WASHINGTON (AP) — There will nonetheless be loads of laughs, however the White House Correspondents’ Association annual dinner on Saturday may also tackle the intense and solemn position of journalism in a democracy.
This yr’s dinner happens as Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has been imprisoned in Russia. He was detained in March and charged with spying, regardless of sturdy denials from his employer and the U.S. authorities. His household is among the many 2,600 individuals attending the gala on the Washington Hilton.
Also attending is Debra Tice, the mom of Austin Tice, who has not been heard from since disappearing at a checkpoint in Syria in 2012. U.S. officers say they function underneath the belief that he’s alive and are working to attempt to carry him dwelling.
“They are among hundreds of journalists around the world who are wrongfully detained for the simple act of doing journalism — which is not a crime,” stated Tamara Keith, a White House correspondent for NPR and the affiliation’s president.
Brittney Griner, the WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist who was detained in Russia for almost 10 months final yr earlier than her launch in a prisoner swap, met with President Joe Biden as he arrived for the dinner. Griner is attending together with her spouse, Cherelle, as visitors of CBS News.
Actor and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is anticipated to open the dinner with a pre-taped video concerning the significance of a free and impartial press.
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are seated on the stage together with comic Roy Wood Jr., a correspondent for “The Daily Show,” because the featured entertainer.
Wood gave a preview of the place his jokes had been headed, predicting that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wasn’t prone to finish his tradition clashes or cease his feud with Disney simply due to a couple of jibes. The comic instructed CNN to not anticipate DeSantis to say,
“‘You know what, man, you’re right. Go ahead and put black history back in them books.’ … He’s fighting Mickey Mouse. You can’t change that person’s mind with a joke.”
The black-tie dinner attracts a wide selection of celebrities and media moguls to Washington, with events being held throughout the capital. Among these anticipated to attend the dinner are actuality TV star Lisa Vanderpump and singer John Legend and his spouse, Chrissy Teigen, the mannequin and tv character.
The Washington occasion returned final yr after being sidelined by the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Biden was the primary president in six years to simply accept the invitation after Donald Trump shunned the occasion whereas in workplace.
The president took the chance final yr to take purpose at his many critics, together with Republicans and the chief of their social gathering: Trump. This yr, Biden is coming not solely because the commander in chief however as a presidential contender.
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