fox news at night. and talk about getting the jump on the competition. one night before the gop presidential candidates take the stage in tuscaloosa, alabama, former president trump took the stage in iowa tonight with a town hall, with sean hannity. the former president went after the current president and just about everyone else. his take no prisoners approach appears to be working because his lead as you know is enormous and despite everything former president trump said tonight, the most controversial statement might very well have come from president biden. the senior national correspondent kevin corke is live in d.c. with more on the trump town hall. kevin, good evening. good evening, trace. his lead among gop primary competition is so significant, some say it s clearly ins insurinsurmir mourm insurmountable, but he ll not take part in the gop debate because his many pundits would point out it s all risk with relatively little benefit. instead the former commander-i
it s good to be back with you in this second hour of chris jansing reports. at this hour, the dramatic rise in antisemitism on college campuses after the october 7th attack left one student at m.it asking quote, when can i go back to being a student. what we heard from top university leaders and the students on capitol hill today. inside israel. the heartbreaking stories trickling out from former hostages and their loved ones about what it was like being held in hamas captivity. the nightmares they re still having at home. also, the new details on what rudy giuliani s defamation case against ruby freeman and shaye moss could look like when it goes to court. and the elephant not in the room. donald trump. four of his rivals will get a chance to make their case against him at tomorrow s primary debate. who made the cut and what to expect. our nbc news reporters are following all the latest developments. i want to begin on capitol hill where we heard from leaders at top un
hi, bret, how are you doing? bret: good. i appreciate it. good evening, welcome to washington. breaking tonight, actually moments ago, president biden telling democratic donors in boston, quote: if trump wasn t running, i m not sure i would be running. insisting democrats cannot let the former president win. we ll talk more about the president s messaging later in the show. meantime today on capitol hill, jewish students at some of the top colleges and universities in the country said they are in fear for their lives on campus. those students and some top administrators appeared on capitol hill today. the educators were grilled about their school s failure to provide protection in the midst of anti-semitic incidents. congressional correspondent aishah hasnie is live on capitol hill tonight with the latest. good evening, aishah. bret, good evening to you. tonight, the presidents of those universities are defending their actions, even as jewish students who aren t on thei
[bombs and gunshots] sandra: we are expecting to get a state department update as israel pushes deeper into southern gaza. and is reportedly eyeing new tactics to root out hamas terrorists. hello, welcome everyone, sandra smith in new york. great to have you today. bret: good afternoon, i m bret baier in washington in for john roberts. pump sea water into the complex tunnel system to force hamas terrorists out of there. israeli forces are setting up pumps to draw water from the mediterranean and push it through miles of hamas tunnels. sandra: the fate of some 130 hostages still in captivity remains unclear at this hour. fox team coverage kicks off right now. ai aishah hasnie is in capitol hill for an antisemitism hearing. bret: and trey, what are you hearing about the new tactic by israel. we are following the report from the wall street journal indicating israeli officials are considering using water from the mediterranean sea to flood the hamas tunnel network.
, and then, there were four. the rnc unveiling the least carted debate stage yet for the 2024 republican presidential race, especially because the front runner is continuing to stay on the sidelines. can any of these for catch up to donald trump? plus, apocalyptic, with a blatant disregard for basic humanity. that is how one top u.n. official is describing the punishing attacks on gaza as the israeli military expands operations in the south. we have a live update israel in just moments. and what we are learning about this house explosion. police trying to serve a warrant, the suspect, allegedly shooting flares, we are set to hear directly from police soon, following these major developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to cnn news central. the stage is set for the most intimate yet of republican debate lineups in the 2024 race for the white house. the rnc is announcing for republicans qualified for the fourth debate tomorrow. chris christie, ron desanti