US in direct contact with Syrian rebel group: Blinken

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has confirmed direct contact with Syrian rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which has taken control of Damascus after ousting Bashar al-Assad's regime. Blinken reiterated America's commitment to finding journalist Austin Tice, missing in Syria since 2012. "We've impressed upon everyone we've been in contact with importance of helping find Tice," he said.