WASHINGTON: CNN fired veteran anchor and correspondent Chris Cuomo, the cable news channel said Saturday, during an investigation into his involvement with helping defend his brother, former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, against sexual misconduct allegations.
Chris Cuomo had been suspended from CNN over the matter just days before his termination.
“We retained a respected law firm to conduct the review, and have terminated him, effective immediately,” a statement posted to CNN’s official communications Twitter account said.
“While in the process of that review, additional information has come to light.”
The termination comes after documents surfaced showing that Cuomo, who anchored the 9:00 p.m. news slot, offered advice to his politician brother that was deemed too close for comfort by his employer.
“The documents, which we were not privy to before their public release, raise serious questions,” a CNN spokesperson said Tuesday, adding they “point to a greater level of involvement in his brother’s efforts than we previously knew.”
“He’s my brother. And if I can help my brother, I do. If he wants me to hear something, I will. If he wants me to weigh in on something, I’ll try,” Chris Cuomo, 51, told investigators in July when asked about the counsel he had offered.
“He’s my brother, and I love him to death no matter what.”
Democrat Andrew Cuomo was elected governor three times before resigning in August after New York’s attorney general said an investigation concluded he had sexually harassed at least 11 women.
In October, the former governor — whose father Mario Cuomo had also been governor of New York — was charged with a misdemeanor sex crime for forcible touching.
At the start of the pandemic, the Cuomo brothers soared to new heights of popularity: Andrew, 63, earned praise for his frank daily briefings as the coronavirus ravaged New York, and his live exchanges with Chris on CNN were peppered with banter.
The investigation into Chris Cuomo’s conduct remains ongoing, CNN said.
CNN fires Chris Cuomo over help he gave to governor brother
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CNN fires Chris Cuomo over help he gave to governor brother
Microsoft Japan probed over alleged anti-trust violation
TOKYO: Japan’s fair trade commission conducted an on-site inspection of Microsoft’s Japanese subsidiary on Wednesday over a suspected violation of anti-trust law, a source close to the matter said.
The source, who declined to be identified, confirmed local media reports that Microsoft Japan in Tokyo is being probed over allegations it is unfairly preventing clients from using cloud platforms developed by its competitors.
“We are fully cooperating with the JFTC (Japan Fair Trade Commission) in their requests,” a spokesperson for Microsoft told AFP.
At issue is Microsoft’s cloud computing server Azure.
The firm is suspected of making its software services, including “Microsoft 365” — known for apps such as Teams and Word — inaccessible on cloud servers other than Azure, local media including the Yomiuri daily said.
The probe mirrors similar attempts in recent years by Japanese authorities to rein in the monopoly by global tech titans.
In August, the JFTC issued a cease-and-desist order to Google.
Google, JFTC said, was imposing binding conditions on Android smartphone manufacturers in Japan so that its online app store will be installed almost automatically.
In 2024, Amazon’s Japanese subsidiary in Tokyo was similarly inspected for allegations that it is abusing its industry dominance to drive down prices.
Amazon Japan used its coveted “buy box” — a prominent spot on its website — against sellers, pressuring them into lowering prices to give it a competitive edge over rival e-commerce sites, the JFTC said.
