White House

The celebration of Juneteenth as a federal holiday is a combination of solemn moments and all-out partying -- featuring multiple generations of music superstars -- to mark the occasion.

The biggest party went down Sunday at the Hollywood Bowl where Chaka Khan, Earth Wind & Fire, Khalid, Billy Porter and many more took the stage and got the sold-out crowd on its collective feet.

The concert event -- "Juneteenth: A Global Celebration of Freedom" -- aired live on CNN, and Chaka's performance was especially rousing, backed by The Roots, she belted out her hits "Ain't Nobody" and "I'm Every Woman" ... while EWF and Bell Biv Devoe also played crowd favorites "Groove Tonight" and "Poison."

President Biden and Vice President Harris recorded messages to address the Hollywood Bowl audience ... and called the holiday a "time to celebrate, time to educate and time to act."

Meanwhile, the activist who fought hard for years to get Juneteenth federal holiday status also marked the day.

95-year-old Opal Lee completed a 2.5 mile walk in Fort Worth -- symbolizing the 2.5 years it took for the enslaved African-Americans in Galveston, TX to get the news that President Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863.

That happened on June 19, 1865 ... hence the holiday's name, Juneteenth. While it's long been unofficially recognized -- especially in the Black community -- it didn't become a federal holiday until last year.

Opal's suggestion for all Americans to recognize the holiday -- "I advocate that we celebrate from the 19th of June to the 4th of July. That would be celebrating freedom."

Johnny Depp's fans not only have love for the actor ... they're showering his lawyer with the highest honor in the land ... pushing for her to become the first woman Prez!

Depp fans have plastered Camille Vasquez's name on everything from hats to shirts ... with the words "Camille Vasquez for President" emblazoned on the items.

The t-shirts are going for a reasonable $8.50. The hats are pricier ... retailing for $30 a pop.

And, get this ... there's even an apolitical prayer candle with Vasquez's name that's being hawked.

As you know, Camille became a household name by successfully repping JD, clearly outlawyering opposing counsel.

Johnny's certainly down with his lawyer's skills, because she's representing him again ... this time with attorney Benjamin Chew in another lawsuit against Johnny involving an alleged on-set assault.

Pharrell just gave some huge relief to a handful of NAACP student leaders -- wiping out all their student debt for good.

The artist surprised the group at an NAACP panel on the Black student debt crisis in D.C. Friday ... the good news got the 3 students and 2 recent graduates smiling from ear to ear.

One student, emotional with tears of joy in her eyes shouted, "I'm going to law school!"

Wisdom Cole, NAACP's National Director of Youth and College, told ABC News this is giving the crew an opportunity of a lifetime, and thanked Pharrell for forever changing the students' lives.

He also is hoping this will serve as an example to the President to do the same for struggling students across the country ... the NAACP's meeting was held right across from the White House, where President Biden has been trying to cancel a minimum of 50K in student debt.

In the wake of the Uvalde and Buffalo mass shootings, President Biden says it's on the American people to force Congress to ban assault weapons, and the best way to do that is at the voting booth.

The Prez flew to L.A. Wednesday an appeared on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," where he addressed America's gun violence issue. Remember, Jimmy delivered an impassioned monologue after the elementary school massacre ... so he asked Biden squarely, "Why haven't we done anything about this?"

POTUS said he'd sat for 4 hours with the victims' families in Texas, and spoke about the pain on their faces .. to which Kimmel said, "Shouldn't we demand that every Senator in the United States sit with those families?"

The President didn't disagree, but then implored all Americans to make gun violence and an assault weapons ban a "voting issue" ... meaning, only vote for candidates who support your view on the issue.

Kimmel asked why he wouldn't simply ban assault weapons by executive order, and Biden said he didn't want to abuse the Constitution ... as he says his predecessor did. Instead, he says Americans have the power to demand the change when they vote.

Of course, the flip side to that is we've heard that same battle cry after Columbine, Sandy Hook, Parkland and all the other school shootings.

For what it's worth, the House of Representatives did vote Thursday and pass the "Protecting Our Kids Act" ... a bundle of 8 gun control bills. However, it passed mainly on party lines with all the Democrats and only 5 Republicans voting in favor, and the reality is the 50-50 Senate most likely will not pass it.

Matthew McConaughey is serious about making a real change when it comes to guns in The United States ... meeting with politicians and speaking from The White House after a shooting that killed 19 elementary students in his hometown.

The actor joined the White House press briefing Tuesday, urging politicians on both sides to take action following the Uvalde shooting -- saying making a difference in the safety of our country is the best way to honor the lives lost.

McConaughey says he and his wife, Camila, spent a lot of time on the ground with the families of victims of the shooting -- sharing stories, tears and memories ... and now he is urging those in the highest office to make a change.

Matthew's words come following a short meeting with President Biden ... and a second day of meetings with lawmakers, as Congress mulls over new gun safety legislation this week.

Of course, his speech at the WH isn't the first time the actor has spoken out on this issue. He took to social media, pleading for gun reform just hours after the shooting.

The biggest band in the world is inside one of the most famous residences ... all in the name of stopping anti-Asian hate.

The K-pop supergroup addressed members of the media during Tuesday's White House press briefing Tuesday to put a spotlight on the troubling rise of anti-Asian hate crimes and the importance of Asian inclusion and diversity.

During the briefing, BTS thanked President Biden for the chance to speak on the issues and for reminding them how important their voice can be as artists. May 31 marks the last day of Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander heritage month.

The group was also scheduled to have a closed meeting with President Biden in the Oval Office to discuss hate crimes targeting Asians in the U.S. -- which also comes on the heels of Biden's first trip to Asia as President.

Karl-Anthony Towns and Jordyn Woods were present as President Joe Biden signed a monumental Police Reform Bill on Wednesday ... visiting the White House on the second anniversary of George Floyd's death.

26-year-old Towns made the trip to 1600 Penn with Woods to watch #46 sign the executive order into law ... which was inspired in part by Floyd's tragic passing in 2020.

KAT -- who plays for the Timberwolves in Minnesota, where Floyd died -- joined members of George's family for the signing of the bill ... including Gianna Floyd, his young daughter.

TMZ Sports spoke with Towns while he was out in D.C. ... asking the three-time All-Star if he thought the bill was a good sign for the country.

"It's a step in the right direction," Towns told us.

Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers was also in attendance for the historic moment ... as the President and his administration continued to push their agenda for police reform.

Throughout the day, Vice President Kamala Harris was photographed going over what appears to be the bill with Gianna at a podium.

Kanye West's failed presidential bid just took another hit ... his campaign committee claims they fell victim to a fraud scheme where thousands went to pay off someone's credit card.

Kanye 2020 told the Federal Election Commission someone unaffiliated with the campaign accessed the committee's bank account, swiping $3,999 to pay off their own credit card bills.

In a letter fired off Tuesday to the FEC, and obtained by TMZ, Kanye 2020 says an investigation determined someone accessed the account three times between December and February, and the campaign was unable to get the money back from the First Bank of Wyoming.

The FEC previously flagged the transactions and Kanye's campaign took a look and is now claiming they were the victim here. There doesn't appear to have been an arrest made yet, and it appears the FEC is working to gather more info. Business Insider was the first to report the filing.

The eagle has landed for desperate parents, and it couldn't have come at a more needed time ... replenished baby formula is here, even though it's far from a permanent fix.

An emergency shipment of specialty formula arrived in the States Sunday via military plane -- which carried with it around 78,000 pounds of Nestle Health Science Alfamino Infant and Alfamino Junior formula ... able to fill upwards of half a million bottles, with more coming.

The touchdown of this new load was brought in from Europe on President Biden's orders -- and while there are another 114 pallets of Gerber Good Start Extensive HA formula scheduled to arrive soon ... it's still not quite enough to replenish shelves across the country.

As you know ... there's a massive shortage going on right now at supermarkets just about everywhere -- with parents reporting having to drive hours, in some cases, to find formula.

There's a variety of reasons for the shortage -- including plants having to either shut down and/or stall production -- but the government's working on getting those up and running again ... including Nestle, which'll do a standard quality check of this shipment ASAP.

After that, they'll be sent to doctor's offices, pharmacies and hospitals -- at least first -- and presumably, to grocery stores thereafter. It appears these shipments coming in are allergy-sensitive ... as it seems parents have struggled mightily to find such products for their kids.

Looks like Pete Davidson is making some big changes ... there's a report he's expected to leave "Saturday Night Live" after this weekend.

That's right, according to Variety, Pete's final show will come after Saturday's finale. It's a pivotal move for the 28-year-old comedian. PD joined the show back in 2014, when he was just 20 years old ... as one of the youngest cast members in the show's history. Now, he's amongst the long-serving performers.

Since joining 'SNL,' Pete's career has taken off. He found himself in the Hollywood mix when he got engaged to singer Ariana Grande, before they called it quits. But now, he's with arguably the most famous woman in the world, Kim Kardashian.

The two have been all over the place lately -- including the Met Gala, the White House Correspondents' Dinner ... and even showing up to show his support in court for the Blac Chyna/Kardashian trial.

Outside of his love life, we know he's been pretty busy working on some projects other than 'SNL.' He recently missed a few SNL performances to film for the horror movie, "The Home."

NBA commissioner Adam Silver is assisting the WNBA in its efforts to get Brittney Griner home -- revealing on Tuesday he's working with the White House and even hostage negotiators to get her out of custody in Russia.

Silver said before the NBA Draft Lottery in Chicago that he's "working side-by-side" with WNBA commish Cathy Engelbert, who's made bringing Griner back to the U.S. a top priority.

"The league -- and by that, both the WNBA and its brother league, the NBA -- we have a huge responsibility to Brittney Griner as one of our players," Silver said.

"Cathy Engelbert, the commissioner of the WNBA, is on this issue every single day. I'm working side-by-side with her."

Silver says both leagues have gone above and beyond for the Phoenix Mercury star ... getting "in touch with the White House, the State Department, hostage negotiators -- at every level of government and also through the private sector as well."

"Our No. 1 priority is her health and safety and making sure that she gets out of Russia," Silver added.

Griner has been in custody in Russia since February after she was allegedly found with hash oil in her luggage at a Moscow airport.

The 31-year-old was denied house arrest by a judge last week and will be forced to stay in jail for at least another 30 days.

Jen Psaki bid farewell to the White House Press Office Friday, giving her last briefing ... and it was both emotional and apolitical.

Psaki psyched herself up to remain stoic with the press corps, but the emotions bubbled up to the surface as she looked back on her tenure as Press Secretary.

She talked about her mission statement -- to help restore integrity and grace to the office She acknowledged there were times she fell short ... saying the Irish sometimes came out in her and her boss as well. But, she added, "On my best days and as I look back, I hope I followed the example of integrity and grace that they have set for all of us, every day."

She also talked about the messy business of dealing with the media ... dealings that can get super contentious. As Psaki puts it, the arguing, the debating is actually part of democracy.

Psaki said from the jump she'd only do the job for about a year, so she actually stayed on longer than she anticipated.

Paris Hilton is on Day 2 at our nation's capital as she continues to lobby for institutional child abuse reforms -- an undertaking for which she says both sides of the aisle are needed.

We got the hotel heiress Wednesday on Capitol Hill, where PH was hand-in-hand with her hubby, Carter Reum ... and where she told us exactly why she thinks this issue was worth taking a trip over -- as she puts it, countless youth are dying "in the name of treatment."

Paris touched down in D.C. Tuesday and paid a visit to the White House, meeting with officials to discuss a bill working its way through Congress -- Federal Accountability for Congregate Care Act -- that she's fully behind ... and which will afford kids federal protection.

As you may know, Paris has been championing this cause for a while -- this after publicly claiming she herself was abused at Utah boarding school Provo Canyon in her teens.

Now, she's doing her advocacy work on a national level ... and while she's clearly got high hopes, the rancor of our red and blue politics is NOT lost on her at all.

We asked if she thought Republicans would back this Dem-drafted bill -- and she's optimistic, highlighting the importance of bipartisanship. No word on how she might try and nudge the GOP in the right direction -- but hey, it's Paris ... and she's already done some work in speaking with Republican Senator Chuck Grassley.

Barack and Michelle Obama's daughters are 2 peas in a pod now that they're both in Hollywood -- and we got a first-hand look at how close they are during an airport pickup.

We got both Malia and Sasha Obama at LAX, where little sis was picking up big sis. You can tell they were happy to see each other based on the reunion dance they busted out Wednesday afternoon as they came face-to-face.

It's a pretty sweet/surreal moment we captured -- Sasha even loaded up Malia's luggage in the hatchback she was driving.

We don't know how long it's been since they last saw each other -- they're very excited -- but, best we can tell, Malia's been gone just over a week. She flew out of LAX, in the same 'fit on May 2.

Of course, we tried firing off a few questions to the former First Kids -- including whether they like Cali life more than D.C., but, apparently, that's still classified info.

As you might have heard, Malia is a screenwriter for Donald Glover's new Amazon series -- and her boss himself was singing her praises to us not too long ago -- so she definitely seems to be putting down roots in La La Land.

Ditto for Sasha, who's reportedly attending USC now, and is frequently spotted around town.

BTW, Angelenos know fighting LAX traffic to pick up someone is a sign of true love -- so, don't ever question this sisterhood.

President Biden busted out his comedy chops during the White House Correspondents' Dinner -- and his jokes were kinda hit or miss ... but he took his shots regardless.

JB was on hand Saturday at the Washing Hilton in D.C. -- the first time the dinner's been held since 2019, and the first a POTUS was at since longer -- and after a lengthy introduction full of awards and guest speakers ... Joe took to the podium to deliver remarks.

Right off the bat, Joe made some wise cracks about the press ... but also about himself, starting out by saying he appreciated all 42% of the people who clapped for him -- a wink to his recent approval rating.

He then said this about Donald Trump ... "We had a horrible plague, followed by two years of COVID," which got a big laugh from the room. From there, Joe's reception was up and down -- he made some viewership jokes about MSNBC, and then went after FOX News.

He noted that even though FOX News might sound anti-vaxx at times ... he assured everyone, your fave FOX journalists are vaccinated to be here tonight. Another line that was interesting ... Joe acknowledging the "Let's go Brandon" gag, sort of embracing it.

He ended with a more serious note ... saying America is "not a reality show," and that too got a major reaction. All in all, not too shabby from Joe -- a mixed bag, but mostly positive.

Pete Davidson and Kim Kardashian are back in D.C. -- only this time, they're in the company of some of the most powerful people in the world ... including President Biden.

The couple were among many celebs on hand Saturday for the White House Correspondents' Dinner at the Washington Hilton ... where upwards of 2,500 guests total are expected to plop down, chow down and listen to jokes, courtesy of the MC for the night -- Trevor Noah.

As you can see ... PD and KK were shoulder-to-shoulder as they made their way in, all smiles. They were also dressed to the nines, like everyone else attending for the night.

This will be Pete's first time at the dinner, but Kim's been a couple different times -- once in 2010 and again in 2012, during the Obama years. She was one of the many people who got roasted ... and we expect this year to be no different. Ditto for Pete, in all likelihood.

They're no strangers to the nation's capital lately -- they were just here for Jon Stewart.

Anyway, what most everyone is really stoked about -- besides the fact this is the first dinner to happen in person since 2019, pre-pandemic -- is that the Prez himself will show up. Indeed, after years of Trump snubbing the event ... Joe's gonna make remarks in the flesh.