White House

7:25 PM PT -- President Biden announced he's directing the U.S. military to install a seaside pier in Gaza that will allow for a massive influx of aid to Palestinians. He emphasized that no U.S. troops will be on the ground in Gaza, and implored Israel to do more to allow for the flow of humanitarian aid.

6:50 PM PT -- Biden directly addressed the Supreme Court Justices seated in the front of the chamber, and issued what came off like a not-so-subtle threat regarding their overturning of Roe V. Wade -- "With all due respect Justices, the women of America are not without electoral or political power. You're about to realize just how wrong you are about that."

Biden's clear hope ... the line will prompt women upset about the loss of reproductive rights to vote for him. He vowed to restore Roe V. Wade if voters give the Dems control of the House of Representatives.

6:30 PM PT -- The Prez didn't waste much time going right after Donald Trump ... although he didn't say his name, just 3 minutes into the speech he started talking about Ukraine and Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion, and said, "Now my predecessor, a former Republican President tells Putin, 'Do whatever the hell you want.' That's a quote."

The remark drew jeers from the GOP, but Biden continued, "Bowing down to a Russian leader, I think it's outrageous, it's dangerous and it's unacceptable."

President Biden is giving his third State of the Union address since being in office ... and he's got a lot to talk about heading into his campaign for a second term.

POTUS is speaking to the nation from the Capitol, making his case to return to the White House as voters get ready for his election rematch with Donald Trump.

While lotsa folks are concerned about Biden's age -- he's 81 and Trump is 77 -- the Prez says his age is actually a positive as it gives him a wealth of knowledge and experience.

Biden's prepared remarks have him saying, "My lifetime has taught me to embrace freedom and democracy. A future based on the core values that have defined America: honesty, decency, dignity, equality. To respect everyone. To give everyone a fair shot. To give hate no safe harbor. Now some other people my age see a different story: an American story of resentment, revenge, and retribution. That's not me."

Other topics Joe is likely to address ... the war in Ukraine, Israel and Gaza, abortion, taxes, healthcare, immigration, inflation and prescription drug prices.

Biden's expected to highlight his accomplishments during his first 3 years in the White House, and draw a fine line between Republicans and himself ... possibly even getting some shots in at the GOP.

JB's been working on his speech for a minute now, but attempted to lighten the mood early on Thursday by posting a Zoom call with several ex-presidents from TV and film.

No one's seriously expecting him to borrow from Bill Pullman's famous "Independence Day" speech.

SOTU addresses are always important as they're intended to address all the issues impacting Americans -- but this one's even more critical as it's likely to be the single largest audience Biden will have between now and Election Day.

Check back in this post, as we'll be updating with all the standout moments from his speech.

Fashion icon Iris Apfel -- famous for her quirky outfits and unique looks -- has died.

The style icon passed away Friday at her home in Palm Beach, Fla ... this according to her reps. An official cause of death wasn't announced -- but the assumption is that she died of old age via natural causes.

A socialite from New York, Iris became a fashion icon in her 80s and 90s ... affectionately calling herself a "geriatric starlet." Iris' style was an eclectic mix ... combining haute couture, vintage hippy-inspired looks, bohemian styles and super bright colors.

Iris was a fixture on the fashion scene, often rubbing elbows with celebs at big-time events ... wearing her trademark circular glasses. She was also ever-present and always relevant ... considered one of the most photographed women in fashion history.

A jack of all trades, Iris was a professor, brand ambassador, interior designer, textile guru and, later in life, a social media star. She was quite accomplished too ... having done White House restoration work for nine presidents in her lifetime -- so yeah, she'd worked a lot.

Iris enjoyed a long and full life ... just yesterday, she celebrated her latest birthday, putting her a couple years over the 100-year mark.

Tommy Hilfiger is remembering Iris as "a world-famous fashion icon because of her incredible talent not only as an artist, but as an influencer."

Hilfiger adds ... "She has had an amazing effect on so many people with her huge heart and magic touch with everyone she meets. She will go down in history as an innovator and a leader in the world of textiles, style and innovation!"

Iris is survived by her caregivers, Jennifer and Juliet, her agent Lori Sale, her lawyer Emerson E. Burns and her friends and family. She was 102.

Donald Trump dice que no le lanzaría un salvavidas de inmigración al Príncipe Harry si fuera elegido Presidente de nuevo, sugiriendo que sería abandonado a su suerte y tal vez deportado.

El polémico candidato habló con el Daily Express -un medio del Reino Unido- el fin de semana en el evento CPAC en Maryland y aclaró que no le gusta el duque de Sussex, y muy claramente dijo que el estatus migratorio de Harry podría estar bajo escrutinio.

Trump dice: "Yo no lo protegería. Ha traicionado a la Reina y eso es imperdonable. Estaría solo si dependiera de mí".

Terminó criticando a la administración de Biden por lo que él caracteriza como blanda en general -más sobre eso en breve- añadiendo: "Creo que han sido demasiado permisivos con él después de lo que ha hecho".

Ahora, lo que Trump parece estar aludiendo aquí es esta batalla del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional en la que el Príncipe está involucrado indirectamente. Un grupo de vigilancia ha demandado al gobierno federal en un intento de obtener documentos de los papeles de inmigración de Harry y solicitud de su visado.

Como usted probablemente sabe, el hombre todavía no es un ciudadano de EE.UU. y el año pasado, confesó en sus memorias que había consumido una serie de drogas antes de venir al país.

El grupo de vigilancia dice que esto es una clara admisión de que viola el protocolo de entrada de DHS y le están exigiendo la agencia que posee esos papeles que lo demuestre, pero la Seguridad Nacional está poniendo resistencia, argumentando que Harry tiene derecho a la privacidad. También dicen que podría haber sido mentira y esta "confesión" en el libro no equivale a una declaración bajo juramento.

Lo que Trump está dando a entender, al parecer, es que el DHS bajo su vigilancia sería mucho más firme, lo que podría -en teoría- terminar con el príncipe siendo expulsado de los EE.UU.

Donald Trump says he wouldn't throw Prince Harry an immigration lifeline if he was elected President again -- suggesting he'd be left to fend for himself ... and maybe get deported.

The ex-Pres spoke with the Daily Express -- a UK publication -- over the weekend at the CPAC event in Maryland ... and he made no bones about the fact that he doesn't like the Duke of Sussex, and very clearly said Harry's immigration status might come under scrutiny.

Don says, "I wouldn’t protect him. He betrayed the Queen. That’s unforgivable. He would be on his own if it was down to me."

He finished that sentiment by slamming the Biden administration for what he characterizes as going easy on Harry as it pertains to DHS controversy -- more on that in a bit -- by adding, "I think they have been too gracious to him after what he has done."

Now, what Trump seems to be alluding to here is this Dept. of Homeland Security battle that the Prince is involved in indirectly -- namely, a watchdog group suing the federal government in an attempt to obtain docs from Harry's immigration papers/application for his visa.

As you're probably well aware, the guy ain't a U.S. citizen yet -- and last year, he confessed in his memoir that he'd done a number of drugs before coming on over to the States.

The watchdog group says this is a clear admission that violates DHS entry protocol and they're demanding the agency fork those papers over to prove it -- but Homeland Security is putting up a fight, arguing Harry has a right to privacy. They also say he might've been BS'ing ... and this "confession" in the book doesn't amount to a statement under oath.

What Trump's implying here, it seems, is that the DHS under his watch would let the chips fall where they may ... which could, theoretically, end with PH getting kicked outta the U.S.

Donald Trump is one step closer to the White House ... destroying Nikki Haley in another primary -- this time in her home state!

Saturday's South Carolina primary has been projected for the former president just minutes after polls officially closed in the state ... with at least 29 delegates heading Trump's way.

The whole state's got 50 total, with the last 21 being divided up based on the winners of the seven congressional districts ... three delegates for each district a candidate wins.

Regardless, Trump's already apparently won the majority of delegates in the state -- a state where Haley not only was born but also where she served as governor from 2011 to 2017.

She left the post after then-President Trump named her United Nations Ambassador ... and, it seems voters would rather go with the man who appointed her to the post than their former gov.

Nikki's had a very difficult run as of late ... becoming embroiled in controversy caused by comments she made about the Civil War while her opponent's dominated every single primary so far.

Of course, it ain't over 'til the lady sings ... but, with her home state now squarely in Trump's camp, it seems only a matter of time before Nikki cuts bait and 45 stands unopposed in the Republican party.

BTW ... Trump's already delivered a victory speech where he praised how united his party is at this moment -- and also looked past Haley and said he was looking to take President Joe Biden's job instead.

Super Tuesday's less than two weeks away ... and, it's hard to imagine Haley hanging in there for that long after tonight's crushing defeat.

Ha salido a la luz más información sobre el perro del presidente Biden, Commander: el pastor alemán mordió en al menos 24 ocasiones a agentes del Servicio Secreto.

Commander ya no vive con los Biden en la Casa Blanca, pero cuando estaba allí, el Servicio Secreto tuvo que cambiar sus tácticas como resultado de todos los incidentes con él.

La asombrosa cifra se revela en nuevos documentos internos del Servicio Secreto obtenidos por CNN y esta ni siquiera incluye las veces en que Commander mordisqueó a miembros del personal de la Casa Blanca. Aquí solo se documentan los incidentes con el Servicio Secreto.

Commander no solo hundió sus dientes en los agentes en 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, sino que también los atacó en dos casas de la familia Biden en Delaware, además de en otros viajes a Nantucket y Camp David.

El perro de Biden mordió a miembros del equipo de protección del presidente, además de otros agentes uniformados del Servicio Secreto, y en al menos 10 casos, el agente del Servicio Secreto que fue mordido requirió tratamiento médico.

Commander mordió a agentes en sus brazos, manos, piernas e incluso sus cinturas.

Como hemos informado, el perro del Presidente fue sacado de la Casa Blanca en octubre como resultado de estos incidentes. En ese momento, el Servicio Secreto solo reconoció que había registrado 11 incidentes de este tipo.

En los meses previos a la expulsión de Commander, el Servicio Secreto emitió esta advertencia en un memorando interno: "Las recientes mordeduras del perro nos han desafiado a ajustar nuestras tácticas operativas cuando Commander está presente".

La advertencia también dijo que los agentes del Servicio Secreto "deben ser creativos para garantizar su propia seguridad personal".

More insight on the biting problems with President Biden's family dog Commander ... the German Shepherd bit Secret Service agents on at least two dozen occasions.

Commander is no longer living with the Bidens at the White House ... but when he was, the Secret Service had to change their tactics as a result of all the biting incidents.

The staggering figure is revealed in new internal Secret Service documents obtained by CNN ... and the 24 biting incidents don't even include the times Commander chomped on members of the White House staff ... only incidents with the SS are documented here.

Commander not only sunk his teeth into agents at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, he also attacked them at two Biden family homes in Delaware ... plus trips to Nantucket and Camp David.

Biden's dog bit members of the Prez's protective detail, plus other uniformed Secret Service agents ... and in at least 10 instances, the Secret Service agent who was bit required medical treatment.

Commander bit agents on their arms, hands, legs and even their waists.

As we reported ... Commander was kicked out of the White House back in October as a result of his human-biting ways. At the time, the Secret Service only acknowledged 11 biting incidents.

In the months leading up to Commander's ouster, the Secret Service issued this warning in an internal memo ... "The recent dog bites have challenged us to adjust our operational tactics when Commander is present – please give lots of room."

The warning also said Secret Service agents "must be creative to ensure our own personal safety."

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.

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.

President Biden is showing serious signs of life and energy ... getting testy with reporters who tried grilling him on his memory loss and a damning special counsel report.

The highlight ... Biden telling Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy, "My memory is so bad I let you speak."

Biden's zinger came as POTUS took the podium in the White House press room Thursday for some rare remarks, fielding questions from journalists in the wake of a special prosecutor calling out his "faulty memory."

Biden had the old noodle working on this occasion, firing off zingers aimed at the media ... and verbally sparring with reporters from multiple outlets.

When Doocy started asking questions about the special counsel report, Biden got testy ... and, if we're being honest, channeled a bit of Donald Trump.

Biden mocked the special counsel, who in his report said JB won't be charged for his handling of classified information while out of office because 46 is a "well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory."

The Prez jokingly agreed, adding ... "I know what the hell I'm doing. I'm President and I put this country back on it's feet."

Asked directly how bad his memory is and if he can continue as President, Biden shot back at Doocy with his "memory so bad I let you speak" one-liner ... which has some serious meme potential.

Another reporter followed up by asking Biden if his memory has gotten worse ... with POTUS saying his memory is "fine" before listing off his legislative accomplishments.

The commander-in-chief also wasn't happy with the special counsel saying Biden couldn't remember when his son Beau died.

Biden's response ... "How in the hell dare he raise that. Frankly, when I was asked the question I thought to myself it wasn't any of their damn business."

Biden groused further ... "I don't need anyone to remind me when he passed away."

The special counsel says there's evidence Biden mishandled classified docs, but the prosecutor decided against charging Biden because he wasn't confident in a guilty verdict due to Biden's faulty memory and ability to make jurors sympathetic.

Don Lemon says Taylor Swift could put Donald Trump through a very cruel summer ... 'cause, if she wants to, he thinks she could swing the election in President Biden's favor.

We caught up with the former CNN anchor Friday at LAX where he warned MAGA supporters to keep an eye on just how involved the singer-songwriter opts to be during this presidential campaign.

Lemon says TS wields a ton of power and influence, and while she's not exactly his generation ... he gives her all the props for fighting for her catalog and becoming a self-made billionaire.

As we reported ... members of Trump's inner circle are reportedly ready to go to "holy war" with Taylor if she decides to endorse President Biden -- as she did in 2020 -- but Don thinks it will take more than one-liners to combat her impact on the election.

Translation: underestimating her could sink DT's White House dreams.

This all falls in line with what FOX11 political reporter/anchor Elex Michaelson said on "TMZ Live" earlier this week ... warning Trump's going toe-to-toe with Swift, and Swifties, is a risky strategy.

Although, he does see a scenario where Swift ends up helping both candidates -- basically, Trump could use a Taylor endorsement for Biden to blast Hollywood elitism, and mobilize his supporters to get out and vote.

There has been a vocal minority hating on T-Swift ... even celebs like Plies, who are getting tired of seeing her all over their TVs when they're watching a football game -- so it's not far-fetched to imagine that hate motivating Trump backers.

Taylor Swift has no chance of swaying the 2024 election -- this according to Congressman Tim Burchett ... though, a prominent dueling Representative says otherwise.

Rep. Burchett chopped it up with a photog in D.C. Wednesday -- where he said he doesn't care for a TS endorsement ... cause she lost him when she left country music, and he hasn't cared for her since. So, Swift's seal of approval means absolutely nada to him.

Tim's TS loathing doesn't end there ... he says her NFL influence may be significant with more people than ever tuning into the sport ... but he personally hasn't watched a game in years despite being the captain of his high school football team back in '87 ... so, in his mind, her influence can't be that big of a deal.

Basically, he tells the cameraman she's all talk cause she previously came out to speak against Tennessee's Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn ... and it didn't move the needle.

Tim adds that a celeb endorsement doesn't mean much in general ... all it does is just become a scenario where both teams think they've won by bringing in top dogs as backup.

So, that recent poll that showed 18% of voters were "more likely" to vote for a candidate endorsed by Tay? Tim's essentially pouring cold water on it ... saying it's total BS.

While Tim's adamant about his stance, former Tennessee Rep. Jim Cooper, who Taylor endorsed for House of Representatives in 2018, tells TMZ he's got it all wrong -- cause TS' endorsement is the best endorsement you can have -- period.

He says anyone who cares about Taylor having a voice in politics is jealous they didn't get her endorsement ... cause, at the end of the day, she's got a massive 29 million followers on her socials and can easily influence swing states that are really close in numbers.

Also, her fans are well and truly devoted ... meaning they're game for anything, he says.

Jim's a massive Taylor fan ... and says she's handled all politics-related matters with complete brilliance and wholesomeness, which is refreshing. He also can't resist touching on her Travis Kelce romance -- saying it plays out like a Hollywood movie.

Back to Tim though ... he goes on to talk about the current political climate ... expressing hopes more young voters will come out and vote because historically, they don't.

La industria de la música, la NFL, la economía de EE.UU., y ahora, ¿¡la Casa Blanca!? Según una nueva encuesta, Taylor Swift podría influir en las elecciones presidenciales de 2024.

La encuesta realizada por Redfield & Wilton Strategies, mostró que el 18% de los votantes dijeron que son "más propensos" o "significativamente probable" a votar por un candidato respaldado por Tay.

Los datos también mostraron que el 17% dijo que serían menos propenso a votar por un candidato que estuviera respaldado por Swift.

La encuesta fue tomada a principios de este mes y le preguntó a 1.500 votantes elegibles.

El 45% de los encuestados dijeron que eran fans de la cantante. La encuesta también mostró, como era de esperar, que Taylor atraería significativamente a los votantes jóvenes.

Con todo lo que ha logrado, la Persona del Año de Time tiene más alcance que nunca.

Cabe señalar que Swift se ha mantenido alejada de la política a lo largo de su carrera, por lo que aún se desconoce si la cantante anunciará su voto este año.

Sin embargo, ella sí apoyó al ex gobernador demócrata de Tennessee, Phil Bredesen, en una carrera por el Senado en 2018 y expresó públicamente su apoyo al ahora presidente Joe Biden en 2020.

The music industry, the NFL, the U.S. economy, and now ... The White House?!? According to a new poll, Taylor Swift could sway voters in the 2024 presidential election.

The poll, conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies, showed 18% of voters said they're "more likely" or "significantly likely" to vote for a candidate endorsed by Tay.

But the data also showed 17% said they would be less likely to vote for a candidate if they were backed by Swift.

The survey was taken earlier this month, and questioned 1,500 eligible voters.

45% of those questioned said they were fans of the singer. The poll also showed, unsurprisingly,  a Taylor endorsement would appeal significantly to young voters.

With all she's accomplished, the Time Person of the Year has more reach than ever before.

It should be noted, T-Swift has mostly steered clear of Politics throughout her career ... so it's still unknown if the singer will announce her vote this year.

However, she did endorse former Democratic Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen in a 2018 Senate race ... and publicly voiced her support for now-President Joe Biden in 2020.

Hunter Biden's causing chaos in Congress ... with Republicans and Democrats at each other's throats over a "white privilege" jab aimed at President Biden's son.

Hunter made a surprise appearance Wednesday on Capitol Hill, strolling into a hearing where lawmakers were starting the process of holding him in criminal contempt of Congress ... and his presence caused quite the stir.

South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace quickly took aim at Hunter, saying ... "You are the epitome of white privilege, coming into the Oversight Committee, spitting in our face, ignoring a Congressional subpoena to be deposed, what are you afraid of?

Nancy didn't stop there, adding ... "You have no balls to come up here."

Hunter sat quietly as chaos ensued with lawmakers yelling over one another before order was somewhat restored.

Soon after, Hunter left the room and the attention followed ... but the "white privilege" remark left a mark ... at least with Rep. Jasmine Crockett, who said it was a "spit in the face" as a Black woman. Jasmine ripped into Nancy and the GOP, saying if anyone is the epitome of white privilege it's them.

BTW, there was even more chaos once Hunter abruptly left the room ... he was being followed by a massive crush of reporters -- a couple of whom asked him about his prior drug use, particularly as it pertains to crack. Check it out ... it's absolutely wild.

Vivek Ramaswamy is hoping Jake Paul can deliver a knockout punch for him on the campaign trail ... which is why they're teaming up for a critical stretch in his bid for the GOP nomination.

The presidential primary season starts next Monday in Iowa ... and we're told Jake and Vivek will be side-by-side on Sunday as they travel around the state urging Gen-Zers to come out and vote.

Vivek's spokesperson, Tricia McLaughlin, tells TMZ ... "We're very excited Jake's joining on the campaign trail and we're hoping it can really drive out younger people."

She goes on to say that while Vivek is seeing a lot of enthusiasm from young voters, Jake's star power and ability to command a crowd is going to be a major asset on the eve of the Iowa caucus.

We're told the duo will travel in Vivek's private plane to events at 4 of the biggest universities in Iowa ... all as part of the "Commit to Caucus Rally."

Tricia says Vivek talked to Jake about joining the campaign trail a few weeks ago ... when he attended Jake's fight against Andre August in Florida. As we reported, Jake hooked up Vivek with ringside seats.

Make no mistake, Ramaswamy needs a big spark. Recent polls show he's well under 10 percent of likely Iowa GOP caucus voters ... but Vivek's campaign is adamant they're tapping into a group of voters that isn't accounted for in those polls.