Trump revokes security clearance for Biden, Harris, and Clinton.
U.S. President Trump has stripped several former officials, including Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, of their access to classified information.
U.S. President Joe Biden said on Sunday he had pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, a reversal after pledging to stay out of legal proceedings against the younger Biden who pleaded guilty to tax violations and was convicted on firearms-related charges.
"Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter. From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department's decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted," the president said in a statement.
The White House had said repeatedly that Biden would not pardon or commute sentences for Hunter, a recovering drug addict who became a target of Republicans, including President-elect Donald Trump.
"No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter's cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son," Biden said in a statement released shortly before leaving for a trip to Africa.
The grant of clemency said Biden had granted "a full and unconditional" pardon to Hunter Biden for any offenses in a window from Jan. 1, 2014, to Dec. 1, 2024.
Hunter Biden faced sentencing for the false statements and gun convictions this month. In September he pleaded guilty to federal charges of failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes while spending lavishly on drugs, sex workers and luxury items. He was scheduled for sentencing in that case on Dec. 16.
"I have admitted and taken responsibility for my mistakes during the darkest days of my addiction – mistakes that have been exploited to publicly humiliate and shame me and my family for political sport," Hunter Biden said in a statement on Sunday, adding he had remained sober for more than five years.
"In the throes of addiction, I squandered many opportunities and advantages ... I will never take the clemency I have been given today for granted and will devote the life I have rebuilt to helping those who are still sick and suffering."
Republicans criticized the president's move.
"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!" Trump said in a post on his Truth Social site, referring to those convicted for storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, after Trump claimed falsely that he had won the 2020 election.
"Joe Biden has lied from start to finish about his family's corrupt influence peddling activities," said Representative James Comer, chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.
The president, whose son Beau died of brain cancer in 2015, said his opponents had sought to break Hunter with selective prosecution.
He said people were almost never brought to trial for felony charges for how they filled out a gun form, and said others who were late in paying taxes because of addiction but paid them back with interest and penalties, as his son had, typically received non-criminal resolutions to their cases.
"It is clear that Hunter was treated differently. The charges in his cases came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election," Biden said. "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."
In August 2023, lawyers for Hunter Biden said prosecutors had reneged on a plea deal that would have resolved the tax and firearms charges. The president said in his statement on Sunday that the plea deal "would have been a fair, reasonable resolution of Hunter's cases."
Biden said he had made his decision to pardon over the weekend. The president, his wife, Jill Biden, and their family including Hunter, spent the Thanksgiving holiday in Nantucket, Massachusetts, and returned to Washington on Saturday night.
"Here's the truth: I believe in the justice system, but as I have wrestled with this, I also believe raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice – and once I made this decision this weekend, there was no sense in delaying it further," Biden said.
"I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision."
Aid groups in Myanmar’s worst-hit areas urgently need shelter, food, and water after a devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake killed over 2,700 people. Rescue efforts face challenges due to ongoing civil war, damaged infrastructure, and restricted aid access, with the toll expected to rise.
Russian forces carried out a drone attack on Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, late Wednesday, injuring at least twenty one people and causing structural damage, according to Ukrainian officials.
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen was banned from running for public office for five years after being convicted of embezzlement, ruling her out of the 2027 presidential race. She received a four-year prison sentence, with two years suspended, and a €100,000 fine. Le Pen plans to appeal.
Apple marked its 49th anniversary by reaching a market capitalization of $3.3 trillion. Despite recent tech stock volatility, Apple's shares surged 28% in 2024.
The Armenian armed forces attempted three reconnaissance drone flights over Azerbaijan Army positions near Gerenzur, but all were successfully intercepted. Meanwhile, Armenian units repeatedly fired on Azerbaijani positions from multiple regions, escalating tensions in the area.
The White House confirmed on Tuesday that President Donald Trump will impose a new wave of tariffs on Wednesday, escalating fears of a deepening global trade war. The announcement, set for 4 p.m. ET in the Rose Garden, marks the culmination of weeks of warnings and speculation.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and opposition leader Peter Dutton have both pledged to defend the country’s national interests as the United States signals possible tariffs targeting Australian beef exports.
A senior Russian official is expected to arrive in Washington this week for direct talks with the Trump administration, a source familiar with the plan confirmed.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), a cornerstone of American humanitarian outreach for over six decades, is being dismantled under the directive of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
Ukraine is set to hold in-depth talks with a select group of foreign allies this Friday to discuss the formation of a military contingent that could serve as a security guarantee under a future ceasefire agreement.
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