White House Correspondents Insider

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.

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. 

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.

The New Yorker‘s Bruce Handy recaps the DC screening of HBO’s “White House Plumbers,” with director David Mandel and actors Woody Harrelson and Justin Theroux as the bungling burglars E. Howard Hunt and G. Gordon Liddy.

Read the full piece here.

This year marked the 30th anniversary of the White House Correspondents’ Garden Brunch, an annual gathering of leaders in government, politics, media, business, and entertainment during the Correspondents’ Weekend that uses its power and purpose to honor an important cause. 

Ukraine Ambassador Oksana Markarova presented actor Liev Schreiber with a Champion of Democracy award at the 2023 White House Correspondents’ Garden Brunchwhere he delivered a powerful speech, in recognition of his work as a co-founder of BlueCheck Ukraine (watch here).

Maryland Governor Wes Moore recognized the philanthropic efforts of Craigslist founder Craig Newmark, who presented on stage a check for $500,000 to veterans charity Blue Star Families.

The 30th Anniversary Garden Brunch was held on Saturday, April 29, 2023, at the historic Beall-Washington home in Georgetown from 11am-2pm prior to the 2023 White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner.

The first Garden Brunch took place in Tammy Haddad’s backyard 30 years ago, ahead of the 1993 WHCA Dinner.

Joining Haddad as this year’s Garden Brunch co-hosts were Gayle King, Kevin Sheekey, Mark & Sally Ein, Stephanie Ruhle, Jon Banner, Craig Minassian, Franco Nuschese, Teresa Carlson, Kelley McCormick, David Adler, and Dan Meyers.

The #GardenBrunch honors the freedom of the press and highlights the important work of veterans and military family organizations, a tradition that continued this year as a celebration of freedom and democracy around the world.

HBO teamed up with co-hosts Tammy Haddad and Olivia Nuzzi on Wednesday, April 19 for the DC screening of White House Plumbers, the new HBO ORIGINAL five-part limited series that imagines the behind-the-scenes story of the Watergate scandal. White House Plumbers is set for release on May 1 at 9 PM.

After the screening of episode one, Nuzzi led a conversation with actors Woody Harrelson and Justin Theroux, as well as show executives Dave Mandel, Pete Huyck, and Alex Gregory. Executive Producer David Bernad (White Lotus) was also in attendance.

Woody Harrelson (E. Howard Hunt) and DC native Justin Theroux (G. Gordon Liddy) portray the two Nixon confidantes who orchestrated the breaking into the Democratic National Committee’s headquarters at the Watergate Office Building to save the president’s 1972 reelection campaign. Theroux’s parents were in the audience. The next day, Justin had lunch at the White House with EP David Bernad and Biden aide John McCarthy.

Legendary Watergate reporter Bob Woodward was in attendance and received a shout-out from the stage and ensuing ovation. Woodward and Carl Bernstein won the 1973 Pulitzer Prize for their reporting on the Watergate scandal.

The screening was held at United States Navy Memorial’s Burke Theatre. An after party followed at Ciel Social Club.

SPOTTED:  David Mandel, Woody Harrelson, Justin Theroux, Pete Huyck, Alex Gregory, Casey Bloys, Naomi Biden and Peter Neal, Kathleen Buhle, Mike and Tricia Donilon, Ron Klain andMonica Medina, John McCarthy, Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Dean Phillips (D-Minn.), Kellyanne Conway, Bob Woodward, Sally Quinn, Jonathan Martin, Reggie Love, Bob Costa, Bruce Handy, Ben LaBolt, Symone Sanders and Shawn Townsend, Jay Shaylor, Maggie Haberman, Abby Phillip, Sheila Angelo, Jessica Carter Altman, Jamie Weinstein and Michelle Fields, Jim Acosta and Liz Landers, Eric Schultz, Brittany Shepherd, Rachel Levitan, Ben Jacobs, Scott Bixby, Andrew Bates and Megan Apper, Nate Stephens, Meridith McGraw, Jackie Kucinich, Adrienne Elrod, Boris Sanchez, Sabrina Singh and Jacqui Heinrich.

The White House Historical Association on Wednesday unveiled its official 2023 White House Christmas Ornament – a festive holiday wreath adorned with decorations inspired by the handcrafted Christmas ornaments used in the White House during the administration of President Gerald R. Ford, Jr.

“The ornaments serve as a wonderful teaching tool designed to tell the story of the White House during a specific presidency or anniversary,” said Stewart McLaurin, President of the White House Historical Association. “Through these collectibles, we’ve been able to further our mission to protect, preserve, and provide public access to the rich history of America’s Executive Mansion.”

According to the White House Historical Association’s description of the ornament: “Small and delicate depictions of dolls, cherubs, doves, stars, flowers, gingerbread men, candles, and pentagon balls decorate the front of the ornament while the back features emblems related to the life and presidency of Gerald R. Ford. President Ford was an eagle scout and an athlete who played on the University of Michigan’s football team.”

The Association’s announcement continues: “While in office, he and Mrs. Ford celebrated the 200th anniversary of America’s founding. The Fords were gifted Liberty, a Golden Retriever puppy, who made the White House her home. Later the USS Gerald R. Ford, the first-in-class aircraft carrier, was commissioned to honor the thirty-eighth president as the flagship of the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group. These moments are the inspiration for the design of the Official 2023 White House Christmas Ornament.”

The Official White House Christmas Ornament is available at shop.whitehousehistory.org. 

The Pallas Foundation announced Friday the launch of a new scholarship program named in honor of Admiral Mike Mullen (Ret.) to serve underrepresented students in the field of homeland security at Anne Arundel Community College (AACC).

The Adm. Mike Mullen Scholarship for National Security Leadership honors the 17th Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff for both President Bush and President Obama from 2007 to 2011, and also as the 28th Chief of Naval Operations from 2005 to 2007. A 1968 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Adm. Mullen was deeply involved in mentoring and promoting officers from diverse backgrounds to help them achieve the highest ranks in the military, the Foundation announced.

The Mullen Scholarship will directly support the development of emerging leaders in global and national security, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds. Under the program, each year two students will receive a scholarship to study at AACC from Pallas.

The Pallas Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Pallas Advisors, the strategic advisory firm specializing in navigating complex national and international security dynamics, founded by Sally Donnelly, who was the special assistant to Admiral Mullen as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

A fixture in defense and national security, Donnelly also served as Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Defense and as Director of the Washington Office for the Commander of U.S. Central Command, both under Gen. James Mattis.

“We are honored to partner with Admiral Mullen on this initiative. His career-long commitment to underrepresented communities perfectly matches the mission of the Pallas Foundation,” said Sally Donnelly, Co-Chair of the Pallas Foundation. “Anne Arundel is a proven leader in the nation’s community college system, and we are grateful for their support.”

Students pursuing degrees in Homeland Security Management, Transportation and Border Security, or Intelligence Analytics are eligible for the scholarship. In addition to the scholarship funds, recipients will also be invited to leadership development events coordinated by the Pallas Foundation.

“We are honored that the Pallas Foundation selected AACC as its first community college to launch the Adm. Mullen Initiative to help prepare more national security leaders for public service and career success,” said Dr. Dawn Lindsay, AACC’s president. “Both organizations are national leaders, so it is a natural fit that will create opportunities for more students.”

“At AACC, we serve an increasingly diverse range of students that this scholarship will help support,” said Darian Senn-Carter, Ed.D., interim director of AACC’s Homeland Security and Criminal Justice Institute. “Thanks to the Pallas Foundation, we will be able to prepare even more talented individuals from underrepresented backgrounds for careers that safeguard our community and our nation.”

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Pallas Foundation aims to foster the education and professional development of emerging leaders from underrepresented groups in global and national security.

Students interested in applying for scholarships at AACC should visit www.aacc.edu/scholarships. 

The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) on Thursday announced Roy Wood Jr. as the featured entertainer for the 2023 White House Correspondents’ dinner.

Wood, a correspondent on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, is standup comedian and host of the “Roy’s Job Fair” podcast. The comedian’s latest hour-long standup special, Imperfect Messenger, is now streaming on Paramount+.”

According to the WHCA, “Wood was a broadcast journalism major at Florida A&M University in 1998, when he fell in love with comedy and launched his career in standup. He has been featured on just about every late-night comedy show on network TV, HBO’s Def Comedy Jam, and was one of the top three finalists on Last Comic Standing on NBC. He also executive produced the Emmy-nominated PBS documentary The Neutral Ground.”

“It’s an honor to be a part of a long-running tradition of celebrating those members of the media, who work so hard to uncover the truth, and hold our government accountable,” said Wood Jr. “It will be a great night that will go down in the history books, or not, depending on which state you live in.”

This year’s annual WHCA dinner will take place on Saturday, April 29, 2023, at its longtime home in the ballroom of the Washington Hilton.

About the WHCA

Founded in 1914, the White House Correspondents’ Association exists to promote excellence in journalism as well as journalism education, and to ensure robust news coverage of the president and the presidency. We support awards for some of the best political reporting of the past year, and scholarships for young reporters who carry our hopes for vibrant journalism in the years to come. Each day, we work to ensure that the men and women who cover the White House have the ability to seek answers from powerful officials, up to and including the President. Our association comprises hundreds of members from the worlds of print, television, radio and online journalism. Their work, for outlets based in the United States and overseas, reaches a global audience. The association has been holding an annual dinner since 1921.

For more information, visit http://www.whca.press.

The (Un)Sanctioned Party brought together a dynamic crowd to support BlueCheck Ukraine at the residence of the French Ambassador Philippe Etienne. Co-hosts Dmitri Alperovitch and Maureen Hinman, Tammy Haddad, Kevin Sheekey, John Katko, Mike Rogers, Edward Luce, Ryan Evans, Dan Jablonsky, Adam Ghetti and Kara Swisher highlighted the work of BlueCheck Ukraine founded by the great actor and activist Liev Schreiber.

Special guest Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova thanked Schreiber and all the guests who have supported Ukraine’s efforts. Actor and Blue Check Ukraine co-founder Liev Schreiber describing the work their partner NGOS are doing on the ground in Ukraine. 

Liev Schreiber described how BlueCheck Ukraine fund local NGOs on the ground in Ukraine and their pro-bono partners, Ropes & Gray and Integrity Risk International, vet each of the NGOs.)

Please contribute here and be sure to type “UnSanctioned” in the comment section to help us track donations.

Ambassador Markarova inspired the crowd her remarks, highlighting the bravery and resiliency of the Ukrainian people and why they need our support now more than ever.

Guests who were sanctioned by Russia included Jon Finer, Lisa Monaco, Ned Price, Rep. Brendan Boyle, Rep. Rick Larsen, Rep. Doug Lamborn, Rep. Susan Wild, Susan Glasser, Chris Krebs, Bianna Golodryga, Craig Kennedy.

Other guests included Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, Ambassadors Karen Pierce (UK), Geraldine Byrne Nason (Ireland), Stavros Lambrinidis (EU), Santiago Cabanas Ansorena (Spain), Miloslav Stašek (Czechia), Christina Markus Lassen (Denmark), Nicole Bintner (Luxembourg), Niamh King, Peter Baker, Jonathan Karl, John McCarthy, Elizabeth Falcone,  David Butler, T.W. Arrighi, Abby Phillip, Kaitlan Collins, Josh Dawsey, Alex Marquardt, Olivia Nuzzi and Ryan Williams.

 Please contribute to BlueCheck Ukraine to fund local NGOs on the ground in Ukraine. Donations should include the #UnSanctioned, press HERE!