The Hill – Inaugural DC Power Index Prize to honor Ukrainian ambassador, Capitol Police officer

Deadline – Launch of DC Power Index Prize to Honor Ukrainian Ambassador, Capitol Police Officer, Covid Bioethicist

All rise! White House Historical Association President Stewart D. McLaurin hosted a lunch for Tony award-winning director of To Kill a Mockingbird (playing at Kennedy Center until July 10) Bartlett Sher and his producer Cambra Overend at Decatur House on Wednesday. 

Sher also discussed the development of his new Broadway production of Camelot (debuting November 3rd) with Aaron Sorkin, his partner for To Kill a Mockingbird.

Sher and his producing partner Overend were last in Washington to screen the HBO Films version of their Broadway play, Oslo, which captured the story behind the historic 1993 South Lawn “Oslo handshake” between Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat, orchestrated by President Bill Clinton.

SPOTTED: Ambassador Rufus Gifford, opera singer Denyce Graves, Anita McBride, journalists Robert Costa, Abby Phillip, and Elisabeth Bumiller, and Sheila Burke, Patricia Harrison, Colleen Shogan, Karen Knutson, Senay Bulbul, Peggy Grande, Royce Dickerson and Tammy Haddad

Stewart D. McLaurin, President of the White House Historical Association (WHHA), launched a new monthly column with USA Today aimed at educating readers about White House history and its impact on Americans’ lives. USA Today named McLaurin to its Board of Contributors. 

“The White House stands as a symbol of freedom and democracy to billions of people around the world,” said McLaurin, “and this new column aims to inspire Americans and others across the globe to learn more about the rich history of the White House and its residents.”

First up: some clever insight and beautiful photos showing that when it comes to weddings, presidents and their families aren’t exactly like the rest of us. McLaurin addresses White House family weddings and receptions – and how presidential families throughout American history have balanced the intimacy of a family ceremony with the demands of living their lives in the public spotlight.

McLaurin points out that more than a dozen family weddings have been held at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Tricia Nixon was the first to have an outdoor wedding in the Rose Garden back in June 1971. President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden will celebrate the wedding of their granddaughter at the White House this November.

“It’s hard to imagine any future White House family wedding being anything other than a national event,” McLaurin writes. “But it’s important to remember that at the center of each American presidency is a family, trying to fashion a life and find private moments on one of the world’s biggest stages.” 

Future USA Today columns will explore and connect White House history to current events and timeless themes in American life today.

The Washington Women Technology Network gathered some of the most powerful women in media, politics, and tech this morning at the Jefferson Hotel in D.C. to celebrate the success of MSNBC anchor Katy Tur’s new bestselling memoir, Rough Draft. 

Jessica Nigro, Global Head of Public Policy at Lucid Motors, and Tammy Haddad, CEO of Haddad Media, joined forces to co-host the powerhouse breakfast and intimate conversation with the New York Times bestselling author.

Following welcome remarks from Jessica Nigro, Tur recounted some of the highs and lows highlighted in her memoir, including her 510 days on the road covering Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, as well as the hard challenges she faced in her personal life and the hopes and aspirations she held for the future.

In a deeply raw and personal way, Tur also opened up about her parents – legendary news journalists in their own right – and what it was like growing up exposed to their rocky marriage and often abusive relationship. Her father was a news helicopter pilot and journalist in Los Angeles, and her mother, the cameraman. Tur, who often took flight chasing news with her parents, writes, “I felt more comfortable [in the helicopter] than I felt in my own bed.”

The breakfast ended with guests asking the author questions, some serious, and some fun, such as:

“So was there a car-seat in the helicopter?”

“Of course…our dog was there too,” was Katy’s easy reply. 

View photos from the WWTN event here. To order a copy of Rough Draft, click here.

SPOTTED:  Katy Tur, Jessica Nigro, Tammy Haddad, Peggy Collins, Liz Hart, Alexa Verveer, Yasmeen Abutaleb, Heather Podesta, Amira Aly, Kris Coratti, Veronica Deleon, Susan Fox, Kimberley Fritts, Juleanna Glover, Anne Marie Lewis, Nat Lingo, Julissa Marenco, Kelley McCormick, Susan Page, Rachel Pearson, Elizabeth Ralph

Washington, DC – Today, leaders from the Smithsonian Institution and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino previewed the Molina Family Latino Gallery with its first exhibition, “¡Presente! A Latino History of the United States.” 

The Molina Family Latino Gallery, which is located within the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, opens to the public on Saturday, June 18. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino was chartered by Congress on December 27, 2020, and the gallery marks the first physical presence of the National Museum of the American Latino, offering exhibitions and programs leading up to the opening of the museum’s building. 

“¡Buenos días! ¡Bienvenido! Thank you for coming to the Molina Family Latino Gallery, welcomed Julissa Marenco, Assistant Secretary for Communications and External Affairs and CMO for the Smithsonian Institution. “Today is a special and historic day for the Smithsonian and for American Latinos.”

“Today we celebrate this gallery, and soon we will experience an entire museum,” said Jorge Zamanillo, founding director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino. “As I’ve said before, the Latino experience is American history, and this important initiative ensures our rich Latino history will be preserved for future generations.”

The gallery’s creation and design was led by Eduardo Díaz, acting deputy director of the National Museum of the American Latino. At the preview, Díaz said, “History is backward looking, but we are on the forefront of sharing our rich tapestry, and the American Latino community is going to go so much further.”

Anthea Hartig, director of the National Museum of American History where the gallery is located, remarked, “Our museum tells the story of our nation, empowering people to create a just and compassionate future by exploring, preserving, and sharing the complexity of our past. And today, we welcome a new and necessary chapter to that story with the history of American Latinos.”

The five children of the late Dr. C. David and Mrs. Mary Molina collectively donated $10 million to support this gallery to honor their parents’ legacy of giving back to the community. Dr. Molina was a healthcare leader in California who founded the publicly traded Fortune 500 company Molina Healthcare. 

“When I saw my father’s stethoscope, I choked up,” said John Molina, philanthropist and one of the Molina children, who saw the gallery for the first time today. “When he started out, he literally took care of people in our kitchen sink.” He continued, “We are proud to support this gallery and the new museum, and you will always have the support of the Molina family.”

According to the Smithsonian, “The 4,500-square-foot gallery…will present bilingual stories for multigenerational and cross-cultural audiences featuring multimedia, physical objects, and first-person voices.” The gallery is also one of the most accessible and inclusive of its kind, featuring exhibitions in English and Spanish, including 13 unique QR codes and cane-detectable edges and protrusions to access text in audio format. For more information, visit latino.si.edu.

President Joe Biden announced today that Karine Jean-Pierre will replace outgoing White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who is set to depart the White House on May 13.

Jean-Pierre’s current role at the White House is principal deputy press secretary. With her promotion, she will also serve as an Assistant to the President.

According to the White House release, “Karine is a long-time advisor to President Biden, having served in senior communication and political roles in the Biden Administration, the Biden campaign, and to then-Vice President Biden in the Obama Administration.”

The release continues: “Prior to her role on the campaign, she served as Chief Public Affairs Officer for MoveOn.org and an NBC and MSNBC Political Analyst. Jean-Pierre served as Regional Political Director for the White House Office of Political Affairs during the Obama-Biden administration and as Deputy Battleground States Director for President Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign. She served as Southeast Regional Political Director for President Obama’s 2008 campaign, Deputy Campaign Manager for Martin O’Malley for President, Campaign Manager for the ACLU’s Reproductive Freedom Initiative, and Deputy Chief of Staff and Director of Legislative and Budget Affairs for two members in the New York City Council.”

View more images from the 2022 #GardenBrunch