CNN has fired a conservative pundit after he joked with left-wing Muslim commentator Mehdi Hasan during a brief exchange on “CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip.”
It started when guest panelist Ryan Girdusky pointed out that Hasan has been called an antisemite. Hassan said he was “used to” the label because he is a vocal supporter of the Palestinians.
Conservative commentator Ryan Girdusky rightfully drew ire when he said he hoped “fellow panelist Mehdi Hasan’s beeper doesn’t go off” after he said he supports the Palestinians on an episode of CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip. CNN
“Well, I hope your beeper doesn’t go off,” Girdusky said — apparently referring to Israel’s coordinated attack on Hezbollah last month that saw thousands of pagers used by Lebanese terrorists go off simultaneously.
Shocked by the remark, Mehdi asked Girdusky if he wanted to kill himself. CNN
The comment drew immediate rebuke from the other panellists, with Mehdi pointedly asking: “Are you saying I should die?”
Host Abby Phillip tried to rein in the panelists as the argument escalated. Medhi again accused Girdusky of threatening him, saying, “Are you saying I should be killed on CNN?”
Girdusky appeared to push back – asking if Medhi was saying he supported Hamas. The British-American journalist replied: “Of course he did not support Hamas.
Girdusky replied: “Well, then I apologize.”
That apology only made matters worse, with Phillip and the other guests blasting Girdusky for what they called “disgusting” and “racist.”
A few hours after the show, CNN released a statement denouncing Girdusky.
The panel erupted in outrage, labeling Girdusky’s comment “racist” and “disgusting.”
“There is no place for racism or bigotry on CNN or on our broadcast,” the statement read in part, noting that the network aims to “foster thoughtful conversation and debate” among those who disagree.
“But we will not allow the guests to be humiliated or cross the line of decency. Ryan Girdusky will not be welcomed back to our network.”
Girdusky, who has written for publications including American Conservative Magazine, took to X to criticize the network for firing him.
“You can stay on CNN if you falsely call every Republican a Nazi and you got money from the Qatari funded media.” he wrote in a veiled reference to Mehdi’s media startupZeteo, being funded by the Middle Eastern country’s government – a claim he has repeatedly denied.
“Apparently you can’t go on CNN if you’re joking. I’m glad America can see what CNN stands for.”
Mehdi, who was born in the UK to parents who immigrated from India, has written or contributed to left-wing media outlets including Al Jazeera and MSNBC.
Last year he was accused of plagiarizing a column he wrote in favor of beating children more than 20 years ago, and in 2019, he apologized when old blog entries surfaced in which the columnist compared groups such as non-Muslims and atheists with “cattle”.
A CNN contributor credited President Joe Biden with calling Trump supporters “scum” because he stutters during a roundtable discussion about the election.
“As someone who had a stutter growing up, it’s pretty obvious to me that there was an apostrophe after ‘supporter,’” said film executive Franklin Leonard.
“He was referring to the rubbish thrown by the supporters, not just the supporters themselves,” the Black List founder added.
Franklin Leonard credited President Biden with calling Trump supporters “scum” because he stutters. CNN
President Biden is in hot water after making the inflammatory comment during a campaign call with VotoLatino on Tuesday, in which he was discussing mature comic Tony Hinchcliffe’s controversial joke about Puerto Rico at Trump’s rally in Madison Square Garden on Sunday.
“The only scum I see running around there are his supporters. His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable and un-American,” Biden said.
In an official transcript of Biden’s remarks provided by the White House, an apostrophe was inserted after the word “supporter.”
Conservative critics online attacked the White House for allegedly trying to change the meaning of Biden’s words in the transcript.
“The official White House transcript needs to be corrected immediately… Joe Biden’s words were clear that he was saying that Trump supporters are trash.” America’s first female CEO Kyle Jane wrote in X.
Conservative analyst Scott Jennings quickly hit back at Leonard’s claim.
“I do not accept your framing personally. I believe that he, Harris, the Democratic Party and most of her campaign believe that half the country is garbage,” Jennings said.
“As someone who had a stutter growing up, it’s pretty obvious to me that there was an apostrophe after ‘supporter,’” said film executive Franklin Leonard. CNN
“They’ve also said that people who go to Trump rallies are Nazis,” he added, “it’s pretty obvious the contempt they hold for half the country.”
The panel quickly erupted in Jenning’s comments with many contributors talking over each other.
“You just can’t say that,” NewsNight host Abby Phillip said.
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Biden faced swift backlash for his comments, which many online compared to Hillary Clinton’s “basket of deplorables” that she dismissed during the 2016 campaign.
“So you have to remember Hillary [Clinton] — she said ‘deplorable’ and then she said ‘irreparable’ … ‘garbage’ I think is worse,” Trump said at his campaign rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
“He’s talking about ordinary Americans who love their country and want to dream again and support… And I hope [the Harris] campaign is ready to apologize for what Joe Biden just said,” Sen. Marco Rubio, who broke the news of Biden’s comments to Trump, said at the rally.
“We are not trash. We are patriots. We love America.” said the senator.
President Biden’s comment about ‘garbage supporters’ is not the first time he has attacked Donald Trump’s voters:
“It’s not just Trump, it’s the whole philosophy that supports — I’ll say something, it’s like semi-fascism.” – Joe Biden at a DNC fundraiser in Bethesda, Md., on Aug. 25, 2022.
“Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic.” – Biden at Independence Hall in Philadelphia on September 1, 2022.
“We’re talking about MAGA Republican mega-officials who have been very clear about this, who say, you know, they’re pro-police, but then they’re also pro-insurgency.” – Karine Jean-Pierre at the press conference on November 2, 2022.
“There is no doubt that today’s Republican Party is run and feared by MAGA extremists. Their extreme agenda, if realized, would fundamentally change the institutions of American Democracy as we know it. – Biden in Tempe, Ariz., on Sept. 28, 2023.
“Those MAGA voices who know the truth about Trump and January 6th have abandoned the truth and abandoned our democracy.” – Biden in Blue Bell, Pa., on Jan. 5, 2024.
President Biden is in hot water after making an inflammatory remark during a campaign call with Voto Latino, discussing Tony Hinchcliffe’s joke about Puerto Rico at Trump’s NYC rally. via REUTERS“He was referring to the litter thrown by the supporters, not just the supporters themselves,” Leonard continued. CNN
“A mother grieving her son who died of a fentanyl overdose is not trash. A truck driver who can’t afford rising oil prices is not trash. A dad who wants to buy groceries is not trash,” X posted.
Kamala Harris and Joe Biden should be ashamed of themselves.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro distanced himself from Biden’s comments.
“I would never insult the good people of Pennsylvania or any American, even if they chose to support a candidate that I did not support,” Shapiro told CNN.
President Joe Biden denied calling Trump supporters trash and insisted he was referring to remarks made by Hinchcliffe in a tweet on Tuesday.
“Earlier today I referred to the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by the Trump supporter at his Madison Square Garden rally as trash — which is the only word I can think of to describe it,” Biden said.
In a discussion with actor and activist Jonah Platt on Tuesday, CNN commentator Van Jones offered strong words to describe Hamas and the terrorist group’s Western backers.
“The Palestinians deserve all the support in the world,” Jones said Oct. 29 during the Being Jewish with Jonah Platt podcast. “Their cause is right, they want human rights, they want dignity, they want sovereignty – that’s beautiful. And it’s been hijacked by a Nazi organization called Hamas, who are horrible
Contradicting the positions of some others on the left, Jones said of the terrorist organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip: “They are not freedom fighters. They are freedom takers. They are not interested in democracy, they are not interested in human rights. They are not interested in women’s rights. They are not interested in gay rights.â€
In a discussion with actor and activist Jonah Platt on Tuesday, CNN commentator Van Jones offered strong words to describe Hamas and the terror group’s Western backers.Jonah Platt sat down with Van Jones to dive into the historical power and current necessity of the black-Jewish relationship.
Jones continued: “They are not interested in anything we are interested in. And they are trying to destroy Israel more than they are trying to help the Palestinians. It is a Nazi organization
Characterizing support for the Palestinians as “a good cause that has been hijacked by bad people”, he urged that “you should be able to talk about this honestly”.
He said that as a result of his views on the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, “I’ve had people take money out of things that I’m a part of.” But who cares? Nothing compared to what those kids went through at the Nova festival. Nothing compared to what the people went through in the kibbutz.â€
“The Palestinians deserve all the support in the world,” Jones said Oct. 29 during the Being Jewish with Jonah Platt podcast. Jonah Platt/YouTubePalestinians inspect a building destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in the town of Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. AP
Personalizing the discussion, Jones said “I’m a progressive, so Hamas attacked my people. These are my people on the kibbutz – they’re liberals, they’re my people
He also dismissed some of the rhetoric used by the left to justify mass murder: “You have these idiots here talking about, ‘Oh, these were the Nazi Zionist colonizers, blah, blah, blah.’” And I Like, guys , you know nothing about anything, you look like idiots, and the only reason you can get away with it is because there simply aren’t that many Jews to fight with.”
