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 Easter Egg Roll is Back After a Two Year Hiatus 

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Former President Barack Obama at the 2010 Easter Egg Roll

Grab your baskets and get your Sunday best on: the White House Easter Egg Roll is back on Monday, April 18 after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. Tickets to the event are lottery style, with an online application live until 10:00 AM ET on Thursday, March 31. Results will be released on April 7.

The Easter Egg Roll is the most popular publicly-attended annual event hosted by the White House, which welcomes thousands of people over the course of the day to participate in festivities on the South Lawn. 

The popular tradition dates back to 1878 when President Rutherford B. Hayes issued an order that if any children should come to the White House to roll their Easter eggs, they would be allowed to do so. Today, children and their parents alike flock to the White House South Lawn to celebrate.

The Washington Kastles Mascots at the 2011 Easter Egg Roll

The Egg Roll marks one of the first notable public White House events to return since the onset of the pandemic. In the last two years, public tours have been postponed, in addition to a dramatic scale-back of the dozens of annual holiday festivities and events.

Thursday’s Easter Egg Roll announcement also included news of rescheduled Spring Garden Tours, which are free and open to members of the public. This year’s tour dates are April 9 and 10. Earlier this month, the White House also announced that public tours will recommence on April 15.

More information about the White House Easter Egg Roll and about entering the lottery can be found here.

White House, National Security Council Brief Influencers on Russia’s War Against Ukraine

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Ellie Zelier
Kahlil Greene
Marcus DiPaola

Top staffers at the White House and the National Security Council briefed social media influencers from TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram about Russia’s war on Ukraine. According to a White House official, the Thursday afternoon Zoom call included 30 of the top social media content creators chosen to receive important information and the latest news out of the region. 

The briefing was led by Matt Miller, a special adviser for communications at the White House National Security Council, as well as White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki. Psaki informed the influencers about “the United States’ strategic goals in the region” and answered questions regarding aid distribution, NATO, and more. 

One White House official said that “arming content creators with factual information and answers can be a critical tool” to fight misinformation online. With this, the White House is looking to combat online offenses, as the Russian government is now paying content creators to produce pro-Kremlin propaganda content. 

These influencers were chosen because many of them have created “explanatory content about Ukraine.” With these videos generating millions of views, it is a significant information source for young people in America and around the world. Some of the briefing participants included TikTok stars Ellie Zeiler (10m), Marcus DiPaola (3.5m), Aaron Parnas (1m), Kahlil Greene (540.7k), and Jules Terpak (270.9K).


More information can be found in The Washington Post, who first broke this story.

Biden to Hold Press Conference Amid Coronavirus Confusion and a Stalled Agenda In Congress

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Photo Source: Politico

Ahead of his one year anniversary in office, President Biden plans to hold his first formal news conference in months. Biden has remained out of the public eye this week as he prepares for just the second solo White House press conference amid slipping poll performance, 40-year record inflation levels looming, and all-time high COVID-19 cases. 

The President is seeking to  highlight his administration’s progress amid the ongoing pandemic. In announcing the press conference, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the president “looks forward to speaking directly to the American people.” 

Averages of the most recent national polls compiled by both Real Clear Politics and FiveThirtyEight put Biden’s approval at 42% and disapproval at 52%. 

Biden’s approval rating hovered in the low to mid 50s during his first six months in the White House. But the president’s numbers began to decline in August at the wake of Biden’s much-criticized handling of the U.S. exit from Afghanistan and a surge in COVID-19 cases this summer.

Biden’s approval ratings average has hovered in the low 40s and his disapproval ratings average in the low 50s since mid-October. 

But a Quinnipiac University national poll grabbed headlines last week when it measured the president’s approval at just 33%. A White House memo described the survey as an “outlier.”

However, it’s important that Biden makes this press conference. “There are times when you have to step up. This is one of them,” said David Axelrod, a former top adviser to President Barack Obama, in The Washington Post. “You have to try to shape the narrative of the last year, because you know the media and opposition will.”

Veteran Diplomat Martin Indyk’s New Book On Kissinger

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Secretary John Kerry with Gahl Burt and author Ambassador Martin Indyk at Cafe Milano book Party

On November 17th,  Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba and Franco Nuschese hosted a book party for Martin Indyk’s newest work, Master of the Game: Henry Kissinger and the Art of Middle East Diplomacy at Cafe Milano in Washington, DC.  

Attendees included diplomatic heavy hitters like John Kerry and Ambassador Al Otaiba, who paid tribute to Indyk with a kind speech. Indyk then spoke, entertaining the crowd with an amusing story about Henry Kissinger and issuing many thanks. 

 

NYT columnist Tom Friedman and Amb. Yousef Al Otaiba at the celebration at Cafe Milano

Newly confirmed U.S. Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides, Israeli Ambassador Mike Herzog, Sally Quinn, and former Congresswoman Jane Harman were also present for the celebration, as well as media figures Wolf Blitzer, Norah O’Donnell, and Kaitlan Collins. Other notable guests included Tom Friedman from The New York Times, Roxanne Roberts from The Washington Post, and Jeff Goldberg from The Atlantic.

U. S. Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides with Tammy Wittes and friend

 

Cafe Milano owner Franco Nuschese and CNN’s Kaitlan Collins

Martin Indyk served twice as U.S. Ambassador to Israel from 1995-1997 and 2000-2001. He was President Clinton’s Middle East adviser on the National Security Council, and in Clinton’s second term he became the assistant secretary of state for Near East Affairs. Master of the Game is Indyk’s third book, and first solo publication in a few years. 

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

J-Mart Goes From Politico to New York Times

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Ben Smith,Jonathan Martin

Jonathan Martin goes from the best politico job in Washington to the number one job in political journalism. Originally with Politico from the very start, Jonathan Martin sent out notice yesterday that he’ll take on the role of National Politics Reporter at the New York Times.

If you could question just how essential J-Mart is to Washington, go no further than the mammoth memo sent out by Politico and republished on HuffPost.

In an email to friends and colleagues, Martin wrote:
“It is truly an awe-inspiring place. They are committed to the best traditions of New York Times journalism: depth, sweep and fearless reporting. But just as exciting for me, the paper is leading the way in fusing those values with some remarkable technological innovation.”

The same message contains a memo from the Times’ Political Editor, Caroline Ryan:
“I’m delighted to announce that Jonathan Martin will be our national political correspondent.

The job is a storied and special one at the Times, and has been home to such giants as Robin Toner, Adam Nagourney, Rick Berke, and, of course, R. W. Apple.

Jonathan is a natural for the role: he has an unending passion for politics, an intrepid journalistic spirit and an astonishingly extensive Rolodex.

He also has a deep love of political history (ask him about his LBJ fixation, when you meet him) and a startlingly detailed knowledge of campaigns and candidates at every level.

Jonathan, 36, was among the first hires at Politico and spent two years on the campaign trail writing about the historic 2008 presidential campaign. He then became White House correspondent, traveling across the country and overseas with President Obama.
After covering the midterm contests in 2010, he served as Politico’s senior reporter on the 2012 campaign, winning praise for his ability to break big news and offer ahead-of-the-curve reporting and analysis.

He came to Politico from the National Review and previously worked for National Journal’s political publication, The Hotline.

Jonathan is a huge fan and student of the Times. He is eager to team up with the gifted political reporters we have here, especiallythe supremely talented Jim Rutenberg – much as Jim did with Jeff Zeleny, who drove our stellar coverage of the 2012 race.

A Virginian, Jonathan is a graduate of Hampden-Sydney College and is married to Betsy Fischer Martin, senior executive producer of Meet the Press. He is an adventurous explorer and appreciator of all corners of America, especially BBQ joints, state capitol buildings and Fenway Park.

Please join me in congratulating and welcoming him.”

Gretawire Continues to Dominate Forbes Power Lists

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John Coale, Greta Van Susteren, Kevin Spacey, Rep. Darrell Issa

Gretawire makes a comeback on the annual Forbes power list. Ranking in near her first spot from six years ago, Greta Van Susteren proves she’s still got it after fifteen years. The list of World’s Most Powerful Women runs from television, production and into global trade rather than the usual Washington politics.

Which means that she continues to dominate the airwaves and Twitter alongside ABC’s Diane Sawyer. It doesn’t come as a surprise after she stopped at the Garden Brunch to pose with “House of Cards”‘ resident rep Kevin Spacey or actual Californian Representative Darrell Issa above. As always, she keeps Gretawire humming faster than Hotline when it comes keeping touch with Capitol Hill.

Barbara Walters Announces Her Retirement…

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…next summer? Ok!

The mainstay anchor and reporter of ABC has announced her plans to retire in 2014.

“I am very happy with my decision and look forward to a wonderful and special year ahead both on ‘The View’ and with ABC News,” she said. “I created ‘The View’ and am delighted it will last beyond my leaving it.”

“There’s only one Barbara Walters,” says ABC News President Ben Sherwood. “And we look forward to making her final year on television as remarkable, path-breaking and news-making as Barbara herself. Barbara will always have a home at ABC News and we look forward to a year befitting her brilliant career, filled with exclusive interviews, great adventures and indelible memories.”

As for the rest of the release–ok? Back in March Walters suffered from a fainting spell, which turned out to be the Chicken Pox. But now we’ve got a year to honor and praise “The View” co-founder including her last series of specials to air later this year.

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.

Catherine Bennett Joins IMG Worldwide

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Catherine Bennett, known around Washington as Katie and daughter of Bob and Ellen, has taken a new role at IMG Worldwide. Reported on Wednesday by Women’s Wear Daily, Bennett is taking on the role of senior vice president and managing director of IMG fashion events and properties. She’s on her way from coming from the Council of Fashion Designers of America as a director of business affairs having been there since 2009.

Since heading out of Washington she’s made her mark in the business side of fashion and advertising at William Morris, Central Parks Summer Stage, and–like her father–can practice law after passing the bar in New York and a Justice Administration degree from Georgetown University Law Center.

“We are very pleased to have an executive with Catherine’s experience as the new head of IMG Fashion Events and Properties,” said Chuck Bennett, President of IMG Golf, Tennis, Fashion and Events and Federations, to whom Ms. Bennett will report. “She has a deep knowledge of the fashion industry and a keen appreciation of established and emerging designers.”

According to the official announcement from IMG, “she will be responsible for further developing and expanding the company’s leading fashion events business around the globe, and representing many of the industry’s top organizations.”

“I am very excited to be joining IMG,” Catherine Bennett said. “I am very confident that the skills and relationships I developed during my time at the CFDA will be extremely beneficial as we work to take IMG’s Fashion business to the next level.”