Tucker Carlson's exit from Fox News: Explained | And is Joe Biden's re-election bid doomed to fail? |

Market Watch

• Indian benchmark indices ended in the green, with the Sensex up 74 points at 60,130, and Nifty up 25 points at 17,769.
• Sectorally, Nifty Consumer Durables (-1.19%) and Media (-0.72%) shed the most, while PSU Bank (1.31%) and Oil & Gas (0.71%) gained the most.

Tucker Carlson's exit from Fox News: Explained

“We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor,” Fox News said in a short statement announcing the departure of Tucker Carlson - arguably one of the most-watched TV journalists in the US.

• Fox News will rely on a rotation of interim hosts until it names a permanent anchor for Carlson’s slot.

The details: While officially, Fox News and Carlson “have mutually agreed to part ways,” several unconfirmed media reports stated that the decision came from higher up - Rupert Murdoch - who reportedly executed the decision through Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott and Lachlan Murdoch.

• Reports also point to the fact that his departure may be linked to the $787.5 million defamation settlement that Fox reached with Dominion Voting Systems.
• During the trial a number of Carlson’s texts were made public, including several in which he was critical of Fox’s management and some of his colleagues - however, citing this as a possible reason for him being “fired” would paint an unreasonably petty image of Fox’s management.
• Others said it was Carlson’s targeting of Pharma companies and big advertisers that led to his “ouster.”

• Viewership was certainly not an issue - as of last week, Tucker Carlson Tonight was the only cable show in the US pulling in over three million viewers.
• Most viewers, irrespective of their take on Carlson, flocked to his show because they saw it as one of the few places left on TV where one could get an alternative to the cross-party mainstream consensus on topics like Ukraine, Covid and others.
• However, the reasons behind his departure may only become apparent in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, another TV anchor - CNN’s Don Lemon - was also let go of by the network after 17 years on the air. The reasons behind his departure also remain unclear, with several reports citing a recent interview where he said Nikki Haley (51) was not in her “prime”, and others saying it was likely because of allegations of sexism and misogyny.

Between the lines: The departure of Carlson and Lemon marks a turning point in mainstream media in the US.

• Even in India, the much-talked-about departure of Faye D’souza, Ravish Kumar, Barkha Dutt and others may be indicative of a wider pattern across news media in the world, wherein anchors are choosing to go their own way rather than bow down to corporate interests, advertising commitments and pressure from management.

Digital news is also struggling with ad revenue, with BuzzFeed News shutting down last week, Vice looking to close Vice World News for lack of a buyer, Insider laying off 10% of its staff, Vox cutting 7% of its workers in January, Gawker shutting down in February, and Protocol shutting down in November.

Is Joe Biden's re-election bid doomed to fail?

US President Joe Biden has formally announced his bid for re-election in the 2024 US elections with Kamala Harris as his running mate again,

• If re-elected Biden will be 82 years old on Inauguration Day 2025, continuing his streak as the oldest person to occupy the Oval Office.
• “The question we are facing is whether in the years ahead we have more freedom or less freedom. More rights or fewer...I know what I want the answer to be and I think you do too. This is not a time to be complacent. That’s why I’m running for re-election,” he said in a video announcing his bid.

Between the lines: Already the oldest President in US history, Biden faces low approval ratings, a declining dollar status, and lingering questions about his cognitive ability and age as he moves toward re-election.

• According to a recent poll, 70% of all Americans - including 51% of Democrats - believe Biden should not run for a second term, and most cite his age as a "major" concern.

• Meanwhile, in the same poll, Trump (46% support) was the favourite among Republican candidates followed by DeSantis (31%), former Vice President Mike Pence (6%), and Nikki Haley and Tim Scott tied at 3%.

• In another poll by the Associated Press, only 26% of all Americans polled, and just 47% of Democrats polled said they wanted to see Biden in office again.

• The numbers show that across party lines and demographics, Biden is not exactly a popular candidate for the next US election.

ICYMI

• An Indian man was held for allegedly urinating on a fellow passenger during an argument on an American Airlines flight from New York to Delhi.
• The USD, which accounted for 73% of the share of global reserves in 2001 has reduced to about 58% in Q4 2022 - indicative of the hastened pace of the de-dollarization movement.
• A cartoon published by a German magazine, portraying India's population surpassing China's, has sparked anger among Indians who consider the depiction racist and misleading.
• Soon, big airports in India will install advanced X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) machines that will no longer require passengers to empty out their carry-on bags during security check.
• The Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested two individuals, Anthony Paul and Rajesh Babhote for allegedly framing Sadak 2 actor Chrisann Pereira by sending her to Sharjah with a drug-filled trophy.
• The Bihar government has announced the release of 27 prisoners serving life sentences, including gangster-turned-politician Anand Mohan Singh, days after tweaking prison rules that sparked a massive opposition backlash.