Daily Briefing: A meeting of 'Tortured Poets'

Taylor Swift, chairman of the “Tortured Poets Department,” extended the meeting until past 2 a.m. with 15 new songs in a double surprise album called "The Anthology." Also in the news: Twelve jurors have been selected to decide if former President Donald Trump is guilty of 34 felony counts. Advocates are baffled after Florida banned breaks for outdoor workers amid increasingly hot temperatures.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Travis Kelce is "So High School."

Here's the news to know this Friday.

A prologue, pain and a secret double album

That heart is bloodied and battered, but ultimately beating on “The Tortured Poets Department,” Taylor Swift’s 11^th studio album which is out now.

Get a pair of headphones and strap in: Swift's latest opus takes listeners into the depths of heartbreak and misery as she grapples with the unraveling of a six-year relationship. Think of this puncturing pop era as the opposite of "Lover" — black and white clouds shroud what was once a glittering rainbow.

• "TTPD" is 16 pensive, pulsing tracks bookended with a prologue – a poem by Stevie Nicks – and an epilogue framed as Swift’s summary report as the chairman of The Tortured Poets Department.

• Wait — there's another album? At 2 a.m. on Friday, Swift announced "The Anthology," a secret double album with 15 additional haunting tracks.

• “TTPD” falls closer to masterpiece territory, writes USA TODAY's music reporter Melissa Ruggieri. The sepia-tinted sadness Swift crafts for listeners are all about emotional wounds, those she feels and those she self-inflicts.

⭐Can't get enough Taylor Swift? Sign up for This Swift Beat, USA TODAY's new weekly newsletter about all things Miss Americana.

Israel launches airstrike, explosions heard in Iran

Explosions were heard in Iran after Israel launched missile strikes in retaliation for a barrage of more than 300 drones and missiles fired by Tehran last weekend, three U.S. news organizations reported. Israeli and U.S. officials have made no immediate comment after Iran's semi-official Fars news agency said on Friday that explosions were heard near the airport in the central city of Isfahan. Iran's weekend barrage of munitions and Israel's response marked the first direct exchanges of fire between the regional arch-enemies. Read more

More news to know now

• NYPD arrested over 100 at pro-Palestinian protest at Columbia University.

• Migration is leading the post-pandemic revival of U.S. cities.

• Here's why President Joe Biden is losing support among young voters.

• Here's how an effective ban on TikTok is expected to pass in Congress.

• On today's The Excerpt podcast, a Biden surrogate working to bring frustrated voters to the president. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your smart speaker.

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

'We have our jury'

Legal teams will finalize the remaining alternate jurors for former President Donald Trump's New York criminal trial on Friday. This is the last step in selecting a jury to decide the outcome of the first criminal trial of a former president. The 12 official jurors are an accomplished group of Manhattanites, including lawyers, teachers and other highly educated professionals. While jury selection is typically a straightforward process in many cases, it proved a unique challenge this week to find people who could be impartial towards Trump. Read more

Florida bans local water break rules amid deadly heat

Florida has rejected a proposal for mandated breaks from sweltering summer heat for outdoor workers in Miami-Dade County. Instead, Florida has joined Texas in banning such local rules for outdoor workers. Florida's new law has frustrated and angered some experts and advocates for construction workers and farmworkers, especially impacting low-income workers of color. Meanwhile, California, Colorado, Minnesota, Oregon and Washington have passed laws giving more protections to construction workers who work in extreme heat. Read more

Keep scrolling

• Caitlin Clark may join select group of WNBA players with signature shoes.

• Washingtonians are scrambling to save "Stumpy."

• Here's what to know about "smishing" scams.

• Want to be a remote worker in Italy?

• Daily Briefing exclusive: Enter to win a signed copy of USA TODAY Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page's new book "The Rulebreaker: The life and times of Barbara Walters."

4/20 is tomorrow. But is delta-8 safe?

In the 2018 farm bill, Congress allowed for the legal sale of hemp − a variety of cannabis plant − which has very low levels of Delta-9 THC, the psychoactive compound that gets people high. The new law unleashed a blizzard of new products. Some deliver a mild buzz, or none at all.  But through processing, manufacturers have found ways to greatly enhance the potency of the products, and medical professionals and researchers are now raising alarms about risks from the fast emerging, unregulated products as poison centers and hospitals see a sharp rise in calls. Read USA TODAY's investigation here. Our team is partnering with local newsrooms to report on new cannabis products and we want to hear from you. Share your experience or questions with us.

Photo of the day: A massive election begins in India

India votes on Friday in the world's largest election as Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks a historic third term in office on the back of growth, welfare, his personal popularity and Hindu nationalism.

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.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Tortured Poets', Taylor Swift, Israel, Iran, Trump trial, 4/20, India election, Caitlin Clark: Daily Briefing