Uncategorized
ADL cheers Tucker Carlson’s ouster at Fox News, where he had long embraced white nationalist rhetoric
(JTA) — In a move that shocked many, Fox News announced on Monday that it had “parted ways” with Tucker Carlson, the network’s most-watched host, whose on-air embrace of white nationalist conspiracy theories had defined its editorial voice since 2017.
The channel didn’t give a reason for Carlson’s departure in its press release, which said that his last program aired Friday, and its own staff was reportedly blindsided by the move. But it came shortly after Fox News paid nearly $800 million in a high-profile defamation settlement to Dominion Voting Systems, in part because of lies Carlson told his viewers about the company’s role in the 2020 presidential election.
Carlson is separately facing a lawsuit from a Jewish former producer on his show, who alleges that senior staff fostered an office culture full of sexism and antisemitism, including berating an Israeli employee for taking the High Holidays off from work. The producer, Abby Grossberg, also said that she had been pushed by Fox to give false testimony in the Dominion case.
Citing anonymous sources, the Los Angeles Times reported that Carlson had been fired and that the decision to do so had come from Fox Corporation Chairman Rupert Murdoch himself. The reason, the source said, had less to do with the Dominion settlement than with Grossberg’s lawsuit, and with Carlson’s commentary on other issues including the Jan. 6, 2021, attempted insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
To the Anti-Defamation League, the firing was long overdue. The group’s leader called for Fox to fire Carlson in 2021, after the host first promoted the white-supremacist Great Replacement theory on air.
“It’s about time,” tweeted the group’s CEO, Jonathan Greenblatt, on Monday. “For far too long, Tucker Carlson has used his primetime show to spew antisemitic, racist, xenophobic & anti-LGBTQ hate to millions.”
At the time, Fox rebuffed the ADL’s petition weeks later. The network said that Carlson had actually been talking about voting rights when he outlined the Great Replacement theory, a far-right belief that attributes a diversifying electorate to a shadowy conspiracy, typically engineered by Jews, to replace white voters with immigrants and minority groups.
“A full review of the guest interview indicates that Mr. Carlson decried and rejected replacement theory,” Lachlan Murdoch, CEO of the Fox Corporation, said at the time.
The ADL’s public stance on Carlson’s employment led to criticism from the right, with Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz calling the group “racist.” Carlson also went after them on his program by parroting other white supremacist-adjacent beliefs about Israel. Last year, he gave an extended interview to Kanye West after the rapper donned a “White Lives Matter” shirt at Paris Fashion Week, but before West’s many public antisemitic rants; producers reportedly edited out antisemitic comments West had made during the interview.
For years, Carlson had evaded any discipline from Fox over his airing of such views. But the Dominion case exposed how he had been openly lying to viewers about other news issues, as well. Text messages from Carlson made public in the lawsuit’s discovery phase revealed that he personally believed former President Donald Trump and his lawyers had “discredited their own case” about the voting-machine company rigging the 2020 election, yet Carlson continued to promote the idea on his show.
“I hate him passionately,” Carlson texted a producer about Trump on another occasion.
—
The post ADL cheers Tucker Carlson’s ouster at Fox News, where he had long embraced white nationalist rhetoric appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Uncategorized
Turkey Sends Drilling Ship to Somalia in Major Push for Energy Independence
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a ceremony for the handover of new vehicles to the gendarmerie and police forces in Istanbul, Turkey, Nov. 28, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Murad Sezer
i24 News – Turkey has dispatched a drilling vessel to Somalia to begin offshore oil exploration, marking what officials describe as a historic step in Ankara’s drive to strengthen energy security and reduce reliance on imports.
Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar announced that the drilling ship Çagri Bey is set to sail from the port of Taşucu in southern Turkey, heading toward Somali territorial waters.
The vessel will pass through the Strait of Gibraltar and around the coast of southern Africa before reaching its destination, with drilling operations expected to begin in April or May.
Bayraktar described the mission as a “historic” milestone, saying it reflects Turkey’s long-term strategy to enhance national energy security and move closer to self-sufficiency.
The operation will be protected by the Turkish Naval Forces, which will deploy several naval units to secure both the vessel’s route and the drilling area in the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. The security arrangements fall under existing cooperation agreements between Ankara and Somalia.
The move aligns with a broader vision promoted by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, aimed at reducing Turkey’s dependence on foreign energy supplies, boosting domestic production, and shielding the economy from external pressures.
Bayraktar said Turkey is also working to double its natural gas output in the Black Sea this year, while continuing offshore exploration along its northern coastline. In parallel, Ankara is preparing to bring its first nuclear reactor online at the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, which is expected to begin generating electricity soon and eventually supply about 10% of the country’s energy needs.
The current drilling effort is based on survey data collected last year and forms part of Ankara’s wider plan to expand its energy exploration activities both regionally and internationally.
Uncategorized
Syria Expected to Form a New Government, Appoint a PM with US Support
Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a Ministerial formation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, in Damascus, Syria, March 29, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi
i24 News – Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is expected to launch in the coming weeks a workshop to form a new, inclusive Syrian government with expanded powers, a Syrian source close to President al-Sharaa tells i24NEWS. This government will include figures from across the spectrum of Syrian society in a bid to address the concerns of minority groups. Those chosen will be individuals who enjoy both local and international legitimacy.
i24NEWS has learned that a prominent candidate considered for the post of prime minister is veteran Syrian politician Fahad al-Masri, chairman of the Syrian Liberal Party. A US official says that the Trump administration “appreciates al-Masri’s support for Washington’s positions regarding Syria and the region, and that Syria would be well-served with him in an influential role.”
The Syrian source tells me that the new Syrian government will adopt “a phased plan to merge several ministries to achieve greater integration and efficiency.”
According to the US official, the workshop to form a new government is among several ideas that have been floated and discussed in order to reach a more permanent, non-transitional government.
The official said that US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack’s decision to drop support for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is partly because he believes Syria’s Kurds must be part of the government in Damascus in order to grant it greater legitimacy.
“Making known that the SDF’s mandate has expired from Washington’s point of view is an avenue to encouraging the Kurds to integrate and speed up the process of forming that broad, inclusive government,” the US official said.
i24NEWS reached out to Fahad al-Masri to ask about his readiness to assume the role of prime minister in the upcoming Syrian government. Al-Masri declined to confirm or deny his nomination but stressed that “the priority must remain the stability and unity of Syria rather than individual roles.”
Al-Masri expressed his deep appreciation for President Trump and the US administration’s stance on Syria, describing it as “principled and strategically significant.” Al-Masri underscored his confidence in President al-Sharaa’s leadership during this pivotal period, affirming that the success of the transitional phase is vital for national interest and regional stability.
Uncategorized
‘Ball Is In America’s Court’: Iran Signals Willingness to Compromise on Nuclear Deal
Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations Majid Takht-Ravanchi speaks to the media outside Security Council chambers at the U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., June 24, 2019. Photo: REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
i24 News – Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi has suggested that Tehran is ready to make concessions in nuclear negotiations with the United States, provided Washington is willing to engage on sanctions.
Speaking to the BBC from Tehran, he said: “The ball is in America’s court to prove they want to make a deal. If they are sincere, I am sure we will be on the way to an agreement.”
Takht-Ravanchi’s comments come amid ongoing debate over which side is responsible for delays in the talks. Iranian officials have emphasized that progress depends on US flexibility, while American representatives have accused Tehran of slowing the process.
The next round of negotiations is scheduled for Tuesday in Geneva, with Iran represented by Foreign Minister Araghchi and the US delegation led by envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Sources indicate that while a final agreement is not yet in sight, modest progress has been made since the first round of talks.
Takht-Ravanchi pointed to Iran’s offer to dilute its 60 percent-enriched uranium as evidence of willingness to compromise. “We are ready to discuss this and other issues related to our program if they are ready to talk about sanctions,” he said, without clarifying whether Tehran expects partial or full sanctions relief.
He also made clear that “the issue of zero enrichment is not an issue anymore and, as far as Iran is concerned, it is not on the table,” contradicting recent US statements emphasizing a desire for no enrichment.
Iranian officials maintain that the nuclear question remains the primary focus. Other topics, such as ballistic missiles or regional proxies, will only be addressed after an agreement on the nuclear framework is reached.