CNN bans conservative writer after 'beeper' comment to Muslim commentator

A prime-time CNN chat that went disconnected nan rails led to a blimpish writer being thrown disconnected nan aerial and banned from nan network

NEW YORK -- CNN has banned blimpish writer Ryan Gidursky from nan web pursuing a contentious on-air speech wherever he told panelist Mehdi Hasan that “I dream your beeper doesn't spell off.”

“Did you conscionable opportunity I should die?” Hasan said, responding to Gidursky's evident reference to September's attack wherever pagers utilized by hundreds of Hezbollah members successful Lebanon and Syria exploded simultaneously. The onslaught was wide believed to beryllium carried retired by Israel.

Hasan and Gidursky were connected a sheet connected “News Night” Monday night, talking astir Donald Trump's rally astatine Madison Square Garden, wherever speakers made a assortment of racist comments and referred to Puerto Rico arsenic a "floating land of garbage.” The sheet chat devolved into back-and-forth bickering aft Gidursky said to Hasan, a commentator and laminitis of nan media institution Zeteo, that “you've been called an anti-Semite much than anyone other astatine this table.”

Host Abby Phillip said that Gidursky's beeper remark was “completely retired of pocket” and he apologized. But aft a commercialized break, he was gone.

Philip apologized to Hasan and to viewers. She said Gidursky, writer of nan book “They're Not Listening: How nan Elites Created nan National Populist Revolution,” had crossed a line.

CNN was having a heated chat astir nan Trump rally, wherever nan racist and different demeaning connection was a motion of really tensions are coming to a boil pinch only a week to spell until a highly contested and contentious Election Day that reflects nan nation's governmental and taste fissures.

Despite that fragmentation, Phillip said that “we tin person conversations astir what is happening successful this state without resorting to nan lowest ... benignant of discourse.”

CNN, saying location is “zero room for racism aliases bigotry astatine CNN aliases connected our air,” said that Gidursky would not beryllium allowed backmost connected nan network.

Gidursky responded successful a station connected X: “You tin enactment connected CNN if you falsely telephone each Republican a Nazi” but apparently can't “if you make a joke. I'm gladsome America gets to spot what CNN stands for.”

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David Bauder writes astir media for nan AP. Follow him astatine http://x.com/dbauder.