Remembering
James Robison

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The Affogato: Way to Jump on the Money-and-Fame Train

Plus, Day 3 of Where in the World is John Zmirak?

By Gayle McQueary Published on June 5, 2025

Things seem to have worked out well for Jake Tapper after releasing his new book Original Sin on May 20, exploiting the years he and others in the media covered up for Joe Biden’s cognitive decline; against all odds, Tapper is still regarded as a well-respected journalist today.

So it’s not really a surprise that another person close to Biden during his presidency would want to cash in on exposing the White House’s dirty laundry. Enter former Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre with her bombshell announcement about her new book. Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines will be released on October 21.

No More Boxes

As one might expect given the book’s title, Jean-Pierre also announced yesterday that she’s leaving the Democrat Party. KJP’s publisher, Hachette Book Group, says she “didn’t come to her decision to be an Independent lightly,” having served under two Democrat presidents (Obama’s first term and then Biden), and has been a member of the Democrat Party for more than 20 years.

KJP promises that Independent will cover the three weeks between Biden’s disastrous presidential debate with Donald Trump and ultimately dropping out of the 2024 election, “and the betrayal by the Democratic Party that led to his decision.” Sure, when the Democrat National Convention installs an unelected candidate, what member of the party wouldn’t feel like they’d been hoodwinked into blind obedience? Jean-Pierre says as much in the book’s press release:

I determined that the danger we face as a country requires freeing ourselves of boxes. We need to be willing to exercise the ability to think creatively and plan strategically. We need to be clear-eyed and questioning, rather than blindly loyal and obedient as we may have been in the past. And freeing ourselves of boxes is truly at the heart and soul of my new book, Independent.

Kinda makes us think KJP is more loyal to Biden than her former party. In fact, the New York Post highlights her defense of Biden’s health over the years, going back to June 2022 in an interview with former CNN anchor Don Lemon, who questioned whether Biden would have the “stamina” for a second term. Some of Jean-Pierre’s former White House colleagues wonder if her departure from the party and book release have more to do with her pursuit for celebrity and personal media attention than principles.

Politico reports, “Jean-Pierre’s former staffers offered withering criticism of what they see as an opportunistic grift.”

“She made a joke about being an independent last year and now it’s a book. All ideas are monetary — even the dumb ones,” said one of the former staffers.

KJP has stayed silent on social media since her publisher’s announcement yesterday. We can’t wait for her press tour to promote this controversial book.

College Smuggling

Federal court documents that were unsealed in Detroit on Tuesday revealed that federal agents arrested Yunqing Jian, a 33-year-old Chinese scholar at the University of Michigan, and charged her with attempting to smuggle a biological pathogen classified as a potential agricultural terrorism weapon into the U.S. Her boyfriend, Zunyong Liu, 34, was also charged after smuggling the pathogen through Detroit Metropolitan Airport late last July 27, intending to conduct research at the UM lab where Jian worked.

Jian, a Chinese citizen with a doctorate in plant pathogens from Zhejiang University, is believed to have ties to the Chinese Communist Party. Prosecutors discovered a Chinese government-backed foundation was funding her post-doctoral work.

The pathogen causes “head blight,” a major disease affecting small grain crops, such as wheat and barley, leading to significant losses and health issues in livestock and humans. Both Jian and Liu face charges of conspiracy, smuggling, false statements, and visa fraud. The smuggling charge alone carries a potential 20-year prison sentence. Liu admitted to hiding the pathogen and lying to customs officers, while Jian denied knowledge of his plans. Liu has returned to China, and Jian is being held without bond in Detroit.

This case follows a recent FBI counterintelligence probe from last October. Five UM graduates from China were found on a military base in northern Michigan in 2023 during a U.S. National Guard training exercise with members of the Taiwanese military.

Hopefully RFK Jr. is monitoring these threats to U.S. food security as part of his efforts to “Make America Healthy Again.”

1 Million Hours of Manpower

Isn’t it nice to experience a good change in leadership? Just the News reports that the FBI released a report Tuesday showing its agents have dedicated 1,055,432 manpower hours to immigration enforcement since Donald Trump’s second inauguration in January, assisting in the arrest of more than 10,000 illegal migrants. This effort involves joint operations with Homeland Security, ICE, the DEA, and local police to target criminals involved in violent gangs, drug smuggling, human trafficking, and child exploitation across the United States.

A notable operation over Memorial Day week in Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket led to about 40 arrests, including those of an MS-13 gang member and a child sex offender. FBI Director Kash Patel has redirected significant percentage of agents and support personnel to part-time immigration enforcement work, totaling roughly 5,448 people as of last week. Most resources have been diverted to cities such as Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Houston, San Antonio, and Baltimore.

A May 29 operation in Florida targeted a construction business whose owner was involved in labor trafficking Mexican citizens, “smuggling the individuals into the country and forcing them to work at rates below minimum wage for his construction company,” according to an FBI after-action report. The sting resulted in 74 arrests. West Virginia, which is grappling with severe fentanyl issues, have welcomed this FBI support; Gov. Patrick Morrisey noted its importance in addressing border-related crime.

“West Virginia sees a massive amount of death because of the border disorder that was created by Joe Biden and others,” he said. “What Trump is trying to do is absolutely correct, and so we’ve been working in our state to show strong support for that, and that’s going to continue.”

It’s always nice when the good guys win!

Where in the World Is John Zmirak?

The Affogato summer series game: Where in the World Is John Zmirak? #3

Keep those eagle eyes peeled, because John is now continents away! And keep those guessing coming in. Remember, the ones with the most correct (or close to correct) guesses will get a gift from us at the end of the month.

This one is more about the city and country than the actual location of the ruins.

Do you think you know where John is? Send your guesses to us at [email protected] or visit our Facebook page.

Along The Stream…

Later this morning, Wes Huff “Disproves Islam in 20 Minutes” by exposing contradictions in the Quran, using verified historical and textual facts.

And in the afternoon, John Zmirak brings us his first piece from abroad: “My Five Impossible Proposals to Prevent Global and Civil War.”

 

Gayle McQueary is The Stream’s social media specialist. She has a background in production and is a scary judge of anyone tampering with the food supply.