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Joe Biden Pardons his Son, Both Parties Received Mixed Reactions; Multiple Airstrikes Kill Dozens in Syria, Assad Vows to Fight Terrorist Organizations; Protests in Georgia Worsens Despite Government's Decision to Suspend Talks on E.U. Accession; Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers Braved the Winter Storm for a Historic NFL Game. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired December 02, 2024 - 03:00   ET

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

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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States, around the world, and streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead.

U.S. President Joe Biden pardons his son Hunter, despite an earlier promise not to do so. How this action by the outgoing president is being received.

Rebels in Syria expand their control of the countryside near Aleppo, the Assad regime saying it will fight what it's calling terrorists.

And protesters and police clash in Tbilisi, a sign of growing opposition to the government's decision to suspend talks on joining the E.U.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Good to have you with us.

With his term in office winding down, U.S. President Joe Biden has delivered a bombshell announcement, doing something he vowed he would never do.

He's issued a full and unconditional pardon for his son Hunter. Now Republicans and Democrats are weighing in on both the immediate and long term ramifications of the president's broken promise.

The president issued a statement explaining his reasoning saying in part, 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's my son and that is wrong.

Hunter Biden released his own statement on the pardon. In part it reads, I have admitted and taken responsibility for my mistakes during the darkest days of my addiction. 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.

CNN's Evan Perez has more details on how the president reached his decision.

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EVAN PEREZ, CNN SR. U.S. JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: President Joe Biden has pardoned his son Hunter Biden saying that there were signs that his son was being selectively and unfairly prosecuted.

Now Hunter Biden was facing the prospect of spending several years in prison after being convicted on gun charges in Delaware and on tax charges in Los Angeles.

The president has repeatedly said that he would not pardon his son. Take a listen.

DAVID MUIR, "ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT" ANCHOR AND MANAGING EDITOR: Let me ask you, will you accept the jury's outcome, their verdict no matter what it is?

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: Yes.

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

BIDEN: Yes.

MUIR: You have.

PEREZ: In a statement on Sunday night, the president said the charges in this case came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigating them to attack me and oppose my election.

He also goes on to say that for my entire career I have followed a simple principle. Just tell the American people the truth, they'll be fair minded. And 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 has led to a miscarriage of justice.

Now, Joe Biden took office in 2021 promising to restore faith in the justice system. And this statement on Sunday night indicates that he believes the justice system has failed to treat his son fairly.

Now, Hunter Biden will be covered under this pardon for anything that happened between 2014 and 2024.

So the question remains whether Republicans in Congress and whether the incoming Trump administration will find new reasons to investigate Hunter Biden and the Biden family as they have said they repeatedly would do.

Evan Perez, CNN, Washington. (END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Donald Trump's team has issued a statement on Hunter Biden's pardon, saying in part, 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, which is exactly what President Trump will do.

Well despite reactions from some lawmakers railing against the president's decision, CNN senior reporter Edward-Isaac Dovere highlights his motivations, but also notes how the outgoing president has opened himself up to even more attacks from Donald Trump.

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EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE, CNN SR. REPORTER: This is a father protecting his son, also acting in a way that he feels like recognizes what he believes is more stringency on his son and more prosecution of his son than would have been the case had he not been the president or the presidential candidate and protecting him through the powers of the presidency from the consequences of his being president in the first place.

In making this pardon, Biden said that once he made the decision to pardon Hunter Biden, he figured, why not just do it right away? There's no need to drag it out and get to it.

But it is this reversal and it puts him now in a position where it is obvious that Donald Trump will point to this for any decisions that he makes, whether it's about pardoning January 6 people who have been convicted of crimes related January 6 or things that he may pardon people for or things that he might have the Justice Department do when he is president again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The broad pardon grants Hunter Biden clemency from any potential federal crimes he may have committed from the start of 2014 until now. And it explicitly covers his two high profile cases from this year.

Hunter Biden was convicted on three federal felony gun charges in June in a trial that exposed details of his drug abuse. He faced up to 25 years in prison for those crimes. He also pleaded guilty to nine charges in a federal tax case in September. He was due for sentencing in both cases later this month.

Republican lawmakers like Marjorie Taylor Greene are taking to social media to denounce the president's decision. Greene, who is one of Donald Trump's most vocal supporters, responded to an earlier tweet by Biden in which he said no one is above the law. Greene retorted, come to find out Hunter is. But who is going to pardon Joe? Jessica Levinson is professor of law at Loyola Law School and host of

the Passing Judgment podcast. She joins us now from Los Angeles. Good to have you with us.

JESSICA LEVINSON, PROF. OF LAW, LOYOLA LAW SCHOOL, AND HOST, "PASSING JUDGMENT" PODCAST: Good to be here.

CHURCH: So what are the legal ramifications of President Joe Biden giving his son Hunter a full and unconditional presidential pardon after consistently saying he would not pardon his son and what does this mean exactly?

LEVINSON: Well, it means that Hunter Biden gets a get out of jail free card for his conviction for buying a gun when he wasn't allowed to buy a gun and for his guilty pleas for tax evasion.

So for Hunter Biden, the legal implications are pretty clear that he will not face time in federal prison as a result of either one of these cases.

For President Biden offering a pardon, I think the legal implications are zero. Presidents have very broad pardon power under the Constitution. The political implications might be somewhat different. But Rosemary, you know, as a student of history, that we have had presidents on their way out the door who pardoned family members, friends, donors. So this is not unprecedented.

CHURCH: And Jessica, in his statement, President Biden cast doubts on the fairness of the U.S. justice system. What is your response to that?

LEVINSON: So I think it's important to look at the two cases separately. There was the case where Hunter Biden was convicted by a jury, and that deals with lying on a federal form to buy a gun.

And then separately, there is a tax evasion case where Hunter Biden was pleading guilty. And I think when it comes to the gun case, that really is not typically brought as a standalone charge.

And so I think we can say with a straight face that it's quite unusual to see that case brought against an individual, again, without other charges.

Now, just because something is typically not done doesn't mean it's illegitimate. But when it comes to the tax evasion case, I think the claims of selective prosecution are not quite as strong here.

So, you know, is it the case that if Hunter Biden were Hunter Smith, then these cases would not have been brought? I think that is possible. But again, I think big differences here between the gun possession case and the tax evasion case.

CHURCH: And why do you think President Biden suddenly changed his mind about pardoning his son?

LEVINSON: I think because this is a father with presidential pardon power and we can have a discussion about whether or not President Biden's statements that he would not pardon Hunter Biden were truthful or not, whether or not he meant it at the time. But clearly he changed his tune.

And again, this is not entirely unprecedented. He's never going to run for another election. I don't think that this will be the thing we talk about when it comes to his legacy.

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I think it will be a footnote the same way that we talk about President Bill Clinton, who pardoned his brother in the final weeks of his administration.

President Trump has pardoned a number of people, including his son-in- law's father, Charles Kushner, who he now apparently will appoint to be ambassador to France. That was a clemency grant, not a pardon. But there is precedent for this.

CHURCH: And it is worth mentioning that Hunter Biden was scheduled to be sentenced later this month. President Biden could have pardoned him after the whole process had played out. What benefit would he have seen to granting the pardon now before that sentencing, do you think?

LEVINSON: Well, I think there's something to be said for the earlier in the process that you can grant the pardon. I also think that he probably didn't want to leave anything to chance. He made his decision.

It might be, frankly, we don't know, could be time more to new cycle than to sentencing. It could be that he felt once the sentence was given, then it would look like sour grapes with respect to the sentence. I think it could be all of those things together.

I think we really don't know, except to say that it is predictable that it would come now, that it would be December or January and not earlier. And, you know, there's some question about whether or not he would have granted the pardon if Kamala Harris had won. I suspect that he still would have.

CHURCH: And are there any legal avenues available to the Trump administration? Should they try to go after Hunter Biden or could they instead go after his father, President Biden?

LEVINSON: Well, if the Trump administration uncovers wrongdoing by Hunter Biden that isn't covered by these pardons, then potentially. But there are statute of limitations issues that you would need to look at.

When it comes to President Biden, I do not think that you could prosecute him for anything related to the granting of the pardon again. But if there's uncovering of new information that the members of Congress who have investigated the Biden family were unable to find, then certainly you could move forward. But I don't see that at this point.

CHURCH: Jessica Levinson, appreciate your analysis. Thanks for joining us.

LEVINSON: Thank you.

CHURCH: Rebel forces are ramping up their offensive in Syria as Russia backs the Assad regime with a series of airstrikes. We'll have a live report.

Plus deadly Israeli airstrikes reported in Gaza. Coming up, the details on the latest attacks and the deepening humanitarian crisis.

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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone.

The prime minister of Guinea says there have been multiple casualties following a crowd crush at a football match. One video from social media shows fans scrambling to flee the packed stadium, some scaling a wall.

A local outlet says clashes between fans and security began over a series of decisions by the referee, which was then followed by a crush as crowds tried to leave the stadium. CNN has not been able to verify this report.

The White Helmets, a volunteer rescue group in Syria, says joint Russian and Syrian strikes on Sunday killed dozens of people, including women and children.

The two militaries say they have been hitting rebel targets in Aleppo, Idlib and Hama after rebels launched a surprise offensive last week. Videos from Idlib show teams trying to rescue people trapped in the rubble.

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Meanwhile, rebel forces are expanding their control in Syria. They claim to have made significant gains in the northern countryside of Aleppo, capturing several towns and villages.

CNN's Ben Wedeman is following these developments from Rome. He joins us now live. Good to see you, Ben. So what gains have been made by these rebels near Aleppo and, of course, elsewhere?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, what we've seen since Wednesday is fairly dramatic gains by the rebels, Rosemary, in Aleppo city itself. But also they seem to have consolidated their control over the entirety of Idlib province, which is to the west and southwest of Aleppo, as well as basically taking a large chunk of the M5 highway, which is the main high north-south highway that links Aleppo with Damascus.

Now, what we saw was by, for instance, Saturday evening, they had advanced within about 20 kilometers of the central Syrian city of Hama. But it does appear that what we're seeing now is a sort of regrouping and consolidation of regime forces who seem to have been able to blunt that advance toward the city of Hama.

And those airstrikes on Idlib and Hama and Aleppo provinces by the Russians and the Syrian regime do seem to indicate that they are trying to in some way inflict enough damage and pain on the opposition that it will slow the advance somewhat.

And what we are seeing is that President Bashar al-Assad has reappeared in Damascus. He met with Abbas Araghchi, who's the Iranian foreign minister who was in Damascus, he said, to voice his support for the Syrian regime. Bashar has also been in touch with the leaders of the United Arab Emirates and Iraq as well.

So it does appear that after the initial shock of those dramatic rebel advances taking most of Aleppo, that the regime and its supporters, including Iran and Russia, are trying to bolster the regime after those initial shocks we saw starting Wednesday and really culminating with the near total control by the rebels of Aleppo.

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Near total, I should stress, because there are Kurdish areas in the city, for instance, Sheikh Maqsood, which is a neighborhood predominantly Kurdish and sort of slash Christian neighborhood north of the center.

There we still see the forces loyal to the Syrian Democratic Forces, which is a U.S.-backed Kurdish faction, which really underscores just the myriad of foreign forces that are supporting various factions within the very complicated geography, which is Syria today. Rosemary.

CHURCH: And Ben, you mentioned Russia there. So how much support is Assad getting from Russia and how much more can he expect to get going forward in the days and weeks ahead?

WEDEMAN: What we're seeing is limited military support simply because Russia has pulled a lot of its forces in Syria out and redeployed them to Ukraine.

However, there still are, there's a Russian air base in Latakia province, as well as a naval base, a Russian naval base on the Mediterranean. It's only naval base on the Mediterranean, which are still there.

And certainly there's a possibility that Russia could reinforce its military presence in Syria, because obviously they've invested quite a lot over the decades in the Assad dynasty going back to the 1970's.

They don't want to lose those investments. But certainly given their preoccupation with the situation in Ukraine, it's questionable to what extent they can really throw a lot of resources into Syria at this point. Rosemary.

CHURCH; All right. Our thanks to Ben Wedeman, bring us that live report. I appreciate it.

Health officials in northern Gaza say Israeli airstrikes killed at least 200 people over the weekend. The director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital says five buildings in two different areas in the north were hit during attacks on Saturday, leaving many buried under the rubble. Gaza's civil defense says 40 people in the same family were killed in one strike.

A deadly Israeli airstrike was also reported in central Gaza at the Nuseirat camp. Video shows the destruction and rubble left behind. One local resident said the strike hit a family home. The daily airstrikes are only adding to the worsening humanitarian crisis in the enclave.

And CNN's Nada Bashir is following developments. She joins us now live from London. Good morning to you, Nada. So what is the latest on the deadly strikes on Gaza and of course, the humanitarian situation there?

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, Rosemary, we've been hearing from the director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital, which has taken in, of course, countless patients from northern Gaza daily overrun at this stage. And we've been hearing from the director saying that this scene is

becoming a daily occurrence, that no one is able to prevent the killing of innocent people.

And this is yet another example of the devastating impact of Israel's aerial bombardment of the Gaza Strip, particularly in northern Gaza, where it has proven so difficult to get humanitarian aid and supplies into those civilians in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.

As you mentioned, some 200 people killed in an airstrike in northern Gaza targeting the areas of Tel al-Zaatar and Beit Lahiya, among them one family, including 40 members of the same family killed in a single strike. So this is a hugely devastating example of the impact that we're seeing on the ground for civilians in Gaza.

And again, this is really underscoring the hugely deteriorating and desperate humanitarian situation on the ground in Gaza, because, of course, not only are civilians now fleeing the military bombardment, but they are also continuing to struggle with the humanitarian situation, with the lack of aid supplies getting in, with the lack of medical supplies. But also now in the winter months, there is a significant risk of people essentially getting sick or even dying as a result of the cold.

And we've been hearing from U.N. officials with regards to the difficulties they're facing in terms of getting aid into the Gaza Strip. The U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees has said that it is now having to make the difficult decision to stop getting aid in via one of the main land crossings from Israel into Gaza, the Karam Shalom crossing or the Karem Abu Salem crossing, because of looting taking place because of that desperation.

[03:24:57] They've also accused the Israeli authorities of placing obstacles in the way of getting enough aid in. They have reiterated that they believe Israel, as an occupying power, has responsibility over ensuring that enough aid is getting in. But clearly that is not the case.

And we've also been hearing from the World Health Organization with regard to that humanitarian situation that civilians are facing, particularly when it comes to shelter. Quite staggering data and reflections on the situation on the ground. More than 90 percent of people in Gaza who have been displaced are now taking shelter in temporary tents.

A year ago, we would have seen civilians taking shelter in schools, in other U.N. buildings. That is not the case anymore. The vast majority are in these tents, many of them in the coastal area where they have been pushed to and forced to evacuate to by the Israeli military and, of course, facing the very harsh weather conditions of the winter. Rosemary.

CHURCH: Our thanks to Nada Bashir, bringing us that live report from London.

And still to come this hour, much more on our breaking news. We will look at reaction to U.S. President Biden issuing an unconditional pardon for his son Hunter on gun and tax charges.

Plus, Donald Trump has nominated a staunch FBI critic to lead the bureau in his next term. We will have new details on why the president-elect chose firebrand Kash Patel for the job. Back in just a moment.

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CHURCH: Welcome back everyone, updating you on the breaking news.

Reaction is pouring in from both parties after U.S. President Joe Biden pardoned his son Hunter on federal gun and tax charges. CNN political commentator Bakari Sellers took to social media to push back on the Republican outcry over Biden's decision.

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Former Democratic officeholder saying quote, "Y'all ran and won on pardoning actual insurrectionists. Chill on a man pardoning his son." Sellers, of course, referring to President-elect Trump and his role in the January 6th insurrection.

President Biden made the announcement on Sunday saying the charges against his son were politically motivated. Hunter Biden was facing sentencing this month for the tax and gun charges.

Well, this comes as we are learning more about the reasons why Donald Trump picked firebrand loyalist Kash Patel to lead the FBI. Sources say the staunch FBI critic and self-styled enemy of the deep state was one of two candidates the President-elect was considering in recent days.

They say the alternative option Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey did not fit the mold of the legal bulldog that Trump wanted at the helm. Those close to Trump argued Patel was the only choice to truly reform the bureau, which Trump has long seen as biased against him.

Larry Sabato is the director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics. He joins me now from Charlottesville. Always good to have you with us.

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA-CENTER FOR POLITICS: Thank you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So let's start with the breaking news on President Joe Biden planning to fully and unconditionally pardon his son Hunter before leaving office, despite previously saying he would not do this. What are the political implications of this pardon, do you think?

SABATO: Well, for Joe Biden, he's 82 and I don't think he's going to be running for anything else. That's just my guess. So for him, the political implications are zero.

For the Democratic Party, though, it's not very helpful. Now, I think we can all see the reasons why this father would pardon this son.

Having said that, though, he's created a situation where he and also his wife said repeatedly that a pardon would not be issued for Hunter, and yet that's precisely what's happened. No one's shocked, but it does contradict what he said. It would have been politically unwise for him to indicate prior to the election that such a pardon would be forthcoming.

For Democrats, it makes it easier for Trump to explain away any of probably the many pardons that he has in mind when he takes office January 20, including many of the insurrectionists from January 6, 2021.

CHURCH: And so Republicans are, of course, already responding to this. And Tom Cotton is saying, spare us the lectures about the rule of law. How might this presidential pardon of Hunter Biden impact the legacy of his father?

SABATO: I suspect it'll probably end up being a footnote because so much has happened. And this is not surprising to very many people. I suppose if you're naive, it's surprising, but most people aren't naive about politics anymore.

You know, in terms of the overall picture, it's certainly not a positive for Joe Biden. It's a blemish on his record to a certain degree, and it's a full and unconditional pardon that includes any offenses that Hunter Biden might have committed over the last 11 years. I think all of us would love to have a pardon like that.

But, you know, I don't think it's going to make a major difference for the party, though it will. And it's going to give cover to Donald Trump for many of the things that he does. Democrats can say correctly in return to Republicans, well, that's very hypocritical of you because you've just elected a convicted felon as president. But we all know in politics, partisans excuse anything that their side does.

CHURCH: And meantime, what more are you learning about Donald Trump's controversial choice for FBI director, hardline loyalist Kash Patel? How might that have played into Biden's pardon decision perhaps, and what impact could Patel potentially have on the FBI once he replaces Christopher Wray in the new year?

SABATO: Well, this is a very, very controversial appointment. Not that Trump hasn't had a whole series of them. In fact, it's difficult to separate the controversies at this point. But Kash Patel is an individual who really has very little experience in the field. He's not going to be running the FBI from a position of strength if he's confirmed.

And I think already there are four or five Republicans, at least in the Senate, who are considering not voting for Patel. Now, we'll see what happens. And they can only vote against a certain number of Trump nominees and remain party members in good standing.

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They've already gotten rid of Matt Gaetz. There may be others. So it's going to be interesting to watch this. But this is not a particularly promising or strong appointment. And that will have implications for Trump's cabinet and for the other controversial appointees.

CHURCH: I want to talk about that, because when you run the numbers, I mean, you've pretty much already said it. But how likely is that Kash Patel and the other more controversial Trump picks like Tulsi Gabbard, Pete Hegseth and Robert Kennedy Jr. will get confirmed?

SABATO: It's hard to believe they all will. Yes, one has already gone by the wayside, Matt Gaetz, but he never got to the starting gate. He really wasn't formally nominated.

So I would say it'll be a surprise if one or maybe two of the other very controversial nominees are not confirmed, because at this point, the Republican senators want to demonstrate some independence from Trump, at least the handful of Republican senators who are from states that are not really strongly pro-Trump.

CHURCH: And it is worth noting that the GOP would have a record small majority if the current House results hold with 220 seats to the Democrats 215 after the November elections. What could that mean going forward, do you think?

SABATO: It's going to make it difficult for Trump to get any controversial legislation through, especially in the first couple of months. Why? Because it really isn't 220 to 215. Trump has already drawn three incumbent Republican representatives out of the House to other appointments in his administration. So they're going to have to resign in order to take those other jobs. Well, that brings the total down to 217 Republican to 215 Democratic,

which means that if one Republican defects and votes with the Democrats, well, that's a 216 to 216 tie, which means the measure is dead.

CHURCH; Very interesting. We'll end on that. Larry Sabato, thank you so much for your analysis, as always. I appreciate it.

SABATO: Enjoyed it. Thank you so much, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Protests in Georgia are spreading as people in the country react to the government's decision to suspend talks on joining the European Union. A live report when we return.

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CHURCH: Protesters and police clashed in Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, in the early hours of Monday morning.

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It's a sign that opposition is spreading to the government's decision to suspend talks on joining the European Union. Tensions remain high between the ruling Georgia Dream Party and its opponents who accuse it of pursuing authoritarian, anti-Western and pro-Russian policies.

And for more, we go live to CNN's Sebastian Shukla in Berlin. So, Seb, what is the latest on clashes between police and protesters and, of course, the reasons behind this?

SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN PRODUCER: Well, Rosemary, this is now the fourth consecutive night of protests that began on Thursday. And what we've seen from those pictures coming out of Georgia is really quite a dramatic scene unfolding, largely in downtown Tbilisi, outside the parliament, with protesters hurling fireworks at police officers, setting dustbins on fire.

But the police, for their part, law enforcement, have really been cracking down on this, being very heavy-handed in how they try to quell any sort of dissent. We've seen videos circulating on social media of police really beating protesters. I've seen one video showing a police officer kicking a protester in the head.

What we are expecting to see probably for the next couple of nights, including this evening, is these protests to continue to take place. But like you say, the reason for these protests is down to Georgian Dream, which has been the ruling party in Georgia for some time but was re-elected in October.

What they have decided is that they want to take Georgia down a different path, which is not to follow E.U. integration and becoming a full member of the bloc. But for Georgian people, that is a major sea change. Georgia has been

a country that has wanted to join those Western institutions, including the E.U. and NATO, for some time. This will be a major course correction, which will take it more down a path similar or akin to alignment with the Kremlin.

We've seen scenes like this taking place in Georgia, not just in the last few nights but over the last few months, as the governing party has decided that it wants to adopt laws that many in Georgia view as being more Russian or akin to laws passed in Russia.

There were skirmishes like we're seeing on the streets of Georgia about a foreign agent's bill, which is very similar to the one passed by the Kremlin. There has also been dissent and crackdown on LGBTQ- plus laws and a law that was also passed by the Georgian Dream.

The way that this looks to be unfolding at the moment is also an internal dispute amongst the government. The prime minister of Georgia has said that the Georgian president has to step down.

She's mandated to do that on the 31st at the end of the year, but she has said she's not going anywhere for now and she's demanding, as well as the E.U., that there should be a rerun and fairer elections held in order to resolve this impasse. Rosemary.

CHURCH: Alright, Sebastian Shukla brings us that live report from Berlin. Many thanks.

Coming up next, U.S. President Joe Biden heads to Angola, a historic visit meant to shore up relations and also to counter China's influence in the region. We'll have a live report.

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CHURCH: U.S. President Joe Biden is now on his way to Angola on a trip postponed since October. It will be his first time in Africa as president, and he will highlight several U.S. initiatives in what's likely to be the last international trip of his presidency.

Biden hopes to shore up relations with a key U.S. partner and to blunt China's growing influence on the continent.

For more, we are joined now by Alex Vines. He is director of the Africa program at Chatham House in London. Appreciate you being with us.

ALEX VINES, DIRECTOR, AFRICA PROGRAM, CHATHAM HOUSE: Morning.

CHURCH: So why is President Joe Biden traveling to Angola at this time with just weeks to go before the end of his presidency and what will his trip likely achieve at this late stage in his administration? CHURCH: Well, President Biden promised that he would visit the African

continent. He made that promise last year. He made that promise this year. And so he is realizing that promise that he is visiting the continent and Angola is a country that has moved a lot more closely in its diplomatic relations to the United States over the last five, six, seven years.

In the Cold War, Angola was part of the Soviet bloc. It was the recipient of the second largest covert aid from the United States. The United States did not support the government or the party of Mr. Lorenzo. That's all changed.

And this is all about, as you've mentioned, countering China. But it's also about that Angola has moved to being truly non-aligned, maybe leaning a bit towards America.

CHURCH: And of course, this U.S. presidential visit comes as the governing people's movement for the Liberation of Angola party prepares to celebrate 50 years of rule. And Angola gets ready to host the U.S.-Africa Business Summit in mid-2025.

[03:50:06]

So how strategically important is Angola to the United States?

VINES: Look, Angola is an important oil and gas producer still, particularly oil. So Exxon and Chevron are much active still, and there's still interest in fossil fuel.

The corridor that Mr. President Biden is going to be focusing on, the Lobito corridor, is an essential supply chain corridor for the extraction of particularly copper, but potentially also cobalt from neighboring states, particularly the Democratic Republic of Congo. That's really important for energy transition and for the United States industry.

And then Angola's played a really important role in mediation in recent years, particularly in the Great Lakes area with the conflict between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, and the multitude of armed groups that are in eastern Congo. So that's also another point which I think the United States wants to encourage and support Angola.

CHURCH: And how far will the U.S. relationship with Angola go in helping to reduce China's growing influence on the African continent, do you think?

VINES: So during the Cold War, the paradox actually was that China also supported the rebel group at the time, UNITA, that was supported by apartheid South Africa, as did the United States. But after the end of the Angolan civil war, the Angolans turned to China, partly because the West wasn't prepared to put the type of investment the Angolans needed.

What the Angolans have realized is they got too close to China. They are still very indebted to China. It's the biggest debt exposure on the African continent for an African country to Beijing. And so the Angolans have decided they want to diversify their partnerships and rebuilding a good, robust partnership with the United States as part of that.

I haven't seen Angolan relations with the United States be as good as they are since 1993, which is when the United States recognized the government of Angola for the first time.

CHURCH: So what happens then if the Trump administration ignores Angola and fails to back the various U.S. initiatives like the Lobito Corridor

VINES: You see the best questions get asked by CNN. Well, that is the big question.

Will Mr. Trump continue to support the investments in Angola, particularly this big Lobito Corridor initiative? Because the reality is that the main beneficiaries in the short term will not be U.S. companies, but actually a Chinese and a Canadian one. They're the ones that have taken out the first contract.

Myself, I think that as long as there's effective trade corridors, everyone should be able to use them. And the investment of the United States into infrastructure in partnership with Europeans, the African Development Bank and others is a good thing.

But we'll have to see because Mr. Trump can be very focused on what is it just for the United States. And this is a complicated investment. It's not just the United States that is a beneficiary. Potentially adversaries of the United States like China will be beneficiaries too, are in fact, beneficiaries.

CHURCH: Alex Vines, thank you so much for joining us. I appreciate it.

VINES: Thank you.

CHURCH: Post Thanksgiving travel remains treacherous in parts of the Great Lakes region with an Arctic chill sweeping down from Canada. This is the scene just north of Cleveland, Ohio, where poor visibility made for hazardous driving conditions. The city of Erie in Pennsylvania saw 31 inches of snowfall since Thanksgiving night.

Lake effect warnings will persist for parts of New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania until Tuesday morning. CNN's Polo Sandoval has more now on the harsh 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.

TOM LAIRD, GOING HOME POST-THANKSGIVING: This could be a 24 to 35 inch snow for sure.

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

UNKNOWN: There's a car underneath that. Yep.

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

UNKNOWN: Yesterday I shoveled for four hours. Wow.

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.

[03:55:00]

And there's more to come, warn meteorologists, with nearly two million people still under lake effect snow warnings come Monday.

ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: 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.

But they may also be foretelling a wicked winter ahead.

Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Well, despite the heavy snow in upstate New York, Josh Allen, the Buffalo Bills thrived in the winter wonderland, making NFL history Sunday night. Allen became the first quarterback since 1970 to score a rushing touchdown, pass for a touchdown and have a scoring reception all in the same game.

He is the only fifth player ever to accomplish the feat. Buffalo went on to crush the visiting San Francisco 49ers, 35 to 10. With the win, the Bills will advance to the NFL postseason, joining the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC.

Well, the festive season kicked off in style in Chile's capital, Santiago. The likes of Mickey Mouse, Buzz Lightyear, Spider-Man and even R2-D2 floated through the city as part of the annual Disney parade. The event, also known as the Paris Parade, is now in its 13th edition and is a huge hit with kids, of course.

Thank you so much for your company this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. Have yourselves a wonderful day. "CNN Newsroom" continues next with Max Foster and Christina McFarlane in London.

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