White House Correspondents Insider

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

Washington Humanitarians Gather to Honor Caryl Stern and to Believe in Zero

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Last Tuesday was an unintentionally powerful day for those that stand with humanity and empowering the children who rarely get a voice. While most of the country watched a shocked Jon Stewart on the Daily Show as he spoke with Malala Yousafzai, earlier that night Washington gathered around the Jefferson hotel to hear from UNICEF President Caryl Stern about her latest book, “I Believe in Zero*.”

Featuring Melanne Verveer, the nation’s first global ambassador for women, and with former Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher, a leader in the global effort to prevent deaths in garment factories as Independent Board Chairman of the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, Stern focused on a key point behind the philosophy of UNICEF and her book: zero preventative child deaths.

“As a society, we can’t say that every child has value if we’re not willing to act accordingly ,” Stern wrote on Huffington Post back in September. “Over the last year, 176 governments, including the United States, have pledged to accelerate our progress on child survival. These countries have recognized that an investment in children is at the heart of every nation’s prosperity and sustainable development. Healthy children are more likely to live longer, stay in school and be productive members of their society, creating benefits that reverberate through future generations.”

Stern’s latest book is filled with stories from her travels around the world, especially as she looks at the struggles within third-world counries and how communities must pull themselves together along with their government to redefine and develop a global consciousness.

Gavin Newsom's Citizenville in D.C. [PHOTOS]

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2/15/13 - Book Party for Gavin Newsom's "Citizenvillie"

California Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom felt right at home at Washington’s Jefferson Hotel on February 16th to discuss his new book, “Citizenville: How to Take the Town Square Digital and Reinvent Government.” While WHCInsider provided live coverage of the program C-SPAN’s Book TV covered all the action from the Gallatin Room for an upcoming segment (scheduled for next weekend or so). Newsom mingled among the select crowd of reporters and government officials keen to hear how Farmville can become legitimate models for politicos. Among the crowd were Newsom’s old friend Hilda Solis, the former Secretary of Labor, and former California Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher, who paid tribute to Newsom as a strong leader for California and in technology. The book party was co-hosted by Constance Milstein and JC de la Haye St. Hilarie, Tammy Haddad and Ellen Tauscher. Top Obamaites Evan Ryan and her husband Tony Blinken, Jeremy and Robyn Bash, Ambassador Elizabeth Bagley, Jane Oates, joined journalists Kate Boulduan Jim Fallows, who recently moved back to Washington, Jane Mayer, from the New Yorker,Michael Falcone from ABC News, David Chalian and Jonathan Martin from Politico, Betsy Fischer Martin of Meet the Press and Rob Saliterman from Google. Eve O’Toole, whom Newsom called his “best friend and trusted adviser” and her husband Peter O’Toole, joined Holly Page, Mandy Grunwald, Martha Slagle , Jonathan Capehart, Judy Kurtz, Heather Podesta, Melissa Moss, and “get excited” chairman Marc Adelman.

After Newsom signed copies of his new book and gave a few brief interviews, the crowd retreated for a closed door dinner and more than a few verses from some popular songs. While that remains a secret, check out some photos from the event to see what you missed when gaming change comes to Washington:

Gavin Newsom Toasts 'Citizenville' at the Jefferson [VIDEO]

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Join us tonight as California Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom stops into the Jefferson Hotel in Washington, D.C. to discuss “Citizenville: How To Take the Town Square Digital and Reinvent Government.” The Current TV host will be introduced by Ellen Tauscher at 7:00 p.m. est and give brief remarks about his newest release.

We’ll be talking with Newsom along with our livestream of the event starting tonight at 6:30 p.m. est and then have a copy of the event afterwards. You can also catch it on C-SPAN-2’s Book TV at a later date.

WHC Insider/Third Way/Huffington Post Inaugural Reception Gallery

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WHC Insider/Third Way/Huffington Post

Why yes, we did co-host an event at the Old Ebbitt Grill yesterday where Huffington Post‘s HuffPostLive and Third Way.

Whether HuffPost was interviewing Miss America Mallory Hagen or the official swearing-in liveblog. Among the invited crowd included Beltway mainstays like Delaware Governor Jack Markell, former Rep. Ellen Tauscher and former MPAA Chairman Dan Glickman. There was also Uber founder Travis Kalanick and “White Collar” actor Matt Bomer. Variety came by to profile how Hollywood and the Beltway have more in common than they’d think:

“Some veteran Washington figures who have been pushing for compromise — even as the town descended into even greater gridlock — saw Obama’s inaugural address as infused with the message that even if post-partisanship fell short, in many ways change didn’t.

‘He knows he can’t force the Republicans to do things, but he is going to try and he is going to use the power of this office, which is considerable, to move them in that direction,’ said Matt Bennett, VP of public affairs and co-founder of Third Way, a centrist Democratic org. ‘But mentioning Stonewall, and mentioning gay equality that explicitly twice in an inaugural address, marks a sea change in American politics where these things went from being the fringes to literally in the center of what an inaugurated president was talking about in his address.”

You can see more of our best and brightest in the slideshow below:

Ellen Tauscher Joins Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC as Strategic Advisor

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DC’s finest lawyers, politicos and media congratulated Ellen Tauscher for her new role as a strategic advisor to Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC.  Democratic House Leader, Nancy Pelosi and House Whip Steny Hoyer joined Managing Director Scott Campbell to praise Ms. Tauscher for her dedication to serving the American people, her strength and steel while serving as the US’s chief negotiator in nuclear talks, and her humor.

Ms. Tauscher was a seven term representative of California’s 10th Congressional District then joined the State Department as the Special Envoy for Strategic Stability and Missile Defense. After departing the State department earlier this year, she became the Vice Chair-Designate for the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center for international Security.

Guests included Jane Harman, Heather Podesta, Jay Newton Small, Jane Harmon, Glenn Nye, Dan Mulhollan, Ambassador Elizabeth Bagley, Tom D’Agostino, Karen Thurman, Kate Moss, Cranwell Montgomery, and other Baker Donelson staff who are eager to welcome Ms. Tauscher to the firm.