Politics

Donald Trump acaba de recibir un espaldarazo de su íntegro carácter, lo recibió de nada menos que un notorio mafioso, Sammy the Bull, y aun así está muy agradecido.

El ex presidente le envió un saludo al ex jefe de la familia criminal Gambino en Truth Social, como reacción a una reciente entrevista de Sammy en VladTV donde habló de cómo intentó contactarse con Donald Trump en su momento, cuando era solo un gran promotor en Nueva York.

Como Sammy explica, él fue capaz de presionar a un montón de tipos en el juego de los bienes raíces en ese entonces y pudo negociar con ellos, pero, al parecer, con el propio Donny no pudo conseguirlo.

STB  fue tan lejos como para decir que a pesar de sus repetidos intentos por hacer negocios con Trump -y ser rechazado en cada intento- decidió que Don era "legítimo" y siguió adelante. Es sin duda una anécdota interesante y a Trump le encantó el "elogio", tanto que lo hizo saber en línea.

En respuesta, Trump escribió: "Gracias a Sammy The Bull. Espero que los jueces Engoron y Kaplan vean esto. Necesitamos justicia, fuerza y honestidad en nuestros tribunales de Nueva York. Ahora no la tenemos". Los jueces a los que se refiere son los que están supervisando algunos de sus casos en este momento. Por cierto, parece pensar que deben seguir el ejemplo de Sam en cuanto a moralidad.

Por supuesto, el telón de fondo de todo esto es que Trump está en la corte por distintos frentes a medida que nos dirigimos hacia las elecciones 2024. Está siendo procesado penalmente y también demandado civilmente.

El fiscal general de Nueva York, Letitia James, por ejemplo, afirma que Donald Trump es totalmente corrupto y un hombre de negocios muy sombrío, algo que ella y su equipo han estado tratando de demostrar en los tribunales.

FKA Twigs suggested that the UK banning her Calvin Klein ad was a double standard -- and seemed to suggest race was a factor ... but the org that nixed it is calling BS.

UK's Advertising Standards Authority -- which has authority over this sorta thing -- tells TMZ their final assessment on whether an ad stays or goes is based solely on their responsibility and offense rules -- and FKA's ad broke 'em on objectification and inappropriate targeting.

The photo in question shows Twigs showing some side-boob & butt/thigh but covering the rest of her modesty with a denim shirt -- not the raciest shot in the world, but it's been pointed out that Kendall Jenner's similarly racy CK ad got a free pass across the pond recently.

The ASA tells us they took a hard look at the two "similar but, crucially, subtly different ads" -- but it was Twigs' ad that they took issue with ... 'cause she was far more revealing than Kendall was.

Take a look at the pics and you'll see ... Twigs is showing some side-boob and part of her buttocks -- whereas Kendall is wearing jeans and fully covering her chest with her hands.

Also, unless you've been hiding under a rock ... Jeremy Allen White's recent steamy CK ad has been doing the rounds everywhere lately -- including the UK -- a decision that's fueled widespread discussion on "double standards," as FKA put it.

But, ASA isn't backing down ... telling us they understand there's a fine line between judging what is and isn't likely to cause offense --  but it's their job to make the call.

Fat Joe says 100 million Americans are in the red because of hospital bills ... and he's working with Congress to try and fix what he says is a greedy healthcare system.

The rapper joined us on "TMZ Live" Friday and told us why he's advocating for big changes with the way hospitals and health insurance companies do business.

Fat Joe says most people who go to the hospital have no idea how much care is going to cost until after the fact ... and he says the lack of transparency is putting way too many folks in debt.

Joey Crack's been banging this drum for almost a year now ... and this week he brought his message to Congress' doorstep, hosting about 500 lawmakers and government officials at an event for Power to the Patients ... a healthcare advocacy group.

Fat Joe says only 27 cents of every $1 Americans are charged at hospitals goes back to doctors, nurses, staff and the actual procedures and treatments ... with the rest of the money lining the pockets of the hospitals and insurance companies.

He says folks who are already struggling to afford treatments are being told the prices are going up ... but Fat Joe says that's really just a move by hospitals and insurance companies to increase profits.

Fat Joe's calling on Congress to change the system so people aren't being unfairly charged with hidden costs and fees when they go to the hospital.

Hunter Biden has pled not guilty to all charges in the DOJ's case accusing the President's son of tax evasion.

As we reported, President Joe Biden's son was indicted last month on 9 charges, including failure to pay taxes, evasion of assessment, filing false or fraudulent tax returns ... and more.

Hunter made his first appearance in the case Thursday ... appearing before Judge Mark C. Scarsi, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, at the federal courthouse in downtown L.A.

He faces up to 17 years behind bars if convicted.

Special counsel David Weiss brought the case after an investigation involving Hunter's business dealings overseas.

Prosecutors claim Hunter spent millions on an extravagant lifestyle instead of paying his taxes.

As we reported, Hunter was indicted on separate gun charges back in Sept ... originally getting a plea deal for both the federal tax case and the gun situation.

Jelly Roll says he was part of the drug problem in America -- but is hoping to be a part of the solution now ... taking a powerful stance against fentanyl in front of Congress.

The country singer/rapper was on Capitol Hill Thursday -- where he gave testimony about his own experience in this department ... going over his history as a drug dealer, and detailing how he came out the other side.

Jelly says his troubled past actually makes him the perfect person to throw his support behind the anti-fentanyl legislation that was being discussed here ... listing heartbreaking examples of how his life's been personally affected by the spiraling problem.

JR explains that he's attended more funerals for his loved ones than he cares to share ... fearing one day, he'll have to tell his teen daughter her drug addict mom has become a national statistic -- which sits at 190 people dying from an overdose daily.

JR -- who had 40 prison stints before the age of 22 -- says he thought selling drugs was a victimless crime ... and never thought America's drug epidemic would spiral from crack cocaine to opioids/OxyContin, and now fentanyl. Now, he's acknowledging how deadly fentanyl is ... and vowing to do everything he can to eradicate it, hence his words today.

Jelly Roll dice que él era parte del problema de las drogas en Estados Unidos, pero ahora espera ser parte de la solución, pues está tomando una postura poderosa contra el fentanilo frente al Congreso.

El cantante de country y rapero estuvo en el Capitolio el jueves, donde dio testimonio de su propia experiencia en esta materia. El cantante repasó su historia como traficante de drogas y detalló cómo logró salir adelante.

Jelly dice que su problemático pasado lo convierte en la persona perfecta para apoyar la legislación anti-fentanilo que se está discutiendo y enumeró desgarradores ejemplos de cómo su vida ha sido personalmente afectada por el problema.

JR explica que ha asistido a más funerales de sus seres queridos de los que quisiera compartir y teme que un día tendrá que decirle a su hija adolescente que su madre drogadicta se ha convertido en una estadística nacional. Se estima que 190 personas mueren diariamente a causa de una sobredosis.

JR, que tuvo 40 estancias en la cárcel antes de cumplir 22 años, dice que pensó que la venta de drogas era un crimen sin víctimas y que nunca imaginó que la epidemia de las drogas en Estados Unidos escalaría de la cocaína y el crack a los opioides, el OxyContin y el fentanilo. Ahora está reconociendo lo mortal que es el fentanilo y promete hacer todo lo posible para erradicarlo, de ahí sus palabras de hoy.

More mysterious video of what appears to be super tall human-like beings walking among us ... and this time, folks are claiming there are 10-foot tall "aliens" down in Brazil.

Ya gotta see these videos from Ilha do Mel, an island off the coast of Brazil ... where locals claim they saw at least two tall and mysterious figures standing on a hilltop. It's hard to gauge how far away these clips were shot from -- but whatever's out there sure looks big.

The so-called "aliens" here in the videos seem to be surveying the land below from up on the hill ... moving around, gesturing and seemingly walking through the landscape.

It's pretty crazy ... the woman who took the video says it's pretty much impossible for humans to reach the part of the hill where the "creatures" are ... and she says the beings are way bigger than people. At one point, you start to see them on the move -- walking around!

The sighting comes only days after an incident in Miami ... where conspiracy theorists claim video shows a tall "gray creature" walking through an outdoor mall in the middle of a massive police response.

As we first told you, cops in Miami said that video doesn't show a creature but rather a human shadow ... and the cops were responding to a huge fight.

The Brazilian government is going a different route to brush this incident off ... posting on social media, "Surreaaaaaaal what happened on Ilha do Mel!!! Verão Maior Paraná is another story and even 'strange beings' came to check it out. 😱 And you, will you be left out? 🤔"

In other words, they're trying to play this off as a hoax ... or not what people think it is.

Eye of the beholder, we suppose -- we'll say this though ... these sightings are becoming more frequent. And at some point, someone might get something on camera that's impossible to deny as much ado about nothing. Until then, here are more breadcrumbs for the unknown.

Más videos misteriosos de lo que parecen ser humanos súper altos caminando entre nosotros, y esta vez, la gente dice que son "extraterrestres" de 10 pies de altura en Brasil.

Tienen que ver estos videos de Ilha do Mel, una isla frente a la costa de Brasil, donde los lugareños afirman que vieron al menos dos figuras altas y misteriosas de pie en la cima de una colina. Es difícil determinar la distancia desde la que se grabaron estos videos, pero lo que sea que hay ahí parece muy grande.

Los llamados "alienígenas" en los videos parecen estar estudiando la tierra desde lo alto de la colina, moviéndose, gesticulando y aparentemente caminando por el paisaje.

Es una locura... la mujer que grabó el video dice que es prácticamente imposible para los humanos llegar al lugar de la colina donde están las "criaturas" y que los seres son mucho más grandes que las personas. En un momento dado, se los ve moviéndose y, ¡caminando!

El avistamiento se produce solo unos días después de un incidente en Miami. De acuerdo a los teóricos de la conspiración, un video muestra una alta "criatura gris" caminando por un centro comercial al aire libre en medio de un gran despliegue policial.

Como les contamos por primera vez, los policías en Miami dijeron que el video no mostraba a ninguna criatura, sino más bien a una sombra humana. Los policías habían llegado al lugar para contener una gran pelea.

El gobierno brasileño va en una dirección diferente para ahuyentar este incidente. En sus redes sociales publicaron: "Surreaaaaaaal lo que pasó en Ilha do Mel!!!! Verão Maior Paraná es otra historia y hasta 'seres extraños' vinieron a comprobarlo. 😱

En otras palabras, están tratando de hacer pasar esto como un engaño o que no es lo que la gente cree que es.

A los ojos del espectador, suponemos que estos avistamientos son cada vez más frecuentes. Y en algún momento, alguien podría conseguir algo en cámara que será imposible negar. Hasta entonces, aquí hay más videos sugerentes de lo desconocido.

Aaron Rodgers está de vuelta en el programa de Pat McAfee, solo 24 horas después de que Pat anunciara que el 4x MVP de la NFL había terminado su participación por la temporada, ¡pues el jugador de los Jets hizo una aparición inesperada en las ondas de ESPN!

Pero los chicos se ciñeron a los deportes. Solo discutieron las salidas de Bill Belichick y Nick Saban de los New England y Alabama. No se habló nada de Jeffrey Epstein, Jimmy Kimmel, Anthony Fauci, COVID-19, o cualquier otro tema candente.

La visita, de unos 5 minutos probablemente, ni siquiera sería noticia si no fuera por el anuncio que McAfee hizo en el programa de ayer, donde dijo: "Los martes de Aaron Rodgers, la temporada 4, se acabó".

Pat continuó explicando que estaba aliviado de que Aaron no volviera más al programa, al menos, durante unos meses.

"Habrá un montón de gente que estará feliz con esto, yo incluido, para ser honestos con ustedes. La forma en que terminó, se puso muy ruidoso. Estoy contento de que no vaya a estar en mis menciones en el futuro, lo cual es una gran noticia".

El anuncio fue recibido con enfado por algunos aficionados, quienes percibieron que McAfee le estaba dando la espalda a Rodgers. La aparición del jueves parece poner fin a cualquier especulación de que Aaron y Pat tengan alguna disputa.

De hecho, Pat abordó algunas de las reacciones (dijo que estaba siendo "absolutamente aplastado") y aparentemente aclaró que Rodgers no iba a unirse los martes porque su temporada de fútbol había terminado y quería disfrutar de su tiempo libre.

Cuando Aaron se desconectó, Pat comentó su vínculo con Rodgers antes de seguir con su programa.

Aaron Rodgers is back on the Pat McAfee show ... just about 24 hours after Pat announced the 4x NFL MVP was done for the season, the Jets signal caller made an unannounced appearance on the ESPN airwaves!

But, the guys stuck to sports ... only discussing Bill Belichick and Nick Saban's departures in New England and Alabama. There was no talk of Jeffrey Epstein, Jimmy Kimmel, Anthony Fauci, COVID-19, or any other hot-button issues.

The 5-ish minute visit would likely not even be newsworthy if not for the announcement that McAfee made on yesterday's show, saying, "Aaron Rodgers' Tuesday, season 4, is done."

Pat went on to explain that he was relieved Aaron wouldn't be back on the show ... for a few months, at least.

“There will be a lot of people who are happy with that, myself included, to be honest with you. The way it ended, it got real loud. I am happy that he’s not going to be in my mentions going forward, which is great news.”

The announcement was met with anger by some fans who perceived McAfee as turning his back on Rodgers. Thursday's appearance would seem to put any speculation to bed that Aaron and Pat have any beef.

In fact, Pat addressed some of the reaction (he said he was getting "absolutely crushed"), seemingly clarifying that Rodgers wasn't going to join on Tuesdays because his football season's over, and he wants to enjoy his time off.

When Aaron logged off, Pat commented on his bond with AR before moving on with his show.

FKA Twigs recently did a Calvin Klein campaign where she showed a little skin -- which was apparently too risque for the United Kingdom ... but she's calling it BS, and outright unfair.

Here's the deal ... the singer is one of the newest faces for the famed fashion line, and one of the shots that was released as part of her campaign has actually gotten censored in the UK -- all thanks to a government agency known as the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

According to them, this specific ad featuring FKA violates one of its provisions in that it could "present her as a stereotypical sexual object" ... this because the pic places "viewers' focus on the model's body rather than on the clothing being advertised." They go on to say that this image is likely to cause serious offense ... so they're completely yanking it in public.

The photo in question shows Twigs butt naked -- but covered up with a denim shirt of some kind, which is draped over her ... and some side-boob showing, as well as some butt/thigh.

It's not the raciest shot in the world, and yet ... it seems to have been too much for the Brits. FKA came out and slammed the decision, saying she sees herself as a strong woman of color in this photo -- while going on to suggest there are double standards at play here.

She might have a point ... there's another recent Calvin Klein ad with Kendall Jenner -- where she too is somewhat topless -- that's been running in the UK without issue.

Of course, there's also the Jeremy Allen White campaign that dropped last week -- and we're sure that's getting a ton of play across the pond. Unclear if FKA thinks this enforcement on her pertains to race, sex or both ... but in any case, she feels she's getting a raw deal.

She writes, "i am proud of my physicality and hold the art i create with my vessel to the standards of women like josephine baker, eartha kitt and grace jones who broke down barriers of what it looks like to be empowered and harness a unique embodied sensuality."

FKA Twigs hizo una campaña para Calvin Klein recientemente donde mostró un poco de piel, lo que al parecer fue demasiado para el Reino Unido, aunque ella está diciendo que todo es una estupidez y algo abiertamente injusto.

Esta es la cuestión, la cantante es uno de los nuevos rostros de la famosa marca de moda, y una de las fotos que se publicó como parte de su campaña ha sido censurada en el Reino Unido por una agencia gubernamental conocida como Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

Según ellos, este anuncio específico de FKA viola una de sus disposiciones, pues podría "presentarla como un objeto sexual estereotipado" al poner "el foco de los espectadores en el cuerpo de la modelo en lugar de la ropa que se anuncia."

Continúan diciendo que es probable que esta imagen cause una ofensa grave, por lo que han decidido retirarla completamente del público.

La foto en cuestión muestra el culo desnudo de Twigs, pero cubierto con una camisa de mezclilla de algún tipo sobre ella y un poco de su pecho, así como algunas nalgas y muslos.

No es la foto más sexual del mundo y, sin embargo, parece ser demasiado para los británicos. FKA salió a criticar la decisión, diciendo que se ve a sí misma como una mujer de color fuerte en esa foto. Además, sugirió que hay un doble estándar.

Ella podría tener un punto. Otros anuncios recientes de Calvin Klein con Kendall Jenner algo en topless, han estado funcionando en el Reino Unido sin problemas.

Por supuesto, también está la campaña de Jeremy Allen White que se lanzó la semana pasada, y estamos seguros de que está recibiendo un montón de atención al otro lado del charco. No está claro si FKA piensa que esta decisión sobre ella se refiere a la raza, el sexo o ambos, pero en cualquier caso, siente que está recibiendo un trato injusto.

Ella escribió: "Estoy orgullosa de mi físico y sostengo el arte que creo con mi recipiente (...) como Josephine Baker, Eartha Kitt y Grace Jones, quienes rompieron las barreras de lo que parece estar empoderado y encarnaron una sensualidad única".

Fat Joe, Wyclef Jean and Jelly Roll used their combined musical talents to spread more awareness for their Power to the Patients healthcare advocacy ... by bringing the message right to Congress' doorstep.

The artists performed last night at Hamilton Live in D.C. for about 500 Congressional and government officials, and TMZ Hip Hop got video from inside the show.

The trio's message was clear -- they're all calling for President Joe Biden to act immediately!!!

Wyclef corralled members of Congress onto the stage and passed them the mic while having them chant to Biden, "Power to the Patients" much to the amusement of Joe in the back ... pretty funny stuff.

Jelly Roll is coming off his Best New Artist win at the CMTs, but flexed his hip hop roots performing Eminem's "Lose Yourself" ... a motto he's applied to his career given his recent success.

Sources at the event tell us Joe, Clef and Jelly all met backstage and shared their fondness for each other's careers -- we hear Joe in particular is a huge fan of JR's "Need A Favor" hit from last year.

Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley came out swinging during Wednesday's fifth 2024 Republican Primary Debate with each trading barbs as the two emerged as Donald Trump's biggest challengers in the upcoming Iowa Caucus.

With just 3 days to go before the polls open in Iowa, DeSantis duked it out with Haley onstage at Drake University in Des Moines, while the former President stayed on the sidelines as he did for the other four debates.

DeSantis got things rolling as he stood at a lectern next to Haley, slamming her and Trump in response to questions by CNN moderators Dana Bash and Jake Tapper.

The Florida governor said, “Donald Trump’s running to pursue his issues. Nikki Haley’s running to pursue her donors’ issues. I’m running to pursue your issues and your family’s issues.”

DeSantis then isolated his attack to Haley, saying, “We don’t need another mealy-mouthed politician who just tells you what she thinks you want to hear.”

The ex-South Carolina governor landed some jabs of her own, calling DeSantis a liar at one point and needling him for losing his donors to her.

“He’s only mad about the donors because the donors used to be with him, but they’re no longer with him,” Haley said, adding, “His campaign is exploding.”

The insults didn't stop there. DeSantis mocked Haley for having a "problem with ballistic podiatry, shooting herself in the foot every other day."

Haley, as you know, stumbled over her Civil War comments, failing to name slavery as the trigger for the conflict and was roasted by the media as she had to clarify what she meant.

When they weren't at each other's throats, the two candidates discussed a range of issues, such as abortion, immigration, foreign affairs and the January 6th Capitol riots.

Chris Christie has officially bowed out of the race for President ... but just before he did, he was caught talking trash about Nikki Haley.

The former New Jersey Governor was picked up on a hot mic Wednesday ahead of announcing he's pulling out of the presidential race ... talking to someone about who can potentially hold their own in the primaries.

You can hear him say, "She's gonna get smoked" and "She's not up to this," referring to Haley.

This was Christie's 2nd attempt at the White House. BTW -- he went up against Donald Trump in 2016, but pulled out after his approval rating was simply anemic.

This time around, he went up against Trump, Haley, Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy -- and things got heated between the candidates on the debate floor.

Vivek fat-shamed CC in December, shutting him down on the topic of foreign policy by saying, "Just walk yourself off that stage, enjoy a nice meal, and get the hell out of this race."

While Trump was absent from all debates, Christie let him have it nonetheless -- calling him Donald Duck, citing how often the former President was "ducking" the debates.

Chris Christie se ha retirado oficialmente de la carrera presidencial, pero justo antes de hacerlo, fue sorprendido hablando mal de Nikki Haley.

El ex gobernador de Nueva Jersey fue captado con el micrófono abierto el miércoles antes de anunciar que se retiraba de la carrera presidencia, hablando con alguien sobre quién podría potencialmente mantenerse en las primarias.

Lo puedes oír decir: "Ella va a ser derrotada a lo grande (get smoked)" y "no está a la altura de esto", refiriéndose a Haley.

Este fue el segundo intento de Christie de llegar la Casa Blanca. Por cierto, se enfrentó a Donald Trump en 2016, pero se retiró después de que su índice de aprobación fuera simplemente anémico.

Esta vez, se enfrentó a Trump, Haley, Ron DeSantis y Vivek Ramaswamy y las cosas se calentaron entre los candidatos en el debate.

Vivek avergonzó a Chris Christie en diciembre sobre su peso, criticándolo en el tema de política exterior diciendo: "Solo camina fuera del escenario, disfruta de una buena comida y abandona esta carrera (get the hell out)"

Aunque Trump se ausentó de todos los debates, Christie lo criticó de todos modos, llamándolo Donald Duck (Pato Donald) y citando la frecuencia con la que el ex Presidente "esquivaba" los debates.