Daily Briefing: No date yet on GOP budget

Republicans were critical of the president's $6.9 trillion budget proposal, but have yet to release their own counter plan. Also in the news: Officials confirmed an investigation is ongoing in a mass shooting in Germany's second-largest city and a Mexican cartel has apologized for kidnapping and killing American citizens.

I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Thank you to USA TODAY reporter David Oliver for writing a wish list of the 23 (13+10) songs Taylor Swift needs to sing on her ''Eras'' tour.

Now, here we go with Friday's news.

Biden defends $6.9 trillion budget proposal

President Joe Biden fired the opening shot in his budget negotiations with congressional Republicans on Thursday, saying he's ready to sit down with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and go through their spending plans line by line.

No date yet on GOP budget: Republicans have yet to release their own budget but McCarthy blasted the president’s proposal as “completely unserious."

• Biden’s budget blueprint got a big thumbs down from the U. S. Chamber of Commerce. Neil Bradley, the business group’s head of policy, called the plan a “recipe for economic and fiscal disaster.”

• The budget negotiations come amid a battle over raising the limit on how much money the federal government can borrow. GOP leaders say they won’t raise the debt ceiling unless Biden agrees to cut spending.

• Doubling down on Medicare and Social Security: Biden sought to draw a contrast with Republicans who have not specified which domestic programs they want to cut.

Keep reading: With the budget, Biden signals his reelection bid.

Investigation ongoing in German church shooting

Eight people, including apparently the perpetrator, were killed in a shooting at a Jehovah’s Witnesses hall in Hamburg, German police said Friday, and an unspecified number of others were wounded. There was still no word on a possible motive for the shooting on Thursday evening that stunned Germany’s second-biggest city. In a Twitter update early Friday, Hamburg police said they believed there was only one gunman involved and confirmed they were gradually rolling back security forces from the area as an investigation into a motive continues. Read more

More news to know now

• The Senate confirmed Biden's nominee to lead the IRS amid GOP tensions.

• Donald Trump was invited testify before a Manhattan grand jury.

• More than 300 people have fallen ill on a Ruby Princess cruise ship, CDC says.

• Trains keep derailing all over the country. What's going on?

• Jim Boeheim, Ford Expedition ad, 'zombie' virus. What happened in this week's news?

• On today's 5 Things podcast, Movie Critic Brian Truitt speaks with Actor Idris Elba. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your smart speaker.

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

Mexican cartel apologizes for kidnapping, killing Americans

A Mexican drug cartel claiming its members were behind the brazen kidnapping of four Americans last week handed over five members and left a note of apology, Mexican media outlets and The Associated Press reported Thursday. The AP reported obtaining a copy of the letter from a law enforcement source in Tamaulipas, the Mexican state where the American travelers were attacked. Two of them were killed and another one wounded in a shooting Friday shortly after arriving in the border city of Matamoros for cosmetic surgery. Read more

GloRilla concert stampede claims third victim

A third woman who was severely injured when a large crowd rushed out of a rap concert in Rochester, New York, has died, Rochester police confirmed Thursday. All three women were trampled as the crowd was leaving Rochester's Main Street Armory following a GloRilla concert on Sunday night. Two women — Rhondesia Belton, 33, of Buffalo, New York, and Brandy Miller, 35, of Rochester — both died on Monday. The incident occurred just after 11 p.m. Sunday, as people were exiting the Armory following a concert featuring Memphis rappers GloRilla and Finesse2tymes. Read more

Just for subscribers:

• Are drugs or surgery the answer for your child's obesity? New guidelines raise hope and concern.

• The Alex Murdaugh trial left the world with heroes and villains.

• 19 stolen sharks: How a theft went down.

• A nurse adopted the teen mother of preemie triplets to keep a family together.

These articles are for USA TODAY subscribers. You can sign up here. 

'Everything Everywhere All at Once' is the film to beat at Sunday's Oscars

A year ago, we never could have guessed that a film with hot-dog hands and a singing raccoon would win best picture. But “Everything Everywhere All at Once” is predicted to do just that at Sunday’s Academy Awards, where it leads with 11 nominations. After winning over critics and moviegoers, the poignant sci-fi adventure has dominated awards season, scoring record-setting wins from the Screen Actors Guild and Independent Spirit Awards last week. Read USA TODAY's Oscars predictions.

• Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan could make Oscars history.

• Lady Gaga won't perform at the Oscars, but Rihanna will.

• See the stars party before the Oscars: Paul Mescal, Halle Bailey and more.

One more thing

• Here's why transgender rights are likely heading toward the Supreme Court.

• Miley Cyrus rides an emotional seesaw on her new album ''Endless Summer Vacation.''

• Bindi Irwin revealed her endometriosis surgery in hopes of ending stigma.

• Here are 10 queen mattresses our editors are obsessed with ahead of Sleep Week.

• That's prince and princess to you: Harry and Meghan's kids get new titles.

Photo of the Day: North Carolina's NCAA Tournament bubble bursts in loss to Virginia

The countdown to Selection Sunday is on, with all six major conferences in the thick of league tournament games. No. 13 Virginia dealt a damaging blow Thursday to North Carolina’s already shaky NCAA Tournament hopes, beating the Tar Heels 68-59 in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament quarterfinals. Tonight Virginia will keep fighting in a match-up against Clemson. Quick reminder: the official bracket will be announced Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on CBS. Click here for a recap of last night's games and click here for conference tournament schedules.

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: GOP budget proposal, Germany shooting, Mexican cartel, GloRilla, Oscars, March Madness: Daily Briefing