Politix

President Joe Biden is in L.A. this week to fundraise for his reelection campaign -- but he's also out here spreading the wealth ... including with some Jacksons for the common folk.

JB and a bunch of politicians and Secret Service agents hit up a Mexican restaurant in the Baldwin Hills neighborhood ... where he popped into CJ's Cafe for lunch, although -- we're told he ended up ordering a breakfast item.

A CJ rep tells us Joe had a hankering for a basic breakfast burrito -- complete with ham, eggs and bacon ... and we're told the Prez even ordered an orange juice to wash it down.

He was there with Mayor Karen Bass, BTW, and CJ's tells us she was also feeling eggs for lunch -- going in on a plate of scrambled eggs with cheese, tomatoes and toast. Yes, they're not necessarily Mexican dishes, per se, but hey ... this is what they were in the mood for.

Anyway, we're told Biden and Bass paid separately ... and that their teams took care of their bills with respective credit cards. However, CJ's says Joe left a little something extra for the crew ... namely, a $20 tip which we're told he paid for with cash.

You can actually see him reaching into the old wallet in this photo here ... and his total bill also appears to be on display as well. It was about $30 -- the cost of grub in this economy!

And yes ... a bunch of people there in the restaurant were eager to snap some pics with Joey -- and he happily obliged, including photos with the managers/owners of the joint.

And no, believe it or not ... we're told CJ's wasn't shut down for this spontaneous pop-in.

POTUS left after eating, and he went on to deliver a speech at a local library. He was hobnobbing around L.A. all morning -- and best believe he had a bunch of cops tailing him just about everywhere he went ... including his own motorcade, complete with a Secret Service detail.

Word is, Joe's gonna jet on up to San Francisco later today ... and his Cali tour should come to an end by Thursday before he heads back to D.C. to get back to the people's business.

Pretty cool seeing him in the City of Angels ... pretty surreal too, if we're being honest. We see a lot of celebs around here -- but when Joe's in town ... the streets tend to shut down!

President Biden nearly fell boarding Air Force One this week -- a bit surprising since he took a shorter flight of stairs ... confirming a report that that's what his staff has him doing now.

Joe was getting on the famed aircraft Tuesday as he was getting ready to leave D.C. for California -- where he'll be in town for a few days as he fundraises for his reelection campaign ... but as we've seen before, he had somewhat of a hard time climbing aboard.

Check it out ... you can see JB make his way up a shorter staircase into a different part of the plane -- which is much lower to the ground than the usual entrance he might take -- but even here, the Prez struggles a bit ... jolting forward a couple times as he catches himself.

Luckily, he didn't fall here -- as he has in the past -- but it was a little jarring. Even more surprising is the fact that a Secret Service agent was stationed at the bottom of the stairs ... keeping a watchful eye on his boss. We've been seeing this more lately with Joe.

It's interesting ... the agent at the bottom of the (shorter) stairs is something the NYT reported on earlier this month -- part of a new strategy in managing/shielding Biden.

Worth noting ... Donald Trump would also use the shorter stairs at times during bad weather, but now -- it seems Joe taking the shorter stairs with someone monitoring him from behind is the new norm. Even here though -- it seems like a potential fall is still in the mix.

It goes without saying ... these concerns have been mounting -- namely, ones about his age/fitness for office. It's something he's swatted away time and again ... but folks are talkin'.

Also worth noting ... this ain't the first time Joe has fallen during his presidency. He's taken some nasty tumbles before -- including while boarding Air Force One.

Tom Sandoval aparentemente piensa que su escandaloso engaño del año pasado es comparable a otros grandes momentos de la cultura pop, como la muerte de George Floyd, o el caso de asesinato de O.J. Simpson.

La estrella del reality show "Vanderpump Rules" hizo la impresionante comparación en un nuevo perfil del New York Times, donde le preguntaron por qué cree que el llamado Scandoval causó tanto ruido en 2023, cuando el mundo se enteró de que había engañado a su novia de mucho tiempo Ariana Madix.

Aunque Scandoval definitivamente fue algo icónico, Tom parece pensar que trascendió las cosas hasta el punto de elevarlo a la muerte de George Floyd o el caso de O.J. 

Esto es lo que dijo: "No soy historiador de la cultura pop, pero fui testigo del caso de O.J. Simpson y George Floyd y todas estas cosas grandes, aunque es extraño compararlas conmigo, ¿no crees que de una manera extraña es un poco lo mismo?".

El escritor de esta pieza trata de prestarle un poco de gracia, diciendo: "Creo que sabía lo que quería decir. Intentaba expresar la extrañeza de convertirse en el centro simbólico de una discusión nacional y una noticia importante; lo que comunicó, en cambio, fue algo más honesto, que es hasta qué punto la experiencia le había hecho perder la perspectiva".

En esta entrevista hay otra cita alocada en la que se compara con una estrella de "That 70's Show" que está en la cárcel. Tom dice: "Siento que tengo más odio que Danny Masterson, y él es un violador convicto".

Hay otro momento revelador en la entrevista cuando Tom explica sus razones para engañar a Ariana con Rachel Leviss. Es bastante franco al respecto y directo también.

Tom dice: "Hice lo que hice porque estaba en un momento infeliz de mi vida. Me dejé llevar por mis emociones y me enamoré completamente. De verdad". Tom aparentemente se levantó y subió a su habitación después de esto para prepararse para salir.

2:52 PM PT -- Tom Sandoval just addressed the backlash he's been getting for his remarks about George Floyd and O.J. Simpson ... and he's apologizing, while also clearing the air.

He writes, "My intentions behind the comments I made in New York Times Magazine were to explain the level of national media attention my affair received. The comparison was inappropriate and ignorant. I'm incredibly sorry and embarrassed."

Tom Sandoval apparently thinks his cheating scandal last year was comparable to huge moments in pop culture ... like George Floyd's death, or the O.J. Simpson murder case.

The "Vanderpump Rules" reality star made the stunning comparison in a new New York Times profile -- where he was asked why he thought the so-called Scandoval got as big as it did in 2023 ... when he was revealed to have cheated on his longtime girlfriend, Ariana Madix.

While Scandoval was definitely a major moment ... TS seems to think it transcended things to the point that it elevated to a George Floyd moment, or an O.J. one. Yes, seriously.

Here's what he said ... "I’m not a pop-culture historian really but I witnessed the O.J. Simpson thing and George Floyd and all these big things, which is really weird to compare this to that, I think, but do you think in a weird way it’s a little bit the same?"

The writer of this piece tries to lend him some grace, saying ... "I think I knew what he meant. He was trying to express the oddity of becoming the symbolic center of a nationwide discussion and a major news story; what he communicated instead was something more honest, which is just how much the experience had made him lose perspective."

There was another wild quote in this interview, where he likens himself to a now-disgraced "That 70's Show" star who's in prison. Tom says, "I feel like I got more hate than Danny Masterson, and he’s a convicted rapist."

There's another telling moment in the interview ... where Tom explains his rationale for cheating on Ariana with Rachel Leviss. He's pretty blunt about it and straightforward too.

Tom says, "I did what I did because I was in an unhappy place in my life. I got caught up in my emotions and fully fell in love. Like, for real." Tom apparently got up and went up to his room after this to get ready to go out.

His PR assistant is also quoted as saying ...  "Sometimes he says too much."

We covered it all on the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

Jon Stewart defendió sus críticas a Joe Biden en el monólogo de apertura que hizo en su regreso a "Daily Show" y también se burló de todos los que se sorprendieron con ellas.

En su segundo programa tras su retorno a la serie de Comedy Central el lunes por la noche, Jon Stewart logró reírse de incluso los mensajes más salvajes en línea, señalando que los que están en X se ponen nerviosos por cualquier cosa. Incluso les dijo que "se fueran a la mierda". Así que sí, no está exactamente lloriqueando por la crítica.

La ex estrella de MSNBC Keith Olbermann y Mary L. Trump se sintieron particularmente ofendidos por la burla de Stewart a Biden y Donald Trump, esta última incluso lo etiquetó como "un potencial peligro para la democracia", como se ve en los tweets que aparecen en la pantalla.

Pero Jon Stewart respondió furioso en su monólogo: "¡Fue un pu** programa! Fue solo un pu** programa. Fueron 20 minutos. Hice 20 minutos en un pu** programa. Pero supongo que como dice el famoso refrán: "La democracia muere en la discusión'".

Concluyó sarcásticamente: "Nunca fue mi intención decir en voz alta lo que vi con mis ojos y luego con mi mente. Puedo hacerlo mejor".

Como se acordarán, Jon Stewart marcó su regreso a "Daily Show" discutiendo las próximas elecciones de 2024, en particular, su mordaz comentario apuntó a la edad y el estado mental del Presidente de Estados Unidos.

El oponente de Biden tampoco se libró tan fácilmente. Trump fue criticado por ser incapaz de recordar cosas básicas, lo que es un rasgo bastante clave si vas a dirigir un país.

Jon Stewart is standing by his roasting of Joe Biden in the opening monologue for his 'Daily Show' return last week ... while also mocking everyone who clutched their pearls.

In his second show back for the Comedy Central series Monday night, JS managed to find humor in even the most savage of online messages ... noting that those on X get worked up on anything at the drop of a dime -- even telling labradoodles to "go f*** themselves." So yeah, he's not exactly gonna be crying over the criticism.

Ex-MSNBC star Keith Olbermann and Mary L. Trump particularly took offense to Stewart's roasting of Biden and Donald Trump -- the latter even going as far as to label him "a potential disaster for democracy" as seen in the tweets displayed on the screen.

But JS fired back at the absurdity of the outrage surrounding his monologue ... "It was one f***ing show! It was just one f***ing show! It was 20 minutes. I did 20 minutes in one f***ing show! But I guess, as the famous saying goes: 'Democracy dies in discussion.'"

He sarcastically concluded ... "It was never my intention to say out loud what I saw with my eyes and then brain. I can do better!"

You'll recall ... JS marked his 'DS' return by discussing the upcoming 2024 election -- in particular, his biting commentary was aimed at POTUS' age and mental state.

JB's opponent wasn't let off the hook so easily -- Trump was also roasted for being unable to remember basic stuff ... which is a pretty key trait to have if you're running the country.

Una estatua de Amy Winehouse en Londres ha sido pintarrajeada. Unos manifestantes han cubierto el collar con la estrella de David de la estatua con una bandera palestina, lo que ha causado indignación entre algunos, pero no necesariamente en su propia familia.

Manifestantes pro-Palestina mancillaron la estatua de la difunta cantante el fin de semana durante una protesta masiva en Londres, donde alguien colocó una pegatina de la bandera palestina en la imagen de Amy.

En la estatua aparece Amy con un collar de la estrella de David, símbolo de la identidad judía y del judaísmo, y la pegatina de la bandera de Palestina tapó el colgante. Amy era británica y judía.

Naturalmente, Internet está indignado, con la gente llamando al vandalismo vergonzoso, repugnante y antisemita.

Mitch Winehouse -el padre de Amy y administrador de su patrimonio- sin embargo, está dando una respuesta más comedida, diciendole a TMZ: "No es muy agradable, pero era solo una pegatina".

La estatua de bronce de Amy en el mercado londinense de Camden fue inaugurada en 2014, un par de años después de su muerte en 2011, y los fans suelen dejar flores para presentar sus respetos.

Joe Biden ha indultado a un montón de gente durante su presidencia, y resulta que a uno de sus antepasados le concedió clemencia nada menos que Abraham Lincoln.

WaPo desenterró viejos documentos en los Archivos Nacionales que muestran que el tatarabuelo de Biden -Moses J. Robinette- recibió un perdón a mediados de 1860, esto después de que él se metiera en una pelea con un compañero de trabajo del Ejército de la Unión que lo llevó a la cárcel.

Esto es lo que pasó: Moisés estaba trabajando como veterinario civil para el Ejército de EE.UU. durante la Guerra Civil, y mientras estuvo en el Ejército del campamento de invierno del Potomac en la primavera de 1864, se metió en una pelea con otro compañero.

Resumiendo, John J. Alexander -un jefe de brigada de carros- al parecer oyó al abuelo de Joe hablándole mal de él a la cocinera en una de las tiendas y se enfrentaron en el acto, lo que llevó a una discusión y finalmente una pelea.

Durante la pelea, Moses fue acusado de sacar su navaja y apuñalar a John, ya que quedó con heridas sangrantes. Pronto llegaron las autoridades para comprobarlo.

Moses terminó siendo acusado de intento de asesinato, pero durante el juicio, ese cargo terminó siendo retirado. De todas formas fue condenado por otros cargos, incluyendo asalto, "incitar a una pelea peligrosa" y "violar el buen orden y la disciplina militar".

Una transcripción de su juicio cita a Moses diciendo: "Todo lo que he hecho fue en defensa propia, no tenía malicia hacia el Sr. Alexander antes o después. Me agarró y posiblemente podría haberme herido gravemente si no hubiera recurrido a los medios que recurrí".

Acabó siendo declarado culpable de todos los cargos -menos el de intento de asesinato- y fue condenado a dos años de prisión con trabajos forzados. Una vez que finalmente averiguaron dónde enviarlo, Moses fue enviado a las islas Dry Tortugas cerca de Key West, Florida.

Una vez allí, otros oficiales del ejército que conocían a Moses escribieron una carta en su defensa que se abrió camino y finalmente aterrizó en el escritorio de Lincoln. Este revisó el caso y decidió que el castigo impuesto a Moses era demasiado severo... y lo indultó.

An Amy Winehouse statue in London has been defaced -- with protestors covering up the statue's Star of David necklace with a Palestinian flag, causing outrage among some ... but not necessarily in her own family.

Pro-Palestine demonstrators besmirched the late singer's statue over the weekend during a massive protest in London ... with someone placing a sticker of the Palestinian flag on Amy's likeness.

The statue features Amy wearing a Star of David necklace, a symbol of Jewish identity and Judaism, and the Palestine flag sticker covered up the pendant. Amy was British and Jewish.

Naturally, the internet is outraged ... with folks calling the vandalism disgraceful, revolting and antisemitic.

Mitch Winehouse -- Amy's dad and the administrator of her estate -- however is taking a more measured response, telling TMZ ... "It's not very nice but it was just a sticker."

Amy's bronze statue in London's Camden Market was unveiled in 2014, a couple years after her 2011 death, and fans often leave flowers to pay their respects.

Joe Biden's pardoned a bunch of folks during his presidency, and as it turns out -- one of his own ancestors was granted mercy by none other than Abraham Lincoln way back when.

WaPo dug up old documents in the National Archives which show that POTUS's great-great-grandfather, Moses J. Robinette, received a pardon by Honest Abe back in the mid-1860s ... this after he got into a fight with a fellow Union Army worker that landed him in jail.

Here's what happened, per ancient history ... Moses was working as a civilian veterinary surgeon for the U.S. Army during the Civil War -- and while he was stationed at the Army of the Potomac's winter camp in Spring 1864, he got into a brawl with another fella.

Long story short ... John J. Alexander -- a brigade wagon master -- apparently overheard Joe's grandad talking s*** about him to the female cook in one of the tents, and he confronted him on the spot -- which led to an argument and eventually a scuffle.

During the fight, Moses was accused of pulling his pocketknife and stabbing John -- as he was left bleeding from several cuts in the aftermath. Soon, authorities arrived to check in.

Moses ended up getting charged with attempted murder -- but during the trial ... that charge ended up being dropped --- although he was convicted on other charges, including assault, "inciting a dangerous quarrel" and "violating good order and military discipline."

A transcript of his trial quotes Moses as saying ... "[W]hatever I have done was done in self defence, that I had no malice towards Mr. Alexander before or since. He grabbed me and possibly might have injured me seriously had I not resorted to the means that I did."

He ended up getting convicted on all counts -- minus the attempted murder -- and he was sentenced to two years incarceration at hard labor. Once they finally figured out where to send him, Moses was shipped to the Dry Tortugas islands near Key West, FL.

Once he was there, other army officers who knew Moses wrote a letter in his defense -- and that worked its way up the channels and eventually landed on Lincoln's desk. He reviewed the case and decided Moses' punishment was way too harsh ... and pardoned him.

There's a piece of Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy on the market ... a book he inscribed to a nurse who helped save his life following an assassination attempt.

MLK signed a copy of his book, "Stride Toward Freedom," and wrote a personalized note to Gwen Brown, thanking her for caring for him at Harlem Hospital after his 1958 stabbing.

The autographed copy is going up for sale over at Moments In Time ... with a $35,000 price tag.

MLK was actually at a book signing for this very book at Blumstein's Department Store in Harlem when Izola Ware Curry approached him and stabbed him in the chest with a steel letter opener.

The stab wound was so close to MLK's aorta he would have died if he sneezed or coughed on his way to the hospital. With Gwen's help, MLK made a full recovery.

MLK's note to Gwen reads ... "With best wishes and genuine appreciation for the attention you gave me as one of my nurses while I recuperated at Harlem Hospital."

Hay un pedazo del legado de Martin Luther King Jr. en el mercado. Hablamos de un libro dedicado a una enfermera que lo ayudó a salvar su vida después de un intento de asesinato.

MLK firmó una copia de su libro, "Stride Toward Freedom", y le escribió una nota personalizada a Gwen Brown, dándole las gracias por cuidar de él en el Hospital de Harlem después de su apuñalamiento 1958.

La copia autografiada está a la venta en Moments In Time, con una etiqueta de precio de $35.000.

MLK estaba en una firma de libros para este mismo libro en los grandes almacenes de Blumstein en Harlem, cuando Izola Ware Curry se acercó a él y lo apuñaló en el pecho con un abridor de cartas de acero.

La puñalada estaba tan cerca de la aorta que MLK habría muerto si hubiera estornudado o tosido de camino al hospital. Con la ayuda de Gwen, MLK se recuperó completamente.

La nota de MLK a Gwen dice: "Con mis mejores deseos y genuino agradecimiento por la atención que me diste como una de mis enfermeras mientras me recuperaba en el Hospital de Harlem".

Donald Trump está haciendo un movimiento a lo Michael Jordan, porque ahora está vendiendo zapatillas, presumiblemente para pagar lo que hasta ahora asciende a un total de 500 millones de dólares en juicios.

Trump anunció la línea de zapatillas el sábado, bajo el apodo, "Trump Sneakers". Él los está llamando el "NEVER SURRENDER HIGH-TOP SNEAKER" con un precio de $399.

Trump afirma que ha tenido la idea durante más de 10 años, pero es una gran coincidencia que se diera a conocer un día después de que se le ordenó pagar $355M por la manipulación de los libros de su empresa.

Solo se venderán 1.000 pares, así que no le servirá realmente para salir de sus problemas financieros.

Trump hizo el anuncio el sábado en Sneaker Con. Las zapatillas llevan una "T" y un "45" estampados. Y está vendiendo una colonia y un perfume a 99 dólares cada uno.

La empresa que está vendiendo los artículos es CIC Ventures LLC. No parece ser parte del imperio de Trump, ya que el juez dijo que Trump no puede hacer negocios en su empresa con sede en Nueva York durante tres años.

A propósito, si Trump está pensando en elegir a RFK Jr. como su compañero, debería pensarlo mejor. RFK y su esposa -Cheryl Hines- dejaron claro en "TMZ Live" que eso no va a suceder.

Una cosa más, Trump le respondió enfurecido a la gente en redes sociales respecto a unas imágenes que están dando vueltas en las que aparece mostrando una barriga prominente, alegando que la foto era una falsificación generada por A.I.

Donald Trump is hoping for a Michael Jordan moment because he's now selling sneakers ... presumably to pay off what is now amounting to a total of half a billion in judgments.

Trump announced the sneaker line Saturday ... under the moniker, "Trump Sneakers." He's calling them the "NEVER SURRENDER HIGH-TOP SNEAKER" with a price tag of $399.

Trump claims he's had the idea for more than 10 years, but it's pretty coincidental the kicks were unveiled a day after he was ordered to pay $355M for cooking the books of his company.

There are only 1,000 pairs being sold, so it won't come close to digging him out of the financial hole.

Trump made the announcement Saturday at Sneaker Con. The sneakers have a "T" and a "45" emblazoned on them.  And he's selling cologne and perfume at $99 a pop.

BTW ... the company that's selling the items is CIC Ventures LLC. It doesn't appear to be part of the Trump org, which would be problematic since the judge in the case said Trump can't do business in his New York-based company for 3 years.

BTW ... if he's thinking of picking RFK Jr. as his running mate, he should think again. RFK and his wife, Cheryl Hines made it clear on "TMZ Live" Friday that's not gonna happen.

And one more thing ... Trump launched on folks on social media for images of him they were using with belly in full display ... claiming the pic was a fake -- generated by A.I.

George Santos is suing Jimmy Kimmel for using personalized Cameo videos on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" ... TMZ has learned.

According to court documents filed Saturday ... the former member of the House of Representatives is suing Kimmel, ABC, and The Walt Disney Company -- alleging they violated copyright law by broadcasting his Cameo videos on Jimmy's show.

Here's the deal ... back in December, Kimmel aired several segments on his show where he shared videos he solicited from Santos. One showed Santos congratulating someone on winning a beef-eating contest, and another congratulating someone on cloning their dog.

Santos is claiming broadcasting these violated Cameo's terms of service ... alleging the types of licenses users receive when purchasing a cameo does not allow a user to broadcast them nationally.

They're also claiming Cameo's terms of service clearly state that all videos are "wholly owned" by the creator ... in this case, Santos.

Santos alleges that Kimmel violated copyright law by using five Cameo videos on his show. He's also suing for fraudulent inducement ... claiming Jimmy used fake profiles and personas to trick Santos into making the videos.

He's suing Kimmel, ABC, and Disney for damages and attorneys' fees.

Bill Maher is f***ing sick of Republicans and Democrats who reflexively villainize everyone with whom they disagree ... and he's got receipts of how stupid hard-core partisans have become.

For starters, the far right is trying to sell a story that Biden has destroyed America. Rep. Nancy Mace said since Joe Biden took office America has become a raging "s*** show." Bill concedes he wouldn't pick Joe as his "Squid Games" partner, but he says it's actually Nancy who's full of s*** when you look at the facts.

Fact is, the 'Real Time' host says Biden's not perfect by any stretch, but he's done a lot of good.

The funniest thing ... he points to Rep. Lauren Boebert who grouses we are now dependent on Saudi oil. Not true, BM says, and warns her not to jerk him off!

On the other side, people who don't like Ron DeSantis say he's worse than Donald Trump. Bill shows that just not true, even if you strongly disagree with his views.

The real point ... mindless partisanship. If you disagree with someone, then they're the worst people who ever lived. There's no good in them ... just evil. And that's why the largest voting block these days is independents, because they're sick of the tribalism.

And the media plays right into this. Cable networks find no good in the people with whom they disagree, and no bad in the people they embrace. And cable networks aren't alone.