Extra! Extra! She’s writing all about it. Anita Kumar spends her days reading, reporting, and most importantly, finding the day’s biggest scoop as a Politico white house correspondent—or, as we call it, a 1600 Penn pal. Anita’s worked her post for 9 years, which means she’s been on the ground for 3 presidencies, 2 impeachments, and 1 very infamous tan suit.

We asked the Charlottesville native how she prepares for a day in the big house, how she gets Jen Psaki’s attention, and what it’s like to be in the room where it happens.

6:30 A.M. I can never get up early enough! If I get up at 6:30 [A.M.], it’s still not enough. I have a daughter, so I’m also trying to juggle her. She’s 12 and she has not been in school in quite some time, so [I’m] trying to get her out the door. After I take care of my daughter, I use the very early morning to go through my email and look at a bunch of clips.

7:30 A.M. I’m looking at Politico Playbook, The New York Times, The Washington Post. [I’m] always on the hunt for, “What is going to be the big news out of the White House today?” I don’t mean, “President Biden’s going to speak about COVID,” because I’m not going to cover a story that is just, “Here’s what he says.” I’m thinking, “How can we move that news forward?” I’m also looking for what’s going on, because I do a lot of radio and TV, and I need to be well versed in a lot of different things—even things I may not have been writing about that day. I’m trying to constantly make sure I’m [caught] up on things… [but] I’m always behind, because as much as you want to sit there and read all your stuff, you have a million people trying to reach you about something else.

9 A.M. This week, [my daughter’s] at camp at 9, so I’m driving to camp and then I’m running to the White House. The only place we have access to without an escort is the press office… I check in with the White House press staff and see what’s going on that day. They generally have 1 message for that particular day, like, “Here’s what Biden’s doing.” But oftentimes, that’s not what I’m interested in or what I’m working on. [Laughing.] It’s a good opportunity to show [my] face, say hello, ask about other things I’m working on.

10 A.M. We have one desk for Politico. It’s right in the middle of the press area where all these people are walking by, [so] it’s very hard to sit there and write and really concentrate. When I’m there, I’m more likely to talk to people than I am to be doing other things. It’s also hard to talk to people on the phone because you’re in the middle of dozens and dozens of journalists.

11 A.M. It’s a lot of chatting with people. Since I’m not there every single day—we have a team that covers the White House, and there will be 1 person designated to physically be [there each week]—I want to catch up. I might [also] visit other reporters. Until very recently, for the last 3 years, I was on the board of the White House Correspondents Association. There are literally big and small problems every single day on logistics. I mean, anything you can think of. “Oh, the bathroom doesn’t work.” I’m not kidding. That’s [what] the WHCA deals with. So when I am there, I get a lot of reporters who want to discuss various issues.

11:30 A.M. Press briefings are always around lunchtime. Reporters will grumble, “I should have eaten before,” because invariably, they will start late. A lot of new reporters ask [“How do I get the press secretary to call on me?”], and I don’t know that there’s really a huge trick. [Jen Psaki], though, goes around the room; she calls on people she knows. Also, Politico is strategically located right smack in the middle of the room—3rd row, right in the middle—so I have a good line of vision as well.

12 P.M. I always watch [political TV] shows because I’m so into all of that, but they’re not that accurate. One of the things you’ll notice when you walk in the briefing room—and people often have this wrong—is it looks really small, just 49 seats. Every person I’ve brought in—and I’ve brought a million people over the years—always say, “Well… this is it?” It’s just a small little room! A lot of times that’s depicted wrong or it looks bigger. Also, I don’t think people are really screaming. During the Trump years, it came to the point that people were, but generally, people get called on and then wait for the answer.