News Wrap: Biden discusses Ukraine support with Japan’s prime minister

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• Geoff Bennett:

  Welcome to the "NewsHour."

  The push for a deal to raise the federal debt ceiling and curb spending dominates Washington again tonight. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is calling for a tentative agreement by the weekend to avoid a possible national default on June 1.

• Amna Nawaz:

  Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says senators can return from an upcoming recess, if need be. But lawmakers also argued today about whether a clause in the Constitution's 14th Amendment requires paying public debts and makes the debt ceiling moot.

• Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT):

  Is imposing the 14th Amendment a perfect solution? No, it is not, but using the 14th Amendment would allow the United States to continue to pay its bills on time and without delay, prevent an economic catastrophe, and prevent devastating cuts to some of the most vulnerable people in this country.

• Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX):

  That's ridiculous. It's just a way to avoid responsibility. Unfortunately, that happens a lot around here. We need to hold people accountable for doing their jobs. And that's just an attempt to make short shrift of their responsibility.

• Amna Nawaz:

  So far, the Biden administration has played down the idea of invoking the 14th Amendment.

• Geoff Bennett:

  President Biden kicked off his Japan trip today with a heavy focus on Ukraine and China. He met with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Hiroshima.

  They talked about support for Ukraine's military and defense cooperation against Beijing's growing military power. The leaders will join other members of the Group of Seven nations tomorrow for a three-day summit.

  In Ukraine, a new volley of 30 Russian cruise missiles rained down overnight, but Ukrainian officials say they shot down all but one. The capital, Kyiv, was targeted for a ninth time this month. Meantime, debris from intercepted missiles struck industrial sites in the southern port city of Odessa. At least one person was killed.

  The toll of a flood disaster in Northern Italy is still climbing after torrential rain caused dozens of rivers to burst their banks. The worst is in the region of Emilia-Romagna, where 13 people have died and 10,000 have fled their homes. Rescue teams today scoured swamped streets, searching for the many still missing. The flooding submerged 5,000 farms, plus homes and churches, leaving residents there in shock.

• Marco, Priest (through translator):

  We haven't imagined something this big. We have found ourselves with more than one meter of water in front of the house. We were stranded on the second floor and waited for it to be over. A lot of things went wrong, but it could have been worse.

• Geoff Bennett:

  Some areas received half their average annual rainfall in just 36 hours. It's the latest in a series of extreme weather events to strike Italy.

  A standoff in Pakistan intensified today between former Prime Minister Imran Khan and police. They have surrounded Khan's house in Lahore, demanding that he hand over 40 supporters wanted in violent protests. He denies sheltering anyone. Local officials say at least 3,400 people have already been arrested in the wake of the protests.

  Thousands of Jewish nationalists paraded in Jerusalem today, taunting Palestinians and marking Israel's capture of the city back in 1967. Police were out in force to prevent any new violence. Many of the marchers chanted anti-Arab slogans as they traveled the main Palestinian thoroughfare in the old city.

  Back in this country, the pandemic era exodus from U.S. cities appears to be slowing or even reversing. New census data finds that, overall, metropolitan areas grew four-tenths of a percent last year. At the same time, the rate of population loss in New York and Los Angeles dropped by half from the year before. The Dallas-Fort Worth area showed the greatest growth.

  And, on Wall Street, upbeat corporate earnings reports pushed stocks higher. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 115 points to close near 33536. The Nasdaq rose 188 points, 1.5 percent. The S&P 500 added 39 points, or 1 percent.

  Still to come on the "NewsHour": a look at the economic risks should Congress fail to raise the debt ceiling; Hollywood faces a larger work stoppage, as the actors union threatens to strike alongside writers; and the COVID-19 pandemic leads to a nationwide uptick in homeschooling.