Burchett appeared on Hunt’s show “The Arena” to discuss corruption in Washington when the congressman’s feed was lost mid-rant.

“The real problem, ma’am, is the politicians are greedy and they’re selling this country down the road,” Burchett said before Hunt pressed, “Yourself included?”

CNN anchor Kasie Hunt’s interview with Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) was abruptly cut off Tuesday. X/atrupar

“Well, they’re sellin’ us all down the road. I don’t, I don’t go with them, but you don’t see me —” Burchett replied before Hunt interjected, “But you’re a politician.”

“Well, heck yeah, I am, and you’re in the media, so we’re both hated,” Burchett shot back.

As the Tennessee lawmaker continued blasting lobbyists and “five-dollar-bill”-chasing politicians, his video connection dropped.

“Well, it looks like we lost this politician,” Hunt said on air.

Hunt said she was about to ask about convicted sex predator Jeffrey Epstein and alleged “preferential treatment” for his former associate, Ghislaine Maxwell. X/atrupar

“I was going to ask him about Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s apparent preferential treatment. We’re not going to have a chance to do that now, hopefully next time.”

Hunt did not elaborate on what she planned to ask, but her comment came as lawmakers in Washington raise questions over Maxwell’s current status at a federal prison in Texas.

Start your day with all you need to know

Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.

Thanks for signing up!

Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee claimed this week that the British socialite is being “waited on hand and foot” and enjoying unusually relaxed conditions for a convicted sex trafficker.

In 2022, Maxwell, 63, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for helping Epstein recruit and groom underage girls.

Burchett appeared on Hunt’s show “The Arena” to discuss corruption in Washington when the congressman’s feed was lost mid-rant. X/atrupar

Earlier this week, Democrats claimed that Maxwell was planning to apply for a commutation of her sentence, which is set to run through 2037. President Trump recently deflected questions about whether he would grant a request for clemency.

She was transferred to a low-security facility in Fort Worth following meetings between Trump-era Justice Department officials and her legal team.

Burchett and other lawmakers from both parties have demanded the release of documents tied to Jeffrey Epstein. AP

Epstein, a former financier with ties to Trump and other prominent figures, died in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.

The Justice Department ruled his death a suicide, though the circumstances — including broken cameras and missing guards — fueled widespread skepticism.

Democrats say Epstein’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell plans to ask President Trump for a commutation of her sentence. ZUMA24.com

Earlier this year, Trump’s Justice Department reaffirmed that conclusion and said there was no evidence Epstein trafficked women for “high-profile friends and clients,” despite repeated claims by victims and their attorneys.

Burchett has publicly said he does not trust that finding, urging Congress to independently review the case.

Epstein’s name has continued to surface in Washington, where both Republicans and Democrats have demanded the release of thousands of pages of court and investigative documents related to his associates.

The post CNN’s Kasie Hunt interview with GOP rep ends abruptly — claiming she had planned to ask about Jeffrey Epstein appeared first on Our Story Insight.

Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more.

Trump Abruptly Fires First African American Librarian of Congress

With seemingly no warning, the first woman and the first African American to be Librarian of Congress received an email from the White House’s Presidential Personnel Office notifying Carla Hayden that she was fired. AP News reported that Hayden had recently come under fire from conservative advocacy group American Accountability Foundation for “promoting children’s books with ‘radical’ content and literary material authored by Trump opponents.” AAF took to X to celebrate the termination hours before the news was made public. Democratic leaders have condemned the move and praised Hayden’s leadership, with New Mexico Senator Martin Heinrich saying Donald Trump was “taking his assault on America’s libraries to a new level.” It is exhausting to be this horrified by the callous takeouts of good people doing good work, and I cannot begin to imagine how Hayden felt receiving such a blithe and dismissive email ending her historic career at the Library of Congress, “effective immediately.”

A New Judy Blume Adaptation is Now Streaming

If you have Netflix and you’re a Judy Blume fan, you might want to check out this eight-episode series adapting Forever. “It is gratifying to know that, 50 years after its release, the love story at the core of Forever is still resonating with audiences,” Blume said of showrunner Mara Brock Akil’s adaptation starring Lovie Simone as Keisha and Michael Cooper Jr. as Justin. Published in 1975, Forever arguably became Blume’s most controversial YA novel, oft the target of censorship, because of explicit sex scenes–the book centers a teen couple’s first time. Learn more about how Brock Akil tells Blume’s classic story through a Black lens from Nadira Goffe writing for Slate.

Today In Books

Sign up to Today In Books to receive daily news and miscellany from the world of books.

1919 Author and Friends Collab on Bookstore Coffee Shop

Well this is a lovely story of friendship, coffee, and books. 1919 author Eve L. Ewing, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Trina Reynolds-Tyler, and award-winning media-based organizer Andrea Faye Hart–longtime friends–are teaming up to run a socially conscious bookstore and cafe in Chicago. Build Coffee opened in 2017, co-founded by Hannah Nyhart who sold the shop to the trio, and the team plans to build on the community space rather than overhaul it. One update brings especially good news to book lovers: Ewing says there are plans to expand the bookstore. Happy reading and caffeinating to Chicago’s South Side!

The Most Read Books on Goodreads This Week

Stack your TBR with some of the most read books on Goodreads this week, and the top five most read books in countries across the world.

The comments section is moderated according to our community guidelines. Please check them out so we can maintain a safe and supportive community of readers!

The post Trump Abruptly Fires First African American Librarian of Congress appeared first on Our Story Insight.