CNN international is simply a whole other channel than the local CNN. It is commercial-free, it is just a news channel like BBC international. Just with a US point of view.
I've also seen CNN 'local' or whatever one can call that thing Americans get on cable.. I didn't believe this was the same stuff. It wasn't..
The fact is though, that the best news in the world is not available in English. Take TVE, NRK, DR1 etc.. those are the best. That is, news agencies in countries that don't have a foreign agenda which they can't really talk about without hurting themselves.
I still watch CNN international at times, but just for the heck of it. I don't take them too seriously.
V