White House Correspondents Insider

Behind the scenes of the most powerful city in the world — Washington, D.C. — and those who cover it.

Top Trump Economic Advisor Larry Kudlow Hosted White Nationalist Website Publisher at His Birthday Party

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Photo Courtesy of Getty Images

Last week, Trump speechwriter Darren Beattie was fired from his post at the White House after revelations surfaced that he had participated in a panel at the H.L. Mencken Club, an alt-right summit of sorts which previously hosted fellow-white nationalist Richard Spencer, with Peter Brimelow, a white nationalist and publisher of anti-immigrant website Vdare.com, in 2016.

It now seems that another Trump administration official has been spotted with the controversial figure, this time National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow. The Washington Post reports that Brimelow was among the attendees at Kudlow’s birthday party at Kudlow’s home in Connecticut on Saturday, August 18th.

Kudlow is a former CNBC host and former Reagan administration official. He was named director of the National Economic Council by President Donald Trump in March.

Brimelow founded the anti-immigrant website Vdare.com in 1999 and is seen as a leading figure in the white identity politics movement. Vdare is named after Virginia Dare, the first English-born child in what is now the United States, a symbol that has been adopted by white nationalists and anti-immigrant activists.

Other guests at the party include more dubious names including Trump allies Roger Stone and Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy, and pundits CNBC’s Michelle Caruso-Cabrera and Fox News anchor Brian Kilmeade.

Kudlow claims to have no knowledge of Brimelow’s history with white supremacy although he also stated he has known Brimelow “forever” and that he has been “coming to my dinner parties for years”. Kudlow also says, “If I had known this, we would never have invited him. I’m disappointed and saddened to hear about it.”

Zignal Labs’ Josh Ginsberg on How Companies Can Fight Back Against Bot Attacks

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Zignal Labs CEO and co-founder Josh Ginsberg went on Bloomberg TV’s “What’d You Miss?” on Friday, August 17th to discuss his company’s latest software, the first-ever bot intelligence platform, which protects brands against malicious bot attacks which can cause harm to a company’s reputation, affect stock price, and also spread disinformation about a brand or its executives. This software can spot bot attacks in real-time and alert company executives before problems arise.

“Companies usually have no idea that these attacks are occurring…as long as you have technology that enables you to see how a story is spreading,” says Ginsberg, you can see “who’s taking hold of that story” and take proactive steps to combat the narrative.

You can watch the full segment here.

Haddad Media CEO and White House Correspondents Insider Editor-in-Chief Tammy Haddad is an unpaid advisor to Zignal Labs.

POLITICO: Here’s How Journos Kill Time Awaiting Manafort Verdict

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Nothing grabs headlines quite like white-collar crime. On what is now Day 4 of the high stakes tax fraud case of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, with no end of deliberation in sight, journalists, lawyers, and lookiloos awaiting a verdict are less fraught with anticipation than captivated by the body language of jurors out for a smoke break or boredly playing solitaire or crosswords in the courtroom.

Journalists, write Ben Schreckinger, Josh Gerstein and Darren Samuelsohn for POLITICO, are content with watching for the lights to go on and off in the jury room while the hours pass with little or no news. “About 50 members of the media camped out in the small plaza in front of the courthouse with dozens more in the lobby of the Westin across the street and in the hotel’s restaurant, where a cheeseburger ordered “rare” came back brown in the middle, just the way the president likes it.”

These intrepid writers are relegated to questioning the timing and the substance of certain lunch orders. Terrible diets abound for reporters and lawyers alike.

Manafort is facing 18 counts of tax and bank fraud in the first trail brought about by special counsel Robert Mueller. If convicted on all counts, Manafort would be sentenced to 305 years in prison. No easy task for the twelve jurors who will ultimately decide his fate.

Read the full story here.

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.

Obama and Biden Salute the Troops at Dog Tag Bakery

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President Obama at Dog Tag Bakery. Photo Courtesy of Dog Tag Bakery

Dog Tag Bakery has long been a company that gave back to the veterans who have given their lives to defend American freedoms. Their program gives jobs to combat veterans and puts them through a leadership training and entrepreneurship course in order to help veterans and their families live the American Dream. Former President Barack Obama and his VP Joe Biden visited Dog Tag Bakery on Monday, July 30th to pay a surprise visit to these deserving veterans.

Fans and customers stopped by to take photos of the duo, who chatted over Dog Tag’s famous pastries and cookies.

President Obama addressed the Dog Tag fellows saying, “What you guys are doing, having already rendered service whether as a member of the military or a spouse or family member, to come back and contribute and do more for your communities, that’s what makes us proud.”

 

CNN Reporter Kaitlan Collins Banned from White House Open Press Event

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CNN Reporter Kaitlan Collins, Photo Courtesy AP

Kaitlan Collins, a CNN reporter, was barred from covering an open press event with President Donald Trump in the Rose Garden on Wednesday, July 25th, by Bill Shine, the former FOX News exec and current deputy chief of staff of communications. After shouting what Shine considered an “inappropriate” comment at an earlier press pool, Collins was told she would not be allowed to attend the event between Trump and European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker.

Bill Shine, who joined the Trump administration in recent weeks, later pushed back on reports Collins had been banned from the event, claiming the reporter was simply “disinvited” from attending.

The question Collins was flagged for posing to the president concerned Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen. In the same open press event, she asked about the delayed meeting between Vladimir Putin and President Trump. Both questions went unanswered.

The White House Correspondents’ Association decried the move in a statement, sat that the move was a “misguided and inappropriate decision.”

Olivier Knox, this year’s president of the White House Correspondents Association, said “this type of retaliation is wholly inappropriate, wrong-headed, and weak,” and that “it cannot stand.”

FOX News president Jay Wallace condemned the move from the White House saying, “We stand in strong solidarity with CNN for the right to full access for our journalists as part of a free and unfettered press.”

Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders addressed the controversy during a press briefing Wednesday evening. “At the conclusion of a press event in the Oval Office a reporter shouted questions and refused to leave despite repeatedly being asked to do so. Subsequently, our staff informed her she was not welcome to participate in the next event, but made clear that any other journalist from her network could attend.”