White House Correspondents Insider

Behind the scenes of one of the most powerful clubs in America.

Archives for November 2012

Dr. Mark Dybul Takes World Stage to Lead Global Fund

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Dr. Mark Dybul, Sarah Brown, Naomi Campbell

President George W. Bush named Dr. Mark Dybul the US’s Global AIDS Coordinator and very successfully led the President’s Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief.  He now takes the world’s stage as the leader of The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Dr. Dybul was at Georgetown University and assisted many health non-profits including David and Susan Axelrod’s CURE Epilepsy and Barbara Bush’s Global Health Corps.  He will relocate to Geneva.  Click here to read more, or the official press release below.

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Petraeus Makes A Black Ops Cameo, Too

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David Petraeus' cameo in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2
If the comparisons to the Coen Brothers‘ Burn After Reading weren’t enough for the ongoing Petraeus scandal, how about we get to see his face as a soulless digital avatar as well? Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 ,a sequel to the 2010 spin-off in the Call of Duty franchise focusing on the cold war, came out earlier in the week. In traditional Beltway culture, players assume the role of the same character twice (both father in the 1980s and son in the 2025) while blowing up drug lords, piloting drones and doing everything possible to keep firing a gun from point A to point B.

Except (SPOILER) toward the end of the campaign in 2025, we get a surprise cameo from (fictional) General Petraeus as he oversees the joint-adventure between Chinese and American militaries in lieu of any upcoming cyber-attacks with a motion-captured (and D.C. native) Tony Todd.

As for what’s exactly happening in the video, it really could matter less since we all know Petraeus won’t be in this role in the next 13 years. If he had, Petraeus would’ve seen the end to “The Second Cold War,” a female president and all sorts of impossible battlefield decisions made by a group of 12-year olds hopped up on Mountain Dew and candy that probably assume he’s just a made-up character for the Call of Duty franchise.

However, he is the first “living” government figure to be used in the series, disregarding the first Black Ops that featured a painfully awkward Jack Kennedy impersonator. But it did involve a mode where certain world leaders banded together inside the Pentagon to take down zombies:

TODAY Veteran Don Nash named Executive Producer

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NBC Universal Press Release:

New York – November 14, 2012 – Veteran “Today” show Senior Broadcast Producer Don Nash has been promoted to Executive Producer of the iconic morning show. The announcement was made today by Steve Capus, President, NBC News.

Effective December 1, Nash succeeds former “Today” Executive Producer Jim Bell who has been appointed Executive Producer of NBCUniversal’s Olympic Coverage.

As Executive Producer, Nash will be responsible for all four hours of “Today” program content and will lead the broadcast’s management team and program staff.

Nash will report to Alexandra Wallace, who has been appointed Executive in Charge of the “Today” show. In that capacity, Wallace will have executive oversight of “Today.” Wallace will continue to report to Capus.

Said Capus: “Don Nash deserves to be at the helm of ‘Today.’ He is a beloved member of the Today family who brings vision, commitment and a deep familiarity to all aspects of the broadcast. The formidable individual talents of Alex, Don and the ‘Today’ leadership are now combined and I’m confident our team is well positioned for success.

I also want to thank and congratulate Jim Bell for seven years of leadership at ‘Today.’ We are grateful for his many contributions to the show and have no doubt he will have continued success in his new role as executive producer of the company’s Olympic coverage.”

Said Bell: “I am thrilled for Don and for ‘Today’. We have spent nearly every weekday morning together for almost eight years, and I know firsthand the show will benefit from Don’s unmatched morning television experience, control room skill and leadership.”

A 23-year veteran of “Today,” Nash previously served as the show’s senior broadcast producer where for the past seven years he orchestrated the live broadcast from the control room each morning and played an integral role in day-to-day programming. He has overseen hundreds of breaking news events including three presidential elections, the capture of Osama Bin Laden, the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, and the devastating Aurora, Colo. shooting. Nash was also responsible for the production of many landmark show events and series including Today’s coverage of the Summer Olympic Games in London, the Royal Wedding, and “Today Goes Viral.” He most recently oversaw the program’s multi-million dollar renovation of its studio exterior and video wall.

Nash began his career at NBC in 1989 as a Page in Burbank, Ca. Following his role with the Page Program, he accepted a production assistant position at “Today’s” Burbank Bureau where he began his remarkable tenure with the show. Over the next 10 years, Nash assumed roles as associate producer and producer, and in 1999, he moved to New York to become a senior producer for the show.

In 2002, Nash was named executive producer of “Weekend Today” where he ran all aspects of the show, including content, marketing, sales and finance, and he garnered all-time ratings highs for the program. In 2005 he returned to the weekday edition of “Today” as senior broadcast producer.

Nash graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications Studies. He lives in Connecticut with his wife Gaylen and their two daughters, Cassidy and Alice.

In addition to her Today show responsibilities, Alex Wallace will continue as the Executive Producer of “Rock Center with Brian Williams.” She previously served as Senior Vice President of “NBC News,” and Capus’ chief deputy within the News division. She has also served as Executive Producer of the broadcasts: NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams and Weekend Today.

The Continuing Drama of David Petraeus

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Did the resignation of General David Petraeus really happen because of misreading an email? Apparently so according to Daily Mail, who reveal the true start of this slow burn was an unpaid social liaison at a military base in Florida named Jill Kelly.  Petraeus knew Kelly from his time in Tampa, when he was the head of U.S. Naval Central Command from 2008 to 2010. Kelly contacted the FBI after being harassed by his biographer, Paula Broadwell.

The inclusion of yet another woman being the start–but, both sides claim, not an affair–makes us wonder just how much effort is needed to actually run the CIA.  Buzzfeed lays out the sins of General Petraeus and why folks shouldn’t be surprised by this reveal–but should be concerned that the FBI are so bored they’d check into his sex life. And someone finally remembered that Broadwell had a co-author for her book, “All In,” in the form of Vernon Loeb, local editor at the Washington Post. While Loeb probably knew nothing and doesn’t want to speak on the matter, it almost plays out like a terrible sci-fi movie.

Which, once again, makes all the parallels between that Argo premiere and the ongoing drama so wonderfully weird for post-election news that isn’t revolving around Nate Silver, the horrible aftermath of Superstorm Sandy or how Broadwell really was reading CIA emails and publicly discussing them.

How Did MSNBC "Win" The Election Coverage?

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Joe Scarborough & Mika Brzezinski

If Nate Silver won the official election of who’s right, then who took home the popular vote? If you ask Brian Stelter, it was clearly MSNBC.

In a parallel from from years ago, it seems like the 24-hour news channel has bulked up and turned itself around since the last presidential election. The channel’s rough start as “a CNN also-ran to an Anti-Fox” came to a huge change for the 2012 election as channel has morphed into a true counter-brand to Fox News. It required a four-year re-branding message, including a series of ads where notable on-air talent like Chris Matthews, Ed Schultz and Rachel Maddow stand before historic or iconic images–not to mention most were originally shot by Spike Lee.

It could be that the tides are changing, as even Variety has Fox News as a major winner and loser on election night. Buried almost the the end in the lavish praise comes the always tantalizing anonymous sources familiar with all manners of media matter.  Supposedly The Washington Post’s Ezra Miller is being eyed for a possible weekend show along with Chris Hayes, or the coveted 8pm slot.  But that’s neither how, now or why. What’s important is recognizing that MSNBC is skewing itself to a younger market. Whether they’re accomplishing it by not having real-time debate reactions like CNN or eshewing making everything as “Extreme” as Fox News is still up in the air. There’s a shift to get rid of the old weekend documentaries (the “Lockup” series included) and tune to constant political coverage, or even discussion like The Cycle which kicks off seven hours of specialized talking heads.

Either way, it seems like Fox News may have inadvertently followed the plot of Mean Girls too closely. The only question worth answering in the follow-up must be which network is Lindsey Lohan and which is Rachel McAdams. Maybe we’ll find out at next year’s White House Correspondents Dinner?

Petraeus Resigns After Probe Discovers Affair

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Barely a month ago, General David Petraeus and his wife Holly attended the premiere of Argo posing with Bryan Cranston and having the Breaking Bad actor leave his daughter a voice mail from the reception. That was the good news. The bad news: the general resigned his position as head of the CIA earlier this afternoon according to NBC News.

An FBI probe had uncovered that Petraeus had been compromised by his own biographer, Paula Broadwell, author of “All In: The Education of General David Petraeus,” who had tried to gain access to his email and other sensitive information. Slate named her as the other half of the affair that was uncovered by the FBI probe.

Broadwell made the media rounds earlier this year, including an odd interview with The Daily Show that becomes extremely cringeworthy toward the end. She recently published “David Petraeus’ Rules for Living” on The Daily Beast. Likewise, in hindsight, the fourth rule seems to come at an awkward time for the former director of the CIA:

There is an exception to every rule, standard operating procedure, and poli­cy; it is up to leaders to determine when exceptions should be made and to ex­plain why they made them.

After The Election, Biden Heads to Parks and Recreation

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Vice President Joe Biden and David Axelrod

Now that the election is over, we can get Vice President Joe Biden to where he really needs to be–meeting  Leslie Knope.

Or, to be more precise, Amy Poehler on the set of Parks and Recreation for their upcoming episode. The fifth season premiere featured Poehler (who plays the recently elected city councilwoman Knope) in D.C. with cameos from Senator John McCain, Barbara Boxer and Olympia Snowe. But for the November 15th episode, Vice President Biden shows up in the cold open according to Entertainment Weekly.

It’s no secret in the show that Knope has a crush on Biden, but it turns out the cameo was harassed by Beltway politics:

Once the producers committed to shooting an episode in D.C., the process of landing Biden was “so much less difficult than we ever possibly imagined,” says Schur, noting: “His staff really loves the show, and he apparently had watched the show with his family and his family liked it… The hardest part was keeping it secret for so long because there’s all these FEC rules and equal-time rules. We couldn’t air it before the election because it was the equivalent of a campaign contribution to advertise for one candidate.”

This is far from the first time that the vice president has appeared on TV. He’s read the Top Ten on Letterman, shown up constantly on Hardball, Meet the Press and The Daily Show. But this is the third time that he’s ever appeared on a scripted television show. The second was Robert Altman’s sequel to Tanner ’88, the Sundance Channel mini-series Tanner on Tanner. But the first? Way back in 1993, then Senator of Delaware, Biden appeared as himself on the PBS game show Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? to offer the host some support:

Greg: Hello?
Joe Biden: Greg, Senator Joe Biden here.
Greg: Oh, hey, Senator.
Joe: I just wanted to let you know that I proposed a Congressional resolution naming you “The Best Detective of the Year”.
Greg: Why thank you, sir.
Joe: But some people were more comfortable with “Best Detective of the Month”.
Greg: Uh-huh.
Joe: And a few preferred “Best Detective of the Work Week”. Then someone suggested “best” is an awfully strong word, so we decided to name you “The Somewhat-Notable Detective of the Next 12 Minutes”. Congratulations, Greg.
Greg: Thank you very much, sir. Thank you. Good-bye. Thank you.

We can only hope he suggested the same when the episode airs next week.

Reckless 'Stache Endangerment Plagues Axelrod

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David Axelrod

Woe unto the man who wields his mustache for personal gain, or at least that’s the thought coming from Alexandra Petri at  WaPo’s ComPost. Taking a second shot at David Axelrod‘s carefree attitude when it comes to putting his ‘stache up for collateral when it comes to bets. Only this time it’s more against the CURE’s new Slash the ‘Stache fundraiser.

This shall not pass! Does he dislike epilepsy research? First, he pits Mustache Preservation against Civic Duty; now, Mustache Preservation must go head-to-head with Supporting Good Causes? Has he no shame? After his loyal mustache fought its way out of the electoral gladiatorial arena, staggering but victorious, he demands that it turn again and battle for its life? At least allow the thing to rest.

Mustaches should not be so lightly bandied about. A mustache is a terrible thing to waste, and it is this cavalier attitude that has made them retreat in terror to their traditional haunts on the upper lips of hipsters and ’70s porn stars.

Tough words! In fact, the toughness is something that every reaction across the Internet seems to have when it comes to a ‘stache-less Joe Scarborough. While sites clamored to come up with the best puns in their headers (Politico: “Scarborough’s close shave”) others felt more of ak “J’accuse” was in order (NY Mag and WaPo: “Joe Scarborough Buys His Way Out of Mustache Bet”).

But even a joke can be helpful, as The Hill chronicled a rare online interaction between Axelrod and Donald Trump that ended with The Donald promising some funds–no confirmed amount–to bring a trimmer ever closer to ending the gloriously preserved mustache. Even without the construction magnate, donations are still coming in to Slash the ‘Stache, which you can donate to here even if you’re concerned about the recklessly endangered facial hair.

CURE Epilepsy Announces Slash The 'Stache

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Joe Scarborough and Susan Axelrod

It may be  Movember, but CURE Epilepsy raised the bar for slashing mustaches.

Earlier today on Morning Joe, David Axelrod came calling after last week’s on-air bet when the senior adviser to Obama’s reelection campaign put up his prized flavor saver if the president lost Pennslvania, Michigan or Minnesota.  But Scarborough would have to grow his own ‘stache if the president swept all three and took North Carolina or Florida.

While the votes are still being sorted in Florida, it was looking likely that Scarborough would have a warm upper lip. As he got a few pop culture examples (the Ron Swanson from Parks and Recreation, the Borat, the Dali), Axelrod offered to let the MSNBC morning host off the hook by donating to CURE Epilepsy’s new campaign: Slash the ‘Stache. Within seconds, Mika and Joe offered $10,000 for the cause, which you can donate here.

In honor of National Epilepsy Awareness Month, David Axelrod will follow through with the original bet and shave the mustache that he’s had for the last 40 years–but only if donations reach $1 million. Slash the ‘Stache will culminate with CURE’s Boston event on the 28th, where we’ll find out if Joe and Mika get the first attempt at shaving off the greatest mustache in modern politics–and help  Susan Axelrod see her husband sans ‘stache.

See the original announcement from Morning Joe:

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Spontaneous Obama Demonstration at White House

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They ran past K and I streets to Lafayette Park cheering for President Obama while drivers honked their horns encouraging them. It only got louder at their final destination: the front gates of the White House.

People were climbing trees and cheering “Obama,” “USA” and some sang “The Star Spangled Banner.”  The crowd applauded the tree climbers who unfurled a printed banner that read, “Sandy Demands Climate Change Now.”

The homemade “Judge Judy 2016” sign received quite a bit of attention and snickers while iPhones and TV cameras captured the revelers in full voice.

There was the distinctive smell of marijuana in a few pockets, but very few beverages in people’s hands. The crowd stretched the entire length of the White House residence and the width of Pennsylvania Avenue touching the beginning of constrution of the Inaugural bleachers.

No policeman could be seen in the first hour, and only one uniformed Secret Service agent was visible on the park side.