Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, December 9, 2024

Episode Date: December 10, 2024

Tonight's Top Story has the latest breaking news, political headlines, news from overseas and the best NBC News reporting from across the country and around the world.

Good evening. I'm Ellison Barber in for Tom Yamis. A press conference late today revealing new details about the suspect arrested in Pennsylvania wanted in connection to the killing of the United Health Care CEO. 26-year-old Luigi Mangione was arraigned on felony weapons charges. You can see him here in handcuffs. He is in Pennsylvania in this video. We have just learned Mangione has been charged with two felonies and three misdemeanors tied to a gun and fake ID allegedly found on him when he was taken into custody this morning. The arrest happening at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after an employee tipped off police. Let's bring in NBC's Stephanie Goss, who is in Altoona tonight. Stephanie, walk us through what stood out to you from

that press conference. What did we learn from officials there that was new? Sure, Alison, most notably was the fact that the arresting officer was just six months on the job of police officer when he was called to this McDonald's this morning around 9 a.m. or so, there was an employee here that recognized Mangione, you know, those pictures have been circulating, thought he looked suspicious and called police here. The officer and his partner arriving on the scene, what he described in that press conference, is coming in, starting to talk to Luigi Mangione, asking him to pull down a medical mask that he was wearing. He says, he and his partner immediately knew that that's who they were looking at. And they asked him

if he had been in New York City recently. And when they asked him that question, he became nervous and started to shake. He also, we are told from law enforcement, showed a fake New Jersey ID. And that fake New Jersey ID was the same one that was shown by the person of interest at the hostel in New York City when he checked in. It was among a number of things that they found on him, a number of fake IDs, a laptop that he was working on. He also had clothes that were similar to the shooter's clothes and most importantly, perhaps, a gun

and what they were calling a suppressor that looked like the weapon used in the shooting five days ago in Midtown. Manhattan. All of this being pulled together, but it's important to make the point that he has not been charged yet with the murder of Brian Thompson and the CEO of United Health Care. He's being held on those weapons charges, as well as lying to police about his identity, Alison. Yeah, that's right. So again, for viewers at home, he is currently charged in Pennsylvania with two felonies, three misdemeanors. Those two felonies are forgery in the second degree, presumably related to a false identification, as well as a firearms count, carrying without a license

in the third degree in terms of those misdemeanors. They are tampering with government records or identification, possessions of an instrument, meaning a weapon, as well as a false ID. We are told from our team inside of that courtroom there was no plea. He was only asked if he understood the charges, and he said he did. Stephanie, one thing that also stood out to me in that press conference was hearing police there talk about what happens next. extradition to New York and the possibility of Luigi Mangione deciding to waive his extradition rights. Walk us through what could happen here next. New York police, they are in Altoona trying to question him, right? Yeah, as a matter of fact, while we were standing here, we saw

motorcade go zooming by, that was the NYPD with lights flashing. They are here. They're going to question him. They're going to, if they're going to charge them, they may do that soon. But there has to be a process that has to be held. You know, as you mentioned, he is charged with a number of crimes here in Pennsylvania. So there will be an extradition process. There is also a hearing that he is scheduled to have December 23rd. So Luigi Mangione is not leaving Pennsylvania any time soon, and they certainly aren't going to let him out of jail, that's for sure. And Stephanie, in terms of how he ended up in Al-Tuna, walk us through what police say they think he did in the days after, allegedly, if he is, in fact, the person New York has been looking for, the New York

Police Department, what he did during his time in Pennsylvania and where they think he may have gone? Well, Alison, we knew from law enforcement officials that he, the day of the murder of CEO Brian Thompson, that the person of interest went to a bus station in northern Manhattan, and then they lost the trail, according to what they said. publicly. So they believed, it certainly would lead someone to believe that he took a bus from that bus station over the GW Bridge, which leads to New Jersey and eventually to Pennsylvania, the governor in this press conference saying he went to Philadelphia, that he then went to

Pittsburgh, and then that he came to Altoona. They didn't give any details and what a lot of people were asking that press conference about where he might have stayed and where he may have gone over that period of time. I mean, you're talking about five-fold days. And one of the most remarkable things about this case was that it took as long as it did to find him. The police in New York City saying they did not have an identity. But what they did say today is that those photos that were released, and they released quite a few, but particularly the ones of him in the hostel where you could see his face, that those were critical to making an arrest in this case. That is what the employee here at this McDonald's recognized, and that is why the employee

called 911, got the police to come here, and eventually that's why we're here now with this arrest being made, Allison. All right, Stephanie Gosk in Altoona, Pennsylvania on that breaking news. Thank you. We appreciate it. We're going to stay on this story because the person of interest in the murder of the United Health Care CEO Brian Thompson here in New York, his online post and social media feeds, they are all now seeming to play key role. in the investigation as it unfolds. So we're here to help us break this down. And the latest developments in this case is NBC's Tom Winter. Tom, I want to kind of pick up where Stephanie left off because you've been so careful, rightly so when you're reporting. And as far as the

NYPD and the FBI's investigation goes, this individual, Luigi Mangione, is still considered not a suspect, but a strong person of interest in the murder of the United Health Care CEO, Brian Thompson. Is that where things still stand in New York right now? In New York, it does, but in Pennsylvania, Allison, and good evening, what they're looking at now is an argument they made to the judge as far as making sure this individual was not put out in bail, which is effectively saying we expect him to be charged in New York, potentially with a homicide. And so that's where the state of play is in the courthouse.

It appears clear to us, at least initially, that they're going to probably charge him based on everything you just heard. But it might take a couple of days, and it can take a couple of days legally, because you know know what? His face might match that face. It might match all the other faces that we've been looking at. He might have had the same identification that he had at the hostel on his person today and the same thing with the weapon. But they have to prove all those things. They have to go back and build this thing together now that they have him as far as all the elements and make the argument to the judges in Pennsylvania, hey, we want him out of here. And then they've got to make

the argument, excuse me, ultimately to a judge and a jury potentially in New York City if they charge him. So there's some work that needs to be done. This doesn't need to be a perfect case. Okay, so you don't need to sit there and sift through all the evidence and make sure that everything is perfect like you're ready to go to trial. They'll be able to do a lot, I think, at a short period of time, to be able to, in a short period of time, to be able to show that they have enough reason to get them out of New York. You know, I was struck Tom by Pennsylvania authorities saying that he was initially cooperative in interviews with police, but he is not now. We mentioned social media. This is a young person. He appeared to have a very

robust presence online. We have also heard from authorities there in Pennsylvania that they allegedly discovered some sort of writings, a so-called manifesto when they took him into custody. What do people need to know? What do we know right now about the interest in his online presence and the possibilities of that so-called manifesto that he had with him? About as high as it gets, Ellison, in plain terms. So they're definitely combing over all those posts. There's been some other items on social media-related platforms that they are looking at. I think that's significant. And so there's some things that will come out, I think, in the next couple hours as we do our

reporting and they do their investigation, actually flip that around, that we'll be able to talk to you about. But certainly here a little bit more than meets the eye. Ultimately, though, let's take a step back and look at what the governor said. The governor said, look, shooting somebody using violence if, in fact, he's charged with that here for your personal benefit or for the benefit. that you think society might have, that's not acceptable. And that's what the governor said.

So I think, you know, we can, and we probably will go nuts about all the various accounts that we look at over the next couple of days. But the facts are the facts. If, in fact, he's charged with homicide, that doesn't, that's not necessarily relevant, Alison. And in terms of the, what happens in the next couple of days, you mentioned that extradition process. It can take a while.

The police there saying he has the option if he chooses in the next 24 hours or so to waive his extradition rights to New York, assuming New York does charge him in the coming hours, but if he chooses not to waive that right, it could take days. What, in your past experience, covering this sort of thing, how long does it typically take to see someone removed from a nearby state like Pennsylvania to get them back here in New York to answer on other charges? You know, we had a great example in Brian Cobur. The individual's been charged and accused in the University of Utah shootings.

Typically, most attorneys say, you know what, let's just get him to the place where he's going to face charges. There's no reason to duke it out here because you run the risk, Ellison, particularly in a state where we get the court documents that we get in Pennsylvania, that prosecutors and law enforcement get to put a lot more stuff on the public docket, enough things for me to read to share with you and to share to everyone about this individual's background. And so that's just typically not speaking to this person, but typically a big reason why attorneys say, you know what, let's get them back to face charges in the district where they're charged and then we'll get everybody to go quiet. So I think that's why that's probably more likely than not here, but you never know. All right, Justice correspondent Tom Winter, thank you so much. We appreciate your time and insights on this. For more on the profile of this person of interest and where the investigation may go from here. Let's welcome back John Moynihan.

He is a retired NYPD captain. He's also the author of a series of detective novels. His latest is the Guns of Antwerp, NYPD Takes Boston. John, thank you for joining us. and I appreciate you jumping in on such a chaotic moment of a lot of information coming to us. If I can, can you take us back? Let's go back to New York. And this, again, is an individual who police in New York are calling a strong person of interest, not a suspect in the murder here, though based on what we heard in that press conference,

it seems that homicide charges are likely coming his way from the state of New York. Given that, let's look at a map and sort of go back to the route we believe, Mangeoni possibly took here. So he was found in Altoona, Pennsylvania, that is over 250 miles west of New York City. We know it appears based on what we've heard from authorities that he traveled by bus for at least part of that journey. But then we just heard in that press conference from Pennsylvania authorities that they say they believe there was some sort of traveling that took place between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. And they're asking people in Pennsylvania to come forward with any sort of information they may have. When you look at that track and the course of

time we've been dealing with. What do you take away from it? Do you get the sense that this was someone who possibly had a plan for the first 24, maybe 30 hours after this alleged crime occurred, and then sort of was just seeing where he could go? Or does it seem like this was someone that has had the last five-plus days calculated if, in fact, this is the suspect in the New York case? That's, it's well put, because he calculated things to an extent, but not to a great extent. I mean, he was in New York for 10 days prior. What was he doing? Now, this, you know, he left the George Washington Bridge bus terminal. I said this the other day.

There's three places right now. He's a Greyhound customer by habit. We know this coming up from Atlanta. Greyhound goes to three cities out of that bus terminal, Philly, Boston, D.C. So he went to Philly. That's what it looks like. And then from Philly somehow found his way to Pittsburgh, and then why he came back towards the city east to Altoona.

Pittsburgh is further west at Altoona. You know, it's hard to, hopefully we'll know the truth soon. And this drives me to my next point. You really touched on it just a moment ago. We'll find out, depending on how good... See, this is where the real detective work begins. Now that we found him, you said initially, early this afternoon, they hadn't charged him yet. Not even Pennsylvania.

It took him a while, right? And that chief got on and told us that initially he was cooperating, and then he wasn't, and then we charged him. This is exactly how this works. Once he's charged, you have filed an accusatory instrument with the court. Absolutely right the counsel attaches. You can no longer interrogate. Our guys, the reason we're not charging him, we want to get him in a box.

We want to talk to him. Right now, for our New York detectives, for our New York case, he has a qualified right to counsel. In other words, we read him Miranda, he waves, we can talk. He can talk. We can have a conversation. Once he says lawyer, it's all over. But once we file a charge, the right to counsel becomes absolute by law. Once you file the accusatory instrument, you can no longer question.

That's why it's going to take a while. If he continues to cooperate, and we get a good detective in a box with him, we're not going to charge him until we can see how much we can get up to talk. Once he lawyers up, charge him. That's what's going to happen. Okay. So as someone who is not a police officer, is not a detective, we're looking at this from the outside and thinking, okay, it looks like they have a lot of evidence in New York. Why haven't they charged him here yet? But you think that could be a strategy on the NYPD fire.

Absolutely. Yes. It's like when we have established probable cause on it, on any case. Detective brings it to the boss, says, I think it's a probable cause on this guy. Sure, go get him. We don't go get an arrest warrant because that is, in fact, an accusatory instrument, and you have just attached absolute right to counsel. You can't question that guy when you find them.

We go, we make the arrest, read Miranda. If he waives, we can talk to him. If he doesn't wave, now we charge him. I'm curious to get your thoughts on the weapon that, according to police, was found in Luigi Mangione's possession. We have an image of this. This is the firearm from the outside, it appears to be a fairly standard semi-automatic pistol, but what authorities are saying is in addition to a recovering some sort of silencer in Pennsylvania, they are also suggesting that this possibly could have been made entirely from a 3D printer, a so-called

ghost gun. When you look at that, and then also when we go back to the video that I know you have looked at and analyzed on the show throughout this case so far of this moment where the shooting takes place and it appeared at some point a lot of people have talked about this that that weapon jammed and that he seemed to know what to do with it. When you look back on that now with the possibility that this could be a ghost gun, a 3D printed gun, do you think, does that change your opinion of that? Because I heard so many people saying, okay, he knew what to do when it jammed, he must be really trained. But do 3D printed guns, are they just more prone to jamming? Well, first off, that's not a 3D created gun.

You don't think that is? No, no, that's a properly manufactured weapon. I don't even, to tell you the truth, when I'm looking out of the picture we got on the screen right now, I think we can go back to it. That doesn't look like the weapon that they recovered. And I'd like to know how much ammunition did he have in his backpack. He had a backpack on him. That does not look like a 3D-created gun, and it could be.

I'm no ballistics expert, but that does not, that looks like a properly manufactured gun. And I don't, it doesn't look like the murder weapon either. This kid was heading back towards New York, realized Pennsylvania is well west of Altoona. He's heading back towards New York. How much ammunition did he have? What else was on his mind? He took 10 days in New York before he shot that man. Now he's on a road for five days and he's circling back towards New York.

I'm not sure that that's the murder weapon that was seen in that picture. It really doesn't resemble the one that I saw. The one that I saw has to specifically be wrapped after each shot. That's a semi-aortic weapon. weapon that should be able to fire after Iraq at once. I mean, there's a lot more that we'll find out once they get him charged. Let's hope they don't charge him soon. We want our detectives to be able to talk to this guy.

So with the NYPD that is in Altoona, Pennsylvania right now, how do you think they are approaching interactions with him? We're not talking to him yet. No, no, that's theirs. So until he's extradited, they can't really do. They don't want to. They took their shot. They tried to talk to him.

they succeeded for a little while, it sounds like, and then he lawed it up, and then he charged. That's exactly the sequence of events on how it's supposed to happen. While we're talking about Altoona, can I just give a great shout out to that kid? Even your Stephanie Goss, you can't mention the fact that he's six months out of the county

without smiling. That's just such a great thing. Truly, what happened in Altona, let's understand just how great it was based on what did not happen. That kid walked up to that table and said, you've been to New York lately, his presence, his posture,

his entire approach. What did not happen is this man did not commit suicide. Okay, someone in his position may be prone to shoot themselves. We'd never have any answers. He didn't draw and try to fight it out with the cops. He didn't try to run. And think of this. McDonald's is a fast food restaurant, right? By the time he got his food, sat down and started to eat, one person saw him, went to the clerk, clerk calls up five minutes. We've gone by already. How long does it take to eat your breakfast in McDonald's? That the cop responded immediately. He didn't blow it off and say, oh, another sighting. He went there as quickly as he got there really fast.

It wasn't like he walked in and had two people saying, we thought we saw the shooter here. No, he got there quickly at a fast food restaurant. Like, there's so many things that did not happen at Altoona. We have to recognize that. That's really good police record with our kids. Yeah, Governor Josh Shapiro saying the same thing about that police officer and also calling the bystander who reportedly worked at McDonald's

who called into 911 a hero. John Monaghan, retired NYPD detective author as well. Thank you so much. We appreciate you being here with us tonight. Stay with us because we are going to be right back. Still ahead. The fall of the Assad regime in Syria. Our latest report from the region up next.

Back now with another major headline we're following tonight. The astonishing shift of power in Syria as rebels drove out the regime that ruled Syria with brutality for decades. Syrian rebels toppling the Assad regime swiftly. taking hold of a small area near Syria's border with Turkey. Then on December 3rd, the opposition taking Aleppo in a few days before advancing south. On December 5th, the rebels taking another city and then heading towards Homs before capturing that city and pushing towards the capital of Damascus. Then finally, on December 8th, rebels taking Damascus and claiming victory after the regime's forces surrendered.

Our Richard Engel reports from Damascus as people celebrated, and the rebel leader promised, a new era of tolerance. In the main square in Damascus, thousands gathered to cheer the end of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. Entire families came to witness history in the making. Syrians are coming from all over the country to gather here. Hello. I'm from the United States.

Welcome. Thank you very much. NBC News. Welcome. How are you feeling today? Very happy. Very happy. Very, very happy.

It seems to be the sentiment here. Everyone says very happy. Wow. So this is a symbol of everything that is transpired here over the last, really just two weeks. The rebel forces moved into Damascus and the government and its armed forces simply melted away. We've seen uniforms on the ground. This tank was just abandoned. Now the tank is in the hands of the people.

It was used to repress. There is one word I'm hearing over and over again. It is Horreya, Arabic. The rebels were given a hero's welcome. Many are from an Islamist group called HTS, considered a terrorist organization, by the U.S. and the United Nations. Their victory was swift after Assad's longtime backers, Russia, Iran and Hezbollah, did not or could not intervene.

Everything will be excellent in our foreign and domestic relations. We don't want to be hostile to anyone, said one fighter. The leader of HTS was once an al-Qaeda commander, although he split from the group years ago. Today, he promised tolerance for all religions and said there would be no restrictions on women's rights. Syrians are overwhelmed by all the sudden changes, and they're getting their first glimpses of Assad's life of luxury. A video claims to show his vast collection of sports cars and SUVs repossessed by revolution.

The rebels have also been freeing political prisoners from a notorious prison, once dubbed The Human Slaughterhouse. Assad escaped for Moscow, where he and his family were given asylum for humanitarian reasons. With him gone, there is nervousness, but also hope. Refugees are rushing back to write the next chapter of Syria's history. To show they're serious about uniting this country, tonight the Rebels Commander announced a general amnesty for former government employees and soldiers. Alison?

Richard Engel, thank you and stay safe. We'll have much more on Syria right after the break. And in southwestern Syria, the fall of the Assad regime, leading to new military action from neighboring Israel. Israeli defense forces launching airstrikes near Damascus, they say targeting stockpiles of chemical weapons, they're worried, could fall into the wrong hands. NBC international correspondent Raf Sanchez has this report from the region. Tonight, with Syria convulsed in revolutionary chaos, its neighbor Israel taking decisive action. Israeli war planes carrying out strikes across the country, leaving this air base near Damascus

in flames, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The target Israel says military sites, including the Assad regime stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons, which it fears could fall into the hands of extremists. The only interest we have is the security of Israel and its citizens. Bashar al-Assad, Syria's toppled dictator, used chemical weapons against his own people during 13 bloody years of civil war. President Obama threatened strikes and response. A red line for us is we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or

being utilized. But didn't follow through. While President Trump mounted two waves of attacks during his first term, Israeli forces are also moving in on the ground, first capturing a buffer zone between Syria and the Israeli controlled Golan Heights, and then edging troops further into Syria itself. There was never any love lost between Israel and the Assad regime, but for 50 years, this was Israel's quietest border, and the Israeli government is determined to try to keep it that way.

Syrians fear Israel is taking advantage of their weakness to capture territory. Israel annexed the Golan after its military victory against its Arab neighbors in the 1967 war. But Israel today insisting its aim only to prevent chaos in Syria spilling over. I emphasize it is a very limited and temporary step we took from security reasons. The state of Israel and rebel-led Syria now uneasy new neighbors. And Raf Sanchez joins us now. from Tel Aviv. Raf, do we have any sense of the rebels' attitude towards the state of Israel?

So, Alison, the main rebel group, Hayat Tahrir al-Shahm, known as HTS, is a Sunni Islamist group. It has its origins in al-Qaeda. That is not an ideological profile that is friendly to Israel, to say the least. On top of that, you have the leader of that group, who is probably the single most powerful man in Syria right now. His family is originally from the Golan Heights. They were displaced by Israeli forces in 1967. That's why he goes by the pseudonym, the nom de guerre al-Jolani, which literally means in Arabic from the Golan. So he has personal animus or reasons for personal

animus towards Israel. All of that said, HTS has been very eager to telegraph moderation to the world. They have not been making threats towards Israel. They do seem more interested in domestic governance inside of Syria rather than international jihad outside of it. And there is this irony here that Israel and the rebels share enemies, Iran, Hezbollah. And part of the reason the rebels were successful in overthrowing Assad is that Israel had done so much damage to both Iran and Hezbollah over the last year or so. Alison.

And Raf, when you're speaking with your sources in the region, what do they and other experts think the fall of Assad could mean for the broader conflict in the Middle East? Yeah, it's a really good question. So big picture, it is clear this is a major blow to Iran. Syria was a key part of Iran's chain that linked them with Hezbollah on the Mediterranean. Their ability to project power throughout the region, pretty severely limited now that Iran, now that Syria has been overtaken by the rebels. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel was actually at a press conference earlier today. He was making the argument that this leaves Hamas in Gaza more isolated because that is one more anti-Israel power in the Assad regime that has fallen away.

And he is trying to make the case that this might make Hamas more open towards some kind of deal to release the hostages and to end the war. Elis. Raph Sanchez and Tel Aviv, thank you. For more on the future of Syria and its relationship with the U.S. and the international community. Let's bring in Wael al-Zayyad, who served as a U.S. Middle East policy expert at the U.S. Department of State for a decade

and is also the CEO of Engage Action, a Muslim advocacy organization. Wail, thank you for joining us tonight and bearing with us through some of that breaking news earlier. We really appreciate it. We heard President Biden say earlier today, or yesterday, rather, that the collapse of the government

under Bashar al-Assad was a, quote, fundamental act of justice. He also said that it was a, quote, moment of risk and uncertainty. Do you agree with President Biden on that? And from your perspective, what does the fall of Assad mean for everyday Syrians? Well, there's certainly a lot of truth. It's not just a fundamental act of justice, but also courage on the part of the Syrian people who have suffered for half a century under one of the most brutal regimes ever known.

And I know in your segment, you covered that in terms of what's been revealed and will be revealed. from the dungeons of the Syrian regime. What it means moving forward, though, is that really right now, it's a moment of truth for the international community as well as the United States. When I served in government, I know that under the Obama administration, and really under the Trump and then the Biden administration, there was uncertainty regarding what may come next if Assad falls. And I think that prevented the United States from having a coherent policy

in support of a democratic transmission in Syria. And so moving forward, I think right now there's an opportunity by both the Biden and the incoming Trump administration to revisit the file and to look at ways to be constructive and certainly, hopefully, to do no harm, because our ability sometimes to mess up in the Middle East are well documented. What do you hope to see from the United States and some of our allies in the coming weeks in particular? Look, the first thing is the political transition.

The Syrians have to get that right, and it has to be Syrian-led. This is not about America. It's not about any other country. It's about Syrians. However, the international community, the United States, Turkey, certainly, some of the Arab partners, some European nations really have a role to play here to be supportive of a peaceful, inclusive, and diverse process that encompasses all of Syria's stakeholders. It's a very diverse country.

The second piece is economic assistance. The country is in dire needs of rebuilding, and now Assad is gone, so the set of sanctions that have been levied on the country since the 1970, need to go. However, I'm sure there's going to need to be some conditions and some accountability vis-a-vis the new powers that be on the ground. But that economic piece is so important. And if we don't do it, quickly, you can have chaos and a general breakdown in order which would undermine our other priorities,

which is countering terrorism, making sure there's stability, and safeguarding of important institutions. Do you anticipate a shift in U.S. policy just in the way that we would speak to a new Syrian government? I mean, you mentioned the rebels and the rebel group that is credited with toppling Assad and now seems to be in control of Syria is HTS. And they are, as Raph Sanchez and others mentioned in their reporting, designated as a terror group in the United States. And the U.S. actually has a $10 million bounty on its leader, Al Jolani. But Al-Gilani, HTS, and the United States do very clearly have enemies in common now. So do you think there could be a reassessment of who Jolani is?

I mean, has Jolani and HDS changed in your research over the years? I imagine that reassessment is underway right now, and it may not be complete until the new Trump administration takes office. And they're going to need to do their own assessments as well. But there's a few facts here. One is, as you mentioned, Jolani and his organization severed ties with al-Qaeda a few years ago. But more importantly, beyond the, that perhaps symbolic break, is since they have taken Damascus and the other cities, they have come out with some pretty incredible announcements that need to be obviously tested, but regarding protection of minorities, of women rights, and of inclusive transition.

Now, I think it's upon them to prove it in acts and deeds. So far, so good, as we say, but we absolutely should be not only cautious, but leveraging some of the items I mentioned, which is the sanctions and they're lifting, perhaps the designation of this organization, economic assistance, political support, contingent on a democratic transition that is inclusive and representative of Syria's diverse communities. And talk to me, too, about where you think Syrians are everyday people right now in terms of what they may be thinking, how they may be processing. this shift. So much of the world has looked at Syria, and the United States in particular, as a place of sorrow where individual civilians were so mistreated. And I mean, we cannot overstate the egregious human rights violations that have occurred under Bashar al-Assad, particularly in the last decade plus during the civil war. So for the average Syrian, what do you think this moment means right now? I mean, I am an American, but also I was born and raised in

Damascus. My family immigrated when I was a teenager. I've experienced. some of the terror and fear instilled by regimes like the Assad regime. It is surreal. It is emotional. It is incredible. It's beautiful, but also uncertain. And I think this was a necessary step that the Syrian people needed to take, irrespective of the challenges ahead. All right. Thank you so much for your time for being here. We really appreciate all of your insights tonight. Wael Al-Zayat, CEO of Engage Action. Thank you. so much. We really appreciate it. We're going to be right back.

We're back now with a verdict in a case that's captured attention across the nation. On the fifth day of deliberations, a New York jury finding Daniel Penny not guilty of criminally negligent homicide in the chokehold death of subway performer Jordan Neely. The decision comes after the judge dismissed the top charge of manslaughter last week. NBC News is senior legal correspondent Laura Jarrett as the later. A jury in Manhattan finding Daniel Penny not guilty today, clearing the Marine veteran of any criminal wrongdoing, for putting a man in this fatal chokehold on the subway last year. Some in the courtroom erupting in anger, others in relief, as crowds of demonstrators gathered outside reflecting the deep divisions the case has sparked.

Justice Ford? Jordan Nelly. Penny's defenders casting the 26-year-old as a folk hero for protecting other subway riders who described Jordan Neely's behavior that day as frightening and threatening. The whole train was freaked out. While others view Neely's death as an indictment of a broken mental health system that failed to protect a vulnerable 30-year-old man, a former Michael Jackson impersonator, experiencing homelessness. I just want to say I miss my son.

It hurts. This video of Penny putting Neely in a chokehold for six minutes going viral. His defense team had argued at trial Penny didn't cause Neely's death, placing blame instead on a genetic condition, his struggles with mental illness and alleged drug use. When you have someone repeatedly going through that system, that's a signature of failure. The judge tossed out the top charge of manslaughter on Friday and sent jurors home after they said they were hopelessly deadlocked, returning today to deliberate for just a few hours on the lesser charge of criminally negligent homicide. The DA's office saying in a statement,

quote, the jury has now spoken. We respect their verdict. And Laura Jarrett joins us now from the Manhattan courthouse. Laura, the Neely family attorney released a statement today after the verdict. The last lines were this, quote, this is not over. We will hold Daniel Penny responsible. What other legal avenues does the family have here? Yeah, Alison, part of what makes this case unusual is that Jordan Neely's father actually filed a civil lawsuit against Penny during the trial while the jury was actually deliberating. So that will get, that will obviously continue on now that this case is over on the criminal side, but it's a long road. It will have to go through discovery and could take a year or longer to be resolved, Allison. Laura Jarrett, thank you.

We will be right back. We're back with Top Stories News Feed, a non-profit reporting the deaths of about 180 people in Haiti's Sets Seoul this weekend. The National Human Rights Defense Network saying a local gang leader planned the attack because he suspected his child was made sick by witchcraft. More than 100 of the victims were 60 years old or older. The United Nations saying the massacre brings the death toll in Haiti this year to 5,000 people. U.S. military temporarily pausing flights of its V-22 Osprey fleet after one of those aircrafts, another one of those aircrafts crashed. Weakened metal components and an Osprey aircraft broke mid-flight in New Mexico last month. That caused an engine failure. The Osprey is designed to fly

both like a helicopter and an airplane. Its recent mechanical issues are similar to another Osprey crash last year off the coast of Japan where eight people were killed. And superstar outfielder Juan Soto set to sign the largest contract in Major League Baseball history. Soto, who helped bring the Yankees to the World Series this season, agreeing to a 15-year $765 million deal just across town with the New York Mets. The four-time All-Star will receive a $75 million signing bonus. Thanks so much for watching Top Story. I'm Ellison Barber in New York. Stay right there. More news is on the way.