White House Correspondents Insider

Behind the scenes of the most powerful city in the world — Washington, D.C. — and those who cover it.

Archives for May 2010

A New Bush Takes Global Health Stage

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Barbara Bush–one of former President George W. Bush’s twin daughters—spoke at the National Press Club today to talk about her global health organization, Global Health Corps. “Global health equity, ” is the goal of her NGO founded in 2008 and dedicated to both reducing the global health disparities and improving public health. Barbara, with input from her sister Jenna, founded the group, which sends recent college graduates on yearlong fellowships, after her travels and work in Africa. The luncheon was this Bush’s first event at the National Press Club and hosted many DC influentials beginning with her sister, Jenna and former FLOTUS Chief of Staff Anita McBride, Jean Case of The Case Foundation, Jessica Grounds and Susannah Wellford Shakow from Running Start, Jennifer Higgins, Capitol Health Group, Glamour’s Washington editor Linda Kramer Jenning, Emily Lawrimore from Senator John Barrasso’s office, USA Today’s Susan Page, and Politico’s Kiki Ryan. CLICK on press.org to watch, if you missed it on C-SPAN. Here are some photos:

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Miss America Returns to Network TV

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Miss America 2010 Caressa Cameron with DC influentials at Cafe Milano.


Just in time for its 90th anniversary, the Miss America pageant has signed a deal to get back on network TV. Next year’s competition will air live on ABC on January 15, 2011.

The three-year agreement with ABC comes after the pageant’s nearly six-year absence from network TV due to record low ratings. Since 2004, the pageant had been aired on cable channels CMT and TLC.

Though happy with the deal, Sam Haskell, chairman of the Miss America Organization, declined to discuss the specifics.

“It’s a wonderful deal,” Haskell said to the Associated Press. “It’s much better than any deal we’ve had in the last five years.”

In light of the recent spat between Miss America and Miss USA, Haskell says that this deal will reposition the pageant to separate itself from its competitor, which is owned in a joint venture between Donald Trump and NBC.

“No little girl walks around saying, ‘I want to be Miss USA when I grow up.’ She says, ‘I want to be Miss America,'” said Haskell.

Read more about the agreement in The Washington Post.

Laura Capps To Blue Engine

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One of the top communications specialists for democrats joins Erik Smith’s Blue Engine media team. Capps is married to White House Deputy Press Secretary, Bill Burton. Here is part of the release:

Blue Engine Message & Media is thrilled to announce that Laura Burton Capps has joined our strategic communications and issue advocacy team. Laura has spent fifteen years developing strategic communications and issue advocacy campaigns for the nation’s highest profile public officials, including President Bill Clinton, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Senator John Kerry’s presidential campaign, as well as leading academic and non-profit organizations. Laura has built a reputation as a respected advocate for environmental and climate issues through her most recent roles as Senior Vice President for Government Affairs and Communications for the Ocean Conservancy and as Communications Director for the Alliance for Climate Protection, the non-profit founded and chaired by Vice President Al Gore.

Anita McBride, former Bush Chief of Staff to APCO Worldwide's International Advisory Council

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Anita McBride is parlaying her extensive White House experience into the global business market.

APCO Worldwide President and CEO Margery Kraus announced today that McBride is now a member of the company’s International Advisory Council (IAC) and a senior counselor with Global Political Strategies (GPS).  McBride served as a former assistant to President George W. Bush and chief of staff to First Lady Laura Bush among numerous other White House and government positions that spanned three presidencies.  Her extensive work with foreign policy and leaders makes her a perfect fit as part of APCO’s IAC which is comprised of “more than 50 recognized global leaders, including former elected politicians, leaders of business and industry, and academics at leading universities.”

Kraus said in a release today that, “Her uniquely high-level expertise on a range of domestic and international issues will be a valuable asset to our IAC and GPS teams and a considerable benefit to our clients.”

Read the full press release here.

PBS Ombudsman Condemns WHCA Dinner

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Has the celebrity aspect of the annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner gone too far?

Michael Getler, the independent internal critic, otherwise known as the “ombudsman” for the Public Broadcasting System, believes that it has. In a recent Ombudsman Column, Getler calls the dinner an “embarrassment, just one more brick on the pile that buries confidence in the U.S. press.” The dinner happened to take place on the same weekend that marked the passing of two long-time PBS public affairs shows: Bill Moyers Journal and NOW with host David Brancaccio.

Getler called it “Journalism’s Passing Parade” – do you agree? Share your comments.

2010 Moynihan Prize Awarded

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The 2010 Daniel Patrick Moynihan Prize was awarded to Robert Greenstein, founder and executive director of the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, on Thursday evening at a dinner ceremony at the Newseum.

Over 100 guests from the world of academia, government, journalism, think tanks and non-profit organizations gathered for the annual ceremony hosted by the American Academy of Political and Social Science. Also honored was Rebecca Blank, Under Secretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs at the U.S. Department of Commerce, who was inducted as the Eleanor Roosevelt Fellow of the Academy.

The American Academy works to bring scholars and government officials together to improve the policy process. The prize is given to someone who is deemed to follow in the Moynihan tradition of drawing on data and evidence in making public policy that advances the human good.

Some of those helping to celebrate the honorees were MSNBC commentator Lawrence O’Donnell, Newsweek’s Howard Fineman, Mike McCurry, Jason Furman of the National Economic Council and his wife Eve Gerber, HHS Deputy Assistant Secretary Mark Greenberg, Tom Malinowski of Human Rights Watch, and OMB’s Katherine Wallman.

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Connie Milstein’s Delightful Night

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The grand tradition of the “Heart’s Delight” Vintners Dinner was lifted to another level Friday evening as guests raised their glasses to honor dinner Chairman Constance Milstein.

Milstein and her husband, Jehan-Christophe de La Haye Saint Hilaire, are long-time benefactors of the American Heart Association.

David Markiewicz, the Executive Vice President of the AHA, praised Milstein’s dedication and generous support of heart research, and highlighted the pivotal role she played in gathering the supporters at the annual event.

Milstein friend and President Obama’s HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Ambassador Capricia Marshall joined her at the table, as well as Ambassador of Monaco Gilles Norghes and his wife Ellen, and the new deficit czar Bruce Reed and his wife, Bonnie LePard.

CBS News White House Correspondent Bill Plante emceed the evening. The sparkly crowd included Betsey Apple, Dee Dee Myers and Todd Purdum, John Coale, the Washington Post’s new Pulitzer Prize winning columnist Kathleen Parker, ABC News’ reporter Jonathan Karl.

FOX News’ Bret Baier recounted his infant son’s multiple heart surgeries to the spellbound crowd (including his wife, Amy). The Baier’s family story inspired the wine auction that followed, raising some $50,000 for research.

The Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium was aglow as some 400 guests dined on a six-course meal accompanied by distinguished wines from Château Margaux.

GOP To Tampa In 2012

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Get ready to pack the sunscreen.

The Republican National Committee announced today that the 2012 Republican National Convention will be held in Tampa-St. Petersburg once the site city agreement is fully negotiated and the full RNC votes for approval this August at its Summer Meeting.

“We are honored and privileged to accept the bid from Tampa, Florida to host the Republican National Convention in 2012. The host committee’s hard work and dedication resulted in a tremendous bid that we are confident will produce a successful event. The Tampa area boasts state-of-the-art facilities, exciting and vibrant downtowns, and a clear enthusiasm from the community to host our convention. We look forward to joining our compatriots in the Sunshine State for our convention in 2012,” said RNC Chairman Michael Steele.

POLITICO’s Mike Allen reported earlier today that top Republicans would recommend Tampa as the host city, beating out Phoenix, AZ and Salt Lake City, UT. The convention will be held the week of August 27, 2012.

Check out the full story.

Celebrating All Moms

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Nicholas Kristof, New York Times columnist and co-author of “Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide,” used his latest post to remind us all that Mother’s Day is more than just flowers and breakfast in bed.

The column names organizations that are helping to make motherhood safer including White Ribbon Alliance and CARE, part of the coalition that makes up Mothers Day Every Day.

The 2010 WHC Garden Brunch helped raised awareness for maternal mortality and the role mothers play in not only building families but in fostering communities worldwide.

Here is a video with some of the motherly advice shared by a few guests at the brunch.

Happy Mothers Day Every Day from whcinsider on Vimeo.