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Today’s top stories

President Biden has signed a full and unconditional pardon for his son Hunter Biden. The pardon comes just seven weeks before he leaves office. President Biden granted the clemency request despite repeated assurances that he would not pardon his son. Hunter was convicted of a federal weapons charge for lying about his drug addiction on a federal background check form when purchasing a gun. In another case, he pleaded guilty to tax crimes for failing to pay at least $1.4 million in federal taxes. Sentencing was scheduled for later this month and he could have faced prison time.

President Biden and his son Hunter Biden walk through downtown Nantucket, Massachusetts, on Friday.

Jose Luis Magana/AP

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Jose Luis Magana/AP

• 🎧 In a statement from the White House last night, President Biden said upon taking office that he had promised not to interfere with the Justice Department. He said he had kept his word, even as he said Hunter had been “prosecuted selectively and unfairly.” He continued by saying that Hunter was charged after opponents in Congress instigated the prosecution to try to hurt him politically, NPR’s Ryan Lucas tells us First up. Biden says Hunter was unfairly excluded. Hunter says his mistakes have been used to humiliate him and his family and he won’t take grace for granted. Hunter added that he would dedicate his life to helping those who are still sick and suffering.

President-elect Donald Trump says he will nominate Kash Patel, a close ally and former national security adviser, to the post the next director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This is to replace current director Chris Wray, who has two years left in his term. Patel has been critical of the country’s top law enforcement agency and has been vocal about his plans to change it.

• 🎧 Patel says he is ready to use the power of law enforcement to take action against those who opposed Trumpincluding members of Congress, people who prosecuted him and reporters, says NPR’s Carrie Johnson. Trump chose Wray after firing Jim Comey in 2017. It’s rare for an FBI director to be fired while his term is up, but it has happened before, Johnson said. It is unknown if Wray will be fired in January or if he may resign. However, the FBI said over the weekend that Wray is focused on the FBI’s workforce and protecting Americans from threats.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has vowed to “crush” rebels who made territorial gains in Syria over the weekend. Syria’s 13-year-old civil war has long been in a stalemate, but these renewed fighting pose the biggest threat to the ruling regime in years. The rebel advance comes at a time when Russia, a key Syrian ally, is tense in its war with Ukraine. Here’s what you should know about the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and how it carried out the stunning takeover of Aleppo, Syria’s second largest city.

• 🎧 Rebel Gen. Ahmed Homsi tells NPR’s Ruth Sherlock that they were able to break through three defense lines in 72 hours and thought they might be able to continue on to the capital, Damascus. The United States, Russia and others have designated HTS a terrorist organization because some members had ties to al-Qaeda. Sherlock says the group has tried to transform itself into a less hardline group in recent years, although it is still religious and conservative. Sherlock says many Syrians would welcome a rebel takeover because the country is ruled by a brutal dictatorship. The rebel offensive slowed yesterday and the government says it has recaptured some areas in central Syria.

Deep dive

This picture taken on December 7, 2016 shows Christmas trees in a showroom of the Sun Xudan artificial Christmas tree factory in Yiwu.

Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images

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Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images

It’s that time of year to get out Christmas decorations and decide what type of tree you want to decorate: a real tree or a plastic one. This decision begs the age-old question: Are real Christmas trees or their fake counterparts more environmentally friendly? That’s what studies and environmentalists say.

• 🎄 The most recent US analysis measured the environmental impact of both tree species from production to disposal. It looked at the netting around real Christmas trees and the water used to keep them alive compared to the plastic packaging tape used to crate and transport artificial trees from manufacturers in China.
• 🎄 The analysis showed that these are artificial trees more environmentally friendly if it is reused for at least five years.
• 🎄 Environmentalists say it’s worth considering the end game of both options. Artificial trees are not recyclable, while real trees can be mulched and reused for more environmentally friendly purposes.

Picture show

A fishing village near Nouakchott, Mauritania. After a severe drought, many of the country’s pastoral nomads turned to the sea for a living.

George Steinmetz

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George Steinmetz

A fishing village near Nouakchott, Mauritania. After a severe drought, many of the country’s pastoral nomads turned to the sea for a living.

George Steinmetz

The renowned photographer George Steinmetz traveled there with his drones 36 countries, 27 US states and five oceans document food production. The Goal: Investigate the way food finds its way to feed an ever-growing population. The photos are included in his latest book. Feed the Planet: A Photographic Journey into the World’s Foodwith accompanying text from journalist Joel K. Bourne Jr., documenting the food footprint these practices leave on our environment.

3 things you should know before you go

Every December, the town of Gegenbach in Germany transforms its town hall into a giant Advent calendar.

Hubert Grimmig/Kultur- und Tourismus GmbH Gegenbach

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Hubert Grimmig/Kultur- und Tourismus GmbH Gegenbach

1. Gegenbach, Germany, transforms its town hall into a giant Advent calendar every December. Every evening they lift the blinds to reveal a new picture.
2. Belgium is the first country to allow sex workers to sign formal employment contracts that give them access to sick days, maternity benefits and pensions.
3. Black Friday shoppers spent a record $10.8 billion in online purchases – over 10% more than last year.

This newsletter was published by Suzanne Nuyen.