Anna Palmer (born May 25, 1982) is an American political journalist based in

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She has been the co-founder and CEO of ''

Punchbowl News ''Punchbowl News'' is an online political news daily, in Washington, D.C., which debuted January 3, 2021 as "a membership-based news community," which focuses on the individuals "who power the US legislature." It intends to be non-partisan and no ...

'' since January 2021, and the host of the related ''Daily Punch'' Podcast. She was previously a reporter for ''

Politico ''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American, German-owned political journalism newspaper company based in Arlington County, Virginia, that covers politics and policy in the United States and intern ...

'' and became its senior Washington correspondent."Anna Palmer,"
June 3, 2019, updated February 19, 2021, ''

Washington Week ''Washington Week''—previously ''Washington Week in Review''—is an American public affairs television program, which has aired on PBS and its predecessor, National Educational Television, since 1967. Unlike other panel discussion shows which ...

,'' on

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, retrieved April 19, 2021"The Media Equation: They Seem to Think the Next Four Years Will Be Normal: A Beltway school of journalism wants to get back to just-the-facts-ma’am reporting..."
January 3, 2021, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

,'' retrieved April 19, 2021"Punchbowl,"
2021, '' Muckrack,'' retrieved April 19, 2021Vernon, Pete
"Q&A: ''Punchbowl''’s Jake Sherman on Capitol coverage in the new Washington,"
January 19, 2021, ''

Columbia Journalism Review The ''Columbia Journalism Review'' (''CJR'') is a biannual magazine for professional journalists that has been published by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism since 1961. Its contents include news and media industry trends, ana ...

,'' retrieved April 19, 2021

Early life and education

Palmer was born, as Anna Alda, in

Le Sueur, Minnesota Le Sueur is a city in Le Sueur County in the U.S. state of Minnesota, between Mankato and the Twin Cities. It lies along the Minnesota River and U.S. Highway 169. Le Sueur was named in honor of the French explorer Pierre-Charles Le Sueur. The ...

and raised in

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

. She attended high school in

Kindred, North Dakota Kindred is a city in Cass County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 889 at the time of the 2020 census. Kindred primarily serves as a bedroom community for Fargo, located about 25 miles to the southwest. History Kindred was platt ...

, and served as a page for U.S. Senator

Kent Conrad Gaylord Kent Conrad (born March 12, 1948) is a former American politician who was a United States Senator from North Dakota. He is a member of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party, the North Dakota affiliate of the Democratic Party. First elec ...

. She is a 2004 graduate of St. Olaf College, where she double-majored in political science and English, with a concentration in mass communications, and (starting in 2000) wrote for its newspaper, the ''Manitou Messenger,'' becoming its executive editor. Her multiple

internship An internship is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time. Once confined to medical graduates, internship is used practice for a wide range of placements in businesses, non-profit organizations and gover ...

s included a summer at the Washington, D.C. bureau of ''

''."Meet the Winners of the 2020 Washington Women in Journalism Awards"
September 22, 2020, '' The Washingtonian,'' ("In 2016, she took over one of the highest-profile spots in political journalism: ''Politico’s'' daily '' Playbook newsletter''. She’s coauthor of “The Hill to Die On,” a bestselling book...")
echoed at
''

'', September 22, 2020, retrieved April 19, 2021"The State of Journalism and Reporting in 2020: Ole alumni panel and discussion,"
March 5, 2021, ''St. Olaf College News,'' retrieved April 19, 2021Peterson, Erin
"Politico Insider,"
Fall, 2016, ''St. Olaf Magazine,'' retrieved April 19, 2021

Career

Early career

After graduation, Palmer's first significant job was at the biweekly lobbying industry newsletter ''Influence.'' In 2005, working for the ''

Legal Times ALM (formerly American Lawyer Media) is a media company headquartered in the Socony–Mobil Building in New York City, and is a provider of specialized business news and information, focused primarily on the legal, insurance, and commercial real ...

,'' the parent company of ''Influence,'' she became one of the key journalists investigating the activities of lobbyist

Jack Abramoff Jack Allan Abramoff (; born February 28, 1959) is an American lobbyist, businessman, film producer, writer, and convicted felon. He was at the center of an extensive corruption investigation led by Earl Devaney that resulted in his conviction a ...

, who orchestrated a vast network of corruption, resulting in over three years in prison for Abramoff, and convictions of 20 others. Palmer's work on the case brought her first national notoriety. In 2007, Palmer moved to ''

Roll Call ''Roll Call'' is a newspaper and website published in Washington, D.C., United States, when the United States Congress is in session, reporting news of legislative and political maneuverings on Capitol Hill, as well as political coverage of c ...

,'' a prominent Washington-insider newsletter.

At ''Politico''

Initial work

In 2011, Palmer moved to ''Politico'' — a Washington political reporting journal.

=Herman Cain revelation

= In October of that year, she was one of the team of ''Politico'' reporters who investigated and reported on allegations against Republican presidential candidate

Herman Cain Herman Cain (December 13, 1945July 30, 2020) was an American businessman and Tea Party movement activist within the Republican Party. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Cain grew up in Georgia and graduated from Morehouse College with a bachelor's d ...

, that — when he headed the

National Restaurant Association The National Restaurant Association is a restaurant industry business association in the United States, representing more than 380,000 restaurant locations. It also operates the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. The associ ...

in the 1990s — he had sexually harassed two female employees, and the lobbying organization had, in response, paid the women to resign and keep quiet about the matter.Palmer, Anna; Jonathan Martin, Maggie Haberman and Kenneth P. Vogel
"Exclusive: 2 women accused Cain of inappropriate behavior,"
October 30, 2011, ''

,'' retrieved April 20, 2021"Third woman claims inappropriate behaviour from Cain,"
November 3, 2011,

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...

, retrieved April 20, 2021 Sides, John and

Lynn Vavreck Lynn Vavreck (born 1968) is an American political scientist and columnist. She is the Marvin Hoffenberg Chair in American Politics and Public Policy at University of California, Los Angeles and a contributing columnist to ''The New York Times'' ...

: book: ''The Gamble: Choice and Chance in the 2012 Presidential Election'' (updated edition), September 7, 2014,

Princeton University Press Princeton University Press is an independent publisher with close connections to Princeton University. Its mission is to disseminate scholarship within academia and society at large. The press was founded by Whitney Darrow, with the financial su ...

, retrieved from

Google Books Google Books (previously known as Google Book Search, Google Print, and by its code-name Project Ocean) is a service from Google Inc. that searches the full text of books and magazines that Google has scanned, converted to text using optical c ...

April 20, 2021 Within a few weeks, two more cases were discovered by journalists, and a fifth woman alleged a long-time, recently-ended affair with Cain. The cumulative effect was blamed for Cain's sudden plunge in survey polls, and his early-December decision to suspend his campaign, less than a month and a half after Palmer's initial story broke.

=''Women Rule'' project

= Among Palmer's other responsibilities at ''Politico,'' Palmer took the lead in ''Women Rule'' — a project focused on expanding leadership opportunities for women — becoming its Editorial Director. She also hosted Politico's ''Women Rule'' podcast."Anna Palmer,"
February 4, 2019, modified February 21, 2020, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, retrieved April 19, 2021

=Sherman partnership and Schock revelations

= While at ''Politico,'' Palmer partnered with fellow journalist Jake Sherman, to cover political affairs in the capital, particularly the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...

. Palmer and Sherman have reported corruption among Democrats and Republicans. Their reporting on the spending habits of

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

Congressman

Aaron Schock Aaron Jon Schock (born May 28, 1981) is an American former politician who was Republican Party (United States), Republican United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative for from 2009 until 2015. The district is based in Peoria, Il ...

reportedly led to his 2015 resignation.Rutenberg,Jim:
"Mike Allen, Politico’s Newsletter Pioneer, Is Handing Over the Reins"
o Palmer and Sherman June 19, 2016, ''

,'' retrieved April 19, 2021

''Politico Playbook''

From 2016 to 2020, the duo co-authored the ''

Politico Playbook ''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American, German-owned political journalism newspaper company based in Arlington County, Virginia, that covers politics and policy in the United States and intern ...

''Dalton, Meg and Pete Verno
"Podcast: A dive into the swamp with the authors of Politico Playbook,"
November 30, 2017, ''

,'' retrieved April 19, 2021 — a media franchise tracking the early

Trump Trump most commonly refers to: * Donald Trump (born 1946), 45th president of the United States (2017–2021) * Trump (card games), any playing card given an ad-hoc high rank Trump may also refer to: Businesses and organizations * Donald J. T ...

administration and its relations with the

. The duo tripled the platform's readership and doubled its revenue.

''The Hill to Die On''

In 2019, the duo also co-authored ''The Hill to Die On: The Battle for Congress and the Future of Trump’s America''Kushnick, Hannah
"Top 10" in "Spring 2019 Announcements: Politics & Current Events"
(book release announcements), Dec 07, 2018, ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

,'' retrieved April 20, 2021 (a ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' best-selling account of the Congressional politics of the early Trump presidency),Johnson, Ted
"Media Startup Punchbowl News Launches Podcast As D.C. Spotlight Shifts To Capitol,"
February 1, 2021, ''

Deadline Deadline(s) or The Deadline(s) may refer to: * Time limit, a narrow field of time by which an objective must be accomplished Arts, entertainment, and media Comics * Deadline (DC Comics), a fictional villain * ''Deadline'' (magazine), a British ...

,'' retrieved April 19, 2021Eilperin, Juliet: Review
"In this portrait of Congress, lawmakers’ ambition breeds dysfunction,"
April 5, 2019, ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

,'' retrieved April 19, 2021Green, Lloyd
"The Hill to Die On review: Trump, Ryan and a Republican dumpster fire,"
April 6, 2019, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

,'' retrieved April 19, 2021 which attracted extensive media attention.VanDenburgh, Barbar
"5 books not to miss: ...'The Hill to Die On,' ..."
April 7, 2019, ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

,'' retrieved April 19, 2021Vide
"Authors of 'The Hill to Die On' talk new book, Congress and Trump"
April 9, 2020, ''

CBS News CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio service CBS. CBS News television programs include the ''CBS Evening News'', ''CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs '' CBS News Sunday Morning'', '' 60 Minutes'', and '' 48 H ...

,'' retrieved April 19, 2021Audio and transcrip
"Reporters Say Members Of Congress Are 'Obsessed' With Getting Re-Elected"
April 9, 2020, ''

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other n ...

,'' retrieved April 19, 2021"Anna Palmer On Why President Trump Gets Along With Senator McConnell & Didn’t Get Along With Speaker Ryan"
April 9, 2020, ''

Fox News The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...

,'' retrieved April 19, 2021 Costa, Robert and Sherman, Jake
"Discussing 'The Hill to Die On' with Jake Sherman,"
April 12, 2019, ''

,'' on

, retrieved April 19, 2021 The book drew attention to Palmer and Sherman, who then became the subject of numerous interview and discussion programs related to the themes of the book — in the news media, political/documentary media,"Jake Sherman and Anna Palmer on ''The Hill to Die On,''"
April 22, 2019, ''

Washington Journal ''Washington Journal'' is an American television series on the C-SPAN television network in the format of a political call-in and interview program. The program features elected officials, government administrators and journalists as guests, an ...

'' on

C-SPAN Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN ) is an American cable and satellite television network that was created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a nonprofit public service. It televises many proceedings of the United States ...

, retrieved April 20, 2021"Anna Palmer, Co-Author, ''The Hill to Die On: The Battle for Congress and the Future of Trump's America,''"
October 2019, ''

Frontline Front line refers to the forward-most forces on a battlefield. Front line, front lines or variants may also refer to: Books and publications * ''Front Lines'' (novel), young adult historical novel by American author Michael Grant * ''Frontlines ...

'' on

, retrieved April 20, 2021 and in the business-and-lobbying community."Talks at GS: ''POLITICO Playbook’s'' Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman, Co-Authors of ''The Hill to Die On,''"
April 12, 2019,

Goldman Sachs Goldman Sachs () is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is headquartered at 200 West Street in Lower Manhattan, with regional headquarters in London, Warsaw, Bangalore, H ...

, retrieved April 20, 2021"Speakers: Featured Session Speakers,"
June 23–25, 2020, ACJ Member Summit,

Association for Corporate Growth The Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) is an organization providing a global "community" for mergers and acquisitions and corporate growth professionals. Founded in 1954, ACG has grown to more than 14,500 members from corporations, private e ...

, retrieved April 20, 2021

At ''Punchbowl News''

Palmer and Sherman departed ''Politico,'' together, in late 2020 to start ''

,'' an online news service focused on non-partisan reporting of power players, and inside events and leaders, in Congress and the Washington establishment — Palmer becoming ''Punchbowl's'' CEO.

Other involvements

Palmer has spoken or moderated discussions at the

World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental and lobbying organisation based in Cologny, canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab. The foundation, ...

, the

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Curr ...

, the

Milken Institute The Milken Institute is an independent economic think tank based in Santa Monica, California with offices in Washington, DC, New York, Miami, London, Abu Dhabi, and Singapore. It publishes research and hosts conferences that apply market-based p ...

Global Forum, the Aspen Ideas Festival, the ''

Texas Tribune ''The Texas Tribune'' is a news website headquartered in Austin, Texas. It aims to promote civic engagement through original, explanatory journalism and public events. Its website and content in various delivery platforms serve as an alternativ ...

'' Festival and

SXSW South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Te ...

. Palmer has been a political commentator on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...

MSNBC MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and political ...

, and PBS's ''

''."Sunday on 'This Week':..."
September 23, 2017,

ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...

, retrieved April 21, 2021

Awards and recognition

* Spring 2019: "Top 10" (books) in "Politics & Current Events," (for ''"The Hill to Die On"''), ''

'' (list announced December, 2018) * 2020: "Star to Watch," Washington Women in Journalism Awards

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Palmer, Anna Living people 1982 births Women political writers American women non-fiction writers American political writers American women journalists American political journalists 21st-century American journalists 21st-century American women writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers Politico people St. Olaf College alumni Journalists from Minnesota Journalists from North Dakota