White House Correspondents Insider

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

Washington Attracts Unique Fashion & Artisan Designers for Exclusive Unveiling

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Mi Jong Lee Fashion Designer, Event Organizer Ida Abdalkhani (Wearing Mi Jong Lee Fall 2023 Line & To-be-available-soon Sheron Barber Diamond Bag), Sheron Barber Leather Artisan, Photo Credit: Ben Droz Photography

On September 14, designers Mi Jong Lee, Sheron Barber and their teams traveled to Washington D.C. for an exclusive fashion event. Distinguished guests across business, government, nonprofit, fashion and media came from around the U.S. and abroad to attend the invitation-only event and unveiling of Lee’s fall collection and Barber’s newest creation, the diamond bag.

Mi Jong Lee’s Team & Sheron Barber’s Leather Designs. Photo Credit: Ben Droz Photography

Both designers spoke about their unique journeys, bringing them from unlikely backgrounds and challenges to great success in the fashion world. Wine was provided by minority-owned Michael LaVelle Wines and bites from women-owned Centrolina.

Lee shared her Fall 2023 collection and announced her plans to expand her New York City atelier to a full design-to-production studio in the coming months. Barber created and unveiled an exclusive “Hathaway” handbag, named after Theodore Roosevelt’s wife, to meet the needs of the multi- faceted leader. He also shared his never-before-seen diamond bag, which will be available for purchase to the public beginning mid-November.

We look forward to more inspiring designers bringing their fashion-forward creativity to the area!

Lafayette 148 NY Holiday Gathering in Support of American University’s Women & Politics Institute

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Betsy Fischer Martin, executive director of AU’s Women & Politics Institute, and Meta’s Nkechi Nneji

On the evening of Thursday, November 4th, Lafayette 148 NY at Tysons Galleria hosted a festive evening of shopping, cocktails and conversation  in support of the important work of American University’s Women & Politics Institute.  

Guests shopping at Lafayette 148 NY in support of the Women & Politics Institute

AU’s Women & Politics Institute prepares and encourages women to become involved in the political process by offering training and research opportunities to understand the challenges and opportunities they have in the political arena. 

Axios DC’s Paige Hopkins, CNN’s Eva McKend, event co-host Yamiche Alcindor of NBC News, and Meta’s Nkechi Nneji

Hosts for the evening included Executive Director, Women & Politics Institute and Executive in Residence at American University and former NBC “Meet the Press” Executive Producer Betsy Fischer Martin, Director of the First Ladies Initiative at American University, School of Public Affairs Anita McBride, Haddad Media and Washington AI Network’s Tammy Haddad, Chevron’s Vice President and General Manager of Government Affairs Karen Knutson and new mother NBC Washington Correspondent Yamiche Alcindor.

Guests included: Hilary Rosen, Sara Fagen, Julie Tsirkin, Eva McKend, Robyn Bash, Sydney Harvey, Ann Klenk, Nkechi Nneji, Annie Linskey, Maggie O’Neill, Paige Hopkins and Daisy Buenrostro-Avila.

Paul Rennie OBE previews the UK’s first global ‘AI Safety Summit’ on the Washington AI Network Podcast

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A Preview of the British Prime Minister’s First-Ever Artificial Intelligence Safety Summit with Paul Rennie OBE, Head of the Global Economy Group at the UK Embassy

“The job we are having here is not to set some kind of ceiling; it is to try and set a common understanding of a floor,” says Rennie

“The Prime Minister’s committed £100,000,000 (one hundred million pounds) to our Frontier Model Task Force, which is bringing together some of the best minds in the world to look at this problem.”

The British Embassy’s Paul Rennie OBE and Washington AI Network founder Tammy Haddad

Washington, DC – In a new episode of the Washington AI Network podcast, host Tammy Haddad speaks with Paul Rennie OBE, Head of the Global Economy Group at the UK Embassy, about the British Prime Minister’s upcoming Artificial Intelligence Safety Summit scheduled for November 1 and 2. Rennie leads the UK’s climate and energy, economic security and trade, and science and technology networks across the United States.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ahead of the first-ever AI Safety Summit on Nov. 1-2 at Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire (Photo Credit: Peter Nicholls/Pool via AP)

Highlights of the interview are below:

Paul Rennie on the UK’s goals for the summit:

“This summit is both part of the wider international picture, as it is much a waypoint to the future conversations we will need to have about AI. And right now we have focused on AI safety because that is the first block in the puzzle, but after this, talking about AI for good and how we expand it will become so much more important.”

Paul Rennie on collaboration between government and the private sector:

“This is not a case of governments going away in a box and coming up with their plans. It has to be in collaboration with the companies themselves. It has to be in collaboration with the academics.” We need to understand how these models work. The companies themselves don’t fully understand how the models work.”

Paul Rennie on misinformation in elections:

“People have been trying to influence elections since the first time I’m sure we had elections. You know, there are all kinds of very interesting ways to support and corrupt and so on. I think the difference now is with the generative AI, or the risk with generative AI, is that one person’s potential impact is now so much greater.”

Paul Rennie on the UK’s role in the global AI community:

“The UK has become the go-to destination for all the major AI companies looking at their European headquarters. The UK taking on this role, thinking about AI safety is both, I think, a reflection of not only our technology capability but also our very real interest in how do we make the AI work well for us.”

Full transcript here.

The Washington AI Network Podcast is hosted by media veteran and Washington AI Network founder Tammy Haddad and produced and recorded by Haddad Media.  It is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Audioboom). 

Washington AI Network Cocktails & Conversation 

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Tammy Haddad, AEI’s Shane Tews, and Maryam Mujica from Booking Holdings

The Washington AI Network convened policy stakeholders on Tuesday, October 17, at The House of 1229 for Cocktails and Conversation on AI in advance of the National AI Advisory Committee (NAIAC) meetings this week.  Leading AI policy experts from both sides of the aisle, the White House, diplomatic missions including the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands, and business discussed the biggest questions and opportunities. 

Shane Tews from American Enterprise Institute gave the audience her perspective after decades of experience with tech policy about the need to focus on education and reskilling the workforce on AI. Guests also heard from several members of NAIAC.

Tammy Haddad interviews AEI nonresident senior fellow Shane Tews

Guests included: Embassy of Ireland Deputy Chief of Mission Orla Keane, Karina Barao from the Special Competitive Studies Project, Center for AI Safety’s Varun Krovi, Sen. Schumer’s AI Lead Tim Ryder, White House Special Assistant Erica Loewe, Professor at Rice University and NAIAC member Fred Oswald, OpenAI’s Chan Park, President of ITI Jason Oxman, Business Roundtable VP of Innovation and Technology Amy Shuart, RIAA’s Jessica Stoll Richard, Sen. Schumer’s Deputy Research Director Hanna Taley, AEI’s Shane Tews, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands First Secretary Correlli van Hulten, the Wilson Center’s Kellee Wicker, The Washington Post’s Cat Zakrzewski, White House Office of Public Engagement Director Steve Benjamin, YouTube’s Josh Blumenfeld, German Embassy Digital Policy Advisor Julian Ramirez, Director Senay Bulbul, Sen. Schumer’s Director of Economic Development Jon Cardinal, Lynda Carter, GlobalWIN co-founder Helen Milby, Blue Owl Group’s Colin Crowell, CNN’s Jessica Dean, Sen. Booker Policy Adviser Ian Gray, Data and Society Executive Director and NAIAC member Janet Haven, EqualAI CEO and NAIAC chair Miriam Vogel. Office of the Minority Leader Senior Policy Advisor Evan Holander, Deniz Houston from the Delegation of the EU, Sen. Heinrich technology policy fellow Max Katz, and Sen. Hickenlooper senior policy advisor Edgar Rivas. 

View photos here.

Amy Ricchetti and Tammy Haddad host lunch to honor Madame Sabine Raczy-Bili at The House at 1229

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Melanne Verveer, Evan Ryan, Sabime Raszy-Bili

Amy Ricchetti and Tammy Haddad welcomed women leaders in government, academia, law and business for a lunch celebration for Madame Sabine Raczy-Bili, French judge and wife of French Ambassador to the U.S., H.E. Laurent Bili.

Nina Totenberg and Rep. Debbie Dingell

Madame Sabine Raczy-Bili earned her degree of law from the University of Lille and is a graduate of Sciences Po Paris. After Sabine’s appointment to judge through the Ecole Nationale de la Magistrature, Sabine served for thirty years, mostly in criminal courts in Paris. She’s also represented her country along with Ambassador Raczy-Bili in Turkey, Brazil and Thailand. Sabine and Ambassador Bili have four children. 

Flore Mevel and Florence Hermite

Distinguished guests of the lunch included Rep. Debbie Dingell, Cabinet Secretary Evan Ryan, Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security’s Amb. Melanne Verveer, House at 1229’s Kathleen Buhle, Teresa Carlson, NPR’s Nina Totenberg, AWS’s Olivia Igbokwe, First Ladies Initiative at American University’s Anite McBride, Georgetown University’s Meryl Chertoff and Caroline Fredrickson, French Justice Attaché Florence Hermite and Deputy Attaché Flore Mevel.

View more photos here.

Washington AI Network Podcast Features Miriam Vogel, President and CEO of EqualAI, and Chair of the National AI Advisory Committee (NAIAC)

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In episode 2 the Washington AI Network Podcast wiith Tammy Haddad, Miriam Vogel, the chair of the National AI Advisory Committee (NAIAC) and president and CEO of EqualAI, discusses her work at the intersection of artificial intelligence policy, advising the White House and keeping lines of communication open with key stakeholders in Congress, at federal agencies, and within the tech industry.


On Congress, she said “I think most members are clear that this is a moment where they cannot shy away. I think they recognize that they’ve missed opportunities in the past, particularly with tech to weigh in and, and serve their role. And I think we’re seeing a deep sophistication.”Miriam has been working on these AI issues for five years, especially how to keep artificial intelligence safe and discrimination-free. She points out that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) are looking for ways AI impacts our financial opportunities, and explains how three years ago the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) began working with the Department of Justice to make sure that AI doesn’t negatively impact housing opportunities.


According to Miriam, “[AI] can create discrimination on who is afforded an opportunity to have a job, to have an appropriate medical diagnosis to be offered a loan. And so the voluntary commitments really look at future iterations and making sure we have safeguards in place so that as AI becomes more powerful, they have committed to putting safety checks in place to be thinking about national security, personal safety.”


As chair of NAIAC, Miriam works alongside experts across fields as part of a Presidential commission that is Congressionally mandated to provide the president and the White House with AI policy recommendations. Under the National Defense Authorization Act of 2020, one of the core deliverables was also the NIST cybersecurity framework. On continuing to evolve NIST Miriam says, “we have this very impressive NIST AI risk management framework. It is one of the most applauded government documents by the broadest cross-section I have seen in my several decades having worked in the U S government. So I think smart savvy politicians and policy makers are realizing we have this really important contribution that was delivered to us in January. NIST is continuing to iterate. It was a 1.0, and they’re doing various additional work to make sure that it stays current and that it goes into different avenues.”


Washington AI Network is a dynamic bipartisan forum highlighting the discussions about artificial intelligence taking place in official Washington. Register on the website to learn about upcoming events. Find and subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts,Google Podcasts, Spotify,Amazon Music and Audioboom.

Washington AI Network Releases New Podcast

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Washington AI Network – the new bipartisan forum bringing together AI-relevant experts to address the biggest opportunities and greatest challenges surrounding AI – has released the debut episode of its podcast: Washington AI Network with Tammy Haddad

Hosted by media veteran and Washington AI Network founder Tammy Haddad, episode 1, “The AI Summer Download,” features an in-depth policy conversation with Victoria Espinel, CEO of BSA | The Software Alliance and a key member of President Biden’s National Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee (NAIAC), and Kellee Wicker, director of the Wilson Center’s Science and Technology Innovation Program. 

The discussion was recorded live before an audience of 50 invited guests – including White House and Capitol Hill staffers, diplomats, business leaders, and members of the media – at the inaugural gathering of the Washington AI Network on July 20, 2023. 

“Our goal is to spark an important and open dialogue about AI-related issues that all of us should be thinking about  – everything from national security to digital privacy, education, healthcare, the future of jobs, and frankly, whether we should trust the technology,” says Haddad on why she launched the network and speaker series.

The podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Audioboom, and wherever you get your podcasts. The Washington AI Network podcast is produced and recorded by Haddad Media.

Washington AI Network Launches with Summer Download Policy Conversation Featuring Victoria Espinel and Kellee Wicker

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The Washington AI Network welcomed leaders in tech, business, media, and politics on Thursday evening to its inaugural policy conversation event at The House at 1229 (spotted in POLITICO Playbook).

Hosted by Tammy Haddad and Haddad Media, featured speakers included top AI thought leaders Victoria Espinel, president and CEO of BSA | The Software Alliance and a member of the National Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee (NAIAC), and Kellee Wicker, director of the Wilson Center’s Science and Technology Innovation Program.

The recently-launched Washington AI Network is a dynamic bipartisan forum that brings together diverse stakeholders from academia, industry, government, and civil society to foster collaboration, knowledge sharing, and responsible development and deployment of artificial intelligence technologies.

Victoria Espinel noted that “There are lots of great conversations happening now around the world in the G7 and the OECD between the United States and the European Commission, but having the voice of emerging economies in those conversations, I think is something that the whole [NAIAC] committee thinks is very important.”

Victoria Espinel (center) speaks during the Washington AI Network’s Summer Download policy conversation as moderator Tammy Haddad (left) and panelist Kellee Wicker (right)

When it comes to regulation, Espinel said she feels very strongly that now is the moment for global cooperation. “Regulation is going to happen…I think there is so much policy and there’s so much government interest right now because of technologies like ChatGPT and the impact it’s had, and I think that creates an opportunity that will not last long for governments to come together and cooperate.” She continued, “Based on conversations I’m having with governments around the world, I think there is a real sincere desire for a number of governments to come together on a harmonized approach.”

Kellee Wicker shared that the Wilson Center is thrilled to be a part of a coalition of partners that are putting on the largest and first public generative AI red teaming event, which is critically important to ensuring that AI technology is safe and secure.

On how to get people to trust and be unafraid of AI, Wicker offered, “Transparency is essential for building trust, and building trust is one of the reasons that Americans trust technology far more than what we see in other countries. We tend to believe that someone has thought about this and someone has put a structure in place that can let us trust it…but to a certain degree, I don’t ever want you to fully trust [AI]. I want you to remain skeptical, especially as we start looking at potentially enabling a wave of disinformation. Of course, we’ve always had Photoshop, we could always tamper with photos, but now the skill level required to do so is significantly reduced.”

Kellee Wicker, director of the Wilson Center’s Science and Technology Innovation Program, speaks during the Washington AI Network’s Summer Download policy conversation

Wicker continued:  “There’s an old poster that’s been up in MIT’s computer science department since the 70s that says ‘a computer should never make a decision.’ And while there are many tiny little decisions that we should and can and are in the process of automating with AI, a decision that has sweeping consequences like pressing the nuclear bomb button or wholesale laying off 20% of your workforce, those are decisions that should never be made by a computer. And so determining when to use AI, we need to think very critically about what we should automate, where AI is actually tuned to do a good job, and where it should be kept out of the loop.”

James Roscoe, deputy chief of mission at the British Embassy in Washington, speaks about AI regulation in the UK during the Washington AI Network’s Summer Download policy conversation

Guests were invited to join the conversation, including British Embassy DCM James Roscoe, Paul Brennie, Head of the Global Economy Group, EqualAI CEO Miriam Vogel, Flexport president Teresa Carlson, veteran tech exec Karyn Smith and YouTube’s Alexandra Veitch. Other attendees included Senay Bulbul, Political Director of the British Embassy, ServiceNow’s Nichole Francis Reynolds, Amazon Web Services’ Olivia Igbokwe, Microsoft’s Gerry Petrella, Liz Johnson, Senator Romney’s chief, Tim Ryder from Senator Schumer’s office, Congressional Black Caucus executive director Vince Evans, Roshini Kosoglu from the Institute of Human-Centered AI at Stanford University. Mariel Saez, from SKDK, Carol Melton, Adeft Capital, USA Today’s Christine Brennan, Vulcan’s Teki Akuetteh, Tiffany Moore of CTA, Alexis Serfaty from the Eurasia Group, Jeanine Ginivan and Ashley Lerner from GM, Lynda Carter and Kevin Cirilli. 

View photos here.

Cafe Milano is ‘Washington’s most sought-after restaurant’ —The Wall Street Journal

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Cafe Milano on Prospect Street in Georgetown. (Photo by Conor Harrigan)

Georgetown’s Cafe Milano, which celebrated 30 years in November, was hailed as a restaurant where “like at Cheers, everybody knows your name” and “on any given evening, the place is jammed with the politically influential and those who desire to be near them” in a July 6 Wall Street Journal article.

“Its list of regulars includes so many prominent Democrats and Republicans that in an era of fierce political divides, owner Franco Nuschese describes this neutral turf as ‘Switzerland,'” wrote reporter Annie Linskey.

Cafe Milano owner Franco Nuschese with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer a the restaurant’s 30th anniversary celebration in November 2022. (Photo by Dan Swartz)

Indeed, diners from both ends of the political spectrum frequent Milano. President Biden dined there in June, and former President Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway and former GOP House Speaker Newt Gingrich attended the restaurant’s 30th anniversary celebration in November, as did Dr. Anthony Fauci, Sen. Joe Manchin, Rep. Debbie Dingell, Dionne Warwick, Doug E. Fresh, Fox News anchor Bret Baier, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, Kaitlan Collins and then-CNN CEO Chris Licht.

Franco Nuschese is honored by DC Mayor Muriel Bowser at Cafe Milano’s 30th anniversary celebration in November 2022. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Haddad Media)

In the article, Invariant CEO Heather Podesta calls the establishment “the grown-ups table in Washington.”

And it’s a place where the food is always delicious. Some of our favorites include Capellini Ann Hand, the panzanella salad, eggplant parmesan and Wagyu short ribs

Lisa Allen and Gray Television Welcome Senate Press Secretaries Association to New Capitol Hill Bureau, Studios

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Gray Television’s Washington Bureau hosted a reception on Wednesday, June 7 at their new Capitol Hill studios for members of the Senate Press Secretaries Association (SPSA), a bipartisan forum for U.S. Senate communications directors and press secretaries.

Tom Brandt, SPSA co-chair and Deputy Chief of Staff for Sen. Jerry Moran, delivers remarks alongside Lisa Allen, Gray TV’s Vice President & General Manager of Washington Operations

SPSA guests mingled with Gray TV anchors, reporters, and producers, learning more about Gray TV and their new 24/7 streaming platform, Local News Live. Guests were also treated to behind the scenes VIP tours of the D.C. bureau’s studios. 

Grace Newton, Deputy Press Secretary for Sen. Roger Wicker (MS), poses during a Local News Live studio tour with a mic from Gray’s WLOX station in Biloxi, Mississippi

Lisa Allen, Gray TV’s Vice President & General Manager of Washington Operations, and SPSA co-chair Tom Brandt, who is Deputy Chief of Staff for Sen. Jerry Moran, delivered remarks highlighting the power of Gray TV’s national reach into local markets, providing Senate offices with a direct line to their constituents across the country.

In addition to Brandt, guests included Senate Press Secretaries Association members from both sides of the aisle including Rachel Skaar, Angela Lingg, Eric Fejer, Kaily Grabemann, Ryan DuRant, Sarafina Chitika, Stephanie Penn, Grace Newton, and Stacey Daniels. 

Attendees from Gray Television and Local News Live included Lisa Allen, Priscilla Huff, Peter Zampa, Tyler Smith, Jamie Bittner, Brendan Cullerton, Molly Martinez, Josh Rultenberg, Jon Decker, Annie Anderson,  Stetson Miller, LNL News Director Kyle Rogers, anchors Debra Alfarone, Nicole Neuman, Camila Rueda, Ryan Piers and Graham Ulkins, and Sandra Brogan, Chelsea Gowdy, Vance Brinkley, Eddie Callahan, Julie Katz, Sarah Konsmo and Jon Sarver Jr. 

For additional photos from the reception, click here.