CNN bans conservative commentator Ryan Girdusky after verbal attack on journalist Mehdi Hasan
Mehdi Hasan expresses disbelief over verbal attack, says he has "never been so stunned”
Washington DC: CNN has permanently banned conservative political commentator Ryan Girdusky after he verbally attacked British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan during a heated debate on "NewsNight With Abby Phillip." The incident occurred on Monday night when Girdusky made a controversial remark, saying, "I hope your beeper doesn’t go off," in reference to a series of deadly explosions in Lebanon.
The discussion centred around the upcoming United States presidential election and criticisms of a recent rally by Republican candidate Donald Trump, where derogatory remarks were made against various minority groups. Hasan, the founder of the new media company Zeteo, criticised the inflammatory rhetoric at the rally and asserted, “If you don’t want to be called Nazis, stop doing, stop saying.”
After Girdusky's remark, Hasan responded, questioning whether Girdusky suggested he should die. Host Abby Phillip interjected, apologising to Hasan and confirming Girdusky's removal from the panel, stating, "There is a line that was crossed there, and it’s not acceptable to me."
https://youtu.be/e6qjI2xK4XM?si=6vtMALn3Bj6g5ZXt
Following the broadcast, CNN released a statement asserting, "There is zero room for racism or bigotry at CNN or on our air." The network condemned Girdusky's comments, stating he would not be welcomed back.
New: CNN says in a statement that Ryan Girdusky will no longer appear on the network after this remark https://t.co/CQu2ILswNm pic.twitter.com/Jjny0eE60c
— Aidan McLaughlin (@aidnmclaughlin) October 29, 2024
Phillip later expanded on the incident in a statement posted on X, clarifying that Hasan had been welcome to continue the show but chose not to return. “As you may have seen, Ryan was asked to leave the show, and we put out a statement saying that he’s not welcome back on our air,” she wrote. “We really wanted [Hasan] to come back and finish the show… but I just wanted to make sure that you all knew that was not what happened there.”
Sharing @CNN’s statement and a quick message from me about what happened on tonight’s show.
— Abby D. Phillip (@abbydphillip) October 29, 2024
I take this very seriously and want to again apologize to @mehdirhasan and I hope he’ll join us another time. pic.twitter.com/O9l0Ftv5NZ
Girdusky later tweeted, "Apparently, you can’t go on CNN if you make a joke," in response to the backlash.
You can stay on CNN if you falsely call every Republican a Nazi and have taken money from Qatar-funded media. Apparently you can't go on CNN if you make a joke. I'm glad America gets to see what CNN stands for.
— Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) October 29, 2024
Responding to the incident, progressive commentator and journalist Mehdi Hasan said that he was "so stunned" when a conservative commentator told him, "I hope your beeper doesn't go off," during a panel on CNN.
Hasan, a frequent critic of Israel, said on Wednesday in a video message shared on YouTube that while he has "interviewed" and "sparred with controversial, opinionated, offensive people from across the world ... never in my 25 years as a journalist, and 15 years of doing live TV, have I been so stunned by what was said to me."
"But as shocked and stunned as I was, there was no way I was going to let him say that to me unchallenged," Hasan added. He said that he was happy to see CNN decide to ban Girdusky from appearing on air and that Phillip took the time to apologise to viewers "after I walked off set."
Hasan strongly condemned Harris' policies toward the Israel-Hamas conflict in his video message on Wednesday but raised an even bigger warning about a second Trump presidency should the former president win on November 5. "If she [Harris] loses—and to be clear, because of her refusal to budge even an inch on Gaza ...—we will get a Trump presidency," Hasan said. "A white supremacist presidency, an anti-Black, antisemitic, Islamophobic presidency, in which people like the bigot I had to deal with on CNN will be emboldened like never before," Hasan added.
https://youtu.be/iSq7vnw3gWI?si=TPNsCEZH1RLI6gA3
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Stalin accuses Centre of trying to use women's quota as 'weapon,' slams EPS over delimitation
Chennai (PTI): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has strongly criticised the Centre over the women's reservation and accused it of trying to use it as a "weapon" to tackle the opposition before taking up the delimitation exercise based on population.
"The Union government is not concerned about implementing reservations for women. If their concerns were genuine, they could have done it right away. Rather than doing that, the BJP-led Centre is thinking of using it as a weapon to tackle opposition and take up the delimitation exercise based on population," he told PTI in an interview.
"Hence, the women's reservation must be implemented immediately without showing delimitation as a reason," the DMK president added.
Expressing apprehensions on the proposed delimitation exercise, the CM said it was the DMK that raised the first voice asserting the rights of the state after realising that Tamil Nadu would be affected by the proposed exercise. He also attacked his rival and AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami over the delimitation issue.
Recalling efforts made by the DMK to raise the issue of population-based delimitation, he said an all-party meeting and a meeting of CMs under the auspices of the Joint Action Committee seeking fair delimitation were convened. It sought to freeze delimitation for 25 years and stick to it based on the 1971 Census population.
"We urged the union government that states which successfully implemented population control programmes must not be punished," he added.
The party came up with "Tamil Nadu poradum, Tamil Nadu vellum" (Tamil Nadu will struggle, Tamil Nadu will win) and this is DMK's stand, he said.
"However, Palaniswami, who is seeking votes for the entry of the BJP through the backdoor, has till date been mute over delimitation, and this is a betrayal of the people of Tamil Nadu."
