White House Correspondents Insider

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

“The White House Plumbers” Return to The Watergate

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The Watergate Hotel became ground zero once again this time for HBO’s actors, producers, and crew to recreate the break-in orchestrated by President Richard Nixon’s Watergate plumbers, with G. Gordon Liddy portrayed by Washington native Justin Theroux and E. Howard Hunt played by Woody Harrelson.

Justin Theroux as G. Gordon Liddy and Woody Harrelson as E. Howard Hunt, set in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.

Theroux and Harrelson flank Judy Greer as Mrs. Frances Liddy and Lena Headey as Mrs. Dorothy Hunt.

From HBO:  “Based in part on public records and the book Integrity by Egil “Bud” Krogh and Matthew Krogh, the five-part limited series The White House Plumbers will tell the true story of how Nixon’s own political saboteurs and Watergate masterminds, E. Howard Hunt and G. Gordon Liddy, accidentally toppled the presidency they were trying to protect.”

David Bernad, executive producer of the HBO hit “White Lotus,” developed the show with “Veep” writers Peter Hyuck and Alex Gregory. David Mandel, executive producer of “Veep” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” is also an executive producer and the director of all “White House Plumbers” episodes. Frank Rich of “Succession” and “Veep” fame is also an Executive Producer.

HBO “The White House Plumbers” Executive Producer and Director Dave Mandel reunites with “Veep” consultant Tammy Haddad while shooting at the Old Executive Office Building

“The White House Plumbers” producers, writers, and crew on site-survey for Lincoln Memorial sequence

“The White House Plumbers” actor Ike Barinholtz, consultant Tammy Haddad, and G. Gordon Liddy star Justin Theroux with rescue Kuma on the roof of The Watergate

Justin Theroux as G. Gordon Liddy and Woody Harrelson as E. Howard Hunt with Dannia Hakki at Prettyman Courthouse

White House Plumbers Show Jacket

Former HBO Films president and show producer Len Amato and Justin Theroux on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House.

Hilary Rosen, Lisa Sherman, and Jana Rich Host DC Dinner

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While top women leaders from around the country gather for Fortune’s Most Powerful Women annual DC conference, Hilary Rosen, Vice-Chair of SKDKnick and a CNN political analyst, Lisa Sherman, President and CEO of the Ad Council, and Jana Rich, founder of Rich Talent Group, hosted a dinner with some of the top attendees.

Guests enjoyed a political briefing from Heather Podesta and Ashley Etienne, and the crowd applauded Rep. Karen Bass, who just announced she is running for Mayor of Los Angeles. 

Attendees included Thasunda Duckett, Kara Swisher, Kris Coratti, Bobbi Brown, Poppy Harlow, Carol Melton, Meredith Kopit Levien, Stephanie Linnartz, Katie Peters, Dara Treseder, and Ruth Marcus.

Dinner co-hosts Lisa Sherman, Hilary Rosen, and Jana Rich

 

Deputy Editorial Page Editor Ruth Marcus and Chief Communications Officer Kris Coratti, both from The Washington Post, with New York Times President & CEO Meredith Kopit Levien

 

Co-host Lisa Sherman and IBM CMO Carla Piñeyro Sublett

 

Clockwise from left:  Beauty mogul Bobbi Brown; Maryam Banikarim, Nextdoor’s Head of Marketing, Adeft Capital founder Carol Melton, Cathy Halligan, Ulta Beauty; Lynette Brubaker, founder of PR firm LHB Group; and Dayna Grayson of Construct Capital.

 

2nd Row L to R: Haddad Media CEO Tammy Haddad, Google’s Tara Walpert-Levy, Adeft Capital CEO Carol Melton, and TIAA President & CEO Thasunda Duckett. 1st Row L to R: Peloton CMO Dara Treseder, SKDK Vice Chair and co-host Hilary Rosen, and Ashley Etienne from First Lady Kamala Harris’s office.

 

Washingtonian’s Top Women Picks 2021

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Courtesy of Washingtonian

While Fortune releases their Most Powerful Women at their annual DC conference, Washingtonian magazine announced their 2021 Most Powerful Women list, over 150 strong, which includes categories from industry and government to the arts. 

New to the list are FTC Chair Lina Khan, Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, Sally Buzbee, Executive Editor of the Washington Post, and Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Washingtonian brought back many DC stalwarts including Heather Podesta of Invariant, Juleanna Glover from Ridgely Walsh, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Tammy Haddad, CEO of Haddad Media and co-founder of WHCInsider.

To view the full list, click here.

AP’s Julie Pace Tapped as New Executive Editor

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Big news in Washington as longtime political reporter, editor, and DC bureau chief Julie Pace gets the tap on the shoulder to become the new Executive Editor of the Associated Press. The New York Times reports that she began her career with the hope of becoming an international reporter.

Julie Pace, the new executive editor of the Associated Press.

Pace is a regular guest on Fox News Sunday and other top political shows.

She replaces Sally Buzbee who was named Executive Editor of the Washington Post in May.

 

Uber x Sandlot Event at Congressional Baseball Game

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Uber hosted hundreds of staffers and stakeholders ahead of the Congressional Baseball Game at Sandlot Southeast, a 5,000 square foot, outdoor container bar & event space located directly across the street from the players entrance of Nationals Park Stadium at the base of the newly completed Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge.

Uber guests gather at Sandlot Southeast, located at the base of the new Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge.

 

The event highlighted Uber Eats’ unique partnership with Sandlot Southeast, as well as their contributions to supporting local and minority-owned restaurants throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, including supporting over 200,000 free rides to and from vaccination sites through its partnership with the White House.

Attendees at the Uber x Sandlot Southeast event.

 

The event featured catering from Grub Rockstar (est. 2016), a Black-owned food and catering company led by head chef and local D.C. resident Henry Tucker. Grub Rockstar is set up in the Sandlot Southeast space and is serving throughout the month of October. Be sure to check them out.

Henry Tucker, head chef and owner of Grub Rockstar.

 

Team Uber (L to R):  CR Wooters, Brian Barnard, Yvette Willis-Duff, Zoraida Rodriguez, Julius West, Ryan Thornton, and Michele Blackwell.

 

Punchbowl DC Clear Party

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Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman, Punchbowl DC co-founders

Punchbowl DC party with guests Mike Allen,Ben and Joanne Ginsberg, Jill Zuckman and Tammy Haddad

Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman, co-founders of PunchbowlDC News hosted an evening reception featuring an interview with Clear CEO Caryn Seidman Becker, at Anchovy Social. Palmer announced that PunchbowlDC now has 100,000 subscribers. It was one of the first gatherings of politicos and media this summer.

Guests included Danielle Burr and CR Wooters, former Trump White House aide Johnny DeStefano, Ron Bonjean, Ben and Joanne Ginsberg, Betsy Fischer Martin, Mike Allen and Jill Zuckman. The co-author of the bestseller, “Nightmare Scenario,” Damian Paletta and Jacqueline Alemany, author of the Power Up newsletter were among the media stars along with Brian Stelter and Mike Allen.

Damian Paletta and Jacqueline Alemany from the Washington Post

Damian Paletta and Brian Stelter

Johnny DeStefano and Danielle Burr

CR Wooters from Uber

Kara Swisher and Brian Stelter Fete Facebook authors Cecilia Kang and Sheera Frenkel at Comet Ping Pong

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Kara Swisher and Brian Stelter hosted a book party for Sheera Frenkel and Cecilia Kang to celebrate the publication of “An Ugly Truth: Inside Facebook’s Battle for Domination” at Comet Ping Pong in Washington, DC. Swisher and Stelter gave impassioned speeches about the importance of the book which delves deeply into Facebook and the relationship of Sheryl Sandberg and Mark Zuckerberg.

Guests included members of Congress Senator Amy Klobuchar and Rep. Ro Khanna and government officials including Acting FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel, FTC Commissioner Rohit Chopra, Lina Khan’s Chief of Staff Jen Howard, Biden Advisor to Federal Trade Commission on Consumer Protection, Competition Tim Wu. Guests included Biden White House top aides John McCarthy and Katie Petreleius, former FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, Common Sense Media CEO Jim Steyer, media stars Jake Tapper, Jeff Goldberg, Kaitlan Collins, Yasmeen Abutaleb, Yamiche Alcindor. Some Washington favorites were in attendance including Heather Podesta, Tom Wheeler, Kelley McCormick, Carol Melton, Niki Christoff, David Chavern, Jen Stout, Craig Gordon, Luther Lowe and Weija Jiang.

NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell Named WHCA President After Tie Breaking Vote

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NBC News’ White House Correspondent Kelly O’Donnell has been named President of the White House Correspondents’ Association for the 2023-’24 term after a tie breaking vote.

Photo Courtesy of Morning Joe.

On Monday, the WHCA released results for their annual election to decide three new members for the association’s nine person executive board, only to discover a tie between O’Donnell and the Politico White House Correspondent Anita Kumar for the At-Large executive board seat. Even more surprising, O’Donnell and Kumar were both top choices for the associations’ next presidential term, also on the ballot this year, with O’Donnell winning 204 to Kumar’s 191 votes.

However, according to the WHCA’s bylaws, only a sitting board member can be elected President. As a result, the decision on the next WHCA President of the 2023-’24 term became contingent on a tie-breaking vote by the outgoing executive board. Late Wednesday night, the board made their decision, voting 7 to 2 in O’Donnell’s favor, reports AdWeek.

The current WHCA President, Associated Press White House Correspondent Zeke Miller, will finish his term at the end of this year. CBS News Radio White House correspondent Steven Portnoy will take up the seat for the 2021-’22 term, followed by NPR White House correspondent Tamara Keith for the 2022-’23 term.

In her 27 years working for NBC News, Kelly O’Donnell has covered several presidential campaigns, the summer and winter Olympics, and several major events including the Oklahoma City bombings and the O.J. Simpson trials. She was embedded in the 3rd Infantry Division during the Iraq War and was the first to report on live television Hillary Clinton’s concession call to President Trump following the 2016 elections. While at NBC she has worked as a Capitol Hill and White House correspondent, and has appeared on many NBC platforms including NBC Nightly News, Today, and Meet the Press.

Vote for the White House Correspondents’ Association’s Next President Ends in Tie

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Every year the White House Correspondents’ Association holds an election to pick three of their members to join the association’s nine-member executive board – each serving a term of three years. This year, the association also casted votes to see who among those nine board members would serve as the next President of the WHCA. In an unlikely turn of events, this year’s election has ended up with a tie.

The crowd gathers at the annual White House Correspondence Brunch, Photo courtesy of Haddad Media.

According to the election results released by the WHCA, NBC News’ Kelly O’Donnell narrowly edged out Politico’s Anita Kumar in the presidential race, winning 204 to 191 votes. However, according to the association’s bylaws, the President of the WHCA must be elected to the executive board before they can take up the presidency. This means that O’Donnell’s victory is contingent on her also winning the At-Large executive board seat – a race that she tied with Kumar with each receiving 197 votes.

The decision now rests on the outgoing executive board who will reconvene later this week to make a tie-breaking vote for both the At-Large seat and the Presidency. Many White House reporters say they cannot recall the last time that a similar situation has occurred, Politico reports.

The two other board seats up for a vote were won by large margins. ABC News’ Karen Travers won the Radio Seat with 374 votes and Bloomberg’s Justin Sink won the Wire Services Seat with 364 votes. A total of 397 ballots were submitted. The association also voted overwhelmingly to amend their bylaws, with 333 votes in the affirmative.

Biden White House Press Briefings Return to Full Capacity

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This week, the James S. Brady White House Press Briefing Room finally returned to full capacity for the first time since March 16, 2020, marking a hopeful landmark as the White House returns to pre-pandemic norms.

Photo courtesy of CBS News.

The change was announced by the White House Correspondents Association on Sunday, along with the reintroduction of the pre-pandemic seating chart for the press room, featuring reporters from NBC, Fox News, CBS News, the Associated Press, ABC News, Reuters and CNN, reported Politico. The WHCA also announced that press capacity limitations for the North Lawn and indoor press workspaces would be lifted as well.

For over a year, the White House press briefing room had a severely limited amount of available seating, forcing the WHCA to issue seating rotations to give each outlet an opportunity to ask their questions – an arrangement that had pleased then-President Donald Trump who admitted back in March 2020 that there were only “two or three” reporters that he actually liked, Philip Wegman of RealClearPolitics recounts. “We should get rid of another 75 to 80% of you,” the president remarked at the time.

In late May, the press room returned to 50% capacity, allowing – for the first time in over a year – a full lineup of news outlets to fill the 24 available seats. However, some reporters were alarmed on Monday to see the James S. Brady room make such a quick turnaround. White House reporter and Co-author of Politico’s West Wing Playbook Alex Thompson noted that the briefing room had around 83 attendees on the first day back – far more than the available 49 seats.

Shortly after the two-minute warning leading into the press briefing, an unnamed voice asked the additional reporters not to stand in the aisles, as was customary prior to the pandemic. However, the request was not heeded.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, who has been giving briefings to a limited audience since she first started at the White House, was quick to adjust to the crowded room, reports CBS News. “I’m very thrown off to where everyone’s seated – I’ll adjust to it,” Psaki quipped before taking questions.

According to a survey issued by the WHCA, more than 97% of its members reported being fully vaccinated, serving as motivation for the most recent changes. As early as two weeks ago, journalists were required to take nasal swabs before entering the briefing room. Now, per the WHCA’s new guidance, fully vaccinated journalists do not need to be tested and the White House will not be asking for proof of vaccination.

The White House Correspondents Association’s President Zeke Miller wrote in the announcement that, “Since the onset of the pandemic, our priority has been to keep journalists safe, while ensuring that the critical work of informing the public could continue uninterrupted.”

“We appreciate the sacrifices made by every member of the press corps and we thank you all for your cooperation over the last 15 months,” he added.