10 Things in Politics: Hollywood's top DC power players
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Here's what we're talking about:
- Meet Hollywood's top Washington power players
- CDC director breaks with outside advisors in endorsing booster shots for healthcare workers
- A draft of Arizona's election audit finds Biden won the state
With Phil Rosen.
ViacomCBS, DGA, CAA, MPA
1. TINSELTOWN'S HEAVY HITTERS IN THIS TOWN: Hollywood has long had a fascination with Washington. Behind the scenes, this is about a lot more than just the setting for the next political thriller. Issues like net neutrality, copyright protection, trade, taxes, and, most recently, economic relief all affect the entertainment sector, which is why it's spent an estimated $26.4 million this year on lobbying for its favored policies.
Here are some of the biggest power players:
- Tyrone Bland, head of government affairs at Creative Artists Agency: Bland, pictured above on the bottom left, got his start in politics as a chief of staff for the California State Legislature. He has experience working for or on behalf of the supplement seller Herbalife, Coca-Cola, Walmart, and Verizon.
- Gail MacKinnon and Patrick Kilcur, Motion Picture Association: MacKinnon handles global policy for the MPA, which represents the film industry's biggest studios including Disney, Sony Pictures, and Netflix. Kilcur, MacKinnon's US counterpart who is pictured above on the bottom right, was formerly a floor manager for Sen. Mitch McConnell. Also pictured above are DeDe Lea of ViacomCBS and Sarah Howes of the Directors Guild of America.
- Kerri Wood Einertson, Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists: SAG-AFTRA's membership includes the industry's best-known faces along with workday actors, radio personalities, and other performers. Wood Einertson spent three years on the Hill as a legislative aide before returning to California to work for the consulting firm Korn Ferry and later working on behalf of the union.
Check out Insider's entire list of the DC power players Disney, Fox, Apple, and others rely on.
2. CDC director endorses Pfizer-BioNTech booster shots for older Americans: Dr. Rochelle Walensky partially broke with the earlier findings of an independent group of medical advisors by also endorsing booster shots for people who're at an increased risk of getting COVID-19 while at work, such as healthcare workers, or because of where they live. Walensky noted her recommendation aligned with the Food and Drug Administration, which came to a different conclusion from that of the nonbinding CDC advisory panel. More broadly, Walensky also endorsed Pfizer-BioNTech booster shots for Americans 65 and older, residents of nursing homes, and adults ages 18 to 64 with underlying health conditions. The CDC's latest move means many Americans are now encouraged to get boosters, though the primary pandemic challenge remains persuading people to get a first dose.
3. Arizona's election audit says Biden won the state: Cyber Ninjas, the group leading the audit, is set to announce its findings later today, and Insider obtained a draft copy of the audit results. The draft 110-page report says Donald Trump actually did worse than previously thought, concluding he received 261 fewer votes than the official Maricopa County canvass while Joe Biden won 99 more votes. A representative for the audit told KJZZ Phoenix the draft was "not the final report, but it's close." Election experts and local Republican officials have complained about Cyber Ninjas' lack of election-related experience and other issues for months, The Washington Post reports. Trump, who doesn't appear to have seen that the draft report concluded he lost, touted the audit last night.
The audits aren't over:
- Texas announced a review of four counties' returns just hours after Trump pushed for an audit bill: The Texas secretary of state's office said it had started a "full forensic audit" of results in Collin, Dallas, Harris and Tarrant counties, The Texas Tribune reports. The office did not say why it was conducting a review into those counties. More on what this means.
4. Capitol riot committee subpoenas close Trump aides: Rep. Bennie Thompson, the chairman of the House select committee investigating the Capitol riot, said his panel was subpoenaing the former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows as well as Dan Scavino, Steve Bannon, and Kash Patel. Thompson said the four men were working in or had close communications with the Trump White House in the days before the January 6 insurrection. This is a major step for the committee.
5. Twelve people were wounded and one person was killed in a supermarket shooting in Tennessee: "I've been involved in this for 34 years, and I've never seen anything like this," Chief Dale Lane of the Collierville Police Department said. Officers who responded to the shooting found some people hiding in freezers. The lone suspect died at the scene. More on the news.
6. Senior diplomat abruptly resigns over the treatment of Haitians at US border: Daniel Foote, the US special envoy for Haiti, wrote to Secretary of State Antony Blinken that he would not be associated with what he described as the "inhumane, counterproductive decision" to deport Haitian migrants from Texas after thousands flocked to the border. Foote's exit is just the latest pushback to the Biden administration's handling of the situation.
7. The White House is telling agencies to prepare for a government shutdown: Biden administration officials stressed that the White House budget office's notification was in line with past actions taken when a shutdown seemed possible and did not express an opinion of the likelihood of it happening, The Post reports. House Democrats passed a bill earlier this week that would fund the government, but their inclusion of a suspension of the debt ceiling has rankled Senate Republicans who argue Democrats should have to avoid a debt default on their own. Here's where things stand as Democrats try to avoid the first shutdown of the pandemic.
8. Brian Williams could leave NBC News: Williams, who anchors a late-night news show on MSNBC, is holding talks about whether to stay at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. A TV news industry insider told Insider there was talk of Williams and a representative, the high-profile Washington lawyer Bob Barnett, having discussions with CBS News and CNN. Losing Williams at a time when Rachel Maddow is reducing her live-TV time could be perilous for MSNBC.
9. Let the holiday hiring wars begin: Amazon, Walmart, UPS, and FedEx are facing off in a race to staff more than 335,000 workers in a tight labor market. Supply-chain experts remain uncertain whether the big companies can meet their hiring goals amid the labor crunch. Here's what experts expect will happen this holiday season.
10. The name's Bond, James Bond (of the Royal Navy). The actor Daniel Craig became the Royal Navy's newest honorary commander ahead of his coming Bond movie, "No Time to Die," which will feature a Royal Navy destroyer. Craig appeared in the naval uniform, wearing three gold bars on his shoulder that denote a commander's rank, matching the rank of the fictional Bond. See the photos of 007 in uniform.
Today's trivia question: Sticking with the character who has stirred audiences (but not his martinis) for decades, which president recorded a message from the White House gushing about his love for James Bond? Hint: His staffers were peeved when the president's words were used to promote the release of "Octopussy." Email your guess and a suggested question to me at bgriffiths@insider.com.
- Yesterday's answer: The Butt-Millet Memorial Fountain on the Ellipse (an area outside the White House) commemorates Archibald Butt and Francis Millet. They are thought to be the only two US officials killed aboard the Titanic.
That's all for this week. Have a great weekend!
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