White House

Former President Barack Obama is back in the White House with President Biden ... at least for now, delivering remarks with his former running mate.

Biden and VP Harris welcomed back the former Prez, Tuesday, to talk about healthcare ... but they also had a few laughs, happy to be back under the same roof but in a different capacity.

44 was greeted with a standing O from those in attendance as he approached the podium.

During his speech, Obama joked around, calling the current Prez "Vice President Biden" ... a clear reference to his own administration. He later said, Biden was a friend and partner who "stuck by his side for 8 years".

President Biden added, "it feels like the good ol' days" and being with Barack brings back so many good memories.

Donald Trump is still very plugged into the daily news, it seems, because he commented on reports that Jen Psaki is leaving her White House job to join a news outlet ... but with jokes.

The ex-Prez was holding a rally down in Michigan Saturday, and at one point ... he invoked President Biden's Press Secretary -- who's rumored to be leaving soon to team up with MSNBC, something she didn't outright deny at Friday's briefing with reporters.

Instead, Psaki said she was staying put for right now (typical nondenial answer) and that if and when the time came for her to step down ... it'd be by the books and totally ethical.

Welp ... DT has some thoughts about her would-be exit, and as you might imagine -- they're not totally nice. Check it out ... the guy made some cracks at Psaki's expense, and MSNBC too for that matter.

He invoked her hair, saying the network was in need of a redhead ... and got some laughs from his MAGA crowd. But, that might not even be the main takeaway of the night, frankly.

Add another accomplishment to Chris Paul's resume -- President Biden just appointed the Phoenix Suns guard to his Advisory Board for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, the White House announced Thursday.

Joe tapped the NBA star to serve alongside 17 other new members -- including actress Taraji P. Henson, who was also asked to join the board -- as the Biden administration continues to put a focus on advancement through HBCUs.

According to the White House, the goal of the Advisory Board is to advance the HBCU Initiative, which was started by the Carter administration in 1980.

Joining CP3 on the board will be the presidents of five HBCUs -- Alabama State University, Virginia State University, Norfolk State University in Virginia, Dillard University in New Orleans and Prairie View A&M University in Texas -- as well as Delaware State University's own Tony Allen -- who serves as the chair.

Allen, president of DSU, says the board "will be will be an eclectic mix of the talent and commitment that defines Historically Black College and Universities (HBCUs) and those who recognize our tremendous value in higher education and in a smaller, more connected global community."

Paul, who served as head of the National Basketball Players Association from 2013-2021, has made it a point to actively and publicly support HBCUs throughout his career.

CP3 was a part of the push to get HBCU schools featured during the NBA's All-Star Weekend ... and as a result, the men's basketball teams for Morgan State and Howard played each in the inaugural NBA HBCU Classic in Cleveland.

The game aired on ESPN2 and TNT, and both schools received a $100,000 donation from the NBA and AT&T to support student-athletes continuing their education.

"Jeopardy!" Champion Amy Schneider took a trip to The White House to meet with Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, discussing the importance of trans awareness on the Transgender Day of Visibility.

Amy spoke to reporters in the White House Briefing Room Thursday, saying she was invited to meet with Emhoff about advancing transgender visibility and equality in the country ... and on the national holiday that was proclaimed by President Biden the previous year.

The trivia champ was eager to continue her mission spreading awareness of the transgender community, and her time spent with the Second Gentleman was a big step forward.

On the same day as Amy's meeting, Biden announced new measures that, hopefully, make more people feel accepted in the country ... including gender-neutral TSA scanners and the "X" gender option on passport applications.

As you'll recall, Amy was the first transgender "Jeopardy!" contestant to qualify for the show's Tournament of Champions, and is the most successful woman ever in the show's history ... winning 40 games in a row and pocketing $1.38 million dollars!

President Biden is apparently one of the few people on Earth who hasn't seen the Will Smith slap by now -- and that's exactly why he can't say if it was wrong or right.

White House communications director Kate Bedingfield said as much Tuesday during a press briefing, when she was asked about the Oscars confrontation by reporter Simon Ateba of Todays News Africa -- who asked if the White House condemns this violence?

You'd think it'd be an easy enough response -- yes, violence is never the answer, etc. -- but, Bedingfield refused to weigh in officially on behalf of the Prez and the administration, explaining Biden simply hadn't seen it yet -- so she couldn't respond.

If you think that's hard to believe, you aren't alone ... but Bedingfield said, "I know the President was not able to watch the Oscars -- didn't see it," adding, "So I don't have anything. I don't have any official comment from him or from the White House on this."

Ateba then kept it more broad about condemning violence in general, but even there ... Bedingfield waffled and refused to say one way or another, again explaining she had nothing official to offer on the matter.

46 had barely arrived in the U.S. from Europe on Sunday -- this after attending to Ukrainian refugees and meeting with troops/world leaders to discuss Russia throughout the past week -- so it's totally feasible he may not have watched it that day.

But, between Sunday and Tuesday, you gotta imagine he peeped a clip online somewhere -- as Ateba noted, it was indeed the biggest story at that point -- but the WH is clearly denying that ... which is a bit strange.

The wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was smack in the middle of Donald Trump's bogus 'Stop the Steal' campaign, and she was involved at the highest levels.

Virginia Thomas repeatedly contacted White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, pushing to have the 2020 presidential election results overturned.

She fired off a series of text messages in the weeks after the election, lobbying for a way to have Donald Trump declared the winner ... this according to the Washington Post.

There were 29 messages between Virginia -- aka Ginni -- and Meadows. What's interesting -- and troubling -- is that the exchanges came at a time when Trump was crowing that he would go to the Supreme Court to invalidate the election results.

In a message one week after the election, she wrote, "Help This Great President stand firm, Mark!!! ... You are the leader, with him, who is standing for America’s constitutional governance at the precipice. The majority knows Biden and the Left is attempting the greatest Heist of our History."

The Washington Post and CBS News obtained the text messages.

In another exchange, Meadows wrote, "This is a fight of good versus evil ... Evil always looks like the victor until the King of Kings triumphs. Do not grow weary in well-doing. The fight continues. I have staked my career on it. Well at least my time in DC on it."

Her response ... "Thank you!! Needed that! This plus a conversation with my best friend just now… I will try to keep holding on. America is worth it!"

She never revealed the identity of her best friend.

Now she never invoked her husband's name, but she certainly was able to flex with Trump's key people to make her case.

The text messages were provided by Meadows to the House Select Committee investigating the January 6th insurrection.

Ginni Thomas attended the January 6th rally, although she never entered the capitol. She said she left early because it was super cold.

Justice Thomas dissented when the Supreme Court refused to hear the GOP's lawsuit seeking to overturn the election results in Pennsylvania.

President Joe Biden has asked for the resignations of Herschel Walker and Dr. Oz from the President's Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, and the doc is pissed.

Here's the deal ... both Walker and Oz are Republican Senate candidates -- in Georgia and Pennsylvania respectively -- and the Prez has a policy prohibiting candidates for federal office to serve on Presidential committees. So, both candidates got a letter from The White House with an ultimatum ... either resign by 6 PM Thursday or get the boot.

Oz, who was appointed to the board by Trump, went in hard, saying, "Clearly, Joe Biden can't be around anyone who doesn't completely fall in line with his fear-mongering authoritarian one-size-fits-all COVID handling. I am proud of my service and will not resign."

Dr. Oz lost his show after announcing his candidacy and it seemed he knew that was in the cards when he announced, but this pink slip got him all worked up.

What's interesting ... is going after Biden now -- when he's trying to navigate an end to the war in Ukraine -- a smart political move? Remains to be seen.

Hillary Clinton is the latest bigwig politician to come down with coronavirus -- but like many before her, she says she's gonna be just fine ... all thanks to being vaccinated.

The former Sec. of State and two-time presidential candidate made the announcement Tuesday, saying she'd contracted COVID-19. HC writes, "Well, I've tested positive for COVID. I've got some mild cold symptoms but am feeling fine. I'm more grateful than ever for the protection vaccines can provide against serious illness."

She adds, "Please get vaccinated and boosted if you haven't already!"

Of course, since Hillary's married to the former President himself ... everyone was wondering how he might be holding up -- and she answered their curiosity, saying Bubba's currently in the clear.

Hillary explains, "Bill tested negative and is feeling fine. He's quarantining until our household is fully in the clear. Movie recommendations appreciated!"

She's just the latest politico to be hit with COVID -- just last week, Barack Obama declared he, too, had finally caught it ... and over the past several months, different U.S. senators and congress members, including AOC, have announced the same.

The good news ... they've all recovered just fine, and have attributed their resilience to having gotten the jab. So, to be frank, it's not all that concerning when we hear news like this anymore ... albeit, still startling considering their stature in the country.

It's certainly not as scary as early on in the pandemic, when then-President Donald Trump caught the damn thing ... but vaccines weren't available yet, and he seemed to be in bad shape.

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is about to undergo a grilling this week as her SCOTUS confirmation hearings begin, but before that ... she's putting the spotlight on her loved ones.

The U.S. federal judge -- who President Biden nominated as the best person to next serve on the high court -- finally got a chance to speak Monday on Capitol Hill after hearing from senators on both sides of the aisle about what to expect over the next several days.

During her long-awaited opening remarks ... Jackson took a tender moment to acknowledge her family and how much they've meant to her in getting to this potentially historic milestone.

If confirmed, she would become the first Black female justice to serve on the bench -- and with that in mind, the judge gave it up for her hubby of 25 years, Patrick, as well as her daughters, Talia and Leila, whom she thanked in what made for a pretty emotional scene.

It was reflective of when Biden first announced her as his pick ... there, too, she took time to honor her brood.

As for other highlights from Day 1 ... it was a mixed bag of both praise and prefacing of expectations.

Dems gave props to Jackson for making it this far and possibly becoming a trailblazer. Meanwhile, Republicans preemptively brought up what they're anticipating -- namely, being accused of racism for asking tough questions.

They also made sure to repeatedly promise ... they would NOT do to her what they claim Democrats did to Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearing -- which they label a character assassination. This, of course, before they've even asked her one question.

The investigation into the shooting death of 'Walking Dead' actor Moses J. Moseley could not resolve whether the fatal shot was intentional or accidental.

According to Moses' death certificate, obtained by TMZ, the cause of death could not be determined.

TMZ broke the story ... Moses' body was found in his car back in January, and cops in Georgia started investigating his death as a possible suicide. His family believed there was something fishy about his demise, theorizing he may have been kidnapped and murdered.

The death certificate states Moses shot himself, but the doc also says the intent behind the fatal gunshot is unknown.

Moses' sister, Teerea Kimbro, tells TMZ ... the family received a letter this week from President Joe Biden, who offered his condolences.

Teerea tells us she's not sure how POTUS heard about Moses' death, but she thinks her late brother may have visited The White House before.

Vice President Kamala Harris' husband, Doug Emhoff, has contracted COVID-19 -- and even though the Veep is still negative ... there's concern the White House could be at risk.

The Second Gentleman tested positive for coronavirus Tuesday, but word is ... he's feeling okay. Harris, for her part, has tested negative thus far -- and will continue to test regularly ... according to her office.

Both Harris and Emhoff were scheduled to attend a White House event later today that was going to be celebrating Equal Pay Day in honor of Women's History Month ... but both husband and wife skipped it -- DE for being sick obviously, and out of caution for Harris.

There's no indication that President Biden has caught the virus -- he last tasted Sunday, but the fact he spoke at the equal pay shindig indicates he's doing just fine.

Still ... the fact Emhoff is positive seems to imply that COVID has entered the White House, and that it could possibly reach the Prez and VP -- which would be bad, especially considering Joe is scheduled to take a trip to Europe next week to deal with Ukraine.

Of course, everyone is vaccinated and boosted -- so hopefully everyone is OK.

Barack Obama's recent positive result comes to mind -- although he says he's doing fine, it's still shocking anytime it affects someone of his stature ... and the same would apply to JB and co.

Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer got name-dropped at President Biden's State of the Union address -- but even on his way out ... the guy was a picture of modesty, almost to the point that it was kinda funny.

Biden mentioned Breyer was retiring at one point in his speech, and took a moment to thank him for his service on the bench -- over 2 decades worth -- which got a big round of applause from just about everybody in the House Chamber ... Dems and Republicans alike.

You could tell the longtime SCOTUS servant was grateful for the shout-out, but watch what happened when JB asked him to stand ... he obliged, but almost immediately parked it again after a brief rise to his feet!

He was also doing a ton of appreciative hand gestures, mouthing "thank you" and waving to both Biden and the congress members ... like we said, very humble and meek.

Funny enough, Justice Breyer kept the deferential vibes going even the Prez had wrapped up his remarks ... sharing a quick word with him on the House floor, but then allowing Joe to shake hands with others as soon as he sensed his time with 46 was nearing an end.

A 51-year-old federal appeals court judge is poised to become the first-ever black woman to sit on the United States Supreme Court.

President Biden is set to nominate Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who sits on the prestigious Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. ... this according to ABC News.

Biden reportedly called Jackson to offer her the nom and she accepted during a call Thursday night.

Biden was true to his word when he said during the 2020 campaign he would nominate a Black woman.

Jackson was the frontrunner from the get-go, although there were 3 other jurists Biden was considering. Jackson is a Harvard Law School grad who clerked for the Justice she's in line to replace -- Stephen Breyer.

In her early career, Jackson was a federal public defender. She'd be the first, former federal public defender to serve on the High Court since Thurgood Marshall. This is significant -- most of the Justices have no practical experience in the criminal justice system ... at least no experience in the trenches.

As for her chances, well there's a razor-thin Democrat majority in the Senate, but confirmation is likely unless there are surprises. Jackson's already been confirmed by the Senate 3 times -- twice when she was elevated to 2 federal courts and a third time when she was confirmed to sit on the U.S. Sentencing Commission.

As for how Jackson could change the court ... not much for the immediate future. She's replacing a like-minded jurist in Breyer, so the balance of power is still 6-3 in favor of conservative justices.

And, fun fact ... while she was at Harvard she acted opposite Matt Damon in a drama class.

Britney Spears got a special invite ... to speak before Congress.

Reps. Eric Swalwell and Charlie Crist fired off a letter to Spears, asking her and her attorney, Mathew Rosengart, to explain "how you achieved justice..." The 2 congressmen wrote, "There is no doubt your story will empower countless others outside the millions that are already inspired by you and your art."

The 2 Congressmen say they want to learn "about the emotional and financial turmoil you faced within the conservatorship system." The letter goes on to say they are concerned that Britney was "forced to engage in employment against your will."

The Congressmen make it clear in the letter ... they're fully on board the #FreeBritney movement, saying, "We applaud your inspiring fight and stand ready to assist in any way we can."

For her part, Britney said she was grateful ... "I felt heard and like I mattered for the first time in my life !!!" She got the letter in December, but said she wasn't nearly at the healing stage she's in now.

Rep. Crist appeared on TMZ Live today to talk about the invite.

Bill Maher for President??? Some folks are talking about it, and now a United States Senator is saying it's not the craziest idea in the world.

We got South Dakota Senator John Thune Monday at Reagan National Airport, and although he laughed out loud at first, he pivoted and said not only did Bill have the right to run ... he might even have an edge because celebrity matters in the world of presidential politics.

This all started a week ago, when Maher mused on 'Real Time' that Democrats are angry at him for criticizing the party but Republicans are now suggesting he throw his hat in the ring.

Fox News anchor Dana Perino suggested it a while back, and now Senator Thune is telling Bill ... if you wanna run, go for it. But, he offered a warning -- presidential politics is a rough and tumble business, so buyer beware.

A coupe of things ... first, Maher doesn't want to run. He called the "movement" "goofy s***," so he's keeping his night job.

Beyond that ... Maher is not criticizing Democrats because he wants them to lose ... it's the opposite. He's criticizing the Dems because he thinks they've done "goofy s***" and they're gonna lose to the Republicans if they don't get with the program.

The tension between Elon Musk and President Joe Biden is on the rise again ... with the billionaire hurling new, and colorful, insults over a perceived White House diss.

Elon was once again not invited to a summit meeting on Thursday, where top leaders – including Ford and GM's CEOs – are working together to promote Biden's "Build Back Better" bill.

The Prez gave them high marks for producing electric vehicles ... which Elon, Mr. Tesla himself, clearly took as a direct shot.

Musk lashed out on Twitter, saying ... "Biden is treating the American public like fools" -- and, for good measure, he called the President "a damp [sock] puppet in human form."

No response from the White House. Ditto for Lamb Chop.

This also happened last year after an electric vehicle White House summit in August. If you're wondering why Elon's being shut out ... WH Press Secretary Jen Psaki said back then, "The 3 largest employers of the United Auto Workers" had been invited. Yeah, it's because Tesla's factories are not unionized.

Elon's racking up opponents in DC -- you'll recall he's also been in a war of words with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who's railed on him for not paying enough income tax ... in her eyes.

Elon fired back, "You remind me of when I was a kid and my friend's angry Mom would just randomly yell at everyone for no reason."