Politics

Adult film producer and porn star Michael Lucas is getting some serious blowback from some people in his industry for writing his name on a missile targeted for Hamas.

Lucas posted earlier this month, "Hahaha I actually asked to write my name," and he included a pic of his John Hancock on the rocket.

Several porn stars have said they will no longer work for his studio. Shahrokh Mosavinejad fired back, "Anyone who thinks writing notes on missiles is some kind of sick flex is an accessory to murder and genocide of innocent #Palestinian civilians in my book."

Porn star Sean Xavier wrote, "I don’t want to draw more attention to the post; I find it both saddening and reprehensible. For those that are inquiring, I will no longer be promoting my work with that studio, nor accepting future offers to work with them."

Lucas has been a staunch supporter of Israel for years. One of his movies, "Men of Israel," featured an all-Jewish cast ... the first of its kind in the industry.

Jill Biden isn't pumping the brakes on her SoulCycle obsession anytime soon -- surprising spin enthusiasts in L.A. by dropping into an early morning class for those much-needed endorphins.

Sources tell TMZ the First Lady's suited and booted Secret Service agents arrived first to the trendy cycling chain's 7 AM class in Brentwood earlier this month ... wanding down everyone and informing them a VIP would be in class.

Upon entering, Jill settled onto bike no. 42 -- at the back, right by the Secret Service team at the entrance ... just in case she needed to make a speedy escape.

There was no theme for this SC class, though we're told at one point they rode to Janet Jackson's "Escapade" ... and Jill was, noticeably, in great shape.

She even appeared to make a friend ... fist-bumping a boy riding in front of her at the end of class, but there were no photos due to SC's no-phones-in-studio policy.

Jill attended the class in the middle of a jam-packed weekend of fundraising events with President Biden -- probably hoping for some me-time, as she's previously credited the spin classes for helping her find her "inner strength so she can be strong for everyone else."

Jill Biden no está poniéndole freno a su obsesión con SoulCycle en el corto plazo, sorprendiendo a los entusiastas del spinning de Los Ángeles tras aparecer en una clase temprano para liberar esas tan necesarias endorfinas.

Fuentes le dicen a TMZ que los agentes del Servicio Secreto de la Primera Dama llegaron primero a la clase de la popular cadena de ciclismo a las 7 AM, en Brentwood a principios de este mes. Se dice que agitaron a todo el mundo y les informaron que una persona VIP estaría en la clase.

Al entrar, Jill se acomodó en la bicicleta número 42 -en la parte posterior-, justo al lado del equipo del Servicio Secreto en la entrada, por si necesitaba hacer una huida rápida.

No había un tema particular para esta clase de SoulCycle, aunque nos dicen que en un momento dado montaron al ritmo de "Escapade", de Janet Jackson, y Jill estaba notablemente en gran forma.

Incluso parece que hizo un amigo, tras chocar los puños con un niño que estaba montado delante de ella al final de la clase, pero no hay fotos de ellos, debido a la política de la cadena de no usar teléfonos en el estudio.

Jill asistió a la clase en medio de un ocupado fin de semana con eventos de recaudación con el Presidente Biden, probablemente con la esperanza de tener algo de tiempo para ella. Previamente, ha dicho que las clases de spin la ayudan a encontrar su "fuerza interior para ser fuerte para todos los demás."

President Biden is closing out the year on a one-on-one chat with the man upstairs -- and depending on where you land politically ... this could be interpreted a couple different ways.

Joe's down in the U.S. Virgin Islands right now with his family, where they touched down Wednesday in St. Croix ... and where JB here was seen visiting the Holy Cross Catholic Church in the city of Christiansted Saturday ... popping out with a wave and a smile.

He was being tailed by a ton of Secret Service agents, of course ... a few whom looked like they came straight from MIB headquarters. No sign of Jill or the other Bidens here with him -- although, they were right by his side when they landed last week on Air Force One.

On its face, this is just another holy Biden outing ... nothing all that crazy coming from a guy who's famously religious and who frequents churches quite a bit in his spare time.

Now, on the flip side ... some might see this as a sign that the dude's saying his prayers for a potentially rocky 2024 -- especially as the next presidential election starts to take shape.

So far, it's looking like Joe will face off with Donald Trump again -- that is, unless he isn't convicted and jailed first ... or if he's successfully kept off certain states' primary ballots, all of which remains to be seen at this point. Numbers-wise, DT is far and away the GOP fave.

As for JB and how he's faring in the polls ... it ain't that great -- as there doesn't seem to be too much enthusiasm about a second Biden term, even among people in his own party.

Uncle Joe's had a bit of an up-and-down presidency 3 years in, but the one thing he's got going for him is that he's ... not being prosecuted, on a number of fronts. Still, POTUS has some fires to put out with his base if he's gonna win 'em over come election day in Nov.

Don Lemon says the most detrimental presidential candidate Americans could elect isn't Donald Trump ... but rather Nikki Haley.

The former CNN host joined us Friday on "TMZ Live," and said he thinks there's good reason to sound an alarm on Haley's campaign ... saying she's a more dangerous candidate than Trump.

Don says it's a case of the devil you know versus the devil you don't ... calling out Haley for being unclear on her views, flip-flopping on Trump's insurrection and ripping her track record on abortion and racism.

The way Don sees it ... we've already survived one Trump presidency, and Haley presents a new set of unknowns that might end up being worse than anything Trump ever did.

It's another shot at Haley from Don ... as we reported, he blasted her on social media Thursday for leaving slavery out of her answer on the cause of the Civil War.

Haley's apologized and asked for grace, something Don says is hypocritical.

Remember, Don and Nikki had beef when he was at CNN ... he called her past her prime, and says she showed him no grace for his poor choice of words ... which he's said was just a prime case of misspeaking on live television.

Don's speaking out on political issues for the first time since leaving his post at CNN ... and he says he can finally speak his mind about all candidates, including Republicans.

While he says he doesn't want Trump back in office, and Haley might be worse ... he tells us why Chris Christie is earning his respect, even though he disagrees with most of his policies.

Don Lemon dice que el candidato presidencial más perjudicial que los estadounidenses podrían elegir no es Donald Trump, sino más bien Nikki Haley.

El ex presentador de CNN se unió a nosotros el viernes en "TMZ Live" y nos dijo que hay buenas razones para hacer sonar las alarmas con la campaña de Haley, diciendo que ella es una candidata más peligrosa que Trump

Don dice que es un caso de diablo conocido a diablo por conocer, y critica a Haley por no ser claro respecto a sus puntos de vista, por cambiar de opinión sobre la insurrección de Trump y por su historial sobre el aborto y el racismo.

Desde la perspectiva de Don, ya sobrevivimos a una presidencia de Trump y Haley presenta un nuevo conjunto de incógnitas que podrían terminar siendo peor que cualquier cosa que Trump haya hecho.

Este es otro tiro de Don hacia Haley, como informamos, el presentador la atacó en las redes el jueves por dejar la esclavitud fuera de su respuesta sobre la causa de la Guerra Civil.

Haley se disculpó y pidió comprensión, algo que Don considera hipócrita.

Recuerden, Don y Nikki tuvieron problemas cuando él estaba en CNN. Don le dijo que había pasado su mejor momento.

Don está hablando sobre temas políticos por primera vez desde que dejó su puesto en CNN. Dice que finalmente puede decir lo que piensa de los candidatos, incluidos los republicanos.

Aunque dice que no quiere Trump de nuevo en el cargo, y que Haley podría ser peor, nos explica por qué Chris Christie se está ganando su respeto, a pesar de que no está de acuerdo con la mayoría de sus políticas.

Puede que la aspirante presidencial republicana Nikki Haley quiera salir de New Hampshire por su propio bien. ¡Primero fue criticada por sus comentarios sobre la Guerra Civil y ahora fue atacada por un niño de nueve años por cambiar de opinión sobre Donald Trump!

En su último dolor de cabeza en el Estado de Granito, Haley estaba celebrando un acto de campaña el jueves en North Conway cuando un adolescente precoz llamado Adam agarró el micrófono y se descargó contra la ex gobernadora de Carolina del Sur.

Adam mencionó que Chris Christie, otro aspirante presidencial republicano para 2024, había llamado a Haley una flip-flopper (alguien que cambia de opinión fácilmente, especialmente en política) por indultar a Trump si fuera condenado por un delito federal.

El chico le dijo a Haley que estaba de acuerdo con Christie y la comparó con el ex candidato presidencial demócrata John Kerry. Como se acordarán, Kerry perdió las elecciones de 2004 ante su rival republicano George W. Bush después de cambiar su posición sobre numerosos temas.

Haley comenzó su respuesta diciendo que estaba orgullosa de que Adam le hiciera la pregunta, antes de defenderse de sus afirmaciones.

Mantuvo su postura de que pensaba que Trump era el "presidente adecuado en el momento adecuado" y que estaba de acuerdo con muchas de sus políticas, pero que ahora se ha vuelto demasiado caótico y no debería volver a la Casa Blanca.

Insistió en que Christie se había "obsesionado" con Trump, al tiempo que regañó a Adam por compararla con Kerry, quien se ha dado vuelta la chaqueta en serie. Luego, se comprometió a indultar a Trump si fuera condenado porque sería por el mejor interés del país.

La última migraña de Haley se produjo justo un día después de que equivocara su respuesta sobre lo que causó la Guerra Civil en Estados Unidos. En una parada de campaña en Berlin, New Hampshire, Haley omitió el hecho de que la esclavitud desencadenó el sangriento conflicto entre la Unión y la Confederación en el siglo XIX.

Como resultado, fue criticada por los medios de comunicación y por casi todo el mundo. Incluso, el ex presentador de CNN Don Lemon criticó a Haley por su chambonada de la esclavitud, diciendo que no le causó ninguna gracia cuando le dijo que estaba pasada de moda durante una emisión televisiva en directo.

Haley ha aclarado sus comentarios desde entonces, diciendo que la esclavitud provocó la Guerra Civil, pero que hay un cuadro más amplio sobre el papel que juega el gobierno en nuestras vidas.

Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley may wanna get outta New Hampshire for good ... first she was roasted for her Civil War comments and now she got slammed by a nine-year-old for being a flip-flopper on Donald Trump!

In her latest Granite State headache, Haley was holding a campaign event Thursday in North Conway when a precocious adolescent named Adam grabbed the mic and unloaded on the former South Carolina governor.

Adam mentioned that Chris Christie – another 2024 Republican presidential challenger -- had called Haley a flip-flopper on pardoning Trump if he were convicted of a federal crime.

The boy told Haley he agreed with Christie and compared her to former Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry. As you may recall, Kerry lost the 2004 election to Republican rival George W. Bush after changing his position on numerous issues.

Haley began her response by saying she was proud Adam asked the question before defending herself on the "flip-flopper" claim.

She maintained her position that she thought Trump was the "right president at the right time" and agreed with many of his policies, but he's now become too chaotic and should not be put back in the White House.

She insisted Christie had become "obsessed" with Trump, while also scolding Adam for comparing her to serial flip-flopper Kerry. She then vowed to pardon Trump if he were convicted because it would be in the best interest of the country.

Haley's latest migraine came just one day after she flubbed her answer on what caused the American Civil War. At a campaign stop in Berlin, NH, Haley left out the fact that slavery triggered the bloody conflict between the Union and the Confederacy in the 1800s.

As a result, Haley was blasted by the media and most everyone else. Even former CNN anchor Don Lemon gave Haley a shot for her slavery SNAFU, saying she did not show him any grace when he said she was past her prime during a live TV broadcast.

Haley has since clarified her comments, expressing that slavery sparked the Civil War, but that there’s a larger picture about the role the government plays in our lives.

Don Lemon hasn't forgotten about his clash with Nikki Haley earlier this year ... bringing it up as a way to diss her over fumbling a question about the cause of the Civil War.

The former CNN anchor is ripping Nikki for asking for grace for omitting slavery from her answer ... he says she was quick to pounce on him when he called her past "her prime" earlier this year on CNN, and didn't leave him room to ask for grace.

As you know ... Nikki is catching tons of flak for not mentioning slavery as a catalyst for the Civil War in response to a question on the presidential campaign trail.

Nikki's since backtracked, telling CNN she didn't mention slavery because she thought it was so obvious.

Don says he's glad she's clarified her remarks ... adding, "In the spirit of the season, let's see if her actions match her corrected words moving forward."

Imagine Dragons está ayudando a la familia de un chico ucraniano de 15 años a reconstruir su casa, después de que el lugar fuera destruido por la guerra aún en curso en su país.

Sashko es el adolescente de Ucrania que aparece en el video musical de la canción "Crushed". El video y la canción se convirtieron en un gran éxito en gran parte debido a la historia de Sashko, que lo perdió todo a manos de las fuerzas rusas.

El hogar del niño fue completamente destruido durante la primavera de 2022. Poco después, el director de fotografía de Imagine Dragons, Ty Arnold, conoció a Sashko durante un viaje a Ucrania, se sintió conmovido por su historia y quiso dar a conocer al mundo los horrores que estaba enfrentando.

El video musical provocó donaciones masivas a UNITED24, una plataforma lanzada por el Presidente Zelensky para recoger donaciones para los ucranianos, con la que Imagine Dragons se asoció.

UNITED24 utilizó los fondos para pagar toda la restauración de la casa de Sashko y nos dicen que Ty entregó las llaves de la casa la semana pasada a Sashko y su madre.

Imagine Dragons is helping a 15-year-old Ukrainian boy's family get their home back together .... after the place was destroyed during the ongoing war in his country.

Sashko is the teenager from Ukraine who was featured in the music video for the band's song, "Crushed" ... the video and song became a huge hit in large part due to Sashko's story about losing everything at the hands of Russian forces.

The boy's home was completely obliterated in 2022. Shortly after the Imagine Dragons' Director of Photography Ty Arnold met Sashko during a trip to Ukraine and was moved by Sashko's story ... and wanted to let the world know about the horrors Sashko faced.

The music video sparked massive donations to UNITED24 -- a platform launched by President Zelensky to collect donations for Ukrainian's -- because Imagine Dragons teamed up with the organization.

Thanks to the Imagine Dragons video, UNITED24 found a private donor to rebuild Sashko's house.

UNITED24 used the funds to pay for the entire restoration of Sashko's house ... and we're told Ty handed over the keys to the rebuilt home last week to Sashko and his mother.

Nikki Haley podría necesitar un curso de repaso de la historia de Estados Unidos... la candidata presidencial republicana para 2024 no mencionó la esclavitud como catalizador de la Guerra Civil.

La ex gobernadora de Carolina del Sur estaba hablando con un grupo de votantes en Berlín, Nuevo Hampshire, el miércoles, cuando un hombre le preguntó qué causó la Guerra Civil estadounidense. Nikki entregó una escueta respuesta, diciendo que el gobierno estaba infringiendo los derechos de las personas.

Aquí está su respuesta completa: "Quiero decir, creo que la causa de la Guerra Civil fue básicamente cómo el gobierno iba a funcionar. Las libertades y lo que la gente podía y no podía hacer".

Como ves, Nikki no mencionó en ningún momento la palabra esclavitud, que la mayoría de la gente sabe que fue el motivo de la guerra entre la Unión y la Confederación.

Haley preguntó entonces al hombre qué creía que desencadenó el conflicto, lo que le llevó a responder: "No me presento a presidente".

Haley siguió con una respuesta aún más insípida, diciendo: "Creo que siempre se reduce al papel del gobierno y cuáles son los derechos de las personas. Siempre defenderé el hecho de que creo que el gobierno fue concebido para garantizar los derechos y libertades de las personas. Nunca se pretendió que fuera todo para todos".

Teniendo en cuenta todas las reacciones que recibió por sus comentarios, Nikki puede querer aclarar lo que quería decir, ya que viaja por el estado de Granito con cuatro paradas más de campaña.

Nikki Haley may need a refresher course in American history ... the 2024 Republican presidential candidate failed to mention slavery as the catalyst for the Civil War.

The former South Carolina Governor was talking to a bunch of voters in Berlin, New Hampshire Wednesday when a man asked her what caused the American Civil War. Nikki bungled the answer, saying the government was infringing on people's rights.

Here's her full response ... “I mean, I think the cause of the Civil War was basically how government was going to run. The freedoms and what people could and couldn’t do.”

As you see, nowhere did Nikki mention the word slavery, which most people know was the reason for the war between the Union and the Confederacy.

Haley then asked the man what he thought triggered the conflict, prompting him to reply, "I'm not running for president."

Haley followed up with an even more tone-deaf response, saying, “I think it always comes down to the role of government and what the rights of the people are. I will always stand by the fact that I think government was intended to secure the rights and freedoms of the people. It was never meant to be all things to all people."

Considering all the backlash she received for her comments, Nikki may want to clarify what she meant, as she travels around the Granite state with four more campaign stops.

Tom Smothers -- one half of the famous singing comedy team the "Smothers Brothers" -- has died.

In a statement released Wednesday, Dick Smothers announced his brother's passing, saying Tom died at home as a result of cancer.

Dick went on to say “Tom was not only the loving older brother that everyone would want in their life, he was a one-of-a-kind creative partner."

Continuing, Dick said, “I am forever grateful to have spent a lifetime together with him, on and off stage, for over 60 years."

Dick ended with, "Our relationship was like a good marriage – the longer we were together, the more we loved and respected one another. We were truly blessed.”

In the late '50s, early 1960s, Tom and Dick often appeared on TV variety shows and released popular albums of their stage performances. In 1967, they finally landed their own variety show, "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour," which instantly became one of the most hotly debated TV programs during the Vietnam War period.

The "Smothers Brothers" got canceled decades before cancellation became a thing. Tommy became super political when the show was in its second season, railing with satire against the Vietnam War. The Bros were especially critical of then-President Lyndon B. Johnson.

On one show Tommy looked straight into the camera and said, "Okay, all you guys in Vietnam, come on home."

During one episode, Harry Belafonte sang, "Don't Stop the Carnival," and the backdrop on stage were images of the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago, where then-Mayor Richard Daley ordered law enforcement to beat Vietnam protesters in the streets.

They took on other issues as well, but it was too hot for CBS. The network pulled the plug in 1969 at the end of season 3. People in the anti-war movement, along with free speech advocates, were outraged.

Tommy and Dick sued CBS for breach of contract and they eventually got $775,000. The 'SBCH' came back for a short-lived revival in 1988 but ended after one season

Think Dixie Chicks, but 40 years earlier.

Rudy Giuliani might be praying to God to help him pay the $146 million debt he owes to two former Georgia election workers he defamed -- and we got the pictures to prove it!!

The former NYC mayor was photographed attending the Christmas midnight mass with other worshippers at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan. Rudy, accompanied by a brunette woman, sat down in one of the pews to listen to the priest's sermon -- and possibly ask the Lord for a large infusion of cash!!!

Strangely, Rudy was wearing a big grin on his face when he has very little to smile about lately. Case in point: Rudy just lost a massive legal battle in a Georgia civil court where a judge recently ordered him to pay the whopping sum of money to the two ex-election workers, Ruby Freeman and Wandrea "Shaye" Moss.

In their defamation suit, Freeman and Moss claimed Rudy had spread lies about them as he tried to overturn the 2020 Presidential election on behalf of Donald Trump, working as 45's personal attorney.

The women have filed a second defamation suit against Rudy for similar statements he made after the judge's first ruling.

As for Rudy, he has reportedly filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to seek protection from creditors given the massive sum of money he owes them.

But Rudy seemed to have a few bucks still stashed away in his bank account. On Thursday, TMZ obtained photos of Rudy pulling out cash from an ATM inside a Citi Bank.

Rudy Giuliani podría estar rezándole a Dios para que le ayude a pagar la deuda de 146 millones de dólares que tiene con dos ex trabajadores electorales de Georgia a los que difamó, ¡y tenemos las fotos que lo demuestran!

El ex alcalde de Nueva York fue fotografiado asistiendo a la misa de medianoche de Navidad con otros fieles en la Catedral de San Patricio en Manhattan. Rudy, acompañado por una mujer morena, se sentó en uno de los bancos para escuchar el sermón del sacerdote y posiblemente pedirle al Señor una gran infusión de dinero en efectivo

Extrañamente, Rudy lucía una gran sonrisa en su rostro, y sabemos que últimamente tiene muy poco por lo que sonreír... Rudy acaba de perder una batalla legal masiva en un tribunal civil de Georgia, donde un juez recientemente le ordenó pagar una gran suma de dinero a los dos ex trabajadores electorales, Ruby Freeman y Wandrea "Shaye" Moss.

En su demanda por difamación, Freeman y Moss afirmaron que Rudy había difundido mentiras sobre ellas mientras intentaba anular las elecciones presidenciales de 2020 en nombre de Donald Trump, trabajando como abogado personal de 45.

Las mujeres han presentado una segunda demanda por difamación contra Rudy por declaraciones similares que hizo después de la primera sentencia del juez.

En cuanto a Rudy, al parecer se ha acogido al capítulo 11 de la ley de quiebras para buscar protección frente a sus acreedores dada la enorme suma de dinero que les debe.

Pero Rudy parecía tener unos cuantos dólares todavía escondidos en su cuenta bancaria. El jueves, TMZ obtuvo fotos de Rudy sacando dinero de un cajero automático dentro de un Citi Bank.