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Today's top stories
President Biden has signed a full and unconditional pardon for his son Hunter Biden. The pardon comes just seven weeks before he leaves office. President Biden granted the clemency despite repeated pledges that he wouldn't pardon his son. Hunter was convicted of federal gun charges for lying on a federal background check form about his drug addiction when purchasing a gun. In another case, he pleaded guilty to tax offenses for failing to pay at least $1.4 million in federal taxes. Sentencing was scheduled for later this month, and he could have faced prison time.
- 🎧 In a White House statement last night, President Biden said when he took office, he promised not to meddle with the Justice Department. He said has kept his word, even as he said Hunter was "selectively and unfairly prosecuted." He continued by saying Hunter was charged after opponents in Congress instigated the prosecutions to try to hurt him politically, NPR's Ryan Lucas tells Up First. In the process, Biden says Hunter was unfairly singled out. Hunter says his mistakes have been used to humiliate him and his family, and he won't take the clemency for granted. Hunter added he'll devote his life to helping those who are still sick and suffering.
President-elect Donald Trump says he'll nominate Kash Patel, a close ally and former national security aide, to serve as the next director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This sets up a move to replace the current director, Chris Wray, who has two years left on his term. Patel has criticized the country's top law enforcement agency and has been vocal about his plans to change it.
- 🎧 Patel says he is ready to use law enforcement power to go against those who opposed Trump, including members of Congress, people who prosecuted him and reporters, NPR's Carrie Johnson says. Trump picked Wray after he fired Jim Comey in 2017. It's rare to fire an FBI director with time left on his term, but it has happened before, Johnson says. It's not known if Wray will be fired in January or if he might resign. However, the FBI said over the weekend that Wray is focused on the FBI workforce and protecting Americans from threats.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has vowed to "crush" the rebels who made territorial gains in Syria over the weekend. Syria's 13-year civil war has long been at a stalemate, but this renewed fighting poses the biggest threat to the ruling regime in years. The rebel advancement comes as Russia, a key ally of Syria, is stretched in its war with Ukraine. Here's what to know about the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), and how it pulled off the stunning seizure of Aleppo, Syria's second most populous city.
- 🎧 Rebel general Ahmed Homsi tells NPR's Ruth Sherlock they were able to break through three lines of defense within 72 hours and thought they might be able to carry on to the capital, Damascus. The U.S., Russia and others have designated HTS as a terror organization because some members had links to Al-Qaeda. Sherlock says the group has tried to rebrand itself as a less hardline group in recent years, though it's still religious and conservative. Sherlock says many Syrians would welcome a rebel takeover because the country is run by a brutal dictatorship. The rebel offensive slowed down yesterday, and the government says it's taken back some territory in central Syria.
Deep dive
It's the time of year to pull out Christmas decorations and decide what kind of tree to garnish: real or plastic. With this decision comes the age-old question: Are real Christmas trees or their fake counterparts more eco-friendly? Here's what studies and environmentalists say.
- 🎄 The most recent U.S. analysis measured the environmental impact of both types of trees from production to disposal. It considered the netting around real Christmas trees and the water used to keep them alive versus the plastic packaging tape used on boxes and transportation from manufacturers in China for artificial trees.
- 🎄 The analysis determined that artificial trees are more favorable to the environment if reused for at least five years.
- 🎄 Environmentalists say it's worth noting the endgame for both options. Artificial trees aren't recyclable, while real ones can be mulched and reused for greener purposes.
Picture show
Acclaimed photographer George Steinmetz and his drones traveled to 36 countries, 27 U.S. states and five oceans to document food production. The goal: Examine the way food makes its way to feed a constantly growing population. The photos are featured in his latest book, Feed the Planet: A Photographic Journey to the World's Food, with accompanying text by journalist Joel K. Bourne Jr., who documents the food-print these practices leave on our environment.
- 📷 See photos of the drone's eye view of foodscapes.
3 things to know before you go
- Gegenbach, Germany, turns its town hall into a giant Advent calendar each December. Every evening, they raise a window shade to reveal a new picture.
- Belgium has become the first country to allow sex workers to sign formal employment contracts granting them access to sick days, maternity pay and pension.
- Black Friday shoppers spent a record $10.8 billion on online purchases — over 10% more than last year.
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.
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