White House Correspondents Insider

Washington AI Network’s Winter Speakeasy Gathers Press and Policy Makers

December 19, 2025 By haddadmedia

You needed the secret password—llama—to slip into the Washington AI Network Winter Speakeasy, but once inside, it was full holiday magic. Guests traded coats for Meta smart glasses, with Meta’s Head of Global Communications, David Ginsberg, front and center as an A-list mix of media stars, policy pros, investors, and technologists leaned into cocktails, karaoke, and just the right amount of AI-fueled mischief. The crowd voted on their most-used AI tools, confessed their favorite chatbot prompts, and fueled the fun with Dog Tag Bakery’s legendary Do-nies (donut-brownies).

*CNN’s Kaitlan Collins with Jackie Rooney*

Here is how Politico playbook mentioned the event:

SPOTTED at a Washington AI Network winter speakeasy, presented by Meta, at the House at 1229 yesterday evening: David Ginsberg, Kaitlan Collins, David Gelles, Josh Dawsey, Andy Stone, Matt Kaplan, Jackie Rooney, Brian Roehrkasse, Donnie Fowler, Phil Rucker, Maryam Mujica, Craig Gordon, Jonathan and Betsy Fischer Martin, Helen Milby, Katelyn Bledsoe, Sabrina Singh, Janet Adamy, Annie Linskey, Christine Brennan, Colin Demarest, Sumi Somaskanda, Keenan Austin Reed, Katy Balls, Lauren Williams, Emily Wilkins, Maggie Eastland, Naomi Nix, Victoria Espinel, Matt Paul, Matt Gorman, Adrienne Elrod, Dannia Hakki and Tammy Haddad.

Pinterest Leaders on AI, Safety, and “Time Well Spent”

December 12, 2025 By WHC Insider

Washington, D.C. — The Washington AI Network hosted an “AI for the Holidays” conversation and live podcast recording on December 4 at the Residence of Ireland, featuring Pinterest Chief Content Officer Malik Ducard and VP of Engineering Jeff Harrell in discussion with WAIN founder Tammy Haddad.

The leaders described how AI powers Pinterest’s core experience by helping users discover ideas, identify products, and move from inspiration to real-world action. “We use AI to optimize for time well spent—especially when that means leaving the platform to go out into the world inspired by something you saw,” Ducard said.

Harrell highlighted Pinterest’s visual AI and personalization engine, including the company’s “taste graph,” which tailors results to individual interests rather than demographics. “This is really about enabling users to find the words, find the products they’re looking for, and actually take action on that inspiration,” he said.

Safety and well-being were a central theme, particularly for younger audiences. Pinterest’s executives noted that product guardrails, such as limiting certain features for minors and constraining Pinterest Assistant to shopping and style use cases, are designed to keep the platform positive and healthy. Those choices, Ducard noted, have fueled growth, with Gen Z now accounting for more than half of Pinterest’s users.

The conversation also addressed synthetic content and transparency. Pinterest is investing in detection and labeling while giving users more control over when and where they want to see generative AI content, alongside industry efforts to protect creators from unauthorized scraping.

The event featured remarks from Irish Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason on AI’s growing importance across diplomacy and economic policy, and from Irish parliamentary AI committee chair Malcolm Byrne on Ireland’s upcoming national AI initiatives.

SPOTTED: Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) and Heather Obernolte, Malcolm Byrne, Laura Harmon, Ken O’Flynn, Robert Hayes, Seval Oz, Karen Sessions, Malik Ducard, Jeff Harrell, Jasmine Vasquez, Anita McBride, Stephen O’Dwyer, Marco Davis, Julissa Marenco, Ted Johnson, Catherine Valentine, Teddy Schleifer, Katelyn Bledsoe, Cat Zakrzewski, Kathrine Sears, Alex Nason, Ed Reno, John Clary, Sumi Somaskanda, Caitriona Perry, Julian Ramirez, Teddy Schleifer, Colin Moneymaker, Claudia Uceda, Charlotte Smith, Isabelle Rodas, Michael Petricone, Richard Santoro, Ivy Choi, Dawit Kahsai, Clarissa Rojas and Tammy Haddad.

Washington AI Network Hosts exclusive Preview of CES 2026 with Gary Shapiro and Kinsey Fabrizio

December 5, 2025 By WHC Insider

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Gary Shapiro, CEO and vice chair of the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), and CTA President Kinsey Fabrizio lifted the veil on CES 2026 for a podcast taping at a Washington AI Network event.

WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 01: Tammy Haddad, Founder, Washington AI Network, Gary Shapiro, CEO and Vice Chair at CTA, and Kinsey Fabrizio, President of CTA, speak during CES 2026 Preview at The House at 1229 on December 01, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Washington AI Network)

CES, widely regarded as the most influential technology event in the world, brings together global innovators as a proving ground for breakthrough technologies. Shapiro told Washington AI Network founder Tammy Haddad, “We have a lot of people not only from Washington, but literally from government capitals around the world… and the reaction to CES is off the charts. In a time of great change and great crisis, they want to come together.” President Kinsey Fabrizio said, “It is important is for public-private cooperation and collaboration, and in order to do that, you want to understand how the tech is created and what it’s capable of and what the challenges are, what the opportunities are, and the best way to do that is by seeing it in person and walking through the show floor and getting a demo.”

Shapiro, who has led CTA for more than three decades and helped transform CES into a global platform for innovation, praised President Donald Trump’s leadership on artificial intelligence. He underscored the sweeping impact AI will have on the economy, saying it “will save the economy and give him (Trump) a place in history,” and compared the coming wave of AI-driven change to the arrival of the internet, predicting “generational change.”

WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 01: Sam Feist, CEO of CSPAN, and Lynda Carter attend CES 2026 Preview at The House at 1229 on December 01, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Washington AI Network)

The conversation turned to digital health with Fabrizio, who launched CTA’s Health Division at CES 2015 and spearheaded the first Continuing Medical Education (CME)-accredited conference at CES 2019. She highlighted innovations such as a portable MRI featured at CES, which she said can be deployed in underserved communities in the United States and around the world, expanding access to critical healthcare services.

WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 01: Gary Shapiro, CEO and Vice Chair at CTA, and Kinsey Fabrizio, President of CTA, attend CES 2026 Preview at The House at 1229 on December 01, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Washington AI Network)

The evening drew a strong Washington crowd. Guests spotted at the event included Kara Swisher and Amanda Katz, Lynda Carter, Alex Flemister, Karen Sessions, Robert Hayes, Barbara Humpton, John Taylor, J.P. Freire, Elizabeth Falcone, Luther Lowe, Marie Baldassarre, Sara Fischer, Senay Bulbul, Thomas Pacchia, Montgomery Odle, Tina Anthony, Michael Block, Michael Moroney, Sam Feist, Liz Johnson, Liz Hart, Helen Milby, and Alex Allaire.Listeners can hear more about CES 2026 and its featured innovations on the Washington AI Network podcast here.

Lafayette 148 New York Honors Washington Women Chiefs at Holiday Shop Fundraiser

November 19, 2025 By WHC Insider

TYSONS, Va. — Lafayette 148 New York at Tysons Galleria became the epicenter of Washington’s women-in-leadership community on Thursday, November 13, as senior female chiefs of staff from Capitol Hill convened for the boutique’s annual holiday shopping fundraiser in support of American University’s Women & Politics Institute and its WeLead campaign training program, as well as American University’s First Ladies Initiative.

*L to R: Tammy Haddad, Caitlyn Stephenson, Anita McBride, Toni-Marie Higgins, Elizabeth Falcone, Betsy Fischer Martin, and Marie Baldassarre*

The event was hosted by Anita McBride, director of the university’s First Ladies Initiative; Betsy Fischer Martin, executive director of the Women & Politics Institute; and Tammy Haddad, CEO of Haddad Media and founder of the Washington AI Network.

A bipartisan panel discussion anchored the evening, featuring Senate chiefs Toni-Marie Higgins, longtime chief of staff to Sen. John Boozman; Elizabeth Falcone, chief of staff to Sen. Mark Warner; and Liz Johnson, former chief of staff to Sen. Mitt Romney. Falcone, Johnson, and Reema Dodin participated in an on-stage conversation moderated by Fischer Martin and McBride, offering candid insights into their career paths, leadership styles, and experiences navigating the highest levels of congressional power.
Other chiefs in attendance included Caitlyn Stephenson, chief of staff to Sen. Gary Peters; Marie Baldassarre, chief of staff to Rep. Ro Khanna; and a number of rising staff leaders from across Capitol Hill.

*L to R: Katelyn Bledsoe, Tiffany Moore, and Helen Milby*

Panelists addressed the evolving role of women in government, highlighting the progress that has been made toward gender equity and the work that remains. They emphasized the value of mentorship, bipartisan collaboration, and resilience in shaping effective public service careers, underscoring how women in senior staff roles increasingly influence major policy decisions and legislative strategy.
The evening drew a strong Washington crowd, with Lafayette 148’s King Chong and Jen Shields welcoming guests including Helen Milby, Katelyn Bledsoe, Julie Russell, Mollie O’Dell, Angeli Chawla, Wendy Benjaminson, Julie Jarvis, Kate Super, and Virginia Coyne.

The event served as both a celebration of women leaders in public service and a fundraiser for programs that continue to expand pathways for future generations of women in politics.

General Catalyst Institute President Teresa Carlson Hosts Book Party for CEO Hemant Taneja

October 23, 2025 By WHC Insider

Washington, DC — The leaders of government, tech, policy, and media gathered to celebrate General Catalyst CEO Hemant Taneja’s new book, The Transformation Principles: How Leaders Create the Future, at the Jefferson Hotel. The evening featured an insightful conversation between Taneja and CNN anchor Pamela Brown. They covered innovation in the age of artificial intelligence, leadership, and the defining characteristics of transformative organizations. Taneja spoke about the urgent need for leaders to build with purpose and responsibility in an era defined by rapid technological change.

WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 21: (L-R) CEO, General Catalyst, Author of “The Transformation Principles”, Hemant Taneja and Anchor for CNN, Pamela Brown speak onstage during a reception celebrating the release of Hemant Taneja’s “The Transformation Principles” at The Jefferson Hotel on October 21, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for General Catalyst Institute)

Guests mingled over cocktails and conversations in the Jefferson’s historic Greenhouse Restaurant space. The event drew a powerhouse crowd of policymakers, entrepreneurs, and figures, all eager to discuss the future of leadership in an AI-driven world.

WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 21: (L-R) President, General Catalyst Institute, Teresa Carlson, Founder of Schema Ventures, Aarthi Ramamurthy, White House Senior Policy Advisor for AI, Sriram Krishnan and CEO, General Catalyst, Author of “The Transformation Principles”, Hemant Taneja attend a reception celebrating the release of Hemant Taneja’s “The Transformation Principles” at The Jefferson Hotel on October 21, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for General Catalyst Institute)

Many government officials attended despite the government closure, including Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio), U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce Paul Dabbar, the White House’s Senior Policy Advisor for AI Sriam Krishnan and Schema Ventures Founder Aarthi Ramamurthy, Director of Medicare and Deputy Administrator of CMS Chris Klomp, and Chief Technology Officer for the Navy Justin Fanelli.

Other guests included CNN Contributor David Urban, NobleReach Foundation CEO Arun Gupta, Chief Public Policy Officer Maryam Mujica, U.S. Department of the Treasury Senior Advisor Rebecca Karabus, Head of Public Policy Communications at NVIDIA John Rizzo, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Will Wu, Valinor CEO Julie Bush, Senior Advisor at CMS Emily Chen, Staff Writer for The New Yorker Antonia Hitchens, Army Col. David Butler, Managing Director and Partner at Beacon Global Strategies Jeremy Bash, Beacon Global Strategies VP Kaly McKenna, Ridgley Walsh CEO Juleanna Glover, John Harris, Olivia Igbokwe, Katelyn Bledsoe, Steve Clemons, author Kevin Maney, Sumi Somaskanda from the BBC, General Catalyst’s Jeannette zu Fürstenberg, and Thomas Wagner.

WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 21: (L-R) Chief Presenter BBC News, Sumi Somaskanda, Managing Director, External Affairs, Americans for Prosperity, Katelyn Bledsoe and Anchor, CNN, Pamela Brown attend a reception celebrating the release of Hemant Taneja’s “The Transformation Principles” at The Jefferson Hotel on October 21, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for General Catalyst Institute)

Deepu Talla of NVIDIA Predicts “Golden Age of Manufacturing” Fueled by AI Robotics

September 11, 2025 By WHC Insider

The Washington AI Network hosted a power breakfast and podcast taping at the House at 1229, where Tammy Haddad interviewed Nvidia’s Deepu Talla.

*Tammy Haddad interviews Deepu Talla at the House at 1229 for the Washington AI Network Podcast*

Washington, D.C. — In the latest episode of the Washington AI Network Podcast, host Tammy Haddad sat down with Deepu Talla, NVIDIA’s Vice President of Robotics and Edge AI, to dive deep into the future of physical AI and its potential to reshape industries from robotics to manufacturing.

Recorded live at The House at 1229 in Washington, D.C. on September 8, the conversation shed light on how AI breakthroughs—from general-purpose models to next-generation simulation—are rapidly transforming robotics. But Talla was quick to point out that these innovations are just the beginning, and their impact is poised to revolutionize U.S. manufacturing in the coming decades.

The Unique Challenges of Physical AI

Talla highlighted the inherent difficulties of working with physical AI, emphasizing the high safety and accuracy standards needed when robots interact with the real world. “The physical world is extremely challenging,” Talla noted. “The safety needs, the accuracy that’s needed in order to be safe is extremely high.” For decades, robots were relegated to simple, high-volume tasks—mainly in controlled environments like factories.

But the future, Talla believes, lies in empowering robots to take on tasks in small and medium enterprises—where labor shortages and dangerous jobs have long been a significant barrier. “The technology to solve these difficult problems did not exist, until very recently,” he added, pointing to recent breakthroughs as key drivers of change.

*L to R: Tammy Haddad, Ashley Lerner, and Reggie Love*

The “ChatGPT Effect” for Robotics

A particularly exciting development in this space, according to Talla, is the potential to create a “ChatGPT for the physical world.” He noted, “Can you believe it? ChatGPT is not even three years old. Can you imagine the world before ChatGPT? The whole world is on a similar quest for ‘can we create a ChatGPT for the physical world?’”

This analogy underscores the power of general-purpose AI models—like the one driving language processing in ChatGPT—and their potential to be adapted for robotics, creating machines that can perform a wide array of tasks in an intelligent, adaptable way.

*L to R: Tina Anthony, Joanna Guy, Machalagh Carr, and Ashley Callen*

Closing the “Sim-to-Real” Gap with AI and Synthetic Data

Talla also pointed to simulation as a game-changer in the development of robotics. Historically, testing robots in real-world environments was too costly and unsafe. “It’s not fast, it’s not safe, it’s too expensive to build and test robots in the physical world,” he said. But simulation technology has improved dramatically, helping bridge the sim-to-real gap.

In tandem, synthetic data generation—the use of AI to create vast quantities of realistic training data—has emerged as a key enabler. Talla explained, “Can we use AI itself… to create a thousand times more data or a million times more data? The hope with all of this is the more data you create, the better the data, then you can train this general-purpose brain.”

The Rise of Humanoid Robots

One of Talla’s most compelling predictions was the rise of humanoid robots. “It’s quite likely that humanoids will be the largest opportunity for humanity,” he remarked. Given that human-centered design has shaped infrastructure for centuries, humanoid robots make perfect sense as a general-purpose AI form factor. “Humanoids provide us the best opportunity to create that general-purpose brain,” Talla said, revealing his excitement for the potential of humanoid robots to operate seamlessly in human-built environments.

U.S.-China Robotics Race and the Future of Manufacturing

The conversation also touched on the increasingly competitive landscape of robotics between the U.S. and China. Talla emphasized that both nations are pushing ahead aggressively, but U.S. reshoring policies and AI-driven robotics are giving American manufacturers a unique advantage.

“The golden age of manufacturing for the United States has started,” Talla declared. “With the policy of reshoring manufacturing and with robotics solving the ultimate problem of small and medium general-purpose robotics… I genuinely believe it’s going to completely change the trajectory of how United States manufacturing happens in the next 20 years.”

This shift is particularly significant for smaller businesses that had previously been unable to afford automation. Thanks to advances in robotics, these companies will now be able to tap into AI-driven manufacturing solutions, making the U.S. manufacturing sector more competitive and efficient.

*L to R: Sophie Shulman, Deepu Talla, Sarah Weinstein, Angela Krasnick, and John Rizzo*

Energy Efficiency: The Next Frontier for AI

As Talla discussed, energy efficiency is the final frontier in AI development. “Power, energy is relatively fixed… Which means if that’s the constraint, it’s all about what’s the max performance at the lowest cost that you can deliver in that energy budget,” he said. NVIDIA is focused on pushing the boundaries of what’s possible within these energy constraints, highlighting the massive leap in compute power over the past decade. “Within the same energy… a million times more compute has been delivered in the last 10 years,” he shared.

Human-Robot Collaboration in the Future

Looking ahead, Talla painted an exciting picture of human-robot collaboration. “What’s easy for humans to do is hard for robots… What’s easy for robots to do is hard for humans,” he said. In the future, he believes, humans and robots will work side by side, with robots taking on tasks that are too dangerous or repetitive for humans, while humans provide the higher-level reasoning and adaptability that robots still lack.

“Every human in the future will be teaching or instructing or working alongside robots, and the more intelligent the robots become, the more you can trust them to do jobs that you don’t want to do,” he said, offering a glimpse into a future of collaborative, intelligent machines.

*Policymakers and tech leaders gathered at the House at 1229 to hear from Deepu Talla, NVIDIA’s VP of Robotics and Edge AI*

Looking Ahead to GTC D.C.

Before signing off, Talla teased NVIDIA’s GTC D.C. conference in October, promising a sneak peek at the future of robotics. “I’m a hundred percent sure we are bringing many robots to the [Washington Convention Center’s] expo hall at GTC D.C., including for manufacturing,” he said, leaving listeners eager to see what’s next for AI-driven robotics.

SPOTTED: Irish Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason, Machalagh Carr, Reggie Love, Leigh Ann Caldwell, Cecilia Kang, Ashley Callen, Helen Toner, Shane Tews, Maryam Mujica, John Rizzo, Ashley Lerner, Shailagh Murray, Kristin Sharp, Marc Gustafson, Ali Nouri, Asad Ramzanali, Yemisi Egbewole, Tyler Kendall, Nathan Bomey, Miranda Nazzaro, Joanna Guy, Katy Balls, Sarah Weinstein, Ruth Berry, Sophie Shulman, Angela Krasnick, Mariel Garcia, Jaisha Wray and Gabriel Coupeau.

CES 2026 Sizzles with CEOs, Robots and Semis!

January 6, 2026 By WHC Insider

LAS VEGAS — CES 2026 opened Tuesday in Las Vegas, bringing tens of thousands of technology executives, engineers, investors, policymakers, and media to the world’s largest annual showcase of tech innovation, with artificial intelligence dominating the agenda from the opening hours.

CTA Chairman and CEO Gary Shapiro and CTA President Kinsey Fabrizio previewed the themes shaping the show, the year ahead, and the future of the technology industry. The first keynote address by Lisa Su, CEO of AMD, followed announcements by Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, across town. Her presentation included a surprise guest, Greg Brockman, President of OpenAI, and multiple technological advances. Tuesday morning’s presentations featured appearances by senior industry leaders including Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon, NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang, and Siemens AG CEO Roland Busch, blending major announcements and visual presentations with a live performance by the a cappella group Mo5aic.

The four-day conference, held across the Las Vegas Convention Center and multiple venues along the Strip, is expected to feature more than 4,000 exhibitors and attendees from over 150 countries, reinforcing CES’s role as a bellwether for the technology industry’s priorities in the year ahead.

Each speaker defined how they are working with AI from robotics to health. From keynote stages to packed exhibit halls, AI was positioned not as a standalone category but as core infrastructure — embedded across consumer electronics, semiconductors, mobility, robotics, health technology, and enterprise systems.

One of the most closely watched moments of opening day came from NVIDIA, where CEO Jensen Huang outlined the company’s latest advances in AI computing platforms designed to power increasingly complex models and real-time applications. Huang said, “The ChatGPT moment for physical AI is here — when machines begin to understand, reason and act in the real world […] Robotaxis are among the first to benefit.”

NVIDIA and AMD’s presence underscored the growing influence of chipmakers as foundational players in the AI economy. Major semiconductor rivals, consumer electronics giants, and automotive manufacturers also used the opening day to highlight AI-driven upgrades to products ranging from personal devices and smart home systems to autonomous and electric vehicles. Several companies emphasized partnerships and platforms rather than standalone gadgets, signaling a shift toward ecosystem-based innovation.

Beyond hardware, CES 2026 opened amid heightened attention to AI governance, energy demands, workforce disruption, and national competitiveness. Executives and policymakers attending the show pointed to growing global pressure to balance rapid innovation with security, sustainability, and regulation — themes expected to shape panels and private meetings throughout the week.

The opening day also reflected CES’s expanding role beyond consumer tech. Digital health, industrial automation, defense-adjacent technologies, and climate solutions featured prominently, mirroring how the conference has evolved into a cross-sector convening point for both commercial and public-interest technology.

As CES 2026 continues through Friday, attendees will turn to deeper dives on mobility, health tech, sustainability, creator tools, and accessibility — but the message from opening day was clear: artificial intelligence is no longer a category on the show floor. It is the lens through which nearly every major technology story is now being told.

Puck Power Breakfast: Leigh Ann Caldwell Sits Down with Majority Whip Tom Emmer at Riggs

September 19, 2025 By WHC Insider

Puck News hosted its latest Power Breakfast at the Riggs Hotel on Thursday morning, September 18, with chief Washington correspondent Leigh Ann Caldwell in conversation with House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN). The wide-ranging Q&A—featured in Puck’s The Best & The Brightest—spanned free speech in media, crypto legislation, and the path to avoiding a shutdown.

WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 18: (L-R) Leigh Ann Caldwell and Tom Emmer speak onstage during the Puck Power Breakfast at Riggs Washington D.C. on September 18, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Puck)

SPOTTED: Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason, Kristin Smith, Jon Kelly, Dave Grimaldi, Mary Streett, Lee Brennen, Ben Cantrell, Jonathan Cousimano, Yemisi Egbewole, Riley Kilburg, Rachel Green, Ian McKendry, Colin Moneymaker, Lila Nieves-Lee, Amy Roberti, Kristin Sharp, Liz Gough, Alex Bigler, Tina Anthony, and Ali Hattamer.

On free speech and media censorship

Emmer, in the wake of the political fallout from Charlie Kirk’s assassination, criticized network decisions to cut and edit political interviews:

“We don’t need somebody at CBS deciding that they’re going to edit a presidential candidate’s interview because she can’t put a sentence together and she doesn’t make any sense… Regardless of your political persuasion, you would want that.”

On cryptocurrency legislation

Calling digital assets a “nonpartisan” issue, Emmer pushed back on efforts to frame crypto as partisan:

“This is not about Republicans. This is not about Democrats. This is about Americans and what’s best for our country… This is the number one thing in terms of the golden age of digital assets that [the president] is going to be responsible for creating.”

He noted younger voters, ages 18–40, see crypto as their issue, and warned against politicians using it as a wedge.

WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 18: (L-R) Rachel Horn, Colin McClaren, and Alex Allaire attend the Puck Power Breakfast at Riggs Washington D.C. on September 18, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Puck)

On avoiding a government shutdown

With government funding again on the line, Emmer stressed pragmatism:

“The animals in the watering hole tend to look at each other differently as the water recedes… We’ve been figuring out how to get through it.”

He pointed to bipartisan progress on appropriations bills and said Speaker Mike Johnson will push a short-term continuing resolution to buy seven more weeks.

Since launching in May, Puck’s salon series has hosted Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN), Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI), and Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN). Each conversation draws a curated crowd of administration officials, Hill insiders, and business leaders, with insights appearing in Caldwell’s must-read newsletter The Best & The Brightest and on Puck’s Powers That Be podcast.

WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 18: Leigh Ann Caldwell and Tom Emmer speak onstage during the Puck Power Breakfast at Riggs Washington D.C. on September 18, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Puck)

Washington Women Technology Network Hosts ‘2024’ Authors Josh Dawsey and Tyler Pager

August 25, 2025 By WHC Insider

August 6, 2025 — Washington AI Network founder Tammy Haddad and Lucid Motors’ Vice President of External Affairs Jessica Nigro hosted a Washington Women Technology Network breakfast conversation at The House at 1229 featuring Wall Street Journal political investigations reporter Josh Dawsey and New York Times White House correspondent Tyler Pager, co-authors of 2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America.

*Tammy Haddad, Tyler Pager, Jessica Nigro, and Josh Dawsey*

The authors discussed the reporting behind the book, campaign dynamics in 2024, and the role of authenticity, gender, and media strategy in shaping public perception.

Josh Dawsey described Donald Trump’s media style and influence:

“He [Trump] gets shot… probably a quarter of inch from dying, and his first impulse is to lift his arm up in the air and say Fight. I think there were a lot of people who really dislike Trump or weren’t his biggest fans who thought that was kind of badass. I mean, I think that sort of changed the public perception of him in that moment,” said Dawsey.

Pager reflected on the role of former President Obama and internal challenges facing the Biden campaign:

“Barack Obama… didn’t think Joe Biden should run in 2016. He didn’t think Joe Biden should run in 2020, and he definitely didn’t think Joe Biden should run in 2024 and repeatedly,” said Pager. “One of the things that the campaign really struggled with was this sort of bifurcated structure where Joe Biden’s closest aides were in the White House, and the campaign was run by people that were not particularly close to the president and were not empowered to run the campaign.”

SPOTTED

Luxembourg Ambassador Nicole Bintner-Bakshian, YouTube’s Alexandra Veitch, the Consumer Technology Association’s Tiffany Moore, BBC anchor Sumi Somaskanda, NobleReach Foundation’s Tina Anthony, Omidyar Network’s Govind Shivkumar, Salesforce’s Charlotte Smith, Business Software Alliance CEO Victoria Espinel, Joanna Guy of Booz Allen Hamilton, Charlotte Rock of the General Catalyst Insitute, Invenergy’s Andrew Wills, Stacy Kerr of Penta, Michael Ahrens of FGS Global, Joiwind Ronen of Ned’s Club, producer Kathy O’Hearn, GM’s Ashley Lerner, and Sydney Snowden, chief of staff to David Urban.

Army CTO Alex Miller Challenges Industry: Bring Your Best Tech to the Army; Warns of Drone Threats, Praises ChatGPT-5 Energy Efficiency in Washington AI Network Podcast

August 22, 2025 By WHC Insider

In an exclusive interview with the Washington AI Network, U.S. Army Chief Technology Officer Dr. Alex Miller pushed for AI companies to offer their best technology to the military, describes the dominance of drones calling them “airborne IEDs” and stressed the importance of working with commercial AI providers in the debut episode of the Washington AI Network Podcast’s new CTO Sessions series.

The veteran technologist and intelligence officer gave his insights on warfighting today, “What you’re seeing in Europe with the drones — those are airborne IEDs,” Miller said. “It is a bomb that can fly a hundred miles an hour. We have to get really good at countering those — using AI to detect them in the electromagnetic spectrum, identify them instantly, and deploy countermeasures in real time.”

The conversation, hosted by Washington AI Network founder Tammy Haddad, covered the Army’s plans for adopting artificial intelligence, speeding procurement, the China threat and preparing soldiers for the future fight.

Miller said the Army will adopt frontier AI models rather than try to build its own.
“I don’t like to compete with industry. That’s bad for taxpayers and not good value for soldiers,” he said. “In areas where industry’s way ahead, I don’t need to compete with the frontier AI providers. We’ll adopt those and tailor them to whatever our mission is.”

On the newly released GPT-5 model, Miller pointed to gains in efficiency over raw intelligence.
“Was there a huge increase in intelligence? Not that I’ve seen online,” he said. “What we see with 5 is another massive consolidation and power efficiency. Eventually, I want to run those LLMs on soldiers’ faces with smart glasses, on their phones, and on their vehicles.”

Miller also highlighted efforts to shorten Army procurement cycles.
“Our next generation command and control document is three pages — three and a half if you count the graphic,” he said. “Then we spend a year just getting technology into our soldiers’ hands to try it and get direct feedback… What we’re trying to do now is fix the process so that’s no longer a workaround — it’s just the way the process works.”

Miller underscored the Army’s central role in U.S. defense.
“When the world dials 911, the phone rings at Fort Bragg,” he said. “We are everywhere, all the time, every day, doing every mission the nation asks us to.”

The episode was recorded on August 12 at The House at 1229 in Washington, DC, and presented in partnership with the NobleReach Foundation, where CEO Arun Gupta introduced the 2025 cohort of NobleReach scholars.

The full conversation with Dr. Miller is available now on YouTube and across podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.