CNN Host Steps In as Panelists Get Physical During Heated Debate
The Daily BeastWed, January 21, 2026 at 3:05 PM UTC
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CNN host Abby Phillip was forced to intervene when a debate nearly spilled over into a physical altercation. Phillip presided over a particularly tetchy NewsNight on Tuesday. Minutes before podcaster Leigh McGowan went nuclear on MAGA commentator Ben Ferguson, the conservative was involved in another tense interaction with activist philosopher Cornel West. The panel had been debating heavy-handed ICE tactics, with a particular focus on Minneapolis, Minnesota, where young mother Renee Good was shot dead by an agent earlier this month. West, a one-time long-shot presidential candidate, lamented that the issue had become divided along party lines.