let's go back to nbc news white house correspondent mike memoli. mike, what are you hearing inside the west wing and at the white house? how are they prepare for example what is likely to be a busy news day tomorrow? >> well, what's interesting about this is i think this news came as a shock to most of the white house staff and in pack, it's also worth noting that the president is going to in about an hour and a half leave the white house, travel to andrews air force base and then fly to angola. he's scheduled to hold the last likely foreign trip of his time in office, an important long-delayed trip to the subcontinent of africa that he has promised to visit. so this certainly will overshadow that trip. it also might give us a chance to hear from the president. typically, he at least entertains shouted questions from reporters as he boards air force one. so we'll have that opportunity. we know that as the president, as his close, very close-knit team and of course, his son hunter himself have evaluated whether to take this dramatic step. one of the

joining me now is mike memoli. mike, thank you very much for being here on this breaking news coverage. can you bring us up to speed here? how and when did this change come about? >> it's an important question. so much of the reaction we're seeing indicates that this is the president, lying or misrepresenting what he said on the past. i think it's very clear to the circumstances involved. and one of the most important dynamics was the next president trump as the president of the united states. we have been reporting about the possibility of this pardon for sometime. and this decision ultimately was one that was held to as close as it could possibly invest. and was held as an ongoing conversation over the last couple of weeks. jonathan, i travel the with the president to and from nantucket, marked the thanksgiving holiday, which has been sort of a rather sacred family tradition over the last five decades, since the death of his first wife and infant daughter, when he would begin taking bo and hunter over the holidays

. >> mike memoli, thank you very much for that report, joining is the state attorney for palm beach county, florida, dave, thank you for joining me this evening. give me your initial reaction to president biden pardoning his son, hunter. >> i'm not surprised, i'm a little surprised it happened this soon, i thought it would be closer to when biden left the white house but the writing was on the wall when he received a 52 page report from the lawyer who said specifically why this prosecution was unique, why it was selective prosecution and targeted because his name is hunter biden. as a prosecutor, i doubt that these charges would ever have been brought against a guy named hunter smith, it was because he is the son of the president.>> so, the criticism coming at the president, president biden right now, particularly from some on the right, some saying that the president lied because the president did say many times over the last year, particularly during the campaign that he would not pardon his son. can you talk to me, should the president be fearful, should democrats be fearful of politica

that background noise with mike memoli, i don't know what it is. hear what he's saying for some reason. mike, there in st. croix with the whites of the waves tickling, if you will, the shores as he is reporting from st. croix. mike, rina, thank you for joining us. >>> developing, israeli forces raiding one of gaza's last functioning hospitals. what happened to the patients, nurses, and doctors who were inside. >>> and back at home, how extreme weather from coast to coast is affecting holiday travel and festivities. estivitis ♪ limu emu & doug ♪ woah, limu! we're in a parade. everyone customize and save hundreds on car insurance with liberty mutual. customize and sa— (balloon doug pops & deflates) and then i wake up. and you have this dream every night? yeah, every night! hmm... i see. (limu squawks) only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ time to press rewind with... neutrogena rapid wrinkle repair. it has derm-proven retinol... ...expertly formulated... ...to target skin cell turnover... ...and fights not one—but 5 sign

mike memoli is following the president in the virgin islands. mike, as meagan mentions, this might have been russia at fault. i know you are keeping an eye on what the administration has been saying. what do we know about whether or not they were surprised from the statement that came out yesterday? >> reporter: well, the president has been regularly briefed on this tragic crash and officials say based on their indications there was russian defense system responsible here, they see it as further evidence of the recklessness for which russian president vladimir putin has been conducting this war against ukraine. we heard from white house officials about this. they are pointing to using stronger language than that, talking about how disastrous we are seeing from the russian president at this point as he seeks to reverse the losses russia has faced on the battlefield as ukraine has gained more and more capabilities here. the question heading into the new year for president biden, what more can be done to support ukraine as there continues to be supp

joining us with more is mike memoli from st.re he is traveling with the president who is on vacation. is this what you heard from the president's inner circle post-election. what has he publicly said that he would have done differently? >> well, alex, as i was reporting this report from tyler pager from "the washington post" a few things stuck out with me from my own conversations with the president's team. the question of phasis as farra the campaign message. i sat down with someone right before he announced he would run for a second term and the economic case he would be making to the american people of accomplishments, but what the official stressed back then was because this was the first national election after the january 6th insurrection, the election in so many ways would be in their view a refer end up referendum, the threats to demg democrat see being posed bay a second trump term front and center with the economic messaging and this is one of the things that the post is looking back on it. something they should have f

. >> joining us now, nbc's hala gorani and mike memoli is with us well.reporting on those talks. what have you learned? >> reporter: we understand that this would be a three-phase deal if it goes ahead. the first phase would involve a six-week cease fire during which about 30, and you heard jake sullivan there saying we didn't know exactly, we're still working on the names. he said 30 live hostages because of the about 100 people still detained inside of gaza. we know that about a third are probably dead at this stage. 30 live hostages from the quote, humanitarian group, which would mean people who are elderly, people who are perhaps wounded, and women, and during this six-week phase, there would be an exchange of prisoners with palestinian detainees held by israel. and this is what they're working out right now. when jake sullivan said it's a small detail with the disposition of israeli troops, who would be inside of gaza, that is a little surprising to hear because this is something that has killed deals in the past where the israeli military and benjam

nbc's mike memoli reminded me today that six years ago joe biden spoke at brookings as a former senator and vice president, former vice president, who was a year away from announcing his candidacy for president. joe biden described the policy failures of the trump administration then and what he thought we should do about it. >> we have to deal with the tax code. it's wildly skewed toward taking care of those at the very top. it favors overwhelmingly investors over workers and it's riddled with unproductive expenditures. look what's happened to the latest tax cut. once again, those at the very top get the biggest breaks and what do we have to show for it? second, we've got to educate our people. we found that by the end of this decade, six in ten jobs will need some training, some education beyond high school or you're not going to make it. college, community college, they should be free in my view. i believe every state university should be free. we can afford it. the third thing we've got to do is empower workers. we've got to rebuild this nation's infrastructure. look, we need roads.

joining us now is nbc news white house correspondent, mike memoli, nbc capitol hill correspondent, ryan short, former chief of defense. the reason for so many acts of clemency is there were a lot of nonviolent people who were sentenced to house arrest because of covid because they couldn't be put in prisons. and so that's why this is such a large group. but correct me if i'm wrong here. >> that's exactly right, andrea. you know, since the election and certainly since the president issued that part for his son, we have seen democratic interest groups. we have seen a number of democratic lawmakers call for the president to be just as robust and spansive in expansiv in the use of his pardon power as he was in the case of his son. that's why some of these are interesting. it's 1,500 individuals out of a group of more than 13,000 individuals who because of the c.a.r.e.s act, which i'll mention donald trump, then president, signed into law. we saw a significant transfer of individuals from the prison system into home confinement. and so these 1,500 individuals are now being completely release

joining us is mike memoli and in studio danny cevallos. at do we know about how the president came to this decision? >> the white house said he made this decision this week end after spending the thanksgiving holiday in nantucket, but numbers news is reporting this was something he had not taken off the table as recently as june just days after his son was convicted of that first gun case, but two dates that are significant in driving this ultimate final decision, one is the election of donald trump in november. there was concern including we heard from the white house directly on this that the president's political opponents would continue to seek -- to investigate hunter biden going forward including a trump-led justice department, but then also those two sentencing dates that were looming on december, on the 12th and the 16th, the president making this decisions now spare his son from the appearances and all that comes with it. >> the special counsel who brought these charges against hunter has issued a new filing in the california case,

with us white house correspondent mike memoli, betsy swan, political national correspondent of politico and msnbc contributor and barbara mcquay, an msnbc legal analyst. mike, the president insisted for months that he would not pardon his son. what changed his mind? >> well, jose, one of the most important pieces of the reporting that first broke this story from our colleagues was to point out that after hunter biden was first convicted in that delaware trial on gun-related charges in june, the president and his team had not taken this idea of a pardon off the table, even as publicly you just played some of that, the president himself, the white house, press secretary, and i spoke with first lady jill biden in june and asked about the idea of a pardon whether she wished her husband could use that power to take the burden of their son, she and her husband respect the rule of law. something they've been considering, but it's clear as well, that the election in november certainly influenced the president's thinking here, at least as far as it relates to the breadth of that pardon. see the

joining me now is mike memoli.t do we know about who was parted and who had their sentenced commuted? >> reporter: i'll start with the second category because the 1,500 individuals who are having their sentences commuted are part of a group of 13,000 individuals who have had a form of clemency before as a result of the pandemic. you'll remember there was concern ofabout covid-19 spreadg in prisons and so as part of legislation that was signed into law by then president donald trump, some of these individuals were allowed to be transferred out of prisons into home confinement. they o already had to meet certn criteria, including people who are medically vulnerable, who had been convicted of nonviolent or nonterrorism-related offenses and had a year of a clean record while in prison, so what the president is now doing is taking individuals who were already in home confinement and who in their view have demonstrated a commitment to rehabilitation, being reunited with their families is wiping clean the sentences. the 3

i think we have mike memoli. we're going to speak to him quickly. no, we don't have mike. we knew would be there probably among the crowd. i think he stepped away from the camera. there you have it everybody. taking a look at that which is happening. of course, you see the symbol of aids and the activism there with that bow there on the white house. we are going to take a short break and we will be right back here on msnbc. prilosec otc. one pill. 24 hours. zero heartburn. (vo) this black friday, verizon will turn your old or broken phone into a gift. anyone can trade in any phone, in any condition. and get samsung galaxy s24+, and watch and tab, all three on us. only on verizon. -bye honey. -(groans) morning breath, huh. dr. garcia? wooo. ♪♪ that's millions of bacteria growing overnight. crest pro-health helps prevent oral health issues before they start. i'm so much fresher. crest. >>> let's talk politics. 50 days until inauguration day. washington with the naming of kash patel as his choice for director of the fbi. patel has a history of animosity towards the justice de

. >> joining us now, nbc news white house correspondent mike memoli, live from the carter center in atlantac news priya. i'm going to start with you, mike. in his speech tonight, president biden said that america and the world lost a remarkable leader. listen. >> jimmy was a humanity. jill and i lost a dear friend. i've been hanging out with jimmy carter for over 50 years it dawned on me. and we had countless conversations over those years. i will always be proud to say that -- he used to kid me about it -- that i was the first to endorse him in 1976. >> mike, i think we just got the answer o the question i was going to ask you. why did president biden feel it was important to talk to the nation tonight about late president carter? >> well, jonathan, you know, at the top of the show, you read all those statements from members of the president club, president obama, president trump, president george w. bush also paying tribute to president carter tonight, saying he helped dignify the oval office. well, i think every member of that club has either prior to their becoming president or during t

knapps's mike memoli is with the president in st. croix.g privately from white house officials more acknowledgment that the likelihood of some sort of negotiated settlement is increasingly likely in the future, especially as we see the transition of power to a trump administration here. but as it relates to the surprise offer from if slovakia's prime minister delivered in person this week to president vladimir putin to host potential peace talks, it is interesting. i was able to ask john kirby about that this morning. he reacted on two fronts. first president putin's comments, saying that putin's comments were vacuous, no one should take anything president putin says seriously about a negotiated settlement because of his actions on the battlefield. kirby pointing to increasingly desperate tactics russia is taking, including with north korean soldiers who are seeing deaths in the ranks of a new per beak in the kursk region. but then the other way in which administration officials are throwing cold water on this specific offer from slovakia,

joining us now with more is nbc news white house correspondent, mike memoli from st.>> good evening, we have received the first reaction from the current president, joe biden who is in st. croix for the new year holiday, the president saying in a lengthy statement, in which he makes several points, first america today has lost an extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian, the president talking about jimmy carter as a dear friend but, as he says, what is extraordinary that jimmy carter is the millions of people throughout america and the world who never met him thought of him as a dear friend as well with his compassion and moral clarity, he worked to eradicate disease, forge peace, advance civil rights and human rights, promote free and fair elections, house the homeless and always advocate for the least among us. he lifted and changed the lives of people all across the globe, the president continuing this statement to reflect on the personal and the close relationship that he enjoyed with carter over decades, he said that he and the first lady will always cher

nbc's mike memoli live in st. croix. mike, thank you so much. michael beschloss, mike memoli mentioned that exclusive club of former presidents. even in his brief statement about jimmy carter, donald trump made the same reference that he and carter shared that. talk to us about what you think we'll hear for president biden in the week ahead, putting president carter's legacy in the context of not just the story of the presidency, but the story of the nation. >> i think what he will say is that jimmy carter restored the nation. one of the nicest things, jon, is that after carter was inaugurated, 1977, i can recite the words by heart, the first thing he said was for myself and our nation, i would like to thank my predecessor, there he is on the screen, gerald ford, for all he's done to heal our land. this was after this ferocious campaign between the two of them. and this was after, just as others have said, the vietnam war and watergate, carter seemed a healing figure. the other thing is the personal message, jonathan. you know how many electoral

mike memoli is at the white house. eddie glaude is back with me. ed 39 people. there's a difference between clemency and a pardon. all, non-violent offenders. but what else do we know? >> reporter: when you look through all the information the white house gave us on these individuals who were pardoned, a few things stand out. the first, the way in which these individuals have been giving back to their communities. one of the people pardoned was a pilot who has spent his time helping members of his church who aren't able to perform strenuous tasks. a woman in texas who is a nurse who's helped in a number of emergency responses and during the covid pandemic. another individual from denver who is an addiction counselor now helping young people struggling with addiction to find their purpose, as the white house puts it. you also three throughout the biographies of these 39 individuals, multiple references to the fact that if some of these people were sentenced today for the crimes they were sentenced for decades ago, their time in jail would have been f

just to also point out that for the family as mike memoli has, you know, written and talked to us about this morning and last night, for the family, nantucket is a poignant place. every thanksgiving, the family together, it was the last trip they took with bo and he was there with hunter, his wife, little bow who is four or five years old and ashley biden, their daughter. it was a smaller family in there must've been a lot of time . we saw them just yesterday and over the weekend at the a tree lighting and shopping and downtown nantucket in the mainstream area. there was no hint of this then, but just your insight into the family dynamic there? >> reporter: yeah, you are absolutely right. this has been a painful situation for president biden. of course, a father of a son who has struggled with addiction and got into trouble. and biden feels guilt about that. he feels guilty. when he says his son was singled out because he was his son, he feels guilty about that and blames himself on some level for that attention to him. of course, whether or not hunter biden would have gotten the millio

let's go to mike memoli who's also joining me by phone. mike, what do we know about this process? did it go through the traditional pardon process with the department of justice or was this something done internally among the family? how did this happen? >> reporter: i think with the president, everything is a family process. the timing of this is quite conspicuous given that i was just with the president in nantucket, returned with him last night on air force one. hunter was on the plane part of the trip. traditionally, the thanksgiving holiday for the biden holiday has been one in which it's the entire extended family. we know beau, his late son's children, it's been a sacred time for them over the years in which they gather, the entire clan, to mark the holiday. this year, it really did strike me it was only hunter biden, his wife, little son, who's named beau, as well as ashley biden, the president's daughter, who was part of that family trip. we did see the president out in public during that time as well as hunter biden was with him at each point, but it was a much more butt

i want to bring in mike memoli from washington, d.c., ali vitali on capitol hill gathering reauctionouwer a former u.s. attorney and doj official in the bush and obama administration and elise jordan served in the state department and white house under george w. bush and an msnbc political analyst. welcome to you all. i want to remind everyone of what joe biden has previously said about his son hunter and a pardon. >> i have no comment on any investigation that's going on. that's up to the justice department and that's all i have to say. >> will you accept the jury's outcome, their verdict, no matter what it is? >> yes. >> and have you ruled out a pardon for your son? >> yes. >> i'm not going to do anything. i said i would abide by the jury's decision and do that and not pardon him. >> the president had been adamant he wasn't going to do this. what changed? >> well, the question is, did anything actually change? yes, you heard the president in those clips all of which i should add took place when he was still a candidate for re-election, denying publicly at least that he would give a

. >> so let me go to mike memoli who is near the white house right now.en a formal statement from the white house or from joe biden about chris wray's decision, but give us some context and what does your reporting tell you about this? >> well, chris, we've reached out to the white house to comment on director wray's decision. they are not commenting at this point but i think it's likely they will look for an opportunity to praise him for his years of service to this country. obviously, the white house has not always necessarily agreed with the decisions law enforcement has taken. we've heard the president in the form of that statement explaining his pardon for his son talk about at particular case. in other words, this is an administration that has stressed its commitment to the institutions. to the principles behind them. to the rule of law and impartiality of the justice system. and director wray has been somebody who has been part of the operations at the white house. briefing the president on important law enforcement matters. now, it's also importan

let's go to nbc's mike memoli, who has the very tough assignment of being with the president in st. shot there and out the rainy window in our d.c. studio, jealousy overwhelms me. however, i am a professional, so let me ask you, what moves are we expecting the president to make as he prepares to take off from the south lawn that final time? >> reporter: well, christina, first, i'll report that this counts for a bad weather day here in the virgin islands. it's cloudy. it's disastrous here. but you're talking about president biden. he spent a half century running for or holding public office, and when he returns to washington next wednesday, a career that has included two years as a county councilman, 36 years as a u.s. senator, 8 years as vice president, and 3 1/2, almost 4 years as president will come down to just three weeks, and we've already seen, even though it hasn't gotten as much of the headlines and the attention that the moves president-elect donald trump is making, president biden, before the holidays, taking a number of steps to try to cement his legacy in a couple key ar

joining us, nbc news white house correspondent mike memoli.s behind the scenes, why these pardons, why these commuted sentences. >> reporter: well, katy, it's interesting because as we have seen since the election, a number of democrats, a number of interest groups affiliated with the party have been calling on the president to exercise his pardon power. those calls only were amplified after he did use it for his son, hunter biden. as we see what the president did today, both in the terms of the sheer number, 1500 commutations, the most on any single day in history, but the types of cases the president is highlighting. you see the president responding to some of those calls. i really think the story of the individuals pardoned are always interesting, the ways in which we see they have contributed to their community, they have been fully reintegrated into society. they want to honor that by clearing the decks of the offenses from their record is important, but the commutations speak to what a number of democrats have raised concern about more b

. >> joining us now nbc news white house correspondent mike memoli who's traveling with president bidenn saint droit and tia mitchell, bureau chief for the atlanta journal- constitution. president biden and president carter were said to be members of the small presidents club but they had a bond that went even beyond politics, right? >> reporter: that's right, when president biden then senator biden made that endorsement of jimmy carter that you referenced in 1976, there were policy reasons that he offered at the time including their shared views on issues like the environment, but also talk about jimmy carter as somebody who, as biden saw himself at the time, represented a new generation in the democratic party of progressive leadership of also breathing fresh air in washington at the time of watergate, when decency and character were so important, and that was really the root of the bond between these two men as you heard the president talking about, talking off-the- cuff and from the heart about the ways in which they continued their personal relationship over the years including car

. >> all right, mike memoli traveling with president biden in st. croix, thank you.to you next. you've covered jimmy carter extensively including his life after leaving the white house, and i want to play you something he told our colleague, andrea mitchell, in 2019. >> the white house was more gratifying and more fulfilling, and i would say in many ways more challenging even than being in the white house, and we have been able to reach out to the people that were really in need, which is something the president to do personally. >> you called his post presidential life extraordinary and here in d.c. where people don't agree on much, even critics of the administration seem to agree that extraordinary is an appropriate word. what more can you tell us about after he left the office? >> well, he devoted his life to making the world a better place, which is a remarkable thing for someone in his position. he went around, he was an election monitor. he almost eradicated a disease in africa. he was all over the world, awarded the nobel peace prize in 2002 for his work on de