Daily Briefing: Three presidents take the stage

The Biden campaign says its star-studded New York City event last night raised the most ever for a single fundraiser in U.S. political history. Also in the news: Four people are still missing and presumed dead after a bridge collapse in Baltimore. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has been imprisoned in Russia for one year.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. These are the best Easter weekend sales to shop right now.

Here's the news to know Friday.

Obama and Clinton rip Trump, boost Biden at $26M NYC campaign fundraiser

Barack Obama and Bill Clinton joined President Joe Biden Thursday night in New York at the most lucrative fundraiser of the 2024 campaign, warning fellow Democrats that Donald Trump must be defeated while making forceful cases for Biden's reelection. The Biden campaign said the fundraiser held at Radio City Music Hall raised more than $26 million, the most ever for a single fundraiser in U.S. political history. Read more about the celebrity-filled event that presented a united front among Democrats behind Biden.

Dali crew still confined to ship as salvage efforts begin

As authorities in Baltimore start to retrieve the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after it collapsed into the Patapsco River, the 22-member crew of the Dali, the ship that struck the span, has stayed on board to monitor the cargo ship.

The vessel's crew was not injured in the Tuesday incident: Thirteen of the 56 containers with hazardous materials aboard the Dali were destroyed when the part of the bridge collapsed, but officials said there’s “no immediate threat to the environment” or people in the ship.

• The ship was headed for a long journey from the Baltimore port that would have taken about four weeks, meaning the crew was stocked with enough supplies to last them that long. Baltimore officials expect to get access to the Dali on Friday or early next week.

• A data recorder from inside the Dali revealed tense moments leading to the devastating crash. The recording will be the focus of investigators, including a radio call from the pilot requesting assistance from tug boats in the area (check out our explainer on the tug boats).

• Authorities on Friday will forge ahead with a salvage operation to remove the mangled bridge and debris and clear the waterway so the Port of Baltimore, a critical East Coast shipping artery, can resume operations.

Reporting from Baltimore: With hot meals and donations, local residents "stand ready to help."

More news to know now

• A suspect was charged with murder in a deadly Illinois stabbing and beating rampage.

• A fiery bus crash in South Africa killed 45 people headed to an Easter church service.

• Maui wildfire survivors are struggling to find homes.

• There's more volatility ahead for Trump's high-flying Truth Social.

• On today's The Excerpt podcast, Trump's lawyers are arguing that the First Amendment and free speech should protect him from prosecution in Georgia. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your smart speaker.

What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

Evan Gershkovich remains strong after year in Moscow prison, U.S. envoy says

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich is holding up well despite spending nearly a year in a Moscow prison, the U.S. embassy said after ambassador Lynne Tracy visited him on Thursday. Gershkovich, now 32, was arrested on March 29 last year in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg and accused by the FSB security service of trying to obtain defense secrets. He, his paper and the U.S. government have all strongly denied he is a spy. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Gershkovich could be released at some point in exchange for a Russian prisoner held abroad, but no such deal has so far materialized. Washington has pledged to do "whatever it takes" to bring home Gershkovich.

FTX founder sentenced to 25 years on crypto fraud charges

Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison Thursday for stealing $8 billion from customers of the now-bankrupt FTX cryptocurrency exchange he founded. The sentence marked the culmination of Bankman-Fried's plunge from an ultra-wealthy entrepreneur and major political donor to the biggest trophy to date in a crackdown by U.S. authorities on malfeasance in cryptocurrency markets. Bankman-Fried has vowed to appeal his conviction and sentence.

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Thursday's Sweet 16 scores and best moments

Thursday night was full of upsets and victories in the men's Sweet 16 of the NCAA March Madness tournament. Alabama is headed to the Elite Eight for the second time in team history after it took down No. 1 seed North Carolina 89-87. North Carolina increased its lead late in the first half, but Alabama controlled the second half en route to the victory. And for a game with no lead changes, No. 2 Iowa State and No. 3 Illinois played an incredibly competitive contest. Iowa State nearly erased a 10-point halftime deficit and had multiple chances to tie the game in the second half but ultimately fell 72-69 in the final game of Thursday's Sweet 16 play. Read our full recap of last night's games.

• Here's the women's Sweet 16 schedule, featuring the usual suspects.

• Who are 10 best players left in the men's Sweet 16?

• Here's the full schedule for Friday's Sweet 16 games.

Photo of the day: Turn up Beyoncé's 'Cowboy Carter'

Beyoncé gave us “Cowboy Carter,” her eighth studio album on Friday. The megastar's foray into country music is perhaps the most melodic of Beyoncé’s recent oeuvre, teeming with conventionally packaged compositions and memorable choruses, and presents maximum insight into her as a mother, daughter and wife. Read our full review of the album here.

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com or follow along with her musings on Twitter. Support journalism like this – subscribe to USA TODAY here.

Associated Press contributed reporting.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2024 election, Baltimore bridge collapse, Evan Gershkovich, March Madness, Beyoncé: Daily Briefing