Politics

Oprah Winfrey is now one of a handful of notable public figures to get drawn into the record books for one of America's most famous museums, and her reaction to the paint job is ... positive?

Here's the deal ... the entertainment mogul received the honor of a massive portrait of herself that's going into the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. The unveiling went down Wednesday morning, with Oprah's friends and family in attendance.

Shawn Michael Warren is the artist, and he joined O to pull off the drape covering his work, which looks to stand at about 7 feet tall or so. Keep in mind, Oprah had never seen the finished product.

Once the curtain was yanked ... she could see the painting in all its glory, depicting her in a purple dress, smiling wide in her "prayer garden." To us, the portrait looks fantastic, and most everyone there seemed to agree too ... but it's hard to tell if Oprah liked it.

Maybe we're reading too much into how she reacted, but she certainly looked shocked. It's just not clear if it's a look of stunned joy, or astonished mortification. 😅

We'd like to assume it's the former, and that she digs it ... because honestly, it is quite nice.

Anyway, this thing is permanently the museum's forever -- and like we mentioned, O is joining an exclusive club ... especially as it pertains to modern celebs. The Smithsonian features portraits of tons of famous figures throughout history, but only a handful of 21st-century celebs ... not including presidents, like Barack Obama, who has one.

Oprah Winfrey es ahora parte de un puñado de notables figuras públicas que han sido retratadas para las colecciones de uno de los museos más famosos de Estados Unidos, y su reacción a la pintura fue, ¿positiva?

Esta es la cuestión, la magnate del entretenimiento recibió el honor de tener un enorme retrato de sí misma dentro de la Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery en Washington, DC. La inauguración se llevó a cabo el miércoles por la mañana, con los amigos y la familia de Oprah entre los asistentes.

Shawn Michael Warren fue el artista a cargo y se unió a O para desvelar la cortina que cubría su trabajo, que parece ser de unos 7 pies de altura más o menos. Hay que tener en cuenta que Oprah nunca había visto la obra acabada.

Una vez descorrida la cortina, la presentadora pudo ver el cuadro en todo su esplendor, que la representa con un vestido morado, sonriendo ampliamente en su "jardín de oración". Para nosotros, el retrato se ve fantástico y casi todo el mundo allí parecía estar de acuerdo también, pero es difícil saber si a Oprah le gustó.

Tal vez estamos siendo muy quisquillosos en la forma en que reaccionó, pero ciertamente parecía sorprendida. No está claro si su mirada de asombro era de alegría o de mortificación 😅.

Nos gustaría suponer que es lo primero y que el retrato le gusta porque, honestamente, es bastante bonito.

De todos modos, la obra permanecerá en el museo para siempre y como hemos mencionado, O se está uniendo a un club muy exclusivo, especialmente en lo que respecta a las celebridades modernas. El Smithsonian cuenta con retratos de montones de figuras famosas a lo largo de la historia, pero solo un puñado de celebridades del siglo 21, esto sin incluir a los presidentes, como Barack Obama, que tiene uno.

Claudine Gay, Harvard's president, gets to keep her job after waffling on the issue of antisemitism and Jewish genocide on Capitol Hill -- with the head honchos saying unequivocally ... they back her.

The Harvard Corporation issued a statement signaling her future, writing ... "As members of the Harvard Corporation, we today reaffirm our support for President Gay’s continued leadership of Harvard University."

They add, "Our extensive deliberations affirm our confidence that President Gay is the right leader to help our community heal and to address the very serious societal issues we are facing." If it wasn't clear, the university's own newspaper is reporting ... she's sticking around.

The members also note ... Gay has apologized for how she handled the high-profile hearing in front of Congress last week -- and has committed to redoubling Harvard's effort to fight antisemitism.

Keep in mind, Gay is very new in her post ... she just got appointed earlier this summer, and considering how contentious her testimony was -- it wasn't clear she'd be allowed to stay.

Of course, the other Ivy League Prez who got mixed up in this -- UPenn's Liz Magill -- ended up resigning over the controversy ... but the third university president, MIT's Sally Kornbluth, appears to be staying put as well.

There's been a lot of indignation and outcry over how all 3 women answered Rep. Elise Stefanik's repeated question -- namely, is calling for the genocide of Jews on campus a violation of all of the universities' rules and code of conduct.

Vivek Ramaswamy no se olvidará de silenciar el teléfono en su próxima conferencia... no después de ser víctima de un micrófono que permitió que miles de personas —incluido Elon Musk— le oyeran mear.

El candidato presidencial republicano estaba en una charla con Spaces en X con Elon, Alex Jones, Andrew Tate y otros durante el fin de semana y mientras Alex estaba charlando, no podía dejar de oír un flujo constante que venía directamente del micrófono de Vivek.

Después de un poco de charla incómoda sobre el sonido, Vivek termina siendo llamado como el culpable del baño - se disculpa por el percance, y Elon dice en broma que espera que el chico se sienta mejor ... que Vivek dice que definitivamente es.

Como se suele decir, ¡nadie le gana a Vivek!

Vivek sigue en la carrera por la Casa Blanca en el lado republicano ... junto con Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Chris Christie, Asa Hutchinson y, por supuesto, el favorito Donald Trump.

Como informamos, Vivek ha pasado verguenza en el debate de la semana pasada, cuando le dijo al ex gobernador de Nueva Jersey —Christie— que disfrutara una buena comida y se alejara de la carrera para Presidente. Esto viene justo después de que Christie saltara a la defensa de Nikki, que estaba recibiendo una paliza de Vivek.

Vivek Ramaswamy won't forget to hit mute on his next conference call ... not after falling victim to a hot mic, allowing thousands of people -- including Elon Musk -- to hear him takin' a leak!

The Republican presidential candidate was in a Spaces chat on X with Elon, Alex Jones, Andrew Tate and others over the weekend ... and as Alex was chatting, ya couldn't help but hear a steady stream coming directly from Vivek's microphone.

After some awkward chat about the sound, Vivek ends up getting called out as the bathroom culprit -- he apologizes for the mishap, and Elon jokingly says he hopes the guy's feeling better ... which Vivek says he definitely is.

As they say, nobody beats the whizz!

Vivek is still in the running for the White House on the Republican side ... along with Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Chris Christie, Asa Hutchinson and, of course, frontrunner Donald Trump.

As we reported, Vivek sunk to fat-shaming in last week's debate -- telling the former NJ Governor Christie to enjoy a nice meal and get out of the race for Prez ... this coming after CC jumped to Nikki's defense, who was taking a beating from Vivek.

12/11 4:02 PM PT -- Yale President, Peter Salovey, has released a statement on the incident ... claiming it's still unknown if the perpetrator was an actual student at Yale, and correcting information floating around stating the incident happened on campus.

Salovey's statement reads, "Yale condemns in the strongest possible terms the desecration of a menorah on the New Haven Green during the religious holiday of Chanukah. The placement of a Palestinian flag on the menorah conveys a deeply antisemitic message to Jewish residents of New Haven, including members of the Yale community."

He continues, "Yale’s regulations reach conduct occurring on or off campus that imperils the integrity and values of the University community, and if such conduct is committed by a member of the Yale community, we take action. Yale has asked the New Haven police to investigate this incident and Yale may conduct its own investigation. Desecration of property such as a religious object is a crime under Connecticut law."

Salovey says the school does not yet have any info on whether or not the suspect is a member of the Yale community.

A pro-Palestinian student at Yale tried to co-opt the symbol of the current Jewish holiday by planting a Palestinian flag on a menorah.

The student climbed the oversized menorah, the symbol of Hanukkah, as others screamed, "Get the f**k down!," and "It looks bad for us" ... as seen in viral video posted by attorney Jake Dressler.

One student is seen climbing the menorah to 86 the flag. The flag has now been removed.

It's the latest skirmish on college campuses around the country -- especially elite colleges and universities. As you know, the President of the University of Pennsylvania resigned Saturday after a torrent of criticism over her testimony in Congress Monday, where she would not squarely say calling for the genocide of Jews was bullying or harassment.

This photo may not appear "picture perfect", but your "intention" here is to polish off the ornament-shaped celeb! This holiday stud once performed a Christmas classic for Barack and Michelle Obama, but that's not the only holiday song he's covered over the years ...

He's mostly seen lookin' cool, calm and collected in baggy pants and a beanie, and even if he's in a hurry and trying to scurry around the paparazzi, you can always count on his slippers to flash you a smile!

Liz Magill -- the president of the University of Pennsylvania -- is stepping down after equivocating over the "genocide of Jews" and whether calling for that violated their rules.

The announcement over Magill's resignation came down Saturday straight from Penn itself -- with a statement from a member of the Board of Trustees reading ... "I write to share that President Liz Magill has voluntarily tendered her resignation as President of the University of Pennsylvania. She will remain a tenured faculty member at Penn Carey Law."

This follows a turbulent week on Capitol Hill, where Magill and 2 other presidents of prominent universities -- namely, Harvard and M.I.T. -- were grilled by lawmakers over the rise in antisemitism on college campuses after the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks in Israel.

When asked by Rep. Elise Stefanik, a Republican, if calling for the genocide of Jews, in and of itself, violated Penn's rules or code of conduct ... Magill gave a qualifying answer instead of just saying yes or no -- essentially explaining that it depended on the context.

Magill went on to say if the speech Stefanik referred to turned into actual action, it could then potentially constitute harassment. Stefanik gave her yet another opportunity to answer more directly -- again, over whether calling for the genocide of Jews was a rule-breaker -- and Magill kept giving conditional responses ... which turned into a testy exchange.

That all went viral, and Magill later apologized in a video posted to Penn's social media pages -- where she was much more clear ... yes, calling for the genocide of Jews is obviously in violation of the university's policies -- something she should've just said up front.

Just about everyone was stunned that Magill wouldn't just acknowledge that what Stefanik was (literally) asking was terrible and not in line with the university's values -- even if there's nuanced context to what exactly university students are saying/protesting for on campus.

We got into this issue further with a MIT free speech advocate ... who gave us a puzzling response to whether the KKK calling for the genocide of African-Americans on a college campus would be met with the same kind of response as calling for the genocide of Jews.

Apparently, it'd be dealt with differently ... but the reasons for why are still unclear, it seems.

Of course, this all stems from the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas -- which has thrust innocent people into the mix ... and has spurred a lot of people across the country to hit the streets to voice support ... mostly for Palestine. A lot of that rhetoric though -- namely, criticizing Zionism -- has been viewed as outright antisemitic hate speech by some.

Joe Biden's L.A. fundraiser was interrupted Friday by screaming pro-Palestinian demonstrators as police in riot gear stood guard, trying to keep the peace.

The 46th Prez arrived by motorcade to last night's political event in Holmby Hills, where dozens of demonstrators had gathered to voice their anger over what they see as the extermination of the Palestinians by Israel.

Scores of Palestinians have been killed since the bloody Israel-Hamas war began in October. At the time, Hamas terrorists invaded the Jewish state and slaughtered 1,400 Israelis, triggering the deadly conflict. Hamas rules over the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

During Friday's fundraiser, demonstrators threw objects at officers and passing vehicles, while holding up signs that read, "No votes for mass murderer," a reference to Biden's 2024 presidential bid. They were also chanting "Free free, Palestine" and "Long Live Palestine."

LAPD Chief Michel Moore said his officers did not have to use force or make any arrests because the demonstrators eventually dispersed.

Meanwhile, Biden delivered a short speech at the celebrity-studded event, calling his 2024 Republican rival, Donald Trump, a threat to democracy. He also talked about his first-term economic successes and the federal judges he has confirmed to the courts.

La recaudación de fondos de Joe Biden en Los Ángeles fue interrumpida el viernes por manifestantes pro-palestinos que gritaban, mientras la policía con equipos antidisturbios montaba guardia y trataba de mantener la paz.

El 46º Presidente llegó en caravana al acto político de anoche en Holmby Hills, donde decenas de manifestantes se habían reunido para expresar su ira por lo que consideran el exterminio de los palestinos por Israel.

Decenas de palestinos han muerto desde que comenzó la sangrienta guerra entre Israel y Hamás en octubre. Entonces, los terroristas de Hamás invadieron el Estado judío y masacraron a 1.400 israelíes, desencadenando el sangriento conflicto.

Durante la recaudación de fondos el viernes, los manifestantes arrojaron objetos a los agentes y a los vehículos que pasaban, y llevaron pancartas que decían "No votes por un asesino (mass murderer)", en referencia a la candidatura presidencial de Biden para 2024. También coreaban "Free free, Palestine" y "Long Live Palestine".

El jefe de la policía de Los Ángeles, Michel Moore, dijo que sus agentes no tuvieron que usar la fuerza ni realizar ningún arresto porque los manifestantes acabaron dispersándose.

Mientras tanto, Biden pronunció un breve discurso en el evento repleto de celebridades, en el que calificó a su rival republicano de 2024, Donald Trump, como una amenaza para la democracia. También habló de los éxitos económicos de su primer mandato, así como de los jueces federales que ha confirmado.

Presidents of Harvard, MIT and Penn are on the hot seat after telling Congress they have reservations about banning calls for Jewish genocide, and the Executive Director of the MIT Free Speech Alliance seems to agree with them.

Peter Bonilla appeared on "TMZ Live" Friday, and he said Liz Magill, the President of Penn, was wrong to walk back her position and suggest censorship was appropriate when it came to calling for Jewish genocide.

Bonilla says it opens the door to all sorts of censorship. Harvey then posed a hypothetical question ... what if students who were members of the KKK protested with burning crosses and called for the genocide of Black people?  Bonilla said that's a different situation, and they should be banned and/or disciplined.

The question ... what's the difference? Bonilla talks about the fact there's dangerous history with the KKK, but Harvey notes there's also history with Jews.

Colby Covington will have a very powerful supporter on hand next Saturday when he fights Leon Edwards for the UFC welterweight title ... 'cause Chaos tells us his friend Donald Trump will be in the building!

"110%, the greatest president in history, 45 and soon to be 47th president of the United States, Donald J. Trump, will be in attendance front row," 35-year-old Covington told Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1).

In fact, Colby says he nearly arranged for DT to escort him to the Octagon before the title fight.

"I was trying to get him to walk out with me. He was really excited to walk out with me, but it's a logistical concern for the UFC, and I understand that. The guy comes with a lot of Secret Service, and it's a big deal anytime he walks in. Unfortunately, I won't be able to have him walk out, but he will be front row cheering me on, and I'll get to put that belt around his waist. It's gonna be amazing!"

Of course, Trump is a huge UFC fan ... and has a relationship with Colby and Dana White. In fact, DT attended UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden last month where he received a raucous ovation (from everyone besides Bill Burr's wife).

Colby then took a shot at Leon ... who has been the 170 lb. champ since beating Kamaru Usman at UFC 278.

"It shows that I'm the A-side in this fight. Is he bringing out the Royal family? Is he bringing out Mary f***ing Poppins? Is he bringing out Paddington the Bear? Naw, he's a f***ing nobody!"

Covington hasn't fought since March 2022, when he beat former best-friend-turned-rival Jorge Masvidal. We asked CC how he felt after the long layoff.

"I feel great, man. I've never felt better.

"I haven't wanted to take this time off, but the time off has been good so I could focus on some of my weak areas. I feel like I'm the most well-rounded fighter in the game right now and next Saturday night fans are going to be surprised, they're going to be shocked. It's gonna be a great night, it's gonna be a 1776-type night, and that means the British don't come to American soil and call the shots. It means you're about to come all the way over here to America to get your ass kicked and over back home to the UK empty-handed, Junior. See you soon, Leon Scott."

Leonardo DiCaprio, Ivanka Trump and her hubby, Jared Kushner, all showed up at the same shindig in Miami ... the question -- can and/or should polar opposites mingle?

Check it out ... Leo arrived alone to Casadonna Restaurant Wednesday night and a short time later Ivanka and Jared walked in arm and arm ... all celebrating the kickoff of Art Basel.

Leo, sporting his customary baseball cap, is a die-hard environmentalist and liberal. Ivanka and Jared ... not so much.

We don't see real interaction between Leo and the Trump/Kushners, but it's not a huge space so it seems avoiding each other all night would be super difficult.

The country is so divided there's a sentiment anyone who dares to interact socially is a traitor to their cause, but should that be the case? So we ask ...

Nevertheless, a good time seemed to have been had by all.

Leonardo DiCaprio, Ivanka Trump y su marido, Jared Kushner, aparecieron en la misma fiesta en Miami. La pregunta es, ¿pueden y/o deberían mezclarse los polos opuestos?

Echa un vistazo... Leo llegó solo al restaurante Casadonna el miércoles por la noche y un poco más tarde aparecieron Ivanka y Jared del brazo. Todos estaban allí para celebrar el inicio de Art Basel.

Leo, quien lucía su habitual gorra de béisbol, es un ecologista acérrimo y liberal. Ivanka y Jared, en cambio, no tanto.

No vemos una interacción real entre Leo y los Trump/Kushners, pero no es un espacio enorme, por lo que parece súper difícil que se hayan evitado toda la noche.

El país está tan dividido que existe el sentimiento de que cualquiera que se atreva a interactuar socialmente es un traidor a su causa, pero ¿debería ser así? Así que les preguntamos...

Sin embargo, parece que todos lo pasaron bien.

Hunter Biden has been charged with 9 crimes in connection with the DOJ's investigation into his alleged tax evasion.

President Joe Biden's son was charged with failure to pay taxes, evasion of assessment, filing false or fraudulent tax returns, among other charges.

The new case from special counsel David Weiss stems from Hunter's business dealings overseas. Prosecutors claim Hunter at one point owed $2 million to the IRS, which he apparently paid back in 2021 ... with a loan from a friend.

As we reported, Hunter was also indicted on gun charges back in September -- charged with one count of making false statements in connection with the purchase of a firearm, one count of making false statements to a federal firearms licensed dealer, and one count of possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance.

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott just issued a mea culpa ... telling media members Thursday he's truly sorry for bringing up the 9/11 attacks in a motivational speech a couple years ago.

According to GoLongTD.com's Tyler Dunne ... McDermott's tone-deaf talk to his players happened during the Bills' 2019 training camp -- when he was trying to emphasize to his squad how it needed to communicate to come together.

"Sources on-hand say, he used a strange model: the terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001," Dunne wrote in a lengthy three-part piece about the coach that was published on Thursday morning.

"He cited the hijackers as a group of people who were all able to get on the same page to orchestrate attacks to perfection."

When McDermott addressed the issue with reporters Thursday afternoon ... he didn't deny making the making comments.

"I regretted mentioning 9/11 in my message that day," he said, "and I immediately apologized to the team." He added that his goal was to get his guys to understand the importance of "being on the same page."

ESPN's Alaina Getzenberg reported the coach also said he has plans to apologize to his current roster over the comments later Thursday.

"Not only was 9/11 a horrific event in our country's history," McDermott said, "but a day that I lost a good family friend."

He continued, "I'm not here to discuss the article that's out there and the things that are mentioned other than this right here, because this right here is very, very important to me and something I take very seriously."