In a surprising on-air mishap, CNN mistakenly linked former President Barack Obama with Osama bin Laden during a Friday night segment on Guantanamo Bay. A graphic displayed behind anchor Boris Sanchez on "CNN News Central" read, "OBAMA BIN LADEN ASSOCIATE: ABU ZUBAYDAH." Abu Zubaydah, a suspected terrorist whose real name is Zayn al-Abidin Muhammad Husayn, is currently detained at Guantanamo while investigations continue.

While Sanchez didn't verbalize the error, viewers swiftly noticed the name confusion and voiced their reactions on social media. One user satirically suggested that The Babylon Bee, a satirical news website, had secretly acquired CNN.

This incident adds to CNN's recent challenges. Former President Obama's unfulfilled promise to close Guantanamo during his first year in office allowed subsequent administrations, including President Trump's, to continue using the facility. Earlier this week, Trump directed the Pentagon to prepare Guantanamo to house approximately 30,000 individuals deemed "criminal illegal aliens."

The network recently conducted layoffs, impacting about 6% of its workforce, attributing the cuts to changing news consumption patterns. Approximately 200 positions were eliminated. Furthermore, CNN lost a defamation lawsuit filed by Navy veteran Zachary Young, resulting in a $5 million judgment, including potential punitive damages.

CNN has not issued a public statement regarding the on-air name mix-up.