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Biden says he won’t commute any sentence Hunter gets: “I abide by the jury decision”
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President Biden on Thursday said “no,” he will not commute any sentence his son, Hunter, receives for his conviction on three counts of felony gun charges.
The president already said he will not pardon his 54-year-old son, something he reiterated during a joint news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Italy on Thursday.
“I’m extremely proud of my son, Hunter,” Mr. Biden said. “He has overcome an addiction. He’s one of the brightest, most decent men I know. And I am satisfied that I’m not gonna do anything. I said I abide by the jury decision. I will do that. And I will not pardon him.”
After the formal news conference concluded, a reporter asked the president if he will commute his son’s sentence.
“No,” Mr. Biden responded.
MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
Commuting a sentence entails shortening or ending a sentence, such as a prison sentence. Hunter Biden faces up to 25 years in prison, but he has not yet been sentenced. It’s not clear whether he will face prison time. And his legal team is expected to make appeals.
Jurors agreed with prosecutors that Hunter Biden lied about his drug use on a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives form when he bought a revolver, ammunition and a speed loader on Oct. 12, 2018, in Wilmington, Delaware. Federal law prohibits unlawful users of controlled substances from possessing firearms.
A number of Hunter Biden’s family members attended the trial, including first lady Jill Biden. But Mr. Biden stayed away from the courthouse, flying to Delaware to visit his son and family only after the trial concluded.
Nancy Cordes contributed to this report
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Greece allows a 6-day work week for some industries
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As countries around the world experiment with shorter work weeks, Greece has taken a step in the opposite direction — introducing a six-day work week for some businesses that operate on a 24-hour basis.
The six-day work week is allowed according to new legislation that went into effect on July 1, according to CBS News’ partner network BBC News. It is optional for workers, who can work 48 hours instead of the typical 40 hours. Those who opt in can choose between working an additional two hours a day or an extra eight-hour shift, The Guardian reported. Workers will be paid 40% extra for the additional time.
“It is important to note that this measure does not affect in any way the established five-day working week mandated by law. Instead, it serves to address urgent operational demands that cannot be met through the available supply of specialised workers,” a spokesperson for Greece’s Ministry of Labour and Social Security told the BBC.
Greece’s government sees it as a way to boost economic growth and protect workers against “under-declared or undeclared work and ensure fair compensation,” the BBC reported.
Before the Greek parliament endorsed the law, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said “the nucleus of this legislation is worker-friendly, it is deeply growth-oriented. And it brings Greece in line with the rest of Europe,” according to The Guardian.
While workers in Greece may choose to increase their workload, working hours are capped at 48 hours, according to guidelines laid out by the European Union’s Working Time Directive. And as the BBC reports, tourist and food industry businesses are excluded.
The new law comes as other countries are forgoing a five-day work model in favor of shorter work weeks — a movement that gained traction in the wake of the COVID pandemic as workers across the world grew accustomed to more flexible working arrangements.
Trials of a four-day workweek in Iceland were called an “overwhelming success” by researchers in 2021, and many workers there moved to shorter hours, the BBC reported.
In France, the standard work week is 35 hours – per a law adopted in 2000 under the administration of Prime Minister Lionel Jospin – and there’s been a push to whittle it down even further, to 32 hours.
In the U.S., workers have also been clamoring for less time “in office.” More companies across the country are experimenting with a truncated workweek as employees demand flexibility and studies show that working less can make people more productive while boosting a company’s profits.
In March, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont introduced a bill to reduce the work week from 40 hours to 32 without affecting workers’ overall compensation.
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Israel-Hamas cease-fire negotiations gain momentum
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Thompson Fire rages in Northern California amid heat wave
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