>> keir simmons in moscow, thank you very much. take care. that wraps up the hour for me. i'm jose diaz-balart. you can reach me on social media @jdbalart. thank you for the privilege of your time. a quick programming note, andrea mitchell will talk with homeland security secretary alejandro mayorkas and what he knows about the mysterious drones flying over the east coast. "andrea mitchell reports" starts right now. >>> and right now on "andrea mitchell reports" breaking news. the house ethics committee votes in secret to release its report on one-time trump attorney general choice, former congressman matt gaetz. plus, a terror charge lodged against the man accused of killing the united healthcare ceo. he's been indicted for first-degree murder as investigators reveal new details about the alleged ambush. >> this was a killing intended to evoke terror, and we've seen that reaction. >> and russia says it has a suspect in the brazen assassination of a top general killed by a bomb in the heart of moscow. but first, outgoing homeland security secretary aljanuary grow -- alejan

>> keir simmons in moscow. thank you. >>> in france today dozens of men were convicted and sentenced in a rape trial that stunned the nation and saw the woman who went public with her accusations become the face of a movement. hala gorani has that story. >> reporter: tonight the mass rape trial that shocked the world. cheers in southeast france as 72-year-old dominique pelicot was sentenced to 20 years in prison. the crimes, drugging his wife, gisele, over the course of a decade and inviting dozens of men to sexually assault her while she was unconscious. in the courtroom 50 other men also sentenced for their roles in the assaults. waiving her right to anonymity, gisele pelicot became a symbol of courage and an icon for women's rights groups around the world. outside the avignon courthouse today gisele pelicot spoke out. saying she never regretted her decision. also addg that she shares the same fight with other victims. she chose to show her face, while the accused hid theirs, so that the shame, she said in co

keir simmons reports ukraine is claiming responsibility for the bold operation. >> reporter: tonight, dramatic videostreet early this morning. the body of lieutenant capturing the moment a russian general is assassinated in moscow. he walks out. seconds later, an explosion rocking a quiet street early this morning. the body of lieutenant general igor kirillov and his assistant back later seen lying on a snow-covered sidewalk. the bomb was attached to a scooter and designated remotely. a ukrainian security source briefed on the matter tells nbc news. one video of the killing seems to be filmed from the back of a car. that ukrainian security source tells nbc news the security service of ukraine carried out the killing, saying kirillov was a, quote, legitimate target, because he ran the russian army's chemical weapons program. tonight, in russia, a prosecutor in a televised address calling kirillov's death a murder and terrorist act. former president and prime minister dmitry medvedev calling on colleagues to stand in honor of the generalfind the killers. all of this and urging investiga

keir simmons went to the scene of that explosion earlier today. >> reporter: this is the man accused of the stunning assassination of a russian general outside his moscow apartment. named by russian state media as 29-year-old akhmad kurbanov from uzbekistan. moscow investigators say he confessed to being recruited by ukraine with an offer of $100,000 and safe passage to a european country. the bomb, hidden on a scooter, had been given to him, investigators say. when we reached the site today, there was still blood in the snow. surrounded by broken apartment windows. a killing in plain sight. it took just seconds as igor kirillov walked from this door. a scooter laden with explosives detonated. the whole thing videoed from a camera in a car just across the road and beamed, russian officials say, back to ukraine. >> it was really loud and i woke up. >> reporter: lieutenant general igor kirillov and his assistant were killed. a ukrainian security source tells nbc news ukraine's security services carried out the killing. 24 hours earlier ukraine had charged kirillov with using banned che

keir simmons has the details. keir. >> reporter: even the timing is dramatic, just yesterday ukraine charged the lieutenant general with war crimes, today they say they have killed him in moscow, russian media reporting a bomb was taped to the handle of a scooter. this morning, in moscow, a dramatic explosion killing a key russian general and his assistant. the blast so powerful it blew the bricks from the walls. and the remains of a scooter, it was loaded with explosives ukraine said. an operation both audacious and precise, the bomb detonatinged a he moved between a building and a car and ukraine's most ambitious assassination deep within russia. the lieutenant general was chief of the russian army's chemical weapons division. he was sanctioned by the uk for the alleged use of chemical weapons in ukraine. he was an absolutely legitimate target, since he gave orders to use prohibited chemical weapons against the ukrainian military, such an indmroers you ends awaits all who kill ukrainians. the source asking for an

nbc news chief international correspondent keir simmons has more from the bomb site. >> reporter: it'sre, this is where lieutenant general igor kirillov was assassinated just over 24 hours ago. you can see the power of the explosion, the meant tal, the bricks, some people leaving flowers. they do have a suspect in custody. russian media saying that is a man called akhmad kurbanov obtained outside moscow outside reports here in russia and russian media showing a videotape of him apparently confessing saying that has come from russian authorities. of course he is under arrest, under duress, he has, in fact, confessed to what happened here. standing here what a precision operation this was. the general would have walked out of the apartment here and there was a car waiting just in the street, so a very short distance away for this explosion to take place. it was filmed from the back of the car, a car we think was very likely parked around about where that red vehicle is there across the street. according to russian investigators the explosives were attached to a scooter that was against t

. >> and joining us now from moscow nbc's keir simmons. good seeing you.t, say they are doing in this arrest? >> reporter: jose, the russian media are naming the man involved as a 29-year-old called kurbanav from uzbekistan. there is no official confirmation of that. they are also showing a video of him. he was detained outside moscow, as you can see. they're showing a video of him that purports to be him confessing to the killing. he's under arrest. all we have is russian authorities saying that's what he said, but they do, the russians, appear to have detail about what happened. you see pictures where this lieutenant general lived. he had seconds to get into his car. in that time the explosives that appear to be on a bike laid against the wall, a scooter, they detonated. close by a car with a camera in it, according to russian authorities, was feeding a live video of the events back to ukraine so this was a clearly carefully planned operation. we've been there today. there are apartments all around. you're left kind of stunned that it was possible to do

thank you, keir simmons, for that. >>> up next on ""ana cabrera reports,"" another one, it was travist are authorities saying? li? what are authorities saying? with liberty mutual. customize and sa— (balloon doug pops & deflates) and then i wake up. and you have this dream every night? yeah, every night! hmm... i see. (limu squawks) only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis my skin was no longer mine. my active psoriatic arthritis joint symptoms held me back. don't let symptoms define you... emerge as you, with clearer skin. with tremfya®, most people saw 100% clear skin... ...that stayed clear, even at 5 years. tremfya® is proven to significantly reduce joint pain, stiffness, and swelling. 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. emerge as you with clear skin. ask your doctor about tremfya®. ♪♪ for the better part of a century, harry

speaking to our keir simmons, putin also said he was open to negotiations and compromise over ukraine. here's keir's report. >> reporter: russian president putin promising to ask syria's bashar al assad, who just fled to russia, about missing american austin tice. i have a letter here sent to you this week by the mother of an american journalist who is missing in syria. he's called austin tice. will you ask president assad for information? >> translator: i haven't met with assad since his arrival in moscow, but i do plan on doing so. i promise i will ask him this question. >> reporter: we pressed president putin with russian troops still fighting in ukraine, the assassination of a russian general in moscow and the fall of russia's ally, assad, what does that mean for his potential meeting with president-elect trump. mr. president, when you face president-elect trump, you will be the weaker leader. how do you propose to compromise? what are you going to offer? after speaking about another topic, he returned to our question. >> translator: i have not spoken to him for more than four yea

. >>> coming up on "today", keir simmons is in paris where the notre dame cathedral reopened.g the revival. and here's al roker with what else is ahead. >> this morning, dylan's going to conquer her fear of heights. and dennis quaid getting personal about his life and career. and walker hayes with his fun christmas hit. all that and more on the third hour of "today". >>> thanks al, and thank you for watching "early today." i'm jessica layton. have a great christmas eve. i'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning. tomorrow morning. conditions this morning as rain falls across the bay area. it comes just after that partial collapse of the wharf

here's what nbc chief international correspondent keir simmons asked him a short time ago. >> keir simmons have failed to reach the objectives of your special military operation. large numbers of russians have died including a general assassinated here in moscow this week and the leader of syria who you supported has been overthrown. mr. president, when you face president-elect trump, you will be the weaker leader. how do you propose to compromise? what are you going to offer? >> you asked what we can offer or i can offer to the president-elect trump when we meet. i do not know when we are going to meet because he does not speak about that. i have not spoken to him for more than four years now. you said that this conversation will take place where i'll be in a weakened state. well, distinguished colleague, despite all persecutions of our media, you are allowed to work here freely, is that good already to you and the people who pay your salary, the united states, would really like for russia to be in a weakened state. i'm of a different opinion. i think that russia became much stronger over

keir simmons is in paris where the notre dame cathedral just reopened.nd now here's al roker. >> this morning, dylan's going to conquer her fear of heights at trapeze school. and dennis quaid getting personal about his life and career. and walker hayes performing his fun christmas hit. all that and more coming up this morning on the third hour of "today". >> and we thank you for watching "early today." i'm jessica layton. have a great christmas eve. we'll see you tomorrow. " i'm tom llamas in new york. stay right there, there's more news on the way. news on the way. >>> the house ethics committee releasing

keir simmons went to the explosion. >> reporter: this is the man accused of the assassination of a russian general outside his moscow apartment. named by russian state media as 29-year-old akmad. they say he confessed to being recruited by ukraine with an offer of $100,000 and safe passage to a european country. the bomb, hidden on a scooter, was given to him. there was still blood in the snow. surrounded by broken apartment windows. a killing in plain sight. it took just seconds as he walked from this door, a scooter with explosives detonated. the whole thing videoed from a camera in a car just across the road. beamed, russian officials say, back to ukraine. >> it was loud. i woke up. >> reporter: the lieutenant general and his assistant were killed. the ukrainian security source tells nbc news the security services carried out the killing. 24 hours earlier, ukraine charged him with using banned chemical weapons against ukraine, an allegation denied by russia. the brazen assassination has brought the ukraine war to moscow's doorstep. >> it's horrible that this happened. >> you are followi

nbc's chief international correspondent keir simmons was there. he joins us. od morning. >> reporter: savannah, good morning to you. after a series of questions by nbc news, president putin made news. he says he has not yet spoken to former president assad of syria since he fled here to russia. he promised to ask assad about the missing journalist austin tice. he said he hasn't spoken to president-elect trump in four years and there are no plans of a meeting. this morning, president putin holding his traditional end of year question and answer session. a marathon over many hours, just days after a russian general w s assassinated in moscow. putin was asked about ukraine. >> translator: i have to say the situation is changing drastically. our military men are regaining territory by square kilometers. >> reporter: nbc news asked the russian leader about the incoming trump administration and about the overthrow of president assad, who putin propped up for many years. the fall of the syrian dictator seen as a defeat for russia's autocrat. >> reporter: large numbers

nbc's chief international correspondent keir simmons with the breaking news. keir, good morning. >> reporter: savannah, good morning to you. even the timing is dramatic. yesterday, he was charged with war crimes. today, they say, they have killed him in moscow. russian media reporting a bomb was taped to the handle of a scooter. this morning in moscow, a dramatic explosion, killing a key russian general and his assistant. the blast so powerful it blew the bricks from the walls and the remains of a scooter, it was loaded with explosives, ukraine says. the operation both audacious and precise. the bomb detonating as he moved between a building and a car. and ukraine's most ambitious assassination deep inside russia since the war began. this lieutenant general was chief of the russian army's chemical weapons division. he was sanctioned by the uk in october for the alleged use of chemical weapons in ukraine. according to a ukrainian security source, briefed on the matter, he was an absolutely legitimate target since he gave orders to use prohibited chemical weapons

now, that is a christmas gift to the world. >> keir simmons, thank you.ke a look at the visiting families this holiday. the last thing you want to hear is that there is a travel nightmare on the roads and the skies. oh, we will bring that update after this short break. . (balloon doug pops & deflates) and then i wake up. and you have this dream every night? yeah, every night! hmm... i see. (limu squawks) only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ ♪ only pay for what you need. 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 po

keir simmons has more. >> reporter: a dramatic explosion killing a key russian general and his assistantthe blast so powerful it blew the bricks from the walls. and the remains of a scooter, it was loaded with explosives, ukraine says. the operation both awe udaciousd precise as he moved between the building and a car, and the most ambitious operation since the war began. the lieutenant general was chief of the russian army's chemical weapons division. he was sanctioned by the u.k. in october for the alleged use of chemical weapons in ukraine, according to a ukrainian security source briefed on the matter, he was an absolutely legitimate target since he gave orders to kbruz little use proh chemical weapons against ukrainian military. the source asking for anonymity because they aren't authorized to discuss it publicly. russian state evision saying the bomb was remotely operated. it comes as the war started by russia invading ukraine in its third year, both sides taking massive losses. russia is calling the bombing an act of terrorism, but they will be under pressure to explain another hi

there are calls for unity, but many challenges ahead. >> nbc's keir simmons, thank you. >>> coming up lowell and sophia nelson. don't go anywhere. hugo lowell and sophia nelson don't go anywhere. that let you manage every sale from every channel. and sell more with the best converting checkout on the planet. a lot more. take your business to the next stage when you switch to shopify. known for pursuing your passions. no one wants to be known for cancer but a treatment can be. keytruda is known to treat cancer. fda-approved for 17 types of cancer, including certain early-stage and advanced cancers. one of those cancers is early-stage non—small cell lung cancer. keytruda may be used with certain chemotherapies before surgery when you have early-stage lung cancer, which can be removed by surgery, and then continued alone after surgery to help prevent your lung cancer from coming back. keytruda can cause your immune system to attack healthy parts of your body during or after treatment. this may be severe and lead to death. see your doctor right away if you have cough, shortness of breath,

. >> it keir simmons la poblacion ya con el ferrocarril habia manera de la fruta y quÉ era posible enviadosbiÉn no. >> so the train made it possible for trade. okay, i think we're ready. yeah. >> ahora si you para estamos listos para cocinar. see ya. vamonos. iba. >> this is so fun. i'm just gonna keep picking on my way out. ana grew up near these incredible orange orchards. hi. como estas bienvenida. and she's taking me back to the kitchen where her mom, marta, helped her launch her business. it smells so good. >> vamos a empezar a preparar la conserva de naranja. quÉ es muy tradicional y muy ligero? no todo mundo. la entiende muy bien. porque realmente es la cascara de naranja. >> although they include the zest of the orange, the main ingredient is the thick white pith ahorita. >> ademas de primero le vamos a poner en el agua. >> este viendo con sal para quÉ tal es un poco lo amargo suavizar okay, the pith gives the dessert its sour punch, but the juice doesn't go to waste. >> so you put orange juice in mommy e azucar. >> y tambiÉn azucar. more sugar. >> is this a recipe from when you wer

this was an answer, by the way, to a question from nbc journalist keir simmons during this event. >>ou asked me what we can offer or what i can offer to the newly elected president trump when we meet. first of all, i don't know when we will meet because he hasn't said anything about it. i haven't spoken to him at all in over four years. of course i am ready for this at any time and i will be ready for a meeting if he wants it. >> so on that more than four years comment i think. look, we have to note that the kremlin continues to refute claims that were published in bob woodward's latest book, that trump held a number of conversations with putin after leaving office. the kremlin continues to deny that. and i think, look, they're not giving a lot of way that a lot of way that may be a reflection of the uncertainty that is still there in moscow over exactly how trump's ukraine policy will play out, even as we know they have welcomed some of the commentary coming from the president elect, including comments over the weekend that he thought it was a mistake to give ukraine permission to u

the assassination of a top general in an explosion in nbc's chief international correspondent keir simmons joins us with details. keir, good morning. >> reporter: savannah, good morning to you. this is where the lieutenant general was assassinated just over 24 hours ago. you can see the bent metal and the broken bricks. the explosion on camera thought to be the most senior assassination of a military official on russian soil since the war. the russians now say they have a suspect. russian media naming him, a 29 years old, a citizen of uzbekistan. there is a video said to show him confessing. although, of course, he is under arrest. we have no way of knowing whether that was really what he is saying. look at what a precision operation this was. a scooter laden with explosives was against the wall here as the general walked out. a car with a camera sent by russian officials to be feeding that video back to ukraine was just across the street there. russian officials are furious. president putin has not yet commented. but, savannah, this morning, the white house says it does not support or ena

keir simmons is in paris where the facilities are -- festivities are a few hours away. >> reporter: fiver-old cathedral. now it's reopened to the public and they're getting ready to celebrate christmas mass, a transformation so fast, so spectacular you can call it a christmas miracle. sflenen? racle. sflenen? ♪♪ >> reporter: this holiday the doors of notre dame have opened to christmas congregations. ♪ hallelujah ♪ >> reporter: the crown of thorns on display again as christians mark the moment of jesus' crucifixion, the chance to admire the ivory interior, the sparkling stained glass windows and to worship in front of a brand-new very modern altar and golden cross for this medieval cathedral. christmas hymns will be played on an organ brought back to life each and every pipe, 8,000, individually restored. five years after the inferno tore through the interior of the church, obliterating over 800 years of history in hours and thanks to the incredible work of 2,000 crafts people using medieval methods. the cathedral officially opens with a service that drew more than 100 world leaders when

nbc news chief international correspondent keir simmons. what can you tell us. >> reporter: it's pretty extraordinary. this is where the lieutenant general was assassinated just over 24 hours ago. you can see the damage outside the door of his apartment block. the metal twisted. the bricks blown off. and flowers left. as you mentioned, willie, there's now a bombing suspect. the russian media is naming him as akmed cabanal. detained outside moscow and russian media is showing a video of him apparently confessing although of course, that was filmed according to russian media by the russian authorities and we only have the russian authorities' testimony that he has indeed confessed to what happened here. standing here, you can see what a precise operation honestly this was. because he would have walked out of this apartment and then you can see in the video of the explosion, that his car was parked out in the -- in the street just here. so a very short sidewalk is the -- time they had to set off this explosive. the video of the assassination w

. >> our keir simmons takes us inside to show us how they are marking this milestone in a special waybrate christmas mass, a transformation so spectacular, so fast, you can call it a chris christmas miracle. ♪ this holiday, the doors of notre dame have opened to christmas congregations. the crown of thorns on display again as christians mark the moment of jesus' crucifixion. the chance for thousands of faithful to admire the ivory interior, the sparkling stained glass windows, and to worship in front of a brand-new, very modern altar and golden cross for this medieval cathedral. christmas hymns will be played on an organ brought back to life. each and every pipe, 8,000, individually restored. five years after the inferno tore through the interior of the church, obliterating over 800 years of history in hours. and thanks to the incredible work of 2,000 crafts people, using medieval methods, the church officially reopens this month. when the fire ripped through in 2019, craig covered the aftermath. >> the fire is, thankfully, finally out as investigators continue to search for a cause.

keir simmons with that report. >>> coming up for you in our next hour, as the associated press puts itmas under the shadow of war in gaza. stay close. we'll go live to jerusalem after this. will turn your old or broken phone into a gift. trade in any phone, in any condition and get samsung galaxy s24+ with circle to search, and watch and tab. all three on us. survive the holidays with samsung, powered by verizon. ♪ 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. ♪ have you always had trouble with your weight? same. discov

keir proceeds with this plan to hold washing gas transits. but if it didn't have commented on the situation indicating that simmons, the strategy would cause others to fail while russia survives impossible. how can i be? a crew of ukraine has cut off our guest supplies to european consumer sitting on the one hand unless you fix from there, how you doing it, because only with the support of the west to including from europe. can you take this up with not only 2 whites and then what about to exist? so it gets into the same times which just creates problems. what do i mean by cutting the supply away? most of our relative latrice, if in a gas show us there would be no such contract to, to work on everything is already key over to well then, all right, we will survive just kind of show and guess problem with the problem with it. when they call this, i see how it says the use suffering from full side to detrimental policies pushed by the us. you don't punish anybody in russia by not buying the russian does. you would. the only thing we will punish is the european economy and your being us citizens. this is an ideology driven thing and this won't last v