White House

JoJo Siwa says she's a big fan of the movement to remove Ronald Reagan's name from an airport in favor of her ... telling us it would be the SICKEST THING EVER!!!

We got the YouTube star at Craig's in WeHo Wednesday night and asked about the petition to change Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to the JoJo Siwa Washington National Airport.

JoJo says she's on board with the change, telling us it's the best idea she's ever heard in her life. The petition's already got 33,000 signatures and counting, and JoJo says her mom told her to sign on too.

Folks signing the petition seem to have very specific beefs with the former President, saying he "rigged the economy for the rich and screwed over everyone else" ... but JoJo says she knows nothing about RR, other than the fact he's got an airport named after him.

Rep. Liz Cheney has committed the cardinal GOP sin by deviating from the Donald Trump litmus test and it's a sad day for the Grand Old Party ... so says Rep. Adam Kinzinger.

We got the Republican Congressman from Illinois on Capitol Hill Wednesday, in the wake of Cheney's ouster from her GOP leadership post, and he couldn't be clearer ... telling the truth about the election will crush you.

Rep. Kinzinger mused what a weird time it is when leaders get pushed out for being honest, telling us Cheney's ouster says a lot about former President Trump's grip over his party.

As you know ... Cheney was fired from House Leadership because she dared to challenge Trump over false claims of a stolen presidential election.

Rep. Kinzinger says Cheney still has a lot of support in the party, but those in her corner are staying quiet for fear of suffering the same fate as her.

Adam's laying the blame at the feet of GOP leadership and not Republican voters. In fact, if the 2024 choice is Trump vs. Cheney, he's already made his decision, and it's not Trump.

One of Barack and Michelle Obama's family dogs -- Bo, the older of the two Portuguese Water Dogs they have -- has died.

Michelle shared the sad news Saturday with a heartfelt tribute to their pooch, saying they'd said goodbye to their longtime companion after a battle with cancer.

His dog mom wrote, "On the campaign trail in 2008, we promised our daughters that we would get a puppy after the election. At the time, Bo was supposed to be a companion for the girls. We had no idea how much he would mean to all of us."

Michelle went on to detail all the times Bo had been there for their family, both in an official capacity and behind the scenes as well. She said Bo was there when Malia and Sasha came home from school, there for POTUS and FLOTUS when they needed a break ... and there for huge WH events over the years, including the Easter Egg Roll and when the Pope visited.

She says he was also there when the dust settled after they'd left the White House ... helping Barack and Michelle see the girls off to college, being a steadfast furry friend. BTW, speaking of Barack and Michelle's kids ... part of the reason they ended choosing Bo and Sunny was due to them being hypoallergenic, something Malia needed for her allergies.

Anyway, Michelle adds that Bo loved the pandemic ... because all his fave humans were under one roof again, and some great quality time spent with him over the past year. She also says this ... "As a family, we will miss Bo dearly. But we are thankful that he lived such a joyful life full of snuggles, games of fetch, and evenings spent lying on the couch."

The former First Lady ended with a plea to the public ... many of whom also came to love Bo as their First Dog during their time in office.

She says, "We also know we weren’t the only ones who cared for Bo, and are grateful for all the love you showed him over the years. Please hug the furry members of your family a little closer tonight -- and give them a belly rub from us."

Bo's younger sister, Sunny, is still kicking ... but it's gotta be heartbreaking to lose their male canine friend -- who'd been with the family for such a long time. He was only 12.

RIP

Barack Obama had nothing but beautiful things to say about Willie Mays on the MLB legend's birthday ... even saying the ex-SF Giant helped pave the way for his presidency.

Obama posted the cool happy birthday note to the former slugger on his Twitter page Thursday ... saying, "Happy 90th birthday to Willie Mays!"

"If it wasn't for folks like Willie and Jackie Robinson, I might never have made it to the White House."

Obama continued, "The spirit he played with and the way he carried himself changed the game and people’s attitudes. I’m glad he’s still going strong."

Obama and Mays have had a friendship that dates back years ... Mays famously rode on Air Force 1 with Obama in 2009 when the two were on the way to the '09 MLB All-Star Game in St. Louis.

Obama later went on to joke about that trip ... saying, "Very rarely when I'm on Air Force 1 am I the second-most important guy on there. Everybody was just passing me by, 'Can I get you something, Mr. Mays?"

In 2015, Obama awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Mays as well.

Mays is to this day still one of the best baseball players that's ever lived ... he was a 2-time MVP, 24-time All-Star and a 12-time Gold Glove winner.

It seems Vice President Kamala Harris was waiting to move into one famous D.C. home while living in another that also needed major renovations ... almost $2 million worth!!!

According to federal docs obtained by TMZ ... the Blair House, AKA The President's Guest House, is set for an HVAC replacement among other substantial upgrades over the next year.

The docs show the Public Buildings Service of The White House is dishing out nearly $1.79 mil to a company called Gaghan Mechanical to get the job done.

As we reported ... the Veep and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff had been living at the historic, 19th-century row house located just steps away from The White House since President Biden's inauguration.

That's because the VP's traditional home at the Naval Observatory was also getting a bunch of repairs ... but Kamala and Doug were finally able to move into that fancy mansion last month.

Michael Flynn either forgot the words to the Pledge of Allegiance, or he's a master at working for the crowd with MC call-backs ... and a lot of people think it's the former.

President Trump's former National Security Advisor -- and a retired U.S. Army lieutenant general, no less -- showed up Sunday at a pro-Trump rally down in South Carolina ... an event called "Bikers for Trump" which was held at the HonkyTonk Saloon.

At one point, Mike got on stage and led the audience in reciting the pledge ... and he kinda made a big show about it too, which made his weird silence look even worse.

Check it out ... Flynn starts out strong with the memorable words, but once he got past the initial sentence -- he seemed to have gotten his tongue-tied on the exact phrasing, and stopped talking altogether. Luckily, the crowd knew the rest ... and they finished it out.

MF hopped back in at "under God, indivisible." Unclear if he truly forgot -- or if he was doing that for dramatic effect ... but in any case, the pro-Trumpers didn't really mind. They gave him a big round of applause afterward, and it looked like they appreciated the gesture.

Of course, Twitter was having a field day with the awkward moment ... with many cracking jokes at Flynn's expense, saying a lot of guys from Putin's inner circle tend to have trouble with the pledge.

He was also accused of being a traitor -- which harkens back to his early tenure in the Trump WH ... when he was found to have been feeding intel to Russian operatives during the transition, something he lied about to Mike Pence (and the FBI) and ultimately got convicted for amid Robert Mueller's Russia probe.

If you thought Utah Republicans forgot all about Senator Mitt Romney turning his back on Donald Trump -- welp, they haven't. Exhibit A ... this tidal wave of boos.

The Utah U.S. Senator showed face Saturday at a GOP convention at the Maverik Center in his home state -- but not one of the 2,000 or so delegates on hand seemed all too happy to see him step to the podium ... and they made their displeasure known, very loudly.

Check out this brutal scene ... the entire building is straight-up booing the man, with no shame whatsoever. He was also reportedly met with taunts and jeers, likening him to a "communist" and a "traitor." Unfortunately for Romney, he got booed the hell off stage.

We'll give him credit -- he tried holding his own up there for a while, even bringing up Biden's first 100 days, seemingly in an effort to curry favor with the Utah crowd. They weren't having any of it, though ... and Romney eventually addressed the elephant in the room.

He said it's no secret he wasn't the biggest fan of Trump's "character" before someone came to get him. That's an understatement if we ever heard one -- and big-time downplaying.

Fact is ... Romney drew his line in the sand many times over, especially with his impeachment votes. You might recall ... he twice voted to convict Trump at his trials, agreeing that the guy had either 1) abused his presidential power or 2) incited an insurrection. Trump was acquitted in both instances.

President Biden's dog, Major, will soon have a new four-legged pal around the White House ... 'cause the Bidens are getting a cat and they made sure Major can handle it.

Biden and the First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden, told "Today" Major underwent special training that included the German Shepard visiting a cat shelter to see how he reacts around cats ... and he did fine.

When "Today" co-anchor Craig Melvin brought up Major, Biden joked, "We were going to bring him in to see you" ... to which Melvin replied, "Well, I don’t know if that’s the best idea based on what I’ve heard about Major."

Jill defended Major ... calling him a "sweet, lovable dog."

Major, of course, has had 2 biting incidents at the White House ... with the first one getting him and his pal, Champ, sent back to Delaware last month. Major eventually returned but just days later there was another biting incident ... prompting some extra handlers and a new trainer.

Vice President Kamala Harris and Speaker Nancy Pelosi just made history before President Biden's first address to Congress ... celebrating the moment with a super cool elbow bump!!!

It's the first time in our nation's history two women are flanking an American president inside the House Chamber ... and Kamala and Nancy marked the occasion in style.

The mutual respect didn't stop with the iconic elbow bump, Kamala and Nancy also shook hands, even though they aren't supposed to get so close due to coronavirus protocols.

But, hey, this is a huge deal, so it's easy to understand how they could get caught up in the moment.

And, this is super interesting ... the two women who just made history tonight are not only both from Cali, they're both from the Bay Area. As Pelosi said today, there must be something in the water!

Get ready to see the elbow bump in history books one day, but in the meantime, we're sure it will get the meme and GIF treatment.

If Rep. Karen Bass were a betting woman, she's close to betting the house, no pun intended, on Congress passing police reform legislation and getting it signed by President Biden in no time.

The U.S. Congresswoman for California's 37th District joined us Tuesday on "TMZ Live" and laid out surprisingly good odds for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to get the necessary votes in, not only in the House, but in the Senate ... where Republicans have numbers to stall or kill the bill.

Bass, who introduced the bill in June 2020, says she's been working closely with Sen. Tim Scott -- who's spearheading efforts to gather enough Republican votes -- and she believes he's fully committed to getting it passed. Right now she's putting their odds of success at 80 percent, but explains she might go even higher than that.

The bill aims to ban chokeholds, no-knock warrants and profiling, and also to set national standards for police training ... among many other things.

Just like most of us over the last year, the White House is leaning on Zoom to conduct meetings and get face time with folks amid the pandemic, but chances are President Biden's Zoomin' is MUCH more expensive than yours.

According to federal docs obtained by TMZ ... the Executive Office of the President has spent a little more than $422,000 on Zoom licensing fees since mid-January, right around the time Biden took office.

That might seem pretty hefty -- especially for those who mostly use Zoom for free or at a low cost to chat with family and friends ... but the licenses needed for the government to use Zoom, at the capacity required for the Prez, really add up.

As you might know ... Biden's been on Zoom a lot lately, including for the current virtual Global Climate Summit with dozens of other world leaders.

POTUS also swore in hundreds of federal appointees and staff via virtual Zoom ceremonies after his inauguration.

Donald Trump shoulda called 1-800-NOBILLS, because his now-defunct campaign is being dunned by a bill collector after its client got royally stiffed.

The City of Albuquerque shelled out more than $200k for security-related costs associated with a 2019 campaign rally ... this according to The Hill. The City had blocked off City Hall, among other areas of town, and it required massive police presence, which forced the City to pay cops a bundle of OT. There were many other expenses as well.

The rally was held in the nearby city of Rio Rancho. A spokesperson for the City said campaign honchos told them from the jump they wouldn't cover the expenses, but now the matter has been referred to a debt collection agency.

The campaign has also stiffed the city of Rio Rancho to the tune of $239,475. And, Bernalillo County also sent the campaign an invoice for nearly $140,000, which has now been written off as a bad debt.

Apparently, some of the notices of delinquent payment were sent to Trump's doorstep at Mar-a-Lago.

This isn't the only case where the Trump campaign allegedly cut and run. The City of El Paso hired lawyers to try and recover more than half a mil for rally-related expenses for a 2019 rally.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris just reacted to the guilty verdict that was handed down in the Derek Chauvin murder trial ... and they say it's a catalyst for ending systemic racism.

Biden says he told George Floyd's daughter, Gianna, her father "changed the world" ... and he's calling on Americans to unite behind the guilty verdict and help make the country a better place where folks don't have reason to fear law enforcement.

POTUS says Floyd's murder in broad daylight ripped the blinders off and allowed the world to see the systemic racism rooted in America ... and Biden says the verdict is a step towards changing the country's trajectory.

Harris says the guilty verdict offers a bit of relief, but it can't bring back Floyd or take away his family's pain ... and she says now's the time to reform policing in America.

In the courthouse hallway moments after the verdict, Biden called the Floyd family and expressed his feelings that justice was served.

As you know by now, a Minneapolis jury just found Chauvin guilty of second-degree murder and third-degree murder for killing Floyd during his arrest on May 25, 2020. Chauvin was also found guilty of second-degree manslaughter.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Prez commented that he had checked in on Floyd's family and told them he was "praying the verdict is the right verdict." He also called the Chauvin case "overwhelming."

The Chauvin verdict does not mean the overwhelming nature of the case is over ... as the 3 other officers involved in Floyd's arrest are due to stand trial soon as well.

Walter Mondale, the influential former Senator, Vice President and Democratic nominee for president, is dead.

Mondale, who served as President Jimmy Carter's veep from 1977 to 1981, died Monday in Minneapolis ... according to his family.

Known as Fritz to loved ones, friends and voters, Mondale was the Democratic nominee for president in 1984 after transforming the VP role while serving alongside Carter ... but he lost the general election in a landslide to Ronald Reagan.

Despite missing out on the presidency, Mondale made history with his running mate Geraldine Ferraro ... making her the first woman to run for VP on a major party's ticket.

Mondale was the first VP to take on a larger role, becoming a model for those who followed ... including Joe Biden, Dick Cheney, Al Gore and George H.W. Bush.

In fact, Biden famously said Mondale was the first person he called when Barack Obama asked him to be vice president.

Mondale was born and raised in Minnesota and served as the state's U.S. Senator for 12 years from 1964 to 1976, helping boost civil rights, social programs and environmental protections during Lyndon B. Johnson's presidency.

He also served as the U.S. ambassador to Japan for 3 years, being appointed in 1993 by President Bill Clinton.

Mondale was 93.

The L.A. Lakers will NOT visit Joe Biden at the White House next week to celebrate their 2019-20 NBA championship -- but it ain't a protest.

Unlike every NBA team during the Trump administration, the Lakers are NOT choosing to skip the Biden visit for political reasons -- it's all about COVID protocols and scheduling conflicts, according to multiple outlets.

The Lakers will be in D.C. to take on the Washington Wizards on April 28th -- and championship teams have historically scheduled the celebratory White House during road trips in the area.

But, it won't happen this time.

However, the Lakers -- including superstar LeBron James -- are open to a future meeting with President Biden ... possibly later or even after the season.

Hey, they're all busy people!

Plus, the NBA has strongly discouraged teams from participating in large public gatherings -- which could be one of the reasons they're pressing pause on the White House visit for now.

During President Trump's term -- zero NBA or WNBA championship teams visited the White House.

The Warriors, Raptors and Lakers were all outspokenly against the visit -- and Trump, in turn, either withdrew his invitation or never extended one.

Same with the WNBA teams and nearly every major college basketball champion with one exception ... the Baylor women's team visited after their 2019 title win.

Sylvester Stallone has hung his hat in Florida, but a recent report saying he's become a member of former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago is flat out wrong ... TMZ has learned.

A story ran earlier this week claiming Sly was a newly-minted member of the club, having recently been spotted inside Mar-a-Lago's walls.

Sly's reps, however, say Sly is not, and has never been, a member at Mar-a-Lago. The rep tells us he was recently an invited dinner guest at the club, but does not own a residence on the golf course, nor has he paid for a membership.

While he isn't a member at Mar-a-Lago, we're told Sly remains a member of The Breakers Club, also located in Palm Beach.