Symone Sanders, MSNBC Anchor, and Anna Palmer, co-founder and CEO of Punchbowl led a midterm election breakfast briefing for The Washington Women Technology Network, hosted by Jessica Nigro, Lucid Motors, Global head of Public Policy and Tammy Haddad, WWTN Founder, at The Jefferson Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Palmer led the conversation on the Hill races from the latest Senate numbers to Mitch McConnell’s playing down the chances. Sanders quoted from the latest NBC/Telemundo poll which drills down on Hispanic voters warning they are not a monolithic voting group.

Guests included: Luxembourg Ambassador Nicole Bintner, MSNBC President Rashida Jones, former White House energy adviser Melanie Nakagawa, Rivian’s Leslie Hayward, Meridian’s Natalie Jones Hallahan, Disney’s Susan Fox, BSA’s CEO Victoria Espinel, Apple’s Carolyn Wu, Washington Post Live’s Kathy O’Hearn, Gray’s Lisa Allen, the German’s Embassy spokeswoman Marie von Engelhardt, Aspen’s Niamh King, White House aide Liz Hart, and Kelley McCormick, co-founder of Original Strategies.

Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova, NYU Langone Department of Surgery Chair and Transplant Institute Director Dr. Robert Montgomery, who traveled to Lviv, Ukraine to perform life-saving surgeries, and CNN senior national security correspondent Alex Marquardt, who has just returned from Ukraine reporting from the frontlines of the Russian offensive, headlined a fundraiser along with State Department Spokesperson Ned Price for journalists covering the war in Ukraine on Thursday evening, July 28 in Washington, D.C to benefit the international non-profit organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

“We have brave men and women who put their lives on the line to tell the story of our fight to the world at a very high cost. We already lost 37 journalists in Ukraine just during this time. We have people like Alex [Marquardt] who are coming back to the city of Kharkiv, which is a frontline,” said Markarova told the crowd. “Thank you so much to you and all your colleagues and all the journalists who are here. Really, you are as brave and as heroic as all the Ukrainians who are fighting.”

Co-hosts included Washington Post reporters Yasmeen Abutaleb, Shane Harris, and editor Damian Paletta; NBC News Correspondent Yamiche Alcindor; News Media Alliance president and CEO David Chavern; Haddad Media CEO Tammy Haddad; ABC News chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl; New York Times correspondent Jonathan Martin, CBS News White House correspondent Steven Portnoy; MSNBC Host Stephanie Ruhle; and Axios Managing Editor Margaret Talev.

CNN’s award-winning senior national security correspondent Alex Marquardt, who was reporting from Mariupol, Ukraine on the day the Russian invasion began, has fearlessly led his network’s coverage of the war. “The resilience really was just stunning. And so, of course, was the journalism that has come out of Ukraine. I mean, we could not understand how historic and destructive this conflict is if we didn’t have people in Mykolaiv and in Mariupol and Luhansk and Donetsk provinces doing dangerous and difficult and expensive work,” said Marquardt. “There are countless freelancers, both international and Ukrainian, who need body armor. They need medical training, they need an Internet connection, they need financial support and eventually, they may also need psychological support.”

Famed transplant surgeon Dr. Robert Montgomery, chair of the Department of Surgery at NYU Langone Health and director of the NYU Langone Transplant Institute, who risked his own life by traveling to Ukraine in May to perform lifesaving surgeries at the Lviv Transplant Center, and has since raised $280,000 for essential operating room equipment for the center. “To walk through those ICUs and see the mangled bodies and minds that have occurred as a result of this. I think if we could take cameras, into hospitals, I think people would feel really differently about a lot of the tremendous human tragedies that have occurred,” said Dr. Montgomery.

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A portion of the funds went to equipping and staffing the RSF Press Freedom Centers in Lviv and Kiev, where reporters covering the war receive protective gear such as bullet-proof vests and helmets, safety training and psychological support.

Speakers at the event included:

“When Russia invaded Ukraine, we immediately knew that we had to be on the ground providing solutions to people. And so within days, we were ready to launch the Press Freedom Center in Lviv,” said Weimers. “So the Press Freedom Center is a hub through which we can channel all of our support directly to journalists covering the story on the ground.”

“So what does that support mean? … It’s meant 577 bulletproof vests, 489 helmets, 252 solar, solar battery packs, 101 first aid kits, 219 direct loans to media workers, fixers, journalists, reporters, as well as 200 loans to our partner on the ground, the Institute for Mass Information. We’re also providing safety courses for both digital security and physical security while you’re on the ground and we’re starting to provide mental health support services as well.”

Notable attendees: Rep. Debbie Dingell, Rep. Joaquin Castro, former Rep. Jane Harman, Jen Psaki, Daniel and Amy Koh, Jill Zuckman, Jessica Dean, Liz Johnson, Amanda McClements, Betsy Fischer Martin, Adrienne Elrod, Ali Rubin, Heather Podesta, Carol Melton, Mariel Saes, Rachel Levitan, Kevin Latek, Dan Myers, Brian Walsh, Jon Decker, Tyler Pager, Robin Goldman,  Dietrich von Klaeden, Matt Kaminski, Genna Gent and Michael Gonda, Jon Banner, Kenny Thompson, Lauren Pratapus and John Legittino, Kevin Baron, Francesca Chambers, Andrew Bates, Sean Savett, Mariel Saes, Michael Wilner, Michael Moroney, Ted Johnson, Nazanin Ash, Mario Parker, Racquel Krahenbuhl, Holly Page, Laurie McKay, Jane Oates, John O’Leary.

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PepsiCo, McDonald’s and the News Media Alliance sponsored this event.

Veteran Democratic Political Operative Lis Smith is making headlines today as POLITICO releases an excerpt from her new memoir, “Any Given Tuesday: A Political Love Story.“

She told her friends in a book email, “I was determined to demystify politics and serve as a guide to modern-day campaigning. If we do not bring more people into politics, Democracy could fail. It’s a book for Democrats and Republicans, political junkies and the apolitical- one that’s as fun as it is informative, and as irreverent as it is serious. “

Smith connoted, “I have shared these campaigns and crises with many of you but I think you will learn some things that you did not know. I did! I don’t spare any details or dish from behind the scenes, even about myself.“

Kathleen Buhle created a new women’s non-profit social club, The House at 1229, and hosted her first event, on Thursday, May 26th. The intimate gathering brought together a diverse group of women from the non-profit world, business and media for a conversation featuring Dr. Sharon Malone and Michele Norris on women’s health after menopause. 

The House at 1229 was founded by Kathleen Buhle as a community of women with different backgrounds and experiences who share the same core beliefs. It’s a civic and social organization, bringing women together to network, foster meaningful connections, and share insight and advice. The headquarters of The House is at 1229 19th Street in downtown DC and will open in September 2022.

This sneak preview event was moderated by Michele Norris in conversation with Dr. Sharon Malone, one of the nation’s leading Obstetrician and Gynocologists, who has dedicated her practice to focusing on the specific health challenges associated with menopause. 

Michele Norris is a columnist for The Washington Post Opinions section and founding director of The Race Card Project. Guests included co-founder Satchiko Kuno, Margarita Raygada, Carol Melton, Meg Cleric, Vickie Jordan Adams, Alison Schulman and Kate Goodall.