New horror stories of newsroom sexual misconduct are expected to be dished later this month when media big shots head to the Newseum for a second #MeToo summit. The first summit took place a year ago and “focused on newsroom culture that protects the powerful, lacks diversity and discourages open conversation about the factors that play a major role in sexual misconduct,” said Power Shift Project organizers. The next summit on Jan. 15 will see if those problems have been fixed and if new scandals exist. Among those heading to Washington include Politico editor Carrie Budoff Brown, New Yorker writer Jane Mayer, Vox Editor Lauren Williams, Loren Mayor, president of operations at NPR, and Carolyn Ryan, assistant editor of the New York Times.
- Newly retired former House Speaker Paul Ryan’s staff are on the move, with several putting out notes in their last days. Top aide Brendan Buck said he’s “taking a little time” before settling into a new post. Press Secretary AshLee Strong plans to “ski my way across my beloved home state of Montana.” And Jeffrey Dressler, Ryan’s national security aide, has joined Softbank in Washington.
- The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is hiring up as it readies for the 2020 election cycle. Incoming chairwoman, Rep. Cheri Bustos of Illinois, already talked about as a future House speaker, has 10 positions open, several in the outreach and communications office.
- New Arizona Republican Sen. Martha McSally isn’t just joining the most exclusive legislative body in the world, but she also is a member of a very tiny group: those who lost an election and then were appointed to the Senate. She is the ninth-ever to be appointed to the Senate after losing. She lost to new Arizona Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema. McSally replaces Republican Sen. Jon Kyl who took the late Sen. John McCain’s seat. The 55-days between her defeat and seating in the Senate is the shortest ever, according to Eric J. Ostermeier, who runs the “Smart Politics” blog at the University of Minnesota.
