Weird start to the week, huh?
 

• In a shocking shake-up to the political news landscape, Fox News unexpectedly parted ways with (read, fired) its premiere white-nationalist cash cow Tucker Carlson after more than a decade. The decision comes less than a week after Fox’s parent company Fox Corp settled a defamation lawsuit by Dominion Voting Systems for a staggering $787.5 million. Then, just minutes later, CNN anchor Don Lemon announced that the network had terminated him after 17 years. 
   

• Let’s start with Tucker, the reason we’re all here (in hell). Carlson’s last show was on Friday night, and he was not given a chance to conduct a final sign off to his hoards of frothing viewers. Too bad! Much of the current reporting on the circumstances surrounding Carlson’s departure from the network contains speculation and blind quoting, but there are some undisputed facts at play as well. In the discovery phase of the Dominion lawsuit, lawyers unearthed a trough of materials implicating Carlson, particularly his willingness to knowingly peddle the Big Lie on air when he knew it wasn’t true. He also tried to get a coworker fired for accurately fact-checking disgraced former president Donald Trump. 
   

• Obviously, this is Fox News we’re talking about—they did not let Tucker go because of their commitment to the truth or for turning many of our nation’s seniors into heavily armed, paranoid kooks. That’s exactly what they wanted him to do, and what he was so good at. But the Dominion lawsuit cost Fox three-quarters of a billion dollars—as much money as Tucker made for the network, the threat of legal liability he posed to the company was of greater value. It was likely worth it for Fox to settle the lawsuit and let him go, eliminating the risk that he’ll force them to settle yet-more defamation lawsuits, for huge sums of money. And there may be even heavier shoes left to drop.

Don Lemon’s case is a little (read: a lot) different. 
 

• Lemon’s statement (a screenshot of what looks like a forwarded email typed in enormous font?) read: “I am stunned. After 17 years at CNN I would have thought someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly. At no time was I ever given any indication that I would not be able to continue to do the work I have loved at this network.” CNN then disputed Lemon’s account, saying that the longtime star anchor “was offered an opportunity to meet with management but instead released a statement on Twitter.” 
   

• Lemon’s contract with CNN still has three years left on it, so between that and the tone of Lemon’s statement, it’s clear that his exit is acrimonious. Hours before the contradictory statements were released, Lemon appeared in his usual anchor slot on CNN This Morning and signed off with a friendly smile. Lemon has been under fire since a report surfaced detailing his history of misogynistic behavior, capped off with criticizing GOP presidential hopeful and former Trump U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley of being unfit to run because she “isn’t in her prime.” Don! There are one-million better reasons to drag Nikki Haley! But what was perhaps the nail in Lemon’s coffin was his highly-contentious on-air exchange with GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, during which Lemon accurately dismantled Ramaswamy’s revisionist history of civil rights in America. It’s clearly more complicated than that, but “being too strident to craven Republicans spewing disinformation” shouldn’t be disqualifying for news anchors who want their programs to reflect the truth. 

The 24-hour news cycle is plainly not great for our brains or our democracy, but the winds have shifted lately. For years, Fox News has been all-powerful, spreading disinformation with impunity. The Dominion settlement is the outlet’s biggest brush with accountability, and it still has additional lawsuits to defend in the months ahead. But for now, the Great Replacement Theory flag over Fox News hangs at half-mast.

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What’s that, you say? The “leave it up to the states!” folks do not, in fact, want to leave abortion laws up to the states? Anti-abortion groups and Republican lobbyists and candidates have suffered consistent setbacks in the months since the Dobbs ruling reversed Roe vs. Wade when voters have had their say on abortion bans. So now, Republican legislatures are trying a new strategy: fighting to keep abortion access off the ballot. In the most pressing statewide races, abortion rights groups are collecting signatures to prohibit the state from banning abortion before a fetus becomes viable outside of the womb, at around 24 weeks of pregnancy. And even in heavily gerrymandered, Republican states, ballot measures like that would likely pass. (Democracy, can you imagine?)

So what are Republicans in those states doing? Changing the rules so ballot measures must win with supermajorities to become. Missouri Republicans are trying to do this by swindling their own constituents. Per the New York Times, “​​the Republican-led legislature is on the verge of putting a constitutional amendment on the November ballot raising the approval threshold for proposed constitutional amendments to 60 percent, from 50 percent. Voters, however, would be unlikely to know that the measure would do that. The proposal, passed by the House and sent to the State Senate, specifies that it be described on the ballot only as a measure to require voters to be properly registered U.S. citizens and Missouri residents—which the state Constitution already requires.” 

Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND) signed a six-week abortion ban into law today. It provides no exceptions for rape or incest, making it one of the most oppressive abortion bans in the country, and it takes effect immediately. 

A new report shows that European bank Credit Suisse lost $68 billion in assets last quarter after a little whoopsie-daisy that required the bank to be partially bailed out. 

The U.S. has begun pulling diplomats and American nationals out of Sudan as brutal violence between warring factions continues. 

The criminal trial for five Proud Boys who were involved in January 6 is set to wrap up this week. Let’s hope they join their pals the Oath Keepers with sedition convictions!

The Supreme Court agreed to consider whether the First Amendment prohibits public officials from blocking their critics on platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Just as the Founders always predicted. 

Robert Bowers, the Pittsburgh man who committed the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history at the Tree of Life Synagogue in 2018, killing 11 worshippers, could face the death penalty at the end of his federal trial, which began today. 

Bed Bath & Beyond has filed for bankruptcy. A flag of 20 percent off coupons was draped over their casket.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin is really testing our patience these days. Durbin has been obstinate in the face of calls for him to get rid of antiquated “blue slips”—the “senatorial courtesy” by which any one senator can kill a judicial nomination if the judge is to be appointed in their home state. The custom is…absurd, but Durbin won’t do away with it for reasons of “tradition” or some bullshit, even though Republicans ignored it under Trump, and even though Republicans will absolutely resume using  it to kill Biden’s judicial nominees should Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) ever(?) come back from her extended leave of absence. On NBC’s Meet the Press this weekend, Durbin was asked why he has not asked Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to testify before his committee about his failure to  disclose millions of dollars worth of gifts from GOP mega donor Harlan Crow. He responded by saying it was because he assumed Thomas would ignore the request. What??? My guy, please start acting like you are the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee before Republicans run you over with a tank.

A new statewide poll shows that Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) has a net favorability of negative 23, and 54 percent of Arizona voters say she shouldn’t run at all. 

Supporters of state-Rep. Zooey Zephyr (D-MT) gathered outside of the state house and even delivered a petition to House Speaker Matt Reiger’s office urging him to recognize her, after Republicans banned her from debating all legislation. Zephyr, who is trans, has been censored since Thursday when her GOP colleagues demanded an apology after she said lawmakers who oppose gender-affirming care for trans youth will have “blood on their hands.” 

The Tennessee Three met president Biden at the White House today to discuss gun control and gun violence prevention.