memeorandum: Kevin McCarthy's clown car is headed right into a debt ceiling crisis (James Downie/MSNBC)

1:55 PM ET, April 24, 2023

Top Items:

Tucker Carlson is leaving Fox News — The bombastic host received the largest audience on the conservative network. — In a shocking announcement on Monday morning, the Fox News Channel announced that prime-time host Tucker Carlson is leaving the network.

Oliver Darcy / CNN:

Tucker Carlson out at Fox News — Fox News and Tucker Carlson, the right-wing extremist who hosted the network's highly rated 8pm hour, have severed ties, the network said in a stunning announcement Monday. — The announcement came one week after Fox News settled a monster defamation lawsuit …

Discussion: New York Times, Alternet.org, TVLine, Insider, USA Today, The Wrap, UPI, Reuters, The Information, Financial Times, Mediaite, Law & Crime, acecomments.mu.nu, The Mahablog, Ad Age and DCReport.org

Aidan McLaughlin / Mediaite:

BREAKING: Tucker Carlson OUT at Fox News in Shocking Shakeup — Tucker Carlson, the top-rated host at Fox News, is leaving the network. — The abrupt departure of the controversial prime time figure comes a week after Fox News reached a $787.5 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems …

Discussion: Fox News, The Daily Beast, VICE, Politico, Breitbart, Forbes, The American Spectator, American Greatness, IndieWire, The Daily Caller, IJR, The Western Journal, Twitchy, The Post Millennial, Daily Kos and TheBlaze, more at Mediagazer »

Lillian Rizzo / CNBC:

Tucker Carlson leaves Fox News in wake of Dominion defamation settlement — Fox News announced it parted ways with right wing host Tucker Carlson. His last program aired Friday. — The host is leaving Fox News days after the network reached a settlement with Dominion Voting Systems in its defamation lawsuit.

Discussion: The Hill, Breitbart, Quartz, Mock Paper Scissors, Jezebel and Talking Points Memo

Brian Steinberg / Variety:

Fox News Breaks Up With Tucker Carlson In Exit Surprise — Tucker Carlson will no longer be able to carry on his self-generated battle against lying, pomposity, smugness, and groupthink at Fox News Channel. — Carlson, Fox News Channel's most-watched primetime host, will leave the network …

Discussion: Media Matters for America, NBC News, Talking Points Memo, National Review, The Wrap and The Daily Caller

Stephen Battaglio / Los Angeles Times:

Tucker Carlson departs Fox News, pushed out by Rupert Murdoch — Tucker Carlson is leaving Fox News. — The network announced the departure of its top-rated and most provocative conservative prime-time host Monday with no explanation. His last show was Friday.

Discussion: The Independent, The Wrap, Chicago Sun Times, Balloon Juice, BizPac Review and HuffPost

Emily Shapiro / ABC News:

Tucker Carlson out at Fox News — “We thank him for his service to the network,” Fox said. — TV host Tucker Carlson and Fox News have “agreed to part ways,” Fox said in a statement Monday. — “We thank him for his service to the network,” Fox said in a statement, noting that Carlson's last show was on Friday.

Sara Fischer / Axios:

Tucker Carlson out at Fox News … - A slew of material was uncovered during pre-trial discovery implicated Carlson. … - A former Fox News producer Abby Grossberg, who is suing the network for allegedly trying to manipulate her testimony during pre-trial discovery for the Dominion case …

Discussion: Forbes, Alternet.org, Raw Story, Fortune, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Al Jazeera, ABC13 and The Hollywood Reporter

New York Times:

Don Lemon, CNN Star Anchor, to Leave the Network — Mr. Lemon, one of the network's most recognizable stars, had been under scrutiny since an uproar over on-air remarks he made about women and aging in February. — Don Lemon is out at CNN. — CNN said on Monday that it was parting ways with Mr. Lemon …

James Downie / MSNBC:

Kevin McCarthy's clown car is headed right into a debt ceiling crisis — The House speaker's tenure has been a kaleidoscope of incompetence. — The clown car that has been Rep. Kevin McCarthy's speakership spluttered to a halting start over 15 long ballots in January and hasn't had a second of a smooth ride since.

Discussion: The Editorial Board and Raw Story

Politico:
'Nobody knows when it's going to happen': Wall Street wakes up to default threat.

Discussion: Digby's Hullabaloo

Punchbowl News:
McCarthy's gigantic week

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, The Hill, RedState and Reuters

Hillary Clinton / New York Times:
Republicans' Debt-Ceiling Games Threaten National Security

Discussion: The Hill and The Daily Caller

Carol E. Lee / NBC News:

Susan Rice to step down as Biden's domestic policy chief — Rice's departure next month will bring to a close her prolific, wide-ranging and at times controversial tenure. — President Joe Biden's domestic policy adviser, Susan Rice, is stepping down from her post next month …

Discussion: Reuters, Washington Free Beacon, Politico, Breitbart, The Hill, New York Post, Washington Post, CBS News, Wall Street Journal, Twitchy, CNN and Eschaton

Kierra Frazier / Politico:
Susan Rice to step down as domestic policy adviser

Discussion: The White House, Axios, Associated Press, Bloomberg, Washington Examiner, acecomments.mu.nu, UPI, The Gateway Pundit, Forbes, RedState, Washington Times, Just The News and The Daily Caller

Zolan Kanno-Youngs / New York Times:
Susan Rice to Step Down as Biden's Domestic Policy Adviser

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion and Washington Examiner

Washington Post:

At U.S. behest, Ukraine held off anniversary attacks on Russia — Kyiv's head of military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, planned bold strikes deep behind enemy lines that unnerved officials in Washington — In February, with the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine days away …

Discussion: The Hill, Human Events and Fox News

Wall Street Journal:
Iran Ships Ammunition to Russia by Caspian Sea to Aid Invasion of Ukraine

Discussion: Bloomberg

Wall Street Journal:
Weapons Makers Can't Hire Enough Workers as Ukraine War Drives Demand

Discussion: The Daily Caller

Isaac Chotiner / New Yorker:

Why Trump Is Beating DeSantis Among D.C. Republicans — A G.O.P. congressman discusses the Florida governor's “electability” problems. — Last year, Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, who, in November, was reëlected in a landslide, emerged as the only viable challenger to Donald Trump …

Discussion: Associated Press, RedState, FiveThirtyEight, Joe.My.God., Summit News, The Gateway Pundit and Digby's Hullabaloo

Nicholas Grossman / Bulwark+:
Why the Anti-Anti-Trumpers Need Ron DeSantis

Discussion: VICE, Wall Street Journal, Alternet.org, Raw Story, Washington Examiner, Florida Politics and Digby's Hullabaloo

Karol Markowicz / New York Post:
Trump's insane lies on DeSantis trash successful conservative policies

Discussion: NBC News, Raw Story, Instapundit, Breitbart and HotAir

Kit O'Connell / The Texas Observer:

Ag Commissioner Sid Miller's New Transphobic Dress Code — Transgender and gender nonconforming employees of the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) received an unwelcome surprise last Monday: a new dress code that continues Governor Greg Abbott's campaign of anti-LGBTQ+ oppression.

Washington Post:

Democrats reluctant about Biden 2024, but they see no other choice — They are lukewarm about picking Biden as their nominee, but many believe he may be the best hope of preventing a second Trump term and fighting extremism — The leftover pizza was divvied up, the Girl Scout cookies had been exchanged …

Discussion: New York Times, Talking Points Memo, Wide World of News, HuffPost, Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg

Shane Goldmacher / New York Times:
How Democrats Learned to Cast Aside Reservations and Embrace Biden 2024

Discussion: NBC News, Associated Press, Mediaite, Politico, Reuters, New Republic, Althouse, El País, The Hill, Summit News, Fox News, RedState and NH Journal, more at Mediagazer »

John Wagner / Washington Post:

Hunter Biden lawyer seeks ethics probe of Greene for ‘verbal abuses’ — A lawyer for Hunter Biden called Monday for a congressional ethics investigation into the behavior of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), alleging that she has repeatedly directed “unmoored verbal abuses” at the president's son …

Discussion: Associated Press, Bloomberg, The Hill, New York Post, Washington Press, The Gateway Pundit, Forbes, CNN, The Daily Caller, Raw Story and Twitchy

Sarah Fitzpatrick / NBC News:
Hunter Biden legal team wants Treasury to investigate ex-Trump aide and wants Congress to take action against MTG

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Just The News and Althouse

Ben Smith / Semafor:

It's back to the future for a diminished digital news business — What year is it? Consider the following: — The Drudge Report is the biggest political website in the country. — Jonah Peretti, a digital media entrepreneur, is focused on building the homepage traffic of HuffPost.

Dan Mangan / CNBC:

Sen. Wyden asks billionaire Harlan Crow for list of gifts to Supreme Court Justice Thomas — Sen. Ron Wyden asked GOP megadonor Harlan Crow for a complete list of gifts to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. — The Oregon Democrat also requested evidence that the billionaire Texas …

Discussion: Washington Post, The Hill, Politico, Joe.My.God. and Political Wire

Washington Post:

Proud Boys saw themselves as 'Trump's army,' U.S. says in trial closings — Closing arguments are underway in the seditious conspiracy trial of five Proud Boys leaders accused of spearheading the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol — The far-right Proud Boys saw themselves …

Discussion: Politico, ABC News, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, CBS News, CBS News, Iowa Starting Line, Fox News and Joe.My.God.

Jordain Carney / Politico:

House GOP warns FBI to stay out of controversial surveillance talks — The bureau is at the heart of a fight over a controversial surveillance program. But its toxic relationship with the House GOP means it has to stay far away from reauthorization talks.

Discussion: Raw Story

John McCormick / Wall Street Journal:

Nikki Haley's Corporate-Board Slot Delivers Stock Windfall Amid 2024 GOP Bid — Decision to stay in post differs from past choices by Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush — Nikki Haley received stock options worth close to $300,000 roughly six weeks after jumping into the 2024 presidential race as part …

Discussion: The Daily Caller and Joe.My.God.

Judd Legum / Popular Information:

Florida school district bans dozens of books based on proposed bill — Schools in Clay County, Florida, are withholding dozens of books from students, citing legislation that has been proposed but not approved by the state legislature or signed into law. — In a spreadsheet published …

Discussion: National Review

Zack Budryk / The Hill:

Supreme Court declines Exxon, Chevron push to move state lawsuits to federal court — The Supreme Court on Monday declined a request by oil companies to transfer a series of state lawsuits to federal court, where the energy companies had hoped for more favorable legal terrain.

Discussion: Reuters, NBC News, Bloomberg, UPI and The Daily Caller

Salim A. Essaid / Al-Monitor:

Saudi Arabia rises to world's 5th largest military spender: SIPRI — The kingdom has risen from eighth to fifth place since 2021, surpassing the United Kingdom, Germany and France. — DUBAI — Saudi Arabia was ranked the 5th biggest military spender in 2022, jumping from eighth to fifth place …