Just 2 days after Donald Trump's Personal Attorney General, Bill Barr, met with Fox News' Rupert Murdoch, Shep Smith stepped down from his position at Fox News. Apparently this was a closely-held secret, if Neil Cavuto's reaction is any indication.

A visibly shaken Neil Cavuto sat silent at the opening of his show before confessing his shock. "A better newsman you will not find," he declared. And then he went on to apologize for his demeanor, reiterating that he was shell-shocked. Apparently he wasn't alone.

Shep Smith has been one of the few journalists to actually try to deliver real news to FOX. He tried to explain the Trump/Ukraine story. He talked truth about the Trump trade wars. He reported on Volker's testimony. He fact-checked Donald Trump on a channel that is decidedly anti-fact. He even shone light on the Trump administrations abuse of migrant children.

FOX News is already allergic to facts and truth. They are not a news channel. They a are a propaganda channel. Shep Smith is one of a handful of people willing to try to deliver real news. His loss is suspicious timing and undoubtedly related to Trump's dissatisfaction with his coverage of the Trump administration.

We are closer to George Orwell's 1984 every day.