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Luigi Mangione Formally Charged with Brian Thompson's Murder; Rebels Preparing to Take Over Syrian Government; Jay-Z Accused of Sexual Assault Alongside Sean Diddy Combs. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired December 10, 2024 - 04:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[04:30:00]

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Max Foster. If you're just joining us here are some of today's top stories.

Authorities have arrested and charged a suspect with murder in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Luigi Mangione was caught at a McDonald's in Pennsylvania after an employee recognized him and alerted police.

Some displaced Syrians are returning home for the first time since civil war started there in 2011. Turkey says it'll open its gate with Syria to allow for the voluntary return of Syrian migrants.

A Nevada commissioner's ruling now prevents Rupert Murdoch from turning over control of his media empire to his more conservative son, Lachlan. Murdoch had wanted to amend the trust that gives his four oldest children equal voting shares upon his death.

A New York prosecutor has officially charged Luigi Mangione with murder just hours after his capture. CNN's Brian Todd tells us what's known about the suspect and his privileged upbringing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LUIGI MANGIONE, THE SUSPECT IN THE KILLING OF UNITEDHEALTHCARE CEO BRIAN THOMPSON: All these endeavors take a huge amount of courage.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Graduation video suggests Luigi Mangione was valedictorian at this prestigious all boys private school in 2016. His family owns a nursing home chain in Maryland and his cousin is a state legislator. Authorities say the note found in his possession railed against the health care industry.

JOSEPH KENNY, CHIEF OF DETECTIVES, NEW YORK POLICE DEPARTMENT: We don't think that there's any specific threats to other people mentioned in that document, but it does seem that he has some ill will toward corporate America.

TODD (voice-over): The note said, quote, These parasites had it coming, and I do apologize for any strife and trauma, but it had to be done, according to a police official who has seen the document.

The note says he acted alone and that he was self-funded and it asked why we have the most expensive healthcare in the world and yet are ranked 42nd in life expectancy.

JONATHAN WACKROW, FORMER SECRET SERVICE AGENT: Oftentimes, when, you know, suspects leave these types of documents, it's really to try to control the public perception of what their act was.

TODD (voice-over): Authorities are also investigating other writings of his online, the profile photo on an X account that appears to belong to Mangione features what looks like an x-ray image of a spine with hardware from a surgery. And a profile on Goodreads, also appearing to belong to Mangione lists a number of books about coping with chronic back pain. That profile also reviews the anti-technology manifesto of the Unabomber.

[04:35:00]

He was a violent individual rightfully imprisoned, who maimed innocent people, the Post says, but it also calls him an extreme political revolutionary, and notes how prescient many of his predictions about modern society turned out.

ED DAVIS, FORMER BOSTON POLICE COMMISSIONER: Is it someone that was individually aggrieved, someone whose family members suffered as a result of the decision that this company made or is it a broader sort of activist person that is rebelling against capitalism?

TODD (voice-over): On the one hand, analysts say, the crime was carefully planned.

JOHN MUFFLER, FORMER U.S. MARSHAL: He definitely did his operational planning, pre-attack surveillance. Knew his -- knew the location of this meeting and knew where he was going to be.

TODD (voice-over): But on the other hand.

MARY ELLEN O'TOOLE, FORMER SENIOR FBI PROFILER: There are a number of mistakes that the shooter made to include leaving forensic site evidence behind. The DNA, all the videos taking off his mask.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: A former roommate of Mangione spoke to CNN earlier saying he can make zero sense of this unimaginable situation. R.J. Martin says Mangione helped lead a book club but couldn't recall him ever talking about guns or violence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

R.J. MARTIN, FORMER ROOMMATE OF LUIGI MANGIONE: I know we talked about social issues. And we talked about how to improve the world. And we talked about, you know, issues that are, you know, say with capitalism or with the healthcare system or with housing, or the food systems, it wasn't, you know, anything specific.

It wasn't like he had an axe to grind, or he was even upset or angry about a particular issue, or they were just natural intellectual conversations that you have when you're inquisitive. (END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well, we also heard from a gun analyst who spoke about the weapon found on Mangione and suggestions that it might have been his intent to use that weapon to harm someone else. But Steve Wolf says that firearm might not be the same one actually used in the murder.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEVE WOLF, FIREARMS EXPERT: I think if he used the ammo that he needed in New York, and he had extra, that doesn't necessarily indicate he was going to do anything additional with it. I'm also not sure that the gun that was found on him was the same gun. You know, we saw the gun, this is very similar to the B&T.

And you see this is round over here and this slide pulls back. If you take a close look at the slide on that, you'll see it looks nothing like the slide on the 3d printed gun, which is got a square slide extends back and holds itself open. So there's really no comparison in my mind, that the B&T station six that was claimed to be the gun used is the same gun that was in his backpack.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Now, Syria goes to a transfer of power and international chemical weapons watchdog is expressing quote, serious concerns over the fate of unaccounted chemical weapons in the country. And the Pentagon says the U.S. is working with its partners to ensure they don't, quote, fall into the wrong hands. Bashar al-Assad was found to have used chemical weapons against his own people on multiple occasions during the civil war.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the fall of the Assad regime has opened up a new chapter in the Middle East. And he insists the collapse was the result of Israel's blows against Hezbollah and Iran, both supporters of the Assad government. Now, his comments come as the Israeli military released a video showing what it said were forces preparing for and then entering Syria.

Over the weekend, Mr. Netanyahu ordered the military to take control of the buffer zone that separates Israeli occupied Golan Heights from the rest of Syria. The U.N. confirmed that Israeli troops have entered the Syrian buffer zone, which it says is a violation of the 1974 agreement on disengagement with Syria. But Netanyahu says Israel will ensure its security by maintaining its presence in the Golan Heights, which it captured from Syria in 1967.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Today, everyone understands the great importance of our being there on the Golan and not at the foot of the Golan. Our control of the Golan Heights guarantees our security. It guarantees our sovereignty.

And the state of Israel is establishing its position as a center of power in our region, as it has not been for decades. Those who cooperate with us benefit greatly. Those who attack us lose big. We want to see a different Syria, both for our benefit and for the benefit of the people of Syria.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Let's bring in former Pentagon Middle East advisor Jasmine El- Gamal in London. Thank you so much for joining us. I think the concern that's been expressed is that Israel won't stop at the buffer zone. You know, there are international groups that already have a problem with that but may go further into Syria. What are your thoughts about that?

JASMINE EL-GAMAL, FORMER PENTAGON MIDDLE EAST ADVISER: Good morning, Max. It's good to be with you. And yes, absolutely.

I mean, people are really concerned about the Israeli moves that we've seen over the last couple of days into Syria.

[04:40:00]

They've been going after what they say are chemical weapons sites, basically anything that can be used as a threat against them given that the situation is so fluid and no one really knows what the coming days and weeks are going to bring.

And so, what Prime Minister Netanyahu just said, which you just showed, was that he wants to ensure Israel's security and he wants to make sure that Israel cannot be attacked by any forces that might crop up in Syria, that might have enmity against Israel.

Now, what I worry about, of course, is that it could be kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy. The Israelis have gone in and secured an additional buffer zone in Syria. They've done the same in Lebanon, in Gaza. And so I think what Prime Minister Netanyahu says when he says we want to secure Israel's security, he's been going about that in a very militarized, very securitized way, grabbing additional pieces of land from countries around Israel. And from my experience in the region, and of course anyone who understands the region, knows that this could be setting Israel up for longer-term fights in the future, uniting groups and people around their hatred of Israel for taking those lands and for violating the sovereignty of those countries.

So I worry that the long-term implications of what the Israelis have been doing over the last couple of days, and indeed the last year, are actually going to be not so productive for Israel's long-term security.

FOSTER: And what makes Syria different is the huge Russian interests that are there and that could cause tension between Israel or direct tension between Israel and Russia.

EL-GAMAL: Right. I mean, the thing about Syria, and this has been the case for so long, is that there are so many actors involved. There are so many power plays and games being played between greater powers that take place inside Syria. You have the Iranians and Israel, you have the Russians, you have Hezbollah, who was using Syria as a way to get weapons shipments from Iran into Lebanon. Of course, you had an ISIS presence as well. And you had, you know, all of these different factors that related to issues outside of Syria, but that were playing out inside of Syria.

And what people are fearing now is that, you know, this Israeli -- these Israeli incursions into Syria, Israeli bombing of sites in Syria, that that could unite factions that may not otherwise be united, but they have a common enemy. And they may do what we've seen happen in the region before, which is get together just because they have a common enemy as opposed to because they have common interests.

FOSTER: How worried are you about the shakeout of power within the various rebel groups that came together to depose Bashar al-Assad? Because it's obviously, you know, a lot of negotiations seem to be led by one group, but presumably there are smaller ones who might be pretty frustrated that they don't have more of a say in this transfer of power.

EL-GAMAL: That's right, Max. I mean, it's still early days, obviously. And I just came back from the Doha forum in Doha over the last weekend and so got to speak with a lot of people, you know, Syrians, but also Libyans and Lebanese who are looking at this, this what's happening in Syria through the lens of their own experiences in their own countries. And noting that this power vacuum doesn't often turn out very well.

I would caution though, and what I was saying to them that not every country in the region is similar. Syria today is even different from Syria back in 2011 when these protests against the Assad regime first started.

Iran is in a severely weakened position, which it wasn't before. Russia is also preoccupied in Ukraine. And the group that the main one, HTS, that is sort of in the lead right now, it is a designated terrorist organization by the U.S., the U.K. and others. But it also has been making certain moves towards moderation over the last years. They've been saying over the last few days that they're not interested in conflict, that they're not interested in any sort of enmity with the Syrian people.

Now, it's not up to me to say whether HTS is a good, you know, is it a positive development for Syrians? That's up to Syrians to decide who they want to play a major role in their country moving forward. But I would just caution against coming to conclusions right off the bat when there's so much fluidity that is happening right now.

[04:45:00]

I would say that Syrians that I spoke to, made the point over and over again that these coming days and weeks, what happens should be a Syrian-led process supported by the international community.

But what they don't want are outside actors coming in, picking sides and trying to divide Syrians as they go through what is going to be a very challenging road ahead and trying to figure that out themselves.

FOSTER: OK, Jasmine El-Gamal, really appreciate your analysis today. Thank you.

Still to come, rapper Jay-Z is asking for the identity of a woman accusing him of rape. And he's had some harsh words for the woman's attorney, too. We'll have the latest on the civil lawsuit that he's facing.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Shawn Carter, better known as billionaire rap mogul Jay-Z, has filed a motion asking a court to require a woman accusing him of rape to reveal her identity or dismiss the lawsuit altogether. Jay-Z attended the premiere of Mufasa the Lion King in L.A. with his family on Monday, just a day after being named in the new lawsuit, along with rapper Sean Diddy Combs. CNN's Kara Scannell has more from New York.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TONY BUZBEE, ATTORNEY FOR JANE DOE: The day will come when we will name names other than Sean Combs, and there's a lot of names. It's a long list already.

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jay-Z is the first celebrity to be accused alongside Sean Diddy Combs of sexual assault, according to a civil lawsuit brought by a Jane Doe.

BUZBEE: The names that we're going to name, assuming that our investigators confirm and corroborate what we've been told, are names that will shock you.

SCANNELL (voice-over): The lawsuit was first filed against Combs in October, including allegations that Celebrity A also assaulted a minor.

On Sunday night, it was amended to identify Jay-Z whose real name is Shawn Carter as that celebrity. The rapper is accused of raping a 13- year-old girl at an after party following the MTV Video Music Awards in 2000. The woman alleges she was drugged and, according to the lawsuit, at that point, Carter began removing plaintiff's clothes as she grew more and more disoriented.

Then the lawsuit alleges, Jay-Z raped her while a female identified as Celebrity B watched.

[04:50:00]

The lawsuit was brought by plaintiff's lawyer Tony Buzbee, who has filed 20 lawsuits against Combs. Combs has vigorously denied any wrongdoing. The Texas lawyer said they contacted Jay-Z to try to resolve the matter through mediation before filing the lawsuit.

Jay-Z denied the rape allegations, calling them heinous. He said the lawsuit followed an attempt at blackmail and said Buzbee is a deplorable human being. My heart and support goes out to true victims in the world who have to watch how their life story is dressed in costume for profitability by this ambulance chaser in a cheap suit.

The musician, who is married to Beyonce, said his heartbreak is having to explain to his children the cruelty and greed of people.

Buzbee responded on X, saying the alleged victim never demanded a penny from Jay-Z and accused the rapper of trying to bully them into silence.

We will let the filing speak for itself and will litigate the facts in court, not in the media, he said.

SCANNELL: Strong denials from Jay-Z. He said that if these allegations were true, there would be criminal charges, not the civil lawsuit. His lawyer saying this is an attempt to smear the rapper's name. In fact, his lawyer on Monday night asked the judge to require the Jane Doe who brought this lawsuit to refile it using her real name or dismiss it saying fair is fair.

Kara Scannell, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Now, out of Guinness, coming up, we take you to a British pub to hear why kegs of the famed dark stouts are disappearing from behind the bar.

[04:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Guinness is as much a staple of the British Isles as a plate of fish and chips. That was until, though, a few new unlikely customers started causing pubs to run out of the beloved beverage. CNN's Anna Stewart investigates whether you can still get a proper pint.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: One pint of Guinness, please.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No problem.

STEWART: And here we're going to have the perfect two-part pool, part of the tradition of Guinness. But not everyone's going to be as lucky as I am to get their hands on this Irish stout. British pubs are worried about a shortage.

Are you going to run out?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've already run out. Last week, we ordered 30 kegs, and we received 15.

STEWART: Guinness is made by Diageo, and they say they are at full capacity. They just can't make enough of the stuff. So why is it so popular? This is the drink of old men and rugby stadiums. Well, Gen Z is driving up demand. Celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Olivia Rodrigo have become unlikely poster children.

And then there's the split the G contest.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Basically, I have to take one to two gulps or so and land this line, black and white line, in the gap in the letter G.

STEWART: So close, just at the top of the G. Well, that was a failure. Luckily, there isn't a shortage of Guinness Zero, so I could give that another go.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: She's still not back.

Thanks for joining me here on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Max Foster in London. CNN "THIS MORNING" is up after a quick break.