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U.S. President Biden Pardons Son Hunter in Criminal Cases; Patel on His Plans for the FBI and Pursuing Trump's Enemies; Protests Spread in Georgia Amid Plans to Suspend EU Talks; Inside the Newly Restored Notre Dame Cathedral; Heavy Snow Blankets Several States Across U.S. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired December 02, 2024 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN ANCHOR: He'd be able to form a government through the far right, though the far right would remain a substantial force.

A moviegoers took to the -- in the U.S., took advantage of a long Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The trifecta of Disney's Moana 2, Wicked and Gladiator 2, pulled in an estimated $420 million.

Moana 2 had a record five-day opening of nearly $221 million in the U.S.

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: On the breaking news, U.S. President Joe Biden's decision to pardon his son, Hunter. President Biden made the announcement on Sunday, saying raw politics had led to a miscarriage of justice in the cases against his son. Hunter Biden faced sentencing this month on tax and gun charges, including two counts of making a false statement on a federal gun reform and unlawful possession of a firearm.

MACFARLANE: President-elect Trump, who's no stranger to controversial pardons himself, said does the pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the J6 hostages who've now been in prison for years? Such an abuse and miscarriage of justice. And former Nixon White House counsel John Dean weighed in, saying this controversy won't go anywhere anytime soon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN DEAN, FORMER NIXON WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL: The Democrats have been trying to play by the norms and then here we have Trump coming in with norm-busting nominees for cabinet post, particularly at FBI and the Department of Justice. So that isn't going to play. I mean, you can't really argue norms in these situations.

This is a norm-buster too, but I think it'll be probably heatedly debated for some time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Those closest to the president say his 11th hour decision to pardon Hunter Biden comes as no surprise. CNN chief national affairs correspondent Jeff Zeleny assesses the impact of Sunday's announcement on Biden's political legacy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: This is a part of his legacy now, there's no doubt about it. And if you really think across an extraordinary five decades of public life, his long rise from the Senate, of course, the Senate Judiciary Committee chairman to the vice presidency to the presidency, he's really acknowledging in his statement that Washington has changed. He believes politics has changed and he believes that Hunter Biden has been unfairly treated.

Of course, others will have a different view of that. But clearly in his fleeting moments of executive authority, he has it until January 20th at noon. This is clearly something that he had to do if he was going to do it, had to act now.

December 12th is the first sentencing and clearly chose family over any concerns of his political legacy here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: We're also learning more about Donald Trump's controversial decision to pick firebrand loyalist Kash Patel to lead the FBI. Sources say those close to the president-elect argued that Patel, a staunch FBI critic, was the only choice to truly reform the bureau that Trump has long seen as biased against him. Here's what Patel had to say about the FBI and going after Trump's political enemies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KASH PATEL, DONALD TRUMP'S PICK TO LEAD THE FBI: I'd shut down the FBI Hoover building on day one and reopening the next day as a museum of the deep state.

PATEL: We will go out and find the conspirators, not just in government, but in the media. Yes, we're going to come after the people in the media who lied about American citizens, who helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections. We're going to come after you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: The role would give Patel the power to follow through on such threats. Former Republican congressman and CNN senior political commentator Adam Kinzinger explains why Americans should brace themselves.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ADAM KINZINGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: There's a certainly an infinite amount of picks right now that are bad that this administration has put in. And Kash Patel is among the very worst of it. I mean, look, Donald Trump is he does one thing really well. He's a he projects. So when he accuses somebody, for instance, of politicizing the FBI, what that actually means is he intends to politicize it. And that's exactly what's going to happen with Kash Patel.

Donald Trump was not quiet about what he intended to do. I just think America is getting ready in some cases to touch the stove and understand how bad a really politicized FBI actually is.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Amidst this highly charged partisan atmosphere in Washington, CNN senior political analyst Ron Brownstein says don't count out the prospect that Biden could issue more pardons in the short time he has left.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Democrats, I think, started the Biden presidency with the idea that if they stood for norms, they would make it harder for Republicans to depart from those norms. And, you know, you got Merrick Garland and all the hesitancy in the Justice Department about taking on Donald Trump for years. And then Donald Trump nominated Matt Gaetz and Kash Patel to the FBI.

I mean, the idea that like there's a forbearance on the part of Democrats that will kind of embarrass Trump into upholding norms just seems to me nonsensical.

[04:35:00]

So, you know, if what you're talking about here is, you know, Biden taking a step that is going to be very controversial, even with his own party to protect his son.

But it's certainly in line with what we have seen from Trump in the past with all of his senior campaign aides and advisers, Paul Manafort, Roger Stone. Yesterday, you know, the pardon for Jared Kushner's father, who he's now sending to France, wants to send to France as the ambassador. I actually think that, you know, there's going to be obviously a lot of uproar about this.

But some of the question is going to be, should Biden go further, given how Trump has overtly threatened to prosecute people who are involved, for example, in his, you know, in the special counsel's investigation of his role on January 6th? Is that something Biden should consider?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Well, meanwhile, Mr. President Biden is now on his way to Angola on a trip postponed since October.

FOSTER: It'll be his first time in Africa as president. He'll highlight several U.S. initiatives, which he hopes will continue when Donald Trump takes office. CNN's Sunlen Serfaty.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: This is certainly a long anticipated trip for President Biden. This was originally scheduled for back in October, but the trip had to be postponed as Biden dealt with the two hurricanes that were hitting the U.S. at the time.

Now, while in Angola, he'll be meeting with the president. He'll be delivering remarks, according to a senior administration official, about both countries shared history and highlight the growth and strength of the relationship.

But while he's there, administration officials say that he's going to spend a lot of time talking about China's growing influence in the region and about investing specifically for that reason into Africa's infrastructure, referencing the rail corridor project that the U.S. supports. And a White House official suggesting that this is the same sort of initiative that they hope these sorts of initiatives can be carried on in the Trump administration.

And that is certainly going to be one thing that is hanging over this trip for President Biden. The fact that in just two short months, he will be leaving office and handing the reins over to President Trump.

Sunlen Serfaty, CNN at the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: In Georgia, protesters lobbed fireworks at police as they fired water cannon at the crowds. Coming up, why demonstrations are now spreading beyond the capital of Tbilisi.

MACFARLANE: Plus, in the midst of a snowstorm in western New York, Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills make NFL history.

[04:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Protesters and police clashed in Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, in the early hours of Monday morning. A sign that opposition is spreading to the government's decision to suspend talks on joining the European Union.

MACFARLANE: Tensions remain high between the ruling Georgia Dream Party and its opponents, who accuse it of pursuing authoritarian, anti-Western, and pro-Russian policies. CNN's Sebastian Shukla is in Berlin following developments. Seb, talk to us about the latest on these clashes between the police and the protesters and the reasons behind what's fueling them.

SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN PRODUCER: Well, guys, the protests that we've just been showing pictures of have been going on now for the fourth night in a row, and they show no signs of calming down at the moment. Those pictures are quite dramatic when we've seen protesters firing fireworks at the police, but equally we've also seen the police acting in a very heavy-handed measure to try and quell any forms of dissent. There are videos circulating on social media of the police beating protesters. There are reports of opposition politicians being arrested as well. Now I've seen one video of a police officer kicking a protester in the

head. So the protests themselves and the standoff between the protesters and the police look set to continue.

But as you were saying, Christina, the issue that kicked off these protests is the decision by the Georgian Dream, the government of Georgia, to suspend talks with the EU on Georgia's ascension to becoming a member of the bloc.

Now, that is a very, very controversial decision for Georgians, because for a long time, Georgia and its Georgian people have maintained that they want to become a member, a fully integrated member of those Western institutions, including the EU, but also NATO as well. This will mark a major departure in that policy for Georgia, and what many people are saying in the U.S. and the EU is that this will take Russia -- will take Georgia down into a path more akin to its northern neighbor of Russia.

So we've seen the protests continue out onto the streets and clashes with the police, but there is also now discussions and heated debate ongoing within the political realm as well.

The president of Georgia is due to step down from her position, a ceremonial one, at the end of the year, but she has said she's not going anywhere now. She views these elections which took place in October as illegitimate, and the EU has called for fresh elections to be held within a year because they also saw them as being unfair.

But the prime minister of Georgia, who does hold the power of the governing party together, has said she's got to go. There is no democratic way in which she is able to stay.

So we will see how these protests unfold, but it's not something that is new to Georgia. Over the last few months, we've seen protests like this and clashes on the streets outside parliament over a variety of different laws that the Georgian Dream Party has tried to pass in Georgia, which included a foreign agents bill and a more restricted bill on LGBTQ+ rights as well.

Both of those, Georgians say, look like they're coming less in line with the EU and more in line with a Kremlin-style authoritarian regime.

FOSTER: As you say, Seb, there have been protests before. There's a theme here. I'm just wondering if you feel it's growing the momentum against the government moving outside Tbilisi and there's more of a groundswell against the current leadership.

SHUKLA: Yes, I think that there are protests that have been taking place in the other Georgian cities. What is difficult to get a sense of is just how big those protests are. But when you go and speak to people, and we've seen people speaking on the streets of Georgia, that this really isn't the path that they want to go down.

[04:45:00] There was a poll done earlier this year, which put 80 percent of Georgians saying that they want to become members of the EU. The fact that the government has said openly now that they don't want to pursue that, or at least they want to pause it, is a big deal for Georgians. And they are manifesting their hate on the streets.

I mean, it's somewhat symbolic, isn't it, Max, that these protests are taking place largely outside the seat of government as it's really becoming a clash now of an authoritarian regime against the democratic will of its people -- Max.

FOSTER: OK, Seb in Berlin, thank you so much.

And the war in Ukraine now. Russian President Vladimir Putin ramping up spending on defense. He's approved a record-setting defense budget of around $126 billion. It means Russia will spend almost a third of its entire budget on defense next year.

But new forecasts show a slight reduction in 2026 and 2027.

MACFARLANE: Well, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is in Kyiv for the first time in two and a half years to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He has pledged almost $700 million in new aid to Ukraine. He wrote in a Post on X, quote: Ukraine can rely on us. We say what we do and we do what we say. He also said Germany will remain Ukraine's strongest supporter in Europe.

It comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved a record- breaking defense budget, as you heard there, a third of the government's total spending.

FOSTER: Now, snow blanketing states near the Great Lakes. A bit of poetry for you there this morning, with more expected as well this week. We'll have the latest forecast for you just ahead.

[04:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Five years ago, it was gutted by a fire seen around the world. Now Notre Dame Cathedral is set to officially reopen to the public on Sunday.

MACFARLANE: Yes, and you were there, Max.

FOSTER: Well, so I was there when he, when President went in.

MACFARLANE: Yes, well, Melissa Bell has more on the historic restoration. Take a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A new dawn for Notre Dame Cathedral. More than five and a half years after a fire tore through parts of the Gothic structure in the heart of Paris. Sparkling stonework highlighting the stunning results of the estimated $737 million restoration as it was unveiled to France's President Emmanuel Macron on Friday.

After the 2019 blaze, the president had vowed to rebuild Notre Dame even more beautiful than it was. Entering the cathedral with his wife, Brigitte, on Friday, it was clear that France had achieved just that.

It was at the same time repaired, restored and re-baptized, Macron said.

Millions had watched in shock and horror as Notre Dame's 96-meter spire tumbled into the church during the 2019 blaze. Now its renaissance is complete. Touring the epicenter of the blaze, the medieval roof structure known as the forest, Macron saw the beams rebuilt by hand from 1,200 oak trees from across France.

Among the highlights of Macron's tour, a mural in the north enclosure of the choir that was badly damaged in the fire and the Virgin of Paris, a 14th-century statue that became a symbol of resistance when it was found standing resolute, surrounded by burnt wood and collapsed stone. And the beautiful Saint-Marcel's Chapel, one of 29 chapels that have been lovingly restored. Viewing the 12-meter-wide grand organ, Macron described it as sublime.

More than 1,300 people involved in the restoration were invited inside as the French president wrapped up his final visit to the site before its formal reopening.

You have transformed ashes into art, he told them. The whole planet was upset that day in April. The shock of the reopening will be as big as that of the fire, he said, thanking the crowds.

BELL: The delicacy of the restoration is really quite extraordinary. Not only have they sought to renovate Notre-Dame as it was before the fire, but they've taken the opportunity to clean it, to make it brighter, to restore the paintwork, the goldwork.

And so the overall impression is really quite different to what it was. Many centuries of crowds and worship and candles and smoke had meant that it was fairly dark inside, no longer. Now there is really a sense of light and an ability, therefore, to appreciate the majesty of Notre-Dame in a way that really wasn't possible before.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: It really does look sublime, doesn't it?

FOSTER: Yes.

MACFARLANE: The interior is astonishing.

FOSTER: Remember after it burnt down, Macron said we'll be able to do it in five years. And everyone was saying it's impossible, not just journalists, but people saying you've got to get the trees to be able to rebuild the forest. You've got to be able to get the craftspeople who are able to spend time on it.

But they did it. And that's why I think the best moment was really when they had all of the work people outside in their high viz coming in, because all of them, you know, they all felt it was a privilege to be involved with that amazing project.

MACFARLANE: Well, I'm heading to Paris in a week.

FOSTER: You've got to go.

MACFARLANE: Fingers crossed I can get in.

Now, more than two million people downwind of the Great Lakes remain under the winter weather warnings. Listen to this thunderstorm in Copenhagen, New York, on Saturday.

New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania have seen nearly five feet of snowfall in the last few days. And CNN's Polo Sandoval has more on the harsh conditions impacting those communities.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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

[04:55:00]

SANDOVAL: 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.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a car underneath that. Yes.

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

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yesterday, I shoveled for four hours.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 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.

And there's more to come, warn meteorologists, with nearly two 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, (SINGING): 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.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Well, despite the heavy snow in upstate New York, Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills thrived in the winter wonderland, making NFL history on 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.

MACFARLANE: In the snow as well. The Buffalo Bills went on to crush the visiting San Francisco 49ers, 35 to 10. And apparently they asked the fans to come out and help clear the field as well.

FOSTER: It didn't work very well.

MACFARLANE: That is it for us on CNN NEWSROOM. We'll be back tomorrow.

FOSTER: Why not? See you then.

END