US Domestic News Roundup: White House issues new federal standards to collect data on race; Obama, Bill Clinton to join Biden to raise $25 million at event with Queen Latifah and Lizzo and more

The head of the National Transportation Safety Board also said that Francis Scott Key Bridge, a traffic artery over the harbor built in 1976, lacked structural engineering redundancies common to newer spans, making it more vulnerable to a catastrophic collapse. Obama, Bill Clinton to join Biden to raise $25 million at event with Queen Latifah and Lizzo President Joe Biden will get a boost from Democratic predecessors Barack Obama and Bill Clinton on Thursday at a fundraiser in New York slated to raise more than $25 million and add some oomph to Biden's 2024 re-election campaign.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Exclusive-China's WuXi AppTec shared US client's data with Beijing, US intelligence officials told senators

U.S. intelligence officials in late February told senators working on a biotech security bill that Chinese pharmaceutical firm WuXi AppTec had transferred U.S. intellectual property to Beijing without consent, according to two sources. The U.S. government is concerned that certain Chinese biotech companies are contributing technology or research and development for use by China's military, and the proposed legislation would restrict U.S. government funds going to those Chinese companies.

A million solar eclipse enthusiasts expected at Niagara Falls

From vintage train rides costing almost $4,000 per person to hotel rooms listed at $1,600 a night, businesses in and around majestic Niagara Falls are preparing to cash in on the April 8 total solar eclipse - with around a million visitors expected. The dramatic waterfall, situated along the Canadian-U.S. border, is in the path of the eclipse, and many people are splurging on hotels and rentals in advance to experience the phenomenon at one of North America's natural wonders. Demand has pushed up prices of hotels as people making last-minute plans book the last of the available accommodations.

White House issues new federal standards to collect data on race

The White House on Thursday announced new standards for collecting federal data on race and ethnicity, a decision that will touch organizations that receive federal funding, determine how congressional districts are drawn and whether equal employment policies can be enforced. The standards from the White House's Office of Management & Budget (OMB)- revised for the first time since 1997- requires federal agencies to use one combined question for race and ethnicity, encourages respondents to select multiple options on how they identify and adds Middle Eastern or North African as a new identification category.

US court keeps Texas border security law on hold in win for Biden

A U.S. appeals court has kept on hold a Republican-backed Texas law that would let state authorities arrest and prosecute people suspected of illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border - a statute that President Joe Biden's administration has argued intrudes on the authority of the federal government. In a 2-1 ruling late on Tuesday, a panel of the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied a request by Texas to let the law take effect while the state's appeal of a judge's ruling blocking it plays out.

Lawsuits over Baltimore bridge collapse likely, though limited, lawyers say

The owner, operator and charterer of the container ship that struck Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday are likely to face lawsuits over its collapse and the people killed or injured, but legal experts say U.S. maritime law could limit the companies’ liability. U.S. laws pertaining to open-water navigation and shipping, which are created through court decisions and by acts of Congress, could restrict the kinds of lawsuits filed against the registered owner of the Singapore-flagged ship, Grace Ocean Pte Ltd, its manager Synergy Marine Group and its charterer Maersk, and could limit the damages they would have to pay, three legal experts told Reuters.

Judge seems skeptical of Hunter Biden's request to dismiss tax charges

A U.S. judge gave a skeptical reception on Wednesday to an attempt by President Joe Biden’s son Hunter to dismiss his criminal tax-evasion case on the grounds that he was selectively targeted for prosecution due to political pressure. At a hearing in federal court in Los Angeles, U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi asked whether Hunter Biden's lawyers had any evidence that prosecutors had caved to pressure from Republicans, other than the fact that they filed charges after months of accusations by Republicans in Congress and former President Donald Trump that he had been treated leniently.

Biden's campaign war chest exceeds Trump's before major fundraising event

U.S. President Joe Biden's campaign has pulled in more money ahead of November's election than that of his Republican rival Donald Trump, which analysts attribute to Biden's incumbent status and support from Democratic predecessors. That support will be on full display Thursday at a fundraising event for Biden in New York City, where former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, both prominent Democrats, will be in attendance.

Freighter pilot called for tugboat help before plowing into Baltimore bridge

The pilot of the cargo freighter that knocked down a highway bridge into Baltimore Harbor had radioed for tugboat help and reported a power loss minutes earlier, federal safety officials said on Wednesday, citing audio from the ship's "black box" data recorder. The head of the National Transportation Safety Board also said that Francis Scott Key Bridge, a traffic artery over the harbor built in 1976, lacked structural engineering redundancies common to newer spans, making it more vulnerable to a catastrophic collapse.

Obama, Bill Clinton to join Biden to raise $25 million at event with Queen Latifah and Lizzo

President Joe Biden will get a boost from Democratic predecessors Barack Obama and Bill Clinton on Thursday at a fundraiser in New York slated to raise more than $25 million and add some oomph to Biden's 2024 re-election campaign. Biden and the two former commanders-in-chief will take part in a discussion moderated by "The Late Show" host Stephen Colbert at Radio City Music Hall in front of thousands of guests at what Biden's re-election campaign said would be the most successful political fundraiser in history.

Explainer-Why did the Baltimore bridge collapse and what is the death toll?

Divers recovered the remains of two of the six missing workers more than a day after a cargo ship smashed into Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge. The bodies of two men were found in a red pickup truck submerged in the icy waters of the Patapsco River. Rescuers pulled two workers from the water alive on Tuesday, and one was hospitalized. WHEN DID THE BALTIMORE BRIDGE COLLAPSE?

(With inputs from agencies.)