Bash was born Dana Ruth Schwartz in Manhattan into a Jewish family, to Frances (née Weinman) Schwartz, an author and educator in Jewish studies, and Stuart Schwartz, an ABC News producer who served as the senior broadcast producer for Good Morning America.[1] Bash's maternal grandmother, Teri Vidor Weinman, and her family were Hungarian Jews. Weinman escaped to the U.S. with her husband in October 1941, but her parents and sister were murdered at Auschwitz concentration camp after the occupation of Hungary in 1944.[2]
After college, Bash joined CNN as a producer of their weekend programs such as Late Edition, Evans & Novak, and Inside Politics (later occasionally filling in for regular host John King). Later, she began producing programming specializing in coverage of the United States Senate where she would eventually become CNN's Chief Congressional Correspondent.[7]
Bash was one of the women honored at Elle magazine's 2014 "Women in Washington Power List" event.[8]
Bash was host of the 2019 Democratic presidential primary debate where Kamala Harris was noted for making her "that little girl was me" statement to Joe Biden.[9][10]
In 2011, she resigned as a trustee of Jewish Women International under pressure over its abortion-rights advocacy. A number of conservative blogs had highlighted the group's position on abortion after Bash accepted the trustee position.[20]
^Holahan, Catherine (January 2, 2003). "CNN assigns Montvale native to cover White House". The Record. Bergen County, New Jersey. Archived from the original on May 16, 2011. Retrieved April 29, 2008. MONTVALE – Dana Bash grew up behind the scenes. And family members say it was just a matter of time before the Pascack Hills High School graduate and newest CNN White House correspondent was in front of them.
^Bloom, Nate (February 8, 2008). "Grammy Time". J. The Jewish News of Northern California. CNN chief national correspondent John King, 43, is set to marry CNN congressional correspondent Dana Bash, 36, in May. King, who is of Irish Catholic background, told the New York Post: "I'm studying to convert and will consider inviting you to my bar mitzvah.