White House Correspondents Insider

Behind the scenes of one of the most powerful clubs in America.

Washington Media Women Toast Tina Brown

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Time Warner’s Carol Melton and Gail MacKinnon from the Motion Picture Association lead a toast to Superstar editor and author Tina Brown at The Jefferson Hotel in Washington DC. Photo courtesy Haddad Media

Journalist, entrepreneur and author Tina Brown delighted the crowd gathered at the Jefferson Hotel in Washington Tuesday evening, dishing about her experiences as a magazine editor-in-chief, highlighted in her newest book, The Vanity Fair Diaries.

Connie Milstein, Carol Melton, Andrea Mitchell, Hilary Rosen, Gail MacKinnon, Rachel Pearson and Kathy O’Hearn hosted the book party. The biggest applause of the evening came during the Q&A session led by Tammy Haddad, where she was asked her working around men accused of sexually harassing women, including Harvey Weinstein.

“The answer to creepy men is to kind of be the boss, right?… [T]he more women in power, the more women who are leading, the more women on that team, the less of these creepy, stalking harassers you’re going to encounter… I’ve been hassled in other ways, in terms of feeling like so many women feel: cut out of the action that I wanted to be in or underestimated or demeaned or whatever. I’ve had a lot of that in my career,” Brown responded.

Guests included Chris and Lorraine Wallace, former House member Jane Harman, Mac McLarty, Kevin Baron, Megan Smith, Craig Gordon, John Coale, Martha Slagle, Peter Baca, Lloyd Hand, John Phillips, Linda Douglass, Robin Sproul, and Jordanian Ambassador Dina Kawar.

“You’ll all be in my next ‘Diaries,’” she toasted party attendees near the end of the evening. “So watch out!”

You can read more about Tina’s book and the event in the Washington Post’s write-up of the celebration here.

Brown’s newest book, The Vanity Fair Diaries, was named one of the best books of 2017 by Time, Amazon and The Guardian.  It is available in print, Kindle or audiobook on Amazon.

Greta van Susteren Launches New “Sorry” App, Authors New Book

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Greta Van Susteren at the 2017 Garden Brunch. Photo courtesy Haddad Media.

The legendary Greta van Susteren has been keeping a busy schedule since departing MSNBC last summer.

Six-time inductee on Forbes 100 Most Powerful Women in the World, van Susteren released a free app today entitled Sorry that lets users accept or reject apologies from friends, as well as vote on public statements from politicians, celebrities, businesses and others.

“SNAPCHAP AND INSTAGRAM are about to get some competition! This will be fun and hopefully get us all thinking…” van Susteren posted on Facebook last week, announcing her newest project.

She has worked on developing Sorry since leaving Fox News last September, and suggests it could be used to gauge reactions to some of the 475,000 apologies issued on social media every day.

“Chances are you may need my new APP (at least once in a while) or know someone who does need it (and maybe more than once in a while!),” she added on Facebook.  “I know I have needed this APP.”

People that have downloaded Sorry will be able to accept or reject apologies sent by friends and acquaintances privately through the app.

Users also can vote on apologies and statements by public figures issued through the media or posted on social media.  For example, as van Susteren notes, “imagine if you and everyone else got to vote ‘accept or reject’ when Kathy Griffin apologized” (after posting a photo of herself with a severed head of President Donald Trump last May).

In addition to releasing her app, van Susteren has authored a new book, “Everything You Need to Know About Social Media (Without Having to Call a Kid),” published by Simon & Schuster.

“[Van Susteren] does an admirable job of covering the basics of a handful of social media channels in this practical guide…. Readers who are curious about (but are still hesitant to use) social media will likely find Van Susteren’s advice helpful,” reviewed Publishers Weekly.

Van Susteren’s app is available on iTunes here or Google Play here.  And you can purchase her latest book on Amazon here.

Barbara and Jenna Hager Bush WHCInsider Interview

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Barbara Bush, Jenna Bush, Tammy Haddad. Photo courtesy Haddad Media

WHCInsider co-founder Tammy Haddad spoke with Barbara and Jenna Bush, #SistersFirst, at a book party hosted by Connie Milstein, Dr. Mark Dybul and Anita McBride at The Jefferson Hotel.

While they would not reveal the joke their father, President George W Bush whispered to President Obama at the Hurricane relief event, they twins explained why they have the best jobs in the world.

Barbara Bush is the founder of Global Health Corps, an NGO that places 216 fellows from 12 countries in positions with health organizations, such as Partners In Health and the Clinton Health Access Initiative, in Burundi, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Rwanda, Zambia, and the United States. She told Haddad they look for “rational dreamers” to join the program.

Jenna Hager Bush is a teacher, author, mother of two and Today show correspondent. She said through her reporting she was surprised by the “unexpected beauty of life.”

Both claimed Dr. Mark Dybul, who started PEPFAR, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, on behalf of President George W. Bush, as their inspiration for their focus on helping others.

Dybul thanked Connie Milstein for raising awareness of good works and good people.

The full interview is on the Washington Insider podcast on iTunes.

Connie Milstein and Mark Dybul Welcome the Bush Twins Back to Washington

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Tammy Haddad, Jenna Bush, Connie Milstein, Barbara Bush, Mark Dybul. Photo courtesy Haddad Media

It was only one week ago that the posh Jefferson Hotel restaurant Plume was celebrating winning another Michelin star.  But Thursday night Connie Milstein, the hotel’s owner along with Dr. Mary Dybul, Anita McBride and Tammy Haddad welcomed Bush twins Jenna and Barbara back to DC to celebrate the publication of their new book, “Sisters First,” which already landed on the New York Times bestseller list.

Spotted: Josh Bolton, Ambassador Kim Darroch, Tim McBride, Bob Woodward, Elena Allbritton, Greta Van Susteren and John Coale, Bret and Amy Baier, Fred Ryan and daughter Genevieve, Jason Claire, Kasie Hunt, Howard Fineman, David Lane, Ambassador Pete Selfridge, Steve Clemons, Shailagh Murray, Evan Ryan, Stephanie Cutter, Jonathan Capehart, Juleanna Glover, Craig Gordon, Francesca Craig, Mark Ein, Tom Forrest, Ryan Williams, Laura Zelt, Samia Farouki, Sara Bonjean, Rachel Pearson, Matt Mowers, Matt Dornic, Dan Meyers, Robin Goldman, Heather Lauer, Kevin Cirilli, Lauren Pratapas and Susan Blumenthal.

Read more about this event in the Washington Post by clicking here.

Barbara Bush, Jenna Bush, Tammy Haddad. Photo courtesy Haddad Media