Politics

Sacha Baron Cohen did his classic 'Borat' bit to go after Kanye West during the Kennedy Center Honors, and Rep. Nancy Pelosi's husband was among those applauding ... as he made his first public appearance since he was attacked.

The actor/comedian reprised his iconic role for a speech Sunday night at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in D.C., where George Clooney, Gladys Knight, U2 and a few other artists were honored.

During the ceremony, SBC came out dressed as the misunderstood Kazak journalist and went right after Ye's antisemitic remarks, saying ... "Before I proceed, I will say I am very upset about the antisemitism in US and A. It not fair. Kazakhstan is number 1 Jew-crushing nation. Stop stealing our hobby. Stop the steal! Stop the steal!”

He added, "Your Kanye, he tried to move to Kazakhstan and even changed his name to Kazakhstanye West. But, we said: No, he too antisemitic, even for us."

If you're unfamiliar, the 'Borat' character is known for making antisemitic jabs -- but everyone knows it's ironic humor, because Sacha is Jewish.

He even sang a parody of U2's "With or Without You," changing the lyrics to "With or Without Jews."

Later in the evening, Borat got lost and Sacha reappeared as his normal self.

Now, while his standup was certainly a highlight from the night, seeing Paul Pelosi in the building, alongside Rep. Pelosi was just as eye-opening.

It marked his first public outing since an attacker struck him with a hammer, back in October, inside the Pelosis' San Fran home.

Paul's skull was damaged, and required surgery ... but at the Kennedy Center, he seemed to have recovered well. He was wearing a hat, possibly to conceal his injuries.

A new trailer for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's documentary has dropped, and it's clear the couple isn't holding back in taking some serious shots at the royal family.

Netflix released the new preview for "Harry & Meghan" Monday morning, showing more of the drama that'll be unveiled starting this week ... and Harry's calling out the "hierarchy of the family" -- claiming people inside his camp were leaking stories about him and Meghan.

Meghan claims everything changed after she married into the fam ... with one person talking about "a war against Meghan" -- while another claiming the drama was all rooted in hatred and racism.

Harry even talks about not wanting "history to repeat itself," while flashes of paparazzi swarm their car -- before showing shots of Princess Diana dealing with the same thing.

As we reported, Harry and Meghan -- who now live in the U.S. -- were stripped of their private security during visits to the U.K. back in July ... Harry claimed it wasn't safe for him, Meghan or their 2 kids because it's just too dangerous without security help.

Harry ends the trailer, saying no one knows the "full truth" except for them ... and we're only days away from finding out what that is.

The stars were out and shining bright in D.C. this weekend ... this as President Biden bestowed lifetime awards on a handful of them who were honored at the White House.

George Clooney, Gladys Knight, Bono and the rest of U2 were on hand Sunday in our nation's capital to receive their Kennedy Center Honors for contributions to the arts over the course of their lives ... and they all dressed to impress for the swanky get-together.

Other honorees included composer Tania Leon and Christian singer Amy Grant -- they all lined up for tons of photos and took in the applause as JB sang their praises. At one point, he even singled out Gladys specifically and made a little pun about a classic tune of hers.

As for the rest of the bunch ... POTUS called them all "truly exceptional" during the reception -- noting Clooney's exceptional on-camera roles over the years, not to mention his philanthropy. And as for U2 ... well, let's just say Joe's a fan, going so far as to call them poets of our time.

BTW, it wasn't just these celebs who were in the house ... Julia Roberts was there, as was Don Cheadle, Richard Kind, Matt Damon, Sean Penn and others. So, yeah ... BIG turnout.

There's bits of video trickling out from the actual ceremony -- but the whole thing was properly recorded and is going to air in full later this month. It may even include performances from some of the musical acts ... time will tell.

Kanye West has reportedly shed at least one alt-right figure from his inner circle -- but it's not necessarily the guy you might want to see go first from the outside looking in.

Per Daily Beast journo Will Sommer, Milo Yiannopoulos has been fired from Ye's campaign team -- this following his crash-and-burn interview with Alex Jones earlier this week, not to mention a bunch of others that have gone up in flames and made KW look bad.

Sommer says Milo was booted after "a series of disastrous media appearances that saw the candidate praising Hitler." He adds that in an email, Milo wrote that there was a mutual conclusion reached that he oughta step away ... and it sounds like he has.

So, the question ... what about Nick Fuentes, the self-proclaimed white nationalist who's had Ye's ear for several weeks or so? Sommer reports his status in the Ye camp isn't quite as clear, but suspects the dude's probably safe ... for now.

Fuentes was alongside Kanye during the InfoWars interview, whereas Milo wasn't ... which seems to suggest this change happened over the past few days. Then again, we got video of NF at an In-N-Out just 2 days ago, without Kanye in sight, so who knows what's going on.

As for Milo ... well, it's probably for the best. Despite his efforts to get Kanye on different conservative-leaning podcasts of late -- a lot of them crumbled, like when he walked off the set of Tim Pool's podcast earlier in the week after some pushback on his antisemitism.

No word if Ye was holding that against Milo -- as opposed to, you know, himself -- but in any case ... it sounds like Kanye wants to pursue the presidency without him (and yes, that does in fact seem to be a thing again, YE24).

Kanye West has unveiled his bigoted views to the world, yet there's still a market for Ye24 merch as he noodles on another run for president.

A quick search on eBay and Amazon reveals dozens of listings, with everything from shirts and hoodies to hats and flip-flops ... all with either Kanye's imagery or his Ye24 slogan. It's unclear exactly who's selling the stuff ... whether it's Kanye or 3rd parties. Pricing ranges from $20-30 for hats, up to $50 for hoodies and flip-flops, plus shipping.

While we've yet to see any designs of Kanye with a swastika or anything Hitler-adjacent, some merch includes Ye holding a cross, and another where he's standing next to Iron Man.

As for the resale value of Yeezy shoes, those have remained shockingly unchanged -- despite Kanye's proclamation of loving Hitler and giving props to Nazis.

Remo from Walk Like Us, a digital marketing company working with resellers, tells us one of the more popular Yeezy designs -- the 2015 Turtle Doves which retailed for $160 -- are still reselling at an average price of $793.

Kanye West's antisemitic ranting is now on the White House's radar ... and President Biden is not only calling him out, but also anyone who does NOT speak out against Ye.

The prez doesn't mention Ye by name, but it's clear who and what he was referring to Friday morning when he tweeted, "I just want to make a few things clear: The Holocaust happened. Hitler was a demonic figure."

The tweet comes immediately on the heels of Elon Musk shutting down Ye's Twitter account because he posted a graphic combining a swastika with the Star of David. He also ranted all day -- on Twitter and on "Infowars" with Alex Jones -- about loving Hitler and Nazis.

President Biden's tweet also adds what seems like a shot at Donald Trump. He said, "Instead of giving it a platform, our political leaders should be calling out and rejecting antisemitism wherever it hides. Silence is complicity."

Remember, Trump's been widely criticized for having dinner last week with Ye and white nationalist Nick Fuentes at Mar-a-Lago.

Even Sen. Mitch McConnell, a former Trump ally, condemned him by saying, "There is no room in the Republican Party for antisemitism or white supremacy."

Formula One will NOT be making a return to China in 2023 -- the series just announced it has pulled the Chinese Grand Prix due to Covid-19 difficulties.

China recently implemented strict guidelines and lockdowns as part of a "zero-Covid" approach ... which has resulted in public protests.

China has since reportedly announced a plan to loosen its protocols by reducing mass testing in the coming days ... but F1 decided it was best to start its search for a replacement host ASAP.

"Formula 1 can confirm, following dialogue with the promoter and relevant authorities, that the 2023 Chinese Grand Prix will not take place due to the ongoing difficulties presented by the COVID-19 situation," F1 announced Friday.

"Formula 1 is assessing alternative options to replace the slot on the 2023 calendar and will provide an update on this in due course."

The April 16 event at Shanghai International Circuit was set to be F1's first return to China since 2019 ... and would have been Alfa Romeo driver Zhou Guanyu's debut home race of his career.

Hollywood is back at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., where President Biden's finally getting to entertain a foreign dignitary -- French President Emmanuel Macron -- as well as famous supporters.

Thursday night marks the return of swanky state dinners ... as the COVID pandemic forced Biden to cancel such events for the first 2 years of his administration, but the celebs are flocking back to the White House. No shocker.

John Legend and Chrissy Teigen are in the house, along with Stephen Colbert, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jennifer Garner and Ariana DeBose.

Apple CEO Tim Cook scored an invite too ... he's having a pretty loaded week, just yesterday he was meeting with Elon Musk at Apple HQ in Cali, smoothing things over with Twitter.

All the pomp and circumstance is for France ... Biden's working to repair the U.S. relationship with the European power.

These celebs are among 300 guests at the black-tie dinner, with folks dining on the best cheese America can offer Macron ... plus Maine lobster, beef with shallot marmalade and triple-cooked butter potatoes.

There's live music too ... Dr. Jill Biden booked Grammy-winning musician and composer Jon Batiste, in part because he's from New Orleans, which Jill notes "has been shaped by both French and American culture."

Prince William and Kate Middleton spent their first night in the U.S. at a Celtics game, as one Royal controversy has exploded and another is on the way.

The Duke & Duchess of Cambridge were front and center at the Celtics game Wednesday night against the Miami Heat -- they're in town for Friday's Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony ... created by William to find solutions for global warming.

When they popped up on the jumbotron, there was a smattering ... maybe more than a smattering of boos. Now we all know that's the way Boston fans roll, but their appearance came just hours after William's Godmother, Lady Susan Hussey, stepped down from her Royal duties after asking some racist questions at an event.

And, then there's Harry and Meghan ... hours after the game Netflix dropped a trailer for their upcoming documentary, and it's clear as day they're going after the fam. Harry says, "No one sees what goes on behind closed doors. I had to do everything I could to protect my family."

The two brothers will NOT see each other during William's 3-day stay in the States. So much for a reconciliation after the Queen's death.

Prince William is speaking out against racism that's been alleged against his godmother -- who's also a high-ranking Buckingham Palace aide.

Reps for the Prince of Wales says he is "really disappointed" by the account shared by Ngozi Fulani about Lady Susan Hussey, adding ... "Racism has no place in our society, these comments were unacceptable and it's right that the individual concerned has stepped down."

Hussey -- a Royal courtier, who works for Queen Consort Camilla and who served Queen Elizabeth II for years prior to her death -- resigned from her post after Fulani publicly detailed an uncomfortable interrogation she says Lady Hussey put her through Tuesday at Buckingham Palace.

Fulani, who heads up a nonprofit in the UK for DV survivors of color, says she was in attendance for an event Camilla hosted to raise awareness for violence against women ... and that's when Hussey approached her.

Fulani claims Hussey moved her hair out of the way to view her name tag, and then went on to ask where she was from -- which NF says turned into a back-and-forth about where her ancestors were from.

Fulani, at first, identified the org she was with -- Sistah Space -- but she says Hussey wanted to know what part of the world she was from. Fulani says she told Hussey she was British, but Hussey apparently wouldn't accept that ... pressing for her regional heritage.

When Fulani explained that she was of African heritage, Caribbean descent and British nationality ... she says Hussey butted in and flippantly said, "Oh, so you're from ..." Fulani says the interaction left her disillusioned the rest of the time she was there.

When she posted this on Twitter, it went viral ... and Buckingham Palace issued an apology on behalf of Hussey, adding ... "All members of the household are being reminded of the diversity and inclusivity policies which they are required to uphold at all times."

BP also said they'd reached out to Fulani personally and extended an invite if she wanted to discuss things further. Despite this, the backlash mounting has been swift and fierce.

Donald Trump blasted Mitch McConnell Tuesday over the senator's brutal comments about DT's infamous Kanye West/Nick Fuentes dinner ... and his chances at becoming president again.

Trump lampooned Mitch during an interview with Fox News Digital, calling the Senate Minority Leader "a loser for our nation and for the Republican Party."

Earlier in the day, McConnell (R-Kentucky) had met with reporters in D.C. and condemned Trump for meeting with Kanye and Fuentes -- a white nationalist -- at the former president's Mar-a-Lago estate last week.

"There is no room in the Republican Party for antisemitism or white supremacy," McConnell said. "And anyone meeting with people advocating that point of view, in my judgment, are highly unlikely to ever be elected president of the United States." Trump recently announced his 2024 bid for the White House again.

In his chat with FOX News, DT reiterated he didn't have a clue who Fuentes was during their "very quick dinner." And, if Fuentes had voiced any white supremacist views, which he apparently didn't do, Trump said they "wouldn't have been accepted." He did not explain why he'd meet with Kanye on the heels of his nonstop antisemitic rants.

Gay marriage, which is on the U.S. Supreme Court's chopping block, may have gotten a reprieve, because the United States Senate just voted to create significant same-sex marriage protections into federal law ... and even a number of conservatives gave a thumbs up.

The vote was lopsided --  61-to-36 -- with 12 Republican senators voting in favor during Tuesday night's vote. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was NOT among them.

The House of Representatives has already passed a bill protecting gay marriage, but the Senate added a provision that religious organizations won't have to open their door for gay marriage. The bill now goes back to the House to approve the change.

The House is expected to approve the change and it will then go to Biden's desk for signature. Biden said earlier this month ... "Love is love, and Americans should have the right to marry the person they love."

The bill does not create a mandate that all states must legalize same-sex marriage. What it does is require every state to recognize gay marriages performed in other states. So, Alabama does not allow gay people to marry within its borders, but if 2 gay people got married in California and moved to Alabama, they would have all the legal protections that a straight couple would have.

The clock has been ticking ... Republicans will control the house in January, so the fate of the bill would be dicey ... and that's why there's a swift move to sign the bill.

Joe Biden was so pumped America was able to pull out the win in the World Cup on Tuesday -- he straight-up led an old-fashioned "U-S-A!" chant at a political event!!

POTUS was out in Michigan while the must-win game against Iran was going down in Qatar ... and after the 1-0 contest ended, he grabbed the mic to gloat to the room.

Audio issues missed the first part of his impromptu winner's speech -- but it all clicked on just in time to hear him egg on a pro-U.S. shout.

"That's a big game man!" Biden said as the "U-S-A!" chants rang out in the room. "When I spoke to the coach and the players, I said, 'You can do this!' and they said, 'Ahh' -- they did it!"

"God love 'em!"

Back home in D.C., meanwhile, those still at the White House made sure they were showing love to the USMNT ... posting a "Go Team USA!" sign out in the yard.

As for the on-the-pitch action ... U.S. had to win the game over Iran in order to advance out of the group stage -- and after Christian Pulisic scored a goal late in the first half, they held on long enough to do just that.

Up next is the Netherlands on Saturday -- and the U.S. is already being billed as a HUGE  underdog in the game.

Kanye West says Donald Trump credits him with freeing former federal prisoner Alice Marie Johnson ... but Alice doesn't see it that way.

Alice tells TMZ ... she's convinced she'd still be behind bars if it weren't for Kim Kardashian lobbying the White House on her behalf. That's not to say Kanye deserves no credit, but Alice is steadfast ... Kim was her angel.

Alice says Kim leveraged her relationship with longtime friend Ivanka Trump to strategically make a case for Alice's freedom. Kim knew Ivanka's husband, Jared Kushner, carried unique power and influence, and spent hours on the phone and in person with Jared, making her case.

Once Jared was on board, Kim was more than game to meet Trump in the Oval Office to lobby for Alice's release. What's more, Kim knew she'd be criticized by lots of her friends and fans for interacting with Trump, but she believed in Alice and did so anyway.

It worked ... just days after that meeting, Trump announced he would commute Alice's sentence. Short story -- Alice would probably be behind bars were it not for Kim.

Alice was sentenced to life in prison without parole in 1997 on drug conspiracy and money laundering charges -- her first offense.

Alice says Ye could have very well influenced Trump's decision... but Kanye and Alice did not speak while she was incarcerated -- she only spoke with Kim. She says Kanye was on her side, and when they met shortly after her release he was in tears.

Iran officials have reportedly threatened the families of their national soccer team's players ahead of their huge game with the U.S. -- insisting if they don't "behave" for the contest, "violence and torture" could ensue back home.

CNN, citing a World Cup security source, reported Monday that members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps met recently with its country's players to get the point across.

Iranian players had previously shown support for protestors in their home country by refusing to sing its national anthem before its game against England back on Nov. 21. But, before their game against Wales just days later, players once again participated in the song.

According to CNN, the IRGC has made it clear to players it expects no further protests in the World Cup -- including when the team kicks off its hugely important contest with the U.S. on Tuesday ... or the consequences could be dire.

Circumstances surrounding the group stage matchup had already been tense ... after the U.S. altered an Iranian flag on social media this past weekend to show support for the protests in the foreign country.

Iran's state media had asked FIFA to boot the U.S. out of World Cup action over it all.

USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter ended up apologizing Monday for the posts ... but insisted he and his team had nothing to do with them, and were solely focused on Tuesday's game.

The contest is set to kick off at 11 AM PT.

Pusha T is breaking his silence on Kanye West's recent timeline of rants and business decisions … suggesting it’s all been a distraction from what's otherwise been a stellar year for the VA MC.

Pusha admits Ye’s spiral in recent months is both disappointing and affecting him -- as he put it to the L.A. Times ... "As a Black man in America, there is no room for bigotry or hate speech."

Ye was in South Florida with controversial and proud white nationalists Nick Fuentes, and even took him along to dinner at Mar-a-Lago -- a stunt condemned by his former ally Donald Trump.

For fans who are wondering, Pusha didn’t completely cancel Ye ... in fact, he had praise for Ye’s musical tastes and creative vision in the studio.

Pusha himself has had a tremendous year, musically speaking … capped by his fourth album "It’s Almost Dry," which hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and featured several tracks produced by Ye.

The album also caused another Kanye rift -- over its inclusion of Kid Cudi ... a conflict where Pusha refused to choose a side.