White House

Lebron James is dropping a special episode of "The Shop" this week -- because he booked Barack Obama!!!

"In Miami this weekend, I dropped by The Shop to talk with [LeBron] and [Maverick Carter] about the NBA bubble, the racial justice movement, and what's at stake over these next seven days," Obama said.

Bron and Obama are famously good friends who have been tight for years.

In fact, Obama reportedly counseled LeBron on how to make statements about social justice and police brutality while inside the NBA Bubble.

Plus, they both hate President Trump and are campaigning hard for Joe Biden.

LeBron also tweeted about the show -- saying, "It was such an honor.  My President giving us the perspective and motivation we need right now. GO VOTE!!!"

The Obama episode is set to drop on Friday, Oct. 30 on HBO and HBO Max.

The network is also touting that the special was produced under COVID-19 guidelines.

Producers are keeping a tight lid on the content so far -- but HBO's exec Vice President Nina Rosenstein gave this teaser -- "Their conversation with President Obama is candid, compelling and urgently relevant."

Raymond Santana, one of the exonerated Central Park Five, thinks President Trump's full of it when he says he's the "least racist person" ... and he's thanking Joe Biden for sticking up for them at the debate.

Raymond tells TMZ he firmly believes Trump's still very much a racist, despite what he claimed on the debate stage -- mainly because the President's never apologized for, or withdrawn, his statement that the 5 young men were guilty.

He says he's still walking on eggshells because Trump's refusal to acknowledge their innocence still influences people unfamiliar with the facts of the Central Park rape.

Trump's had beef with Raymond and his 4 friends since the crime was committed in 1989. The then real estate tycoon took out a full-page ad in The New York Times calling for their execution.

Raymond tells us he was grateful, emotional and relieved when Biden brought up the CP5 case at last week's Presidential debate.

He's applauding Biden for standing up to Trump, and says the look on Trump's face when Biden dressed him down was "priceless."

There were no eleventh-hour surprises -- Amy Coney Barrett got the votes she needed to be confirmed to the Supreme Court of the United States, which is now staunchly conservative.

President Trump's pick to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was confirmed by the Senate Monday with a final tally of 52 to 48 ... with Senator Susan Collins as the only Republican to join every Senate Democrat in voting no.

The confirmation comes just 8 days before Election Day and after Barrett's nomination was fast-tracked despite an outcry from Democrats, who think the American people should have a say in the makeup of the highest court in the land.

Senate Democrats huffed and puffed while unable to halt Barrett's confirmation ... and when all was said and done, a majority of the Senate overlooked recent precedent and determined ACB was deserving of a spot on SCOTUS.

Justice Clarence Thomas is expected to swear-in Barrett at the White House during tonight's outdoor ceremony.

As you know ... Barrett's confirmation gifts conservatives a 6-3 majority on the High Court, where she's likely to serve for decades as she's only 48 years old.

Get ready ... abortion rights, the Affordable Care Act, LGBTQ rights, voting rights and tons of other fundamental issues and policies are now squarely in the crosshairs of the justices.

Trouble may be just around the corner in this volatile election/pandemic year, because businesses coast-to-coast are starting to board up in anticipation of election unrest.

Washington D.C. is starting to shutter itself ahead of what might turn out to be a violent day and/or night. Check out these photos taken Monday in the business district of Downtown D.C. -- just a stone's throw from the White House. As you see, lots of different buildings and shops in the area are nailing up wooden boards to cover windows.

Construction crews are on hand doing their thing as passersby look on at an ominous scene -- folks don't usually do this unless they expect people to break in, like in a riot, for example.

D.C. isn't alone. Beverly Hills is bracing for unrest and the pricy shops on Rodeo Drive will also be boarded up ahead of November 3rd.

Lil Pump is taking a cue from 50 Cent, and throwing his support behind President Trump ... saying he doesn't wanna pay a dime more in taxes, as Joe Biden's proposing.

The rapper chirped up this weekend in pretty clear terms, posting a pic of him shaking hands with DT -- clearly photoshopped -- and a ringing video endorsement.

As for why ... it seems to be in line with what Fiddy voiced just last week when he endorsed Trump as well -- they're not down to fall into a new tax bracket under Biden's plan. If he wins, JB has said he would try to upend Trump's tax law and get folks who make more than $400k to chip in their fair share -- way more than what they're paying now.

Of course, both 50 and Pump fall into that category, and neither seem willing or eager to give up any more of their wealth to Uncle Sam.

It seems 50 didn't mean it after all -- or he's on the fence. He later said "F*** Trump" when his ex, Chelsea Handler, called him out on 'The Tonight Show.'

She said she'd be willing to give him another go in the bedroom if he changed his tune ... and sure enough, he did. When it comes to LP, though, he sounds a little more serious.

Here's another thing ... Pump is actually catching a ton of flak right now for his endorsement, but more so for his use of the n-word in his video (and in general).

Voters in Philadelphia turned waiting in long lines to cast their ballot into a fun experience ... by mixing in some "Cha Cha Slide."

The good times went down in Philadelphia, as a large group of voters waiting for early voting in the city Saturday passed the time with some group dancing ... moving in unison to the hit by DJ Casper usually reserved for wedding receptions.

The viral video's more than just a random feel-good moment though -- it's part of the work being done by Nelini Stamp of the Working Families Party, who's also the campaign director for Election Defenders.

Nelini and the nonpartisan coalition's goal is to assure that voters are "staying safe and healthy outside of polling places across the country and bringing them some joy."

More importantly, it's aimed to combat voter suppression and intimidation by bringing "Joy to the Polls" ... which kicked off this weekend in Pennsylvania for the inaugural Vote Early Day.

You've probably heard it a million times -- this is the most important election of our lives -- and it's probably the most expensive too ... based on the millions it's costing to try to keep voters safe.

Get this ... the estimated cost in L.A. County for this year's general election is $91.7 million -- $33 MILLION more than 2016's price tag of $58.5 mil.

We're told the added cost is the result of the massive amounts of products needed to clean and sanitize voting devices after each voter ... along with all the soap, sanitizer and PPE provided for voters and workers.

There are also added operational costs in making voting locations socially-distant compliant ... and special care for disabled voters or those with health vulnerabilities.

Houston's experiencing a similar surge in general election costs this year compared to 2016 -- $33.2 million up from just $4.06 mil ... according to a spokesperson for Harris County.

Among the new expenses -- providing PPE including masks, gloves, and a "finger condom" to all voters ... because all the voting stations have electronic touch screens.

Another pro-Trump parade is going down this weekend -- only now, in NYC ... where a group identifying as Jews are showing their MAGA support, and bringing things to a boiling point with counter-protesters.

An event being dubbed "Jews for Trump" kicked off Sunday in Manhattan, where a massive convoy of cars and trucks waving Trump 2020 and American flags were caravanning through the downtown area ... flanked by both cops who were protecting them, and anti-fascist protesters who were chirping from the sidelines. Some folks wearing Proud Boys garb were also there in the mix among the Trump crowd -- eventually, all the groups clashed.

It's hard to say what exactly is sparking the violence, but it's happening nonetheless. Here's one video in which a counter-protester takes a Trump flag out of one of the parading vehicles, which is parked momentarily. As that squabble seems to simmer down, another one pops up across the way -- where two NYPD officers are wrestling someone to the ground.

Not too long after, utter chaos breaks out as people start to square up and swing on each other. Some folks are trying to break it up, others are jumping in -- it's almost impossible to differentiate at times.

At one point, a counter-protester comes up behind one of the 'Jews for Trump' dudes and taps him in the head before trying to run away. As he's fleeing, he gets kicked in the leg and topples to the ground, with his head hitting the pavement hard. And, seconds later ... even more brawls break out in an adjacent section. Like we said, complete pandemonium.

Some people on the ground claim the cops are definitely team Trump here, because some of the officers are arresting counter-protesters at the behest of the MAGA crew ... who are apparently being safeguarded by those same cops using bikes to maintain crowd control.

This jives with what was just in the streets of NYC earlier this weekend -- namely, an NYPD squad car saying "Trump 2020" over its built-in loudspeaker ... which is a violation of police policy.

The First Lady was cheerfully tagging along with the President on his way to the debate this past week ... or so it seems, because an awful lot of people don't think it was actually her.

Here's a photo that was taken Thursday ahead of the debate in Nashville between Donald Trump and Joe Biden ... in which DT is seen boarding a chopper with who appears to be his wife, Melania, already on board, smiling at the crowd that was bidding them a farewell.

We say appears because a crap ton of folks have studied this photo and others captured in the same few seconds ... and they believe this lady's a FAKE stand-in, not the real Melania at all. Prepare yourself -- this is a deep dive, but stupidly important work nonetheless.

Some have gone to the extreme lengths of zooming in and comparing the lines around her mouth ... not to mention playing dentist and seeing differences in the teeth. By most accounts, the mugs here just don't match up -- from chomper size to the curve of her smile ... many Twitter truthers simply aren't buying this is the real McCoy, but rather ... a look-alike.

BTW, this isn't the first time a "fake Melania" theory has surfaced. It's cropped up at least twice before -- most notably, in 2019 ... when Trump and Melania visited tornado-stricken Alabama to survey the damage. She was rocking massive shades then too ... but many said there's no way that was FLOTUS -- speculating she's got a few different body doubles.

Here's a strange scene right out of the Big Apple about a week and change out from Election Day -- hundreds of people lined around city blocks to vote in person at the first opportunity available.

The first day of early, in-person voting started Saturday in NYC ... and a WHOLE LOT of New Yorkers were eager to get out the vote the good old-fashioned way -- namely, standing in line for hours in chilly weather, just to cast their ballot and make sure it went through.

The good news ... many of them (we'd say the vast majority) are wearing face coverings and appear to be social distancing as best they can out there. The weird part ... just seeing the throngs of bodies insistent on voting in person, when voting by mail is an easier option and has actually been encouraged.

It's interesting ... the sheer number of people who seem dead set on exercising their right in this fashion -- especially during a pandemic, and especially in a place that used to be the epicenter of said pandemic. In our minds, it speaks to a couple of things happening.

For one, President Trump has waged a war against mail-in voting (and voting in general) ... constantly sowing doubt about the legitimacy of the process, suggesting voter fraud is rampant and even stripping down the Post Office from the inside out, via a lack of funding and a new Post Master General -- who's implemented a lot of what Trump's demanded.

We've seen reports of mailboxes being yanked out of the ground and sorting machines sidelined ... not to mention long delays in mail delivery, so people have reason to worry.

Barack Obama really should consider taking up stand-up comedy in retirement, because the dude's got some great jokes about President Trump ... especially when he's in Florida.

44 was at a rally Saturday in Miami, where he was campaigning for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. While addressing a crowd of drive-in supporters, he lobbed some zingers at DT's expense -- likening him to the infamous/reckless "Florida Man" who makes headlines every now and then ... oftentimes for absurd things.

Welp, not even Florida Man would do some of the stuff Trump has done in office -- like nonstop tweeting, threatening critics with prison time and countless other bizarre acts -- at least according to BO. He says we wouldn't tolerate this type of stuff from virtually anyone else in our lives, so why take it from the leader of our country?

Barack also talked about the façade of being tough -- something he says Trump is none of deep down, but something Joe actually is ... since he's been there and done that on the biggest stage. Another point Obama made -- if elected, folks wouldn't have to constantly hear about Joe and Kamala in office, unlike now ... where Trump runs the news cycle daily.

President Trump thinks Sacha Baron Cohen is an unfunny jerk who tried, but ultimately failed, to fool him years ago -- and to that, SBC says ... appreciate the plug, DT!!!

POTUS gave a harsh critique of Sacha and his work as Borat, especially as it pertains to the sequel that just came out this week. He told reporters on Air Force 1 that he didn't really know what the new fuss was all about -- it's about Rudy Giuliani, if he isn't aware -- but went on to say Sacha tried duping him a while back, but that he called out his whole act.

Trump reportedly said, "That's a phony guy and I don't find him funny." He also called him a "creep," and it appears Borat himself caught wind of the insult ... and promptly replied.

Sacha writes, "Donald—I appreciate the free publicity for Borat! I admit, I don’t find you funny either. But yet the whole world laughs at you." He also offers Trump a job while making a presumption about Election Day results.

What Trump's referring to when he says he caught Sacha in the act dates back to the mid-2000s, when SBC got Donald to agree to a sit-down interview with another popular character he plays ... Ali G. Ali tries pitching Trump on an ice cream invention, but Trump remains stoic throughout and eventually leaves the interview entirely. No gotchas, no scandal.

Trump has maintained over the years he saw right through Sacha's bit, which is why he cut the interview short and left abruptly. Sacha doesn't think that's entirely true, but in any case ... he's never been able to completely prank the guy -- unlike Trump's adviser, Rudy.

If you hadn't heard, Giuliani is one of Borat's "victims," if you will, in the new flick -- and is actually caught in what some might describe as a compromising situation with Sacha/Borat's sidekick, who's portraying a reporter.

After interviewing him, she invites him into her bedroom for a drink and removes his microphone and untucks his shirt. Then Rudy puts his hand down his pants, seemingly to tuck in his shirt, but Sacha's claimed it was more creepy.

For his part, Rudy has since claimed nothing inappropriate was going on and that he was just tucking in his shirt. Sacha and co. argue the opposite -- asking ... who knows where it would've gone if left uninterrupted?

President Trump just racked up another vote in his column ... his own.

Trump hit the polls early Saturday in West Palm Beach, FL, telling his supporters, "I voted for a guy named Trump."

Trump was a longtime New York voter, but he changed his residence last year to Mar-a-Lago, in Florida. He has beef with New York -- especially NYC -- because he says the Big Apple has treated him unfairly.

Trump tweeted, "JUST VOTED. A great honor!"

Trump said in-person voting was preferable to mail in, but remember -- he has voted absentee twice this year.

President Trump's claim wind "kills all the birds" is a bunch of hot air ... according to one of the country's largest bird conservation orgs. which says Trump's the real danger.

Trump raised eyebrows, and drew a laugh from Joe Biden, during Thursday's debate, when he declared wind-powered energy kills birds.

Kevin Fahey, the vice president for the Kern Audubon Society, isn't laughing though ... he says Trump's claim couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, he insists POTUS could care less about birds, because he's done lots of things to threaten their existence.

The organization says the biggest danger to birds is not windmills or wind-powered energy, as Trump would have you believe ... instead, we're told global climate change is the real grim reaper, and the best solutions for that existential threat are solar and wind power.

Kevin thinks Trump's not concerned with bird safety ... he says the comments are more likely about Trump's dislike for an alternative -- nonfossil fuel -- energy sources. Kevin points out Trump's administration has tried to roll back many regulations designed to protect birds, including the 100-year-old Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

Trump's not completely wrong about windmills killing birds, but as with most of POTUS' claims, there's a catch.

Kevin says there have been bird deaths related to wind-power generation, but newer wind turbines are much safer for birds -- they spin slower and are much larger -- and some models are even equipped with bird detection devices that turn off the turbines when birds are in danger.

Danny Trejo wants voting rights restored to felons who've paid their debt to society, but while they're on the inside ... he thinks Kim Kardashian's doing more to help than President Trump.

We got the actor -- who spent years in various prisons back in the day -- at Trejo's Cantina in Hollywood, and asked him if prisoners should be allowed to vote from behind bars, or while on probation or parole.

Danny says ex-inmates should be allowed to vote, along with people being held in county jails before they've been convicted. He's staunchly in favor of states -- like Florida has done -- restoring voting rights to folks who complete their prison bids.

As for prison reform's impact on the election -- Danny scoffs at President Trump tooting his own horn. Despite, the fact POTUS signed the First Step Act into law ... Trejo doesn't think he deserves all the credit.

President Trump's got himself a costar at his latest rally in Florida -- one of his supporters who can't stop flashing what looks like the white power hand symbol in clear view of cameras.

Look closely at the video from Trump's Friday rally at The Villages in Central FL ... the man seated in the crowd over the President's left shoulder repeatedly made the 'ok' symbol ... commonly associated now with the white power movement.

What's more ... the guy flashing it is also wearing a black hat with yellow print, which some folks are claiming matches the logo for the Proud Boys.

As you know ... Trump refused to condemn white supremacy during the first Presidential debate, and instead told the alt-right group Proud Boys to "stand back and stand by."

The guy positioned behind the President certainly wasn't shy about using the hand symbol as he raised it almost every time there was an ovation. POTUS never acknowledged him, and it's possible he never saw the gesture being made.