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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Maanvi Singh (now) Chris Stein (earlier)

Carlson fired on Murdoch’s orders, report says – as it happened

Joe Biden Jill Biden White House United States Dominion Donald Trump Republican Party Dominion Voting Systems Fox News
A promo of Fox News host Tucker Carlson in New York. ‘We thank him for his service,’ the network said in the statement.
A promo of Fox News host Tucker Carlson in New York. ‘We thank him for his service,’ the network said in the statement. Photograph: Brendan McDermid/Reuters

Recap

Tucker Carlson has left Fox News, reportedly fired on the orders of company chairman Rupert Murdoch over a discrimination lawsuit filed by a former producer. Shortly after the popular conservative commentator’s downfall was announced, CNN said longtime host Don Lemon was leaving its employ. He, too, said he’d been fired. It’s a big day of news for the media world, and also apparently a coincidence.

Here’s more to know about today’s events:

  • Lemon’s ouster came weeks after he apologized for a sexist remark about Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley. She was clearly pleased by the anchor’s dismissal.

  • CNN has taken issue with how Lemon described his firing.

  • News of Carlson’s departure was greeted with cheers by panelists on The View, a show that’s been critical of him in the past.

  • The Fulton county district attorney investigating whether Trump and his allies interfered in the 2020 election said she would be announcing charges this summer.

Updated

The Georgia district attorney investigating whether Trump and his allies interfered in the 2020 election said she will be announcing charges this summer.

Fulton county district attorney Fani Willis sent a letter to law enforcement asking them to ready “heightened security and preparedness” for when she announces the charges, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution first reported.

In communications with law enforcement, Willis said the criminal indictments could come sometime between 11 July and 1 September.

Updated

Shocked reactions are pouring in across social media on the abrupt departure of Tucker Carlson from Fox News, with the network announcing that the prominent far-right television host is leaving the channel.

Many were surprised by the announcement given the popularity that Carlson enjoyed at Fox as well as his being the highest-rated host on cable television.

“Wow,” tweeted the New York Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who accused Carlson and other Fox pundits of inciting violence during an MSNBC interview that aired on Sunday.

Some remained skeptical that Carlson’s departure from Fox would be the end of his career despite critics who called out his show as racist and inaccurate.

“I’d like to think Tucker Carlson’s departure is the end of an era, but I’m quite certain it’s the beginning of his political career,” the founder of gun control advocacy group Moms Demand Action, Shannon Watts, tweeted.

Several conservative pundits took to social media to express their displeasure at the announcement.

“I STAND WITH TUCKER CARLSON!” the far-right Colorado congresswoman Lauren Boebert tweeted.

Donald Trump Jr, the son of former president Donald Trump, tweeted his reaction to Carlson’s departure news. The tweet read: “Confirmed: Tucker Carlson out at Fox News. OMG.”

Updated

Where might Tucker Carlson go next?

He’s already come and gone from Fox News’s principal competitors CNN and MSNBC, and given the hardening of his conservative views in recent years and particularly since Donald Trump took office, it would be a surprise if either rehired him.

There are, of course, competitors to Fox in the conservative broadcast world, like Newsmax and One America News Network (OANN). In its coverage of Carlson’s departure, OANN included this line: “One America News founder and CEO Robert Herring would like to extend an invitation to Carlson to meet for negotiation to become a part of the OAN team.”

And if that doesn’t work out for him, Carlson has another lead. State-run outlet Russia Today has also expressed interest in the newly unemployed commentator:

The Guardian’s Maanvi Singh is taking over the blog now to keep you abreast of the latest news on this developing story.

Marjorie Taylor Greene reacted to Fox News’s reported firing of Tucker Carlson by comparing him to … herself.

In the previous Congress, Democrats voted to boot Greene from her committee assignments over her hostile behavior towards other lawmakers. That left Greene with a lot of free time that she didn’t waste. In a tweet, she implied Carlson could do the same:

The day so far

Tucker Carlson has left Fox News, reportedly fired on the orders of company chairman Rupert Murdoch over a discrimination lawsuit filed by a former producer. Shortly after the popular conservative commentator’s downfall was announced, CNN said longtime host Don Lemon was leaving their employ. He, too, said he’d been fired. It’s a big day of news for the media world, and also apparently a coincidence.

Here’s more to know about today’s events:

  • Lemon’s ouster came weeks after he apologized for a sexist remark about Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley. She was clearly pleased by the anchor’s dismissal.

  • CNN has taken issue with how Lemon described his firing.

  • News of Carlson’s departure was greeted with cheers by panelists on The View, a show that’s been critical of him in the past.

The twin firings of Don Lemon and Tucker Carlson have shaken the world of broadcast news, but are apparently coincidences, veteran media reporter Brian Stelter says:

Carlson fired on Murdoch's orders over discrimination suit: report

Fox chairman Rupert Murdoch ordered Tucker Carlson’s firing over a discrimination lawsuit filed by a former producer on his show, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Murdoch was also “concerned” about Carlson’s insistence that undercover government agents were involved in the January 6 insurrection, an allegation that has no factual basis, according to the Times.

In March, Abby Grossberg, a producer who formerly worked on Carlson’s show, filed a suit saying that lawyers for the network “coached” and “intimidated” her into giving misleading testimony in the lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems. She also alleged a culture of sexism and misogyny at the network, and that executives tried to blame her and host Maria Bartiromo for the airing of 2020 election conspiracy theories.

While the Times reports that the dismissal wasn’t related to the Dominion lawsuit, it notes that comments made about managers at the network, which were revealed in the case’s discovery process “may have also played a role” in his ousting.

Updated

Here’s another entry in the correlation does not equal causation file.

Tucker Carlson’s departure from Fox News came days after its parent company paid a major settlement to Dominion Voting Systems to settle its defamation lawsuit stemming from false claims of fraud the network aired after the 2020 election. Carlson, among other Fox personalities, made these statements.

So what does Dominion have to say about Carlson’s exit? Not much, as Axios found out when they inquired:

CNN is disputing Don Lemon’s statement that the network’s management would not meet with him to inform him of his departure:

Here’s the moment when CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy announced the end of Lemon’s time at the network:

About two months ago, Don Lemon said the following on CNN: “Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime. Sorry, when a woman is considered to be in her prime in her 20s, and 30s, and maybe 40s – that’s not according to me.”

Today, Lemon said he’d been fired, and Haley, a Republican candidate for president wasted no time in twisting the knife:

Correlation is not causation, but 60 Minutes, the long-running CBS news magazine, is pointing out that Tucker Carlson left Fox News hours after appearing in one of their stories.

On Sunday evening, 60 Minutes broadcast an interview with Ray Epps, a Trump supporter from Arizona whom Carlson has repeatedly claimed, without evidence, was an undercover FBI agent during the January 6 insurrection. Epps told the program Carlson’s statements have transformed his life, and 60 Minutes was quick to remind viewers of the connection after news broke that Carlson was going off air. Here are the tweets:

Back to the conservative news earthquake that is Tucker Carlson’s departure from Fox News, he’s not the only prominent conservative to leave the network in recent days.

Last week, Dan Bongino announced he was exiting Fox, after he wasn’t able to come to terms on a new contract. A former secret service agent, Bongino hosted a Saturday evening show called “Unfiltered”, and another called “Canceled in the USA” on streaming service Fox Nation.

Carlson’s departure clearly took Bongino by surprise:

Don Lemon departs CNN

CNN host Don Lemon says he has been fired from CNN after 17 years with the network:

Chris Licht, the chief executive of the network, confirmed Lemon’s departure in a statement, without detailing the circumstance.

In February, Licht rebuked Lemon for sexist on-air comments about Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley.

Tucker Carlson’s departure is, among other things, a business story.

Fox Corporation – the parent company of Fox News – has seen its share value drop by about 4% on Wall Street after news broke of Carlson’s exit.

Nothing appeared amiss when Tucker Carlson ended his broadcast on Friday – which turned out to be his last show on Fox News.

He was chowing down on pizza and told his viewers to expect him back on Monday. Here’s a clip, courtesy of veteran TV watcher Aaron Rupar:

Fox News host Harris Faulkner soberly broke the story of Tucker Carlson’s departure to the network’s viewers:

Over at The View, an ABC show whose panelists have in the past shown little love for Carlson, they were openly stoked to hear the news:

Former media reporter for CNN and the New York Times Brian Stelter shared some thought about the implications of Tucker Carlson’s dramatic exit from Fox News:

As one of the top proponents of Donald Trump’s lie that the 2020 election was stolen, Tucker Carlson loomed large over Dominion’s lawsuit against Fox. But messages released before the case’s settlement show Carlson apparently did not think much of Trump, or necessarily believe some of the claims he was putting on air. Here’s the Guardian’s Edward Helmore with a look back at what the Dominion case revealed about Carlson:

Tucker Carlson was once seen as untouchable. Now the most popular TV host on American cable news is at the center of a firestorm threatening to engulf Fox News and also anger Donald Trump, whose conspiracy theory-laden political cause he has long championed and who his audience loves.

Court filings attached to the $1.6bn Dominion Voting Systems defamation suit accuse Fox News of allowing its stars to broadcast false accusations about rigged voting machines in the 2020 presidential election.

The documents contained numerous emails detailing the private views and concerns of senior Fox management and its stars, which often seemed at odds with what they were publicly broadcasting to their audience.

Tucker Carlson leaves Fox News

Fox News has cut ties with Tucker Carlson, the conservative commentator whose show was often rated as the most-watched cable news program, according to a statement from the network.

“FOX News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways. We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor,” the network said, noting Carlson aired his final show last Friday.

The company gave no reason for Carlson’s departure. Last week, Fox agreed to pay Dominion Voting Systems $787.5mn to settle its lawsuit alleging the network defamed it by repeatedly promoting Donald Trump’s baseless lies about the 2020 election.

United Nations experts have arrived in the United States for an investigation focused on police killings and other racial justice issues, the Guardian’s Maya Yang reports:

A team of United Nations experts has arrived in the US on a tour that will focus on racial justice, law enforcement and policing.

On Monday, the Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in the Context of Law Enforcement, an independent panel appointed by the UN human rights council, began its two-week visit to the US.

The panel, which was established in response to widespread outcry following the killing of the Black man George Floyd in 2020 by a white police officer, is set to visit Washington DC, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago, Minneapolis and New York City.

Floyd’s death was just one of many instances of racist killings by police in the US but – spurred by powerful video shot by bystanders – it triggered widespread protests across America, which then spread internationally.

Back to news about people who are actually president, Joe Biden announced this morning that domestic policy advisor Susan Rice will be stepping down.

“As the only person to serve as both National Security Advisor and Domestic Policy Advisor, Susan’s record of public service makes history. But what sets her apart as a leader and colleague is the seriousness with which she takes her role and the urgency and tenacity she brings, her bias towards action and results, and the integrity, humility and humor with which she does this work,” the president said in a statement.

“I thank Susan for her service, her counsel and her friendship. I will miss her.”

Rice had been involved in crafting a number of Biden administration policies, including his partial cancellation of federal student loan debt and his push to enable Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices. She faced heat in recent weeks after the New York Times reported that in 2021, her office did not take action after being warned that migrant children were working alongside their sponsors.

Back on the 2024 campaign trail for a moment, let’s check in on America’s favorite undeclared presidential candidate, Ron DeSantis.

Florida’s Republican governor sure seems like he wants to run for president, but has slipped in recent polls against Donald Trump and seen lawmakers from his own state turn their backs on him in favor of the former president.

DeSantis gave an expressive reply when asked about his apparently flagging popularity during a visit to Japan. See it here:

One of the best-known progressive Democrats in America says Dominion missed an opportunity by not getting an apology out of Fox News, the Guardian’s Martin Pengelly reports:

Dominion Voting Systems would have better served the US public had it refused to settle its $1.6bn defamation suit against Fox News until the network agreed to apologise on air for spreading Donald Trump’s lie about voter fraud in the 2020 election, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said.

“What would have been best for the country, would have been to demand that and to not settle until we got that,” the New York congresswoman said.

Dominion and Fox this week reached a $787.5m settlement, shortly before trial was scheduled to begin in a Delaware court.

Legal filings laid out how in the aftermath of Joe Biden’s election win and the run-up to the January 6 attack on Congress, Fox News hosts repeated claims they knew to be untrue, as executives feared viewers would desert the network for rightwing competitors One America News and Newsmax.

Rupert Murdoch, the 92-year-old media mogul and Fox News owner, was among witnesses due to testify.

Dominion Voting Systems last week won an expensive settlement from Fox News – but not an apology.

In an essay published by the New York Times over the weekend, the election hardware and software firm’s CEO John Poulos addressed why his team didn’t push for Fox to publicly express regret over the baseless fraud claims it aired about Dominion. Poulos said he had an apology typed up, but was convinced that forcing Fox to read it would come off as insincere.

Here’s what he wrote:

What was missing was an apology, so I myself drafted one for it that I thought would be appropriate to include. When I read it to my business partner, he asked what I thought about mandating Fox issue an apology that would be forced, insincere and limited. At that moment, I threw my draft in the garbage.

An hour later, when the Fox board approved the wire payment for $787.5 million — one of the largest known defamation settlements in history — Fox acknowledged what we needed it to acknowledge: spreading false claims comes with a huge price tag.

Even so, nothing can ever fully compensate for what happened. The stain on my company’s reputation and our employees’ and customers’ emotional scars can only fade. They won’t ever vanish.

If we could, we would trade it all in a heartbeat to go back in time to get our reputation back. But I take solace in the fact that the public has seen the enormous mountain of evidence proving what Fox did, and Fox paid dearly for it.

Our settlement with Fox is just one win on a long road. We have six more defamation cases pending: against Mike Lindell and his company, MyPillow; Rudy Giuliani; Sidney Powell; Patrick Byrne; One America News Network; and Newsmax. We will not stop until we hold all parties to full account.

By the way, it’s never too late for an apology. And if one day it comes of Fox’s own volition, we will know it was real.

Hanging over next year’s election is the legacy of the 2020 vote, which Donald Trump and his allies attempted to cast, without evidence, as fraudulent. Last week, Dominion Voting Systems settled its defamation lawsuit against Fox News over the network’s alleged propagation of these lies, forestalling a trial that could have revealed more about the election disinformation campaign. The Guardian’s Kira Lerner looks at whether Dominion’s decision to settle was a missed opportunity to safeguard America’s elections:

Election officials across the US have faced an unprecedented amount of threats and harassment since the 2020 election. Now they say that Dominion Voting Systems’ decision to settle its landmark defamation lawsuit with Fox for $787.5m last week may not do enough to stop conspiracy theories about the company’s machines leading into the 2024 election.

While election officials in states and localities that use Dominion machines agree the settlement is a win for the integrity of elections, they lamented that election misinformation will continue, especially given that Fox News personalities and executives didn’t have to testify about whether they knowingly spread false claims about the voting machines, or offer a public apology.

The Maricopa county recorder, Stephen Richer, who was asked by Dominion to sit for testimony in the litigation in September, said he expects the misinformation about Dominion machines, which is one of the most prevalent types he hears about regularly, to continue.

“This is not a panacea, especially at the grassroots level,” he said about the settlement. “I don’t think that a bunch of people are going to now say, ‘Oh it seems that tabulation equipment was actually OK.’”

Biden to continue hammering GOP in re-election campaign

Besides making his re-election campaign official with a video address scheduled for sometime this week, Joe Biden’s big announcement won’t change much, the Associated Press reports.

Aides to the president say Biden “has essentially been campaigning since Republicans took control of the House last year”, according to the AP. His agenda since Democrats lost control of Congress’s lower chamber has focused on reminding Americans of his legislative accomplishments – which include a major bill to tackle climate change and another intended to revamp America’s outdated infrastructure – while casting the GOP as too extreme to be trusted.

Here’s more on that, from the AP:

While advisers say Biden’s activities and message in coming months will be largely indistinguishable from what he’s been doing over the last six months, the frame of reference will inevitably shift as voters increasingly tune in to 2024 political dynamics.

“President Biden is delivering and making the strong case for reelection before, during and after any formal campaign announcement,” said Democratic consultant and former Biden spokesman Scott Mulhauser. “Rather than throwing darts at calendars, let’s focus on the President doing his job and doing it well, from an investing in America tour, an economy humming and unemployment at historic lows to a home run of a State of the Union, an expertly pulled-off Ukraine trip and more.”

He added: “These wins on economic and political fronts onward are what success looks like, how incumbents win and matter far more than a campaign kick-off event.”

Aides are planning for Biden’s launch video to be released Tuesday, the four-year anniversary of his first successful campaign launch, but said the timing was still fluid. It was not immediately clear whether the president, who was spending the weekend at Camp David, had as yet taped it. He was expected to select Julie Rodriguez, a senior White House adviser, to manage his reelection campaign, according to two people familiar with deliberations.

Biden has taken his time in making official his candidacy for reelection not because he’s wavered in his commitment to run, a half-dozen aides and advisers said, but because there was little incentive to do it sooner.

Biden expected make 2024 run official with video announcement this week

Good morning, US politics blog readers. Today may be the last day the worst-kept secret in Washington is actually a secret. Joe Biden has been expected to announce his re-election campaign for months, and is reportedly going to make the bid public in a video to be released this week, perhaps as soon as tomorrow. There’s a lot to say about this decision, and plenty of time to say it – the election takes place on 5 November, 2024. But here’s one thing that can be said right now: Biden currently has no serious primary challengers, while Donald Trump is at this point the far and away favorite among Republicans. Next year’s elections could look a lot like the 2020 campaign – but with some key differences that we’ll get to on the blog later on.

Here’s what else is happening today:

  • Biden will at 3.15pm eastern time welcome to the White House the “Tennessee Three” – the trio of Democratic Tennessee state lawmakers who protested noisily for gun control on the chamber floor, two of whom were (unsuccessfully) expelled for it.

  • Congress will be dominated this week by the House GOP bill to increase the debt limit while also slashing government spending and implementing a number of conservative priorities. Democrats hate it, but the debt ceiling needs to be increased at some point in the next few weeks, no matter what.

  • White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre will brief reporters at 1.15pm.

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