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CNN Live Event/Special
White House Correspondents' Dinner. Aired 9-10p ET
Aired April 27, 2024 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[21:01:47]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NARRATOR: They're the journalists who ask the tough questions.
But tonight, the tables turn --
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Are you ready?
NARRATOR: -- when the president of the United States roasts reporters.
BIDEN: Well, I believe in the First Amendment, not just because my good friend Jimmy Madison wrote it.
NARRATOR: President Biden set to poke fun at himself, the media, and of course, his challenger for a second term.
BIDEN: We had a horrible plague, followed by two years of COVID.
NARRATOR: Also tonight, jokes from "Saturday Night Live" star Colin Jost.
COLIN JOST, COMEDIAN: New York has finally cracking down on crime.
Sleepy Joe finally woke the hell up.
NARRATOR: Tonight, a celebration of the First Amendment and honoring those on the frontlines of journalism.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: A ferocious battle here.
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The scale of the destruction.
NARRATOR: Welcome to CNN special live coverage of the White House Correspondents Dinner live from the nation's capital.
Now, your hosts, John Berman and Sara Sidner.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SARA SIDNER, CNN HOST: Good evening. We are getting close to the roast from the nation's capital, where just moments from now, President Biden, and SNL comedian Colin Jost will roast the media and probably each other.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.
SIDNER: And Washington as a whole.
BERMAN: Yeah. Yeah, everyone, everyone, they could get their hands on. We're going to bring it all to you live, all the speeches, all the jokes, all the glamour, and obviously this is an election year. So it all has a deeper meaning in probably a few targets beyond just the obvious.
We are here I have to say and I've anchored a few of these, a few of these White House --
SIDNER: How many, John?
BERMAN: I can't remember. I think this is like seven or eight.
SIDNER: Was it Calvin Coolidge that you started with?
BERMAN: I started with Calvin Coolidge, who had a fantastic roast. That's why they call him silent cow.
I have to say, this is the best panel, the best group of people that I've ever had in studio with us. And I mean that, I'm actually -- that's 100 percent serious. You guys all brought your A game.
Scott Jennings, Van Jones, S.E. Cupp, Van Lathan, and Cari Champion. And, of course, Sara Sidner and John Berman here. We're thrilled to be here.
SIDNER: You have to work with me. So I'm just --
BERMAN: I know, we work together every day.
So, Scott Jennings, you've got some intel from inside the White House Correspondents' Dinner.
SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: This is a dinner full of reporters and Hollywood celebrities. So you might think that there are no registered Republicans in there, but there is one, Chris LaCivita, the campaign manager for Donald Trump, is in the room.
And I have an image -- he's handing out a card tonight and it says, on the front, anywhere, anytime, any place, President Trump, and then it has another, quote, I'm happy to debate him President Biden. And on the back of the card it says, let's set it up.
So the Trump campaign is in the room tonight. And show on a flag and they are really pushing hard on this idea that they want a debate with Joe Biden. You might remember the campaign has asked for the debates to be more numerous and to be earlier in the cycle, which I actually agree with because I think October debates are useless. I think they ought to do them as early as possible when people are still forming opinions about the campaign. S.E. CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: This is what I was saying
earlier. But like Trump is going to lean into, I'm ready. You're not. Let's go now.
I'm ready. Anywhere, anytime, any place because he knows Biden probably wants to wait to prepare. He's also presidenting right now. And there's a lot going on. And traditionally, as you said, the debates don't happen until September, October. He's going to wait.
But Trump is calling his bluff.
[21:05:01]
VAN LATHAN, PODCAST HOST: Well, what Biden did was put the whole school on notice.
So, now, everybody is going to be waiting at 3:00. They're all in pain. You know what I mean? They want to see it now.
So at this point, whether it's later or sooner, he has got to stand there and they exchange energy with President Trump, risky for him to do it. But I think he has to now.
SIDNER: Maybe risk for -- Van.
VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I don't think Biden should do it --
SIDNER: Why?
JONES: First of all -- well, first of all, Donald Trump has a policy of not debating Republicans.
So I think Biden should just say, you don't debate Republicans. Why should I debate Republicans?
Donald Trump didn't do any debates in his own party. He just let the kids fight. Biden got the country to run.
The last time they debated or second last time, Trump showed up full of COVID, almost killed Chris Christie, screaming me like an idiot. I don't think the country's any better off for that.
If I were Biden, maybe debate him one time and get it over with.
CUPP: But democracy -- Van, but democracy --
JONES: What's democratic about Donald Trump screaming like an idiot and getting everybody sick the last time?
LATHAN: When you think about the demographics that Biden is struggling with, when you think about young African American males or whatever they saying, we're going to cause the Democrats when you think about young Latino males, people that really respond to a certain type of machismo, you said you were going to do it.
JONES: Okay.
LATHAN: If you curve out now, Donald Trump is going to run on that and for the next --
CARI CHAMPION, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: No, I just don't think that helps him. I don't think there's any upside for Biden in debating and on top of that, will Trump abide by any rules?
JONES: Exactly.
CHAMPION: Will he listen to anything that has said, here are the rules set forth, please do them and if Biden goes down that line where he's trying to be presidential and abide by rules and have decorum. And then you're trying to -- look, my mom, I said a long time ago, you cant argue with some people because it doesn't make any sense. You can't tell who's crazy or not. So, there's no -- to me, there was no upside at all there.
BERMAN: Let me say two things. One, you brought up the debates in 2020, people forget that these two people have debated before a couple of times. It's not like Donald Trump crushed Joe Biden those at all, a lot of people thought --
JENNINGS: The third debate --
JONES: The third debate.
CUPP: There were only two.
JENNINGS: There were two. They were supposed to be three.
BERMAN: One got canceled.
(CROSSTALK)
CUPP: Yeah.
JENNINGS: Biden really, you know what the bad -- Trump in the first one, and then in the third one, Trump came ready. I'm going to take the counter on your idea because I think the people who are most likely to watch it are high propensity voters.
BERMAN: Yeah.
JENNINGS: These are Joe Biden's voters, the people most likely to watch these debates are the high propensities. They're now -- that's who he is supposed to be appealing to.
If I were him, I think I would do it and do it early because he going to look any better six months from now. I would do it early and try to lock that group down, because if he could keep a 5-6 point lead among the most likely voters in hour -- it puts a lot of pressure on Trump to turn out those low or no propensity voters. It's hard to do.
BERMAN: One more thing I'll say and it was your old boss, George W. Bush, who used to say this to me. I was on that campaign. I was chasing him around for 18 months. He would always say how much he loved, how low the expectations were for him.
CUPP: Yeah.
BERMAN: The fact everyone would make fun of George W. Bush and say, oh, that he can't handle this and he's not as smart as Al Gore. And he's like, every time they say that, it's great. Every time they say Al Gore is going to crush me in the debates, it's great.
If I walk out on that stage and I'm not drooling and he says this, he says, I'm going -- this is George W. Bush.
JONES: I'll beat the expectations.
BERMAN: Yeah, I'll beat the expectation. So what's -- there is a little bit of that now.
CUPP: Well, yeah. And let me just make one more play for why this is important for democracy. Joe Biden gets knock for not giving enough interviews to the press. It's true. Donald Trump only gives interviews to friends.
This is an opportunity for moderators, journalists to ask really important questions that neither of these two people seem to want to answer very often. So it's important.
BERMAN: All right, we're going to take a quick break. We are about to see President Biden speak, Colin Jost speak. Right now, the only one hearing President Biden is Kelly O'Donnell, who's head of the White House Correspondents Association.
You can see them chatting up on the stand, the dias right now. Shortly American gets to hear all of them.
SIDNER: Next --
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[21:13:02]
SIDNER: Yeah, that's us again. We're back. The White House Correspondents' Dinner special coverage.
Our next guest house has some experience in taking the podium and roasting the president while in the same room, not awkward at all, or even sitting right next to him.
(BEGIN VDIEO CLIP)
DARRELL HAMMOND, ACTOR & COMEDIAN: This is a great building. This room reminds me of the grand ballroom from Titanic, which is very comforting because I know if this place start sinking, you folks are getting the good seas. It gives you the distinct get impression that over the last eight years, laughter and rage have become indistinguishable.
I just used it a bad word, didn't I? I'm sorry. But, you know, New York, there's 9 million of us on a 12 square mile island. We use the F-word as a comma.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER: SNL alumni and comedian Darrell Hammond is joining us now.
He has stood in Colin Yost shoes in 2001.
Thank you so much for being here.
I have to ask you, did you worry that maybe your life was in danger as you made some of those jokes while the president is sitting there glaring at you?
HAMMOND: I think you know, by the time you've finished your dinner, you've become vaguely aware that you're in a room with people who are the most powerful people in the world and really the planet Earth is run by the people in this room, and that's hard to grasp. And then you realize, wait, this is maybe the first audience I played where everybody knows each other and has relationships with each other, you know, and may not want to be seen on camera laughing about a particularly sensitive issue, you know?
BERMAN: That is a great take there.
So, so right now, you can see President Biden walking behind the dias talking to people their. Colin Jost had to sit up there for an hour and pretend to eat while he knows he's got to do this set soon.
What's it like in those moments? What's it like in this pre-game? What's going through your head right now?
HAMMOND: I think every time you walk in that place, I've only -- I mean, I only did it three times. Three -- what, three of those dinners in it. It's surreal. There isn't a way to describe it. I mean, that the fact that there's no one from any walk of life that's not there. You know.
And all the journalists are there as well. And then I told the joke about I didn't tell a joke. I was trying to get into a joke about women in -- the point is, women would be great officers, that's all -- and I stumbled through it and suddenly the room just went so flat on me. It took a while to dig out of that whole. I mean, these guys are there movers and shakers and sometimes they're not -- they're not happy when they get poked a little bit.
BERMAN: Are you -- are you going through your set as you're eating your dinner at that last moment may be doing some editing or adding or, you know, thinking about it?
HAMMOND: You've been going off your set -- going over your set since you got off the train that morning, you never really stop thinking about your set. You're having dinner, you're making phone calls, you know, you're having trying to maintain relationships back in New York, but you don't stop thinking about those words.
It's only 15-minute set, right? SIDNER: I hate to put you to work.
HAMMOND: So, if you do step -- yeah, if you step into a gopher hole, you may not -- you may not like when I did, I never really recovered because it's only 15 minutes set. So, I was four or five minutes in, got in trouble and struggle the rest of the time. That was my second appearance.
SIDNER: But they keep inviting you back. So, I mean, obviously, you're not doing that bad of a job. I do want to ask you if there's anything you would not touch if you think that there is a third rail that you would not touch as a community with all of the things that are going on in this country, and the world. They touch on everything usually.
HAMMOND: My feeling is the closer you get to the line of distasteful, the funny are you really are. And you've got it, you've got to take a chance once in awhile. You don't want to impugn someone's character. You don't want to talk about their toupee. You don't want to unless, for some reason it was in the news recently.
You'd like to keep it on the level of a locker room, towel snap. Like they used to joke about Bob -- Bob Hope's got -- would joke about Reagan's golf swing that. That -- but Colin is from Saturday Night Live and they dig a little deeper. He's had a lot of experience around these people and poking fun of these people and maintaining relationships with these people.
And they really has a great instinct of just how far you can go, you know? And if he steps over the line, he'll tap dance for half a second and he'll be right back on.
SIDNER: Those tend to get the biggest laughs, let's be honest, if you look out in the crowd when someone steps at those get the biggest laugh. So you are right.
Darrell Hammond, thank you so much for joining us. That was wonderful. And maybe they'll ask you back next year, or not.
BERMAN: Darrell is dealing -- he was dealing with some strep throat, too, Darrell Hammond was. Good sport coming on tonight and talking to us fight and through to talk to the American people, we really appreciate it, Darrell.
And as we wait on the president's remarks, we are keeping an eye outside of the event as well. There have been some protests gathering.
Stay with CNN. This is our special live coverage.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[21:22:14]
SIDNER: All right. These are live pictures outside the White House Correspondents' Dinner that we are giving special coverage to. These are pro-Palestinian protesters. We know that the motorcade, when they were coming up drove past these
protesters as well. You could turn out to be a topic tonight, potentially.
BERMAN: Absolutely. Look, this is what's going on in different places all across the country right now. Certainly, the president is aware of that. And Colin Jost is aware of that. Every one of the room is aware of that.
I will also say, since this is a celebration of press freedom around the world, I'm sure it's also a celebration at a time to honor the journalists who are putting their lives on the line to cover all the events of the world, and then that means conflicts, and that means what's happening in the Middle East right now, to be sure.
Now, you're looking at live pictures from inside the venue. We are told the program itself will kick off very shortly. They're going to be some videos. They're almost always are that are funny-ish.
SIDNER: Yeah.
BERMAN: They're on the funny spectrum.
SIDNER: Yes.
BERMAN: At some point and then some of them are very, very funny. We'll wait and see this year then we will, of course hear from Colin Jost, we will hear from President Biden as well, and we are here with our all-star panel, the best White House Correspondents' Dinner panel in my mind, there has ever been -- and I was thinking there should be some last second predictions. We're just a few minutes away from one that's all starts out.
So just make some predictions.
S.E. Cupp, you start and what we're going to say.
SIDNER: Wow.
CUPP: Well, I predict Colin Yost is going to be one of the best hosts ever. He's got the right combination. First, it's important he knows people in this room. When you're kind of a stranger to these people, it's real hard to like build the trust you need to make really, really cutting joke.
He's funny, he's smart, he does this for a living. I think he's going to be great.
SIDNER: Van Lathan, you are staring down the pipe. You are staring at every detail. What's your take?
LATHAN: I think this is the beginning of Joe Biden's thunderbolt roast era. And you guys don't follow this --
BERMAN: Thunderbolt roast (ph).
(CROSSTALK)
LATHAN: Here we go, here we go. But venerable leader, the energy that taken control of veins is going to start tonight.
SIDNER: So, it's a compliment.
LATHAN: Thunderbolt roast, Thunderbolt roast, little anti-Biden, anti- hero Biden begins tonight.
CHAMPION: I think a lot of people -- I talked to some people on yesterday and so people have worked obviously, which with the core and they have said that this is probably, this could be a certain way to look at an outgoing administration and a new administration coming in, if in fact Trump were to win. And they said they're looking for what it could feel like tonight. And remember it as it was.
And as an end, perhaps see what will happen next.
So I think Trump -- excuse me. I think Biden will not necessarily be who you think he'll be.
LATHAN: You said it's going to be a eulogy.
CHAMPION: I think that I -- I'm not saying is going to be a eulogy. Come on. Whose (ph) life is yours, whose life is yours.
[21:25:05]
But I think it will be a little more tame than we think.
SIDNER: Van, like you're saying that you're going to see Dark Brandon. That's what I'm getting -- that's what I'm taking out.
BERMAN: The cheering from over here, at the Marvel comics reference.
CUPP: Talk about a nerd prom.
JONES: I echo my fellow, we have we have 10 percent of all the Black --
CHAMPION: My fellow Van.
JONES: Ten percent of all the Black Vans on --
(LAUGHTER)
JONES: But look, I think I think that he's going to -- always has to show, and you were saying earlier, people expectations are low for Joe Biden. So he's going to going to show that energy. I think he's going to be very, very funny.
But Colin -- we'll be talking about Colin Jost tomorrow morning. He's going to kill this tonight.
CUPP: Yeah. JENNINGS: I want to hear him issue and unequivocal demand for the
release of Evan Gershkovich. I want to hear -- I want to hear him issue an unequivocal demand to Hamas to release the hostages, right now, no questions asked.
And when he gives his platitudes about the First Amendment, I want to hear him say, and I'm going to back it up by giving you all in this room more access to the president of the United States during this presidential campaign that I have for the last three-and-a-half years.
If he did those three things to me, it'd be a good night for the people in this industry.
SIDNER: Last year, he did bring up Evan and he brought up Austin Tice as well, who is still missing in Syria and being held captive. So we will wait to see what happens.
But I know a lot of people are there to see Colin Jost and see what he does, and also perhaps his wife, I'm just saying.
(CROSSTALK)
BERMAN: I could tell you that I was invited to this to the White House Correspondents' Dinner, but I was invited to a party last night and for a significant amount of time, I was very near both Colin Jost and Scarlett Johansson. That's the whole story. I stood -- I stood near them.
CHAMPION: John, were you at party? Was okay until you guys were elbows, did you talk to her to her?
BERMAN: There was no talking. We didn't communicate verbally.
CHAMPION: But mentally, you guys have --
BERMAN: I don't know what she felt, but I was there -- I was there --
(CROSSTALK)
SIDNER: Three sixty, baby, 360.
BERMAN: That's a back reference to the last hour of CNN special live coverage of the White House Correspondents' Dinner, and a style dress of that includes some bone structure like that, just that people know what were talking about here.
But I -- so Colin Jost and Scarlett Johansson were at this party. They're communicating. And as you said, they both knew a lot of people in the room.
CUPP: Yes. And additionally, I was at the same party. Colin Jost was -- also had his brother there and his father there. It's a family affair. They're all in town, I think because this is a big night for a comedian. It's a big night for anyone.
I'm excited for him. SIDNER: I think he's already won all the awards from his SNL work, but
also --
CUPP: And Scarlet Johansson.
SIDNER: And his wife.
BERMAN: It's Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, right there working the room.
SIDNER: Working the room.
BERMAN: Working the room right there, talking whoever she can.
SIDNER: In just a bit, we're going to see the videos that are cute.
BERMAN: Yep. They might not be laughed out loud, funny, but they border on. We always hold out hope. Now, we do know Kayla Tausche was reporting that president Biden has been working on this speech with Jeffrey Katzenberg.
Is that what she reported that Jeffrey Katzenberg --
CUPP: Wow.
BERMAN: I know. Speechwriter of Hollywood.
Yeah, it's producing help there.
JONES: This whole thing, like in-between is always weird because your people there --
SIDNER: You mean awkward?
JONES: Awkward, awkward.com.
SIDNER: To be fair.
JONES: Because your knees a little tables, you can't really move, if you get sat next to as you often are someone you hate --
CHAMPION: What do you mean by that?
(CROSSTALK)
SIDNER: Van, one of the nice things is bumping to people like John Legend, name dropping. That's what happened to me. I literally bumped into him.
He probably thought I was a staffer, but I wasn't, sort of nice. Oh, I think we're starting to videos. Let's listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Gathered to toast free speech of the White House Correspondents Dinner. ABBY PHILLIP, CNN HOST: We have awards, scholarships, and laughs
coming your way.
CRAIGH MELVIN, NBC HOST: It's Saturday night and Colin Jost is not in New York.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, NBC HOST: Get ready to laugh, everyone. The show is about to start.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This star-studded celebration of the First Amendment.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A room full of the most prestigious names in Washington.
GAYLE KING, CBS NEWS: All in our places, bright, shiny faces, people find your seats.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: You're in situation ballroom.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN HOST: We're starting on time tonight.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please shut up.
NORAH O'DONNELL, CBS ANCHOR: Don't make me get the 60 minutes stopwatch.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're going to bring it down.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To find your seats and enjoy the show.
JONATHAN KARL, ABC NEWS: What is going on it? This dinner is about get started.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're not being paid by the work.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You've been told to take your seats.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you failed miserably.
[21:30:01]
KING: Just be quiet.
MELVIN: Quiet.
BLITZER: Shhh.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we keep it down, everyone.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Be quiet.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Silence, everybody.
DANA BASH, CNN HOST: Is there a volume button somewhere in here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, shut the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) up.
KARL: Quiet.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Silence, everybody.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Zip it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Zip it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do I have to come down there?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, shut up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The White House Correspondents' Dinner.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The White House Correspondents' dinner.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The White House Correspondents' Dinner.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The White House Correspondents' Dinner.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Begins in --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ten.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nine.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eight.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seven.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Six.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Five.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Four.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Three.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let's go!
(ENND VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: Live for Washington, D.C, is the White House Correspondents Dinner with special appearances by Eugene Daniels, Lester Holt, Steve Kornacki, Scott McFarlane, Karen Travers, Kristen Welker, the Impressionist, that Friend, the President of the United States and, tonight's headliner, Colin Jost.
Now, here's your White House Correspondents Association president, Kelly O'Donnell. KELLY O'DONNELL, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS' ASSOCIATION: Now, we've got your attention. That was a lot of fun and you see how lucky I am to have so many friends with big personalities who were willing to be a little silly to help us kick things off tonight. Thank you to all of them who said yes when I called all the networks. Thank you, friends, for turning up for that.
Mr. President, Vice President Harris, Dr. Biden, and Mr. Emhoff, we welcome you as we celebrate freedoms that are both enduring and repeatedly tested. Your presence here speaks clearly and loudly about the essential connection between a free press, freedom of speech, and the democracy we value.
(APPLAUSE)
Tonight, we will honor excellence. We will look to the future with support for our student scholars, but we know that, eyes are wide open here, we come together for this grand evening in tumultuous times, with crises and conflicts all around us. There's no mistaking that.
We also know that life has many dimensions, including time to celebrate and time to laugh. So many of you have reached out to me to say how excited you are to see Colin Jost as our entertainer.
Let me be honest with you, when your dream choice to headline this event and this crowd says, yes, that is a good day. That is a good day.
Thank you, Colin, for being here.
And I know Colin cares about history and things about history like so many of us in the White House Correspondents' Association and I don't mean dusty books in the library. I learned a lot about Washington from me hearing laughter on Saturday nights when I was growing up in Ohio, and that showed me humor could take on serious subjects and leave us feeling a little lighter.
So I ask Colin and our friends at "Saturday Night Live" to open up the time capsule, nearly 50 years of political humor to take us on a fun and funny ride.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No problem.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't want to be here, here, here and here. That got a dot, not got dot.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will do this. I will do this. I will do them both together.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One thing about being leader has to make some very tough decisions that's why I'm going with the Chimichanga. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are almost out of time. So I will ask each candidate to sum up in a single the word, the best argument for his candidacy. Governor Bush?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Strategery.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Vice President Gore.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lockbox.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh my God, what happened?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You made Barack Obama angry.
And when you make Barack Obama angry, he turns into the Rock Obama.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, everybody, it's me, your VP Joe Biden. And I'm inviting you all to join me this Monday, the Biden bash.
Do you think you can jump higher than me? Well, now you can find out in a game I call. Do you think you can jump higher than me and be sure to join me for my kung fu exhibition. Biden time, oh..
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah, "Wall Street Journal". Are you okay?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know something Mr. Cohen, I've never even heard of you.
[21:35:03]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your mother has.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't believe all this mess happened and I will be caused of an app. I've an idea for an app is called no apps.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Senator Mitch McConnell seen here being told a Black woman made a country album has come out in favor of a bill that would potentially ban TikTok in the U.S. Of course, for McConnell, TikTok is just what the Grim Reaper says while tapping his watch.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, Jesus did some incredible things, somewhat golden miracles, in terms of fish, and with regard to bread.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is my speech, there are others like it but this is mind, I wrote it myself last night while screaming into an empty bag of Doritos.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we're going to go in there. Were going to get our poll watchers so close, we're going to get this close, this is legally close, not fun fact, that' your poll watchers ought to be.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you. We get back to the Capitol and resume the vote.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Allow DoorDash, it's Chuck Schumer. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: New York Congressman George Santos seen here at a promo called pawnshop reality show, was indicted on federal charges including conspiracy, wire fraud and identity theft. He's also indicted for a reckless homicide when that button shot off his jacket and killed a bystander.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This entire country has been bullying me just because I'm a proud gay thief. What else is new? America hates to see a Latino queen woman.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You see, I'm not just a senator, I'm a wife, a mother, and the craziest bitch in the Target parking lot.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: House Speaker Mike Johnson said that he is blurring the faces on the footage of January 6, rioters, so that none of them would be charged with a crime.
So unfortunately, we'll never know who they are.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a terrible time for our country. I am standing weirder than ever.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just counted a Celsius. Let's do this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And remember, we may be from different eras but at the end of the day, we're vote Joe freaking Biden, and live from New York, its Saturday night.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'DONNELL: We are alive and our dateline is Washington.
Thank you, Lorne Michaels, Colin, and the "SNL" team.
Now to our first bit of business. Fifty years of "SNL", we can applaud for a moment.
That was my whole life flashing go for my eyes of watching all of that.
We begin with our business of the awards tonight and we honor excellence not only to recognize the superb reporting writing and photography, but to inspire more great work from so many of you when true facts, real accountability, and well-reported insights are so vital.
I turn to a newsman I first met when I was a college intern and he was a local news anchor in Chicago. That means I've admired him for a long time.
Please welcome the anchor and managing editor of "NBC Nightly News", Lester Holt.
LESTER HOLT, ANCHOR, NBC NIGHTLY NEWS: Thank you. And, Kelly, I'm so proud to be your colleague. What an amazing night this is. Thank you for everything you and the team have done. Each year, a panel of independent judges reviews dozens of entries for the five major WHCA journalism awards. It's my honor to announce this years winners.
The Aldo Beckman award for overall excellence and White House coverage name for a former association president, the late "Chicago Tribune" correspondent, Aldo Beckman, goes to Barak Ravid of "Axios".
The judges said Barak Ravid's reporting displayed deep, almost intimate levels of sourcing and the United States and abroad that produce stories closely aligned to the events that subsequently transpire. His stories put the reader into the room as decisions were being made in the tumultuous aftermath half of the October 7 Hamas-led raids on Israel.
Ladies and gentlemen, the WHCA is pleased to give the Aldo Beckman Award to Barak Ravid.
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[21:40:18]
HOLT: The WHCA gives out two awards for reporting under deadline pressure, one for print, another for broadcast. Each includes a prize of $2,500. This year's print winner is Peter Baker of "The New York Times".
The judges said Baker's coverage of President Joe Biden's visit to Israel just days after the October 7 attacks filed on deadline from Tel Aviv combined a comprehensive recounting of that whirlwind trip with expert reporters driven analysis of the presidents messaging and priorities during a fraught moment. He carefully selected observations of public events paired with well-sourced reporting of behind the scenes detail, smartly summarize the emotional crosscurrents, diplomatic chaos, and other challenges surrounding the journey.
His story not only helped advance understanding of the latest developments in a fast moving situation in real time, it included a sensitive assessment of the underlying dynamics and historic context allowed it to stand as a definitive written recount of the day. Despite being filed on deadline.
Please welcome the winner of the deadline award for print, Peter Baker.
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HOLT: All right. Now, the broadcast award for excellence under deadline pressure. This year's winner is Tamara Keith, NPR.
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HOLT: It goes to last year's WHCA president for her work on the president's trip to Israel. The judge's said her gripping audio report expertly took listeners behind the scenes on the 31-hour trip to Tel Aviv, preparing her audience for the president's statement to America later that night. Sound rich and textured and written on Air Force One.
While in route back to the United States, Keith's story lays out President Biden's thinking and brings listeners in on the trip along with her and onto Air Force One to hear the president himself announced breaking news. And Keith's quick work as part of the White House press pool to share her audio. Also speaks volumes of her professionalism. And if her dedication not only to her employer NPR, but also to her colleagues at the White House Correspondents Association and to Washington journalism.
The WHCA is pleased to honor the deadline reporting of NPR's Tamara Keith.
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HOLT: Now be award for excellence in presidential news coverage by visual journalists. This award recognizes a video or photojournalists for uniquely covering the presidency from a journalistic standpoint either with the White House or in the field. This could be breaking news, a scheduled event, or feature coverage. It includes a prize of $2,500.
This year's award goes to Doug Mills of "The New York Times" for this photo of President Biden boarding Air Force One in Warsaw for the journey back to Washington, D.C. after meetings and speeches about the war in Ukraine. The judges praise the photo for showcasing three key elements, action composition, and feeling. They each also viewed the picture differently, agreeing that whether the picture is foreboding or optimistic, the interpretation is left to the viewer.
Of the impressive batch of visual entries they said this photograph best capture the news making year. Please join me in congratulating "New York Times" photographer Doug Mills.
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[21:45:31]
HOLT: The Collier Prize for state government accountability is presented by the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications.
This is the fifth year we have presented this prize at the dinner, and it comes with a check for $25,000. This years award goes to a collaboration between the "Texas Tribune", "ProPublica", and "Frontline" reporting on the tragic mishandling of the active shooter situation at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 14th, 2022.
(APPLAUSE)
Titled unprepared, it is comprised of a series of newspaper articles and a "Frontline" documentary, the meticulously researched report explains why Robb Elementary School students and teachers remains barricaded in a classroom for 77 minutes. With a gunman, while more than 100 police and military officers scrambled to find radios, flash bang, shields, and even the key to unlock the classroom. Investigators later surmise the classroom might even have been opened during the entire siege.
For more than a year, Lomi Kriel, an investigative reporter with the Texas Tribune and ProPublica led a team of reporters who examine video footage from two dozen body cams and hundreds of hours of interviews with 150 law enforcement officers to untangle the actions and inactions that led to the deaths of 21 people, including 19 children. Kriel and colleagues, Lexi Churchill, Jinitzail Hernandez, Jessica Priest, Perla Trevizo,and Zach Despart contributed to the series. Juanita Ceballos wrote and directed the "Frontline" documentary.
One of the judges said it was a standout investigation into the missteps of law enforcement during one of the most horrific school shootings in recent U.S. history. The accompanying frontline documentary was especially strong, using officer bodycam footage and recording debriefings with officers to take viewers inside the investigation of what went wrong and why those entrusted to protect children and teachers failed to act until it was too late to save some of the victims.
Here to accept the award are Lomi Kriel, Lexi Churchill and Zach Despart.
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HOLT: And now, the Katharine Graham Award for Courage and Accountability. It is, of course, named in honor of a legendary "Washington Post" publisher.
And this year, it goes to the newspaper she helmed. The judges said "The Washington Post" shows courage, sensitivity, and originality in breaking with journalism, industry norms to inform and show readers how the AR-15 weapon inflicts horrific damaged to the human body. "The Post" was transparent about its reporting methodology and courageous and publishing graphic images of victims of mass shootings, including children, and the after effects on survivors and families.
It handled this sensitive subject well with prominent warnings to readers that the images may be disturbing and conversations with the families of the victims ahead of publication about the papers methodology, and intentions. "The Post's" executive editor Sally Buzbee also published a lengthy explanation outlining the newspapers choices. She acted with sensitivity toward the victims and the survivors and elevated our nation's important national conversation about gun safety, gun ownership rights and the tragic blast effects of the AR-15.
[21:50:07]
"The Post's" decision to publish the story exemplifies the journalism, courage, and skill that Katharine Graham exhibited regularly under her leadership.
Please welcome the winners of the Katharine Graham Award from "The Washington Post", Nick Kirkpatrick (ph), Sylvia Foster Frau (ph), Todd Frankel (ph), and Peter Walton (ph).
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HOLT: Let's hear it one more time for all of this year's winners.
BERMAN: All right. You're watching CNN's special live coverage of the White House Correspondents' Dinner. We're going to take a quick break.
Colin Jost and President Biden coming up shortly.
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[21:55:25]
SIDNER: All right. You're watching a special coverage of the White House Correspondents' Dinner. We are expecting to hear from President Biden and Colin Jost very shortly here.
Let's listen in.
KAREN TRAVERS, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, ABC NEWS: -- two African- American women of the White House press corps, Alice Dunnigan and Ethel Payne.
Their toughness covering President Truman broke barriers, their sheer determination compelled President Eisenhower to take their questions. Rodney Baton (ph) and Ed Lewis (ph) build their reputations through hard work. Their big personalities made them well known and very well- liked across the entire White House press corps.
We asked Rodney and Ed to reflect on their long incredible careers at the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was stunned. I just couldn't believe it, and this is a great honor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I really am honored. Very flattered. I shed a few tears, too.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How many people can come in here every day and be this close to the president United States, the leader of the free world.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Born and raised in Washington, D.C.
I spent many years riding by this building. And I will always ride by and looking, wonder if I could ever worked there. And that dream came true, being around presidents gave a sense of pride, honor, hard work that I've put in because the world is waiting for the video that Rodney and I shot.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Been traveled to, which we both done, its probably critical of covering the White House, particularly abroad because we are representing the press corps of the United States. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have the honor of covering the night that U.S. had the bin Laden situation. I was called in, and we just shocked to see what going on, but we knew that there was something big and we had to get to work fast. This job requires teamwork.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been here a little bit longer than Ed, so a lot has changed and a lot -- I mean, to be witnessed to that it's just incredible.
When Obama became president and I was sitting up behind rack and I just I lost it.
This country head elected from -- a man who's Black.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I first got that call telling you talked about the two African-American women whose award is named after, I thought about what they -- what they endured during that time, and I was very proud of that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I like to think that I came here every day, did what I what was expected of me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I really admired the change that the -- that the White House correspondents took, in making sure that people of color, other nations, ethnic groups also had access to this press environment because this is a center, okay. Will you go you might think, but this is a center of the press of the United States.
You make it in here, you've arrived.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(APPLAUSE)
TRAVERS: I am delighted to present the Dunnigan-Payne Prize for lifetime career achievement to Edouard Louis congratulations, Ed. And Rodney couldn't be here tonight. He is on a very special trip, but accepting on his behalf, is his son, James.
(APPLAUSE)
