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Archives for November 2017

Washington Cheers on Greta Van Susteren, Newly-Minted App Creator and Author

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Greta Van Susteren Book Party, Guests tape a group “I am Sorry” video for her SorryAPP. The Jefferson Hotel, Washington, DC

DC celebs gathered at the Jefferson Hotel in Washington, DC on Monday, November 27th to celebrate the new career path of longtime cable news staple Greta Van Susteren. Van Susteren has stayed busy since leaving MSNBC earlier this year, launching an app called “Sorry”, which is designed to give users a platform for apologies, as well as releasing her latest book, Everything You Need to Know About Social Media Without Having to Ask a Kid.

Connie Milstein, Anita McBride, and Tammy Haddad hosted the standing-room-only celebration in the Gallatin Room. Haddad, in conversation with Van Susteren, asked about the impetus for creating an apology app. “When you’re unemployed, you look for something to do. So I created an app.” The crowd roared.

Senators Amy Klobuchar and John Barrasso were seen paying respects to Roberta McCain, John McCain’s mother and brother, Joe McCain.

Greta Van Susteren Book Party Mrs. Roberta McCain, Greta Van Susteren, Joe McCain and Anita McBride, The Jefferson Hotel

Almost as popular was native Navajo Nation president Russell Begaye, fresh from his wild White House event paying tribute to the Navajo Code Readers with President Trump calling Senator Warren “Pocahontas.” White House aide Kellyanne Conway and former WH press secretary Sean Spicer mixed with Greta’s media colleagues including Wolf Blitzer, Gloria Borger, Roger Cossack, Hilary Rosen, Sam Feist, Jennifer Griffin, and Jon Decker.

Others who came to pay respects to the media legend and Van Susteren’s husband John Coale were literary agent Bob Barnett, Carol Melton, Betsy Fischer Martin, Rebecca Spicer, Ryan Williams, Ben and JoAnne Ginsberg, Heather Podesta, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and FreshFM’s Tommy McFly.

Democracy Fund’s Jessica Harris and Lauren Strayer were pleased by the enthusiasm of the media players in the room for their #GivingNewsDay awareness campaign and #Newsmatch 110 non-profit news organizations.

You can read more about Greta’s book in the Washington Post’s write up of the celebration:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/reliable-source/wp/2017/11/28/vip-pals-turn-out-to-celebrate-greta-van-susterens-new-book-and-her-app/

More coverage via The Hill:
http://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/in-the-know/362119-greta-van-susteren-book-release-celebrated-with-bipartisan-bash

Media Stars Support Non-Profit Journalism On #GivingNewsDay

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Fox News Bret Baier and Wolf Blitzer in Washington, DC

November 28th is #GivingNewsDay, a day to give back to the hundreds of nonprofit newsrooms across the country. Donations up to $1000 will be doubled by NewsMatch, a national campaign to support nonprofit, local, and investigative news organizations. News Match 2017 was launched by Democracy Fund, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and the MacArthur Foundation to give people an easy way to find quality newsrooms in their region.

Thousands have already gone on social media to promote and discuss nonprofit news, as well as encouraging others to join in this year’s efforts.

Visit NewsMatch.org to find a nonprofit newsroom and invest in quality journalism. NewsMatch will double your impact.

News Match Raises Awareness and Money for Non-Profit Journalism on #GivingNewsDay

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Photo courtesy Pixabay

Traditionally the Tuesday after Thanksgiving has been a day of charity, with millions of individuals taking time to donate to nonprofits and philanthropic causes.  This year, the grassroots campaign News Match is launching #GivingNewsDay to promote an investment in quality non-profit journalism.

News Match 2017 was established as a campaign through Democracy Fund, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and the MacArthur Foundation.  It’s mission is to support nonprofit news organizations that play a vital role in holding those in power accountable through non-profit news.

“We’ve never seen a movement of funders and donors turning out to support nonprofit news like this before,” said Sue Cross, Executive Director and CEO of the Institute for Nonprofit News. “But because these are challenge grants, nonprofit newsrooms across the United States are depending on you to donate and unlock these matching funds.”

Through December 31, individual donations up to $1,000 will be matched by News Match partners.  Nearly 20 individuals and foundations have also set up campaigns to match donations for local News Match participants.  The Gates Family Foundation, the Wyncote Foundation, and the News Integrity Initiative have each pledged to match donations to specific newsrooms. And in ten states, individual donors and local foundations have added at least another $400,000 in matching funds to the campaign.

“Trusted nonprofit news organizations… are essential to building stronger communities, holding our decision makers accountable, and providing people with the information they need to contribute to civic change. Ensuring they have a bright future is in all of our interests,” said Jennifer Preston, Knight Foundation vice president for journalism.

All news organizations participating in News Match are members of the Institute for Nonprofit News. To be a member, an organization must be a 501(c)(3) or have a 501(c)3 fiscal sponsor, must be transparent about funding sources, and produce investigative and/or public-service reporting. Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.

If you would like to donate to #GivingNewsDay, please visit newsmatch.org before December 31, 2017 to contribute.

Department of Justice Files Suit to Block AT&T Merger With Time Warner

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Photo courtesy Josh Hallett.

The Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit to block AT&T’s purchase of Time Warner, a potential $85 billion deal granting the telecommunications giant access to major media brands including CNN, Warner Brothers, HBO and more.

Filing in the District Court for the District of Columbia, government lawyers claim the merger would allow companies under AT&T’s umbrella to control a disproportionate interest of both what individuals watch and how they watch it, meaning they could force both competitors and consumers to pay higher prices.  AT&T owns satellite provider DirecTV, while Time Warner owns networks such as TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network and HBO.

“This merger would greatly harm American consumers,” said assistant attorney general Makan Delrahim.  “It would mean higher monthly television bills and fewer of the new, emerging innovative options that consumers are beginning to enjoy.”

AT&T general counsel David McAtee countered the lawsuit’s claims, saying the deal was a “vertical merger,” combining two companies that operate at separate stages of a production process.  He also stated that the lawsuit was “a radical and inexplicable departure from decades of antitrust precedent.”  Historically, vertical mergers are much more difficult for government officials to block.

The Department of Justice was forced to defend the lawsuit in light of several comments by President Donald Trump, criticizing cable news network CNN, which is owned by Time Warner.  One executive at Turner Broadcasting said, “there isn’t any precedent.  It’s one thing to say ‘Fake news!’, it’s another to reverse governmental policy because you object to a company’s journalism.”  Trump has indicated several times he may attempt to thwart the merger, both during the presidential campaign and as president.

AT&T Chairman and CEO Randall Stephenson said he has no intention of selling CNN to win approval of the Time Warner merger.

 

Production for Final Season of “Veep” Postponed, Accommodating Louis-Dreyfus’ Cancer Treatment

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Chris Godsick, MPAA Chairman Chris Dodd, Senator AL Franken, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Richard Plepler and Frank Rich. Photo courtesy Haddad Media

Production for the final season of HBO’s smash comedy Veep has been postponed, as six-time Emmy Award winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus undergoes treatment for breast cancer.

“Julia is undergoing treatment for breast cancer, and we’re obviously postponing production of the show — we were supposed to have started now – while she’s in treatment,” executive producer Frank Rich said on SiriusXM’s Press Pool. “But the expectation is that we will shoot again. We have one more season we’re doing, which we’re incredibly excited about. Rather impressively, while we wait for her to gather her full strength, around her treatment, we’ve been having with the cast in Los Angeles, table reads of scripts for the final season as they’re ready.”

Louis-Dreyfus announced in September – just one day after tying the record of legendary actress Cloris Leachman for most Emmys won by a performer – she had breast cancer.

“1 in 8 women get breast cancer. Today, I’m the one,” Louis-Dreyfus told fans in an Instagram post. “The good news is that I have the most glorious group of supportive and caring friends, and fantastic insurance through my union.”

Rich said that he had just seen Louis-Dreyfus on set 10 days before, as he “watched her just be hilarious playing Selina Meyer. With the cast all around her playing the assorted group of idiots that Selina has to deal with on a weekly basis on the show. So she’s got a great support system. She’s a very strong person and we can’t wait to welcome her back at full speed.”

Greta van Susteren Launches New “Sorry” App, Authors New Book

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Greta Van Susteren at the 2017 Garden Brunch. Photo courtesy Haddad Media.

The legendary Greta van Susteren has been keeping a busy schedule since departing MSNBC last summer.

Six-time inductee on Forbes 100 Most Powerful Women in the World, van Susteren released a free app today entitled Sorry that lets users accept or reject apologies from friends, as well as vote on public statements from politicians, celebrities, businesses and others.

“SNAPCHAP AND INSTAGRAM are about to get some competition! This will be fun and hopefully get us all thinking…” van Susteren posted on Facebook last week, announcing her newest project.

She has worked on developing Sorry since leaving Fox News last September, and suggests it could be used to gauge reactions to some of the 475,000 apologies issued on social media every day.

“Chances are you may need my new APP (at least once in a while) or know someone who does need it (and maybe more than once in a while!),” she added on Facebook.  “I know I have needed this APP.”

People that have downloaded Sorry will be able to accept or reject apologies sent by friends and acquaintances privately through the app.

Users also can vote on apologies and statements by public figures issued through the media or posted on social media.  For example, as van Susteren notes, “imagine if you and everyone else got to vote ‘accept or reject’ when Kathy Griffin apologized” (after posting a photo of herself with a severed head of President Donald Trump last May).

In addition to releasing her app, van Susteren has authored a new book, “Everything You Need to Know About Social Media (Without Having to Call a Kid),” published by Simon & Schuster.

“[Van Susteren] does an admirable job of covering the basics of a handful of social media channels in this practical guide…. Readers who are curious about (but are still hesitant to use) social media will likely find Van Susteren’s advice helpful,” reviewed Publishers Weekly.

Van Susteren’s app is available on iTunes here or Google Play here.  And you can purchase her latest book on Amazon here.

Cafe Milano’s 25th Anniversary Bash

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Photo courtesy Haddad Media

Cafe Milano, the legendary DC restaurant famous for being the haunt of politicians, dignitaries, celebrities, and the media elite, celebrated 25 years in the spotlight Friday evening with a fantastic fete.

Maureen Dowd and Michael Jordan. Photo courtesy Ryan Williams

Scores of politicians, dignitaries and celebrities joined in the celebrations at Café Milano, with the massive gathering shutting down an entire block of Georgetown.

Well-wishers and guests throughout the evening include Maureen Dowd, Michael Jordan, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Louise Linton, Maureen Scalia, Wolf and Lynn Blitzer, Sally Quinn, Mark and Sally Ein, Bob Johnson, Mayor Muriel Bowser, Susan Rice, Betsy Fischer Martin and Jonathan Martin, Buffy Cafritz, Heather Lauer, Vernon Jordan and Kathleen Biden, Ret. Gen. Jim Jones, Raul Fernandez, Hilary Rosen, Kelley McCormick, Tammy Haddad, Jack Evans, Coach Kathy Kemper, Carl Hulse, Anne Brady Perron, Rick Powell, Robyn Bash, Bret and Amy Baier, Steve Clemons, Patrick Steel, Fred Ryan, Kevin Cirilli, Ryan Williams, Howard Fineman, Teresa Davis, Greta Van Susteren and John Coale, Amb. Yousef Al Otaiba, Lyndon Boozer, Dr. Tony Fauci, Tim and Anita McBride, Connie Milstein, Melissa Sowerwine, and Cardinal Theodore McCarrick.

Friends of Cafe Milano suprirsed Nuschese with a 13-minute tribute video, including cameos by Hillary Clinton, Greta Van Susteren, Bob Woodward, Ellen Tauscher, Tucker Carlson, Bret Baier, Newt, Sally Quinn, Charlie Rose, Terry McAuliffe, Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Bush, Norah O’Donnell, Dave Chappelle, and Bo Derek.

We are extremely honored to join countless Washington diners and visitors from around the globe in congratulating Café Milano on 25 years of food, friendship, and comfort.  Our heartfelt wishes for many, many more!

#CafeMilano25

UPDATE:  Please check the event coverage from the Washington Post’s Roxanne Roberts!

 

CAROL MELTON, POWER WOMAN

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Carol Melton and Dana Bash. Photo courtesy Dana Bash.

A DC Cheer to Carol Melton, Time Warner’s Executive Vice President for Global Public Policy, for being named to Moves Magazine annual Power Women list.

Honored at a year-end celebration gala held in Manhattan on November 10th, Melton is one of 25 women chosen this year who represent Moves Magazine mission of advocating for women’s rights, social fairness and equal opportunity.

The gala was hosted by acclaimed actors, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Isabelle Huppert, and the audience was treated to a live performance from international opera star James Valenti and Michelin star dining by chef Laurent Tourondel.

Melton was chosen for leading by example and being a role model for future generations. As EVP for TimeWarner she is responsible for overseeing the Company’s policy offices in Washington, D.C., London, Brussels, Hong Kong and Buenos Aires.

Melton serves on the Board of Trustees of JBG Smith Properties (NYSE: JBGS), the Board of Directors and First Vice President of the Economic Club of Washington, D.C., as well as the Boards of start-up incubator Halcyon and the Phillips Collection. She is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

#movespowerwomen

Throwback Thursday: Café Milano Celebrates 25 Years as DC Institution

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Photo courtesy Cafe Milano

Washington’s landmark eatery Café Milano is celebrating 25 years as an oasis for politicians, dignitaries, celebrities and the media.

Franco Nuschese first opened his doors welcoming Washington to dine at Café Milano on November 3, 1992 — the same day Bill Clinton was first elected President of the United States. Since that time, both Bill and Hillary Clinton have regularly visited the landmark restaurant, even hosting the former Secretary of State’s 70th birthday earlier this year.

Café Milano serves over 3,750 authentic Italian meals every month, going through 50 pounds of tomatoes and 40 pounds of pasta every single day.

Their fabulous dishes are pure delights using fresh, authentic ingredients largely hand-crafted and flown in multiple times a week from local producers in Italy. The restaurant’s tomatoes are hand-bottled in glass jars in a small farm located in the Campania region, while their olive oil is produced in Tuscany with antique cold-press techniques. The delicate burrata cheese is imported twice weekly from Puglia, where the butter-like delight was born. Even the restaurant’s fantastic wines are brought in directly from Italy, crafted in both the southern Campania and central Toscana regions.

Restaurant owner Franco Nuschese shows incredible pride in his food, focusing on fresh and simple dishes that create smells and tastes similar to those from his home on the Amalfi Coast. One of Nuschese’s favorite meals is a simple pasta al Pomodoro, a pasta with tomatoes, olive oil and fresh basil.

Photo courtesy Cafe Milano

Scores of politicians, dignitaries and celebrities have dined at Café Milano over the past quarter century, including Michael Jordan, Alex Ovechkin, Yogi Berra, Danny DeVito, Sophia Loren, Quincy Jones, Catherine Zeta Jones, Bradley Cooper, Jon Voight, Eva Longoria, Morgan Freeman, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Renee Zellweger, John Kerry, Leonardo DiCaprio, Chris Matthews, Nancy Pelosi, Colin Powell, Valerie Jarrett, Newt Gingrich, Vice President Joe and Dr. Jill Biden, and Wolf Blitzer.

The restaurant also has served its delicious cuisine to the enjoyment of two popes – Benedict XVI when visiting the Washington, and Francis at the Vatican.

We are extremely honored and proud to join countless Washington diners and visitors from around the globe in congratulating Café Milano on 25 years of food, friendship, and comfort. Our heartfelt wishes the upcoming quarter century are as fantastic and memorable as the past.

Friends of Franco Nuschese put together a surprise tribute video to celebrate 25 Years of Cafe Milano!

News Network Ratings Thrive in Age of Trump

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Photo courtesy Pixabay.

Cable news continues to thrive during the Trump administration, with all three major networks showing healthy ratings last month.

Fox News ended the month of October as the most-watched basic cable network overall, coming in first with both total day and prime time viewers.  Fox had lost the top slot in prime time recently to sports network ESPN, although the network has continued to hold the most total day ratings for eight weeks in a row.  Five of the channel’s programs also were listed in the top 10 cable telecasts in total viewers, including Tucker Carlson Tonight, Hannity, and newly-added The Ingraham Angle.

MSNBC came in at third place among total viewers in basic cable for the week, behind Fox News and ESPN.  Measuring total day viewers, the news network was in second place among all networks, only behind competitor news channel Fox News.  The network had two shows in the top ten total viewed programs: The Rachel Maddow Show coming in third place and Last Word With Lawrence O’Donnell in eighth place.

CNN also earned healthy ratings, landing in 10th place for the top ten basic cable networks for prime time viewers.  Among total day, CNN lept to sixth place in the top ten ratings.  CNN had no programs in the top ten most viewed shows, where the network’s most-watched program, Anderson Cooper 360 coming in 25th in total viewers.  (The show ranked 11th among viewers in the critical 25-54 year old demographic.)

Even so, all three cable news networks have witnessed varying declines in net primetime viewers for the month of October compared to 2016, the final full month of the presidential year election campaign.  Fox News saw a 28% decline in total viewers over last year, and CNN down 52%.  MSNBC fared best in the yearly comparison, only declining 6%.