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Jake Paul is keeping his political ties strong, because GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will be VIP'd up when "The Problem Child" steps in the ring this weekend ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Vivek's spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin tells us the presidential hopeful is heading to Orlando to support Jake during his Friday night showdown with Andre August ... and says they've actually become good friends.

We're told Jake's hooked up Vivek with ringside seats -- he'll be seated next to Jake's pals and teammates when the first round bell rings. Once it's over, Vivek plans to get a quick face-to-face catch-up with Jake and his fam ... before heading straight back to Iowa for 6 scheduled campaign events on Saturday.

The bond between Ramaswamy and Paul is no secret, thanks to Jake recruiting the candidate for a joint TikTok dance in September, which went viral.

While it might have seemed like a stunt done for fun and games, Vivek later explained during a GOP debate why he thinks TikTok is vital for winning elections ... it's all about influencing the next-gen.

Vivek Ramaswamy won't forget to hit mute on his next conference call ... not after falling victim to a hot mic, allowing thousands of people -- including Elon Musk -- to hear him takin' a leak!

The Republican presidential candidate was in a Spaces chat on X with Elon, Alex Jones, Andrew Tate and others over the weekend ... and as Alex was chatting, ya couldn't help but hear a steady stream coming directly from Vivek's microphone.

After some awkward chat about the sound, Vivek ends up getting called out as the bathroom culprit -- he apologizes for the mishap, and Elon jokingly says he hopes the guy's feeling better ... which Vivek says he definitely is.

As they say, nobody beats the whizz!

Vivek is still in the running for the White House on the Republican side ... along with Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Chris Christie, Asa Hutchinson and, of course, frontrunner Donald Trump.

As we reported, Vivek sunk to fat-shaming in last week's debate -- telling the former NJ Governor Christie to enjoy a nice meal and get out of the race for Prez ... this coming after CC jumped to Nikki's defense, who was taking a beating from Vivek.

Joe Biden's L.A. fundraiser was interrupted Friday by screaming pro-Palestinian demonstrators as police in riot gear stood guard, trying to keep the peace.

The 46th Prez arrived by motorcade to last night's political event in Holmby Hills, where dozens of demonstrators had gathered to voice their anger over what they see as the extermination of the Palestinians by Israel.

Scores of Palestinians have been killed since the bloody Israel-Hamas war began in October. At the time, Hamas terrorists invaded the Jewish state and slaughtered 1,400 Israelis, triggering the deadly conflict. Hamas rules over the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

During Friday's fundraiser, demonstrators threw objects at officers and passing vehicles, while holding up signs that read, "No votes for mass murderer," a reference to Biden's 2024 presidential bid. They were also chanting "Free free, Palestine" and "Long Live Palestine."

LAPD Chief Michel Moore said his officers did not have to use force or make any arrests because the demonstrators eventually dispersed.

Meanwhile, Biden delivered a short speech at the celebrity-studded event, calling his 2024 Republican rival, Donald Trump, a threat to democracy. He also talked about his first-term economic successes and the federal judges he has confirmed to the courts.

Presidents of Harvard, MIT and Penn are on the hot seat after telling Congress they have reservations about banning calls for Jewish genocide, and the Executive Director of the MIT Free Speech Alliance seems to agree with them.

Peter Bonilla appeared on "TMZ Live" Friday, and he said Liz Magill, the President of Penn, was wrong to walk back her position and suggest censorship was appropriate when it came to calling for Jewish genocide.

Bonilla says it opens the door to all sorts of censorship. Harvey then posed a hypothetical question ... what if students who were members of the KKK protested with burning crosses and called for the genocide of Black people?  Bonilla said that's a different situation, and they should be banned and/or disciplined.

The question ... what's the difference? Bonilla talks about the fact there's dangerous history with the KKK, but Harvey notes there's also history with Jews.

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy took a low blow at former NJ Gov. Chris Christie in the latest Republican debate, essentially telling him to get out of the race and go stuff his face.

Ramaswamy fired off the remark Wednesday night in Tuscaloosa, Alabama ... claiming Christie's only experience on the topic of foreign policy was shutting down the George Washington Bridge -- an infamous moment during his time as Governor.

That woulda been politics as usual, but then Ramaswamy took it to fat-shaming -- he added, "Just walk yourself off that stage, enjoy a nice meal, and get the hell out of this race."

The crack garnered some applause, but mostly a whole lotta booing.

His harsh words came after Christie jumped to fellow candidate Nikki Haley's defense -- Ramaswamy accused her of not knowing where specific provinces in Ukraine were if she was given a map.

Christie called her a "smart, accomplished woman," and blasted Ramaswamy for being, in his eyes, "the most obnoxious blowhard in America."

Frontrunner Donald Trump again wasn't in attendance for the 4th debate, but he grabbed plenty of headlines leading up to it.

Donald Trump made an ominous promise Tuesday night ... he promises if he's elected President again he will be a dictator ... but only for a short time.

Trump was front and center at a Fox News town hall when Sean Hannity asked him if he had plans to abuse power if elected. Sounds like a crazy question, but you may recall Trump has been talking about retribution against his enemies if he gets back in The White House.

Trump was clear ... yes, he would be a dictator on Day 1, but not thereafter. And, he said, on Day 1, he would unilaterally close the border and create a clear path for oil drilling.

Here's the thing ... if you look at the history of dictators in the world, they generally don't give up power once they attain it.

The other thing ... when Trump says he'd be a dictator for a day, it's not clear what that means in reference to the border and drilling. If he's talking about executive orders -- something presidents have in their toolbox of power -- that's not dictatorial. So it's interesting he embraced the word "dictator."

One more thing ... during the grievance-filled show, Trump said, "I often say Al Capone, he was one of the greatest of all time if you like criminals. He was a mob boss the likes of which -- Scarface they called him -- and he got indicted once. I got indicted 4 times."

George Santos is saying a big "f*** you" to everyone at HBO ... vowing to go after the channel/streaming platform for developing a new movie about his controversial political career.

The recently-booted congressman sounded off to TMZ after HBO optioned the rights to Mark Chiusano's new book "The Fabulist: The Lying, Hustling, Grifting, Stealing, and Very American Legend of George Santos" ... blasting it as defamatory and misappropriating his name and likeness.

Santos says he has zero involvement in the "fictitious story" the movie plans to sell to the American people ... and is vexed about the filmmakers and book's author not speaking to him or getting authorization to write about him.

However, he says he's not concerned about how he'll be represented in the doc ... because he's working on a project that best fits his narrative. As for HBO, Santos vented, "F*** them and their chicken s*** deal with no inside information or reality of facts."

We're not sure how he'll navigate any potential comeback trail following his expulsion from Congress last week ... but ya gotta applaud the hustle.

The decision came following a controversial time in office, which included multiple felony charges.

For now, he's been busy advising his fans to "let the haters hate" on Cameo for $200 a vid.

BTW, we talked to the guy whose book this HBO film is based on ... and he tells us he tried his best to get GS to get involved in the story, to no avail though.

George Santos says getting fired from a job is no big deal -- because it's all down to what you make of the experience ... something he's now telling his Cameo legion.

That's just one questionable piece of advice he's already dished out after joining the personalized video message platform ... less than a week after he was booted from Congress.

The disgraced politician proudly introduces himself as the "Expelled member of Congress from New York City" and "Former congressional "Icon"!💅🏼" on the site ... where for $200, you can nab yourself a customized message from the man himself.

Santos has already been hard at work doling out responses to some requests ... leveraging his recent experiences to inspire and motivate one person in his new career.

This comes hot on the heels of the House's vote to expel him earlier this month -- a decision spurred by a controversial time in office, which includes multiple felony charges.

Back in May, Santos was arrested on a variety of felony charges, including lying, wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds, and making false statements to the House of Representatives.

George Santos has not only fallen out of the graces of his former congressional colleagues, he's literally fallen.

The disgraced ex-Congressman from NY was climbing the steps at the Waldorf Astoria hotel -- formerly the Trump International -- just before 10 PM Saturday when he ate it on the rain-soaked steps.

Eyewitnesses tell TMZ ... people nearby noticed him and were snickering at him.

Those eyewitnesses say Santos broke his watch when he hit the ground -- meaning he really doesn't know what time it is.

Susan Sarandon is now walking back antisemitic remarks she delivered at a pro-Palestinian rally in NYC last month ... offering her apologies to anyone she offended.

The actress posted a lengthy statement on Instagram Friday night, explaining that she made a "terrible mistake" when she said Jews are “getting a taste of what it is like to be Muslim in this country, so often subjected to violence.”

Susan uttered the words in front of a large crowd at the November 17 rally in Manhattan's Union Square.

The demonstrators were protesting against the Israel-Hamas war, which broke out after the terrorist group invaded the Jewish state on October 7. Hamas militants, who rule over the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, slaughtered some 1,400 Jews, including babies.

In her IG post, Susan said she was invited to the event, but was not supposed to speak, yet ended up on stage with a mic in her hand, trying to communicate concerns about a rise in hate crimes throughout the country.

She pointed out the controversial phrasing she used falsely implied that Jews have not faced persecution. She then highlighted centuries of Jewish oppression and genocide in Europe, as well as the Tree of Life shooting in Pittsburgh, PA.

Susan went on to say she "deeply regrets diminishing the reality" and for voicing her hurtful remarks.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is speaking out against the barbaric, unprovoked Hamas attack on Israel ... meeting with survivors and their families.

The former governor of California got emotional as he condemned the Oct. 7 slaughter of innocent civilians ... saying it's unlike anything he's ever seen and offering his support for Israel.

Arnold met with family members of Israeli hostages who are still being held by Hamas in Gaza .. presenting them with bronze eagle statues.

After the meeting, Arnold told us he's looking to spread peace ... because it's more powerful than hate and anger.

14-year-old Ella Shani was among the survivors traveling from Israel to Santa Monica to meet Arnold ... she recounted how her father was murdered on Oct. 7 by Hamas terrorists at Kibbutz Beeri, and how her 16-year-old cousin Amit Shani was kidnapped.

Ella says her cousin was hiding in a safe room in his home when Hamas set the place on fire and broke down the door. She says Amit and two other Israeli men from a neighboring house were ordered into a car, kidnapped and taken to Gaza.

As Ella spoke for about 30 minutes, Arnold teared up ... and they hugged in the end. He also showed her some of his cool movie memorabilia, like a robot head from 'Terminator.'

Rep. George Santos just got booted from Congress ... after the House voted to expel him following a controversial time in office, which includes multiple felony charges.

Santos is the first member of Congress not convicted of a felony to be expelled since the Civil War. Only 6 members have been expelled in U.S. history.

The vote to expel Santos was 311 - 114. Among those voting to expel ... 105 Republicans.

A defiant Santos refused to resign Thursday before Friday's vote ... but he's out of Congress now nonetheless.

Remember ... Santos was arrested back in May on a variety of felony charges, including lying, wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements to the House of Representatives.

Santos had escaped two previous votes to expel him from Congress, but the third time was not a charm for him.

The difference this time ... a recent House Ethics Committee report claiming evidence of Santos' alleged federal law violations. Among the report's juicy claims -- Santos allegedly used campaign funds for OnlyFans and Botox.

During his time in office, Santos was surrounded by controversy and accusations of lying his way to Congress ... he made a few friends, but even more enemies ... often sparring with media and, most recently, some anti-Israel protestors.

Sandra Day O'Connor, the first female justice on the Supreme Court, has died.

Justice O'Connor passed away Friday morning in Phoenix, AZ ... the court announced her death in a statement, saying she died, "of complications related to advanced dementia, probably Alzheimer’s, and a respiratory illness."

O'Connor made history in 1981 when she was appointed to the High Court by President Ronald Reagan. She was considered a moderate conservative, and often made the difference on the 9-person Court when it came to momentous decisions.

The Stanford Law School grad tackled the biggest social issues in the country, including abortion, affirmative action, and even presidential elections. She voted in 2000 to stop the recount in Florida in the race between Al Gore and George W. Bush ... her vote was part of the majority that secured Bush's election.

After leaving the Court in 2006, she bemoaned how it had swung way to the right, undoing some of her decisions over her 24-year tenure.

Chief Justice John Roberts said of Justice O'Connor, "A daughter of the American Southwest, Sandra Day O’Connor blazed an historic trail as our Nation’s first female Justice. She met that challenge with undaunted determination, indisputable ability, and engaging candor.”

Five women have followed in O'Connor's footsteps ... Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Amy Coney Barrett and Ketanji Brown Jackson.

O'Connor was 93.

Gavin Newsom went toe-to-toe with Ron DeSantis on the debate stage Thursday, trading blows on a variety of important issues impacting the country, including human feces!!

The California Guv and his Florida counterpart went at each other onstage during the Fox News debate hosted by Sean Hannity -- but the 1.5-hour conversation took an unusual turn when DeSantis brought up poop on the sidewalks of San Francisco.

DeSantis held up a photo of the excrement-laden Northern California city, explaining that human waste on the streets is a way of life now in SF.

The 2024 Republican presidential candidate also pointed out that Newsom only cleaned up the City recently for a visit from Chinese dictator Xi Jinping.

Newsom appeared flustered, nervously laughing and calling it all nonsense.

The "Great Red State Versus Blue State Debate" had some other tense moments, like when DeSantis accused his Democrat rival of running a shadow campaign for prez.

But, Newsom didn't take the bait, throwing his support behind current president and 2024 democratic frontrunner Joe Biden. He pointed to Biden's record of creating "fourteen million jobs, 10 times more than the last three Republican presidents combined.”

DeSantis then took aim at Biden's US-Mexico border crisis, saying the Democrats are lying to the public about the issue as millions of undocumented migrants have poured into the country.

Newsom returned fire, blasting DeSantis for busing migrants from the Texas border to Martha's Vineyard “so that you can out-Trump Trump.” He then mocked DeSantis' poll numbers, saying, "You’re down 41 points in your own state."

There were more fireworks when DeSantis botched the name of VP Kamala Harris. Newsom quickly corrected DeSantis and chastised him ... “Shame on you. It’s Madame Vice President to you.”

The governors also attacked each other on crime, taxes, abortion, environmental protections and the Coronavirus pandemic.

Dave Chappelle has a couple of U.S. Congresswomen full-on fangirling -- and since one of 'em is Rep. Lauren Boebert, ya couldn't blame Dave if he asked her to keep her hands in clear view!

Boebert and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna snapped a selfie alongside the comedian Thursday in the Capitol -- and the Colorado congresswoman turned the moment into a platform for her anti-LGBTQ views. She captioned her IG post, "Just three people who understand that there are only two genders 😄."

A source with direct knowledge tells TMZ Dave had no intent on getting political with the photo op, and it was a spontaneous moment. He's in D.C. for an "Art is Activism" event at Duke Ellington School of the Arts ... which is, famously, Dave's high school alma mater.

We're told he went to meet some friends -- not politicians -- who work on Capitol Hill, and ended up running into several members of Congress, including Lauren and Anna, who scrambled for pics.

Ya gotta imagine Dave had a bunch of jokes bouncing around his head upon seeing Rep. Boebert -- considering all the buzz earlier this year when she was getting super handsy in the dark with her date at a Denver theatre. While watching "Beetlejuice," no less!

Henry Kissinger, one of the most powerful and influential Secretaries of State in U.S. history ... the man who helped shape foreign policy in the United States for decades, is dead.

The famous statesman, diplomat, author and scholar died Wednesday at his home in Connecticut. The cause of death is unclear.

Kissinger was widely considered the most powerful secretary of state since World War II, serving as a top advisor for presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.

During the 1970s, Kissinger negotiated America's exit from the war in Vietnam, helped open the U.S. to China, stabilized relations between Israel and Arab countries in the Middle East and eased tensions with the Soviet Union. He won the Nobel Prize for his Vietnam peace efforts, but critics say Kissinger saw the handwriting on the wall -- maintaining a democracy in Vietnam was a losing battle -- and negotiated the peace agreement as a face-saver.

Sure enough, it didn't take long for democracy to fail. Critics think the peace deal was a way of getting some space before democracy fell, so the U.S. wouldn't look bad.

He was always controversial -- both revered and reviled. He was praised for opening up China and resetting U.S. relations with Russia, but he also engineered the secret carpet-bombing of Cambodia. And he was central to the effort to topple the democratically-elected president of Chile.

When Kissinger wasn't shaping U.S. foreign policy, he was cultivating a playboy image in Hollywood ... dating movie stars like Candice Bergen, Shirley MacLaine, Jill St. John and Liv Ullman.

Kissinger was born in Germany and fled to the U.S. with other Jewish immigrants as a teenager way back in 1938 ... studying at Harvard before climbing the ranks in Washington D.C.

Despite leaving the federal government in 1977, Kissinger remained a prominent influence on foreign policy and business ... though his legacy is celebrated by some and despised by others.

Kissinger was 100.