welcome to the programme. strong critcisism of joe biden as he grants his son hunter a legal pardon, despite saying he wouldn't. also, in france, the government could collapse by wednesday. parties on the far left and far right say they'll back a vote of no confidence. and... what do countries need to do about climate change? the un's top court will try to answer that. we'll speak to a lawyer fighting for one of the worst affected nations. the white house is defending presidentjoe biden�*s decision to issue an offical pardon for his son hunter, who was set to face sentencing this month, for tax evasion and gun convictions. joe biden said although he believed in the justice system, "politics has infected this process and it led to "a miscarriage ofjustice". president—elect donald trump has called the pardon itself

an "abuse and miscarriage ofjustice". our north america editor sarah smith reports. as the biden family gathered to celebrate thanksgiving this past weekend, hunter biden was there right alongside his dad. and it was here the president decided to give his son the gift of a full and unconditional pardon despite his previous promises not to do so. i'm extremely proud of my son, hunter. he has overcome an addiction. he has... he's one of the brightest, most decent men i know, and i am satisfied that i'm not going to do anything. i said, i abide by thejury decision and i will do that, and i will not pardon him. president biden wants americans to forgive that naked hypocrisy which could spare his son a prison sentence. the reaction, as swift as it is, predictable — righteous indignation from biden�*s opponents. first came the decision, now the outrage. president biden

pardons his son. he lied to us repeatedly, saying that he wouldn't i pardon hunter. i figured he would. and it's unfortunate that, . you know, when you expect the worst, you oftentimes get it. and he did pardon him because hunter biden was the bag manl for the biden crime family. hunter biden�*s offences include failing to pay tax in los angeles from 2016—2019 and lying on a gun purchase form claiming he wasn't taking drugs when he was an addict. injune this year, he was convicted of illegally purchasing and owning a gun. in september, he pleaded guilty to the tax offences in la. his pardon, though, covers any and everything he may have done from the start of 2014 until now. hunter biden has been extensively investigated by republicans in congress looking for corruption and hoping to tie it to his father. with a pardon that predates his controversial business dealings, he'll now be protected from further prosecutions. and they have taken the light of my dad's love...

the light of my dad's love the light of my dad's love for me and presented for me and presented it as darkness. it as darkness. joe biden says he believes joe biden says he believes hunter was the victim hunter was the victim of politically motivated of politically motivated prosecutions that would never prosecutions that would never have come to court if he wasn't have come to court if he wasn't the president's son. the president's son. sound familiar? sound familiar? yes, it's the same argument yes, it's the same argument donald trump uses about all donald trump uses about all the cases against him on social the cases against him on social media, he called hunter's media, he called hunter's on social media, he called hunter's pardon an abuse and miscarriage of justice. and miscarriage of justice. joe biden says he hopes joe biden says he hopes americans will understand why americans will understand why a father and a president a father and a president would make this decision. would make this decision. well, it's easier to understand well, it's easier to understand why a dad would do it why a dad would do it than a politician who knows than a politician who knows what the consequences could be. north america correspondent jess parkerjoins us now. just talk as some of the what the consequences could be. reaction. , , , , reaction. unsurprisingly, there has been plenty _ reaction. unsurprisingly, there has been plenty of _ reaction. unsurprisingly, there has been plenty of criticism . has been plenty of criticism from within republican circles, but perhaps more interestingly, because you would expect that,

i think, from the

than a politician who knows what against ;equences could be. than a politician who knows what against the |ences could be. than a politician who knows what against the democratici be. used against the democratic party in future. {iii used against the democratic party in future.— used against the democratic party in future. of course, the white house _ party in future. of course, the white house will _ party in future. of course, the white house will be _ party in future. of course, the white house will be out - white house will be out defending the decision, they will continuing to be after a lot of questions about him. what are the kind of answers we are hearing about the justification in change indecision, the change ofjoe biden�*s mind? i indecision, the change of joe biden's mind?— indecision, the change of joe biden's mind? i was listening to a briefing _ biden's mind? i was listening to a briefing earlier— biden's mind? i was listening to a briefing earlier betweenl to a briefing earlier between reporters on air force one as they headed to angola with the president, between those reporters and joe biden�*s press secretary, and she was more or less sticking, quoting from joe biden�*s lengthy statement from sunday night, something that she really kind of kept emphasising, the spokesperson, the press secretary, thatjoe biden had wrestled with this decision over the weekend. they are trying to suggest, this was are trying to suggest, this was a big moral dilemma forjoe biden, that he considered it very deeply and then landed on this decision and hopes the

american people would understand. and they are saying as well, the white house, that hunter biden because of who he is, because of who his father is, because of who his father is, was basically unfairly targeted in these cases. interestingly, that is something that has been rejected in a court filing by a special counsel that led on these prosecutions today, they are saying that is not the case that there was unfair treatment in this regard. but that is certainly an argument thatjoe biden strongly made in his statement last night and was reiterated by the white house today. reiterated by the white house toda . . ~ reiterated by the white house toda . ., ~ i. reiterated by the white house toda . ., ~' ,, , reiterated by the white house toda. ., , . i'm joined now by margaret love, a lawyer who served as us pardon attorney from 1990 until 1997. the us pardon attorney is a justice department position devoted to assisting the president on clemency issues. thank you for coming on the programme. i thank you for coming on the programme-— thank you for coming on the programme. thank you for coming on the rouramme. ., , ., , _ ., programme. i am very happy to be here. what _ programme. i am very happy to be here. what was _ programme. i am very happy to be here. what was your - programme. i am very happy to| be here. what was your reaction to this? i _ be here. what was your reaction to this? i was _ be here. what was your reaction to this? i was surprised. - be here. what was your reaction to this? i was surprised. not - to this? i was surprised. not so much _ to this? i was surprised. not so much that _ to this? i was surprised. not so much that he _ to this? i was surprised. not so much that he had - to this? i was surprised. not so much that he had issued. to this? i was surprised. not| so much that he had issued a

pardon to his son, but the breadth of the pardon was what was really surprising to me. what does that mean, the breadth? he what does that mean, the breadth?— what does that mean, the breadth? ., ., ., , breadth? he pardoned not only the two cases _ breadth? he pardoned not only the two cases that _ breadth? he pardoned not only the two cases that hunter- breadth? he pardoned not only the two cases that hunter is . the two cases that hunter is currently charged with, but also extended it to any case that might be brought against him by a federal prosecutor for an 11 year period. that is really an unprecedented pre—emptive pardon that has only been done once, at least in the last 150 years, and that was for richard nixon by president ford in 197a. so it has been really quite an amazing, interesting, time, but thinking about whether this use of a pardon power which is almost unprecedented is valid. can you give us a sense by way of contrast, how is this power usually used by presidents?

well, the usual case is when someone has been convicted and sentenced and has either served their sentence and contributed to the community, that is the sort of full pardon, or if they have been sentenced under serving a prison term, their sentence might be commuted, those are the two different kind of clemency. but in both cases, they have been charged and convicted. president trump did a number where he pardon someone who had been charged, but not yet convicted, and he would get into the middle of a case and pardon the person and in the case at that point. but there is no case in which trump did not pardon quite specifically and the thing that is different about the hunter biden pardon is that it does extend to any charge that might

be brought during this 11 year period. be brought during this 11 year eriod. , ., be brought during this 11 year .eriod. ., ., be brought during this 11 year eriod. , ., ., ., , period. does that having any implications, _ period. does that having any implications, do _ period. does that having any implications, do you - period. does that having any implications, do you think, l period. does that having any i implications, do you think, for the future? does it set a new precedent, is there anything to be concerned about byatt? i don't know, because who knows? i rather doubt it. at the time of the nixon pardon there were questions raised about whether this was an appropriate use, a valid use, of the president's power. the prosecutor at that time decided not to challenge it. ithink time decided not to challenge it. i think everyone was tired of the episode. i don't know what president trump will plan to do with this, he may do nothing. and i think probably that would be best. but it's very hard to predict. i5 that would be best. but it's very hard to predict. is there a kind of— very hard to predict. is there a kind of wider _ very hard to predict. is there a kind of wider philosophical| a kind of wider philosophical argument about stripping this power altogether? film. argument about stripping this power altogether?— argument about stripping this power altogether? oh, i doubt it. if power altogether? oh, i doubt it- if there _ power altogether? oh, i doubt it. if there is _ power altogether? oh, i doubt it. if there is one _ power altogether? oh, i doubt it. if there is one thing -

power altogether? oh, i doubt it. if there is one thing i - it. if there is one thing i really would welcome, to tell you the truth, it would be a conversation about what function the president's power serves in the current federal justice system. that has not been a conversation we have had, and there have been many, many people who have been applying for pardon through the numeral process who have not had their cases decided, and there are hundreds of cases are pending of ordinary people who apply for pardon or commutation of sentence, and whether they ought to be continuing to wait is another good question, and whether we want to hold this remedy out for them any more. fascinating, thank you for coming on the programme. you are very welcome, _ coming on the programme. i'm. are very welcome, thank you. coming on the programme. you are very welcome, thank you. i | are very welcome, thank you. i just want to take you live to georgia. you might have been following night after night of this. this is the fifth night, protesters are on the streets

confronting police. we have already had four nights of clashes between police and protesters there. protesters angry at the government, the new prime ministerfor angry at the government, the new prime minister for saying they will put on the hold, effectively, talks to join the european union until at least 2028. there has been some rolling back on that statement by officials there, but it hasn't as you can see kept protesters at home. we have on previous evenings seen fireworks thrown, we have seen water cannon used, so we have been keeping across these pictures just for the last little while, and we will be keeping across these pictures in the hours ahead. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news.

the united nations is holding an emergency meeting on events in syria.

the syrian army says it's preparing a counter—offensive against the islamist forces who have taken the country's second largest city aleppo in a surprise offensive at the weekend. here's our international editor, jeremy bowen. at the weekend, only a couple of days after starting their offensive, rebel fighters were posing and celebrating at aleppo's ancient citadel. during years of war, the citadel was an impregnable regime fortress. but these men took it almost without a fight. back in january 2017, i was in aleppo in the days after the assad regime recaptured the east of the city from rebels who'd held it since the war in aleppo started in 2012. there was massive destruction from russian and regime air strikes. this was all a huge victory for the regime,

but in the years that followed, the war gradually froze but it never ended. once again, president bashar al—assad is beleaguered. he had an emergency meeting in damascus with the iranian foreign minister. assad's survival will depend again on his allies, who are worrying about their own futures. in aleppo, hts fighters are pulling down portraits of assad, their enemy. they are considered terrorists by his regime, and by the un, the us, the uk, and the eu, because their roots are in al-anda. nina alami follows jihadist media for bbc monitoring. she has seen hts changing its image as syrians are mostly repelled by extremist religious rhetoric. in their messaging, they have been trying to portray themselves as more of a nationalist rebel group and basically trying to shake off theirjihadist past and prove that they don't have any lasting links with al-qaeda orjihadist

groups, and that they are simply after toppling the government of bashar al—assad. jeremy is here with me. talk us through if you can, the state of fighting right now, the state of play.— of fighting right now, the stateofla. . , state of play. last wednesday it all started. _ state of play. last wednesday it all started. this _ state of play. last wednesday it all started. this group - it all started. this group which is led by the dominant partner in this coalition, if you like, called hts, they moved out of their power base on the border with turkey and pushed toward aleppo. that was, according to their social media, was the target. they got there so quickly, more quickly than i think anybody expected, within two days they were posing for photos and selfies at the mighty citadel of aleppo, always a regime stronghold. they then pushed on

and i think got overexcited and thinking they will go all the way to do masters, but that is actually a long road and there will be a lot of trouble on the way. —— go all the way to damascus. they went in the direction of the next big town on that road but now the syrian regime is striking back. there have been lots of pictures, sing a few of them now, circulate by the white helmet civil defence group, in the aftermath of bomb attacks, scenes that were horribly familiar for years and years scenes that were horribly familiarfor years and years in syria and have once again become familiar in the last year and a bit since those hamas attacks in gaza, this started this process of essentially absolutely upending the status quo in the middle

east, plunging the whole region into turmoil with consequences that people didn't necessarily see, which including this lightning offensive. what are the conditions _ lightning offensive. what are the conditions do _ lightning offensive. what are the conditions do you - lightning offensive. what are the conditions do you think l the conditions do you think that specifically allowed them to make this decision and make this progress?— this progress? well, i think they saw — this progress? well, i think they saw an _ this progress? well, i think they saw an opportunity, i this progress? well, i think. they saw an opportunity, the reason assad survived the first decade or more of the war in syria, multiple armed insurrections against him which at one point controlled a majority sections of the country, the reason he survived was because of military intervention by russia in 2015, and also by iran which has always supported him and the lebanese hezbollah group. they have all, those who have followed the news know, that in the last month or two, hezbollah has had massive blows directed against them by the israelis, though israelis are bombing them again despite the

ceasefire tonight. iran has held security in the region, they are no longer deterring they are no longer deterring the israelis, that is a big problem for them. russia, the israelis, that is a big problem forthem. russia, of course as we know, has got its hands very full in ukraine, so essentially there is still is 1529 00:18:17,447 --> 00:1