White House Correspondents Insider
Behind the scenes of the most powerful city in the world — Washington, D.C. — and those who cover it.
President Obama delivered his final State of the Union address on Tuesday and drew a massive response on Twitter. Zignal’s software tracked nearly one million mentions for the President during the speech.
According to Zignal, twitter mentions for the address peaked around 6:30 to 7pm, towards the end of the President’s speech:
Most of the top tweets of the night came from Obama’s official account, though satirical news site The Onion’s tweet also went viral:
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Chairman and CEO of HBO Richard Plepler, and Kerry Washington attend HBO’s Official 2015 Emmy After Party.
Credit: FilmMagic/FilmMagic.
The clear winner of the 2015 Emmy Awards was HBO with its shows winning more awards than any other network by a wide margin.
Hosted by Andy Samberg, other highlights from the evening included Viola Davis making history as the first African American woman to win an Emmy for Best Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Annalise Keating on ABC’s “How to Get Away with Murder”; Jon Hamm’s first win after eight tries for his role as Don Draper on “Mad Men”; Jeffrey Tambor’s award for best actor and Jill Soloway’s award for writing and directing on the Amazon series “Transparent” which brought awareness about the transgender community to the Emmy stage; Amy Schumer’s win for best variety sketch series for Comedy Central’s “Inside Amy Schumer”; and Jon Stewart’s farewell Emmy win for the “Daily Show.”
Highlights from HBO’s wins in top categories include:
Olive Kitteridge
Outstanding Limited Series
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Series Or A Movie – Richard Jenkins
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Limited Series Or A Movie – Frances McDormand
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie – Bill Murray
Outstanding Writing For A Limited Series, Movie Or A Dramatic Special
Outstanding Directing For A Limited Series, Movie Or A Dramatic Special
Game of Thrones
Outstanding Drama Series
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series – Peter Dinklage
Outstanding Writing For A Drama Series
Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
Veep
Outstanding Comedy Series
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series – Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series – Tony Hale
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
Bessie
Outstanding Television Movie
Read More
CNN: Emmy Awards 2015: The complete winners list
NYTimes: HBO, Longtime Emmy Favorite, Reigns Supreme
HBO’s political comedy series, Veep, experienced a big night at the 2015 Emmy Awards.
#Veeples @TheEmmys have spoken four more years! @OfficialJLD @HBO @veep #VEEPSWEEP #Emmys2015 pic.twitter.com/K9q5Ugu5hR
— Tammy Haddad (@haddadmedia) September 21, 2015
The show was the winner of the Outstanding Comedy Series award, but it didn’t stop there as cast members were also recognized for their work.
A big night for @VeepHBO! #Emmys pic.twitter.com/bjL2HHFzgQ
— Television Academy (@TelevisionAcad) September 21, 2015
Julia Louis-Dreyfus won the Emmy for Outstanding Actress In A Comedy Series for her portrayal of President (formerly Vice President) Selina Meyer.
Tammy Haddad and Julia Louis-Dreyfus on their way to HBO’s party after The Emmys.
Tony Hale was also recognized with a win in the Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series category for his role as Gary Walsh, personal aide to the President.
#Emmy congrats to @MrTonyHale for his supporting actor role on @VeepHBO pic.twitter.com/47xltEGz9n
— HBO PR (@HBOPR) September 21, 2015
Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci and Tony Roche were also awarded the Emmy for Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series.
Armando Iannucci celebrates his Emmy wins.
Simon Blackwell arrives at HBO’s after-party with his Emmys in hand.
Tony Roche shows off his Emmy awards for Veep
Producer and director Chris Addison at the HBO after-party.
Producer Bill Hill with his Veep Emmys
Kevin Cecil proudly displays his Emmy at the post awards show celebration.
Tammy Haddad and Jessie Ennis
Veep’s Emmy collection
Read more via nytimes.com: Emmys 2015: Firsts for Viola Davis and Jon Hamm, and a Victory Lap for HBO
“The most exciting thing about covering politics is that it unfolds in front of you, you never know what could happen.” My mother’s voice carried through the crisp Cleveland morning, bouncing off the grey walls of Quicken Loans Arena, or “The Q”. I nodded, shrugging it off in all my teenage glory. While mom can’t help me with my trigonometry, she really does know quite a bit about the campaign trail.
Upon entering the hall, it was impossible not to absorb the dynamic energy exuded by the audience. I never would have expected such vibrancy from the endless sea of suits. The moderators were seated, turning to face the crowd. They introduced themselves as if there were no stage, no debate, or even an audience; I realized they were talking to the TV cameras. The astounding cheer after FOX’s Megyn Kelly finished her greeting was a sign of what was yet to come in the first GOP Debate of the 2016 Election.
The room fell silent with the first question, the crowd desperately taking in the candidate’s words until the bell rang signifying the candidate’s time to answer was up; the rush to finish their thought made those words sound more like “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.”
Donald Trump provided a much needed contrast, even though his presence was disruptive to the serious and staged nature of the event. He has become the symbol of the distress and delusion of the American people, desperate for a new direction. America needs big changes, and Donald Trump is a living hyperbole. Mr. Trump and his debate theatrics highlight the need for a pragmatic leader.
Standing a few podiums away from Mr. Trump was Senator Marco Rubio, whose velveteen voice and eloquence made him seem all the more presidential. Former Governor Jeb Bush was criticized for being slightly shaky and seemed all knowing in comparison to Donald Trump. Mr. Trump provided this service to other candidates as well, making Governor Chris Christie seem more intellectual, and Dr. Ben Carson seem more qualified, securing the aura of what an experienced politician should be. This debate was the unfolding of my own political views, the unfolding of my journalistic aspirations, and what the campaign trail is really like.
This debate was also an introduction to both the Republican Party and election politics as a whole. The phenomenon of petty political parties resided in my mind for many years, flirting with stereotypes and labeled as the price of Democracy. This image has been torn to pieces by the riveting reality of the way this great nation chooses its leaders. And while I may be spending the majority of the road to 2016 in a classroom, one thing stands true, this election season will unfold before the American people with unprecedented vigor, and anything could happen. Just like my mother said.
Follow Volta Insider on Twitter @VOLTAINSIDER. Volta Insider is Rachel Greenberg’s podcast, which creates a web of intriguing interviews on the ever-changing realms of art, innovation, and politics.
Republican candidates gathered together Thursday night for a highly anticipated first debate of the primary season in Cleveland, Ohio. Fox News anchors hurled tough and ambitious questions to candidates with Donald Trump starting things off by refusing to commit to not launching a third party bid, possibly undermining the future Republican nominee.
Moderator Megyn Kelly set the evening’s tone by confronting Trump about his past misogynistic comments on women, to which he responded he didn’t “have time for total political correctness.” Kelly asked Governor Scott Walker whether he could win a general election while possessing viewpoints out of the mainstream on abortion. Moderator Bret Baier confronted Senator Rand Paul on why he is “so quick to blame” his own party on foreign policy, which later incited a heated exchange between him and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on phone data collection and national security.
“When you’re sitting in a subcommittee, just blowing hot air about this, you can say things like that,” Governor Christie fired at Senator Paul, who seconds later accused the governor for fundamentally misunderstanding the Bill of Rights and hugging President Obama. Christie looked presidential in his response that the hugs he remembered are with families who have lost loved ones in the September 11 attacks.
With such a crowded stage, fighting for time to speak was an inevitable factor. According to the Washington Post, the order of minutes spoken from most to least begins with Donald Trump at 10.31 minutes spoken, former Governor Jeb Bush with 8.47, Governor John Kasich with 6.56 minutes, former Governor Mike Huckabee with 6.50 minutes, and followed by Senator Marco Rubio, Senator Ted Cruz, Ben Carson, Governor Chris Christie, Governor Scott Walker, and Senator Rand Paul.
When addressed for the second time, Ben Carson stated, “Well, thank you, Megyn, I wasn’t sure I was going to get to talk again.”
Ohio Governor John Kasich, who barely squeaked into the debate reserved for the top 10 polled Republican candidates, refused to be buried and presented himself as a formidable challenger. Placed on the far right side of the stage, due to his last place polling, Governor Kasich spoke to a more moderate leaning compassionate conservative. He said he would love his daughters unconditionally, even if they were gay, and defended his decision to expand Medicare in his home state. “Everybody has a right to their God-given purpose.”
The debate wrapped up around 11 pm, after a series of concise and rehearsed closing statements from the candidates.
The “Happy Hour” debate, which consisted of the seven Republican candidates who did not make the top 10 cut, took place earlier at 5 pm. Carly Fiorina received praise for her performance from multiple experts in Politico Magazine.
The next Republican debate will be hosted by CNN and Salem Radio at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California on Wednesday, September 16. The first Democratic debate will be held on October 13 in Nevada, hosted by CNN.
It was a mix of Silicon Valley and Washington veterans at the Jefferson Hotel for the Washington Women Technology Network (WWTN) lunch honoring Megan Smith, the White House Chief Technology Officer.
Connie Milstein, Hilary Rosen and Tammy Haddad co-hosted the event with Karen Appleton, SVP Industry and Founder of Box.org. Guests heard from Smith, the president’s top technology adviser, about plans to bring technology solutions to some of the country’s biggest challenges.
“We have started a ‘cyber-sprint’…very quickly to audit everything that’s going on and make a couple really fast upgrades that we need to just fill a bunch of holes. … I think what you’re seeing is a real collaborative set of people coming together and starting to work together,” Smith explained.
Smith is also leading the charge to bring more experienced technology minds to Washington: “The great news is we have through…the Presidential Innovation Fellows and U.S. Digital Service…a bunch of rock star people who are at the top of their game.”
Haddad asked Smith to explain how she is attracting young talent to Washington: “We just did our first map hack-a-thon in the White House, and we were working on MapGive which is the State Department…The community of mappers mapped, in 48 hours, 150,000 buildings and over 40,000 kilometers of roads in Nepal to help responders. So this idea of the crowd and leveraging the crowd to get things done. …Mapping is important for so many things. …The reason I bring this up is that GOTUS (Geographer of the United States)…what does GOTUS want? What does POTUS want? George Washington was an incredible geographer and surveyor. We’ve always had tech. Washington started the Army Corps of Engineers before the country was founded. …We’ve always used technology, we just need to keep remembering that. So constancy of values…constancy of re-invention. …You can go get the American people interested…as long as you’re letting them come do the things they believe will be the right choices and giving them space. That’s why it’s important to make sure we have technical people at the principal level.”
Smith on lessons learned from healthcare.gov: “It’s really to the President’s credit that…the experience they had…to see the more agile way that techies work now…they’re like, ‘hey we’re missing this in the leadership and in government. …So that gave us the ability to establish the U.S. Digital Service which is now rolling out. …What we want is Americans to come and rotate through.”
Haddad asked Smith to explain what they are doing to get better Internet access across the country: “We have a project called Connectivity Deserts, which is where the Internet is missing. …One of the best things is modernization of the E-Rate program…the way Federal dollars are coming out of things like the Universal Fund. …There is this pool that can flow to different things. …One of the things that we’re adding into that conversation as the CTO team is finding tech people who are those connectivity teammates who tend to live in the vendor world, and having a few of them on our team…so we are informed by someone who speaks the language.”
Download the Washington Insider podcast from the event.
WWTN guests included FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, Didem Nisanci, Jen Kuhn, Kelley McCormick, Juleanna Glover, Holly Page, Melissa Moss and Heather Podesta.
Top government technology experts included Box’s Sonny Hashmi, a former General Services Administration CTO; Ann Dunkin, CIO of the EPA; and Christine Harada, acting Chief of Staff at the GSA.
Media was well represented by Betsy Fischer Martin, Jennifer Maguire and Kim Kingsley.
Washington Women Technology Network is a women’s leadership forum founded by Connie Milstein, Tammy Haddad and Hilary Rosen to include women in technology, media and politics.
Washington Women Technology Network hosted a lunch honoring Megan Smith, the president’s Chief Technology Officer. Watch the livestream from the event.
Georgetown Cupcake owners Katherine Kallinis Berman and Sophie Kallinis LaMontagne and Miss America Kira Kazantsev stand with the second class of Dog Tag Bakery.
Kira Kazantsev, Miss America 2015, and Georgetown Cupcake owners Katherine Kallinis Berman and Sophie Kallinis LaMontagne visited Dog Tag Bakery to speak to military veterans, in the second class of Dog Tag Bakery, about their experiences in personal branding and running a small business.
As Kira Kazantsev nears the end of her work on behalf of the Miss America Organization with the crowning of the 2016 Miss America on September 13, Kazantsev emphasized the importance of establishing a personal brand and utilizing personal skill sets to be a leader. “Here I am at the end of my reign and I feel really, really proud of everything I’ve been able to do because I’ve stuck with who I am as a person, and who I am as a personal brand. When I carry forward as Kira, I’m going to be the woman who’s strong on women’s issues and is passionate about the military and will care more about giving back than about whatever I do in my personal career. So that’s what I’m selling,” Kazantsev said to her audience, initiating laughter. “But it’s true!”
Miss America Kira Kazantsev speaks to the second class of Dog Tag Bakery.
Business professionals, sisters and co-founders of Georgetown Cupcake, Katherine Kallinis Berman and Sophie Kallinis LaMontagne, also spoke to the Dog Tag fellows about the challenges in creating, managing and growing a small business. “I think that is a constant issue for all business owners. How do you scale your business but maintain what makes it special? And for us the answer has been to stay in the weeds. No matter how big you grow, you need to be in the details, everyday,” Sophie Kallinis LaMontagne said.
These leadership experts spoke in the Dog Tag Bakery classroom on the second floor of Dog Tag Bakery, located in Georgetown, Washington DC. The Dog Tag Inc. program helps veterans transition back to civilian life through a business education program. By taking a series of business classes in the classroom space at Dog Tag Bakery, military veterans and spouses have the opportunity to receive their Certificate in Business Administration from Georgetown University to further capitalize on their acquired skill sets.
To donate to Dog Tag Inc, go to http://www.dogtaginc.org/make-a-donation/. Also make sure to visit Dog Tag Bakery to support our nation’s veterans.
Follow Miss America Kira Kazantsev and Georgetown Cupcake on Twitter @Miss America and @GTownCupcake.
2014 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Kailash Satyarthi, is joining supporters to celebrate freedom for the world’s children — freedom from slavery, labor, childhood hunger, trafficking and illiteracy. This peaceful gathering will honor the collective work being accomplished combined with a reminder of the significant work ahead to make childhood freedom a priority on both national and international agendas.
The meet-up will take place Tuesday, June 16, 2015 at 4 pm at the Lincoln Memorial. All are welcome. More information at lincoln.satyarthi.org.
To honor our nation’s heroes, a diverse array of World War II aircraft flew above the skies of Washington, D.C. on Friday, May 8, 2015, the 70th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day, as part of the Arsenal of Democracy World War II Victory Capitol Flyover.
via ww2flyover.org: “The flyover will include dozens of World War II aircraft flying in 15 historically sequenced warbird formations overhead. The formations will represent the War’s major battles, from Pearl Harbor through the final air assault on Japan, and concluding with a missing man formation to “Taps.” Never before has such a collection of WWII aircraft been assembled at one location, to honor the large assemblage of veterans gathered at the WWII Memorial for a ceremony.”
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