right now in america this morning showdown agreement. >> i want to make sure last in your class. first, i get ready for two presidential debates, one coming next month. >> what we're learning about the biden-trump debates now in the works, and how they'll be breaking with tradition on prices finally coming down. >> the new report on inflation, what's getting cheaper, what's getting more expensive. plus, mcdonald's unveils its new $5

value meal. why critics are already pouncing the brazen assassination attempt caught on camera. >> new details on the alleged gunman who tried to take down a european prime minister. >> new this morning we hear from the whistleblower raising serious new questions about the epa's response to the toxic train derailment in ohio. a u.s. senator now demanding an investigation. >> breaking overnight, a massive settlement reportedly in the works involving health concerns linked to the popular heartburn drug zantac. >> later, the raccoon. >> this is how you clear out a party who set a record at this soccer game, and the million dollar golf heist from arnold palmers green jacket to millions in masters memorabilia. >> the alleged thief now opening up from abc news. >> this is america this morning. >> good thursday morning, everyone. >> i'm rhiannon ally and i'm lionel moise in for andrew. we begin with the race for the

white house and a break with tradition. >> president biden has agreed to go face to face with former president trump in two presidential debates, one of them next month. but the early schedule isn't the only break with tradition. >> biden wants a new rule regarding microphones, while trump wants to make sure each candidate is standing, not sitting. here's abc's andrea fujii this morning after the possibility of no presidential debates at all, this election year. >> now two are set. president biden agreeing to meet on stage with former president trump, even joking about the one day of the week. trump is not in court. >> so let's pick the dates. >> donald, i hear you're free on wednesdays. >> trump firing back. just tell me when i'll be there. let's get ready to rumble. trump has been pushing to debate biden trying to get him to debate. >> i really think he has to debate. he might as well get it over with now. >> biden agreeing just days after a new poll showed him trailing trump in these five battleground states. the first debate will be june 27th, hosted

by cnn. the earliest general election debate ever. even before the candidates are officially nominated. >> it's really because the biden campaign wants them early. it's a fact that people are voting earlier than ever. early voting is now so prevalent, almost half the country is voting before election day. and there were concerns that the debates, if they're backloaded in october, are missing tens of millions of americans who might be making up their mind. >> the second debate will be september 10th on abc. in a break with tradition, the debates won't conform with the presidential debate commission, the nonpartisan group that's hosted them for three decades. both campaigns have objected to how the commission operates. things got heated in 2020. >> justice radical left, will you shut up, man? >> this year, there will be no live audience. and the biden camp has requested that the microphone of the non-speaking candidate be deactivated. >> we are willing to meet joe biden wherever he wants. and under whatever rules he wants to impose. that is how confident our candidate and donald trump truly is.

>> because the commission is not involved. the debates will no longer be on all the networks, just those sponsoring them. it's unclear where the third party candidate, rfk jr, will qualify. he'll have to meet a 15% polling threshold and other requirements. rhiannon lionel, two debates. >> look forward to andrea. thank you. now to galveston, texas, scene of the latest accident involving a bridge in this country. in this case, a barge crashed into the pelican island bridge, causing some structural damage. officials say the crash happened after a tugboat captain lost control. the crash resulted in an oil spill. there is no official word yet on how much was spilled, but traffic over the bridge has been reduced. >> some encouraging news about inflation in the prices that we're paying from grocery stores to car lots. and this figure will really hit home for a lot of people. americans are spending, on average, $218 more per month on their expenses compared to last year at this time, but the number is still an

improvement. and wages are up. so where do we go from here? abc's perry russom has more. good morning. >> perry lionel. good morning. it is encouraging news. inflation dropping for the first time this year. but most of the experts agree there's a long way to go before we can breathe a sigh of relief. this morning the new report on inflation is being described as a small step in the right direction. >> overall, when you kind of look at the areas where prices are up and down in this report, you do see some cooling in places where people are really feeling the impact of inflation. >> consumer prices in april were 3.4% higher compared to the same time last year. that's a slight improvement from the 3.5% increase we saw in march. and so-called core inflation, which removes volatile food and gas prices, was up by the smallest amount in three years. the other good news wages are rising faster than inflation, but is that enough for the federal reserve to begin lowering interest rates? likely not. >> remember, we've been hoping that the fed and looking for the fed had been hoping to start

cutting rates around this time, but instead that timeline keeps getting postponed. what this report will likely do is give them a little bit of confidence that they can start lowering borrowing costs, but it's probably not going to happen for a little while. still, food prices overall were unchanged in april. >> grocery prices were down slightly from the previous month, but the cost of going out to eat rose slightly. >> be sure to save some fries for after outrage over fast food prices prompted mcdonald's yesterday to announce a new $5 value meal, which will hit menus in late june. >> but the deal will only be offered in certain locations and only for about one month. when it comes to the big picture, many people, including the president, have blamed corporate greed for the nation's inflation struggles. >> for all we've done to bring prices down, there are still too many corporations in america ripping people off, price gouging junk fees greedflation shrinkflation. >> the president's critics cite a surge in government spending for contributing to the problem,

but new research from the federal reserve of san francisco claims the current inflation struggle can largely be traced back to higher production costs and supply chain disruptions during the pandemic. either way, americans are beginning to cut back on their spending. retail sales last month fell short of expectations as rihanna. >> all right, perry, thank you for that. police in southern california have taken back a lecture hall at uc irvine that was occupied by pro-palestinian demonstrators. officers in riot gear swarmed the campus after protesters entered the building. they also cleared an encampment, detaining about a dozen people. today's classes will be held remotely. meanwhile, overseas, the us military has finished installing a massive floating pier off the coast of gaza to deliver desperately needed humanitarian aid. it is expected to be up and running soon. >> now to europe and the shocking assassination plot caught on camera. this morning, slovakia's head of state fighting for his life after an apparent assassination attempt,

prime minister robert fico greeting supporters outside a cultural center. when this happened. five gunshots ringing out, hitting fico in the abdomen. the gunman immediately wrestled to the ground and arrested fico's knees, buckling his security detail rushing him to the hospital. >> it's a political assault, his deputy prime minister saying. >> there was a clear political motivation for the attack. fico is a divisive figure in slovakia and beyond, winning an election last fall on a pro-russia anti-american message and halting weapons deliveries to ukraine at the start of his fourth term. the attack, the latest in a string of assassinations and attempts in recent years. in january three, a man stabbed south korea's opposition party leader in the neck, but he survived and in 2022, former prime minister shinzo abe of japan was fatally shot with a homemade gun outside a church. as for that attack in slovakia, the gunman is

reportedly a 71 year old writer from that country. >> back here at home, a former employee of augusta national golf club, home of the masters, could spend up to a decade in prison after pleading guilty to stealing memorabilia and merchandise from the club. one of arnold palmers green jackets was among the items. richard globensky admits stealing. he also made off with more than $5 million of masters merchandise, all of it sold to a broker. >> time now for your thursday weather. the biggest threat for severe storms today stretches from texas to mississippi, with a risk of flash flooding. some areas could see up to nine inches of rain. meanwhile, beginning today, some potentially record setting heat is spreading from texas to south florida. 90s and triple digits into the weekend. checking today's high temperatures elsewhere, mostly 70s from the pacific northwest to the great lakes. a bit cooler with rain in the northeast today. phoenix though 96 degrees.

massive settlement in connection with a popular heartburn drug. >> but first, the man clinging to the hood of a moving car. and this was no movie stunt. >> and a whistleblower raising serious new questions about the government's response to that toxic train

when you heard the word cancer, what went through your mind this morning on gma? >> all right, if you think this is an action film stunt scene, guess again. a driver in hollywood spotted this man hanging on to the hood of the car while a female driver swerved through traffic, then took off. unfortunately, no word on how this scene ended. also, new video shows the crash that caused a truck driver in kentucky to plunge over the side of a louisville bridge in march, the hood breaking off the driver was left dangling 100ft over the

ohio river for 45 minutes. emergency crews finally hoisting her to safety. the driver of the pickup truck who triggered that crash on the bridge allegedly had a suspended license. >> we turn now to new questions about the toxic train derailment that forever changed the village of east palestine, ohio. one scientist is now coming forward with new claims about the epa's response. a whistleblower is raising new questions about the toxic train derailment in east palestine, ohio, last year, accusing the epa of rushing to give the all clear. >> it was very unusual. i should say, to not have this plane deployed almost immediately. >> the epa has a plane loaded with advanced sensors to read air quality, ready to deploy within one hour of a chemical disaster. but robert crandall, a scientist who helped develop the high tech plane, says the epa waited until four days after the derailment to fly over the site.

>> i wondered why the plane would not be deployed to this particular type of accident because of the technology on the airplane and being able to assess the situation immediately after the norfolk southern train derailed, officials vented and burned five tank cars full of vinyl chloride. >> officials said their data showed the air was safe and residents were allowed to return home, but some immediately began to report health issues. the epa says crowell's characterization of the plane's response is false, saying bad weather forced them to wait. but crowdle claims even when the plane did fly, it gathered only limited data. >> i managed to get the data eight minutes. >> is that a lot of data? >> that's no, absolutely not. on an event like this, you'd have hundreds of minutes. you'd have maybe 150 minutes of data collection. >> and cradle says the plane's chemical sensors were turned off over creeks in the area.

>> they didn't get the thing on time. they didn't collect very much data, and they turned the sensors off in the creeks. i'd say there's some problems. >> the epa says the flight was consistent with past missions, but ohio senator sherrod brown is now calling for an investigation. >> coming up, the end of an era on the las vegas strip. >> also ahead, the uproar over a super bowl champions graduation super bowl champions graduation speech. what he told the women dupixent can help people with asthma breathe better in as little as 2 weeks. so this is better. even this. dupixent is an add-on treatment for specific types of moderate-to-severe asthma that's not for sudden breathing problems. dupixent can cause allergic reactions that can be severe. tell your doctor right away if you have rash, chest pain, worsening shortness of breath, tingling or numbness in your limbs. tell your doctor about new or worsening joint aches and pain or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma medicines including steroids, without talking to your doctor. ask your specialist about dupixent.

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line switch today. >> it is the end of an era on the vegas strip. the mirage hotel will close for good in mid-july. it is shutting down to make room for the hard rock las vegas, which is set to open in 2027. >> pfizer is reportedly settling thousands of lawsuits involving its discontinued heartburn drug zantac, the financial times reports. the drug maker will pay up to $250 million to those who claim that zantac caused cancer, pfizer says the drug did not cause cancer when used as directed. >> actress olivia munn is speaking exclusively with good morning america about her aggressive form of breast cancer. she was diagnosed last april and doctors performed a double mastectomy. well, now she's had a full hysterectomy. she spoke to michael strahan about the tough decision to go public. >> i wanted my son when he got older to know that i fought to be here, that i tried my best.

>> you gonna make me cry? you want the people in your life. >> you want the people that maybe don't understand what's going on right now. to know that, like you did everything you could to be here. >> much more of michael's emotional interview on good morning america. >> we turn now to a college graduation speech igniting controversy on both sides of the culture wars. this morning, new reaction to super bowl winner harrison butler's commencement speech at a catholic college in kansas. the speech at benedictine college getting attention after what the kansas city chiefs kicker said to women. >> but i would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world. >> butler also criticizing abortion, surrogacy, ivf treatment, as well as pride month. >> not the deadly sin sort of pride that has an entire month dedicated to it. >> he also called out a congressional bill condemning anti-semitism. >> congress just passed a bill where stating something as basic

as the biblical teaching of who killed jesus could land you in jail. >> the reaction swift the nfl saying his views are not those of the nfl. the nfl is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger. lgbtq advocacy group glad, calling the speech inaccurate, ill informed and woefully out of step one critic on social media producing this video, making it look like butler was speaking to the women in the handmaid's tale. the chiefs rivals, the los angeles chargers, released this video in the style of the sims video game , previewing their 2024 schedule. while showing butler working in a kitchen, an online petition demanding the chiefs release, butler quickly racked up tens of thousands of signatures, but many are also defending the kicker, saying he delivered the speech at a private catholic school and he received a standing ovation. one supporter saying harrison butker, a practicing catholic, goes to a catholic college and

delivers a speech for catholics and people are mad that he didn't pander to them. the chiefs have not commented on the speech coming up. >> read your phone anywhere. apple's new feature to prevent motion sickness. >> plus, the raccoon who stole the show. the show. >> i don't think before my doctor and i chose breztri for my copd, i had bad days. [cough] flare-ups that could permanently damage my lungs. with breztri, things changed for me. breztri gave me better breathing. starting within 5 minutes, i noticed my lung function improved. it helped improve my symptoms, and breztri was even proven to reduce flare-ups, including those that could send me to the hospital. so now i look forward to more good days. breztri won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. it is not for asthma. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. don't take breztri more than prescribed. breztri may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis.

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astrazeneca may be able to help. cancer, yeah, it went through your mind this morning on gma. >> time to check the pulse. we begin with a high tech fix for motion sickness. very cool. >> apple has a new feature to help people who get car sick using their phones in a moving car. the feature is called vehicle motion cues. so it uses sensors in your device and triggers animated dots on your screen that correspond with the movement of the car. >> so it's supposed to solve the sensory conflict that has caused by motion sickness. next, a legal battle over what

constitutes a sandwich. >> an indiana judge has ruled that tacos and burritos are legally sandwiches. the battle started when a businessman wanted to open a taco shop in a strip mall, but the mall was designated as a sandwich only zone, so he filed suit and the judge ruled in his favor, saying , quote, tacos and burritos are mexican style sandwiches next in ohio bar, causing controversy because of a new age policy, you have to be 30 years old to get in the door on fridays and saturdays, donna pub, near columbus, says the policy is meant to keep everyone safe after some rowdy behavior. >> critics say the age restriction, though, won't change people's behavior. next, happy gilmore is playing another round. >> the 1996 comedy starred adam sandler as a hockey player who found his talent for golf. netflix confirms a sequel is in the works with sandler. and finally, the field invader in major league soccer. >> yes, a raccoon made a mad dash. >> this is marvelous entertainment. >> at what point are we just rooting for him? very nearly got away. >> go on. raccoon very nearly

got away. >> you can get out. don't hurt him. they got him. they got the raccoon. >> that was kind of rooting for the raccoon. there it happened during the new york philly game last night. stadium workers chased a raccoon for several minutes. they did eventually catch it with a garbage can. but i can watch this video all day. look how fast that little hi guys! bill, you look great! now that i have inspire, i'm free from struggling with the mask and the hose. inspire? inspire is a sleep apnea treatment that works inside my body with a click of this button. where are you going?

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see berkeley protesters taking over a condemned building owned by the university officials, calling this latest action a crime. >> protesters shouting down the uc board of regents meeting forced to pause a chp is asked to clear the room. tense moments as region is prepared to meet again today. >> governor newsom on the world stage speaking at the vatican overnight. the meeting with the pope to tackle climate change and ditch the car and get out the bike today, if you can. >> it is bike to wherever day where you can celebrate national bike month with your neighbors. >> good morning to you. it is thursday, may 16th. we're going