The Short List

Mon Apr 24 2023

Laura L. Davis | Audience Editor

Two big names in cable news, Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon, are out of their jobs. And an intense solar storm has the northern lights gracing the skies farther south than usual.

👋 Hello! Laura Davis here. It's time for Monday's news.

But first: Aaron Rodgers is headed to the Big Apple. 🏈 After months of speculation, the Jets and Packers have agreed on a trade that sends the future Hall of Fame quarterback to New York, according to reports.

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Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon are out at their networks

In a major media shake-up, two top cable news hosts are off the air. Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon are leaving Fox News and CNN. Here's what to know.

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Fox News announced Monday that it was "parting ways" with prime-time host Tucker Carlson, whose stew of grievances and political theories about Russia and the Jan. 6 insurrection had grown to define the network in recent years and influence GOP politics. Fox offered no explanation for the move, although it came on the heels of a $787.5 million settlement the network made in a lawsuit by Dominion Voting Systems – a case in which Carlson's text messages were front and center.

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In another stunning move, longtime CNN host Don Lemon is out at the network a little over two months after apologizing to viewers for on-air comments about Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley. CNN did not provide a public explanation for his departure, and Lemon tweeted that the news came as a surprise to him.

Tucker Carlson is off the air at Fox News, the network announced Monday.

Jason Koerner, Getty Images

Nations scramble to evacuate citizens from Sudan

After a dramatic evacuation of U.S. diplomats from the Sudanese capital Khartoum over the weekend, European nations and other countries raced Monday to extract their citizens amid an apparent lull in the conflict there. The eruption of violence between the Sudanese armed forces and a paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces has killed more than 420 people and wounded more than 3,400 in nine days of fighting. As of Monday, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and other nations had flown out hundreds of people. Here's the latest on the violence in Sudan.

Smoke is seen in Khartoum, Sudan, Saturday, April 22, 2023.

Marwan Ali, AP

What everyone's talking about

•	Len Goodman, former 'Dancing with the Stars' judge, dies at 78.
•	A vicious cycle near NYC: Hungry whales flocking to ship-infested waters.
•	Is a recession coming? Here's what economists are saying.
•	Katy Perry in shock after 'American Idol' top 20 reveal. Who went home?
•	Don't forget to carry this with you to your next concert. It could save a life.

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The most-banned books of 2022

It's not your imagination, and it's not fearmongering: Books, and our free and ready access to them, are under attack in the U.S. The past few years have seen a dramatic increase in book-banning attempts, according to the American Library Association, which on Monday released its list of the 13 most challenged books of 2022. Some of the titles are perennial targets, while the past couple of years have seen increased efforts to ban books about sexuality and gender expression specifically. See the full list of most-banned books here.

A dazzling display from the northern lights

Skies ablaze with shimmering green and purple hues were seen in photos from states all across the nation as the aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, was on full display Sunday night and into early Monday morning. More than half of the northern U.S. was projected to see the dazzling show after a solar flare eruption on Friday, according to the NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center. Photos and video taken in parts of North Dakota, Wyoming, Iowa, Kansas and Wisconsin captured the phenomenon. See more stunning photos here.

The northern lights as seen outside the National Weather Service's La Crosse, Wisconsin, offices on Sunday.

National Weather Service in La Crosse.

A break from the news

•	🛋 Wayfair's Way Day 2023 is coming: Shop the best early deals today.
•	🧼 Your blinds are gross. Here's how to clean them quickly!
•	🍳 What is the healthiest oil to cook with? Most have some benefits, but these two might be best.

Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at USA TODAY. Send her an email at laura@usatoday.com or follow along with her adventures – and misadventures – on Twitter. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to USA TODAY here.

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