White House Correspondents Insider

A new petition has been making its way across the internet in response to the White House Correspondents’ Association’s decision to forgo the tradition of allowing a comedian to roast the sitting president at the dinner in order to bring in Pulitzer Prize-winning presidential biographer Ron Chernow who is expected to give a sobering assessment of President Donald Trump and defend the First Amendment on the big night in April.

The petition was posted to Care2, a social petition tool focused on making positive change. The request for Michelle Wolf to create an alternative to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner was created by Care2’s senior director of engagement Rebecca Gerber, calls on comedian Michelle Wolf, who provided last year’s stand up routine, to host her own rival Correspondents’ Dinner, comedy included.

The petitioner writes, “Sorry haters, but Michelle Wolf was just speaking the truth—and she was hilarious. That’s why after learning that the WHCD wouldn’t even let a comedian host this year, I decided to ask Michelle Wolf to host a separate event. So, if Trump can’t take a joke at this formal event and the event is going to bend to his will, let’s ditch it all together for a more powerful and more helpful event.”

As of Tuesday, November 27th the petition has gathered over 16,000 signatures. You can sign it here.

The White House Correspondents’ Association recently named, author and historian, Ron Chernow as this year’s featured speaker at the 2019 White House Correspondents’ Dinner. President Donald Trump took to Twitter.

So-called comedian Michelle Wolf bombed so badly last year at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner that this year, for the first time in decades, they will have an author instead of a comedian. Good first step in comeback of a dying evening and tradition! Maybe I will go?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 21, 2018

Trumps says the changes in this year’s dinner are due in large part to last year’s performance by former Netflix host Michelle Wolf.  “The so-called comedian really ‘bombed,’ ” tweeted Trump. President Trump also goes on to suggested that he himself could possibly attend the 2019 White House Correspondents’ Dinner, which would be a change of pace since he has skipped the dinner twice during his presidency. Meanwhile, the Washington Post asks previous dinner comedians to weigh in. You can read more about that here.

 

The White House on Monday restored CNN correspondent Jim Acosta’s hard press pass following a federal court order. But it’s new rules for press could make it easier for the White House to pull press credentials moving forward.

Nearly two weeks ago, the White House revoked Acosta’s hard pass after sparring with the president during a press conference. Although Acosta’s White House pass has been restored and CNN’s lawsuit vacated, others contend the new press rules overwhelmingly favor the Trump administration.

“These rules give the White House far too much discretion to avoid real scrutiny,” Ben Wizner, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, said in a statement. “The rules should be revised to ensure that no journalist gets kicked out of the White House for doing their job.”

As part of the new rules, the Trump administration put in place a ban on follow-up questions. Journalists will be permitted to ask a single question with no follow-ups, unless explicitly allowed by President Trump or the White House official running the press briefing.

The rules are as follows: 1) A journalist called upon to ask a question will ask a single question and then will yield the floor to other journalists; 2) At the discretion of the president or other White House official taking questions, a follow-up question or questions may be permitted; and where a follow-up has been allowed and asked, the questioner will then yield the floor; 3) “Yielding the floor” includes, when applicable, physically surrendering the microphone to White House staff for use by the next questioner; 4) Failure to abide by any of rules (1)-(3) may result in suspension or revocation of the journalist’s hard pass. (See full statement from WH Press Secretary below.)

 

What Others Are Saying;

White House Correspondents’ Association President Olivier Knox, in a statement, said, “The White House did the right thing in restoring Jim Acosta’s hard pass.” The statement continued, “The White House Correspondents’ Association had no role in crafting any procedures for future press conferences. For as long as there have been White House press conferences, White House reporters have asked follow-up questions. We fully expect this tradition will continue. We will continue to make the case that a free and independent news media plays a vital role in the health of our republic.”

Bloomberg reporter Steven Dennis tweeted, “Under the new White House rules, if the president flat-out lies to you, you can only ask a followup challenging it if he agrees to let you. Otherwise they can pull your hard pass. They can also pull your hard pass if you ask two questions instead of one.”

Fox News’ Sean Hannity, on his Monday night broadcast, said the White House’s new rules “may have ultimately made it easier to kick out people.”

“Respondents decisively side against the media when it comes to fair and unbiased coverage of the President and Republicans,” says a new survey from McLaughlin & Associates. The study highlights that only 9 percent of Americans now say that news coverage in general is “fair or not biased” regarding President Trump and the GOP.

White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) president Olivier Knox announced today that presidential biographer Ron Chernow will headline the 2019 White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

Following last year’s presidential roast by comedian Michelle Wolf, Ron Chernow brings a decidedly different approach to the nearly 100-year old dinner. Chernow, a famed presidential historian, will turn the focus from humor to the power and significance of the 1st Amendment.

Chernow, who wrote the biography that inspired Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway hit “Hamilton,” is the prize-winning author of six books and the recipient of the 2015 National Humanities Medal. His first book, The House of Morgan, won the National Book Award. In 2011, Chernow won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography for Washington: A Life.

“I’m delighted that Ron will share his lively, deeply researched perspectives on American politics and history at the 2019 White House Correspondents’ Dinner,” said Olivier Knox, WHCA’s president, in a statement. “As we celebrate the importance of a free and independent news media to the health of the republic, I look forward to hearing Ron place this unusual moment in the context of American history.”

In response to the announcement, comedian Michelle Wolf tweeted:  “The @whca are cowards. The media is complicit. And I couldn’t be prouder.”

In addition to Wolf, past headliners of the Correspondents’ dinner include:  Wanda Sykes, Jimmy Kimmel, Jon Stewart, Drew Carey, Keegan-Michael Key, among many others.

Each year, the star-studded WHC Garden Brunch hosted by Tammy Haddad and friends serves as the official precursor event to the WHC dinner. The Garden Brunch highlights charitable causes making a difference. Past non-profits include Wells Fargo’s Homes4WoundedHeroes home give-a-way program for veterans, the White Ribbon Alliance, and DogTag Bakery (DogTag’s veteran-made Christmas baskets are available to order here).

The selection of biographer Ron Chernow marks a stark contrast to the usual line-up of comedians that host the annual “nerd prom” dinner. It’s clear that the WHCA is shaking up the format and sending a message with the announcement of Ron Chernow.

“The White House Correspondents’ Association has asked me to make the case for the First Amendment and I am happy to oblige,” said Chernow, in a statement. “Freedom of the press is always a timely subject and this seems like the perfect moment to go back to basics. My major worry these days is that we Americans will forget who we are as a people and historians should serve as our chief custodians in preserving that rich storehouse of memory. While I have never been mistaken for a stand-up comedian, I promise that my history lesson won’t be dry.”

The 2019 White House Correspondents’ Dinner will take place on Saturday, April 27th, at the Washington Hilton.

About the WHCA

Founded in 1914, the White House Correspondents’ Association exists to promote excellence in journalism as well as journalism education, and to ensure robust news coverage of the president and the presidency. The WHCA supports awards for some of the best political reporting of the past year, as well as scholarships for young reporters to promote vibrant journalism for years to come. The inaugural White House Correspondents’ dinner took place on May 7, 1921.

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.