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Archives for August 2018

Kevin Sheekey’s Daily Read Turns One!

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Bloomberg’s Kevin Sheekey has been gathering the most important stories in business and the wider world of Bloomberg. Today, the newsletter turns one just as it tops over 20,000 subscribers.

To celebrate the occasion, he has put out a list of the newsletter’s most popular headlines. You can check them out below.

Top 5 Most Popular Sheekey Daily Read Headlines:

1. Bloomberg Eyes 2020 Presidential Run as a Democrat – The Guardian

2. Mike Bloomberg sums up thoughts on environment: “We’re in deep s—.”

3. Social Justice Lawyer: The Nightmare of Working in de Blasio’s Government

4. The Mike Bloomberg Effect: Bad News for Trump – Rising Chance of Republicans Losing U.S. House of Representatives

5. Michael Bloomberg: Google Walks Away From America’s Security

You can sign up for the Sheekey Daily newsletter at SheekeyDaily.com!

Blumhouse Television Announces New Podcast, “The Oval Office Tapes,” Set to Air in September

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Blumhouse Television has announced a new podcast, “The Oval Office Tapes,” on Wednesday, August 15th, featuring fictionalized monologues depicting the Trump White House activities as told by key figures in the administration. Emmy Award-winning filmmaker RJ Cutler is the podcast’s creator. His work includes the documentary films The War Room, A Perfect Candidate, The September Issue and The World According to Dick Cheney. The podcast is slated to air in September for a weekly, 10-episode run. Writer and political reporter Scott Conroy will serve as showrunner for the podcast.

Each episode of the series will dramatize the current week’s political headlines from the perspective of prominent figures within the Trump Administration. No castings have been announced yet, but Wednesday’s announcement claimed, “The Oval Office Tapes would feature all of your favorite Trump administration figures, family members, best friends, and enemies.”

“The Oval Office Tapes” will be presented as a partnership between Blumhouse Television and Cadence 13, the company that distributes the hit “Pod Save America,” “Up and Vanished,” and “The RFK Tapes.”

You can learn more here.

White House Historical Association To Host “Back to the White House”-themed Presidential Sites Summit

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Photo Courtesy, WhiteHouse.gov

The White House Historical Association will convene the Presidential Sites and Libraries as well as participants from around the world for it’s latest Presidential Sites Summit. Held every two years, this edition will focus on the history of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave and all things White House. The “Back to the White House” summit lasts from August 27-30 and will gather people who maintain and operate historic presidential sites and libraries as well as fans of American history and politics.

Among the featured speakers are former assistant to President George W. Bush and chief of staff to First Lady Laura Bush,  Anita McBride, Presidential historian and author Jon Meacham, journalist Soledad O’Brien, USA Today Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page, David Rubenstein, and Haddad Media CEO Tammy Haddad.

According to the White House Historical Association, the theme expands upon the commonalities between America’s leaders. “In addition to executive leadership, all presidents have in common the place associated with their legacies: the White House. From George Washington’s role in selecting the site of the President’s House and its architect to the modern day, the symbolic force of the White House resonates through time. All chief executives are shaped by their experiences at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. In 2018, the White House Historical Association will convene the Presidential Sites and Libraries to reconnect with the domain that defined those presidencies — the White House.”

Participants will take exclusive tours of historic sites, attend sessions on fundraising, philanthropy, and digital engagement. Others can join in the fun by following @WhiteHouseHstry on Twitter and by using the #PresidentialSites hashtag.

You can learn more about the Presidential Sites Summit here.

The White House Historical Association has also recently partnered with American University to offer a class called Living History, which examines the history of the White House. Anita McBride, the executive-in-residence for AU’s Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at the School of Public Affairs, says that the White House is “a symbol of our democracy. And here at AU, we study public affairs, we study policy, we study the impact of these decisions on people’s lives. The White House is the place where decisions are made that are far-reaching and impactful.”

American University says the class will “cover the White House as a national landmark and living museum, its architectural transformations, the history of its occupants and staff, as well as the presidency itself. They’ll delve into various themes and feature guest speakers. McBride, former chief of staff to Laura Bush, will participate in several sessions and will be responsible for the section on first ladies.”

You can learn more about the partnership and the course here.

Omarosa Debuts Secretly-Taped Conversations with President and CoS

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Omarosa Manigault Newman, the former “Apprentice” contestant, White House staffer, and now author of gossip-y Trumpworld book Unhinged, was secretly taping her colleagues in the Trump administration including President Trump and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly.

She debuted a conversation she had with President Trump the day after she was unceremoniously fired from her White House role, parts of which she also recorded secretly. In the tape, Donald Trump expresses disbelief that she has been fired though many claim he was being disingenuous.

Omarosa also claims to have heard the long-rumored “Apprentice” tapes showing then-host Donald Trump repeatedly using the N-word while referring to the show’s African-American contestants. Additionally, she claims to have 3 sources which have to corroborate her story. Her book is out Tuesday, August 14th.

Axios and HBO Team Up for News Series

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Axios’ Mike Allen interviewing Assistant to the President, Ivanka Trump.

Washington-based news media startup Axios has partnered with premium television network HBO for a new series that, according to a statement from Axios’ Mike Allen, who just last week scored a rare interview with First Daughter Ivanka Trump, “will feature breaking news, interviews with the world’s most influential leaders, and short documentaries on the topics that matter most.”

The limited run series, out this fall, will be covering the midterm elections across America as well as “politics, technology and culture with a combination of breaking news, short documentaries and high-profile interviews.”

Producers of the series include broadcaster Perri Peltz and filmmaker Matthew O’Neill. Axios CEO Jim VandeHei said in a statement, “The world needs new, smarter ways to better understand the dominant personalities and definitive trends changing politics, business, technology and our lives.”

While the premiere date is still TBD, you can sign up for the Axios AM newsletter for more updates about the show here.