Raphael Stevens

Tucker Carlson broke his silence in a video posted to his Twitter feed.
Carlson discusses his view on the state of U.S. politics and media, without addressing why Fox News fired him earlier this week.
The video comes after recent reports that Carlson was fired due to vulgar, behind-the-scenes messages that were unearthed during the Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit.

Tucker Carlson speaks during the Politicon conference in Los Angeles, October 21, 2018
Rich Polk | Getty Images

Tucker Carlson broke his silence on Wednesday night, two days after his unceremonious exit from Fox News.
The right wing former primetime TV host, however, did not address his firing or what is next for him. Instead, in a video posted on Twitter, Carlson discusses his view on U.S. politics and the conversation taking place on cable news.

“When you take a little time off, you realize how unbelievably stupid the debates you see on television are, they’re completely irrelevant. They mean nothing. In five years, we won’t even remember that we had them. Trust me as someone who participated,” Carlson said in his video message on Wednesday.
On Monday, Fox News fired Carlson, noting his last show aired on Friday. Neither Carlson, nor his recently hired attorney Bryan Freedman, have responded to requests for comment since then.
“FOX News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways,” the company said in a statement Monday. “We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor.” Fox News representatives, which haven’t commented past their Monday announcement, didn’t immediately respond to comment Wednesday.
His departure from Fox Corp.’s cable-TV network – which carries the highest cable news ratings – came in the wake of the company’s $787.5 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems. Fox and Dominion settled the defamation lawsuit just as it was about to go to a six-week trial that would have seen Carlson, some of his fellow anchors and top brass including Rupert Murdoch testify on the stand. Dominion sued Fox and its cable networks for airing false claims that the voting machine maker helped rig the 2020 election in favor of Joe Biden.
Although the Dominion lawsuit was unlikely to affect Fox’s bottom line too much – its stock price remained stable until Carlson’s departure on Monday, when it took a slight dip – the implications of what was already unveiled in discovery, and what could be later revealed, were likely a bigger concern. Carlson was a huge ratings draw for the network.
Since Monday, media reports have emerged that private messages from Carlson that were unearthed during the discovery process for the Dominion lawsuit helped seal his fate at Fox News. Vulgar private messages about his colleagues pushed Fox leadership toward letting go Carlson, The Wall Street Journal reported. Executives at Fox found out about the messages on the eve of the trial, according to The New York Times. More

Illumina CEO Francis deSouza touted the company’s controversial acquisition of Grail after revenue from the cancer test developer doubled in the past year. 
The executive added the deal “makes sense” for San Diego-based Illumina, citing the prospect of significantly expanding the market for Grail’s early cancer screening test.
The Grail deal is the focus of a heated proxy fight between Illumina and activist investor Carl Icahn, while it continues to face heavy opposition from the FTC and European regulators.

Illumina CEO Francis deSouza on Wednesday touted the company’s controversial acquisition of Grail after revenue from the cancer test developer doubled in the past year. 
The Grail deal is the focus of a heated proxy fight between Illumina and activist investor Carl Icahn. Antitrust regulators in the U.S. and Europe also have ordered Illumina to divest the $7.1 billion acquisition Illumina completed in 2021.

Grail raked in $20 million in revenue during the three-month period that ended April 2, according to Illumina’s first-quarter earnings release. That’s up 100% from the $10 million it reported during the same period a year ago.
DeSouza told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” that those sales are entirely driven by Grail’s early screening test, which can detect more than 50 types of cancers through a single blood draw. 
Grail delivered 20,000 tests in the first quarter alone, he noted. 
“Customer demand has been really strong,” deSouza said, calling the test a “huge breakthrough” product.
He added that the Grail deal “makes sense” for Illumina, citing the prospect of significantly expanding the market for the test. DeSouza also noted the company operates in more than 150 countries.

Illumina also is working to identify ways for patients to get reimbursed for the $950 test, he said. 
“We can accelerate bringing this test to more people … than Grail can do on their own,” deSouza told CNBC. 
But Icahn, who owns a 1.4% stake in Illumina, has called the Grail deal “disastrous” and “a new low in corporate governance.” 
Icahn did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The activist investor launched a proxy fight over the Grail acquisition last month, seeking seats on Illumina’s board of directors and urging the company to unwind the deal. 
His resistance to the deal stems from Illumina’s decision to close it without approval from antitrust regulators.
The Federal Trade Commission earlier this month ordered Illumina to divest the acquisition, saying the deal would stifle competition and innovation. The European Commission, the executive body of the European Union, also blocked the deal last year over similar concerns.   
Illumina is appealing both orders and expects final decisions in late 2023 or early 2024. Last week, a U.S. appeals court said it will fast track its review of Illumina’s appeal of the FTC order. More

Bipartisan lawmakers introduced the Transparency in Charges for Key Events Ticketing Act on Wednesday.
If passed, the act would require a number of disclosures by primary and secondary market ticket sellers, including itemized fees for purchase.
The bill is in line with the Biden administration’s crackdown on junk fees to increase economic competition.

Price starts at: $25 Whether you have a brother who appreciates a live football game or a wife who adores Michael Bublé, places like SubHub and Ticketmaster offer gift certificates that are great for getting someone to a show. You also have the option of purchasing live tickets that can be printed directly from your computer or wireless device. Why not buy an extra ticket and share in the experience of a live show? This could be a gift even you will remember.
Photo: Getty Images

WASHINGTON — Swifties, the BeyHive and Cure fans may have a reason to rejoice: Senators on Wednesday are set to introduce a bipartisan bill targeting hidden ticket fees for live events.
Dubbed the Transparency in Charges for Key Events Ticketing (TICKET) Act, the measure would require ticketing merchants to disclose upfront full ticket prices, including fees, for concerts, sporting events and other large gatherings.

The new bill follows the reintroduction of the Junk Fee Prevention Act in the House earlier this month by Reps. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., and Jeff Jackson, D-N.C., and Biden administration moves to push fee transparency.
It also comes as lawmakers wage a broader battle against ticket sellers. In December, Taylor Swift fans sued Live Nation after its Ticketmaster site crashed during presales for the artist’s “The Eras Tour.” The fiasco prompted the Senate Judiciary Committee to examine the entertainment conglomerate’s power over the industry in a January hearing. At the time some critics on Capitol Hill called Live Nation a monopoly.
Ticketmaster also pledged to return some money to fans who purchased tickets to goth rock band The Cure’s “Shows Of A Lost World Tour” earlier this year, after group leader Robert Smith slammed the prices. The ticket vendor offered up to $10 refunded to verified fan accounts after agreeing with the band that many of the fees charged during transactions were “unduly high,” Smith tweeted on March 16.
The new bill is co-sponsored by Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., the chamber’s Commerce Committee chair, and ranking member Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.
“The price they say should be the price you pay. This bill is one part of comprehensive legislation I plan to introduce to rein in deceptive junk fees driving up costs for consumers,” Cantwell said in a statement.

In his statement, Cruz said, “The TICKET Act brings transparency to the whole ticketing industry, which is dominated by a few large players that can capitalize on these hidden fees.”
Ticket fees can comprise 21% to as much as 58% of the total cost of tickets, according to a statement from the committee. The bill aims to promote competition “by delivering ticket fee and speculative ticket transparency for the benefit of all consumers,” the committee said.
If the measure passes, primary and secondary market ticket sellers — such as Live Nation-owned Ticketmaster and SeatGeek — would be required to disclose the entire ticket price, including itemized fees, at the beginning of a transaction and prior to ticket selection. Total ticket prices must also be clearly displayed during event marketing.
Secondary market sellers would be obligated to fully disclose speculative ticket status, meaning that the seller does not have actual possession of the ticket.
President Joe Biden emphasized the administration’s effort to crack down on junk fees during his State of the Union address in February. In addition to other areas, he called for action on excessive fees for concerts, sporting events and other forms of entertainment. Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., introduced the Senate companion bill to Biden’s plan in March.
In tandem with the administration’s goals, the Federal Trade Commission also released a rule-making proceeding on Nov. 8, 2022 — the day of the midterm elections — to probe unfair acts or practices related to ticketing and other various fees.
Ticketmaster has said it does not control fees but does retain a portion for operating costs, according to a Feb. 7 blog post. The vendor also said it already supports “all-in” pricing in New York state, and advocates for nationwide adoption of the policy.
“We continue to advocate for an industry wide mandate of upfront pricing, so fans see the full face value and fee cost upfront. This only works if all ticketing marketplaces go all-in together so that consumers truly have accurate comparisons as they shop for tickets,” Ticketmaster said in the blog post. More

Walt Disney Co. sued Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, alleging the Republican governor has waged a “relentless campaign to weaponize government power” over the company.
The suit dramatically escalates the feud between DeSantis, who is expected to become a top Republican contender in the 2024 presidential race, and Disney.
The lawsuit was filed the same day that a DeSantis-backed board moved to undo a development deal that it says Disney struck to thwart its power.

Walt Disney Co. sued Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday, alleging the Republican has waged a “relentless campaign to weaponize government power” against the company amid a protracted fight over a controversial classroom bill.
The federal lawsuit alleges that DeSantis “orchestrated at every step” a campaign to punish Disney that now threatens the company’s business.

The move dramatically escalates the drawn-out feud between DeSantis, who is expected to become a top Republican contender in the 2024 presidential race, and Disney, which is among Florida’s largest employers.
The fight began last year, when Disney came out against a Florida bill limiting classroom discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity, dubbed “Don’t Say Gay” by critics. Soon after, the governor and his allies targeted the special tax district that has allowed Disney to essentially self-govern its Florida operations since the 1960s.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks to a crowd at the North Charleston Coliseum on April 19, 2023 in North Charleston, South Carolina.
Sean Rayford | Getty Images

The lawsuit was filed on the same day that the district’s board of supervisors, which DeSantis had picked to take control over Disney’s Orlando-area parks, moved to undo a development deal that it says Disney struck to thwart its power.
The panel unanimously voted to declare “void and unenforceable” that development deal, which was approved shortly before DeSantis replaced the Disney-approved board with his preferred supervisors.
The lawsuit called that action the “latest strike,” saying the development contracts “laid the foundation for billions of Disney’s investment dollars and thousands of jobs.” The company noted its plans to invest $17 billion in Walt Disney World over the next decade, yielding an estimated 13,000 new jobs on top of its more than 75,000 current “cast members.”

“The government action was patently retaliatory, patently anti-business, and patently unconstitutional,” Disney alleged in the civil complaint in U.S. District Court in Tallahassee, Florida.
Disney is asking the court to rule that the board’s legislative step was unlawful and unenforceable.
In a response, DeSantis’ office suggested the fight hinged on Disney’s special tax and governance privileges, not political retaliation.
“We are unaware of any legal right that a company has to operate its own government or maintain special privileges not held by other businesses in the state,” DeSantis’ communications director, Taryn Fenske, said in a statement to CNBC.
“This lawsuit is yet another unfortunate example of their hope to undermine the will of the Florida voters and operate outside the bounds of the law,” Fenske said.
Disney’s lawsuit, however, argued that “this is as clear a case of retaliation as this Court is ever likely to see.”
“There is no room for disagreement about what happened here: Disney expressed its opinion on state legislation and was then punished by the State for doing so,” the lawsuit said.
Disney’s lawyers noted that until a year ago, DeSantis and his allies had no issue with the self-governing structure, formerly called the Reedy Creek Improvement District.

Disney World celebrated its 50th anniversary in April 2022.
Aaronp | Bauer-Griffin | GC Images | Getty Images

That entity, created in 1967, gave Disney regulatory control over public services and other functions in the 25,000-acre area encompassing its Florida parks and resorts. Disney paid millions of dollars annually in taxes levied through Reedy Creek to fund those services, on top of its local tax obligations.
DeSantis signed legislation to dissolve that special designation just weeks after Disney denounced the classroom bill.
The move raised fears that Florida taxpayers in the two surrounding counties could be burdened with a huge tax bill. In February, the state Legislature passed new legislation keeping the district intact, but allowing DeSantis to appoint its five board members.
In March, the newly picked board of the district — now called the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District — said their Disney-aligned predecessors had stripped them of many of their powers on the way out the door.
“The bottom line is that Disney engaged in a caper worthy of Scrooge McDuck to try to evade Florida law. Its efforts are illegal and they will not stand,” said David Thompson, identified as trial counsel for the board, at a public meeting last week.
On Wednesday, board Chair Martin Garcia said the new body had tried to work with Disney, but the company left them with a “legal mess.”
“Disney picked the fight with this board,” Garcia said. He also said that taxes will have to go up to pay for lawyers hired by the board to evaluate Disney’s “eleventh-hour agreements.”
“We’re going to have to raise taxes to pay for that,” he said.
The board also voted for a resolution to effectively ban Disney’s Orlando-area parks from imposing future Covid-related restrictions.
Disney’s lawsuit came as DeSantis was on an overseas trip, further stoking expectations that the governor is gearing up for a presidential run.
DeSantis’ engagement in divisive culture issue battles, including his fight against Disney, has elevated him to national prominence. He easily won a second term as governor in the November midterms and has consistently been near the top of polls of the prospective 2024 Republican presidential primary field.
But he has come under heavy attack from former President Donald Trump, currently the favorite for the GOP nomination. And the governor’s decision to keep up his fight with Disney has recently drawn criticism from others in his party.
DeSantis is expected to hold off on a presidential announcement until after Florida’s current legislative session ends May 5.
Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador now running for the Republican presidential nomination, took a dig at her potential primary rival as she reacted to the lawsuit.
“My home state will happily accept your 70,000+ jobs if you want to leave Florida,” Haley tweeted at Disney on Wednesday afternoon.
South Carolina is “not woke, but we’re not sanctimonious about it either,” she added — an unsubtle reference to DeSantis, whom Trump has nicknamed “Ron DeSanctimonious” on the campaign trail.
— CNBC’s Stephen Desaulniers contributed to this report. More