At the White House tonight, President Biden will host Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India for a private dinner that will kick off a pomp-filled state visit, matched only by visits from America’s closest allies.

The events, which include a star-studded gala dinner and an address by Modi to Congress, are an attempt by the U.S. to draw India closer. They also demonstrate that Biden has concluded, much as his predecessors did, that he needs India despite the fact that Modi’s government has cracked down on dissent in a way that has raised fears of an authoritarian turn.

Biden has said that the battle between democracy and autocracy is the defining struggle of his time. But, at a time of confrontation with Russia and an uneasy standoff with China, he believes he must accept some imperfect but important friends.

“The fact that Biden is rolling out the red carpet — despite India’s resistance to taking a stance on the war in Ukraine and concerns over Modi’s undermining of democracy — is a testament to the U.S. view of India as an indispensable power,” said my colleague Mujib Mashal, The Times’s South Asia bureau chief.

Justice Alito defended his ties to a wealthy G.O.P. donor

In a highly unusual move for a Supreme Court justice, Samuel Alito last night published an opinion essay in The Wall Street Journal responding to questions about his travel with a billionaire. It was an attempt to pre-empt a report from ProPublica detailing an extravagant fishing trip he took in 2008 with Paul Singer, the billionaire, who later had cases before the Supreme Court.

In the essay, Alito insists that he was not required to disclose the trip or recuse himself from the cases. His response comes as the justices face mounting scrutiny over their ethical obligations to report gifts and to recuse themselves from cases involving their benefactors.

Low inflation is a “long way” away, the Fed chair warned

The U.S. economy is seeing many positive signs: Price increases have meaningfully slowed, gas is cheaper, eggs are back under $3 and the job market remains strong.

But at least one person has yet to express relief: Jerome Powell, the chair of the Federal Reserve. Powell testified to House lawmakers today, saying that inflation was still too rapid and most likely would be for a while longer, adding that most central bank officials expected rates to rise further.

Ukraine’s leader said the counteroffensive would be slow

President Volodymyr Zelensky sought to manage expectations around Ukraine’s counteroffensive, which has been unable to recapture significant Russian-held territory in its opening weeks. He said that it would take time for his troops to achieve results: “Some people believe this is a Hollywood movie and expect results now,” Zelensky said. “It’s not.”

In related news, the World Bank estimated the cost of rebuilding Ukraine’s cities, towns and other infrastructure at more than $411 billion.

More top news

Breathing life into fire, water, earth and air

In some ways, Pixar’s latest movie, “Elemental,” is a simple love story between a woman made of fire and a man made of water. In other ways, it was a major technical challenge: The film’s animators needed to find a way to anthropomorphize the four elements of the natural world in a way that was both believable and endearing. My colleague Mekado Murphy took a closer look at what went into developing the visual style for each element.

For more: Here’s our review of “Elemental.”

A tastemaker who got bored of her own style

The interior designer and lifestyle influencer Athena Calderone’s Brooklyn townhouse had everything. It was sun drenched and spacious, with crown moldings and muted luxe-minimalist décor so desirable that it became a set for photo shoots and attracted a huge following on Pinterest.

But Calderone’s style became so influential that she eventually became bored of her own aesthetic. “I just felt like the house was getting exhausted,” Calderone said. Now, she’s moving to Manhattan.

Dinner table topics

How to diagnose your plants

As summer begins — and many of us spend more time in nature or our gardens — it’s likely that you will encounter a plant that doesn’t look quite right. But how can you tell the difference between a plant that’s simply odd looking and one that’s unwell?

That’s where the “disease garden” comes in. At Purdue University, professors planted a garden where the plants suffered from diseases and pathogens, so their students could learn what ailed them. Eventually, it became the Purdue Plant Doctor website, which helps users diagnose sick plants.