A heated exchange on CNN’s “NewsNight with Abby Phillip” erupted Friday when the host clashed with senior political commentator Scott Jennings over whether President Donald Trump was exaggerating unrest in Portland to justify sending in federal troops.

The discussion grew increasingly tense as Jennings interrupted Phillip repeatedly — until guest commentator Van Lathan weighed in, shifting the tone of the debate and sparking an avalanche of reactions online.

The broadcast took place just hours before a court ruling undercut Jennings’ defense of Trump’s rhetoric.

On Saturday, a federal judge halted the Trump administration’s call-up of 200 National Guard troops in Oregon, ruling that the president’s claims of daily unrest in Portland were “untethered to facts” and risked plunging the cou

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