10:05 AM PT -- Jussie Smollett and his team aren't going to go down without a fight, a rep tells us, "We wish to highlight that the decision was divided, with Justice Lyle offering a detailed analysis in favor of Smollett. We are preparing to escalate this matter to the Supreme Court, armed with a substantial body of evidence."

Jussie Smollett just took a big L in court ... because his conviction for his hoax attack was just upheld.

An Illinois appeals court handed down the ruling Friday, with the three-judge panel voting 2-1 to uphold Jussie's conviction ... according to new legal docs obtained by TMZ.

The key to Jussie's appeal is the argument he could not be prosecuted because after the initial indictment, Cook County State Attorney Kim Foxx decided not to prosecute the case. That drew enormous criticism, and a special prosecutor was appointed who ultimately went to the grand jury that indicted him again.

The 2 justices who upheld the conviction said the decision not to move forward with the case was not equivalent to an agreement never to charge him. The 1 dissenting justice said Foxx's decision to not prosecute was in effect a promise to Jussie the case was over.

With the ruling, Jussie appears likely to return to a Chicago jail to complete his 150-day sentence.

Remember ... Jussie was initially convicted in 2022, spending 6 days in Cook County Jail before being released while trying to get his sentence overturned.

Now, Jussie's come up empty ... but his legal team has the option of appealing this decision to the Illinois Supreme Court, which would then decide on whether to hear the case.

During his appeal, Jussie dropped new music, directed a film with Vivica A. Fox, worked out with Taraji P. Henson, went to rehab and shaved his head.

It will be interesting to see if Jussie appeals again, or heads back to jail ... stay tuned.

Rep. George Santos just got booted from Congress ... after the House voted to expel him following a controversial time in office, which includes multiple felony charges.

Santos is the first member of Congress not convicted of a felony to be expelled since the Civil War. Only 6 members have been expelled in U.S. history.

The vote to expel Santos was 311 - 114. Among those voting to expel ... 105 Republicans.

A defiant Santos refused to resign Thursday before Friday's vote ... but he's out of Congress now nonetheless.

Remember ... Santos was arrested back in May on a variety of felony charges, including lying, wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements to the House of Representatives.

Santos had escaped two previous votes to expel him from Congress, but the third time was not a charm for him.

The difference this time ... a recent House Ethics Committee report claiming evidence of Santos' alleged federal law violations. Among the report's juicy claims -- Santos allegedly used campaign funds for OnlyFans and Botox.

During his time in office, Santos was surrounded by controversy and accusations of lying his way to Congress ... he made a few friends, but even more enemies ... often sparring with media and, most recently, some anti-Israel protestors.

El representante George Santos acaba de ser expulsado del Congreso. Esto, después de que la Cámara votara a favor de su expulsión tras un controvertido tiempo en el cargo, el que incluye múltiples cargos por graves delitos.

Santos es el primer miembro del Congreso no condenado por un delito grave en ser expulsado desde la Guerra Civil. Solo seis miembros han sido expulsados en la historia de Estados Unidos.

La votación fue 311 a 114 y entre los votos a favor hubo 105 de republicanos.

Un desafiante Santos se negó a dimitir el jueves antes de la votación del viernes, pero ahora está fuera del Congreso.

Recuerden, Santos fue detenido en mayo por una variedad de cargos por delitos graves, incluyendo la mentira, fraude electrónico, lavado de dinero, robo de fondos públicos y hacer declaraciones falsas a la Cámara de Representantes.

Santos había escapado de dos votaciones anteriores para ser expulsado del Congreso.

La diferencia, esta vez, la hizo un reciente informe del Comité de Ética de la Cámara de Representantes que afirma tener pruebas de las supuestas violaciones de las leyes federales por parte de Santos. Entre las jugosas afirmaciones del informe está que supuestamente este utilizó fondos de campaña para OnlyFans y Botox.

Durante su tiempo en el cargo, Santos estuvo rodeado de controversias y acusaciones de mentir para llegar al Congreso. Hizo algunos amigos, pero aún más enemigos y a menudo estuvo en conflicto con los medios de comunicación y, más recientemente, con algunos manifestantes anti-Israel.

Sandra Day O'Connor, the first female justice on the Supreme Court, has died.

Justice O'Connor passed away Friday morning in Phoenix, AZ ... the court announced her death in a statement, saying she died, "of complications related to advanced dementia, probably Alzheimer’s, and a respiratory illness."

O'Connor made history in 1981 when she was appointed to the High Court by President Ronald Reagan. She was considered a moderate conservative, and often made the difference on the 9-person Court when it came to momentous decisions.

The Stanford Law School grad tackled the biggest social issues in the country, including abortion, affirmative action, and even presidential elections. She voted in 2000 to stop the recount in Florida in the race between Al Gore and George W. Bush ... her vote was part of the majority that secured Bush's election.

After leaving the Court in 2006, she bemoaned how it had swung way to the right, undoing some of her decisions over her 24-year tenure.

Chief Justice John Roberts said of Justice O'Connor, "A daughter of the American Southwest, Sandra Day O’Connor blazed an historic trail as our Nation’s first female Justice. She met that challenge with undaunted determination, indisputable ability, and engaging candor.”

Five women have followed in O'Connor's footsteps ... Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Amy Coney Barrett and Ketanji Brown Jackson.

O'Connor was 93.

Gavin Newsom se enfrentó cara a cara con Ron DeSantis en el debate del jueves, intercambiando golpes sobre una variedad de temas importantes que afectan al país, ¡incluyendo las heces humanas!

El Gobernador de California y su homólogo de Florida se enfrentaron en el escenario durante el debate de Fox News presentado por Sean Hannity, pero la conversación de hora y media tomó un giro inusual cuando DeSantis sacó a relucir la caca en las aceras de San Francisco.

DeSantis mostró una foto de la ciudad del norte de California cargada de excrementos, explicando que los desechos en las calles son una forma de vida ahora en San Fran.

El candidato presidencial republicano de 2024 también señaló que Newsom solo limpió la ciudad recientemente para una visita del dictador chino Xi Jinping.

Newsom se veía nervioso, riéndose y diciendo que nada de eso tenía sentido.

El "gran debate del estado rojo contra el estado azul" tuvo otros momentos tensos, como cuando DeSantis acusó a su rival demócrata de llevar a cabo una campaña en la sombra para presidente.

Pero Newsom no mordió el anzuelo, demostrando su apoyo al actual presidente y favorito de los demócratas para 2024, Joe Biden. Señaló el récord de Biden en crear "catorce millones de puestos de trabajo, 10 veces más que los últimos tres presidentes republicanos juntos".

DeSantis luego apuntó a la crisis fronteriza entre Estados Unidos y México de Biden. Le dijo que los demócratas están mintiéndole a las personas sobre este tema, ya que millones de inmigrantes indocumentados han inundado el país.

Newsom devolvió las balas y atacó a DeSantis por enviar a los migrantes en autobús desde la frontera de Texas hasta la isla Martha's Vineyard "para superar a Trump". Luego se burló de sus números en las encuestas diciendo: "Estás 41 puntos abajo en tu propio estado".

Hubo más fuegos artificiales cuando DeSantis chapuceó el nombre de la vicepresidenta Kamala Harris. Newsom rápidamente corrigió a DeSantis y lo reprendió: "Vergüenza debería darte. Para ti es señora vicepresidenta".

Los gobernadores también se atacaron mutuamente sobre el crimen, los impuestos, el aborto, las protecciones ambientales y la pandemia del Coronavirus.

Gavin Newsom went toe-to-toe with Ron DeSantis on the debate stage Thursday, trading blows on a variety of important issues impacting the country, including human feces!!

The California Guv and his Florida counterpart went at each other onstage during the Fox News debate hosted by Sean Hannity -- but the 1.5-hour conversation took an unusual turn when DeSantis brought up poop on the sidewalks of San Francisco.

DeSantis held up a photo of the excrement-laden Northern California city, explaining that human waste on the streets is a way of life now in SF.

The 2024 Republican presidential candidate also pointed out that Newsom only cleaned up the City recently for a visit from Chinese dictator Xi Jinping.

Newsom appeared flustered, nervously laughing and calling it all nonsense.

The "Great Red State Versus Blue State Debate" had some other tense moments, like when DeSantis accused his Democrat rival of running a shadow campaign for prez.

But, Newsom didn't take the bait, throwing his support behind current president and 2024 democratic frontrunner Joe Biden. He pointed to Biden's record of creating "fourteen million jobs, 10 times more than the last three Republican presidents combined.”

DeSantis then took aim at Biden's US-Mexico border crisis, saying the Democrats are lying to the public about the issue as millions of undocumented migrants have poured into the country.

Newsom returned fire, blasting DeSantis for busing migrants from the Texas border to Martha's Vineyard “so that you can out-Trump Trump.” He then mocked DeSantis' poll numbers, saying, "You’re down 41 points in your own state."

There were more fireworks when DeSantis botched the name of VP Kamala Harris. Newsom quickly corrected DeSantis and chastised him ... “Shame on you. It’s Madame Vice President to you.”

The governors also attacked each other on crime, taxes, abortion, environmental protections and the Coronavirus pandemic.

Dave Chappelle tiene un par de fans en el Congreso de EE.UU., y uno de ellos es la Republicana Lauren Boebert.

Boebert y la congresista Anna Paulina Luna se hicieron un selfie junto al cómico el jueves en el Capitolio y la congresista de Colorado convirtió el momento en una plataforma para sus puntos de vista anti-LGBTQ. Ella subtituló su post a IG, "tres personas que entienden que solo hay dos géneros 😄".

Una fuente con conocimiento directo le dice a TMZ que Dave no tenía intención de ponerse político con la sesión de fotos y que fue un momento espontáneo. Está en D.C. para un evento de "Arte es Activismo" en la Escuela de Artes Duke Ellington, que es el alma mater de la escuela secundaria de Dave.

Nos dicen que fue a reunirse con algunos amigos  —no políticos— que trabajan en el Capitolio, y terminó encontrándose con varios miembros del Congreso, incluyendo a Lauren y Anna, que se apresuraron para las fotos.

Hay que imaginar que Dave tenía un montón de bromas rebotando en su cabeza al ver a la diputada Boebert,  teniendo en cuenta todo el revuelo a principios de este año, debido al incidente donde se le vio manosenadose en la oscuridad con un chico en un teatro de Denver. Nada menos que mientras veían "Beetlejuice".

Flavor Flav is all for Harvard University's Taylor Swift course, noting he's 100% open to enrolling ... and acknowledging he's reached super-fandom.

The Public Enemy rapper spoke to TMZ Hip Hop in NYC outside of ABC Studios Thursday where he listed off the many reasons why the English Department at Harvard will win big with the course, "Taylor Swift and Her World."

Professor Stephanie Burt is prepping the TS coursework to be taught for the upcoming spring semester and Flav tells us it's the perfect course for him and other artists.

Flav says he's actively studied Taylor's lyrics which ultimately birthed his fan club membership card -- which got the platinum stamp during the "Eras" tour in earlier this year.

Flav thinks Taylor's music is completely relatable -- just as much as Beyoncé and Mary J. Blige's -- but he isn't just sizing TS up against other singers.

Dave Chappelle has a couple of U.S. Congresswomen full-on fangirling -- and since one of 'em is Rep. Lauren Boebert, ya couldn't blame Dave if he asked her to keep her hands in clear view!

Boebert and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna snapped a selfie alongside the comedian Thursday in the Capitol -- and the Colorado congresswoman turned the moment into a platform for her anti-LGBTQ views. She captioned her IG post, "Just three people who understand that there are only two genders 😄."

A source with direct knowledge tells TMZ Dave had no intent on getting political with the photo op, and it was a spontaneous moment. He's in D.C. for an "Art is Activism" event at Duke Ellington School of the Arts ... which is, famously, Dave's high school alma mater.

We're told he went to meet some friends -- not politicians -- who work on Capitol Hill, and ended up running into several members of Congress, including Lauren and Anna, who scrambled for pics.

Ya gotta imagine Dave had a bunch of jokes bouncing around his head upon seeing Rep. Boebert -- considering all the buzz earlier this year when she was getting super handsy in the dark with her date at a Denver theatre. While watching "Beetlejuice," no less!

Dr. Drew Pinsky says children swept up in the war between Israel and Hamas are going to be dealing with the fallout for the rest of their lives, because it could very well rewire their brains.

The famous doc joined us for Thursday's "TMZ Live" to discuss the youngest hostages Hamas released this week to Israel. Although they seem okay, outwardly, Dr. Drew says, there's potential for tremendous internal damage involving the development of their brains.

As the trauma builds, Dr. Drew says most kids will start to shut down and dissociate ... and many will have their brains shattered and rewired, creating lasting psychological harm.

And, he adds this painful prognosis doesn't only apply to the hostages ... Drew says the ongoing conflict can have the same impact on children living in Gaza, surrounded by death and destruction.

Add in the fact some of these kids are coming off another traumatic experience during COVID shutdowns, and Dr. Drew explains why it's a toxic mix for youth.

El Dr. Drew dice que los niños barridos en la guerra en el Oriente Medio van a estar tratando con las consecuencias por el resto de sus vidas, porque el trauma va a recablear sus cerebros.

El famoso doc se unió a nosotros en "TMZ Live" y le preguntamos por los niños en Gaza, ya que están rodeados de muerte y destrucción.

El Dr. Drew dice que el conflicto en curso tendrá un profundo impacto en los cerebros en desarrollo y no sólo para aquellos que fueron capturados y mantenidos como rehenes.

A medida que el trauma se acumula, el Dr. Drew dice que la mayoría de los niños comenzarán a cerrar y a disociar y muchos tendrán sus cerebros destrozados y recableados, creando un daño psicológico duradero.

Añadir en el hecho de que algunos de estos niños están saliendo de otra experiencia traumática durante el COVID y el Dr. Drew explica por qué esto es una mezcla tóxica para los jóvenes.

Henry Kissinger, one of the most powerful and influential Secretaries of State in U.S. history ... the man who helped shape foreign policy in the United States for decades, is dead.

The famous statesman, diplomat, author and scholar died Wednesday at his home in Connecticut. The cause of death is unclear.

Kissinger was widely considered the most powerful secretary of state since World War II, serving as a top advisor for presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.

During the 1970s, Kissinger negotiated America's exit from the war in Vietnam, helped open the U.S. to China, stabilized relations between Israel and Arab countries in the Middle East and eased tensions with the Soviet Union. He won the Nobel Prize for his Vietnam peace efforts, but critics say Kissinger saw the handwriting on the wall -- maintaining a democracy in Vietnam was a losing battle -- and negotiated the peace agreement as a face-saver.

Sure enough, it didn't take long for democracy to fail. Critics think the peace deal was a way of getting some space before democracy fell, so the U.S. wouldn't look bad.

He was always controversial -- both revered and reviled. He was praised for opening up China and resetting U.S. relations with Russia, but he also engineered the secret carpet-bombing of Cambodia. And he was central to the effort to topple the democratically-elected president of Chile.

When Kissinger wasn't shaping U.S. foreign policy, he was cultivating a playboy image in Hollywood ... dating movie stars like Candice Bergen, Shirley MacLaine, Jill St. John and Liv Ullman.

Kissinger was born in Germany and fled to the U.S. with other Jewish immigrants as a teenager way back in 1938 ... studying at Harvard before climbing the ranks in Washington D.C.

Despite leaving the federal government in 1977, Kissinger remained a prominent influence on foreign policy and business ... though his legacy is celebrated by some and despised by others.

Kissinger was 100.

Henry Kissinger, uno de los más poderosos e influyentes Secretarios de Estado en la historia de Estados Unidos, el hombre que ayudó a dar forma a la política exterior del país durante décadas, ha muerto.

El famoso estadista, diplomático, escritor y académico falleció el miércoles en su casa de Connecticut. La causa de muerte aún no está clara.

Kissinger fue ampliamente considerado como el Secretario de Estado más poderoso desde la Segunda Guerra Mundial y fue uno de los principales asesores de los presidentes Richard Nixon y Gerald Ford.

Durante la década de 1970, Kissinger negoció la salida de Estados Unidos de la guerra de Vietnam, ayudó a abrir Estados Unidos a China, estabilizó las relaciones entre Israel y los países árabes de Oriente Próximo y alivió las tensiones con la Unión Soviética. Ganó el Premio Nobel por sus esfuerzos en favor de la paz en Vietnam, pero los críticos dicen que Kissinger se dio cuenta de que mantener la democracia en Vietnam era una batalla perdida y negoció el acuerdo de paz para salvar la situación.

Sin embargo, la democracia no tardó en fracasar. Los críticos creen que el acuerdo de paz fue una forma de conseguir algo de espacio antes de que la democracia cayera, para que Estados Unidos no quedara mal.

Siempre fue controvertido, venerado y vilipendiado a la vez. Fue elogiado por abrir China y restablecer las relaciones de Estados Unidos con Rusia, pero también organizó el bombardeo secreto de Camboya. Y fue uno de los principales responsables de derrocar al presidente democráticamente elegido de Chile.

Cuando Kissinger no estaba dando forma a la política exterior de Estados Unidos, estaba cultivando una imagen de playboy en Hollywood. Salió con estrellas de cine como Candice Bergen, Shirley MacLaine, Jill St. John y Liv Ullman.

Kissinger nació en Alemania y huyó a Estados Unidos con otros inmigrantes judíos cuando era adolescente, allá por 1938. Estudió en Harvard antes de escalar posiciones en Washington D.C.

A pesar de dejar el gobierno federal en 1977, Kissinger siguió siendo una influencia prominente en la política exterior y los negocios. Aunque su legado es celebrado por algunos y despreciado por otros.

Kissinger cumplió 100 años.

As Albania celebrates its independence, Drake's coming in hot ... metaphorically waving the flag, and showing all sorts of Albanian appreciation in the latest music video from his "For All The Dogs" album.

On Wednesday, the day after Albanian Independence Day, Drake dropped the visual for "Polar Opposites" ... where he and the guys in the video are decked out in Albanian bomber jackets, depicting the nation's colors.

He spends much of the video playing poker with his Albania crew on what appears to be a ship sitting on the Adriatic Sea.

Drake also showed off his geopolitical knowledge by mentioning Albania's ongoing North Kosovo crisis with Serbia in the song's lyrics -- "Don’t know how they do things in Pristina/I just know the tension is increasing."

The new single is perfect for stat padding ... Spotify announced its annual "Wrapped" today and Drake ranked #4 amongst global artists behind The Weeknd, Bad Bunny and Queen of Pop Taylor Swift.

Rachel Goldberg, whose son is one of the unreleased Israeli hostages, thinks Elon Musk's visit to her country was a sincere effort to better understand what she and so many other families are going through.

Rachel Goldberg joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" to discuss the ongoing release of women and children held by Hamas for more than 7 weeks. Dozens have been returned to Israel in recent days, during a temporary ceasefire that's currently set to end this week.

Her own son, Hersch Goldberg-Polin, has yet to see freedom -- and yet, Rachel has continued to be a front-facing unofficial spokesperson on behalf of all the hostage families ... a painstaking reality she says she struggles with daily.

Rachel says that while Hamas still has her own flesh and blood captive, she recognizes the value of serving as a voice for everyone else -- and thinks it's her duty to continue doing so.

As for Elon -- who's been criticized for using Israel in a cold PR move after he was accused of antisemitism -- Rachel tells us she actually believes his heart's in the right place, and, to her, he came across as earnestly interested in learning/sympathizing.

Rachel was among a few family members of hostages who showed them footage from Oct. 7 ... including the horrifying moment Hersch was snatched up by Hamas after his left arm was blown apart during the attack.

She also talked about the ongoing protests in the U.S. and beyond ... namely, pro-Palestine ones, where people have decried Israel's response in Gaza, and its treatment of innocent Palestinians caught in the middle of the war.

Rachel's response might surprise some ... she says she actually feels for the innocent Palestinians -- and even says Palestine does, in fact, have a right to operate as its own state with dignity and freedom.