White House Correspondents Insider

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

Blue Star Families Awards Their "Angel" Constance Milstein

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On Monday, Blue Star Families awarded their long-time board member Connie Milstein with their prestigious “Angel Award.”

As a Who’s Who of philanthropists, veterans and civil-minded Washington leaders gathered at The Army Navy Club Ballroom, Milstein was surrounded by longtime friends and colleagues like Heather Podesta, Greta Van Susteren and John P. Coale, Doug Wilson, Kathy Roth-Douquet, other members of the Blue Star Families and Michelle Obama’s Joining Forces team of Tina Tchen, Col. Rich Morales and Tanya Bradshear were there. The “Angel” program also featured a special video tribute, featuring Father Richard J. Curry thanking her for all the work and effort she put into his program at Dog Tag Bakery, scheduled to open next spring.

Photos of the event are below:

Washington's the Church, Hollywood's the Steeple. Here's Who Opens the Doors for all the Veeple

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Veep Season 2 screening

The Washington City Paper continues their love of Veep by going into the consultants behind shows like Alpha House, House of Cards and the glory days of The West Wing. Marin Cogan dives into the Beltway folks that have re-energized and brought more to hashing out the “Veeple” instead of living out the dream of very confused Secret Service hopefuls after White House down and Olympus has Fallen. And sometimes, the shows continue to get things wrong about Washington (we’re looking at you Homeland and King & Maxwell:

“It’s easy to spot when Hollywood gets something majorly wrong about Washington, like when Homeland portrays Farragut Square as a sprawling green park rather than a tiny city square. What’s less obvious is the effort some shows, like House of Cards or Veep, put into hewing closely to the real look and feel of Washington—if not in character and plotlines, then at least in setting and dialogue. It’s the result of a lot of effort from obsessive directors, writers, line producers, props and set designers. But behind all of them are political consultants, current or recovering politicos offering up their experiences and insight as grist for visual fiction.”

Veep ended two weeks ago and House of Cards is back in production for season two in Balitmore–conveniently in the same soundstage as the HBO show. The City Paper goes into the nitty gritty, explaining the shared friendships and co-working conditions that befit programs about Washington as fittingly as the city’s own working relationships around government, private sectors and stealing lines from science fairs.

WCP – Hollywood Squares

This Week Welcomes Jeremy Bash To The Talking Heads

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A new Obama pundit joined the Sunday show ranks yesterday. Jeremy Bash, former chief of staff to former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and his top deptuy at the CIA, appeared on This Week’s panel explaining the President’s new position on Syria. Joining him were George Will, Jeffrey Goldberg and Martha Raddatz.

While Will went with the Napolean quote to lead of the Sunday conversation, Bash used his own experience at the CIA to go over the issues.

The Week – Roundtable I: U.S. Role in Syria

Global Virus Network Party Hosted by Cafe Milano’s Franco Nuschese

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Only Franco Nuschese could bring together such an esteemed crowd to talk about global health concerns. At his fabulous home in Northwest Washington he brought together top scientists and advocates at a reception for the Global Virus Network. Dr. Robert Gallo, who co-discovered the AIDS virus and is also the co-founder and scientific director of the GVN, gave remarks to help the crowd understand the importance of the GVN and its funding.

In welcoming the group, Dr. Sharon Hrynkow, President of GVN, noted that “the toll of viral diseases goes beyond human health, making enormous impacts on economies, as in the case of SARS and HIV/AIDS as only two examples, and in national security, when put in terms of military preparedness. We cannot think of viral disease only with respect to the health sector.”

Surrounded by GVN Board Chairman Kathleen Kennedy Townsend and new board members including Dr. William Haseltine, Dr. Zaid Al Siksek and Gina Adams among other members of the board. Dr. Gallo warned the crowd of the importantance of having a non-governmental private network of scientist who can coordinate a Response to viruses as they come up.

Recommending “centers of excellence” with top virologists to immediately respond and coordinate information for viral threats. Kennedy Townsend related the importance of giving to a group like the GVN. “It is a global network,” she told the crowd. “These scientists talk to one another and learn form one another.” She recalled at a GVN event when scientists from Michigan met a group from Japan and learned of the similarities between two viruses each team thought were one-of-a-kind.

Guests included Ambassador Louis Moreno, Ambassador Mauro Vieira, Daryl Edwards on behalf of the Australian Ambassador along with Washington media types like Steve Clemons, Jim Pinkerton, Janet Donovan and Tammy Haddad enjoying a reception buffet with Mary Katherine Steel, Ellie Schafer, Heather Rothenberg and Heather Baker.

You can watch select parts of the program below:

You can learn more about GVN here.

Miss America Announces STEM Scholarship at Capitol Hill Briefing

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Miss America on Capitol Hill

Sam Haskell, Chairman and CEO of the Miss America Organization, annnounced that on September 15th the 93rd Annual Miss America pageant on ABC-TV would present a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Scholarship to one of the 53 contestants. As the historic event returns to Atlantic City, New Jersey in three months, Haskell spoke along with the current Miss America–and Miss New York–Mallory Hagan about the importance of education and funding for those that need it.

In a packed room at the Capitol Building, Miss America Mallory Hagan, applauded the decision telling her story of a lack of resources and emphasis on STEM when she was growing up.

Tammy Haddad, White House Correspondents Insider founder and editor-in-chief, was named President of the Miss America Foundation Development to engage a larger audience in the scholarship opportunities with the Miss America programs.

Senator Roger Wicker and Rep. Alan Nunnelee shook hands with guests and took pictures with Miss America. Former Miss America Judge Greta Van Susteren and husband John Coale, joined House top aides Doug Heye and Michael Steel, DCI Group’s Tom Synhorst and Dan Meyers, AHA’s Robyn Bash, and Miss America board member Regina Hopper. Longtime women’s advocate Anita McBride and Josh Randle from the Duke of Edinburgh Award as well as Third Way educational staff also were in attendance.

AFI DOCS Announce 2013 Slate, Washington Locations

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Among a name and sponsor change, AFI DOCS (formerly SILVERDOCS) announced their 2013 slate today. The local Washington-area documentary film festival, now held all across the Washington area, released the complete line-up for their ‘first’ (or tenth) festival line-up since changing their name in April.

In true Washington fashion, three of their high profile films tackle the GOP, Jackie O and immigration–an issue that came ahead after last night’s overhaul by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Selections include the Opening Night Gala Premiere of “Letters to Jackie,” which examines Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis‘ life after JFK along with letters from the public now read by actors like Jessica Chastain,Zooey Deschanel, Anne Hathaway, Mark Ruffalo, Channing Tatum and Betty White; the East Coast Premiere of Acadamy Award winners Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine‘s “Life According to Sam” and “Documented,” from director Jose Antonio Vargas, a journalist who outed himself in 2011 as an undocumented immigrant in a New York Times Magazine piece. The Closing Night slot belongs to AJ Schnack‘s “Caucus,” which follows the 2012 Iowa cacus and brings us back to the glory days of last year’s campaign craziness.
From the press release:

“AFI DOCS presented by Audi (formerly Silverdocs) today announced the full schedule of films that will premiere in its 11th edition June 19-23, 2013 at iconic venues on the National Mall, the Penn Quarter and at the American Film Institute’s AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center. The festival will present 53 films selected from 1,929 submissions representing 30 countries with 3 World, 2 North American, 1 U.S. and 6 East Coast premieres. The festival opens with the theatrical premiere of LETTERS TO JACKIE (DIR Bill Couturié) and celebrates with HERBLOCK: THE BLACK & THE WHITE (DIR Michael Stevens) along with the world premiere Centerpiece Screening of DOCUMENTED (DIR Jose Antonio Vargas). The festival closes with the U.S. premiere of CAUCUS (DIR AJ Schnack). Errol Morris will be honored at the festival’s Charles Guggenheim Symposium for his contributions to the documentary genre.

Other notable filmmakers presenting their work include Patrick Creadon (IF YOU BUILD IT), Sean and Andrea Nix Fine (LIFE ACCORDING TO SAM), Barbara Kopple (RUNNING FROM CRAZY) and Lucy Walker (THE CRASH REEL).

The festival’s new all-day forum for thought leaders, filmmakers and audience members, the AFI Catalyst Sessions: The Art of Moving Reality, will focus on immigration, education, intellectual property and humor in politics.

‘2013 is a year filled with dynamic changes: After ten years, the festival previously known as Silverdocs is now AFI DOCS presented by Audi’ said Sky Sitney, Festival Director. ‘AFI DOCS reflects that we have expanded to a new environment in downtown Washington, DC which will be easily accessible to audiences eager to discover this year’s most compelling documentaries. At the same time, we are continuing a full slate of programming at our longstanding venue, the AFI Silver Theatre & Cultural Center in Silver Spring, MD. At AFI DOCS, America’s premier showcase for documentary film, we present the most provocative, challenging and compelling investigations of reality that filmmakers from America and around the world have conjured over the last year.'”

AFI DOCS runs June 19-23 The rest of their line-up can be found here.

"The End of Big" Book Party [Photos]

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The End of Big

Nicco Mele’s new book, “The End Of Big,” delves into the impact and lessons of new technology across a wide political, economic, media and social spectrum — a spectrum reflected in the diverse cross-section of Washington political and media leaders, campaign veterans, current and former government officials and business and new technology leaders who turned out in force to fete Mele at “The End of Big” book party hosted by Connie Milstein, Tammy Haddad, Doug Wilson, Joe Trippi and Jeff Trammell last night at the Jefferson Hotel.

Nicco Mele

Former Assistant Secretary of Defense Doug Wilson and former Howard Dean campaign manager Joe Trippi – who shared a small, windowless office in Denver as senior members of the ill-fated 1988 Gary Hart for President campaign – introduced Mele, seen as the guru of Dean’s high-tech leap from obscurity to front-runner status throughout most of the 2004 Democratic primary campaign. “Little did I know when I shared that small space in Denver with Trippi that he would be responsible for the emergence of an unknown to national prominence, someone who would transform the national political landscape, “ Wilson told the crowd. No, it was not the former Governor of Vermont: it was the man who merged high-tech and politics, Nicco Mele.” Trippi, now a frequent political commentator and international political consultant, introduced his protégé recalling that the hard-working Mele made sure he and his team also took time to appreciate the world around them: “I caught Nicco and his crew away from their desks once and found them outside.” Trippi said. “ ‘We were just looking at the sunset’, Nicco told me. I yelled at them and said ‘Do you think Kerry’s people are looking at the sunset? Bush’s?’ He gave me a look that shut me up.”

Mele, seen as a “godfather” of a field that has expanded exponentially in the past decade, and mentor and role model for young practitioners responsible for Barak Obama’s unprecedented use of social media to attract voters, galvanized the crowd with his comments about the impact technology continues to have on all aspects of life. He held up his smartphone to the crowd and told them that the phone case had been made using his new 3-D printer, and that future models would enable people to “print” everything from shoes to rifles.

More photos are below:

When Chris Christie Comes Calling at Politico Cocktails

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Last night may’ve been the Night of Many Book Parties in Washington. While entertaining a “audience of 500+” at Politico Cocktails, Morning Joe co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski got a surprise visit from New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

“Is that Chris,” Scarborough asked in the middle of a self-proclaimed great story. “You son of a…” but Mika cut him off and let the good governor speak. Per Playbook: “Mika puts Christie on speakerphone to discuss his surgery, and their blunt conversations for her new book about body image, “Obsessed: America’s Food Addition – And My Own.” The audience of 500+ repeatedly applauds the chatty, jovial Christie, including when he tells why he kept the surgery a secret.”

Allen claims the event drew a larger crowd than even March’s Cocktails with Bill Gates. Which makes sense when you think about Washington having an on/off affair with people’s two favorite addictions on Capitol Hill: Starbucks and Microsoft.

The End of Big Book Party 'Live' At The Jefferson

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We’re lucky that Nicco Mele< / tried to warn us about this back in 2004. His new book, “The End of Big” has an important sub-title: “How the Internet Makes David the New Goliath.”

Whether it’s a personalizing comments or reshaping media Nicco’s book is the starting point for our new landscape. Nicco already is an accomplished entrepreneur, angel investor and tired of answering everyone’s question about “what is a Bitcoin anyway?”

All that aside, Nicco’s an important voice in this changing world of media and interactivity. It started at Howard Dean’s meetups and continued through today as he’s on faculty at the Harvard Kennedy School teaching graduate students how the Internet, politics and even bitcoins factor into running our country. And if that’s not enough, you can always go to his site for a less-serious photo.

You can watch remarks starting live at 7 p.m. est below:



Streaming Live by Ustream

Capricia Marshall To Leave State Dept. By End of Summer

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Capricia Marshall, Cheryl Mills and Chelsea Clinton

Capricia Marshall is out of the newly-minted John Kerry State Department sometime at the end of the summer. Speaking to the Reliable Source on Monday, the soon-to-be-former-Chief-of-Protocol issued a non-offcial announcement and reminded readers that she’s a long-time member of Hillary Clinton‘s team. She’s spent the last 20 years working for the former Secretary of State, and may join her depending on decisions for the 2016 race with this kicker to the Source: “If she decides to run, I’ll be behind her 100 percent.”

Well, as everyone in D.C. knows–even Presidents on the campaign trail–just be careful to watch where you’re running before you follow someone down there.