DOMESTIC
Hunter Biden was scheduled to be sentenced this month for three federal gun charges and a case of federal tax evasion for which he was convicted earlier this year. However, in a controversial decision sparking outcry across the political spectrum, President Biden has chosen to grant his son a full pardon. The power of “pardon,” as outlined in the Constitution, allows the president to prevent future punishment and restore civil rights for individuals who are wrongfully convicted by the president’s interpretation. In President Biden’s words, his son has been unfairly targeted, the victim of political rivals looking to attack the President’s family. Nevertheless, members of Congress—from both parties—have criticized the pardon as an instance of personal interest superseding the justice system and compromising its integrity. Hunter Biden pled guilty to three felony tax offenses and six misdemeanor tax offenses in September. Now, thanks to his father’s pardon, the younger Biden has received full clemency for all offenses over the past decade—including any crimes he may or may not have committed while working under the Ukrainian energy company Burisma. Although President-elect Donald Trump will reclaim office in January, Hunter Biden’s pardon is final. He will not face further charges.
In Indianapolis this past Monday, a car was stolen with two infant girls inside—one four months old, and one five months old. Thanks to the involvement of a local “good Samaritan,” both girls were found safe and well only 20 minutes after police released a request for information. The Indiana man who located the infants had simply gone to retrieve a package when he happened across the babies, who had been dumped into a nearby ditch. Given the frigid weather, the danger was severe for two infants left unprotected and abandoned in the elements. Had the man retrieved his package a mere half an hour earlier, the end to this story could have been drastically more dismal. However, thanks to his timing, kindness and proactivity, both girls were saved, and the stolen car has since been located. Police continue to seek the culprit responsible for such despicable child endangerment.
INTERNATIONAL
Political turmoil has ravaged South Korea this past week, as President Yoon Suk-Yeol unexpectedly declared martial law—banning Parliament activity, moving to censor the media and sending armed soldiers to invade the National Assembly when Parliament rejected his attempt to assert control. According to Yoon, martial law was necessary for South Korea to defend itself from its nuclear-armed northern counterpart and preserve freedom and constitutional order. However, mere hours following the President’s declaration, Parliament members in attendance passed a bill to require its rescission; President Yoon obliged. The crisis has thus been largely avoided and caused little disruption to South Koreans’ daily lives—even as armed troops stormed the Parliament’s assembly building. For President Yoon, however, the controversy is all but resolved, and if more than two-thirds of lawmakers are in favor, South Korea’s Parliament can impeach the President, leading to a trial in court and quite possibly removal from office. Already widely unpopular, even prior to this sudden declaration, Yoon’s fortunes do not seem favorable. Some Parliament members anticipate treason charges, despite the President’s compliance with lifting the martial law. Although such declarations of martial law are quite common in the nation’s history, the last occurrence was almost 45 years ago, and the protestors who took to the streets last week provide ample evidence that South Koreans will not again allow such removal of their freedoms—even in the face of a mounting North Korean threat.
An Australian woman, Donna Nelson, has been sentenced by a Japanese court to six years in prison for the illegal smuggling of drugs into Japanese territory. The drugs were found hidden in the false bottom of her suitcase at a Japanese airport at the beginning of last year. She was arrested on the spot and has since remained in custody. Following Wednesday’s sentencing, she faces another six years of incarceration in Japan. Nelson, her family and her lawyers, however, claim she is the victim of a romance scam and had no idea there were drugs hidden within her luggage. A man Nelson met online, supposedly a Nigerian owner of a fashion business, paid for her travel and asked her to collect dress samples from an associate in Laos before meeting him in Japan. He never arrived, though. According to the Japanese judge, despite the evident deception and resulting need for sympathy, Nelson should have taken action when she realized that something felt off. Thus, he stands by his sentence.
