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President Biden pardons his son Hunter, calling the charges against him unfair.

Plus a sudden power shift in the Middle East as rebels make advances in Syria.

And Europe's top politician prepares to take on Donald Trump.

Her team really took two basic lessons from their previous experience with Trump.

One, expect the unexpected. And two, look for common interests between the EU and the U.S.

It's Monday, December 2nd. I'm Luke Vargas for the Wall Street Journal, and here is the

AM edition of What's News, the top headlines and business stories moving your world today.

With the end of his tenure approaching, President Biden has pardoned his son Hunter, a step that

he previously said he wouldn't take. Hunter Biden, who's been convicted on federal tax and

gun charges, was set to appear in sentencing hearings later this month

in Delaware and California and was facing potentially lengthy prison terms. The president said

yesterday that his son had been treated differently by the Justice Department due to their

relationship. The pardon drew widespread criticism from Republicans, with Donald Trump calling the move, quote,

in abuse and miscarriage of justice, end quote, in a social media post.

Trump also drew fire for some of the pardons that he issued in his first term, which included

political allies Steve Bannon, Roger Stone, Paul Manafort, and Michael Flynn.

Some Democrats also expressed concerns about Biden's

move, including Colorado Senator Jared Polis, who said it set, quote, a bad precedent that could

be abused by later presidents. Well, Biden's about-face comes as Democratic lawmakers

...