White House

Gladys Knight's husband says President Biden straight up told them he didn't have 15 minutes to chat with them about what they see as a huge problem ... Black businesses being passed up for government contracts.

The singer and her husband, William McDowell, joined us on "TMZ Live" Monday and explained their experience trying to nail down a meeting with Biden ... which has so far proven impossible, much to their chagrin.

Remember ... Gladys has been trying to meet with Biden since 2021 -- she wants to get a government contract so her company can provide PPE to the public -- and her husband says he finally cornered Biden in the White House and was told the meeting wasn't going to happen.

Biden presented Gladys with the National Medal of Arts last week, but her husband says when he brought up the meeting to POTUS he was immediately shut down.

Gladys and William are adamant they're not looking for a government payday or handout here ... they say Biden's refusal to meet with them is an example of a much larger problem ... Black businesses continually coming in last for federal contracts, which they feel is a civil rights issue.

It's a problem Gladys says is not unique to Biden, though ... she says the feds have always been unfair to Black business owners, dating back to when JFK was in office ... at least in her experience.

The issue here though ... Gladys and William say the Biden Administration is talking about wanting to create a level playing field, but actions aren't backing up words.

Gladys Knight is furious that President Biden has invited the likes of BTS to The White House, yet her repeated requests for a sit-down with the President over a vital issue have been ignored ... and she flatly asks the question ... "Are the problems associated with African Americans not equal to those of other races? Why do we have to be last?"

Gladys' company, Riccino Optical, provides COVID-related products, including antigen tests, anti-fog goggles and face shields. Her company, which she describes as an "African American woman owned minority business," has been trying to get a government contract to provide these PPEs to the public, but she says they've been ignored.

The singer says the feds are giving contracts to the "Good old boys' network of Washington D.C. insiders." She goes on to say a contract was specifically targeted to help Native American businesses in this space, yet she says there are no Native American manufacturers of these PPEs, while her company has millions in inventory.

Gladys wrote her letter to Biden in June. Although she went to The White House earlier this week to receive the National Medal of Arts, she did not have a sit-down with the President, even though her husband asked Biden why he hasn't met with her yet.

In her letter, she says, "It is extraordinarily insulting to watch news reports ... that a boy band from South Korea, BTS, had an in-person meeting with President Biden."

She goes on ... "As a longtime, Democrat and Civil rights warrior, as well as a legendary entertainer that has met with President Biden many times in my life, the difficulty of setting up a meeting with him over these issues makes no sense."

Joe Exotic is getting dragged for his recent presidential run announcement, but it ain't by Carole Baskin -- instead, it's by the party he says he's running with.

Angela McArdle, chair and spokesperson for the Libertarian Party, tells TMZ ... "We stand for personal and economic freedom, we are not a landing pad for former reality stars and D-list celebrities." Ouch.

She says the "Tiger King" star hasn't shown he has a full grasp on the ideas of the party, and even calls out his 2018 gubernatorial run as a Libertarian in Oklahoma -- saying that attempt was "just tigers and glitter."

She adds she's very sympathetic to people "being mistreated in prison," but notes that doesn't mean it's right to support someone who's made "poor choices."

Angela tells us, hypothetically, anyone can run for office as a Libertarian, and there isn't a whole lot the party can do to block it -- instead, she urges folks to send libertarian literature to Joe while he's locked away. In her words, "If he's going to be spouting about libertarianism, he might as well get educated about it."

Aside from understanding his party's platform, there's the not-so-small issue of candidate Joe's 20 remaining years on his prison sentence!

President Biden did away with Donald Trump's plans for a new look for Air Force One, and instead stuck with the classic aesthetic ... albeit, with a little shade -- a lighter one, that is.

The Air Force announced a new paint design that'll be applied to POTUS' main ride in the sky, and they say JB has decided to stick with the OG colors that have been around since the '60s, when JFK started using the jumbo jet and blue/white pattern we all know today.

As you can see ... Joe opted for a lighter blue. The way the Air Force describes it though is quite sophisticated ... they chalk up the differences this way ... "The light blue on VC-25B is a slightly deeper, more modern tone than VC-25A's robin's egg blue. Additionally, the VC-25B engines will use the darker blue from the cockpit area vice the VC-25A’s robin’s egg blue."

They also say there's no more polished metal on the new AF1 plane(s) -- which are being manufactured by Boeing -- because modern commercial skin alloys don't allow for it. 🤷🏽‍♂️

To the average bear, there doesn't seem to be much of a difference here -- at least not at first glance, anyway -- but the AF is insisting there are slight tweaks that make the new plane more efficient and effective. It's also a bit sleeker in appearance ... we'll give 'em that.

Now, as far as what the ex-Prez wanted a few years back -- namely, a completely different color scheme and design that resembled our national flag -- the Air Force says it wasn't going to work out due to technical difficulties and time. An easy decision for Biden, it seems.

Here's how the AF describes the problem with Trump's preference back then ... "The Air Force previously displayed a red, white, and blue livery for the VC-25B because it had been publicly expressed as a preferred livery in 2019. A thermal study later concluded the dark blue in the design would require additional Federal Aviation Administration qualification testing for several commercial components due to the added heat in certain environments."

President Biden's fully recovered from a brush with cancer he had last month ... according to doctors who are giving him the all-clear.

The White House announced Friday a lesion was found on Biden's chest last month during his annual physical, and after a biopsy, doctors determined it was malignant. White House Dr. Kevin O'Connor said it was basal cell carcinoma, but they were able to remove all the cancerous tissue.

Perhaps most importantly, O'Connor also said, "No further treatment is required."

That's key for the 80-year-old commander-in-chief as he inches closer to officially announcing his bid for re-election in 2024. Biden's critics have already tried to make his age and health an issue.

GOP presidential hopeful Nikki Haley's suggested mandatory competency testing for all politicians over 75.

Former President Jimmy Carter has apparently been in and out of the hospital of late -- pertaining to a number of ailments and injuries -- but now ... he's entering hospice care.

A statement issued by the Carter Center reads in part, "After a series of short hospital stays, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter today decided to spend his remaining time at home with his family and receive hospice care instead of additional medical intervention."

It adds, "He has the full support of his family and his medical team. The Carter family asks for privacy during this time and is grateful for the concern shown by his many admirers." It's unclear what Carter's recent hospital stays are related to -- but it's sad news nonetheless.

The obvious implication is that Carter is on his last legs, and may well pass away soon -- that's usually what entering hospice care means ... so, naturally, the well-wishes and salutes to his legacy are pouring in all over social media right now.

In 2019, Carter suffered a hard fall that left him rattled and in need of stitches. At the time, he also received surgery to relieve pressure in his brain, the result of internal bleeding from that same fall. Carter also beat skin cancer, which he'd been diagnosed with in 2015.

Carter, who's now 98 years old, served as the 39th President, beating incumbent Gerald Ford. He served one term and was succeeded by Ronald Reagan.

The White House is batting down any notion that what they shot out of the skies this weekend are of another world -- but it's still not entirely clear what we're dealing with.

Press Sec. Karine Jean-Pierre briefly addressed this with the media Monday before clearing the podium for other Biden admin officials who discussed it further -- and it was then that she said clear as day ... these were not aliens.

Here's her exact wording ... "There is no indication of aliens or extra-terrestrial activity with these recent takedowns. Again, there is no indication of aliens or terrestrial activity with these recent takedowns."

KJP went on to note that the administration had obviously been hearing a lot about it, but again stressed this wasn't in the realm of "E.T." What she didn't clarify, however, was what the airborne objects actually were ... neither did National Security official who followed her.

John Kirby -- who serves on Biden's National Security Council -- said the U.S. had not yet fully and properly assessed what the latest downed objects are ... and that they're still out there collecting and studying to figure out the exact nature and origin of them.

What Kirby did reveal is still somewhat shrouded in mystery -- apparently, these most recent UFOs had no discernable communication systems, no propulsion systems and no real maneuvering capabilities ... and they were also unmanned. The government has also said they're definitely not balloon-type crafts -- but still can't quite pin down a good description.

We had theoretical physicist Avi Loeb on TMZ Live Monday, who provided a little clarity and comfort to those worried about the UFOs from the weekend ... telling us there's nothing to be afraid of ... at least not yet!

An unidentified flying object -- literally, a UFO -- was shot down by the United States just outside of Alaska ... but it isn't another balloon, and TikTok is having a tinfoil hat field day.

Here's the deal ... the White House announced Friday that President Biden had ordered the downing of yet another object in the sky that was inexplicably in our airspace, which the Pentagon said posed a reasonable threat to civilian aircraft due to its altitude (40,000 feet).

It had been spotted and surveilled by U.S. intelligence/Alaska-area military Thursday, and the next day ... JB said to take it down, which an F-22 fighter jet then did without issue.

As for what exactly it is -- and more importantly, how the government is talking about it -- is shrouded in mystery ... as White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby described it to the media as the size of a "small car," but didn't offer any more details.

Fortunately, other outlets were able to get a better read on this from anonymous national security sources -- with one unnamed high-ranking official describing it to ABC News as "cylindrical and silverish gray," while also saying it looked to be unmanned and FLOATING ... and not appearing to be steered or propelled with any recognizable aviation systems.

In other words, it sounds like a good old-fashioned flying saucer -- or, at the very least, like something that's been described by Navy officials, of late, as something out of this world.

There's a retrieval mission underway to gather the remains of whatever this thing was, but so far ... there isn't much else out about where it came from, what its capabilities are, or its intent. Uncle Sam has firmly said, however, that it is not another Chinese balloon.

Of course, due to the sci-fi nature of this news ... the internet is off and running with conspiracy theories -- not to mention purported footage and/or images of what some claim to be the actual object ... plus, what some claim have been other recent sightings there.

Par for the course for TikTok, but we must admit ... this is a pretty wild story, especially since the feds are being careful in how to describe the mystery machine. They keep calling it a "high-altitude object" ... but also admit it was, indeed, flying. So, it's a freaking UFO.

BTW, if this feels like déjà vu -- namely, the government admitting to something unknown, while being wish-washy on what exactly it was -- that's because this happened before. Roswell!

The infamous incident from 1947 is top of mind for many right now ... especially since a balloon was just in the mix a week ago, which China said was for weather research. That's what the U.S. ultimately said crashed out there in New Mexico, despite putting out a much more ominous public bulletin about the debris at first ... which definitely didn't sound like a weather balloon. Roswell is by far the most talked-about alien theory to date, at least here.

Time will tell if the feds give more info on what they shot down. With UFO reports at an all-time high -- and with Congress taking it seriously -- this could amount to something. 👀

The Chinese spy balloon is down, but questions remain -- like, whether this has happened on another president's watch ... which the Dept. of Defense says it did, pointing to Trump.

Here's the deal ... the DoD issued a lengthy statement Saturday explaining what exactly happened leading up to an F-22 fighter jet of ours safely shooting down the balloon over the Atlantic Ocean, just outside of Surfside Beach, SC. We all remember that, yes?

They reiterated what everyone had already heard at that point ... that the U.S. believes the balloon had been purposely sent here by China, and that it was intended to surveil us.

However, in explaining the balloon posed no serious threat to us -- other than breaching our airspace/pushing the boundaries of our sovereignty -- the DoD goes on to cite an unnamed defense official ... who claims this happened before under DT's administration.

The anonymous official says, "Chinese balloons briefly transited the continental United States at least three times during the prior administration." There's no other details about when exactly this might've happened, or to what degree ... namely, did they do full fly-overs???

In the wake of this Dept. of Defense official getting Trump's name in the mix, a handful of former Trump administration officials have come out of the woodwork to deny this ever happened during his time in office. And we're talking heavy hitters -- guys who'd know.

The former Director of National Intelligence, John Ratcliffe, went on FOX News to flat-out refute what the DoD has said publicly ... noting, if this had in fact happened during the Trump years like they claim -- it would've been spotted and certainly reported by the media.

A Chinese spy balloon that's been hovering over the U.S. throughout the week is probably going to meet its maker once it reaches the deep blue ... something President Biden teased.

JB made one of his first public comments about the foreign aircraft Saturday while out in Syracuse, NY -- where he was asked about it by a reporter ... to whom he casually responded, "We're going to take care of it." Reports from AP and ABC News suggest it's going down.

According to the outlets, the Biden administration is strongly considering shooting the balloon while it's floating over the Atlantic Ocean ... that way, there's no risk of any debris crashing into anything or anybody on the ground. The reports say U.S. officials have cleared airspace for this, and that they would collect the debris for further examination thereafter.

As of Saturday morning, the balloon could be seen fly above the Carolinas and heading East. Estimates say it should be over water sometime this afternoon, so it could go down later today.

The Prez was reportedly first briefed on the fact the balloon had entered our territory on Tuesday, and the first sightings of it over Montana and other midwestern states began surfacing Wednesday. China says it's an unmanned weather balloon conducting research which accidentally veered off course and floated our way ... but the U.S. has called BS.

Instead, intelligence officials are saying it's a surveillance balloon ... and they believe it was sent here intentionally. In any case, it's not great for diplomatic relations right now.

A second balloon was also spotted floating above Latin America today. Time will tell if it's flight comes to an end ... and what any potential findings could mean for how we deal with China.

Things have been bumpy lately with the superpower nation, especially as it pertains to predictions about war and whatnot. With this brazen move, it doesn't bode well.

The balloon takedown could happen any moment now ... stay tuned.

The Philadelphia Eagles' wings were working just fine Sunday afternoon -- they won the NFC Championship and are on their way to the Super Bowl ... which Dr. Jill Biden loves to see.

The First Lady was in attendance for the big game at Lincoln Financial Field, where the Eagles faced off against the San Francisco 49ers ... and completely blew them out in a very lop-sided matchup. It wasn't even close in the end -- the final score was 31-7 ... yikes.

The thrashing Philly put on for the home crowd was watched by thousands in the stands, including a handful of celebs who rolled through -- Bradley Cooper was one of the famous faces who was flapping, but DJB was by far the most prominent person in attendance.

In fact, she had one of the best seats in the house ... sitting next to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, no less, and chatting him up during the broadcast. No sign of Joe anywhere -- looks like FLOTUS was on her own for this one ... even though they're both PA peeps.

And yes, Jill's a big Eagles fan ... and made that known before she even got to the stadium. There are shots of her exiting Marine One earlier Sunday in Delaware, where she was rocking an Eagles shirt under her coat. She's from NJ originally, but grew up in Willow Grove.

Welp, the City of Brotherly Love didn't disappoint the most powerful woman in the country ... and, of course, the team is stoked to get their ticket to SB LVII -- set to go down Feb. 12.

A top U.S. Air Force official sent a stunning confession to his subordinates this week that warns of a looming war with China that he believes will manifest in the next couple years.

General Mike Minihan -- a four-star officer -- fired off an internal memo Friday to the rank and file that reports to him within the Air Mobility Command ... a unit that encompasses roughly 50,000 service members and oversees 500 planes for transport/refueling purposes.

While AMC doesn't sound like a combat-ready entity, Minihan reportedly told his guys to prepare for battle ... this according to NBC News, which says it obtained a copy of his note.

According to the outlet, Gen. Minihan writes ... "I hope I am wrong. My gut tells me will fight in 2025," while going on to describe what he says he believes China will do during the 2024 general election cycle -- namely, use that volatility here in the States to move on Taiwan.

In the event this comes to pass, Minihan reportedly laid out a very detailed defense and attack plan ... which includes building up a "Joint Force Maneuver Team" that can mobilize quickly to "fight and win inside the first island chain." He's ordering all airwing commanders and AF operational commanders to report on their progress for this by the end of February.

There's more ... Minihan reportedly has goals in mind for February and March, which entail his boys firing clips at 7-meter targets -- while noting, "unrepentant lethality matters most. Aim for the head." In March, he wants the AMC team to "consider their personal affairs and whether a visit should be scheduled with their servicing base legal office to ensure they are legally ready and prepared." Also, he tells them to update their emergency contacts.

In addition to this, Minihan's memo talks of risk/reward in training ... reportedly saying, "Run deliberately, not recklessly," and later adding, "If you are comfortable in your approach to training, then you are not taking enough risk." NBC News also says he discusses the possible use of commercial drone swarms as a tactic the U.S. might use against China.

In other words, this guy is rounding up the cavalry in very real terms ... not hypotheticals. And yet, a DoD rep went on record to say Minihan's concerns don't reflect the department's view on China ... distancing themselves from what sounds like legit wartime preparations.

President Biden's hand-signed memoir -- gifted to the nurse who took care of his son before he died of cancer -- is up for grabs, giving buyers a chance to own the exclusive note from the Prez.

The signed copy of Biden's book, "Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose" is currently listed on the Moments In Time auction site.

The site acquired it from a collector, who bought it directly from Beau Biden's nurse, Roz, and, it comes with a $28K price tag.

We're told the then-former VP personally wrote a message to Roz, in 2017, for taking care of Beau while he was battling cancer. The note also mentions Howard, another nurse who assisted Beau.

Joe wrote, "I know what you did for my son. I learned after the fact. You are both the definition of generosity. Roz- if they have angels in Heaven they are all nurses. Thank you both and keep the faith." It's dated December 19, 2017.

As we reported, the younger Biden died of brain cancer in 2015 when he was 46.

As for the book, it's said to be the only substantial handwritten document from the now President. He's signed many things in office, but we're told he typically only signs his name.

The Golden State Warriors returned to The White House to celebrate their 2021-2022 NBA Season championship -- but it wasn't just members of the team who went -- Oakland hip hop legends joined in too!!!

TMZ Hip Hop obtained photos and videos of E-40, Too $hort, Sway Calloway and Mistah F.A.B. at the White House during the reception, posting up with V.P. Kamala Harris and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

We’re told V.P. Harris was excited to meet 40 and $hort ... being a proud Oakland native herself, and the guys got to swap stories with Pelosi and her husband, Paul.

The hip hop stars are regulars at The Chase Center, supporting the Warriors through thick and thin -- so it's not totally shocking they were able to tag along. The group also got a pic in with players Andre Iguodala and Moses Moody.

Outside on the White House grounds, 40, $hort and F.A.B. discussed Oakland streetwear legacy and later connected with former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms for a photo-op.

We spoke with $hort earlier this season about the potential for this year's squad, and he’s adamant the Warriors will win another chip with ease.

Last year marked the Warriors’ 4th championship in recent years, but it was their first trip back to the White House since 2015, after refusing to celebrate with Donald Trump.

The Golden State Warriors made their triumphant return to President Biden's White House Tuesday -- after twice spurning President Trump -- where they celebrated winning the NBA title last summer.

The Dubs were in D.C. to play the hometown Wizards Monday night at the Capital One Arena ... before pulling up on #46 Tuesday afternoon to commemorate their fourth championship in eight years. The Warriors beat the Celtics in 6 games during the 2022 NBA Finals.

Of course, it's the first time Curry and the Warriors have been back to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue since Barack Obama was president. The team publicly feuded with Trump after their championships in 2017 and 2018.

Despite it being a tradition to go to the W.H., the Warriors spurned Trump, refusing to go to the White House. Trump also disinvited the team.

Vice President Kamala Harris, a Warriors fan, opened things up ... recalling when the team gifted her a custom #49 jersey, in honor of her becoming the 49th VP in U.S. history.

Harris then introduced POTUS, who raved about the franchise's success ... led by Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, and head coach Steve Kerr.

Speaking of Steph ... the reigning NBA Finals MVP said a few words, too -- before presenting Biden and Harris with a signature #46 and #1 Warriors jersey.

Curry and Biden stood side by side, posing for photos with the jerseys ... as photographers snapped pics of the two as the other players, coaches and executives stood in the background.

President Joe Biden was storing even more classified documents at his home than previously thought -- this according to his lawyer.

The most recent discovery was made on Thursday, but just got disclosed Saturday by White House attorney Richard Sauber ... who said he found an extra five pages while he was in the middle of handing over a previously announced classified doc to DOJ officials.

This marks the fourth such find of classified docs that Biden had been holding onto from his Obama days. First, classified docs were found at his personal office in D.C. in November ... then, additional docs were found in his garage at his Delaware home in December -- and finally, one final classified doc was unearthed in a separate room at his house recently, which just came to light the other day. Now, we get these separate five docs to top it off.

In light of this latest batch being divulged ... the situation is starting to become a bit of a scandal ... as the DOJ has appointed a special counsel to investigate the matter.

The White House, for its part, has been a little cagey in addressing it ... but has said the docs were misplaced by accident, and that Joe meant no harm in stashing them.

He's addressed some of the documents found, but not all. His administration is also facing scrutiny for not letting everyone know about this when they were first discovered (pre-midterm elections) ... but his lawyers have defended the decision -- saying they were trying to strike a balance between being transparent and maintaining the integrity of the DOJ probe, which had already been looking into this before a special counsel was tapped this week.

Unclear what's in the docs ... and reps for the Prez have even said Joe himself is unaware of what they contain or how they even ended up at places they shouldn't have been.

Because they're classified, DOJ and National Archives officials have been called in to retrieve each new cache that's been found ... so it seems protocol's been followed in that regard.

Of course, this news is stirring up outrage among Republicans -- who see similarities between Biden's apparent mishandling of classified docs and Donald Trump's -- who's also been accused of hoarding tons of materials he should've left in D.C.