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 April 2024

AI Leaders Attend the Annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner Weekend

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Andrea Saul, VP of Public Affairs at Meta, and Joelle Pineau, VP of AI Research at Meta, attend the 31st Annual White House Correspondents’ Garden Brunch at the Beall-Washington House in Washington, DC, Saturday, April 27, 2024. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Haddad Media)

One of the top AI researchers, Joelle Pineau, VP of AI Research at Meta and featured guest for the inaugural TGAIFriday Lunch, attended her first White House Correspondents’ Weekend. She was joined at the Garden Brunch by former Google chairman Eric Schmidt, founder of the Special Competitive Studies Project (which will host Washington’s first AI Expo for National Competitiveness on May 7-8).

Other AI luminaries included NobleReach Foundation CEO Arun Gupta; Teresa Carlson, President of the General Catalyst Institute; EqualAI President & CEO Miriam Vogel; OpenAI’s Brad Lightcap, whom Bloomberg calls “AI’s secret weapon”; David Ginsberg, VP of Global Communications and Public Affairs at Meta; David Zapolsky, General Counsel of Amazon; John Rizzo of NVIDIA; and Center for AI Safety Action Fund Director of Government Relations and Public Policy Varun Krovi. From the U.S. Government: Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Chief of Staff Asad Ramzanali and Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) Vice Admiral Frank Whitworth, as well as Rep. Don Beyer, co-chair of the House AI Caucus, and Senator Mark Warner.

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The 2024 White House Correspondents’ Garden Brunch

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(L to R) Symone Sanders-Townsend, Eugene Daniels, Tammy Haddad, Savannah Guthrie, Mark Ein, Craig Minassian, Jon Banner, Kaitlan Collins, and Gus Kenworthy on stage at the 2024 White House Correspondents’ Garden Brunch in Washington, D.C., Saturday, April 27, 2024. (Photo credit: John Harrington)

Leaders in government, politics, media, business, and entertainment came together yesterday for the 2024 White House Correspondents’ Garden Brunch, held at the historic Beall-Washington House in Georgetown ahead of this year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

This marks the 31st anniversary of the Garden Brunch, first held in 1993 in founder Tammy Haddad’s backyard during Correspondents’ Weekend. The annual brunch honors the freedom of the press as well as the important work of veterans’ and military family organizations. Joining Haddad as Garden Brunch co-hosts this year were Ruth Porat, Kevin Sheekey, Mark & Sally Ein, Symone Sanders-Townsend, Jon Banner, Craig Minassian, and Franco Nuschese.

During the Brunch’s main program, Sanders-Townsend presented the Garden Brunch “Champion of Journalism” Award to Eugene Daniels – Playbook Author and White House Correspondent for POLITICO, and the next president of the White House Correspondents’ Association.

Symone Sanders-Townsend presents Eugene Daniels with the 2024 Garden Brunch “Champion of Journalism” Award, Saturday, April 27, 2024. (Photo credit: John Harrington)

Daniels also led the attendees in a moment of silence to honor fellow journalist Evan Gershkovich of the Wall Street Journal, who has been illegally imprisoned in Moscow for more than a year.

Haddad also honored and recognized four Maryland police officers whose actions in the wake of the tragic Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore saved many lives. Corporal Jeremy Herbert, Officer Garry Kirts, Sergeant Paul Pastorek, and Officer Timothy Baublitz were in attendance and received an emotional round of applause for their heroism. 

Tammy Haddad recognizes Maryland police officers Corporal Jeremy Herbert, Officer Garry Kirts, Sergeant Paul Pastorek, and Officer Timothy Baublitz at the Garden Brunch, Saturday, April 27, 2024. (Photo credit: John Harrington)

CNN’s Kaitlan Collins and Olympic medalist Gus Kenworthy also took the stage to present co-host Mark Ein – owner of the Washington Commanders, the Washington Kastles, and the Beall-Washington House – with the Garden Brunch Award, marking the 10th anniversary of the Brunch being held at the historic property.

Mark Ein receives the 2024 Garden Brunch Award, presented by Kaitlan Collins and Gus Kenworthy, Saturday, April 27, 2024. (Photo credit: John Harrington)

TODAY Show host Savannah Guthrie thanked members of the military for their service and acknowledged two organizations that support veterans and military family members: Dog Tag Bakery and Blue Star Families.

Savannah Guthrie gives remarks at the 2024 Garden Brunch, Saturday, April 27, 2024. (Photo credit: John Harrington)

Throughout the Brunch, guests also had the opportunity to write notes thanking our nation’s service members and their families on the Blue Star Families Honor Wall, sponsored by U.S. Steel.

SBA Administrator Isabel Guzman posts a message to the Honor Wall at the Garden Brunch, Saturday, April 27, 2024. (Photo credit: John Harrington)

Attendees included Governor of New Mexico Michelle Lujan Grisham; British Ambassador Dame Karen Pierce; Ukraine Ambassador Oksana Markarova; Ireland Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason; Luxembourg Ambassador Nicole Bintner; Australia Ambassador and Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd; DC Mayor Muriel Bowser; Senator Amy Klobuchar; Senator Mark R. Warner; Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester; Congressional Black Caucus Chair Rep. Steven Horsford;  Former Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway; Alphabet CFO Ruth Porat; Lyft CEO David Risher; TODAY’s Al Roker and Savannah Guthrie; CNN anchors Jake Tapper, Dana Bash, and Abby Phillip; MSNBC host Symone Sanders-Townsend; former soccer player Ashlyn Harris; and actors Sophia Bush, Kevin McHale, Rosario Dawson, Jordan Klepper, Wilson Cruz, Joseph Lee, Andrew McCarthy and Desi Lydic.

Also seen were Counselor to the President Steve Ricchetti; White House Communications Director Ben LaBolt; White House Cabinet Secretary Evan Ryan; Speechwriter for the President Vinay Reddy; Senator Chris Coons; Rep. Don Beyer; Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick; Senior Advisor to President Obama Valerie Jarrett; Former RNC Chairman Frank Fahrenkopf; Dreamworks Co-Founder Jeffrey Katzenberg; Meta Vice President, AI Research Joelle Pineau; Under Armour Founder and CEO Kevin Plank; co-founder and editor-at-large of Recode Kara Swisher; executive editor of The Washington Post Sally Buzbee; Axios CEO and co-founder Jim VandeHei; POLITICO reporter and upcoming WHCA President Eugene Daniels; SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher; Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt; television personalities Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright; and Washington Commanders President Jason Wright.

Special thanks to this year’s Garden Brunch sponsors were GM, U.S. Steel, McDonalds, Verizon, Flex Association, and the Mark and Sally Ein Foundation; our Friends of the Brunch, Brunswick Group, The Ned, and Pernod Ricard; and our hospitality partner, Versus, bringing their Casta’s Rum Bar and Morris American Bar brands to the Garden Brunch.

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Want more history on the Correspondents’ Dinner and related events? Listen to Tammy Haddad’s podcast series “Cone of Silence” on Audioboom and iTunes.

Washington AI Network Hosts Inaugural TGAIFriday Lunch, Presented by Meta

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Tammy Haddad and Joelle Pineau take a group selfie with attendees of the Washington AI Network’s inaugural TGAIFriday Lunch in Washington, D.C., Friday, April 26, 2024. (Photo credit: John Harrington)

Kicking off this year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner Weekend, the Washington AI Network hosted the inaugural TGAIFriday Lunch — presented by Meta — today at The House at 1229.

The Washington AI Network is a dynamic bipartisan forum that brings together diverse stakeholders from industry, government, civil society, and academia to foster collaboration, knowledge sharing, and responsible development and deployment of AI technologies.

In today’s keynote conversation, Joelle Pineau (Vice President of AI Research at Meta) talked with our founder Tammy Haddad on the power and potential of AI.

Tammy Haddad and Joelle Pineau record an episode of the Washington AI Network podcast at the TGAIFriday Lunch, Friday, April 26, 2024. (Photo credit: John Harrington)
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It’s Here: 2024 White House Correspondents’ Week

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Stephanie Ruhle (R) speaks onstage during the 30th Anniversary White House Correspondents’ Garden Brunch on April 29, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Haddad Media)

It’s that time of year again! With the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner happening this weekend, Washington is gearing up for its biggest week of events – including our annual Garden Brunch this Saturday honoring military veterans and their families.

The following is a running list of events happening across D.C. this week, as reported by Politico – and remember, these are invitation-only.

(For more updates over the next few days, make sure you’re following us on social media at @whcinsider.)

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CISA Director Jen Easterly, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, and UVA’s Kyle Kondik Talk AI and Election Security

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L to R: Brad Raffensperger, Georgia Secretary of State; Kyle Kondik, managing editor of ‘Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball,’ and Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, at the UVA Center for Politics

In a new special episode of the Washington AI Network Podcast, host Tammy Haddad moderates a conversation with two of the nation’s leading forces for safety and security in elections and how they are safeguarding against the threats posed by artificial intelligence (AI) in the 2024 election. The episode features:

  • Jen Easterly, Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)
  • Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger
  • Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball

The conversation was recorded in front of a live audience on Friday, April 5 at the 25th anniversary celebration of the University of Virginia Center for Politics and Sabato’s Crystal Ball. 

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DC Book Launch for Andreessen Horowitz’s Chris Dixon, New York Times Bestseller, ‘Read Write Own’

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Chris Dixon, author of the New York Times Bestseller “Read Write Own”

Chris Dixon, general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, celebrated the DC launch of his New York Times bestselling book, Read Write Own: Building the Next Era of the Internet, exploring the power of blockchains, on Wednesday, April 10 at Cafe Riggs.

Dixon, who joined Andreessen in 2012, founded and leads a16z crypto, which invests in web3 technologies through four dedicated funds with more than $7 billion under management.

Dixon spoke to the audience of Washington influencers and policymakers about the evolution of the internet and his dream of creating a more open network that allows for greater creativity and entrepreneurship. He advocated for the power of blockchain as a positive computer movement — not the casino model of today. 

L to R: Elena Silenok, Chris Dixon, and actress Lynda Carter

Previously, he was the cofounder and CEO of two startups, SiteAdvisor and Hunch. SiteAdvisor was an internet security company that warned web users of security threats and was acquired by McAfee in 2006. Hunch was a recommendation technology company acquired by eBay in 2011.

Tech was well represented with Dave Grimaldi, President of the Blockchain Association, Amanda Russo, Crypto Council, David Ginsberg, Head of Global Comms for Meta, Teresa Carlson from General Catalyst, John Rizzo from NVIDIA and Morgan Gress Johnson from Palantir.

From politics Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Reps. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.), Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.), French Hill (R-Ark.), Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), Andy Barr (R-Ky.), Matt Klapper, Bill Knapp, Liz Johnson, Adrienne Elrod, Sabrina Singh, Sydney Harvey, Elizabeth Falcone, James Perry Adams, and Sabrina Singh.

Other notable guests included Lynda Carter, Collin McCune, Jai Ramaswamy, Brian Quintenz, Paul Cafiero, Dan Meyers, Tammy Haddad, and Anthony Polcari.

Veteran political strategist Bill Knapp and Meta’s head of global communications David Ginsberg

SCSP CEO Ylli Bajraktari Calls on U.S. to be AI Combat-Ready, Warns of Dangers from TikTok, Chinese Apps

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Ylli Bajraktari, president and CEO of the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP), with Washington AI Network founder and host Tammy Haddad

In a new episode of the Washington AI Network Podcast, host Tammy Haddad interviews Ylli Bajraktari, president and CEO of the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP), on the critical need for the United States to maintain its leadership in artificial intelligence (AI) innovation for national security. 

The SCSP is a bipartisan, non-profit initiative founded by former Google chairman and CEO Eric Schmidt to identify recommendations to strengthen America’s long-term competitiveness for a future where AI and other emerging technologies reshape our national security, economy, and society.

Bajraktari – the former executive director of the U.S. government’s National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence and the former chief of staff to National Security Advisor LTG H.R. McMaster – shares concerns about the security implications posed by Chinese apps, particularly TikTok.

Voicing apprehension over the influence of Chinese platforms in the American digital ecosystem, Bajraktari states, “China has deployed globally a set of platforms to dominate our digital life.” He expresses particular concern about TikTok, noting its origin in a country he views as a major competitor to the United States across various domains, including politics, economics, and military competition. He questions the allowance of such platforms to operate freely within American society, strongly advocating for their ban on national security grounds.

Bajraktari highlights the need for the U.S. to revamp its institutions to counter the comprehensive competition posed by China, citing China’s outsized dominance of global 5G map and the infrastructure the Chinese built and deployed while the U.S. lagged behind. He issues a strong warning to prevent other countries from gaining similar technological dominance in the future, stressing the importance of maintaining control over critical technologies to protect both our national security interests and economic prosperity.

Bajraktari also previewed the SCSP’s upcoming AI Expo for National Competitiveness on May 7-8 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., which aims to bring together the private sector and government to foster innovation and collaboration in AI technologies. Bajraktari has called for the U.S. military to be AI combat-ready by 2025, emphasizing the significance of software supremacy and the integration of AI into military operations. The expo will feature main stage programming, exhibitions from leading AI developers and stakeholders, and roundtable conversations at the Ash Carter Exchange. Stay tuned for Washington AI Network podcast recordings from inside the AI Expo. Registration is free and open to the public. Click here to register and learn more.