White House communications director Kate Bedingfield to step down soon
CBSN
Washington — White House communications director Kate Bedingfield plans to leave her role in the near future, a White House aide confirmed Thursday.
Bedingfield has been key player in Mr. Biden's inner circle in recent years, having served as his communications director when he was vice president and as deputy campaign manager during his 2020 presidential run. The White House aide said Bedingfield is stepping aside to spend more time with her husband and young children. The Wall Street Journal first reported her impending departure.
"Without Kate Bedingfield's talent and tenacity, Donald Trump might still be in the White House, the Rescue Plan and the Infrastructure Law might still be unrealized goals, and Ketanji Brown Jackson might not be sitting on the Supreme Court," chief of staff Ron Klain said in a statement praising Bedingfield. "She has played a huge role in everything the president has achieved — from his second term as vice president, through the campaign, and since coming to the White House. Her strategic acumen, intense devotion to the President's agenda, and fierce work on his behalf are unmatched."
Almost four out of every 10 people in the United States live in a place where air pollution is considered bad enough to put their health at risk, the American Lung Association warned in its latest "State of the Air" report released on Wednesday. That proportion of people — about 39% of the population — had risen sharply since earlier rounds of pollutant data were analyzed for the annual report last year, and the trends were especially pronounced in certain parts of the country.
Between now and 2030, about 10,000 Americans will turn 65 every single day, highlighting a growing concern about the nation's preparedness for elder care often falling on the shoulders of their adult children. This has given rise to a term known as the "sandwich generation," defined as adults who find themselves caring for their aging parents while still raising their own children.