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A28 u.s. news
Diaranson 18 Mei 2022

Press secretary hopes her rise helps kids 'dream bigger'

WASHINGTON (AP) — ing for another city council start of the administration,
Karine Jean-Pierre, the member and later joining a announced she was stepping
new White House press labor union campaign aimed down last Friday.
secretary, hopes she can at Walmart. She first worked Rahna Epting, executive di-
inspire young people to on Democrat John Edwards' rector at MoveOn, said ele-
"dream big and dream big- presidential campaign before vating Jean-Pierre was a "bril-
ger" now that she has bro- joining Barack Obama's 2008 liant choice" by the White
ken a barrier by becom- presidential bid in Chicago. House, citing her personal
ing the first Black and gay She followed Obama to the story as a Black and openly
woman to be chief spokes- White House, working in his LGBTQ woman, as well as
person for the president of political affairs operation and her extensive past work on
the United States. later on his reelection cam- political campaigns and for
paign. She first met Biden advocacy groups.
Jean-Pierre reflected Mon- while working for Obama. "She can kind of see all the
day on what it means to be- She moved around after leav- angles necessary and I believe
come one of the most vis- ing the Obama White House, she'll do an excellent job,"
ible members of President White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre laughs during including working for the Epting said.
Joe Biden's administration as her first press briefing as press secretary at the White House in ACLU and for the liberal But Jean-Pierre's appoint-
she spoke about a letter that Washington, Monday, May 16, 2022. advocacy group MoveOn as ment also has its detractors.
students at her former ele- Associated Press its chief public affairs officer Brad Raffensperger, the Re-
mentary school in New York during the presidency of Re- publican secretary of state of
wrote telling her how proud fies her as a Biden staffer. ronmental Protection Com- publican Donald Trump. She Georgia, said the promotion
they are of her. Jean-Pierre's father, a New mittee. Jean-Pierre wrote in also has been an NBC and was unwarranted due to her
"Representation matters, and York City cab driver, and her her 2019 memoir, "Moving MSNBC political analyst. advocacy of "stolen election
not just for girls, but also mother, a home health care Forward," that Gennaro took Jean-Pierre, 47, worked on conspiracy theories" follow-
for boys," Jean-Pierre told aide who also owned a hair a "huge chance" by hiring Biden's presidential cam- ing Democrat Stacey Abrams'
reporters during the first of salon, wanted her to become her, even with her Ivy League paign, then followed him to loss in the 2018 Georgia gov-
what likely will be hundreds a doctor. But she disappoint- degree. But he said in an in- the White House as princi- ernor's race. Democrats had
of daily press briefings she ed them by failing her medi- terview that "she had a way pal deputy press secretary. In accused Abrams' opponent,
will hold. cal school entrance exam. about her that was poised and that role, she led the briefing Gov. Brian Kemp, of improp-
"And so what I hope is that She went on to earn a mas- competent and friendly and on several occasions, making erly purging voter rolls.
young people get to dream ter's degree in public ad- effective without having any history in May 2021 when Raffensperger is among Re-
big and dream bigger than ministration from Columbia trace of qualities that could she first subbed for press sec- publican state officials who
they have before by seeing University's School of Inter- in any way, shape or form be retary Jen Psaki. refused to support Trump's
me stand here and answer all national and Public Affairs. off-putting." She also held regular off- unfounded claims that he lost
of your questions," she said. She parlayed her interest in "She was a rare talent that I camera gaggles with the reelection in 2020 because of
If Jean-Pierre's Haitian par- the environment into a job in was very fortunate to have," much smaller group of re- fraud.
ents had had their way, their the early 2000s as director of Gennaro said. "I'm just very porters who travel aboard Air At the outset of the coronavi-
daughter would be wear- legislative and budget affairs happy and proud to be a little Force One with the presi- rus pandemic under Trump,
ing a white doctor's coat and for New York City Coun- footnote in her journey." dent. Biden promoted Jean- Jean-Pierre said Fox News
stethoscope instead of the cil Member James Gennaro, Jean-Pierre made the leap into Pierre after Psaki, who had Channel was a "racist" net-
special lapel pin that identi- who was head of the Envi- national politics after work- been press secretary since the work, angering conservatives.

U.S. takes control of Afghan embassy, consulates in NY, CA

WASHINGTON (AP) — partment said in a notice to
The United States has be published Wednesday in
taken control of Afghani- the Federal Register.
stan's embassy in Wash- The missions were identi-
ington and the country's fied as the Afghan embassy
consulates in New York in Washington, and consular
and Beverly Hills, Califor- posts in Little Neck, New
nia, the State Department York, and Beverly Hills, Cali-
said Tuesday. fornia.
A department official said
The State Department said the U.S. had taken control of
that it had assumed "sole re- the facilities in an agreement
sponsibility" for the security with diplomats from the for-
and maintenance of the dip- mer Afghan government who
lomatic missions effective faced "severe financial con-
on Monday and would bar straints that made continued
anyone from entering them operations unsustainable."
without its permission until The official said the step did
further notice. not signal any change in U.S.
The move came after the de- policy toward Afghanistan
partment determined that the and that it did not affect the
embassy and consulates had Afghan mission to the Unit-
"formally ceased conducting ed Nations.
diplomatic and consular ac- The department noted Af-
tivities in the United States" The embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in Washington, Tuesday, May 17, 2022. ghanistan had not requested
at noon on May 16. Associated Press a third country to serve as a
The U.S. does not recog- "protecting power" for its fa-
nize the new Taliban govern- have formal diplomatic rela- sumed sole responsibility for all real and tangible property, cilities or interests in the U.S.
ment in Afghanistan, which tions with the country. ensuring the protection and furnishings, archives, and fi- Since Washington closed its
took power last year after the "Until further notice, the preservation of the property nancial assets of the Afghan embassy in Kabul, Qatar has
withdrawal of American and Department of State's Office of the referenced missions, Embassy or its consular posts served as the U.S. protecting
allied troops, and does not of Foreign Missions has as- including but not limited to in the United States," the de- power in Afghanistan.