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One World with Zain Asher

U.S. President Biden Pardons Son Hunter In Criminal Cases; Biden Lands In Angola For Historic Trip; Syria And Russia Steps Up Strikes On Rebels; IDF: American-Israeli Soldier Killed In October 7 Attack; Residents Return To See What Remains Of Their Homes; Trump Fills Out Next Administration With Loyalists; Aired 12:00-1:00p ET

Aired December 02, 2024 - 12:00   ET

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

[12:00:27]

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: Joe Biden just arrived in Angola for a historical first visit by a U.S. president. ONE WORLD starts right now.

Why a father and a president would come to this decision. Strong words from President Biden this weekend when he announced a full pardon for his son,

Hunter. We will discuss the political fallout from this.

Plus, a reignited conflict in Syria as Moscow and Damascus have stepped up their strikes on rebels.

And in Lebanon, we take you to Southern Lebanon as residents discover what's left of their homes.

Hello, everyone. Live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga. Zain is off today. You are watching ONE WORLD.

Presidential pardons usually come with a bit of controversy just by their own nature. And Joe Biden's latest is no exception.

Over the weekend, he granted his son, Hunter, a pardon, something he previously vowed he would not do. Listen to what the president said earlier

this year on the subject.

(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: 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 said I abide by the jury decision. I will do that. And I will not pardon him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: The younger Biden was convicted of gun and tax crimes and potentially faced decades in prison.

In a statement, President Biden now says his son was singled out because of who his father is. President-elect Donald Trump wasted no time responding

to the pardon, calling it an abuse and miscarriage of justice.

CNN's Marshall Cohen joins me now from Washington. And, Marshall, the pushback to Biden's pardon is swift and it came from both Republicans and

Democrats.

MARSHALL COHEN, CNN REPORTER: That's right, Bianna. There has been a lot of reaction, a lot of negative reaction. And no matter what you think about

this, whether it was great, whether it was terrible, this will be a big part of Joe Biden's legacy, one of the most consequential actions of

clemency power that we've seen, frankly, in a long time.

So look, everyone knew this would be highly controversial. And that's why President Biden released a lengthy statement yesterday explaining his

decision to pardon his son.

And I want to read for you a little bit of what he said, because he really wanted, the president, the American people, to listen to his explanation,

to see, try to convince them that he did the right thing.

So the president said, quote, 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.

All right, Bianna, two things in there. Number one, yes, Joe Biden did keep his word that he would not interfere with this investigation. As president,

he technically had the power on his first day in office to fire the prosecutor that was investigating his son.He could have shut down the

probe. He could have ordered the Justice Department to dismiss the charges, but he did not. He saddled the sidelines and let the process play out.

But in the second part of that statement where he says that Joe -- that his son, Hunter, was selectively prosecuted because he was a Biden, I got to

tell you, Hunter raised that exact argument with both of the judges in his cases and they rejected it out of hand.

So Joe Biden arguing that Hunter Biden was treated unfairly, even though the judges in those cases said nothing improper had happened. And that was

the justification that the president used to issue this highly consequential pardon.

So what this means, Bianna, that Hunter will not be sentenced for the 12 crimes that he committed, six of them felonies. The sentencing hearing

scheduled for later this month will be canceled and the cases are over.

GOLODRYGA: A few things, Marshall, have since happened since the president over the summer said that he would not pardon his son. One is that he

withdrew from the presidential race himself. The other is the Kamala Harris lost to Donald Trump.

And the third is a slew of announcements that Donald Trump has made in terms of cabinet positions and the role of even FBI director to some highly

questionable people.

Did that play a role at all in what you're hearing and reporting in Joe Biden's ultimate decision here?

COHEN: Well, of course this is looming over everything. We're all wondering what's going to happen next year under President-elect Trump and his second

term. And the sources that spoke to us at CNN told us that that was part of the deliberations.

[12:05:10]

If you look at the fine print of this pardon, it is extraordinarily broad. It covers the two specific cases, the gun case and the tax case, but it

also grants clemency an unconditional full pardon for any actions, any crimes that may have been committed by Hunter Biden from 2014 until

yesterday, 2024, December 1st, 2024. That is an extremely broad act of clemency.

It covers a decade. It covers all of Hunter's time in Ukraine where he was on the board of the Energy Company, Burisma. It covers many of his foreign

deals in China.

Essentially, a lot of the activity that Donald Trump and the Congressional Republicans have accused Hunter of breaking the law, influence, peddling,

corruption, money laundering, you name it. He hasn't been charged with any of those crimes, by the way.

But all of those allegations, most of that stuff happened during this 10- year period, for which now Hunter Biden is completely protected, thanks to this pardon. So of course, Bianna, it had an impact.

GOLODRYGA: And as you see in the banner beneath you, the president says to have reached this decision over the weekend in telling his staff as much.

Marshall Cohen, thank you so much.

Meanwhile today, Joe Biden is making history, becoming the first U.S. president ever to visit the West African nation of Angola. Here is Air

Force One on the tarmac. Biden is about to deplane here.

Now, the trip originally scheduled for October was postponed due to Hurricanes Helene and Milton. It will be Biden's first and only visit to

Africa as president. It's meant to highlight U.S. investment in the continent, particularly as China deepens its influence there.

CNN White House correspondent, Arlette Saenz is following President Biden on this historic trip.

And, Arlette, the president is in Africa as we noticed. But no doubt his presidential pardon really overshadowing this trip.

How are President Biden's allies and opponents reacting to this pardon?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, President Biden had hoped the focus of this trip to Africa would be the fact that he's the

first sitting president to visit Angola. But instead, with his own announcement, he very quickly overshadowed that trip by issuing this pardon

for his son, Hunter Biden.

Now, there has been a really expected criticism from Republicans who have attacked Biden in the last 24 hours about this decision.

But what's perhaps most interesting is the split that we've seen in the Democratic Party about how -- whether the president should have pardoned

his son Hunter.

There are some lawmakers who say that the president is simply putting family over country and also that it could jeopardize or really make it

more difficult at times for Democrats to criticize President-elect Donald Trump in some of his efforts to change or call for changes in the judicial

system, which he has argued has been politicized against him.

But then there are other Democrats, one, for instance, is former Attorney General Eric Holder, who believed that the president is right in this

decision. Holder was among those to say that if Hunter Biden had been anyone else, an anonymous person, Joe Smith, that he would not have been

prosecuted for these crimes.

Ultimately, he, Holder argued that it was Biden's -- Hunter Biden's son named Biden, that what caused these charges to be brought against him.

But certainly there are a lot of political ramifications for President Biden going forward. He had stated several months ago that he was not going

to issue this pardon. Now he has reversed that. And it also comes as he has staked out his entire political career about maintaining the independence

of the judicial system. Now he has stepped in, and this will certainly be a part of his legacy going forward.

But another piece of Biden's legacy that he is looking to protect is trying to display his strength on the world stage. That is what he is doing here

in Africa. This is the first visit by a U.S. sitting president to sub- Saharan Africa since 2015, back when President Barack Obama visited Kenya and Ethiopia.

And the Biden trip here does come as Trump is preparing to take office come January. You'll remember that Trump had made denigrating comments about

countries in Africa really raising questions about what his policy would be like going forward.

For President Biden, he is visiting Angola, which has become a close ally. The president has worked on strengthening that relationship, including

hosting the Angolese president to the White House last year.

He will be here to tout U.S. and European investments in the Lobito Corridor, which is trying to bring a railway project, which would bring

critical minerals from the interior of Africa over to its ports for exports.

[12:10:05]

So President Biden trying to show that the U.S. is making plays here on the continent, which would bring critical minerals from the interior of Africa

over to its ports for exports.

So President Biden trying to show that the U.S. is making plays here on the continent of Africa at a time when China has really invested heavily and

deepened its inroads here really outpacing the U.S., which is now lagging behind.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. And you see a split screen of Air Force One there. The president about to depart. The press pool gathering.

Arlette, we'll let you get there as well as you continue to travel and cover the president on this historic trip to Angola. Appreciate it. Thank

you.

Well, the front lines are dramatically shifting in Syria, shattering the stalemate in a 13-year-old civil war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(EXPLOSION)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Syrian and Russian planes have stepped up attacks on Aleppo and Idlib provinces, trying to slow a surprise advance by rebel forces.

The White Helmets volunteer rescue groups as dozens of civilians, including women, have been killed.

Now it comes after rebels launched a lightning offensive last week, seizing control of Aleppo, Syria's second largest city, and posing the greatest

challenge to President Bashar al-Assad's autocratic regime in nearly a decade.

CNN's Clarissa Ward joins me now live from Beirut, Lebanon where a fragile ceasefire agreement has entered its second week now.

To Syria now, Clarissa, this offensive by rebels as noted, caught most everybody by surprise. What more are we learning about the situation there

and the continued advance of the rebels?

CLARISSA WARD, CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Certainly, Bianna, any one of us who has covered the Syrian Civil War since 2011 was left with

their jaw wide open just to see these astonishing gains made by the rebel forces in just a matter of days.

Rebels now in control of the whole of Idlib province, of the central part of Aleppo city, which is the center of commerce for Syria. They are pushing

into the Aleppo countryside and even now on the outskirts of the central city of Hama.

So this has been territorial gains that we really haven't seen, Bianna, in eight years. And the reason we haven't seen them is because in 2015 Bashar

al-Assad, with the support of Russia and its air power, was able to effectively quash the rebellion.

So what we see now is a vacuum. Russia distracted, obviously, with the war in Ukraine. The other sort of helpers of Bashar al-Assad in the form of

Iran and Hezbollah also facing serious battle with Israel and Iran, also with its own economic crises.

And that kind of left a vacuum, if you will, that the rebels appear now to be trying to exploit and seize the momentum. We are seeing after a few days

where those regime forces just seem to slip away and disappear now a renewed effort by the regime and Russia's air force to try to take back

some of that territory and to stop the rebels in their tracks.

There have been a number of airstrikes in Aleppo, but also in Idlib, according to the White Helmets, which is the civil defense group that

became so well-known during the worst of the Syrian civil war.

At least 25 people have been killed in the last few days. Among the women and children, we know that in Idlib a hospital was hit.

And so all around, there is now a sort of sense of unease. On the one hand, Bashar al-Assad, for all the war crimes he has committed, does not have

many proponents. But on the other hand, there is a sense that further instability and violence in Syria could really only bring about more

anxiety, more unrest in a region that is already so fraught and so deeply immersed in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. It is so stunning, as you noted, Clarissa, that it took Assad with the help of Russia and Vladimir Putin's forces for years to

retake Aleppo. And these rebel forces have taken over the city now in what appears to be just this four days time.

Clarissa Ward, thank you so much for your reporting.

Well, Joshua Landis is director of the Center for Middle East Studies, and he joins me now live in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

And, Joshua, we can be forgiven as journalists for being surprised by what we've seen over the last few days by rebel forces, given that even you,

someone who watches this place closely, were equally surprised.

What do you make of this?

JOSHUA LANDIS, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR MIDDLE EAST STUDIES: Well, it's a really an extraordinary reversal. And it does, as Clarissa Ward said, it

plays right on the back of Israel's real pounding to Hezbollah, which has said it cannot send any troops. Iran has been pounded.

Israel has changed the balance of power in the entire region. And the rebels have been able to exploit this. They've been practicing and building

up their forces for this for over a year, this offensive. And that's what one of the leaders of the Syrian opposition has said. Turkey has clearly

been working with them closely, arming them, uniforms, the whole nine yards.

[12:15:16]

Because in Aleppo, a northern Aleppo province where they have been training, nothing comes in without Turkey's blessing and support. There is

very little money in the region.

So Turkey is -- Turkey is trying to break what has previously been known as a Shiite crescent that spans from Lebanon with Hezbollah's control Assad

and Syria right over to Iran. And that corridor now could be severed. And that would be, of course, for the United States and Israel, that would be a

big bonus.

GOLODRYGA: This rebel group, which largely has control over the northwestern part of the country, is called Hayat Tahrir al-Sham or HTS.

You note that they are largely supported by Turkey.

It's notable that just moments ago, a Turkish official said that they did not give permission or support to these rebels to do what they've -- what

they've engaged upon in this last week. As you noted, the timing is interesting, but it's clearly something they've been preparing for, for

months, if not longer. What do you make of the statement from a Turkish official?

LANDIS: Well, it's very -- it's dissembling. Obviously, Turkey doesn't want to say that they're in the -- Turkey is in negotiations now with Iran,

United States. Everybody is phoning everybody to try to figure out how extensive this is going to be and whether they want Assad to fall.

I think Turkey may have been surprised at how well their offensive did. And these rebel groups just swept into Aleppo, surprising everybody.

I think they thought that they would take a big hunk of the highway between Aleppo and Damascus and push to the outskirts of Aleppo. But the -- as you

said, the Syrian forces just melted away in front of them, and the gates were open for the -- just to swarm in.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. What more can you tell us about this particular group, HTS, splintered off of Al-Qaeda back in 2017, really trying to, its leader at

least, extend an olive branch to Christians in the region there as well, trying to, I guess remake their image.

What do we know about them?

LANDIS: Well, Al-Julani, the head of this Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, was fought the Americans in Iraq and was recruited then and became a sidekick to the

head of ISIS, (INAUDIBLE) Al-Baghdadi, who sent him into Syria when the Syrian Civil War started in 2011, sent him into Syria to build up a branch

of Al-Qaeda, which he did extraordinarily successfully called Al-Nusra.

But eventually, when Al-Nusra was pushed up into the north by Assad's forces and Russia with Russian help, it had to deal with Turkey and the

rest of the world, and it began to shed. And its Al-Qaeda elements that wanted to have a universal caliphate and so forth, it shed them and it has

become a nationalist revolutionary group now. An analog might be the Taliban or Hamas. It wants to take over Syria, and it has said that it will

deal with everybody.

And as you say, Al-Julani has reached out to Aleppo's Christians, which are very important in an effort to assure them that he will not persecute them

as happened in the past, and that they will be safe. And that's what he's saying.

Of course, many Christians are terrified that he, you know, the liquor stores are being smashed and Christmas trees taken down, but Christians

have not been attacked. And so this is an important difference from what happened earlier in the -- in the -- in the war.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. Though we are just less than a week into this resurgence here. So we'll see what unfolds in the days and weeks to come.

The Kremlin also says that Moscow will continue to back Assad, and we did note that the strikes conducted by Russian forces overhead there. But

Russia withdrew thousands of its troops when it invaded Ukraine back in 2022.

Do you think do you see perhaps Russia sending troops back into Syria? Or is that just not an option for Vladimir Putin at this point? And what does

that mean for Bashar al-Assad?

LANDIS: Well, he, of course, has some pilots there, and he sent planes and he promised to send Assad a airlift, which he seems to be doing. So Russia

is playing an important part in this, but he can't spare that much.

[12:20:11]

Russia is deeply invested in the Ukraine battle and needs every man and piece of equipment. So Assad is finding himself really without any helpers,

because Hezbollah has been smashed and is not sending men.

And Hezbollah and Iranian troops both played an important part in taking back Aleppo, originally. And they're not there today.

Now Iraq has sent some -- Iraq has sent some pro-Iranian militias in, but only several hundred. I think it's more -- it isn't going to make a

difference in the fight.

And so Assad is standing alone with some Russian air force power and a few little straggling supporters. But he's all alone facing this well-armed and

trained rebel group. And things could change quickly.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. And a well-planned assault, it appears as well.

Joshua Landis, we'll continue to follow these developments. Thank you so much for your time.

LANDIS: Pleasure.

GOLODRYGA: We're looking at live pictures from Georgia's capital of Tbilisi, where it is after nine o'clock in the evening. People are out in

the streets for the fifth day in a row now, protesting the government's decision to suspend talks on joining the European Union.

Tensions have been brewing for months over the country's future. A few moments ago, authorities used water cannons to try to get the demonstrators

to disperse.

Critics argue and accuse the ruling party of pursuing anti-Western and pro- Russian policies. We'll continue to watch this space closely as well.

And still to come for us, as a tenuous ceasefire takes hold, displaced Lebanese are returning to their homes often to find just ruins. We'll have

a first-hand look at the destruction when we return.

Then vows of retaliation and retribution. President-elect Donald Trump nominates a staunch loyalist to upend the FBI. We'll have a look at Kash

Patel. That's up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: Amid renewed protests and calls for a deal to free the remaining hostages in Gaza, the Israeli military has confirmed the death of an

American-Israeli soldier.

The Hostage 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 described Omer as a warm, optimistic person who loved sports.

[12:25:09]

CNN's Jeremy Diamond joins us now with an update from Jerusalem. And, Jeremy, President Biden has since issued a statement on the murder of Omer

Neutra. What more are we hearing from IDF officials?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. I mean, the Israeli military has confirmed that Omer Neutra was in fact killed on

October 7th.

In other statements like this, you know, the Israeli military has typically said that it was because new intelligence had surfaced or something else.

But in this case, they simply stated that they found out that he had been killed on October 7th, confirming his death and statements from the family

and the hostage family forum, as well as political leaders here in Israel and in the United States, then quickly followed. So it's not clear exactly

what the new information was that led to this knowledge.

But President Biden, in his statement, alongside the First Lady Jill Biden, saying that they were devastated and outraged to learn of Omer Neutra's

death. They noted that as a tank commander on the Israel-Gaza border, he was among the first to respond to Hamas' attack on October 7th.

But, of course, the most devastating aspect of this is for Omer Neutra's family itself. You know, his parents, less than a month ago, were at the

White House meeting with President Biden, advocating for what they hoped would be their sons safe return.

For more than a year now, they have held out hope that Omer Neutra might indeed still be alive and might return home alive as part of a hostage

deal.

Unfortunately, according to the Israeli military, Neutra was killed on October 7th and his body is still being held hostage to this day by Hamas.

We know that there are some 101 hostages who are being held hostage by Hamas. The Israeli government has assessed that perhaps as many as half of

them are still alive. And the clock is obviously ticking for those who are indeed still alive.

As we see the humanitarian conditions in Gaza worsening, no doubt also impacting the hostages themselves.

What we have seen in the wake of this ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah has certainly been some renewed optimism from both American and

Israeli officials that perhaps a ceasefire and hostage deal can be reached in the wake of that ceasefire with Hezbollah because they believe that

Hamas is increasingly isolated, that that regional war that they had perhaps hoped to spark with Iran entering the fray has not yet materialized

and doesn't appear to be materializing anytime soon.

And so perhaps now Hamas increasingly isolated would give in to some of these negotiating demands that the Israelis have made. It does appear that

these negotiations are quietly resuming whether or not they can actually achieve a deal, as the Israeli Prime Minister says he wants a ceasefire,

but will still not end the war that remains to be seen. Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. Omar Nuetra, one of seven Americans believed held hostage in Gaza there. And over the weekend, Hamas releasing video of one of those

seven, another one of those seven, Edan Alexander as well showing him alive, but pleading for the government in the United States and obviously

Israel to do more in that forced video by Hamas.

Thank you so much, Jeremy Diamond, for noting that and also that parents now of these hostages are putting pressure on all sides to come to a

ceasefire hostage deal.

Well, the far right Israeli minister says Israel should not allow residents of Southern Lebanon to rebuild homes near Israel's border that had been

used for military purposes.

Right now, many displaced Lebanese are returning to the south to see what remains of their homes now that a ceasefire is in place.

CNN's Tamara Qiblawi takes a closer look at the destruction.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TAMARA QIBLAWI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The courtyards of an Ottoman era mosque lies in ruins. A historic souk 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 Nabatieh.

BISHR BISHR, COFFEE VENDOR (translation text on screen): On the day ceasefire began I was home by 10:30 that morning.

QIBLAWI (translation text on screen): What were you feeling?

BISHR (translation text on screen): I felt joy. Us southerners would prefer to pitch a tent in our own land than live in a palace elsewhere.

QIBLAWI (translation text on screen): But the city's been destroyed.

BISHR (translation text on screen): 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.

[12:30:08]

On Monday mornings, people used to pitch up their tents on both sides of the street to sell their stuff. This is Nabatieh, one of the worst hits in

the Israeli offensive. It's also the commercial heart of South Lebanon.

QIBLAWI (voice-over): Samir Jaber (ph) 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 (translation text on screen): I stayed here for forty days.

QIBLAWI (translation text on screen): You stayed here, under the bombs? You weren't afraid?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (translation text on screen): 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 Maataouk brave the bombs here

almost every day to feed pets abandoned by their owners.

ALI MAATAOUK, RESCUER, GIVE ME A PAW (translation on screen): 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, Nabatieh.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: Welcome back to ONE WORLD. I'm Bianna Golodryga.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is once again testing the Senate to see just how far he can go with his nominations. Trump announced that he wants

to replace FBI Director Christopher Wray with Kash Patel, a staunch loyalist known for his extreme rhetoric, who is vowed to dismantle the very

agency he's been selected to lead.

Patel has also said that a Justice Department under Trump would go after members of the media. In addition, Trump announced that he wants his son-

in-law's father, Charles Kushner, to serve as the next U.S. Ambassador to France.

[12:35:07]

Kushner was pardoned by Trump in 2020 after pleading guilty to 18 federal charges and serving time in prison.

CNN's Kristen Holmes joins me now live in West Palm Beach, Florida. And, Kristen, Trump has long said that he would pardon the January 6 six

rioters. And he wasted no time following news of President Biden's pardon of his son, Hunter, to raise the rioters again.

What exactly did he say in a Truth Social post?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Yes, Bianna, this is something that we've been tracking very closely to see when and how they

actually plan to do this pardoning, because this has been a huge part of Donald Trump's platform since he decided to run two years ago. Now, of

course, he's the president-elect. So the question is, when does he do it?

Now, as you said, no surprise, he used this opportunity of pardoning his son, Hunter, to talk about those January 6 rioters, saying this, 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?

Now, Donald Trump has kind of wavered on who exactly he would pardon, if it would just be a blanket pardon, which is what many of the people that are

in his circle, particularly the far right, MAGA circle crowd wants him to do, or if it would be specific actors, but they still haven't answered any

questions to us as to what exactly this looks like.

But he has made a lot of promises to the families of these people who participated in that riot as well as to the rioters himself that if he was

elected, this would be one of the things he did on day one. What exactly that looks like, of course, we still have questions about.

GOLODRYGA: All right. Kristen Holmes, thanks so much.

And now returning to one of our top stories this hour, U.S. President Joe Biden has pardoned his son, Hunter, who faced sentencing this month for

federal tax and gun convictions. The pardon spares the president's son from a potential prison sentence, and it's wide-ranging going back 10 years.

Sunday's controversial move comes after President Biden repeatedly insisted that his son would not receive a pardon or special treatment in his

criminal cases. The president explained in a statement, quote, no reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter's case or cases can

reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son and that it and that it -- and that is wrong.

Time now for The Exchange. Let's talk more about Hunter Biden's pardon. Joining me for this discussion is CNN political commentator, Paul Begala.

And also with me is Asa Hutchinson, a resident fellow at Harvard Institute of Politics and the former governor of Arkansas. Good to have you both with

me. Thank you so much for taking the time.

Let's start with you, Paul, and going back to more of President Biden's lengthy statement in explaining his decision. He also said, I have watched

my son being selectively and unfairly prosecuted. I also believe raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice.

The same words we hear now from President Trump.

And "The New York Times" Peter Baker, says that President Biden and President-elect Donald J. Trump now seem to agree on one thing, that the

Biden Justice Department has been politicized. What is your view on that? And what do you make of the pardon itself?

PAUL BEGALA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes. First, it's good to see you again. It's good to see you, Asa.

I think Joe Biden's acting like a parent, not a president. And I understand that. You may like his policies, you may not like his policies. He's a

surprisingly good dad. And he's only got one surviving son. And that son is a recovering addict. And all of us know people who have struggled with

addiction.

That said, the argument that the president made only feeds Mr. Trump's false, I think, narrative, that the Justice Department is somehow unfair or

political.

Our Justice Department is the standard of the world. And it's not unfair and it's not political. It does make mistakes, but it's not the kind of

corrupt hellhole that Mr. Trump tries to pretend it is.

And it's really unfortunate when Joe Biden feeds that narrative. He could have just said, look, my son paid all the taxes back and penalties and

interest years before any charges were brought. And he only had that gun for 11 days. And yet, he checked a box that said he wasn't an addict when

in fact that he was. But those cases are never brought unless there's another crime, like an assault or a gun for a bit of murder or armed

robbery.

So you could make the case on the merits that this was a good case for a pardon. But when you say the Justice Department became political, that

you're just feeding Mr. Trump's false narrative.

GOLODRYGA: Governor, what do you make of that? I mean, that that does appear to be Democrats' response, even those who are sympathetic to the

situation that the president found himself in, his only surviving son there that viewing it just as any parent would, that you could be sympathetic to

that itself alone. But then sort of equating the Justice Department with how Donald Trump has characterized it has debased not only the presidency,

but also the institution as a whole. What do you make?

[12:40:17]

ASA HUTCHINSON, FORMER GOVERNOR OF ARKANSAS: I agree with many of Paul's comments. And when you're president, though, you cannot say I'm going to be

a parent, not being president.

And while you understand the love and affection that President Biden has for his son, he's president of the United States and he's been consistent

over the last four years of saying, we want to respect the system of justice and how it works. And he's going to have hands off and not touch it

and not do a part of it.

And so he undermines the rule of law, first of all, by reversing what he said. And then sadly, by making it clear that there's going to be double

standards in our system of justice. And he's going to undermine it with this pardon.

And he had a lot of options here. And I think this is important to note. Hunter Biden had -- was found guilty and he pled guilty to serious felony

offenses. And then he's waiting sentencing.

So President Biden could have waited and then commuted the sentences so that he didn't have to serve time in prison, but he recognizes the

wrongdoing. So there are a lot of options there to make sure that justice was served in a fair way. And he took it too far. And I think that will be

really a tarnish on his legacy.

GOLODRYGA: Governor, what do you make a Donald Trump's response to this pardon by posting on Truth Social, as we just noted with Kristen? Does the

pardon give Joe -- given by Joe to Hunter include the J6 hostages and why he continues to call those rioters hostages? I don't know. But the hostages

who have now been in prison for years, such an abuse and miscarriage of justice.

Do you now think that this gives -- somehow gives Trump carte blanche to give pardons to people that have been found guilty of crimes, specifically

the J6 -- the rioters there?

HUTCHINSON: Well, substantively, no. You've got to distinguish crimes of violence and attack on our Capitol and attack on police versus what you

have with Hunter Biden, which are tax evasion, which is also not reporting that he had a drug conviction or he was an addict. And so there's totally

different issues there.

But politically speaking, Joe Biden fed into the argument that Donald Trump makes is that there's an unfair system here. And this is an example of it.

So, clearly, Donald Trump, based upon what he said during the campaign and what he continues to say, will pardon a vast majority of the January 6

defendants.

I think the question is, is whether he's going to do it carte blanche or whether he's going to look at it individually and say, no, this was too

great of an act of violence. And that's not going to be covered by the pardon.

But absolutely, it feeds into Donald Trump's arguments. And he'll be using this not just on January 6 defendants, but on many instances, as you see

him deal with the Justice Department.

GOLODRYGA: Paul, as we noted, presidential pardons have long had a history of being controversial. And that goes for Joe Biden now pardoning his son

Hunter as well. There has been expected pushback from Republicans, but also from Democrats as well.

Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado tweeted this, President Biden's decision put personal interest ahead of duty and further erodes American's faith

that the justice system is fair and equal for all.

And then the governor of Colorado, also a Democrat, Jared Polis, saying he's not okay with it either. I'm disappointed that he put his family ahead

of the country. This is a bad precedent that could be abused by later presidents and will sadly tarnish his reputation.

Do you agree with that statement? Do you think that this hurts President Biden's legacy, ultimately?

BEGALA: I do, but I don't think it's going to be as big as we think it is today, right? These things tend to fade over time. And I think the

extenuating circumstances of his son being a recovering addict and really was prosecutorial overreach, let's be honest, is -- it would be

contextualizing that.

But the real problem is what Asa is talking about, who by the way served our country honorably in the Justice Department, who ran the DEA, who's

been part of, I think, the fairest prosecutorial apparatus in the whole wide world.

But -- and he's right when he says this gives ammunition to Mr. Trump, at least politically, to pardon people who rioted against our Capitol, who

injured 147 police officers who tased Officer Michael Fanone, the Washington Police Force, until his heart stopped. He had a heart attack.

Four officers wound up losing their lives. One of the rioters lost her life.

[12:45:13]

That's not the same. But you know how Mr. Trump is? He'll make it sound the same. I had a Republican strategist tell me that he thought Trump was

hesitating on calling for January 6 pardons because it's so very unpopular. This strategist had actually pulled it and said, vast majority Americans

don't want to do it.

I wonder if now Trump has a political argument that makes it less unpopular for him to pardon these rioters.

GOLODRYGA: We shall see. Paul Begala, Asa Hutchinson, always good to see you. Thanks so much for your time.

BEGALA: Thanks, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: And still to come for us, theaters full of moviegoers in the U.S. We will tell you about a big weekend for Hollywood when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: Well, there's more than 14,000 interviews across 25 countries. The Biannual Africa Youth Survey is the most comprehensive study of young

people living, learning, and working in Africa.

This week on ONE WORLD, we'll explore the results of the 2024 edition which shows that climate change is high on the agenda for young people across the

continent.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Since 2019, the Africa Youth Survey Research Project has interviewed more than 14,000 young people from 25 African countries

about their hopes and fears.

IVOR ICHIKOWITZ, CHAIRMAN, ICHIKOWITZ FAMILY FOUNDATION: One of the things that I identified as concerning in the first survey is when we spoke to the

African Youth about climate change, they actually didn't know what we were talking about.

What then happened is a whole lot of real massive climate change events happened. And in the next survey, there wasn't a single African respondent

who hadn't been, in some way, affected by climate change.

In the next survey, they identified it as one of the single biggest risks to the future of the continent.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In 2024, Africa Youth Survey confirmed that more than three-quarters of young people across the continent are concerned about

climate change, and less than half are satisfied at how their governments are addressing it.

REUBEN ICHIKOWITZ, TRUSTEE, ICHIKOWITZ FAMILY FOUNDATION: The youth are acutely aware of the impact of climate change on water scarcity, on

agriculture, 80 percent of the youth say that the governments could do more to address climate change. There's strong motivation to be climate

ambassadors and to take a more mindful approach to conservation and the environment.

[12:50:07]

There is a drive and a concern for those around them, for their communities, for the environment, for Africa as a whole.

BOGOLO KENEWENDO, FORMER MEMBER OF THE PARLIAMENT OF BOTSWANA: I was here nine years ago as a youth delegate.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Survey contributor, Bogolo Kenewendo, is an economist, former minister of investment, trade, and industry in Botswana, and a

global advocate for gender equity, sustainable development, and climate action initiatives.

KENEWENDO: That any leader who forgets about young people is a fool, really.

I flew optimism calls for true, concerted efforts, a passion for development and for change by young people, political will and a passion

for equity by those in decision making.

LINDA NYEMBEZI, UNIVERSITY OF WITWATERSRAND: I think that the way that we will be able to deal with any of these problems is by all of us working

together.

The older generation has provided a lot of wisdom, which is important and is a lot of experience. But with younger people we come with an element of

passion and with hope, I feel excited about it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: Well, if you were planning to go out to buy ingredients for your favorite martini, you may be shaken and not stirred.

Stoli Group USA, the company that bottles the famous Stoli Vodka, has now filed for bankruptcy. The company blames Russia for its problems since the

invasion of Ukraine. Many consumers have boycotted Russian vodka. They likely do not know that Stoli is no longer made in Russia. And the owner of

the company has been a fierce critic of Vladimir Putin.

Stoli also says that it has been forced to deal with lawsuits and cyber- attacks from Russia that have costed millions of dollars.

While a Pacific princess, a wicked witch and a gallant gladiator are all big heroes in Hollywood today, movie studios in the U.S. are celebrating a

box office bonanza during Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

Disney's new film, "Moana 2," led the way as U.S. theater sold $420 million worth of tickets over the five-day holiday easily, setting a Thanksgiving

record.

I saw "Wicked" and "Gladiator," by the way, over the week. They were very good.

Well, "Wicked" and "Gladiator 2" also helped the huge box office haul. Hollywood has been in a bit of a funk since the pandemic, but executives

say the surge in ticket sales shows that audiences are finally ready to come back to the movies. I can tell you that theaters were packed when I

was there.

[12:55:09]

Well, frigid temperatures are gripping nearly 70 percent of the United States today and the Great Lakes region could see even more snowfall in the

next day or so.

Over the weekend, states including Ohio, New York, and Pennsylvania were hard hit. Listen to this thunderstorm in Upstate New York on Saturday.

Well, and across the Great Lakes region some areas saw nearly five feet or one and a half meters of snow in just the last few days.

And finally for us some animal cuteness to close our show today.

Ocean Park Zoo in Hong Kong is showing off its newest additions a pair of giant pandas on loan from China. The pandas were given to the zoo to mark

the 27th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to Chinese rule. They've been in quarantine for about two months but will be unveiled to the public this

coming weekend.

Well, that does it for this hour of ONE WORLD. Thanks so much for watching. I'm Bianna Golodryga. "AMANPOUR" is up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END