Political shift: Karine Jean-Pierre quits Democratic Party; Biden-era press secretary's to detail ‘broken' White House in new book, says publisher
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Ad
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Karine Jean-Pierre, White House press secretary in the Joe Biden administration (2021-2025) has left the Democratic Party and is writing a candid memoir about the 'broken' White House she once served, according to the book's publisher."Jean-Pierre didn't come to her decision to be an Independent lightly. She has served two American presidents, Obama and Biden. In 2020, she joined Biden's campaign as a senior adviser, becoming Harris's chief of staff and then, two years later, White House press secretary. She takes us through the three weeks that led to Biden's abandoning his bid for a second term and the betrayal by the Democratic Party that led to his decision," states the publisher Hachette Book Group, providing details on its website.The 50-year-old communications veteran, who was the first Black woman and openly gay person to hold the press secretary role, revealed her book Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines is scheduled for release on October 21 through Legacy Lit, a Hachette Book Group imprint.'Until January 20, I was responsible for speaking on behalf of the President of the United States,' Jean-Pierre said Wednesday, according to statement quoted by the Associated Press. 'At noon on that day, I became a private citizen who, like all Americans and many of our allies around the world, had to contend with what was to come next for our country. I determined that the danger we face as a country requires freeing ourselves of boxes. We need to be willing to exercise the ability to think creatively and plan strategically," she further added, according to the statement.Jean-Pierre's departure from the Democratic Party is described by her publisher as a thoughtful evolution rather than a sudden break. Legacy Lit teased that the memoir will detail the three-week period leading to Biden's surprising decision to withdraw from his 2024 re-election bid - a choice Jean-Pierre attributes partly to a 'betrayal by the Democratic Party.' The book also reportedly aims to expose insider perspectives on combating electoral misinformation and offers insights on why an increasing number of Americans are rejecting traditional party labels.'In a hard-hitting yet hopeful critique, Jean-Pierre defines what it means to be part of the growing percentage of our fractured electorate that is Independent,' the publisher's statement reads. 'Why it can be worthwhile to carve a political space more loyal to personal beliefs than a party affiliation, and what questions you need to ask yourself to determine where you fit politically.'Jean-Pierre, who joined Biden's campaign as senior adviser in 2020 and replaced Jen Psaki as press secretary in 2022, faced sustained criticism during her White House tenure. Her repeated defenses of Biden's mental acuity — including claims that the president was 'sharp as ever' despite mounting doubts- sparked skepticism both inside and outside the administration.In one contentious briefing, she asserted that Biden's mention of the late Republican congresswoman Jackie Walorski was because the lawmaker was 'top of mind,' a defense met with incredulity by the press corps. She also survived an internal effort in late 2023 led by then-White House communications chief Anita Dunn to oust her, amid dissatisfaction with her performance. 'She doesn't have a grasp of the issues and doesn't spend the time to learn,' a White House insider said at the time. Despite this, Biden stood by Jean-Pierre throughout, valuing her historic role as the first non-white and openly gay press secretary.Jean-Pierre ended her tenure with an emotional farewell briefing in January that caused friction among aides after she declined to share the stage with National Security Council spokesman John Kirby during a major hostage release announcement. 'She basically said it was her goodbye party,' a source said. 'She kinda marketed it as a celebration of her and her tenure, and unfortunately, that took precedence over huge breaking news.'The forthcoming memoir is already drawing sharp reactions from Democratic circles. One senior Democrat dismissed the book as proof of 'incompetence, not independence,' while another admitted they 'can't look away'.Jean-Pierre herself teased the book on Instagram Wednesday, urging voters to 'stop thinking in boxes and think outside of our boxes, and not be so partisan … this book Independent, it's about looking outside of boxes, not just always being in a partisan stance.'Independent aims to join the small canon of White House press secretary memoirs that peel back the curtain on presidential administrations, including Scott McClellan's 2008 bestseller What Happened, which famously criticized President George W. Bush's leadership.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
21 minutes ago
- Business Standard
US hiring slowed to 130K new jobs amid uncertainty over Trump's policies
The American job market likely continued to slow last month, hobbled by worries over President Donald Trump's trade wars, deportations and purges of the federal workforce. The Labour Department's numbers on May hiring Friday are expected to show that businesses, government agencies and nonprofits added 1,30,000 jobs last month. That would be down from 1,77,000 in April but enough to stay ahead of people entering the workforce and keep the unemployment rate at a low 4.2 per cent, according to a survey of forecasters by the data firm FactSet. Mainstream economists expect Trump's policies to take a toll on America's economy, the world's largest. His massive taxes on imports tariffs are expected to raise costs for US companies that buy raw materials, equipment and components from overseas and force them to cut back hiring or even lay workers off. Billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has slashed federal workers and cancelled government contracts. Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration is expected to make it harder for businesses to find enough workers. For the most part, though, any damage has yet to show up in the government's economic data. The US economy and job market have proven surprisingly resilient in recent years. When the inflation fighters at the Federal Reserve raised their benchmark interest rate 11 times in 2022 and 2023, the higher borrowing costs were widely expected to tip the United States into a recession. Instead, the economy kept growing and employers kept hiring. But former Fed economist Claudia Sahm warns that the job market of 2025 isn't nearly as durable as the two or three years ago when immigrants were pouring into the US job market and employers were posting record job openings. Any signs of weakness in the data this week would stoke fears of a recession again, Sahm, now chief economist at New Century Advisors, wrote in a Substack post this week. It's too soon to see the full effects of tariffs, DOGE, or other policies on the labour market; softening now would suggest less resilience to those later effects, raising the odds of a recession. Recent economic reports have sent mixed signals. The Labour Department reported Tuesday that US job openings rose unexpectedly to 7.4 million in April seemingly a good sign. But the same report showed that layoffs ticked up and the number of Americans quitting their jobs fell, a sign they were less confident they could find something better elsewhere. Surveys by the Institute for Supply Management, a trade group of purchasing managers, found that both American manufacturing and services businesses were contracting last month. And the number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week to the highest level in eight months. Jobless claims a proxy for layoffs still remain low by historical standards, suggesting that employers are reluctant to cut staff despite uncertainty over Trump's policies. They likely remember how hard it was to bring people back from the massive but short-lived layoffs of the 2020 COVID-19 recession as the US economy bounced back with unexpected strength. Still, the job market has clearly decelerated. So far this year, American employers have added an average 1,44,000 jobs a month. That is down from 1,68,000 last year; 2,16,000 in 2023; 3,80,000 in 2022, and a record 6,03,000 in 2021 in the rebound from COVID-19 layoffs. Trump's tariffs and the erratic way he rolls them out, suspends them and conjures up new ones have already buffeted the economy. America's gross domestic product the nation's output of goods and services fell at a 0.2 per cent annual pace from January through March this year. A surge of imports shaved 5 percentage points off growth during the first quarter as companies rushed to bring in foreign products ahead of Trump's tariffs. Imports plunged by a record 16 per cent in April as Trump's levies took effect. The drop in foreign goods could mean fewer jobs at the warehouses that store them and the trucking companies that haul them around, wrote Michael Madowitz, an economist at the left-leaning Roosevelt Institute.
The Print
30 minutes ago
- The Print
Rupee rises 8 paise to close at 85.79 against US dollar
Besides, market participants are now keenly awaiting the outcome of the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) monetary policy meeting for further cues, they said. Forex traders said overnight softening of crude oil prices favoured the rupee. However, a strong US dollar index capped sharp gains. Mumbai, Jun 5 (PTI) The rupee snapped its two-day losing streak and closed 8 paise higher at 85.79 against the US dollar on Thursday, supported by positive domestic equities and a rise in Asian currencies. At the interbank foreign exchange, the domestic unit witnessed a volatile trading session — it opened at 85.86 and moved between a high of 85.67 and a low of 85.96 against the greenback during the day. The local unit pared all its initial gains and settled for the day on the positive territory, higher by 8 paise at 85.79 against the American currency. On Wednesday, the rupee depreciated for the second consecutive session and settled for the day lower by 26 paise at 85.87 against the US dollar. 'The Indian rupee appreciated, driven by a rebound in risk sentiment and foreign fund inflows. The currency also benefited from the general strength observed across other regional currencies,' Dilip Parmar, Senior Research Analyst, HDFC Securities, said. 'Looking ahead, market participants are pricing in another interest rate cut from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), buoyed by stable inflation figures. The rupee's future trajectory will largely depend on the RBI's upcoming policy stance and any liquidity measures it introduces,' Parmer said. Anuj Choudhary, Research Analyst at Mirae Asset Sharekhan, said, 'We expect the rupee to trade with a negative bias on positive tone in the US dollar and elevated crude oil prices. Ongoing trade tensions between US and China and geo-political tensions between Ukraine and Russia may also pressure the rupee.' 'However, any fresh FII inflow may support the rupee at lower levels. Traders may take cues from weekly unemployment claims and trade balance data from the US. Investors may remain cautious ahead of RBI's monetary policy meeting decision on Friday,' he added. The RBI's rate-setting panel started its three-day brainstorming on monetary policy on Wednesday, and the outcome is scheduled to be announced on June 6. 'There are expectations of a 25 bps rate cut. Investors may also watch out for the non-farm payrolls report from the US. USDINR spot price is expected to trade in a range of Rs 85.40-86.25,' Choudhary said. Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading higher by 0.06 per cent at 98.85. Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, rose 0.31 per cent to USD 65.05 per barrel in futures trade. In the domestic equity market, the 30-share BSE Sensex surged 443.79 points, or 0.55 per cent, to close at 81,442.04, while the Nifty rallied 130.70 points, or 0.53 per cent, to 24,750.90. Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) sold equities worth Rs 208.47 crore on a net basis on Thursday, according to exchange data. PTI DRR TRB This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Time of India
35 minutes ago
- Time of India
US Senate Republicans propose eliminating fuel economy fines for automakers
U.S. Senate Republicans on Thursday proposed eliminating fines for failures to meet Corporate Average Fuel Economy rules as part of a wide-ranging tax bill - the latest move aimed at making it easier for automakers to build gas-powered vehicles . Last year, Chrysler-parent Stellantis paid $190.7 million in civil penalties for failing to meet U.S. fuel economy requirements for 2019 and 2020 after paying nearly $400 million for penalties from 2016 through 2019. GM previously paid $128.2 million in penalties for 2016 and 2017. Thursday's proposal also makes emissions credits sold by Tesla less valuable as rivals won't have to pay Tesla to meet requirements. The lawmakers estimated it would save automakers $200 million. GM and Chrysler did not immediately comment. U.S. House Republicans are pursuing similar aims but with a different approach. Last month they proposed repealing planned hikes in fuel economy requirements as well as vehicle emissions rules adopted under the Biden administration . The House bill would also kill a $7,500 tax credit for new electric vehicles , impose a new $250 annual fee on EVs for road repair costs and would phase out EV battery production tax credits in 2028. The two chambers have also voted to bar California's landmark plan to end the sale of gasoline-only vehicles by 2035 which has been adopted by 11 other states representing a third of the U.S. auto market. That bill is currently awaiting U.S. President Donald Trump's signature. The Transportation Department is expected to declare that fuel economy rules issued under Biden exceeded the government's legal authority by including EVs. Last year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it would hike fuel economy rules to an average of 50.4 miles per gallon (4.67 liters per 100 km) by 2031 - up from 39.1 mpg for light-duty vehicles. It warned the auto industry collectively was expected to face a total of $1.83 billion in fines through 2031.
