They were once considered the “king” of network news.

But lately CNN has been more like the court jester.

And CNN executives just got the worst news of their lives when they saw these shocking numbers.

It’s no secret CNN has been on a downward spiral over the past decade.

The network’s ratings haven’t come close to matching those of Fox News, to the point where it seems that they’re not even trying anymore.

And lately, it’s only gotten worse for CNN, as the network’s shows have even failed to beat the ratings of cooking shows and infomercials at times.

But the latest news about the network has even CNN’s own multi-millionaire executives scrambling for a soft place to land.

In fact, things are so bad at the network that invented the 24-hour news cycle that their restructured parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, is planning massive cuts across the board.

The news comes as CNN is reportedly on pace to miss annual profit expectations – both internally and on Wall Street – by a substantial, larger-than-expected margin, as their ratings continue to plummet.

The corporate-controlled media outlet’s profitability is expected to decline to just $956.8 million in 2022, which would be the first year since 2016 that the troubled network has seen its profits dip below the $1 billion threshold.

The New York Times reported that CNN’s adjusted profit expectations fall significantly short of its initial 2022 target of $1.1 billion, according two people familiar with CNN’s operations.

In addition, though it seemed they couldn’t sink any lower, CNN’s ratings have yet to find a new bottom.

This quarter, the network’s average primetime viewership has dropped to just 639,000, a whopping 27% decrease from the same time period last year.

Despite its considerable resources – and the fact that every doctor’s office in America plays it all day, every day – the network continues to place a distant third behind Fox News and MSNBC.

The Times reported that CNN has invested millions of dollars into its coverage of the war in Ukraine, all in the hopes it would increase viewership.

That has not happened.

And the network is still paying costs related to its now-defunct CNN+ streaming service, which includes the salary of former Fox News anchor Chris Wallace.

The streaming service was highly touted and promoted heavily by the network, but as it turns out, no one wants to pay for the same leftist drivel they already weren’t watching for free.

The little-watched streaming service lasted just a month before it became one of the very first casualties of the Warner Bros. Discovery merger after executives shut it down back in April.

All expectations indicate Warner Bros. Discovery will enact drastic cuts and layoffs across its operations – especially at CNN – in the coming weeks, as CEO David Zaslav cleans house and fulfills his pledge to find at least $3 billion in savings for shareholders.

That process has already began, as Warner Bros. announced it won’t release its latest D.C. Comics franchise, Batgirl, despite reportedly pouring $70 million into its production, or a new Scooby Doo movie it reportedly budgeted $40 million for.

The studio also canceled the disaster of a TBS show that is Full Frontal with Samantha Bee.

Full Frontal’s ratings also consistently under-performed, as its disgusting host made increasingly nasty, bizarre, radical left-wing pronouncements, like calling Ivanka Trump a “cunt” and urging her viewers to harass Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito.

Of course, CNN’s new president, Chris Licht, told employees back in May that he didn’t expect Warner Bros. Discovery to enact more layoffs at CNN after the shutdown of CNN+.

But that looks like quite the empty promise now.

The war between supporters of Donald Trump and supporters of Mike Pence is heating up.

And Pence’s troops are finding allies in the corporate-controlled media.

That’s why Erin Burnett allowed baseless attacks on Matt Gaetz by this top Pence staffer.

There is an ancient proverb that says the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Of course, that’s not really true – an enemy is still an enemy.

But former Vice President Mike Pence’s team sure seems to think so.

That’s why they keep showing up on corporate-controlled media outlets, like CNN and MSNBC, spewing their anti-Trump vitriol and trying to promote Pence’s longshot bid for the 2024 Republican Presidential nomination.

And it’s why, for now at least, leftist talking heads, like CNNs Erin Burnett, are pretending to cozy up to the Pence forces.

That’s exactly what happened in a recent CNN interview she conducted with former Pence Chief of Staff Marc Short.

In fact, not only did she allow Short to attack Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL), she allowed it to go so far that Short actually made claims so outrageous they could result in legal action.

Former Vice President Mike Pence’s Chief of Staff, Marc Short, actually went so far as to accuse Rep. Gaetz of being a child trafficker. 

This libelous charge came after Burnett told Short the Congressman said the former Vice President would never be elected President.

Here is the actual exchange that took place:

BURNETT: “To take it back to Washington where you just referred, Matt Gaetz, obviously, a very loyal Trump ally at this point, fired at the Vice President, the former Vice President today, and the comments that Vice President Pence was making.”

“Here’s what Matt Gaetz said.” (Burnett then played the video of Gaetz’s comments).

REP. MATT GAETZ (R-FL): “Our America is proudly ultra MAGA, not some low energy roadside RINO safari. On that note, let me just say what everybody here knows. Mike Pence will never be President. Nice guy, not a leader.”

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: “Marc?”

SHORT: “Well, I don’t know if Mike Pence will run for President in 2024, but I don’t think Matt Gaetz will have an impact on that. In fact, I’d be surprised if he’s still voting. It’s more likely he’ll be in prison for child trafficking by 2024.”

“And I’m actually surprised the Florida law enforcement still allows him to speak to teenage conferences like that. So, I’m not too worried what Matt Gaetz thinks.”

This shocking exchange shows just how deep the hatred of Donald Trump runs not only in the media, but also in the power corridors of Washington, D.C.

Marc Short is a life-long D.C. insider, and clearly his hatred of the former President runs deep.

He is even willing to work with CNN leftists, like Erin Burnett, to make unfounded and scurrilous charges about a U.S. Congressmen.

And Burnett, of course, is well-known for her radical leftist agenda and is all too wiling to work with the likes of Short to promote her anti-Trump, socialist agenda.

Her ilk can’t get enough of Team Pence’s help.

Pants on Fire News will keep you up-to-date on any developments to this ongoing story.

Liz Cheney is trying to cozy up to Democrats.

They are her last political life line at this point.

And Liz Cheney’s post-Congress CNN gig may be in jeopardy over this hypocritical flip-flop.

Rep. Liz Cheney (RINO-WY) appeared on CNN, as she is wont to do these days, to fulfill her role of the Republican who will simply repeat “Orange Man Bad,” over and over again.

Cheney also clubs other Republicans who are not on board with her anti-Trump crusade.

And in response to a bill put forward by Democrats recently, CNN’s Jake Tapper asked Congresswoman Cheney about her previous stance on gay marriage.

“One issue, one question about a vote that you passed. You are one of 47 House Republicans who voted this week to codify same-sex marriage protections,” Tapper said. “The culmination of a remarkable personal evolution for you. You used to oppose same-sex marriage. That infamously went to a public falling out with your own sister. What’s your message to any Senate Republican who’s on the fence about voting for this bill?”

That “remarkable personal evolution” has always been about political expediency for Cheney, of course.

She even threw her own sister under the bus in order to win an election.

“Freedom means freedom for everybody” Cheney obediently responded. “I’ve said that my initial opposition ten years ago to same-sex marriage was wrong. I love my sister very much and her family very much. I believe that given the decision that we saw from the Supreme Court in the suggestion that the additional rulings could be at risk. The suggestion in Justice Thomas’s opinions about that means that we have got to step up and make sure that we’re providing protections.”

“So certainly, ensuring that we’ve provided that kind of protection for same-sex marriage is very important,” she continued. “So I would urge my Republican colleagues in the Senate to follow suit and to do the same.”

First, the fear-mongering about gay marriage going away is a political ploy from Democrats.

In the Dobbs decision, Justice Samuel Alito explicitly said that overturning Roe v. Wade did not threaten same-sex marriage.

There is no political will to do so.

In Justice Thomas’s concurring opinion, however, he pointed out the flaw of substantive due process issues.

He’s a constitutionalist who will point out bad case law when he sees it.

Democrats’ attempt to remake Rep. Cheney into a paragon of moral virtue is laughable, especially considering her – and her family’s – war-mongering past and present.