craig closing vrtc
James Craig, the man who is accused of fatally poisoning his wife Angela by tainting her protein shakes, has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Lawyers made their closing arguments to the jury in the case on Tuesday.
01:21 - Source: CNN
Bystanders confront man after 11 injured in Walmart stabbing
A 42-year-old suspect was taken into custody after deputies responded to a stabbing at a Walmart in Traverse City, Michigan, on Saturday, Grand Traverse County Sheriff Michael Shea said. Seven of the eleven victims are in fair condition and four are in serious condition as of Sunday morning, according to Munson Healthcare.
01:05 - Source: CNN
Video shows passengers evacuating plane onto runway
More than 150 passengers on an American Airlines flight departing from Denver International Airport were evacuated onto the runway after a 'possible landing gear incident' left one person injured and sparked a fire, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
00:46 - Source: CNN
Friend describes pastor's ICE detention
CNN's Victor Blackwell speaks to the family friend of a detained pastor, Daniel Fuentes Espinal. Espinal, who fled Honduras 24 years ago to escape poverty and violence, is waiting to hear when he will face an immigration judge after his arrest this week by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
01:55 - Source: CNN
Farmworkers in constant fear amid ICE raids
Facing constant threats of deportation, undocumented farmworkers in California must decide whether to show up to work the busy harvest season or stay safe from ICE. CNN's Julia Vargas Jones heads to Ventura County where she speaks to worried farmers and their increasingly fearful laborers.
02:13 - Source: CNN
Trump rails against windmills again
President Donald Trump urged European leaders to 'stop the windmills' when reporters asked him questions at the airport in Glasgow, Scotland. This isn't the first time in recent memory that the president has directed his ire at the renewable energy source.
01:00 - Source: CNN
Investigators share details of how hard Xana Kernodle fought Kohberger
CNN's Jean Casarez asked two top law enforcement officials in Moscow, Idaho about Xana Kernodle's fight against Bryan Kohberger, with over 50 reported stab wounds. Officials shared that Kernodle, who was up at the time, "fought hard" for her life as Kohberger attacked her.
00:49 - Source: CNN
Investigators reveal findings from Kohberger's phone
CNN's Jean Casarez sat down with Idaho State Police lead investigator on the Bryan Kohberger case, Lt. Darren Gilbertson, who shared details about what was found on Kohberger's phone during the investigation. Gilbertson sheds light on the Kohberger investigation, including how police found screenshots and pictures of news coverage of the attack on Kohberger's phone.
02:07 - Source: CNN
Why are Thailand and Cambodia fighting?
Tensions are rising between Thailand and Cambodia over a border dispute that dates back to 1907. CNN's Will Ripley explains how the conflict has escalated.
01:32 - Source: CNN
CNN reports from Gaza aid crossing
CNN's Nic Robertson is on the scene at the Kerem Shalom border crossing as aid agencies warn of rampant hunger caused by Israel's blockade of Gaza. Gaza's health ministry said on Tuesday that 900,000 children are going hungry, and 70,000 already show signs of malnutrition. Israel denies it is at fault and accuses Hamas of 'engineering' food shortages.
01:39 - Source: CNN
Almost 50 missing as plane crashes in Russia
Dozens of civilians are feared dead, including children, after a Soviet era passenger jet crashed in Russia's far east Amur Region. Burning wreckage was discovered by rescuers just 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the Tynda airport, the plane's destination.
00:30 - Source: CNN
Erin Burnett on the significance of Trump knowing he's in the Epstein files
CNN's Erin Burnett explains how reports that President Trump was briefed that he is named in the Epstein files shine a light on his recent denials of that exact claim.
02:13 - Source: CNN
Judge declines to release Epstein grand jury documents
A Florida federal judge declined to release additional grand jury documents from the criminal investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, marking the first roadblock in the Justice Department's efforts to quell the public backlash over the handling of the case. CNN's Evan Perez reports.
02:43 - Source: CNN
Bryan Kohberger sentenced to life in prison
Bryan Kohberger has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murders of four University of Idaho students.
01:29 - Source: CNN
Fans pay tribute to Ozzy Osbourne
Fans have gathered in Ozzy Osbourne's hometown to pay tribute to the former Black Sabbath singer, who died yesterday at the age of 76. One of them told CNN's Salma Abdelaziz that Osbourne will 'live on forever in his music.'
01:07 - Source: CNN
Hot Chinese brands are coming to America
Chinese brands like Luckin Coffee, Pop Mart, and HEYTEA are expanding in the United States, despite the ongoing trade war. CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich and Marc Stewart report from two different continents on why the companies covet American customers.
02:10 - Source: CNN
Metal legend Ozzy Osbourne dies at 76-years-old
Ozzy Osbourne, the hellraising frontman of Black Sabbath and reality TV star, has died aged 76. CNN's Stephanie Elam looks back at the legendary career as the Godfather of Heavy Metal.
03:05 - Source: CNN
Newly uncovered photos show Jeffrey Epstein attended Trump's wedding in 1993
Photos from Trump's 1993 wedding and video footage from 1999 Victoria's Secret fashion show shed light on Trump-Epstein relationship. CNN's Andrew Kaczynski has the story.
01:31 - Source: CNN
Missing child case from 46 years ago reopened
A federal appeals court overturned the verdict of Pedro Hernandez, the bodega worker who was found guilty in 2017 of kidnapping and murdering Etan Patz in 1979. Patz was 6 years old when he disappeared on the first day he was allowed to walk alone to his school bus stop in New York City.
01:50 - Source: CNN
US citizen among Druze executed in Syria
Hosam Saraya, a 35-year-old Syrian-American from Oklahoma, was among eight men, all family members, rounded up and killed in an execution-style attack amid an outbreak of sectarian violence in Syria this month. The violence flared between Syrian Druze groups and Bedouin tribes in the Druze-majority Suwayda province. Video geolocated by CNN shows a group of men, Saraya included, being marched to their death.
02:04 - Source: CNN
Epstein's brother vividly details relationship between Trump and Epstein
Jeffrey Epstein's brother, Mark, tells CNN's Erin Burnett about his brother's 'very close' friendship with Donald Trump in the 1990s.
02:01 - Source: CNN
Stephen Colbert addresses 'The Late Show' cancellation
'Cancel culture has gone too far,' Stephen Colbert told the audience as he began his first post-cancellation episode of 'The Late Show.' The host went on to fire back at Trump's Truth Social post celebrating the announcement by CBS. The episode also featured cameos by late night talk show hosts including Jimmy Fallon, Jon Stewart, John Oliver and Seth Meyers.
01:24 - Source: CNN
Fire tornado rips through Turkish forest
Turkey's forestry ministry has released video of a fire tornado tearing through the country's woodland. Hundreds of wildfires have gripped Turkey this summer, as well as Greece and other Mediterranean countries.
00:33 - Source: CNN
Breonna Taylor's mother speaks out on officer's sentencing
CNN's Laura Coates speaks with Tamika Palmer, Breonna Taylor's mother, about the sentencing of former Louisville police officer Brett Hankison. He was given three years in prison for using excessive force during the deadly 2020 Breonna Taylor raid.
01:45 - Source: CNN
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Los Angeles Times
35 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
El Aliso, the mother tree that stood over L.A. for centuries
At the entrance of the 101 freeway in downtown Los Angeles, a once-revered sycamore tree named El Aliso stood for 400 years before being cut down in 1895. Now, even its commemorative bronze plaque has been stolen. L.A. Times columnist Gustavo Arellano reflects on the tree's powerful legacy and draws a parallel to the city's current struggles—from the Palisades fires and ICE raids to political turmoil. He argues that like El Aliso, L.A. is strong, resilient, and will continue to fight for a hopeful future for all Angelenos.
CNN
44 minutes ago
- CNN
New CNN documentary gives a rare, behind-the-scenes look into Ecuador's deadly drug war
He says he was 18 years old when he first joined a gang in Ecuador a decade ago. Now a senior commander with a wife and kids, the man almost casually acknowledges he's contributing to the deadly drug trade plaguing the country. 'Yes, I'm part of the problem,' he tells CNN's David Culver, agreeing to talk, but only after dark, away from crowds and with his face disguised. 'They gave me everything,' he says of the gang, insisting he joined them out of desperation. Ten years on, he says he won't quit 'because it's a huge economy and no one wants to let go of good business.' Securing conversations like this one meant moving with a compact, tightly coordinated crew, which included CNN producer Abel Alvarado, supervising investigative producer Barbara Arvanitidis, photojournalist Alex Platt and security coordinator Crendon Greenway. Together they navigated gang territory, military raids and remote stretches of ocean to capture the story in a new documentary. In Esmeraldas, a coastal province where cocaine is often imported from Colombia, they spoke to authorities and residents about how the violence has upended daily life. In Los Rios, a region that produces much of Ecuador's banana exports, they visited a plantation to learn how drug traffickers often slip cocaine into the fruit containers after they leave the farm. In the coastal city of Manta, they boarded a military boat to see how authorities are working to stop smugglers at sea before they reach the US and other countries. And in the Galápagos Islands, they saw an ecotourism hotspot that's quietly become a 'gas station' for drug boats. The documentary, executive produced by Susan Chun, gives a rare look at how Ecuador became a narco superhighway. It airs Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on CNN's 'The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper.' Below, Culver and Alvarado, a native of Ecuador, discuss their reporting. Their answers have been edited for clarity and brevity. Culver: We've been covering Ecuador together starting with this surge of violence in early 2024, and that was my first trip, actually, to Ecuador. And I think it kind of caught me off guard in that moment to see what seemed like such a normal and relatable society – something that those of us in the US could kind of just see ourselves in – in the midst of just total chaos and upheaval. How does a country go from being such a paradise, an island of peace, to chaos? And from the outside, it seemed like it all happened in one day. But then, as you begin to pull the threads … you start to realize there's so much more that goes into it. Alvarado: I've been going to Ecuador more for stories than to visit my family lately. And these stories have kept getting bigger and bigger in the past few years. I remember the first story I covered for CNN there, it was protests. It was very internal. A certain group, a sector of the country was angry at the government. But then when the crime starts, we start noticing things that never used to happen there. A presidential candidate was murdered a couple of years ago. That was so unheard of. And I was there for that. Then a couple months later, in January 2024, we had a main criminal leader, gang leader, escape from prison. The next day, we saw gangs retaliating against the president because he declared a state of emergency … Just seeing how this country where I was raised – this beautiful place, very peaceful – and to see it spiral this way has been very hard in my case. And for this documentary, our goal was to capture this situation, and follow the chain of what is happening in this country. Culver: I think when we think of the Galapagos … it's obviously tied with finches and evolution and (Charles) Darwin, but we're starting to see an evolution of a different sort take place. It almost became symbolic, in a very dark way, of what's happening with the people of Ecuador. And one of the things that we intentionally did is try to simplify and humanize the story. And we open up the documentary with a couple in their home, and they clearly have never been exposed to media, let alone international media before. And here they are in a very vulnerable moment, in a very fearful moment, but also a very desperate one, trying to explain their son's disappearance, and the documentary then flows out from there. Alvarado: Ecuador has always had this sense – the military especially – sense of pride, of 'We've got this, we train our soldiers.' It's always been like that. But they were very honest about their needs … And it comes with this new reality that the country is going through. One General (Kleber Guaytarilla, commander of Manabi's Joint Task Force) was very, very open, like, 'We need all the help we can get.' They wanted to show us around some of the equipment they use. And when we got there, they're like, 'Oh, actually, it's not working.' We're seeing the lack of working equipment, the lack of resources that they have. Alvarado: I think it started from even when we were planning. It's a small country … but still, it's not easy to get from point A to point B. And there's always this risk factor for us … And then coordinating and setting up to be able to speak, to match our times with the authorities during a raid, to also be able to have these gang leaders, drug runners open up to us, which I think that's also surprising. We asked ourselves: 'Why would they talk? Why would they risk their security? They're not afraid of the police. They're afraid of other gang members snitching. Why would they do that?' And then the gang member kind of revealed to us, because he wants to explain how the situation in the country leads all these young people to that world … David asked him, 'Why did you get into this?' He says, 'Because they gave me shoes.' Culver: I think when we went into Choneros (gang) territory, that was probably the most uncertain. And to show you how quickly things would move, we would be in the midst of meetings, and this happened at least twice, where we would be speaking with high-level officials, usually with the Navy or the Army, and suddenly we get pulled aside because there'd be a briefing that came in that suggested Intel knew where a suspect was, and then we would mobilize quickly to go there. Alvarado: I was sometimes nervous, even in those quiet moments in certain areas. Cameras, foreigners can catch the attention of locals. And those moments that were quiet, I was kind of like on the lookout. I know that in Guayaquil and in many parts of Latin America, hit men usually operate on motorcycles because it's easy to escape. So, they just get in, and they're like zigzagging through the cars. So, there were moments where I was driving and I would see on the rear view all these motorcycles, just these young men on them, and you just don't trust, you don't know. And that's something I feel when I go back. There's this tension in the air every time I arrive to my country, sadly. And it's just because you feel like you can't trust anyone. Culver: You don't leave a lot of space for idle time there. And that's kind of intentional, even. The fact that – I was learning this from Abel – some of his family members even change up their routines so as to not be too predictable in their everyday life, which I just was struck by. Culver: Much like the US, it depends who you talk to in those circumstances. I mean, the parents of the young man who has disappeared, you can tell that they are impoverished, that they really have few resources. They're trying to raise their other four children. The dad's a security guard, the mom trying to keep the home up. It's incredibly modest. And so, I think there are real struggles of just providing for a family in those types of circumstances. But then you have a middle class, and we saw that in Esmeraldas, where you do have people who go out to restaurants on a Friday night, and want to enjoy the music, and the warm weather, and they try to make life normal, even as military soldiers are parading down in a convoy. And they just seem to have accepted, OK, this is what it's like to live in a war zone, but you're still going to try to live within that war zone, right? You're still going to try to find joy in moments of relaxation. Alvarado: Joaquin, who's a childhood friend of mine, we spoke to in this documentary. We wanted to also include that – what is it like for people who live here? Joaquin is a person who has the resources to live in the US. He works for a company that's based in the US. He makes good money. He could be here, but he because of family, parents, siblings, he chooses to be there. Culver: You begin to realize that the interconnectedness of this crisis is immense, and it's why we're now seeing the US increasingly back involved with what's happening there. And I say back involved because obviously there was a base there up until 2009 with a US military presence. I think our intention is to kind of put this on a map in a broader way, because no doubt we will be hearing sooner than later that the US is getting more and more and more involved. As a viewer, you're going to begin understanding why that is in part because of this narco superhighway that involves drugs, but also how this is likely to end if Ecuador doesn't get the help that they're pleading for. Alvarado: It's putting this small country on the map and to make people understand what life is like there. And Ecuador's internal problem is also fueled by drug consumption in the US, in Europe, in many other places. I'm happy if people learn about the situation there, (and) understand: Oh, wow. It's not just Ecuador. This also involves other countries. But aside from that, I'm also happy for people to learn of its potential. And after – hopefully – after all this violence and drug trafficking, to realize that Ecuador is the Amazon, the Andes, the Galapagos, the Pacific coast – there's more to it.
CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
New CNN documentary gives a rare, behind-the-scenes look into Ecuador's deadly drug war
South America Drugs in society Movies FacebookTweetLink He says he was 18 years old when he first joined a gang in Ecuador a decade ago. Now a senior commander with a wife and kids, the man almost casually acknowledges he's contributing to the deadly drug trade plaguing the country. 'Yes, I'm part of the problem,' he tells CNN's David Culver, agreeing to talk, but only after dark, away from crowds and with his face disguised. 'They gave me everything,' he says of the gang, insisting he joined them out of desperation. Ten years on, he says he won't quit 'because it's a huge economy and no one wants to let go of good business.' Securing conversations like this one meant moving with a compact, tightly coordinated crew, which included CNN producer Abel Alvarado, supervising investigative producer Barbara Arvanitidis, photojournalist Alex Platt and security coordinator Crendon Greenway. Together they navigated gang territory, military raids and remote stretches of ocean to capture the story in a new documentary. In Esmeraldas, a coastal province where cocaine is often imported from Colombia, they spoke to authorities and residents about how the violence has upended daily life. In Los Rios, a region that produces much of Ecuador's banana exports, they visited a plantation to learn how drug traffickers often slip cocaine into the fruit containers after they leave the farm. In the coastal city of Manta, they boarded a military boat to see how authorities are working to stop smugglers at sea before they reach the US and other countries. And in the Galápagos Islands, they saw an ecotourism hotspot that's quietly become a 'gas station' for drug boats. The documentary, executive produced by Susan Chun, gives a rare look at how Ecuador became a narco superhighway. It airs Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on CNN's 'The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper.' Below, Culver and Alvarado, a native of Ecuador, discuss their reporting. Their answers have been edited for clarity and brevity. Culver: We've been covering Ecuador together starting with this surge of violence in early 2024, and that was my first trip, actually, to Ecuador. And I think it kind of caught me off guard in that moment to see what seemed like such a normal and relatable society – something that those of us in the US could kind of just see ourselves in – in the midst of just total chaos and upheaval. How does a country go from being such a paradise, an island of peace, to chaos? And from the outside, it seemed like it all happened in one day. But then, as you begin to pull the threads … you start to realize there's so much more that goes into it. Alvarado: I've been going to Ecuador more for stories than to visit my family lately. And these stories have kept getting bigger and bigger in the past few years. I remember the first story I covered for CNN there, it was protests. It was very internal. A certain group, a sector of the country was angry at the government. But then when the crime starts, we start noticing things that never used to happen there. A presidential candidate was murdered a couple of years ago. That was so unheard of. And I was there for that. Then a couple months later, in January 2024, we had a main criminal leader, gang leader, escape from prison. The next day, we saw gangs retaliating against the president because he declared a state of emergency … Just seeing how this country where I was raised – this beautiful place, very peaceful – and to see it spiral this way has been very hard in my case. And for this documentary, our goal was to capture this situation, and follow the chain of what is happening in this country. Culver: I think when we think of the Galapagos … it's obviously tied with finches and evolution and (Charles) Darwin, but we're starting to see an evolution of a different sort take place. It almost became symbolic, in a very dark way, of what's happening with the people of Ecuador. And one of the things that we intentionally did is try to simplify and humanize the story. And we open up the documentary with a couple in their home, and they clearly have never been exposed to media, let alone international media before. And here they are in a very vulnerable moment, in a very fearful moment, but also a very desperate one, trying to explain their son's disappearance, and the documentary then flows out from there. Alvarado: Ecuador has always had this sense – the military especially – sense of pride, of 'We've got this, we train our soldiers.' It's always been like that. But they were very honest about their needs … And it comes with this new reality that the country is going through. One General (Kleber Guaytarilla, commander of Manabi's Joint Task Force) was very, very open, like, 'We need all the help we can get.' They wanted to show us around some of the equipment they use. And when we got there, they're like, 'Oh, actually, it's not working.' We're seeing the lack of working equipment, the lack of resources that they have. Alvarado: I think it started from even when we were planning. It's a small country … but still, it's not easy to get from point A to point B. And there's always this risk factor for us … And then coordinating and setting up to be able to speak, to match our times with the authorities during a raid, to also be able to have these gang leaders, drug runners open up to us, which I think that's also surprising. We asked ourselves: 'Why would they talk? Why would they risk their security? They're not afraid of the police. They're afraid of other gang members snitching. Why would they do that?' And then the gang member kind of revealed to us, because he wants to explain how the situation in the country leads all these young people to that world … David asked him, 'Why did you get into this?' He says, 'Because they gave me shoes.' Culver: I think when we went into Choneros (gang) territory, that was probably the most uncertain. And to show you how quickly things would move, we would be in the midst of meetings, and this happened at least twice, where we would be speaking with high-level officials, usually with the Navy or the Army, and suddenly we get pulled aside because there'd be a briefing that came in that suggested Intel knew where a suspect was, and then we would mobilize quickly to go there. Alvarado: I was sometimes nervous, even in those quiet moments in certain areas. Cameras, foreigners can catch the attention of locals. And those moments that were quiet, I was kind of like on the lookout. I know that in Guayaquil and in many parts of Latin America, hit men usually operate on motorcycles because it's easy to escape. So, they just get in, and they're like zigzagging through the cars. So, there were moments where I was driving and I would see on the rear view all these motorcycles, just these young men on them, and you just don't trust, you don't know. And that's something I feel when I go back. There's this tension in the air every time I arrive to my country, sadly. And it's just because you feel like you can't trust anyone. Culver: You don't leave a lot of space for idle time there. And that's kind of intentional, even. The fact that – I was learning this from Abel – some of his family members even change up their routines so as to not be too predictable in their everyday life, which I just was struck by. Culver: Much like the US, it depends who you talk to in those circumstances. I mean, the parents of the young man who has disappeared, you can tell that they are impoverished, that they really have few resources. They're trying to raise their other four children. The dad's a security guard, the mom trying to keep the home up. It's incredibly modest. And so, I think there are real struggles of just providing for a family in those types of circumstances. But then you have a middle class, and we saw that in Esmeraldas, where you do have people who go out to restaurants on a Friday night, and want to enjoy the music, and the warm weather, and they try to make life normal, even as military soldiers are parading down in a convoy. And they just seem to have accepted, OK, this is what it's like to live in a war zone, but you're still going to try to live within that war zone, right? You're still going to try to find joy in moments of relaxation. Alvarado: Joaquin, who's a childhood friend of mine, we spoke to in this documentary. We wanted to also include that – what is it like for people who live here? Joaquin is a person who has the resources to live in the US. He works for a company that's based in the US. He makes good money. He could be here, but he because of family, parents, siblings, he chooses to be there. Culver: You begin to realize that the interconnectedness of this crisis is immense, and it's why we're now seeing the US increasingly back involved with what's happening there. And I say back involved because obviously there was a base there up until 2009 with a US military presence. I think our intention is to kind of put this on a map in a broader way, because no doubt we will be hearing sooner than later that the US is getting more and more and more involved. As a viewer, you're going to begin understanding why that is in part because of this narco superhighway that involves drugs, but also how this is likely to end if Ecuador doesn't get the help that they're pleading for. Alvarado: It's putting this small country on the map and to make people understand what life is like there. And Ecuador's internal problem is also fueled by drug consumption in the US, in Europe, in many other places. I'm happy if people learn about the situation there, (and) understand: Oh, wow. It's not just Ecuador. This also involves other countries. But aside from that, I'm also happy for people to learn of its potential. And after – hopefully – after all this violence and drug trafficking, to realize that Ecuador is the Amazon, the Andes, the Galapagos, the Pacific coast – there's more to it.
