News Information and Media Site: Nightly Rundown: Verdict in Laken Riley murder; House Ethics: 'No agreement' on Gaetz report; Susan Smith denied parole after 30 years

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By Dan Donahue

Wednesday, November 20, 2024

Good Wednesday afternoon. A verdict has been handed down in the murder of Laken Riley, the House Ethics Committee has reached "no agreement" on releasing its report on Matt Gaetz, and Susan Smith's push for freedom has been denied 30 years after she drowned her two sons.

Here is what's in our Nightly Rundown.

Man found guilty of murdering Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, sentenced to life

The man charged with killing 22-year-old Georgia nursing student Laken Riley was found guilty of murder today, in a case that drew national attention in the immigration debate ahead of the presidential election.

Jose Antonio Ibarra, a 26-year-old undocumented immigrant, was convicted on all counts, and sentenced just hours later to life in prison without the possibility of parole, in line with the request from prosecutors.

Prosecutors said Ibarra accosted Riley while she was jogging in Feb. 22, and she was found later dead in a wooded area on the University of Georgia campus. Video was shown in court Tuesday that captured the final moments of her life.

Riley's mother Allyson Phillips cried as she read a victim impact statement in court, saying that Ibarra had "robbed us all of our hopes and dreams with Laken."

The decision was handed down by a superior court judge, after Ibarra waived his right to a jury trial and did not testify in his own defense.

President-elect Donald Trump weighed in on the verdict, posting on social media "JUSTICE FOR LAKEN RILEY!"

"No agreement" on releasing Matt Gaetz ethics report, House committee chair says

The chairman of the House Ethics Committee said this afternoon that the panel has reached "no agreement" on whether to release its report on Matt Gaetz, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for attorney general.

The panel has been under mounting pressure to release its findings ahead of the Senate confirmation process for Gaetz, who visited Capitol Hill today to meet with senators alongside Vice President-elect JD Vance.

Two women told the committee that Gaetz paid them for sex, and one of them said she witnessed Gaetz having sex with her friend who was 17, though she believed he didn't know the girl's age at the time, according to an attorney for the women.

Gaetz has repeatedly denied the allegations against him, including that he had sex with a minor.

Trump said Tuesday he does not have second thoughts about picking Gaetz as attorney general, and has been "heavily working the phone" on Gaetz's behalf, a transition official said.

Deadly bomb cyclone leaves hundreds of thousands without power on West Coast

A powerful bomb cyclone has left at least two people dead, and knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses on the West Coast.

Most of the power outages are in Washington state, where two women were killed by falling trees outside Seattle.

Two people were rescued in Puget Sound after they became trapped when a tree fell onto their trailer, firefighters said.

We're also tracking an area of low pressure that's expected to rapidly strengthen off the Northwest coast on Friday, amplifying the atmospheric river streaming into northern California and increasing the threat of flooding.

Susan Smith denied parole 30 years after drowning two sons

Susan Smith, who has served 30 years of a life sentence for drowning her two young sons in 1994, was denied parole today by a board in South Carolina.

Appearing at the hearing virtually, Smith said she was "very sorry" and broke down in tears. "I know what I did was horrible," she said, "and I would give anything so I could change it."

Smith made national headlines in 1994 when she claimed she was carjacked late at night by a Black man, who drove off with her 3-year-old son, Michael, and 14-month-old son, Alex, inside.

The false report set off a nine-day manhunt, during which she and her estranged husband, David Smith, pleaded on national TV for their safe return.

Hours after that interview, however, Smith confessed to drowning her sons by rolling her car into a lake while they were strapped in their seats.

Transgender women banned from women's restrooms in Capitol

House Speaker Mike Johnson said today that transgender women will be barred from women's restrooms at the Capitol, as the first openly transgender person ever elected to Congress prepares to take office.

"All single-sex facilities in the Capitol and House Office Buildings — such as restrooms, changing rooms, and locker rooms — are reserved for individuals of that biological sex," Johnson said in a statement.

Johnson continued, "It is important to note that each Member office has its own private restroom, and unisex restrooms are available throughout the Capitol."

Democratic Rep.-elect Sarah McBride, who is transgender, made history when she won Delaware's only House seat in November.

Rep. Nancy Mace, the Republican from South Carolina, introduced a resolution this week to bar transgender women from using female bathrooms at the Capitol, and said it was "absolutely" targeted at McBride.

McBride responded to Johnson's statement on social media. "Like all members, I will follow the rules as outlined by Speaker Johnson, even if I disagree with them," she posted.

Defense Secretary Austin says women in military "make us stronger"

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin defended the role of women in the military in an NBC News Exclusive interview as he prepares to exit the country's top military post after four years.

"I would tell you that, you know, our women are the finest troops in the world. Quite frankly, some of the finest in the world," Austin told our Courtney Kube.

The comments come after President-elect Trump chose former Fox News host Pete Hegseth to succeed Austin as defense secretary. Hegseth has criticized the military for being too "woke," and said that women do not belong in combat roles.

Hegseth said during a podcast released this month that the military "should not have women in combat roles" and that "men in those positions are more capable."

What else we're watching:

The funeral for Liam Payne was held in southeast England today, with Harry Styles and his fellow former One Direction bandmates joining Payne's family to pay their respects.

The Biden administration will authorize Ukraine to use controversial antipersonnel land mines, according to multiple reports.

A condo explosion rocked a neighborhood outside Detroit, leaving at least two people injured, authorities said.

Comcast, the parent company of NBCUniversal, has announced a plan to spin off most of its cable television networks including the USA Network, CNBC, MSNBC, Oxygen, E!, SYFY and the Golf Channel, into a separate publicly traded company.

Watch us this evening at 6:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. CT on NBC, or check your local NBC station listing. After the broadcast, access Nightly News video on NBCNightlyNews.com or the NBC News app.