Killing O’Reilly: Fox News is without a prime time star after firing its chief moneymaker Bill O’Reilly two and a half weeks following the NY Times exposure of his $13 million history of sexual harassment and financial settlements.

A statement from 21st Century Fox, the parent company of Fox News, said, “After a thorough and careful review of the allegations, the company and Bill O’Reilly have agreed that Bill O’Reilly will not be returning to the Fox News Channel.”

“It is tremendously disheartening that we part ways due to completely unfounded claims,” O’Reilly said in a statement.

The 67-year-old O’Reilly joined Fox in 1997 and became the primary face of the network. He is a self-assured, bombastic conservative with an ego that wouldn’t fit in a ballroom. His show, “The O’Reilly Factor,” was really about himself.

O’Reilly lost at least 50 advertisers after the Times published its story. He has dismissed the legal claims against him as just people digging for money. His employers evidently think otherwise, not to mention they were losing money.

O’Reilly is being replaced by the Tucker Carlson and his round table show, “The Five.”

Where this leaves Fox News will have to play out on television. Roger Ailes, the creator of Fox News, was fired for a long history of sexual harassment. The network lost its anchor star Megyn Kelly, who had the heft to replace O’Reilly, in part because of Bill’s crude behavior and denial of it.

The Russia House: The trip that former Trump foreign policy adviser Carter Page made to Moscow last July is what triggered an FBI investigation into connections between Russia and the Trump campaign, the NY Times reports.

The paper says the FBI once had a tip that Russian intelligence had tried to recruit Page and occasionally kept an eye on him.

The Times story says, “When the FBI opened its investigation in late July, agents were just beginning to explore whether Mr. Trump’s advisers had contacts with Russian government officials or intelligence operatives, according to the current and former law enforcement officials, who spoke about the continuing inquiry on the condition of anonymity. In the months that followed, they said, more evidence came to light, including intercepts of Russian officials discussing Mr. Page and other Trump associates.”

It’s Political: Powerful Utah Republican Jason Chaffetz, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, suddenly announced that he will not run for re-election in 2018. He described it as a “personal” decision. “I have long advocated public service should be for a limited time and not a lifetime or full career,” he said in a statement posted on Facebook. “After more than 1,500 nights away from my home, it is time.”

Some analysts say Chaffetz is bored and would have stayed on if he had been able to spend his time investigating President Hillary Clinton.

Up in Montana, the state is preparing for a special election to replace its at-large Congressman. After near misses in Kansas and Georgia, Democrats are looking to turn a red seat blue. Their candidate is Rob Quist, a genuine cowboy-hat wearing Montanan. The state has one Democratic senator and a Democratic governor who calls it a “winnable race.”

Politically Correct: UC Berkeley has cancelled a speech by conservative writer Ann Coulter for fear of renewed violence after the tumultuous February appearance of right-wing flamethrower and former Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos. — About two dozen members of the Super Bowl winning New England Patriots, including quarterback Tom Brady, skipped a reception hosted by President Trump at the White House yesterday. Running back LeGarrette Blount said in a radio interview, “I just don’t feel welcome in that house.”

The Departure Board: Emirates Airline announced that it is cutting back flights to the United States because Trump the administration has made Muslim fliers feel unwelcome and bookings are down.  “The recent actions taken by the US government relating to the issuance of entry visas, heightened security vetting, and restrictions on electronic devices in aircraft cabins, have had a direct impact on consumer interest and demand for air travel into the US,” Emirates said in a statement.

Court #1: Tennis great Serena Williams has revealed that she’s pregnant. 35-year-old Williams  was two months pregnant when she won her  23rd Grand Slam singles title Jan. 28 at the Australian Open. She’s engaged to Alexis Ohanian, the co-founder of Reddit.