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Вночі російський дрон влучив в обʼєкт енергетичної інфраструктури Тернополя
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«Зимова єПідтримка» – це спроба виявити тих чоловіків, які ухиляються від мобілізації, вважає народна депутатка Ольга Василевська-Смаглюк
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A day after U.S. President Joe Biden announced the pardon of his son Hunter, the White House said the president is expected to issue more pardons and clemencies before he leaves office next month.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Monday that Biden is “thinking through that process very thoroughly.”

“I don’t have a timeline for you,” Jean-Pierre said.  “As you know, this usually happens towards the end.  And so, the president is going through that process, thinking through that process. I’m not going to get ahead of him. But you can expect more announcements to come.”

Hunter Biden was facing sentencing this month for gun and tax offenses and could have been imprisoned for years.

Biden had for months pledged not to pardon his 54-year-old son, a lawyer who for years was caught up in cocaine addiction as his life spiraled out of control. 

But the president said in a statement late Sunday that Hunter Biden’s prosecution was selective and politically motivated, aimed at undercutting his reelection campaign before he dropped out of the race in July for another four-year term. 

“The charges in his cases came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election,” Biden said.  

Hunter Biden was convicted of three felonies in June for a 2018 gun purchase. Prosecutors said he falsely claimed on a federal form to not be illegally using or addicted to drugs.  

He also pleaded guilty to nine federal tax charges in a case where he was accused of failing to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes.  

He faced up to 17 years in federal prison in the tax case during a scheduled sentencing hearing in Los Angeles on December 16, although sentencing experts said that most likely as a first-time offender, he would have served no more than 36 months behind bars. 

Hunter Biden was facing a stiffer maximum sentence, 25 years, in the gun case but was more likely, based on precedent in similar cases, to be handed a much shorter sentence, perhaps up to 16 months during a hearing scheduled in Delaware for December 13. 

The president’s action Sunday pardoned Hunter Biden in both cases, as well as any offense he “has committed or may have committed or taken part” from January 1, 2014, to January 1, 2024.   

Hunter Biden said in a statement, “I have admitted and taken responsibility for my mistakes during the darkest days of my addiction – mistakes that have been exploited to publicly humiliate and shame me and my family for political sport.” 

The president said in his statement that he hopes “Americans will understand why a father and a president would come to this decision.”   

“For my entire career I have followed a simple principle: just tell the American people the truth. They’ll be fair-minded. Here’s the truth: I believe in the justice system, but as I have wrestled with this, I also believe raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice – and once I made this decision this weekend, there was no sense in delaying it further,” Biden said.  

President-elect Donald Trump criticized the move, calling it “such an abuse and miscarriage of justice” compared to hundreds of Trump supporters who have been imprisoned after being convicted for an array of offenses stemming from the rioting at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, while they tried to block Congress from certifying that Biden had defeated Trump’s reelection bid in the 2020 campaign. 

Trump has said he will consider pardoning many of the rioters when he takes power again on January 20 after winning the November presidential election. Some of the rioters have already served their sentences, but many are still in prison for years to come, while other trials have yet to occur. 

Trump, in the late stages of his first term in office, pardoned Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law Jared Kushner, who was convicted on tax offenses and other charges. On Saturday, Trump said he intends to nominate the elder Kushner to be the U.S. ambassador to France. 

Trump also pardoned one of his former national security advisers, Michael Flynn, former campaign manager Paul Manafort, former chief strategist Steve Bannon and campaign aide George Papadopoulos, among others.  

Reactions to President Biden pardoning his son varied across the U.S. political landscape and not always predictably along political party lines as is usually the case when contentious decisions are announced. 

Jared Polis, the Democratic governor of Colorado, said that while he understood the “natural desire” of Biden wanting to help his son, he said, “I am 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.” 

Greg Stanton, a Democratic congressman from Arizona, said, “I respect President Biden, but I think he got this one wrong. This wasn’t a politically motivated prosecution. Hunter committed felonies and was convicted by a jury of his peers.” 

Chuck Grassley, a Republican senator from Iowa, posted on X that he was “shocked” by the pardon because the elder Biden “said many, many times he wouldn’t & I believed him. Shame on me.”  

But Eric Holder, a Democrat who was the U.S. attorney general under former President Barack Obama, said the president’s son was only prosecuted because his last name was Biden. He said no U.S. attorney “would have charged this case given the underlying facts.” 

Some information for this story was provided by The Associated Press and Reuters. 
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WASHINGTON — U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Monday said he would “block” a planned takeover of US Steel by Japanese company Nippon Steel, a deal worth $14.9 billion including debts.

“I am totally against the once great and powerful U.S. Steel being bought by a foreign company, in this case Nippon Steel of Japan,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. 

“Through a series of Tax Incentives and Tariffs, we will make U.S. Steel Strong and Great Again, and it will happen FAST! As President, I will block this deal from happening.”

Embattled US Steel has argued that it needs the Nippon deal to ensure sufficient investment in its Mon Valley plants in Pennsylvania, which it says it may have to shutter if the sale is blocked.

Nippon Steel said after Trump’s comments that it was “determined to protect and grow US Steel in a manner that reinforces American industry, domestic supply chain resiliency, and US national security.”

“We will invest no less than $2.7 billion into its unionized facilities, introduce our world-class technological innovation, and secure union jobs so that American steelworkers at US Steel can manufacture the most advanced steel products for American customers,” the Japanese firm said in a statement.

Days after the US election last month, Nippon Steel said it expected to close its takeover of the company before the end of the year, while U.S. President Joe Biden was still in office.

Biden, too, has opposed the deal, saying it was “vital” for US Steel “to remain an American steel company that is domestically owned and operated.”

The deal is being reviewed by a body helmed by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen that audits foreign takeovers of US firms, called the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States.

In September, Biden’s administration extended their review, pushing a conclusion on the politically sensitive deal until after the November 5 presidential election.

A Nippon Steel earnings presentation on November 7 maintained that “the transaction is expected to close in… calendar year 2024” pending a U.S. national security review.

“Unless the situation changes dramatically, I believe the conclusion will come by the end of the year,” during Biden’s time in office, vice chairman Takahiro Mori told reporters.

Trump will be inaugurated on January 20.

Protectionist policies

On the campaign trail, he vowed to install protectionist economic policies to help support US businesses, including threats to restart a trade war with the world’s second largest economy, China.

While running for the White House, he specifically promised to block Nippon’s takeover of US Steel, which is based in the key political battleground state of Pennsylvania.

Trump’s vice presidential pick JD Vance also led congressional opposition to the takeover in the U.S. Senate, where the deal has been criticized by both Republicans and Democrats.

Analysts had suggested Trump’s position could soften after the election was over, but Monday’s statement indicated that was not the case.

Major Japanese and American business groups have urged Yellen not to succumb to political pressure when reviewing the proposed acquisition.

The steelworkers union has fought the deal, and criticized a September arbitrators’ ruling that Nippon had proven it could assume US Steel’s labor contract obligations.

In September, however, some US Steel workers rallied in support of the deal, arguing it would help keep plants open.

               
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WASHINGTON — The Democratic-led U.S. Senate returned on Monday for a showdown with the Republican-controlled House of Representatives over government spending, disaster relief and defense policy before President-elect Donald Trump ushers in a new era of single-party rule next month.

The main challenge for lawmakers over the next three weeks is to avert a pre-Christmas partial government shutdown by striking a bipartisan deal to fund federal agencies beyond Dec. 20, when a current stopgap spending measure is due to expire.

The debate will include a nearly $100 billion emergency disaster relief request from President Joe Biden for areas of the U.S. Southeast hit by hurricanes Helene and Milton, and other communities struck by natural disasters.

Congress also faces a Jan. 1 deadline for raising the federal government’s debt ceiling, though lawmakers and aides say that extraordinary measures employed by the Treasury Department are likely to postpone the expected “X” date for default well into 2025.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer indicated on Monday that lawmakers are negotiating a short-term stopgap funding bill known as a continuing resolution, or CR, rather than a package of annual spending bills that would fund the government through fiscal year 2025, which ends on Sept. 30.

Schumer did not disclose details about a potential CR, which House Speaker Mike Johnson has said would run into early next year.

Trump’s allies are pushing for a three-month stopgap that supporters say would allow their party’s incoming political trifecta to dismantle current Democratic spending initiatives and policy priorities early in the new administration.

Legislative action on government funding is not expected to begin in the House until the last of the session’s three weeks, timing that could raise risks for Johnson’s slim 220-213 Republican majority if they opt for a partisan measure first.

House Republicans failed to pass their own partisan stop-gap measure in September and had to rely on mainly Democratic votes to narrowly avert a shutdown weeks before the Nov. 5 election.

Trump’s transition team did not respond to a request for comment.

Top lawmakers have yet to say how they intend to handle a Biden request for emergency disaster relief.

The head of the Small Business Administration recently testified to Congress that the agency’s disaster loan program for homeowners, renters, and businesses ran out of money in October, leaving more than 60,000 loan applicants waiting for assistance.

Congressional aides said a disaster relief package would likely be attached to a CR.

But the first objective for Congress this month is likely to be passage of the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, annual legislation that sets policy for the Defense Department, according to congressional aides. Floor votes could come as early as next week, according to aides.
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PENTAGON — President Joe Biden has asked Congress for an additional $24 billion to support Ukraine and replenish U.S. weapons stockpiles, two U.S. officials tell VOA, as the administration continued Monday to push out new aid packages from the last congressionally approved funds for Kyiv before Biden leaves office on January 20.

Officials who have seen the administration’s request, on condition of anonymity to discuss its details, told VOA, that the new support would include $16 billion to restock U.S. weapons under the Pentagon’s presidential drawdown authority (PDA), along with $8 billion to manufacture weapons under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which focuses on supplying Kyiv’s long-term defense needs.

“This funding not only supports Ukraine’s fight for its sovereignty and degrades Russian military capabilities but also strengthens U.S. military readiness by modernizing our weapons systems and making direct investments in our defense industrial base,” a U.S. defense official told VOA on Monday.

The Biden administration submitted aid for Ukraine in an anomaly funding bill that also includes spending on other matters rather than in a separate supplemental funding request.

“We defer to Congress to determine the most appropriate vehicle for addressing this urgent need,” one official said.

News of the latest request was first reported by Politico.

Some Republicans are already opposing the request.

“Any Biden funding demands should be DOA (dead on arrival),” Senator Mike Lee posted on X.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, who will determine whether the bill is brought to a vote in the form proposed by the White House, wrote on X that funding decisions “are for the incoming administration, not the outgoing lame duck President.”

“The American people resoundingly elected President [Donald] Trump because he promised to bring an end to wars, not prolong them indefinitely,” Johnson added.

The aid request follows vows from Biden administration officials to seek additional aid approval from Congress for 2025. Last week, the Biden administration also informed Congress of its intention to forgive $4.65 billion worth of Ukrainian debt.

The U.S. announced Monday it was sending another military aid package to Ukraine valued at up to $725 million, its 71st tranche of equipment from Department of Defense inventories for Kyiv since August 2021. Monday’s PDA included air defense capabilities, munitions for rocket systems and artillery, and anti-tank weapons.

The package is the latest round of aid stemming from a $61 billion assistance bill for Kyiv that was approved by Congress in April after several months of delays. The Biden administration still has more than $8 billion in funding from previous aid packages to give to Ukraine.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke with Ukrainian Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov on Monday to discuss battlefield dynamics and U.S. security assistance to Ukraine, according to the Pentagon.

During his call with Umerov, Austin condemned Russia’s recent barrage of missiles and drones targeting Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure, along with its use of an Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile in Ukraine, which the Pentagon called “another escalation in Russia’s war against Ukraine.”

Jeff Seldin contributed to this report.
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Governor Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers returned to the state Capitol on Monday to begin a special session to protect the state’s progressive policies ahead of another Trump presidency.

The Democratic governor, a fierce critic of President-elect Donald Trump, is positioning California to once again be the center of a resistance effort against the conservative agenda. He is asking his Democratic allies in the Legislature, who hold supermajorities in both chambers, to approve additional funding to the attorney general’s office to prepare for a robust legal fight against anticipated federal challenges.

Democratic Assembly member Jesse Gabriel on Monday introduced legislation to set aside $25 million for legal fees to respond to potential attacks by the Trump administration on state policies regarding civil rights, climate change, immigration and abortion access.

“While we always hope to collaborate with our federal partners, California will be ready to vigorously defend our interests and values from any unlawful action by the incoming Trump Administration,” Gabriel said in a statement.

California sued the first Trump administration more than 120 times to various levels of success. 

“We’re not going to be caught flat-footed,” Newsom said at a recent news conference.

Trump often depicts California as representing all he sees wrong in America. Democrats, which hold every statewide office in California and have commanding margins in the Legislature and congressional delegation, outnumber registered Republicans by nearly 2-to-1 statewide.

Trump called the Democratic governor “New-scum” during a campaign stop in Southern California and has relentlessly lambasted the Democratic stronghold over its large number of immigrants in the U.S. illegally, homeless population and thicket of regulations.

Trump also waded into a water rights battle over the endangered delta smelt, a tiny fish that has pitted environmentalists against farmers and threatened to withhold federal aid to a state increasingly under threat from wildfires. He also vowed to follow through with his campaign promise of carrying out the mass deportation of immigrants without legal status and prosecuting his political enemies.

Before the special session was set to begin, state lawmakers swore in more than two dozen new members and elected leaders for the 2025 legislative session.

Hundreds of people also demonstrated around the Capitol on Monday to urge the Legislature to try to stop Trump’s mass deportation plans. They carried banners that said “Not one cent for mass deportation” and “MAGA out of California.”

“With the results of the presidential election, we need our state elected officials to use every tool and every resource they have available to them to protect our immigrant Californians,” protester Deborah Lee said.

State Attorney General Rob Bonta said his office will protect the state’s immigrant population, while Newsom last week unveiled a proposal to revive a rebate program for electric vehicle purchases if the incoming Trump administration eliminates a federal tax credit for people who buy electric cars. Newsom is also considering creating a backup disaster relief fund for the wildfire-prone state after Trump’s threats.

Bonta announced legislation Monday aimed at bolstering reproductive rights in the state, including by allowing the attorney general to seek monetary penalties against local governments that infringe on those rights. The proposals are part of the state’s efforts to safeguard against threats to abortion access after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

Republican lawmakers blasted Newsom and his Democratic allies over the special session. Representative Vince Fong, who represents the state’s Central Valley farm belt, said California should work with the incoming Trump administration instead.

“Gavin Newsom’s actions are tone-deaf to the concerns of Californians who disapprove of the direction of our state and country,” Fong said in a video on social media.

Legislators also are expected to spend the year discussing ways to protect dozens of laws expected to be targeted by the Trump administration, including one that has made the state a sanctuary for people seeking abortions who live in states where such practices have been severely limited. 

California, the nation’s most populous state, was the first to mandate that by 2035 all new cars, pickup trucks and SUVs sold in California be electric, hydrogen-powered or plug-in hybrids. The state also extends state-funded health care to all low-income residents regardless of their immigration status.

Newsom hasn’t provided details about what actions the lawmakers will consider but said he wanted funding in place before Trump’s inauguration day, January 20. The state spent roughly $42 million in litigation costs during the first Trump administration, officials said.
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Consumers in the United States are scouring the internet for online deals as they look to take advantage of the post-Thanksgiving shopping marathon with Cyber Monday.

Even though e-commerce is now part of many people’s regular routines and the holiday shopping season, Cyber Monday — a term coined in 2005 by the National Retail Federation — has become the biggest online shopping day of the year, thanks to the deals and the hype the industry has created to fuel it.

Adobe Analytics, which tracks online shopping, expects consumers to spend a record $13.2 billion on Monday, 6.1% more than last year. That would make it the season’s — and the year’s — biggest shopping day for e-commerce.

Online spending is expected to peak between the hours of 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Monday, per Adobe — reaching an estimated $15.7 million spent every minute.

For several major retailers, a Cyber Monday sale is a dayslong event that began over the Thanksgiving weekend. Amazon kicked off its sales event right after midnight Pacific time Saturday. Target’s two days of discount offers on its website and app began overnight Sunday. Walmart rolled out its Cyber Monday offers for Walmart+ members Sunday afternoon and opened it up to all customers three hours later, at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

Consumer spending for Cyber Week — the five major shopping days between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday — provides a strong indication of how much shoppers are willing to spend for the holidays.

Many U.S. consumers continue to experience sticker shock following the period of post-pandemic inflation, which left prices for many goods and services higher than they were three years ago. But retail sales nonetheless have remained strong, and the economy has kept growing at a healthy pace.

At the same time, credit card debt and delinquencies have been rising. More shoppers than ever are also on track to use “buy now, pay later” plans this holiday season, which allows them to delay payments on holiday decor, gifts and other items.

Many economists have also warned that President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to impose tariffs next year on foreign goods coming into the United States would lead to higher prices on everything from food to clothing to automobiles.

The National Retail Federation expects holiday shoppers to spend more this year both in stores and online than last year. But the pace of spending growth will slow slightly, the trade group said, growing 2.5% to 3.5% — compared to 3.9% in 2023.

A clear sense of consumer spending patterns during the holiday season won’t emerge until the government releases sales data for the period. But some preliminary data from other sources shows some encouraging signs for retailers.

Vivek Pandya, lead analyst at Adobe Digital Insights, notes that discounts from Thanksgiving onward have “exceeded expectations” — and online spending throughout Cyber Week is on track to cross a record $40 billion mark combined.

U.S. shoppers spent $10.8 billion online on Black Friday, a 10.2% increase over last year, according to Adobe Analytics. That’s also more than double what consumers spent in 2017, when Black Friday pulled in roughly $5 billion in online sales. Consumers also spent a record $6.1 billion online on Thanksgiving Day, Adobe said.

Meanwhile, software company Salesforce, which also tracks online shopping, estimated that Black Friday online sales totaled $17.5 billion in the U.S. and $74.4 billion globally. And Mastercard SpendingPulse, which tracks in-person and online spending, reported that overall Black Friday sales excluding automotive rose 3.4% from a year ago. The retail sales indicator, which is not adjusted for inflation, showed online sales jumped by double-digits while in-store purchase rose a modest 0.7%.

E-commerce platform Shopify said its merchants raked in a record $5 billion in sales worldwide on Black Friday. At its peak, sales reached $4.6 million per minute — with top categories by volume including clothing, cosmetics and fitness products, according to the Canadian company.

Toys, electronics, home goods, self-care and beauty categories were among the key drivers of holiday spending on Thanksgiving and Black Friday, according to Adobe. “Hot products” included Lego sets, espresso machines, fitness trackers, makeup and skin care.

Other data showed physical stores saw fewer customers on Black Friday, underscoring how the huge crowds that were once synonymous with the day after Thanksgiving are now more than happy to shop from the comfort of their homes.

RetailNext, which measures real-time foot traffic in stores, reported that its early data showed store traffic on Friday was down 3.2% in the U.S. compared to last year, with the biggest dip happening in the Midwest.

While physical items like toys and electronics are always popular around the holidays, experts note that consumers have turned to more “experience-driven spending” in recent years, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic waned.

Adobe notes that shoppers are also buying higher-ticket items this season — with consumers opening their wallets to invest or “trade up” to more premium versions of products like electronics, appliances and sporting goods.
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Washington — The United States announced new export restrictions Monday taking aim at China’s ability to make advanced semiconductors — used in weapon systems and artificial intelligence  as competition intensifies between the world’s two biggest economies.

“The United States has taken significant steps to protect our technology from being used by our adversaries in ways that threaten our national security,” said White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan in a statement.

He added that Washington will keep working with allies and partners to “to proactively and aggressively safeguard our world-leading technologies and know-how.”

The latest rules include a restriction of exports to 140 companies, including Chinese chip firms Piotech and SiCarrier Technology.

They also impact Naura Technology Group, which makes chip production equipment, according to the Commerce Department.

“We are constantly talking to our allies and partners as well as reassessing and updating our controls,” added Under Secretary of Commerce for industry and security Alan Estevez.

The latest announcement also includes controls on two dozen types of chipmaking equipment and three kinds of software tools for developing or producing semiconductors.
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Nairobi — After promising to visit Africa two years ago at the U.S. Africa summit in Washington, President Joe Biden makes his first presidential trip to the continent where he is visiting Angola with a quick stop in Cabo Verde. Analysts in Africa say the trip should’ve come sooner and some are asking why Angola is the primary destination – given its troubling human rights record.

White House officials say President Joe Biden is looking forward to visiting the continent after a promise he made in 2022. But some analysts tell VOA that Biden’s trip, which comes weeks before he steps down, would’ve had more weight if he had done it earlier.  

Louw Nel, senior political analyst for Oxford Economics Africa, spoke to VOA from South Africa. 

“I think his trip is less significant than it would’ve been otherwise just because of the fact that he withdrew as presidential candidate and, of course, now [is] not returning for a second term. So, it really feels like an afterthought to his presidency,” said Nel. 

After a short stop in the island nation of Cabo Verde off Africa’s northwestern coast, President Biden heads south to Angola.  

There, officials say he plans to focus on U.S. leadership on trade, investment, and infrastructure in Africa. He’ll also recognize Angola’s President João Lourenço’s regional leadership and global partnership on trade, security, and health. 

More importantly, President Biden will highlight one of his signature initiatives, the investment of the Lobito Corridor — a regional railway project linking natural resource-rich areas stretching from the Angolan port of Lobito to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia.  

The corridor is part of a wider joint effort between multiple partners aimed at closing the infrastructure gap in growing economies around the world, officials say.  

Dr. Frances Brown, special assistant to the president and senior director for African Affairs at the National Security Council, speaking about the broader benefits associated with the project. 

“What I found really notable about the Lobito Corridor is that it isn’t just about a railroad or critical minerals. It’s also about the communities that are strengthened along the way, it’s about more access to education, it’s about agricultural products moving to market, and it’s about increases in digital connectivity,” said Brown.

Last year, U.S.-Angola trade totaled approximately $1.77 billion, making Angola America’s fourth-largest trade partner in Sub-Saharan Africa. 

Angola has vast mineral deposits and is Africa’s third largest oil producer. But according to Amnesty International, the country’s natural resource wealth has not translated to prosperity for most of its people, resulting in numerous peaceful protests against poverty, unemployment and high cost of living.  

Nel says some Angolans may see a benefit with this Biden visit. 

“Many ordinary Angolans will recognize that Angola desperately needs to diversify its economy, and this is an enormous opportunity to do so, to move away from oil and gas and bolster other parts of the economy and it has massive potential,” said Nel.  

But others including human rights campaigners and opposition parties, Nel says, will feel aggrieved by President Biden’s visit because they see the Lourenco administration as being rewarded despite growing concerns about the shrinking space for independent civil society organizations and freedom of expression.  

In a new report, Amnesty International said that anyone who publicly criticizes the Lourenço government risks arrest. And “if human rights are central to President Biden’s foreign policy, then he must demand Angola’s government immediately …free arbitrarily detained government critics.”   

Adriano Nuvunga, who runs the Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Mozambique, echoes that sentiment.  

“I commend the people of Angola and president Lourenço for hosting President Biden. It means a lot for the people of Angola. While I commend them, I would also want to encourage President Biden to ask those tough questions to President João Lourenço,” said Nuvunga. “We have a number of human rights defenders in Angola that are detained unjustly, unfairly for doing nothing. They are languishing in jails, some of them in critical conditions,” said Nuvunga.  

Nuvunga hopes that this could be addressed during this trip.  
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Зокрема, суд стягнув будівлі та споруди господарського комплексу в Приморську Запорізької області, повідомив Мін’юст
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Внаслідок атаки на Криворізький район у вечері постраждали двоє людей, на Нікопольщині – один поранений
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Також у Вінницькій області троє студентів коледжу були затримані після підпалу регіонального відділення Укрпошти та релейної шафи
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Його звинуватили в передачі Україні дані про виліт «авіаційного комплексу радіолокаційного дозору та наведення» в січні 2024 року
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17 листопада війська РФ завдали масованого удару по території України
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Washington — U.S. President Joe Biden announced Sunday he pardoned his son Hunter, who was facing sentencing this month in two federal cases.

Biden had previously pledged not to take such action, but in a statement Sunday he said the move was in response to what he called selective and unfair prosecution.

“The charges in his cases came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election,” Biden said.

Hunter Biden was convicted of three felonies in June for a 2018 gun purchase.  Prosecutors said he falsely claimed on a federal form to not be illegally using or addicted to drugs.

He also pled guilty in a case where he was accused of failing to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes.

The president’s action Sunday pardoned Hunter Biden in both cases, as well as any offense he “has committed or may have committed or taken part” between January 1, 2014 to January 1, 2024.

“I have admitted and taken responsibility for my mistakes during the darkest days of my addiction – mistakes that have been exploited to publicly humiliate and shame me and my family for political sport,” Hunter Biden said in a statement.

President Biden said in his statement that he hopes “Americans will understand why a father and a president would come to this decision.”

“For my entire career I have followed a simple principle: just tell the American people the truth. They’ll be fair-minded. Here’s the truth: I believe in the justice system, but as I have wrestled with this, I also believe raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice – and once I made this decision this weekend, there was no sense in delaying it further,” Biden said.

President-elect Donald Trump criticized the move, calling it “such an abuse and miscarriage of justice.”

Trump, in the late stages of his first term in office, pardoned Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law Jared Kushner. Other Trump pardons included his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, former campaign manager Paul Manafort, former chief strategist Steve Bannon and campaign aide George Papadopoulos.

Some information for this story was provided by The Associated Press and Reuters
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