Politics

TikTok's dancing on thin ice in the U.S. ... with the House voting to ban the popular social media app -- unless its Beijing-based parent company ByteDance sells its stake, that is.

A vote went down Wednesday and it was a landslide -- 352 to 65 -- in favor of the ban ... a rare moment of bipartisan agreement, with 197 Republicans and 155 Democrats giving it the green light, citing the app's Chinese ownership as a major national security threat.

The House didn't waste any time with the legislation -- dubbed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act -- but TikTok's future still hangs in the balance ... as it still has to make its way through the Senate, and then over to Joe Biden.

This current bill gives ByteDance a strict ultimatum -- either sell off TikTok and its other apps within six months or face the chop from U.S. app stores and other web-hosting services.

Lawmakers have long been sweating bullets over fears the Chinese government could force ByteDance into handing over the data of its whopping 170M American users -- even though TikTok has vehemently denied it's snooping on U.S. citizens.

Rep. Dan Crenshaw didn't pull any punches before the vote, saying ... "TikTok is owned by ByteDance. ByteDance is in China and when you're in China, you have to do whatever the Chinese Communist Party tells you what to do."

He added, "If they want you to spy for them, you will spy for them; that's how that works."

However, Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, is accusing the U.S. of running a smear campaign to bring down the China-based company -- adding in a statement the U.S "has not been able to give hard evidence to prove the so-called threats from TikTok to U.S. national security."

FWIW, Biden's promising to put pen to paper on the bill if it lands on his desk. Nonetheless, it's gonna be a nail-biter to see if this bill actually sticks, especially since TikTok's survived previous ban attempts. We're sure the influencers are shaking in their boots!

Olivia Rodrigo redobló su misión por proporcionarle a sus fans el acceso a métodos anticonceptivos mediante la entrega de cajas gratuitas llamadas Plan B y preservativos en sus conciertos... lo que ha provocado una gran reacción en Internet.

La cantante de pop anunció su plan por primera vez en febrero, cuando reveló la iniciativa Fund 4 Good, un plan para proporcionarles a sus fans acceso a cuidados de salud reproductivos durante su gira mundial "GUTS". Y está claro que Olivia es una mujer de palabra, ya que una fanática tomó una foto del anticonceptivo de emergencia que recibió en la parada de la ex estrella de Disney en St. Louis.

La asistente al concierto no solo recibió Plan B, sino que también información sobre cómo financiar atención relacionada con el aborto en Estados Unidos y un número de teléfono para ayudar a aquellos que buscan interrumpir un embarazo.

Recordemos que Missouri prohibió casi todos los abortos tras la anulación de Roe v. Wade en 2022. Por lo tanto, este fue un movimiento audaz por parte de Olivia.

Aunque su iniciativa, que incluye la donación de una parte de sus ingresos por entradas a la National Network of Abortion Funds, ha sido aplaudida por los grupos activistas, algunos en Internet la han criticado por su postura a favor del aborto.

Olivia Rodrigo doubled down on her mission to provide fans with access to contraception by handing out free boxes of Plan B and condoms at her concerts ... sparking a major reaction online.

The pop singer first announced her plan in February when she revealed the Fund 4 Good initiative ... a plan to provide her female fans with access to reproductive health care during her "GUTS" world tour.

And it's clear Olivia is a woman of her word -- as one fan took a pic of the emergency contraceptive she received at the former Disney star's St. Louis tour stop.

The concert attendee didn't just receive Plan B, however ... they also got information on how to fund abortion care in the U.S. and a phone number to help those seeking to terminate a pregnancy.

Remember, Missouri banned almost all abortions after Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. So, this was a bold move by Olivia.

While her initiative -- which includes the singer donating a portion of her ticket sales to the National Network of Abortion Funds -- has been applauded by activist groups, some online have slammed her for her pro-choice stance.

Still, the positive comments are outweighing the negative ones ... with most people praising Olivia for putting her money where her mouth is.

Donald Trump seemed to snub his own grandson at the UFC event over the weekend -- and the video is pretty brutal ... with the kid being left in the wind next to his mom and dad.

Different videos capturing the awkward moment have been spliced together into one clip -- and it makes for a tough scene for Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner ... who were on hand Saturday to watch UFC 299 in Miami, something DT himself also crashed.

As you can see, when Trump was making his entrance ... he was hand-shaking and hobnobbing with a lot of notable people -- including Dave Portnoy -- but when he finally landed at where Ivanka and Jared were standing, things got a little icy.

Check it out ... Donald kisses Ivanka and hugs Jared, but when they try to present their son, Joseph, to his grandfather -- DT appears to turn away without acknowledging him.

The ex-Prez continues on his way without even so much as saying hello -- and Joseph is seen standing still in the immediate aftermath ... looking pretty sad. His mom goes down to seemingly console him before the clip cuts out entirely -- but on its face, it looks harsh.

Unclear if Trump was just in a hurry or what the deal was -- but in any case, he didn't give his 10-year-old grandkid the time of day ... and it seemed to hurt the boy.

We should note ... Don has been fond of and friendly with his grandchildren, in general, in the past -- including with Joseph specifically. He's been photographed holding his hand while walking across the White House lawn on at least a couple of occasions.

Ya gotta figure he loves the kid, but might've been distracted considering everything that was going on in the moment. He was arguably the most important person in the room that night.

BTW, Donald has a massive brood thanks to his five children -- Donald Jr., Ivanka, Eric, Tiffany and Barron. He has since become a grandfather 10 times over.

NFL superstar quarterback first ... Vice President of The United States of America next?

If things go the way Robert F. Kennedy Jr. hopes, that could be how life turns out for Aaron Rodgers, because the presidential hopeful confirmed Tuesday the Jets' signal-caller is at the "top" of his running mate list.

According to the New York Times, RFK Jr. said he's been communicating with Rodgers for most of the last month, and they've talked about the role ... and Rodgers is said to be interested.

Of course, the two -- who share similar stances on vaccines and other issues -- have grown close recently, with Rodgers throwing his support behind the independent candidate publicly multiple times in the last few months.

It's unclear, however, just how Rodgers would do his New York Jets job if he were to join the ticket with Kennedy.

The election is in November ... when football is in full swing.

The NYT also reported Tuesday that former WWE star and actor Jesse "The Body" Ventura is a strong candidate to be on the ticket.

The 70-year-old -- who has reportedly also considered Andrew Yang, Rand Paul, and Tulsi Gabbard for the role -- is expected to name his official running mate within the next few weeks.

Whoever RFK Jr. ultimately chooses, he's got an uphill battle ahead, despite polling strongly for an Independent.

Donald Trump pareció desairar a su propio nieto en el evento de la UFC el fin de semana y el video es bastante brutal, pues muestra cómo el niño es pasado por alto mientras está de pie junto a sus padres.

Diferentes videos que captaron el incómodo momento se han montado en un solo clip y parece ser una escena difícil para Ivanka Trump y Jared Kushner, quienes estaban de la mano el sábado para ver UFC 299 en Miami, al igual que Donald Trump.

Como se puede ver, Trump le estaba dando la mano a un montón de gente notable cuando entró al lugar, incluyendo a Dave Portnoy, pero cuando finalmente llegó a donde estaban Ivanka y Jared, las cosas se pusieron un poco frías.

Echa un vistazo, Donald besa a Ivanka y abraza a Jared, pero cuando tratan de señalarle a su hijo José, el ex presidente parece alejarse sin reconocerlo.

Donald Trump continúa su camino sin siquiera decir hola y Joseph se queda ahí parado mirando bastante triste. Su madre baja a consolarlo aparentemente antes de que el clip se corte por completo, pero a primera vista, parece duro.

No está claro si Trump estaba en un apuro o cómo era la cuestión, pero en cualquier caso, no le dio a su nieto de 10 años lo que esperaba y pareció herir al pequeño.

Hay que señalar que Don suele ser cariñoso y amable con sus nietos en general, al menos en el pasado, incluyendo con José. Ha sido fotografiado cogiéndole la mano mientras caminaban por el césped de la Casa Blanca en al menos un par de ocasiones.

Hay que suponer que lo quiere, pero puede que estuviera distraído por todo lo que estaba pasando. Probablemente, era la persona más importante en la sala esa noche.

Por cierto, Donald tiene una enorme prole gracias a sus cinco hijos: Donald Jr, Ivanka, Eric, Tiffany y Barron. Desde entonces ya ha sido abuelo 10 veces.

Steph Curry just revealed he's got interest in going from the basketball Hall of Fame to the halls of Congress ... admitting that after his NBA career ends, he's open to politics -- and "maybe" even a run for President!!

The four-time champion said he's considering the idea during a candid interview that aired on Tuesday on "CBS Mornings" ... after Jericka Duncan asked him if he wanted to be POTUS some day.

"Maybe," the 35-year-old said. "I have an interest in leveraging every part of my influence for good in any way that I can, so if that’s the way to do it, then ..."

Curry says "meaningful change" is his ultimate goal ... and if moving into 1600 Penn Ave. gets it done, then he's down for it.

But, he said it obviously won't be this year or in 2028 either.

"Not that soon!" Curry said with a laugh.

Of course, Steph appears to be nowhere near moving on from basketball just yet ... as even though he's battled some bumps and bruises this season, he's still averaging 26.9 points per game.

Then again, Curry's demonstrated he can do so much even while still starring on the court -- as he just released yet another children's book that he's clearly super proud of.

"Oppenheimer" making nearly $1 billion, and now winning Best Picture, doesn't mean it's immune to criticism, especially from the real-life people harmed by the atomic testing -- but in the wake of the Oscars, some are willing to forgive ... though, not forget.

Maybe the only bad thing uttered about the Christopher Nolan-directed flick has been that it glosses over the long-lasting radiation exposure and cancer cases generations of New Mexico locals have endured following the July 1945 nuclear bomb test.

Despite the omission, one of those victims, Wesley Burris, tells TMZ he doesn't have any ill will about the film being cemented as "the best" of the year. He says it's unlikely the cast or filmmakers were aware of the victims' backstories ... let alone that there were victims at all, starting nearly 80 years ago.

Remember, the explosive test took place amid thunderstorms over White Sands Missile Range, resulting in toxic debris falling back to Earth in the ensuing rain. It contaminated the landscape, water supplies, the food chain and exposed NM residents to harmful radiation.

Wesley reflected on the event that changed his life when he was just 5 years old. He described the detonation as being so bright, it was like looking at the sun, and the force blew him outta bed.

The medical fallout for his whole family's been devastating -- Wesley got skin cancer, his brother had radiation cancer, his sister had breast cancer and her daughter was born with leukemia. He also had friends who died from cancer they attributed to the atomic test.

Wesley acknowledges the government might not have known what the outcome would be, but failing to inform residents about it ahead of time was messed up.

In fact, he says they were all in the dark about what went down for a while, only to be told years later it was a nuclear test.

As for the movie, he says he paid money to go and watch it and thought it was good. But, he still thinks people should know what really happened in the aftermath, and realize people are still dying from it.

Tina Cordova, co-founder of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium, joined us last week on "TMZ Live" ... to share how the nuclear testing is still affecting NM families -- including her own who lived 15 miles from the blast.

Tina's less forgiving than Wesley ... as she believes the literal and figurative fallout was intentionally left out of the film -- just as NM residents were left out of 1990's Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, which provided compensation to residents living near nuclear testing sites. But, only those in Arizona, Utah and Nevada.

Jimmy Kimmel se metió con Donald Trump durante los Oscar el domingo por la noche.

Jimmy estaba en la recta final como anfitrión de la 96 ª  edición de los Premios de la Academia y aprovechó de dejar algunas cosas claras sobre Trump.

No hace falta decir que Trump no fue muy elogioso, llamando a Jimmy el "PEOR ANFITRIÓN" de la historia mientras se cagaba en su monólogo de apertura.

Trump también escribió que la Academia debería "deshacerse" de Jimmy y tal vez reemplazarlo con "otro talento barato de ABC, George Slopanopoulos".

Por supuesto, Trump se refería al comentarista político de ABC News George Stephanopoulos. Incluso aseguró que el presentador de televisión haría que todos en los Oscar se vieran "más grandes, fuertes y glamorosos".

Pero Jimmy no lo dejó así y continuó bromeando, sacando su teléfono celular para leerle los posteos de Trump a todo el público.

Jimmy sacó a relucir lo obvio: "A ver si adivinas qué expresidente acaba de publicar eso en Truth Social".

A continuación remató: "Gracias, presidente Trump. Gracias por mirar. Me sorprende... ¿No ha pasado ya su tiempo en la cárcel?".

Todo el mundo se partió de risa con la broma de Jimmy, burlándose de las cuatro acusaciones criminales de Trump.

Jimmy Kimmel got into it with Donald Trump during the Oscars Sunday night ... with each taking major jabs at one another for all to see.

Jimmy was in the home stretch hosting the 96th Academy Awards and read a Truth Social post from Trump reviewing the comedian's performance.

Needless to say, Trump wasn't very complimentary, calling Jimmy the "WORST HOST" ever while crapping on his opening monologue.

Trump also wrote the Academy should "get rid" of Jimmy and perhaps replace him with "another washed up but cheap ABC talent George Slopanopoulos."

Of course, Trump was referring to ABC News political commentator George Stephanopoulos. He even took a shot at George's height, saying the TV anchor would make everyone at the Oscars look "bigger, stronger, and more glamorous."

But Jimmy didn't take the insults lying down ... he threw it right back at Trump, pulling out his cell phone and reading 45's post to the A-list crowd while on stage.

Jimmy first brought up the obvious ...  "See if you can guess which former president just posted that on Truth Social."

He then delivered the punchline, "Thank you, President Trump. Thank you for watching. I’m surprised … isn’t it past your jail time?"

Everyone laughed their butts off at Jimmy's joke, mocking Trump's four criminal indictments.

As Hollywood's rich and famous trickle in for the Oscars this weekend -- a massive protest is going down just a stone's throw away ... with folks hitting the streets to speak on Palestine.

A huge demonstration is unfolding about a mile away from the Dolby Theater in Hollywood Sunday -- at none other than the Dome Entertainment Centre, in fact -- where hundreds of people gathered with signage, megaphones and Palestinian flags ... while up in arms.

Of course, this is a pro-Palestine protest -- one that's been organized by groups like Writers Against the War on Gaza LA, Film Workers for Palestine, SAG-AFTRA Members for Ceasefire and others ... with their main message being, "No awards during a genocide!"

Another tagline being used for this protest ... "While You're Watching Bombs Are Dropping."

It goes without saying ... these folks are protesting against the ongoing war in the Middle East -- this as Gaza continues to be under siege as Israel seeks to eradicate Hamas.

As you can see ... tensions were high here, as people chanted and made their voices heard ahead of the biggest night in Hollywood. The Oscars are just about an hour from starting.

Unfortunately for these demonstrators, they won't be getting much closer to the actual Oscars venue itself -- the Dolby Theater is blocked off by cops, who've set a wide perimeter ... and who are standing guard with their riot gear ready to go in case things escalate.

Meanwhile ... the stars are getting ready for the big show -- lots of red-carpet arrivals are happening right now ... and they don't seem too worried about the ruckus up the block.

As everyone expected, Sen. Katie Britt was roasted in the 'SNL' cold open, but the surprise was Scarlett Johansson making a cameo to fill the role, and nailing the hilarious send-up of Britt's State of the Union response.

ICYMI .. the junior Alabama Senator went viral after her GOP response to President Biden's Thursday night SOTU address. The speech -- delivered from her kitchen for some reason -- struck most as oddly performative.

Scarlett still managed to take it over the top, saying, "I’ll be performing an original monologue called ‘This country is hell.’ You see, I’m not just a senator. I’m a wife, a mother and the craziest bitch in the Target parking lot.”

She also perfectly mocked Sen. Britt's facial expressions, hand movements and even some questionable fact-checking with lines like ... "I’m going to do a pivot out of nowhere into a shockingly violent story about sex trafficking. Rest assured, every detail about it is real except the year, where it took place, and who was president when it happened.”

On Thursday night, the Senator shared a story of a woman she met in Texas who told her about being sex trafficked by the cartels. While Britt blamed President Biden’s border policies, the Washington Post reported the woman’s experiences took place in Mexico during President George W. Bush's administration.

One of Scarlett's best lines in the skit imitated the QVC host tone of Sen. Britt's speech -- out of nowhere, she started hawking the diamond cross necklace she was wearing, saying, "Goes with anything, and you can wear it from da’ church to da’ club.”

Boy, does Bill Maher have a golden pair ... and he's handing 'em out to celebs and normies who've said screw cancel culture -- folks like J.K. Rowling and Garth Brooks, in Bill's opinion.

The "Real Time” host held the 2nd annual Cojones Awards Friday night on his show, and the dangling brass pair went to Garth for continuing to serve Bud Light in his Nashville bar ... even as conservatives boycotted the brew for its partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.

Bill applauded Garth for taking a stand, because "country singers are beholden to red state fans ... it's why there's no song called, 'She Thinks My Prius Is Sexy.'" Remember, Garth responded to the Bud Light boycott by saying, "If you're an a**hole, there are plenty of other places to go."

And, reminding everyone cancel culture comes from the right and the left, Bill also handed some cojones to Rowling. The 'Harry Potter' author's been ripped for insisting transgender women are not the same as biological women.

Most recently, she ranted about British media coverage of a transgender woman convicted of murdering a man, and several cats. When outlets refused to refer to the killer as transgender, she said, "These are #NotOurCrimes" and "I'm so sick of this s***."

Maher gave her props and agreed with her stance, saying "How many biological women torture cats? None. It's a guy thing."

He also lauded a "body positivity" influencer who decided obesity wasn't healthy, and dropped 60 lbs. -- and Dartmouth College President Sian Beilock for bringing back the SAT for admissions.

Shiny balls aside, Bill also had Oscar nominee Robert De Niro on to chat about Donald Trump's surging popularity. Of course, Bobby D might be the most vocal Trump hater on the planet, and he said if you want to "live in a nightmare, vote for Trump, and you'll get the nightmare."

He also predicted a fascist regime if Trump wins again ... as he warned Bill that Trump would take his show off the air, and also come looking for De Niro himself.

El presidente Joe Biden no está guardando tanta privacidad para expresar su frustración con Benjamin Netanyahu y la forma en que está manejando la guerra en el Medio Oriente, diciendo que el primer ministro de Israel tiene que ver la luz.

El Presidente estuvo hablando con el senador Michael Bennet de Colorado en la Cámara el jueves después de pronunciar el discurso sobre el Estado de la Unión, y parece que no se dio cuenta de que estaba siendo grabado por un camarógrafo sigiloso.

Se puede decir que Joe estaba tratando de tener una conversación privada, lo que queda en evidencia por lo que dijo, que fue recogido por un micrófono: "Le dije, Bibi, y no repitas esto, pero tú y yo vamos a tener un come to Jesus moment'".

Joe, obviamente, estaba usando una frase que significa llegar a una gran realización acerca de algo, pero la frase está levantando sospechas, pues Benjamin Netanyahu es judío.

Parece que su personal se dio cuenta de que estaba hablando mal porque un ayudante se apresuró y al parecer le dijo al oído que se callara. Joe hizo exactamente eso, o eso parece.

Biden fue presionado sobre esto el viernes cuando se preparaba para abordar el Air Force One para un viaje de campaña en Filadelfia, donde los periodistas le preguntaron por qué hizo ese comentario.

En un primer momento, Biden explicó que no lo dijo en su discurso, pero cuando los periodistas le preguntaron acerca de lo que dijo a los legisladores después del discurso, culpó a los medios de comunicación por "escuchar a escondidas".

En su SOTU, Biden anunció que está dirigiendo el ejército de Estados Unidos para instalar un muelle junto al mar en Gaza que permitirá una afluencia masiva de ayuda para los palestinos. Pero escuchen, suena como que quiere que Netanyahu haga más en términos de ayuda humanitaria también.

President Joe Biden is not-so-privately expressing frustration with Benjamin Netanyahu and how he's handling the war in the Middle East ... saying Israel's PM needs to see the light -- as in Christ.

The Prez was talking to Senator Michael Bennet from Colorado on the House chamber floor Thursday after his State of the Union address -- which he didn't seem to realize was being recorded by a stealthy cameraman.

You can tell Joe was trying to have a private convo -- evidenced by what he said, which got picked up on a hot mic... "I told him, Bibi, and don't repeat this, but you and I are going to have a 'come to Jesus' meeting."

Joe obviously was using a phrase that means coming to some grand realization about something -- but the phrasing is raisin' some eyebrows ... y'know, since BN is Jewish.

It seems like his staff realized he was misspeaking -- 'cause an aide rushed over and got into his ear, seemingly telling him to zip it and move on. Joe did exactly that, or so it seems.

Biden was pressed about this on Friday when he was getting ready to board Air Force One for a campaign trip to Philadelphia ... with reporters asking him why he made the comment.

At first, Biden says he didn't say it in his speech -- but when reporters ask him about what he told lawmakers after the SOTU ... he blamed the media for "eavesdropping."

In his SOTU, Biden announced he's directing the U.S. military to install a seaside pier in Gaza that will allow for a massive influx of aid to Palestinians ... but take a listen, it sounds like he wants Netanyahu to do more in terms of humanitarian aid too.

President Biden invited a bunch of Gen-Z influencers to the White House to watch his State of the Union address -- and one person in the mix has the inside scoop on how it went.

Tiffany Aliche -- an author and renowned financial expert -- came on "TMZ Live" Friday to break down what it was like Thursday evening at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. with all these young whipper-snappers and Tiktokers around ... 'cause there were a crap ton of them.

Aliche -- who's built a massive following on Instagram and TikTok educating people about money -- tells us that she was one of over 60 influencers who attended the highly publicized evening ... and that there was a mix of internet personalities in attendance.

So, no ... it wasn't just political influencers -- fashionistas were there, too, it seems.

The message was clear for those in attendance ... Biden and his staffers wanted to reach Gen Z -- with Tiffany recalling that POTUS praised the content creators as "critical" to his campaign since they have a massive reach. Out with the old, as they say!

On whether this influencer effort will sway young voters to vote for Biden this fall ... Tiffany isn't certain -- but she does think it helped with raising awareness.

As for the vetting process required ... Tiffany says she was surprised that she wasn't asked about her political preference before being invited. The only conditions ... respect the White House as a historical building and a military compound.

She didn't even have to post if she didn't want to -- which sat well with Tiffany.

Other influencers invited to the White House ahead of the State of the Union included strategist Keith Edwards, activist Aaron Parnas, and "The Real Friends of WeHo" star Joey Zauzig.