DNC Leadership Forum

Jonathan Capehart
Host, MSNBC's "The Saturday/Sunday Show with Jonathan Capehart"

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jonathan Capehart is the host of “The Saturday/Sunday Show with Jonathan Capehart” which airs Saturdays and Sundays, at 6pm ET on MSNBC, respectively.

In addition to hosting “The Saturday/Sunday Show with Jonathan Capehart,” Capehart is also an Associate Editor at The Washington Post, where he hosts the weekly podcasts “Capehart” and “First Look.” Further, he serves as a political analyst on “PBS NewsHour” and is featured on the popular Friday segment, “Brooks and Capehart.”

Capehart has also hosted several MSNBC specials. In 2021, his MSNBC special “A Promised Land: A Conversation with Barack Obama” was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding News Discussion & Analysis. Additional specials include the “Pride of Stage and Screen” and “Pride of the White House,” the latter earning him a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding TV Journalism—Long Form in 2022.

Capehart was deputy editorial page editor of the New York Daily News (2002 to 2004) and served on its editorial board from 1993 to 2000. In 1999, his editorial campaign to save the Apollo Theater earned him and the board the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing. Capehart left the Daily News in July 2000 to become the national affairs columnist at Bloomberg News, and took leave from this position in February 2001 to serve as a policy adviser to Michael Bloomberg in his first successful campaign for New York City Mayor. His memoir, “Yet Here I Am: Lessons from a Black Man’s Search for Home,” will be published by Twelve Books in 2025.

Jen Psaki
Host, MSNBC's Inside with Jen Psaki

Jen Psaki is host of MSNBC’s “Inside with Jen Psaki” on Sundays at 12 p.m. ET and Thursday’s on Peacock, and the former White House Press Secretary for President Joe Biden.

Psaki also appears across all of MSNBC’s flagship programs, adding a unique perspective from her first-hand experience at the highest levels of government. She is a principal voice in the network’s primetime coverage of major political events and regularly contributes to NBC News’ TODAY, Meet the Press, and Election Night Programming. Psaki also writes a weekly “MSNBC Daily” entry.

As press secretary, Psaki was lauded by the Associated Press as a communicator who “dug deep into policy, seeking an understanding that goes far beyond talking points” and was celebrated for bringing “a mixture of warmth, humor, intelligence, and edge” to her role by Vogue.

Prior to her time in the Biden White House, Psaki was a long-time advisor to President Barack Obama and served as a traveling press secretary on his first long-shot campaign and later served as the White House Communications Director.

Psaki also served as the administration’s public face on the global stage during her tenure as the State Department Spokesperson, traveling the world with Secretary of State John Kerry.

Symone Sanders Townsend
Co-Host, MSNBC's "The Weekend"

Symone rose to prominence in 2016 as the national press secretary for U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders’s then-presidential campaign. At 25, she became the youngest presidential press secretary on record and was named to Rolling Stone Magazine’s list of 16 young Americans shaping the 2016 election. At 29, she published her first book, No, You Shut Up: Speaking Truth to Power and Reclaiming America and served as a senior advisor for President Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign. At 31, Symone was appointed as a senior member of the Biden-Harris administration serving as Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor and Chief Spokesperson to Vice President Kamala Harris. With her White House appointment, Symone became the first Black woman to serve as a spokesperson to a Vice President. In 2022, she joined MSNBC to host “SYMONE” providing essential context on the most pressing issues facing Americans today.

Now, Symone brings the depth of her experience to “The Weekend” where she and her co-hosts serve as the go-to source for viewers on headlines of the day.

Luke Russert
MSNBC Live Host & Creative Director

Luke brings his experience from eight years as an NBC News correspondent covering Capitol Hill and three presidential elections to the events space. He will be crafting meaningful discussions and fostering powerful connections in Washington, D.C.

Luke’s book “Look For Me There” is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal Bestseller. He won an Emmy for his contributions to NBC’s award-winning coverage of the 2008 election, and his work on NBC’s “Dateline” was nominated for another News & Documentary Emmy award.