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 February 2015

Google's Sam Smith to Christie PAC

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2016 PLAYERS — SAM SMITH to Christie – NYT’s Michael Barbaro: “Christie…has recruited Samantha Smith, a senior manager on Google’s global communications and policy team in Washington. Ms. Smith, 28, worked on Senator John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign and as press secretary and campaign communications director for Senator Richard M. Burr…At Leadership Matters for America, Mr. Christie’s PAC, she will be charged with shaping the message of a potential presidential campaign defined by a big personality and faced with serious hurdles.” Read more.

Carney to Amazon

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Former White House press secretary, Jay Carney, joins Amazon on Monday as senior vice president for Worldwide Corporate Affairs. The new position brings the e-commerce giant’s worldwide public relations and public policy shops into one department under Carney. He’ll split his time between Seattle HQ and the D.C. office, where Amazon veteran Paul Misener will continue to run the company’s lobbying efforts. Misener and P.R. chief Craig Berman will now report to Carney, who in turn will report directly to CEO Jeff Bezos. Carney will give up his post-White House perch as a senior political analyst on CNN to focus full time on Amazon.

Blue Star Families 5th Anniversary Celebration

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Last night, Blue Star Families celebrated its 5th Anniversary with an event at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The event recognized Mark Johnson, 2015 Blue Star Neighbor of the Year, First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden’s Joining Forces nationwide initiative, and The Creative Coalition.

Sheila Casey, Chairman BSF Board of Directors and Chief Operating Officer of The Hill, and Connie Milstein, Founding BSF Board Member and Principal and Co-founder of Ogden CAP Properties, LLC were the event co-chairs. Bob Woodruff, ABC News anchor and reporter and author of In an Instant, emceed the presentations.

“What started as a passionate discussion across Facebook and Skype between military family members has grown into a vibrant and meaningful mission for Blue Star Families and our members,” explains Kathy Roth-Douquet, CEO. “Our goal is to strengthen military families and our nation by connecting communities and fostering leadership. Thanks to our extraordinary partnerships, such as those with First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden’s Joining Forces Initiative and The Creative Coalition, we are mobilizing hundreds of thousands of military family members to engage with programs and resources that improve their lives, enhancing careers for those married to a service member, producing nationally-recognized research, and connecting America to the military.”

Blue Star Families serves 1.5 million military family members annually through its programs and resources with 50 chapters at home and overseas. Each of its programs, including Blue Star Museums, Operation Honor Corps, Caregivers Empowering Caregivers, Blue Star Careers, and Military Family Lifestyle Survey depends on the partnership of caring civilian organizations, institutions, and individuals.

Cafe Milano hosts Oscar Party to support Dog Tag Bakery

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Prominent Georgetown institution, Cafe Milano, hosted an Oscar night watch party and champagne buffet, the proceeds of which benefited Dog Tag Bakery, an education and training program for wounded veterans transitioning into the civilian workforce. The crowd also cheered on Academy Award nominee Bradley Cooper, who became part of the Cafe Milano family when he attended Georgetown University.

Cafe Milano owner Franco Nuschese said, “Bradley Cooper is a dear friend and we are so proud of his success and his support of the military. Tonight, we honor the service of all members of the military and the good work Dog Tag Bakery is doing to help veterans transition to the workforce.” Nuschese also thinks American Sniper is Cooper’s best performance ever.

Dog Tag Bakery co-founders Constance Milstein and Father Richard Curry said, “We are so thrilled with the continued support of our fellow Georgetown business leaders. It only makes sense to cheer on former Georgetowner Bradley Cooper at Café Milano and to make tonight about helping our servicemen and women.”

Dog Tag Bakery realizes the passions of Milstein (Connie’s Baking Co.) and Curry (“Secrets of Jesuit Bread Making”) to serve a delicious variety of baked goods, with proceeds from sales supporting the entrepreneurship of vets and their families through experience and a high-quality business education.

Cafe Milano is celebrated for 22 years as the premier restaurant and meeting place in Georgetown. Owner Franco Nuschese is a patron of Dog Tag Bakery. He is member of the board of directors of the Global Virus Network and of the Atlantic Council of the United States. Nuschese is Minister-Counselor of the Order of Malta.