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By Dan Donahue, NBC Nightly News

Good Friday afternoon. Donald Trump and Joe Biden faced off in a calmer final debate, and the U.S. has set a new single-day record for new cases of the coronavirus.

Here is what’s in our Nightly Rundown.

Trump and Biden hit campaign trail after final presidential debate

Donald Trump and Joe Biden have entered the final stretch, after making their closing arguments to the American people in the last 2020 presidential debate.

Trump is holding back-to-back rallies in Florida today. He’s expected to cast his ballot early in West Palm Beach on Saturday.

Biden gave a speech in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware this afternoon on his plan to beat the Covid-19 pandemic and revive the economy.

The final showdown in Nashville last night was a more subdued affair than the interruption-filled first debate, but it had its share of tense moments.

Trump and Biden clashed over the coronavirus, health care, immigration, energy and race in America. Trump also leveled personal attacks against Biden’s son Hunter.

The moderator, NBC News White House correspondent Kristen Welker, is getting rave reviews for her sharp performance in keeping the debate on track — with a little help from the mute button.

Key takeaways:Four big things to know from last night.

Fact check:Which claims were true or false?

By the numbers:Who went on the attack more? Who interrupted the most? We break it all down.

Who won? Debate experts weigh in.

Final presidential debate highlights between Trump and Biden

Election countdown: 11 days to go

Our NBC News national polling average has Biden leading Trump by more than 8 points.
Over 47 million early and mail-in ballots have already been cast, a massive increase from this point in 2016.
It’s a busy day for Mike Pence. He voted early today in Indiana, before traveling to rallies in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Kamala Harris is in Georgia today, encouraging voters to cast their ballots early.
Barack Obama is holding a drive-in rally for Biden in Florida tomorrow, when early in-person voting will be accessible in all counties.
Visit our NBC News live election blog for the latest updates.

U.S. shatters coronavirus record with over 77,000 new cases in one day

The U.S. has hit an alarming milestone, reporting more than 77,000 cases of Covid-19 in a single day, the highest level since the pandemic began.

Nationwide, 77,640 new cases were reported on Thursday, topping the previous record of 75,723 on July 29, according to the latest NBC News tally.

More than 41,000 people are hospitalized with the virus across the country, according to the Covid Tracking Project, the most since August.

Much of the surge is happening in the Midwest. States like Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin have all recorded record upticks in the last two weeks.

There were 921 coronavirus-related deaths on Thursday. The nation’s total death toll is on the verge of surpassing 225,000.

A new study projects the U.S. could see over 500,000 deaths by February 28, 2021 — but it also found that universal mask wearing could save nearly 130,000 lives.

More Covid-19 headlines

The CDC just released a new study on the effectiveness of safety measures at election polling places.
Remdesivir is the first drug to get full FDA approval to treat Covid-19. Hospitalized patients as young as 12 can now receive the treatment.
Mayors of Big Ten college towns have voiced concerns about increased Covid risks as the conference begins its long-delayed season this weekend.
Next month’s NBA draft will be held virtually.

Several unaccounted for as historic wildfires rage in Colorado

The two largest wildfires in Colorado’s history are still growing this afternoon.

Several people are unaccounted for in the area of the East Troublesome Fire, officials said today, though they could not give an exact number.

The East Troublesome Fire is now Colorado’s second-largest wildfire ever.

The inferno has exploded to more than 170,000 acres and is only 5 percent contained, according to the InciWeb fire map.

Even bigger is the Cameron Peak Fire, the blaze that’s been burning since August and has now grown to more than 206,000 acres, with 57 percent containment.

The Cameron Peak Fire has now destroyed more than 200 structures — at least a third of them were homes.

Experts have cited climate change and dried-up vegetation as major factors in Colorado’s unprecedented fires.

Colorado volunteers join forces to evacuate horse ranch as wildfire grows

Man with guns and explosives plotted Biden assassination, officials say

A 19-year-old man arrested in North Carolina with a van filled with guns and explosives was plotting to assassinate Joe Biden, according to court documents.

Alexander Hillel Treisman bought an AR-15-style rifle and traveled to within four miles of Biden’s home in the spring, the documents show.

Treisman wrote out a checklist that ended with the word “execute,” according to the documents. He also allegedly posted a meme with the caption “should I kill joe biden?” on April 15.

Treisman was arrested in Kannapolis, North Carolina on May 28, after officers said they found five firearms, explosives, and more than $500,000 in cash — believed to be his inheritance — inside his van while it was parked at a bank.

The suspect was indicted in late September in federal court on charges of possessing and transmitting child pornography.

Treisman has pleaded not guilty to the child pornography charges. It is unclear whether he will face more charges related to the alleged Biden plot.

He is being held pending trial after a judge denied bail.

Watch us this evening at 6:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. CT on NBC, or check your local NBC station listing. After the broadcast, access Nightly News video on NBCNightlyNews.com or the NBC News app.

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