a decades-long reign comes to an end in syria. long-time dictator, bashar al assad flees after rebels take over damascus. president-elect donald trump sitting down with our kristen welker for his first network interview since his election. what he's saying about mass deportations and to pardon january 6 rioters. new york city police continue their search for the man who shot a ceo. five years after a devastating fire ravaged notre dame, the doors are open, once again welcoming parishioners. and the kansas city chiefs quest for a three-peat title

charges on. how they fared against l.a. with the division title on the line. it is monday, december 9, and "early today" starts right now. good morning, i'm jessica layton. we begin with breaking news out of the middle east. the syrian government has been toppled, along with dictator bashir al-assad. the rebels finally marched into damascus into sunday. matt bradley kicks off our coverage this morning. >> reporter: we've heard from russian state news that bashar al assad and his family are now in moscow, and there's talk that they might be getting asylum there. this is a massive paradigm shift, not just for syria but for the entire middle east. there was talk back on october 7 from the israelis, from the united states, saying that the response to hamas' terror attack

on october 7 would reshape or redraw the middle east. despite more than a year of conflicts throughout the region, that hasn't happened yet really until now. and now we're seeing a break in the assad regime. more than 50 years of rule by bashar al assad and his father that has terrorized syrians throughout their civil war and before that. but now we're not really out of the woods. the united states has launched strikes against 75 targets they say are affiliated with the islamic state, they say trying to prevent islamic state and other radical islamist groups from reconstituting themselves amidst the chaos of what syria has become. we've seen the israelis launching their strikes against targets in damascus. so we're seeing a lot of these other countries in the region trying to take advantage of the chaos and shore up their positions and to prevent more

unsavory characters from taking over. there is a very, very brief moment here of uncertainty and also optimism. whether or not that carries over into tomorrow or next week or next month, it's very much yet to be seen. >> all right, matt, thank you. and now to a nbc news exclusive. president-elect donald trump giving his first broadcast interview since winning back the white house, speaking with "meet the press" moderator, kristen welker. >> 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 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 who have been treated very unfairly are the people who have been online ten years to come into the country. >> when asked about members of

the january 6 committee? >> honestly, they should go to jail. >> you think liz cheney should go to jail? >> for what they did, anybody that voted in favor -- >> are you going to direct y yo fbi director to send them to jail? >> no, they're going to have to look at that. i'm going to focus on drill baby drill. >> when you say that, it carries weight. you've tapped these people to lead the justice department and fbi. >> they can do whatever they want. >> but he says he is looking to pardon people convicted for actions on january 6. >> we're looking at it now. we're going to look at individual cases, yeah. but i'm going to be acting very quickly. >> within your first 100 days? first day? >> first day. >> first day. >> yeah, i'm looking at the first day. >> and he signaled a policy shift toward ukraine. you said you could end the war in 24 hours.

you even said you want to try to end it before -- >> i'm trying to. >> you're actively trying to. >> i am. >> have you talked to president putin? no, i have not. >> you have not talked to president putin since you've been elected? >> i won't say that, but i haven't spoken to him recently? >> so you have spoken to president putin? >> i don't want to do anything that could impede the negotiation. >> our thanks to kristen welker. the manhunt continues this morning for the person of interest in the fatal shooti in unitedhealthcare ceo brian thompson. new images have been released of a man wearing a mask inside a new york city taxi and walking alongside that vehicle. authorities believe the man may have left the state after taking a cab from a bus station close to the bridge. the nypd scuba team searched the waters of central park for evidence yesterday, including

the gun that was used to kill thompson. police searched two other areas near the george washington bridge, but none of the searches have yielded a weapon. police have not released a possible motive yet. a federal lawsuit is accusing jay z of raping a 13-year-old girl in 2000, allegedly along with sean "diddy" combs. the anonymous accuser says it happened after she was driven to an mtv music video afterparty and given a drink that made her feel woozy and light-headed, according to the lawsuit. jay z, whose real name is shawn carter, fired back in a statement, calling a letter he received a blackmail attempt, while accusing tony busby, the lawyer who filed the suit, of engaging in unethical behavior.

she said she only sought a confidential mediation and they will let the filing speak for itself and litigate the facts in court. busby has filed several lawsuits in recent months against combs. legal representatives called the suits shameless publicity stunts designed to extract payments from celebrities. now to the case of the woman accused of boarding a flight to paris as a stow away. svetlana dali has been released amid fears she could be a flight risk. she boarded a flight to paris from new york without a ticket last month. prosecutors say she had previously tried to sneak onto other flights. a judge has ruled that as dali waits for trial she is banned from airports and must submit to gps monitoring. she faces up to five years in prison if convicted. to the weather. the east coast is in for wet

weather while snow seems to be taking aim for the plains. michelle grossman is following all of his this morning. >> we're looking at wet weather over the next few days. this is beneficial rain, especially by wednesday. we're going to see a soaking on the interior parts of the northeast. from the southeast to new england we're going to see rain developing. could see strong storms in portions of the mississippi valley. back behind it, we are dry for the most part. we're going to see accumulate snow, wintry mix and trick travel there. then, by wednesday, look at this. we're looking at soaking rains throughout the east coast from new england all the way down to the mid atlantic. the southeast could see strong storms. and then we're going to see colder air working in behind this. we'll see the lake-effect snow

machine start to turn up once again. we're going to see rain and snow in the pacific northwest. that's going to start a few days of really active weather. on friday, the west stays active. plenty of sunshine throughout the northern part of the nation. and we are dryinout g the sout. warm in the southern states. 55 in oklahoma city. that's your monday forecast. >> thank you. coming up, we've got your sunday night football highlights. but first, five years after a devastating fire, paris' notre dame cathedral is officially reopen. 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,

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notre dame cathedral. the historic landmark finally reopening after being devastated by a fire in 2019. on sunday, hundreds flocked to the church as it held its first mass in five years, marking the rebirth of that cathedral and the consecration of its altar. craig melvin was there to hear the bells ring again. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: a magnificent rebirth in the heart of paris, five years after a devastating fire tore through notre dame cathedral, the rebuilt gothic landmark officially reopened. [ bells tolling ] >> reporter: though not damaged by the flames, notre dame's bells rang again, in a ceremony filled with pomp and prayer. music and singing. the ceremony started outside with the archbishop of paris striking the main door of the

cathedral with his staff made from burned wood recovered from the fire. the crowd giving a standing ovation to the heroic firefighters, artists and builders who worked tirelessly to save and restore the cathedral. the exterior lit up with "thank you." france's president, emmanuel macron, offering his praise for everyone involved. president-elect donald trump shaking hands with macron after his speech. also in attendance, first lady dr. jill biden, prince william and ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy. 113 banners carried in by representatives from the diocese of paris. pope frances sending his blessing through a bishop who read a letter directly from him. ♪ ♪ once assembled inside, the blessing of the cathedral's 19th

century pipe organ, which, incredibly, survived the devastating fire. it was april 15, 2019. the world watched, stunned as flames chewed through the 800-year-old cathedral. fire crews battled for hours to save the building and the precious artifacts inside. then, macron's ambitious call to rebuild d reopen in just five years. an army of nearly 2,000 builders, masons and artisans went to work. the result? a gleaming, reborn notre dame. a celebration of hope, determination and faith. >> our thanks to craig for that report. still to come on "early today," as one eras tour ends in

vancouver, one team looking to put an end to another era from kansas city. the chargers pull out all the stops to try to topple the chiefs in prime time. we have the full recap after this. 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

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waiting, firing, touchdown! >> the chargers were looking to deny the chiefs a division title on sunday night football. l.a. took a late lead against the defending champs with a third quarter scoring surge and this stifling defense, but patrick mahomes manages to find travis kelce to set up the walkoff field goal which was delivered in dramatic fashion. >> and right on the upright and in for the division! >> kc continues its division champion era with a ninth straight afc west crown.

i was awake for this game, i shouldn't have been, but i was. my brother was a kicker and punter, so i have a special place for the special teams players, and i was freaking out watching that. >> but it's still the chiefs, right? they alwaywin, and you think oh, this time they'r're not goi to win. they're unstoppable. it's going to doink and go in. usually this goes the other way. kirk cousins returned to minnesota where he spent six seasons wearing purple. the vikings sparked the homecoming with a touchdown. cousins suffered his fourth outing. nothing could compare to the offensive explosion in the hollywood hills. the rams faced off against the bills in what ended up being the highest-scoring game of the nfl season. josh allen made history for the second sunday in row, scoring three touchdowns through the air and three more on the ground,

but not even history could stop matthew stafford and the rams from picking apart buffalo's typically strong defense with six scores of their own. l.a. ends the bills' win streak with a statement victory, 44-42. that's a lot of points, right? >> a really high-scoring games. sorry, bills, i still love you. and breaking overnight, the juan soto sweepstakes are over and his new home is a subway ride away. the superstar outfielder is signing with the new york mets on a massive 15-year, $765 million deal. by the way, that's the largest contract in sports history. soto heads to queens after one season in the bronx as a yankee where he helped lead the bombers to their first world series in 15 years. the mets made an unexpected playoff series of their own. look, as a yankees fan, it's better than him going to boston, i guess.

but i don't know how i feel about it yet. >> as a philly fan. >> right. >> thumbs, i'm doing the thumbs down. i'm nervous for the season. >> as you should be. when we come back, new efforts to contain the bird flu, and the arctic ocean is rising closer to a grim new milestone. we'll tell you all about it after this.

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finally this morning, from a christmas surprise for a beloved janitor, to a basketball superstar spreading joy. jose diaz balart has some good news so you can start your week with a smile. >> reporter: at lokia elementary school in maryland, a surprise celebration for beloved custodian, lewis watkins. they renamed the school gym and cafeteria after him to honor his 51 years of service. >> it will now be known as watkins cafe. [cheers and applause] >> reporter: mr. watkins moved to tears. >> i'm proud of it. >> reporter: in texas, it wasn't santa but another legend spreading joy. >> i have a gift for you, $500. >> reporter: basketball

superstar, shaquille o'neill giving out money. with the money, the garretts are paying it forward, giving every cent to a favorite charity, helping those in need. >> it didn't even dawn on us to buy anything for ourselves. we're just going to bless others. >> there's people close around you that are struggling that need just a little bit of help, that would make the world of difference to. >> reporter: and this was an early holiday blessing one family will never forget. loved ones surprising 10-year-old coleson by decorating the family for christmas. coleson's little league team there to support him, too, as he battles cancer. for mom samantha and firefighter

dad chacin, that show of support means the world. what was it like when you arrived, and there was so much love? >> you could see all the people standing there carolling and neighbors and friends. the community just pulled together. ♪ one horse open sleigh ♪ >> a lot of things that are difficult made less difficult when you have family and friends behind you. >> absolutely. >> what does that mean to each one of you? >> it means everything. we definitely couldn't do this alone. >> this is christmas magic. this is what christmas is meant to be. ♪ and a happy new year ♪ >> and our thanks to jose diaz balart for sharing those stories. can't say we don't give you good news. thanks for watching "early today." i'm jessica layton. have a great start to your week.