31 dead after Ecuador prison riot, officials say
At least 27 inmates were found dead from asphyxiation at a prison in Ecuador where a riot broke out that left four others dead earlier in the day, officials said.
Watch CBS News
At least 27 inmates were found dead from asphyxiation at a prison in Ecuador where a riot broke out that left four others dead earlier in the day, officials said.
Since 2021, Ecuador has experienced growing criminal violence by gangs operating in coordination with Colombian and Mexican cartels involved in drug trafficking.
Loggers were killed after entering Mashco Piro territory in Peru's Amazon, with Indigenous leaders warning that such clashes are inevitable when frontier zones go unpoliced.
Ecuador released a man who survived a U.S. strike on a suspected drug-trafficking vessel after finding no evidence that he had committed a crime, officials said.
The Department of Defense has released footage from Friday's deadly strike on an alleged drug-carrying vessel in the Caribbean Sea. CBS News Pentagon reporter and producer Eleanor Watson has the details.
Police said the Los Lobos gang -- designated a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. -- was suspected of the attack on the judge.
Four men and four women had "signs of torture" with their hands tied together and "their heads covered in black bags," according to a police report.
Clashes between drug gangs claimed at least 17 lives at an Ecuadoran prison, with rampaging inmates beheading and maiming rivals, officials said.
Ecuador has seen violence spiral in recent years as enemy gangs with ties to Mexican and Colombian cartels vie for control.
Scientists have discovered prehistoric insects preserved in amber in South America for the first time.
The attack was the fourth of its kind in recent weeks in the South American country.
The announcement targeting Los Lobos and Los Choneros came after a lethal U.S. military strike against a similarly designated gang in Venezuela.
A similar pool hall massacre took place last month in the southwestern tourist city of General Villamil Playas, leaving at least nine dead.
A shooting at a nightclub in Ecuador on Sunday killed eight people and injured three others in the latest violent incident to hit the spiraling South American country, authorities said.
Local media reports said the attackers were armed with automatic rifles, and bullet holes were visible on the pool tables.
José Adolfo Macías Villamar, whose nickname is "Fito," escaped from a prison in Ecuador last year and was recaptured June.
Adolfo Macias, alias "Fito," was captured in June after escaping from a maximum security prison last year in a jailbreak that sparked a severe wave of gang violence.
Authorities have captured Ecuador's most wanted fugitive, a drug lord known as Fito, after he escaped prison more than a year ago. Cristian Benavides has details.
The inauguration in Quito, the country's capital, was attended by Health Secretary Robert Kennedy, Jr.
The three Peruvians and two Colombians had been missing since mid-March and were found on May 7 by an Ecuadorian boat called Aldo.
The incident occurred amid a state of emergency declared 10 days ago by the government in nine areas of the country.
The kidnappers demanded $500,000 for the release of the wife and son but the family refused to pay, police said.
Footage of the shooting, circulated on social media, showed spectators flinging themselves to the ground and taking cover under their seats.
Ecuador declared a state of emergency Saturday in seven of its 24 provinces, including the capital Quito, saying it was needed to fight a dramatic rise in drug-linked violence.
Ahead of the Ecuadorian presidential elections Sunday, CBS News has learned a U.S. intel assessment favors the incumbent president, viewing him as better for U.S. interests.
The defense secretary is expected to call for a 20% cut in the number of generals and admirals across the U.S. military on Wednesday, a Pentagon official told CBS News.
President Trump and the leaders of the country's largest AI companies signed a set of voluntary safety standards, as calls mount for tighter guardrails on powerful AI technology.
We're getting new insight into how Cornell University Police handled the case of an alleged fraternity gang rape back in 2024.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps published a "letter to the American people" urging them to reconsider President Trump's leadership.
The Supreme Court said in an unsigned order it will hear arguments in the challenge to the Trump administration's third-country-removal policy in December.
Flynn was found guilty of killing his wife, Ashley, in February and attempting to blame the murder on a break-in at their home.
Former special counsel Jack Smith defended his handling of his investigations into President Trump during a Senate hearing that grew contentious at several points.
In a surprising turn in Lindsay Clancy's first hearing since her mistrial in early September, her lawyer, Kevin Reddington, argued that there was no evidence she killed her kids.
Christa Pike is scheduled to die by lethal injection Wednesday in Tennessee. If it proceeds as planned, she would be the first woman executed in Tennessee since at least 1820.
Voters were split between bear 910 and 89 Backpack in the final round of the weeklong contest to see who is the chunkiest bear at Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska.
A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Bureau of Prisons to reinstate a collective bargaining agreement with the agency's union after the bureau's director abruptly terminated it last year.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered institutions like the Military Academy at West Point and the Naval Academy in Annapolis to stop granting tenure to civilian faculty, in his latest change to military higher education.
We're getting new insight into how Cornell University Police handled the case of an alleged fraternity gang rape back in 2024.
Hundreds of data centers are sprouting up across the U.S. over farmland, shrubland and forest, with thousands more on the way, according to the Washington Post.
Hundreds of data centers are sprouting up across the U.S. over farmland, shrubland and forest, with thousands more on the way, according to the Washington Post.
OpenAI says its new agent can schedule meetings, make travel arrangements, debug computer systems and handle other workplace tasks.
The United States has banned nearly $1 billion worth of Canadian imports, including alcoholic beverages, dairy products and motorcycles.
OpenAI said it has chosen not to release its new GPT-6.1 Astra model due to concerns about safety, as industry leaders warn of the risks posed by ever-more-powerful AI technology.
California food manufacturer said it is investigating after a consumer posted a video showing a rodent in a jar of the company's peperoncinis.
A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Bureau of Prisons to reinstate a collective bargaining agreement with the agency's union after the bureau's director abruptly terminated it last year.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered institutions like the Military Academy at West Point and the Naval Academy in Annapolis to stop granting tenure to civilian faculty, in his latest change to military higher education.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to call for a 20% cut in the number of generals and admirals across the U.S. military on Wednesday, a Pentagon official told CBS News.
President Trump and the leaders of the country's largest artificial intelligence companies have signed a set of voluntary safety standards, as calls mount for tighter guardrails on powerful AI technology.
Two Indian citizens are accused of smuggling counterfeit Ozempic to distributors in the U.S. at discounted prices.
Dutch doctors decided to euthanize a child just under the age of 2 under new rules allowing the procedure for children suffering unbearably.
Recent outbreaks of foodborne illness and high-profile recalls have made food safety a concern of voters.
Minutes into a run, Caroline McCaffrey was struck with a massive headache. The resulting medical journey would reveal a family risk for a dangerous condition.
The FDA has warned a major compounding pharmacy that it violated federal law by making copies of blockbuster weight-loss drugs in "inordinate amounts."
In the latest episode of "Healthful," Dr. Jocelyn Wittstein, an orthopedic surgeon at Duke University School of Medicine, discusses what women should know about protecting their bones.
The flight briefly raised concerns of a possible hijacking, prompting Israeli Air Force jets to scramble.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps published a "letter to the American people" urging them to reconsider President Trump's leadership.
Dutch doctors decided to euthanize a child just under the age of 2 under new rules allowing the procedure for children suffering unbearably.
Rubio claims a possible terror plot against a U.K. air base used by U.S. forces "clearly involved" a foreign actor, but there are few facts to support that.
A new analysis of phone calls made on the night of the students' disappearance led to the arrests of 17 new suspects, officials said.
Voters were split between bear 910 and 89 Backpack in the final round of the weeklong contest to see who is the chunkiest bear at Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska.
Caleb Flynn, a pastor and former "American Idol" contestant, was convicted by a jury Tuesday of murdering his wife. CBS News' Lana Zak reports.
Author John Grisham has published over 50 bestselling books. Now, Grisham is breaking into the spy genre with "The French Illusion," which tells the story of a newlywed couple kidnapped in Paris. Grisham joins "CBS Mornings" with more.
Emerging musician and DJ Blu DeTiger started on TikTok and moved on to share the stage with Sabrina Carpenter, Sombr and others. She spoke with "CBS Mornings" about her music, including her upcoming album, "N.Y. Baby."
Some of country music's biggest stars are speaking out against the surge in development of massive data centers, saying the centers have negative impact on the environment and threaten a quieter way of country living. Brad Paisley, Tanya Tucker, Willie Nelson and Gavin Adcock have all said they're against data center development. Adcock joined "CBS Mornings" to share why he's speaking out now.
President Trump said he sees no need for the government to rein in or slow down artificial intelligence development. After meeting with a group of major tech leaders on Tuesday, he stuck with that position. Nancy Cordes has more.
President Trump met with key AI leaders at the White House on Tuesday, with the group signing what Mr. Trump called an AI "constitution" aimed at self-policing and safety. CBS News' Olivia Rinaldi has more.
From labor shortages to environmental impacts, farmers are looking to AI to help revolutionize the agriculture industry. One California startup, Farm-ng, is tapping into the power of AI and robotics to perform a wide range of tasks, including seeding, weeding and harvesting.
President Trump and the leaders of the country's largest artificial intelligence companies have signed a set of voluntary safety standards, as calls mount for tighter guardrails on powerful AI technology.
OpenAI says its new agent can schedule meetings, make travel arrangements, debug computer systems and handle other workplace tasks.
Neuroscientists at Stanford University successfully grew human brain tissue inside mice in the hopes of further enabling the development of treatments for brain disorders. Stanford Medicine professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences Dr. Sergiu Pasca, who led the study, joins CBS News to break down the findings.
Scientists have discovered a new species of wild cat for the first time in more than a century, a Bolivian researcher says.
The footage shows a female humpback whale staying close to the dead calf as it lies motionless on the seafloor, touching it with its head and fin.
Archaeologists say they've discovered the remains of a likely ancient Egyptian warhorse given an honorific burial more than 3,000 years ago.
Artificial intelligence technology is developing at an "exponential" rate, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei told CBS News, calling the situation a "warning sign" for the industry that requires serious safeguards.
The accuser in the alleged Cornell University gang rape told campus authorities she was "100%" sure she was raped just days after the incident, an interview transcript reviewed by CBS News New York shows. CBS News' Lilia Luciano has more.
Caleb Flynn, a former "American Idol" contestant and music pastor, was found guilty of murdering his wife. Ian Lee has details from the court.
CBS News legal contributor Jessica Levinson breaks down why Lindsay Clancy's attorney might have decided now to question whether she committed the killings of her three children during a hearing on the timing of a potential new trial.
British authorities defended their decision to let a group of young men go free, even as investigators look into a suspected terror plot near an air base there that was used by the U.S. military in its war against Iran. Ramy Inocencio reports from London.
Lindsay Clancy was back in court on Tuesday, her first appearance since a mistrial was declared earlier this month. Clancy's attorney argued for the first time that there is no evidence that Clancy killed her three small children, something he did not dispute in her first trial. Shanelle Kaul reports.
NASA says it is committed to helping Boeing get its Starliner back in space after multiple upgrades and improvements.
The Super Heavy-Starship rocket's 14th test flight, the first boosting the upper stage to orbit, marked a major milestone for both SpaceX and NASA.
Scientists have discovered a crater on the moon that's bigger than the Roman Colosseum, the result of a powerful impact two years ago.
NASA's Roman Space Telescope launched shortly after daybreak from Kennedy Space Center and blazed toward an observation point 1 million miles away.
The $4.3 billion telescope is expected to discover tens of thousands of exoplanets while probing the nature of mysterious dark matter and energy.
A look back at the esteemed personalities who've left us this year, who'd touched us with their innovation, creativity and humanity.
Dolly Parton, the country music legend who became a feminist icon, has died at the age of 80. Here is a look back at her life in pictures.
Sylvie Cachay was found dead in an overflowing bathtub at the exclusive Soho House in New York City on Dec. 9, 2010. A water leak at the hotel gave away a timeline that may have revealed her killer.
Summer is the time to enjoy live music, indoors and out. Scroll through our gallery of some of 2026's leading musical acts, featuring images by CBS News photojournalist Jake Barlow and photographers Ed Spinelli and Kirstine Walton.
The Obama Presidential Center, museum and library opens in Chicago with a star-studded grand opening ceremony and public watch party on Midway Plaisance.
Patrick Clancy wrestles with grief and shares memories of his children in his first interview since his ex-wife Lindsay Clancy's murder trial ended without a verdict.
Yalda Moaiery, an Iranian photojournalist who has spent her career documenting life in her home country, was sentenced to 15 years in prison in connection with her work. CBS News' Courtney Kealy has the details.
The accuser in the alleged Cornell University gang rape told campus authorities she was "100%" sure she was raped just days after the incident, an interview transcript reviewed by CBS News New York shows. CBS News' Lilia Luciano has more.
Christopher Swartz, former acting chief of ethics law at the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, joins "The Daily Report" to discuss the controversy over a series of new White House television ads paid for by taxpayers.
Caleb Flynn, a former "American Idol" contestant and music pastor, was found guilty of murdering his wife. Ian Lee has details from the court.