Politics

Political analyst Matthew Baum can understand the allure of an AI-powered candidate for office -- but he warns that kind of ultimate political outsider could pose some unexpected threats.

We got the Harvard professor Friday on "TMZ Live," where he weighed in on the growing trend of AI candidates running for political offices across the globe.

For example, entrepreneur Steve Endacott is having his AI-generated avatar run for a seat in the House of Commons in the United Kingdom.

Hunter Biden's seemingly taking his federal gun conviction in stride ... stepping out with his wife in Los Angeles just days after becoming a convicted felon in his federal gun case.

Check out these photos -- obtained by TMZ -- that show the First Son at Dan Tana's, an Italian restaurant in West Hollywood, Thursday night and, he looked pretty chill for a guy facing a long prison sentence ... waiting patiently in the lobby along with all the normies.

Hunter dressed casually for the occasion -- ripped jeans and a polo ... as opposed to the full suit we've grown accustomed to seeing him during his trial in Delaware.

Logan and Jake Paul might still be fighting for respect in the boxing community, but they got a president's big stamp of approval -- with Donald Trump praising the brothers' accomplishments in the ring.

The Donald spoke at length about his love for combat sports during his sit-down with the WWE Superstar on his "Impaulsive" podcast this week ... and when it came to the Pauls, Trump couldn't say enough good things about the two -- declaring them legitimate pugilists.

In fact, No. 45 proved he's been keeping an eye on their careers by asking Logan if he'd ever take a fight against Jake ... and shockingly, the Maverick admitted there were serious talks for them to book a bout following Mike Tyson's medical emergency.

A California man seeking to lock up the rights to a Donald Trump dig just took a legal L in the highest court in the land ... but he can still sell his shirts with the suggestive phrase.

The Supreme Court just unanimously rejected Steve Elster's bid to trademark the phrase "Trump Too Small" ... which he's been using on t-shirts going for $25 a pop.

Elster, a lawyer in California, tried to trademark the phrase but was rejected by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office ... and then he claimed his First Amendment rights had been violated, appealing the case all the way to SCOTUS ... which ultimately heard the case.

Logan Paul's got a yuuuuuuge guest on his next podcast episode ... it's none other than President Donald Trump -- and TMZ Sports is told this may not be the WWE Superstar's only toe dip into politics.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us the Maverick sat down with The Donald at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday for an interview on "Impaulsive" ... which came to be after No. 45's team reached out and requested the meet-up.

We're told Logan agreed to to the gig (who wouldn't want to interview a president??) ... but instead of just getting one side of the upcoming election, he's now hoping to get the same opportunity with Joe Biden.

New York City drill rappers Sheff G and Sleepy Hallow are raising some eyebrows after standing side-by-side with Donald Trump at a recent rally -- but their fellow Brooklyn spitter Dusty Locane understands the move ... for the most part.

Dusty recently linked with TMZ Hip Hop at Summer Jam, giving his two cents on Sheff and Sleepy's unexpected involvement with Trump's May 23 Bronx rally.

Trump invited both Winners Circle Entertainment artists to tip-toe on stage where they endorsed his plan to return to the White House ... even joining in on the "Make America Great Again" chants.

President Biden threw a big bash at the White House ... an early celebration for the upcoming Juneteenth holiday ... and it looks like Joe was in a happy daze.

Biden and VP Kamala Harris were front and center Monday night on the famous South Lawn, chillin' with Billy Porter, among others who came out for the celebration ... which included a concert and a standup comedy performance.

POTUS knows how to host a party ... the main draw here was live music with performances by Gladys Knight, Patti Labelle, Kirk Franklin, Doug E. Fresh and Trombone Shorty. Solid lineup, for sure. Comedian Roy Wood Jr. served as the opening act.

9:08 AM PT -- President Biden just addressed the conviction, saying in part ... "So many families who have had loved ones battle addiction understand the feeling of pride seeing someone you love come out the other side and be so strong and resilient in recovery."

He adds, "As I also said last week, I will accept the outcome of this case and will continue to respect the judicial process as Hunter considers an appeal."

8:56 AM PT -- Hunter Biden just walked out of court after being found guilty in his gun case -- and he was holding his wife and Jill Biden's hands ... and he seemed to be in relatively good spirits. A sentencing date hasn't been set -- but the judge reportedly noted sentencing typically goes down about 120 days after a verdict is rendered.

King Charles' portrait got a bit of a facelift -- an animal rights group threw some artwork over it in a museum as an act of protest ... and now, Chuck looks a bit stop-motion-y.

HRH's fiery painting -- which is currently on display in London at the Philip Mould Gallery -- was vandalized Tuesday by a couple of demonstrators who stormed in and did a quick hit job on the artwork ... and while it wasn't all that destructive, it did leave an impression.

Check out the video posted by Animal Rising -- the group taking credit for this criminal act ... two guys walk up, plaster a 'Wallace and Gromit' face cutout, plus a quote bubble.

Sen. John Fetterman and his wife were involved in a car crash in Maryland this weekend, and cops say he was driving when he hit the car in front of him.

The Maryland State Police tell TMZ ... the Senator from Pennsylvania was behind the wheel of a Chevrolet Traverse traveling westbound on I-70 Sunday morning -- when he struck the rear of a Chevrolet Impala while on the road.

Cops say it's unclear what caused the crash ... and no citations were issued either, although the crash investigation remains active and ongoing, we're told.

Donald Trump clearly isn't afraid of Swifties ... expressing a fearless stance on Taylor Swift's physical appearance and political beliefs -- which seem to have the guy conflicted.

The ex-Prez discussed the pop star with Variety Co-Editor-in-Chief Ramin Setoodeh for his new book, "Apprentice in Wonderland: How Donald Trump and Mark Burnett Took America Through the Looking Glass" -- and DT had nothing but kind words ... for Taylor's looks.

In the interview, which took place in November, Trump noted ... "I think she’s beautiful -- very beautiful! I find her very beautiful. I think she’s liberal. She probably doesn’t like Trump. I hear she’s very talented. I think she’s very beautiful, actually -- unusually beautiful!"

Julia Louis-Dreyfus disagrees with her former costar Jerry Seinfeld on comedy turning too politically correct -- saying that stance usually set off alarm bells for her.

The actress sat down for an interview with the New York Times published Saturday where they asked her about remarks her longtime pal Jerry Seinfeld made ... when he called out the "extreme left" for ruining comedic television.

JLD says she's not in line with Seinfeld one bit ... saying certain comedies and dramas from years ago just don't work under modern scrutiny anymore -- and, being sensitive to that changing taste isn't a problem.

Ian McKellen's got a morbid standard for the parts he takes ... picturing his legacy if the next role happened to be his last -- and, admitting there's one film he'd do in a heartbeat.

The actor -- who turned 85 last month -- sat down for an interview with "The Sunday Times" and revealed whenever a script comes in he considers it like it may be the last part he ever plays.

He says those stakes make him turn down many projects ... and push him to be his best version on stage or screen -- 'cause he may not get another shot at it.

Amber Rose says a little thing like a felony is not going to stop her from voting for Donald Trump for president ... and she thinks it will actually propel him to the White House.

We got Amber on Beverly Blvd in Los Angeles Friday -- and our photog asked the model-turned-activist what's behind her recent Trump endorsement, and if anything changed after he became the first president convicted of felony crimes.

Amber tells us she's full MAGA these days ... and she thinks the guilty verdict in New York in the Stormy Daniels hush money case is going to be a huge boost for Trump's campaign.

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson nabbed free tickets to one of the biggest concerts of 2023 -- something she just made public ... confirming she's part of the BeyHive.

In the judge's financial disclosure report for 2023 -- obtained by TMZ -- the SCOTUS Justice revealed she was gifted 4 tickets to Beyoncé's "Renaissance" tour last year. She lists Bey as the source too -- and that speaks to their value ... she cites them as being worth $3,711.84.

Unclear which concert Justice Jackson went to ... but based on that price point -- it sounds like she had a great view, 'cause that amount divided by 4 comes out to about $927 a pop!

George Clooney is reportedly pissed at President Biden and his administration over their handling of the Israel-Hamas war – and he let them know it in a not-so-friendly phone call.

Last month, the Oscar-winning actor dialed up the White House and spoke to one of Biden's senior aides, Steve Ricchetti, complaining to him about the commander-in-chief criticizing the International Criminal Court (ICC) for seeking an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to the Washington Post.

The newspaper reported Clooney was really miffed because his wife – attorney Amal Clooney – played a role in the ICC's efforts to try to obtain the warrant.