this morning on "world news now," the verdict is in. >> an illegal immigrant on trial for the death of kate steinle acquitted. the president weighing in immediately. and drama in the senate. the tax bill that appeared to be nearly a done deal hits a snag. staffers working on changes to that bill. and plus, matt lauer's apology as he's seen in public for the first time after being fired and nbc reports there are at many as eight equipmewomen a him of misconduct. and the interspecies rivalry. who is

cats or dogs? hmm, where do rabbits fit into the equation. >> frank. >> we're going to get to the bottom of this on this friday, december 1st. from abc news, this is "world news now." >> you didn't know where i was going, did you? >> i did not. i think people are going to be mad by what my guess will be. >> a big welcome back to kenneth moten in for kendis this morning. >> great to be here, great to be here. where's kendis? >> who? >> we can't say. right. >> kendis is away at the moment. >> he is. he's always taking time off. >> he will show us all about where he is when he returns. in the meantime, we are kept in suspense, but we are going to have more, of course, with kenneth and with the whole debate over the cats and dogs, but we're going to start things off with news this morning. yes, we begin with heartbreaking not-guilty verdict, the f

steinle who was shot while walking on a san francisco pier. jose zarate admits to shooting steinle but insists the gun misfired in a freak accident. he had been deported five times and was wanted for a sixth deportation at the time of the incident. immigration officials announced they will deport the mexican national again. >> the president weighed in, tweeting that verdict is disgraceful adding no wonder the people of our country are so angry with illegal immigration. >> reporter: after more than two painful years for kate steinle's family, a verdict many did not expect. jose zarate found not guilty of murder and involuntary man slautder in the shooting death of this 32-year-old on the san francisco pier in july of 2015. >> we believe the verdict is a correct and accurate reflection of the law. >> reporter: he said he

pier and when he examined it, it sently fired. the bullet ricocheted, hitting steinle as she walked with her father about 90 feet away. >> our greatest fear is that mr. zarate would not be able to get a fair trial. >> reporter: he weighs as in th country illegally after being deported several times and had multiple convictions. it became part of the national immigration debate. >> from day one, this case was used as a means to foment hate. >> reporter: attorney general jeff sessions reacted, writing in a statement that he would not have been on the streets of san francisco if the city simply honored an ice detainer. the six men and six women on the jury were ordered not to factor garcia zarate's immigration status into their decision. after nearly five weeks of testimony and arguments, it took them six days of deliberating to reach their verdict. >> we will respect that decision. >> rep

on a firearms possession charge and is now awaiting sentencing on that conviction. kenneth and diane? >> marcy, thank you. and such a case that involves so much at the heart of the immigration debate in this country. >> this was huge during the 2016 campaign. we know that president trump, then candidate trump, he mentioned kate steeninle at almt every rally. >> for a lot of people, they are seeing this acquittal as a seen that those arguments made by the president and others on that side were wrong. but for those on that side, the case, the facts of the case still remain that weigas deport five times, had is he offservedl sentence and san francisco released him. it just goes to the heart of the sanctuary city debate and whether they should be able to avoid federal l

people on the streets and the fact that he was found to have this all be an accident essentially and found not guilty and it complicate this is whole story for the fact that it's at the center of the debate. >> even though the local trial was over, obviously, this has a lasting impact. because now we've got federal government that's looking at sanctuary cities hard, the trump administration is going to continue on. >> they're also considering bringing federal charges against him now. this may not be the end of this case, but certainly sparking a lot of debate this morning. moving on to washington. senate republicans are skrugling to find ways to apiepease growi concerns that it would balloon the deficit. >> it hit a snag when the parliamentarian found it was against the rules to add automatic triggers to increase taxes if growth did not meet expectations. >> reporter: they have to make changes to this bill that are so big d

called off votes all together last night. they say votes will start again today, but we don't know exactly what they're going to be voting on or how much the bill changed overnight. the big sticking point is from senator bob corker, who doesn't like that this bill increases the deficit by so much. $1.5 trillion to be exact. >> senator jeff flake shares corker's concerns about the deficit. senator ron johnson is still withholding support as he pushes for more benefits for business own earns and senator susan collins remains undecided. a major shakeup is apparently in the works with rex tillerson reportedly on heis wa out. sources tell abc news, the white house has crafted a plan to oust rex tillerson bit end y the end year. the president was asked yesterday if he still wants tillerson on the job and h

responded "rex is here." >> john kelly called our department this morning and said those reports are not true. that is what i've been told, that's what we've been told. >> the president has publicly undercut tillerson on several occasion and tweeted that tillerson was wasting his time trying to negotiate with north korea. he also said he liked the secretary of state to be a little tougher, and tillerson has refused to confirm or deny whether he called the president a moron. john conyers is in the hospital recovering from a stress-related illness. but calls for his resignation are getting louder. >> reporter: on capitol hill, resounding chore us calling for him to go. the powerful chair of the congressional black

he's urged conyers to step aside. >> this is not going to get better, in fact, obviously, it's getting worse. >> reporter: democrats have been treading gingerly for days, but the accusations are piling up. marion brown who worked for conyers spoke out for the first time. >> he asked me to satisfy him sexually. he pointed to areas of, genital areas of his body, and asked me to, you know, touch it. >> reporter: conyers admits paying brown a secret $27,000 settlement but denies all allegations of misconduct. it is taking a toll on the 88-year-old, hospitalized with stress-related illness. but he made it clear he's not resigning. >> nancy pelosi didn't lengelecm and she sure as hell won't be the one to tell him to

>> reporter: wea've just learne about a settlement for claims against massa. the largest settlement of its kind that we know for misconduct by a single lawmaker. mary bruce, abc news, capitol hill many congressman joe barton has reversed course and says he will not seek another term. a naked picture of the texas republican was released last week. he apologized and said he could be a victim of revenge porn and announced he would seek a 18th term in congress but faced growing pressure at home to retire. he is the seventh member from texas who will not run again. howell donaldson appeared via video. he didn't enter a plea, but a hearing on tuesday morning will de

held without bond. police still aren't sure of the motive for the killings. american airlines says only a few hundred its late december flights still don't have pilots scheduled to fly them. the pilots union said more than 1500 flights lacked a full crew. it claims it's still the case for,000 of flights. >> to get home to mama, i'm going to do it. >> we have an applicant. we have details from california about a suspected cash thief who may not have planned this one out moerly. >> police say the man snatched this $300,000 ferrari that you see right there in a service center in orange county, but the car must have been running on empty. minutes late ir, police received a report that the thief was begging people for gas money. >> when

ran off, he was caught hiding behind some bushes at a hotel. usually a red flag with someone with a ferrari doesn't have gas money. >> the important question. does he get the premium? >> you got to make sure you get the good gas in the ferrari. you don't want the cheap stuff. that's the moral of the story. >> it really is. coming up. the science experiment that comes within inches of disaster. and matt lauer addresses the allegations that cost him his job. hey, chad! i missed you. ah! i was in the tree watching you, and then i fell. i'm not eating pizza from the trash. then i discovered mucinex. huge difference. one pill lasts 12 hours, and i'm good. oh, here kitty, kitty...ah! not a cat, not a cat! why take 4-hour medicine? just one mucinex lasts 12 hours.

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takes to protect. we're looking at a scene from suburban chicago, those flames are coming from a burning car, but get this. you see crews rush in to pull the driver to safety, but that driver apparently didn't want to get out. they eventually did manage to rescue him. police say 71-year-old had just left the scene of a hit and run. he's now in critical condition. two officers were also treated for burns and smoke inhalation. music and movie mogul russell simmons is stepping down as head all his companies after a claim of sexual assault. a screenwriter says in

simmons offered her a ride home, locked the car door and ordered his driver to take them to his house. that's where she says simmons sexually assaulted her many simmons denies the assault but says while her membory is very different than mine, while i have never been violent, i have been thoughtless. nbc is now saying that there may be as many as eight accusers, and it comes one day after lauer was fired by the network and breaks his silence about the accusations. here's maggie rulli. >> reporter: one day after being fired from nbc, we see matt lauer for the first time leaving his home on long island in these photos taken by daily

as multiple allegations broke, he breaks his silence with a statement, saying some of what is being said about me is untrue or mischaracterized but there is enough truth in these to make me feel embarrassed and ashamed. since one female colleague wednesday to nbc on monday with allegations, at least two other women have made formal complaints about matt lauer to nbc news. one of those women also went to the "new york times" with her allegation, saying in 2001, lauer summoned her to his office, asked her to unbutton her bruclouse, which she did. at some point, she passed out with her pants halfway down to the floor. she woke up with him asking his assistant to take her to the nurse. management denies any knowledge of allegations prior to this week. the president and ceo of

>> obviously, i've known matt for 25 years, and i didn't now this matt. >> reporter: but variety magazine says these accounts are not adding up. >> it is at odds with our reporting. we have talked to dozens of current and former staffer whose say that there was general knowledge within all ranks of nbc ms. >> reporter: in a call with employees, andrew lack said he could not get into the details of the accusation but said there was a power dynamic in play that encounters inappropriate. coming up in the next half hour. the seismic shakeup along the east coast. what we're learning about the rare earthquake that shook buildings from virginia to connecticut. but first, a manhunt under way in las vegas. we're getting a first look at the brazen holdup at the bellagio, that's next.

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the vault at the bellagio safeguards every dime that passes through each of the casinos above it, and we're going to rob it.

>> slightly more complicated than that. >> yeah. >> i'm sure you know it, that's george clooney and matt damon in 2001, plotting the heist at the casino on the strip. >> but we're getting a look at the real-life robbery at the bellagio, and this guy didn't have the help of matt damon or anyone. we have more on how he pulled it off. >> reporter: security cameras catch the robber strolling into the bellagio wearing glasses, a wig, a hat and a bandage across his face, strolling. he's armed. he's in the casino, straight to the poker room. >> went up to the poker cage and proceeded to rob the kaej and took off with an unknown amount of cash. >> reporter: the gun stays hidden. the clerk quietly, quickly hands over cash. it's over in seconds. no one was

the robber is now breaking into a jog as he makes for the exit, brushing past an unsuspecting woman on his way out the cops are called. >> white male, 40s. >> reporter: cameras pick up his silver chevy peeling off the property. >> whatever amount of cash he got is not enough to face a lifetime in prison. >> reporter: vegas police believe this was a one-man job. they've recovered the getaway car, but now 48 hours after that audacious daylight hit, the robber remains at large. nick watt, abc news, los angeles. >> how do you stroll through a casino with a mask on your face. people are really into their gambling. that's what we're learning here. >> those floors are really big. you have to go through the entrance. it's a maze. >> it takes a little while. >> it's a maze. >> the suspect's described as a white male, 30-40 yea

pounds, and police are asking for anyone with information to call and give them a ring. he's still out there. >> that's incredible. if you see him, call the police. speaking of incredible, who who's smarter, cats or dogs? >> the mix and the polka. der lek underwear that's actually pretty. surprised? it's called always discreet boutique. it looks and fits like my underwear. i know what you're thinking. how can something this pretty protect? hidden inside is a super absorbent core that quickly turns liquid to gel... ...for incredible protection. so i feel protected... ...and pretty. new always discreet boutique.

♪ it is time for "the mix". and we're going to start things off with a very cool study out. there's been this huge, life-long debate of who is smarter, cats or dogs, and now science is giving an answer. a recent scientific study shows dogs have twice as many neurons in their brains as cats do. they have approximately 500 million neurons in their brains, cats 250 million, which means that dogs are twice as smart as cats the and as a huge dog fan, i'm loving this story. take that,

take -- >> i don't want to make the cat people angry by saying cat people, i was not saying that in a derogatory way. but i am surprised as well, but i knew this. dogs are just rambunctious. >> more neurons. >> cats are smarter for the fact that they're lazy and just want to relax sometimes. so, you know, but are rabbits, though? >> rabbits are smarter than both of them. >> frank is not that smart. he has 71 million neurons. >> this study is fiction! fiction! polka! ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

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this morning on "world news now," the high stakes negotiations overnight in washington. the republicans' original tax cuts are now possibly scaled back over concerns of how much they'll add to the deficit. we have a status report just ahead. and there is a rex it strategy for secretary of state rex tillerson to move him from his post. the conflicting reports that president trump wants him out. mean while, a diplomatic mess is brewing with america's closest ally. british parliament members unleashing anger over the president's tweets. and a late night craving led a man to a waffle house. when he got there, everyone was sleeping.