(NewsNation) —  Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz believes the “radical, anti-Israel, anti-American extreme” is also becoming the base of the Democratic Party. And he again tried to tie President Joe Biden to Iran’s funding of terrorist organizations. “These protesters, they hate America,” he told NewsNation’s “On Balance.” Cruz decried harassment, protests and Jewish students being targeted across the U.S. “We’re seeing university professors afraid and impotent to do anything to protect their students, and it’s disgraceful ..read more

(NewsNation) —  Singer-songwriter Taylor Swift's release of “The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology” surprised fans with 15 unexpected tracks, bringing the artist’s full discography to 274 songs. The latest 31-song anthology is rich with creative exploration of parts of Swift’s life that have played out in public. “I’d written so much tortured poetry in the past 2 years and wanted to share it all with you, so here’s the second installment of TTPD: The Anthology,” Swift wrote on Instagram, ushering in the 2 a.m. release. “15 extra songs. And now the story isn’t mine anymore … it’s al ..read more

NEW YORK (NewsNation) — Presidential candidate, activist and philosopher Cornel West came to the defense of Columbia University students who are protesting the ongoing war in Gaza. “You can see that those peaceful students were in no way a clear and present danger. Not at all,” West told “NewsNation Now” on Friday. “They were siphoned off in front of the library; people could walk back and forth. And you had a number of people there trying to engage in what a university is supposed to be about: Socratic dialogue.” New York police on Thursday removed a pro-Palestinian protest encampment at Colu ..read more

(NewsNation) — The nation has yet to hear from President Joe Biden about Israel's reported attack on Iran. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said the U.S. was not involved. U.S. officials don’t want to be pulled into a wider conflict. More information about what the U.S. knew in advance may come out of a White House news briefing taking place Friday afternoon. The United States told G7 foreign ministers Friday that it received “last minute” information from Israel about a drone action in Iran but did not participate ..read more

(NewsNation) — A man lit himself on fire outside a New York City courthouse where jury selection was concluding in the hush money trial against former President Donald Trump. It's not clear what led to the incident. NewsNation's Laura Ingle reported hearing a scream before witnessing the man in flames. She later described seeing a bystander try and help put the flames out with a coat before another showed up with a fire extinguisher. Multiple witnesses said they witnessed the man throwing flyers out prior to the fire but it wasn't clear what was on them. A witness told WPIX that the man poured ..read more

(NewsNation) — House Republicans are facing another blow to their control of the chamber as Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., retires, the latest in a string of Republican departures from Congress. Gallagher's final days — he's expected to be around for weekend votes on a foreign aid package before leaving — also come as Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is facing a possible motion to vacate. If Johnson is removed, it would require consensus among GOP members to elect a new speaker or risk Democrats succeeding in wooing moderate Republicans and installing Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., in the office inst ..read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — One woman miscarried in the restroom lobby of a Texas emergency room as front desk staff refused to admit her. Another woman learned that her fetus had no heartbeat at a Florida hospital, the day after a security guard turned her away from the facility. And in North Carolina, a woman gave birth in a car after an emergency room couldn't offer an ultrasound. The baby later died. Complaints that pregnant women were turned away from U.S. emergency rooms spiked in 2022 after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, federal documents obtained by The Associated Press ..read more

TEL AVIV, Israel (NewsNation) —  An apparent Israeli drone attack on Iran saw troops fire air defenses from a major air base and a nuclear site early Friday morning near the central city of Isfahan, an assault coming in retaliation for Tehran's unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on Israel. No Iranian official directly acknowledged the possibility that Israel had attacked, and the Israeli military had not yet commented on the apparent strike Friday morning. However, tensions have been high since the Saturday assault on Israel amid its war on Hamas&nb ..read more

CAPRI, Italy (AP) — The United States told the Group of Seven foreign ministers on Friday that it received “last minute” information from Israel about a drone action in Iran, Italy’s foreign minister said. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who chaired the meeting of ministers of industrialized countries, said the United States provided the information at a Friday morning session that was changed at the last minute to address the suspected attack. Early Friday, Iran fired air defenses at a major air base and a nuclear site near the central city of Isfahan after spotting drones, part of a ..read more

WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — As tensions escalate in the Middle East, the Biden administration is considering a new weapons deal worth $1 billion for Israel, the Wall Street Journal reported. The deal would include supplying the country with tank ammunition, military vehicles and mortar rounds, according to the report. It would mark one of the largest transfers since Israel's invasion of Gaza following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that killed 1,200 people ..read more