White House Correspondents Insider

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

Zignal Labs’ Josh Ginsberg on How Companies Can Fight Back Against Bot Attacks

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Zignal Labs CEO and co-founder Josh Ginsberg went on Bloomberg TV’s “What’d You Miss?” on Friday, August 17th to discuss his company’s latest software, the first-ever bot intelligence platform, which protects brands against malicious bot attacks which can cause harm to a company’s reputation, affect stock price, and also spread disinformation about a brand or its executives. This software can spot bot attacks in real-time and alert company executives before problems arise.

“Companies usually have no idea that these attacks are occurring…as long as you have technology that enables you to see how a story is spreading,” says Ginsberg, you can see “who’s taking hold of that story” and take proactive steps to combat the narrative.

You can watch the full segment here.

Haddad Media CEO and White House Correspondents Insider Editor-in-Chief Tammy Haddad is an unpaid advisor to Zignal Labs.

POLITICO: Here’s How Journos Kill Time Awaiting Manafort Verdict

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Nothing grabs headlines quite like white-collar crime. On what is now Day 4 of the high stakes tax fraud case of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, with no end of deliberation in sight, journalists, lawyers, and lookiloos awaiting a verdict are less fraught with anticipation than captivated by the body language of jurors out for a smoke break or boredly playing solitaire or crosswords in the courtroom.

Journalists, write Ben Schreckinger, Josh Gerstein and Darren Samuelsohn for POLITICO, are content with watching for the lights to go on and off in the jury room while the hours pass with little or no news. “About 50 members of the media camped out in the small plaza in front of the courthouse with dozens more in the lobby of the Westin across the street and in the hotel’s restaurant, where a cheeseburger ordered “rare” came back brown in the middle, just the way the president likes it.”

These intrepid writers are relegated to questioning the timing and the substance of certain lunch orders. Terrible diets abound for reporters and lawyers alike.

Manafort is facing 18 counts of tax and bank fraud in the first trail brought about by special counsel Robert Mueller. If convicted on all counts, Manafort would be sentenced to 305 years in prison. No easy task for the twelve jurors who will ultimately decide his fate.

Read the full story here.

Kevin Sheekey’s Daily Read Turns One!

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Bloomberg’s Kevin Sheekey has been gathering the most important stories in business and the wider world of Bloomberg. Today, the newsletter turns one just as it tops over 20,000 subscribers.

To celebrate the occasion, he has put out a list of the newsletter’s most popular headlines. You can check them out below.

Top 5 Most Popular Sheekey Daily Read Headlines:

1. Bloomberg Eyes 2020 Presidential Run as a Democrat – The Guardian

2. Mike Bloomberg sums up thoughts on environment: “We’re in deep s—.”

3. Social Justice Lawyer: The Nightmare of Working in de Blasio’s Government

4. The Mike Bloomberg Effect: Bad News for Trump – Rising Chance of Republicans Losing U.S. House of Representatives

5. Michael Bloomberg: Google Walks Away From America’s Security

You can sign up for the Sheekey Daily newsletter at SheekeyDaily.com!

Blumhouse Television Announces New Podcast, “The Oval Office Tapes,” Set to Air in September

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Blumhouse Television has announced a new podcast, “The Oval Office Tapes,” on Wednesday, August 15th, featuring fictionalized monologues depicting the Trump White House activities as told by key figures in the administration. Emmy Award-winning filmmaker RJ Cutler is the podcast’s creator. His work includes the documentary films The War Room, A Perfect Candidate, The September Issue and The World According to Dick Cheney. The podcast is slated to air in September for a weekly, 10-episode run. Writer and political reporter Scott Conroy will serve as showrunner for the podcast.

Each episode of the series will dramatize the current week’s political headlines from the perspective of prominent figures within the Trump Administration. No castings have been announced yet, but Wednesday’s announcement claimed, “The Oval Office Tapes would feature all of your favorite Trump administration figures, family members, best friends, and enemies.”

“The Oval Office Tapes” will be presented as a partnership between Blumhouse Television and Cadence 13, the company that distributes the hit “Pod Save America,” “Up and Vanished,” and “The RFK Tapes.”

You can learn more here.

White House Historical Association To Host “Back to the White House”-themed Presidential Sites Summit

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Photo Courtesy, WhiteHouse.gov

The White House Historical Association will convene the Presidential Sites and Libraries as well as participants from around the world for it’s latest Presidential Sites Summit. Held every two years, this edition will focus on the history of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave and all things White House. The “Back to the White House” summit lasts from August 27-30 and will gather people who maintain and operate historic presidential sites and libraries as well as fans of American history and politics.

Among the featured speakers are former assistant to President George W. Bush and chief of staff to First Lady Laura Bush,  Anita McBride, Presidential historian and author Jon Meacham, journalist Soledad O’Brien, USA Today Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page, David Rubenstein, and Haddad Media CEO Tammy Haddad.

According to the White House Historical Association, the theme expands upon the commonalities between America’s leaders. “In addition to executive leadership, all presidents have in common the place associated with their legacies: the White House. From George Washington’s role in selecting the site of the President’s House and its architect to the modern day, the symbolic force of the White House resonates through time. All chief executives are shaped by their experiences at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. In 2018, the White House Historical Association will convene the Presidential Sites and Libraries to reconnect with the domain that defined those presidencies — the White House.”

Participants will take exclusive tours of historic sites, attend sessions on fundraising, philanthropy, and digital engagement. Others can join in the fun by following @WhiteHouseHstry on Twitter and by using the #PresidentialSites hashtag.

You can learn more about the Presidential Sites Summit here.

The White House Historical Association has also recently partnered with American University to offer a class called Living History, which examines the history of the White House. Anita McBride, the executive-in-residence for AU’s Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at the School of Public Affairs, says that the White House is “a symbol of our democracy. And here at AU, we study public affairs, we study policy, we study the impact of these decisions on people’s lives. The White House is the place where decisions are made that are far-reaching and impactful.”

American University says the class will “cover the White House as a national landmark and living museum, its architectural transformations, the history of its occupants and staff, as well as the presidency itself. They’ll delve into various themes and feature guest speakers. McBride, former chief of staff to Laura Bush, will participate in several sessions and will be responsible for the section on first ladies.”

You can learn more about the partnership and the course here.

Omarosa Debuts Secretly-Taped Conversations with President and CoS

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Omarosa Manigault Newman, the former “Apprentice” contestant, White House staffer, and now author of gossip-y Trumpworld book Unhinged, was secretly taping her colleagues in the Trump administration including President Trump and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly.

She debuted a conversation she had with President Trump the day after she was unceremoniously fired from her White House role, parts of which she also recorded secretly. In the tape, Donald Trump expresses disbelief that she has been fired though many claim he was being disingenuous.

Omarosa also claims to have heard the long-rumored “Apprentice” tapes showing then-host Donald Trump repeatedly using the N-word while referring to the show’s African-American contestants. Additionally, she claims to have 3 sources which have to corroborate her story. Her book is out Tuesday, August 14th.

Zignal Labs Beats the Bots CEO Josh Ginsberg Warns Business Leaders 50% of Social Media is Fake

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Josh Ginsberg, CEO of Zignal Labs, with Andrew Ross Sorkin on CNBC’s Squawk Box July 17, 2018

How do you know if your social media followers are real? Zignal Labs has developed a powerful new solution to combat malicious online bot attacks. Zignal Bot Intelligence is a patent-pending software that extends Zignal’s media analytics capabilities to identify bots, create a realtime visual picture of the attack, and provide their customer with data-driven insights about the attack so the customer can put together an informed response strategy.

“Bots are synthetic accounts, these are not real people. Oftentimes, it’s one person controlling thousands, even millions of conversations online in a coordinated manner so that they’re able to influence the outcome of something,” says Josh Ginsberg, CEO and Co-Founder of Zignal Labs. “Here’s the problem: companies have no idea this is happening.”

Based upon extensive media analysis of Fortune 1000 companies, Zignal Labs has found that virtually all businesses, regardless of size or industry, are at risk of attack from bot-led disinformation and media manipulation campaigns – if they haven’t been attacked already.

“This is more than just a problem with a singular platform…when an attack happens, it’s happening on multiple platforms, it’s happening on blogs and comment sections, all of this is working together,” says Ginsberg. “This is a massive problem and the only way you can solve it is with technology. Zignal Labs has developed a unique solution and that’s why we’re committed to working with customers to solve it.”

See for yourself at Zignal’s Bot Intelligence:
http://www.zignallabs.com/bots

 

HHS Secretary Alex Azar Addresses Family Separations at Washington Post Health Event

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HHS Secretary speaks with Paige Winfield Cunningham at the Washington Post Health 202 Live event

The Trump administration policy forcing asylum seekers entering to US to split up with their children has sparked outrage around the world. As part of the Washington Post’s Health 202 Live event, health policy reporter Paige Winfield Cunningham spoke to HHS Secretary Alex Azar about his role in shaping the president’s policies, including immigration and child separation, as well as lowering insurance costs, and Medicare reform on Wednesday, June 20th.

On the controversial issue Azar said, “Nobody has ever desired to separate children from their families but, just like you or me, if you are arrested, your kids aren’t going to be with you. If you want to remain with your children, don’t come across the border illegally… Present yourself at a legal border crossing.”

Azar added, “Once members of Congress—the one who have actually visited facilities and toured it as opposed to those who are just talking about it—I think have been impressed. We take the mission quite seriously.”

Uber’s Danielle Burr and DC Tech Leaders Meet Brotopia Author Emily Chang to Discuss Empowering Women Tech Execs

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Danielle Burr & Emily Chang

DC’s tech and media leaders gathered just steps from the Capitol at Charlie Palmer Steak on Tuesday, May 22nd to toast the publication of Bloomberg Technology host Emily Chang’s new book, Brotopia: Breaking Up the Boy’s Club of Silicon Valley, on the eve of her nationwide book tour.

Emily Chang’s book, which Kirkus Reviews calls “an in-depth analysis of the tech-industry brotherhood,” explores how tech became known as a male-dominated industry. Uber’s Head of Federal Affairs Danielle Burr hosted the lunchtime discussion. Chang applauded the steps certain tech companies have taken to expand on diversity and inclusivity initiatives that seek to bring more women and people of color into tech executive roles.

Attending the discussion was Daniel Lippman, Michael LaRosa, Katherine Vargas, Craig Gordon, Juleanna Glover, Meredith Balenske, Jen Stout, Jessica Nigro, Cecilia Kang, Pete Eskew, Heather Childs, Ruth Marcus, Pete Selfridge, Parita Shah, and Patrice Willoughby. Uber executive Amanda Anderson, Rachel Holt, Arathi Mehrotra, and Dave Barmore were also spotted at the gathering.

Washington Celebrates Bret Baier at Three Days in Moscow Book Party

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Bret Baier’s newest book is already creating buzz. On Monday evening, an A-list of Washington politicos descended on the Marriott Marquis at the invitation of co-hosts David & Carrie Marriott and Ande & Mae Grennan for a reception celebrating Fox News Anchor Bret Baier’s new book, Three Days in Moscow: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of the Soviet Union.

Bret and Amy Baier were joined by Kellyanne Conway, Attorney-General Jeff Sessions and Mary Sessions, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and Hilary Ross, and Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao.

Marriott Executive Chairman Bill Marriott and wife Donna entertained guests alongside their son and daughter-in-law in the hotel’s Liberty Ballroom.

Fox News Anchor Chris Wallace mingled with National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow before Baier gave his remarks.  He discussed key moments in the book and told previously unheard stories about the Reagan family, including a humorous account of Nancy Reagan saving longtime White House Correspondent Helen Thomas from a flash mob in Moscow. When Secret Service agents formed a protective circle around the First Lady, she spotted Helen in the crowd, pointed to her, and exclaimed, “She’s with us!”

The reception kicked-off a two-week national book tour, which concludes just before the author heads to Singapore to cover the much-anticipated U.S.-North Korea summit.

Guests included Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Azerbaijani Ambassador Elin & LaLa Suleymanov, Jordanian Ambassador Dina Kawar, Kuwaiti Ambassador Salem & Rima Al-Sabah, Barbara Allbritton, Heather Podesta, Kay Kendall and Jack Davies, Janet Donovan, Willie and Finlay Lewis, and Ryan Williams.