Trump links Hunter Biden's pardon to Jan. 6 rioters | The Excerpt
On Tuesday’s episode of The Excerpt podcast: Paste BN Justice Department Correspondent Bart Jansen breaks down the varied responses to President Joe Biden's pardon of his son Hunter Biden. Mexican views of migration harden. E-cigarette makers hope the Supreme Court will give President-elect Donald Trump a chance to greenlight flavored vapes. Paste BN Money Editor Charisse Jones discusses the potential impact on of Trump tariffs on consumers. What's next for help with weight loss drug costs?
Hit play on the player below to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript beneath it. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.
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Taylor Wilson:
Good morning, I'm Taylor Wilson, and today is Tuesday, December 3rd, 2024. This is The Excerpt.
Today, how Trump and others are responding in the wake of the surprising Hunter Biden pardon, plus how some Mexicans' views are hardening on immigration, and how would Trump tariffs impact American consumers?
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President-elect Donald Trump didn't criticize the Hunter Biden pardon, but he said defendants in the January 6th Capitol riot deserved pardons as well. I caught up with Paste BN Justice Department correspondent Bart Jansen for more on that and other reactions in the wake of President Joe Biden's decision to pardon his son. Bart, hello, sir.
Bart Jansen:
Hey, thanks for having me.
Taylor Wilson:
Thanks for coming on today, Bart. So another busy week here. We had heard that the President was not expected to kind of follow this course of action. How surprising was this move from President Biden and really what are you hearing from legal experts there on the ground?
Bart Jansen:
Well, it was a big reversal for Biden. He had said repeatedly that he was not going to pardon his son. He gave an exclusive interview to ABC News in June saying, no, he wasn't going to pardon him. He replied with a staccato, "No," when asked by a group of reporters during June whether he was considering a pardon. His White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre has said repeatedly in the following months that there was no thought of pardons and that the answer hadn't changed. She said that as recently as November 8th from the White House podium. Biden said that he thought that the prosecution of his son was unfair and was motivated by politics. And so, while he said he tried to stay out of it, he thought that the fairest thing to do would be to pardon his son, so he no longer faced the threat of prison time for these two sets of convictions.
Legal experts said that the pardon was unusual and very broad compared to a typical pardon. What Biden did was go beyond just the two federal cases that Hunter Biden had been convicted of and say that he cannot be charged federally for any crimes Biden might have committed from 2014 through the end of this year. So we don't know what charges might have been pursued. We do know Hunter Biden was criticized for his overseas business deals that yielded him millions of dollars and it was that income for which he was not paying his taxes on time. There was a warning from the prosecutors that they were continuing to investigate possible violations to the Foreign Agents' Registration Act. Basically the accusation being that he was not telling the government that he was lobbying on behalf of foreign countries or foreign businesses to influence US policy.
So, he has not been charged with one of those foreign agents' crimes, but there was a concern that the investigation might be continuing so that this pardon would wipe out any prospect of charges in that. Legal experts were saying because of that breadth, the lack of citing specific crimes that he was being pardoned for. The only other case that was as broad and all-encompassing was former President Gerald Ford's pardon of Richard Nixon. That's, of course, also the first time that a president has pardoned one of his children. Hunter Biden was the first presidential child to be charged, the first convicted.
Taylor Wilson:
Speaking of President-elect Donald Trump, how did he immediately respond to this news of the pardon? And how seriously is he now considering January 6th pardons? Will this Hunter Biden pardon have any impact on that decision?
Bart Jansen:
Regardless of the Hunter Biden pardon, Trump has said that he thought many of the defendants charged with the attack on the Capitol on January 6th, 2021, were being prosecuted for their political positions and he has said he would like to pardon them, many of them perhaps. He occasionally says that he would not pardon violent offenders, but we don't know basically how broad his offer will go.
On Sunday night after Biden's pardon of his son was announced, Trump put out a message on social media saying, "Well, what about the January 6th defendants?" President Joe Biden said that without political pressure from congressional Republicans, that prosecutors would not have been likely to charge and prosecute Hunter Biden as harshly as they did. There's a difference of opinion about that, of course, the prosecutor's special counsel, David Weiss, said they followed the facts of the law where they led and that they led to two cases where they got convictions on all of the charges pressed. So, Trump will be using the Hunter Biden pardon as part of his justification for potentially pardoning January 6th defendants.
Taylor Wilson:
Bart, I want to just get a little bit of the sense from Democrats. It seems like there's really a mixed opinion in terms of the aftermath of this pardon. What are you hearing from Democrats in their response?
Bart Jansen:
We had former Attorney General Eric Holder say that prosecutors wouldn't usually bring these types of charges against anybody. In the gun case, the logic of that is that unless a fraudulent purchase like that, the gun was then used in a crime of violence or some other aggravating circumstance, then the person probably wouldn't be prosecuted or could be let go with a lesser punishment. In the case of the taxes, Hunter Biden had already repaid these back taxes, and so, again, if there were not aggravating circumstances or the fact that he was a high profile defendant, that prosecutors have said that's not the kind of case that would usually go to trial. Of course, in that case, Hunter Biden pleaded guilty.
On the other hand, California Governor Jared Polis was saying he understands the idea of a father pardoning his son, but said that it set a bad precedent and a bad image and reverses what President Biden had said, which was that he was not going to pardon Hunter.
Taylor Wilson:
All right. Bart Jansen covers the Justice Department for Paste BN. Bart, thanks for breaking it all down for us.
Bart Jansen:
Thanks for having me.
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Taylor Wilson:
As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to return to the White House, he's demanding Mexico do more to crack down on the tens of thousands of migrants who are in Mexico headed for the US border. And he may find support in an unexpected corner; among Mexicans themselves.
It wasn't long ago that most Mexicans could say they had family or a friend who had gone north of the border to work or escape violence and insecurity. But the changing demographics of migration, first the rise in the number of central Americans, then Haitians, then Venezuelans, then people from all over the globe has hardened some Mexicans' views. Seven in 10 Mexicans believe that migrant flows into their country are excessive, according to a survey by the nonprofit Oxfam Mexico published last year. More than half of respondents said they believe migration has a negative or no positive impact on the economy or culture and 40% think migration in Mexico should be limited or prohibited.
Still, US border patrol agents apprehended Mexican nationals more than half a million times in each of the past two years, remaining the single largest nationality encountered at the border. But at home, Mexicans are increasingly facing immigration issues similar to those seen in the United States. They're wrestling with questions like how to accommodate and provide for people arriving with few resources who, in some cases, don't speak Spanish. The United Nations Refugee Agency stresses that migrants in Mexico commit crimes at lower rates than the general population, just as they do in the United States. In Mexico, migrants are more likely to be victims of crime, preyed upon by both smugglers and corrupt authorities. You can read more with a link in today's show notes.
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Makers of e-cigarettes tried to persuade the Supreme Court yesterday to order a new evaluation of their vaping products in hopes the incoming Trump administration will reverse restrictions on flavors. In the Biden era, the Food and Drug Administration has rejected more than a million products flavored to taste like fruit, candy, or desserts. The agency says companies have to show that flavored vapes will do more to benefit public health by helping smokers quit tobacco products than the harm they cause by appealing to young people. The e-cigarette industry has charged the FDA with unfairly blocking the marketing of most flavored products. While seven federal appeals courts rejected that argument, the New Orleans-based Fifth US Circuit Court of Appeal said the FDA sent manufacturers on a wild goose chase.
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President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to impose import tariffs on products entering the United States from Mexico, Canada, and China, starting on his first day in office. What would that mean for American consumers? I spoke with Paste BN money editor, Charisse Jones, to learn more. Charisse, thanks for hopping on the show today.
Charisse Jones:
Absolutely. Anytime.
Taylor Wilson:
So Charisse, just starting with the basics really, what has Donald Trump said about his plans with tariffs?
Charisse Jones:
So, Donald Trump has said that as soon as he takes the White House again in January, he's going to impose tariffs on goods coming from Canada, Mexico, and China. And tariffs are essentially a tax, that's what most economists agree on. And so this is something that is going to definitely impact consumers. There's certainly a chance that they will see prices on a lot of goods go up and that's a real concern because we are just coming down the downslope of inflation. We've been dealing with that for a few years, it's really impacted consumers' budgets, and now there's concern that prices may spike again if this policy comes into effect.
Taylor Wilson:
So Charisse, will there be any sectors that are hit harder than others? I mean what products will really cost more?
Charisse Jones:
It's really probably going to be across the board. The issue is that these are big trading partners, right? I mean pretty much every single toy that you're going to be looking at this holiday season for your kids, your nieces and nephews comes from China. A lot of cars and car parts come from Mexico. Mexico and China produce a lot of the footwear and clothing and electronics that we use. And then there's agricultural products like avocados from Mexico and all kinds of vegetables and fruits and other things that we consume. And so, it's probably going to be across the board in terms of what's impacted.
Some people think that it's a negotiating tactic on Trump's part and he'll focus more on the big ticket items, like cars and appliances and computers, which have to do with national security and higher wage jobs. But we really don't know at this point. But the potential is there for any and everything that we consume to be affected.
Taylor Wilson:
All right. Well, we're in this transition period before Trump takes over the White House again. In terms of when, Charisse, we might see some impact of tariffs on consumers, I mean is this a matter of January, if he imposes tariffs then, as he said he will? Or would these effects take a while really to trickle down to consumers?
Charisse Jones:
It's probably going to be both. I mean in terms of oil, Canadian oil might start to cost more immediately. Car dealers may jack up the prices on cars right away. But then steel and aluminum often take a lot longer. It takes months for the commerce department to do an investigation into it, and then the administration gets to review what they found, and then they take 15 days to implement it. So that could be months down the road. So, it really depends on what the product is, but there are some items or some things that are produced that might go up in price immediately.
And so, it's something to think about in terms of if you want to or need a new car and you can possibly afford it or finance it, that's something you may want to go ahead and try and buy before January. I mean you've only got a few weeks, but it's something to consider.
Taylor Wilson:
Well, it's also the time of year, Charisse, where folks are already spending a lot of money, getting some of the holiday shopping out of the way. Is there anything specific that American consumers can do to prepare or protect themselves from many of the tariff impacts that we've talked about?
Charisse Jones:
I think it's going to be a roller coaster that people are going to have to ride. I mean you can only hoard so much. Most people are not going to have reams of space in their homes to stack all the items that could be impacted. And certainly with perishables like, again, avocados from Mexico, that only keeps a few days. So you really can't put that to the side.
I mean, again, if you're buying a big ticket item, that's something that if you can afford it now, you might want to look at. There's Black Friday sales and Cyber Monday sales going on. So that's something that you might want to look into. But generally speaking, I think we're going to have to just wait and see if prices go up if these policies go into effect and then take it from there.
Taylor Wilson:
All right. Charisse Jones is a money editor with Paste BN. Thank you, Charisse.
Charisse Jones:
Thank you.
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Taylor Wilson:
Even as weight loss drugs explode in popularity, many working age Americans struggle to afford the medications. Some face escalating out of pocket costs with higher copays or other cost shifting from their insurance plans. Others are denied coverage, forcing them to pay out of pocket or get the medication from compounding pharmacies that supply off-brand, discounted, and potentially risky versions. Only about a third of those prescribed these drugs remain on them for a year or more, even though the medications are intended to be taken for life, like blood pressure drugs, and people who stop them typically regain many of their lost pounds.
Those who purchase their own health insurance are unlikely to get coverage for anti-obesity drugs like Wegovy and Saxenda. Just 1% of Affordable Care Act marketplace plans this year covered them, according to a June analysis by KFF, a non-profit health policy organization. And Medicare, the federal health program for adults 65 and over, restricts coverage to those with diabetes or a heart condition.
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The Biden administration has unveiled a plan to extend obesity drug coverage to more than 7 million Medicare and Medicaid enrollees beginning in 2026, but the rule would need to be finalized after President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January and it's not clear whether his administration will be willing to shoulder the roughly $40 billion price tag. You can read more with a link in today's show notes.
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And today is Giving Tuesday, a chance to and reflect amid hectic holidays and give back. Thanks for listening to The Excerpt. You can get the podcast wherever you get your audio. And if you're on a smart speaker, just ask for The Excerpt. I'm Taylor Wilson and I'll be back tomorrow with more of The Excerpt from Paste BN.