NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Sunday, December 8, 2024

Episode Date: December 9, 2024

Rebels take control of Syria, Assad flees country; New photos of a person of interest in CEO murder as manhunt widens; President-elect Trump speaks exclusively with NBC News’ Kristen Welker; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, new headlines here at home and overseas with the toppling of Syria's dictator and the new images of a person of interest in that CEO killing. Celebrations in Syria after rebel fighters took down the government. The country's leader, Bashar al-Assad, escaping to Russia. Rebels raiding his palace. But what comes next? The U.S. carrying out dozens of strikes on more than 75 ISIS targets inside Syria today. What the upheaval means for the hundreds of American troops inside the country.

It's also a moment of risk and uncertainty. And what it means for the American held hostage there. New images tonight. The person of interest in the CEO murder case. The moment when he caught a cab after the killing. Scuba teams searching a pond in Central Park today for the gun. Plus, the surprise police found in a backpack. Monopoly money. Is he signaling something or is this kind of a diversion for investigators? An NBC News exclusive. our Kristen Welker, one-on-one with President-elect Trump, his new plan for mass deportations,

whether he wants Liz Cheney prosecuted, and will he pardon the January 6th rioters? New sightings of those mysterious big drones, the size of small cars, swarming over New Jersey, and the police now taking to the air themselves to try to figure out what's happening. And as Notre Dame finally reopens its doors this weekend, we will introduce you to the carpenters and artists who rebuilt the cathedral,

now using a different tool to celebrate it, their voices. This is NBC Nightly News with Hallie Jackson. Good evening. We begin tonight with the new fallout after the dramatic collapse of the Assad regime in Syria, with the rebel groups that forced out the country's dictator, capturing the capital of Damascus, setting off celebrations across the country today. You heard it there. You can see it here. Statues toppling, people jumping on top of them.

Elsewhere, rebels appearing to release prisoners from their cells. The country's now former leader, Bashar al-Assad, believed to have escaped to Russia, finding safe haven with the Kremlin. As we're learning late today of the new U.S. airstrikes inside Syria meant to keep ISIS from trying to step into any leadership vacuum. Tonight, so many questions about what happens from here, including for the U.S., which has hundreds of troops stationed inside Syria. We have team coverage tonight, starting with Raf Sanchez. Tonight, scenes of triumph across Syria as rebel forces

celebrate their stunning victory over the Assad regime. More than 50 years of dictatorship by one family ended in a two-week lightning advance by rebel fighters. Tonight, those fighters shooting open the doors of regime prisons, freeing political prisoners, including women and children, while the marble halls of a tyrant's palace echo with the cries of ordinary people. But Syria's ousted President Bashar al-Assad evading capture, fleeing to Moscow with his family, according to Russian state media. The uprising against him began peacefully in 2011, with calls for democracy, dignity and reform, but mutated into a pitiless civil war after Assad

turned his guns on his own people. For years, that bloody strategy seemed to work. But with his Russian backers bogged down in Ukraine and allies Iran and Hezbollah weakened fighting Israel, the rebel attack revealed a brittle regime that quickly collapsed. The rebel's main leader speaking tonight from a historic mosque in the capital, promising a government for all Syrians, regardless of sect. Some minority groups, though, frightened at how the Islamist fighters will govern. They were once part of al-Qaeda and still considered a terrorist group by the U.S. But for much of Syria, hope. Now I can understand that my children will not be raised under oppression. Abdelkafe Alhamdo and his family survived years of regime

bombardment. This was the moment he saw his father for the first time in two decades, reunited after the front lines collapsed. We're free, Syria! We're free people! So much emotion there tonight.

Raf joins us now. And Raf, what happens in Syria has a hugely significant impact on the rest of the region, including where you are in Israel. That's right, Hallie. Israel now saying it has deployed troops inside of Syria in a bid to prevent the conflict there spilling over into Israeli-controlled territory. Hallie. Raf Sanchez, thank you. in a bid to prevent the conflict there spilling over into Israeli-controlled territory. Ali. Raf Sanchez, thank you.

Nearly 1,000 U.S. troops are based in Syria, with the country a haven for terror groups that target Americans. Now, late today, the U.S. military says it struck 75 terror targets across Syria. Ali Rafa has the latest from the White House. At long last, the Assad regime has fallen. Tonight, President Biden reacting to the fall of the Assad regime and quick military action in Syria. Just today, U.S. forces conducted a dozen of precision strikes. Those strikes hitting more than 75 ISIS targets, including camps, leaders and operatives. The White House hoping to prevent

a resurgence by the terror group in the region. We're clear-eyed about the fact that ISIS will try to take advantage of the vacuum. We will not let that happen. The president committing to protecting the roughly 900 U.S. troops he says will remain in the country while offering a blueprint of future U.S. support. I'll send senior officials from my administration to the region as well to establish a transition away from the Assad regime. Despite this, the president expressing cautious optimism after the rebel takeover of Syria. It's a moment of historic opportunity. While making clear the country's future is still uncertain,

acknowledging the connection between the rebels and terrorist groups. Make no mistake, some of the rebel groups that took down Assad have their own grim record of terrorism and human right abuses. Mr. Biden also committing to securing the release of Austin Tice, an American journalist and Marine veteran kidnapped in Syria more than a decade ago. We believe he's alive. We think we can get him back. We have to identify where he is. Tice's family, who had criticized the Biden administration for not doing more, hopeful tonight the fall of the Assad regime creates an opportunity to bring Austin home.

We are hopefully and prayerfully and joyfully waiting to get the news that Austin is walking free today. Ali Rafa is joining us now from outside the White House. Ali, what do we know about how the incoming Trump administration may handle Syria? Well, President-elect Trump agrees with President Biden opposing any more U.S. military involvement in Syria. Ali? Ali Rafa, thank you. New clues tonight in the stunning murder case captivating the country. Police releasing new photos, even searching in a second state now for the person who shot and killed the CEO of America's biggest health insurance company.

Tom Winter is tracking all of it for us tonight. Tonight, two new photos of a man police are calling a person of interest in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a midtown Manhattan street. They're from a taxi cab, the same cab police say he took to a bus terminal after the murder, before the trail went cold. Police saying they think he's left New York City. Those photos? The latest images of the man police have been tracking since last Wednesday, including at the Manhattan hostel where he stayed, a stop at Starbucks, and then near Central Park. That's where this weekend police found new evidence.

A backpack they believe belongs to the suspect. The case taking a strange twist when they revealed what was inside. A jacket and and monopoly money. Retired FBI agent Rob D'Amico told me that could be a message to investigators. Do you see something that seems to come out of left field, like the monopoly money? What do you take from that? You look at it and you're like, was some purpose of that? Or was it literally something so benign that it wasn't even part of it?

Like, why monopoly money? What would bring it to it? Today, elite NYPD scuba teams back in the park, scouring the ponds for evidence. The weapon, still missing. The investigation, now expanding nearly a thousand miles away to Georgia. Our Kathy Park is there. Authorities say the investigation is widening to places like Atlanta, expanding nearly a thousand miles away to Georgia. Our Kathy Park is there. Authorities say the investigation is widening to places like Atlanta, where officials say they're looking for clues at bus stations. They believe the suspected shooter could have come through here before heading to New York.

Senior law enforcement officials say they still don't know the suspect's ID. One of the tools they're using comes from the NYPD's facial recognition unit. We have cameras over here. Darren Porcher is a former NYPD lieutenant who used to work near the bus terminal where the suspect was last seen. We have cameras across the street. But you have to take into consideration the average citizen in New York doesn't have an expectation of privacy when they're in public because the average citizen is photographed the videotape 100 to 200 times a day the murder mystery captivating the nation now deepening he hasn't been caught yet how much harder is this going to get it's going to get tough it's going to get to the point where you now can you can open up the entire east coast he may be even traveling

further tom is joining us now from outside that Midtown Manhattan hotel where the shooting happened. So, Tom, once police do match a name to the pictures here, how quickly could they move in for an arrest? Well, police experts say, Hallie, that even if they get a name for that suspect, they'll have to go out and get him, of course, and then they'll have a lot of work to do to match the evidence to the suspect in this case. Hallie, that could take a while. Tom Winter, thank you. To our NBC News exclusive now with President-elect Donald Trump, his first broadcast television interview since winning back the White House. Moderator of Meet the Press, Kristen Welker, talked with the president-elect and joins us now.

Kristen, he was clear about what he wanted to do on day one, but he also left some gray area as it relates to the potential targeting of his perceived political enemies. Hallie, that's right. We talked about that and more, covering everything from pardons for those who attacked the Capitol on January 6th to his support for Ukraine to whether tariffs would raise prices for Americans. And I asked him about his campaign promise to carry out mass deportations. You've talked about prioritizing people who have criminal histories. Correct. But is it your plan to deport everyone who is here illegally over the next four years? Well, I think you have to do it. And it's a it's a very tough thing to do. It's but you have to have you know, you have rules,

regulations, laws. They came in illegally. You know, the people that have been treated very unfairly are the people that have been online for 10 years to come into the country. When asked about members of the January 6th committee. Honestly, they should go to jail. So you think Liz Cheney should go to jail? For what? Everyone on the committee. I think everybody, anybody that voted in favor. Are you going to direct your FBI director and your attorney general to send them to jail? For what they did? Everyone on the committee, I think everybody, anybody that voted in favor. Are you going to direct your FBI director and your attorney general to send them to jail? Not at all. I think that they'll have to look at that. But I'm not going to I'm going to focus on drill, baby. When you say that, it carries weight, though, you know, you've tapped these people to lead the Justice Department and FBI can do whatever they want. But the president

elect says he is looking to pardon people convicted for their actions on January 6th. We're looking at it right now, most likely. Yeah, I'm going to look at everything. We're going to look at individual cases. Okay. But I'm going to be acting very quickly. Within your first 100 days, first day? First day.

First day. Yeah, I'm looking first day. Mr. Trump also signaling a major shift in U.S.. First day. First day. Yeah, I'm looking for the day. Mr. Trump also signaling a major shift in U.S. policy toward Ukraine. Should Ukraine prepare for less aid from the United States after you're sworn into office? Probably. You said you can end the war in 24 hours. You've even said you want to try to end it before you're sworn into office. I'm trying to. You're actively trying to. I am. Have you talked to President Putin? No, I have not. You haven't talked to President Putin since you've been elected? No. Well, I don't want to say that, but I haven't spoken to him recently.

So you've spoken to President Putin since you've been elected? I don't want to say that. I don't want to say anything about that because I don't want to do anything that could impede the negotiation. And Kristen, tariffs have been another day one promise from President-elect Trump. Did you get the sense in your conversation that he will actually slap those new tariffs on some of our closest trading partners like Canada and Mexico? Or is this more of a negotiating tactic for him? It's a great question. He didn't rule out the possibility that they could be a negotiating tactic. The other interesting thing, Hallie, I asked him whether he can guarantee that if he does, in fact, move forward with tariffs, that prices won't go up for Americans.

He couldn't guarantee it, but he said his goal is to lower prices. Hallie, Kristen Welker with that exclusive interview. Thanks very much for being with us. Still ahead tonight, the growing mystery over big drones flying over New York and New Jersey, how the police are now trying to chase after them. We're back with the growing questions tonight about those big drones spotted flying at night over New York and New Jersey, with police now on a high-tech hunt of their own to try and track them down. George Solis reports. It's looping around the area. Tonight, the investigation into reports of small car-sized drones hovering over New York and New Jersey is deepening.

Oh, it's slowing down. Tonight, authorities in Toms River, New Jersey, launching their own drone offensive for a closer look. Their eye in the sky, capturing one of the drones in motion. You're not targeting or going after them, so to speak. Is there a methodology and reason why? Well, right now, we just want to identify what it is. The way it was explained, they're two feet bigger than our drones, or two times the size, rather. So they're about four feet. And it looks like it's a fixed wing type craft. What concerns us mostly is that at this point, nobody's seen any of these units taking off or landing. This is a significant threat to U.S. national security. Retired four-star general and NBC News military analyst Barry McCaffrey tells NBC News there's good reason why local and federal agencies are treading carefully.

When you see something of this capacity, you wonder why it would be needed. What are they doing? It implies a heavy payload, and a heavy payload would be either something dangerous, a bomb, but in this case, surveillance of some sort. Look what's back again, same spot as last night. Meanwhile, more sightings of the large drones continue to proliferate social media. New Jersey resident Michael Marciano capturing these images on Saturday. Coming right above my house. The FBI not commenting on the drone activity to NBC News, but setting up a tip line for people to report any sightings.

It's moving really fast now. Growing concern as the mystery in the sky continues. George Solis, NBC News, Toms River, New Jersey. When we come back, there is good news tonight. The workers who rebuilt Notre Dame Cathedral reuniting, this time in song. There is good news tonight in Paris, where the historic Notre Dame Cathedral reopened with a breathtaking ceremony. This is the moment doors opened five years after a devastating fire nearly destroyed the sacred space. Today, the cathedral invited in worshipers for its first Sunday mass.

As part of the reopening, the word merci, thank you, you see it there, lit up across the outside in gratitude to the firefighters who saved what they could of the building. And tonight, a moment for the workers who brought Notre Dame back to life, now ready to reenter the church, not to fix it, but to fill it with song. They are carpenters, artists, and engineers. They are the craftsmen who brought light and life back to Notre Dame. Now putting down their tools and lifting up their voices. Some 80s strong. They're called the Notre Dame Companions Choir, rehearsing at a different church, now set to perform inside the cathedral this week for the very first time. It was a passion project for chief archaeologist Stephanie Duchesne, who co-founded the group two years ago.

I thought maybe a choir could be the analogy of what we've done to show to people that we are a group of very different people, but we are all singing together in harmony to celebrate the reopening. That spirit of celebration, meaningful to Felicia Lamprecht, who helped restore Notre Dame's charred artwork. We feel the energy, yes, the energy which unites us in this piece. For stonemason Philippe Giraud, the choir, a symbol of strength and beauty. In the choir, there are architects singing, carpenters, a lady, she does stained glass, and others, they do paintings. And all together, we can share something, which is music.

A symbol of hope following a fire that destroyed this sacred space, but never its soul. And be sure to watch our special documentary on Notre Dame's path to reopening out of the ashes, the comeback of Notre Dame, available now on NBC News dot com and our NBC News YouTube channel. That's nightly news for this Sunday. Lester will be back tomorrow. But just ahead, Sunday night football is next with the Chargers taking on the Chiefs. I'm Hallie Jackson for all of us here at NBC News, thanks for watching and have a great week.