chuck todd Moderator, NBC’s “Meet the Press” He’s the 12th moderator of “Meet the Press,” replacing David Gregory – the heir to beloved host Tim Russert – who was unceremoniously ousted in 2014 after years of tanking ratings. Todd’s ratings haven’t been stellar either, but his understanding of the players and the political process are highly respected, and some say unparalleled. He remains NBC’s political director, and because of his knowledge, garners respect when questioning politicos on both sides of the aisle. In April, amid controversy that the Clinton Foundation had taken donations from foreign governments during Hillary’s tenure as Secretary of State, Todd called the situation “politically…just dumb and inept.”
Richard Trumka President, AFL-CIO The longtime leader of the 12.5 million-strong union isn’t afraid to take a stand against President
Obama. “Both parties side with the wealthy over working people,” Trumka said recently. “Both parties are too close to big corporations. Neither party cares deeply enough about creating jobs. Neither party cares enough about raising wages or protecting Social Security or Medicare.” With one of the biggest trade deals in history being worked on by top lawmakers in the House and Senate, Trumka is making sure the president hears how this will effect his constituents. In April, he explained how these sorts of “fasttracked trade deals [have] devastated our communities through lost jobs and eroded public services.” Environmentalists and some Democrats are echoing his desire to “fight and…ultimately prevail.”
Helgi Walker Partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP Last year Walker scored a major coup for Verizon by winning the “net neutrality” appeal, allowing it to raise rates for companies that use more bandwidth. This year she celebrated a Sixth Circuit win for Ford Motor Co. that ruled it did not violate the Americans with Disabilities Act. She is a partner in Washington’s Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher firm where she is a member of its appellate and constitutional law group. Prior to joining the firm in 2013, she was an associate counsel to President George W. Bush and was a clerk for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
Chris Wallace & Bret Baier Host, “Fox News Sunday” ; Host, “Special Report with Bret Baier” Wallace, a three-time Emmy Award winner, is the host of “Fox News Sunday” and the only person ever to have served as host/moderator of more than one Sunday political talk show. He was previously moderator of “Meet the Press” and celebrated 50 years in the broadcasting industry in 2014, having started his career as an assistant to Walter Cronkite at the 1964 Republican Convention. With over three million viewers, Fox News is the number one cable network and “Fox News Sunday” is Washington’s number one Sunday program in cable news’s 25-54 demographic. Senior political anchor Bret Baier hosts “Special Report with Bret Baier,” another of the network’s successful shows, and remains a strong yet measured voice who will lead the network’s 2016 election coverage.
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Randi Weingarten President, American Federation of Teachers As head of an organization with 1.6 million members, Weingarten is committed to improving schools and making things better for students, educators, nurses, health care workers and public employees in solidarity with workers across America. A former United Federation of Teachers president, arbitration attorney and Brooklyn, N.Y. school teacher, she recently joined the conversation about sexual assault on college campuses by writing a first-person account of her own experiences for the culture website Jezebel. The outspoken union leader also recently spoke out about Pearson’s standardized testing methods, calling for more transparency and the full release of test questions.
Jake Tapper
Candida Wolff Executive Vice President & Head of Global Government Affairs, Citigroup Wolff served as President George W. Bush’s top lobbyist on Capitol Hill during her three years in his administration, so it’s no surprise that she landed the top lobbying job at Citigroup after leaving the White House. In her current position, American Banker applauded Wolff for her “deep Rolodex of government contacts” and praised her ability to “put out political fires that flare up and threaten to harm Citigroup’s interests.” Wolff has prodded members of Congress on such issues as cyber security, mobile payments regulation and corporate tax reform, while dutifully representing the banking and financial services corporation in the post too-big-to-fail era.
Chuck Todd
Richard Trumpka
Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl Roman Catholic Archibishop of Washington It’s going to be a year Cardinal Wuerl will never forget. In September, he was elevated to the College of Cardinals in 2010 and in September will be welcoming Pope Francis to Washington for a meeting with the president and the first lady and an historic address before a joint session of Congress. Having a popular pope who may be able to get lapsed Catholics to return to the fold is a great opportunity that Wuerl is not likely to miss. On Easter Sunday this year, the cardinal said that one of the reason’s the pope is so appealing is the “way he lives, treats people, responds to people, to many people…he sounds…a lot like what Jesus would have sounded like.”
Helgi Walker
Cardinal Donald Wuerl
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