TMZ Live

Michael Steele's ready to get the Republican Party he knew and loved back from the President, but he thinks it's going to be a major challenge because so far ... nobody's stepping up to dump Trump.

The former head of the Republican National Committee tells us the battle between the GOP's "fair-minded patriots" -- his words -- and staunch Trumpers isn't dying down ... because there's no chance Donald goes away.

Steele says it's not complicated -- Trump will continue to assert his influence on the party and rally his base to maintain power. So the question ... who's gonna run against him in 2024???

Based on Steele's answer, he has zero confidence any current prominent Republicans are up to the task. He says whoever it is can't give a damn about pissing off Trump ... and, as he sees it, they're all too afraid.

With the holidays fast approaching, many are wondering how to celebrate safely amid a pandemic -- and, luckily, we have some answers ... courtesy of a top doc in the field.

Dr. Abraar Karan joined us on 'TMZ Live' to ask him how to tackle Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's ... all while 'rona is still lurking. He gave us some great tips on flying, testing beforehand and gatherings in general.

Dr. Karan -- who works at the Harvard & Brigham Women's Hospital -- dropped much-needed knowledge about boarding commercial jets. He says improved air circulation has made air travel much safer, but there are still a few factors to keep in mind.

The most important one is ... how many other passengers are on board -- but he says the duration of the flight is also critical to reducing your COVID-19 risk. BTW, he also strongly suggests going windows down during Uber or taxi rides.

As for sitting around a dinner table ... Dr. Karan noted a few misconceptions about getting tested beforehand and thinking you're home-free for home gatherings. It's not quite that simple, and he explained why you could still unknowingly pass the virus ... along with the stuffing.

As soon as President Trump is no longer the U.S. President, he needs to answer for his alleged criminal activity ... according to Congressman Eric Swalwell, who has a proposal on how to make that happen.

The Democratic Representative from California says 45's day of reckoning must come -- along with his enablers -- for what he says they've done to the country, which is why he wants to create a 'Presidential Crimes Commission.'

Swalwell says ideally, this group would be made up of independent prosecutors outside Congress who would be responsible for determining if the President or senior officials broke the law during their term, and if so ... they'd go after them.

The Congressman says the goal is to make sure nobody, not even POTUS, is above the law and gets away with any offenses. As for what crimes he'd want the PCC to take a look at with Trump ... there's a laundry list, but obstructing justice and sabotaging the mail are top of mind for Swalwell.

Currently, Swalwell believes the Prez is committing another transgression by not cooperating with President-elect Joe Biden during the transition period ... something Trump's press secretary won't even talk about.

Congressman Jim Clyburn's widely credited with saving Joe Biden's Presidential campaign, but he says Joe shouldn't thank him ... the credit goes to 2 Black women who inspired him.

The distinguished gentleman from South Carolina joined "TMZ Live" Tuesday to shed some light on his decision to throw major support behind Biden leading up to the SC primary, which proved pivotal in Joe landing the Democratic nomination.

Clyburn tells us he was already a Biden fan, but he decided to go all out for him to honor his late wife, Emily ... who passed in September 2019. The congressman says his wife absolutely loved Joe, and she made him promise her he'd commit to helping Biden get the nom.

The other Black woman who persuaded Clyburn is anonymous, but his interaction with her was so impactful ... he attributes it to his game-changing endorsement of Biden. The rest, as they say ... is history.

Of course, this all led to Biden becoming President-elect, and Rep. Clyburn seems pretty confident nothing's going to change that ... despite President Trump's efforts.

In fact, Jim seems fed up with all the Trump talk since the election, and reminds us the sitting Prez is just one individual -- one the congressman would like to see put in his place. As he's told us before, if Trump won't leave quietly ... he believes the military will make him.

Finally, on the topic of Georgia and its uber-important Senate races ... Jim has an interesting take on how they could affect Biden's presidency and the Democratic Party as a whole.

Buzzkill alert -- Dr. Peter Hotez is serving up a test tube full of very cautious optimism about Pfizer's huge coronavirus vaccine announcement.

The renowned vaccine expert joined "TMZ Live" Monday to explain exactly what it means for you, IF Pfizer's vaccine really can be 90% effective in preventing coronavirus infections.

First of all ... Professor Hotez -- who is the Co-Director of Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development as well as the Dean of National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine -- points out all the promising information is from a company press release, and other scientists -- outside of Pfizer -- haven't had a chance to confirm the data.

Assuming it is accurate, he says we're now in uncharted territory for a vaccine in terms of the technology, and there are many other complicated variables in producing and distributing it to the population. For instance, it needs to be stored at -94 degrees Fahrenheit!!! No simple task for your average drugstore.

Stacey Abrams is getting a round of applause from Rep. Karen Bass, who says Georgia wouldn't have gone blue for Biden without Stacey, and now she could help the Dems run the table in D.C.

The U.S. Congresswoman spoke with us Monday on "TMZ Live" and explained why the upcoming run-off elections for two U.S. Senate seats in Georgia are HUGE for her party, and more importantly ... why Abrams deserves a ton of the credit for getting it to this point.

Rep. Bass says Stacey's efforts to register hundreds of thousands in the Peach State, not only helped Biden (who won GA by a hair), but also the Democrat hopefuls looking to replace GOP incumbents.

If Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock beat out their Republican counterparts in a January runoff, the Democratic Party would have the WH, the Senate and the House -- and Biden could push through his agenda without pause.

We also talked coronavirus with the Congresswoman, and while she's happy about Pfizer's claim it has a 90% effective vaccine ... she's also cautiously optimistic.

Joe Biden's biggest challenge once he ascends to the Presidency may not be waged by Republicans ... it's more likely the real challenge will come from the Bernie Bros.

Former Bernie Sanders Press Secretary Briahna Joy Gray appeared Friday on "TMZ Live" and made it clear ... from day 1, the Bernie Bros will be pressuring Biden to swing left.

Briahna has already done the math, which complicates things in a big way. The Republicans will control the Senate and they actually gained House seats ... something the pundits never saw coming. Neither did pundits expect the state-by-state races would be incredibly tight. The upshot is that Biden needs to create a coalition, which may not bode well for the progressive wing of the party. Briahna is undaunted, saying they will be coming after him.

Briahna did not seem optimistic her people will get a seat at the table when Biden picks his cabinet. In fact, she's frustrated Biden has promised to include Republicans in his cabinet. She says Trump would never have picked a Dem, so why be more generous than him?

She thinks Biden doesn't understand ... the majority of Americans want measures like health care for all. In short, Biden's gonna be walking a tightrope.

Atlanta's mayor's on cloud nine over her state being on the verge of flipping to blue ... and she says the spirit of some fine Georgians shone through to make it happen.

Keisha Lance Bottoms is feeling incredible, as all signs point to Joe Biden being elected as the next President of the United States ... something she says reflects on Georgia and inspiration it drew from the late John Lewis, C.T. Vivian and Joseph Lowery.

Though she's happy now, the Mayor admits the overall election results felt more like a "gut punch" a couple days ago when she saw roughly half the country supported Trump. Mayor Bottoms told us on "TMZ Live" she said Biden needs to address some of their issues given their sheer numbers.

That's why she says it's so important to have a President like Biden who's unifying instead of divisive ... so we can get back to "civil disagreement" and move forward in a positive way together.

She says the past 4 years have been very dark, but Keisha sounds hopeful that America's heading toward the light.

April Ryan views the divide between voters as a warning that more and more of us simply can't agree on what America's true nature is, or said another way -- who the hell are we???

The White House correspondent and CNN contributor joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and we asked her what the nearly 50-50 split in votes for President Trump and Joe Biden says about who we are as a country.

April says she is concerned about intense rhetoric from Trump, and others, about liberating states, Black Lives Matter, and armed protesters at ballot counting centers. She says the fact storefronts were boarded up before Election Day shows where we are as a nation.

What's more, April says a lot of her friends voted for Trump ... and she's sad they don't seem to be moved by what another 4 years of Trump might mean for her as a Black woman.

Translation: Where's our compassion and empathy?

April says she can relate to Cedric The Entertainer, who told us he has some buddies who support Trump while turning a blind eye to Trump's inflammatory comments about race.

President Trump predicted a Supreme Court battle over the 2020 election -- but his road to the high justices won't be one he can barrel down ... according to a prominent legal scholar.

Erwin Chemerinsky -- the Dean of UC Berkeley's School of Law -- hopped on "TMZ Live" Wednesday to discuss Trump's vow to take this fight over election results all the way to SCOTUS (even as it continues to play out) and he basically tells us ... not so fast, DT, quite literally.

Trump wants to rush his grievances to the Supreme Court, especially as it pertains to Pennsylvania. The commonwealth's recent ballot submission decisions -- from its own Supreme Court -- have drawn scrutiny ... but Chemerinsky says POTUS still can't hopscotch his way to SCOTUS without going through lower courts first.

However, EC also laid out a scenario where Trump could appeal directly to a Supreme Court Justice -- but even then he says it's not likely Trump would get a final answer on the ballot process in PA for a while.

If and when it does land on the Supreme Court's doorstep, Chemerinsky played that scenario out too ... and suggested the newly installed Justice Amy Coney Barrett could be the key.

Trump is getting way ahead of himself here -- as many predicted he would -- but that hasn't stopped him ratcheting up the rhetoric and sowing doubt about the legitimacy of the voting process ... especially in states he appears to be losing as of late Wednesday morning.

Pennsylvania might be on the table for a fight, along with Wisconsin ... which is close enough that Trump's ready to demand a recount.

People who voted for 4 more years of Donald Trump are racists, even if they don't realize it yet ... at least that's activist Marc Lamont Hill's take on the election results.

Marc joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and made a statement many will find controversial about people who marked their ballots for Trump. He says some of those voters are just racist, but he adds ... others who don't see themselves as racist, should take a harder look.

The way Marc sees things ... it's one thing to look at the candidates and think they're all racist and make the best choice you can. But, for the BET host, it's an entirely different ballgame when you knowingly select the guy who defended white nationalists and wouldn't denounce folks like David Duke.

Marc says if you prioritized tax rates and a stimulus check over racism, then racism clearly just isn't a big deal to you. He suggests it's something with which Trump supporters just need to come to grips.

Votes are still being counted, but Trump's already approaching 67 million votes, and MLH says those numbers are alarming if you're Black.

"I was Boosie at one time."

That's Mike Tyson explaining why he felt compelled to confront rapper Boosie Badazz over his history of homophobic comments ... saying he knows what it's like to go from ignorant to enlightened.

Tyson got right to the point with Boosie during a recent taping of his podcast, "Hotboxin' with Mike Tyson" ... condemning Boosie's offensive comments about Dwyane Wade's child Zaya, who recently came out as a transgender girl.

During the podcast, Tyson pressed Boosie on where his hate was stemming from -- wondering if Boosie's aggression comes from his own insecurities about his sexuality.

It was a powerful moment that seemed to have resonated with Boosie ... and Tyson has been cheered for the way he handled it.

But, Tyson tells "TMZ Live" the conversation probably wouldn't have happened if it weren't for his daughter -- who passionately told the boxing legend why Boosie needed to be set straight.

"My daughter," Tyson said ... "She flew all the way from New York City to Los Angeles, California where I'm at just to be there because she thought Boosie was so disrespectful she had to confront him."

Yeah, you read that right -- Tyson's daughter wanted to be the one to go after Boosie, but Mike wouldn't allow it.

Instead, Mike listened to what his daughter had to say and ultimately believed she made some solid points.

Mike said his daughter argued that Boosie's comments have been "disrespectful to the community" -- and she was so passionate about confronting him, Mike was concerned things would go off the rails.

"But, he conducted himself like a gentleman," Tyson said about Boosie ... "It went okay. It didn't go like I anticipated it to go. My daughter has a lot of courage and stuff."

Now, Tyson says he's rooting for Boosie to grow from their conversation and "win the fight over those demons."

There's more ... Tyson also explained to Harvey and Charles why he decided to make a boxing comeback and why he predicts "PAIN" for his upcoming opponent Roy Jones Jr. when they clash at Staples Center on Nov. 28.

Chris Harrison may have just earned himself a World Series ring from the Dodgers ... after coming in clutch for the players and their wives and girlfriends!!!

The 'Bachelorette' host joined "TMZ Live" on Wednesday and revealed he sent the team an advance copy of Clare Crawley's 'Bachelorette' premiere. Why? Well, turns out the premiere was going up against Game 1 of the World Series.

Check out the clip ... Chris says the ladies -- and some of the players too, we're sure -- didn't want to miss last week's premiere, so he took it upon himself to hook up the Boys in Blue. The players, along with their families, were quarantined in a "bubble" in Dallas since the League Championship series and through the World Series.

Sure, Dodgers star shortstop Corey Seager earned NLCS and World Series MVP hardware ... but maybe Chris should be right up there with Corey?

Chris also talks about Clare's awkward one-on-one date with Zach J., and how it'll all come full circle with next week's episode. As 'Bach' nation knows ... Clare felt uncomfortable after Zach grabbed the nape of her neck after a cringe-worthy kiss attempt.

John Carlos -- the Olympian who famously raised his fist at the '68 Games -- is speaking out strongly against President Trump ... saying he's bad for America and needs to go.

"You've created nothing but divide and dissent and anger and hatred toward the American citizen," Carlos said on "TMZ Live" Friday -- which happens to be the 52nd anniversary of the famous Olympic moment.

The former track star says he's disgusted with Trump's personal attacks against Kamala Harris and other women ... and is asking voters to rise up and do something about it!

"I would just applaud anyone and everyone who has the right to vote to get out and vote."

"Get the vote in because it's the most critical time in world history."

The 75-year-old has also come out with a series of COVID masks that feature his iconic clenched fist and the words, "We Are One" over the American flag.

Carlos says he made the masks for 2 reasons -- 1, to keep people safe. And 2, to send a strong message about the role of Black people in America.

Killer Mike's evoking the spirit of the historic Greenwood District with his new bank, which he says is going to help Black and Brown people take the power of their earnings back ... and set them up for future success.

The rapper's launching a digital bank called Greenwood -- named after the Tulsa, Oklahoma business district known as Black Wall Street, where the 1921 race massacre occurred -- in an effort to rebuild its legacy in modern times.

Watch the clip, because he lays out examples of how Greenwood can help working-class people and others -- who have been shunned by traditional banks -- and turn them into business leaders for generations to come.

Not only is the Atlanta hip-hop star on a noble crusade for his people, but he strongly believes his bank model will be followed by larger institutions once they see its potential, and say what you will about capitalism ... Mike's all for it.

Greenwood began accepting applications for accounts last week and received tens of thousands of application within 24 hours, so things are definitely looking good for its January 2021 launch.

Along with promoting his digital bank, Killer Mike also shouted out one of his heroes, Ice Cube, on "TMZ Live" for his bravery and leadership regarding Cube's "Contract with Black America."

If you missed it ... the rapper's taking some heat for working with Trump's administration on a plan to pump $500 billion dollars into Black communities and improve access to jobs and education, with critics accusing him of being used by the President.

Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins says there's no doubt the industry abandoned TLC after the death of Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, but she wants to make it clear she's got no beef with anyone ... except maybe one guy.

T-Boz -- one half of the popular girl group which still includes Rozanda "Chilli" Thomas -- tells TMZ ... the recent comments she made on a podcast aren't as incendiary as they seem, she was just stating facts fans might not know about the biz.

Her remarks, on "Hollywood Unlocked," especially took aim at famed record exec L.A. Reid for allegedly bailing on the group. T-Boz isn't backing down from that, but says it wasn't because Reid didn't believe in the group.

Check out her explanation, and what's perfectly clear is she hasn't gotten over whatever went down between Reid and her.

As for the rappers T-Boz called out -- Drake, T.I. and Nelly, among others -- for backing out of the 2014 Super Bowl Blitz with TLC ... she says that was actually a blessing.

If you don't remember, that SB performance was a major TLC comeback, and T-Boz says she doesn't blame the artists for not wanting to rock with them at that time.