This CNN panel devolved into chaos almost as soon as discussion over Trump's travel ban began

A discussion on President Trump's controversial immigration executive order quickly turned into a yelling match on Wednesday's episode of CNN Tonight. The debate started to go off the rails within the first minute, when former federal prosecutor John Flannery claimed a fellow panelist, Harvard Law School's Alan Dershowitz, supported Trump's travel ban because he thought it would benefit Israel. "Our dear colleague, Alan Dershowitz, I think, hopes that this may secure Israel," Flannery said, referring to Trump's revised executive order that temporarily bans people from six predominantly Muslim countries from traveling to the U.S.
Dershowitz quickly interrupted Flannery, demanding to know what he was "talking about." "You're lying through your teeth," Dershowitz told Flannery. "I never said a word about Israel. You know, when you focus on everything I say about Israel it really raises questions about your own bigotry and bias, so let's get to the point and just keep your mouth shut."
Flannery insisted the ban is "transparently against Muslims," a reason similar to what a federal judge in Hawaii cited Wednesday when he blocked Trump's order, deeming the ban an attempt to "disfavor a particular religion." Dershowitz, a constitutional analyst, argued his belief that the ban is constitutional — though still "bad policy" — had nothing to do with his stances on other issues. "You can't believe anything I say because I'm a Jew and a Zionist?" Dershowitz said. "For shame on you sir. I never want to be on the show with this bigot again."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Watch the explosive debate below. Becca Stanek
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
5 museum-grade cartoons about Trump's Smithsonian purge
Cartoons Artists take on institutional rebranding, exhibit interpretation, and more
-
Settling the West Bank: a death knell for a Palestine state?
In the Spotlight The reality on the ground is that the annexation of the West Bank is all but a done deal
-
Sudoku medium: August 23, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play