The Full Belmonte, 4/25/2023
President Joe Biden delivers remarks in Virginia Beach on February 28.
Biden
“President Joe Biden announced his reelection bid in a video released early today. Biden framed next year's contest as a fight against Republican extremism, implicitly arguing he needs more time to fully realize his vow to restore the nation's character. ‘When I ran for president four years ago, I said we are in a battle for the soul of America. And we still are,’ he said in the video, which opened with images of the January 6, 2021, insurrection and abortion rights activists protesting at the Supreme Court. He enters the race with a significant legislative record but low approval ratings. Polls show that a majority of voters — and even a majority of Democrats — don't want the 80-year-old to run again, with many sharing hesitancy about his age. Some voters are also wary about a Biden rematch with former President Donald Trump, the 76-year-old and current frontrunner in the developing Republican primary race.” [CNN]
Tucker Carlson, Fox News’ most popular host, out at network
By DAVID BAUDER
“NEW YORK (AP) — Fox News on Monday ousted prime-time host Tucker Carlson, whose stew of grievances and political theories about Russia and the Jan. 6 insurrection had grown to define the network in recent years and influence GOP politics.
Fox said that the network and Carlson had ‘agreed to part ways’ but it offered no explanation for the stunning move, saying that the last broadcast of ‘Tucker Carlson Tonight’ aired last Friday.
The break comes amid a cascade of bad legal news for Fox and Carlson. A week ago, Fox agreed to pay more than $787 million to settle a lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems over the network’s airing of false claims following the 2020 presidential election — shortly before Carlson was expected to be called to testify.
CBS’ ‘60 Minutes’ on Sunday aired a report about a man caught up in a Jan. 6 conspiracy theory who said Carlson was ‘obsessed’ with him, and whose lawyer has put Fox on notice of potential litigation. Carlson was also recently named in a lawsuit by a former Fox producer who said the show had a cruel and misogynistic workplace and that she had been pressured to give misleading testimony in the Dominion case.
Meanwhile, CNN axed its own embattled anchor, Don Lemon, part of a one-day bloodletting in cable television news.
Carlson, who worked at both CNN and MSNBC earlier in his career, ditched his bow-tie look and quickly became Fox’s most popular personality after replacing Bill O’Reilly in the network’s prime-time lineup in 2017.
His populist tone about elites out to get average Americans rang true with Fox’s predominantly conservative audience, even leading to talk about him becoming a political candidate himself one day.
He did not immediately return a message seeking comment on Monday.
Shares of Fox Corp. slid 4% within seconds of the announcement of Carlson’s departure.
‘Tucker Carlson had become even bigger than Fox News,’ said Brian Stelter, who is writing an upcoming book about Fox, ‘Network of Lies.’ ‘His sudden ouster will have profound consequences for Fox News, for TV news and the Republican Party.’
When Carlson’s exit was announced during a live showing of the ABC daytime talk show ‘The View’ on Monday, the studio audience applauded. Host Ana Navarro then led the crowd in a singalong to a line from the song, ‘Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye.’
Earlier this year, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy gave Carlson exclusive access to security tapes from the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot, which the show used to conclude ‘the footage does not show an insurrection or riot in progress.’ His interpretation was denounced by many, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
The ‘60 Minutes’ report Sunday was about Raymond Epps, a former Marine and Trump supporter from Arizona who was in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. He was later falsely accused of being a government agent conducting a ‘false flag’ operation to start trouble that would be blamed on Trump supporters. Epps and his wife had to sell their business and home because of threats tied to these conspiracy theories.
On CBS, Epps said Carlson was ‘obsessed’ with him and ‘going to any means possible to destroy my life.’
Carlson had been expected to be among the first witnesses called if Dominion’s case had gone to trial, but the two parties settled last Tuesday on the same day that opening statements were expected.
Dominion had contended that some Fox programs had falsely aired allegations that the company had rigged the election against President Donald Trump, even though several Fox executives and personalities didn’t believe them. Carlson’s show was not among them; he’d be an unlikely candidate to take the fall for that lawsuit.
In several messages, though, Carlson spoke candidly about his distaste for Trump at the time and his fear that the network was losing viewers among the former president’s fans.
He was also quoted using profane language to describe Sidney Powell, the Trump supporter and conservative attorney who was given airtime on other Fox shows to spread lies about Dominion, and called her a ‘psychopath.’
Carlson was recently named in a lawsuit filed by Abby Grossberg, a Fox News producer fired after claiming that Fox lawyers had pressured her to give misleading testimony in the Dominion lawsuit. Grossberg had gone to work for Carlson after leaving Maria Bartiromo’s Fox show.
Her lawsuit says that Grossberg learned ‘she had merely traded in one overtly misogynistic work environment for an even crueler one — this time, one where unprofessionalism reigned supreme, and the staff’s distaste and disdain for women infiltrated almost every workday decision.’
On her first day of work at Carlson’s program, Grossberg said in her lawsuit, she was met with large, blown-up photographs of Rep. Nancy Pelosi in a bathing suit with a plunging neckline.
Fox has called the lawsuit ‘baseless.’
On his show, Carlson has also been outspoken in questioning the United States support of Ukraine, following its invasion by Russian forces.
‘It might be worth asking yourself since it is getting pretty serious: What is this really about?’ Carlson said on his show. ‘Why do I hate Putin so much? Has Putin ever called me a racist? Has he threatened to get me fired for disagreeing with him? Has he shipped every middle-class job in my town to Russia?’
‘Fox News Tonight’ will air in Carlson’s 8 p.m. Eastern prime-time slot, hosted by a rotating array of network personalities, for the time being.
‘We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor,’ the press release from the network said.” [AP News]
Anchors away
Tucker Carlson last week. Screenshot: Fox News
“A slew of shocking media firings, all in less than 24 hours for different reasons, has thrown TV news into a tailspin, Axios' Sara Fischer writes.
Tucker Carlson and Fox News ‘agreed to part ways’ this morning. He'd been at the network nearly a decade, and ‘Tucker Carlson Tonight’ often topped every other show in cable news.
Carlson's last program was Friday, Fox said — meaning he won't get a chance to say farewell to viewers.
Less than an hour later came the news that Don Lemon has been fired from CNN after 17 years.
Both announcements came less than a day after word that NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell had been fired for an inappropriate workplace relationship.
Don Lemon this morning. Screenshot: CNN
Why it matters: Cable news is already under extraordinary pressure to survive. But the drama engulfing some of the industry's top personnel is putting a spotlight on how chaotic the industry has become.
Between the lines: Drama had been circling Carlson and Lemon for months.
The news of Carlson's departure comes four days after Fox News reached a historic 11th-hour settlement with Dominion Voting Systems for over $787 million. A source familiar with the situation told Axios that the firing was not part of the settlement agreement.
Lemon was one of CNN's most popular primetime anchors before new leadership moved him to co-host the network's new morning show. A series of on-air blunders, and reports that Lemon struggled to get along with his female co-hosts, put the show's drama in the spotlight.
The big picture: Cable news ratings continue to plummet as viewers flock to streaming.
Prime time viewership last year fell around 14% collectively across Fox, CNN and MSNBC.” [Axios]
North Dakota governor signs law banning nearly all abortions
By TRISHA AHMED
FILE - North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum speaks at the state Capitol on April 10, 2020, in Bismarck, N.D. Burgum signed an abortion ban at six weeks of pregnancy — even in cases of rape or incest — into law on Monday, April 24, 2023. (Mike McCleary/The Bismarck Tribune via AP, File)
“North Dakota on Monday adopted one of the strictest anti-abortion laws in the country as Republican Gov. Doug Burgum signed legislation banning the procedure throughout pregnancy, with slim exceptions up to six weeks’ gestation.
In those early weeks, abortion would be allowed only in cases of rape, incest or medical emergency, such as ectopic pregnancy.
‘This bill clarifies and refines existing state law ... and reaffirms North Dakota as a pro-life state,’ Burgum said in a statement.
Last year’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning the 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide has triggered multiple state laws banning or restricting the procedure. Many were met with legal challenges. Currently, bans on abortion at all stages of pregnancy are in place in at least 13 states and on hold in others because of court injunctions. On the other side, Democratic governors in at least 20 states this year launched a network intended to strengthen abortion access in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that eliminated women’s constitutional right to end a pregnancy and shifted regulatory powers over the procedure to state governments….” Read more at AP News
Black history class to undergo changes, College Board says
By CHEYANNE MUMPHREY
FILE - Hundreds participate in the National Action Network demonstration in response to Gov. Ron DeSantis' rejection of a high school African American history course, Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023, in Tallahassee, Fla. In a statement, Monday, April 24, 2023, the College Board announced changes will be made to the new AP African American course framework amid criticism earlier in the year that the agency bowed to political pressure and removed several topics from the framework, including Black Lives Matter, slavery reparations and queer life. (Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat via AP, File)
“The College Board says changes will be made to its new AP African American studies course, after critics said the agency bowed to political pressure and removed several topics from the framework, including Black Lives Matter, slavery reparations and queer life.
In a statement on Monday, the College Board said the development committee and experts charged with authoring the Advanced Placement course ‘will determine the details of those changes over the next few months.’
‘We are committed to providing an unflinching encounter with the facts and evidence of African American history and culture,’ the company said.
It remains unclear what the changes are or when they will be made public.
The course gained national attention this winter when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a possible Republican presidential candidate in 2024, said he would ban the course in his state because it pushed a political agenda….” Read more at AP News
“Jury selection begins today for the civil trial against former President Donald Trump brought on by writer E. Jean Carroll. Carroll has accused Trump of sexually assaulting her in the 90s. Trump, who has denied the allegations, would not be a criminal rapist under the law if the jury rules in Carroll's favor. He could, however, be on the hook for tens of millions of dollars in damages.
This case is based on a new claim from Carroll under a "brand new law in New York that allows adult survivors of alleged sexual assault to sue after many years have passed," NPR's Andrea Bernstein says on Up First. Carroll will testify, but it's unclear whether Trump will.” [NPR]
Trump charges
“Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis plans to announce this summer whether she'll bring charges against Trump or his allies for their attempts to overturn Georgia's 2020 presidential election results, according to a letter obtained by CNN. Investigators have at least three recordings of Trump pressuring Georgia officials to push for a special legislative session to overturn Biden's 2020 victory in Georgia, among other recordings. Willis could possibly bring racketeering and conspiracy charges, and make the case that Trump and his allies were part of a criminal enterprise in their various efforts to pressure state officials, put forth fake electors and otherwise try to influence the election. Willis said she plans to make an announcement on possible charges between July and September.” [CNN]
“US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas said he was advised he didn’t have to disclose private jet flights and luxury vacations paid for by billionaire Harlan Crow because, although a close friend, Crow ‘did not have business before the court.’ But as Zoe Tillman reports, a review of dozens of state and federal cases by Bloomberg showed that, in at least one case, Crow did, and Thomas didn’t recuse himself.” [Bloomberg]
The response to SCOTUS from Trammell Crow Residential, a company in which the Crow family had a non-controlling interest at the time. Source: US Supreme Court
Susan Rice to Step Down From Role as Biden’s Top Domestic Policy Adviser
Rice previously served as national security adviser for Obama
Susan Rice, a longtime foreign-policy expert, has led the White House Domestic Policy Council since the start of the administration. PHOTO: PATRICK SEMANSKY/ASSOCIATED PRESS
“WASHINGTON—Susan Rice, President Biden’s top domestic policy adviser, is departing the administration, the White House said Monday.
Ms. Rice, a longtime foreign-policy expert, has led the White House Domestic Policy Council since the start of the administration, helping coordinate with federal agencies on a broad variety of issues, including economic mobility, healthcare, gun control and immigration. Her last day will be May 26, an administration official said.
In a statement, President Biden thanked Ms. Rice for her service, saying, ‘there is no one more capable, and more determined to get important things done for the American people than Susan Rice.’
He praised Ms. Rice for her work on health policy, including on lowering prescription drug prices for seniors….” Read more at Wall Street Journal
Phil Knight Donates $400 Million to Rebuild Portland’s Black Community
Nike’s co-founder said Portland is in crisis and he wants to ‘give the whole city hope’ via the new initiative
By Rachel Bachman
Phil Knight is a co-founder of Nike. PHOTO: MICHAEL HICKEY/GETTY IMAGES
“Phil Knight grew up in Portland, Ore., and eventually made the area home to Nike Inc., the athletic-shoe behemoth he co-founded with Bill Bowerman, his track coach at the University of Oregon.
On Monday, Mr. Knight and his wife, Penny, are set to announce they’re donating $400 million to rebuild Portland’s Albina area, a historically Black community whose residents have experienced decades of disruption and displacement.
Rebuild Albina will be a project of the newly established 1803 Fund, a nonprofit that aims to combine elements of private investing and philanthropy. The number references the year that explorers Lewis & Clark decided to bring York, a Black frontiersman and slave, with them across the country to the Pacific.
Mr. Knight’s donation arrives against the backdrop of a city he says is in crisis. Portland, for decades a quirky, outdoorsy boomtown, in recent years has been beset with public drug use, chronic homelessness, a spike in crime and drop in population….” Read more at Wall Street Journal
COVID response: ‘national incompetence’
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
“A group of crisis experts and federal advisers conclude in a report out today that a lack of disaster preparedness and coordination led to an unraveling of the nation's pandemic response.
The crisis, the report says, exposed a ‘collective national incompetence in governance.’
Why it matters: The 34-member group, the Covid Crisis Group, was convened by four foundations in 2021 to lay the groundwork for a 9/11 commission-style assessment, Axios' Arielle Dreher reports.
The group praised certain aspects of the response, including Operation Warp Speed — but questioned why a similar effort wasn't launched to produce protective gear or antivirals.” [Axios]
1 dead in Oklahoma college shooting, suspect in custody
By SUE OGROCKI and SEAN MURPHY
Oklahoma state troopers walk under police tape following a fatal shooting at Rose State College in Midwest City, Okla., on Monday, April 24, 2023. Police said a suspect is in custody after school officials told students to shelter in place. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
“MIDWEST CITY, Okla. (AP) — A man shot and killed another man Monday at Rose State College in Oklahoma, according to police, who reported no other injuries after the campus was briefly put on lockdown.
Midwest City Police Chief Sid Porter said the men were ‘acquainted through a domestic situation,’ but did not elaborate on exactly what their relationship was or what led to the shooting. He also did not say if either man was a student or staff member at the school.
The two-year college has about 13,000 students and is just outside Oklahoma City. Crime scene tape surrounded the humanities building in the center of campus and officers from multiple law enforcement agencies were on the scene.
Porter said the victim was shot one time and that the suspect was confronted by officers who work on campus.
‘They ordered him to drop the gun, which he did, and they took him into custody,’ Porter said.
Kevin McCormack, a student from the suburb of Choctaw, said he was meeting a friend on campus when he heard gunfire. He said they looked over and saw a man hitting the ground, next to another man holding a gun and a woman who was trying to calm him down….” Read more at AP News
Myles Cosgrove, Louisville officer who killed Breonna Taylor, hired by Kentucky sheriff's office
“LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Louisville police officer who shot the bullet that killed Breonna Taylor in March 2020 is back working in law enforcement.
Myles Cosgrove, who was fired by the Louisville Metro Police Department in January 2021, has been hired by the Carroll County Sheriff's Office, Chief Deputy Rob Miller told The Louisville Courier Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network, on Saturday.
The county is about an hour northeast of downtown Louisville and has a population of around 10,000.
Cosgrove was one of three officers who fired their weapons during a raid of Taylor's apartment March 13, 2020. Taylor and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, were asleep when LMPD officers attempted to serve a search warrant as part of a narcotics investigation. Walker, who has said he thought an intruder was breaking in, fired a single shot that hit an officer. Officers returned fire, with Cosgrove firing the fatal bullet, according to Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron's investigation.
Kim Potter:Ex-Minnesota officer who fatally shot Daunte Wright to be released from prison.” [USA Today]
Montana lawmaker silenced over ban on gender-affirming care
Rep. Zoey Zephyr, D-Missoula, waves to supporters during a rally on the steps of the Montana State Capitol, in Helena, Mont., Monday, April 24, 2023.
Thom Bridge, AP
“Democratic Rep. Zooey Zephyr hasn’t officially been censured yet. But Montana House Speaker Matt Regier is expected to continue not allowing Zephyr to speak on the chamber's floor unless she apologizes. Zephyr, the first openly transgender woman elected to Montana's legislature, says she is standing by comments she made last week as the state’s House debated a bill to ban gender-affirming care for minors. Zephyr criticized the bill and its supporters, referencing the group’s opening prayer: ‘I hope the next time there’s an invocation, when you bow your heads in prayer, you see the blood on your hands.’ Republican lawmakers called for her censure in response.” Read more at USA Today
Tenuous start to new 3-day truce in Sudan
“Warring generals in Sudan extended a fragile ceasefire by three days before it expired Monday. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the deal late Monday. But as rescue operations waged by the United States and European nations use the gap to bring diplomats and others to safety, the Sudanese are bracing for more intense fighting. Once diplomats and others are evacuated, the ‘warring parties will not heed any calls for a truce or a cease-fire,’ one analyst said. The poor who can’t afford to make it out ‘will suffer greatly as they will have no access to aid or food.’” Read more at USA Today
Evacuees were airlifted into Nairobi, Kenya, on April 24, 2023, as a growing number of countries continue to evacuate foreign nationals and diplomats following a week long conflict in Khartoum.
TONY KARUMBA, AFP via Getty Images
Mob kills 13 suspected Haiti gangsters with gas-soaked tires
By EVENS SANON
Bystanders look at the bodies of alleged gang members that were set on fire by a mob after they were stopped by police while traveling in a vehicle in the Canape Vert area of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, April 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
“PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A mob in the Haitian capital beat and burned 13 suspected gang members to death with gasoline-soaked tires Monday after pulling the men from police custody at a traffic stop, police and witnesses said.
The horrific vigilante violence underlined public anger over the increasingly lawless situation in Port-au-Prince where criminal gangs have taken control over an estimated 60% of the city since the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.
Six more burned bodies were laid in a nearby neighborhood later Monday, and some witnesses said that police killed them and residents set them on fire, but the AP could not verify the accounts independently.
Haiti National Police said in a brief statement that officers in the city’s Canape Vert section stopped and searched a minibus for contraband early Monday, and had confiscated weapons from suspects before they were ‘unfortunately lynched by members of the population.’ The statement did not elaborate on how members of the crowd were able to take control of the suspects….” Read more at AP News
“China moved swiftly to extinguish a firestorm in Europe caused by its ambassador to France, who questioned the independence of ex-Soviet states. But with the damage already done, read how Xi’s efforts to portray China as a neutral party to help end the war in Ukraine have been undermined, marking what looks like another setback in his attempts to revamp China’s image on the global stage.” [Bloomberg]
“Paraguay’s leading opposition presidential candidate, Efrain Alegre, said his country’s long-standing alliance with Taiwan is costing it opportunities and will be reviewed if he’s elected on April 30.” [Bloomberg]
“Olaf Scholz invited Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang for talks in Berlin in June as the German chancellor seeks to ease tensions between Europe and China.” [Bloomberg]
The new AP African American studies course is being revised.
“Why? It has been criticized by both the right and the left. The most recent controversy was over changes made in February, which included removing the word ‘systemic’ from the plan.
What now? It’s not clear what’s changing or how long the revisions will take. The high school course is expected to launch in 2024.” [Washington Post]
Passport jam
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
“If you haven't already submitted your passport application or renewal for summer travel, you might think about a fall trip, Axios' Kelly Tyko writes.
Surging international travel demand has created a backlog of passport applications — with increased processing times of up to three months, not counting shipping time, the State Department warns.
‘We're getting 500,000 applications a week for passports,’ Secretary of State Tony Blinken recently said. ‘That's 30% to 40% percent above last year, so it's dramatic.’
The demand is expected to break last year's record of nearly 22 million passports.
By the numbers: The processing time for routine applications is taking from 10 to 13 weeks up from six to nine weeks for those who applied before Feb. 6, the State Department said.
Expedited processing, which costs $60 more, is taking seven to nine weeks, an increase from three to five weeks.” [Axios]
By German Lopez
Good morning. Tucker Carlson is out at Fox News. Plus, President Biden announced his campaign for re-election.
Tucker CarlsonLeigh Vogel for The New York Times
Canceled
“For years, the Fox News host Tucker Carlson has faced criticisms of his amplification of racist and anti-immigrant ideas. But those issues seemed to have little to do with his demise.
Instead, a growing list of controversies related to Carlson’s conduct on and off the air had begun to aggravate Fox News executives, and the network abruptly announced his departure yesterday.
Network leaders and contributors had complained, and some quit, over Carlson’s misleading coverage of the Jan. 6 attacks, in which he depicted rioters as ‘mostly peaceful’ onlookers. His coverage of 2020 election conspiracy theories was part of Dominion Voting Systems’ lawsuit against Fox, which the network settled last week. Carlson had also privately denigrated Fox executives, saying they had cost the network credibility by allowing it to call President Biden’s election victory, as The Washington Post reported.
And a former producer recently accused Carlson in a lawsuit of overseeing a misogynistic and discriminatory workplace. Fox has disputed her claims.
As one of the top hosts on the most watched cable news network, Carlson played an outsize role in conservative politics. Today’s newsletter will look at Carlson’s influence and what his exit means for Fox News.
A big audience
Carlson took over Fox News’s prized 8 p.m. slot in 2017 and increased its already-high ratings, quickly becoming a fixture on the right-wing network and in conservative politics.
How? Carlson tapped into white viewers’ fears over the country’s changing racial demographics, which fueled Donald Trump’s rise in the 2016 election. He would regularly focus on the notion of the ‘great replacement,’ a racist conspiracy theory that claims elites are importing supposedly obedient immigrants to disempower native-born Americans. In 2018, Carlson argued that hordes of immigrants were making America ‘poorer and dirtier.’
Carlson often highlighted local news stories but twisted them to make broader claims about Americans losing control of their country. In one segment in 2017, he claimed ‘Gypsies’ were causing chaos in a small Pennsylvania town, urinating and defecating in the streets.
‘The message of these segments was always the same: You and your way of life are under attack, and the people doing the attacking look different and have different values than you do,’ my colleague Nicholas Confessore, who covered Carlson’s rise for The Times, told me yesterday. ‘Carlson reassured viewers that their discomfort was reasonable — that they didn’t have to feel bad about their fears and worries.’
Carlson did so by embracing Trumpism but not Trump himself. The approach was partly personal. In private texts, Carlson said of Trump, ‘I hate him passionately.’ It also helped Carlson differentiate himself from other Fox News hosts, Nicholas said. Because they aligned themselves closely with Trump, the hosts Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham would often have to come to his defense when Trump said something outrageous. Carlson tried to avoid those pitfalls by focusing on the underlying message instead of Trump as the public face of it.
Fox’s predominantly white audience embraced Carlson’s approach, and he drew more than three million viewers a night, regularly making his show No. 1 or No. 2 at the network. And although accusations of bigotry and falsehoods prompted sponsors to flee Fox, Carlson’s show increased its ad revenue because its audience was so large.
Carlson has not said what he’ll do next. But without that big audience, he probably won’t be as influential.
Uncertain future
Fox News said it would rotate hosts in its 8 p.m. slot until it could find a permanent replacement. At first glance, this seems bad for the network: Not only did it lose one of its biggest stars, but it has no replacement lined up. And the announcement comes at a time when Fox has already faced months of bad publicity, and it just agreed to a $787.5 million settlement over Dominion’s lawsuit.
But Fox has overcome similar challenges with its hosts before. Carlson himself replaced Bill O’Reilly, who was once the network’s most popular host, and not only maintained O’Reilly’s ratings but at times surpassed them. That experience may have led Fox to believe that the network carries more sway over its viewers than individual hosts do.
The former Fox executive Roger Ailes used to occasionally bench his prime time stars for a night to show them that the ratings stayed high when they were gone — demonstrating that it was Fox that made them big, Nicholas noted. ‘I suspect the audience loyalty to Fox is probably greater than the audience loyalty to any particular Fox star,’ he added.
For more
A lack of premium advertisers in recent years had done little to hurt Carlson’s standing at Fox News.
Trump and Carlson patched up their differences recently.
CNN fired the host Don Lemon, who lost executives’ support after an uproar over a sexist comment he made on air.
The departures of Carlson and Lemon mark the end of an era in media, The Times’s Jim Rutenberg writes.
Jeff Shell, the chief executive of NBCUniversal, was fired after a news anchor lodged a sexual harassment complaint against him.
Carlson’s departure is part of a Fox tradition in which abuse is tolerated until it’s inconvenient, Michelle Goldberg writes in Times Opinion.
‘Never put anything in an email’: Carlson’s dismissal represents a cautionary tale that Rupert Murdoch learned years ago, Bret Stephens writes in Times Opinion.
Late night hosts joked about Carlson’s departure.” [New York Times]
First study finds AI boosts productivity
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
“Productivity improved considerably in the customer service department of a Fortune 500 company that leaned into generative AI,Axios Markets co-author Emily Peck writes from a new study by Stanford and MIT researchers.
Why it matters: The researchers believe it's the first empirical evidence of the effects of generative AI — artificial intelligence that creates (generates) content, like text or images — on the workplace.
What they did: Researchers tested AI software with a customer service team of more than 5,000 agents at an unnamed Fortune 500 company that provides software to small businesses.
The AI monitored customer chats and gave agents real-time suggestions for how to respond, including ideas for wording.
Agents were free to ignore the advice.
What they found: Use of the AI led to a 14% increase in the number of customer service chats an agent successfully responded to per hour.
Agents spent less time handling individual chats, and were able to take care of more customers per hour.
The AI had the biggest impact — and helped reduce turnover — among the lowest-skilled customer service agents new to the job. Experienced customer service agents saw only a slight lift.” [Axios]
Disney layoffs
“Disney is laying off several thousand workers across the company this week in the second and largest wave of cuts as part of the media giant's previously announced plan to slash its workforce by 7,000 employees. The latest round of job cuts will impact employees from coast to coast at ESPN, Disney's entertainment division, Disney Parks, and its Experiences and Product division, the company said. The layoffs are part of a larger workforce reduction plan announced in February by CEO Bob Iger in an aim to save more than $5 billion in costs, the company said. The layoffs, however, are not expected to affect hourly frontline employees at Disney's theme parks and resorts.” [CNN]
Bud Light
“Anheuser-Busch has placed two executives on leave after a Bud Light sponsorship with a transgender woman sparked backlash from conservative media, according to the Wall Street Journal and other media reports. The beer maker sponsored two Instagram posts by transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney and sent her a can of beer with her face on it. A few days after the post was published, musician Kid Rock posted an Instagram video of himself shooting cases of Bud Light, and conservatives called for a boycott of the company. Although the campaign received support from trans activists, some of the online backlash recently turned into physical danger when one of Anheuser-Busch's facilities received a bomb threat. According to reports, the executives placed on leave are Alissa Heinerscheid, Bud Light's vice president of marketing, and Daniel Blake, Anheuser-Busch's vice president who oversees marketing for mainstream brands.” [CNN]
FDA: Your pup can join you alfresco
A dog licks his lips at Café de Flore in Paris in 2021. Photo: Kiran Ridley/Getty Images
“It's OK for diners to bring dogs to restaurants' outdoor seating areas if state and local laws — and the restaurant — allow it, the FDA says in new guidance, Axios' Jennifer A. Kingson reports.
Why it matters: The agency weighed in on this hot-button issue just in time for spring — the high season for disputes over Fido's right to dine alfresco, as cities grapple with whether to extend COVID-era outdoor dining rules.
In an update to the 2022 FDA Food Code, the agency stated that its health rules "allow for pet dogs in outdoor dining areas, where approved."
Dogs still aren't allowed indoors or anywhere food is prepared — even to walk through to an outdoor patio.
The exception is service dogs, which generally are allowed in restaurants. Emotional support dogs are not — a big source of confusion and conflict.
If restaurants allow dogs, they can't discriminate by breed.
Cats and other pets are still a no-no, unless they're service animals.
About 23 states officially allow dogs in outdoor patio areas of restaurants. Here's a list ... Share this story.” [Axios]
Photo illustration: Natalie Peeples/Axios. Photo: NurPhoto/Getty
“After six weeks of waiting, Aaron Rodgers is leaving behind his brilliant legacy in Green Bay and heading to the bright lights — and massive expectations — of the Big Apple.
The New York Jets agreed on a deal to acquire the four-time NFL MVP from the Packers, AP reports.
Today's New York Post covers
Rodgers, 39, said shortly after the season ended that he was making up his mind on whether he wanted to return to the Packers for a 19th season.
It's reminiscent of the stunning trade the Jets made in 2008, when they acquired Brett Favre, who turned 39 a few months later, from the Packers — clearing the way for Rodgers to start in Green Bay.” [Axios]
Lyme disease vaccine could be coming soon
Illustration: Rebecca Zisser/Axios
“More than two decades after a promising vaccine for Lyme disease was pulled from the market, more tools to protect against the tick-borne illness —including a new shot — are on the horizon, Tina Reed reports for Axios Vitals.
Why it matters: There's worldwide concern about how climate change is helping drive the proliferation of ticks — and transforming Lyme disease from a regional summertime nuisance into a year-round health threat.
Earlier this month, Moderna announced two novel mRNA vaccine candidates against Lyme disease in its pipeline.
Another vaccine candidate, VLA15, from Pfizer and its partner Valneva is already in late-stage clinical trials, and enrolling trial participants, including children as young as five.
The companies hope to apply for FDA authorization as early as 2025.” [Axios]
Actor Danny Masterson drugged, raped women, prosecutor says
By ANDREW DALTON
FILE - Actor Danny Masterson leaves Los Angeles superior Court with his wife Bijou Phillips after a judge declared a mistrial in his rape case in Los Angeles on Nov. 30, 2022. Masterson is going back on trial on three charges of rape. A deadlocked jury led to a mistrial for Masterson in November. Opening statements in his retrial will begin on Monday. (AP Photo/Brian Melley, File)
“LOS ANGELES (AP) — Actor Danny Masterson drugged then raped three women at his Hollywood-area home between 2001 and 2003, a prosecutor told jurors Monday in his opening statement in the retrial of the star of “That ’70s Show.”
Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller said Masterson put substances into drinks that he gave to a longtime girlfriend and two women he knew through friend circles around the Church of Scientology, all of whom Masterson is charged with raping.
‘The evidence will show that they were drugged,’ Mueller told the jury. The defense denies such evidence exists.
Direct discussion of drugging was missing from the first trial — which ended in a mistrial when a jury deadlocked on all three counts — with Mueller instead having to imply it through the testimony of the women, who said they were woozy, disoriented and at times unconscious on the nights they described the actor raping them….” Read more at AP News
Ed SheeranHannah Mckay/Reuters
A pop song on trial
“Did Ed Sheeran copy his Grammy-winning ballad ‘Thinking Out Loud’ from Marvin Gaye’s soul classic ‘Let’s Get It On’? The question is at the center of a copyright trial that began yesterday in federal court in Manhattan.
Because of a quirk of music copyrights, the case rests primarily on the songs’ chord progressions, which are nearly identical, as this video comparison shows. But Sheeran’s lawyers have argued that the chords are common in pop music — including in songs by artists who used them before Gaye and Ed Townsend, who collaborated with him on ‘Let’s Get It On,’ did.” [New York Times]
Photo of the day: Aurora borealis light up skies across several states
“The aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, were on full display across much of the United States Sunday night and into early Monday morning. Photos and video taken in parts of North Dakota, Wyoming, Iowa, Kansas and Wisconsin captured the phenomenon. Click here to see more photos.” [USA Today]
The northern lights appear above Big Creek State Park, on Sunday, April 23, 2023, outside Polk City, in central Iowa.
Kelsey Kremer/The Register
“Lives Lived: Megan Terry was a prolific feminist playwright who wrote and directed a rock musical on the New York stage. She died at 90.” [New York Times]