News Information and Media Site: Nightly Rundown: Fallout after Biden pardons son Hunter; Massive pileup in lake effect snow; Israeli American hostage presumed dead

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By Dan Donahue

Monday, December 02, 2024

Good Monday afternoon. There is growing fallout from President Biden's decision to pardon his son Hunter, a massive pileup has occurred as lake effect snow pounds the Great Lakes, and an Israeli American soldier who was thought to have been taken hostage is now presumed dead.

Here is what's in our Nightly Rundown.

White House defends President Biden's decision to pardon son Hunter

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre today defended President Joe Biden's decision to issue a "full and unconditional" pardon to his son, Hunter Biden, on federal firearm and tax charges, despite his repeated insistence that he would not do so.

Biden believes "raw politics infected the process and led to a miscarriage of justice," in his son's case, Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One on a flight to Angola.

The president issued a statement Sunday, reading in part: "There has been an effort to break Hunter — who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution. In trying to break Hunter, they've tried to break me — and there's no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough."

Jill Biden, during the unveiling today of her final White House Christmas decorations as first lady, told reporters that "of course" she supports the president's decision to pardon their son.

The pardon has prompted outrage among Republicans, and some Democrats have also voiced opposition to the move. President-elect Donald Trump reacted to the news by raising the prospect of pardons for January 6th defendants.

At the end of his first term in office, Trump pardoned several of his allies including Roger Stone, Paul Manafort, and Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law Jared Kushner, whom he selected over the weekend to serve as U.S. ambassador to France.

Republican senators react to Trump's FBI director pick Kash Patel

President-elect Trump's choice of loyalist and fierce FBI critic Kash Patel to lead the nation's top law enforcement agency is being met with mixed reactions among the Republican senators who will weigh his confirmation.

Sen. Bill Hagerty, a Republican from Tennessee, told NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday that he had urged Trump to appoint Patel, saying there were "serious problems at the F.B.I."

But Sen. Mike Rounds, a Republican from South Dakota, expressed his support for the FBI's current director, Christopher Wray, who would either have to resign or be fired by Trump to make way for Patel, calling Wray a "very good man" during an interview with ABC News' "This Week."

Patel, who served as an adviser to the director of national intelligence and the secretary of defense during Trump's first term, has spread baseless conspiracy theories and pledged last year that under Trump "we will go out and find the conspirators, not just in government but in the media."

In September, Patel said on a podcast that he would "shut down the FBI Hoover building on Day One and reopen it the next day as a museum of the 'Deep State.'"

Massive pileup shuts down I-94 in Michigan as lake effect snow impacts millions

Michigan authorities say whiteout conditions were a factor in a massive pileup involving at least 14 cars and three semitrucks that shut down part of I-94 and left one driver critically injured, as lake effect snow pounds the Great Lakes region.

In these areas today snowfall rates may exceed 1 inch per hour, and visibility may drop below 1/4 mile at times, making travel extremely difficult or near impossible, forecasters say.

In western New York, part of Lewis County saw more than five feet of snow. Orchard Park, where the Buffalo Bills beat the San Francisco 49ers in the driving snow at Highmark Stadium on Sunday night, got more than two feet.

The powerful snow event is hitting just as many Americans are traveling home from the Thanksgiving holiday. On Sunday, the TSA screened more than 3 million people, setting a new single-day record.

Israeli American soldier believed to have been taken hostage now presumed dead, IDF says

An Israeli American soldier who was thought to have been taken hostage by Hamas during the Oct. 7, 2023 terror attack was instead killed that day and his body taken into Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces said today.

Omer Neutra, a 21-year-old New York native who served as a tank platoon commander after emigrating to Israel, was killed in battle, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on social media.

"Omer's life story and dedication represent the best and strongest we have built as a nation," Katz said.

President Biden said in a statement that he was "devastated and outraged" to learn of Neutra's death. In a message to the families of Americans still being held hostage in Gaza, Biden said he "will not stop working to bring your loved ones back home where they belong."

What else we're watching:

A woman has pleaded guilty to all charges in a DUI crash in South Carolina that killed a bride on her wedding night in April 2023, just as her trial was set to start.

Syria's military has launched a counterattack after rebels seized Aleppo, one of the country's largest cities.

The Supreme Court heard arguments today over whether the FDA acted unlawfully when it refused to approve flavored e-cigarettes citing public health concerns.

A man wielding a chainsaw inside an Illinois assisted living facility was shot and killed by police Sunday, authorities said.

Elton John revealed on Sunday that he has lost his sight after an eye infection.

The Oxford University Press has unveiled its Word of the Year for 2024.

With this Cyber Monday on track to break records, NBC Select is monitoring the best deals.

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