‘Breaking News…’: Tapper Tells Viewers CNN May Taken Over by David Ellison
CNN anchor Jake Tapper emotionally told viewers on Thursday’s episode of “The Lead” that Paramount Skydance is about to buy Warner Bros. Discovery and potentially CNN.
On Thursday, Netflix said it would not match Paramount’s $111 billion offer for WBD. Netflix made a tentative deal to buy most of WBD, including HBO and the Warner Bros. movie studio, but not CNN. Paramount then made a counteroffer, and Netflix chose not to offer more. The U.S. and Europe will need to approve the purchase.
But according to reports, Paramount CEO David Ellison told the Trump administration that he would “make sweeping changes to CNN” if his company bought it. President Donald Trump spoke out about the drama in the media industry and said that “CNN must be sold.” Trump has been complaining about the network for a long time, saying that it is unfair to him.
When the news broke, Tapper came back from a break and told viewers that Netflix had dropped its bid and that Paramount was now the highest bidder for Warner Bros. and HBO. He also mentioned that Paramount wanted to buy CNN:
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“So we have some breaking news in our national lead that affects everybody I’m looking at right now in the studio,” Tapper began.
“Moments ago, Netflix said it is declining to raise its offer for the purchase of Warner Bros. Studios and HBO, following the Warner Bros. Discovery board’s determination that Paramount, which is not just going for Warner Bros. Studios and HBO, but also the whole enchilada, including us here at CNN, Paramount has submitted a superior offer according to Warner Bros. Discovery’s board. As I’ve noted, Warner Bros. Discovery is the parent company of CNN,” Tapper said.
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Ellison’s Skydance bought Paramount and its subsidiary CBS last year. After the move, Ellison and Bari Weiss, who started the anti-woke Free Press, made a deal. Weiss got $150 million for the website and was named editor-in-chief of CBS News.
This also comes as CNN’s ratings have been plunging for well over a year while Fox News has been dominating viewership.
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Fox News finished February by beating CBS in primetime viewership for the month, making it one of its best months since March 2025.
FNC had an average of 2.6 million viewers in primetime from Monday to Sunday, while CBS had 2.4 million viewers. This was the lowest February performance for the broadcast network since 2000.
Fox News had 3.1 million viewers on weeknights and 316,000 adults aged 25 to 54, which is the demographic that advertisers want. CBS only had 2 million viewers and 278,000 adults aged 25 to 54. This was the first time in 2026 that FNC beat CBS in both categories.
FNC had 1.7 million viewers during the whole day and was the most popular cable news channel among Hispanic and wealthy viewers during primetime. All of the month’s top 100 cable news shows were also on the network, and every show in its weekday lineup had its best month since at least September.
In the meantime, CBS had its worst primetime month since the turn of the century, with “CBS Evening News,” “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” and “CBS Mornings” all getting the lowest ratings in February history. During primetime this century, ABC also had its lowest-rated February among the key demo.
“Special Report with Bret Baier,” FNC’s nightly news show, had an average of more than 3.1 million viewers and 289,000 viewers in the 25-54 age group. This was the most-watched month since March 2025.
The show beat “CBS Evening News” in 14 major markets, including New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C. It also beat ABC’s “World News Tonight” in markets like New Orleans and Jacksonville.
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“The Five” was the most popular show on TV at 5 p.m. ET, with more than 4 million viewers and 337,000 in the 25-54 demo.
It beat out ABC’s “911 Nashville” and NBC’s “Happy’s Place.” “Jesse Watters Primetime” had 3.4 million viewers and 329,000 in the demo at 8 p.m. ET, making it the most popular primetime show. It was just ahead of ABC’s “20/20.”
FNC also did well late at night. “Gutfeld!” stayed on top of both broadcast and cable, with over 3 million viewers and 347,000 in the 25-54 age group. It beat out shows like ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and CBS’s “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”
The morning shows on Fox News were still very popular with viewers. “FOX & Friends” ended February with 1.4 million viewers, making it the No. 1 cable news morning show for 60 months in a row in the 25-54 age group, beating CNN and MS NOW combined.
In 20 major markets, “FOX & Friends” beat “CBS Mornings” and in several key cities, it beat “Good Morning America” on ABC and “Today” on NBC.
Daytime shows kept getting more popular, with “America’s Newsroom,” “The Faulkner Focus,” “Outnumbered,” “America Reports,” and “The Story with Martha MacCallum” all getting about 2 million viewers or more. At 4 p.m. ET, “The Will Cain Show” continued to grow, drawing 2.3 million viewers.
'Guilty Of Fraud' - Hammer Dropped On Former First Lady Jill Biden During Live Fox News Segment
McEnany Accuses Jill Biden Of Misleading Americans About Debate Performance
Posted July 15, 2026
Former White House press secretary and Fox News host Kayleigh McEnany accused former first lady Jill Biden of misleading the American public about President Joe Biden’s condition following his widely criticized debate performance during the 2024 campaign.
McEnany made the remarks Thursday during an appearance on Fox News Channel’s “America’s Newsroom,” where she reacted to comments Jill Biden reportedly made in her upcoming book regarding the president’s performance during the debate that ultimately intensified questions about his age and fitness for office.
The discussion began when co-host Dana Perino referenced remarks Jill Biden made immediately following the debate.
At a campaign event after the debate, Jill Biden praised her husband’s performance.
“Joe, you did such a great job. You answered every question,” she said at the time.
Perino contrasted those comments with more recent claims attributed to Jill Biden and raised questions about the apparent inconsistency.
“So now we know that this is what she’s saying in her book,” Perino said. “And the question I would love to ask her is where are you lying then or now?”
McEnany responded by arguing that Jill Biden’s reaction following the debate was inconsistent with her more recent descriptions of the event.
“It’s a great question,” McEnany said.
“That is not the reaction of someone who believes they just watched their husband have a stroke. It is an absolute lie.”
McEnany then accused the former first lady of concealing concerns about the president’s condition from voters.
“It was fraud,” she said.
“What she did fraud on the American public and she’s continuing it by saying she had never seen him like that before or after.”
The debate between Biden and President Donald Trump became a turning point in the 2024 election cycle, with many Democrats publicly expressing concern about Biden’s performance and his ability to continue his campaign.
Questions about Biden’s age and mental sharpness had circulated for years, but the debate intensified those concerns and fueled calls from some Democrats for him to step aside.
During the Fox News discussion, McEnany referenced comments previously made by veteran journalist Carl Bernstein regarding Biden’s condition behind the scenes.
“Dana, you all remember Carl Bernstein, who said he talked to people who knew Joe Biden, loved Joe Biden, supported Joe Biden, and they were adamant that what we saw was not a one-off,” McEnany said.
According to McEnany, Bernstein reported that individuals close to Biden had observed similar episodes before the debate.
“They said it had happened 15 or 20 times prior, him losing his train of thought,” she said.
McEnany also cited a fundraiser Bernstein reportedly described.
“He described a fundraiser where he froze up and seemed to have some type of rigor mortis,” she said.
“This is not something that was a one-off.”
McEnany argued that concerns about Biden’s condition were widely known among those close to him.
“This was well known,” she said.
She then questioned why Jill Biden continued publicly defending her husband following the debate.
“So why did she keep up with the fraud on the American people?” McEnany asked.
The former first lady has repeatedly defended her husband and rejected claims that she or members of his inner circle concealed concerns about his health, Breitbart News reported.
The debate over Biden’s condition became one of the defining political stories of the 2024 election cycle and continued after he ultimately left the race.
McEnany’s comments reflect ongoing scrutiny surrounding what Biden’s family, advisers and top Democratic officials knew about his condition and when they knew it.
Neither Jill Biden nor representatives for the former president immediately responded to McEnany’s latest remarks.
As new books and accounts from those involved continue to emerge, questions surrounding Biden’s final campaign and the decisions made by those closest to him remain a major topic of political debate.
