Once upon a time, not all that long ago, Tucker Carlson and Chris Cuomo were big-time cable news stars, with Carlson on Fox News and Cuomo on CNN. They weren’t exactly buddy-buddy, with Carlson often poking fun at Cuomo on air.

Then both eventually fell off their lofty anchor chairs. Cuomo was fired from CNN in December 2021 after using his position to help his brother, then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, dodge multiple allegations of sexual harassment. Carlson was abruptly fired by Fox News in April 2023 for, well, a combination of things. And, it’s hard to forget that Carlson was pushed out not long after Fox News’ $787 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems.

Carlson is now off doing his own thing on his own platform, while Cuomo has been with upstart NewsNation since 2022, hosting a daily prime-time show.

Variety’s Brian Steinberg reported that Cuomo traveled to Florida, where Carlson now makes his home, and recorded a conversation for his NewsNation show. It is expected to air Monday at 8 p.m. Eastern. (Again, NewsNation is calling it a “conversation” and not an “interview.”)

Steinberg wrote that Cuomo “pressed (Carlson) on his exit from Fox News, the criticism he received for his recent interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin, his views on the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2020, and more. The exchange marks Carlson’s first national TV interview since he exited Fox News in April of 2023.”

Steinberg added, “There are some critics who may question the value of giving Carlson airtime. In recent months, the opinion host has come under fire for traveling to Russia to interview Putin just days before the death of activist Alexei Navalny and for giving time to conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.”

My initial instinct is to be among the critics questioning why you’d hand Carlson such a platform on a legitimate news network. Then again, maybe something worthwhile will come out of it, and it’s probably better to actually watch the chat before judging it.

Now, the rest of today’s links and tidbits …

• President Joe Biden’s last State of the Union address before the 2024 elections was Thursday night. We’ll have more reaction in the coming days, but for now, here’s The New York Times’ Peter Baker with “How the State of the Union Became a Picture of Disunion.”
• Also from The New York Times, it’s Steven Lee Myers with: “Spate of Mock News Sites With Russian Ties Pop Up in U.S.”
• Wow, this is worth a quick 90 seconds. NBC late-night host Seth Meyers goes over Donald Trump’s resume. And it’s a long resume.
• Time’s Charlotte Alter writes about the Wall Street Journal journalist wrongfully detained in Russia: “The Fight to Free Evan Gershkovich.”
• Tampa Bay Times executive editor Mark Katches details a troublesome story about a public official doing more than just stopping a reporter from rightfully seeing public records: “Tampa fire chief ordered police called on a local journalist asking for records.”
• Juicy stuff from the New York Post’s Ryan Glasspiegel, who reports ESPN bigwigs Stephen A. Smith and Pat McAfee had a verbal dustup. It appears all is good now, but check out: “ESPN stars Pat McAfee, Stephen A. Smith had explosive argument over creative differences.”
• Nieman Lab’s Ellie Hall with “‘This is just weird’: BuzzFeed News’ former royals reporter on Kate Middleton, Palace PR, and distrust in the media.”
• Justin Bank has resigned from his post as managing editor of The Washington Post, according to a memo to staff from executive editor Sally Buzbee. Bank was named managing editor in February 2023.
• Defector’s Diana Moskovitz with “‘The Locusts Of The Newspaper World’: How Fortress Investment Group Decimated Newspapers Before Gutting Vice.”
• Yahoo sports columnist Dan Wetzel writes about the son of Super Bowl-winning coach Andy Reid in “Former Chiefs assistant Britt Reid cut the line into the NFL, now he cut the line out of prison.”
• The Academy Awards are Sunday night on ABC. Here’s USA Today’s Brian Truitt with “Oscar predictions: Who will win Sunday’s 2024 Academy Awards — and who should.”

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