BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Abby Phillip, CNN political correspondent
November 25, 2020
How/where are you celebrating your birthday and with whom? “I’ll be spending it with my husband and our dog, Booker T. We’re having a very low-key birthday and Thanksgiving holiday this year due to Covid. I will probably stop by my parents’ house (masked of course) to say hi, since they live nearby. But we won’t be having any kind of celebration this year, which is totally fine! I’ll be happy to just celebrate by doing what I love to do when I have downtime, which is rare these days. I may cook a little. I may even bake a sweet potato pie for the occasion!”
How did you get your start in journalism? “Right here! At POLITICO. My first journalism job out of college was as a White House reporter and blogger for POLITICO, so this feels very full circle.”
What’s an interesting book/article you’re reading during coronavirus social distancing? And why? “Right now, I’ve got Isabel Wilkerson’s ‘Caste’ on my bedside table. I’ll read anything that she writes, but especially this follow-up on her seminal work ‘The Warmth of Other Suns.’ She’s a real genius, and as a journalist, she’s a role model for me. Her immersive nonfiction narratives on big, important topics like this are the gold standard. These quarantine times have been busy so hopefully I’m able to make a bigger dent in it soon!”
What’s a trend going on in the U.S. or abroad that doesn’t get enough attention? “I do not think we are paying enough attention to what is happening to our kids, especially the ones who were most in need before the pandemic. Poor kids are really at risk of falling behind due to this unprecedented situation, and the outcomes for their lives could be catastrophic. One of my mentees is an elementary school teacher in Boston, and recently she told me stories of how teachers are struggling to help high-needs kids learn in a virtual environment. These are kids who are already food-insecure, who have little supervision -- some of them don’t have heat in their homes. This is playing out all across the country, and it will be one of the most profound lasting consequences of this pandemic.”
What are you watching for in the Biden presidency? “For four years, Trumpism has overtaken traditional Republican concerns about government spending and debt. What I’m watching for is whether any of those concerns (remember the Tea Party??) snap back into place and how it will impact the Biden agenda and the effort to help the country recover economically.”
What’s a fun fact that people in Washington might not know about you? “I’m a very domestic person! Very much a homebody. I love to cook, bake (sourdough season was great for me this summer). I love gardening and houseplants. I’ve been like this since I was a kid (ask my mom!). So when people ask me what I do with my free time, usually the answer is taking care of my plants. Very boring but it’s what keeps me sane.”
Source: https://www.politico.com/
