Austin Tice’s mother said on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” she knows her missing son is alive. Sen. Schumer demands drone trackers for New York and New Jersey. And the Green Bay Packers defeated the Seattle Seahawks, closing in on a playoff spot.
Here’s what to know today.
Austin Tice’s mom says discovery of another missing American in Syria feels like ‘rehearsal’
Debra Tice said on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” she knows her son Austin, who was detained in Syria in 2012, is still alive.
Tice said on “Meet the Press” on Sunday that the discovery of American citizen Travis Timmerman in Syria last was “almost like having a rehearsal … of what it’s going to really feel like when it is Austin walking free.” She described the number of people who reached out to the family that day with congratulatory messages, believing Timmerman was Austin Tice.
Austin Tice disappeared in 2012, when he was in Syria reporting on the country’s civil war.
Since the Assad regime was toppled, thousands of prisoners have been freed, but it is still unclear where Tice was being held and whether he has been released. A former prisoner told NBC News that in the last few weeks he was held captive in a cell across the hall from Tice and saw him alive as recently as July 2022.
The new leadership of Syria’s rebel government blamed Assad for the pain inflicted on Tice’s family this month. A spokesperson for the government claimed that it was trying to locate Tice but had so far had no luck.
Even though her son hasn’t been located yet, Debra Tice said that she remained hopeful he would be found and that her family shares “joy” with the Timmerman family.
Read more:
- Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the U.S. has made direct contact with Syria’s Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) rebels as they transition from a militant insurgency toward a more legitimate governing authority.
Schumer urges for drone detection system for New York and New Jersey
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer requested that a drone detection system be sent to New York and New Jersey after a series of them were spotted in recent weeks, even prompting a temporary shutdown at an airport over the weekend. Schumer made the request to the Department of Homeland Security two days after New York Stewart International Airport closed because of nearby drone sightings.
He pushed for the Robin Radar Systems for their “360-degree technology,” which he said has a better chance of detecting drones compared with linear systems. Schumer told reporters that it’s “remarkable” that despite the volume of sightings, “we have more questions than answers.”
Currently, only federal agencies have legal authority to detect drones, Schumer noted. He said he, too, would be pushing legislation to broaden the rights for state and local law enforcement agencies to be able to use software to detect the unmanned aerial devices.
Highlights from Week 15 of the NFL
The Green Bay Packers defeated the Seattle Seahawks in a battle of playoff contenders on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football.” And the Philadelphia Eagles defeated their in-state rival Pittsburgh Steelers 27-13 for their 10th consecutive win. NBC News sports editor Greg Rosenstein breaks down more highlights:
🏈 Green Bay cruised from the start thanks to efficient play from quarterback Jordan Love, who threw for 229 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. The Packers improved to 10-4 on the season while the Seahawks fell to 8-6 (and second in the NFC West behind the Los Angeles Rams). Seattle will also wait to find out more information about quarterback Geno Smith, who left the game in the third quarter with a knee injury.
👑 In a battle of Super Bowl favorites, the Buffalo Bills reigned supreme over the Detroit Lions in a 48-42 win. Buffalo QB and MVP leader Josh Allen continued his recent dominance, passing for 362 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 68 yards and two scores. He is the first player in NFL history with two passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns in consecutive games and the first all-time with three such games in a season. Detroit QB Jared Goff threw for 494 yards and five touchdowns in the loss.
⚡Philadelphia QB Jalen Hurts, who had two separate winning streaks of 11 games from 2021-22 and 2022-23, is just the fifth player at the position since 1950 with three 10-game winning streaks in their career. The Steelers, despite the loss, still secured a playoff spot thanks to losses by Indianapolis and Miami in Week 15.
🤕 The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Cleveland Browns 21-7 but may have lost star quarterback Patrick Mahomes for some time. The back-to-back Super Bowl champion suffered a high ankle sprain in the fourth quarter, according to reports, and is week-to-week going forward. Kansas City (13-1) has two games over the next 10 days, including one on Christmas.
Read All About It
- A rare tornado in northern California injured five and flipped vehicles as a storm moved through the state.
- A 16-year-old boy is accused of killing four family members at a home in New Mexico.
- A woman was arrested in Iran after she posted a video of herself singing without a hijab on YouTube.
- Three dogs attacked their owner at a San Diego park, killing the man and injuring a person who had tried to help.
Staff Pick: Fears over Iraq’s proposed child marriage law
Batta was just 11 years old when her father pulled her out of school and arranged her marriage to a 47-year-old stranger. She was raped on their wedding night and regularly beaten during their three years of marriage, before the man sent her back to her family. Horrifying ordeals like hers could become more common, she fears, as lawmakers in Iraq push a legal change that could greenlight marriage for girls as young as 9 by handing more power to clerics.
Producer Khalid Razak’s shocking report is hard to read — but sheds light on the harsh reality for too many girls in Iraq and elsewhere.
— Nick Duffy, platforms editor
NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
Thinking about upgrading your home coffee maker to an espresso machine? One NBC Select reporter tried three different machines over a two-month period. Here’s what she tested. Plus, how to keep your coffee maker clean so your brews keep tasting fresh.
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Thanks for reading the Morning Rundown. Today’s newsletter was curated for you by Elizabeth Both.