Politics

Julianna Margulies recently said Black people were "brainwashed" to hate Jews -- something she now regrets ... and is apologizing over.

The actress, who's Jewish, made the inflammatory comment late last month on a podcast appearance with Andy Ostroy ... where they talked about young people's overwhelming embrace of Palestine in the Israel-Hamas war -- something they chalked up to antisemitism.

Specifically, Margulies mentioned African-Americans and people in the LGBTQ+ community as being wholly misguided in their position on the matter ... saying they'd be the first ones to be discriminated against -- if not outright killed -- in just about any Muslim country.

JM went to express disbelief that Black people, specifically, as a group seemed to be speaking out against Israel/Zionists -- which she apparently views as hating on Jews, at large, as well -- and then brought up the fact that Jewish people had stood with Blacks during the Civil Rights era ... and basically said the same should be done now in return.

She then said that a recent Ken Burns doc on the Holocaust should be mandatory viewing in schools these days -- especially for the Black community ... whom she suggested either didn't know the horrid history, or whom she said had probably been taught to "hate Jews."

It caused a lot of backlash, and on Friday ... she folded, saying -- "I am horrified by the fact that statements I made on a recent podcast offended the Black and LGBTQIA+ communities, communities I truly love and respect."

Margulies continued ... "I want to be 100% clear: Racism, homophobia, sexism, or any prejudice against anyone’s personal beliefs or identity are abhorrent to me, full stop."

She added ... "Throughout my career I have worked tirelessly to combat hate of all kind, end antisemitism, speak out against terrorist groups like Hamas, and forge a united front against discrimination."

Susan Sarandon is now walking back antisemitic remarks she delivered at a pro-Palestinian rally in NYC last month ... offering her apologies to anyone she offended.

The actress posted a lengthy statement on Instagram Friday night, explaining that she made a "terrible mistake" when she said Jews are “getting a taste of what it is like to be Muslim in this country, so often subjected to violence.”

Susan uttered the words in front of a large crowd at the November 17 rally in Manhattan's Union Square.

The demonstrators were protesting against the Israel-Hamas war, which broke out after the terrorist group invaded the Jewish state on October 7. Hamas militants, who rule over the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, slaughtered some 1,400 Jews, including babies.

In her IG post, Susan said she was invited to the event, but was not supposed to speak, yet ended up on stage with a mic in her hand, trying to communicate concerns about a rise in hate crimes throughout the country.

She pointed out the controversial phrasing she used falsely implied that Jews have not faced persecution. She then highlighted centuries of Jewish oppression and genocide in Europe, as well as the Tree of Life shooting in Pittsburgh, PA.

Susan went on to say she "deeply regrets diminishing the reality" and for voicing her hurtful remarks.

Susan Sarandon se está retractando de los comentarios antisemitas que hizo el mes pasado en una manifestación pro-palestina en Nueva York, ofreciendo sus disculpas a todos los que ofendió.

La actriz publicó una larga declaración en su Instagram el viernes, en donde explica que cometió un "terrible error" cuando dijo que los judíos están "saboreando lo que es ser musulmán en este país, tan a menudo sujetos a la violencia".

Susan pronunció estas palabras ante una gran multitud en la manifestación del 17 de noviembre en Union Square en Manhattan.

Los manifestantes estaban protestando contra la guerra entre Israel y Hamás, que estalló después de que el grupo terrorista invadiera el Estado judío el 7 de octubre. Los militantes de Hamás, que gobiernan a los palestinos en la Franja de Gaza, masacraron a unos 1.400 judíos, incluidos bebés.

En su mensaje de Instagram, Susan dijo que había sido invitada al acto, pero que se suponía que no iba a hablar, aunque terminó en el escenario con un micrófono en la mano, tratando de comunicar su preocupación por el aumento de los delitos motivados por el odio en todo el país.

Señaló que la polémica frase que utilizó implicaba falsamente que los judíos no habían sufrido persecución. A continuación, destacó los siglos de opresión judía y el genocidio en Europa, así como el tiroteo de Tree of Life en Pittsburgh.

Susan continuó diciendo que "lamenta profundamente haber empequeñecido la realidad" y haber expresado estos dolorosos comentarios.

Bill Maher loves the XMAS season, 'cause it's fun ... but he's alarmed at all the people who embrace the religious element to a point they want to shove it down everyone else's throats.

The 'Real Time' host launched on the growing number of Republicans, now led by freshly-minted Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, who want to turn America into a Christian state.

Although Johnson and many other Republicans have promoted an official religion for the USA, Bill notes they've forgotten about the whole separation of church and state thing.

Rep. Lauren Boebert recently scoffed, "I'm tired of this separation of church and state junk." Her leader, Mike Johnson, has called for a Christian nation that dominates all areas of American life.

Seems pretty basic ... the country was founded on freedom of religion. It's engrained in our Constitution -- 1st up on the Amendment roster -- yet an alarming number of Republicans are hell-bent on breaking that wall -- separation of church and state.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is speaking out against the barbaric, unprovoked Hamas attack on Israel ... meeting with survivors and their families.

The former governor of California got emotional as he condemned the Oct. 7 slaughter of innocent civilians ... saying it's unlike anything he's ever seen and offering his support for Israel.

Arnold met with family members of Israeli hostages who are still being held by Hamas in Gaza .. presenting them with bronze eagle statues.

After the meeting, Arnold told us he's looking to spread peace ... because it's more powerful than hate and anger.

14-year-old Ella Shani was among the survivors traveling from Israel to Santa Monica to meet Arnold ... she recounted how her father was murdered on Oct. 7 by Hamas terrorists at Kibbutz Beeri, and how her 16-year-old cousin Amit Shani was kidnapped.

Ella says her cousin was hiding in a safe room in his home when Hamas set the place on fire and broke down the door. She says Amit and two other Israeli men from a neighboring house were ordered into a car, kidnapped and taken to Gaza.

As Ella spoke for about 30 minutes, Arnold teared up ... and they hugged in the end. He also showed her some of his cool movie memorabilia, like a robot head from 'Terminator.'

10:05 AM PT -- Jussie Smollett y su equipo no van a caer sin antes luchar, un representante nos dice: "Queremos destacar que la decisión fue dividida, con el juez Lyle ofreciendo un análisis detallado a favor de Smollett. Nos estamos preparando para elevar este asunto al Tribunal Supremo, armados con un conjunto sustancial de pruebas".

Jussie Smollett acaba de recibir un gran portazo en los tribunales, pues su condena por haber falseado un ataque acaba de ser confirmada.

Un tribunal de apelaciones de Illinois emitió el fallo el viernes. El panel de tres jueces votó 2-1 para mantener la condena de Jussie, de acuerdo con nuevos documentos legales obtenidos por TMZ.

La clave de la apelación de Jussie era el argumento de que él no puede ser procesado porque, después de la acusación inicial, la Fiscal del Estado del Condado de Cook, Kim Foxx, decidió no procesar el caso. Ello suscitó enormes críticas y se nombró a un fiscal especial que, en última instancia, acudió al gran jurado que lo volvió a acusar.

Los dos jueces que confirmaron la condena dijeron que no era relevante que se hubiese retirado la acusación inicial. El juez que discrepó, en tanto, dijo que la decisión de Foxx de no procesar el caso era en realidad una promesa a Jussie de que este había terminado.

Con el fallo, es probable que Jussie regrese a una cárcel de Chicago para completar su condena de 150 días.

Recordemos, el actor fue condenado inicialmente en 2022 y pasó 6 días en la cárcel del condado de Cook antes de ser puesto en libertad mientras intentaba conseguir que anularan su sentencia.

Ahora, Jussie se ha quedado con las manos vacías, pero su equipo legal tiene la opción de apelar la decisión a la Corte Suprema de Illinois, que luego decidiría si escuchar el caso.

Durante su apelación, Jussie lanzó nueva música, dirigió una película con Vivica A. Fox, hizo ejercicio con Taraji P. Henson, fue a rehabilitación y se afeitó la cabeza.

Será interesante ver si Jussie apela nuevamente, o bien, si se dirige de otra vez a la cárcel ... Permanezcan atentos.

11:51 AM PT -- Special prosecutor, Dan Webb, tells TMZ ... "The appellate court ruled on every issue Mr. Smollett raised in our favor and against him. This was a resounding and profound victory for us today. Having a dissenting voice in the ruling is not uncommon. The decision by the appeals court is final."

He concluded, "What happens next is Mr. Smollett can file a petition for a higher appeal to The Illinois Supreme Court. This is purely discretionary meaning the court does not have to hear this appeal. He lost all legal rights to an appeal with today’s decision. If the Supreme Court decides to hear his appeal, there will be briefs filed and a hearing date set. If not, then the case goes back to the trial court, which will execute his sentence."

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.