Politix

Kanye West's presidential campaign just keeps rolling along, and he's now setting his sights on South Carolina ... where he's trying to grab enough signatures to get on the November ballot.

Kanye posted a tweet, urging S.C. voters to support him with a signature. His petition reads, "I am signing to put Kanye West on the ballot in South Carolina ... Click here to add your signature -- YE '20."  He needs around 10,000 signatures to qualify as the official Birthday Party candidate.

TMZ broke the stories of Kanye's efforts, including filing the necessary docs with the Federal Elections Commission and docs to get on the Oklahoma ballot.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg recently completed a round of chemotherapy to treat "a recurrence of cancer" ... but insists she's still fully able to sit on the Supreme Court.

RBG says she began the cancer treatment on May 19 after a February biopsy revealed lesions on her liver. She says the chemo is yielding positive results -- and no new disease -- and she'll continue biweekly treatments.

The legendary justice points out that her recent hospitalization was to remove gall stones and treat an infection, but was unrelated to the cancer.

Ginsburg adds ... throughout her health issues, she has maintained an active daily routine and been keeping up with all her Supreme Court work.

James Harden says he was NOT making a statement with his Blue Lives Matter mask in the NBA bubble this week ... saying he only wore it because it "looked cool" and covered his beard.

"I just felt like it was something that covered my whole face and the beard," the Houston Rockets superstar told reporters. "I thought it looked cool, that was it."

FYI, Harden has been catching a TON of heat over the mask after social media sleuths found out the mask is called the "Blue Line Skull" -- the design appears to be a nod to Blue Lives Matter.

Harden says he was unaware the mask even had an association with police officers ... and added, "Honestly, I wasn't trying to make a political statement."

James says he's struggled to find face coverings during the pandemic ... because most don't fit over his giant, famous beard.

But, the one he wore Thursday in Florida worked perfectly.

"I just wore it because it covered my whole face and my beard," Harden said.

There was tremendous backlash on social media -- even Trey Songz went after James saying the mask was "certified clown sh*t."

For his part, Harden told reporters Thursday night he was in favor of the nationwide protests following George Floyd's tragic death ... saying, "The marching and everything that we’re standing for is very powerful."

Caitlyn Jenner wants Kanye West to keep his presidential bid in the family ... and she's already positioning herself to be Yeezy's vice president!!!

Caitlyn was walking back to her car after grabbing some Starbucks in Westlake Village, CA when she was asked if she'd be voting Kanye for Prez in the 2020 election.

It's pretty funny ... Caitlyn says she's already texted Kanye about being his running mate!!!

Caitlyn thinks they'd make a pretty awesome combination on the Birthday Party ticket ... and while it sounds like she's joking about being Ye's veep, ya can't exactly rule it out, not with the way Kanye's entered the race at the last minute.

We broke the story ... Yeezy filed a second set of docs Thursday with the Federal Election Commission -- a Statement of Candidacy, which shows he's spent or raised over $5,000 in campaign-related expenses, officially elevating him to candidacy status under the federal campaign law.

Ye previously filed legal docs qualifying him to get on the ballot in Oklahoma, though he missed Wednesday's deadline in Florida, a battleground state.

Kanye tabbed Michelle Tidball to be his running mate in his instantly infamous interview with Forbes, but she comes with a lot of baggage and has yet to formally accept the invitation.

Caitlyn's seizing the opening and shooting her shot ... and now the ball's in Kanye's court.

The protesters arrested and charged with a felony for protesting Breonna Taylor's death made sure residents in the neighborhood knew they came in peace.

The demonstration outside the Louisville home of Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron was completely non-violent and peaceful, and protesters made sure to touch base with neighbors beforehand ... according to Jeanette Thomas, who lives on Cameron's block.

Jeanette says the protesters assured neighbors they were only there to demand justice for Breonna and weren't there to start trouble ... and they peacefully protested by chanting Taylor's name, and remained calm even when police started arresting them.

As we reported ... the 87 people arrested and booked on a felony charge of intimidating a participant in a legal process -- that participant being AG Cameron -- included 'RHOA' star Porsha Williams, 'L&HH' star Yandy Smith, NFL player Kenny Stills and activist Tamika Mallory. Opinion -- frickin' ridiculous ... that citizens of a State are not allowed to stage a protest against an elected official.

Yandy and Tamika told us they find it ironic they now how have a felony charge to fight, while the police officers who killed Breonna still roam free.

Jeanette says the protesters told her they knew they would be arrested and vowed not to resist ... and explains why residents weren't scared in the slightest.

Donald Trump drops the n-word and hurls anti-Semitic slurs in the presence of his family ... this according to Mary Trump, the President's niece.

Mary, who rips her uncle in her new book, "Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man" wrote it was pretty much normal to hear the n-word and anti-Semitic slurs bandied about in family settings.

In an interview with MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, which aired Thursday night, Mary says back in the day she personally heard her uncle use the n-word as well as anti-Semitic slurs.

Mary, a clinical psychologist, didn't hesitate when asked if Trump uttered the hurtful words in her presence ... and she says it shouldn't come as a shock to anybody "given how virulently racist he is today."

As we reported ... in her tell-all book, Mary also alleges Trump cheated on the SAT by paying someone to take the college entrance test for him, and claims her uncle developed "twisted behaviors" while growing up in a rich and notorious real estate family lead by Fred Trump Sr.

Here's a shocking and downright disturbing video of maskless citizens jam-packing a county meeting in Utah ... despite the fact COVID-19 is spreading out of control there.

Before the Utah County Commission Chairman Tanner Ainge could even begin, he commented on the utter lack of coronavirus safety -- NO mask wearing -- he was witnessing in the room, saying ... "This is the exact opposite of what we need to be doing."

You gotta see the room's reaction when he dared to point out there was also NO physical distancing. The situation forced Ainge to pull the plug on the meeting altogether ... which set off the crowd even more.

Utah County -- which has a population of roughly 636,000 -- currently has 5,794 residents who've tested positive for coronavirus ... one of the highest infection rates in the country.

The state also reported its highest number of COVID-related deaths Tuesday.

Kanye West is full steam ahead in his 2020 Presidential run ... he just filed a second set of documents Thursday with the Federal Election Commission.

Ye's latest filing is called a Statement of Candidacy, which shows he's raised or spent more than $5,000 in campaign-related expenses. That elevates him to candidacy status under the federal campaign law.

Kanye, of course, lists his party as BDY -- Birthday Party is now abbreviated. He designates the name of his political committee, "Kanye 2020."

He also lists his residence as Cody, Wyoming, where he and Kim just bought a massive property.

This is the second -- and more important set of docs -- that Kanye has filed with the FEC. He filed his first set Wednesday -- a Statement of Organization for the campaign, declaring the Kanye 2020 committee will serve as the Principal Campaign Committee.

It's interesting ... some media outlets are saying Kanye is not running, but we've been told otherwise, and the documents underscore that. The latest was filed Thursday morning at 12:34 AM ET.

Kanye also filed legal docs qualifying him to get on the ballot in Oklahoma, however, he missed the Wednesday deadline in the battleground state of Florida.

Kanye West has taken his first official step on his road to The White House -- he's filed with the Federal Election Commission ... seeking the office of President.

Kanye filed the first form required by the FEC Wednesday -- Form 1, Statement of Organization -- declaring that the Kanye 2020 committee will serve as the "Principal Campaign Committee" with West as its candidate. The party is listed as BDY ... which Ye's said stands for the Birthday Party.

However, he's yet to file the more important Form 2 -- Statement of Candidacy -- which shows he's raised or spent more than $5,000 in campaign activity and triggers candidacy status under federal campaign finance law.

Regardless, the move comes on the heels of reports that Kanye was dropping out just 10 days after making his surprise July 4 Twitter announcement ... and after news broke that he was polling at just 2 percent.

Looks like he's trying to keep hope alive ... at least for now.

Kanye, who's had Elon Musk's support from the jump, has managed to stir up plenty of publicity -- and controversy -- in his less than 2 weeks on the campaign trail so far.

As we reported ... he turned on his former buddy and incumbent, Donald Trump, compared Planned Parenthood to a Satanic baby-killing cult and got blasted by the org, and picked a running mate with some odd takes on mental health.

Ye's still facing an uphill battle to even get on the ballot in several states, and as we already mentioned ... his first poll numbers really sucked.

Our sources have also told us Kanye's in the throes of a very serious bipolar episode through all of this, which has worried his family and loved ones.

Breathe a sigh of relief ... Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been sprung from the hospital, and she's back at home recovering.

The Supreme Court Justice was discharged Wednesday from Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, one day after she was admitted with a possible infection after experiencing fever and chills.

An S.C. spokesperson says ... "She is home and doing well."

The 87-year-old underwent an endoscopic procedure Tuesday afternoon to clean out a bile duct stent that she got last August. It was initially reported she'd be receiving antibiotic treatments and hospitalized for a few days.

Looks like she's ahead of schedule.

"We need to play. This state needs it. This country needs it."

LSU head coach Ed Orgeron is making it crystal clear he wants the football season to happen despite the global pandemic ... telling Vice President Mike Pence he's ready to kick things off in the fall.

Coach O spoke out on his stance in a round table conversation with the VP at Tiger Stadium on Tuesday ... saying he believes they can "handle" the coronavirus while going through with the season.

"I don't think we can take this away from our players, take this away from our state and our country," Coach O added.

"We need football. Football is the lifeblood of our country."

Of course, the 2020 season is up in the air due to the pandemic ... and SEC commish Greg Sankey has expressed concern with the status of the season.

While a decision won't be made until later this month ... O made it clear ... his Tigers will be prepared to defend the title.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg is back in the hospital and is being treated for a possible infection.

The Supreme Court Justice was admitted to Johns Hopkins Hospital early Tuesday morning for treatment. She was initially evaluated at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C., Monday night after experiencing fever and chills.

RBG underwent an endoscopic procedure at Johns Hopkins this afternoon to clean out a bile duct stent that she got last August. The 87-year-old Justice is now resting comfortably and will stay in the hospital for a few days to receive intravenous antibiotic treatment.

You'll recall Ginsburg was discharged from the hospital a little over 2 months ago after she was treated for a benign gallbladder condition. She's one tough cookie though. Remember, she's been treated for cancer 4 times.

Get better, RBG!!!

Kanye West has a snowball's chance in hell to win the presidency, because his first poll numbers suck ... but he could definitely play spoiler -- question is, for whom?

Redfield & Wilton Strategies -- a consulting firm that does polling and market research -- released results from a poll it did last week ... and when Ye's included as one of the candidates, he only clocked in at 2%. That's out of 2,000 people polled.

Granted, the other third-party candidates from the Libertarian and Green Parties aren't polling much higher than he was either -- both also hit the 2% and 1% each, respectively.

Now, here's the really interesting thing -- while you'd think the rapper and producer getting in the race might hurt Joe Biden (that's how Chance the Rapper and others see it) ... it didn't. In fact, it actually hurt Trump!

According to R&WS, the sitting Prez got dinged, going from 40% to 39% when Kanye is factored into the race. Biden stays firmly in the lead in either scenario, sitting pretty at 48%.

The prevailing thought is Kanye would splinter the Democratic vote -- especially young and black voters -- and possibly sabotage Biden in the process.

Still, let's all chill when it comes to polls ... especially this early in the campaign. Just ask Hillary Clinton about those 2016 numbers.

The woman Kanye West has pegged for his Vice President describes herself as a "Biblical life coach," but she also has a mental health background, and some of her past statements on the subject are ... interesting.

Michelle Tidball is the "obscure preacher from Wyoming" Kanye named as his running mate in his instantly infamous interview with Forbes, and though not too much is known about her ... here's her talking about mental illness.

TMZ obtained audio of Tidball, which has since been removed from her Yarash.org website, in which she states a key to handling mental illness ... is doing house chores.

In the clip, listed as from a Bible study session from June 2017, Tidball suggests ... "If you would get up every day and make your bed and do your dishes -- you would be better." She adds that in her 10 years working with the mentally ill ... none of them made their beds or did their dishes.

According to Tidball's bio -- which has also now been pulled from her site -- she has pursued God since she was 6 months old and was "slipping away into a crib death." She says she remembers God visiting her in the hospital and she made the decision at 17 to follow him for life.

She claims she has "various degrees in mental health and criminal justice." We've confirmed she earned a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Wyoming in 2003.

Michelle says she worked as a mental health therapist for 10 years before transitioning to life coaching to help people get "unstuck" in their lives "using biblical principals and wisdom."

According to her site, she offers life-coaching sessions for the "suggested donation" of $65 for 50 minutes.

Michelle hails from the city of Cody, which is where Kanye has spent a great deal of time the past few years ... though he made no public mention of her until the Forbes interview.

Her background in mental health is obviously interesting ... as we told you, we're told Kanye's going through a serious bipolar episode right now.

Flavor Flav says it was a chance encounter at a swanky hotel that led to him snapping a photo with Steve Mnuchin -- nothing strange about it ... in his eyes, anyway.

The Public Enemy rapper's surprising pic with President Trump's Treasury Secretary left Twitter fans flummoxed Thursday after he posted it with the caption, "F**k politics - but I'm always happy to talk to anyone about the importance of knowing when your time is up."

Turns out, Flav actually met Mnuchin "a little while back" -- he doesn't say exactly when -- at the Hotel Bel-Air when he was having lunch. He tells us Steve and his wife, Louise Linton, called him over to say hi ... apparently, she's a fan.

So, the rapper says he went over to their table and exchanged pleasantries, but before Mnuchin left ... Flav was adamant he had to get a picture with the guy.

Flav doesn't specify why he felt this way, but he makes it clear it wasn't about politics. He says his partner, Chuck D, is the political one ... and that's pretty clear in their new track, as well.

TikTok influencers are dusting off their resumes because of President Trump -- they're terrified he's about to ban the app, and force them to find J-O-Bs outside social media.

With the Trump Administration considering a ban on the super-popular video creation app -- due to the escalating trade war with China -- TikTok influencers who make a killing on their posts tell us they fear the future.

Sean, whose magic trick-themed page @seandoesmagic has 13.5 million followers, says the China-based app shutting down would be financially crushing because he makes $15,000 to $20,000 per sponsored post.

Yes, you read that right ... Sean is cleaning up as an influencer, but fears the only thing he'll be cleaning soon is the fry machine!

Okay, that's a slight exaggeration, but Sean says he's in talks with McDonald's to do a promotional tour this fall, which would involve live magic gigs -- but he's worried that'll vanish if the app is banned.

Drage Kamerman's comedy channel @dragekamerman has 2.1 million TikTok followers, and while he has a plan B, it won't offset immediate financial losses.

Drake says he makes $7,000 to $10,000 every few weeks on TikTok, but it took him a year and a half to build his followers and start making that kinda cheddar. If the app goes away, he'll jump to YouTube and Instagram. He just worries his international followers won't find him -- not at first, anyway -- and his sponsor money would go with them.

Niko Valdes, whose family-centric page @babyfaceniko has 1.5 million followers, tells TMZ ... he's terrified he won't be able to make ends meet and put food on the table for his fam. His channel is all about his wife, his toddler and him -- and TikTok is their primary source of income ... $7k to $10k a month.

Without that cashflow, his wife would have to go back to her therapist gig, and he's not sure what he would do. Niko says he just inked a flurry of endorsement deals on TikTok after 4 fruitless years trying to make dough on YouTube and IG.

Of course, these high-paid influencers would be added to the more than 21 million people currently unemployed in America ... so, worst possible timing.