💬 Quoted… “If there is one thing Americans can agree on during this polarized time, it is that the stakes of this election are exceptionally high.”

• In a joint statement published yesterday, a dozen major news outlets – including the Associated Press, Fox News, and CNN – called on President Biden and former President Trump to commit to participating in debates this election season. While both candidates have so far resisted debating their rivals in the Democratic and GOP primaries, they haven’t officially ruled out facing each other on the debate stage, with Trump on Thursday saying he’s willing to go head-to-head with Biden “anytime, anyplace and anywhere” starting immediately.

📉 Stat of the Day: Homicide rates in cities across America are falling at the fastest pace since the late 1990s, bringing them close to levels they were at before a historic jump during the Covid pandemic. Overall, homicides decreased by an annual rate of ~20% across 133 of America’s largest cities over the first three months of 2024, according to crime-data analyst Jeff Asher.

🤔 Did You Know?... The Philippines are named after the 16th-century Spanish King Philip II, while the term “Filipino” comes from the Spanish spelling of the king’s name (“Felipe”).

📰 Worth a Read: Inside Amazon’s Push to Crack Trader Joe’s—and Dominate Everything → (WSJ)