Gabe Fleisher: The Boy Who Scooped Bill De Blasio
Gabe Fleisher Image by Courtesy of Gabe Fleisher
One Wednesday in May after a school exam, Gabe Fleisher tripped across a Facebook event from a county Democratic Party page in Iowa that said Sioux City was the first stop on Bill de Blasio’s “Presidential announcement tour.” This was interesting — because de Blasio had not yet announced he was actually running. So Fleisher, now 18, Tweeted it.
Fleisher’s email newsletter, “Wake Up to Politics,” has 50,000 subscribers, including a contributing editor at The Atlantic, an anchor at MSNBC and the founder of Politico. Fleisher, who lives in a suburb of St. Louis, Mo., has pushed through a police canine unit to get to Jeff Sessions. He’s interviewed Nancy Pelosi. He’s covered primary debates. But in the summer, like any nice Jewish boy, he takes a break from politics and goes to camp.
What’s the last thing you listened to on your phone? “The West Wing Weekly” podcast
Earliest Jewish memory: My upsherin at age 3!
Hero: Ralph Carr, the late governor of Colorado who was the only elected official to oppose Japanese-American interment (and the subject of my Bar Mitzvah d’var torah)
2019 memory Being able to interview New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio after scooping his presidential announcement
What is your favorite thing about being Jewish? Feeling a connection to fellow Jews all around the world, transcending nationality and culture
What app can you not live without? Twitter, for better or for worse
Weekend ritual: Sleeping in
Read more:
Gabe’s scoop in the New Yorker
Gabe’s newsletter in the New York Times
Follow Gabe Fleishman on Twitter @WakeUp2Politics and Instagram: @wakeuptopolitics
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