now. what's next for syria and the hundreds of american troops stationed there? >> also, this morning, president elect trump says he can't guarantee americans won't pay more if tariffs go into effect. what else? he revealed in a in an interview. >> new overnight hip hop mogul jay-z is reacting after being accused of rape, along with sean diddy combs. >> plus, now that notre dame has reopened, what's next for the gothic landmark in the heart of paris? >> and a holiday tradition vegas style. it's monday, december

9th. >> from abc news. this is world news now. >> good monday morning to you. i'm alison kosik in for rhiannon ali, and i am joined by andrew dymburt. great to see you. you as well. it looks like looks like vegas is doing it over the top, that they are a santa run. >> it doesn't even snow in vegas. >> i know, but you know, they have to get in the spirit anyway. >> it's got to be hot in those costumes. i think here it's cold. so we'll show you that. coming up in a little bit. but first this morning we're going to begin with the celebrations across syria following the stunning fall of longtime dictator bashar al assad. >> assad reportedly fled to russia after rebels advanced swiftly and seized control of damascus. political prisoners prisoners were released and refugees are already returning to the country, ravaged by years of civil war that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. abc's james longman has the latest. >> history unfolding at

lightning speed in the middle east. syrian dictator bashar al assad overthrown by rebel fighters. his presidential palace overrun. his people oppressed by decades of dictatorship, discovering his enormous wealth. the rebels declaring victory from the state tv studios, saying the city of damascus has been liberated. the tyrant bashar al-assad has been toppled. across the country, symbols of the assad family regime defaced or destroyed. jubilation and relief in the streets. celebrating a moment few could see coming less than two weeks ago. this man saying it's been 13 years that we've been waiting for this day, and today is our day. the islamist leader of the main rebel group, abu mohammad al-julani, who cut ties with al qaeda years ago, is now projecting a more moderate image. speaking triumphantly at the historic umayyad mosque in the capital city damascus, saying this victory, my brothers, is a new chapter in the history of the entire islamic nation. it is a turning point for the region. russia's foreign ministry now says assad

has stepped down as president of syria and ordered a peaceful transfer of power. russian state media reports he and his family are now in moscow. assad, who was in power for more than 24 years, oversaw the brutal crushing of the revolution against his regime through more than 13 years of civil war. the un says more than 7 million syrians are displaced within the country, with over 6 million more seeking refuge abroad. russia, iran and hezbollah had helped him cling to power. but with those allies distracted in wars in ukraine, gaza and lebanon, the rebels seized the opportunity. 900 u.s. troops are currently in the country as part of the fight against isis. biden indicating that will continue. >> we're clear eyed about the fact that isis will try to take advantage of any vacuum to reestablish its capabilities and to create a safe haven. we will not let that happen. >> james, thanks for that. now to the war in ukraine and a weekend meeting between president elect trump and ukrainian president zelenskyy. they were brought together by

french president macron in paris during the reopening of notre dame of the notre dame theater, a cathedral. trump telling the new york post that zelenskyy, quote, wants to make peace. trump says they didn't get into details, but he said he's formulating a concept to end the war, which he called ridiculous. >> trump is also discussing some of the top priorities of his second term. trump told nbc news that he didn't believe american consumers would be financially hurt by his proposed tariffs on america's biggest trade partners, but he was unable to offer any guarantees. >> can you guarantee american families won't pay more? >> i can't guarantee anything. i can't guarantee tomorrow. but i can say that if you look at my just pre-covid, we had the greatest economy in the history of our country. >> trump also restated his pledge to pardon his supporters who stormed the capitol, vowing to do it his first day in office. and he said liz cheney and the other members of the house committee that investigated the january 6th

attack should go to jail. on immigration, trump said he may use executive action to try and end birthright citizenship, which is guaranteed by the constitution, to grant american citizenship to anyone born on u.s. soil. >> ahead of inauguration day, trump is using first lady jill biden's image to promote one of his branded products. he posted an ad for his new line of colognes that includes this photo taken in paris at the reopening of the notre dame cathedral, where he appeared to be chatting with the first lady. the caption there saying a fragrance your enemies can't resist. the men's cologne and women's perfume are both selling for $199. >> now to the nationwide search for the man who shot and killed unitedhealthcare ceo brian thompson. police released more images of the suspect from a taxi believed to be taken on his way out of new york. they are scouring a pond in central park, near the spot where a backpack was found. investigators say the gunman arrived in manhattan by bus ten days before the shooting. he stayed at a hostel

and fled the crime scene on a bike. then vanished after taking a cab to a bus stop. >> sean combs faces nearly 30 lawsuits accusing him of sexual misconduct. one of those lawsuits was amended on sunday to include another equally high profile alleged accomplice, sean carter, better known as jay-z. this morning, a blistering response from jay-z after he was accused of sexually assaulting a 13 year old girl more than two decades ago. the billionaire hip hop mogul was added to an existing civil lawsuit against sean diddy combs, citing an alleged incident after the 2000 vmas where the victim claims she was drugged and assaulted by both diddy and jay-z, while a third celebrity watched. >> the judge has actually agreed that the victim can remain anonymous and that the case can proceed. >> so there seems to be a little bit more to this case. >> jay-z, vehemently denying the claim, writing these allegations are so heinous in nature that i

implore you to file a criminal complaint. whomever would commit such a crime against a minor should be locked away. also saying my only heartbreak is for my family, my wife and i will have to sit our children down and explain the cruelty and greed of people i mourn. yet another loss of innocence. jay-z also attacked the attorney behind the lawsuit, tony buzbee, who fired back, saying i won't be bullied or intimidated. buzbee is behind at least 20 of the sexual assault lawsuits against combs, who calls buzbee's lawsuits shameless publicity stunts. combs statement went on to say he has never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone. combs will stay in jail until his trial in may, but he has appealed the most recent decision to deny him bail. that ruling should come later this week. >> a festival of lights turned into evening of chaos in palm springs, california. the california highway patrol is investigating after a police officer was among the injured when his motorcycle crashed into a crowd saturday evening. here's

abc's jacqueline lee. >> shocking video shows the moments a police motorcycle rams into a crowd in the middle of celebrating a festival of lights holiday parade. hundreds lining the streets along the parade route in palm springs saturday night. there are two police officers driving their motorcycles with a third officer slamming into a sidewalk filled with people. ten people, including that palm springs police officer, rushed to the hospital. first responders and bystanders jumping into action to help the wounded, including adele, who put a tourniquet on an injured woman trying to wrap her leg to stop the bleeding and to get help for you guys because nobody's here. all ten suffering non-life threatening injuries. >> i want to make sure that we take a very good, thorough look at this with chp is handling the investigation, but we'll also look at it internally. >> a few hundred miles north of big loss for chocolate lovers, this was interstate 580, in dublin, california on friday

morning, a truck carrying nearly 40,000 pounds of chocolate caught fire. investigators say the rig's brakes overheated and all of the chocolate melted, but not a cup to be found. >> that is really unfortunate. they're okay. the stars were out last night in washington for the annual kennedy center honors. >> this year's honorees included the grateful dead, who president biden recognized as one of the most popular bands ever to be watched in concert. singer songwriter bonnie raitt was also honored. biden recognizing her 13 grammys and more grammy performances than any woman in american history. >> biden also told honoree film director francis ford coppola he's looking for work in february. other honorees. i'd like to point out the class of 2024 include one of my favorite musicians, trumpeter arturo sandoval. south florida from cuba to florida. his story is incredible. he's played by andy garcia in the movie for love of

country. and yeah, he's an honoree as well. >> the event also has fans out there. yeah. the event also recognizing the apollo, which is unique, to recognize a venue, but for its diverse array of art and talent. >> congratulations to all the honorees. coming up, another word of the year. >> plus, resurrecting notre dame. the first mass held in more than five years. and what's ahead there this this week. >> and later the special night for taylor swift. how she just crossed out her two year long tour. you're watching world news now. it's a relaxing thought. >> but you and me, it's there for you. it's not sweet like honey. karma is a cat purring in my lap cause it loves me like a acrobat, baby. cause i ride like .

>> back now with notre dame cathedral in paris now fully reopened. the church underwent a five year restoration after the devastating fire of 2019. two masses inside yesterday followed saturday's ceremonial opening, all of which were conducted amid tight security. visitors from around france and around the world were in paris for notre dame's grand reopening. abc's tom soufi burridge reports. >> supporters of the newly refurbished notre dame in its

full glory. the bishop of paris knocking on the vast wooden doors. the bells resonating. the choir back in full voice. and those doors officially reopened friday. to this truly magical music. notre dame's organ, restored and roaring once again. french president macron inviting first lady jill biden, prince william, president elect trump and ukrainian president zelenskyy to saturday's opening ceremony. macron also organizing a meeting with trump and zelensky at the elysee palace. back at notre dame, the cathedral's first mass in more than five years since that devastating fire in 2019. the firefighters who bravely saved the cathedral on that day were honored saturday with this standing ovation and the

cathedral lit up with a message of thanks. and there will be ceremonies here at the cathedral on each of the next seven days. it's free to visit, but online reservations are already booked out for the next week, and we're expecting a long line of hopeful visitors. tom smith, abc news, paris. >> tom, thanks for that new overnight 2020 four's word of the year was one we heard more than a few times in the run up to the presidential election. according to merriam-webster, the designation goes to polarization. the nation's oldest dictionary publisher defines the word as division into two sharply distinct opposites. the company's editor at large says politically, polarization means we are tending toward the extremes rather than toward the center. rounding out merriam-webster's top words of 2024, demure fortnight and totality. >> and let's hope in 2025, it's the word unity or something similar. >> i wouldn't hold your breath. >> coming up, the big night for

taylor swift. after two years and more than 150 concerts, how the superstar just closed the book on her eras tour. after shattering record after record. >> and later, the one thing taylor swift may not be able to do. but this dolphin can. you're watching world

shake it off and shake it off. never miss a beat i'm lightning on my feet. and that's what they see. me. >> she didn't miss a beat. and there's no question that last night taylor swift was lightning on her feet. oh, yeah. >> after two years, almost two years. taylor swift closed out her eras concert tour just days before her birthday. do you >> happy birthday. >> the crowd singing to her last night ahead of her 35th birthday on friday. and what better birthday gift than capping off the highest grossing concert tour of all time? welcome to the

eras tour. taylor swift's tour making its final stop sunday night in vancouver and for swift and her fans, it's the end of an era. there's nothing that makes you feel so much more part of a community. joyful magic the tour started in march of 2023, in glendale, arizona, becoming the highest grossing tour of all time, pulling in an estimated $2.2 billion. her concerts, which attracted an estimated 11 million fans with the federal reserve, even crediting the megastar with boosting the u.s. economy. >> this is actually like the very first time i'm seeing taylor swift, and it's amazing. it feels amazing, but there were challenges along the way. >> three concerts in vienna were called off after officials discovered a plot to launch an attack at an event in the city. this is the rainiest rain show. >> that ever rain show ever, ever, ever.

>> and at several stops, she performed in torrential rain. her more than 150 shows in sold out stadiums were performed on five continents, roughly 500 hours on stage. some fans traveling an average of 338 miles to see her perform with some diehard swifties saying they flew overseas to see her in europe because it was cheaper than attending her concert closer to home. if you grew up summer, the taylor swift effect moved beyond her music, inspiring her countless fans to dress up. taylor herself wore more than 80 different outfits on stage, from bodysuits to ball gowns. 11 year old henry henson's halloween costume went viral, catching the eye of taylor's team. >> they are giving us two tickets to one of the shows in indianapolis, so you are going you're going to the heiress tour

>> during the tour, she was also named time's person of the year and sent nfl viewership skyrocketing when, of course, she began dating chiefs star travis kelce, which, by the way, i think she made about $17 million per show, which is more than travis made per year. >> safe to say it was a very successful, if stores. if it's t

poof, it's stinks. >> we're back now with the mix starting with the race in cuba. >> hundreds of inline skaters from around the world participating in the fourth edition of the havana skate marathon. >> it was the tour's third and final stage after zipping through shanghai and pescara, italy. the top skaters in each. the men's and women's divisions received the green jersey and $80,000 in prize money. man, 90s me would love this. i got to

start rollerblading a little bit more. all right. closer to home, a vermont man has shattered the world record for skiing. the most human powered vertical feet in one year. >> and of course, this means without a chairlift. 30 year old noah dines hitting the 3,000,000 foot milestone on a mountain in chile. that's the equivalent of climbing the stairs of the empire state building. more than 2000 times. i'm feeling queasy. >> if you could climb up a stairway up to a jet airliner at 30,000ft, 100 times, that's what it comes out to. his friends had been encouraging noah to break the record. he says he made up his mind after a bad date. that's how he made up his mind. a bad date and a breakup will motivate you to no end. we'll take you to edges of the earth. >> i guess in his case, it does. next to the incredible feat in the water by none else but a dolphin. >> so this particularly playful dolphin was caught on camera balancing a beer bottle on his beak while propelling himself

forward through the water. >> wait, did someone actually plan this? or was this like water pollution? >> well, yeah, that's what i was wondering, too. >> all right, well, let's keep going with the happy part of the story here. so this is happening off the coast of queensland in australia. >> a dolphin fun fact here, dolphins sleep with only half of their brains at a time, with one eye open in order to always be on the lookout for predators. >> i did not know that. >> me too. >> do you sleep with one eye open? yeah. >> i got to look out for all those predators. >> and finally, to the sea of red over the weekend. where else but in las vegas? >> it was beginning to look a lot like christmas in vegas, as thousands of santas ran through the streets of sin city with a few grinches, of course, thrown in there. >> i wonder if they were drunk or hungover. the sun was shining brightly on saturday on las vegas great santa run. proceeds from the run go directly to opportunity village, which serves members of the community who have intellectual disabilities. >> and santas of all ages pounded the pavement to spread

the holiday. >> so clearly, that was for a good cause. >> yeah, i like that this is a good cause. but, you know, around the holidays, the last thing i want to do is run. i don't want to do a turkey trot on thanksgiving. i don't want to do like a5k on christmas either. but this is something that looks like fun, though. >> i go to vega

♪♪ from the alex trebek stage at sony pictures studios, this is... ♪♪ here are today's contestants-- a health program director from binghamton, new york... a phone sales rep, originally from cleveland, ohio... and our returning champion, a game design director from austin, texas... ...whose four-day cash winnings