White House Correspondents Insider

Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action held a post-midterm reception at the Newseum on Thursday, November 14th to bring together members of Congress, gun safety advocates, and survivors of gun violence. Everytown President John Feinblatt and Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action hosted the reception featuring photos on the jumbo screen of moms and families canvassing for candidates.

John Feinblatt brought newly-elected Congresswoman Lucy McBath onstage saying he hoped he could get thru the introduction without crying. Her son was killed by gun violence and gun control advocacy has been a major part of her platform. Feinblatt congratulated her on the victory, saying that is was “a huge victory for the gun safety movement.”

Many members of Congress came to show their support including Senators Amy Klobuchar, Sheldon Whitehouse, Richard Blumenthal, and Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee, Tim Ryan, Mike Thompson, Ted Lieu, Earl Blumenauer, Suzanne Bonamici, Katherine Clark, Brian Fitzpatrick, Jerry McNerney, Jan Schakowsky, Brad Schneider, Donald Norcross, and Ted Deutsch.

Newly elected Representative-elects showed up to support the cause including the aforementioned Lucy McBath as well as Jason Crow, Mikie Sherrill, Chrissy Houlahan, Dean Phillips, Jason Crow, Mikie Sherrill, and Chrissy Houlahan.

Other notables in the crowd included Kathleen Biden, Heather Podesta, Bob Costa, Tom McMillan, Kevin Cirilli, Steve Elmendorf, Francesca Chambers, Ted Johnson, Mark Mellman, Bill Knapp, and Robyn Bash.

Former Time Warner Executive Carol Melton launched her latest venture, Adeft Capital, on Monday, November 12th with friends and colleagues at the home of SKDK’s Hilary Rosen. Adeft is a venture capital firm that invests in and advises early-stage startups. The party was hosted by Hilary Rosen, Niki Christoff, Heather Podesta, Juleanna Glover, and Tammy Haddad. Heather Podesta led a toast to Carol on her continued success in her new venture.

Guests included Susan Molinari, Charles Rivkin, Elena Allbritton, Pam Wasserstein, Phillippe Bourguignon, Matt Kelly, Rita Braver, Susan Molinari, Genny Ryan, Ruth Marcus, Richard Levy, Erin Egan, Adrienne Arsht, Josh Hurvitz, Sachiko Kuno, Mary and Robert Haft, DeDe Lea, Charles Rivkin, Gloria Borger, Mary Brady, Sam Feist, Michael Duffy and Patrick Steel.

Pfizer executive Sally Susman has launched a month-long “social media experiment” called #YouDo. The hashtag is meant to honor women who have inspired positive change in their fields and to shine a light on women who should get more credit for the work they do.

As part of the campaign, Susman will be featuring a different woman for each day for the next 30 days on her Linkedin and Instagram accounts.

In a statement announcing the launch of the campaign Sally writes, “#YouDo rejoices in what women have done to help others. Each of the women selected will be known to me – some having long-lasting profound impact. Others I may know only slightly, but they will have made a mark on me. I’ll touch on the impact of each.”

The first honoree is Sue Desmond-Hellmann, CEO of the Gates Foundation, who has helped to “eradicate illness around the world, for celebrating science, for her amazing achievement in biotech, higher education and philanthropy.  Sue reminds us that we are not one thing, but many. That our reach is deep and broad.”

You can read the first #YouDo post here.

Follow Sally on Instagram @sallysusman.

The midterm elections are upon us, and major news sources including MSNBC and Fox News have announced their official broadcasting schedules. Voter turnout this year has risen significantly, and live broadcast viewership is likely to rise this year as well.

ABC Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos will start coverage from the ABC News Election Headquarters in Manhattan beginning at 8pm ET. Reporters from ABC News will also be spread throughout the country covering the biggest elections of the night.

CBS’ Norah O’Donnell, Jeff Glor, Gayle King, John Dickerson, and Bianna Golodryga will lead coverage from 9-11pm ET. General CBS coverage begins at 8pm ET.

Lester Holt, Chuck Todd, and Savannah Guthrie will lead NBC’s coverage while Brian Williams and Rachel Maddow will lead MSNBC beginning at 6pm ET. Both NBC News and MSNBC will be in Rockefeller center in New York City, where there will be a virtual map over the skating rink announcing each winner.

Judy Woodruff will anchor PBS NewsHour coverage starting at 8pm ET. CNN will begin at 5pm ET with Wolf Blitzer, Anderson Cooper, and Jake Tapper. And, for Fox News, Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum will begin coverage at 6pm ET. Additionally, PBS NewsHour will also stream on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Ustream and coverage will be available on the 24/7 live stream, CBS Radio, and CBSNews.com.

CNN will also be streamed live on CNN.com, CNNgo, and on mobile devices. Fox News will provide updates every fifteen minutes on SiriusXM Channel 115 and FoxNews.com will be providing a livestream. Snapchat is getting in on election night coverage throughout the night beginning at 6pm ET.

Check here for more information on election night coverage here.

WarnerMedia’s Josh Hurvitz and AT&T’s Tim McKone welcomed Washington insiders and politicos for a breakfast conversation at The Policy Forum at AT&T’s Policy Forum In Washington for a special midterm preview on Thursday, November 1st. Hurvitz welcomed the packed crowd and introduced the panelists for the event, which was sponsored by WarnerMedia and AT&T.

Guests were treated to a panel moderated by CNN Washington Bureau Chief Sam Feist and featuring CNN Political Director David Chalian, political analyst Gloria Borger, Senior Congressional correspondent Manu Raju, and Senior Political reporter Nia-Malika Henderson.

Panelists gave their take on the most exciting midterm races, with everyone agreeing that Sen. Claire McCaskill’s Missouri Senate race was one to watch closely as well as the Florida governor’s race between Andrew Gillum and Ron DeSantis.

Guests included Heather Podesta, Anita McBride, Peter Jacoby, Mark Short, Matt Fery, Steve Elmendorf, Eric Huey, Kevin Cirilli, Kevin Ryan, Lyndon Boozer, Michael LaRosa, Audrey Young, Carly DeBeikes, Lauren Zelt.

The Washington Post hosted a wide-ranging event on all things space on Tuesday, October 23rd. Vice President Mike Pence headlined the event, discussing his role in championing Space Force as chairman of the National Space Council, the Trump administration’s initiative to create a new military branch to combat interstellar threats, in a one-on-one interview with the Post’s Robert Costa. The event also included panels featuring NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, Rep. Don Beyer, Bill Nye of “Science Guy” fame, Ellen Stofan, Director of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, and former astronauts Sandra Magnus, Chris Ferguson, Victor Glover, Leland Melvin, and Nicole Stott.

Pence first commented on the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi saying it was an “Assault on a free and independent press, and our administration is determined to use all means at our disposal to get to the bottom of it. President Trump has already expressed his concern that there have been lies, there has been deception. He dispatched the Secretary of State to the region early on, and the Director of the CIA is there in Turkey now reviewing the evidence. We are going to follow the facts, were going to demand that those responsible are held accountable. Once we have all the facts, President Trump will the decision based upon the values of the American people and our vital national interests.”

Great discussion with @costareports at the @WashingtonPost’s #Transformers Space event about the #SpaceForce. We’re going to protect American interests in space & ensure America remains as dominant in Outer Space militarily as we are here on Earth. pic.twitter.com/kTmKYWSoxa

— Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) October 23, 2018

Space Force, the President’s initiative to develop a sixth military branch focused on space defense which is led by Pence, was the main focus of the interview. Pence suggested that the idea had broad bipartisan support and said that, “While America continues to lead in technology, in innovation, and in military strength, in terms of organizational structure this is what our competitors are already doing, and the President is determined to make sure that America leads in space as well.”

You can watch a replay of Post Live’s Transformers: Space event here.

The midterm elections are right around the corner and Uber is stepping up to help riders find their local polling places on Election Day with a single tap. They’re also partnering with nonprofit organization When We All Vote to help get both riders and drivers registered to vote.

Uber has also partnered with #VoteTogether and Democracy Works to provide riders with free rides to their polling places throughout the country.

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in a statement that “between now and Election Day, we’ll be hosting voter registration drives at more than 125 U.S. Greenlight Hub locations around the country to help register as many eligible voters as possible before their state’s deadline. These driver support centers will have local registration resources on hand, so drivers and delivery partners—or anyone else who wants to—can come easily register to vote in person.”

Khosrowshahi also added, “Decisions get made by those who show up. This Election Day, Uber will be doing what we can to make it easier for people to do just that. On November 6, I hope everyone does one thing: vote!”

You can read more about Uber’s big election day plan here.

 

The issue of student loan debt is a growing concern of people entering the workforce. The University of Pittsburgh has come up with a program to address this problem on their own with the announcement of a new, innovative program called Panthers Forward.

The initiative, led by Chancellor Patrick Gallagher, will accommodate a group of seniors who will graduate from the University of Pittsburgh campus this spring. Upon graduation, they will each receive up to $5,000, which the University will pay directly toward their debt. Graduates will then pay it forward to other Pitt students who are following in their footsteps. Since the participants will be under no contractual obligation to repay the University, the success of the program hinges on mentorship and networking opportunities.

“Panthers Forward injects some much-needed innovation into the stagnant landscape of higher education financing,” says Chancellor Gallagher. “It’s a bold new approach that utilizes a pay-it-forward philosophy and the power of community to position students at the University of Pittsburgh for lifelong success.”

You can read more about the Panthers Forward program here.

Mike Bloomberg has received the League of Conservation Voters’ Lifetime Achievement Award for his dedication to combating climate change in a ceremony on Tuesday, October 2nd. The League cites Bloomberg’s initiatives like America’s Pledge, the Bloomberg American Cities Climate Challenge, the Vibrant Oceans Initiative, and the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures. Bloomberg announced plans to double his contributions to the LCV Victory Fund to $5 million.

“Michael Bloomberg is someone who believes that we can make change and achieve progress through politics and elections — a philosophy that also motivates our work at LCV.” said LCV’s Gene Karpinski.

Michael Bloomberg expressed optimism “The good news is: even without any help from Washington, we’re making real progress on climate change. Over the last ten years, thanks to bottom-up actions, the U.S. has cut carbon emissions more than any other large nation – and LCV’s “Clean Energy For All” campaign has helped drive that success.”

Several of Michael Bloomberg’s friends and colleagues made a video thanking him for his help combating climate change including Sen. Ed Markey, John Kerry, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, and Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, and Washington Mayor Jay Inslee. You can watch the video here.

Per POLITICO, notables from the event included Diana Taylor, Sam Waterston, Larry Rockefeller, Bob Semple, Kevin Sheekey, Rep. Paul Tonko, Brady Walkinshaw, Kathleen Welch, Antha Williams, Cristobal Alex, Joe Bonfiglio, Carol Browner, Fred Krupp, Mark Magana, Scott Nathan, Rhea Suh, Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Gene Karpinski, Pete Maysmith and Tiernan Sittenfeld.

All eyes are on Christine Blasey Ford as she delivers her testimony on Capitol Hill before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, September 27th. She alleges that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when the two were both in high school.

The hearing is sure to be one of the most watched and talked about moments of the year- one that has far-reaching repercussions, from President Trump’s agenda to the fate of key Supreme Court decisions that affect the lives of every American.

Here’s how people around the world stopped to watch or hear Christine Blasey Ford testifyhttps://t.co/8I4pWHDQD7 pic.twitter.com/NMdsPQidQ7

— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) September 27, 2018

As she testified this morning, social media trackers noted that every single trending topic was Blasey Ford-related. Additionally, CNN London bureau reporter Hadas Gold’s tweet demonstrates just how doggedly European stations are following the hearings.

The view from across the Atlantic – pretty much all Kavanaugh pic.twitter.com/5GFp9f2WKy

— Hadas Gold (@Hadas_Gold) September 27, 2018

The stakes are high, with more accusers lining up to challenge what was once thought to be an easy ascendency to the Supreme Court for Kavanaugh. With a vote scheduled for Friday, it is unclear whether any more women will get to tell their story before the Judiciary Committee.