On Tuesday, Ms. Rice met by Zoom with Randi Weingarten, the longtime president of the American Federation of Teachers, to debate the way to use the general public schooling system to fight the unfold of disinformation.
She needed to speak to Ms. Rice about what she referred to as a “lack of discernment between fact and propaganda,” and mentioned Ms. Rice challenged her “about ‘how do we actually do this from the White House.’”
Ms. Weingarten got here away impressed. “I’ve met many of the domestic policy advisers in the White House,” she mentioned. “A lot before were really good people, but they made sure the trains ran on time. She’s a big thinker. Her job is beyond that.”
Ms. Rice’s household is rooted in home coverage points, even when her personal profession has skewed to issues overseas. Her mom, Lois Dickson Rice, a high-powered company govt, helped persuade Congress to supply federal subsidies, generally known as Pell grants, to needy school college students. Her father, Emmett J. Rice, was a governor of the Federal Reserve.
“You need someone who understands how to move things forward,” mentioned Cecilia Muñoz, who served as director of the Domestic Policy Council underneath Mr. Obama. “It’s like being an orchestra conductor. You don’t have to play all of the instruments. You do have to get the most out of each part of the orchestra.”
Mr. Klain added, “Her signature issue is many issues.”
Valerie Jarrett, a longtime adviser to Mr. Obama, mentioned Ms. Rice was chosen partially as a result of she was a recognized entity to Mr. Biden, who needed to enter workplace with a group of advisers who had already labored collectively.
During the Obama administration, “they had a close relationship, they shared a bathroom, and were on the same hall together,” she mentioned.