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Luigi Mangione Formally Charged with Brian Thompson's Murder; Rebels Preparing to Take Over Syrian Government; Inside Syria's Notorious Saydnaya Prison; Controversial Trump Picks Finding More GOP Senate Support. Aired 4:00-4:30a ET

Aired December 10, 2024 - 04:00   ET

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

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Members of the Altoona Police Department arrested Luigi Mangione.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He definitely did his operational planning, pre- attack surveillance.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The suspect here who shot at that CEO and killed that CEO is a coward, not a hero.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everybody's just started running. It's not clear if they have managed to get into this part of the prison. Many here have been waiting for decades. Hope was something they didn't let themselves feel until now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Max Foster and Christina Macfarlane.

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a warm welcome to our viewers joining us from around the world. I'm Max Foster. It is Tuesday, December the 10th, 9 a.m. here in London and 4 a.m. in Pennsylvania where the suspected killer of the UnitedHealthcare CEO was captured after eluding authorities for five days. Hours later, Luigi Mangione was charged with murder. The 26-year-old was eating at a McDonald's when an employee recognized him and tipped off authorities. We're told he was found with a weapon, a so-called ghost gun, that was likely 3D printed, as well as other incriminating evidence linking him to Brian Thompson's murder.

The Mangione family released a statement. Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi's arrest. We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved. We are devastated by this news.

The governor of Pennsylvania, where Mangione is being held, spoke about those celebrating Thompson's murder and lashing out at the U.S. health insurance system.

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JOSH SHAPIRO, (D) PENNSYLVANIA GOVERNOR: Violence can never be used to address political differences or to address a substantive difference or to try and prove some ideological point. That is not what we do in a civilized society. That was true in Butler. It was true in New York City. The suspect here who shot at that CEO and killed that CEO is a coward, not a hero.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Sylvain Brynn Gingras has a closer look now at the case and the privileged background of the suspect.

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ERIC ADAMS, NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: We have a strong person of interest in the shooting that shook our city last week.

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After a five-day manhunt, the main suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is in custody. Luigi Mangione, a 26-year-old former Valedictorian from Maryland, who police believe carried out the heinous act in Manhattan last Wednesday, was caught while eating in a Western Pennsylvania McDonald's.

JOSEPH KENNY, CHIEF OF DETECTIVES, NEW YORK POLICE DEPARTMENT: We did not have his name prior to today.

GINGRAS (voice-over): Mangione not on police radar as he had no arrests in New York City or elsewhere.

LUIGI MANGIONE: To the class of 2016, a kind of class that only comes around once every fifty years.

GINGRAS (voice-over): Mangione graduated from the prestigious Gilman School, a private all-boys high school in Baltimore, Maryland, in 2016, where he was top of his class.

MANGIONE: It's been an incredible journey, and I simply can't imagine the last few years without any other group of guys.

GINGRAS (voice-over): He went on to college at the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated with a bachelor's and master's in engineering. A former classmate called him, quote, a totally normal guy. Police now trying to figure out what changed.

Authorities say he was carrying a multi-page document pointing to a possible motive. It railed against the health care industry and suggesting that violence is the answer.

Quote, these parasites had it coming, end quote. I do apologize for any strife and trauma, but it had to be done, it read.

KENNY: 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. GINGRAS (voice-over): Mangione comes from a prominent Maryland family that owns Lorien Health Services, a nursing home chain in the state where Luigi volunteered in 2014, according to his LinkedIn page. They also own country clubs in Maryland. A look into what is likely his Goodreads profile made earlier this year shows he called the infamous Unabomber Ted Kaczynski a political revolutionary.

Quote, it's simply impossible to ignore how prescient many of his predictions about modern society turned out, it reads.

[04:05:03]

Authorities sifting through social media postings like this one to glean more clues.

KENNY: We're still working through his social media. We're going to do a complete scrub of that.

GINGRAS (voice-over): This while authorities work to connect Mangione to their crime scene through possible DNA, fingerprints and pieces of evidence like this fake ID, which is also the same one the suspect used to check into his home. Westside of Manhattan before the murder.

GINGRAS: Investigators still trying to figure out what that motive is. And they are scrubbing social media accounts like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook hoping that there could be some sort of connection learned from those social media accounts.

Brynn Gingras, CNN, New York.

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FOSTER: Steve Moore is a CNN law enforcement contributor and a retired FBI supervisory special agent. He joins us from Los Angeles. Thank you so much for joining us.

A lot of people making the point that this McDonald's worker is the hero here. Someone that saw the pictures, recognized this guy and called it in.

STEVE MOORE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, that's exactly what the police were hoping for. And that's what happened. It was really fortuitous that this person took the actions they did.

FOSTER: But many questions raised about why he was so difficult to trace. Some people would say it was luck that that worker was saw the picture and also felt the need to call in as well. You often doubt yourself, don't you, in that situation. But he had such a clean background, didn't he, this guy?

MOORE: He did. He has an absolutely clean background. And, you know, witness -- witness identifications are generally not that accurate. So this turned out to be extremely, as I said, fortuitous.

But the way the investigation was going and the clues he left, it literally was a matter of time until they identified him. But this just jumped things ahead days, if not weeks.

FOSTER: What do you make of some of the social media reaction where people have got behind him, partly because of what he stood for, but also, frankly, because of the way he looked as well?

MOORE: It's just one of the sad aspects of our society, of any society, where you're going to get a certain number of people who cheer when people are killed, when they're murdered. It's not a healthy part of society. And I don't believe we should give too much attention to that kind of reaction because they're unhealthy.

FOSTER: In terms of what we learned from this experience, sadly, we're reporting on CNN all the time, shootings. Is there something unusual about this that you think the, you know, law enforcement authorities can respond to?

MOORE: You know, I don't know if this is something unique or that would that would lend to a different type of tactic. We do have a problem where there are ghost guns basically -- frequently in fact, they are computer printed guns and they're printed out of plastic and they're going to fire a little while. But they're not going to be very durable, but they're durable enough to do this job.

And the problem is the plans and the computer programs to make these are all over the Internet now worldwide. And you can pick those up. So this is going to be an increasing problem, not a decreasing problem.

FOSTER: And they obviously can't be traced because they don't have serial numbers, do they? In the past, I think they had to use certain parts that were bought in. So that would have been easier to police.

But when they're completely made by a 3D printer, it's almost impossible, isn't it? It does raise the question of how much laws about buying guns are effective now.

MOORE: Well, yes, it's like everything else in our society. You just have to look at society differently and the opportunities that people have to do these kind of things. And you're right, Max, the guns that we're looking at, guns generally, the lower part of it, not the barrel, not the not the action on top, but the grip and the parts that actually load the weapon. Those things are the parts that make it a gun.

And so that's the one that has the serial number on it. So in this case, he took an existing design, a Glock, and made the lower part of it, the regulated part of it by himself. Everything else you can just pick up online and have it sent to you.

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FOSTER: Yes, it's frightening, isn't it? Steve Moore, really appreciate your time this morning.

We're going to go to Syria now, where CNN teams in Damascus report hearing a series of explosions a short while ago. You can see a large plume of smoke visible in the sky. In this drone video, there's no word on what might have caused those explosions, though. Meanwhile, rebel groups in Syria are preparing to take control of the country's government.

The leader of the main rebel group, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, met former President Bashar al-Assad's outgoing prime minister on Monday to discuss the transfer of power.

For civilians, life in Syria is starting to return somewhat to normal. People are back on the streets, some shops are open, and Syria's central bank employees are back at work today as well.

CNN's Paula Hancocks joins us live from Abu Dhabi. I mean, one of the main issues facing the new authorities, if I can call them that, in Syria is just getting those public services up and running, the economy up and running before, you know, there's a crisis. The country can't operate when there is already a humanitarian crisis there.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Max, this was one of the first things we really heard from the leader of HTS, for example, who's effectively the de facto leader, if you like, of Syria at this point until that transitional government or format is created, saying, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, saying that the military should not be approaching public institutions, that these public institutions should be protected. And it's also what we heard from the outgoing prime minister. This is the prime minister, al-Jalali, who was part of the Assad regime.

He didn't flee. He did say that he was going to stay and support a smooth transition in government. So they're very aware, it seems, that this is one of the key elements.

And I think the fact that, for example, that the employees of the Central Bank went back to work today, just a couple of days after this dramatic fall from power from the Assad regime is significant. It shows that they want to keep things running.

Now, we're hearing from countries around the world, including the United States, that what they are hearing from the rebels, if I can call them that at this point, is promising. But they're looking more at words -- at deeds, sorry, rather than words. But the fact that they are trying to put this transitional power into place, we understand that they haven't decided on a prime minister at this point, and they certainly haven't named a prime minister. But they are having these meetings between the outgoing prime minister and the incoming potential powers that be.

Now, we've heard from the Biden administration saying that they are looking at the deeds rather than the words. Let's listen to the State Department spokesperson.

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MATTHEW MILLER, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: The United States will continue to support Syria's neighbors, including Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Israel, should any threats arise from within Syria during this period of transition. We will also maintain our mission against ISIS and protect our forces against any threats.

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HANCOCKS: Now, we also heard from State Department officials that they are looking at the fact that al-Jolani is -- he has a $10 million bounty on his head. His group, HTS, is designated a terrorist organization by the United States. That's clearly going to be problematic going forward.

We understand that there are no decisions on whether to change that at this point, but it's certainly having to be looked at -- Max.

FOSTER: Paula in Abu Dhabi, thank you.

For several frantic hours on Monday, people searched Syria's most notorious Saydnaya prison. They suspected that some prisoners were being held in secret cells inside what Amnesty International called the human slaughterhouse.

CNN chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward was there.

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CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The stream of families never stops climbing towards Syria's most notorious Saydnaya Prison, pushed on by reports that thousands of people imprisoned by the regime of Bashar al-Assad are still trapped alive in a section underground.

The red section of the prison they've been trying for days to reach it, Maysoon Labout (ph) tells us.

There's no oxygen because the ventilation went out, and so they all may die. For the sake of Allah, help them.

WARD: Is someone from your family in the prison?

WARD (voice-over): My three brothers and my son-in-law, she says.

The roads are choked with cars full of people looking for loved ones.

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As soon as they see our camera, they approach holding lists of names of those who vanished inside Assad's dungeons never to be seen again.

We have to get them out before tomorrow, this man says. They don't have food, they don't have water.

WARD: Everybody has just started running. It's not clear if they have managed to get into this part of the prison.

WARD (voice-over): My God, my God. The woman prays, my God. As the crowd surges towards the prison.

WARD: So, it looks like they think that they have managed to get access. A lot of celebratory gunfire, people now just flooding in.

WARD (voice-over): After the initial jubilation, an agonizing wait for confirmation from the rescue workers. Many here have been waiting for decades. Hope was something they didn't let themselves feel until now.

Rescue workers with Syria's White Helmets break through the concrete looking for a way in. No one is certain where this red section is or if it even exists. Inside the prison, family members are searching too.

WARD: You can see people everywhere just combing through all the papers and records they can find, looking for names, seeing if maybe their loved ones are there.

WARD (voice-over): Tens of thousands of Syrians were forcibly disappeared in Saydnaya. Lost in the abyss of a prison that was known as a slaughterhouse, industrial scale, arbitrary detention and torture all to keep one man in power.

WARD: They call this the white area of the prison because they say the conditions here are much better than in other areas but you can see it's still miserable.

WARD (voice-over): In the center of the prison, another frantic rush, someone thinks they have found a tunnel. They desperately try to get a look inside. Others look on helpless, not knowing is agony. Assad may be gone, but the legacy of his cruelty remains.

WARD: After we returned from our trip to Saydnaya, a group called the Association of Detainees and the missing in Saydnaya said that they do not believe that the red section exists, that they are confident that all of those who were detained in Saydnaya were released on December 8th before 11:00 a.m. And the White Helmets, those rescue workers that you saw there have now confirmed that they have concluded their search.

Clarissa Ward CNN, Damascus.

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FOSTER: The top U.S. hostage envoy in Beirut has -- as part of intensive efforts to find detained journalist Austin Tice following the collapse of the Assad government and the State Department, is urging anyone with information on his whereabouts to contact the FBI. U.S. officials have also reached out to Syrian opposition forces. Tice was detained at a checkpoint in Damascus in August of 2012. His family say it's their understanding he's still in Syria and are hopeful that he will return home.

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SIMON ROBERT TICE, BROTHER OF AUSTIN TICE: I would like to say that, yes, well, we know that Austin is alive and we know that Austin is in Syria, and so at this point we are encouraging anyone who's in a position to do so to provide him assistance and help him to return safely home to us. (END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv, a courtroom there right now to testify for the first time in this historic corruption trial. It began more than four years ago with charges filed in three separate cases, all of which Netanyahu has denied. CNN's Jeremy Diamond is outside the courthouse and tells us what's at stake.

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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is a moment in Israel's history. The first sitting prime minister to stand, to face criminal charges, to take the stand, I should say, to face criminal charges. This trial encompasses three separate cases, but all of it effectively boils down to allegations of corruption.

The charges that he faces are bribery, fraud, and breach of trust, alleging that he did favors for businessmen in exchange for gifts and favorable media coverage. If indeed he is convicted, the process that could take several more years before a verdict is actually reached, he could indeed face prison time.

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FOSTER: A large brush fire burning in Malibu, California. Relatively new pictures here, the Franklin fire spreading overnight, burning more than 100 acres of land. Look at that. Strong Santa Ana winds sweeping across dry earth fanning those flames.

[04:20:03]

Some residents were forced to evacuate but the fire threatened nearby structures like Pepperdine University. No casualties or property damage have been reported at this time, according to the LA officials overseeing those rescue efforts.

Some of Donald Trump's most controversial picks for his next administration spent another day with Senate lawmakers looking to drum up support. The latest from Capitol Hill just ahead.

And a young man with many advantages in life is now behind bars, charged with the brazen murder of a healthcare CEO. Ahead, what's known about this suspected killer.

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FOSTER: Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is said to be doing well after undergoing brain surgery. The government says he went in for testing late on Monday with a headache, which doctors say was due to a small brain hemorrhage linked to a fall at his home in October. They say the surgery was successful and the President is being monitored in the ICU.

[04:25:00]

They plan to provide an update on his condition in the next few hours. We'll bring you that.

The FBI is gearing up for detailed background checks on thousands of appointees for Donald Trump's incoming administration, including his pick for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, But these investigations may have little bearing on whether Hegseth and other controversial picks make it into the next Trump cabinet.

Manu Raju has more from Capitol Hill.

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MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Republican senators began to fall in line behind Donald Trump's most controversial picks, including to run the FBI. That, of course, is a position that wouldn't necessarily need a nominee, but Donald Trump is signaling that he is ready to fire the existing FBI Director Christopher Wray, even though Wray has three more years left on his term, and replace him with Cash Patel, someone who has been very much in line with the MAGA wing of the Republican Party.

But a number of Republican senators, including the incoming chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Chuck Grassley, who said in a letter issued on Monday that he has, quote, no confidence in Wray's leadership, told me after his meeting with Cash Patel that Patel actually agrees with his position.

SEN. CHUCK GRASSLEY (R-IA): If you will look at a letter I sent to Wray today, that this nominee thinks that those things are wrong, they violate my responsibility of congressional oversight, and he wants to make sure that congressional oversight works.

RAJU: And then there's Tulsi Gabbard, someone who has taken positions on Ukraine that is counter to a lot of Republicans' views in supporting Ukraine, also took a trip to meet with Bashar al-Assad, of course now the ousted Syrian dictator. She met with him back in 2017. Her positions on Syria have caused a lot of concerns as well. But she met with a number of Republican senators, and afterwards, several of them sounded open to supporting her nomination, including Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): We've had policy differences. I know her. I like her. You know, she wanted to stay in the JCPOA. I thought that was a mistake. But, you know, she'll be serving in Trump.

RAJU: And then there's Pete Hegseth. Of course, he is one of the most controversial nominees because of allegations of past misconduct, including excessive drinking, including allegations of sexual assault, something that he has denied. But there's been some Republican senators that have held out so far, including Senator Joni Ernst.

She's a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and has pointedly not taken a position yet on his nomination. She met with him for a second time. That second meeting occurred on Monday. Afterwards, she indicated she is open to supporting his nomination, saying that she would support him through the process, but wouldn't say specifically she's a yes yet, but sounded very positive based on some assurances that he gave her.

So for Donald Trump's key nominees at the moment, things are looking positive for him, but there's still some time left in this confirmation process, which, of course, can get bumpy rather quickly.

Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Trump's former pick for attorney general appears to have a new gig. As source tells CNN, former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz will be joining the far-right One America News Network as an anchor. The network now has a promo shot on its website touting the coming Matt Gaetz show.

Gaetz took himself out of the running for attorney general after a string of controversies made him unlikely to be confirmed by the Senate. The addition of Gaetz is a big score for the pro-Trump news outlet, which doesn't get a lot of play on cable TV and urges people to watch online.

Still ahead, we'll bring you the latest developments out of Syria and the future of the country as it moves to a transfer of power.