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President Biden hit up an L.A. hot spot beloved by celebs for lunch with his wife and son ... and, it created a traffic nightmare for some drivers.

POTUS stopped at The Ivy in Beverly Hills for some grub on Saturday afternoon along with Dr. Jill, and the First Couple met with son Hunter as well.

BTW ... The Ivy's an uber-popular restaurant in The City of Angels -- and it's in a pretty central location which meant Secret Service had to shut the streets down.

Check out some of the images TMZ obtained ... cops are lined up all over Robertson Boulevard, yellow caution tape is set up -- no one's driving down this street if JB's security ain't letting them.

It was a sweet scene inside the restaurant ... TMZ has obtained video of Hunter giving his stepmom Jill a big squeeze right after she walked in while agents kept a watchful eye for potential danger. Papa Joe also got a big hug from Hunter.

Interestingly enough though ... Secret Service agents were fine with other diners finishing up their meals in the restaurant -- some people even posted pics of the first family from inside the locale.

We’re told The Henry across the street was still packed with patrons ... where many curious customers watched on to get a glimpse of Biden.

Unclear how long the Bidens ate at the restaurant ... but we also got a shot of Joe heading to his car before driving away in his stretch limo -- looking happy after a full meal.

Biden's on a quick visit to Los Angeles ... presumably to put some more money in his war chest for the upcoming election -- which many people expect to be a knockdown, drag-out fight with ex-Prez Donald Trump.

Biden's approval rating's kinda in the gutter right now ... while DT's blowing through the Republican field -- now only consisting of Nikki Haley -- on his way toward the party's presidential nomination.

Dr. Phil McGraw's known for helping families iron out their issues, and now he's taking on his biggest challenge yet ... trying to fix U.S. immigration.

The television therapy star visited the Southern border in Texas on Friday to film upcoming episodes of "Dr. Phil Primetime" -- a new primetime show he announced a few months ago which will reportedly follow a similar format as his OG "Dr. Phil."

DPM walked the fence down in Eagle Pass, TX and filmed several interviews with border agents while also stopping to take some pics with border patrol officers ... all while railing against the current administration's immigration policy.

McGraw's specifically calling out Vice President Kamala Harris ... pointing out she's America's immigration czar -- but claiming she's only actually visited the border with Mexico one time since she ascended to the VP job.

What's interesting here ... Dr. Phil isn't taking the "all or nothing" stance many conservative politicians and commentators have staked their reputations on ... instead, he said he's actually in favor of immigration and knows immigrants drive the U.S. economy forward.

But, McGraw explained, that doesn't mean there isn't a problem at the border ... saying we need to "teach people how to treat us" instead of showing undocumented migrants that "they do not need to follow the rules at our border" -- adding it's a slippery slope from ignoring immigration laws to migrants breaking laws once they're in the country.

As for those people against "America First" policies ... McGraw said they need to remember putting themselves -- or in this case, your country -- first isn't the same as being selfish.

FWIW ... the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol reported a nearly 40% increase in border encounters from fiscal year 2021 to fiscal year 2023 -- and that appears to be growing in subsequent months with encounters over the last 3 months of 2023 topping date from the same months in previous years.

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.

Joe Biden's supposedly has a choice pet name for his likely 2024 opponent ... one you can't really use in polite society -- which he almost said in a speech recently!

A report from Politico released Thursday reveals the current Prez is seemingly disgusted with Donald Trump ... calling him a "sick f***" when talking to close friends and White House aides.

And, it appears he likes to double down on it too ... commenting "What a f***ing a**hole the guy is" on at least one occasion according to the premier political magazine.

While this may seem hard to confirm ... video evidence from a Pennsylvania speech early last month shows "Dark Brandon" seemingly ready to fire off his new catchphrase while railing against the former POTUS for his remarks.

JB said, "At his rally, he jokes about an intruder whipped up by the big Trump lie, taking a hammer to Paul Pelosi's skull and echoing the very same words used on January 6 -- "Where's Nancy?" -- and he thinks that's funny. He laughed about it. What a sick--."

POTUS never finished that statement ... instead the audience laughed and Biden added he thought DT was "despicable" -- pretty clear he wanted to use a more graphic term though.

If you're wondering if the Trump campaign's concerned about Biden's words at all ... it's pretty obvious they're not. Chris LaCivita, a top campaign adviser, told Politico it's abhorrent he'd use such words to describe his predecessor -- though it's "no surprise he disrespects the 45th president the same way he disrespects the American people with his failed policies."

Bottom line ... these fellas don't like each other, and they're not afraid to show it.

Joe also reportedly gets triggered by Don's statements all the time ... with Politico saying he'd expressed distaste for Trump after comments he made about Charlottesville, Vladimir Putin and veterans.

President Biden's seemingly trying to win over a key voting block in Michigan ... and a war going on a world away is playing a huge role, including some new policies he's enforcing.

POTUS is making a few stops in Michigan this week -- an important swing state in the 2024 presidential election -- and it looks like he's trying to win over Arab American and Muslim voters who are outraged over the war between Israel and Palestine.

Coincidentally or not, Biden's Michigan trip comes the same time he signed an executive order allowing the United States to sanction Israeli settlers, and potentially Israeli government officials, who are involved in violent attacks against Palestinians in Gaza.

Biden's been under fire in Michigan for his support for Israel ... and there's a huge Arab American population in the state, and they're threatening to pull the support at the ballot box.

There were even protests outside Biden's campaign stops in Michigan ... but it doesn't look like anything was disrupted, although the scenes were tense.

On its face, it looks like Biden might've timed the signing of this EO so he had something tangible to show voters in Michigan who support Palestine ... so he doesn't lose their vote to a third party, or worse, Donald Trump. That's how some are interpreting it, anyway.

At the same time, Biden's said to be running thin on patience with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ... so it seems the winds may be changing when it comes to Gaza.

Biden really needs Michigan to stave off Trump ... and it looks like the political posturing is in full swing as we march toward November.

Andrea Bocelli's uniting President Joe Biden and GOP Speaker of the House Mike Johnson through song ... opening their emotional floodgates during a Capitol Hill performance.

The opera star's one-of-a-kind voice is powerful enough to send chills down anyone's spine ... but for Joe and Mike, his rendition of "Amazing Grace" Thursday morning was truly a spiritual awakening ... bridging the gap between them and moving them both to tears.

Joe even reached for a tissue to dry his eyes as Andrea belted it out, and Rep. Johnson welled up with emotion next to him. For just a moment, both men's political differences seemed to be on the back burner.

JB was particularly thrilled to have started his day on a high note ... leaping to his feet at the end for a thunderous round of applause.

There's clearly nothing better than a musical breather to recharge the political batteries before Joe's campaign trail hits full volume for the 2024 elections.

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.

Donald Trump should be cautious about poking the bear when it comes to attacking Taylor Swift ... so says a well-seasoned political talk show host and media personality.

FOX11 anchor and politico Elex Michaelson joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and we asked him about the ramifications of Trump's inner circle vowing to wage a "holy war" on Taylor and any Democrats she may endorse ... which they're reportedly ready to do.

Given Taylor's massive popularity right now -- coupled with the fact that she's dating a star player on an NFL team, who's about to play in the freaking Super Bowl -- Elex says DT and co. should be careful with how his campaign approaches Swift ... especially if it's to attack.

Elex says he worries Trump may wake up a sleeping giant here, and stir up Swifties en masse to hit the ballot box and vote for his opponent, Joe Biden, who is courting TS' endorsement. That might be a preemptively self-own, especially since she hasn't joined the Biden train yet.

Those same voters are also pretty young, for the most part, and that could hurt Trump too ... Elex explains. Considering Taylor has such influence over the youths in this country -- antagonizing her too early may well backfire if Trump goes in hard right now.

Another layer to this is Trump's potential loss being Biden's gain ... Elex points out Biden's struggled with some key demographics, and TS could help reel those voters back in ... at Trump's expense.

Of course, Elex says folks shouldn't be quick to dismiss Trump or write him off ... saying DT usually has a handle on how best to drum up his base. Fact is, he's run successful campaigns before and gotten tons of votes.

Mark Zuckerberg is being roasted at a Senate hearing on the online child sexual exploitation crisis ... getting up from his hot seat to apologize to victims' families.

The Meta CEO was in the middle of his testimony Wednesday on Capital Hill when he started getting grilled by Sen. Josh Hawley, who bombarded Zuck with questions.

Zuckerberg can barely get a word in as Hawley badgers him on Meta's response, or alleged lack thereof, to kids being sexually exploited online ... and he's pretty much forced to turn around and apologize.

Standing up from his chair, Zuck does a 180 and faces the audience ... which is filled with parents holding up photos of their kids who fell victim to predators using social media.

Zuckerberg indicates it's the first time he's apologized for these sorts of issues happening on Facebook and Instagram ... and he says Meta is taking steps to protect kids.

Other social media executives are testifying too ... including Snapchat's Evan Spiegel, TikTok's Shou Zi Chew, X's Linda Yaccarino and Discord's Jason Citron ... but the most interesting moments have been reserved for Zuck.

Donald Trump and his closest aides are apparently ramping up to go to battle with Taylor Swift and any Democrats she might end up endorsing -- this according to a new report.

Rolling Stone dished out some alleged behind-the-scenes deets about what's being discussed lately in Trump world -- particularly as it pertains to T-Swift and the (likely) possibility that she'll throw her weight behind Joe Biden as we get close to the '24 election.

From what they're hearing ... DT and co. are grousing at the prospect of Taylor using her massive influence to support the Biden ticket -- so much so, in fact, that RS reports some in the Trump camp are declaring a "holy war" against her ... whatever the hell that means.

The outlet says that the topic of Taylor has come up in Trump's orbit quite a bit in recent months -- especially as she'd become ever-more popular due to her NFL tie lately. The more she's surged in the zeitgeist, the more Trump and co. have reportedly fumed with anger.

RS even goes so far as to claim that Trump recently told confidants he was "more popular" than Taylor and that he had a more loyal fan base than her as well. The outlet goes on to say Trump was telling people he "obviously" should've been TIME's Person of the Year.

As wild as this might sound, there's already evidence out there that it's true -- especially on the "holy war" front ... 'cause some popular Trump surrogates have talked about it of late.

Political persona Jack Posobiec recently told a MAGA-leaning crowd at an event that their side had to fight fire with fire when it comes to the Taylor effect ... throwing out stars in their own world who could presumably rile up their base and get people to the polls for DT.

Some of the A-listers he mentioned ... Kid Rock, Ted Nugent and Jon Voight, to name a few.

On its face, it would seem MAGA supporters feel like they're in a fight for their lives here -- and based on all these reports ... it would seem they see Tay Tay as the anti-Christ!

Meanwhile, in reality, all Taylor has done, really, is ... just go to football games and cheer.

That, in and of itself though, has apparently triggered Trumpers around the country -- who are throwing a bit of hissy fit over the prospect she might get political again this year.

E. Jean Carroll's daydreaming about a shopping spree funded with $83.3 million of Donald Trump's money ... or, at least, that's the joking thought that came to mind after her heavily publicized trial.

Carroll bantered Tuesday on MSNBC about furthering women's rights ... by splurging on a whole new wardrobe and new shoes while chatting with Rachel Maddow -- and even asked the host if she'd like a brand new penthouse!

Maddow awkwardly shook her head, rebuffing any lavish gifts from Trump's money ... even if it was in the name of female empowerment, as Carroll put it.

The light-hearted exchange raised eyebrows ... especially with Carroll's lawyer, who uncomfortably clarified her client's spending spree was entirely a joke.

Too late ... as some unamused viewers are criticizing Carroll for her "toxic feminism" and making light of the justice system

Others online branded her "disgusting" for making a mockery out of the American justice system -- some even said it was a slap in the face to other victims.

President Joe Biden and his team are reportedly yanking their hair out trying to get Taylor Swift's endorsement -- but if history's any indication ... there's nothing to worry about.

The NYT did a deep dive into Biden's 2024 campaign, and specifically ... focused on how his aides are apparently discussing T-Swift, and brainstorming on ways to get her to officially sign her name on the Biden ticket heading into the November election.

According to the outlet ... Biden's aides/surrogates have been talking about their Taylor approach quite a bit in recent months -- and the conversations have gotten so intense, it seems, that they've actually discouraged applicants for social media gigs to save it on their "Taylor Swift strategy."

The reason ... they already have more than enough ideas, and they don't need/want some young whippersnapper to chip in any more proposals on getting her involved/interested.

One suggestion that's been (jokingly) floated, per the Times ... sending Joe to one of Taylor's "Eras" tour stops -- although, it sounds like this might've been talked about when she was performing stateside. At the moment, her tour is on its international leg ... and she's not scheduled to return for any American shows until the Fall, which would be too late.

Obviously, Joe never actually popped up at any of her "Eras" gigs (at least thus far) -- which kinda makes ya wonder if the Prez's team has reached out and/or been rebuffed.

It goes without saying why Joe and co. want Taylor to publicly endorse him -- she's got hundreds of millions of fans ... and is arguably more popular today than she ever has been. What's strange about this report is that they kinda make it seem like it's been somewhat difficult to get Taylor to come around ... or worse yet, that her endorsement isn't a given.

The reason that's strange is because Taylor has already endorsed Biden in the past -- namely, during the 2020 election ... when she backed him/Kamala Harris and slammed Trump.

Around October 2020, she wrote ... "I spoke to @vmagazine about why I’ll be voting for Joe Biden for president. So apt that it’s come out on the night of the VP debate. Gonna be watching and supporting @KamalaHarris by yelling at the tv a lot. And I also have custom cookies." Earlier May of that year, she explicitly said "We will vote you out" to DT.

Plus, it's Taylor is very obviously liberal and she constantly backs Dems anytime she steps into the political arena -- so the prospect of her endorsing Joe again is ... kind of a no-brainer, right? Perhaps not if this report is to be believed ... on its face, it seems it's iffy.

In the end, we're sure Taylor will come around and get behind Biden -- but in the meantime, it appears she's kinda making him and his camp squirm a bit as they try and court her.

If you're unaware of what sort of pull Tay Tay has these days -- just peep this poll that came out over the weekend ... which definitively said she alone could sway the 2024 election. It sounds like people REALLY care what she thinks lately, and Team Joe's well aware of that.

Kate Middleton is finally out of the hospital after undergoing surgery nearly 2 weeks ago -- and the official word is ... she's doing alright, and continues to get better.

The Princess of Wales is back home and resting with her family -- this according to Kensington Palace ... which made the announcement Monday. They wrote, "The Princess of Wales has returned home to Windsor to continue her recovery from surgery."

They add, "She is making good progress." This is reassuring, considering how long she was hospitalized, and how suddenly this news was sprung onto the public in the first place.

There's more from Kensington as well -- with the Royal house saying, "The Prince and Princess wish to say a huge thank you to the entire team at The London Clinic, especially the dedicated nursing staff, for the care they have provided."

More good news for the Royals ... King Charles was also released from the hospital Monday. Remember, he went in for a prostate procedure ... just around the same time as KM.

While the King's procedure/health issue was crystal clear ... Kate's remains somewhat of a mystery -- as no one seems to know what exactly the problem was. Although, that hasn't stopped people from speculating ... with all sorts of ailments being floated as possibilities.

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.

Farrah Abraham's not happy about a proposed bill in Florida that would ban kids from social media, saying the legislation targets victims instead of addressing the real issue.

Here's the deal ... a new bill passed through the Florida House of Representatives Wednesday that will cut off anyone under the age of 16 from getting a social media account with the hope that it will protect kids' mental health.

We talked to Farrah on Friday, and she thinks the total opposite is true -- that social media's great for kids, and limiting their access could limit their creativity ... not to mention affecting their branding and potential income.

She's also worried blocking kids from social media will put a dent in their mental strength and training ... arguing that putting children in a bubble ain't doing them any favors.

If lawmakers want to moderate social media, FA says they should focus on predators who make social media unsafe. Her point is ... kids, like her daughter Sophia, shouldn't be kicked off a platform when the "criminals" preying on children are allowed to run rampant.

For instance, she says her 14-year-old -- who has more than 800k followers -- gets DM'd by grown men on social media, and on Cameo they ask her for feet pics.

She suggests instructional online modules should be created to educate more kids on Internet dangers.

FWIW, Farrah says she's taken online safety courses which have really helped her, and she's passed those lessons on to Sophia.

After we spoke to her, Farrah posted a video reiterating several of the points we covered about making social media safer for kids.

Bill Maher is throwing in the towel on American democracy -- or so it seems -- and he makes a case.

The 'Real Time' host served up a scary parallel between the U S of A and Brazil, both of which had insurrections over their respective presidential elections -- the U.S. on January 6, 2021, and Brazil on January 8, 2023.

In both cases, as Bill says, the presidents who disputed the election were thrice-married, right-wing populists. But that's where the comparison ends.

In Brazil's case, almost everyone rose up against the rioters and the president, who's been banished from the country and is now living in Florida. In the case of America, the former president now living in Florida will be the Republican nominee by an insanely large margin.

Bill then dove into how we really have never been truly democratic ... California has the same representation in the Senate -- which, by the way, can convict a president for misdeeds -- as sparsely populated Wyoming. We have this fakakta electoral college which has no correlation to the popular vote.

Then Bill gets even more real with the confession, maybe we lost our taste for democracy because "we're just a s**ttier people than we used to be."