Daniel Penny, the former U.S. Marine sergeant who used a chokehold to restrain Jordan Neely, a homeless man, on a New York City subway car was found not guilty of criminally negligent homicide on Monday.

The White House said officials are communicating with people on the ground in Syria to seek information about Austin Tice, an American journalist captured more than 12 years ago in Syria. The Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin personally approved asylum for Assad in Moscow.