Controversial S#!T

Bill Maher broke with tradition Friday night from his "Goodbye Douchebags" segment celebrating the end of an administration ... this time it was "Hello, Douchebags!"

Bill did not disappoint with his list of "up-and-comers" ... as he put it, "the new, fresh-faced hate-for-profit, truth-bending opportunist that you'll be cursing out for years to come."

Senator Josh Hawley tops Bill's list ... we won't spoil it for you, with one exception -- Maher calls Hawley "the far-right JFK with a little dash of KKK."

Then there's Rep. Lauren Boebert, whom Bill describes this way ... "what would happen if Michele Bachmann smoked bath salts?"

Senator Tommy Tuberville made the list ... Bill notes 3 of his business associates were convicted of financial crimes, to which Tommy said, "I'm not smart enough to understand all the numbers." To that Bill notes, "Did I mention he wants to be on the Senate Banking Committee?"

Rep. Madison Cawthorn is on the list as well. Bill mused, "This one brags that he carries a gun on the House floor, but not irresponsibly. It's safely secured in his Paw Patrol lunchbox."

And, what would the list be without Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene ... well, just watch.

Like many of her colleagues, AOC condemned the decision to force hundreds of National Guard soldiers to take their breaks in a frigid parking garage instead of the warm Capitol building, but she went a step further by offering them her office couch for a nap ... and snacks.

The National Guard members were ordered out of the Capitol Building Thursday by Capitol Police, and told to either take their rest breaks outside or in a nearby parking garage ... which resulted in some truly bad optics and, frankly, shockingly inhumane treatment.

The Guardsmen and women were packed like sardines in the parking garage -- "breathing in exhaust fumes and covid" as one reporter put it -- after spending the past several days in D.C. to protect the Capitol and provide increased security for Joe Biden's inauguration.

Though the reason behind the Capitol Police ordering the Guard to move out Thursday is unclear, it sure seems the reasoning is that they didn't want the building to look like an armed camp.  The move drew condemnation by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, and some of the guard members said they felt betrayed.

The good news -- AOC's tweet and the outrage of other members apparently forced an about face ... all of the service members were allowed back inside the building for the night.

A National Guard spokesperson shed some light on what went down Thursday, saying ... "As Congress is in session and increased foot traffic and business is being conducted, Capitol Police asked the troops to move their rest area. They were temporarily relocated to the Thurgood Marshall Judicial Center garage with heat and restroom facilities."

Well, there was just one restroom with 2 stalls available to the 5,000 troops who were told to leave the Capitol ... and temperatures dipped into the low 40s by nightfall.

And, if you want to know what it might be like to be exposed to the elements in D.C. ... well, just look at frigid Tom Hanks during the Inauguration show.

Joe Biden's driving a wedge between some of Andrew Jackson's descendants ... there's a split in the family over the new look in the Oval Office.

The rift stems from Biden's decision to remove a portrait of our 7th president from the Oval, replacing Jackson with a painting of Benjamin Franklin. It's a change from the layout during Donald Trump's time in the Oval.

Jackson's great, great, great-granddaughter, Barbara Jackson, tells TMZ ... she approves of Biden's big change, because her relative did some really bad things.

She says Jackson did some good, but she can't get over the fact he was a slave owner and was a fierce opponent of ending slavery.

Jackson's great, great, great-grandson, Andy Jackson, tells TMZ ... he's unhappy and thinks his great-great-grandpa has a rightful place near the resolute desk.

Andy, Barbara's cousin, says President Jackson should be remembered for his accomplishments -- defeating the British in the War of 1812 and increasing suffrage -- even if history doesn't look kindly on his cruel policies on Native Americans.

There's some common ground among Jackson's relatives, who descend from his adopted son Andrew Jackson II ... they both feel the decision was ultimately Biden's to make, and they respect it.

Here's a potential tiebreaker -- Andrew Jackson's Hermitage.

Howard Kittel, the President and CEO of Jackson's former plantation turned museum, tells TMZ ... he was disappointed to see the portrait taken down, but not surprised, given Jackson's ties to slavery.

Justin Thomas -- one of the biggest stars in golf -- says he intends to enroll in a "training program" to help him be a better person after he used an anti-gay slur on a course earlier this month.

Thomas was on the 4th green during the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii on Jan. 9 ... when he missed a 5-foot par putt and muttered, "f*****."

Thomas immediately apologized after the round ... saying in a post-play interview, "There’s just no excuse. I’m an adult, I’m a grown man. There’s absolutely no reason for me to say anything like that."

Thomas, though, has faced huge backlash despite the mea culpa ... and on Wednesday, he said he intends to enter a training program to help him learn from it all.

"It’s not a word I use,” Thomas said, “but for some reason it was in there and that’s what I’m trying to figure out -- why it was in there."

“And like I said, it’s going to be part of this process and training program, whatever I need to do, not only to prove to myself but to prove to my sponsors and prove to the people who don’t know who I am that that is indeed not the person I am.”

The 27-year-old golfer declined to elaborate on what the program will entail ... saying only, "Obviously people are going to be a part of that process."

"But what I’m doing I’d like to keep internally and just go through the appropriate steps to get where I need to be and want to be, so people understand that’s not the person I am, the character I like to portray."

Thomas has lost sponsors over the incident ... with Ralph Lauren dropping the golfer last week after having a longstanding relationship with him.

Thomas said he was "upset" over losing the clothing company ... saying he wished they had stuck with him while he worked to fix his issues.

"I spoke with them, along with all my sponsors, and although I apologized, just like it was then it’s an opportunity for me to grow and I felt like it was something we could have done together and gone through that process," Thomas said.

"They just felt like they needed to move on so that’s exactly what I’m doing as well."

Donald Trump's final use of "YMCA" during a public political event did NOT go unnoticed by the guys who originally sang it -- and while they're still pissed ... they're also thankful that, for now, this is the end of his tradition.

The Village People tell TMZ ... "We asked him to cease and desist long ago. However, since he's a bully, our request was ignored." It's true -- TVP have repeatedly made clear they're not down with DT constantly using their most famous tune ... but he's persisted.

The group adds, "Thankfully he's now out of office, so it would seem his abusive use of our music has finally ended. We hope to spearhead a change in copyright law that will give artists and publishers more control over who can and cannot use our music in the public space. Currently there is no limit to blanket licensing."

That's interesting ... because that's not something that many people know or something that artists vow to change. Basically, the reason Trump has been able to, for the most part, get away with playing music from so many artists who don't sign off is because ... it's legal.

The Village People's comments here touch on copyright law -- which we won't dig into too deeply -- but essentially ... it's usually fine to play copyrighted songs in places like stadiums that have public performance licenses -- which is where Trump often played these songs.

The Village People -- and probably several other musicians, like Aerosmith, the Rolling Stones, and countless others -- might be happy he won't have reason to do this anymore with their music, but in light of Trump promising to come back, they may have to revisit this issue again ... one day.

Donald Trump is departing the White House for the final time as President, en route to a send-off party he requested as he leaves behind a tumultuous legacy that will certainly be ... remembered.

DT is about to board the Marine One chopper early Wednesday morning on the South Lawn, where a few of White House staffers are standing by to say deuces to POTUS for good. He'll be on his way to Joint Base Andrews -- just outside of D.C., where he's putting on a farewell ceremony for himself.

Invites for the event were sent out to Trump's remaining allies, but details for what exactly is in store were hazy. The buzz has been 45's looking for a major military-style parade, before he boards Air Force One. We'll see if he gets it, and who shows up ... it's slated to begin at 8 AM ET.

One person who won't be attending for certain is his Vice President Mike Pence. He's said he will who be at Joe Biden's inauguration ... presumably representing the administration. This is the first time in over a century that an outgoing Prez has blown off the Inauguration Day transfer of power.

In any case, once his farewell gala is done, Trump's flying south for the winter -- and beyond -- to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

His decision to bolt outta D.C, at the crack of dawn isn't all that surprising considering the hot political (and possibly legal) water Trump's found himself in during these final weeks in office.

Of course, he's already been impeached for inciting the Jan. 6 riot and storming of the Capitol -- and could face a Senate trial.

The Senate could convict him, and also vote to bar him from holding any federal office again -- due to his historic double impeachment -- which would upend any potential Presidential run, which he's suggested he might do.

Needless to say, this is most likely not the last we'll see of Trump ... impeachment aside, there's wide speculation he could face criminal charges for the riot, business dealings in NY state and even Hollywood punishment from the SAG-AFTRA union.

Plus, he's talked about possibly starting his own news network. We guess the only place you won't see him, as of now, is Twitter.

We suppose there's nothing left to say except, goodbye 45. Yes, his own catchphrase comes to mind too, but we'll spare you. 👋🏽.

Taco Bell employee Lonna Wells is out of a job after ticking off a co-worker, who filed a complaint about Lonna's past ... as a porn star, but Taco Bell claims that's not what happened.

Lonna claims the fast-food joint in Newport, Arkansas canned her less than a week after she landed the job. She'd reportedly started working at Taco Bell after she stopped doing porn so she'd avoid catching COVID-19.

Wells was no slouch in her previous job -- she's been featured on PornHub ... and scored two AVN Award nominations.

She told the Daily Beast she was about to clock into work when her manager called to drop the hammer. Wells is pissed because she says she told the hiring manager about her sex work during the interview and even asked if it was going to be a problem.

Taco Bell, however, claims Wells was not fired for her porn creds. Instead, the company says, "This former team member worked for a franchise location and the franchisee has informed us that the accusations made are not accurate and that she was instead terminated for violation of their policies and procedures."

Sen. Lindsey Graham -- one of President Trump's staunchest allies -- says he's riding with Biden, at least for Inauguration Day ... but what happens after that is kinda murky.

We got the Senator from South Carolina Tuesday at Reagan National Airport, and asked him about Wednesday morning's festivities, which on the surface seem like a logistical nightmare for him. His buddy Trump's getting an early sendoff ceremony at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland -- but of course, he's also on the guestlist for President-elect Biden's swearing-in on Capitol Hill.

Graham told us he's already decided to attend Biden's Inauguration. That's kinda surprising, considering a week ago he and Trump were still tight -- LG even flew to Texas with POTUS.

So, is he ready for the backlash from Trump supporters? Ask his platoon of bodyguards!! The Senator was flanked by at least 8 very serious-looking dudes.

It was a much different image from his last time in this terminal -- last week Trumpers gave him the business, blasting him as a traitor.

Despite his Wednesday plans, Graham's not completely turning his back on Trump. In fact, he's trying to get Sen. Chuck Schumer to dismiss the 2nd impeachment of Trump ... according to Politico. So, he's clearly not on board with voting to convict 45.

Donald Trump's pettiness apparently knows no bounds, because Joe Biden isn't getting what Trump himself got ... a government aircraft taking him to D.C. for his inauguration.

Biden just boarded a private jet for the short flight to Washington. Protocol has been for the incoming President to get the courtesy of a military aircraft. Aside from the fact this tradition is rooted in the transfer of power, it's gotta be safer, with all the bells and whistles that come with it.

FYI ... Donald Trump was afforded this courtesy when he flew to Washington on January 19, 2017, the day before he was inaugurated.

This is one in a series of protocol breaks. Among the others ...

-- Trump hasn't called Biden to congratulate him on winning the election

-- Trump has not invited Biden to the White House

-- Trump has offered tepid cooperation in the transition, making it much harder for Biden and his team to prepare for the ascendency to power.

-- Trump will not greet Biden on January 20th for tea at the White House before Biden heads to the Capitol

-- Trump will not attend Biden's inauguration

One more tradition ... an outgoing President leaves a note for the incoming President in the Oval Office. Trump was effusive about the note Obama left him. Joe Biden ... don't hold your breath.

"Hey Reb!" is officially no more ... UNLV has punted the mascot forever -- but the school is still keeping its "Rebels" nickname.

University president Keith Whitfield made the announcement in a letter to the UNLV community on Tuesday ... saying the cartoon character with Confederate ties will be retired for good.

Whitfield said the school currently has no plans to replace the mascot with a new one.

Of course, the decision isn't too surprising ... given the school just removed a famous on-campus statue of "Hey Reb!" back in June.

UNLV hoops legend Isaiah "J.R." Rider praised the decision at the time, telling TMZ Sports, "I think it's the right thing to do personally."

As for the school's nickname, however ... Whitfield says the university has no plans to drop the "Rebels" moniker from its teams and programs.

"Personally, I have always viewed the term 'Rebels' as a strong, nationally recognized brand synonymous with UNLV," Whitfield said in the letter. "I believe the word 'rebel' represents an attitude or spirit."

"It captures the essence of an iconic city that is unconventional and celebrates its independence, tenacity, and resiliency. Rebels have a purpose or motivation for a greater cause and are not afraid to take risks to make incredible things happen."

Donald Trump's in jeopardy of losing another vote -- this one with Hollywood's labor union -- and it could cost him a return to his beloved 'Apprentice.'

Trump is facing expulsion from SAG-AFTRA, with the union's board of directors set to gather Tuesday for a special session that could decide DT's fate ... according to Deadline.

There's a lot riding on Tuesday's meeting regarding possible disciplinary action for Trump ... if he's expelled from the Screen Actors Guild, he couldn't do "The Apprentice" again.

As you know, Trump starred in "The Apprentice" and 'Celebrity Apprentice' before becoming President, and he's been a union member since 1989.

Trump's expulsion requires a two-thirds vote from the national board, and Tuesday's emergency meeting is just the first step in a long process, which includes a hearing on the charges he's facing.

The SAG-AFTRA Constitution says members can be expelled or suspended for "engaging in actions antagonistic to the interests or integrity of the union." Trump's repeatedly labeled the media an enemy of the people, but the insurrection seems to be the tipping point here.

Stay tuned.

Not every Trumper at the U.S. Capitol was down with the siege ... or at least so it appears based on this one MAGA cap-wearing man's convo with Capitol Police in the middle of the riot.

Check out this clip that just surfaced from Jan. 6, when the guy approached a group of Capitol Police officers who were standing off to the side ... while the mob stormed into the building.

The man's words here are telling ... he asks why the cops are letting this happen, and why they haven't called for backup -- noting this is the U.S. FREAKIN' CAPITOL THAT'S BEING INVADED, and that these people storming it are "out for blood."

Anyway, the officers didn't seem to respond at all, and the man continued his diatribe ... telling them that if no extra help was on the way, it means they don't care about what's happening to the Capitol.

The whole thing is pretty ironic -- a clear Trump supporter right in the thick of the action denouncing the act of breaching the premises. Now, we have no idea what his motives were here, or if he was genuinely separating himself from the illegal activity.

We'll say this ... he does seem to rejoin the mob as the video ends, but we have no way of knowing if he actually went inside the Capitol.

As Joe Biden's inauguration looms -- and as many expect civil unrest -- a number of the Capitol Police's rank and file fear they won't be supported by leadership if they have to use deadly force to protect themselves.

Capitol Police sources tell TMZ ... there's been a lot of chatter lately about officers tasked with guarding the Capitol come Wednesday and whether they're allowed to use deadly force if push comes to shove ... and if so, will they be backed by the Department?

Our sources say the issue came up at a roll call meeting last week, where one USCP officer asked his sergeants in the room, if they find themselves in a life or death situation -- like several cops did on Jan. 6 -- can they do whatever it takes to save their own lives, including the use of deadly force?

And, just as important ... would USCP brass have their backs in the aftermath? We're told the answer they got was NOT reassuring -- more of a wishy-washy response that catered more to optics and the need to accommodate peaceful protesters. In other words, the answer they got was vague and, many say, unhelpful.

There've been several suspensions, firings and resignations from the fallout Jan. 6. Some of the rank and file feel they've been made scapegoats ... and much of the discipline was unfair. All of this, we're told, has negatively affected morale.

It's not lost on the officers that they lost one of their own during the insurrection -- Brian Sicknick, who suffered a fatal injury. And, they heard the story of the officer who was dragged down Capitol steps and beaten. These cops want a clear policy on the right to use lethal force.

Hillary Clinton thinks President Trump continues to do Vladimir Putin's bidding, and that his allegiance might be behind the Capitol insurrection.

HC hosted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on her podcast, 'You and Me Both,' and openly speculated Trump might have been on the phone with Russia's President the day of the riots ... going on to say she'd like to see his call records.

Clinton presented no evidence to back up her conspiracy theory but floated it nonetheless, and the Speaker piggybacked ... saying she wants another 9/11-like commission to dig into Trump's Presidency, the riots and potential ties to Russia.

It's clear they both feel Trump is beholden to Putin, and by extension -- so are his followers, who Hillary now refers to as cult members. Not sure if that's an upgrade or downgrade from "deplorables."

It's interesting she brings up Russia again -- a matter many put to bed after Special Counsel Robert Mueller's nearly 2-year-long probe found the Trump campaign wasn't actively conspiring with Russia to influence the 2016 election.

That being said, Putin's still at the front of Hillary's mind after losing the Presidency in the wake of Russian meddling.

Rosie O'Donnell is just days away from being able to declare victory over her longtime nemesis, President Trump, and says the cherry on top would be him standing trial and going to prison.

Rosie was at LAX Monday when she opened up about how she's feeling as Trump's final days in office wind down. Not shockingly, she's thrilled to see him go, but still wants justice for the events of January 6.

She believes Capitol rioters should be punished to the full extent of the law for sedition ... and insists people who compare Jan. 6 to Black Lives Matter protests are way off base. Rosie's also pretty adamant Trump's a shameless criminal -- she hurled an allegation to that effect while discussing the stack of pardons he's about to sign.

Remember, they were enemies for a decade before he entered politics, but Trump infamously took a shot at Rosie during a 2015 Republican debate. He also claimed no one feels sorry for Rosie during a later debate with Hillary Clinton.

The daughter who publicly ID'd her own mother as a bloodied participant in the Capitol riots feels some guilt for calling her mom out ... but says she doesn't regret it, for several reasons.

Helena Duke joined "TMZ Live" Monday to add some context to why she decided to out her mother, Therese Duke, in a viral clip where Therese gets punched by a security guard outside the Capitol after the insurrection.

Helena says her mom lied to her about her whereabouts on January 6 -- claiming she was getting a medical procedure -- so she wouldn't have known Therese attended the riots ... if not for the video of her getting punched.

As for why Therese was in D.C. ... Helena believes Donald Trump radicalized her mother about a year into his Presidency. She says it was "unsettling" how her mom flipped from lifelong Democrat to far-right Republican.

If you missed it ... the day after the riots, Helena commented on the vid of her mother getting punched -- "hi mom remember the time you told me I shouldn’t go to BLM protests bc they could get violent...this you?"

Shortly afterward she went a step further by publicly ID'ing her mom, aunt and uncle as attending the riot.

Therese has since been fired from her job at a Massachusetts hospital ... which stated her termination was linked to her being involved in the Capitol violence.