on russian territory with us supplied-weapons speaking ahead of the cuban naval visit vladimir putin warned of a possible russian response the easley and you put enough today in the worst supply weapons to the zone of combat operations and call for the use of these weapons against our territory. >> then why do we not have the right to do the same? to mirror these actions? i'm not ready to say that we'll do it tomorrow, but we of course, should think about it elsewhere. >> moscow has been stepping up tactical nuclear drills to staging exercises with neighboring belarus near the ukrainian border. russian tactical nukes delivered from either ground or air can level entire cities for their the kremlin insists it has no plans at this stage to use the matthew chance cnn moscow thanks to matthew tonight. >> and thanks to you, of course, as always, for being with us ac30 60 with anderson begins right now tonight on 360. what happens now that the president's son is a convicted felon and why supporters of the convicted felon who is running for president are still complaining about the criminal justice system keeping them honest. also, a cnn exclusive course award goes inside a searing detention camp. were families, vices, fighters are being held and some fear the next generation may be being born. plus we have breaking news tonight. a bus hijacking, a chase and the deadly discovery at the end of it. good evening. thanks for joining us. we begin tonight. keep them honest with three facts about hunter biden's conviction today and wilmington, delaware on federal gun charges. the first is the human impact. it must have on a family that has certainly known tragedy, including a car crash that killed hunter biden's mom and baby sister, the death to brain cancer of his brother beau, and his own descendance itself, destruction by crack cocaine in a moment, ronald reagan's daughter, patty davis joins us to talk about her own struggles with addiction. the second fact is that despite efforts to paint his trial as a counterpart to or even the equivalent of of donald trump's new york trial. unlike the former president a hunter biden is not running for anything. the third fact is the one thing they actually do have in common in each the guilty verdict was rendered by 12 men and women who heard the evidence and seem to have set aside any preconceptions they might have had going in as one biden juror told cnn today, politics played no part in their deliberations, nor did testimony about the degree of biden's addiction, which he described as heart-wrenching. the verdict was unanimous. and just like in new york, there's every indication the criminal justice system worked and continues to beyond that, nearly everything surrounding the two trials and their aftermath is a study in contrast, starting with how egypt defendant reacted to the verdict. quoting now from hunter biden statement, thanking his wife and others. i'm more grateful today for the love and support i experiences last week from melissa, my family, my friends, and my community, than i am desert appointed by the outcome. he goes on to say recovery is possible by the grace of god and i am blessed to experience that give one de at a time by contrast, here are some where the former president has said after his conviction this was done by the biden administration in order to wound or hurt an opponent, a political opponent and i think it's just disgrace. but this was a rig decision right from day one, with a conflicted judge should have never been allowed to try this case, never well, he said as much over and over and so have republican lawmakers before, during and after the trial with a special focus on attacking the justice department and the criminal justice system every single person involved in this prosecution is practically a democratic political operative. >> this was not criminal justice. this was politics. >> the entire thing is political. >> it's political warfare, scam trial. >> this is a scam. it is a sham, sham of a trial sham convictions joe biden's two tier in injustice system while. keeping them on as they're talking about the justice department at which had nothing to do with the trump trial, which is currently prosecuting a democratic senator and congressmen and just oversaw the conviction of the president's only surviving son. and the president's reaction quoting him now, i will accept the outcome of this case and will continue to respect the judicial process. as hunter considers an appeal, jilin, i will always be there for hunter and the rest of our family with our love and support. nothing will ever change that he also told abc news he'd ruled out a pardon for his son let me ask you, will you accept the jury's outcome, their verdict, no matter what it is? >> yes. >> and have you ruled out a pardon for your son? >> yes. >> by contrast, the former president is now talking repeatedly about using the justice department if he's reelected as a tool of vengeance i would have every right to go after them. >> and it's easy because it's joe biden and you see all the criminality, all of the money that's going into the family and in him, all of this money from china from russia, from ukraine as for republican lawmakers who decried trump's trial and conviction, consider house oversight chair james comer, who has been holding hearings and investigating the bidens for months, always claiming to have the goods, but always coming up empty he is sticking to his story, tweeting today until the department of justice investigates everyone involved in the bidens corrupt influence peddling schemes. >> it will be clear department officials continued to cover for the big guy, joe biden more now, on the actual verdict and the actual trial and what comes next from cnn's paula reid just 90 minutes after hunter biden's guilty verdict, cnn got incredible insight into the case from juror number ten, won big mistake from the defense, calling hunters daughter naomi, to testify. i felt i felt bad that they put naomi witness i i think that was probably a strategy that should not have been done no daughter should ever have to testify or again, sir, dad despite feeling badly for hunter and his battles with addiction, the 12 jurors agreed that they had no choice but to convict all 12 jurors did agree that yes, he know on laying bought a gun when he was an attic or he was addicted to drugs although they all voted guilty, another juror, cnn spoke to off-camera question whether the case should have been brought in the first place, saying, quote it seemed like a waste of taxpayer dollars and the jurors interviewed by cnn said politics played no role in their decision. pressure, inviting never really even came in to play for me, his name was only brought up one store in the trial and that's when i that's when it kind of sunk and a little bit, but you kind of put that out of your mind. president biden released a statement after his son's verdict saying, in part i am the president, but i am also a dad jill, and i love our son and we are so proud of the man he is today and i will accept the outcome of this case and will continue to respect the judicial process as hunter considers an appeal, hunter also issued a statement after court thanking his wife and supporters saying i am more grateful today for the love and support i experienced this last week from melissa, my family, my friends, my community, than i am disappointed by the outcome. in special counsel, david weiss made aware statement defending the case ultimately, this case was not just about addiction a disease that haunts families across the united states, including hunter biden's family this case was about the illegal choices defendant made while in the throes of addiction. >> his choice to lie on a government form when he bought a gun and the choice to then possess that gun while it what else did did you hear from jurors understand? >> i was really interested to hear what they had to say about a possible sentencing for hunter biden then because the upper range for conviction on these offenses is potentially decades in prison, hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines. so it's widely expected hunter biden wouldn't get anything anywhere near that. this is of course, a first-time offender, but juror number ten told us he doesn't think that hunter biden should get any prison time. another juror said that hunter needs rehab more than he needs imprisonment or a fine. and while the jury is weighing in on sentencing, it is ultimately actually for the judge should determine the sentence and we expect, while there is no sentencing date, now we expect it will be roughly 120 days after this verdict, which would fall in late. okay? tibur. so that's before election day, but likely after his next federal criminal trial, which is scheduled for early september out in los angeles i'll read thanks so much, paula, let's go next to the white house from cnn's kayla tausche with more and how the president and the first family are dealing with this moment. >> what's the reaction been from the white house for president biden? >> anderson president biden is approaching the situation first and foremost as a father in the statement released today, president biden saying, i am the president, but i'm also a dad, jill and i love our son and we are so proud of the man he is today. so many families who have had loved ones battle addiction, understand the feeling of pride seeing someone you love come out the other side and be so strong and resilient in recovery, the family greeted each other on the tarmac in delaware. this evening, hunter biden bracing members of white house staff and members of the security detail before the family then retreated to a nearby family home or they're going to be processing together what happens in the next chapter president biden has said that he will accept the judicial process as hunter considers an appeal and the biden reelection can and pain is telling allies that for them, it's going to be business as usual, the president gave a speech at a previously scheduled gun safety event after the verdict, which obviously is somewhat ironic, what did what did he say there? >> well, it was a fairly awkward confluence of events today. president biden finding out about that verdict just before this pre-planned event, where he was in this situation of a heralding a crackdown in gun violence and expected to tout a, drop in gun crime all while of these verdict had just come in, we knew that president biden was expected to announce more than 500 new charges brought by the department of justice on gun crimes in wake of his new bipartisan gun law that was passed and signed into law in 2022 instead, the president took a broader approach. instead praising the new tools prosecutors were given by that law. anderson kayla tausche, thanks, joining us now to people who've worked with and no prison biden welsh and political commentators david axelrod and keep betting field also with retard federal judge johnny jones, the third and former federal prosecutor jessica raw, third, judge. >> let me start with you. does the verdict surprise util know the verdict didn't surprise me at all. anderson, i think the evidence was overwhelming and, what i thought was notable and picking up one, your lead, which i thought was spot on in both of these cases, you had judges want to state judge and the other a federal judge saying, among other things, you must follow the law 224 americans in these two cases, you must follow the law, whether you agree with it or not, and you're not to be concerned about the sentence that i may give if the defendant is convicted, clearly, it validates our system of justice because they did exactly that. >> jessica, how about you? i mean, any surprise and what kind of grounds? for appeal may there be? yeah. so i was not surprised by the verdict as the judge said, that the evidence really did seem to be overwhelming and the charges were pretty straightforward in terms of what the jury was being asked to find. >> i think the k is also highlights the limited role that we give to juries in our system. now, they're asked to apply the laws are instructed about the law to the facts and not to render an opinion in the courtroom about whether they think this was a wise prosecution or what they think is an appropriate punishment. i mean, they're really quite limited. it's not clear to me that there are strong grounds for appeal. i mean, there is a second amendment issue on whether or not the law that makes it a crime to possess a gun. if you are addicted to drugs drugs, whether that survives the second amendment challenge under the supreme court's current jurisprudence on that. but that would really only go to one of the three charges. and so it could be that there are some issues with respect to the evidence that was admitted, but that would be subject to harmless error review maybe there's an appellate issue about whether or not he was entitled to essentially the benefit of the plea agreement that he had reached with the special counsel that previously fell apart, but i don't see those as being particularly strong in david. >> i mean, you're since the verdict the impact it would have on the biden family and the white house. >> and i obviously on the campaign trail in the days ahead of any well, yeah. >> look, i think that's the important question anderson a couple of weeks ago and trump was convicted i said that i thought that really important question was not how it would affect voters directly, but how it would affect him in his behavior. and we've seen his behavior become even more point until an angry since that conviction here this is such a devastating experience for the biden family to have gone through this week to have their families go through this people get into trouble. they go, but not under the glare of the spotlight. this and to have your dearest relatives on the stand and have to go through this has to be devastating to the present. kate would know this even more intimately than me, but i know how much this must hurt him and there must be some feeling of guilt because he is the reason there's a spotlight on the family and why they're travails are so much in the news. so the question is, how does it affect him? he's got a debate in two weeks he's dealing with multiple world issues right now and all the rigors of a campaign and how will he deal with it? i think is a big question. >> yeah. kate, we mentioned that the president promptly went to delaware to be with his son and again, the contrast between how the trump family approached the manhattan trial and how the biden family approach this trial has start how do you think this is going to impact the president? >> well, look, it is absolutely hard on him. he is a family man that you really cannot underestimate are under appreciate how close the biden family is, how much they lean on each other. i think it would be hard for any father to go through, not only the experience of this trial, of course, but obviously all that hunter is dealt with and dealing with addiction and things have happened when he was in the grip of addiction. so yes, of course it is personally hard for the president, but i would also note he's somebody who has shouldered a lot of personal tragedy and difficulty while also juggling being in public office, he lost his son, beau to brain cancer when he was vice president. obviously his as you mentioned at the top has his first wife and baby daughter were killed in a car crash just weeks after he was elected to the senate. so he has spent his entire life in public service shouldering challenges, difficulty holding his family close, but simultaneously executing the duties of the office isn't being able to put to put his work first two. so i think his resilience, i think will really be on display for people over the next few months. i think you saw a little bit today, frankly, when he was speaking at the gun safety event, he was lively. he was engaged. he was clearly talking with a lot of passion about the work he's done on gun safety and talking to them the crowd. so i think i think the american people are going to see a lot of resilience for him, but of course this is hard for him. it's hard for him and higher biden family, judge jones, what would you consider for a sentence on these convictions? and also with the idea in mind that he is facing a tax charge as well that's it potentially more worrisome for well, of course, the judge has to follow what are called the sentencing guidelines, which has my colleague knows are numbingly complicated, but the sentence needs to be sufficient, but not greater than necessary to fulfill the purposes of sentencing i think in this case, because he didn't brandished the gun, he didn't commit a crime of violence is on another crime associated with the purchase of very frankly, anderson over almost 20 years in the federal bench. i never had a stand alone case like this. this is really this actual charges or not something that's been tapped on. >> this is the pen a zebra case, if you will but i think in this case, there's a good argument for probation or with some kind of help remedial help counseling addiction treatment, and so forth. >> the real real peril comes with the tax charges because this counts as a conviction which has the it will in fact enhance any sentence that he gets if he's convicted at the tax charges. >> so there's that that's mandatory. >> that whatever the charges and this it impacts next, the get certain points for prior convictions. and then of course that case is driven in part by the amount of the tax fraud as well, which escalates the sentencing exposure. that's where he really is in jeopardy of going to prison. i don't think this case so much. >> david, what do you sitting republicans who were insisting tonight, the justice system is being weaponized again the foreign president, even though president biden's own son was just convicted in federal court and you've got to menendez case and another congressman yeah, that's really complicated for them for that reason. >> and remember, yeah, you've got senator menendez on trial right now. congressman cuellar awaiting trial right now. it just puts the light of the the idea that there's this weaponized justice department of justice department has nothing to do with the manhattan da's office, but it's also complicated for them because they have become so zealot zealous about the second amendment that they don't quite know how to talk about. this. so they're all shifting. and the thing that they're doing, anderson is this whole, the mantra and they all move as one. is this biden crime family thing because really what's at play here is they're strategy is to try and say everybody is corrupt, that everybody is swimming in the same murky waters that donald trump is no different than joe biden. and that voters should discount the fact that donald trump is a convicted felon and has some other major cases pending against him. so i think you're gonna see a lot of that. what congressman comer said today, chairman comer was really disgraceful as you pointed out he has been rolling out this cannon periodically. he lights the fuse and every time a flag comes out that says pop. and there's nothing there. and so if they've got evidence of a crime maybe they should share it with people instead of just talking about it. and i think they don't because they don't in cape person biden and the foreign president obviously have their first debate on cnn june 27th. are you concerned about trump getting under the president skin by invoking hunter biden. he obviously tried it when they debated in 2020 yeah, he tried in 2020 and it really backfired on him. i mean, i can tell you that the data that we saw on the biden campaign after that first debate, where no trump really wound up and tried to come