it's friday, december 13th, 2024. this is "cbs news mornings."

making their case. prosecutors start presenting evidence to a grand jury in the killing of a health care ceo as we learn new details about the suspect's escape from new york. whiteout. another round of heavy lake-effect snow slamming parts of the upper midwest and northeast, creating hazardous conditions on the roads. and story of survival. an american who disappeared seven months ago is found alive in syria. good morning. i'm shanelle kaul in for michael george. this morning, new details are emerging about the suspect accused of killing united healthcare ceo brian thompson. investigators now say they believe he took a different route out of new york city to evade police. there's also no indication he was ever insured by the company. cbs' jarred hill joins us now here in new york with the latest on this story.

hey, jarred, good morning. >> reporter: hey, shanelle. it's critical here because there had been this ongoing question of whether this shooter had a personal grievance with united health care. it's looking like that is less to be the case. meanwhile, we are getting a clearer view of how police say he escaped. this morning, police say they have new information on how the man accused of killing united healthcare's ceo got out of new york. investigators believe luigi mangione rode a bike through central park after allegedly killing brian thompson, then took a cab to a major bus terminal in upper manhattan just to go back downtown, possibly taking a subway to new york's penn station. from there, investigators questioned whether mangione fled to pennsylvania by train. authorities say they found evidence mangione knew united healthcare was hosting its investor conference in new york before the shooting and that while there's no indication mangione was ever insured by the company, united healthcare and its ceo may have been targeted because of its status as the nation's biggest health insurer.

it comes as cbs news learned the manhattan d.a.'s office has begun presenting evidence to a grand jury in order to get him back to new york. >> i trust the d.a. here in manhattan to make sure that he puts forth an indictment that is going to be ironclad. >> reporter: investigators say when they arrested mangione, he had a spiral notebook with him where he wrote about using a bomb over a gun, and he had a 3d printed firearm that police say matched the shell casings found at the murder scene. police say his fingerprints were found on items near the scene. mangione is currently being held in a maximum security prison in pennsylvania, fighting extradition. >> it just gives them more time to prepare their defense. >> reporter: a hearing has been set for december 30th. governor hochul says she's working on a governor's warrant to get mangione to new york more likely. we're told the 26-year-old is being held in a cell by himself and hasn't made any incriminating statements to

investigators. >> all right, jarred hill, thank you. heavy lake-effect snow, strong winds, and bone-chilling temperatures are making things miserable in the midwest and western new york state. dash cam video caught the moment an out-of-control truck slammed into three fire trucks and a kalamazoo, michigan sheriff's car on the scene of another accident yesterday. first responders had to run for their lives. everyone was okay, thankfully, but the truck driver who suffered minor injuries. parts of new york state that have seen their share of heavy snow since thanksgiving got hit with even more, creating dangerous whiteout driving conditions. two towns issued driving bans. the buffalo bills canceled practice. and some areas could see up to 3 feet of snow. governor kathy hochul declared a state of emergency in several counties. now to the middle east, where top biden administration officials are on the ground

making a last-ditch push to end the israel/hamas war and working to bring stability to syria after the fall of the assad regime. it comes amid a remarkable discovery. an american citizen turned up yesterday in syria. his name is travis timmerman, and he says he was on a spiritual journey when he disappeared into a syrian prison seven months ago. >> they came with a hammer and knocked my door in. there was two men with a gun and another man, and they helped me get out. >> reporter: identifying himself as travis timmerman, he said he spent the last seven months in one of the country's notorious prisons.

>> it wasn't bad. i was never beaten. the only really bad part was i couldn't go to the bathroom when i wanted to. >> reporter: timmerman says he was detained after entering the country illegally on a christian pilgrimage. after rebels overthrew the assad government, local men broke down the prison doors. cbs news' elizabeth palmer found timmerman in a house outside damascus. >> when i came to syria, i was unaware of the political situation entirely. because that's just how i am. i came here for spiritual purposes. >> reporter: his family had reported him missing over the summer and called his appearance the best christmas gift. >> i just busted out crying. i called her up, "i've seen the video, it's him, he's alive." >> yes, i'm so happy. i'm hoping he calls me tomorrow and says he's okay. i want him to come back home. >> reporter: traveling in the middle east, secretary of state antony blinken said he's focused

on timmerman's return. >> i can't give you any details on exactly what's going to happen except to say we're working to bring him home, to bring him out of syria, to bring him home. >> reporter: blinken says the administration is also working hard to locate american austin tice, the marine veteran working as a freelance journalist when he was abducted in damascus in 2012. ian lee, cbs news, lebanon, missouri. there is renewed optimism this morning of a cease-fire and hostage release deal between israel and hamas by the end of the year. white house national security adviser jake sullivan, who is in israel, signaled a breakthrough in talks after meeting with prime minister benjamin netanyahu. sullivan said netanyahu is ready to get this done and added there has been movement from hamas. sullivan will also visit egypt and qatar. now to the transition of power in washington. with just over a month until he

assumes office, donald trump is sharing more details on some of his policies and plans, including deporting undocumented immigrants and trying to bring down the high cost of groceries. here's cbs' nikole killion. >> reporter: a wall street welcome for president-elect donald trump. the business mogul was fully in his element, ringing the opening bell of the new york stock exchange, celebrated as "time" magazine's "person of the year." >> i have to say, "time" magazine getting this honor for the second time, i think i like it better this time, actually. >> reporter: in a lengthy interview with the magazine, the president-elect reiterated his top campaign pledge to move aggressively on pass deportations of more than 11 million undocumented immigrants using law enforcement and potentially the military. federal law prevents the military from being used against civilians, but he warned, "i

will go up to the maximum level of what the law allows." trump also said he does not intend to go back to the policy of family separation but wouldn't rule it out, "i would much rather deport them together." and he acknowledged his administration may build deportation camps, bluntly stating, "whatever it takes to get them out, i don't care." on the economy, trump, who made curbing inflation a cornerstone of his campaign, conceded it may be difficult to lower grocery prices. he explained, it's hard to bring things down once they're up. but later said this. >> prices are going to start coming down because people can't afford their groceries. and they're going to be affording their groceries very soon. >> reporter: the former president was joined in new york by some of his cabinet picks, including robert f. kennedy jr., a vaccine skeptic, to lead health and human services. asked if he could get rid of some childhood vaccinations, trump replied, "it could if i think it's dangerous, if i think they are not beneficial, but i don't think it's going to be very controversial in the end." the president-elect said one of his first official acts will be to pardon many of the january 6th rioters within the first

nine minutes of taking office. nikole killion, cbs news, west palm beach, florida. coming up this morning, mystery drones. what the federal government is saying about the sightings in the sky over new jersey. and flight investigation. who investigators say they blame for a turbulent trip that caused serious injuries. es. big story ♪ ♪ i take once-daily jardiance... ♪ ♪ ...at each day's start. ♪ ♪ as time went on, it was easy to see. ♪ ♪ i'm lowering my a1c! ♪ and for adults with type 2 diabetes... ...and known heart disease, jardiance can lower the risk of cardiovascular death, too. serious side effects include increased ketones in blood or urine, which can be fatal. stop jardiance and call your doctor right away if you have nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, tiredness, trouble breathing, or increased ketones. jardiance may cause dehydration that can suddenly worsen kidney function and make you feel dizzy, lightheaded, or weak upon standing. genital yeast infections in men and women,

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mucinex in, mucus out! treat the cause. i recommend la roche-posay body cream. one application a day keeps very dry skin away. 48 hour hydration helps repair the skin barrier. la roche-posay. two years after a hawaiian airlines plane hit severe turbulence, injuring 20 on board, the national transportation board is blaming the flight crew. the agency issued its final report on the phoenix to honolulu flight, and it says the crew's decision to fly over a dangerous storm cell instead of around it led to that turbulence. three passengers and a crew member were seriously injured. a january 6th conspiracy is debunked and an update on drone sightings. those are some of the headlines on "the morning newsstand." the "new york post" reports the white house addressed the recent

mysterious drone sightings over new jersey. national security spokesman john kirby told reporters yesterday that most of the claims are people mistaking drones for helicopters or airplanes that are actually flying legally. he also said there is no evidence they pose a national security or public safety threat. kirby said federal investigators have been unable to verify any of the more than 3,000 reports of car-sized drones spotted at night in recent weeks. politico says a justice department watchdog found no evidence the fbi deployed undercover agents to the capitol on january 6th. the report from the department's inspector general undercuts conspiracy theories that the riot was instigated by law enforcement. the report also found no evidence the fbi authorized or encouraged any illegal behavior by the mob that stormed the capitol. it did say the fbi should have done more to collect intelligence from sources before the riot to determine the potential for violence.

and the "new york times" says a former fbi informant agreed to plead guilty to lying about president biden and his son hunter accepting a bribe. alexander smirnov admitted to making up his 2020 claim that the bidens were each paid $5 million by executives associated with the ukrainian energy company burisma. the claim was a key part of the republican impeachment inquiry into president biden. smirnov also pleaded guilty to obstructing justice and tax charges that could lead to more than six years in prison. just ahead this hour, flawed escape. a suspect tried to channel santa claus, finds himself in a bit of a tight spot. of a tight spot. t, i found relief. nurtec odt can provide relief in two hours which can last up to two days when used... ...for the acute treatment of migraine with... ...or without aura in adults. to those with migraine... ...i see you.

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get up, show us your hands! show us your hands! >> those words from police in massachusetts to a suspect who, get this, got caught in a chimney. officials say the man, wanted on drug charges, ran from fall river detectives on tuesday onto a rooftop and ended up getting wedged in this chimney here. detectives climbed onto the roof, looked down into the chimney shaft, and then saw him there. firefighters were able to get the man out. in "money watch" this morning, u.s. stocks slipped thursday as investors digested fresh inflation data released this week. the dow lost 234 points, the nasdaq was down 132, and the s&p 500 lost 32 points. the federal trade commission is suing the largest american distributor of wine and spirits. the agency alleges southern glazer's wine and spirits discriminates against smaller

stores by not giving them access to discounts and rebates that larger chains receive. miami-based southern glazer's called the lawsuit, quote, both misguided and legally flawed. a big recall on a popular item. stanley is now recalling 2.6 million mugs because the lids can detach and cause burns. the recall involves the stanley switchback and trigger action stainless steel travel mugs sold between 2016 to this month. there have been reports of 38 injuries, and people should contact stanley for a free replacement lid. subscribers of youtube tv, get ready to pay more. the platform announced it is raising its monthly charge by 14% to $82.99. the company says rising content costs are to blame for this hike. the streaming service debuted in 2017 at just $35 a month. up next, a chart-topping night for taylor swift.

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there she is, taylor swift sweeping last night's billboard music awards and breaking, get this, yet another record. the "fortnight" singer winning ten awards, including top artist, hot 100 songwriter, and top streaming songs artist. swift was not there in person, but she did send in her thank you. >> this was, like, the nicest early birthday present you could have given me, so thank you very much. i love it. it's exactly what i wanted. >> swift is now the most-decorated billboard music awards winner of all-time with a total of 49 career trophies. she had been tied with drake at 39. drake picked up three new awards. other big winners of the night include chappell roan for top new artist. beyonce for top country female artist. and morgan wallen won several statues, including top male artist. earlier in the day, wallen was in a nashville court where he was sentenced to two years of probation.

wallen pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment after throwing a chair off a rooftop bar in nashville in april. the chair almost hit two police officers below. wallen was also sentenced to spend seven days in a dui education center. more trouble for imprisoned hip-hop star sean diddy combs. three men have now filed lawsuits in new york yesterday claiming the music mogul drugged and raped them. this comes as combs is facing a slew of sexual assault and sex trafficking accusations from men, women, and minors. attorneys for the 55-year-old call the allegations baseless. and reality star james kennedy from bravo's "vanderpump rules" is out on bail after being arrested yesterday. police apprehended the 32-year-old deejay at his home in los angeles. we'll be right back.

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catherine depalma: in my lifetime, i did not come to know the lord until i was 43 years old, so i had an entire childhood and adulthood apart from the lord, knowing of god, but not knowing christ, not having a relationship with jesus.

there's a lesson that i learned from dr. charles stanley. we think something's too small to bother asking god about, but every little detail of your life you should be checking with him on. so, don't only pray in the dark times, but pray when things are going good. pray to think him, pray to worship him.

it is inevitable. chloe! hey dad. they will grow up. [cheering] silly face, ready? discover who they are. [playing music] what they want from this world. and how they will make it better. and while parenting has changed, how much you care has not. that's why instagram is introducing teen accounts. automatic protections for who can contact them and the content they can see. ♪♪ - man, i need some serious help with this health insurance stuff. - check out covered california. it's a free service from the state that helps you get health insurance. millions of people have used it. - wait, for real? - mmm hmm,

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enroll by december 31st. covered california. cue the trumpets on this friday as we welcome you to