Politics

Bill Maher says Kanye West's antisemitism and appeal to young people is a dangerous mix ... which is why Kanye's appearance on Bill's podcast won't ever see the light of day.

We talked to Bill for a new "TMZ Investigates" airing Monday at 9 PM ET/8 Central on FOX -- examining how Kanye's legacy as one of the most influential hip hop artists of all time is impacted by his public outbursts and hateful remarks -- and Bill says Kanye's views are way too problematic for him.

Bill tells us the biggest problem with Kanye is how he uses his massive platform to spread antisemitic propaganda ... as BM puts it, Ye's spreading the fertilizer for antisemitism to grow.

While Bill tried to have a meaningful dialogue with Kanye, bringing him in for a two-hour conversation on the "Club Random With Bill Maher" podcast, Bill says he ultimately decided against airing the episode because he didn't want to amplify Kanye's nasty rhetoric.

Bill sums up his experience with Kanye this way ... Ye's a "charming antisemite."

El Presidente Biden almorzó con su esposa y su hijo en un lugar muy frecuentado por los famosos de Los Ángeles y provocó una pesadilla de tráfico para algunos conductores.

Etuvo en The Ivy en Beverly Hills el sábado por la tarde junto al Dr. Jill, y también se reunió con su hijo Hunter.

A propósito, el Ivy es un restaurante muy popular en la Ciudad de los Ángeles y está en una ubicación muy céntrica, lo que significa que el Servicio Secreto tuvo que cerrar las calles.

Échale un vistazo a algunas de las imágenes obtenidas por TMZ... hay policías alineados en todo Robertson Boulevard. Utilizan la cinta amarilla de precaución y nadie está conduciendo por la calle ya que la seguridad de Biden no los deja.

Fue una escena dulce en el interior del restaurante ... TMZ ha obtenido un video de Hunter dando a su madrastra Jill un gran apretón justo después de que ella entró, mientras que los agentes mantuvieron un ojo vigilante por el peligro potencial. Papa Joe también recibió un gran abrazo de Hunter.

Curiosamente, sin embargo ... Los agentes del Servicio Secreto estaban bien con otros comensales terminando sus comidas en el restaurante - algunas personas incluso publicaron fotos de la primera familia desde el interior del local. Nos dicen que The Henry al otro lado de la calle todavía estaba lleno de clientes ... donde muchos clientes curiosos miraron a echar un vistazo a Biden.

No está claro cuánto tiempo los Biden comieron en el restaurante, pero tenemos una foto de Joe en dirección a su carro antes de alejarse en su limusina, y parece feliz después de una comida.

Biden está en una visita rápida en Los Ángeles, presumiblemente para ponerle un poco más de dinero a su campaña para las próximas elecciones, la cual mucha gente espera que sea una lucha mano a mano contra el ex presidente Donald Trump.

El índice de aprobación de Biden está un poco bajo por el momento, mientras que Trump está triunfando entre los republicanos, ahora solo Nikki Haley está en su camino hacia la nominación presidencial del partido.

President Biden hit up an L.A. hot spot beloved by celebs for lunch with his wife and son ... and, it created a traffic nightmare for some drivers.

POTUS stopped at The Ivy in Beverly Hills for some grub on Saturday afternoon along with Dr. Jill, and the First Couple met with son Hunter as well.

BTW ... The Ivy's an uber-popular restaurant in The City of Angels -- and it's in a pretty central location which meant Secret Service had to shut the streets down.

Check out some of the images TMZ obtained ... cops are lined up all over Robertson Boulevard, yellow caution tape is set up -- no one's driving down this street if JB's security ain't letting them.

It was a sweet scene inside the restaurant ... TMZ has obtained video of Hunter giving his stepmom Jill a big squeeze right after she walked in while agents kept a watchful eye for potential danger. Papa Joe also got a big hug from Hunter.

Interestingly enough though ... Secret Service agents were fine with other diners finishing up their meals in the restaurant -- some people even posted pics of the first family from inside the locale.

We’re told The Henry across the street was still packed with patrons ... where many curious customers watched on to get a glimpse of Biden.

Unclear how long the Bidens ate at the restaurant ... but we also got a shot of Joe heading to his car before driving away in his stretch limo -- looking happy after a full meal.

Biden's on a quick visit to Los Angeles ... presumably to put some more money in his war chest for the upcoming election -- which many people expect to be a knockdown, drag-out fight with ex-Prez Donald Trump.

Biden's approval rating's kinda in the gutter right now ... while DT's blowing through the Republican field -- now only consisting of Nikki Haley -- on his way toward the party's presidential nomination.

Dr. Phil McGraw's known for helping families iron out their issues, and now he's taking on his biggest challenge yet ... trying to fix U.S. immigration.

The television therapy star visited the Southern border in Texas on Friday to film upcoming episodes of "Dr. Phil Primetime" -- a new primetime show he announced a few months ago which will reportedly follow a similar format as his OG "Dr. Phil."

DPM walked the fence down in Eagle Pass, TX and filmed several interviews with border agents while also stopping to take some pics with border patrol officers ... all while railing against the current administration's immigration policy.

McGraw's specifically calling out Vice President Kamala Harris ... pointing out she's America's immigration czar -- but claiming she's only actually visited the border with Mexico one time since she ascended to the VP job.

What's interesting here ... Dr. Phil isn't taking the "all or nothing" stance many conservative politicians and commentators have staked their reputations on ... instead, he said he's actually in favor of immigration and knows immigrants drive the U.S. economy forward.

But, McGraw explained, that doesn't mean there isn't a problem at the border ... saying we need to "teach people how to treat us" instead of showing undocumented migrants that "they do not need to follow the rules at our border" -- adding it's a slippery slope from ignoring immigration laws to migrants breaking laws once they're in the country.

As for those people against "America First" policies ... McGraw said they need to remember putting themselves -- or in this case, your country -- first isn't the same as being selfish.

FWIW ... the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol reported a nearly 40% increase in border encounters from fiscal year 2021 to fiscal year 2023 -- and that appears to be growing in subsequent months with encounters over the last 3 months of 2023 topping date from the same months in previous years.

Don Lemon says Taylor Swift could put Donald Trump through a very cruel summer ... 'cause, if she wants to, he thinks she could swing the election in President Biden's favor.

We caught up with the former CNN anchor Friday at LAX where he warned MAGA supporters to keep an eye on just how involved the singer-songwriter opts to be during this presidential campaign.

Lemon says TS wields a ton of power and influence, and while she's not exactly his generation ... he gives her all the props for fighting for her catalog and becoming a self-made billionaire.

As we reported ... members of Trump's inner circle are reportedly ready to go to "holy war" with Taylor if she decides to endorse President Biden -- as she did in 2020 -- but Don thinks it will take more than one-liners to combat her impact on the election.

Translation: underestimating her could sink DT's White House dreams.

This all falls in line with what FOX11 political reporter/anchor Elex Michaelson said on "TMZ Live" earlier this week ... warning Trump's going toe-to-toe with Swift, and Swifties, is a risky strategy.

Although, he does see a scenario where Swift ends up helping both candidates -- basically, Trump could use a Taylor endorsement for Biden to blast Hollywood elitism, and mobilize his supporters to get out and vote.

There has been a vocal minority hating on T-Swift ... even celebs like Plies, who are getting tired of seeing her all over their TVs when they're watching a football game -- so it's not far-fetched to imagine that hate motivating Trump backers.

Joe Biden's supposedly has a choice pet name for his likely 2024 opponent ... one you can't really use in polite society -- which he almost said in a speech recently!

A report from Politico released Thursday reveals the current Prez is seemingly disgusted with Donald Trump ... calling him a "sick f***" when talking to close friends and White House aides.

And, it appears he likes to double down on it too ... commenting "What a f***ing a**hole the guy is" on at least one occasion according to the premier political magazine.

While this may seem hard to confirm ... video evidence from a Pennsylvania speech early last month shows "Dark Brandon" seemingly ready to fire off his new catchphrase while railing against the former POTUS for his remarks.

JB said, "At his rally, he jokes about an intruder whipped up by the big Trump lie, taking a hammer to Paul Pelosi's skull and echoing the very same words used on January 6 -- "Where's Nancy?" -- and he thinks that's funny. He laughed about it. What a sick--."

POTUS never finished that statement ... instead the audience laughed and Biden added he thought DT was "despicable" -- pretty clear he wanted to use a more graphic term though.

If you're wondering if the Trump campaign's concerned about Biden's words at all ... it's pretty obvious they're not. Chris LaCivita, a top campaign adviser, told Politico it's abhorrent he'd use such words to describe his predecessor -- though it's "no surprise he disrespects the 45th president the same way he disrespects the American people with his failed policies."

Bottom line ... these fellas don't like each other, and they're not afraid to show it.

Joe also reportedly gets triggered by Don's statements all the time ... with Politico saying he'd expressed distaste for Trump after comments he made about Charlottesville, Vladimir Putin and veterans.

President Biden's seemingly trying to win over a key voting block in Michigan ... and a war going on a world away is playing a huge role, including some new policies he's enforcing.

POTUS is making a few stops in Michigan this week -- an important swing state in the 2024 presidential election -- and it looks like he's trying to win over Arab American and Muslim voters who are outraged over the war between Israel and Palestine.

Coincidentally or not, Biden's Michigan trip comes the same time he signed an executive order allowing the United States to sanction Israeli settlers, and potentially Israeli government officials, who are involved in violent attacks against Palestinians in Gaza.

Biden's been under fire in Michigan for his support for Israel ... and there's a huge Arab American population in the state, and they're threatening to pull the support at the ballot box.

There were even protests outside Biden's campaign stops in Michigan ... but it doesn't look like anything was disrupted, although the scenes were tense.

On its face, it looks like Biden might've timed the signing of this EO so he had something tangible to show voters in Michigan who support Palestine ... so he doesn't lose their vote to a third party, or worse, Donald Trump. That's how some are interpreting it, anyway.

At the same time, Biden's said to be running thin on patience with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ... so it seems the winds may be changing when it comes to Gaza.

Biden really needs Michigan to stave off Trump ... and it looks like the political posturing is in full swing as we march toward November.

Andrea Bocelli's uniting President Joe Biden and GOP Speaker of the House Mike Johnson through song ... opening their emotional floodgates during a Capitol Hill performance.

The opera star's one-of-a-kind voice is powerful enough to send chills down anyone's spine ... but for Joe and Mike, his rendition of "Amazing Grace" Thursday morning was truly a spiritual awakening ... bridging the gap between them and moving them both to tears.

Joe even reached for a tissue to dry his eyes as Andrea belted it out, and Rep. Johnson welled up with emotion next to him. For just a moment, both men's political differences seemed to be on the back burner.

JB was particularly thrilled to have started his day on a high note ... leaping to his feet at the end for a thunderous round of applause.

There's clearly nothing better than a musical breather to recharge the political batteries before Joe's campaign trail hits full volume for the 2024 elections.

Prince Harry & Meghan Markle are standing behind parents advocating against social media companies ... and they're using a viral Mark Zuckerberg moment to underscore their point.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex shared a statement on the social media Senate hearings from Wednesday to the Archewell Foundation's website -- showing support for the victims and detailing some of their own experiences speaking to families who've gone through this.

In the statement, PH and MM applauded parents standing up against huge social media companies, and added, "The best parenting in the world cannot keep children safe from these platforms" ... all in all, a fairly fluffy, boilerplate statement from the royal couple.

The big news here ... they picked a shot of Zuck from the hearing yesterday as the huge image above their statement -- a pic that captured MZ's surprise apology to parents and victims of child sex exploitation via social media.

As we reported ... Mark was getting grilled during the committee hearing with Senator Josh Hawley peppering him with questions until Zuck was basically forced to turn around and apologize to the crowd at large.

The crowd held up numerous photographs of victims as Mark apologized and made mention of measures he said Meta's taking to stop any other children from becoming victims.

Well, it seems the Sussexes are clearly on the side of the victims and advocates ... unsurprising given their charitable works to combat sex trafficking and child slavery. Plus, they're parents themselves -- and they have a ton of experience dealing with agitators online to boot.

Andrea Bocelli está uniendo al presidente Joe Biden y al presidente republicano de la Cámara Mike Johnson a través de una canción, emocionándolos durante una actuación en el Capitolio.

La voz única de la estrella de la ópera es lo suficientemente potente como para producirle escalofríos por la espina dorsal de cualquiera. Su interpretación de "Amazing Grace" el jueves por la mañana fue realmente un despertar espiritual que llevó a ambos políticos a las lágrimas.

Joe incluso cogió un pañuelo de papel para secarse los ojos mientras Andrea cantaba y Johnson se emocionaba a su lado. Por un momento, las diferencias políticas de ambos hombres parecieron quedar en segundo plano.

Biden estaba particularmente emocionado de haber comenzado su día con una nota alta, saltando a sus pies al final de una atronadora ronda de aplausos.

Está claro que no hay nada mejor que un respiro musical para recargar las pilas políticas antes de que la campaña de Joe se ponga a todo volumen para las elecciones de 2024.

El príncipe Harry y Meghan Markle están apoyando a los padres que están hablando en contra de las empresas detrás de las redes sociales, y están usando una imagen viral de Mark Zuckerberg para subrayar su punto.

El duque y la duquesa de Sussex compartieron en el sitio web de la Fundación Archewell una declaración sobre las audiencias en el Senado relacionadas con las redes sociales que se hicieron el miércoles, en donde mostraron su apoyo a las víctimas y detallaron algunas de sus propias experiencias hablando con familias que han pasado por esto.

En la declaración, Harry y Meghan aplaudieron a los padres que están en contra de las grandes empresas de redes sociales, y agregaron: "La mejor crianza del mundo no puede mantener a los niños a salvo de estas plataformas", en definitiva, una declaración bastante estándar y suave de la pareja real.

La gran noticia aquí es que eligieron una foto de Zuck en la audiencia de ayer como la imagen destacada de su declaración, una foto que captura la sorpresiva disculpa de Mark a los padres y víctimas de la explotación sexual infantil a través de las redes sociales.

Como informamos, Mark estaba siendo acribillado durante la audiencia del comité con el senador Josh Hawley, bombardeado de preguntas, hasta que Zuck se vio obligado a darse la media vuelta y pedir disculpas frente a la multitud en general.

La audiencia presente estaba sosteniendo diferentes fotografías de las víctimas mientras Mark pedía disculpas y mencionaba las medidas que está tomando Meta para evitar que otros niños se conviertan en víctimas.

Bueno, parece que los Sussex están claramente del lado de las víctimas y defensores, nada sorprendente teniendo en cuenta las obras de caridad que apoyan para combatir el tráfico sexual y la esclavitud infantil. Además, ellos mismos son padres y tienen un montón de experiencia en el trato con los haters en línea.

Taylor Swift has no chance of swaying the 2024 election -- this according to Congressman Tim Burchett ... though, a prominent dueling Representative says otherwise.

Rep. Burchett chopped it up with a photog in D.C. Wednesday -- where he said he doesn't care for a TS endorsement ... cause she lost him when she left country music, and he hasn't cared for her since. So, Swift's seal of approval means absolutely nada to him.

Tim's TS loathing doesn't end there ... he says her NFL influence may be significant with more people than ever tuning into the sport ... but he personally hasn't watched a game in years despite being the captain of his high school football team back in '87 ... so, in his mind, her influence can't be that big of a deal.

Basically, he tells the cameraman she's all talk cause she previously came out to speak against Tennessee's Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn ... and it didn't move the needle.

Tim adds that a celeb endorsement doesn't mean much in general ... all it does is just become a scenario where both teams think they've won by bringing in top dogs as backup.

So, that recent poll that showed 18% of voters were "more likely" to vote for a candidate endorsed by Tay? Tim's essentially pouring cold water on it ... saying it's total BS.

While Tim's adamant about his stance, former Tennessee Rep. Jim Cooper, who Taylor endorsed for House of Representatives in 2018, tells TMZ he's got it all wrong -- cause TS' endorsement is the best endorsement you can have -- period.

He says anyone who cares about Taylor having a voice in politics is jealous they didn't get her endorsement ... cause, at the end of the day, she's got a massive 29 million followers on her socials and can easily influence swing states that are really close in numbers.

Also, her fans are well and truly devoted ... meaning they're game for anything, he says.

Jim's a massive Taylor fan ... and says she's handled all politics-related matters with complete brilliance and wholesomeness, which is refreshing. He also can't resist touching on her Travis Kelce romance -- saying it plays out like a Hollywood movie.

Back to Tim though ... he goes on to talk about the current political climate ... expressing hopes more young voters will come out and vote because historically, they don't.

Donald Trump should be cautious about poking the bear when it comes to attacking Taylor Swift ... so says a well-seasoned political talk show host and media personality.

FOX11 anchor and politico Elex Michaelson joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and we asked him about the ramifications of Trump's inner circle vowing to wage a "holy war" on Taylor and any Democrats she may endorse ... which they're reportedly ready to do.

Given Taylor's massive popularity right now -- coupled with the fact that she's dating a star player on an NFL team, who's about to play in the freaking Super Bowl -- Elex says DT and co. should be careful with how his campaign approaches Swift ... especially if it's to attack.

Elex says he worries Trump may wake up a sleeping giant here, and stir up Swifties en masse to hit the ballot box and vote for his opponent, Joe Biden, who is courting TS' endorsement. That might be a preemptively self-own, especially since she hasn't joined the Biden train yet.

Those same voters are also pretty young, for the most part, and that could hurt Trump too ... Elex explains. Considering Taylor has such influence over the youths in this country -- antagonizing her too early may well backfire if Trump goes in hard right now.

Another layer to this is Trump's potential loss being Biden's gain ... Elex points out Biden's struggled with some key demographics, and TS could help reel those voters back in ... at Trump's expense.

Of course, Elex says folks shouldn't be quick to dismiss Trump or write him off ... saying DT usually has a handle on how best to drum up his base. Fact is, he's run successful campaigns before and gotten tons of votes.

Donald Trump debería ser cauteloso a la hora de atacar a Taylor Swift, así lo dice un presentador político y personalidad de los medios de comunicación.

El presentador de FOX11 y político Elex Michaelson se unió a nosotros en "TMZ Live" el miércoles y le preguntamos acerca de las ramificaciones del círculo íntimo de Trump prometiendo librar una "guerra santa" contra Taylor y cualquier demócrata que pueda apoyar ... que al parecer están dispuestos a llevarle la contra, dice Elex Michaelson

Dada la popularidad masiva de Taylor en este momento, junto con el hecho de que ella está saliendo con un jugador estrella en un equipo de la NFL que está a punto de jugar en el maldito Super Bowl, Elex dice que Trump y compañía deben tener cuidado con la forma en que su campaña se acerca a Swift ... sobre todo si es para atacar.

Elex dice que le preocupa que Trump pueda despertar a un gigante dormido y agitar a los Swifties en masa para que acudan a las urnas y voten a su oponente, Joe Biden, que está cortejando el respaldo de Taylor. Eso podría ser un autoapoyo preventivo, sobre todo porque ella aún no se ha subido al tren de Biden.

Estamos hablando de votantes en su mayoría jóvenes, y eso también podría perjudicar a Trump, explica Elex. Teniendo en cuenta que Taylor tiene tanta influencia sobre los jóvenes de este país, enemistarse con ella demasiado pronto puede resultar contraproducente si Trump entra con fuerza ahora mismo.

Otra capa de esto es la pérdida potencial de Trump ante Biden. Elex señala que Biden ha tenido problemas con algunos grupos demográficos clave, y Taylor podría ayudar a recuperar a esos votantes a expensas de Trump.

Por supuesto, Elex dice que la gente no debe apresurarse en descartar a Trump, diciendo que Donald por lo general tiene un as bajo la manga. El hecho es que ha corrido campañas exitosas antes y consiguió un montón de votos.

Mark Zuckerberg está sintiendo la presión en una audiencia del Senado sobre la crisis de la explotación sexual infantil en Internet, levantándose de su asiento para pedirle disculpas a las familias de las víctimas.

El CEO de Meta estaba en medio de su testimonio el miércoles cuando comenzó a ser interrogado por el senador Josh Hawley, que bombardeó Zuck con preguntas muy certeras.

Zuckerberg apenas puede articular una palabra cuando Hawley le pregunta sobre la respuesta de Meta -o la supuesta falta de ella- a la explotación sexual de menores en Internet... y se ve obligado a dar media vuelta y disculparse.

Levantándose de su silla, Zuck hace un giro de 180 grados y se enfrenta a la audiencia, la cual está llena de padres que sostienen fotos de sus hijos que fueron víctimas de los depredadores que utilizan las redes sociales.

Zuckerberg indica que es la primera vez que se disculpa por este tipo de problemas que ocurren en Facebook e Instagram y dice que Meta está tomando medidas para proteger a los niños.

Otros ejecutivos de medios sociales están testificando también, incluyendo a Evan Spiegel de Snapchat, Shou Zi Chew de TikTok, Linda Yaccarino de X y Jason Citron de Discord, pero los momentos más interesantes han sido reservados para Zuck.

Mark Zuckerberg is being roasted at a Senate hearing on the online child sexual exploitation crisis ... getting up from his hot seat to apologize to victims' families.

The Meta CEO was in the middle of his testimony Wednesday on Capital Hill when he started getting grilled by Sen. Josh Hawley, who bombarded Zuck with questions.

Zuckerberg can barely get a word in as Hawley badgers him on Meta's response, or alleged lack thereof, to kids being sexually exploited online ... and he's pretty much forced to turn around and apologize.

Standing up from his chair, Zuck does a 180 and faces the audience ... which is filled with parents holding up photos of their kids who fell victim to predators using social media.

Zuckerberg indicates it's the first time he's apologized for these sorts of issues happening on Facebook and Instagram ... and he says Meta is taking steps to protect kids.

Other social media executives are testifying too ... including Snapchat's Evan Spiegel, TikTok's Shou Zi Chew, X's Linda Yaccarino and Discord's Jason Citron ... but the most interesting moments have been reserved for Zuck.