Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Names and faces
■ Outgoing White House chief of staff Ron Klain burst into tears as he talked about his boss, President Joe Biden, and his decades of work with him. “This is the best job I’ve ever had,” Klain said Wednesday, immediately crying after he said he couldn’t promise a tear-free speech. Biden gently patted him on the back. The East Room was packed with White House staff, aides and Cabinet members there to send off Klain, a Biden loyalist who has worked for the president off and on for 36 years. Klain, 61, said that through it all, Biden has been a leader, a teacher and a mentor — and his admiration doesn’t stop at governing. “I learned everything I know about how to be a good father from Joe Biden,” said Klain, the father of three, choking up. Klain led the White House through both highs and lows. “Ron has been at my side in one capacity or another, and there’s been some very tough and real battles we’ve been in together,” Biden said. “This is a guy who’s always been there.” The transition is the first major personnel change for the administration. Klain is succeeded by Jeff Zients, who led the administration’s covid-19 response. Zients, 56, is tasked with leading operations as the Democratic administration shifts from ambitious legislating to implementing policies and fending off Republican efforts to defang some of initiatives.
■ A Mississippi college celebrated “Will Smith Day” with none other than Will Smith. The actor and entertainer visited Tougaloo College, a historically Black school in the Tougaloo area of Jackson, on Tuesday to speak with mass communication and performing arts students, WAPTTV reported. The station said Smith’s visit was a favor to Tougaloo graduate Aunjanue Ellis, his co-star in the film “King Richard.” “Today was Will Smith Day at Tougaloo College,” President Carmen Walters said. “Our students were able to interact with Mr. Smith in a private setting,” she said. “This is the first visit of many producers who are assisting us with launching our new program in filmmaking and film production.”