White House Correspondents Insider

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

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.”

Gary Cohn Talks Life After the White House, Addresses Peter Navarro Comments at Washington Post Live

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Gary Cohn, the former economic advisor to Donald Trump, spoke with Washington Post White House economic policy reporter Damian Paletta on Thursday, June 14th to discuss the legacy of his tax reform bill, Peter Navarro’s explosive comments at the G7, trade, infrastructure, and what’s next for the former Goldman Sachs CEO.

Washington Post publisher Fred Ryan kicked off the discussion saying “Gary Cohn has had a remarkable career and has stepped down from his position at the pinnacle of wall street and government finance to answer the call of government service.”

Gary Cohn says that the chance to serve in the White House was “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” On his signature achievement at the White House, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, he said, “There was a moment every day where we thought this was going to fail.”

When asked by Paletta whether or not he thought the bill will eventually be revenue neutral, Cohn answered, saying “I’m going to make a bit on news here: It won’t be revenue neutral,” and suggesting that it would be either positive or negative depending on how the economy performs.

Paletta asked Cohn for his response to Peter Navarro’s incendiary comments suggesting there was a “special place in hell” for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by saying, “It was inappropriate and uncalled for. And it’s not his job.”

 On his time in the White House alongside fellow advisors Steve Bannon, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, Cohn said, “Last year was the best year of my life.” When asked if the facts always won out in the Oval Office, Cohn replied, “I may not comment on that!”

Paletta asked Cohn if he could see himself coming back to work in this administration in a different role. Cohn said, “I can see myself coming back to Washington,” prompting cheers from the crowd.

Other highlights included Cohn thinking his nickname, “Globalist Gary” was “kind of a flattering name,” and suggesting that he knew of some CEOs that would make for great presidents. He also claimed that Trump’s tweets “100 percent” affect investment markets. As for his plans going forward, Cohn plans to spend more time with his family and also that, “At this stage of my life I’d like to go and do something more unique.”

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.

Tammy Haddad interviews Ronan Farrow for Washington Insider Podcast

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Ronan Farrow Book Party 5/3

Ronan Farrow appeared Friday, May 4th at Cafe Milano in an event hosted by Franco Nuschese, Kathy O’Hearn, Hilary Rosen, and Tammy Haddad to discuss his new book War on Peace: The End of Diplomacy and the Decline of American Influence and his Pulitzer Prize-winning reporting on the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse scandal. Tammy Haddad interviewed Ronan during the event as part of the Washington Insider podcast. You can listen and subscribe here.

Farrow’s book charts the militarization of diplomacy, and he interviewed every living Secretary of State, including Rex Tillerson in his final days in office, who for the first time expressed regret that he did not fully familiarize himself with the inner workings of the State Department before agreeing to take the job.

Ronan Farrow and Franco Nushcese

Fellow Pulitzer Prize-winner and New Yorker colleague Jane Mayer joined Ronan for a toast to Pulitzer Prize-winning reporting. He spoke with Tammy Haddad about the experience of writing these complex stories, “The stories needed to be bulletproof. They needed to account for every counterargument…I try to tell the stories that have staying power and reach an incredibly high level of seriousness…you owe it to all the parties to interrogate the claims as skeptical and rigorously as possible.”

Washington Media Women Toast Tina Brown

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Time Warner’s Carol Melton and Gail MacKinnon from the Motion Picture Association lead a toast to Superstar editor and author Tina Brown at The Jefferson Hotel in Washington DC. Photo courtesy Haddad Media

Journalist, entrepreneur and author Tina Brown delighted the crowd gathered at the Jefferson Hotel in Washington Tuesday evening, dishing about her experiences as a magazine editor-in-chief, highlighted in her newest book, The Vanity Fair Diaries.

Connie Milstein, Carol Melton, Andrea Mitchell, Hilary Rosen, Gail MacKinnon, Rachel Pearson and Kathy O’Hearn hosted the book party. The biggest applause of the evening came during the Q&A session led by Tammy Haddad, where she was asked her working around men accused of sexually harassing women, including Harvey Weinstein.

“The answer to creepy men is to kind of be the boss, right?… [T]he more women in power, the more women who are leading, the more women on that team, the less of these creepy, stalking harassers you’re going to encounter… I’ve been hassled in other ways, in terms of feeling like so many women feel: cut out of the action that I wanted to be in or underestimated or demeaned or whatever. I’ve had a lot of that in my career,” Brown responded.

Guests included Chris and Lorraine Wallace, former House member Jane Harman, Mac McLarty, Kevin Baron, Megan Smith, Craig Gordon, John Coale, Martha Slagle, Peter Baca, Lloyd Hand, John Phillips, Linda Douglass, Robin Sproul, and Jordanian Ambassador Dina Kawar.

“You’ll all be in my next ‘Diaries,’” she toasted party attendees near the end of the evening. “So watch out!”

You can read more about Tina’s book and the event in the Washington Post’s write-up of the celebration here.

Brown’s newest book, The Vanity Fair Diaries, was named one of the best books of 2017 by Time, Amazon and The Guardian.  It is available in print, Kindle or audiobook on Amazon.

Journalists Express Mixed Feelings On Attending White House Christmas Party

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Photo courtesy the White House

Following CNN’s announcement they will not attend the annual White House Christmas party for the media, other reporters have expressed mixed responses and reservations over socializing with an administration that often lambastes mainstream journalists as “fake news.”

For example, New York Magazine’s Olivia Nuzzi wrote in an email to Politico that:

“While I don’t think it’s improper to attend social events with the president per se, I personally am uncomfortable with the idea of being a guest in this White House for a party (if I would not be covering the party), given Donald Trump’s stated threats to the First Amendment and general lack of understanding or interest in its importance. For that reason, my personal feelings are that it sends the wrong message to schmooze under mistletoe while our freedoms are under attack. That said, I don’t judge colleagues who arrive at a different conclusion.”

Another White House correspondent, who wished to remain anonymous because he was not authorized to speak on the record about this topic, said that he would attend the holiday event.

“I do get bothered [by the attacks on the press].  But I don’t view it as our role to engage in a fight with the president. I think that it’s our role to keep doing our jobs reporting the news and not treat it like we’re two warring institutions of American democracy. We don’t need to reciprocate that attitude.”

CNN announced earlier this week it would not be accepting the White House invitation, although they would send a reporting team to the event and report on any relevant news that may come out of the party.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders responded by posting on Twitter that “Christmas comes early!” because of CNN’s decision.


The White House Christmas party is held annually, and is normally a casual event where reporters mingle off-the-record with administration officials and staff.

Cafe Milano’s 25th Anniversary Bash

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Photo courtesy Haddad Media

Cafe Milano, the legendary DC restaurant famous for being the haunt of politicians, dignitaries, celebrities, and the media elite, celebrated 25 years in the spotlight Friday evening with a fantastic fete.

Maureen Dowd and Michael Jordan. Photo courtesy Ryan Williams

Scores of politicians, dignitaries and celebrities joined in the celebrations at Café Milano, with the massive gathering shutting down an entire block of Georgetown.

Well-wishers and guests throughout the evening include Maureen Dowd, Michael Jordan, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Louise Linton, Maureen Scalia, Wolf and Lynn Blitzer, Sally Quinn, Mark and Sally Ein, Bob Johnson, Mayor Muriel Bowser, Susan Rice, Betsy Fischer Martin and Jonathan Martin, Buffy Cafritz, Heather Lauer, Vernon Jordan and Kathleen Biden, Ret. Gen. Jim Jones, Raul Fernandez, Hilary Rosen, Kelley McCormick, Tammy Haddad, Jack Evans, Coach Kathy Kemper, Carl Hulse, Anne Brady Perron, Rick Powell, Robyn Bash, Bret and Amy Baier, Steve Clemons, Patrick Steel, Fred Ryan, Kevin Cirilli, Ryan Williams, Howard Fineman, Teresa Davis, Greta Van Susteren and John Coale, Amb. Yousef Al Otaiba, Lyndon Boozer, Dr. Tony Fauci, Tim and Anita McBride, Connie Milstein, Melissa Sowerwine, and Cardinal Theodore McCarrick.

Friends of Cafe Milano suprirsed Nuschese with a 13-minute tribute video, including cameos by Hillary Clinton, Greta Van Susteren, Bob Woodward, Ellen Tauscher, Tucker Carlson, Bret Baier, Newt, Sally Quinn, Charlie Rose, Terry McAuliffe, Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Bush, Norah O’Donnell, Dave Chappelle, and Bo Derek.

We are extremely honored to join countless Washington diners and visitors from around the globe in congratulating Café Milano on 25 years of food, friendship, and comfort.  Our heartfelt wishes for many, many more!

#CafeMilano25

UPDATE:  Please check the event coverage from the Washington Post’s Roxanne Roberts!

 

Throwback Thursday: Café Milano Celebrates 25 Years as DC Institution

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Photo courtesy Cafe Milano

Washington’s landmark eatery Café Milano is celebrating 25 years as an oasis for politicians, dignitaries, celebrities and the media.

Franco Nuschese first opened his doors welcoming Washington to dine at Café Milano on November 3, 1992 — the same day Bill Clinton was first elected President of the United States. Since that time, both Bill and Hillary Clinton have regularly visited the landmark restaurant, even hosting the former Secretary of State’s 70th birthday earlier this year.

Café Milano serves over 3,750 authentic Italian meals every month, going through 50 pounds of tomatoes and 40 pounds of pasta every single day.

Their fabulous dishes are pure delights using fresh, authentic ingredients largely hand-crafted and flown in multiple times a week from local producers in Italy. The restaurant’s tomatoes are hand-bottled in glass jars in a small farm located in the Campania region, while their olive oil is produced in Tuscany with antique cold-press techniques. The delicate burrata cheese is imported twice weekly from Puglia, where the butter-like delight was born. Even the restaurant’s fantastic wines are brought in directly from Italy, crafted in both the southern Campania and central Toscana regions.

Restaurant owner Franco Nuschese shows incredible pride in his food, focusing on fresh and simple dishes that create smells and tastes similar to those from his home on the Amalfi Coast. One of Nuschese’s favorite meals is a simple pasta al Pomodoro, a pasta with tomatoes, olive oil and fresh basil.

Photo courtesy Cafe Milano

Scores of politicians, dignitaries and celebrities have dined at Café Milano over the past quarter century, including Michael Jordan, Alex Ovechkin, Yogi Berra, Danny DeVito, Sophia Loren, Quincy Jones, Catherine Zeta Jones, Bradley Cooper, Jon Voight, Eva Longoria, Morgan Freeman, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Renee Zellweger, John Kerry, Leonardo DiCaprio, Chris Matthews, Nancy Pelosi, Colin Powell, Valerie Jarrett, Newt Gingrich, Vice President Joe and Dr. Jill Biden, and Wolf Blitzer.

The restaurant also has served its delicious cuisine to the enjoyment of two popes – Benedict XVI when visiting the Washington, and Francis at the Vatican.

We are extremely honored and proud to join countless Washington diners and visitors from around the globe in congratulating Café Milano on 25 years of food, friendship, and comfort. Our heartfelt wishes the upcoming quarter century are as fantastic and memorable as the past.

Friends of Franco Nuschese put together a surprise tribute video to celebrate 25 Years of Cafe Milano!

AXIOS’S MIKE ALLEN Wins the Facebook Booking War: Lands Sheryl Sandberg

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Mike Allen, Tammy Haddad and Daniel Lippman. Photo courtesy Haddad Media.

Mike Allen scored one of the most significant interviews of the cycle, announcing this morning Axios will host a series of exclusive interviews with notable influencers at Facebook.  Starting the series this Thursday, Allen will talk with COO Sheryl Sandberg.  You can watch the interview on Axios’ Facebook page or Axios.com.

Throughout the series, Axios editors and reporters will delve into important aspects and dimensions with the social media giant — including technology, politics, economics and privacy.  Axios notes it will strive to focus on the collision of these topics, and will control both the questions asked and the coverage itself.

Interviews will be on-the-record, and available on Axios’s Facebook page as a Facebook Live video, as well as on Axios’ website itself.  Facebook will also make the interviews reachable through their Hard Questions blog, which explores areas facing their global community.

Halcyon Dialogue and AAAS Partner for Robotics Showcase

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Photo courtesy Halcyon.

Georgetown startup incubator Halcyon, in partnership with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), hosted a VIP event Thursday, September 28th to celebrate and discuss innovations in robotics and artificial intelligence.

The event, led by industry experts, congressional leaders, technology companies, policymakers and media weighed in on the opportunities that this new technology will provide in the near future.

Speakers at the event included Axios Science Editor Alison Snyder, The Atlantic’s Steve Clemons, AAAS CEO Dr. Rush Holt, former White House CTO Megan Smith, Roomba inventor Helen Greiner, Microsoft’s Fred Humphries, and Congressman Will Hurd.

Also notable, Hitachi’s EMIEW3 robot made it’s U.S. debut at the discussion, accompanied by newly-crowned Miss America, Cara Mund.

Emerging Robotics Technology: Living with Robots

In the first panel of the Halcyon Dialogue Robotics Showcase, “Emerging Robotics Technology: Living with Robots,” Axios Science Editor Alison Snyder dove into current robotics technology and exciting future trends.

Screen grab courtesy Halcyon.

“We’re going to soon have fully autonomous vehicles, package delivery drones, robot caregivers,” Snyder said launching into the first panel discussion.  “And so the question I think is: there’s rapid progress in artificial intelligence and robotics that makes it sort of easy to imagine in this world where they’re amongst us and interacting among us every day.  But how close are we to that vision?… And are we fully ready to relinquish that control?”

The panel also featured iRobot Corporation’s co-founder and CTO of CyPhy Works Helen Greiner, a revolutionary robotics entrepreneur who has been on the cutting edge of robotics and AI since she was 11 years old.

Screen grab courtesy Halcyon.

Greiner discussed how the robotics industry and development were breaking into the mainstream American economy affecting millions of people every day, along with the critical funding and investments that allow for future development starting to really step into this arena.

“We’ve come a huge way.  There’s lots of robots out there.  But we’re not R2-D2 yet… There’s so much more that robots and drones can do and I’m inspired to be part of the next ones as well,” Greiner explained.  “It does surprise me there aren’t many more.  It’s driven by not just the technology and other fields… but it also is coming from the investment, having… a successful acquisition drives investment.  Now you see… billions of dollars going into robot startups, which is another signal how we’re going to get through those technological and regulatory and policy hurdles.”

Also on stage in the second panel, former U.S. Chief Technology Officer Megan Smith, who is currently CEO and founder of the startup shift7.

Screen grab courtesy Halcyon.

“The thing that i also love is it’s the beginning of these tools democratizing.  So the ability for anyone… to get ahold of some of these tools and actually make their own stuff is also really promising,” Smith said. “To Dr. Kuno’s creativity, the more we have more of us engaged in making and creating, this technology is better.  Because we don’t want just one group of people making all the stuff for everybody else.  We want everyone thinking about what they’re passionate about solving in the world and how might they apply whatever tools are available including robotics and AI to solve that problem.”

Policy Opportunities in the Robotics Age

The second discussion, titled “Policy Opportunities in the Robotics Age,” discussed ethical and policy implications of this emerging and evolving field, as well as the many ways that developments in these areas influence developments in robotics,  whether federal and state regulations would help nurture the future of robotics or build barriers to success.

Moderated by Washington editor-at-large at The Atlantic Steve Clemons, top experts on robotics and AI policy discussed ways to achieve public trust and legislative action without stifling innovation.

Clemons started out talking about the challenges between public policy advocates and technology development thinking and working on completely different levels of thought.

“I was at a dinner with Larry Page from Google and a bunch of other high tech other types,” Clemons said.  “And the topic of conversation was the end of death.  They’re trying to end death as we know it.  And a couple Washington people said ‘oh my gosh, what would happen to entitlements? It would go through the roof.’”

Congressman Will Hurd (R-TX), a former undercover CIA officer and senior cybersecurity advisor, discussed some of the challenges with robotics in public policy.  Hurd emphasized his thoughts that government’s role largely should be to allow the industry to thrive, innovate and grow smartly.

Screen grab courtesy Halcyon.

“Ultimately,” said Hurd, “our role is to stay out of the way of innovation and don’t stifle it.  The technological change we’re going to see in the next 20 years is going to make the last 20 years look really insignificant.  And one of the problems you have when you look at legislators or regulators not understanding where technology is going, …people are afraid of change.  We have to embrace it.  And I think where Congress should be having this conversation is how do you facility industry having a conversation on a code of ethics when it comes to artificial intelligence?  What are some of the elements in the federal government that could benefit from artificial intelligence?… Congress can play a role in our oversight function in making sure our various agencies are integrating that technology in the way that it should.”

Rounding out the second panel was Fred Humphres, corporate vice president for U.S. government affairs at Microsoft, who talked about the corporate responsibility of technology firms to educate, inform public policy makers understand where robotics and AI development is heading, and help them integrate these developments into our public lives smartly, without stifling innovation.

Screen grab courtesy Halcyon.

“We have a responsibility to make sure we’re getting up there and educating Members [of Congress] on the different issues.  Because it’s complex,” Humphres agreed.  “[T]here are some challenges up on Capitol Hill… learning this complex area.  So we have a responsibility as companies, we need to get up there and be honest brokers in advocacy and not spinning and not just positioning for our products.  Because when you think of AI, it’s complex.  Robotics, it’s complex.  It’s not black and white, it’s very nuanced.  And there’s a lot of anxiety about it.”

Robot Demos

Throughout the event, several robot demonstrations were on display, including Hitachi’s U.S. debut of their EMIEW3 robot, showing how it can offer services in a variety of scenarios.

Additionally, a display from Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab offered videos and artifacts from their robotics / AI lab. Senior robotics engineer Dr. Edward W. Tunstel of Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab, discussed how those working in both technological development and public policy are optimistic about the future.

Screen grab courtesy Halcyon.

“Robotics has a lot of different meanings to a lot of different people,” Tunstel said.  “You’ve got a segment of our society that is in some ways afraid, apprehensive.    We’ve certainly got a number of movies that might inject some of those thoughts.  In many cases one will find through dialogs like this that it’s not that scary at all.”

Microsoft provided access to their Perceptive Pixel (PPI) 55” Touch Device, also known as the Magic Wall. Participants and guests alike were all welcomed and encouraged to answer questions on robotics to be shared with the public.

The event was held at Halcyon’s headquarters in Washington, DC and was hosted alongside partners Axios, Science Robotics (AAAS) and Washington Ideas. Sponsors for the discussion included Hitachi, Mitsubishi, Microsoft, Honeywell, X, and Daikin.

You can watch the full livestream of the Halcyon Discussion online here.