least 50 professors have been detained at campus protests across the country in the last month, according to a CNN review. Since April 18, more than 2,400 students have been arrested amid protests on more than 50 campuses.