5 things to know for May 24: State visit, Gaza aid, Covid-19, College sports, Mortgage rates

CNN’s 5 Things brings you the news you need to know every morning.

Memorial Day weekend is upon us — a time to honor members of the US armed forces who died serving our country. Most major retailers will remain open on Monday’s federal holiday, but post offices and banks will be closed. Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day. President Joe Biden is holding a lavish state visit for Kenya’s President William Ruto. This comes as Biden has hailed cooperation with Africa and is seeking to build relationships with key leaders in the region as a counter to Russia and China’s inroads on the continent. A state visit is among the highest diplomatic tools the White House can employ to honor a top ally, with the meticulously planned event aimed at intertwining and highlighting American and Kenyan cultures. Former President Barack Obama and other distinguished guests made appearances at a state dinner honoring Ruto on Thursday. This visit marks the first time an American president has hosted an African leader since 2008, when President George W. Bush hosted the president of Ghana. Aid groups have begun distributing the humanitarian assistance offloaded at the US-built pier in Gaza to Palestinians after encountering significant obstacles on distribution routes. The deliveries were initially hindered by a Hamas drone attack on Israeli forces “several miles away” from the pier that led to a freeze on convoy movements, US officials said. Some trucks were also looted along one of the distribution paths earlier this week. More than 1,000 US troops helped to build the humanitarian pier and causeway off the coast of Gaza over the last two months, and the operation launched last week. Since then, more than 500 metric tons of food and other aid have been offloaded and handed off to humanitarian partners, officials say. The Covid-19 variant KP.2 has become the dominant strain in the US in recent weeks, according to the CDC. The variant is part of the broader Omicron family — which caused the last wave of cases in the winter — but does not appear to result in more severe disease. Between April 28 to May 11, nearly 30% of new cases in the US were caused by KP.2, up from less than 16% in the two-week period before that. Health experts say the mutations of this variant threaten increased transmissibility and a possible summer wave because existing vaccines may not be as effective. Covid-19 is also settling into some seasonal patterns, which have included a summer bump in years past, but the exact level of risk for this year is unclear. The NCAA and the five power conferences have agreed to a settlement that will pave the way to allow schools to pay student-athletes. Per ESPN, sources said the parties have agreed to a plan that would allow each school to share up to “roughly $20 million per year with its athletes” — a profound moment that will usher in a new era in college sports. The agreement settles three antitrust cases and includes the payment of more than $2.7 billion in damages to past and current student-athletes. Over several years, numerous college programs were punished by the NCAA for their players being compensated in some way for their exploits on the field.