White House Correspondents Insider

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

“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.

 

NYU professor and author Scott Galloway shares the secret to lasting happiness and satisfaction

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Marketing professor Scott Galloway’s new book, “The Algebra of Happiness,” was celebrated recently at a party in Washington, D.C. hosted by Hilary Rosen, Kara Swisher and Tammy Haddad. He participated in a conversation with Haddad during the event that was recorded for the Washington Insider podcast (listen here).

Galloway’s book gives advice on how you can have a happier life by looking at things in a completely different way. It’s based on a standing room-only lecture he gives during the final session of the course he teaches at NYU’s Stern School of Business.

This was Galloway’s sixth time visiting Washington, D.C. On previous trips, he has met with senators to educate them about technology and what is going on with companies in the tech industry. Galloway, who has owned several businesses, warns people about the dangers of technology companies and the problem with giving them access to all our data. He believes “we have become overrun because of our gross idolatry of innovators and billionaires…and we no longer worship at the alter of character and kindness in this country, but of tech billionaires.”

During the interview, Galloway also talks about who he thinks are the two most dangerous people in the world. Listen to the podcast to hear his answer and why he thinks those individuals are a threat to society and democracy.

Guests were encouraged to dress in “gangster chic” attire for the event. Galloway talks about gangster movies when describing people who are operating at the highest levels. Lynda Carter, the singer and original Wonder Woman, was the first guest to arrive in full gangster attire and won the prize for best dressed at the party! Galloway is relentless in his criticism of the unchecked power of technology companies.

Following is a list of who Politico Playbook spotted at the event:

SPOTTED at a party Wednesday night for Scott Galloway’s new book, “The Algebra of Happiness” ($13.61 on Amazon), hosted by Kara Swisher, Tammy Haddad and Hilary Rosen: Steve and Jean Case, Cameron Barr and Shar Taylor, Maureen Dowd, Sally Quinn, Jim Bankoff, Lis Smith, David Chavern, Danielle Burr…

…Eric Schultz, Megan Smith, Carol Melton, Jeremy Peters, Heather Podesta, Betsy Fischer Martin, Robyn Bash, David Sanger, Bob Costa, Kevin Sullivan and Mary Jordan, Steve Clemons, Juleanna Glover and Christopher Reiter, Lulu Meservey, Kaitlan Collins, Kelley McCormick, Yamiche Alcindor, Ruth Marcus, John McCarthy and Holly Page.

Galloway and Swisher are also co-hosts of the popular Vox podcast, Pivot, a weekly throw down about the biggest stories in tech, business, and politics. During the podcast interview that took place at the book party, interactions between Galloway, Swisher and other guests were as entertaining as the conversations that take place during their own podcast.

The event was hosted at CNN contributor Hilary Rosen’s home. Food was provided by refugee chefs through Foodhini. Dog Tag Bakery veterans honored Galloway with a special batch of Connie’s Brownies.

26th Annual White House Correspondents’ Weekend #GardenBrunch

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The 26th Annual White House Correspondents’ Weekend Garden Brunch will take place on Saturday, April 27, 2019 in Washington, D.C.

The brunch will be hosted by Tammy Haddad, Hilary Rosen, Jean and Steve Case, Mark and Sally Ein, Jennifer Dunn, Zac Moffatt, Greta Van Susteren & John Coale, Fritz Brogan, and Franco Nuschese. Comedian Jay Leno will be the special guest this year.

Our military heroes have shown us the true meaning of sacrifice, and we will honor veterans during the Garden Brunch with the Champions of Freedom Award and the Be Fearless Award.

Leno, along with Garden Brunch hosts and guests, will honor a deserving veteran who has demonstrated exemplary service to the United States. This recognition will be presented in partnership with Wells Fargo and Military Warriors Support Foundation.

Jean Case, alongside the other hosts, will also present the Garden Brunch Be Fearless Award in recognition of a veteran’s fearless leadership.

There will be a live stream available on Twitter @WHCInsider of guest arrivals starting at 11am ET and the stage program at approximately 12:15 pm ET. Join the conversation on Twitter using #GardenBrunch.

Watch Leno’s performance at the 2010 White House Correspondents Dinner.

Obama and Biden Surprise Visit to Dog Tag Bakery

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On August 2, 2018, former President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden made a surprise visit to Dog Tag Bakery in Georgetown. The two grabbed lunch and delighted customers. This video captures some of the highlights and media coverage of their visit.

Dog Tag Bakery is an extension of the Dog Tag Inc. Fellowship Program, which combines education with hands-on experience to create a living business school, building a bridge to employment and helping veterans and military families find fulfillment in their professional and personal lives.

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.”

Video: Greta Van Susteren Witnesses Deteriorating Conditions at Rohingya Refugee Camp in Bangladesh

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Voice of America’s Greta Van Susteren visited Bangladesh’s vast Rohingya refugee camp in June. According to Van Susteren, conditions at the refugee camp are “unthinkable, absolutely unthinkable that anyone could suffer like this.” She adds that the monsoon season has taken a heavy toll on the nearly one million refugees.

During the monsoon season, heavy rains and flooding have devastated makeshift shelters and left water sources contaminated and the residents susceptible to diseases like cholera. Van Susteren says that they’ve been able to vaccinate about half of the people in the camp but “there’s another 480,000 people who haven’t been.”

Van Susteren met with some of the relief workers who have come from all around the world to assist the people of the camp and notes that while they are doing amazing work, there’s just too many people in the camp for aid workers to adequately care for. According to Van Susteren, “This is ethnic cleansing…The world media can’t cure cholera, it can’t reverse what’s happened, but it can use its power and influence to put a spotlight on this crisis.”

Greta Van Susteren’s new show “Plugged In”, which debuted in February, airs Wednesdays at 10:30am on Voice of America and can be streamed live on VOA’s Facebook.

 

WashPost: Leon Panetta Urges Cooperation with NATO Allies Ahead of Trump’s Europe Visit

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Former CIA Director and Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta sat down for a one-on-one interview with Washington Post columnist David Ignatius as part of the Post’s Worldviews: The Future of Democracy on Wednesday, June 11th. Worldviews takes a look at the state of democracy, both in America and around the world, ahead of President Trump’s weeklong trip to visit with European leaders and NATO allies.

Panetta issued an impassioned plea to all Americans to help preserve democracy saying, “Our democracy is not going to solve its problems from the top down. It will only solve its problems from the bottom up…from the election of new individuals who are willing to give back.”

During the conversation, Leon Panetta expressed dismay at the President’s seemingly comfortable relationship with Vladimir Putin saying, “I worry that this president, for whatever reason, is not operating with the awareness of how much an adversary Russia is to the stability of the United States.”

The ambassadors from Brazil, Israel, and France discussed the global outlook for democracy, while FOX’s Steve Hilton spoke with Amb. John Negroponte about the rise of the populist movement in the wake of President Trump’s election as well as the Trump administration’s foreign policy in a panel moderated by Washington Post Global Opinions editor Karen Attiah. Democracy Fund president Joe Goldman was also on hand to remind the audience of the importance of protecting democracy in a country where 25% of the population think that America should have a strong leader who doesn’t need to bother with Congress or hold elections.