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sake, search the economist. Hello from CNN, I'm Joe Beck, with the five things you need

to know for Thursday, December 12th.

President Joe Biden has announced that he's commuting the sentences of around 1,500 people.

He's also pardoning 39 people convicted of nonviolent crimes, just weeks before the end

of his presidency.

With the details, his CNN's Alet signs.

President Biden is tapping his pardon power to issue the largest single-day grant of clemency

in modern history.

He's commuting sentences for 1,500 people who are placed in home confinement during the pandemic.

The White House says these individuals have shown a commitment to rehabilitation and reintegration

into their communities.

Biden had faced significant pressure to grant more clemency in his closing days in office.

That pressure intensified following his pardon of his son, Hunter, last week.

This likely won't be the last act of clemency by the president, who said he'll announce

more steps in the coming weeks.

...