--:-- Shamita Basu: Good morning. It's Tuesday, April 25th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today.
--:-- Shamita Basu: On today's show, how Democrats and Republicans are crafting their 2024 messages on abortion, a big week for high-profile trials, including one involving Trump, and planning how humans can live and die on Mars. But first, cable news anchors come and go. But the way Fox News got rid of Tucker Carlson is pretty extraordinary.
--:-- Shamita Basu: It showed no outward signs that it was about to cut ties with its top-rated primetime host. Carlson was on the air on Friday saying, "See you Monday." And then he was told on Monday morning that his show was over.
--:-- Shamita Basu: We talked to Brian Stelter, who covers the media and anchored a show at CNN. Now he's writing about Fox News for Vanity Fair.
--:-- Brian Stelter: To see Carlson not be afforded that opportunity, to not be given that chance to even say goodbye, well, it indicates that there's something we don't know, something maybe pretty ugly behind the scenes.
--:-- Brian Stelter: Carlson has been unusually quiet since the news came out. Fox offered only a brief, vague statement, which an anchor mentioned on air. Fox News Media and Tucker Carlson have mutually agreed to part ways. Tucker's last show was this past Friday.
--:-- Shamita Basu: This is one of those situations where only a handful of people truly know what happened. So there's a lot of speculation and conflicting information about what might have led to Carlson's very sudden end at Fox.
--:-- Brian Stelter: What we do know is that his comments got a lot of attention in the defamation lawsuit from Dominion voting systems. Fox News settled last week for $787.5 million.
--:-- Brian Stelter: Pre-trial evidence revealed that Carlson privately ridiculed false voter fraud claims that he promoted on his show. He attacked Trump and made dismissive comments about Fox colleagues.
--:-- Brian Stelter: Also, a former staffer on Carlson's show is suing the network. One of Abby Grossberg's claims is that the show work environment was misogynistic and discriminatory. Fox has disputed her claims.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Minutes after we learned about Carlson's termination, news broke that CNN dismissed longtime anchor Don Lemon.
--:-- Brian Stelter: Stelter says he never seen anything like it. This is the craziest day in cable news history. To see both these men, for very different reasons, lose their jobs on the same day and to have it start to sink in, it was just shocking.
--:-- Brian Stelter: Similar to Fox, CNN didn't fully explain why it made the move. Lemon recently made sexist comments on air about older women. He later apologized.
--:-- Shamita Basu: There was also a major behind-the-scenes media firing recently. In this case, the company is clear about why. NBCUniversal chief executive Jeff Schell was fired after an investigation found he'd engaged in inappropriate conduct.
--:-- Brian Stelter: CNBC international anchor Hadley Gamble recently filed a complaint of sexual harassment and sex discrimination.
--:-- Shamita Basu: As for Tucker Carlson, his next steps are unclear. Several high-profile people are encouraging him to find his next microphone, from former Fox anchor Megyn Kelly to various elected Republicans.
--:-- Brian Stelter: Stelter talked about what might be going through Carlson's head.
--:-- Brian Stelter: I think Carlson was blindsided by his termination, and now he's plotting his next steps. He probably has a very healthy future somewhere out there in the right-wing media universe.
--:-- Brian Stelter: There are lots of outlets that would want to be working with him. There are lots of places he could go and launch a new network or startup. But Fox is still the beating heart of the GOP and the beating heart of the GOP is now missing one of its most important players.
--:-- Shamita Basu: President Biden finally officially announced his reelection campaign in a video released today. That's why I'm running for reelection. Because I know America.
--:-- Shamita Basu: This sets us up for a potential rematch of 2020 with Biden versus former President Trump. But as we're seeing, the Republican field is starting to fill out with other presidential hopefuls.
--:-- Shamita Basu: And as The Washington Post points out, many Republican candidates are struggling to articulate their position on one of the most divisive and consequential political issues of the moment: abortion.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Democrats for the most part are largely united on protecting and expanding abortion access. They've pointed to some unexpected victories in the 2022 midterms as a sign that abortion is a winning issue with voters.
--:-- Shamita Basu: But for Republicans, there isn't one clear policy position. Focusing on appointing Supreme Court justices who would overturn Roe was a priority for decades. Now there's less consensus around what's next.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Former President Trump's campaign says policies should be decided at the state level. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is widely expected to run, recently signed a bill banning abortions after six weeks.
--:-- Shamita Basu: At that point, many don't even know that they're pregnant yet. Former Vice President Mike Pence, who's also a potential candidate, has effectively backed a national ban.
--:-- Shamita Basu: And he recently told CBS he wants to target abortion pills, too. I'd like to see this medication off the market to protect the unborn, but also I have deep concerns about the way the FDA went about approving Mifepristone 20 years ago.
--:-- Shamita Basu: But some Republicans worry that many voters aren't on the same page. At a recent donor meeting, The Post reports that former Trump aide Kellyanne Conway distributed poll results showing 80% of voters disagree with the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe.
--:-- Shamita Basu: And some high-level party officials say the GOP's stance on abortion was one of the biggest reasons Republicans underperformed in the midterms.
--:-- Shamita Basu: What may be popular in a Republican primary could be unpopular in a general election. The candidate who can navigate both may prove to be the strongest opponent against Biden.
--:-- Shamita Basu: There are a lot of different legal battles in the news right now. So let's take a quick look at four high-profile trials happening this week.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Some are just starting, others are close to wrapping up, and we should warn you that some involve rape.
--:-- Shamita Basu: First, jury selection is set to start today in the latest case involving Donald Trump. It's a civil suit from writer E. Jean Carroll. She says Trump raped her in the 90s. Trump has denied that and also accused her of making it up for publicity.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Carroll is seeking damages for battery and defamation.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Another trial just getting underway with jury selection involves the man accused of killing 11 people with an AR at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The trial is happening as anti-Semitic incidents have been on the rise in America. The Pennsylvania Capitol star looks into legislative efforts in the wake of the shooting to change gun and hate crime laws.
--:-- Shamita Basu: They've made little progress so far, but activists aren't giving up.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The Los Angeles Times has the latest on the trial of actor Danny Masterson. He's accused of drugging and raping women in the early 2000s.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Masterson and all three of the women were Scientologists. Prosecutors argue that the church played an active role in trying to silence accusations for years.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The church has denied that it limits when members can contact police.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Known for his role on That 70s Show, this is the second time that Masterson is in court for these accusations in less than a year. A jury deadlocked in an earlier trial.
--:-- Shamita Basu: And finally, a January 6th trial involving five leaders of the far-right Proud Boys is wrapping up. Jurors will decide on charges related to the attack on the Capitol, including seditious conspiracy.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Some of the counts could lead to up to 20 years in prison.
--:-- Shamita Basu: So far, U.S. prosecutors have charged more than 1,000 people and convicted about 600 in connection with the Capitol attack.
--:-- Shamita Basu: You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app.
--:-- Shamita Basu: And if you're already listening in the News app right now, stick around. We've got a narrated article about Mars from Popular Mechanics.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The problem is the planet is deadly for humans. And the story looks at how researchers are working to understand how to help future residents survive on Mars.
--:-- Shamita Basu: It's a giant engineering challenge just to make sure that astronauts can survive the journey and the landing. And then it gets even harder to stay alive in Mars's harsh conditions.
--:-- Shamita Basu: But there are high-tech solutions in the works, and the story has some really interesting details about them.
--:-- Shamita Basu: So sit back, enjoy listening to that, and I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
