More than 7,000 workers who make trucks and buses at Daimler Truck plants in North Carolina are poised to go on strike at midnight, barring a last-minute breakthrough. The United Automobile Workers, the union that represents the workers, said it was demanding a “historic deal” from the truck maker, including pay raises and more job security.

The planned walkout would open another front in the U.A.W.’s campaign to expand its power in Southern states, where organized labor has long been weak. The union is hoping it can build on the success of its work stoppages last fall at the three largest U.S. automakers not just by securing higher wages elsewhere, but also by forming more unions in the South.

“It’s our generation-defining moment,” Shawn Fain, U.A.W.’s president, said.

A strike in North Carolina — a battleground state that has a Democratic governor, but that President Biden narrowly lost in 2020 — could also have repercussions on the 2024 campaign. Biden, who has proclaimed himself the “most pro-union president in history,” has indicated that he could step in aggressively to support the Daimler workers. That could find him clashing with the state’s more pro-business Democrats, just months before Election Day.

Biden said he would be ‘happy to debate’ Trump

President Biden said today that he would participate in a debate with Donald Trump. His comments were a striking shift after months in which he declined to commit to a debate. Trump’s campaign responded: “OK let’s set it up!”

Biden made the announcement during an interview with the radio host Howard Stern — a move that, my colleague Jeremy Peters suggested, could be an effort to reach a more working-class audience. “Hillary Clinton told Mr. Stern in 2019 that she might have done better with those voters if she’d agreed to do his show in 2016,” Jeremy said.

In related news, Biden has recently embraced the kinds of insults and taunts more commonly associated with Trump.

The U.S. will not deny aid for Israeli units accused of abuse

The Biden administration has decided that it will not suspend aid to three Israeli military units and two civilian units whose members committed gross human rights violations against Palestinians in the West Bank, so long as Israel holds the units accountable.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken notified House Speaker Mike Johnson of the decision in a letter. Johnson complained to the White House last week after news broke that the U.S. was considering withholding aid from the units.

Blinken will visit Israel next week to discuss efforts to free the remaining hostages held in Gaza and the Israeli military’s planned invasion of Rafah, which the U.S. opposes.

Hopes for substantial cuts in interest rates are fading

The latest reading of the Fed’s most closely watched inflation measure showed this morning that price increases remained notably faster than the policymakers’ goal of 2 percent. It was just the latest sign that, after months of steady improvement in 2023, progress on cooling inflation is stalling out.

The data could prod the Fed to keep borrowing costs high for a longer period, as many economists are now forecasting.

More top news

Broadway is buzzing

The past 10 days have been the busiest stretch Broadway has seen in a long time: A dozen new plays and musicals opened ahead of last night’s deadline for the Tony Award nominations. (The nominees will be announced on Tuesday.) The season has become so stuffed that the producers of “Forbidden Broadway” scrapped their plans for a summer opening.

Now that the rush is over, theatergoers have many options. Our critics put together a list of nine shows that they think are worth considering.

A new take on slouching

For many decades, proper posture has been considered a necessity — initially as a matter of etiquette, but more recently as a way to improve health. But the historian and sociologist Beth Linker argues in a new book that the “posture panic” has been misguided.

We sat down with her to talk about what science says about uprightness.

A $13,000 pair of Cartier earrings for $13

Rogelio Villarreal said he had never heard of the luxury jeweler Cartier until an ad popped up on his Instagram in December. He clicked on it and scrolled past pricey necklaces and watches until he came across a pair of rose-gold earrings listed at just 237 Mexican pesos, or about $13. He bought two pairs.

Cartier later adjusted the price to 237,000 pesos (well over $13,000) and made several attempts to cancel Villarreal’s order within a week of his purchase. The jeweler offered Villarreal a few gifts in exchange, but he declined. Finally, after filing a complaint to Mexico’s consumer protection agency, Villarreal said that Cartier informed him this week that his order would be fulfilled.

Have a lucky weekend.

Thanks for reading. I’ll be back on Monday. — Matthew

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