White House Correspondents Insider

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

Jonathan Karl Book Celebration at Cafe Milano

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Cafe Milano was ground zero for Washington media and politicos on Tuesday, November 16th to celebrate the publication of Jonathan Karl’s new book,”Betrayal: Front Row at the Trump Show.” Karl, whose first book on Trump was called, “Front Row at the Trump Show,” was a New York Times bestseller. 

Milano owner Franco Nuschese welcomed Jon Karl in his speech, congratulating him on so much new reporting making headlines around the world. President Trump responded to the headlines by calling Karl a “third-rate reporter.” President Trump has been talking to Karl for all of the 30 years Karl has been covering him.

Guests included Senator Amy Klobuchar, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, Dr. Anthony Fauci, CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer, and MSNBC anchor Andrea Mitchell. 

Karl, the former president of the White House Correspondents Association, was surrounded by other members CNN White House reporter Kaitlan Collins, upcoming President, NBC News White House Correspondent Kelly O’Donnell.

ABC News colleagues included Rachel Scott, Cecilia Vega, RIck Klein, Dax Tejera and USA Today sports columnist Christine Brennan. Politicos on site were former Virginia member Barbara Comstock, Ron and Sara Bonjean, Lis Smith and Jim Margolis.

Jonathan Karl Book Party at Cafe Milano

 

Two other bestselling Trump authors were in attendance, famed journalist Bob Woodward and the Washington Post’s Phil Rucker.

 

AMY GRAPPONE TO MCCAIN INSTITUTE at ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY

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Veteran Hill communications Director, Amy Grappone, will join the McCain Institute for International Leadership at Arizona State University as a Senior Director for communications and strategic engagement. She will oversee all areas of communications. Grappone worked with Indiana Senator Todd Young for four years as his director of communications.

“Senator McCain’s lifetime of public service continues to inspire people across America and around the world. The McCain Institute brings together prominent thinkers and organizations to promote democracy, human rights, and character-driven leadership. I look forward to highlighting how the McCain Institute is working to turn ideas into action and impact,” said Amy Grappone, senior director of communications and strategic engagement. Click here for the full release.

Her Senate career began with West Virginia Senator Shelley Moore Capito, but she worked with then-Congressman Ron DeSantis and the Mitt Romney presidential campaign. She is a graduate of Floria State University.

 

“The White House Plumbers” Return to The Watergate

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The Watergate Hotel became ground zero once again this time for HBO’s actors, producers, and crew to recreate the break-in orchestrated by President Richard Nixon’s Watergate plumbers, with G. Gordon Liddy portrayed by Washington native Justin Theroux and E. Howard Hunt played by Woody Harrelson.

Justin Theroux as G. Gordon Liddy and Woody Harrelson as E. Howard Hunt, set in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.

Theroux and Harrelson flank Judy Greer as Mrs. Frances Liddy and Lena Headey as Mrs. Dorothy Hunt.

From HBO:  “Based in part on public records and the book Integrity by Egil “Bud” Krogh and Matthew Krogh, the five-part limited series The White House Plumbers will tell the true story of how Nixon’s own political saboteurs and Watergate masterminds, E. Howard Hunt and G. Gordon Liddy, accidentally toppled the presidency they were trying to protect.”

David Bernad, executive producer of the HBO hit “White Lotus,” developed the show with “Veep” writers Peter Hyuck and Alex Gregory. David Mandel, executive producer of “Veep” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” is also an executive producer and the director of all “White House Plumbers” episodes. Frank Rich of “Succession” and “Veep” fame is also an Executive Producer.

HBO “The White House Plumbers” Executive Producer and Director Dave Mandel reunites with “Veep” consultant Tammy Haddad while shooting at the Old Executive Office Building

“The White House Plumbers” producers, writers, and crew on site-survey for Lincoln Memorial sequence

“The White House Plumbers” actor Ike Barinholtz, consultant Tammy Haddad, and G. Gordon Liddy star Justin Theroux with rescue Kuma on the roof of The Watergate

Justin Theroux as G. Gordon Liddy and Woody Harrelson as E. Howard Hunt with Dannia Hakki at Prettyman Courthouse

White House Plumbers Show Jacket

Former HBO Films president and show producer Len Amato and Justin Theroux on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House.

Hilary Rosen, Lisa Sherman, and Jana Rich Host DC Dinner

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While top women leaders from around the country gather for Fortune’s Most Powerful Women annual DC conference, Hilary Rosen, Vice-Chair of SKDKnick and a CNN political analyst, Lisa Sherman, President and CEO of the Ad Council, and Jana Rich, founder of Rich Talent Group, hosted a dinner with some of the top attendees.

Guests enjoyed a political briefing from Heather Podesta and Ashley Etienne, and the crowd applauded Rep. Karen Bass, who just announced she is running for Mayor of Los Angeles. 

Attendees included Thasunda Duckett, Kara Swisher, Kris Coratti, Bobbi Brown, Poppy Harlow, Carol Melton, Meredith Kopit Levien, Stephanie Linnartz, Katie Peters, Dara Treseder, and Ruth Marcus.

Dinner co-hosts Lisa Sherman, Hilary Rosen, and Jana Rich

 

Deputy Editorial Page Editor Ruth Marcus and Chief Communications Officer Kris Coratti, both from The Washington Post, with New York Times President & CEO Meredith Kopit Levien

 

Co-host Lisa Sherman and IBM CMO Carla Piñeyro Sublett

 

Clockwise from left:  Beauty mogul Bobbi Brown; Maryam Banikarim, Nextdoor’s Head of Marketing, Adeft Capital founder Carol Melton, Cathy Halligan, Ulta Beauty; Lynette Brubaker, founder of PR firm LHB Group; and Dayna Grayson of Construct Capital.

 

2nd Row L to R: Haddad Media CEO Tammy Haddad, Google’s Tara Walpert-Levy, Adeft Capital CEO Carol Melton, and TIAA President & CEO Thasunda Duckett. 1st Row L to R: Peloton CMO Dara Treseder, SKDK Vice Chair and co-host Hilary Rosen, and Ashley Etienne from First Lady Kamala Harris’s office.

 

Washingtonian’s Top Women Picks 2021

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Courtesy of Washingtonian

While Fortune releases their Most Powerful Women at their annual DC conference, Washingtonian magazine announced their 2021 Most Powerful Women list, over 150 strong, which includes categories from industry and government to the arts. 

New to the list are FTC Chair Lina Khan, Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, Sally Buzbee, Executive Editor of the Washington Post, and Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Washingtonian brought back many DC stalwarts including Heather Podesta of Invariant, Juleanna Glover from Ridgely Walsh, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Tammy Haddad, CEO of Haddad Media and co-founder of WHCInsider.

To view the full list, click here.

AP’s Julie Pace Tapped as New Executive Editor

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Big news in Washington as longtime political reporter, editor, and DC bureau chief Julie Pace gets the tap on the shoulder to become the new Executive Editor of the Associated Press. The New York Times reports that she began her career with the hope of becoming an international reporter.

Julie Pace, the new executive editor of the Associated Press.

Pace is a regular guest on Fox News Sunday and other top political shows.

She replaces Sally Buzbee who was named Executive Editor of the Washington Post in May.

 

Uber x Sandlot Event at Congressional Baseball Game

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Uber hosted hundreds of staffers and stakeholders ahead of the Congressional Baseball Game at Sandlot Southeast, a 5,000 square foot, outdoor container bar & event space located directly across the street from the players entrance of Nationals Park Stadium at the base of the newly completed Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge.

Uber guests gather at Sandlot Southeast, located at the base of the new Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge.

 

The event highlighted Uber Eats’ unique partnership with Sandlot Southeast, as well as their contributions to supporting local and minority-owned restaurants throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, including supporting over 200,000 free rides to and from vaccination sites through its partnership with the White House.

Attendees at the Uber x Sandlot Southeast event.

 

The event featured catering from Grub Rockstar (est. 2016), a Black-owned food and catering company led by head chef and local D.C. resident Henry Tucker. Grub Rockstar is set up in the Sandlot Southeast space and is serving throughout the month of October. Be sure to check them out.

Henry Tucker, head chef and owner of Grub Rockstar.

 

Team Uber (L to R):  CR Wooters, Brian Barnard, Yvette Willis-Duff, Zoraida Rodriguez, Julius West, Ryan Thornton, and Michele Blackwell.

 

Punchbowl DC Clear Party

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Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman, Punchbowl DC co-founders

Punchbowl DC party with guests Mike Allen,Ben and Joanne Ginsberg, Jill Zuckman and Tammy Haddad

Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman, co-founders of PunchbowlDC News hosted an evening reception featuring an interview with Clear CEO Caryn Seidman Becker, at Anchovy Social. Palmer announced that PunchbowlDC now has 100,000 subscribers. It was one of the first gatherings of politicos and media this summer.

Guests included Danielle Burr and CR Wooters, former Trump White House aide Johnny DeStefano, Ron Bonjean, Ben and Joanne Ginsberg, Betsy Fischer Martin, Mike Allen and Jill Zuckman. The co-author of the bestseller, “Nightmare Scenario,” Damian Paletta and Jacqueline Alemany, author of the Power Up newsletter were among the media stars along with Brian Stelter and Mike Allen.

Damian Paletta and Jacqueline Alemany from the Washington Post

Damian Paletta and Brian Stelter

Johnny DeStefano and Danielle Burr

CR Wooters from Uber

Kara Swisher and Brian Stelter Fete Facebook authors Cecilia Kang and Sheera Frenkel at Comet Ping Pong

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Kara Swisher and Brian Stelter hosted a book party for Sheera Frenkel and Cecilia Kang to celebrate the publication of “An Ugly Truth: Inside Facebook’s Battle for Domination” at Comet Ping Pong in Washington, DC. Swisher and Stelter gave impassioned speeches about the importance of the book which delves deeply into Facebook and the relationship of Sheryl Sandberg and Mark Zuckerberg.

Guests included members of Congress Senator Amy Klobuchar and Rep. Ro Khanna and government officials including Acting FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel, FTC Commissioner Rohit Chopra, Lina Khan’s Chief of Staff Jen Howard, Biden Advisor to Federal Trade Commission on Consumer Protection, Competition Tim Wu. Guests included Biden White House top aides John McCarthy and Katie Petreleius, former FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, Common Sense Media CEO Jim Steyer, media stars Jake Tapper, Jeff Goldberg, Kaitlan Collins, Yasmeen Abutaleb, Yamiche Alcindor. Some Washington favorites were in attendance including Heather Podesta, Tom Wheeler, Kelley McCormick, Carol Melton, Niki Christoff, David Chavern, Jen Stout, Craig Gordon, Luther Lowe and Weija Jiang.

Uber Joins Walgreens, PayPal to Launch $11 million ‘Vaccine Access Fund’

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Washington, D.C. — Uber Technologies, Inc., has teamed up with PayPal and Walgreens to launch an $11 million Vaccine Access Fund, which will provide free rides to COVID-19 vaccination sites in the United States for communities hit hard by COVID-19, as reported by Reuters.

The creation of the fund was announced in a letter to the White House from the CEOs of Uber, PayPal, Walgreens, and the U.S. non-profit Local Initiatives Support Corporation, which is managing the Vaccine Access Fund.

Uber’s support of the Vaccine Access Fund comes in addition to their international commitment to give 10 million free or discounted rides to vaccination sites around the world.

In addition to the federal government’s efforts to combat the pandemic, creative initiatives driven by the private sector, like the Vaccine Access Fund, will help bring us one step closer to returning to normalcy. 

To contribute to the Vaccine Access Fund, donations are accepted here via PayPal or via the donate button found directly in the Uber app.