- Pharrell Williams to co-chair Met Gala exploring Black dandyism
- Wall Street indices hit fresh records as Chinese shares tumble
- Taiwan's president to deliver key speech for National Day
- Sea row on the menu as ASEAN leaders meet China's Li
- Injured Kane won't start England's Nations League clash with Greece
- Discord seen as online home for renegades
- US forecasts severe solar storm starting Thursday
- Mozambique starts tallying votes in tense election
- Zelensky moves to court European leaders in drive for military aid
- Ratan Tata: Indian mogul who built a global powerhouse
- Rodgers rejects 'false' suggestions of role in Saleh dismissal
- One dead as storm Kirk tears through Spain, Portugal, France
- Indian business titan Ratan Tata dead at 86
- Lebanon facing 'catastrophic' situation as 600,000 displaced: UN
- US warns Israel not to repeat Gaza destruction in Lebanon
- Musk's X returns in Brazil after 40-day showdown with judge
- Call her savvy? Harris unleashes unconventional media blitz
- Lucian Freud 'masterpiece' fetches £13.9 million at London sale
- SoFi Stadium to hold next two CONCACAF Nations League finals
- McIlroy and DeChambeau set for PGA-LIV 'Showdown' in Vegas
- Fed minutes highlight divisions over rate cut decision
- Steve McQueen debuts new WWII film at London festival
- Run blitz edges India and South Africa closer to World Cup semi-finals
- Zelensky to court European leaders in drive for military aid
- Israel captain says 'difficult' to focus on football in time of war
- Macron to host Ukraine's Zelensky after meeting Ukrainian troops
- Root says 'many more to get' after England Test runs landmark
- India pile up World Cup high to rout Sri Lanka
- One year later, Israeli hostage family learns of loss
- Texans receiver Collins, Pats' safety Peppers out for NFL clash
- Biden-Netanyahu talk as Hezbollah, Israeli forces clash
- Musk's X available again in Brazil after 40-day ban
- Reddy stars as India crush Bangladesh to clinch T20 series
- Nobel winners hope protein work will spur 'incredible' breakthroughs
- What are proteins again? Nobel-winning chemistry explained
- Arch rivals Ghana, Nigeria drawn together in CHAN qualifying
- AI steps into science limelight with Nobel wins
- Trump lauds India's Modi as 'total killer'
- Wall Street, Europe rise as Chinese shares tumble
- Hunkering down for Hurricane Milton at Disney -- but first, a few rides
- Reddy, Rinku power India to 221-9 in second Bangladesh T20
- Overshooting 1.5C risks 'irreversible' climate impact: study
- Time running out in Florida to flee Hurricane Milton
- Demis Hassabis, from chess prodigy to Nobel-winning AI pioneer
- The long walk for water in the parched Colombian Amazon
- Biden-Netanyahu to talk as Hezbollah, Israeli forces clash
- France vows to step up drugs fight after police vehicles torched
- Air France says jet flew over Iraq during Iran attack on Israel
- Activists target Picasso work to protest Israel arms sales
- Let 'Emily in Paris' remain in Paris, Macron says
Anchor away: Provocateur Tucker Carlson out at Fox News
Conservative firebrand Tucker Carlson, host of Fox News' most popular show, has abruptly left the US network, it was announced Monday, days after the outlet paid a huge settlement to end a defamation case.
Carlson was the best-known name on Fox's presenting roster, hosting a prime-time evening show that won fierce loyalty among the broadcaster's right-wing viewers.
A key figure in Republican politics, he often interviewed Donald Trump, and has been widely criticized for spreading disinformation as well as nightly reams of allegedly racist and hate-filled rhetoric.
"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 in a brief statement, giving no reason for his immediate departure.
The 53-year-old Carlson, who joined Fox in 2009, provided no reaction.
Railing against everything from immigration policies to gun controls, "Tucker Carlson Tonight" pilloried liberal trends in modern America, appealing to viewers' outrage and propelling the show to the heights of cable television.
- Trump friend or foe? -
The $787.5-million defamation settlement last week meant that neither Fox Corporation chairman Rupert Murdoch nor hosts such as Carlson would have to testify in what was expected to be an explosive trial.
But internal Fox News communications released ahead of the scheduled trial suggested senior figures were prepared to spread falsehoods about the 2020 election for fear of losing viewers to rivals.
In the messages, Carlson also said he couldn't wait until he could "ignore Trump most nights," adding: "I hate him passionately."
Dominion, a voting technology company, had sued Fox for airing false claims that its machines were used to steal the presidential election from Trump.
The Wall Street Journal, another outlet in Murdoch's media empire, pointed out on Monday that after the election, Carlson at times disputed that the vote had been rigged.
But Carlson's relationship with Trump appears to still be close, with the former president sitting for a friendly hour-long interview on the show on April 11 after being arraigned on criminal charges in New York.
In an appearance Monday evening on the right-wing Newsmax channel, Trump, who has made no public reference to Carlson's comments, said he was "shocked" by the host's departure.
"I'm surprised. He's a very good person and a very good man and very talented," he said.
"I think Tucker has been terrific. He's been, especially over the last year or so. He's been terrific to me."
Despite the criticism Carlson engendered, Fox News had previously backed him at all costs as he generated a welcome flood of controversy, media attention, viewers and advertising revenue.
The left-leaning Media Matters group on Monday branded him a "dangerous misinformer" who had "served as the bridge between Fox News and the most extreme parts of the right-wing base."
His "reign illustrates how committed Fox is to lies and extremism," it added.
The network's lawyers argued in a 2020 slander lawsuit that viewers knew to treat material on his show with skepticism, though its tagline was "the sworn enemy of lying, pomposity, smugness and group think."
- 'Back on Monday,' or not -
In contrast to the political influence he has wielded, Carlson lives far from the heart of the US government, in a rural corner of Maine, where he often broadcasts his show.
He appeared relaxed and confident during what became his last appearance on Friday evening, eating pizza and signing off saying "we'll be back on Monday... see you then."
His sudden departure shocked Washington and Wall Street, with Fox News' share price falling nearly four percent.
Carlson has long attracted reports that he wanted to enter politics but previously dismissed suggestions he had presidential ambitions.
Fox said his coveted 8:00 pm slot would be hosted by a rotation of presenters until a replacement is chosen.
Also on Monday, the rival CNN network sacked veteran presenter Don Lemon, who recently made remarks about women and aging that were seen as sexist.
P.Silva--AMWN