
Former press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre leaves Democratic Party, claims ‘betrayal' in new book
Former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre is leaving the Democratic Party and promoting a new book expected to offer insight into her time serving under President Joe Biden.
'Independent,' Jean-Pierre's upcoming tome, vows to deliver a hard-hitting analysis of 'America's broken two-party system,' while urging readers to 'embrace life as Independents,' the Hachette Book Group announced Wednesday.
A description of 'Independent' indicates Jean-Pierre elected to leave the Democratic Party — a decision she didn't take 'lightly' — after Biden dropped out of the presidential election and Trump returned to office.
'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,' according to the publisher.
Jean-Pierre is one of many associates who was close to the former president when whispers of his cognitive decline came to a head during a June 2024 debate in which the Democrat struggled to make sense.
Biden left the race in July, with supporters and critics wondering if his inner circle had experienced similar lapses.
Jean-Pierre posted a video on Instagram on Wednesday promoting her book.
'This book, 'Independent,' is about looking outside of boxes, not just always being in a partisan stance,' said the 50-year-old from Queens.
Jean-Pierre was the first Black woman and openly LGBTQ person to serve as White House press secretary. She assumed the position after Jen Psaki left the Biden administration in 2022 for a high-profile gig with MSNBC.
Prior to working with Biden, Jean-Pierre worked on both of President Barack Obama's winning campaigns and served as chief of staff for Kamala Harris during her vice presidential run.
Her book will be released Oct. 21.
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Politico
an hour ago
- Politico
Rival calls Cuomo a ‘sociopath;' ex-gov attacks Mamdani's ‘defund' rhetoric in final weekend of NYC mayor's race
NEW YORK — New York City mayoral candidate Brad Lander urged Democrats not to elect 'sociopathic' Andrew Cuomo. Hours later, the ex-governor slammed leading rival Zohran Mamdani for his past calls to defund the police. And Mamdani, on the defense from relentless attack ads, campaigned by walking the length of Manhattan on Friday night. While nearly 350,000 New Yorkers have already cast ballots, attacks flew on the final weekend of campaigning before Tuesday's Democratic primary. Cuomo leads nearly every poll, but Mamdani has been keeping the race competitive and is closing out the campaign with high energy among his supporters. Lander, feeling upbeat after a headline-grabbing week despite his third-place status, aimed his fire at Cuomo on Saturday. Lander stood beside Cuomo accuser Charlotte Bennett, whom the former governor sued for defamation, as he recounted how Cuomo apologized to the women who accused him of sexual harassment in 2021, before resigning, but now denies any wrongdoing. 'I don't have a license to practice psychology, but I believe that utter inability to take accountability or responsibility for one's actions is a sign of sociopathy,' Lander said. 'The Democratic Party should not elect sociopaths. It's a bad idea,' he added. Cuomo brushed off Lander's comment. 'Does anyone really care what he says?' he said at his own press conference Saturday. 'I said to the extent I offended anyone it was unintentional, and I didn't mean it, and I apologize. But that was (a) generic (apology) — to the extent I offended anyone.' Cuomo may dismiss Lander — 'goodbye and good riddance to the saddest, rudderless, least effective money burning operation we have ever seen,' Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi responded — but his supporters' lower-ranked picks could prove decisive in a primary determined through ranked-choice voting. Polling has shown that Cuomo receives a portion of Lander's redistributed votes when he is removed from the running, even as he's relentlessly attacked the former governor for months. Lander, the city comptroller, brought together Bennett and other former Cuomo employees who accused him of sexual harassment, a man whose father died in a nursing home during Covid, and state legislators and union leaders who battled with him in Albany. Former Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who resigned amid his own sexual abuse scandal, even showed up and chatted briefly with Lander before the press conference on the vote-rich Upper West Side of Manhattan. Lander's aides said he had not been invited. 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The TV spots and mailers, dub him 'too radical' and 'dangerous' for his inexperience, his criticism of Israel and his socialist politics. Friday evening, after riding Citi Bikes with Lander, Mamdani walked the length of Manhattan, a more than 13-mile journey he finished after 2 a.m. Passing through Times Square, Mamdani threw up his hands while dozens of supporters following along booed when a digital billboard from political betting site Kalshi showed he had a 23 percent chance of winning the race, to Cuomo's 77 percent. 'Gambling is haram,' he joked — forbidden by Islamic law. 'There were many who doubted whether we could even get 46,000 votes,' he said, reflecting on the surprising strength of his campaign. 'We now have 46,000 volunteers.' Emily Ngo contributed reporting.


Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Trump wins immediate praise from Republicans in Congress after announcing strikes on Iran
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Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Democrats are at odds over the Israel-Iran war as Trump says US has struck Iranian nuclear sites
After nearly two years of stark divisions over the war in Gaza and support for Israel, Democrats seemed at odds over policy toward Iran as progressives demanded unified opposition before President Donald Trump announced U.S. strikes against Tehran's nuclear program. Party leaders were treading more cautiously. U.S. leaders of all stripes have found common ground for two decades on the position that Iran could not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon. The longtime U.S. foe has supported groups that have killed Americans across the Mideast and threatened to destroy Israel. But Trump's announcement Saturday that the U.S. had struck three nuclear sites could become the Democratic Party's latest schism, just as it was sharply dividing Trump's isolationist 'Make America Great Again' base from more hawkish conservatives. While progressives in the lead-up to the military action had staked out clear opposition to Trump's potential intervention, the party leadership played the safer ground of insisting on a role for Congress before any use of force. Many prominent Democrats with 2028 presidential aspirations were silent on the Israel-Iran war. 'They are sort of hedging their bets,' said Joel Rubin, a former deputy assistant secretary of state who served under Democratic President Barack Obama and is now a strategist on foreign policy. 'The beasts of the Democratic Party's constituencies right now are so hostile to Israel's war in Gaza that it's really difficult to come out looking like one would corroborate an unauthorized war that supports Israel without blowback.' Progressive Democrats used Trump's ideas and words Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., had called Trump's consideration of an attack 'a defining moment for our party.' Khanna had introduced legislation with Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., that called on the Republican president to 'terminate' the use of U.S. armed forces against Iran unless 'explicitly authorized' by a declaration of war from Congress. Khanna used Trump's own campaign arguments of putting American interests first when the congressman spoke to Theo Von, a comedian who has been supportive of the president and is popular in the so-called 'manosphere' of male Trump supporters. 'That's going to cost this country a lot of money that should be being spent here at home,' said Khanna, who is said to be among the many Democrats eyeing the party's 2028 primary. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who twice sought the Democratic presidential nomination, had pointed to Trump's stated goal during his inaugural speech of being known as 'a peacemaker and a unifier.' 'Supporting Netanyahu's war against Iran would be a catastrophic mistake,' Sanders said about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Sanders reintroduced legislation prohibiting the use of federal money for force against Iran, insisted that U.S. military intervention would be unwise and illegal and accused Israel of striking unprovoked. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York signed on to a similar bill from Sanders in 2020, but so far was holding off this time. Some believed the party should stake out a clear anti-war stance. 'The leaders of the Democratic Party need to step up and loudly oppose war with Iran and demand a vote in Congress,' said Tommy Vietor, a former Obama aide, on X. Mainstream Democrats are cautious, while critical The staunch support from the Democratic administration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for Israel's war against Hamas loomed over the party's White House ticket in 2024, even with the criticism of Israel's handling of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Trump exploited the divisions to make inroads with Arab American voters and Orthodox Jews on his way back to the White House. Today, the Israel-Iran war is the latest test for a party struggling to repair its coalition before next year's midterm elections and the quick-to-follow kickoff to the 2028 presidential race. The party will look to bridge the divide between an activist base that is skeptical of foreign interventions and already critical of U.S. support for Israel and more traditional Democrats and independents who make up a sizable, if not always vocal, voting bloc. In a statement after Israel's first strikes on Iran, Schumer said Israel has a right to defend itself and 'the United States' commitment to Israel's security and defense must be ironclad as they prepare for Iran's response.' Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., was also cautious in responding to the Israeli action and said 'the U.S. must continue to stand with Israel, as it has for decades, at this dangerous moment.' Other Democrats have condemned Israel's strikes and accused Netanyahu of sabotaging nuclear talks with Iran. They are reminding the public that Trump withdrew in 2018 from a nuclear agreement that limited Tehran's enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions negotiated during the Obama administration. 'Trump created the problem,' Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., posted on X on Wednesday. 'The single reason Iran was so close to obtaining a nuclear weapon is that Trump destroyed the diplomatic agreement that put major, verifiable constraints on their nuclear program.' The progressives' pushback A Pearson Institute/Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll from September 2024 found that about half of Democrats said the U.S. was being 'too supportive' of Israel and about 4 in 10 said their level of support was 'about right.' Democrats were more likely than independents and Republicans to say the Israeli government had 'a lot' of responsibility for the continuation of the war between Israel and Hamas. About 6 in 10 Democrats and half of Republicans felt Iran was an adversary with whom the U.S. was in conflict. Democratic Rep. Yassamin Ansari, an Iranian American from Arizona, said Wednesday on X that Iranians were unwitting victims in the conflict because there were not shelters or infrastructure to protect civilians from targeted missiles as there are in Israel. 'The Iranian people are not the regime, and they should not be punished for its actions,' Ansari posted, while criticizing Trump for fomenting fear among the Iranian population. 'The Iranian people deserve freedom from the barbaric regime, and Israelis deserve security.' ___ Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick and Linley Sanders in Washington contributed to this report Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. 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