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Bill Maher has a question for California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass ... why does it take a massive disaster for the state to cut red tape?!?

Bill joined us on "TMZ Live" and we asked him about the heat Newsom and Bass are catching over the response to the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, and what it's going to take for L.A. to rebuild.

The 'Real Time' host says Newsom and Bass absolutely deserve to be held accountable for what Maher feel are a series of blunders that exacerbated the disaster ... and he says now is absolutely the time to have a conversation about their actions, or lack thereof.

Donald Trump's inauguration ceremony is relying on a private security company ... and Uncle Sam is paying a pretty penny to keep the incoming President safe.

TMZ obtained federal procurement docs that show the Secret Service has hired a company called Arcus Group LLC to help out with Monday's inauguration. The company scored an $8.1 million contract for the job ... and the firm is tasked with securing the perimeter.

Sounds like taxpayer money is being put to good use here ... Arcus Group boasts they are specialists in temporary security perimeters for high profile situations ... and Trump's inauguration fits the bill.

Pets who have been separated from families displaced by the Los Angeles wildfires are fighting for their lives ... because there are limited ways for them to get food and water.

The heartbreaking situation is playing out in Pacific Palisades and Altadena, where people's pets have been left behind to fend for themselves in the rubble.

No food or water is being left for the cats, dogs and other pets who survived the fires ... according to Chris Valles from Los Angeles County Animal Care and Control.

The couple Robbie Williams "wed" at a screening of his new movie "Better Man" aren't monkeying around, telling the haters to hang around and reconsider ... even if the movie is a total bomb.

Haldun Uluç Ülgen tells TMZ ... he and his fiancée Amy Willoughby couldn’t care less the British singer's biopic tanked at the box office -- they loved it! And he assures us it’s got nothing to do with being "married" by Robbie, who's been an ordained minister since 2002.

Haldun's surprised the movie didn’t leap over the box office competition, but he believes that's because people aren't branching out for something fresh and original -- though he admits RW doesn't have the star power here like he does in the UK.

Forget the issue of Drake's street cred (just for a moment), because it's his lawyers who clearly know very little about Kendrick Lamar ... the guy who wrote the song they're suing UMG over.

A big part of Drake's 81-page defamation lawsuit over "Not Like Us" refers to the danger the diss track created for the Toronto rapper -- as the song "repeatedly suggests that violence should be used against Drake because he is a pedophile," and "the Recording repeats 'wop, wop, wop, wop' and then says Lamar will 'f**k 'em up.'"

But this is where Drake's legal team gets out over its skis, writing ... "Later, the Recording threatens that if Drake comes to Oakland, where Lamar grew up, he will not make it out alive: 'I think that Oakland show gon' be your last stop.'"

Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner were the picture of Parisian romance, lighting up the City of Love on their latest date night outing.

The couple had the lovey-dovey vibes rolling, hand in hand as they left Cyril Lignac's posh restaurant after a cozy dinner Tuesday -- enjoying some one-on-one time following his "A Complete Unknown" premiere.

Timothée took the lead, guiding his lady through the swarm of paps and onlookers ... all eyes were on them as they walked out together in full-on power couple mode.

3:53 PM PT -- We caught up with Dave Grohl today in L.A. after his fire relief effort.

Dave Grohl spent his birthday putting others first, whipping up hearty meals for people affected by the L.A. wildfires and the brave firefighters battling the blazes.

Check out the clip -- Dave was stirring up a giant vat of chili Tuesday while volunteering with Feed The Streets Los Angeles, the group that's stepping up big-time to feed displaced families, inmate firefighters and other frontline workers in the wake of the recent devastation.

Feed The Streets shared an IG Story of Grohl in action, with another clip showing him pushing containers down the pavement to get those meals out to those in need.

Leonardo DiCaprio is keeping up his philanthropic work, pledging $1M to support wildfire relief efforts amid the devastating Los Angeles wildfires.

The movie star made the announcement on social media on Wednesday, revealing the donation would be in conjunction with his organization Re:wild to aid both immediate needs and long-term recovery after the fires.

The org's Rapid Response Program is specially designed to address environmental disasters and emergencies. The initial aid will support the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, California Fire Foundation, World Central Kitchen, California Community Foundation, Pasadena Humane Society, and SoCal Fire Fund.

The Philadelphia Eagles fan who was captured on video over the weekend calling a Packers supporter a "dumb c***" has finally broken his silence ... claiming Wednesday his outburst was provoked.

Ryan Caldwell said in a statement to the New York Post the video that showed him going off on a female Packer backer at Sunday's playoff game at Lincoln Financial Field did not tell the full story.

Caldwell insists what took place just before his vulgar rant was "banter" between all parties. He then strongly implied that Alexander Basara and his fiancée, Ally Keller, egged him on.

Olympic Gold Medalist Shawn Johnson and her husband, former NFL player Andrew East, may be in retirement, but they're proving they've still got it ... one acrobatic challenge at a time.

The former athletes put their fit frames on display for a number of videos uploaded to social media, where they've tapped into their competitive spirit to pull off a series of acrobatic stunts.

Check it out ... a shirtless Andrew effortlessly lifts Shawn into the air ... just as she contorts her body and turns a full 360 degrees. It's flipping adorable, if we do say so ourselves!!!

The suspicious hiker who gave some bizarre answers to a concerned Topanga resident was questioned and arrested by police ... at least according to the guy who confronted him.

We tracked down the Topanga man who recorded his interaction with the hiker and he joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday ... telling us the guy stuck out like a sore thumb and raised a ton of red flags.

The resident says his community is pretty tight-knit, so they know everyone ... and this guy was clearly not a local.

The Eagles fan who berated a female Packers supporter in Philly is officially out of a job ... with the hotheads' now-former employer calling out his behavior ... while also knocking people who have trashed their business online!

TMZ Sports spoke to BCT Partners co-founders Lawrence Hibbert and Dr. Randal Pinkett -- who appeared on Season 4 of The Apprentice -- who slammed ex-project manager Ryan Caldwell for his actions in a now-viral video where he called the Green Bay fan a "dumb ugly c***."

"I can't say enough about how abhorrent the behavior that we observed was and how upset I was in seeing someone who was at the time associated with our company displaying that kind of behavior," Pinkett said.

Spencer Pratt is one proud husband ... hyping up his wife Heidi after she landed herself a Times Square billboard amid their wildfire tragedy.

As you know, "The Hills" alum has been actively promoting Heidi's 2010 album "Superficial" as a way to bring in some money after their Pacific Palisades home burned to the ground last week during the raging wildfires in L.A.

Fans and celebrity friends have jumped on Spencer's musical bandwagon by constantly streaming the album, resulting in Heidi's music soaring on the charts -- and a coveted billboard in New York City's Times Square.

A despondent man fatally shot himself after he was caught with his pants down -- literally -- in his car at a coffee shop in Arizona, according to police.

The motorist, Nautica Malone, began his journey toward death last Wednesday when he pulled up to the drive-thru line at Bikini Beans Coffee in Tempe, AZ, and was approached by an employee who noticed he did not have pants on while taking his order, cops said.

Police said the employee told her manager as Malone rolled up to the drive-thru window still naked from the waist down. The manager allegedly whipped out her cell phone and recorded video of Malone, who was masturbating.

Betty White may've been known as "America's Sweetheart," but the Hollywood legend allegedly had a mean streak ... this according to fellow actress Sally Struthers.

The "All in the Family" star came out swinging against the "Golden Girls" alum during an appearance on the "Let's Talk About That" podcast ... blasting the late comedy legend as a "very passive-aggressive woman."

Per Sally, she had a less-than-enjoyable encounter working with Betty on a game show pilot.