Biden says he doesn’t watch TV, shares ‘worst advice’ he ever got

President Biden is opening up about the crummiest advice he’s ever gotten, saying holding grudges “gets you nowhere.”

“I guess the worst advice I’ve ever received was holding a grudge — because lots of times when people do something that is really not good, it’s because they were fearful when they did it. Not fearful of you, but their circumstance,” Biden said in an interview on Jay Shetty’s “On Purpose” podcast released Monday.

“It gets you nowhere, which means people will doubt that I’m really Irish,” Biden quipped.

“But all kidding aside,” the 80-year-old president continued, “remembering is important, but holding a grudge is not helpful.”

The best advice Biden said he’d been given was to “show up.”

“My mother used to say, ‘Joey, get up. Never bow, never bend. Just get up.' But showing up, that's a big part,” he said.

In the wide-ranging chat focused on grief and mental health, Biden also revealed he’s definitely not serving as the country’s TV viewer in chief.

Asked which TV show set in the world of politics and Washington is the most accurate and which is the least, he cracked, “’Mission Impossible.’”

“Look, one of the problems I have is I don't — and I should — I don't watch much television,” Biden said.

“And it's not because I'm above it or anything like that,” he told Shetty during the pair’s conversation at the White House. Biden blamed decades of commuting between D.C. and Delaware as a senator for cutting into potential TV time.

“And so when I get home, there wasn't much to watch,” Biden said, noting he’d focus his energy on spending time with his then-young children.

“So I've been back and forth so much I just haven't watched many programs,” the 46th president said after describing his usual Amtrak train commute while in the Senate.

“There’s a lot of good stuff, I'm sure. I mean, every once in awhile I turn it on,” Biden said of current television fare.

Living at the executive mansion, which is equipped with a movie theater, has helped his viewing habits, according to Biden.

“I get this list what movies are in and we have the new one,” Biden said of “Oppenheimer,” adding that he’s yet to see the summer box office hit starring Cillian Murphy as the famed real-life Manhattan Project physicist.

“They’re the movies I see these days,” Biden said of the films screened at the White House. “I get to see them at night every once in awhile.”

Biden offers first statement on Hunter’s 4-year-old daughter

President Biden on Friday made his first public remarks about his 4-year-old grandchild Navy, the daughter of his son Hunter Biden, after silence from the White House over the young girl amid legal disputes between her parents.

In a statement exclusively provided to People, Biden said that his son and Lunden Roberts, Navy's mother, are working to provide a life for her.

“Our son Hunter and Navy’s mother, Lunden, are working together to foster a relationship that is in the best interests of their daughter, preserving her privacy as much as possible going forward,” the president said. “This is not a political issue, it’s a family matter. Jill and I only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy.”

The New York Times earlier this month published a piece about the child, writing that she’s never met Hunter Biden or her grandfather. After that was published, the White House dealt with questions in the briefing room from reporters about whether Biden accepted Hunter Biden’s daughter in Arkansas as his granddaughter.

Roberts, who is in Arkansas, filed a paternity suit against Hunter Biden in May 2019, and he appeared in court this May. In June, he reached a settlement in his child support case after he was ordered to sit for a deposition under oath to answer questions about his finances.

An anonymous source told People that the president and first lady Jill Biden have been “giving Hunter and Lunden the space and time to figure things out” and have been “following Hunter’s lead” throughout the legal proceedings involving the young girl.

Biden has come under criticism from the right over not recognizing the 4-year-old child.

The statement given to People, as a result, was significant. It was also given to a publication whose readership is estimated to be 69 percent female. Suburban women voters are a key block for the White House team in 2024.

Hunter Biden’s personal and legal troubles have been increasingly in the spotlight in recent weeks. He appeared in a Delaware court Wednesday, where his plea deal on federal tax and gun charges was put on hold by a judge who questioned the scope of the agreement.

—Updated at 6:20 p.m.

Nancy Mace tells prayer breakfast she told fiancé ‘we don’t got time for that this morning’

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) is likely saying hallelujah that her pastor and colleagues in Congress have a sense of humor, after telling a suggestive “joke” in front of them at a prayer breakfast.

“When I woke up this morning at 7 — I was getting picked up at 7:45 — Patrick, my fiancé, tried to pull me by my waist over this morning in bed,” Mace recounted Wednesday with a smile at the breakfast hosted by GOP presidential candidate Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) in the Palmetto State.

“And I was like, 'No, baby, we don't got time for that this morning,’” Mace said she told her future spouse, Patrick Bryant. The pair got engaged last year.

“I gotta get to the prayer breakfast,” Mace told the crowd. “And I gotta be on time,” the 45-year-old lawmaker said, before adding, “A little TMI.”

“He can wait. I’ll see him later tonight.”

But Mace issued a saucy statement Thursday after video of the risqué anecdote made its way to social media.

“Glad those in attendance, including [Scott] and my pastor, took this joke in stride,” the mom of two said.

“Pastor Greg and I will have extra to talk about on Sunday,” she added, including an emoji of a laughing face.

“I go to church because I’m a sinner not a saint!”

Commander becomes second Biden dog to bite multiple Secret Service officers

Commander, the Bidens’ German shepherd, has been involved in several aggressive incidents that injured Secret Service officers — with emails obtained by a conservative legal activist group describing encounters similar to those that got another Biden dog booted from the White House.

The emails released Tuesday by Judicial Watch, which it said were obtained following a Freedom of Information Act request lawsuit, detail 10 alleged attacks by Biden’s nearly 2-year-old dog from October 2022 through January of this year.

Commander was involved in a biting incident last November, according to the emails, which left an officer with injuries on both the upper right arm and the thigh. The officer “had to use a steel cart to [shield]” themself “from another attack.” The officer, the email says, was “in a considerable amount of pain.”

Other communication includes an officer warning that the dog had been “exhibiting extremely aggressive behavior.”

“Today, while posted, he came charging at me. The First Lady couldn’t regain control of [Commander] and he continued to circle me,” the email said.

“I believe it’s only a matter of time before an agent/officer is attacked or bit,” the note said.

In another November message, an officer wrote in a memorandum that as they were walking towards a post assignment, “I noticed Commander and the First Lady” in the Kennedy Garden.

“As I continued walking, I saw Commander exit the Kennedy Garden and sprint towards me. I immediately stopped and put my hands up. Commander then bit me on my left thigh and then ran back towards the First Lady.”

“I am currently experiencing bruising, tenderness, and pain in the bite area,” the officer said.

Other emails recall a series of more minor biting incidents involving the dog.

Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Tuesday that the White House is "unique and it is stressful for all of us, so you can imagine what it's like for a family pet."

Jean-Pierre said the first family has been working with Secret Service and executive residence staff on additional leashing protocols and training for Commander, as well on establishing designated areas for the dog to run and exercise.

The incidents involving the dog were handled similarly to past comparable episodes involving pets at the White House, she said.

In 2021, Major, another German shepherd belonging to President Biden, was removed from the White House and relocated to the family’s home in Delaware following several reported aggressive episodes.

Major’s removal came after a “biting incident” with a security team member at the White House, as well as another instance when the animal “charged” at staff and security employees, CNN reported at the time.

Commander arrived at the White House in 2021. The presidential pup and Willow, first lady Jill Biden’s cat, are frequently featured at events at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Last year, the Bidens’ holiday decor at the White House included miniature smiling statues of Commander and Willow to greet visitors entering the East Wing.

—Updated at 4:33 p.m. Brett Samuels contributed.

Ocasio-Cortez joins writers and actors on the picket line: ‘Direct action gets the goods’

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is taking part in what she’s dubbed “hot labor summer,” appearing on the SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America (WGA) picket line Monday outside of Netflix’s Manhattan offices.  

“We have workers all across the country — either currently on strike or gearing up to be on strike — because at the end of the day we are all facing the same challenge, which is an unacceptable, unprecedented concentration of wealth and corporate greed in America,” Ocasio-Cortez said, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

“But we know that the way that we bust that up is by standing together in solidarity,” Ocasio-Cortez said.

Noting another potential strike after talks between shipping giant UPS and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters fell apart earlier this month, Ocasio-Cortez exclaimed, “Your fight right here is what’s gonna bust this thing wide open.”

“Direct action gets the goods, now and always,” she told the crowd to cheers.

“The only way that we can do this is by showing them that we are stronger — that our solidarity is stronger than their greed, that our care for one another will overcome their endless desire for more,” the 33-year-old lawmaker said.

The WGA strike began in May, while SAG-AFTRA, the actors guild, started its own in mid-July. Both of Hollywood’s two striking unions are attempting to gain wage increases and better working conditions for their members.

Ocasio-Cortez, a then-political newcomer, was the focus of a 2019 documentary that aired on Netflix, called “Knock Down the House.”

Outside Netflix’s offices Monday, she condemned “greedy” CEOs and other corporate executives.

“Frankly, while this is a fight against AI,” Ocasio-Cortez said, referring to artificial intelligence, which the unions have said is a potential threat to its members’ livelihoods, “more than AI, this is a fight against greed.”

“This is a fight against the endless pursuit of more wealth.”

—Updated at 3:33 p.m.

Boebert defends husband amid divorce filing: ‘He didn’t “sick dogs” on the process server’

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) is defending her estranged husband, condemning what she calls “misrepresentations” cited in court documents about their impending divorce.

“I have always spoken highly of my marriage. I believe in marriage. I believe in the power our words hold,” Boebert said in a statement posted on Twitter Wednesday.

“Jayson, a man I spent half of my life with, did not sign up to be in the public limelight, and he certainly did not agree to be falsely accused of things he didn't do,” the Colorado Republican added.

In court documents obtained by The Hill, a process server claimed in a sworn affidavit that the congresswoman’s husband, Jayson Boebert, was “drinking a tall glass of beer” and “cleaning a gun that was sitting on a table,” when approached with the paperwork.

Describing Jayson Boebert as “extremely angry,” the process server said: “He started yelling and using profanities, and told me that I was trespassing, and that he was calling the Sheriff’s Office. I told him I was leaving the documents on the chair outside of the door, he closed the door then let the dogs out.”

Boebert, who married her husband in 2006, announced her divorce Tuesday, saying, “This is truly about irreconcilable differences.”

“The stories reported about the process server, and even Jayson running over a mailbox are a complete lie. Jayson doesn’t sit around cleaning guns and he certainly doesn't drink beer out of a glass, just as much as he doesn’t drink Bud Light,” said Boebert, who shares four children with her husband.

“Our own home security footage shows he didn’t ‘sick dogs’ on the process server. The dogs were outside when the server pulled up, they never showed aggression toward him, nor did he appear afraid of them,” she said.

“Our divorce is a private matter, but the misrepresentations must be addressed,” said the second-term lawmaker, who announced in March that she would become a “36-year-old grandmother” when her 17-year-old son’s girlfriend gives birth.

“Jayson deserves his privacy, not slanderous stories,” Boebert said. “Despite what others may say, I welcome your thoughts, and fervent, heartfelt prayers for our family.”

Zach Schonfeld contributed.

DC bar offers $218 special to become ‘Speaker of the Pub’ amid House drama

At least one Washington watering hole is capitalizing on the Speaker’s race drama in the House, offering a $218 special — one that comes complete with a gavel.

Union Pub, a bar just a few blocks from the Capitol, is advertising its new “Speaker of the Pub” special.

The $218 price tag is a nod to the 218 votes needed to win the post. On Thursday, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) lost a ninth vote to become Speaker after failing to reach that threshold.

The pub’s politically infused promotion includes two buckets of Budweiser beer, eight shots of whiskey, a bottle of wine and another of “fancy champagne,” a platter of “totchos” — also known as tater tot nachos — and the so-called Speaker of the Pub gavel.

A Union Pub representative didn’t get back to ITK about the specifics of the Speaker-themed grub. But the establishment vowed to offer the pricey, boozy package until “a Speaker of the House is elected!”

It’s not the first time the Capitol Hill hot spot has played off its proximity to political players.

During the House’s 2019 impeachment inquiry into then-President Trump’s dealings with Ukraine, Union Pub was one of several D.C.-area eateries that opened its doors early to air the proceedings and offered drink specials. Some of the cocktails featured for the occasion included “Impeachment Please” and “I Got 99 Problems but Impeachment Ain’t One.”