White House

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."

There are 4 new legs wandering the West Wing -- the Biden family's welcoming a new cat into the White House ... and let's hope this feline likes dogs.

Willow is a 2-year-old tabby, and Dr. Jill Biden's office says she's got some history with the Prez and First Lady dating back to before they were even in the White House.

The First Lady's Press Secretary Michael LaRosa says Willow jumped on a stage with then-candidate Joe Biden during a 2020 campaign stop at a farm -- and the farm owners said they saw an "immediate bond" between them.

The cat's name is an homage to Jill's hometown: Willow Grove, PA.

LaRosa says Willow's been fostered with friends and acquaintances of the Bidens since then ... just waiting for the right moment to make her White House debut.

Remember, it's already been ruff-going at 1600 Pennsylvania with the Biden's dogs.

As we reported back in June, Champ, the Biden family dog, died at the age of 13 ... then Major had to be re-homed because he'd had multiple biting incidents ... but he was immediately replaced by a new German shepherd puppy, Commander.

So, now that the dust has settled ... the White House is officially a one dog, one cat home -- and, of course, there are still plenty of rats.

Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is retiring after more than 2 decades on the bench -- the timing is certainly significant, and the battle over his replacement will be fascinating.

Justice Breyer was appointed to the Supreme Court way back in 1994 by President Bill Clinton, and there was mounting pressure from Democrats for him to step aside for some new blood.

From the outside, it certainly appears Breyer learned a lesson from Ruth Bader Ginsburg's situation -- with RBG not stepping down when a Democrat was in office as she grew older, ultimately leading to Donald Trump's hand-picked replacement ... Justice Amy Coney Barrett.

The timing of Breyer's retirement is interesting ... the midterm elections are looming and there's a possibility the Democrats could lose their slim majority in the Senate, which would make it nearly impossible for President Joe Biden's pick for a new Justice to get confirmed.

Breyer will remain on the bench until the Supreme Court's current term ends this summer.

Republicans have made clear their intentions to block any potential candidate put forward by President Biden, if the GOP wins back a Senate majority in the midterms.

Right now the Democrats hold the majority in the House and Senate, so look for President Biden to push through a replacement for Justice Breyer rather quickly.

Sen. Mitch McConnell's attempts to backtrack his remark about Black voters aren't flying with some people ... especially the leader of Black Voters Matter.

LaTosha Brown, who co-founded the group, tells TMZ ... the Senate Minority Leader's comments weren't shocking, but most certainly disturbing, because she says the comment was rooted in racism.

She admits McConnell probably didn't intend to say what he said, but LaTosha believes that's what he believes ... so, it just came out. As she puts it, "The lips will betray the heart."

As you know, Sen. McConnell's come under fire for the comment that certainly sounded like he doesn't view Black people as Americans. He said, "Well, the concern is misplaced, because if you look at the statistics, African American voters are voting in just as high a percentage as Americans."

What made it even worse was the fact he said it just before leading the push to defeat the John Lewis Voting Rights Act in the Senate. In fact, McConnell was attempting to explain why he thinks there's no need for the legislation.

Bill Maher is back!!! And boy, this one's a doozy ... a plan for Democrats to stay in power after the 2024 election ... and it involves Joe Biden, Barack Obama and gay marriage.

This is going to sound absurd on its face ... but there's a hugely important message behind the farce, so play along. Maher says Republicans have changed the rules and even flouted the law with zero shame to get their way ... and Democrats need to do the same thing.

Maher says whether fair or not, Biden doesn't seem to be a winning candidate in '24. He ticks off others like Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders but dismisses them too.

So, who then? Bill says the only person who Democrats will swarm to the polls to vote for is Barack Obama.

So, here's his plan ... Obama and Biden divorce their wives (but only in title ... they'd still be together) and then marry each other. Obama goes back into the White House and becomes a de facto Prez.

Now, Bill's still gotta learn the lingo ... he calls Obama "First Lady." Bill, it's "First Gentleman." It's 2022.

Now, don't misunderstand his point. Maher is saying Democrats are losing to Republicans because of rule adherence, something scoffed at by the GOP. Bill wants the Dems to pull a Gus -- Remember the movie, "Gus," where a mule became a kicker for a football team after the team argued there was no specific rule preventing mules from becoming team members?

He's not really saying Obama and Biden should marry ... he's making a do-or-die point.

BTW ... in case you're wondering, Biden couldn't pick Obama as his VP ... the 12th Amendment prohibits a Vice President from being elected if they're not qualified to be President, and Obama can't become Prez again because of the 2-term limit.

Bernie Sanders is making money for some of his constituents, thanks to a meme from the Inauguration ... because folks are buying more of those famous mittens on the 1st anniversary.

Here's the deal ... Bernie became an instant meme when he wore a pair of mittens, gifted to him by an elementary school teacher in Vermont, when Joe Biden was sworn into office on a chilly day in Washington D.C.

People started buying tons of handmade mittens from Jen Ellis, the woman who sent that pair to Bernie back in 2016, and now we're told sales are spiking again.

Jen was overwhelmed by the initial demand ... she partnered with the Vermont Teddy Bear Company to manufacture and distribute the mittens infamously worn by Bernie ... and the company tells us they saw a 50% spike in mitten sales Thursday, which marked one year since the Inauguration.

VTBC says they attribute the uptick in mitten sales to the anniversary of Bernie's viral moment ... with folks mostly snapping up blue and gray mittens, even though there's no exact replica of Bernie's for sale.

The company says they've sold 12,000 pairs of mittens since partnering with Jen back in March 2021 ... and to keep up with the demand they hired 10 more workers.

Jen says she gets tons of fan mail now ... people send her art, books and mittens they've made ... but Jen tells us she's still focused on teaching her 2nd-grade students and doesn't want the mittens side hustle to become her full-time gig.

President Biden paid tribute to his late congressional colleague, Harry Reid, this weekend -- continuing a tradition of funeral-going that the Washington Post appears to take issue with.

The former Nevada senator, who died last week, was honored Saturday in his home state through a memorial service ... one which featured major speakers from the Democratic party, including Biden himself, former President Barack Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and others.

46 delivered remarks about what Reid meant to American politics, as did Obama and the rest ... but just a day earlier, WaPo published a story that was all about how Biden has spent much of his presidency doing exactly this -- with what sounds like critical tone, no less.

The story is titled "Biden, funerals and a bygone America." The text itself details how consoling families of the fallen, especially old friends of his, is very important to JB ... and how some aides apparently avoid trying to stop him, as they've found it futile to do so.

The sentiment of the story -- despite never quite stating it explicitly in the body itself -- is that Biden's constant grieving is a bit of a turnoff and somewhat of a time-waster ... which was hit home in a since-deleted tweet by the Post that they initially used as a caption.

It read, "Biden, who heads to Sen. Harry M. Reid's memorial Saturday -- his seventh as president -- uses funerals to honor his friendships and make a point about bipartisanship. Not everyone thinks it's the best use of his time."

Almost immediately, the Post started getting a massive amount of backlash -- including from Press Sec. Jen Psaki -- and they deleted the tweet, later saying it didn't accurately represent the scope of the story.

That's still up for debate to many ... who wonder, what's the point of this story??? According to critics, the whole purpose of writing this was to highlight what WaPo perceives as Biden being out of touch/overly optimistic in trying to cling to a political dynamic of the past.