This was an isolated incident. It is an isolated incident. Do not let this sort of incident bring about any loss of confidence about working or visiting in our city. Hello, im joy reid and this is the reid report. We begin on this monday with breaking news. Officials in sydney, australia, have wrapped up a News Conference following the dramatic end to a 16hour standoff. Officials confirmed there were 17 hostages, 2 were killed, as a result of, quote, actions inside a cafe. Officials confirmed the gunman was shot and killed when he stormed the Lindt Chocolate cafe in downtown sid sni. A number of hostages were taken out on stretches and transported to ambulances to a range of sydney hospitals. Earlier as we watched the tense standoff play out on tv, several hostages were able to escape on foot. Lets bring in qutd daily beat contributor courtney who lives in sydney. Yes, im here. After how long did police finally go into that cafe which i understand is in the downtown financial district of sydney. It was located in sydneys central as to the situation, it escalated fairly quickly just after 2 00 in the morning when everyone had gone home. Its still unclear if this is something that was an operation or if they were responding to something that happened inside, but it certainly was the right time to go in considering the rest of the district was completely dead. Do we know how many do we know how many hostages were initially taken . They still have not confirmed how many hostages were initially taken. Five did escape yesterday. There are reports of up to at least six that were able to escape just before the police stormed the cafe. Were now learning but were still unsure. Tell us a little about the raid and sort of how it played out. Sure. Again, it escalated very quickly. The media was reporting images of a man running out of the cafe followed by a few other people. As i said, at least six people. And the police shortly after went in. There was gunfire or some sort of explosives. You could see pops of light coming out of the front window of the cafe. And probably transpired for probably another 15 to 20 seconds. There was a second wave, again, with gunfire. And, again, at that point ambulances rushed to the scene and paramedics began taking out some of the hostages on gurneys. Thank you very much to courtney from the daily beast. For more on the gunman were joined by nbcs jim massceda. We understand that there were regular phone calls into British Intelligence agencies in london and other western capitals to try to find out what more could be gleaned about this individual and whether this could be part of an international plot. Now that its over, all signs are pointing to a man acting really on his own and not as part of any jihadist or terrorist organization. Joy, he is somebody with a very long police record. Australian Police Sources saying that he was approximately 50 years old, an iranian immigrant, with a very troubled and criminal past. His name Man Haron Monis, but on his website he went by the name of sheikh haron, sheikh in this sense meaning cleric or spiritual leader. Haron was apparently out on bail facing charges in australia on at least a dozen Sexual Assault cases. He was also found guilty back in 2012 for rioting and mailing hate letters, i suppose you would call them, to families of at least eight australian soldiers killed in action in afghanistan. And he was also charged or faced charges in connection with the murder of his exwife. He was in court, joy, only three days ago, on friday, where he reportedly failed in what was seemed to be his last legal challenge to lift some of those charges. He apparently turned increasingly angry and frustrated against the police or if he was a socalled lone wolf carrying out, you know, a vague order to attack australians. And, perhaps, motivated by extremist groups like isis. But for now, police are calling it a oneoff isolated incident. Joy, back to you. Nbcs jim maceda, thanks very much. Now to the white house and nbc Senior Correspondent jchris jansing. How has the president been monitoring the siege in australia . Reporter lisa monaco has been getting regular updates to him. Shes been the point person here with Australian Authorities. No word on whether shes been talking to other allies. As you know, when these things begin, and before its known who the perpetrator is, how widespread the plot might be, even if it is a plot or lone gunman, certain Standard Operating Procedures go into place. First of which is protecting americans on the ground and the u. S. Consulate was evacuated there, although some members were taken to a secure location so they could continue to work. Conversations with the australians. What kind of help, what kind of aid might they want from the United States . That was offered by lisa monaco in a phone call overnight. And finally, what are the implications here at home . Of course, now that its over, there is no heightened security concern, but, again, certain procedures go into play. Homeland security procedures, that if there was a concern, that this could be part of something larger, protections would go into place. There are people at Homeland Security who would be in touch not just with other countries and not just with federal officials but, of course, state and federal officials here. Chris jansing at the white house, thanks. Jim cavanaugh is a former Hostage Negotiator for the atf and also an msnbc analyst. We are learning more about the status of the potential victims. Were also learning that the gunman apparently is dead, jim. In a situation like this, is the threat assessment being made whether or not this person is acting alone . Thats more important, i would assume, than trying to figure out what his ideology is. Exactly. Just building on what chris said, the Intelligence Community and Law Enforcement across the world is looking at all those issues. Is he connected, did he have any contacts in the jihadi world of syria or lebanon, pakistan, but it doesnt seem to be that right now. All terrorists are criminals and many criminals become terrorists. Can you look at zarqawi, the leader of al qaeda in iraq, who was really a criminal all his life and then he gravitated into the terrorist world. Motives can be mixed. Its not just, youre only a terrorist or only a criminal. The motives flow in and out of a human complicated range. Most can be mixed. This guy looks like hes a criminal but hes also an extremist, writing letters to the families of australian military. So, hes motivated by political issues. So, by definition, he is a terrorist. And he is, from what we know, joy, in the reporting is hes acting alone so far. So, lets talk now about that raid to end this siege, this many hours long standoff. When you look back, and weve watched several times the video of police storming into that building and ending this hostage situation. Just looking at it from a tactical point of view, was that the right way to go . You know, i think absolutely the right decision. I think the dynamics changed inside. We dont know the reason they changed. Could the hostage taker have heard Police Movement somewhere and started to change something . Could he have on his own started to separate the hostages, maybe planning to kill some . Could some have tried to escape or overpower him . At some point the dynamics inside changed and those five or six ran out and then the onscene commander had to make a decision. He made a decision to launch the emergency assault plan. He sent the team in. You hear flash bangs, deployed, multiflash bangs are dispersed and then gunfire. We know they engaged the gunman because hes dead and one or more Australian Police officers was hit. We knew they exchanged gunfire. They did their flash bangs. They did the best they can do. Nobody can do better than what they do right there. Thats the best that can be done. Jim, we saw over the course of this standoff that there are people running out, people actually running out of building. When people are in a situation like this, the Old Fashioned advice was to comply. Is the new advice to try to free yourself, to try to run . Whenever you can escape, you have a very large individual decision to make. Its not to say you should always run because you could get shot in the back. But you have an individual decision to make. Can i get out . Flight, can i flee . You know, should i fight . Its hard to tell people you should always do something because its never always right. So, you have to assess the situation, always keep your wits about you. If theres a chance to get away, you might to want take it. You want to be careful, too, because you could be shot in the back. Authorities are there, theyre watching, listening and theyll be ready to move at the first opportunity they get. Jim cavanaugh, thanks very much. Thanks, joy. Were also following breaking developments in this hour outside philadelphia where at least five people have been killed in a shooting spree and the suspected killer is still at large. Police discovered the victims all shot at close range in three separate locations this morning. S. W. A. T. Teams have now surrounded a home where the suspect, described has a military veteran, has barricaded himself. Some homes in the area have been evacuated and residents are being told to stay inside. And our coverage out of sydney continues as well look at lone wolf attacks. How do counterterrorism officials respond to similar situations here at home . What does todays standoff mean in the fight against the coalition of isis . Kinda were new to the pacific northwest. The rain, the mudbabam its there. The outside comes in. doorbell its a Swiffer Wetjet oh, i love this i could do this everyday. Ewww. Sunshine is overrated, now we can get messy. Ring ring . Progresso its ok that your soup tastes like my homemade. Its our slow simmered vegetables and tender white meat chicken. Apology accepted. Im watching you soup people. Make it progresso or make it yourself health can change in a minute. So cvs health is changing healthcare. Making it more accessible and affordable, with over 900 locations for walkin medical care. And more on the way. Minuteclinic. Another innovation from cvs health. Because health is everything. He is an iran yan cleric bit name of Man Haron Monis. Hes currently for a string of violent offenses, including being an accessory to the murder of his exwife. Thats live coverage from the life and death standoff that played out in the financial district of australias largest city today. While the siege in sydney is over, the suspected actions of the man who calls himself sheikh haron have refocused the spotlight on lone attacks, a constant threat around the world, including here in our own backyard. Michael kay is a former senior british senior and laith alkhouri is a Senior Analyst at flashpoint global partners. Were hearing more about this person who calls himself a sheikh, Man Haron Monis. I want to talk about this convergence who someone who might be motivated to criminal behavior or someone who has greater motivations and tie themselves to jihadism. Sure. Theres been a number of cases where lone wolf or potential lone wolf attacks. Some of them have failed. They were carried out by, you know, former felons. People who broke the law over and over again. Im not labeling this as specifically a lone wolf operation, but having a criminal record does not really surprise me. He seems to have been prone to violence, prone to cheating, prone to lying, so on, so forth. You know, michael, theres a piece today that talks about the fact that western governments are sort of prime to think about the people who want to participate in jihad, where they fly off to syria, participate, and then come back. What people are not necessarily paying attention to is those who maybe cant afford the ticket but are at home. They say theres a clear connection, not organizational, but inspiration between men such as hassan, the man who shot 13 people dead in ft. Hood, the brothers in boston, et cetera, there are people who may not be actualized but may still act in these ways. Look, the American Defense budget announced last week that it was spending 585 billion on defense. 67. 5 billion on military operations abroad. What i would really like to see is the answer to this problem is not bullets, mortars, bombs and rockets. The answer is understanding the ideology on what turns people. Did someone is a lone wolf, part of a terror network, very sophisticated of al qaeda or appear rative, it doesnt matter. The end result is the same. What this guy has done is manage to tie up news cable channels for 24 hours, which is the biggest propaganda took isis could ask for. And he didnt actually kill a hostage himself. There did seem to be a very strategic selection of a place downtown, in sydney, in the financial district, in sort of a square where there are lots and lots of cameras, where hell get lots and lots of attention. Even if this person might not have been motivated by sort of a greater jihadi message, would his attack then be usable by these groups regardless whether his attack was successful or failed, it will be used by whether jihadists or official propaganda of terrorist groups. But i think the point here choosing that specific location, is intended to influence public opinion. Specifically australias engagement. This goes on to, you know, studying the tweets he put out to his official twitter account, indicating hes in favor of the Islamic State, acknowledges the leader of the Islamic State as cleric, oman, and accuses Australian Authorities of torture in prisons. So, he seemed to have a few political grievances that probably he failed to express early on and this is probably his only way of expressing them after details of doing that before. In that case, michael, were talking about a 50yearold man who moved to australia several years ago. Lets talk about in the Bigger Picture because what you all see in some of these cases are people who are first, maybe second generation, whether in britain, whether in australia, programs even the United States, whose ideology might be attached to the country they live in and its involvement in fighting isis. Sort of that kind of motivation. So, is there any way that western governments can root that kind of a person out, to locate them before they act . I think so. What youre talking about is theres a spectrum here. Youre talking about how someone becomes disenfranchised in the u. S. , in the uk n europe. What is it about a muslim within the city, in the eastern london subur suburbs, that makes them unhappy . Whats been preached by the imams in the mosques . The uk has a strategy that goes in, trying to prevent that. Coming back to this guy, hes from iran. An iran yeian shia. What i think is a little unusual about this is youve got someone from iran, which is historically tied to the shia sect which has the proxy force hezbollah, which has been fighting in syria against jihad and militants yet someone from aus eye ran has come to australia and is a sympathizers so kind of a minority from iran. Thats what i find fascinating. The only group im aware of that operates in iran is jindulah. So this is what i find intriguing. You have iran being very vocal gent isis, antiisis. This makes it almost impossible. You know, he did indicate on his twitter account that he is not a shiite. That he likely has converted. So, hes a sunni in his own eyes and in the eyes of those he supported. He did condemn Syrian Regime. So, in a way he did express that he does stand against the Syrian Regime and that he is pretty much a sunni muslim, prosuna grievances. In that aspect, i would differentiate him from the sunni groups that are operating in iran. In this sense, it appears he has been just radicalized by the Foreign Policy in the middle east. Australia is very much obviously involved in the west. Michael kay, welcome to the program. Hope to have you back soon. Laith alkhouri, one of our perennial favorites. Looking at how the hostage situation in australia played out on social media. Jooishgsz. The getaway vehicle for all the confidence you need. Td ameritrade. You got this. Wow [ narrator ] on a mission to get richard to his campbells chunky soup. Its new chunky beerncheese with beef and bacon soup. I love it. And mama loves you. And i quit smoking with chantix. People who know me, they say i never thought you would quit. but chantix helped me do it. Along with support, Chantix Varenicline is proven to help people quit smoking. It gave me the power to overcome the urge to smoke. Some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. Some people had seizures while taking chantix. If you have any of these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away. Tell your doctor about any history of Mental Health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix or history of seizures. Don take chantix if youve had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. If you develop these, stop chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be lifethreatening. Tell your doctor if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, or if you develop new or worse symptoms. Get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack or stroke. Decrease alcohol use while taking chantix. Use caution when driving or operating machinery. Common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. Im a nonsmoker, that feels amazing. Ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. Which means its timeson for the volkswagen signthendrive event. For practically just your signature, you could drive home for the holidays in a germanengineered volkswagen. Like the sporty, advanced new jetta. And the 2015 motor trend car of the year allnew golf. If youre wishing for a new volkswagen this season. Just about all you need is a finely tuned. Pen. Get zero due at signing, zero down, zero deposit, and zero first months payment on select new volkswagen models. Because it helps me skip the bad stuff. Im good. Thats what i like to call, the meta effect. 4in1 multihealth metamucil now clinically proven to help you feel less hungry between meals. Experience the meta effect with our new multihealth wellness line. Social media is still focused on news of the sydney siege, thats the hashtag youre using the most to discuss the 17hour standoff between Man Haron Monis and police in australia. Youre still sharing pics and video of the standoff and discussing how the suspect used social media for his demands. Youre recounting the lowest lows by sydney getting slapped by a surge in pricing by uber. After tweeting your outrage, uber sydney backtracked, making all of the rides out of the Central Business district free. Goth gotta love it. While some were evacuating, some bystanders took selfies and you were disgusted. Sending tweets like this, been whining a lot recently about the vanity of selfies but the hostage situation selfie is really the world gone mad. No respect. You have respect for the creator of iwillride with you. Sir tessa tweeted, if you regularly take the 373 bus and where religious attire and dont feel safe alone, ill ride with you. App me for a schedule. Soon thousands joined the hsh tag, offering to ride on Public Transportation with muslims who might worry the sydney siege would lead to attacks on them. Many of you saluted thesis sentiments saying its so beautiful. Nice to see light and kindness in between all this horror. In the aftermath, mosques, synagogues and churches across australia are inviting people to pray for peace. Youre already doing so on social media and sending tweets like this. Praying for comfort and strength for the victims and all those involved. Including the police and aides. God bless. Earlyfit latefit risefit fallfit ballfit wallfit pingfit pongfit pingfit pongfit rowfit throwfit slowfit olliefit oopsfit otisfit thiswayfit thatwayfit daddyfit pappyfit datefit weightfit goalfit gooooooalfit stepfit stairfit smartfit heartfit spinfit bikefit hikefit yikesfit wheeeeefit wowfit whoafit findyourfit its all fitbit thanks. [ male announcer ] fedex® has solutions to enable Global Commerce that can help your company grow steadily and quickly. Great job. mandarin cut it out. See you tomorrow. Our thoughts and prayers this morning are with the innocent victims of this horrendous, vicious incident. I want to say to their family and friends, stands with them. They stand beside me today. I will stand beside you tomorrow. I will stand beside you forever. That was New South Wales premier mike baird moments ago with details about the deadly standoff in sydney. Heres what we know right now. All 17 hostages that were being held inside sydneys downtown lin lindt cafe have been accounted for, two are dead and the others are uninjured. The lone gunman identified as iranian Man Haron Monis was shot and killed in the raid. The man who called himself a cleric was well known to police. Police say they stormed the premises after a number of gunshots were heard inside the building. One officer suffered nonlifethreatening injuries. Police did not find any explosive devices. Lets turn to politics and Elizabeth Warren was asked again today if shes running for president. The massachusetts democrat told npr, quote, i am not. The question comes, as it often does, as warren bucked her party in the cromnibus bill. While she lost that battle over the weekend, warrens aggressive stance has energized the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. So much so that the question about her may be less whether she runs and more about how far she can steer policy andn a party still reeling from midterm losses. Perry bacon is msnbc senior political reporter. You wrote an interesting piece about Elizabeth Warren. You said some have compared warren to texas republican ted cruz, another freshman senator, who also implored his party that not all compromises are of the right party. Warren is unlikely to lead a Government Shutdown over the weakening of dodd frank to block the implementation of obamacare. Unlike cruz, warren pro ren pro wont run in 2016. The person that delayed the vote on the floor was none other than ted cruz. Why did warren not go to the point of filibustering the bill . She talked about that in an interview with npr today. First she said, a not running for president. We should be clear, shes not running for president. Shes been open about that. The second thing is she talked about the fact that she was concerned about this part of the bill that weakened dodd frank but she was not going to shut down the government over it. They shout it was important to make the cause, to criticize it, to criticize the white house for signing a bill that includes it but she didnt to want go to the next layer. In her view, the goal is to elevate the issue and make sure people are concerned about it. Not necessarily to weaken the Democratic Party and a shutdown would have been problematic. Its interesting you did mention all the people she criticized. That does include the white house. I want to play a bite of senator warren on friday night and this is an interesting bite. Take a listen. Enough is enough. Enough is enough with wall street insiders getting key position after key position and the kind of cronyism that we have seen in the executive branch. Enough is enough. With citigroup passing 11th hour regulatory provisions that nobody takes ownership over but everybody will come to regret. Enough is enough. Perry, the two people that got called out by name there were citigroup that wrote that bill, at least 85 of it, and the executive branch, cronyism. Is this Elizabeth Warren staking out a position in which not just wall street is on the other side, but so is president obama . It is. She never directly criticizes president obama or hillary clinton, using their names in the way using their names. She all the time talks about how the executive branch is full of employees who worked on wall street and who support wall street. Who runs the executive branch . Of course, president obama does. The other fight shes in, theres a guy nominated by the president to be the number three person in the treasury department, antonio wise, work at a firm called lazar and shes trying to stop him from being confirmed. The white house is actually fighting with her pretty hard on this. It goes to the fact that warren is looking to move the party to the left and even take on obama if needed to do that. Really quickly, i want to put up quickly the lift of democrats who lost in this last election. Blue dogs all, begich, udall, kay hagan, landrieu. Does Elizabeth Warren end up being more influential in a smaller, more liberal Democratic Caucus in the senate . Absolutely. Theyre not going to look to push too much to the center. The democrats left are more liberal and looking for warrens advice more. We saw on the wise nomination i was talking about, dick durban, one of president obamas nominees is on warrens side of this fight and not obamas. Fascinate. Well come back to you often. Perry bacon, nbc, thank you. Three things to know on this monday. The families of nine victims and a tenth person who was wounded in the Sandy Hook School massacre filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the companies that manufacture, distribute and sell the gun used in the shooting. In a complaint filed today, the families argue the bushmaster ar15 rifle used by adam lanza to kill 20 children and 6 staffers is a military assault weapon that never should have been on the general market. More fallout for bill cosby. Sellman college in atlanta has indefinitely suspended the prestigious professorship funded by and named after bill cosby. The position was created in 1988 when cosby and his wife, camille, made a 20 million donation to the historically black womens college. Cosby has denied the allegations and has never been charged. And the Cleveland Browns are standing behind wide receiver Andrew Hawkins who wore a tshirt on sunday supporting tamir rice and John Crawford iii, boast recently killed in encounters with ohio Law Enforcement as they held toy guns. The browns said they respect the police and their players right to protest. But the president of clevelands police union calls hawkins behavior disrespectful and hes demanding an apology. Take a deeeeep breath in. And. Exhale. Aflac and a gentle wavelike motion. Ahhhahhhhhh. Liberate your spine. Ahhhahhhhhh. Aflac and reach, toes blossoming. Not that great at yoga. Yeah, but when i slipped a disk he paid my claim in just four days. Ahh four days . Yep. See why speed matters, at aflac. Com. If yand youre talking toevere rheumyour rheumatologiste me, about a biologic. This is humira. This is humira helping to relieve my pain and protect my joints from further damage. This is humira giving me new perspective. Doctors have been prescribing humira for ten years. Humira works for many adults. It targets and helps to block a specific source of inflammation that contributes to ra symptoms. Humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. Serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened, as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. Before treatment, get tested for tb. Tell your doctor if youve been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if youve had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flulike symptoms or sores. Dont start humira if you have an infection. Talk to your doctor and visit humira. Com this is humira at work vo rescued. Ed. Protected. Given new hope. During the subaru share the love event, subaru owners feel it, too. Because when you take home a new subaru, we donate 250 dollars to helping those in need. Well have given 50 Million Dollars over seven years. Love. Its what makes a subaru, a subaru. A reid alert out of california. Dozens of protesters locked hands and surrounded the Police Headquarters today. On saturday Police Arrested at least 45 people at a protest that attracteded hundreds in oakland. And now to the federal investigation of the death of a black North Carolina teen. The fbi announced it will investigate the case of lennon lacey to determine whether the 17yearolds death was a suicide or actually the result of a lynching. Lacey was found hanging from a swingset in a trailer park on august 29th. The state medical examiner ruled lacys death a suicide but his family and friends question the ruling and pushing for the investigation. The county coroner now says he questions whether it was a suicide because of all the Unanswered Questions in the case. Ed pilkington is the chief reporter for the guardian. What does the family of this young man say they believe happened . Theyre quite honest about it in that they dont know what happened. Thats the story here. We dont know what happened to lennon lacy on the morning of august 29th but theyre not happy with the way the Police Conducted the investigation. Within a matter of hours police say he committed suicide. His mother, claudia, saw the police wrap up the crime scene tape as she was being taken to see the body of her son. Even before she identified his body, they were kind of shipping out. So, they dont know what has happened. Theyre quite honest about that. But they suspect the worst. They want a thorough investigation to find out exactly what happened to lennon. You spoke at length with the family for your piece in the guardian. What did they tell you about the town they live in, the Racial Climate . Its a tiny town, about 1700 people. Primarily white. Over the road from their house lived shes now in hiding, apparently daisht white woman that lennon lacy was apparently going out with and apparently that caused quite a bit of tension in the area. Was there a racial motive behind what happened to him . And i think it is its fair to say. I visited the house just next door where only recently there had been signs up saying black people should leave the area. The police had been forced to take those signs down. So, definitely signs of racial tension in the area. And they also say that lennon lacy was not the kind of son, not the kind of brother, not the kind of guy who would kill himself. I want to read a little bit from from your piece and this is claudia lacy, the mother of lennon. The police didnt once come to my house. They didnt look inside lennons room. They still havent to this day. They didnt ask to see his cell phone so they could track his calls. They didnt ask me what clothes he was wearing the night before he died. They didnt even inquire about the fact that lennon was found with a pair of white sneak others his feet that he didnt own and that were too sizes too small for him. There were things locally that also made me anxious. Lennon was in the relationship with a white woman over the road, as you just discussed. Did you talk to any of the Police Officials about what does seem to be a very cursory investigation . Well, its a tiny town with a tiny police force, about three officers. Theyre not really speaking. As i say, within a matter of five hours, they kind of reached their conclusion. It seems what happened is one police officer, the chief police officer, told the local medical examiner it was suicide. The local medical examiner told the chief medical examiner it was a suicide and, hence, the chief medical examiner came out with pretty much a suicide verdict from the autopsy. But since then, the family have presented more than 20 reasons why theyre concerned the investigation has not been fully done. Anything ranging from the fact that the belts lennon used that lennon was strung up with werent his. No one knows where they came from. The shoes were not his. They were two sizes too small for him. The swingset is not how he could have strung himself up. There are so many Different Reasons why a suicide verdict is unsatisfactory at this stage. And yet this is john david, the district attorney, who gave a News Conference on friday about his views on the initial police investigation. Lets listen to john david, the da. I will tell you in my humble opinion the response that occurred in this case and the investigation which has followed has been nothing short of professional and im proud to be a part of this effort. Nothing short of professional. That is a view of the local da. Where does this case stand in the case of the federal official . The federal agencies have been saying nothing but we do know certain things. We know that the family backed up by the naacp went to see the u. S. Attorney and asked for federal involvement in this case. It took about two weeks. They also presented, as i said, more than 20 reasons why they thought there were difficulties here. And after about two weeks, the federal agencies decided they would put an fbi agent onto the case. Since friday, we know an agents been involved. We dont know what theyre doing. We dont know what theyre going to be doing but we know its official that the federal government will be involved in investigating what happened to lennon lacy. The family is delighted. They say it was a major step forward. As for the comment by the local authorities that they did a professional job, the family certainly dont think so. Have i to say, having been down there and having spent quite a bit of time on this story, it doesnt look very professional to me. Indeed. We hope youll come back as you continue to look at this story. Thank you so much for being here. A reid alert out of new jersey. Where president obama is set to speak to troops and their families at joint base mcguire lakehurst. Health can change in a minute. So cvs health is changing healthcare. Making it more accessible and affordable, with over 900 locations for walkin medical care. And more on the way. Minuteclinic. Another innovation from cvs health. Because health is everything. Emma, its simple, when you are in a place like this, the best way to capture the moment is to feel it, even if you cant see it. The start of sneeze season. And the windblown watery eyes. Thats why puffs plus lotion is gentle on sensitive skin. So you can always put your best face forward. A face in need deserves puffs indeed. And try puffs softpack today. Which means its timeson for the volkswagen signthendrive event. For practically just your signature, you could drive home for the holidays in a germanengineered volkswagen. Like the sporty, advanced new jetta. And the 2015 motor trend car of the year allnew golf. Father president obama has taken the podium. Lets listen. Your incredible senior ncos. This is one of our nations premiere joint military bases. Everybodys here. Weve got army. Weve got navy. Weve got air force. Weve got marines. And we got some coast guard. Who was that one coast guard . There you go. That was loud right there. All of you come together as one Great American team. And i know that we also have some spouses and families here today. Your wives, your husbands, your partners, your sons, your daughters, they serve as well. They make their own sacrifices, especially when youre deployed. Our military families are the heroes on the home front. Give it up for our remarkable military families. Weve got some outstanding elected officials who support the mission of this facility each and every day. I want to thank governor christie for joining us today. Weve got some outstanding members of congress who are here. Bob menendez, cory booker, congressman jon runyan, congressman Donald Norcross and incoming congressman tom mcarthur. And they were already lobbying about the base on the way in, so theyre doing a good job. It is great to be back. I was here last year and visited with some of on you my way to the jersey shore. Christie and i went down to the park and spent some time on the boardwalk, christies kids taught me how to hit the hammer to get the frogs into the bucket. It was hard. And then christie beat me at football toss, which really aggravated me. And he bragged about it afterwards, which is okay. Butly get a rematch at some point. But we went in there just on have fun. We came because after hurricane sandy, people across this state, including those of you here at this base, you had to pick yourselves up, rebuild, show that here in new jersey, here in america, we are stronger than any storm. Like a friend of mine from new jersey likes to say, wherever this flag is flown, we take care of our own. Thats what we do here in new jersey. Thats what we do all across america. And this facility exemplifies that spirit. For nearly a century our flag has flown right here. Millions of americans pass through the old ft. Dix. This is where they shipped out. This is where they were welcomed home. One of them was don drysdale, hall of fame dodgers pitcher, and he had the same thought as a lot of new recruits at basic training. What the hell am i doing here . Another recruit remembered, i cleaned a lot of latrines with toothbrushes. Among those who were demobilized here was a soldier from tennessee, serial number 53310761. A guy named Sergeant Elvis presl presley. He was all shook up. His homecoming was a little different, though. Apparently the king drove off in a limo. Now, if it were up to me, i would give all you all limos when you come home. Because part of the message im here to deliver on behalf of the American People is very simple. Its just to say thank you. Thank you for your extraordinary service. I thank you as your president because you inspire me and of all the privileges i have, in serving in this office, nothing comes close to the honor of serving as your commander in chief. And i also thank you on behalf of more than 300 million americans. We americans may disagree and debate and argue sometimes. That is part of our democracy. It is messy sometimes. Sometimes it results in gridlock in washington. But whether liberal, conservative, democrat or republican, white, black, brown, rich, poor, no matter how we pray, when it comes to our troops, when it comes to you and your families as americans, we stand united. We are proud of you. We support you. We can never thank you enough. And thats especially true now during the holidays. We can gather with family and friends because youre willing to hug yours goodbye and step forward to serve. After a long day we can come home because youre willing to leave your home and deploy. We get to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries and holidays, go to soccer games, go to dance recitals because youre willing to miss those in your family. Were free and safe and secure over here because youre willing to serve over there. Thats the noble spirit of your sacrifice. Thats the selfless character of our military. Those are the precious gifts you give america, not just for this time of year, but all year. Every year up. Never stop serving. You never stop giving. You guys are like santa in fatiguings. Although ill bet one of those c130s is a little more efficient than santas sleigh. I figured id get something out of our guys on that. I also wanted to be here because after more than a decade of war, our nation is marking an important milestone. Ever since our country was attacked, that awful september morning, 9 11, our nations been at war in afghanistan. Many people here have deployed there or to iraq. And youve deployed multiple times in some cases. This are people here who have lost really good friends. Patriots who made the ultimate sacrifice, including 54 Fallen Heroes from this base, who we will honor forever. For more than a year, Afghan Forces have been in the lead to secure their country. And that means more of our troops have been coming home, including right here to this joint base. So let me just say to all of you who have returned from afghanistan in recent weeks, on behalf of the grateful nation, i want to say, welcome home. Welcome home for the holidays. And were glad to have you back. This month, the transition that were making in afghanistan will be complete. Afghans will take full responsibility for their security. This month after more than 13 years, our combat mission in afghanistan will be over. This month americas war in afghanistan will come to a responsible end. Now, that doesnt mean everythings great in afghanistan. Afghanistans still a very dangerous place. But i want you and every american who has served in afghanistan to be proud of what youve accomplished there. Because your generation, the 9 11 generation, has met every mission thats been given to you. You helped decimate the core al qaeda leadership and deliver justice to osama bin laden. He will not be attacking here anymore. You helped prevent terrorist attacks against this country. You helped push back the taliban. You helped train Afghan Forces to take the lead. You are helped make possible an historic election this year and the first democratic transfer of power in afghanistans history. And despite all their challenges, afghans are now looking to the future. Thats all because of you. That makes us safer and it gives them a chance for a better future. Even as our combat mission ends, our commitment to afghan endures. Well continue to have a limited military presence there because weave got to keep training and equipping Afghan Forces and weve good to conduct Counterterrorism Missions because theres still remnants of al qaeda there. After all the sacrifices you made, we want to preserve the gam gains youve made. We want a stable and secure afghanistan. Breaking news in the cycle. President obama addressing troops in new jersey. Not mentioning the 16hour hostage situation that happened in australia. We do know the president is being briefed throughout the day. Im toure. Two hostages there in sydney are dead, nine hurt, the rest are safe. The lone wolf gunman is dead. I, too, would like to commend the work of our police. While everyone might secondguess as to what has occurred in the last hours, well, theyre the ones who had to make the decision. Our police had to actually deal with this incident. It was tough, exacting work. Many hours whether on point or whether part of a team that had to make that entry and deal with the situation. I want to point out, they have saved lives. All this played out in a coffee shop in the heart of sydney, australias financial district. The police did know the man they were dealing with. A selfproclaimed cleric from iran with a long rap sheet. This year australia passed antiterror laws. Theyve been carrying out terror raids ever since. The country has been tracking 200 people who have traveled to syria and iraq, many of whom have since returned to australia. So far, no concrete evidence this attack was designed by isis. But isis has proclaimed if wants chaos, no matter the cost. The big concern no