the syrian capital of damascus falls, and its dictator flees to russia as rebels take control of that country after 13 years of civil war. what those rebels are saying about syria's future and the response from president joe biden. president-elect donald trump insisting he will enact mass deportations, even end birthright citizenship in an exclusive sit-down interview with nbc news. we're live from d.c. with the highlights from his wide-ranging interview. new evidence uncovered in the search for the man who gunned down unitedhealthcare's chief executive. the latest photos police are releasing of a person of interest and where they think that suspect might be this morning. the eras era comes to an end. taylor swift closing out her record-breaking world tour in toronto and vancouver, how swifties there are marking the occasion. and, as notre dame rises from the ashes and welcomes back

parishioners, we introduce to you the workers who helped bring the historic cathedral back to life. it is monday, december 9th, and "early today" starts right now. good morning, and thanks for joining us, i'm jessica layton. breaking news out of the middle east this monday morning. the syrian governmenhas been toppled along with dictator bashir al-assad. the rebels took damascus. russian state media reports that assad has fled to moscow, where he's been granted asylum. here's raf sanchez. >> reporter: hey, there, after seizing control of the syrian capital damascus, syria's rebels are now consolidating their power in the capital. the leader of the main rebel group, an islamist group, arriving in damascus, giving an

address in a historic mosque in the center of the city. he says he wants to lead a government for all syrians, irrespective of their religion or their sect. remember, there are a lot of fears, both inside and outside syria about this group, which has its origins in al qaeda, which is still considered a terrorist organization by the united states. but the group known as hts is really trying to show the world that it has moderated, that it has changed. it is going to great lengths to try to show that it is not a threat to minority groups, like shias, like christians inside of syria. it's one of the big questions now, how the rebels will govern. russian state media also confirming that the toppled dictator of syria, bashir al-assad is now in moscow. he arrived there with his family

after fleeing syria. this marks the end of more than 50 years of dictatorship by the assad family. and people across syria are hoping this also means the end 13 bloody years of civil war. the uprising against assad began during the arab spring. it was peaceful at first. people demanding dignity, democracy, reform. but assad turning his guns on his own people. and appeared that assad with a lot of help from russia, hezbollah had the upper hand. russia bogged down in ukraine, iran, hezbollah, weakened from a year of fighting with israel, they chose this moment to strike. and, in doing so, they have now redrawn the map of the middle east. >> incredible, raf sanchez, thank you. meanwhile, president biden welcomed the news from syria, calling the fall of assad a,

quote, fundamental act of justice. but mr. biden also said this was a moment of risk and uncertainty, because of the possible resurgence of terror groups in that country. >> we're clear-eyed about the fact that isis will try to take advantage of any vacuum, to reestablish its credibility and create a safe haven. we will not let that happen. >> the president then ordered more than 75 precision airstrikes on sunday. central command claims there are no indications of civilian casualties so far. now to a nbc news exclusive interview with donald trump. the president-elect's first broadcast interview since winning back the white house. speaking with nbc's kristen welker, mr. trump says he is actively trying to end the war in ukraine but say it's possible th the u.s. will not send as much aid when he returns to office. nbc's chris pollone joins us now from d.c. with all of this.

chris, good morning. the president-elect was also asked about his plans for the mass deportations. >> reporter: yeah, jessica, that's right. good morning to you. mr. trump explained that his program would begin with people who have criminal histories, but he says the u.s. has to deport everyone who entered the country illegally and vows to end the right enumerated in the constitution that anyone born in the u.s. is a u.s. citizen even if their parents are undocumented or in the country illegally. >> you promise to end birthright citizenship on day one, is that still your plan? >> yes. i was going to do it through executive action, but we had to fix covid first. we have to end it. >> reporter: welker also pressed the president-elect on his plans to impose tariffs on mexico, canada and china and whether or not americans will see higher prices. >> economists of all stripes say that ultimately, consumers pay the price. >> yeah. >> of tariffs. >> i don't believe it.

>> can you uarantee 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 pre-covid we had the greatest economy in u.s. history. we took in hundreds of billions of dollars, and we had no inflation. >> reporter: mr. trump spoke about considering pardons for people who participated in the january 6 riots, saying this would be a day-one priority. >> i want to look at everything. we're going to look at individual cases. >> everyone. >> yeah. >> okay. >> but i'm going to be acting very quickly. >> within your first 100 days? first day? >> first day. >> first day. >> these people have been, how long is it? three or four years. >> reporter: now, without saying what charges they would face, mr. trump said he believes the lawmakers who served on the january 6 committee at

investigated that riot are the ones who belong in jail. but he said he would not direct his justice department to arrest them. jessica? >> all right, chris pollone, thank you. new clues this morning now in the murder case that is captivating the country. police releasing new images and searching in a second state now for the person who shot and killed unitedhealthcare ceo brian tom and. tom winter has more. >> reporter: two new photos of a man police are calling a person of interest in the murder of unitedhealthcare ceo brian thompson on a midtown manhattastreet. they're from a taxicab, the same cab police say he took to a bus terminal after the murder before the trail went cold. police say 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 man

including at the manhattan hostel where he stayed. the case taking a strange twist when they revealed what was inside this backpack, a jacket and monopoly money. i'm told that could be a message to investigators. do you see something that comes out of left field, like monopoly money, what do you take from that? >> you look at it, 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? >> reporter: 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. >> reporter: 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.

>> reporter: senior law enforcement officials say they still don't know the suspect's i.d. one of the tools they're using comes from the nypd's facial recognition unit. >> we have cameras over here. >> reporter: darren porcher is a former nypd lieutenant who used to work near the bus terminal where he was seen. >> you have to take in consideration the average citizen in new york doesn't have an expectation of privacy when they're in public because the average citizen is photoaphed or video taped 100, to 200 times a day. >> reporter: 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 open up the entire east coast. he may even be traveling further. >> our thanks to tom for that report this morning. now let's get a check on this week's forecast with nbc meteorologist michelle grossman. michelle, good morning. >> good morning, jess. grab the umbrella if you're in the east. because we're going to be soggy

over the next several days much-needed rain over the mid atlantic. soggy conditions from new england to the southeast. could see flooding rains in portions of the mississippi valley. behind this, we are dry, but we're looking at the chance for snow and wintry mix, wind blowing in the northern plains and upper midwest. by wednesday, we're going to see soaking rain throughout the mid atlantic, the northeast, the southeast, up through new england. the appalachians, ohio valley, parts of the midwest and great lakes will see snow as well. the lake-effect snow machine will start up again on wednesday. rain and snow wednesday. in the pacific northwest, that's going to set up a system that's bringing active weather wednesday, thursday, friday in portions of the west. on friday the west does stay active from the pacific northwest through portions of southern california. plenty of sunshine through the

northern plains. could see a few showers in parts of the mississippi valley in the tennessee valley drying out in the east, could see soaking rains throughout portions of the mississippi valley. 71 in mobile. all right, that's your monday forecast. >> a lot going on, michelle. thank you. >> sure. an iconic pair of judy garland's ruby slippers from the wizard of oz just sold at auction for a record $32.5 million. makes them the most expensive movie memorabilia ever. one of only four surviving pairs, they were stolen in 2005 and recovered by the fbi in 2018. the judy garland museum in minnesota tried to win them back with help from donations but was outbid. coming up, the end of an era

for taylor swift. and moana 2 dominating the box office for another weekend. we're back in 60 seconds . [♪♪] did you know, how you feel can be affected by the bacteria in your gut? try new align yogurt coated probiotic fruit bites. with a delicious apple and blueberry-flavored fruit center and yogurt coating, each bite is infused with added probiotics, to help promote a healthy digestive system every day. plus, they're packaged in individually-wrapped pouches, for daily digestive support on the go. look for new align yogurt coated probiotic fruit bites online and in the digestive care aisle of your local retailer. brand power, helping you buy better. home is a warm and fuzzy feeling. experience the comfort of home wherever you go with the familiar, long-lasting freshness and cuddly softness of snuggle. snuggle. the comfort of home. [♪♪] did you know, there's a detergent that gets your dishes up to 100% clean, even in an older dishwasher? try cascade platinum plus.

for spararkling clean dishes even on the toughest jobs. just scrape, load and you're done. switch to cascade platinum plus. well, it is the end of an era for taylor swift. last night the pop superstar played her final show in blockbuster eras tour giving swifties a night of their wildest dreams. our emilie ikeda was in vancouver for that bittersweet farewell. >> reporter: in swift-couver, one last magical, heartwarming, sparkling performance on taylor swift's eras tour. >> it's just o exciting. >> i'm ready for it, but i'm not sure i'm ready for it to be over. >> reporter: one thing is certain, the tour's earthshaking impact. over the past two years, the newly-minted billionaire has

become spotify's most-streamed artist, broken box office records, lifted the nfl's ratings and boosted economies while dropping more than 70 songs. ♪ ♪ this photographer s watched swift's rise from mega star to cultural phenomenon up close. >> taylor swift just provides this beautiful, multi-generational positive night out that i think people really want to grasp onto. >> reporter: surveys estimate the eras tour has generated $7 biion in consumer spending in the u.s. and canada alone, between tickets, travel, food, merch and outfits. carefully curated by fiercely-loyal fans. and a key part of fans' apparel, friendship bracelets traded among swifties. this one says 149, the number of shows in the eras tour. and the feeling is mutual for swift, as the end of an era leaves a lasting mark.

♪ will be remembered ♪ [cheers and applause] >> reporter: emilie ikeda, nbc news, vancouver. still to come, apparently, all we want for christmas is a new song to listen to. mariah's eternal classic suffering a big drop in listenership. find out what the holly jolly poll is saying. no way. ♪♪ if you have postmenopausal osteoporosis, and are at high risk for fracture, you can do more than just slow bone loss. you can build new bone in 12 months with evenity®. evenity® is proven to significantly reduce spine fracture risk. she said the evenity® she's taking builds new bone. builds new bone! evenity® can increase risk of heart attack, stroke, or death from a heart problem. tell your doctor if you have had a heart attack or stroke. do not take evenity® if you have low blood calcium or are allergic to it, as serious events have occurred with evenity®. signs include rash, hives, swelling of the face or throat,

which may cause difficulty in swallowing or breathing, muscle spasms or cramps, numbness, or tingling. tell your doctor about severe jaw bone problems, as they have been reported with evenity®. report hip, groin, or thigh pain. unusual thigh bone fractures have occurred with evenity®. building bone? we dig it. want stronger bones? ask your doctor about evenity ® . [hold on, i'm comin' by sam & dave plays] want stronger bones? kelsey: hey aaron: hi elin: aaah maria! ♪♪ hold on, i'm comin... ♪♪ kimiko: thank you so much gar-ye: maurice! ( ♪♪ ) feel the power of osteo bi-flex®. taken every day, it's clinically shown to improve joint comfort in 7 days, with significant improvement over time. ( ♪♪ ) ♪♪ [laughters] mom. ♪♪ mmmmmmm. repeat the sounding joy. [laughters] kinder joy.

[laughters] open a world of surprise. swiffer duster traps 4x more dust, for a clean even mom approves of. that reach! making hard to reach... so easy. swiffer. wow. the mother of all cleans. love it or your money back!

you will be destroyed. and your wave finder, too. >> now i kind of miss the lava monster. ow. >> what if you don't come back? >> i'll be back. i promise. >> the thanksgiving lineup remained dominant at the box office. moana 2 repeated as champ with the animated sequel pulling in another $52 million. wicked stayed strong in second with a $34 million third

weekend, while gladiator 2 took bronze with 12 million. all right, i need to see wicked. it's the top of my list. >> i'm shocked you have not. of all people. >> it's a time thing and crowded movie theater thing. >> this is sort of depressing. is the queen of christmas losing her grip on her loyal subjects? after years of dominance on the holiday playlist. news shows that "all i want for christmas is you" may be fading in popularity. the data has shown a decline in listenership in recent years, particularly in the leadup to the holiday season in october, november. last year mariah's four-year streak of having the top christmas single, this is interesting, was broken by brenda lee's "rocking around the christmas tree". i did remember hearing that. i mean, that's really cool that that came back. >> for me, mariah is still tops.

it's always the first one i listen to, but i'm loving the kelly clarkson and ariana grande duet. >> i was driving yesterday listening to christmas music and that popped in my head. and i was like, i think i like this the most. >> i love kelly clarkson's album. when we come back, a recall alert for thousands of ram truck drivers.

home is a warm and fuzzy feeling. experience the comfort of home wherever you go

with the familiar, long-lasting freshness and cuddly softness of snuggle. snuggle. the comfort of home. mom's gonna love this! alright kids come on. it's time for bed! ( ♪♪ ) good morning, mr. snuggles. make breakfast special with the cocoa and hazelnutty goodness of nutella. ( ♪♪ ) incoming dishes. —ahhh! —duck! dawn powerwash flies through 99% of grease and grime in half the time. yeah, it absorbs grease five times faster. even replaces multiple cleaning products. ooh, those suds got game. dawn powerwash. the better grease getter. ♪ dawn powerwash. like a relentless weed, moderate to severe ulcerative colitis symptoms can keep coming back. start to break away from uc with tremfya... with rapid relief at 4 weeks. tremfya blocks a key source of inflammation. at one year, many people experienced remission...

and some saw 100% visible healing of their intestinal lining. serious allergic reactions and increased risk of infections may occur. before treatment, your doctor should check you for infections and tb. tell your doctor if you have an infection, flu-like symptoms or if you need a vaccine. healing is possible with tremfya. ask your doctor about tremfya today. ♪ we're back now with what's making headlines this morning. stellantis is recalling more than 315,000 of its ram pickup trucks over an issue that could cause the braking system to fail. impacted models include 2017 through 2018 ram 2500, 3500, 4500 and 5500. the usda is ordering all raw or unpasturized milk to be tested for bird flu upon request.

testing will begin in california, michigan and pennsylvania in an effort to better monitor and contain the spread of bird flu in carry cows. the fda's commissioner says the agency may review a petition that calls force a ban on red dye number 3 from drinks, candy and other foods. some say the artificial dye made from petroleum may cause harm in kids. the fda maintains it's safe. the arctic melts at 12% a decade. we'll be right back after this. want to get the most out of one sheet? grab bounty. (♪♪) bounty is made to be stronger... ...and more absorbent. so, while ordinary brands can't hold up, one sheet of bounty keeps working, even when wet. (♪♪)

now that's the sound of value. bounty. the quicker picker upper. (cough cough) (sneeze) (♪♪) new alka-seltzer plus cold or flu fizzy chews. chew. fizz. feel bter fast. no water needed. new alka-seltzer plus fizzychews. ♪ rinse it out ♪ ♪ every now and then ♪ ♪ i get a little bit tired of the stinks ♪ ♪ that just will never come out ♪ ♪ pour downy in the rinse, jade ♪ ♪ every now and then i rinse it out! ♪ fights odor in just one wash.

a historic moment sunday in paris. hundreds gathering inside notre dame for the storied cathedral's first mass since that 2019 fire that tore through the church. thatass following saturday's reopening ceremony, attended by dignitaries, including french president macron, president-elect donald trump, first lady jill biden and prince william. and now here's hallie jackson with a moment for the workers who brought notre dame back to life, re-entering the church not to fix it but to fill it with song. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: 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 80 strong. ♪ ♪ they're called the notre dame companions choir, rehearsing at a different church set to perform inside the cathedral this week for the very first time. ♪ ♪ it was a passion project for the chief archaeologist, stephanie due schenn, who co-founded the group. >> i thought it could be the energy. to show to people that we are a group of very different people, but we are all singing together. to celebrate the reopening. >> reporter: that spirit of celebration meaningful to felicia who helped restore notre dame's charred artwork. >> we feel the energy, yes, the

energy which unites us. >> reporter: the choir a symbol of strength and beauty. >> in the choir there are architects singing, carpenters. ladies who do stained glass and painting. all together, we can share something, which is music. >> reporter: a symbol of hope, following a fire that destroyed this sacred space, but never its soul. >> our thanks to hallie jackson for that report. and thank you for watching "early today." i'm jessica layton. have a great monday. we'll see you tomorrow.