NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Saturday, December 14, 2024

Episode Date: December 15, 2024

On the hunt for mystery drones; CEO murder suspect gets a new, high-profile lawyer; President-elect Trump attends Army-Navy game with political allies; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, unidentified drone mystery. Why so many drones and so little information about them? What federal agencies revealed today. An airport shut down after a swarm of drones breached the airspace. The federal government sending more aircraft detection devices to the region. And our team with police overnight searching for drones in the skies. That's moving really fast. Exactly. That's three in a row. A new high-powered attorney for the alleged CEO killer. What she said about his case

before she was hired. New details on what his mother told law enforcement. Plus the online fundraiser to pay for his legal bills. President-elect Trump at today's Army-Navy game, showing full support for his embattled pick

for defense secretary and the $15 million settlement he just won. Nancy Pelosi airlifted to a military hospital in Europe. What we know about her health emergency. NBC News exclusive. Jay-Z's accuser speaks out. It was the word of two celebrities against mine. The inconsistencies in the story she told us that have Jay-Z's lawyers saying the case should be thrown out.

And is time up for daylight saving time? What President-elect Trump is now promising. This is NBC Nightly News with Jose Diaz-Balart. Good evening. As the sightings of mystery drones grows to more states beyond just New Jersey and New York, the federal government is under increasing pressure to do something about it. Today, the National Security Council, made up of multiple federal agencies, including the FAA and the Department of Homeland Security, briefed the press on what they're doing and what they believe people are spotting

in the skies. One FBI official saying that all large, fixed-wing reported sightings have been manned aircraft. That official described the concerns of dangerous drones as a, quote, slight overreaction. But for residents who have been seeing these objects flying in the sky for weeks now, they still want more answers and more to be done. Our Maya Eaglin was out overnight with police as they tracked the drones. Tonight, New Jersey on high alert for drones and other unidentifiable flying aircrafts like this one. Oh, what's that?

In the past few days, videos of unidentified flying objects cropping up in the skies over other states like Virginia, Maryland and even California. In New York Street Airport, 60 miles north of New York City, had to shut down its runways for an hour last night because of drone activity. Governor Kathy Hochul saying this has gone too far and called on Congress and the Biden administration to take action. In a phone call with media today, administration officials repeated that the objects do not pose any threat to the public. According to an FBI official on that call, they've received approximately 5,000 reports, but fewer than 100 of them have warranted further investigation. Most can be explained either as private recreation drones or fixed-wing airplanes,

nor is there any indication of any foreign-based involvement. One official summing up their conclusions by saying, I think there has been a slight overreaction. But officials say they will be sending New Jersey upgraded detection technology to help monitor the skies. But whatever they may be, New Jersey Congressman Chris Smith says enough is enough. For weeks, we've asked for the truth and action to mitigate any and all threats to people and property. Now, we are demanding it.

We spent the evening in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, with the Ocean County Sheriff's Department and other curious residents surveying the beach. Realistically, once we find out where they're coming from or where they're going, I have a better idea of who's doing it. Anthony D'Amico is a detective with the Ocean County Sheriff's Office. I'm trying to get a flight map pulled up. He sent up a surveillance drone with a thermal camera attached. In just minutes, we saw what appeared to be several objects flying extremely fast.

What about that? Exactly. That's moving really fast. Exactly. That's three in a row. Whether it's a foreign adversary, the U.S. military, or just copycats pulling a prank, the sheriff's office wants answers too. What's your message to the public who's feeling kind of frustrated with the lack of information right now? I feel like everybody's kind of on the same page. We're all feeling a little frustrated that no one has any answers. Residents in this nearby beach town were also on the hunt. How do you tell it's not a plane?

If you see it hovering, if you see it moving in an erratic way. Listening for the jet engines, things like that, to try to eliminate things that are potentially airplanes or military aircraft. I feel frustrated. I mean, I think we deserve answers. With little clarity as to what these objects are, folks continue to look up into the sky. And Maya Eaglin joins us now from Teaneck, New Jersey, where there have also been drone reports. Maya, what are federal officials saying about the reported sightings in other parts of the country? Jose, an FBI official saying that there is no confirmation that the sightings here in New Jersey are related to any other sightings in other parts of the country.

Jose. Maya Eaglin in New Jersey, thank you. There are new developments in the murder case against Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing the UnitedHealthcare CEO. He now has a new high-profile lawyer on the case, and we're getting new details on what his life is like inside prison. Priscilla Thompson reports. Accused murderer Luigi Mangione has a new lawyer, high-power defense attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo, who worked as a chief assistant district attorney in the Manhattan DA's office for more than seven years. The evidence is going to be so overwhelming that he did what he did. Agnifilo declined NBC News' interview requests, but appeared on CNN earlier this week before becoming Mangione's

attorney, laying out her thoughts about a defense strategy. He was brilliant his whole life. He comes from this great family. I mean, something changed, right? Significantly something changed. And they're going to, I think, potentially have a not guilty by reason of insanity potential defense. How rare is it now for someone to try to mount an insanity defense? It's a huge risk because the defendant has to admit that he is the one who committed the crime. NBC News legal analyst Danny Savalos is a practicing criminal defense attorney in New York. Sometimes the only option for a defense attorney is put the government to its burden, make them prove their case and hope they make a mistake. When Mangione will be moved to New York to face charges there remains unclear.

Tonight, he's locked down in this Pennsylvania prison. He eats three meals per day, taking all of them in his cell, a 15 by six foot concrete box like this, with a bed, sink, toilet, desk, and a window, with no access to TV for now. No word on if Mangione's family has been able to see him. But two sources familiar with the matter tell NBC News authorities spoke with his mother the night before he was arrested, showing her photos of the suspect, his mother acknowledging that it could be her son. And Priscilla joins me now from outside the Pennsylvania prison where Mangione is being held. Priscilla, we've also been seeing signs of support for Mangione's defense online. Yeah, Jose, there's actually an online fundraiser for Mangione that has already raised more than $100,000. That support expressed by some online is what part of what has authorities so concerned

about possible copycat crimes. Jose. Priscilla Thompson in Pennsylvania. Thank you. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been airlifted to a U.S. military hospital in Germany following a medical emergency. The 84-year-old took a fall yesterday during a congressional trip in Luxembourg. She was then airlifted to Landstuhl Medical Center, where she underwent hip replacement surgery. No word yet on when she'll be able to travel back to the United States. President-elect Trump brought politics to the football field for today's Army-Navy game

with a very public show of support for some of his embattled cabinet nominees. Aaron Gilchrist has the latest. Tonight, President-elect Donald Trump making a cameo at the annual Army-Navy football game, surrounded by the House Speaker and the incoming Vice President and Senate Majority Leader, and some of his more controversial cabinet picks, Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's choice for National Intelligence Director, and Pete Hegseth, the former Fox News host and Army National Guard veteran who Trump chose for Secretary of Defense.

A high-profile show of support for Hegseth, whose selection has been challenged by allegations of excessive drinking and sexual assault, both of which he denies. Trump previously confirming his support for Hegseth in an interview last week with NBC's Kristen Welker. Do you still have confidence in Pete Hegseth? Yes, I do. I really do. He's a very smart guy. Trump's renewed backing, a boost for Hegseth, who has spent many days since his selection in one-on-one sessions with senators he will need to win over. And breaking late today, court filings showing a settlement has been reached between ABC, ABC News, anchor George Stephanopoulos, and President-elect Trump. ABC agreeing to make a $15 million donation to a future Trump Presidential

Foundation and Museum, pay $1 million to cover legal fees, and publish a statement of regret to settle a defamation lawsuit Trump filed against ABC, ABC News, and Stephanopoulos in March. Stephanopoulos said on air that Trump had been found liable for rape in the E. Jean Carroll case when in fact Trump had been found civilly liable for sexual abuse. And Aaron, what are we hearing tonight from ABC News and the Trump transition team on this settlement? Well, Jose, the Trump team is referring us back to the court filing. A spokesperson for ABC News said, quote, we are pleased that the parties have reached an agreement to dismiss the lawsuit. Jose? Aaron Giltris, thank you.

And now to breaking news from Syria and an inside look at the secret drug labs that help fuel and fund Bashar al-Assad's brutal regime. Matt Bradley toured one today. Tonight, a week after Bashar al-Assad fled Syria, it's Russia's turn to prepare to withdraw. Satellite images showed Russian forces, the backbone of Assad's brutal dictatorship for nearly 10 years, packing up heavy weapons at two major bases near the country's west coast. Throughout Syria, celebrations for the fall of Assad and the pillars that once propped up his regime. Like this factory on the outskirts of Damascus.

It wasn't so long ago that this place was making potato chips, and then the old regime took it over and turned it into a factory for narcotics. As Syria's economy collapsed during its nearly 14-year-long civil war, the Assad regime relied on drugs as a source of foreign currency. This is Captagon. It's basically like methamphetamine. It would be just as much at home at a nightclub as on a battlefield. Ahmed, a rebel field commander, told me this industry destroyed a whole generation, just so Assad can earn as much money as possible.

Whoa. All right, so he's saying all of this is ready for export. This is Captagon. It's hidden inside this, you know, fake box to basically transport what looks like wires. But it's all drugs, fueling the Assad regime's narco state. During our visit, the original factory owner turned up. Like many Syrians, he's just returned from exile abroad. So he says that now that he's back, he's planning on developing the factory again and turning it

into what it did before, which was making chips and chocolates and snacks. Hope for renewal, like so much else in this new Syria. A lot of anxiety about the future. That factory owner has to completely rebuild like so many other Syrians. I can also tell you that folks here, most of them are absolutely ecstatic. Jose? Matt Bradley in Damascus, thank you. And join Kristen Welker tomorrow morning for Meet the Press. She'll be speaking exclusively to the mother of Austin Tice, the American missing in Syria for more than a decade.

Coming up, an NBC News exclusive, Jay-Z's accuser speaking out and the inconsistencies NBC News found in her story. We are back with an NBC News exclusive interview with a woman who alleges rappers Jay-Z and Sean Diddy Combs raped her. But after our team vetted some of the claims she made in the interview, she admitted to some mistakes in her story. And Jay-Z is now pushing to get the case thrown out. But she still stands by her story. Chloe Malas reports. Tonight, Jay-Z fighting back against a rape accusation. His attorney filing a letter to the judge to dismiss the rape lawsuit against his client, citing an NBC News exclusive that found

inconsistencies with the accuser's story. You should always advocate for yourself. It comes after our interview with a 38-year-old mother from Alabama who accuses Sean Diddy Combs and Sean Jay-Z Carter of raping her when she was 13 years old. She asked us not to reveal her identity. What made you want to come forward? Because I think that I've been quiet long enough. She says she went to the MTV Video Music Awards in 2000. The woman says she spoke to Combs' limo driver, who offered her a ride to an after-party. She says at the party, she spoke to musician Benji Madden and his brother. I'm talking to Benji Madden about his tattoo. It's the last supper.

In a statement to NBC News, a representative for the Maddens confirmed that they did not attend the 2000 VMAs and that they were on tour in the Midwest at that time. At the after party, she says she had a drink that made her feel woozy. Then she says Combs and Carter both raped her. She says she ran to a gas station where she called her father, who picked her up. We wrote home in silence. She didn't ask me what happened. In an interview with NBC News, her father said he could not verify the claims. I feel like I would remember that, and I don't, he said. When we asked the woman about the contradictions in a phone interview on Friday,

she said she stands by her statements. I have made some mistakes, she said, in remembering what happened 24 years ago. Honestly, what is the clearest is what happened to me. In a statement to NBC News, Sean Carter said this incident didn't happen. True justice is coming. We fight from victory, not for victory. A representative for Combs called the suit a shameless money grab. Is any part of you scared coming out against such powerful people? I'm scared of what could happen, but I'm more afraid of letting it eat me alive from the inside out. Chloe Malas, NBC News. Still ahead, could the sun be setting on daylight saving time? The biggest backer yet of the movement to end it.

A police chase in Massachusetts took a strange twist when a suspect got stuck in a chimney. Police near Boston chasing the man when he tried to escape down a chimney. You can see him wedged in there. It was all caught on police body cam. The fire department had to come and chip away at the bricks inside the home until they finally pulled them out. The daylight saving time debate is back. It's been tried before, but now President-elect Trump is promising he'll work to end it. Sam Brock has details. In a day and age when most Americans agree on very little, President-elect Donald Trump appears to have struck a chord and shined a light on something that most people fully endorse,

that daylight saving time has to go. And it's already starting to get dark. I hate you, daylight savings time. The practice of springing our clocks forward one hour in March and falling back one hour in November, originally to save energy, has long been a thorn in the side for many. It's 5 p.m. and I'm dead serious contemplating just going straight to bed. Like, why? JP, a software engineer from Phoenix, Arizona, who lives in one of the few states which keeps standard time year-round, says permanent standard time would do wonders for everything from earning potential to more sleep. We're sleeping an average of 19 minutes less every single night that we remain on daylight

saving time. So this would increase the duration and quality of our sleep year-round. The latest long-shot effort to keep the clocks consistent comes after the president-elect posted this to Truth Social. The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate daylight saving time, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn't. Something Americans all over the country want to never have to change their clocks again. In 2022, the Senate did pass a bill making daylight saving time permanent when sunrises get later. That's a little different from what the president-elect appears to be championing, which is to ditch daylight saving

altogether and go back to standard time, which resets in the fall when sunrises get later and sunsets earlier. That's also what the American Medical Association supports, citing higher risks of cardiovascular events, mood disorders, and even car crashes. Losing one hour of sleep can actually have significant detrimental impacts on your health. As our country can potentially find a strong connection on hating this daylight saving status quo. Sam Brock, NBC News. When we come back, there's good news tonight about the Army veteran who turned a flight delay into a holiday sing-along. There's good news tonight. You know, so often the good news doesn't get as much attention as the bad.

So every Saturday we highlight the many people who spread joy and love. These are just some of those stories this week. Christmas is in the air. That's Army veteran and musician Wayne Hoy. Lifting spirits aboard a recently delayed flight out of Atlanta. Even giving the tiniest travelers a reason to dance.

Music just brings a smile to everybody's face. With all the crazy stuff going on, it's nice to be able to just share a little joy. That's Luis Sanchez Mendia. Thanking Florida nurse Allison Sikamore. Allison was getting gas at the Chevron where Luis works when he said he had chest pain. She checked his heart, urging him to go to the hospital. Now, after open-heart surgery, Luis says he's blessed by this second chance. She gave me one more opportunity.

Three, two, one! The holiday celebration started early for kids at Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital in Missouri. Firefighters putting on a light show, giving Santa a boost up so the kids inside could get a closer look. The crowds below singing their hearts out. Jimmy Williams is a former patient who came back this season to bring some holiday cheer. I think it really just shows that other people really do care about what you're going through

and you're not alone. And talk about a field of dreams. The Green Bay Packers honoring military mom Leanne Bodewine during a recent game. She founded a group called Support the Troops Wisconsin, sending about 17,000 care packages to our troops overseas during the past 17 years. Leanna, why do you do this? I just couldn't imagine going to mail call and being that one person that didn't get a care package. I get these amazing thank you notes telling me that what I did was important to them. When they are the ones that we are thanking with these care packages. And I'm grateful every day that my kids came home. I guess it's fair to say that you're no secret, Santa.

You're the real deal. I'm very honored to be able to do this. So if I can send them a little something that will make their Christmas a little nicer, knowing that they're away from their family, that's why you do it. And we want to wish all our troops, wherever they may be, a very happy holiday season.

Merry Christmas. That's NBC Nightly News for this Saturday. Holly Jackson will be here tomorrow night. I'm Jose Diaz-Balart. Thank you for the privilege of your time, and good night.