Washington
‘Civil War’ has a stark warning for Washington
In the 2014 film “Ex Machina,” director Alex Garland offered a chilling forecast of a future dominated by unchecked artificial intelligence. The groundbreaking sci-fi thriller prompted us to consider what happens when such technology is developed by an unscrupulous narcissist who sidesteps profound ethical quandaries. The film was both prescient and clear in its warnings: Be wary of concentrated power and take precautions to prevent such a catastrophe.
A decade later, “Civil War,” Garland’s latest dystopian offering, threads a similar cautionary tale, but with key differences. This time, the calamity is unfolding and its catalysts are largely unexplored.
The film’s vagueness has elicited mixed — yet strikingly similar — reactions across the political spectrum. On the left, critics accuse the film of “utter cowardice” and betraying audiences for not denouncing MAGA. Meanwhile, the right blasts the film for overlooking the “socialist, anarchist” roots of our divisions and its treatment of the media. Alas, both sides are essentially making the same argument by demanding that Hollywood vindicate their respective worldviews.
This isn’t just horseshoe theory. Social science teaches us this need for validation, known as confirmation bias, is endemic to the human condition. In this vein, central to “Civil War” is its auteur’s belief that Republicans and Democrats are more alike than partisans care to admit. The film is more concerned with probing the underlying psychology, incentives and structures that could precipitate a national cataclysm than it is with scapegoating individual politicians or the ideologies they champion as intellectual scaffolding. This approach may not flatter our partisan biases, but it offers a more truthful — and cinematically superior — alternative to more simplistic counterparts.
Like William Wyler’s portrayal of post–World War II America and Sergio Leone’s reinvention of the Western, “Civil War” follows the tradition of incisive commentaries on American life filtered through a foreign lens. The British Garland, himself the son of a newsman, seems especially interested in political journalism’s role in our decay. The film is hardly coy about this — it begins and ends at the nexus of media and politics in Washington. If Garland were to expose the Beltway any more explicitly, he would literally have to hold up a mirror to it in a cameo.
These bookends invite us to scrutinize the role of the “Grift Industrial Complex” — the sordid ecosystem of fame-first politicians and their networks of online influencers and clickbait media platforms — in eroding our politics and culture. With the help of social media companies, those at the top profit handsomely off the paranoia, resentment and pervasive sense of victimhood they cultivate among their audiences.
Their exploitation is particularly troubling, not only because of the psychological harm it inflicts, but because a victimhood mentality inherently requires an aggressor. Viewing the other half of the country as enemies rather than as neighbors with differing opinions sets the stage for animosity.
One of the film’s most critical insights is that hatred leads to asking others “what kind of Americans” they are. In fairness, the nation may already be lost if significant numbers despise their countrymen on account of a few grifters. But you don’t have to believe we’re on the brink of an armed internal conflict to see the prudence in pumping the brakes.
In addition to muting, unfollowing and unsubscribing, a critical first step is recognizing that the Grift Industrial Complex thrives on the demise of institutions. This underscores the urgent need for people of good conscience within ostensibly nonpartisan organizations to reassert their independence, exercise restraint and resist indulging in divisive ideological projects.
In theory, our system is built to withstand self-interest and audience capture, but, as Madison famously argued in Federalist No. 10, a republican form of government is crucial for mitigating their effects. Much of our dysfunction — evident in real life and implied in “Civil War” — is rooted in the outsized influence of the federal government, especially the executive branch. Why else would the film’s fictional president go to such extreme lengths to secure a blatantly unconstitutional third term, if not for its expansive reach?
Politics should matter in a healthy society, but not that much. As the son of Cuban exiles, I’ve seen what happens when every facet of life becomes politicized, and it isn’t pretty. We should heed the film’s call for introspection and turn our attention inward — to our communities, houses of worship, families, friends and civic associations as better sources of meaning in life than the dopamine kicks we derive from D.C.’s made-for-Twitter controversies
For all the argument about “Civil War,” its most profound lesson — one that movie studios will certainly appreciate — is relatively simple: We should tune out the outrage hustlers, put down our phones and spend more time sharing experiences with fellow Americans, like enjoying movies, instead of fighting over politics. By doing so, we can begin to heal the wounds that Garland vividly portrays in his haunting depiction of our fractured nation.
Giancarlo Sopo is the founder of Visto Media and cultural writer. Follow him @GiancarloSopo.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Fatima Goss Graves
National Women’s Law Center
President and CEO
Goss Graves has pressured the Biden administration to finalize Title XI rules, describing the delayed revamp as “devastating” to survivors of sexual assault on college campuses.
First job: Babysitting. What she’d tell her 18-year-old self: “The time in college when you decided to do nothing and just be young at the beach was time well spent.” Song currently on repeat: “Paint the Town Red” by Doja Cat.
Deepak Gupta
Gupta Wessler
Founding Principal
Gupta’s bio pronounces that he wants his firm to be a “counterweight to the corporate dominance of the Supreme Court and the appellate bar” and instead help ensure justice for consumers, workers, and communities injured by government wrongdoing.
Hidden talent: “I can talk to the most annoying people without showing a hint of annoyance.” Last meal would be: Rigatoni from the Red Hen, with a glass of Nerello Mascalese. Historical figure he most identifies with: “My grandfather, a newspaper editor in India who spoke out against British rule and was jailed for it.”
Jamie Jackson
K&L Gates
Partner
Having crafted bipartisan legislation on issues such as cybersecurity defense and military justice during her time in government, Jackson now leverages her expertise as a private attorney advocating for clients.
Hometown: Glen Allen, Virginia. First job: Busser at Aunt Sarah’s Pancake House. Song currently on repeat: “Hero”by Mariah Carey.
Neal Katyal
Hogan Lovells
Partner
Katyal is highly sought by media outlets for his expertise on Donald Trump’s criminal cases. He launched his own podcast, Courtside, a deep dive into consequential Supreme Court cases for non-lawyers.
Education: Dartmouth; Yale Law School. What he’d tell his 18-year-old self: “Marrying well is a thousand times more important than anything else you do.” Last meal would be: Vongole pizza from 2 Amys.
Joshua Matz
Kaplan Hecker & Fink
Partner
Matz was part of the team representing E. Jean Carroll in holding former President Trump liable for battery and defamation before a federal jury in Manhattan, which awarded her $5 million in damages.
Education: University of Pennsylvania; Oxford; Harvard Law. Hidden talent: “I’m a bread baker—mainly challah.” Last meal would be: Spaghetti and meatballs.
Don McGahn
Jones Day
Practice Leader, Government Regulation
While the former White House counsel is not advising Trump’s 2024 run, he remains a key legal voice in the conservative ecosystem, with close ties to Mitch McConnell and many judges in the pipeline for appointments if Trump returns to the White House.
Hometown: Atlantic City, New Jersey. Education: Notre Dame; Widener University; Georgetown.
Jonathan Turley
George Washington University Law School
J.B. and Maurice C. Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law
A well-known legal analyst who appears often on Fox News to discuss constitutional questions, Turley was one of the first witnesses Republicans called to testify during their controversial impeachment inquiry of President Biden.
Hometown: Chicago. Best career advice he ever received: “Live every day like it’s your last, because someday you are bound to be right.” Talent he’d most like to have: “I’d like to be able to perform the Vulcan salute. My inability to separate my fingers entirely has been the source of endless abuse by my children.”
John Vecchione
New Civil Liberties Alliance
Senior Litigation Counsel
Vecchione has been challenging the constitutionality of administrative actions against American citizens since 2016, most recently serving as lead counsel in cases on First Amendment rights and judicial and congressional powers that have reached the Supreme Court.
Worst career advice he ever received: “Follow your dreams.” What he’d tell his 18-year-old self: “Don’t take calculus for two semesters, and if you can afford it, you are not too young to own a house or condo.” Hidden talent: “Whatever Forrest Gump has that has him in interesting places at interesting times.”
Mark S. Zaid
Mark S. Zaid, P.C.
Founding Partner
Zaid, who specializes in crisis-management cases, is working on a lawsuit against Donald Trump and two January 6 rioters on behalf of the estate of Officer Brian Sicknick, who died as a result of the attack on the Capitol.
First job:
Newsday newspaper-delivery boy. Worst career advice he ever received: “Not to rock the boat.” Most cherished possession: “A gold medal given to a senior officer of RMS Carpathia for rescuing survivors of RMS Titanic.”
Sergio Aguirre
WestExec Advisors
Cofounder and Managing Partner
Aguirre leads a bipartisan team that works with top-flight clients on defense, foreign-policy, cybersecurity, data-privacy, and communications needs.
Hometown: Atlanta. First job: Production assistant at Fox Sports South. Lesson from that job: “That I did not want a career in sports television.”
Dmitri Alperovitch
Silverado Policy Accelerator
Cofounder and Chairman
The Department of Homeland Security decided to establish a program to enhance the nation’s supply chains at the recommendation of a special advisory subcommittee, which Alperovitch co-led.
Hometown: Moscow. Best career advice he ever received: “Become a deep expert on the topic you’re passionate about, and showcase that expertise publicly on blogs, social media, and podcasts. Your ideal job will then seek you out.” Song currently on repeat: “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” by Journey.
Jenna Ben-Yehuda
Atlantic Council
Executive Vice President
The former president of the Truman National Security Project, Ben-Yehuda is a longtime advocate for gender equity in national security and founder of the Women’s Foreign Policy Network.
First job: “I worked as a babysitter at a gym—changing diapers, cleaning toilets, and caring for kids.” What she’d tell her 18-year-old self: “Slow down!” Song currently on repeat: “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman.
Thomas P. Bossert
Trinity Cyber
President
The former Homeland Security adviser to President Trump and the deputy Homeland Security adviser to George W. Bush now provides his network-security-services expertise to governments and private companies.
Hometown: Quakertown, Pennsylvania. Education: University of Pittsburgh; George Washington University Law School.
Bradley Bowman
Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Senior Director, Center on Military and Political Power
Bowman’s sharp-tongued scrutiny and critiques of US defense policy often gain traction and shape media narratives, including his evaluation last fall that, while the Biden administration responded with great speed after the Hamas attack to send weapons and support to Israel, it needed to do even more.
Hometown: “I grew up mostly in Oregon.” Education:West Point; Yale (MA).
Nitin Chadda
WestExec Advisors
Cofounder and Managing Partner
Chadda sits atop this strategic advisory firm, which is packed with former top national-security and foreign-policy officials with direct ties to the Democratic Party establishment and Biden administration.
Best career advice he ever received: “Always choose the boss, not the job.” Hidden talent: Fashion design. Historical figure he most identifies with: Niccolò Machiavelli.
Carrie Cordero
Center for a New American Security
Senior Fellow and General Counsel
An attorney with more than 20 years of experience in national security, Cordero focuses on cybersecurity, privacy, and defense-policy research, as well as developing strategies to combat violence and anti-Semitism.
Hometown: Cleveland. First job: Summer-camp counselor. Lesson from that job: “Value the summers you get to spend outside—they don’t last forever!”
Rajesh De
Mayer Brown
Partner
One of the most trusted voices in Washington on cybersecurity challenges, De assists a host of major companies including Palo Alto Networks, Google, and Toyota, and is a judge on a newly established Department of Justice court that reviews data protection.
Hometown: Philadelphia. Education: Harvard; Harvard Law. Best career advice he ever received: “Go where the action is.”
Evelyn Farkas
McCain Institute
Executive Director
The former New York congressional candidate was among the first to raise alarms about Russian interference in the 2016 election and has molded herself into a thought leader on the security challenges facing Ukraine and Israel.
Hometown: Chappaqua, New York. First job: “I was a clerk in a chocolate store when I was 14.” Lesson from that job: “Don’t sample the merchandise. I got hooked on chocolate at an early age—and can’t kick the habit!”
Sue Gordon
SecurityScorecard
Independent Director
A nearly four-decade intelligence-community veteran, Gordon is helping public- and private-sector customers manage cybersecurity risks.
Education: “Duke University. Go Blue Devils!” Hidden talent: “Making grilled cheese sandwiches.” Song currently on repeat: “Walking on Sunshine” by Katrina and the Waves.
Stephen J. Hadley
Rice, Hadley, Gates & Manuel
Principal
Now atop an international consulting firm founded with Condoleezza Rice and Robert Gates, Hadley is heralded as a strategic thinker with an abundance of contacts and intelligence from his tenure as assistant to President George W. Bush on national-security affairs.
Hometown: South Euclid, Ohio. Education: Cornell; Yale Law. First job: Naval officer.
Rebeccah L. Heinrichs
Hudson Institute
Senior Fellow and Director, Keystone Defense Initiative
Heinrichs has argued that Congress—specifically Republicans—should embrace the Reagan orthodoxy of countering the country’s paramount foes, China and Russia, simultaneously.
First job: “Cashier at the local grocery store.” Best career advice she ever received: “Keep a private record of the wins along the way.” What she’d tell her 18-year-old self: “Go enjoy more live music.”
Fiona Hill
Brookings Institution
Senior Fellow
One of the world’s foremost experts on Russian affairs, the former senior director for Europe and Russia on the National Security Council has become an omnipresent analyst on the war in Ukraine and how it’s impacting other US foreign-policy decisions.
Hometown: Bishop Auckland, England. Best career advice she ever received: “Think of your career as a long arc and every position as a steppingstone to learning something new.” Hidden talent:Photography.
Bruce Hoffman
Georgetown University Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service
Professor
Council on Foreign Relations
Shelby Cullom and Kathryn W. Davis Senior Fellow for Counterterrorism and Homeland Security
After the October 7 attacks on Israel, Hoffman met with Republican and Democratic lawmakers to explain the consequences for counterterrorism in the region. He also briefed senior members of the intelligence community, including the antiterrorism office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Hometown: The Bronx. Best career advice he ever received: “Lead by example.” Last meal would be: “Spicy Shinwari chicken karahi, an Afghan dish.”
Seth G. Jones
Center for Strategic & International Studies
Senior Vice President; Director, International Security Program; Director, Transnational Threats Project
Jones, who leads a bipartisan team of more than 50 staffers dedicated to formulating strategic national-security solutions, has robustly advocated for long-term military assistance to Ukraine.
Hometown: Greenwich, Connecticut. Education: Bowdoin College; University of Chicago. Hidden talent: Beatboxing.
Jane Lee
Rebellion Defense
Chief Government Relations Officer
Through the Software in Defense Coalition, a group she founded, Lee secured several new statutes within the Department of Defense that make it easier for small defense-tech businesses to lure new talent into the national-security space.
First job: “Cashier at my parents’ diner.” What she’d tell her 18-year-old self: “Laugh more, stress less.” Song currently on repeat: “Think” by Aretha Franklin.
Michael Morell
Beacon Global Strategies
Senior Counselor and Global Chairman of the Geopolitical Risk Practice
The CIA veteran—who advises a wide range of clients on international policy and homeland security—was called before the House Judiciary Committee to discuss the probe surrounding Hunter Biden’s laptop and the discrediting of a New York Post story during the 2020 campaign.
Hometown: Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Education: University of Akron; Georgetown.
Michael O’Hanlon
Brookings Institution
Senior Fellow and Director of Research, Foreign Policy
O’Hanlon is a regular presence on cable news—often called upon to analyze national-security hot spots—and is well known in Capitol Hill defense circles.
First job: Farm hand on a dairy farm in upstate New York. Talent he’d most like to have: “I would like to be 10 to 20 percent smarter.” Last meal would be: Chesapeake Bay crabcakes.
Nichole Francis Reynolds
ServiceNow
Vice President and Head of Global Government Relations
Reynolds was successful in working with the House and Senate appropriations committees to pass language requiring the Department of Defense to improve military housing for junior enlisted servicemembers.
First job: Lifeguard. Lesson from that job: “Sink or swim.” Song currently on repeat: “Survivor” by Destiny’s Child.
Paul Scharre
Center for a New American Security
Executive Vice President and Director of Studies
Scharre—who wrote a book examining artificial intelligence’s impact on the military—is well regarded by defense colleagues for his expertise on the coming AI revolution and its wide-reaching national-security implications.
Education: Washington University in St. Louis; King’s College London. First job: Special-operations reconnaissance-team leader in the Army’s 3rd Ranger Battalion.
Lucas Schleusener
Out in National Security
Cofounder and CEO
Schleusener leads an LGBTQIA+ professional association focused on making the sprawling national-security enterprise more equitable and inclusive through changes to law, custom, and policy.
Lesson from his first job (as a summer-camp counselor): “Make sure everyone has had lunch or a snack before making big decisions.” What he’d tell his 18-year-old self: “Be yourself—everyone else is already taken.” Last meal would be: Spicy cumin lamb noodles.
Matthew Steckman
Anduril Industries
Chief Revenue Officer
Anduril’s development of autonomous surveillance towers for southern-border security sits at the heart of the convergence of national-security policy, technology, and privacy.
Best career advice he ever received: “Progression is not about title or compensation, it’s about how much risk your organization allows you to take on its behalf.” What he’d tell his 18-year-old self: “A hot temper solves nothing.” Song currently on repeat: “Sweet Symphony” by Joy Oladokun and Chris Stapleton.
Caroline Tess
National Security Action
Executive Director
A former National Security Council staffer to President Obama, Tess heads up this organization, which, according to InfluenceWatch, provides Democratic candidates with foreign-affairs insight and talking points. She has a talent for marshaling the expertise and influence of nongovernmental players in policy debates.
Education: UC Berkeley; Georgetown. First job: Military legislative assistant for Congressman Frank Pallone Jr. of New Jersey.
Melanne Verveer
Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace & Security
Executive Director
Franklin Foer’s book on the Biden administration’s first two years revealed Verveer’s secretive efforts to help Hillary Clinton compile a list of 1,500 vulnerable Afghan women and families that the Taliban would most likely target as the US withdrew from the country. The list was circulated among Biden officials as Verveer and other allies pressed for action.
Hometown: Shamokin, Pennsylvania. Hidden talent: Interior decorating. Last meal would be: A Ukrainian delicacy, cherry vareniki.
Beltway insiders helping advance Big Tech and telecommunications issues on Capitol Hill
Amanda Anderson
Block
Global Head of Public Policy and Government Relations
The former Uber lobbyist now guides regulation strategy for Block, the financial-tech servicer. Anderson has had an impact on shaping the Buy Now, Pay Later industry and PPP programs for micro-entrepreneurs.
Best career advice she ever received: “No matter who you are, what you’ve achieved, or what title you may hold, people respect the work.” Most cherished possession: “My great-grandmother’s punch bowl—we use it every year at our holiday party, and every year I panic it may break.” Hidden talent: “I have a hidden dream of opening a catering company—I love hosting huge parties and cooking every bit of food.”
John Bailey
American Enterprise Institute
Nonresident Senior Fellow
In his capacity as a senior fellow at AEI, Bailey has written extensively about the risks and opportunities with generative artificial intelligence, including in education.
Education: Dickinson College. Best career advice he ever received: “ ‘It’s better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.’ A Jesuit proverb.” Song currently on repeat: “The Comeback” by the Zac Brown Band.
Meredith Attwell Baker
CTIA
President and CEO
Baker has warned policymakers that more exclusive-use licensing of 5G-friendly spectrum is necessary to support the exploding demand of the $825 billion annual wireless economy.
Hometown: Houston. Best career advice she’s ever received: “Sometimes it’s the job that’s great, sometimes it’s the boss, and if you’re really lucky, it’s both.” Most cherished possession: “My dad’s service dog, Zia.”
Michael Beckerman
TikTok
Vice President and Head of Public Policy, Americas
As the viral-video app attracts more scrutiny in Washington, Beckerman has acted as a human shield for the incoming attacks—enduring withering interviews, including a memorable spat on CNN in which he refused to articulate TikTok’s views on Chinese oppression.
Education: George Washington University. First job: Legislative correspondent/aide for Congressman Fred Upton of Michigan.
Shirley Bloomfield
NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association
CEO
Bloomfield’s mission is promoting greater availability—and more effective usage—of broadband-deployment grant funding by working with everyone from federal officials to community-based broadband providers.
Hometown: Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. What she’d tell her 18-year-old self: “Never be afraid to simply be yourself. Authenticity is not only underrated, but being anything else is exhausting.” Last meal would be: “It would be comprised of side dishes, which are frankly the best part of the meal. French onion soup, French fries, roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon, and a hot-fudge sundae.”
Catherine Bohigian
Charter Communications
Executive Vice President, Government Affairs
Bohigian helped leverage a Federal Communications Commission program in order to provide low-cost or free connectivity to lower-income customers.
First job: Waiter at Dalt’s, a Dallas restaurant. Best career advice she ever received: “Find a great mentor.” Talent she’d most like to have: “The ability to stop time.”
April Boyd
Spotify
Vice President, Global Government Affairs and Public Policy
From AI to antitrust concerns, Boyd makes sure the voice of the streaming service is heard by decision makers in DC and beyond. She has spearheaded Spotify’s work with congressional leaders to change laws to combat app-store abuses.
Hometown: Sidney, Iowa. First job: Intern in the White House press office. Song currently on repeat: “ ‘Slow Burn’ by Kacey Musgraves. I love Spotify’s Coastal Cowgirl playlist.”
John Branscome
Meta
Director, Public Policy
Hired to help combat regulatory threats from a Democratic administration, Branscome leads Facebook’s $20 million annual lobbying blitz on issues including misinformation, immigration, and algorithmic bias.
Hometown: Hillsville, Virginia. Education: Virginia Tech. First job: In the Virginia governor’s office as a special assistant on environmental/natural resources. Best career advice he ever received: “Be thankful for the jobs you didn’t get.”
Kara Calvert
Coinbase
Head of US Policy
Calvert assisted in marshaling people representing more than 50 companies to swarm Capitol Hill to advocate for cryptocurrency, which more than 52 million Americans now own.
Hometown: Riverton, Wyoming. Worst career advice she ever received: “ ‘Sharpen your elbows—you won’t survive by being nice.’ In my experience, sharp elbows don’t help move an issue or a relationship forward. Being honest and open does.” Hidden talent: “I studied ballet for 13 years and can still perform a pretty solid pirouette.”
Jay Carney
Airbnb
Global Head of Policy and Communications
The former Obama White House press secretary was lured to Airbnb by CEO Brian Chesky to try to change the narrative around the lodging company, which was plagued by sagging bookings coming out of the pandemic and mounting customer dissatisfaction.
Education: Yale. First job: Reporter for the Miami Herald.
Steve Case
Revolution
Chairman and CEO
The cofounder of AOL has been crowned Washington’s “tech whisperer,” with a highly influential voice on legislation involving AI technology, particularly when it’s geared to benefit economies outside of Silicon Valley.
Hometown: Honolulu. Worst career advice he ever received: “The conventional wisdom was that it was best to work at a Fortune 500 company and that joining or starting a new company was too risky. Thankfully, I didn’t listen.” What he’d tell his 18-year-old self: “Revolutions usually happen in evolutionary ways, so you need to be patient and persevere.”
Danielle Coffey
News/Media Alliance
President and CEO
Representing 2,000 media outlets worldwide, Coffey has warned tech companies against using news content to train AI models without compensation or permission.
Hometown: Los Angeles. Best career advice she ever received: “Don’t try to be someone you’re not. You’ll fail. Be the best version of yourself.” Song currently on repeat: “Goodbye Horses” by Q Lazzarus.
Maryam Cope
ASML
Head of US Government Relations
Cope’s work in tech policy over the past 16 years has contributed to the growth of the semiconductor industry. She’s had more than 100 supply-chain meetings with key government officials, including Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.
Education: Northwestern; Stanford.
Maura Colleton Corbett
Glen Echo Group
Founder and CEO
Corbett—who has expertise in privacy, security, and copyright issues—has been described as playing a pivotal role for technology companies trying to navigate their way through various regulatory proposals bandied about on Capitol Hill.
Hometown: South Orange, New Jersey. First job: “Babysitting all of my younger siblings.” Lesson from that job: “Don’t have seven kids.”
Michael Daniel
Cyber Threat Alliance
CEO and President
Daniel helped develop the Cyber Incident Reporting Framework recommendations, identifying the data-field types that the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency should collect as it im-plements new laws.
What he’d tell his 18-year-old self: “When you get to graduate school, don’t focus entirely on the class work.Take advantage of the other opportunities the school has to offer.” Last meal would be: “Steak and pasta, with a really good beer.” Most cherished possession: “I recently received a 500-year-old Japanese wakizashi from my sensei.”
Antigone Davis
Meta
Global Head of Safety
With the company facing pressure to enhance child protections, Davis pressed lawmakers to pass legislation requiring parental approval for app-store downloads by teenagers.
Education: Barnard; University of Chicago Law School.
Kathryn de Wit
Pew Charitable Trusts
Project Director, Broadband Access Initiative
De Wit has played a key role in assisting states, local communities, and the federal government in forging consensus around new federal broadband policy standards. She has also advocated for extending internet access to 20 million households.
Hometown: Pittsburgh. Best career advice she ever received: “Work hard, but find time to do things that re-energize you. You’re no good to anyone when you’re depleted.” Hidden talent: “Improvising dinner from an ‘empty’ fridge or pantry.”
Lane Dilg
OpenAI
Head of Strategic Partnerships, Global Affairs
The former Santa Monica city manager and Energy Department official works with federal agencies advocating for what is arguably the buzziest technology company on the planet. She’s encouraging safe adoption of AI tools in Congress and multiple federal agencies.
Education: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Harvard Di-vinity School; Yale Law School. Best career advice she ever received: “It’s about boundaries, not balance.” Hidden talent: “Building pillow forts.”
Patricia Ephraim Eke
Microsoft
Director, Global Cybersecurity Public Policy
Eke advocates for global cybersecurity policy on infrastructure risk-management best practices and frameworks; artificial intelligence; cloud security; and cross-border data flows.
Education: Washington College (BA); George Washington University (master’s).
Victoria Espinel
BSA, The Software Alliance
President and CEO
Espinel testified before the Senate subcommittee on Commerce, Science and Transportation to urge lawmakers to distinguish between developers and deployers of artificial intelligence so companies can reap economic benefits.
Hometown: Washington, DC. Education: “Double Hoya—Georgetown undergrad and law school—and London School of Economics for LLM.” First job: Cashier at a fast-food restaurant.
Jeff Farrah
Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association
CEO
To calm fears that automation will destroy jobs, Farrah has argued that truck drivers will continue to be necessary to haul freight as technology evolves to fill staffing gaps.
First job: Pizza delivery. Lesson from that job: “Great early education in hustling! As a teenager, you can do quite well working hard with a smile on your face.” Best career advice he ever received: “My uncle taught me that identifying incredibly talented people to work with is a superpower worth developing.”
Ed Gillespie
AT&T
Senior Executive Vice President, External and Legislative Affairs
Gillespie coordinates public/private partnerships around the country to help make broadband access more affordable, while at the same time developing digital-literacy platforms and workshops.
Hometown: Browns Mills, New Jersey. Education: Catholic University. Hidden talent: “Keeping confidences.”
Alexandra Reeve Givens
Center for Democracy & Technology
President and CEO
Givens met with Vice President Harris to discuss how the administration should approach governing artificial intelligence, stressing that addressing the technology’s potential harms is the only way the US can innovate responsibly and compete globally.
Best career advice she ever received: “Rather than a single mentor, build your personal ‘cabinet’ of advisers with diverse experiences and backgrounds.” Talent she’d most like to have: “To speak in any language.” Most cherished possession: “Family photographs—I curate them obsessively, and they give me so much joy.”
David Goodfriend
Goodfriend Group
President and Founder
Goodfriend, who represented the Communications Workers of America’s NewsGuild in proceedings before the FCC, argued against the Standard General–Tegna merger, which Tegna ultimately scrapped.
Hometown: Madison, Wisconsin. Best career advice he ever received: “Choose experience over pay.” Hidden talent: “Playing jazz flute.”
Robin Hanson
George Mason University
Associate Professor of Economics
Hanson has been heralded as one of the deepest early thinkers on the impact of artificial intelligence, warning policymakers against global governance of the technology and arguing that gradual but lawful change is the most likely long-term AI scenario.
Education: UC Irvine (BS); University of Chicago (master’s); Caltech (PhD). First job: Researcher at the Lockheed AI Center from 1984 to 1989. What he’d tell his18-year-old self: “Try harder to find others to talk out ideas with.”
Sacha Haworth
Tech Oversight Project
Executive Director
Haworth is a persistent vocal antagonist of Meta, accusing its senior leadership of lying about the company’s business practices and endangering child safety for profit, a line of attack that has gained traction on Capitol Hill due to Haworth’s ability to organize.
First job: Bruegger’s Bagels. What she’d tell her 18-year-old self: “Study whatever the hell you want in college.” Talent she’d like to have: “The ability to wear high heels all day.”
Fred Humphries
Microsoft
Corporate Vice President, US Government Affairs
Humphries got behind a Senate bill aimed at endorsing multi-cloud technologies as a solution to issues arising from current cloud implementation within the government. While it has won bipartisan support, the bill remains in committee.
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee. Education: Morehouse College; Temple University School of Law. What he’d tell his 18-year-old self: “Math and science are the skills you should possess.”
Brian Huseman
Amazon
Vice President, Public Policy
Huseman helped facilitate the opening of the first phase of HQ2 in Arlington, which houses 8,000 employees and holds capacity for growth.
Hometown: Anadarko, Oklahoma. Best career advice he ever received: “Raise your hand and be willing to take on responsibilities that you may not be comfortable with or that may not be in your job description.” Talent he’d most like to have: “I’d love to be a great singer. I have fun doing karaoke at office holiday parties, but it would be awesome to be able to belt out an amazing tune.”
Stewart Jeffries
Jeffries Strategies
President
Jeffries enlisted in Meta’s growing lobbying army in Washington, with a focus on privacy, security, online advertising, and platform transparency.
Education: “I’m a Double ’Hoo: University of Virginia for undergrad and law school.” Song currently on repeat: “Feel Like Funkin’ It Up”by Rebirth Brass Band. Last meal would be: Crawfish boil followed by a lemon doberge cake.
Greta Joynes
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck
Policy Director
While representing the telecommunications company Brightspeed, Joynes successfully lobbied for changes in eligibility requirements so small and medium-size companies could more effectively compete for Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) grants.
Education: Northern Illinois University.
Joel Kaplan
Meta
Vice President, Global Public Policy
As a top lieutenant to Mark Zuckerberg, Kaplan is tasked with forecasting and managing policy risk to the social-network giant, leading a team of about 1,000 worldwide.
Hometown: Weston, Massachusetts. Education: Harvard. First job: Marine Corps artillery officer.
Karen Kornbluh
German Marshall Fund
Distinguished Fellow for Technology and Competitiveness
Kornbluh has advocated that the US pursue a new digital foreign policy that includes a “digital policy lab” to foster domestic policymaking; a “technology task force” to promote international cooperation; and promotion of the White House-led declaration for the future of the internet.
Hometown: New York City. Lesson from her first job (as an economist for Townsend-Greenspan): “Data science is an art as much as a science.” What she’d tell her 18-year-old self: “It’s not just the work. Even more important are the relationships.”
Curtis LeGeyt
National Association of Broadcasters
President and CEO
LeGeyt worked with senators Ed Markey and Deb Fischer on the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, which would require automakers to continue making AM radio standard in new vehicles. It has attracted more than 200 cosponsors in the House and 47 in the Senate.
First job: Dunkin’ Donuts. What he’d tell his 18-year-old self: “Take risks both personally and professionally, worry less about long-term plans, and along the way invest in friendships that will make the journey fulfilling.” Song currently on repeat: “All things Guns N’ Roses.”
Chris Lewis
Public Knowledge
President and CEO
Lewis has appealed for a federal privacy law to ensure consistent compliance and protection of consumer rights, despite some tech companies’ promises to impose their own standards.
Hometown: Alexandria. First job: Sales associate at Staples. Lesson from that job: “Know the technical details of the product. It’s true for tech policy, too.”
Luther Lowe
Y Combinator
Head of Public Policy
After 15 years at Yelp, Lowe hopped over to the tech startup accelerator last year, at a time when startups have been increasingly tuned in to the policy changes being debated in Washington.
Hometown: Fort Smith, Arkansas. First job: Chuck E. Cheese. Lesson from that job: “I learned I was better at upselling moms on extra cheese and Chuck E. Cups working at the cash register than repairing token jams in the Skee-Ball machine as a game-room attendant.”
Collin McCune
Andreessen Horowitz
Head of Government Affairs
A former staff director for House Financial Services committee Republicans, McCune lobbies on securities and commodities laws that are integral to the battle over cryptocurrency and stablecoin regulation for the $35 billion venture-capital firm.
Education: Franklin & Marshall College.
Waldo McMillan
Cisco Systems
Vice President, the Americas, Government Affairs
McMillan worked with lawmakers to preserve international tax provisions that he believes will protect domestic research-and-development investment.
First job: Counsel for Senate majority leader Harry Reid. Best career advice he ever received: “Senator Reid taught me to return every phone call, no matter who was on the other end.” Last meal would be: “Soul food, please! I’ll take a plate of fried red snapper, mac and cheese, and some greens and yams.”
Bruce Mehlman
Mehlman Consulting
Founder
The longtime political and public-policy guru, known for his punchy trend charts, is a sought-after speaker on technology and emerging political challenges.
Hometown: Baltimore. Best career advice he ever received: “Slow and steady wins the race.” Last meal would be: “Aurelio’s Pizza and Sarah’s PB Fudge ice cream, same as my third-grade birthday party.”
Rosa Mendoza
ALLVanza
Founder, President, and CEO
Mendoza helps Latino and underserved communities navigate digital challenges and innovation, including pushing the FCC to ensure equitable infrastructure investments.
Education: Washington State University. What she’d tell her 18-year-old self: “Cultivate a strong work ethic, be resilient in the face of challenges, never give up, and continuously seek opportunities for learning.” Song currently on repeat: “Happy” by Pharrell.
Lulu Cheng Meservey
Rostra
Founder and CEO
In an X thread viewed more than a million times, Meservey made the case to the Federal Trade Commission that the success of HBO’s The Last of Us was proof that the FTC didn’t need to block Microsoft’s $69 billion Activision Blizzard bid to preserve game-industry competition between Sony and Microsoft. Meservey recently left Activision for a new startup focused on audience-building for founder-led companies.
Lesson from her first job (as a carnival worker): “How to manage chaos.” Best career advice she ever received: “Don’t try to have a five-year plan, just get good at being opportunistic.” Last meal would be: Cheeseburger Happy Meal with an Oreo McFlurry.
Marissa Mitrovich
Fiber Broadband Association
Vice President of Public Policy
Holding two decades of experience in the telecom industry, Mitrovich has raised FBA’s profile in the broader political ecosystem, helping secure $42 billion in grant funding—the largest-ever allocation for fiber-broadband projects.
First job: “Selling Italian ice on the boardwalk at the beach in high school.” Lesson from that job: “If you can make someone’s day, go the extra mile.” Best career advice she ever received: “Always know the whip count.”
Jason Oxman
Information Technology Industry Council
President and CEO
Oxman was at the White House for the launch of the Biden administration’s national spectrum strategy, which Oxman hailed as improving federal coordination of spectrum and future investment in innovation.
Hometown: Auburn, Maine. Song currently on repeat: “Don’t Start Now”by Dua Lipa. Most cherished possession: “My Hush-A-Phone, a relic of technology with a regulatory history that only a tech and telecom policy nerd could appreciate.”
Christopher Padilla
IBM
Vice President, Government and Regulatory Affairs
Padilla ventured to Capitol Hill to explain how the government can accelerate its journey to cloud technology by moving government functions toward more secure networks and responsible AI adoption.
Education: Johns Hopkins. First job: YMCA soccer referee at age 14. Lesson from that job: “Know the rules, be fair to everyone, look for teaching opportunities.”
Michael Petricone
Consumer Technology Association
Senior Vice President, Government Affairs
Petricone has been explaining to policymakers how antitrust legislation could impact small businesses and has drawn parallels between the White House’s response to AI and the internet’s evolution in the 1990s.
Best career advice he ever received: “Don’t try to do everything.Con-centrate on a few big, important things and make an impact.” Hidden talent: “I can juggle.” Most cherished possession: “A baseball signed by the Red Sox 1975 World Series outfield.”
Stanley Pierre-Louis
Entertainment Software Association
President and CEO
Armed with data showing that 215 million Americans play video games, Pierre-Louis has attempted to reframe perceptions around them, citing evidence that attitudes toward the games grew more positive coming out of the pandemic.
Hometown: Columbus, Ohio. What he’d tell his 18-year-old self: “Planning is just as important as knowing when to pivot.” Last meal would be: Molten chocolate cake.
Neil Potts
Meta
Vice President, Trust and Safety Policy
Potts unfurled Meta’s free, open-source content-moderation tool called Hasher-Matcher-Actioner, which is designed to help platforms identify terrorist or other inflammatory images or videos and take action against them en masse.
Education: United States Naval Academy; University of Virginia School of Law. First job: “Shopping-cart collector at a grocery store.” Hidden talent: “I’m a repository of useless trivia. Did you know we spend about six months of our lives searching for missing items? Did you know that properly stored honey doesn’t spoil?”
Michael Powell
NCTA–The Internet & Television Association
President and CEO
A former FCC chairman, Powell now represents companies both building platforms and offering content. In pointed language, he labeled the FCC’s new attempt to reclassify broadband as a common-carrier service an “illusory” effort trying to solve a “fabricated” problem.
Hometown: “I was an Army brat, so my hometown was the back of a station wagon moving from place to place.I was born in Birmingham, Alabama.” First job: “Armored cavalry officer in the US Army.” Lesson from that job: “You can’t ask people to do anything they don’t believe you’re willing to do yourself.”
Brett Quick
Crypto Council for Innovation
Head of Government Affairs
Quick has become a frequent face on CNBC to explain the policy developments surrounding cryptocurrency and enforcement actions by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Education: University of Alabama. Talent she’d most like to have: “I dream of being a formidable tennis player, but alas, I remain mediocre on my best day.” Last meal would be: “All of the carbs and cheeses: pizza, pasta, nachos.”
Brian Quintenz
Andreessen Horowitz
Head of Policy, Crypto
Quintenz has pleaded with Congress to provide concrete policy certainty around cryptocurrency for consumers and investors, or else risk a drag on the pace of innovation due to “dubious US regulatory enforcement actions.”
First job: Assistant treasurer for John Kasich’s 2000 presidential campaign. Lesson from that job: “How you do the small things is how you’ll handle the big things.” What he’d tell his 18-year-old self: “Read more.”
Tony Samp
DLA Piper
SPrincipal Policy Advisor, Head of AI Policy
The founding director of the Senate’s AI Working Group is now lobbying for OpenAI and other AI organizations, helping craft the legislative and regulatory proposals that could guide the deployment of artificial-intelligence technologies, which are rapidly disrupting business and media.
First job: “Serving up cheesesteaks in the local food court.” What he’d tell his 18-year-old self: “The best is yet to come.” Most cherished possession: “Probably my iPhone—photos and videos of my kids, y’all!”
Matthew Schruers
Computer & Communications Industries Association
President and CEO
Schruers submitted comments to the US Copyright Office regarding AI and copyright, arguing that no new regulations were needed because existing law—specifically, the Copyright Act—addresses any issues surrounding artificial intelligence.
First job: Clerk in a health-food store. Lesson from that job: “Never bring your supervisor a problem without a proposed solution.” What he’d tell his 18-year-old self: “You don’t persuade with the arguments that move you. You persuade with the arguments that move your audience.”
Gary Shapiro
Consumer Technology Association
President and CEO
As the representative of more than 1,500 American technology companies, Shapiro holds considerable sway on the foremost technology challenges, as did his letter to President Biden outlining how the tech community could help combat inflation.
Education: Binghamton University; Georgetown Law. What he’d tell his 18-year-old self: “Don’t burn bridges. Save all cards and badges. Keep and organize your contact and meetings info.” Last meal would be: “Beer-can chicken.”
Kristin Sharp
Flex Association
CEO
Sharp launched Flex—a trade association representing tech powerhouses such as DoorDash, Lyft, and Uber—to educate lawmakers on the value of flexible jobs, not only for workers but also for consumers and the economy. Her work includes the first nationwide studies of app-based workers, growing out of her advocacy for such entrepreneurs on the Hill.
Hometown: Grand Rapids, Michigan. First job: “Wearing a life-size prescription-pill costume for a political campaign.” Lesson from that job: “Always dress for success.”
Edward “Smitty” Smith
T-Mobile
Senior Vice President, Public Policy and Government Affairs
Smith left DLA Piper’s telecom practice to helm lobbying for the nation’s third-largest cellular carrier, with more than 119 million customers.
Education: Brown; Harvard Law. What he’d tell his 18-year-old self: “Do not worry about being cool. Being cool at 18 is overrated.” Hidden talent: “I make a mean sweet-potato pie.”
Jonathan Spalter
US Telecom–The Broadband Association
President and CEO
A key player in the effort to close the digital divide, Spalter testified before a House committee on the importance of federal funding for rural broadband, for which the administration subsequently requested $6 billion.
First job: “At 15, I was a stadium vendor at Madison Square Garden.” Lesson from that job: “Never eat food bought from a stadium vendor.” Talent he’d most like to have: Speed-reading.
Gerry Stegmaier
Reed Smith
Partner
A veteran litigator, Stegmaier focuses his practice on questions centering on corporate governance, intellectual property, and cryptocurrency and other digital assets.
First job: Washington Star newspaper carrier. Lesson from that job: “A little hustle goes a long, long way.” Hidden talent: “I write poems. Thousands of them. I came across a Chinese proverb that said never trust a warrior who isn’t a poet. It stuck.”
Kara Swisher
Vox Media
Podcast Host
The host of two popular podcasts listened to by Washington insiders, Swisher continues to report on the fast-moving developments in the tech industry, including landing several scoops such as on the turmoil and feuding personalities inside OpenAI.
Hometown: Princeton, New Jersey. Education: Georgetown University; Columbia.
Berin Szoka
TechFreedom
President and Founder
Having advised the FTC on how to write privacy rules that hold up in court, Szoka is now advocating for “cyber-libertarianism,” an alternative vision for policymakers to regulate the internet.
Best career advice he ever received: “A lawyer at Latham once told me, quoting the 1958 film Auntie Mame: ‘Life’s a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death.’ If you just coast by, you starve—without realizing what you’re missing.” What he’d tell his 18-year-old self: “Spend more time with ideas and people you don’t agree with—they’re so much more interesting.” Last meal would be: “The menu is less important than the guest list.”
Alexandra Veitch
YouTube
Lead, Public Policy, Americas and Emerging Markets
Veitch has offered testimony before Congress on how algorithms curate and push content to users, and she has strong contacts in Democratic policy circles from her years as an Obama official.
First job: “I worked at a bagel shop that was so poorly run that we’d often run out of bagels.” Worst career advice she ever received: “Someone told me in 2003 that there were no jobs for Democrats on the Hill and I should do something else. What an adventure I would have missed.” Last meal would be: “A tasting menu eaten at the bar at Maydan.”
Gina Woodworth
Snap
Director, Americas Policy
As pressure heightened in Washington around protecting young people on social-media apps, Woodworth spearheaded the rollout of new Snap features, including in-app warnings for suspicious attempts to contact teenagers.
Hometown: West Long Branch, New Jersey. First job: “Working behind the counter of my father’s deli.” Song currently on repeat: “Anything ’90s hip-hop.”
These pros understand the details of agreements and regulations driving imports and exports, plus their impact on America
Usman Ahmed
PayPal
Head of Global Public Affairs and Strategic Research
In demonstrating to Capitol Hill lawmakers the benefits of digital trading on a global scale, Ahmed has shifted perceptions about how trade can assist small businesses that serve marginalized communities.
Hometown: Silver Spring. Worst career advice he ever received: “ ‘Become a specialist.’ The world is too complex and interconnected to be so narrowly focused.” Song currently on repeat: “Over” by Chvrches.
Elissa Alben
Elissa Alben
Pfizer
Vice President and Head, Global Innovation and Trade Policy and International Government Relations
Harnessing two decades of experience in international trade policy, Alben engaged last summer with emerging South Korean female leaders on international trade negotiations and US trade policy.
Hometown: Niskayuna, New York. First job: “Answering the tips line at a TV station in upstate New York.” Worst career advice she ever received: “When I was 22, a psychic at a party said being a lawyer would be too much for me and I should try something less intense.”
Scott Boos
Alliance for American Manufacturing
Senior Vice President, Government Affairs and Policy
Building on his years in the Senate—and now leading policy work for AAM, a labor-manufacturing partnership—Boos was an indispensable voice as the bipartisan infrastructure bill came together.
Best career advice he ever received: “Never let your face show how hard your ass is getting kicked.” What he’d tell his 18-year-old self: “Honesty, even when it’s not the most popular stance, builds trust and credibility.” Last meal would be: Italian hoagie from Wawa and Tastykake Butterscotch Krimpets.
Ed Brzytwa
Consumer Technology Association
Vice President, International Trade
Brzytwa visited Geneva, London, and Cambridge to convey industry support for digital-trade standards and expressed concern about a US Trade Representative decision to “abandon core digital-trade policy provisions” at World Trade Organization negotiations.
What he’d tell his 18-year-old self: “Get out of the ivory tower more often and become comfortable with the practical realities of doing business.” Hidden talent: “I was an award-winning actor in high school and an aspiring one in college.” Most cherished possession: “My wedding ring. I lost it once snorkeling in Bermuda, but luckily Tiny Jewel Box was able to have a new version made.”
Kimberley Claman
Liberty Mutual Insurance
Vice President and International Public Affairs Officer
Having negotiated the financial-services and investment portions of numerous trade agreements at the United States Trade Representative office, Claman is an internationally recognized expert on trade and investment.
Education: George Washington University. First job: “Testing and implementing new software for a financial-reporting system.” Lesson from that job: “Working second shift is not for morning people.”
Nasim Fussell
Lot Sixteen
Senior Vice President
Fussell’s close relationships on Capitol Hill give her sway on a host of thorny trade and policy issues regarding China and Taiwan, as Congress combats the Trade Office’s approach on trade authority.
Hometown: Ann Arbor, Michigan. Hidden talent: Ballroom dancing. Historical figure she most identifies with: “Madeleine Albright. Like me, she came to the United States as a young girl with her family to escape a brutal government and found a welcoming home and wonderful life here.”
Blake Harden
Retail Industry Leaders Association
Vice President, International Trade
A former trade counsel for the House Ways and Means committee, Harden is steeped in both the politics and substance of trade issues and is known as the face of most every trade issue impacting retailers.
Education: Michigan State; University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. Best career advice she ever received: “ ‘You don’t have a prob-lem. The client has a problem.’ It stuck with me and helps me put things in perspective.” Last meal would be: “A tossup between crabcakes and eggplant Parmesan. In either case, it would also involve a large glass of Napa Cab.”
John Murphy
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Senior Vice President for International Policy
Murphy hammered the Biden administration’s policy shift on digital-trade rules—which would have allowed free cross-border data flows and prohibited national requirements for data localization and reviews of software source code—saying they’d “harm American workers, invite unfair treatment of U.S. companies, and threaten our competitiveness.” He’s urged a change of course, galvanizing lawmakers who complain the administration went over Congress’s head.
First job: Wendy’s. Lesson from that job: “Be ready for the lunch rush.” Most cherished possession: “A piece of the Berlin Wall.”
Alex Perkins
Mehlman Consulting
Principal
Perkins crafted a memo urging businesses that rely on trade to enhance engagement with federal officials, noting the push to move business out of China and warning that revocation of China’s Permanent Normal Trade Relations status is a “sleeper risk” for business.
Education: Stanford; University of Connecticut School of Law. First job: “In seventh grade, my best friend, my younger brother, and I started a snow-removal business.” Lesson from that job: “Try not to over-complicate it. In retrospect, the two-page contract we drafted was overkill.”
Kelly Ann Shaw
Hogan Lovells
Partner, Global Regulatory
Shaw has represented electric-vehicle battery producers and automotive companies in their pursuit of benefits in new funding for semiconductors as well as tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act.
Hometown: Seattle. First job: Ski instructor. What she’d tell her 18-year-old self: “Success comes in all shapes and sizes.”
Lori Wallach
American Economic Liberties Project
Director, Rethink Trade Program
A 30-year veteran of congressional trade battles, Wallach was considered a prescient force during the Trans-Pacific Partnership debate and is a frequent analyst on the technical details of policy, including data privacy and World Trade Organization decisions.
Hometown: Wausau, Wisconsin. Hidden talent: “Scuba diving—specifically teaching people afraid of water how to dive and be calm.” Historical figure she most identifies with: “Paul Revere, because my career has involved warning people about sneaky attacks on jobs, food safety, the environment, digital governance, democracy, human rights, etc., via provisions buried in ‘trade’ agreements.”
Michael Wessel
Wessel Group
President and Owner
Wessel has argued for a radical change in the US approach to trade with China, noting that the rival superpower has not lived up to its legally binding commitments and floating the possibility of suspending Permanent Normal Trade Relations for a specific period of time.
First job: Paperboy. Worst career advice he ever received: “To ‘leave a job while I still found it fulfilling,’ as the adviser thought I had reached the pinnacle. Enjoyment and fulfillment in one’s work are vital.” Song currently on repeat: “No Woman, No Cry” by the Fugees.
Clete Willems
Akin
Partner
Willems, who served as a deputy assistant to former President Trump on international economics, is a heavily sought-out thought leader helping shape the GOP agenda in Congress, especially as it relates to US-China relations.
What he’d tell his 18-year-old self: “Study economics instead of chemical engineering.” Talent he’d like to have: “A little more patience would go a long way.” Last meal would be: “Obviously, pasta with seafood. Easy.”
From redistricting to registration laws, these experts closely follow and advocate for changes to how we elect our public servants
Jessica Ring Amunson
Jenner & Block
Partner
Amunson beat back a conservative effort to upend congressional redistricting, scoring a victory in the Supreme Court in the Allen v. Milligan case. She described her legal opponents as trying to “radically reshape the law of democracy.”
Education: Georgetown University (BA and MA); Harvard Law (JD). Worst career advice she ever received: “In high school, I was interested in journalism and applied to a number of national news organizations. One rejection letter advised me, ‘Set your sights a little lower.’ ” Hidden talent: “Organizing carpools.”
Jessica Anderson
Sentinel Action Fund
President
Anderson has taken a leave from her work at Heritage Action to guide an affiliated super-PAC, the Sentinel Action Fund, which hopes to encourage conservative voters to cast more ballots by mail in 2024.
First job: Intern for a Florida state representative. Lesson from that job: “Buy a good navy suit. Skirt and pants.” Song currently on repeat: “9 to 5” by Dolly Parton.
Ian Bassin
Protect Democracy
Cofounder and Executive Director
Bassin’s group numbered more than 100 staff last year in 25 states and DC. They assist legal, political, and media efforts in a crusade to protect the work of local election officials and to improve structural deficiencies in elections that can be manipulated by authori-tarian interests.
Hometown: New York City. Best career advice he ever received: “Worry less about my next job or ‘career’ and more about whether on that given day I was doing something useful that I was excited about and strongly believed in.” Hidden talent he’d most like to have: “I’d almost trade a limb to be able to sing and play music.”
Sarah Brannon
American Civil Liberties Union
Managing Attorney, Voting Rights Project
Brannon’s expertise centers on enforcement of the National Voter Registration Act. She was part of the team that took on the Trump administration’s effort to add a citizenship question to the decen-nial census.
Education: St. Mary’s College of Maryland; University of Maryland Carey School of Law.
Marc Elias
Elias Law Group
Founding Partner
Democracy Docket
Founder
While the flamboyant attorney parted ways with President Biden’s legal team over differing 2024 strategies, Elias still represents Democratic senators and is expected to feature heavily in any recount lawsuits that arise during this election year.
Hometown: Suffern, New York. Education: Hamilton College (BA); Duke (MA, JD). Best career advice he ever received: “Work on a case that goes to trial as soon as you can. It makes the rest of the legal profession make so much more sense.”
María Teresa Kumar
Voto Latino
President and CEO
Since joining Voto Latino in 2004 to mobilize Hispanic voters, Kumar has honed her commitment to engaging younger Latinos in two crucial presidential battlegrounds: Arizona and Nevada.
Hometown: Sonoma, California. What she’d tell her 18-year-old self: “Be patient—everything is a learning moment, including learning what you don’t want to do.” Historical figure she most identifies with: “My great-great-grandmother, Petrona Tehran, whose family helped build Cartagena, Colombia. She was a descendant of slaves who spoke little Spanish but was always there to advance her daughters’ learning.”
Leonard Leo
CRC Advisors
Chairman
The Federalist Society’s former executive vice president and current co-chair of the board of directors is a giant in conservative legal circles, both heralded and vilified—depending on one’s political slant—as the man who transformed the modern judiciary by ushering Donald Trump’s nominees to the Supreme Court bench.
Education: Cornell University; Cornell Law School. Best career advice he ever received: “If you are called to do a job, do it and don’t care about who gets the credit.” Song currently on repeat: “I don’t have earbuds.”
Cleta Mitchell
Conservative Partnership Institute
Senior Legal Fellow
A former Trump election adviser, Mitchell played a central role in attempting to stop the certification of the 2020 election results in Georgia, and she remains influential in a movement that foments doubts about American elections.
Hometown: Oklahoma City. What she’d tell her 18-year-old self: “Don’t marry any man until he’s at least 29 or 30. Men are not fully grown up until then.” Last meal would be: Steak and twice-baked potato.
Jonathan Rauch
Brookings Institution
Senior Fellow, Governance Studies
The author, whose expertise is in government and society, has traveled the US declaring that everyone has a role in promoting truth, pushing back against misinformation, and supporting democratic institutions.
First job: Education reporter for the Winston-Salem Journal. Best career advice he ever received: “Don’t go to law school unless you want to be a lawyer.” What he’d tell his 18-year-old self: “There’s nothing wrong with being gay.”
Jason Snead
Honest Elections Project
Executive Director
As head of a conservative group advocating for more restrictive voting laws and backing the controversial independent-state-legislature theory, Snead is expected to feature prominently in voting flare-ups in 2024.
Education: Bowling Green State University; George Mason (master’s in public policy).
Virginia Kase Solomón
Common Cause
President and CEO
Solomón, who came to Common Cause in February, has backed the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, a stalled effort to modernize the 1965 Voting Rights Act meant to combat voter suppression.
First job: Blockbuster Video. Worst career advice she ever received: “To be more realistic about my goals because I was a teenage mom and I should be happy just to have a steady income.” Song currently on repeat: “Dance the Night” by Dua Lipa.
Laura Williamson
Southern Poverty Law Center
Senior Policy Advisor, Democracy and Voting Rights
Williamson has been an unwavering advocate for passage of a mod-ernized Voting Rights Act, applying pressure to lawmakers and showing a willingness to push the Biden administration to do more to make registering to vote easier.
Hometown: Hillsborough, North Carolina. Last meal would be: “Excellent pizza and a good beer.” Most cherished possession: “My oldest philodendron, a gift from family that has been with me for 15 years, through four interstate moves and in eight homes.”
Abramowitz, Michael
Adams, Alexandra
Adams, Gina
Adams, Jane
Adams, Tim
Aguirre, Sergio
Ahmed, Usman
Alben, Elissa
Alemayehou, Mimi
Alperovitch, Dmitri
Amunson, Jessica Ring
Anderson, Amanda
Anderson, Bryan
Anderson, Jessica
Andrews, Bruce
Andryszak, Amy
Ash, Nazanin
Asirwatham, Ronnate
Austin, Nicole C.
Austin Jr., Roy L.
Avery, Kevin
Ayer, Donald
Ayoub, Abed
Badanes, Ginny
Badu-Nimako, Yvette
Baer, Greg
Bahn, Kate
Bailey, John
Bailey, Nikitra
Bakaj, Andrew P.
Baker, Dean
Baker, Meredith Attwell
Balcer, Anne
Ballentine, James
Banks, Lisa
Baptist, Erik
Barnard, Robyn
Barnhill, Andrew
Bassin, Ian
Batie, Rontel
Beckerman, Michael
Begich, Mark
Belcher, Emma
Ben-Ami, Jeremy
Benjamin, Georges C.
Ben-Yehuda, Jenna
Beovides, Mario
Berry, Tim
Bertelsen, Greg
Bhowmik, Ruchi
Bledsoe, Paul
Bloom, Seth
Bloomfield, Shirley
Bode, Denise
Bohigian, Catherine
Bolen, Ed
Bolten, Joshua
Booker, Brent
Boos, Scott
Bossert, Thomas P.
Bowman, Bradley
Boyd, April
Bradish, Kathleen
Bradley, Neil
Brandon, Adam
Brands, Hal
Brannon, Sarah
Branscome, John
Bredenkamp, Troy
Brian, Danielle
Brown, Dorothy
Brown, Kris
Brown, Reginald
Brown, Roxanne
Browner, Carol
Bryant, Dan
Brzytwa, Ed
Burgeson, Christine
Burgeson, Eric
Burke, Sheila P.
Busby Sr., Ron
Calvert, Kara
Cameron, Art
Campbell, Melanie L.
Camper, Naomi
Cannon, Michael
Cárdenas, Vanessa
Carney, Jay
Case, Steve
Cashin, Sheryll D.
Cass, Oren
Cassity, Anne
Chadda, Nitin
Chatterjee, Neil
Chen, Kelvin
Chenoweth, Mark
Childress, Kate
Childress, Marcus
Chopus, Wayne
Ciccone, Stephen
Claman, Kimberley
Clark, Liz
Clark, Suzanne
Cobb, Ty
Coffey, Danielle
Cohen, Eliot A.
Colby, Elbridge
Cole, David
Collins, Gentry
Comstock, Barbara
Conti, Judy
Cope, Maryam
Corbett, Maura Colleton
Corcoran, Sarah
Cordero, Carrie
Corwin, Manal
Costello, Ryan
Cowen, Tyler
Crowell, Michaeleen
Daley, Jad
D’Amato, Annie
Daniel, Michael
Dannenfelser, Marjorie
Dans, Paul
Davis, Antigone
Davis, Ashley
Davis Jr., Chester (Chip)
Davis, Mike
De, Rajesh
deLaski, Kathleen
De Peña, Kristie
de Wit, Kathryn
Diamond, Dan
Dilg, Lane
Doniger, David
Dow, De’Ana
Downey, Teddy
Drutman, Lee
Dunn, Karen
Duss, Matt
Duvall, Zippy
Eden, Max
Eibner, Christine
Eisen, Norman
Eisenberg, Ross
Eke, Patricia Ephraim
Elam, Nicole
Elias, Marc
El-Sadany, Mai
Elshami, Nadeam
Erdemir, Aykan
Espinel, Victoria
Eversole, Amanda
Fariello, Theresa
Farkas, Evelyn
Farrah, Jeff
Feingold, Cathy
Flournoy, Michèle
Forte, Denise
Francis, Garrick
Freeman, Geoff
Friedman, Lisa
Fromer, Kevin
Fryer, Lindsay
Fussell, Nasim
Gaugh, David
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Del. William Valentine, R-Frederick/Washington, was the last of six Washington County state legislators to speak at a forum Wednesday hosted at Hagerstown Community College by the area’s chamber of commerce, but he summed up the recently concluded 90-day session deftly.
His list of three concluding items turned into four while thanking the staff (including an intern), which does a lot of the behind-the-scenes work for members of the Maryland General Assembly.
Regarding Washington County, the second-year delegate referenced legislation that passed named after slain county Circuit Court Judge Andrew Wilkinson, designed to shield judges’ personal information; he relayed fellow legislator’s compliments regarding the community’s Day in Annapolis, held at the state’s capital in January; and repeated a sentiment shared by several delegation members.
REVIEW: Transportation top issue
as Washington County comes to capital for ‘Day in Annapolis’
“Working with this delegation is second to none,” Valentine told the early morning crowd of several dozen people packed into two rooms in the college’s career programs building.
“It made me feel really good that you guys are working together,” said Hagerstown resident Mary Ann Keyser, during a concluding question-and-answer period. “For Washington County, we need to see more of that,” she said.
Regional water study bill falls short. Study receives some funding.
The chair of the Washington County delegation to the General Assembly, Del. William Wivell, R-Washington/Frederick, referenced successes like the legislation paying homage to Wilkinson and a new law with residency requirements for Washington County Board of Education members. He also acknowledged instances where the delegation fell short with proposals this year.
More: After attack on Maryland judge, bill brought to protect judiciary members, their families
“The one that we were not successful in establishing was the regional study on water and wastewater in the county,” said Wivell, alluding to an issue he brought up during the pre-legislative session forum held in the same room about six months earlier. “Hopefully, we can work together to get a similar bill to that in a future legislative session.”
Sen. Paul Corderman, R-Washington/Frederick, also brought up the water and wastewater issue, one where a Hagerstown/Washington County disagreement caused a bill that would have studied the area’s needs to be withdrawn during the latter part of the legislative session.
More: Key for Washington County community growth, state water bill turned off for this year
“We encourage the city and county and other municipalities to work together to hopefully be able to come to the table and come up with a study that’s hopefully amenable to all,” he said, while also noting an approved $250,000 operating grant to Hagerstown for a future study.
Increase in vehicle registration fees discussed. Education funding, too.
Critical to the budget at the state level are two topics — transportation and education — that delegation members discussed with the Chamber crowd.
Corderman alerted those on hand that fees for vehicle registrations, including for electric vehicles, are going to be going up. (In 2023, the Legislature backed a multi-year commission to study transportation funding to pay for roads and other projects as revenue from the gas tax declines as cars become more fuel-efficient and more electric vehicles are on the roads.)
He said the current typical vehicle registration fee is between $135 and $187, every two years.
“That is going to be about double here in about two or three years,” said Corderman, while also noting a surcharge of several hundred dollars on registrations for electric vehicles.
More: With days left in session, Maryland Senate and House leaders agree to budget deal.
According to reporting last month from Maryland Matters, cars weighing under 3,500 pounds will pay $92 more for the two-year registration, and cars over 5,000 pounds will pay an additional $151 every two years. (A Ford F150 pickup, for example, weighs about 5,000 pounds.)
A spokesperson for the Maryland Department of Transportation’s Motor Vehicle Administration responded to an inquiry regarding fees with a link to the legislation that includes the proposed schedule for specific vehicle weights and fees.
Del. Brooke Grossman, D-Washington, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee and the delegation’s sole Democrat, discussed a different aspect of the state’s budget: education.
“That budget that we passed this year funded the Blueprint for Maryland’s (Future) through 2027,” she said. “That included an additional $457 million to local government to help support and offset the cost.”
She also noted money in the budget for the state’s Child Care Scholarship program.
Bipartisan local initiative that became law lauded
Corderman and Grossman, who both represent Hagerstown while members of different political parties, also discussed working together on legislation to allow students at the Barbara Ingram School for the Arts to play on their local sports teams — a historic practice that had been discontinued around last year because of a law.
“We were told that bill was dead a variety of times, but we were able to work together and get that over (into law),” Corderman said. “The kids over at Barbara Ingram, if they choose to play athletics, can play back in their home communities.”
“That deserves applause,” an audience member said.
More: Funds shifted by MD for roads that received federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law cash
“You don’t get things done at the extremes. You get things done in the center,” Keyser explained in an interview after the forum. “That was a very positive, for the most part, presentation. They complemented one another, they worked together on bills. We need more of that, at all levels of government.”
Dwight A. Weingarten is an investigative reporter, covering the Maryland State House and state issues. He can be reached at dweingarten@gannett.com or on Twitter at @DwightWeingart2.
State gas prices rose last week and reached an average of $4.55 per gallon of regular fuel on Monday, up from last week’s price of $4.54 per gallon, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
The average fuel price in state has risen about 14 cents since last month. According to the EIA, gas prices across the state in the last year have been as low as $3.70 on Jan. 2, 2023, and as high as $4.99 on Oct. 2, 2023.
A year ago, the average gas price in Washington was 1% lower at $4.49 per gallon.
>> INTERACTIVE: See how your area’s gas prices have changed over the years at datacentral.kitsapsun.com.
The average gas price in the United States last week was $3.65, making prices in the state about 24.4% higher than the nation’s average. The average national gas price is down from last week’s average of $3.67 per gallon.
The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Please leave any feedback or corrections for this story here. This story was written by Ozge Terzioglu.
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