POLITICO
"Biden-successor chatter grows and Harris isn’t scaring off anyone"
By Eugene Daniels and Alex Thompson
15 NOVEMBER 2021
President Joe Biden says he intends to run for reelection in 2024.
But not all Democrats believe him.
Nor are they convinced his No. 2 would be the clear heir if he did choose to opt out.
As Vice President Kamala Harris grapples with a portfolio of seemingly intractable issues and responsibilities that have drawn her away from the national spotlight — she Zoomed into the infrastructure Cabinet meeting from Paris on Friday — other Democrats have raised their own national profiles.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is the point person on implementing much of the popular bipartisan infrastructure deal.
This fall, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) boosted the mayor of Manchester, N.H., during her recent reelection campaign and is keeping in touch with allies in the critical primary state, according to people familiar with the calls.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) is on a book tour and campaigned in Virginia for Terry McAuliffe.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) endorsed left-wing and progressive candidates outside of Massachusetts this past year.
The spokespeople for that quartet either declined to comment or stressed that the moves were unrelated to future electoral ambitions.
But the context in which these moves took place has given them a dose of intrigue unusual for when an incumbent president is still in his first year in office.
Biden has said publicly and privately that he wants to run, and allies expect that will be only more likely if former President Donald Trump decides to challenge him in 2024 since Biden is skeptical of other Democrats’ prospects.
A person familiar with Biden's conversation about his 2024 plans says "he has told people he is running and that ‘we will be prepared.'"
But there has been persistent chatter in Democratic circles that he could decide not to.
And talk of successorship has spilled into open view in recent days, with even a close Biden ally, former Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, speculating about Harris’ positioning in a potential 2024 primary.
All of it adds a new level of electoral uncertainty that the Democratic Party and Harris in particular face as they remain dependent on Biden’s success and unclear about his future.
“Folks are definitely playing chess right now."
"They're playing the long game and seeing how things develop and shift,” said Nina Smith, who has worked for Buttigieg and Stacey Abrams.
Though the expectation remains that Biden will mount a reelection bid, Democratic operatives are preparing for the possibility that it won’t materialize, noting Biden’s grim 2022 midterm prospects and his age — he’d be 86 years old at the end of any second term.
Biden has also said he wants to be a bridge to the next generation, which has fed routine speculation that he could bow out to make way for a younger Democratic candidate.
Typically, the person at the other side of that bridge would be the vice president.
But less than a year into her time in the executive branch, more than a dozen Democratic officials — some affiliated with potential candidates — say that Harris is currently not scaring any prospective opponents.
“She’s definitely not going to clear the f---ing field,” said one veteran New Hampshire operative.
Harris’ office is keenly aware of these sentiments and the landscape ahead of her.
They continue to insist that she is only focused on being “Joe Biden’s Joe Biden” — a strategy that could endear her to both Biden and his political network and potentially pay off with a Biden endorsement, should the time come.
The vice president’s office declined to comment for this story.
But, underscoring concerns about her future, her allies outside of the administration have argued she’s been set up for failure by the portfolio she’s been handed.
Harris' two main agenda items are voting rights and migration stemming from the Northern Triangle countries in Central America.
Both are thorny topics with few easy solutions.
And because of the absence of clear progress on both, Harris has become the subject of criticism from both the right and the left.
Indeed, there are other potential candidates who have been making national splashes on both those fronts.
Abrams, who has been deliberate in maintaining her relationships with national Democrats and their donors, is directly associated with voting rights as an issue.
If she runs and wins the Governor’s Mansion in Georgia next year, Democratic operatives expect her to at least consider a White House bid.
Other Democrats across the country have also recruited her to send out emails given her draw among the party’s base and her potency as an online fundraiser.
Meanwhile, Harris’ “do not come” warning to migrants earlier this year, while the official stance of the administration, has earned the ire of some Latino circles.
Famed journalist Jorge Ramos penned a furious column after her remarks, with the question: “What would have happened if a U.S. politician had told Harris’ Indian mother or her Jamaican father not to come to the United States to study?”
At the same time, former presidential candidate Julián Castro has frequently appeared on television to critique the administration on its immigration platform and stake out a more humane border enforcement policy.
Other Democratic officials note that some other new faces could be in the mix, like Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer if she wins reelection in 2022 and enjoys a good relationship with Biden.
Charles Burson, who served as Vice President Al Gore’s White House chief of staff during his presidential run, says Harris still has time to take on a big portfolio item that isn’t “impossible” and could allow her to “[elevate her] profile where the party and the nation looks to you as the leader.”
For now, Harris is operating in a media environment where “there's this assumption that a vice president's going to clear the field,” said Joel K. Goldstein, author of “The White House Vice Presidency: The Path to Significance, Mondale to Biden."
Goldstein added that the ability to use the vice presidency as a springboard to the nomination and eventually the White House is an advantage almost every potential candidate would take over being a senator or even Cabinet secretary.
“The trade-off is you get the chance to sit in the situation room and to be the last person in the room and to go off to France and meet with [Emmanuel] Macron,” Goldstein said.
But on the other hand, vice presidents inherit the popularity or unpopularity of the administration, and arguably the biggest challenge is “emerging from the president's shadow [and] preserving the idea that you're a leader and not just a follower,” he says.
While others can operate on their own — or in Buttigieg’s case, end up leading one of the administration’s most popular bipartisan laws — Harris’ vice presidency is more of a senior adviser role.
It has given her proximity to the president but also placed her political future in the backseat as she toes the administration line.
Allies note that voters don’t see Harris in many of her roles or hear the advice she provides to Biden in the Oval Office — putting her at the whims of public perception and media coverage of the role she’s playing.
And with a 50-50 Senate, Harris has been forced to stay near D.C. to potentially cast tie-breaking votes on Biden nominees.
That’s limited her capacity to do public outreach although she has traveled to New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada in her first year — critical early states in a presidential primary.
Those in Harris’ larger orbit point to the dozens of meetings she’s had with different important Democratic constituencies as an advantage for any future campaign.
The meetings can serve two purposes: strengthening relationships with groups now while silently building a political network in waiting.
Smith says a solution for Harris is to take those meetings on the road.
“That could be a very good place for her to be."
"Since 2020 and the primary, I think everybody's kind of found their place, and it feels like she's still looking for that place,” Smith said.
“I feel like she needs to come home, meaning you need to be talking to Black folks."
"She needs to be talking to the base as much as possible and not just meetings that's at the residence or in the White House."
"But I'm talking community.”
Zach Montellaro contributed to this report.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... d=msedgntp
KAMALA HARRIS
Re: KAMALA HARRIS
FOX NEWS
"Biden-Harris dream team suddenly Dems' worst nightmare after just 10 months"
Colin Reed
26 NOVEMBER 2021
If the question is being asked, the answer is almost assuredly "no."
That is a reference to an embattled officeholder facing inquiries about standing for reelection.
Of course, the public company line must be "yes."
Otherwise, the candidate in question becomes the lamest of lame ducks instantaneously.
The business of governing grinds to a halt as underlings turn into rivals jockeying for position in the succession line.
Ten months in, such is the sorry state of affairs of the Biden presidency.
Even the U.S. House of Representatives passing the administration’s signature legislative priority could not snap the spell of a dreadful November swoon.
The month began with Democratic setbacks in the off year elections, and concludes with renewed concern about inflation and higher costs of well, everything, from gasoline (62% higher) to home heating (54% higher) to Thanksgiving meals (14% higher).
After a weekend of swirling speculation about the feasibility of a Joe Biden-led Democratic ticket in 2024, White House press secretary Jen Psaki did her best to tamp down the palace intrigue, calling it "his intention" to run for reelection.
The statement mirrors Biden’s own from March 2021 (merely two months after his inauguration, which says something) when he stated, "My plan is to run for reelection."
Hardly Sherman-esque declarations.
Both leave plenty of wiggle room.
And for good reason.
Even if Biden’s most ardent supporters were not expecting the second coming of JFK, few probably envisioned things going off the rails so badly, so fast.
While every presidency endures its ups and downs, Biden always faced the intractable and unstoppable opponent of Father Time.
He just turned 79 years old.
To put it charitably, he has lost a few miles an hour off his fastball.
For a guy who spent the better part of his adult life delivering long-winded and verbose speeches on the floor of the U.S. Senate, his public speaking events these days are brief, unsteady and far from inspiring.
Reversing his administration’s current tailspin starts with the man at the top.
In this environment, it would be a tall task for a talented politician in their prime.
Whether Biden is up for the task remains an open question, to put it mildly.
Should he seek and win a second term in office, Biden would be 86 years old by its conclusion.
By contrast, the second-oldest commander in chief in our history, Ronald Reagan, was dismissed by his critics as being too long in the tooth when he first ran for president in 1980 at the age of 69.
If Biden has underwhelmed as president, his second-in-command has managed to fall even shorter of expectations.
The latest polls show the American people viewing Vice President Kamala Harris less favorably than Biden, which is no small feat.
Outside of family and paid advisers, even Democrats have a hard time envisioning Harris getting closer to the presidency than the 85 minutes she spent in charge when Biden was undergoing a medical procedure.
Beyond that, the bench gets awfully thin awfully fast.
The runner-up of the last two contests, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is 80.
His ideological soul mate, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has the opposite problem.
She is only 32, although she technically would meet the constitutionally-mandated age requirement by Inauguration Day 2024.
Like Harris with the border, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will spend the rest of his political life explaining how "supply chain" became kitchen table vernacular on his watch.
Perhaps Hillary Clinton or John Kerry is available for one more political rodeo?
The GOP can only hope.
For all the endless media speculation and chatter around the Thanksgiving table about what is next for the Republican Party, the questions about the future of the Democratic Party are now – an unimaginable scenario just a few short months ago when they assumed full control of Washington.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/ ... d=msedgntp
"Biden-Harris dream team suddenly Dems' worst nightmare after just 10 months"
Colin Reed
26 NOVEMBER 2021
If the question is being asked, the answer is almost assuredly "no."
That is a reference to an embattled officeholder facing inquiries about standing for reelection.
Of course, the public company line must be "yes."
Otherwise, the candidate in question becomes the lamest of lame ducks instantaneously.
The business of governing grinds to a halt as underlings turn into rivals jockeying for position in the succession line.
Ten months in, such is the sorry state of affairs of the Biden presidency.
Even the U.S. House of Representatives passing the administration’s signature legislative priority could not snap the spell of a dreadful November swoon.
The month began with Democratic setbacks in the off year elections, and concludes with renewed concern about inflation and higher costs of well, everything, from gasoline (62% higher) to home heating (54% higher) to Thanksgiving meals (14% higher).
After a weekend of swirling speculation about the feasibility of a Joe Biden-led Democratic ticket in 2024, White House press secretary Jen Psaki did her best to tamp down the palace intrigue, calling it "his intention" to run for reelection.
The statement mirrors Biden’s own from March 2021 (merely two months after his inauguration, which says something) when he stated, "My plan is to run for reelection."
Hardly Sherman-esque declarations.
Both leave plenty of wiggle room.
And for good reason.
Even if Biden’s most ardent supporters were not expecting the second coming of JFK, few probably envisioned things going off the rails so badly, so fast.
While every presidency endures its ups and downs, Biden always faced the intractable and unstoppable opponent of Father Time.
He just turned 79 years old.
To put it charitably, he has lost a few miles an hour off his fastball.
For a guy who spent the better part of his adult life delivering long-winded and verbose speeches on the floor of the U.S. Senate, his public speaking events these days are brief, unsteady and far from inspiring.
Reversing his administration’s current tailspin starts with the man at the top.
In this environment, it would be a tall task for a talented politician in their prime.
Whether Biden is up for the task remains an open question, to put it mildly.
Should he seek and win a second term in office, Biden would be 86 years old by its conclusion.
By contrast, the second-oldest commander in chief in our history, Ronald Reagan, was dismissed by his critics as being too long in the tooth when he first ran for president in 1980 at the age of 69.
If Biden has underwhelmed as president, his second-in-command has managed to fall even shorter of expectations.
The latest polls show the American people viewing Vice President Kamala Harris less favorably than Biden, which is no small feat.
Outside of family and paid advisers, even Democrats have a hard time envisioning Harris getting closer to the presidency than the 85 minutes she spent in charge when Biden was undergoing a medical procedure.
Beyond that, the bench gets awfully thin awfully fast.
The runner-up of the last two contests, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is 80.
His ideological soul mate, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has the opposite problem.
She is only 32, although she technically would meet the constitutionally-mandated age requirement by Inauguration Day 2024.
Like Harris with the border, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will spend the rest of his political life explaining how "supply chain" became kitchen table vernacular on his watch.
Perhaps Hillary Clinton or John Kerry is available for one more political rodeo?
The GOP can only hope.
For all the endless media speculation and chatter around the Thanksgiving table about what is next for the Republican Party, the questions about the future of the Democratic Party are now – an unimaginable scenario just a few short months ago when they assumed full control of Washington.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/ ... d=msedgntp
Re: KAMALA HARRIS
BUSINESS INSIDER
"'Nobody' in Biden's West Wing is shutting down chatter of Buttigieg as a potential presidential successor: report"
insider@insider.com (John L. Dorman)
27 NOVEMBER 2021
* Buttigieg is being openly discussed a potential Biden successor in the West Wing, per Politico.
* Some staffers of color feel that the chatter is a slight to Vice President Harris, per the report.
* Buttigieg this week on NBC's "Meet the Press" emphasized his strong work relationship with Harris.
When Pete Buttigieg arrived in Washington, DC, earlier this year, the former South Bend, Ind., mayor had already become a household name through his scrappy 2020 presidential campaign that saw him soar in Iowa and New Hampshire before his eventual exit from the Democratic primaries at the hands of now-President Joe Biden.
As a 39-year-old veteran who has already sought the highest office in the land, the US Transportation secretary is seen as a potential successor to Biden in 2028 — or in 2024 if the president reverses course from a planned reelection bid.
Buttigieg, who was confirmed to his Cabinet post in February, recently told Politico that he likes his job and has not thought much about electioneering since getting settled in the nation's capital.
"I'd say the other thing that I'm really enjoying about this job, although it's very demanding and obviously requiring a lot, is that this is the least I have had to think about campaigns and elections in about a decade and that's a very good thing," he said in Phoenix late last week.
However, while Buttigieg has been focused on his role — which has only become more prominent with the passage of the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill — some in the Biden White House have already raised his name as a future Democratic presidential nominee.
"Nobody in the West Wing shuts that down," an individual with knowledge of the situation told Politico.
"It's very open."
The Buttigieg talk has reportedly "frustrated" several staffers of color who see the conversation as a slight toward Vice President Kamala Harris — the first female, first Black, and first Indian American to hold the office — and believe that senior White House officials should work to minimize such chatter.
According to Politico, some of Buttigieg's former 2020 staffers are pondering whether a potential challenge to Harris would be wise given the importance of the Black vote in the Democratic presidential primary process, while also noting his struggles in courting the pivotal group last year.
Buttigieg's political action committee, Win the Era, has been quiet since he joined government earlier this year, but it is still active, with former campaign aides Maxwell Nunes and Michael Halle helping with its upkeep.
However, while on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, Buttigieg brushed off any talk of a rivalry with Harris.
When the secretary was asked if coverage of Harris's political standing had any effect on their relationship, he rejected the idea.
"No, because she and I are part of a team that is disciplined and doesn't focus on what's obsessing the commentators."
"We're too busy with a job to do."
"She, as the leader in this administration, with her leadership role, and I, and the president, and everybody else in the cabinet and across the administration, are laser-focused on getting the job done," he said.
"We have been assigned by the president to take on — literally — projects and legislation of generational significance."
"There's no room to get caught up in the parlor games, and I'm proud to be part of the Biden-Harris team," he added.
While in Arizona, Buttigieg touted the newly-signed infrastructure bill, while also speaking on supply-chain issues that have been driven by the coronavirus pandemic and high consumer demand.
"What excites me most is that we're going to have a lot of groundbreakings and eventually a lot of ribbon cuttings," he said of future projects that are set to be approved in the coming year.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... hp&pc=U531
"'Nobody' in Biden's West Wing is shutting down chatter of Buttigieg as a potential presidential successor: report"
insider@insider.com (John L. Dorman)
27 NOVEMBER 2021
* Buttigieg is being openly discussed a potential Biden successor in the West Wing, per Politico.
* Some staffers of color feel that the chatter is a slight to Vice President Harris, per the report.
* Buttigieg this week on NBC's "Meet the Press" emphasized his strong work relationship with Harris.
When Pete Buttigieg arrived in Washington, DC, earlier this year, the former South Bend, Ind., mayor had already become a household name through his scrappy 2020 presidential campaign that saw him soar in Iowa and New Hampshire before his eventual exit from the Democratic primaries at the hands of now-President Joe Biden.
As a 39-year-old veteran who has already sought the highest office in the land, the US Transportation secretary is seen as a potential successor to Biden in 2028 — or in 2024 if the president reverses course from a planned reelection bid.
Buttigieg, who was confirmed to his Cabinet post in February, recently told Politico that he likes his job and has not thought much about electioneering since getting settled in the nation's capital.
"I'd say the other thing that I'm really enjoying about this job, although it's very demanding and obviously requiring a lot, is that this is the least I have had to think about campaigns and elections in about a decade and that's a very good thing," he said in Phoenix late last week.
However, while Buttigieg has been focused on his role — which has only become more prominent with the passage of the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill — some in the Biden White House have already raised his name as a future Democratic presidential nominee.
"Nobody in the West Wing shuts that down," an individual with knowledge of the situation told Politico.
"It's very open."
The Buttigieg talk has reportedly "frustrated" several staffers of color who see the conversation as a slight toward Vice President Kamala Harris — the first female, first Black, and first Indian American to hold the office — and believe that senior White House officials should work to minimize such chatter.
According to Politico, some of Buttigieg's former 2020 staffers are pondering whether a potential challenge to Harris would be wise given the importance of the Black vote in the Democratic presidential primary process, while also noting his struggles in courting the pivotal group last year.
Buttigieg's political action committee, Win the Era, has been quiet since he joined government earlier this year, but it is still active, with former campaign aides Maxwell Nunes and Michael Halle helping with its upkeep.
However, while on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, Buttigieg brushed off any talk of a rivalry with Harris.
When the secretary was asked if coverage of Harris's political standing had any effect on their relationship, he rejected the idea.
"No, because she and I are part of a team that is disciplined and doesn't focus on what's obsessing the commentators."
"We're too busy with a job to do."
"She, as the leader in this administration, with her leadership role, and I, and the president, and everybody else in the cabinet and across the administration, are laser-focused on getting the job done," he said.
"We have been assigned by the president to take on — literally — projects and legislation of generational significance."
"There's no room to get caught up in the parlor games, and I'm proud to be part of the Biden-Harris team," he added.
While in Arizona, Buttigieg touted the newly-signed infrastructure bill, while also speaking on supply-chain issues that have been driven by the coronavirus pandemic and high consumer demand.
"What excites me most is that we're going to have a lot of groundbreakings and eventually a lot of ribbon cuttings," he said of future projects that are set to be approved in the coming year.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... hp&pc=U531
Re: KAMALA HARRIS
FOX NEWS
"Harris faces staff exodus as questions on her leadership style emerge: 'This is a sinking ship'"
Caitlin McFall
4 DECEMBER 2021
Reports of a toxic work environment have plagued Vice President Kamala Harris since she took up the post less than a year ago and the recently announced exodus of her chief spokesperson has only prompted more questions.
The White House said this week that senior adviser to the vice president and chief spokesperson Symone Sanders will be departing the vice president's office by year's end.
"I love Symone, and I can't wait to see what she will do next, and I know that it's been a, you know, it's been three years of a lot of jumping on and off planes and going around the country, and she works very hard, and I can't wait to see what she'll do next, and I mean that sincerely," Harris told reporters this week.
But the vice president declined to comment when she was pressed on whether Sander’s departure was a part of a great internal shakeup.
"Well, I've told you how I feel about Symone."
"Next question," Harris said.
Fox News contributor Joe Concha on Saturday called Harris' office a "sinking ship" during commentary on Sanders' departure.
"I guess when your boss' approval ratings are at 28% and she's polling even lower on her number one job, the U.S. southern border where migrants continue to flow over, two million passing over this year."
"I guess I would leave too, because this is a sinking ship," said Concha.
Sanders' decision to leave the vice president’s office not only raised eyebrows because she is the second high-level staffer to announce her bid farewell in less than a month, but because the spokesperson was previously harsh on vice president dropouts.
Following reports of low morale in Harris’ office this summer, Sanders defended the reportedly toxic workplace and called individuals who anonymously spoke to the press "cowards."
"People are cowards to do this, this way," she told Politico in July.
"We are not making rainbows and bunnies all day."
"What I hear is that people have hard jobs, and I’m like, ‘welcome to the club,’" Sanders said.
"We have created a culture where people, if there is anything anyone would like to raise, there are avenues for them to do so," she added.
News that Ashley Etienne, Harris' communications director, had resigned was also announced just one week before Thanksgiving.
In addition, reports have surfaced this week that two other communications staffers – Peter Velz and Vince Evans – are also leaving Harris’ team, but those reports have not been confirmed by the White House.
White House officials maintain that the departures of several staffers does not signal that Harris is a bad boss.
Press secretary Jen Psaki said the White House has a history of seeing departures by high-level staffers and described the work as "grueling" when she was pressed by reporters on the work environment in the vice president's office.
"Working on a presidential campaign…and working in the first year of a White House is exciting and rewarding, but it is also grueling and exhausting," Psaki told reporters this week.
"It’s all of those things at once."
Fox News could not immediately reach the White House for comment.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... d=msedgntp
"Harris faces staff exodus as questions on her leadership style emerge: 'This is a sinking ship'"
Caitlin McFall
4 DECEMBER 2021
Reports of a toxic work environment have plagued Vice President Kamala Harris since she took up the post less than a year ago and the recently announced exodus of her chief spokesperson has only prompted more questions.
The White House said this week that senior adviser to the vice president and chief spokesperson Symone Sanders will be departing the vice president's office by year's end.
"I love Symone, and I can't wait to see what she will do next, and I know that it's been a, you know, it's been three years of a lot of jumping on and off planes and going around the country, and she works very hard, and I can't wait to see what she'll do next, and I mean that sincerely," Harris told reporters this week.
But the vice president declined to comment when she was pressed on whether Sander’s departure was a part of a great internal shakeup.
"Well, I've told you how I feel about Symone."
"Next question," Harris said.
Fox News contributor Joe Concha on Saturday called Harris' office a "sinking ship" during commentary on Sanders' departure.
"I guess when your boss' approval ratings are at 28% and she's polling even lower on her number one job, the U.S. southern border where migrants continue to flow over, two million passing over this year."
"I guess I would leave too, because this is a sinking ship," said Concha.
Sanders' decision to leave the vice president’s office not only raised eyebrows because she is the second high-level staffer to announce her bid farewell in less than a month, but because the spokesperson was previously harsh on vice president dropouts.
Following reports of low morale in Harris’ office this summer, Sanders defended the reportedly toxic workplace and called individuals who anonymously spoke to the press "cowards."
"People are cowards to do this, this way," she told Politico in July.
"We are not making rainbows and bunnies all day."
"What I hear is that people have hard jobs, and I’m like, ‘welcome to the club,’" Sanders said.
"We have created a culture where people, if there is anything anyone would like to raise, there are avenues for them to do so," she added.
News that Ashley Etienne, Harris' communications director, had resigned was also announced just one week before Thanksgiving.
In addition, reports have surfaced this week that two other communications staffers – Peter Velz and Vince Evans – are also leaving Harris’ team, but those reports have not been confirmed by the White House.
White House officials maintain that the departures of several staffers does not signal that Harris is a bad boss.
Press secretary Jen Psaki said the White House has a history of seeing departures by high-level staffers and described the work as "grueling" when she was pressed by reporters on the work environment in the vice president's office.
"Working on a presidential campaign…and working in the first year of a White House is exciting and rewarding, but it is also grueling and exhausting," Psaki told reporters this week.
"It’s all of those things at once."
Fox News could not immediately reach the White House for comment.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... d=msedgntp
Re: KAMALA HARRIS
FOX NEWS
"Kamala Harris' staffers leaving White House in part because they fear being labeled 'Harris person': report - Staff departures add to VP's problems, including bad poll numbers"
By Houston Keene | Fox News
3 DECEMBER 2021
A new report revealed that departing staffers for Vice President Harris are leaving their White House posts in part due to concerns of being forever labeled a "Harris person."
A growing list of Harris staffers are heading out the door amid internal chaos and disastrous poll numbers.
The concern of being labeled a "Harris person," as well as burnout and desire for greener pastures, are driving the exodus from the vice president’s office, sources familiar with the chaos in the VP's office told Axios.
One anonymous Democratic strategist said that Harris needs "someone loyal, who can think methodically to best position the vice president and to make sure everything she’s doing is being maximized and communicated to a broad population and get her numbers up."
A different Democratic operative close to the veep’s office told Axios that the staff departures are lighting a fire under chief of staff Tina Flournoy to keep the sinking ship afloat.
"If we mess this up, it's going to set women back when it comes to running for higher office for years to come," the operative said.
The label of being a "Harris person" apparently carries a weighted stigma with it in Washington — something that does not bode well for the fledgling veep as her first year in office begins to wrap up.
While turnover in a political office is natural, the early departure of key staffers can send signals of struggle to those outside the office walls.
People close to the vice president’s office told Axios that the departures are normal and come from the veep team’s exhaustion after the Biden campaign and transition.
Additionally, those close to Harris’ operation said that some of the departures are being driven by eyes wandering to greener financial pastures.
The turnover might be due to the chaos interwoven throughout Harris’ operation that has seen the vice president laugh off questions about the border and produce a space-themed video using child actors, among other controversies.
Harris’ poll numbers also paint a grim picture for the veep, with her cratering approval rating tailing President Biden’s own and showing how the country’s second in command is viewed by the populace.
The "Harris person" label also spells trouble for the vice president’s future political aspirations — her name is already being floated a potential replacement for Biden should he choose not to run again in 2024.
The report comes amid the news that Harris’ chief spokesperson, Symone Sanders, is departing the office at the end of the year.
Houston Keene is a reporter for Fox News Digital
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/vp-sta ... ris-person
"Kamala Harris' staffers leaving White House in part because they fear being labeled 'Harris person': report - Staff departures add to VP's problems, including bad poll numbers"
By Houston Keene | Fox News
3 DECEMBER 2021
A new report revealed that departing staffers for Vice President Harris are leaving their White House posts in part due to concerns of being forever labeled a "Harris person."
A growing list of Harris staffers are heading out the door amid internal chaos and disastrous poll numbers.
The concern of being labeled a "Harris person," as well as burnout and desire for greener pastures, are driving the exodus from the vice president’s office, sources familiar with the chaos in the VP's office told Axios.
One anonymous Democratic strategist said that Harris needs "someone loyal, who can think methodically to best position the vice president and to make sure everything she’s doing is being maximized and communicated to a broad population and get her numbers up."
A different Democratic operative close to the veep’s office told Axios that the staff departures are lighting a fire under chief of staff Tina Flournoy to keep the sinking ship afloat.
"If we mess this up, it's going to set women back when it comes to running for higher office for years to come," the operative said.
The label of being a "Harris person" apparently carries a weighted stigma with it in Washington — something that does not bode well for the fledgling veep as her first year in office begins to wrap up.
While turnover in a political office is natural, the early departure of key staffers can send signals of struggle to those outside the office walls.
People close to the vice president’s office told Axios that the departures are normal and come from the veep team’s exhaustion after the Biden campaign and transition.
Additionally, those close to Harris’ operation said that some of the departures are being driven by eyes wandering to greener financial pastures.
The turnover might be due to the chaos interwoven throughout Harris’ operation that has seen the vice president laugh off questions about the border and produce a space-themed video using child actors, among other controversies.
Harris’ poll numbers also paint a grim picture for the veep, with her cratering approval rating tailing President Biden’s own and showing how the country’s second in command is viewed by the populace.
The "Harris person" label also spells trouble for the vice president’s future political aspirations — her name is already being floated a potential replacement for Biden should he choose not to run again in 2024.
The report comes amid the news that Harris’ chief spokesperson, Symone Sanders, is departing the office at the end of the year.
Houston Keene is a reporter for Fox News Digital
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/vp-sta ... ris-person
Re: KAMALA HARRIS
FOX NEWS
"Kamala Harris, gaffe machine: VP's public appearances marked by awkward moments, controversies - Harris floated as possible successor to Biden presidency"
By Jessica Chasmar | Fox News
Published November 26, 2021
Vice President Kamala Harris is routinely being floated as the obvious choice for Democrats if President Biden chooses not to seek reelection in 2024, prompting fresh scrutiny of her performance in the White House, which has been punctuated by multiple gaffes, awkward moments and plummeting poll ratings.
While Biden, 79, has expressed his intention to seek a second term in 2024, some Democratic strategists doubt it will happen, given his age and declining popularity, which has been compounded by a devastating gubernatorial election loss for the Democrats in Virginia that has been interpreted as a referendum on his presidency.
Harris is being frequently floated in Democratic circles as a possible successor to the Biden presidency, but her missteps throughout the year and sinking approval ratings have sparked concerns.
A Fox News survey last month revealed that 45% of registered voters approved of Harris’ performance as vice president and 53% disapproved.
A lengthy CNN piece recently outlined mutual exasperation between Harris and Biden's offices as the vice president’s approval rating dips, with the former's aides feeling hung out to dry as she tackles thankless tasks without White House cover, and the latter's staff having "thrown up their hands" at her "lack of focus," as CNN put it.
Harris' public appearances have been marked by unforced errors and uncomfortable moments, some caused by the vice president and some caused by those around her.
One day after the CNN report, the White House’s announcer at Biden’s signing ceremony of the bipartisan infrastructure bill appeared to skip Harris’ turn to speak, instead introducing union political activist Heather Kurtenbach as the vice president waited awkwardly at the podium.
In front of the scenes, Harris has sparked multiple controversies during her public appearances as vice president.
Earlier this month, she was ridiculed after appearing to imitate a French accent while speaking to French scientists during a tour of a Parisian lab.
A week earlier, Harris was mocked for touting "great wins" for Democrats in New York City and New Jersey, two deep blue areas, after Democrat Terry McAuliffe was defeated by Republican Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin in Virginia.
In October, Harris was featured in a space-themed video — the first in a YouTube series entitled "Get Curious with Vice President Harris" — that was heavily criticized online for the veep’s animated performance as well as the fact that child actors were used in its production.
In September, Harris sparked criticism after she nodded along while a student accused Israel of "ethnic genocide."
Harris responded by saying the student's "truth should not be suppressed" during an event at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.
Days earlier, Harris compared the behavior of Customs and Border Protection agents pictured on horseback corralling Haitian migrants away from the U.S. border with the historical treatment of slaves and Indigenous Americans.
Harris was also criticized in September for traveling to California to campaign for Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom while Californians were still stranded in Afghanistan.
In August, The Los Angeles Times, Harris’ hometown paper that previously lionized her, published a story headlined, "Kamala Harris has touted her role on Afghanistan policy. Now, she owns it too," knocking her for her role in the botched execution of Biden’s military withdrawal.
In July, Harris was derided for arguing against voter ID laws by claiming rural Americans can't get photocopies of their IDs because "there's no Kinkos" or "OfficeMax near them."
Harris also faced criticism in July after she declared that the Democratic lawmakers who fled Texas in an effort to block the state’s new election legislation from passing were "in line" with the legacy of Frederick Douglass and the Selma marchers.
In June, Harris was slammed by Republicans and Democrats alike after she dismissed a question from NBC News’ Lester Holt about why she had yet to visit the southern border, despite being tapped as border czar by Biden in March.
"And I haven’t been to Europe," Harris said at the time.
"And I mean, I don’t understand the point that you’re making."
"I’m not discounting the importance of the border."
Harris was knocked for not taking a trip to the U.S.-Mexico border for nearly 100 days after her appointment as border czar, raising eyebrows after she finally took a trip to Guatemala to address the root causes of the border crisis instead of the actual border.
She finally traveled to El Paso, Texas, in June for her first visit to the border as vice president, which some critics blasted as a photo-op.
She had previously repeatedly laughed off questions about whether she would take the trip.
In March, Harris was blasted for not addressing the multiple sexual harassment allegations against the now-former governor of New York, Democrat Andrew Cuomo, despite being a vocal supporter of the #MeToo movement.
While Biden eventually called on Cuomo to resign, Harris remained silent on the matter.
And within days of entering office, Harris faced controversy over an organization she once promoted, called the Minnesota Freedom Fund, after a man who was previously bailed out twice by the fund was arrested again.
More recently, in August, a man who was bailed out of jail on domestic assault charges by the same fund was subsequently charged with murder.
Fox News’ David Rutz and Brian Flood contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/kamala ... rd-moments
"Kamala Harris, gaffe machine: VP's public appearances marked by awkward moments, controversies - Harris floated as possible successor to Biden presidency"
By Jessica Chasmar | Fox News
Published November 26, 2021
Vice President Kamala Harris is routinely being floated as the obvious choice for Democrats if President Biden chooses not to seek reelection in 2024, prompting fresh scrutiny of her performance in the White House, which has been punctuated by multiple gaffes, awkward moments and plummeting poll ratings.
While Biden, 79, has expressed his intention to seek a second term in 2024, some Democratic strategists doubt it will happen, given his age and declining popularity, which has been compounded by a devastating gubernatorial election loss for the Democrats in Virginia that has been interpreted as a referendum on his presidency.
Harris is being frequently floated in Democratic circles as a possible successor to the Biden presidency, but her missteps throughout the year and sinking approval ratings have sparked concerns.
A Fox News survey last month revealed that 45% of registered voters approved of Harris’ performance as vice president and 53% disapproved.
A lengthy CNN piece recently outlined mutual exasperation between Harris and Biden's offices as the vice president’s approval rating dips, with the former's aides feeling hung out to dry as she tackles thankless tasks without White House cover, and the latter's staff having "thrown up their hands" at her "lack of focus," as CNN put it.
Harris' public appearances have been marked by unforced errors and uncomfortable moments, some caused by the vice president and some caused by those around her.
One day after the CNN report, the White House’s announcer at Biden’s signing ceremony of the bipartisan infrastructure bill appeared to skip Harris’ turn to speak, instead introducing union political activist Heather Kurtenbach as the vice president waited awkwardly at the podium.
In front of the scenes, Harris has sparked multiple controversies during her public appearances as vice president.
Earlier this month, she was ridiculed after appearing to imitate a French accent while speaking to French scientists during a tour of a Parisian lab.
A week earlier, Harris was mocked for touting "great wins" for Democrats in New York City and New Jersey, two deep blue areas, after Democrat Terry McAuliffe was defeated by Republican Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin in Virginia.
In October, Harris was featured in a space-themed video — the first in a YouTube series entitled "Get Curious with Vice President Harris" — that was heavily criticized online for the veep’s animated performance as well as the fact that child actors were used in its production.
In September, Harris sparked criticism after she nodded along while a student accused Israel of "ethnic genocide."
Harris responded by saying the student's "truth should not be suppressed" during an event at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.
Days earlier, Harris compared the behavior of Customs and Border Protection agents pictured on horseback corralling Haitian migrants away from the U.S. border with the historical treatment of slaves and Indigenous Americans.
Harris was also criticized in September for traveling to California to campaign for Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom while Californians were still stranded in Afghanistan.
In August, The Los Angeles Times, Harris’ hometown paper that previously lionized her, published a story headlined, "Kamala Harris has touted her role on Afghanistan policy. Now, she owns it too," knocking her for her role in the botched execution of Biden’s military withdrawal.
In July, Harris was derided for arguing against voter ID laws by claiming rural Americans can't get photocopies of their IDs because "there's no Kinkos" or "OfficeMax near them."
Harris also faced criticism in July after she declared that the Democratic lawmakers who fled Texas in an effort to block the state’s new election legislation from passing were "in line" with the legacy of Frederick Douglass and the Selma marchers.
In June, Harris was slammed by Republicans and Democrats alike after she dismissed a question from NBC News’ Lester Holt about why she had yet to visit the southern border, despite being tapped as border czar by Biden in March.
"And I haven’t been to Europe," Harris said at the time.
"And I mean, I don’t understand the point that you’re making."
"I’m not discounting the importance of the border."
Harris was knocked for not taking a trip to the U.S.-Mexico border for nearly 100 days after her appointment as border czar, raising eyebrows after she finally took a trip to Guatemala to address the root causes of the border crisis instead of the actual border.
She finally traveled to El Paso, Texas, in June for her first visit to the border as vice president, which some critics blasted as a photo-op.
She had previously repeatedly laughed off questions about whether she would take the trip.
In March, Harris was blasted for not addressing the multiple sexual harassment allegations against the now-former governor of New York, Democrat Andrew Cuomo, despite being a vocal supporter of the #MeToo movement.
While Biden eventually called on Cuomo to resign, Harris remained silent on the matter.
And within days of entering office, Harris faced controversy over an organization she once promoted, called the Minnesota Freedom Fund, after a man who was previously bailed out twice by the fund was arrested again.
More recently, in August, a man who was bailed out of jail on domestic assault charges by the same fund was subsequently charged with murder.
Fox News’ David Rutz and Brian Flood contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/kamala ... rd-moments
Re: KAMALA HARRIS
FOX NEWS
"Psaki defends Harris' office amid departures, citing 'grueling' work -White House press secretary calls it 'natural' for staffers to 'move on,' sees 'opportunity' to bring in 'new faces'"
By Brooke Singman | Fox News
Published 2 DECEMBER 2021
White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Thursday defended the departures of high-profile advisers from Vice President Kamala Harris’ team amid reports of turmoil in the East Wing, saying it is "natural" for staffers to be ready to "move on" and an "opportunity" to bring in "new faces and perspectives."
Symone Sanders, chief spokesperson and senior adviser to Harris, resigned from her post this week and will leave the East Wing at the end of the year.
Sanders is the second top Harris aide to announce her departure in less than a month.
Just two weeks ago, it emerged that Harris communications director Ashley Etienne had resigned.
When asked about the high-profile departures and rumors of other potential Harris staffers weighing resignations, Psaki said past precedent shows White House staffers making external moves after some time working in an administration or on a campaign.
"Working on a presidential campaign…and working in the first year of a White House is exciting and rewarding, but it is also grueling and exhausting," Psaki said.
"It’s all of those things at once."
Psaki noted that while there was an announcement about Sanders’ departure, reports of other staffers resigning are not confirmed.
"Many of the team members you’re referencing, I would just note, that there has been an announcement about Symone Sanders departing, but there hasn’t been official announcements about the others," Psaki said.
Reports have surfaced this week that two other communications staffers – Peter Velz and Vince Evans – are also leaving Harris’ team.
"I would leave it to them and the vice president’s team to make any additional announcements," Psaki said.
But reflecting on her experience in past political work and in the Obama administration, Psaki said that the moves were "natural."
"In my experience, and if you look at past precedent, it’s natural for staffers who have thrown their heart and soul into a job to be ready to move on to a new challenge after a few years," Psaki explained.
"And that is applicable to many of these individuals."
Psaki also noted that it is an "opportunity" for any White House "to bring in new faces, new voices, new perspectives," and said the vice president’s office would make announcements on that "in due time."
Further, Psaki rejected the suggestion that the departures, specifically Sanders’, were due to negative coverage of the vice president.
Last month, a USA Today poll put Harris at a 28% approval rating.
Sanders worked as a senior adviser on President Biden’s 2020 campaign, a member of his transition team, a deputy assistant to the president, and a senior adviser/chief spokesperson to Harris.
"As many of you know, she has been a part of this for two and a half, or three years," Psaki said.
"She’s somebody, and anybody who has spent time with her knows, that she is whip smart, and she has charisma coming out of her eyeballs, and she is going to do plenty of interesting things in the world in the next couple of years to be ready for something new."
"That’s what happens, in my experiences, in my experience in the past, in White Houses, often," Psaki added.
A White House official on Wednesday night told Fox News that Biden and Harris "are grateful for Symone’s service and advocacy" and said she "will be missed."
Psaki on Thursday said she knows Harris is "grateful to all of the staff who have served her."
"She also understands the excitement and the grueling nature of working on a campaign and working in a White House," Psaki said.
"And, again, as I noted earlier, it is also an opportunity to bring in new faces and perspectives, which is, overall, a very positive thing."
Brooke Singman is a Politics Reporter for Fox News. Follow her on Twitter at @BrookeSingman.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/psaki- ... eling-work
"Psaki defends Harris' office amid departures, citing 'grueling' work -White House press secretary calls it 'natural' for staffers to 'move on,' sees 'opportunity' to bring in 'new faces'"
By Brooke Singman | Fox News
Published 2 DECEMBER 2021
White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Thursday defended the departures of high-profile advisers from Vice President Kamala Harris’ team amid reports of turmoil in the East Wing, saying it is "natural" for staffers to be ready to "move on" and an "opportunity" to bring in "new faces and perspectives."
Symone Sanders, chief spokesperson and senior adviser to Harris, resigned from her post this week and will leave the East Wing at the end of the year.
Sanders is the second top Harris aide to announce her departure in less than a month.
Just two weeks ago, it emerged that Harris communications director Ashley Etienne had resigned.
When asked about the high-profile departures and rumors of other potential Harris staffers weighing resignations, Psaki said past precedent shows White House staffers making external moves after some time working in an administration or on a campaign.
"Working on a presidential campaign…and working in the first year of a White House is exciting and rewarding, but it is also grueling and exhausting," Psaki said.
"It’s all of those things at once."
Psaki noted that while there was an announcement about Sanders’ departure, reports of other staffers resigning are not confirmed.
"Many of the team members you’re referencing, I would just note, that there has been an announcement about Symone Sanders departing, but there hasn’t been official announcements about the others," Psaki said.
Reports have surfaced this week that two other communications staffers – Peter Velz and Vince Evans – are also leaving Harris’ team.
"I would leave it to them and the vice president’s team to make any additional announcements," Psaki said.
But reflecting on her experience in past political work and in the Obama administration, Psaki said that the moves were "natural."
"In my experience, and if you look at past precedent, it’s natural for staffers who have thrown their heart and soul into a job to be ready to move on to a new challenge after a few years," Psaki explained.
"And that is applicable to many of these individuals."
Psaki also noted that it is an "opportunity" for any White House "to bring in new faces, new voices, new perspectives," and said the vice president’s office would make announcements on that "in due time."
Further, Psaki rejected the suggestion that the departures, specifically Sanders’, were due to negative coverage of the vice president.
Last month, a USA Today poll put Harris at a 28% approval rating.
Sanders worked as a senior adviser on President Biden’s 2020 campaign, a member of his transition team, a deputy assistant to the president, and a senior adviser/chief spokesperson to Harris.
"As many of you know, she has been a part of this for two and a half, or three years," Psaki said.
"She’s somebody, and anybody who has spent time with her knows, that she is whip smart, and she has charisma coming out of her eyeballs, and she is going to do plenty of interesting things in the world in the next couple of years to be ready for something new."
"That’s what happens, in my experiences, in my experience in the past, in White Houses, often," Psaki added.
A White House official on Wednesday night told Fox News that Biden and Harris "are grateful for Symone’s service and advocacy" and said she "will be missed."
Psaki on Thursday said she knows Harris is "grateful to all of the staff who have served her."
"She also understands the excitement and the grueling nature of working on a campaign and working in a White House," Psaki said.
"And, again, as I noted earlier, it is also an opportunity to bring in new faces and perspectives, which is, overall, a very positive thing."
Brooke Singman is a Politics Reporter for Fox News. Follow her on Twitter at @BrookeSingman.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/psaki- ... eling-work
Re: KAMALA HARRIS
THE LOS ANGELES TIMES
"Kamala Harris to announce new private investments aimed at slowing Central American migration"
BY NOAH BIERMAN, STAFF WRITER
DEC. 13, 2021
WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris, eager to show progress on one of her most high-profile assignments, plans to announce on Monday $540 million in private investments in Central America as part of the administration’s plan to reduce migration from the area by improving local conditions.
The announcement, previewed by White House officials on Sunday, will bring total private commitments in the region to more than $1.2 billion since May, when Harris began soliciting companies and nonprofits to spend money in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.
President Biden asked Harris in March to help curb migration from the region by addressing the so-called root causes, which include poverty, corruption, crime and natural disasters.
Since then, the number of people stopped by officials near the border has hit record highs.
There is debate over the causes, with many conservatives blaming lax border enforcement and the perception the U.S. has become more hospitable to migrants and asylum seekers.
Many liberals point to worsening conditions in home countries and the impact of COVID-19.
Harris and experts on Central American migration have said her efforts are unlikely to yield quick results.
But the large increases in migration have created political problems for Harris, even if she is not directly responsible for border enforcement or processing migrants.
Harris’ efforts to reduce corruption, at the heart of her plan, have also been set back.
Guatemala’s attorney general fired the country’s leading anti-corruption prosecutor Juan Francisco Sandoval in July, just weeks after Harris visited the country and urged leaders to preserve the rule of law.
Harris, who had avoided visiting or speaking with leaders of Honduras and El Salvador because of concerns about government corruption there, has new hope that the incoming president of Honduras, Xiomara Castro, will make good on her promises to fight corruption.
Harris called Castro on Saturday to congratulate her.
White House officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described it as a good call and pointed to Castro’s vows to improve the economy and to better protect women in the country from violence.
Harris plans to announce the new pledges on Monday during a roundtable with corporate leaders, including Brad Smith of Microsoft, Paula Santilli of PepsiCo’s Latin American division, David MacLennan of Cargill, Guillaume Le Cunff of Nespresso and Juan Pablo Mata of Grupo Mariposa, a Guatemala-based food and beverage company.
The biggest new investment will come from PepsiCo, which plans to spend $190 million over the next four years on upgrading plants, expanding distribution routes and reducing emissions.
Cargill and Parkdale Mills are each pledging $150 million for agricultural and manufacturing projects.
Microsoft, which had already promised to give 3 million people in the region internet access, will up its commitment to 4 million people and will also promise to teach digital skills to 100,000 people.
Administration officials hope investments from big companies will create more transparent business practices — including getting more people access to digital credit — and that will make it harder to hide bribes and other black market activity.
They also hope the companies’ promises to pay higher wages will give people more reason to avoid the risky journey north.
But the region remains dangerous, and all three countries have initiated efforts to crack down on groups that fight corruption and promote democratic governance.
One example is new registration requirements that the groups say are undermining their ability to operate free of harassment.
https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/ ... -migration
"Kamala Harris to announce new private investments aimed at slowing Central American migration"
BY NOAH BIERMAN, STAFF WRITER
DEC. 13, 2021
WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris, eager to show progress on one of her most high-profile assignments, plans to announce on Monday $540 million in private investments in Central America as part of the administration’s plan to reduce migration from the area by improving local conditions.
The announcement, previewed by White House officials on Sunday, will bring total private commitments in the region to more than $1.2 billion since May, when Harris began soliciting companies and nonprofits to spend money in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.
President Biden asked Harris in March to help curb migration from the region by addressing the so-called root causes, which include poverty, corruption, crime and natural disasters.
Since then, the number of people stopped by officials near the border has hit record highs.
There is debate over the causes, with many conservatives blaming lax border enforcement and the perception the U.S. has become more hospitable to migrants and asylum seekers.
Many liberals point to worsening conditions in home countries and the impact of COVID-19.
Harris and experts on Central American migration have said her efforts are unlikely to yield quick results.
But the large increases in migration have created political problems for Harris, even if she is not directly responsible for border enforcement or processing migrants.
Harris’ efforts to reduce corruption, at the heart of her plan, have also been set back.
Guatemala’s attorney general fired the country’s leading anti-corruption prosecutor Juan Francisco Sandoval in July, just weeks after Harris visited the country and urged leaders to preserve the rule of law.
Harris, who had avoided visiting or speaking with leaders of Honduras and El Salvador because of concerns about government corruption there, has new hope that the incoming president of Honduras, Xiomara Castro, will make good on her promises to fight corruption.
Harris called Castro on Saturday to congratulate her.
White House officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described it as a good call and pointed to Castro’s vows to improve the economy and to better protect women in the country from violence.
Harris plans to announce the new pledges on Monday during a roundtable with corporate leaders, including Brad Smith of Microsoft, Paula Santilli of PepsiCo’s Latin American division, David MacLennan of Cargill, Guillaume Le Cunff of Nespresso and Juan Pablo Mata of Grupo Mariposa, a Guatemala-based food and beverage company.
The biggest new investment will come from PepsiCo, which plans to spend $190 million over the next four years on upgrading plants, expanding distribution routes and reducing emissions.
Cargill and Parkdale Mills are each pledging $150 million for agricultural and manufacturing projects.
Microsoft, which had already promised to give 3 million people in the region internet access, will up its commitment to 4 million people and will also promise to teach digital skills to 100,000 people.
Administration officials hope investments from big companies will create more transparent business practices — including getting more people access to digital credit — and that will make it harder to hide bribes and other black market activity.
They also hope the companies’ promises to pay higher wages will give people more reason to avoid the risky journey north.
But the region remains dangerous, and all three countries have initiated efforts to crack down on groups that fight corruption and promote democratic governance.
One example is new registration requirements that the groups say are undermining their ability to operate free of harassment.
https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/ ... -migration
Re: KAMALA HARRIS
THE BUSINESS INSIDER
"Kamala Harris got heated after Charlamagne tha God asked if Joe Biden or Joe Manchin was the 'real president'"
kvlamis@insider.com (Kelsey Vlamis)
18 DECEMBER 2021
* Charlamagne tha God asked Vice President Kamala Harris Friday who the "real president" is.
* Harris quickly defended President Joe Biden and said "don't start talking like a Republican."
* Joe Manchin frustrated some Democrats again this week by holding up the Build Back Better Act.
Vice President Kamala Harris gave a fiery response Friday when media host Charlamagne tha God asked her if President Joe Biden was the "real president."
The tense exchange happened while Harris was being interviewed for Comedy Central's "Tha God's Honest Truth."
"So who's the real president of this country, is it Joe Manchin or Joe Biden?" Charlamagne asked the vice president.
"Come on, Charlamagne," Harris responded, followed by Charlamagne chiming in to say "I can't tell sometimes."
"No, no, no, no."
"It's Joe Biden," Harris said.
"And don't start talking like a Republican about asking whether or not he's president."
"It's Joe Biden."
"And I'm vice president and my name is Kamala Harris," she continued, before listing some of the Biden administration's accomplishments, including the child tax credit and plans to replace every lead water pipe in the country.
"I hear the frustration, but let's not deny the impact that we've had and agree also that there is a whole lot more work to be done," Harris said.
Manchin, a Democratic senator from West Virginia, has frequently clashed this year with other members of his party, at times stalling Biden's domestic agenda.
He has faced criticism for holding up bills that most of the party is in agreement on.
Earlier this week, the moderate Democrat held up Biden's $2 trillion social- and climate- spending bill over concerns about the cost of the child tax credit, Insider's Joseph Zeballos-Roig reported.
Biden said Thursday he was working closely with Manchin to come to an agreement and get the Build Back Better Act passed, which would require the support of every Democratic senator.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Friday the party should force Manchin's hand by bringing the bill to a vote, a position shared by Sen. Richard Durbin earlier this week.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... d=msedgntp
"Kamala Harris got heated after Charlamagne tha God asked if Joe Biden or Joe Manchin was the 'real president'"
kvlamis@insider.com (Kelsey Vlamis)
18 DECEMBER 2021
* Charlamagne tha God asked Vice President Kamala Harris Friday who the "real president" is.
* Harris quickly defended President Joe Biden and said "don't start talking like a Republican."
* Joe Manchin frustrated some Democrats again this week by holding up the Build Back Better Act.
Vice President Kamala Harris gave a fiery response Friday when media host Charlamagne tha God asked her if President Joe Biden was the "real president."
The tense exchange happened while Harris was being interviewed for Comedy Central's "Tha God's Honest Truth."
"So who's the real president of this country, is it Joe Manchin or Joe Biden?" Charlamagne asked the vice president.
"Come on, Charlamagne," Harris responded, followed by Charlamagne chiming in to say "I can't tell sometimes."
"No, no, no, no."
"It's Joe Biden," Harris said.
"And don't start talking like a Republican about asking whether or not he's president."
"It's Joe Biden."
"And I'm vice president and my name is Kamala Harris," she continued, before listing some of the Biden administration's accomplishments, including the child tax credit and plans to replace every lead water pipe in the country.
"I hear the frustration, but let's not deny the impact that we've had and agree also that there is a whole lot more work to be done," Harris said.
Manchin, a Democratic senator from West Virginia, has frequently clashed this year with other members of his party, at times stalling Biden's domestic agenda.
He has faced criticism for holding up bills that most of the party is in agreement on.
Earlier this week, the moderate Democrat held up Biden's $2 trillion social- and climate- spending bill over concerns about the cost of the child tax credit, Insider's Joseph Zeballos-Roig reported.
Biden said Thursday he was working closely with Manchin to come to an agreement and get the Build Back Better Act passed, which would require the support of every Democratic senator.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Friday the party should force Manchin's hand by bringing the bill to a vote, a position shared by Sen. Richard Durbin earlier this week.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... d=msedgntp
Re: KAMALA HARRIS
BUSINESS INSIDER
"The Great Resignation might be hitting White House staffers, who are heading for the exits after feeling distant from top management: report"
insider@insider.com (Cheryl Teh)
22 DECEMBER 2021
* The holiday gloom in the Biden White House might be pushing some staffers to join The Great Resignation.
* A new report from Politico cites interviews from White House staffers, who complained about poor management.
* The staffers also described the strain of working remotely and sparse instances of in-office camaraderie.
A new report from Politico says White House staffers may be swept up in The Great Resignation, too.
Rumblings of dissatisfaction with the work environment at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue were reported on by Politico's West Wing Playbook, which detailed the strains of working remotely and an "insular" top management composed of old-timers.
While some officials cited poor management as being a reason for the gloom, other Biden White House staffers pointed the finger at a closely-knit group of top Biden aides who operate in a separate sphere from the bulk of the staff.
According to the officials who spoke to Politico, this was best summed up in the line: "no new friends in Biden world."
Politico also interviewed several White House staffers who told the news outlet that people were feeling burned out, with little opportunity for the camaraderie of in-person work.
Separately, informal happy hours and dinners that have been organized at the White House have not had much of an impact with cheering staffers up, per Politico.
"A lot of the natural coordination that happens in a typically functioning White House has been lost, and there has been no proactive effort to make up for it through intentional team building," said an unnamed official to Politico.
Politico reported that Biden's staff might be seeing a higher-than-usual turnover at the start of 2022 when people look to switch jobs after sticking it out at the White House for just over a year.
Politico's report comes the same month that Vice President Kamala Harris' office reported an unusually high staff turnover.
This exodus of staffers included Symone Sanders, Harris' chief spokesperson, and Ashley Etienne, her communications director.
Representatives from the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... d=msedgntp
"The Great Resignation might be hitting White House staffers, who are heading for the exits after feeling distant from top management: report"
insider@insider.com (Cheryl Teh)
22 DECEMBER 2021
* The holiday gloom in the Biden White House might be pushing some staffers to join The Great Resignation.
* A new report from Politico cites interviews from White House staffers, who complained about poor management.
* The staffers also described the strain of working remotely and sparse instances of in-office camaraderie.
A new report from Politico says White House staffers may be swept up in The Great Resignation, too.
Rumblings of dissatisfaction with the work environment at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue were reported on by Politico's West Wing Playbook, which detailed the strains of working remotely and an "insular" top management composed of old-timers.
While some officials cited poor management as being a reason for the gloom, other Biden White House staffers pointed the finger at a closely-knit group of top Biden aides who operate in a separate sphere from the bulk of the staff.
According to the officials who spoke to Politico, this was best summed up in the line: "no new friends in Biden world."
Politico also interviewed several White House staffers who told the news outlet that people were feeling burned out, with little opportunity for the camaraderie of in-person work.
Separately, informal happy hours and dinners that have been organized at the White House have not had much of an impact with cheering staffers up, per Politico.
"A lot of the natural coordination that happens in a typically functioning White House has been lost, and there has been no proactive effort to make up for it through intentional team building," said an unnamed official to Politico.
Politico reported that Biden's staff might be seeing a higher-than-usual turnover at the start of 2022 when people look to switch jobs after sticking it out at the White House for just over a year.
Politico's report comes the same month that Vice President Kamala Harris' office reported an unusually high staff turnover.
This exodus of staffers included Symone Sanders, Harris' chief spokesperson, and Ashley Etienne, her communications director.
Representatives from the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... d=msedgntp