Tuesday Briefing

Russian and Iranian support for Syria.

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East Coast to See More Freezing Temperatures as Lake-Effect Snow Eases

Snow has been piling up for days around the Great Lakes as temperatures remain bitterly cold in the eastern United States. Another storm system brings the threat of more.

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Broad Pardon for Hunter Biden Troubles Experts

President Biden granted blanket clemency to stop his son from being prosecuted by the Trump administration for his foreign business. Experts reached for historical parallels.

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How Biden Changed His Mind on Pardoning Hunter: ‘Time to End All of This’

The threat of a retribution-focused Trump administration and his son’s looming sentencings prompted the president to abandon a promise not to get involved in Hunter Biden’s legal problems.

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Trump Picks Warren Stephens, Billionaire Investment Banker, for U.K. Ambassador

Warren Stephens, an investment banker, gave $2 million in 2016 to a group aiming to block Donald J. Trump’s political rise. More recently, he backed Asa Hutchinson, Chris Christie, Mike Pence and Nikki Haley before donating to the Trump campaign.

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Pardoning Hunter Complicates the Legacy That Biden Envisioned

President Biden is facing criticism for absolving his son after insisting he would not and, according to some critics in his own party, paving the way for Donald Trump’s return to office.

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U.S. Sending $725 Million in Arms to Ukraine, Including More Land Mines

The package, the largest since April, comes amid deep concerns in Ukraine that the Trump administration may cut off aid. The president-elect has vowed to end the war quickly, but has not said how.

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U.S. Coast Guard Suspends Search for 5 People Missing in Alaska Waters

The Coast Guard received a mayday call from a fishing boat on Sunday just after midnight. Search crews looked for its passengers for almost 24 hours.

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Trump to Attend Notre-Dame Cathedral Reopening in Paris

The trip will be Donald J. Trump’s first foreign trip since last month’s election and offers a sign that global leaders are turning the page on the Biden presidency.

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After Biden Pardons His Son Hunter, Prison Inmates Hope They’re Next

President Biden has pardoned people convicted of some marijuana offenses, but advocates for prisoners say he has been slow to grant other requests.

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