White House

Joe Biden was so pumped America was able to pull out the win in the World Cup on Tuesday -- he straight-up led an old-fashioned "U-S-A!" chant at a political event!!

POTUS was out in Michigan while the must-win game against Iran was going down in Qatar ... and after the 1-0 contest ended, he grabbed the mic to gloat to the room.

Audio issues missed the first part of his impromptu winner's speech -- but it all clicked on just in time to hear him egg on a pro-U.S. shout.

"That's a big game man!" Biden said as the "U-S-A!" chants rang out in the room. "When I spoke to the coach and the players, I said, 'You can do this!' and they said, 'Ahh' -- they did it!"

"God love 'em!"

Back home in D.C., meanwhile, those still at the White House made sure they were showing love to the USMNT ... posting a "Go Team USA!" sign out in the yard.

As for the on-the-pitch action ... U.S. had to win the game over Iran in order to advance out of the group stage -- and after Christian Pulisic scored a goal late in the first half, they held on long enough to do just that.

Up next is the Netherlands on Saturday -- and the U.S. is already being billed as a HUGE  underdog in the game.

President Biden's recruiting the best for a huge honor -- Jon Batiste will perform at the administration's very first White House state Dinner.

The black-tie affair will go down Thursday ... and the night is all about putting a spotlight on the United States' tight relationship with France, as well as honoring French President Emmanuel Macron.

Sure, Batiste's name will make Macron feel at home ... but he's also the current holder of the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, so even more fitting he's being tapped for this gig.

Of course, performing at the WH is no small deed ... and Jon Batiste will be joining a special list of entertainers to do so.

Some past celebs to perform for the Prez include Whitney Houston, Elton John and Mary J. Blige ... just to name a few.

As for Jon, a spokesperson for the First Lady, whose office is overseeing the event, sang his praises, saying ... "An artist who transcends generations, Jon Batiste's music inspires and brings people together."

JB might not be a big Billboard hitmaker, but he's a decorated Jack of many trades -- recording artist, bandleader, film composer, museum creative director and scion of New Orleans musical royalty.

Oh yeah, and he took home 5 Grammys earlier this year alone, including that big one for his "We Are" album.

Ron DeSantis just got a major endorsement from the world's richest man.

Elon Musk says he's throwing his considerable support behind DeSantis if the Florida governor decides to run for President in 2024. Elon's message was an obvious slap in the face to Donald Trump, who recently announced his candidacy to win back the White House.

Musk started the ball rolling Friday night when he responded to a question from a Twitter user, asking if he would back DeSantis. The new Twitter CEO simply stated, "Yes. But Twitter as a platform must be fair to all.”

Elon later posted another tweet ... “As a reminder, I was a significant supporter of the Obama-Biden presidency and (reluctantly) voted for Biden over Trump. My preference for the 2024 presidency is someone sensible and centrist. I had hoped that would [be] the case for the Biden administration, but have been disappointed so far.”

It's interesting ... Musk claims he's not a conservative ... but he directed his millions of Twitter followers to vote Republican in the last midterm elections. He has also come under attack from Democrats, including President Biden, who has asked the Justice Department to investigate Elon's foreign business practices.

Meanwhile ... DeSantis has shown Elon some love, too, publicly praising Musk for giving his Starlink internet satellite technology to Ukraine in its war against Russia. Elon was blasted on social media after he toyed with the idea of stopping the free-of-charge service, which was costing him a fortune.

Donald Trump is no longer persona non grata on the bird app ... all thanks to Elon Musk, who just made the decision to bring him back into the fold.

The announcement was made Saturday by EM himself, who wrote ... "The people have spoken. Trump will be reinstated. Vox Populi, Vox Dei." He also linked to the results of a poll he posted Friday, which posed the question of whether DT should be allowed to return.

The results were pretty close, but ended up being in favor of letting Trump back on Twitter ... with 51.8% of the more than 15 million people who voted saying "Yes." 48.2% were opposed.

Elon was pretty impressed by the numbers on his own question ... saying earlier in the day that it was fascinating to see the results pour in, and later noting that at least 134 million had viewed the poll -- seemingly referencing some internal data he has access to.

Now, while Trump's account is, in fact, accessible again to the public -- this after being nothing but a blank page for well over a year now after being permanently banned post-Jan. 6 -- it doesn't appear Trump has tweeted anything yet ... and possibly might not at all.

Reports say he was quoted on Truth Social last month, saying he was going to stick to his own platform and that he was done with Twitter ... even amid the prospect of EM ownership.

His last public tweet dates back Jan. 8. Interestingly, DT's follower count took a nose-dive into the hundreds of thousands, but it's steadily climbing right now. Trump was once one of the most followed Twitter accounts at his peak, and "the people" clearly want him back.

D.L. Hughley says Donald Trump is well on his way to losing yet another election, all while destroying the Republican party in the process.

We got the comedian at LAX ... just a couple hours before Trump stepped up to the mics at Mar-a-Lago to announce he will, as anticipated, run for President in 2024.

While Trump's West Palm Beach home was surrounded by passionate supporters waiting to hear him launch his campaign ... D.L. was thanking them for backing the former prez, because he thinks Trump is leading the GOP down a road to destruction.

D.L. clowned Trump for seeing almost all of his hand-picked candidates go down in flames in the midterms, and for losing the popular vote in the last 2 general elections. Republicans would call that 2nd part a petty point -- the fact is, we still select presidents using the electoral college.

That aside, he says the GOP is insane to think Trump can win the White House again -- and he does believe Trump will bully the party into giving him the nomination.

If, for some reason, they backed someone else, like Ron DeSantis, D.L. thinks Trump would take the whole party down with him. Think Jan. 6th, but just for the GOP this time.

He did say there is one way Trump could be removed from the race -- but he thinks it's highly unlikely to happen.

Donald Trump is becoming public enemy #1 in the Republican Party after being blamed for the midterm election results -- but Jon Voight's sticking by him ... for whatever that's worth.

The actor posted a new video Sunday addressed to the American people ... and it's pretty ominous. He decries the wins Democrats secured and suggests there's malfeasance afoot -- echoing false election denial claims propagated by the ex-Prez and his staunch supporters.

JV is one of those diehards, it seems, because he says DT is the only one who can restore truth and justice in this country again ... and he says that'll happen when he's back in office.

FWIW, Trump hasn't officially announced he's running for President again in 2024 -- but has stopped short of saying it for well over a year now. He's also got some big announcement on Tuesday ... which may, in fact, be him throwing his hat in the ring once more.

It's a little weird to see just how down the rabbit hole Jon finds himself -- he talks about a looming third world war, linking it to our domestic politics. His whole speech here is strange.

Regardless of what Trump and his holdout cronies might say ... the voters are making their voices heard at the ballot box. Thus far, Dems will retain control of the Senate -- and even though the House might go to Republicans, it'll probably be a slim majority.

Tiffany Trump seems ready to say "I do" in her dad's backyard this weekend -- and the ex-Prez was on hand to see his daughter through it to the end ... looking spiffy, no less.

Donald's second youngest was in her bridal gown Saturday, with all her bridesmaids standing at the altar as the nuptials looked to be getting underway at Mar-a-Lago ... apparently, they went with a blue motif, as you can see in Ivanka's dress.

Of course, DT himself was front and center as well ... standing next to Tiff down below, and naturally the dude was wearing a tux. Pretty standard wedding attire, no real surprises.

It's been a busy 24 hours there ... a wedding rehearsal has been underway, and Trump's been flashing his signature thumbs up in pretty much every photo. He even posed with his ex, Marla Maples, and his current wife, Melania, at the same time. Rare to see!

No sign of the groom, Michael Boulos, just yet -- but we imagine if Tiffany's out there all in white ... the actual ceremony is probably about to happen pretty soon. Good news for the Trumps, BTW -- it looks like the tropical storm that was due to make landfall is a nonissue.

As we reported ... Tiffany was granted a wedding license earlier this week, and now -- it looks like she's about to make good on it. They've been together since 2018, and got engaged in the Winter of 2021. She's the latest to get hitched in the Trump crew.

Mike Pence got hit with a simple question -- if Trump's the nominee, would his former Veep vote for him? -- there are 2 ways to interpret his answer, and one is shocking!

Pence gave a speech at Georgetown University Wednesday about what's in store for conservatism in America.

Someone in the crowd asked how he'd cast his vote in 2024 if Trump gets the nod from Republicans. There was immediate laughter and Pence paused for a few seconds.

He said, "There might be somebody else I'd prefer more."

Now, you could view his answer as a hope and a prayer Trump doesn't get the nom ... especially since Pence seems like he'll be running for Prez.

But, the question isn't who should get the Republican nomination ... it's would you vote for Trump in the general election if HE gets the nom. So, to be literal, Pence is saying he might vote for the Democratic nominee over Trump.

President Biden has no problem playing America's grandpa on the drop of a dime, it seems -- he dished out sage, unsolicited advice to a young lady ... about who and when to date.

JB was in Irvine, CA Friday for an event where he was touting his administration's policies and plans to lower inflation, etc. After he wrapped, he posed for a photo with a teen and her mom in the crowd -- only to pass on some whispered wisdom straight into her ear.

The rec from POTUS ... "No serious guys 'til you're 30." He says he's told his own daughters/granddaughters this, and apparently felt compelled to pass it on. The teen awkwardly chuckles and says "OK" -- and when her ma asks what he said, he repeats it.

The mother says she'll keep that in mind and they all just laugh it off. Pretty soon, you see a Secret Service agent reaching for the man who's filming, apparently trying to shut it down.

Unfortunately, the Prez has a history of getting a little too close and handsy for comfort -- there are several photos of him leaning in and grabbing a hold of people ... including kids.

He always seems to mean well with his affection, but it hasn't sat very well with a lot of people ... especially as it pertains to women. Joe's denied ever being intentionally inappropriate -- this despite a lot of scrutiny he's been met with over the years for this.

Nancy Pelosi's down to throw hands with Donald Trump ... that's what she angrily declared in the middle of the January 6th insurrection when the President wouldn't call off the rioters.

CNN obtained this new video shot inside the Capitol that day as Pelosi's Chief of Staff tells her Trump won't show face to turn back the angry mob because Secret Service didn't have the resources to protect him.

The Speaker of the House wasn't having it, and yelled ... "I'm gonna punch him out, and I'm gonna go to jail and I'm gonna be happy."

It sounds like Pelosi had been looking for an excuse to get physical with Trump and, in her rage, felt like she'd finally have one if he came down there.

President Biden's decision to pardon all federal prisoners convicted of simple marijuana possession is sitting very well with rappers like Wiz Khalifa ... who tells us he hopes it's just the first step towards more pro-weed legislation.

Referring to Biden's announcement, Wiz tells TMZ Hip Hop ... “It’s awesome to see things are moving in the right direction. Cannabis laws have negatively impacted people for way too long.”

The Prez outlined his plan for marijuana reform this week ... speaking to that negative impact, and there's widespread hope that the next move could be federal decriminalization of cannabis ... if not outright legalization.

Outside of Snoop Dogg, Wiz is arguably rap music's smokiest cat ... and has been perfecting his own Khalifa Kush brand for some time now.

In addition to his KK and Khalifa Mints strains, he also sells supported merch and delves heavily into the art of cannabinoid science ... through hits of a Taylor Gang-branded, gravity-infused bong!!!

The White House says the Justice Department is actively working to make legalization a reality, but has yet to reveal any sort of timetable.

Trevor Noah has just rocked cable news and news itself ... he's leaving his gig on Comedy Central.

Trevor made the announcement Thursday, telling the audience his 7-year tenure is coming to an end ... and he made the announcement on his 7-year anniversary.

A Comedy Central source tells TMZ ... his decision has to do with his schedule, which is hardcore crazy ... and it's just too much of a grind for him to do a daily show.

Comedy Central says, "We are grateful to Trevor for our amazing partnership over the past seven years. As we look ahead, we're excited for the next chapter in the 25+ year history of 'The Daily Show.'"

It's unclear when Trevor will leave the show ... our Comedy Central source says Trevor and the CC team are working together on "a timeline for his departure."

TN has hosted "The Daily Show" since 2015, taking over for longtime host Jon Stewart on the satirical news program.

During his time as host, Trevor won a Primetime Emmy Award ... and was nominated for a bunch of other awards.

In 2017, Trevor extended his contract with Comedy Central through 2022 ... and now he's leaving altogether.

It will be interesting to see who Comedy Central tabs as the next 'Daily Show' host ... but one thing is for sure, they will have some big shoes to fill.

Some of Donald Trump's cronies were dead set on contesting the 2020 election results long before the polls closed -- so much so, Roger Stone boldly advocated for violence on camera.

CNN obtained a clip from Danish documentary filmmakers, and one excerpt -- which was also shared with the Jan. 6 House Committee -- shows Stone interacting with people and openly calling for ditching election protocols (like vote counting) and throwing punches.

One line from him is telling ... "F*** the voting, let's get right to the violence." He goes on to say they should "shoot to kill" if they see Antifa members. This was reportedly recorded the day before the election in November, and it's part of a movie called 'A Storm Foretold.'

Another clip shows Stone talking to 2 guys and saying he suspects the election results will be "up in the air," and then says regardless of who wins ... they should declare victory early, even if it's not true. He's obviously talking about his longtime pal, Trump.

Stone says possession is "nine-tenths of the law" -- not a fact, but whatever -- and goes on to act out a near-future scenario where he's telling opponents Trump actually won -- with some colorful language to boot.

Like we said, this clip (and others apparently) were handed over to Congress ... and this stuff might well be discussed during the final public Jan. 6 hearing on Wednesday.

Turns out, Stone's game plan was embraced by Trump ... who insisted the election results were rigged and is still refusing to accept them.

As for this November 2020 footage, Stone denied it was a smoking gun -- saying he felt it was severely edited and illegally released. He also added ... "How ironic that Kim Kardashian and I are both subjected to computer-manipulated videos on the same day."

Elton John's performing at the White House for a TV special ... and a packed house, including celebs, is on hand to see the Rocket Man.

The rock icon says playing the South Lawn at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. is the coolest venue in his career, calling it the "icing on the cake" ... and he started his set with his hit, "Your Song."

Elton told the crowd it felt wonderful to be among so many folks who have supported his AIDS foundation over the years ... then went to work on the piano.

Billie Jean King was in the house ... and the political power players included President Biden, Jill Biden, Pete Buttigieg and Nancy Pelosi, among others.

The White House streamed opening remarks from Elton, plus his first song before cutting out ... the rest of his performance will air at a later date as a TV special on A&E Networks.

Donald Trump's legal headaches keep piling up and now he has another one ... the special master in his classified documents case just ordered 45 to prove his assertion FBI agents may have planted evidence at Mar-a-Lago.

Court-appointed Special Master Raymond Dearie has requested that DT put his money where his mouth is. In a filing Thursday, Judge Dearie ordered Trump to submit a sworn declaration itemizing “inventory” of materials seized from his Palm Beach, FL estate that were NOT actually recovered during the FBI search. In other words, Dearie is calling DT's bluff about the FBI's alleged shenanigans.

You may recall Trump went ballistic after the feds raided Mar-a-Lago on August 8 and carted off more than 11,000 sensitive government docs the former president had allegedly swiped from the White House.

Trump fired off a message on his social media platform, suggesting FBI agents did something sketchy during their Mar-a-Lago search. "Planting information anyone?," Trump asked. He also went on Sean Hannity's show this week and insinuated the feds had dropped evidence "into those piles" of secret documents taken from his resort. Even his lawyers have gotten into the action by hinting the feds were up to no good that day.

But, not one of them has coughed up a shred of evidence to support their incendiary claims.

Speaking of unsubstantiated claims ... Trump told Hannity that as President he had the ability to declassify the sensitive docs just by thinking about it -- and that's just plain ridiculous.

Ken Starr, famous for leading the investigation that led to former President Bill Clinton's impeachment, has died.

Starr died Tuesday at Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center in Houston, Texas ... the result of complications from a recent surgical procedure ... according to his family.

Starr is best known for heading the expansive Whitewater investigation into the Clintons back in the '90s ... a probe that began with the Clintons' real estate investments before expanding to include the infamous Monica Lewinsky sex scandal.

Starr had a decorated legal career ... he was nominated by former President Ronald Reagan to a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for Washington D.C. and later served under former President George H.W. Bush as U.S. Solicitor General.

Starr argued 36 cases before SCOTUS and also served as United States Circuit Judge for D.C. He was the chief of staff for former U.S. Attorney General William French Smith and clerked for Justice Warren E. Burger.

He was heavily involved in higher education ... teaching constitutional law for 25 years between NYU, George Mason, Pepperdine, Chapman and Baylor. In addition, Starr was Dean of the Pepperdine School of Law before going to Baylor to be the University's President and Chancellor.

Starr was later removed as president after an external investigation into the school's response to sexual and physical assault allegations made by 17 women against 19 football players ... and resigned from his role as chancellor days later.

Starr was born in Texas and grew up in San Antonio, graduating from Sam Houston High School and earning his B.A. from George Washington University. He had a master's in political science from Brown University and a JD from Duke University law school.

Ken is survived by his wife of 52 years, Alice Mendell Starr, and their three children, Randall, Carolyn and Cynthia.

Starr's son says the family is "deeply saddened with the loss of our dear and loving Father and Grandfather, whom we admired for his prodigious work ethic, but who always put his family first. The love, energy, endearing sense of humor, and fun-loving interest Dad exhibited to each of us was truly special, and we cherish the many wonderful memories we were able to experience with him."

He'll be buried at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin, with a visitation scheduled for Sept. 23 in Waco.

Starr was 76.