Tyler Perry Let's Rock the Vote in Florida ... $500k Campaign to Mobilize Black Voters
Tyler Perry's part of a massive campaign targeting 25 counties and 250k Black residents in Florida ... in a push to get them to the polls.
The entertainment mogul's teamed up with a Black-led nonpartisan group called Equal Ground Education Fund on its half a million-dollar "Park & Praise" initiative. The campaign includes a series of events where voters can drop off mail-in ballots while hearing from church leaders, musical acts and gospel choirs.
Perry's helping fund the effort -- dubbed as bringing "Souls to the Polls" -- to increase Black voter engagement and turnout in the state. Equal Ground adds that its mission is to combat Florida’s long history of voter disenfranchisement and help build Black political power.
Of course for this election, the organization says it must adapt to the pandemic ... so it's retooling the popular voter tradition by taking proper precautions to "meet the moment of social-distancing."
The non-profit's founder, Jasmine Burney-Clark, says ... "Our work to provide robust voter education and ensure that accurate information reaches our communities is the highest priority and is exactly what this partnership with Tyler Perry is going to do."
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Kourtney Kardashian 'Vote Kanye' ... Endorsement Pisses Off Fans
Kim Kardashian hasn't endorsed a candidate for the Presidential election -- despite the fact her husband, Kanye West, is running -- but now her sis, Kourtney Kardashian, is endorsing him and catching major heat for it.
Kourtney posted a photo sporting a "Vote for Kanye" hat Thursday ... seemingly encouraging her more than 100 million social media followers to get behind a candidate who will only appear on the ballot in 12 states. She also included a link to his merch website where fans can purchase that hat for $40.
The move pissed a lot of people off who felt Kourtney's using her platform to distract from the 2 candidates who actually have a shot ... Joe Biden and President Trump. Not to mention the shameless promo for his gear.
One user wrote, "How sad 2 c that U support Kanye. A vote 4 him is a vote 4 Trump. I thought U may b the only Kar-Jenner that had some intelligence. I was wrong! U must b enjoying the enormous tax breaks & stimulus checks. U r a multimillionaire w/out a conscience! How sad 4 your children,& your soul!"
Kourtney is the first person from the Kardashian/Jenner fam to publicly support Kanye's run for Prez. Earlier Thursday, Kim posted a photo on IG thanking her fans for getting her to the 190M follower mark and encouraging them to vote ... she did not endorse a specific candidate.
Kanye recently released his first campaign ad, a video with a strong emphasis on religion.
As we reported ... during his rally in South Carolina, he wept on stage while telling the story of considering abortion when Kim was pregnant with their daughter, North. The moment triggered serious problems in Kim and Kanye's marriage, which as of late, seems to be on the mend.
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Donald Trump I Can't Denounce QAnon ... I Know Nothing About It!!!
Donald Trump says he's always denounced white supremacy despite his stumbling block on the debate stage, but he won't denounce the QAnon conspiracy theory.
Trump refused to condemn the bizarre QAnon theory during Thursday's town hall on NBC with Savannah Guthrie ... and his reasoning -- he doesn't know anything about it.
Quick refresher ... QAnon claims, among other things, the world is being run by a cabal of Satan-worshiping pedophiles who are moving against Trump at the same time they operate a global child sex-trafficking ring.
Trump says he can't denounce it, or tell the American people it's all bogus, because he's not up to speed on the theory ... other than knowing QAnon is against pedophilia just like he is.
POTUS brushed off several points Guthrie made ... like the fact GOP Sen. Ben Sasse has already ripped the theory as "nuts" and said real leaders call out conspiracy theories.
Guthrie also pressed Trump on his hesitation to denounce white supremacy at the debate, and he claimed he's always denounced white supremacists ... despite the fact he told the Proud Boys to "stand back and stand by."
Trump got super defensive, then attacked Guthrie and the media.
There are a few things Trump says he's well versed on and happy to denounce ... "Antifa and the radical left."
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Allison Janney Wanted on 'SNL' ... Please Play Woman Who Gushed Over Trump!!!
The woman who praised President Trump for his smile and called him handsome is ripe for parody on "Saturday Night Live," and Twitter's already decided who should play her -- Academy Award winner Allison Janney.
In case you missed it ... the Prez was fielding questions during his Town Hall Thursday night from voters who apparently are still undecided, when a woman named Paulette Dale stole the show by fangirling out.
Paulette -- a registered Republican who indicated she's leaning toward voting for Joe Biden -- decided to shoot her shot with Trump before asking her question ... by telling him he has a "great smile."
This prompted an awkward smile and a "thank you" from Trump before Paulette really went for it, telling him ... "You're so handsome when you smile."
Like we said ... perfect 'SNL' material.
The awkward exchange unsurprisingly spread all over social media, and many Twitter users quickly came to the conclusion that Janney would be the best choice to play her in the inevitable sketch this weekend.
It's unclear if the "Mom" star's willing to do it, but you'll recall ... Brad Pitt ended up playing Anthony Fauci after the good doc personally advocated for that casting.
So, keep an eye out for Allison as Paulette on Saturday night.
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President Trump Jesus Christ ... He's More Famous Than Me
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President Trump is giving it up to Jesus Christ ... acknowledging the Christian messiah is more famous than he is. Wow, quite a concession!
The President's campaigning in Greenville, North Carolina, and while addressing supporters he brought up the topic of his fame and where he ranks. He claimed someone told him he's the most famous person in the world "by far."
Trump -- ever the humble servant -- says he insisted he's not ... because that title belongs to J.C. The pandering worked, as the crowd ate up Trump's remark and POTUS reveled in it.
His Christian anecdote is reminiscent of John Lennon saying, in 1966, the Beatles were "more popular than Jesus." It was intended as a shot at the obsession fans and the media had with the group, but religious groups blasted him for it.
Trump didn't wanna go down that road, and quipped he can't argue with Christ being #1 because he's "not gonna take any chances."
Trump's claimed many times to be a devout Christian and that his favorite book of all time is the Bible ... so it shouldn't come as a surprise that he holds Jesus in such high regard.
Of course, if someone were to ask the President what his favorite story about Jesus is -- or even which testament of the Bible is his fave -- there's a good chance he'd punt on the question.
Not that it matters.
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Ice Cube I'm No Pawn in Trump's Game!!! Biden Can Still Step Up
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Ice Cube's scoffing at the notion he's being used by President Trump to win over Black voters -- he says that's irrelevant to his mission, and he's calling out Joe Biden for balking on joining it.
The rapper and actor joined "TMZ Live" Thursday to address critics who've been attacking him, claiming he went to the "dark side" by teaming with POTUS. On Wednesday, Trump's administration announced Cube was involved in creating its Platinum Plan ... which would pump $500 billion into Black communities and provide better access to education and jobs.
Every side is the Darkside for us here in America. They’re all the same until something changes for us. They all lie and they all cheat but we can’t afford not to negotiate with whoever is in power or our condition in this country will never change. Our justice is bipartisan. https://t.co/xFIXXpOs8B
— Ice Cube (@icecube) October 14, 2020 @icecube
Cube told us his sole focus was getting the administration to adopt elements of his Contract with Black America ... in order to improve Black lives. He insists he is NOT attempting to sway Black votes toward either candidate.
He also points out he's never met with the Prez, but has sat down with members of both parties in an effort to make both "get with the program" ... meaning, his CWBA.
So far, it sounds like one side's been more open to getting with his bipartisan program than the other ... and Cube suggests the Biden campaign's squandering a golden opportunity.
But, Cube claims the Democrats have promised to work with him after the election, so like he says, it all comes down to who you trust.
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Sen. Kamala Harris Staffer, Flight Attendant Have COVID-19 ... Campaign Travel Postponed
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1:30 PM PT -- And now, a crew member on Biden's campaign plane has also tested positive for COVID-19. The campaign determined that crew member was over 50 feet from Biden at all times so "there is no need for the Vice President to quarantine."
Sen. Kamala Harris' campaign travel is grounded for a bit ... after 2 people connected to her campaign tested positive for COVID-19.
The Democratic Vice Presidential nominee has suspended her travel through Sunday after her communications director, Liz Allen, and a non-staff flight crew member on her campaign plane contracted the coronavirus.
The Harris campaign, which learned about the results Wednesday night, added neither the senator nor Joe Biden were in close contact with either of the individuals during the 2 days prior to their positive tests. As a result, they say the candidates don't need to quarantine, but "out of an abundance of caution and in line with our campaign's commitment to the highest levels of precaution, we are canceling Senator Harris' travel through Sunday."
For what it's worth ... the campaign is also canceling Harris' husband Doug Emhoff's travel plan Thursday even though he's taken 3 coronavirus tests since October 8 and all have been negative. They're also contact-tracing to notify everyone who came into contact with the individuals during the potential infection window.
The precautionary measures are a stark contrast to how the White House handled its coronavirus outbreak following the Rose Garden ceremony for Judge Amy Coney Barrett. More than a dozen people, including the President, First Lady Melania Trump and Barron Trump contracted the virus.
Originally published -- 8:05 AM PT
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Kamala Harris Hilarious Reaction to the Pence Fly
Sen. Kamala Harris isn't taking the fly bait from Rachel Maddow ... refusing to talk about the one that camped out on Mike Pence's head for 2 minutes.
The Democratic Vice Presidential nominee tried her darnedest to avoid answering with any substance when the MSNBC host asked her if she noticed the fly on the Veep during last week's debate. Harris succeeded ... if you don't count chuckles as substantial.
Check out the video ... Maddow said she'd be remiss if she didn't ask about it, and the candidate immediately tried to take the high road, but ultimately couldn't contain her laughter. She eventually coughed up an answer, albeit a pretty funny one.
Maddow said everyone at home was staring at Pence's little partner ... which is why she wanted to get Kamala's perspective from the stage.
For the record ... seems everyone noticed BUT the VP. Pence said he had no idea until afterward when his kids razzed him about it. Not sure that answer's gonna fly (sorry, not sorry).
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Tommy Lee If Trump Wins, I'm Outta Here!!! ... 'I Swear to God'
Get ready Greece ... Tommy Lee is moving in, IF President Trump is reelected next month -- but there's strong evidence it's an empty promise.
The Mötley Crüe drummer isn't mincing words when it comes to his feelings on the election, and told London magazine The Big Issue ... "Dude, I swear to god if that happens then I’m coming over to visit the UK. I’m out of here. I’ll go back to my motherland, go back to Greece and get a house on one of the islands."
If ya didn't know, Tommy was born in Greece. Anyway, he thinks our current POTUS is an embarrassment ... as he told the mag, "I feel like people in Europe and the rest of the world look at America and think: 'What the f*** are you guys doing over there? Stop voting for celebrities and get someone real to run the country.'"
If Tommy's threat to emigrate sounds familiar, it's because we heard it ad nauseam 4 years ago.
George Lopez said Trump won't have to worry about immigration because "We'll all go back." Lena Dunham said she'd move to Canada. Ditto for Snoop Dogg. Amy Schumer said she'd pack her bags for Spain. Hell, Cher said she'd move to Jupiter!!!
Of course, you know they're all still here Stateside. Not happily, but they're here.
11/16/17
Remember ... not long after Trump beat Hillary Clinton, WWE superstar Dave Bautista told TMZ Sports he and his family would pack their bags and head to Europe if Trump gets reelected.
Maybe Dave and Tommy will start an ex-pats book club on Mykonos. That would be a sight.
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President Trump Rally Sick, Twisted Song Choice in Iowa ... As State's COVID Cases Rise
President Trump's campaign is pumping "In the Air Tonight" at his Des Moines rally -- where few people are wearing face masks -- and it's in breathtakingly poor taste considering some grim COVID-19 facts.
The song choice comes as the coronavirus is ravaging the state. Iowa has the 4th highest COVID-19 infection rate in the U.S., 61 senior care facilities are reporting outbreaks and it saw 1,180 new cases ... just on Wednesday.
So, hearing the Phil Collins hit -- already an ominous-sounding song -- blaring over the crowd of Trump-supporting, mask-shunning Iowans feels disgustingly grim. CNN's Jim Acosta was doing a live shot from the event as the song played ... and it was surreal to see.
Let's not fool ourselves ... this is NO coincidence.
Trump and his campaign never miss a chance to jab at his haters with their music selections at his rallies. He's definitely heard all the criticism of him holding potential "super-spreader" rallies as COVID cases spike across most of the country.
And, the band played on ...
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Ice Cube Clarifies 'Working' with Trump ... CWBA Got Worked Into His Campaign
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A Trump surrogate is claiming Ice Cube joined forces with the President's campaign to help Black people -- something Cube is now addressing, and not entirely denying.
Cube was forced to respond Wednesday after the Internet went up in flames upon hearing he'd supposedly teamed up with the Trump administration to draft its Platinum Plan, to address issues in the Black community. The plan purportedly dovetails with Cube's own Contract with Black America.
He tweets, "Facts: I put out the CWBA. Both parties contacted me. Dems said we’ll address the CWBA after the election. Trump campaign made some adjustments to their plan after talking to us about the CWBA."
Every side is the Darkside for us here in America. They’re all the same until something changes for us. They all lie and they all cheat but we can’t afford not to negotiate with whoever is in power or our condition in this country will never change. Our justice is bipartisan. https://t.co/xFIXXpOs8B
— Ice Cube (@icecube) October 14, 2020 @icecube
When someone accused him of going over to "the dark side," Cube fired back that all politicians are pretty much on the dark side when it comes to helping African-Americans ... which is his ultimate priority, regardless of who he needs to work with to achieve that.
All this hubbub started when senior Trump advisor Katrina Pierson tweeted what some considered fairly shocking news -- namely, that Cube had "stepped up" to work with the Trump administration to develop DT's "Platinum Plan."
Shoutout to @icecube for his willingness to step up and work with @realDonaldTrump Administration to help develop the #PlatinumPlan
— Katrina Pierson (@KatrinaPierson) October 13, 2020 @KatrinaPierson
ICYMI: https://t.co/V0qOAp0lwR
Leaders gonna lead, haters gonna hate. Thank you for leading! ✊🏾
Trump's plan -- which he first discussed in Atlanta last month -- includes proposals like increasing capital in Black communities by as much as $500 billion and providing better access to equitable education and job opportunities.
While this development might've been a curveball to many, it really isn't that surprising if you've been following Cube's messaging lately -- he pretty much told us right here on "TMZ Live" about a month or so ago that he'd sit down with both parties to flesh out these issues.
Sounds like he followed through on his word ... and that Trump beat Biden and co. to the punch.
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Barron Trump Also Tested Positive for COVID Melania Reveals
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Barron Trump came down with coronavirus when his mom and dad did ... so says the First Lady.
Melania Trump posted an essay Wednesday on the WH site about her personal experience with battling COVID-19, which both she and her husband, Donald, contracted a couple weeks ago. She revealed that their 14-year-old, Barron, actually became infected as well.
She says that as soon as she was diagnosed as positive, her mind immediately went to Barron -- who, to her relief, tested negative at first. However, he came back with a positive shortly thereafter, but since then ... Melania says he too, like his folks, are now COVID-free.
The First Lady writes, "Luckily he is a strong teenager and exhibited no symptoms. In one way I was glad the three of us went through this at the same time so we could take care of one another and spend time together. He has since tested negative."
The White House confirmed Barron's negative test, but appear to have kept any further testing/diagnoses on the low publicly ... until now, that is.
Melania doesn't get into Barron's specific treatment regimen, but she does touch on her own ... which was apparently vastly different than that of POTUS himself, who was admitted to the hospital for a bit and put on a number of medications, some of which are experimental.
She says she mostly stuck to healthy food and vitamins, among other more natural remedies. With that -- not to mention outstanding medical care from Dr. Sean Conley's team -- she was able to kick it successfully, and apparently ... her and Donald's kid was too.
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President Trump Frog in His Throat??? Sounds Awful During Speech
President Trump's voice sounds a little worse for wear, and it could be due to back-to-back rallies to flaunt his post-COVID condition ... or possibly the lingering effects of the virus.
POTUS was addressing the New York Economic Club at The White House Wednesday afternoon when he repeatedly cleared his throat ... and the hoarseness only got worse as he kept talking.
The focus of his message also seemed to worsen as he rambled ... but nothing really new there.
Of course, Trump's latest White House speech follows 2 straight nights of rallies in Pennsylvania and Florida. As we reported ... he held a massive rally in Sanford, FL Monday on the heels of announcing he'd tested negative for coronavirus twice.
During the rally, the Prez made claims he's immune to COVID now, and suggested he'd be down to kiss everyone in the audience. He made similar boasts and remarks Tuesday night in Johnstown, PA ... along with several other baseless claims.
You'll recall ... just over a week ago he struggled to breathe after being released from the hospital and climbing the WH stairs. Now, he's on stage acting like it was no biggie.
Doctors had warned once Trump was off his heavy dose of steroids, he could take a turn for the worse since steroids mask symptoms.
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Judge Amy Coney Barrett Recusal From Election Dispute??? Consider It Considered!!!
Amy Coney Barrett claims she has too much integrity to allow herself to be used as a pawn to get President Trump re-elected ... and she'll consider recusal if an election dispute ends up at SCOTUS.
Judge Barrett just answered some hard-hitting questions from Sen. Chris Coons during Tuesday's confirmation hearing, specifically if she was willing to sit things out if Trump brings a disputed election result to the highest court in the land.
Barrett says she's not being used by Trump -- some say he's rushing her confirmation to get an edge should the election hang in the balance of a Supreme Court ruling -- but she stopped short of a full-on commitment to recuse herself due to appearance of bias.
Judge Barrett would only go as far as to say she would consider all factors relevant to recusal and its statutes... and she even invoked Ruth Bader Ginsburg's name to make her point.
Barrett says she's no pawn, but you're just gonna have to take her word for it for now.
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Donald Trump Attacks Fauci ... Pitching Arm Better than COVID Response
Donald Trump may be playing with fire, because he's now on the attack against America's sacred cow, if you will ... Dr. Anthony Fauci.
Trump just tweeted, "Actually, Tony's pitching arm is far more accurate than his prognostications. 'No problem, no masks' WHO no longer likes Lockdowns -- just came out against it. Trump was right. We saved 2,000,000 USA lives!!!"
Thing is ... as we learned about COVID, Dr. Fauci led the way. Trump did the opposite -- when it became clear masks were, in fact, extremely useful, he undermined it by making it seem it was a sign of weakness. Ditto social distancing. He was even a terrible COVID patient, putting people at risk by leaving the hospital when he clearly shouldn't, going back to The White House when he was COVID positive without a mask, and so on and so on.
What really got Trump's goat ... Fauci called out Trump's campaign for releasing a campaign ad that falsely makes it seem the good Doc is praising Trump's COVID response, when, in fact, he was talking about the Coronavirus Task Force and public health officials. As for rumblings that Trump and Co. may release another Fauci fake endorsement, well Fauci made it clear ... if they dare try, it's on.
In case you don't know ... Fauci's been in the infectious disease game for decades. He was a leader in the fight against AIDS and handled just about every infectious disease crisis we have faced, and without criticism ... until Trump came along.
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Biden Campaign Recruits Battle Rappers in New Ad ... For Pros/Cons of Voting
Joe Biden just found a new, unique way to reach a demographic of voters who might tune out his typical ads -- turning to hip-hop and rap to get out his message.
The Biden-Harris campaign just released a new political spot featuring New York battle rappers Charlie Clips and DNA -- who are incredibly well-known and respected in their craft. Sure enough, both men used their gift of gab and rhyme to hash out the pros and cons of voting ... and to convey what Joe and Kamala say they can do for African-Americans.
Charlie is the disillusioned one ... taking on the role of the on-the-fence voter who's not pleased with this year's choices for President -- like many Americans. DNA's on the other side of things, laying out, in sometimes excruciating detail, why he feels Joe's the better option.
They hit several hot button issues -- Black ownership of businesses, HBCU funding and police reform. We'll say this ... the ad is innovative -- not to mention incredibly well-written as far as bars go. However, it also runs the risk of coming off as pandering ... depending on how people take it.
One thing is clear ... the campaign is trying all sorts of social media outreach -- collabs with The Rock and J. Lo -- to reach voters before Nov. 3.