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CNN International: President Biden Pardons Son Hunter after Repeatedly saying that he would not do so; Gaza Health Officials: Israeli Strikes Kill at least 200 in Gaza; Residents Return to see Remains of their Homes; Joe Biden Pardons his Son Hunter, after Saying he Without; Protests Spread Amid Plans to Suspend EU Talks; A Wild Whiteout. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired December 02, 2024 - 08:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[08:00:00]

ERICA HILL, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to our viewers around the world. I'm Erica Hill. This is CNN Newsroom. Just ahead, U.S. President Joe Biden pardoned his son Hunter, breaking a long-held campaign promise. Why the president says he changed his mind.

Plus, Syria and Russia stepping up air strikes against opposition forces inside Syria after a rebel offensive that took Damascus by surprise. And going home to an uncertain future. CNN visits a once bustling city in Southern Lebanon as residents return home after months of war.

Joe Biden says he decided to issue a sweeping pardon for his son because he believed Hunter was singled out for prosecution and that raw politics had infected the process. On Sunday, just weeks before he leaves office, Mr. Biden used his presidential power to issue what he called a full and unconditional pardon. They may recall for month's President Biden had been asked and had repeatedly said he would not pardon his son.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let me ask you, will you accept the jury's outcome, their verdict, no matter what it is?

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And have you ruled out a pardon for your son?

BIDEN: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Hunter Biden was facing a potential sentence of up to 25 years in prison for his conviction on gun charges and up to 17 years in prison for tax crimes. Katelyn Polantz joins me now from Washington with more. So, there are definitely two camps here, those who are surprised because President Biden was so insistent he would not pardon his son Hunter, and then others who were perhaps not shocked by it, knowing how much the president values family?

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Yes, and this is one of those circumstances where Joe Biden, as president is exercising something that is so special to the presidency under the Constitution. The unilateral power to issue pardons on federal crimes. Other presidents have done it before, giving pardons to family members, but this one is particularly close to Joe Biden as he leaves office.

His son, Hunter convicted both by a jury and then pleading guilty to gun charges and tax charges, so two different felony sets of convictions. He was set to be sentenced on those in December. But Erica, as you mentioned, there is a lot of politics around this.

Joe Biden, in his statement announcing this full and unconditional pardon last night, really highlighted that he believed Hunter was being treated differently than others who may be facing the criminal justice system that the case against Hunter was brought to attack him oppose his election, that Republicans really wanted to try and hurt Hunter Biden, a recovering drug addict.

And that this was something that came together with Biden spending time with his family with Hunter in Nantucket over the Thanksgiving holiday, making that decision this weekend. Erica, of course, this is something that has also drawn a lot of ire from the right, saying he said he wasn't going to do this, and now he has, but it is within his power as the president.

HILL: There's also been some pushback because of just how broad, how sweeping it is. Hunter Biden was facing a number of legal troubles, but this pardon is sort of beyond the scope of those?

POLANTZ: Yes. Erica, it does a couple different things. First of all, as a full and unconditional pardon for the crimes that Hunter Biden has been found or pleaded guilty to. He is not going to be a felon on those anymore. He will not be sentenced for those crimes as he was set to be, and any possibility that he would have faced jail time, prison time, extensive prison time, even it's off the table.

He's not going to prison. And then, in addition to that, the pardon does say that Hunter Biden is pardoned for anything he may have done that would have been a federal crime from a period of 2014 through 2024, so a whole decade, primarily when he was doing business abroad, those foreign business dealings have been at the root a lot of what Republicans wanted to investigate around the Bidens.

And so, this offers a level of protection for Hunter Biden, not just as he was going to be going before a judge on these felony convictions, but also additional protection because of what Joe Biden says was an unfair attack of his family.

HILL: Katelyn Polantz appreciate it. Thank you. Well, unsurprisingly, Donald Trump was quick to react to the news posting on Truth Social does the pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the J6 hostages who have now been imprisoned for years such an abuse and miscarriage of justice. [08:05:00]

That is a reference to Trump supporters who attacked the Capitol, a number of whom, of course, were charged and convicted after that attack on January 6th. Now it is notable, Trump himself had not ruled out pardoning Hunter Biden. Here's what he said in a radio interview in October.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HUGE HEWITT, RADIO SHOW HOST: Will you pardon Hunter Biden?

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND CURRENT PRESIDENTIAL- ELECT: I wouldn't take it off the book. See, unlike Joe Biden, despite what they've done to me with they went after me, so viciously, despite what and Hunter is a bad boy, there's no question about it, he's been a bad boy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Alayna Treene joins us now live from West Palm Beach, Florida with more details. So, in terms of this reaction from Donald Trump, we saw that statement. We're also hearing a little bit more from the team around him.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And I will say Erica, Donald Trump moved swiftly to capitalize on this moment in a comment that's really going to raise expectations for what he will do about his vow to pardon January 6th people who were convicted on January 6th for their crimes in the Capitol Hill attack that day.

I want to read for you what Donald Trump said in the moments after it was announced that Hunter Biden, or excuse me, Joe Biden, was pardoning his son Hunter. He wrote quote, does the pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the J-6 hostages who have now been imprisoned for years, such an abuse and miscarriage of justice.

Now Erica, to be clear, Donald Trump campaigned repeatedly throughout the last several months now on his pledge, really to pardon these January 6th rioters. And one thing that has been clear is that, you know, there were questions about how many people he will do that for a lot of Donald Trump's supporters and allies have been expecting him to grant maximum clemency, even to those who are the most violent offenders, which has raised some eyebrows from others.

But I will say, ever since Election Day, we haven't heard Donald Trump mention that pledge once, or even talk about the January 6th rioters or any sort of pardons. And so, there's been questions about when or if he will move forward with that? But this was the first time we really heard him address that since winning on November 5th.

Now I will also say that we've seen many Republicans, including those working with Donald Trump, trying to seize on this as an example of what they're arguing is that the Justice Department has been weaponized against many people, specifically Republicans, and arguing that it's actually President, Joe Biden, the current and sitting president, who has been the one weaponizing the Department of Justice.

I want to read to you what Stephen Chung, a Donald Trump's Spokesman, said about this as well in the aftermath of that pardon. He said, quote, the failed witch hunts against President Trump have proven that the Democrat controlled DOJ and other radical prosecutors are guilty of weaponizing the justice system. That system of justice must be fixed and due process must be restored for all Americans. And he went on to say that that is something that Donald Trump will do.

Now, I will argue as well what I find also interesting about this is that this could really give the president-elect an opening with some of his picks, particularly what he announced over the weekend in naming Kash Patel to be his next FBI Director. There's been a lot of controversy surrounding Patel, specifically around some of the things that he says he wants to do with the FBI, including getting rid of all of the FBI's leadership, shutting down its Washington Bureau.

This, though, could be an opening for them, just for people to argue that perhaps reforming the FBI in the massive way that Donald Trump has planned is justified, and that's what we're starting to see many people close to Donald Trump argue in the hours after this pardon was announced.

HILL: There's also, there is some pushback. We even seen pushback from Democrats with this decision of President Biden. It's important to note Donald Trump himself, of course, as every president has the right to do, granted a number of pardons when he was in office, some of them for people very close to him.

TREENE: That's exactly right. I mean, I remember covering Donald Trump during his first term, and in the hours after, I think it was 11 hours before he was leaving the White House, he issued a 143 pardons and commutations for people, many of them loyalists, others who he argued were unjustifiably impacted in the criminal justice space.

But one of those pardons, I think, is worth highlighting, is he did pardon. This was a couple months before that last minute, 11th hour flurry of pardons before he left office, but he had pardoned Charles Kushner, one of his in-laws, the father-in-law of Ivanka Trump.

And then just this weekend as well we actually saw Donald Trump announce that he is naming Charles Kushner to be his Ambassador to France. So, Donald Trump has also pardoned someone within the family, not one of his own children. But again, we've seen him very much use his pardon power with a sweeping nature when he was in office, Erica.

HILL: That's Alayna Treene live in West Palm Beach. Appreciate it. Thank you.

[08:10:00]

Turning now to a reignited war in Syria, CNN is learning Syrian and Russian jets are stepping up joint strikes on opposition forces in the northern part of the country. Syria's Volunteer Rescue Group, the White Helmet says air strikes on Sunday have killed dozens of people, and this comes in retaliation for that sudden offensive that cost the Syrian regime control of the country's second largest city, Aleppo.

Rebel forces also say they are expanding their control in the country, claiming they have now made significant gains in the northern countryside of Aleppo, capturing several towns and villages. The rebels' success poses the biggest challenge to Syrian President Bashar Al Assad in years.

For its part, Moscow says it will continue to support him. CNN's Clarissa Ward joins us now, live from Beirut. When we look at this, Clarissa, this came as a surprise for so many people. How was the opposition able to take so much ground and do it so quickly?

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well Erica, as you said, this took people by complete surprise. Nobody was anticipating this. These are the largest territorial gains that we've seen for the rebels in eight years. It had been largely quiet in Syria.

There had been a sort of de facto, no war, no peace, and that's because, in a sense, Bashar Al Assad was able to quash the opposition. He did that not through the strength of his own military or military rule, but through various very powerful backers, the Russians, the Iranians, Hezbollah.

If you look at where we are now in this moment, Iran very distracted by the losses on the battlefield of its various proxies, also facing strikes from Israel. Hezbollah clearly battered by Israel and Russia, very much distracted and preoccupied with the war in Ukraine.

You can get a feel or a sense for why the rebels felt that now was perhaps the moment to try to strike while there is this vacuum of sorts, and while it is so unclear who would be able to step in and fill the void and give Bashar Al Assad the support that he would need to once again quash this rebellion.

Though, at this stage, as you said, the momentum does seem to be on the rebel side. They have full control of Idlib Province now. They have full control of the central city of Aleppo, or the central parts of Aleppo making gains in Aleppo countryside, also at the doorstep of the central city of Hama.

So, it remains to be seen how exactly Assad's backers are going to save him once again. Though, as you mentioned, we have seen those Russian airstrikes stepping up in the last couple of days, Erica.

HILL: You mentioned whether they'll be able to save him again. It has been -- it has been key right to Bucha Al Assad's ability to stay in power, to have that support. How much of a threat does this pose to his power at this point?

WARD: I think it's a significant threat, although it's very difficult to see what happens next and what indeed the goals are of the rebels and their various backers. As I mentioned before, we are seeing an uptick now in those Russian strikes, and when we look back to 2015 which is when Russia entered the Syrian arena. And when they really double down with an incredibly cruel but very effective mass bombardment of civilian areas across rebel held territory, it is clear that the Russians can make that decisive difference once again. The question that remains, though is whether they have the appetite to do that in this moment, or whether they are trying to conserve their energy and their resources for the ongoing battle in Ukraine.

I will say that after sort of a couple of days of incredibly fast momentum on behalf of the rebels today, it does feel like some of those gains are slowing down a bit. There had been many, many rumors about the possibility of certain factions of the Syrian army potentially defecting.

We haven't yet been able to get a clear sense of whether that really is happening and what the impact of it would be if so? At this stage, not clear yet whether Bashar Al Assad can survive this, although I will say, having covered Syria for many, many years Erica, that there have been a number of occasions in the past where people assumed that he could not survive, and he went on to prove them wrong Erica.

HILL: Yeah, it is an excellent point. Really appreciate your insight, your expertise on this as well Clarissa, thank you. Turning now to the Israel Hamas war. Health officials in Northern Gaza say weekend, Israeli air strikes killed at least 200 Palestinians. The director of a local hospital says five buildings in two different areas of Northern Gaza were hit on Saturday, leaving dozens buried under the rubble.

This as the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees, says the humanitarian crisis has become, quote, unnecessarily impossible. In fact, it's actually halted aid deliveries through the main crossing point between Israel and Gaza after more aid trucks were stolen.

[08:15:00]

And amid renewed protests and calls for a deal to free the remaining hostages in Gaza, the Israeli military has also confirmed the death of an American Israeli soldier. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum says 21-year-old Omer Maxim Neutra was killed during the Hamas terror attacks last year on October 7th.

The forum describing him as a warm, optimistic person who loved sports. CNN's Nada Bashir is following all of these developments for us from London. So, Nada if we could -- let's start first with these deadly air strikes over the weekend.

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, we've seen yet more air strikes in Northern Gaza, an area where it has already proven for weeks now, near impossible to get sufficient amounts of humanitarian aid to those essentially trapped in this northern part of the Gaza Strip and unable or feeling too unsafe to evacuate to these designated humanitarian zones elsewhere in the strip.

Over the weekend, as you mentioned, at least 200 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes carried out on around five buildings. Among those killed, 40 members of a single family killed, in one of those strikes and one of the buildings so a hugely devastating scene, we've been hearing from the director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital about the situation on the ground.

The hospital continues to be deeply overrun with casualties, as it has been for weeks, if not months, now, unable to deal with the influx of casualties coming in. And also, we've seen further airstrikes in other parts of the Gaza Strip as well. In Nuseirat in Central Gaza, for example, yet another round of airstrikes earlier today as well.

So, it is a devastating situation, of course, the humanitarian situation for those that have been displaced, attempting to evacuate and flee from these airstrikes, is also hugely desperate. We've been hearing from the World Health Organization who have said that last year, the vast majority of Palestinians who have been displaced were taking shelter in actual fixed structures, so UN-run schools in buildings that have been really changed into these shelters.

Now, around 90 percent of those displaced are sheltering in tents, many of them in the coastal area. And of course, it's simply insufficient against the challenges that come forward with the harsh winter weather. Many of them, of course, have already had to move their tents because of being too close to the coastline. So, a hugely difficult situation for so many in Gaza.

HILL: There is also the increasingly desperate situation when it comes to aid itself and supplies. The UN mentioning, they've now suspended aid deliveries into Gaza. What is able to get in and get through to people at this stage?

BASHIR: -- very limited amounts of aid are really getting in, certainly not enough in comparison to the actual amount of need in the Gaza Strip. The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees has suspended its land crossings of humanitarian aid trucks through the Kerem Shalom, or Karem Abu Salem crossing into Gaza because of the insecurity faced by truck drivers, by humanitarian workers, because of the desperation that we're seeing in Gaza.

So many of these trucks are now being looted humanitarian aid. Of course, that has been a huge issue for some time, and the looting of humanitarian food supplies. And so, we've been hearing from the UN agency saying that it's simply not secure at this stage. But what they are calling for is for the Israeli authorities to open more land crossings.

That is the key they have said. We've been hearing from the Head of the Humanitarian Coordination Project for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, saying, this is a desperate situation, and it was a difficult decision to take, but a necessary decision. They have said that Israel, as an occupying power, has the responsibility to ensure the safe transfer of aid the safety and protection of humanitarian aid workers as well.

Of course, we have seen other aid organizations trying to get in aid through various means. The Jordanian authorities recently, last week, carried out an airdrop in Northern Gaza, as I mentioned, an area where we have really seen limited aid getting into those who remain there, the hundreds of thousands who remain there.

But it is simply not enough. Of course, the key here, as we have heard, repeated by many humanitarian organizations, by the United Nations and UN agencies, is the need for a ceasefire, for a cessation in hostilities, to allow for the situation to be secure enough for humanitarian organizations to adequately fulfill their roles, to be able to carry out their operations as intended. But of course, at this point it is simply too difficult and insecure.

HILL: Yeah. Nada, really appreciate it. Thank you. Still ahead, after months of intense Israeli bombing -- Lebanon, residents in a community in the south of the country are now returning to their homes, and CNN was there to witness the aftermath firsthand. Then protests in Georgia now spreading as people in the country react to the government's decision to suspend talks on joining the European Union.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:20:00]

HILL: A city in ruins after months of Israeli bombing, residents now returning to see the remains of their homes in Southern Lebanon, now that cease fire is in place. CNN's Tamara Qiblawi has been taking a closer look at that area, and has a view of the destruction firsthand.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TAMARA QIBLAWI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The courtyards of an Ottoman era mosque lies in ruins. A historic Souq deserted. This was one of the busiest cities in Lebanon, but the cacophony of cars the shouts of vendors, has been replaced by the crunch of broken glass. Battered by Israeli strikes for more than two months, life is only just beginning to return to the City of Nabatiyeh.

BISHR BISHR, COFFEE VENDOR: On the day ceasefire began I was home by 10:30 that morning.

QIBLAWI: What were you feeling?

BISHR: I felt joy. Us southerners would prefer to pitch a tent in our own land than live in a palace elsewhere.

QIBLAWI: But the city's been destroyed.

BISHR: It's destruction upon destruction. But it'll all be rebuilt.

QIBLAWI: It's hard to imagine, but this used to be a busy marketplace to my left, what used to be a shoe store to my right, a hardware store, now a mound of rubble. On Monday mornings, people used to pitch up their tents on both sides of the street to sell their stuff. This is Nabatiyeh, one of the worst hits in the Israeli offensive. It's also the commercial heart of South Lebanon.

QIBLAWI (voice-over): Samir Jaber scales mounds of rubble to inspect the damage in his burnt-out shop. This was a toy store. He called it a children's paradise. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I stayed here for forty days.

QIBLAWI: You stayed here, under the bombs? You weren't afraid?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We weren't afraid at all.

QIBLAWI (voice-over): And he wasn't the only one who stayed put as Israeli airstrikes rained down. 37-year-old Ali Matu brave the bombs here almost every day to feed pets abandoned by their owners.

ALI MAATAOUK, RESCUER, GIVE ME A PAW: It's better that they dogs, die in an airstrike than of hunger. Because dying of hunger means days of sufferings. I come every other day. The bombs didn't phase me.

QIBLAWI (voice-over): It's a moment of levity in a city fraught with despair and defiance, people insist the rebuilding must start soon, but how or when is anyone's guess? Tamara Qiblawi CNN Nabatiyeh.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: Ben Wedeman is also tracking developments for us. And Ben you've reported extensively, of course, from inside Lebanon, also from Syria, which we are, of course, talking about today as it dominates the headlines. Can you just put into context for our viewers the role of Iran in both of these conflicts?

[08:25:00]

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Iran's role in Lebanon and Syria goes back quite a long way. For instance, the Syrian regime has had close relations with Iran since the overthrow of the Shah in January 1979 and it was Iran that really helped create Hezbollah in Lebanon in the aftermath of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982.

Since then, Iran has played an ever-greater role in both countries in Lebanon, continuing to build up Hezbollah to what it was before, of course, events, recent events where it was basically mauled by the Israelis and its senior leadership was killed.

In Syria what we saw was that the Israelis were also striking, repeatedly killing top Iranian commanders who were part of the team advising and helping the Syrian government. So, in both cases, you've basically severely weakened Iran's role. And what this means is that it really opened the way, in addition to the fact that Russia has another main backer of the regime in Syria has been distracted by its war in Ukraine.

So, these main pillars of support for the Syrian regime have been either eliminated or weakened, and therefore it really has opened the way, paved the way for this surprise rebel offensive in Syria -- four years to regain control of Aleppo, and it only took these rebels just a few days to actually take almost complete control -- Iran -- ability to our -- is like --

HILL: And Ben, those concerns now about whether this could also spill over further into the region. Ben Wedeman, appreciate it. Thank you. Still ahead this hour, in stunning reversal U.S. President Joe Biden decides to pardon his son Hunter, the intense political backlash for both parties just ahead. Plus, a place that relies on the support of the U.S., wonders how that support may change with Donald Trump back in the White House.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:30:00]

HILL: After repeatedly saying he would not, Joe Biden has issued full and unconditional pardon for his son Hunter. The U.S. President says he wrestled with the decision and came to the conclusion after seeing his son being, quote, selectively and unfairly prosecuted.

Republicans were quick to react to accusing the president of hypocrisy in his defense of the rule of law. Hunter Biden rather was set to be sentenced this month for gun and tax convictions. The president announced that pardon shortly before departing for his trip to Angola.

CNN's Arlette Saenz is there and joins me now live from the capital. So, Arlette, the president, hasn't yet spoken on camera about this pardon for his son. What are you hearing from his administration officials about his mindset and how it changed? How he got to this decision?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Erica. Well, President Biden issued a full and unconditional pardon for his son Hunter Biden, which really marks a stunning reversal after both Biden and his senior team had said for months that he would not make this move.

Now the president, I'm told, made this decision over the Thanksgiving holiday as he was with his family in Nantucket, Massachusetts. I was told that they the president and the first lady informed staff in a meeting on Saturday night, once they were back at the White House.

Some of the senior staff meeting with them in person, others by phone. And in that meeting, the president shared his decision he would pardon his son Hunter, and also said he wanted to release a statement about it on Sunday, the next morning is when senior team got together to put together this statement that was ultimately released before Biden departed for Angola.

Now President Biden says he made this decision from the perspective of a father, but he also feels that his son was maligned by Republicans and that these charges were politically motivated. In the statement that was released last night, the president said, quote, there has been an effort to break Hunter who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution.

In trying to break Hunter, they've tried to break me, and there's no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough. Now the president's statement does not in any way mention the reversal that he made, but he repeatedly had said he would not pardon his son Hunter making those statements both before and after he was found guilty on those felony gun charges in the State of Delaware. Take a listen to a few of those moments from back in June.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let me ask you, will you accept the jury's outcome, their verdict, no matter what it is?

BIDEN: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And have you ruled out a pardon for your son?

BIDEN: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have?

BIDEN: I am satisfied that I'm not going to do anything I said I abide by the jury decision. I will do that, and I will not pardon him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: Now, so far, President Biden has ignored reporters' questions as he's been traveling about this pardon, but certainly he will face many questions, especially after the fact that Biden has spent much of his political career saying that he would respect the independence of the Justice Department.

But in that statement last night, President Biden said he would move forward with pardoning his only living son, Hunter Biden.

HILL: Also, Arlette, as I mentioned, you're there, of course, in Angola, the president making his way there. What do we expect from this trip?

SAENZ: Yeah, well, this pardon news might overshadow a good portion of his visit to Angola. This will actually be the first time a sitting president is visiting Sub Saharan Africa since 2015, since President Barack Obama had visited Kenya, and Ethiopia and Biden will be the first sitting president to visit Angola.

It comes as the U.S. is really trying to strengthen their relationships in Africa, at a time when China has deepened their inroads into the continent. China has invested billions of dollars into infrastructure projects through its Belt and Road Initiative, really leaving the U.S. and others to catch up to their moves.

One thing that President Biden will be promoting while he is here, is the U.S. and EU investment in something called the Lobito Corridor, that will be an 800-mile railway project from interior countries in Africa that would take critical minerals to the Western ports for exporting.

The U.S. Believes that this helps not just the African people, but also the U.S. as they can try to get critical minerals from this continent at a key time. So, for President Biden, this is coming at the tail end of his presidency. He's trying to show that the U.S. remains committed to Africa.

Of course, big questions about whether that actually resonates with people here, or if it's simply a lot of platitudes coming from the American President.

HILL: Arlette Saenz, really appreciate it. Thank you. For a bit more perspective on this decision by Joe Biden to pardon his son Hunter, I'm joined in my presidential historian Alexis Coe, the author of a best-selling biography on George Washington, her next book on JFK debuts in 2025. It's good to have you here. I was struck by something you wrote for us here at CNN, a year ago.

[08:35:00]

I should point out a little over a year ago, as this question was coming up, you noted, unlike his immediate predecessor in office, who sought to bend the -- who sought to bend the Justice Department to his will, the President Joe Biden, is so deeply committed to equal justice that he has empowered that department to pursue anyone they believed had broken the law, including his only surviving son.

He has changed his tune a bit, and we saw that in this statement and what we're learning about the decision. In fact -- to pardon Hunter Biden. How does this set up his legacy in this department now?

ALEXIS COE, PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: It's not good news for his legacy, particularly, like so much of this presidency, he spent four years saying and doing one thing, and in this case, we have him painstakingly saying that we have to hew toward, you know, hew as closely as possible to the constitution.

We have to re-establish norms for the presidency. We have to really inspire greater faith in the Oval Office. And now, we see at the tail end, him completely reversing it and not really addressing that in the statement.

HILL: He --

COE: That will now define his treatment of this issue.

HILL: There has been -- understandably, there was tough reaction from the president-elect, from Donald Trump, also from a number of Republican lawmakers, Democratic lawmakers as well, speaking out, including Governor Jared Polis of Colorado, who said that he had put family ahead of country.

We know how important family is to Joe Biden. Did this surprise you at all, though, knowing what we know about him. And to your point, what he has said in the past that he did ultimately make this decision?

COE: It's interesting, because Joe Biden was traditionally known as a very empathetic person. And I think what historians in the future, and certainly the conversation that's happening now around the Biden presidency, will say is that he had a great deal of empathy for his own family. We don't see him showing a lot of empathy around the world or to other people who have been wrongly convicted. It is surprising, I have to say. But a lot of how the last year has gone in the Biden presidency has been very surprising.

HILL: It's also important to note he is not the first president to pardon a close family member.

COE: No, he's not. We have the first president being a member of his own party, Clinton pardoned his half-brother. And then Trump, of course, pardoned Jared Kushner, his son in law, his father, who he's recently appointed to be the ambassador to France. And then throughout history, we have pardons that were a part of a larger contingent.

For example, Lincoln pardoned his sister-in-law, but he also pardoned the entire south. She did not, however, accept it, because she failed to take the oath the allegiance to the union. So, it's not uncommon, but it will be cited, and it does set a precedent, and it is not what the framers intended at the Constitutional Convention.

HILL: In terms of setting a precedent as well. What do you see as the broader impact when it comes to trust in political institutions.

COE: I think we've already seen a great deal of cynicism, and cynicism towards the president has been quite high and certainly impacted the outcome of this election. I've been studying these different attitudes towards the presidency and how it's changing ahead of our 250th anniversary in 2026.

And something that was really interesting that was constantly said about Donald Trump, is he was authentic, which was meant, first I didn't quite understand. It was meant to sound consistent, because whatever you will say, he said exactly what he will do, and then he tries very hard to do it.

Whereas you have Joe Biden, other politicians who tend to say one thing, then sometimes radically change where they're at. And that strikes voters as hypocritical.

HILL: Does it also, there's a lot of discussion this morning, which I'm sure you have seen, about whether or not this really just makes Donald Trump's case. Donald Trump has been railing against the Justice Department for years, saying that it is biased, saying that it is politicized.

Joe Biden took issue with these charges in pardoning his son. So, is he making Donald Trump's case for him?

COE: Very much so. There were so many things that I would have changed about that statement if he had to make that statement. It should have focused more on Hunter Biden, and instead, he sounded very much like Donald Trump, and all the accusations that Trump and the Republicans have made about Biden's Justice Department, he reinforced. So, they will absolutely cite this.

HILL: Alexis Coe, really appreciate you joining us. Thank you. COE: Thank you.

HILL: Well, the transition from Joe Biden to Donald Trump is likely to bring dramatic shifts when it comes to U.S. foreign policy, and one place nervously monitoring those changes, East Taiwan. Taiwan, of course, counts on the U.S. to help keep China at bay. But as CNN's Will Ripley reports. Donald Trump is anything but a close friend of the island.

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TRUMP: Taiwan, they stole our chip business.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If this is a preview of the next four years Taiwan, better buckle up.

TRUMP: They want us to protect and they want protection. They don't pay us money for the protection. You know, the mob makes you pay money, right?

RIPLEY (voice-over): President-elect Donald Trump's transactional tone, rattling nerves in Taipei, raising serious questions about U.S. support for this island democracy, already under relentless pressure from Beijing.

RIPLEY: What do you do when you're on an island with less than 25 million people, with a neighbor like China, and a political situation like what's happening --

CHEN MING-CHI, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AT NATIONAL TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY: We have to arm to our teeth. And we have that kind of a mentality. We are waiting to fight.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Taiwan will need to invest even more in defense. Professor Chen Ming-chi says, including billions of dollars in U.S. made weapons. Despite a $20 billion backlog of undelivered fighter jets, the tanks artillery and missiles.

RIPLEY: Is Taiwan more or less safe during Trump 2.0?

MING-CHI: We don't know. One characteristic of Trump especially the during the second Trump Administration will be the unpredictability. So, we don't know we will be safer or more dangerous. But the thing is that we are going to pay higher price for either way.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Taiwan could be caught in a bind, facing skyrocketing defense costs and growing economic uncertainty.

RIPLEY: What are you guys thinking here?

KRISTY HSU, DIRECTOR OF CHUNG-HUA INSTITUTE FOR ECONOMIC RESEARCH: A lot of worries going on. I mean, worries about this and post-election may have a big shift of policies, towards trade, towards investment. RIPLEY (voice-over): Kristy Hsu is a top economist in Taipei. She says Taiwan's chip industry is bracing for impact if Trump reshapes trade policies or imposes steep tariffs, Taiwan produces most of the world's advanced chips powering everything from smartphones to missiles.

TRUMP: These chip companies, they stole. They stole 95 percent of our business. It's in Taiwan right now.

HSU: Taiwan is not actually stealing jobs or stealing business opportunities from the U.S. Taiwan is actually helping U.S. to extend its semiconductor supply chains.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Leaders in Taipei are publicly optimistic, emphasizing strong ties with Washington on the streets, feelings are more mixed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Trump doesn't like war, so that's reassuring.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the long run, I fear Trump may put Taiwan's safety at risk.

RIPLEY (voice-over): An uncertain future under Trump 2.0 is pretty much the only guarantee. Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.

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HILL: Just ahead, tensions brewing for months, now exploding in Georgia after the country's ruling party said it would suspend talks to join the European Union, where that stands just ahead.

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HILL: In the West African country of Guinea, officials say at least 56 people have been killed, dozens more injured after a stampede at a football match on Sunday. Social media videos show fans scrambling to get out of the pack stadium in one of the nation's largest cities.

The government has confirmed clashes between fans and security, began over a series of controversial refereeing decisions. This triggered a stampede as the crowds then tried to escape the stadium. Investigations are underway. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is in Kyiv for the first time in 2.5 years, where he's meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

He's pledged nearly $700 million in new aid to Ukraine, writing in a post on X quote, Ukraine can rely on us. We say what we do, and we do what we say. Also noting, Germany will remain Ukraine's strongest supporter in Europe. This comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved a record-breaking defense budget, a third of the government's total spending the war.

And amid that war in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin is ramping up, as I noted, defense spending. Having approved that record setting budget, the defense budget is around $126 billion meaning that Russia, as I noted, will spend nearly a third of its entire budget on defense next year.

Some new forecasts, though, do show a slight reduction for 2026 and 2027. Turning now to the situation and the unrest in Georgia. The situation there on the streets where protesters and police clashed in the capital of Tbilisi in the early hours Monday morning. Protests actually began last week, in a sign that opposition is spreading to the government's decision to suspend talks on joining the European Union. Here's CNN's Lynda Kinkade with more.

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LYNDA KINKADE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Facing down a row of riot police, a protester in Georgia defiantly waves a European Union flag. Powerful symbol of what's galvanized thousands of protesters in Tbilisi to rally nightly since Thursday, when the government said it was suspending talks to join the EU for four years.

Night after night, demonstrators have set off fireworks near parliament, clashing with police who've responded with tear gas and water cannons. Protesters say the future of the country is at stake. Polls show more than 80 percent of Georgians support joining the EU, a long-time goal of the country that's enshrined in its constitution.

MARIAM TSKITISHVILI, PROTESTER: It's just the fact that my country deserves to be free from the Russian regime that has haunted us for many centuries, and I believe that we need to get into Europe. It's truly what we've wanted for many, many centuries.

KINKADE (voice-over): But that path has become less clear lately. Critics say the country's ruling Georgian dream party has become increasingly authoritarian, and in recent years, has moved away from the West, deepening ties with Russia, which the party denies.

In parliamentary elections in October, which were widely seen as a referendum on whether to align with Russia or the West, the Georgian dream party claimed victory in a vote the opposition says was rigged. The European Parliament quote it neither free nor fair.

Opposition MPs are boycotting the new parliament. The country's outgoing president, who supports joining the EU says she won't step down until new elections are held.

SALOME ZOURABICHVILI, GEORGIAN PRESIDENT: There is no legitimate Parliament, and therefore an illegitimate Parliament cannot elect a new president. Thus, no inauguration can take place, and my mandate continues until a legitimately elected parliament is formed.

KINKADE (voice-over): Georgia's Prime Minister says there will be no new elections. He accuses the opposition of plotting a revolution, and says Georgia is committed to EU membership, despite the delay.

IRAKLI KOBAKHIDZE, GEORGIAN PRIME MINISTER: The response is very clear, so we have not suspended anything related to the European integration. It's just a lie.

KINKADE (voice-over): But the protests are not only continuing, but spreading to more cities. So too concerns over the treatment of the protesters. The U.S. and EU have condemned the use of excessive force against them. On Saturday, the U.S. suspended its strategic partnership with Georgia, something the Georgian Prime Minister says he will revisit with the new administration in January. Lynda Kinkade, CNN.

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HILL: Still to come, one of the biggest travel weekends of the year -- here in the U.S. turns into, as you can see, there a snowy nightmare, the wild weather impacting a good portion of the U.S., in just a moment.

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HILL: Frigid temperatures are gripping nearly 70 percent of the United States today. In the Great Lakes region, there is even more snowfall expected in the next day or so. Over the weekend, a number of states, including Ohio, New York and Pennsylvania were really slammed. Take a listen to this thunder snow. This is out of Copenhagen, New York on Saturday.

The infamous thunder snow there across the Great Lakes region, some areas saw nearly five feet, about 1.5 meters of snow in just the last few days. CNN's Polo Sandoval has more on these harsh weather conditions.

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POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Record setting snowfall is complicating, the post-Thanksgiving ride home for travelers in the Great Lakes region.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This could be 24-to-35-inch snow for sure.

SANDOVAL (voice-over): Daily snowfall totals of paralyzed stretches of the highly trafficked I-90 corridor this holiday weekend.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a car underneath that.

SANDOVAL (voice-over): Here in Erie, Pennsylvania, nearly 23 inches fell on Friday alone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yesterday, I shoveled for four hours.

SANDOVAL (voice-over): Shattering a 1979 record, burying cars and interrupting flight operations at Erie International. In Michigan's upper Peninsula, over two feet of snow fell on Friday, eclipsing a daily record set in 1942. And the list of cities impacted by the locally heavy lake effect snow goes on.

And there's more to come. Warn meteorologists with nearly 2 million people still under lake effect snow warnings come Monday. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The biggest concern right here along that Eastern flank of Lake Erie, as well as portions of Lake Ontario. Now, the reason you're getting that lake effect, you've got the slightly warmer lakes, that very cold air rushing over it.

SANDOVAL (voice-over): Then there's the cold, some of the chilliest temperatures since last winter, which are expected to linger into the week ahead. They've been felt as far south as Florida, where many residents endured freeze warnings this weekend, some are making the best of these snowy scenes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, the weather outside is frightful and the fire is so delightful.

SANDOVAL (voice-over): But they may also be foretelling a wicked winter ahead. Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.

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HILL: Music superstar Elton John telling a London audience over the weekend he's lost his eyesight. He admitted back in September he'd been suffering from a severe eye infection, but was attending a performance of a musical he wrote on Sunday when he said he couldn't see The Devil Wears Prada play, though he did say it sounded great.

He credits his husband David Furnish with helping him deal with his vision problems. Finally, this hour, a Pacific Princess, a wicked witch and a gallant Gladiator, all big heroes in Hollywood today. Movie studios in the U.S. celebrating a massive haul over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

Disney's new film, Moana 2, leading the way. U.S. theaters sold $420 million worth of tickets over the five-day holiday, easily setting a Thanksgiving record. Wicked and Gladiator II also helping with that huge box office Haul. Hollywood has been in a bit of a funk, of course, since the pandemic.

Executives, though, say the surge in ticket sales shows audiences are finally ready to come back to the movies. Thanks for joining me on CNN "Newsroom". I'm Erica Hill. Stay tuned to "Connect the World" with Becky Anderson is up next you.

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