Trump says ‘hell to pay’ if Gaza hostages not released by inauguration; Biden’s pardon rattles Washington: Live

Joe Biden has issued a pardon for his son Hunter following his conviction on federal gun charges, despite previously claiming he would not do so.

The president is officially announced the decision on Sunday night, saying that his son had been “selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted” by the Justice Department.

“Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter,” Biden said in a statement. “From the day I took office, 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.

“Without aggravating factors like use in a crime, multiple purchases, or buying a weapon as a straw purchaser, people are almost never brought to trial on felony charges solely for how they filled out a gun form.

“Those who were late paying their taxes because of serious addictions, but paid them back subsequently with interest and penalties, are typically given non-criminal resolutions. It is clear that Hunter was treated differently.”

Filmmaker Michael Moore has weighed in on the continuing U.S. support for Israel in the onging war with Hamas in Gaza, suggesting that if Democrats continue to support the Jewish State, “more elections” will be lost.

“Democratic senators should know better. And their behavior in supporting this aggression will only cost them more elections,” Moore wrote in his Substack article on Saturday.

“Voters under 45 and people of color combined (making up nearly half the electorate), have no interest in war and would rather our government spend our money on our schools, our elderly, and our broken health care system.”

“Time to cut Bibi off,” he said, referring to the nickname for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

With major deportation push on the horizon, state leaders prepare to lead a second resistance against a Trump White House, writes John Bowden.

Robert F Kennedy Jr has posted a strange video of himself performing athletic feats while shirtless.

The 70-year-old former attorney, tipped by Trump to head up the Department of Health and Human Services, displayed an impressive physique and joked that he was “practicing moves” for his Senate confirmation hearing.

There’s “no question” that Joe Biden should have dropped out of the 2024 race sooner, a Democratic senator said on Sunday.

While far from a surprise, it’s a sign of how far Biden’s party is willing to go in questioning his judgment after the president’s team saw losses in the presidential, Senate and House races this cycle.

John Bowden has more:

Donald Trump’s controversial decision to have Kash Patel to head up the FBIwas not his first choice, according to a new report.

The MAGA loyalist was being considered as deputy director of the bureau, an appointment that may have raised fewer eyebrows, with Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey a frontrunner for the top job.

However, a source in the Trump transition team told Axios that Bailey’s interview at Mar-a-Lago did not go well and that he “looked the part” but “just didn’t have the presence in the room.”

Donald Trump has announced he will appoint daughter Tiffany’s father-in-law, Massad Boulos, to serve as his senior adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs.

Boulos, a billionaire from Lebanon, is the second father of one of Trump’s sons-in-law to be selected for a position in the forthcoming administration, following the nomination of Charles Kushner – father of Jared Kushner, on Saturday.

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Republicans spent at least $215 million on attack ads about transgender rights. The question is, did it actually move voters?

Io Dodds investigates: