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Rep. Darrell Issa is defending President Trump using the Justice Department to investigate his political foes ... and he says Trump's no worse than Joe Biden.

The Congressman from California joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday and we asked him about Trump directing the DOJ to look into a couple officials from his first term who ultimately became Trump critics.

Rep. Issa says Trump weaponizing the DOJ to go after political enemies isn't all that different from what Biden did with the DOJ in investigating Trump when Biden was in the White House.

Three 6 Mafia's DJ Paul is stoked for his group's upcoming Coachella appearance, and fans of Travis Barker should be too -- because he's joining them onstage!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with DJ Paul at LAX this week, and the desert excursion will be a first for him -- he was unaware he'd be playing for both weekends at first -- but it'll be double the fun ... and double the payday!!!

The Memphis-born hip hop legend reveals to us that they'll have several special collaborators pop up during their set, including Travis Barker -- who will also be paired with a mystery guest who has a logical connection with the legendary drummer.

It could be Trav's red-hot rookie rapper daughter Alabama ... could be his longtime punk-pal Yelawolf ... we'll just have to wait for the Three 6 Mafia Coachella set on Friday!!!

Toni Braxton and Birdman are married, and have been for 8 months ... though it seems the honeymoon period was pretty damn rough.

According to documents, obtained by TMZ ... Toni and Birdman quietly -- and very secretly, obviously -- tied the knot on August 8, 2024.

Now, here comes the shocker ... we know that's when they got married, because the wedding date is mentioned in the divorce docs Toni filed 2 weeks later!!!

The tables have turned -- years after "Black-ish" creator Kenya Barris filed a restraining order against his own sister ... she has filed her own against him.

Colette Barris filed new legal docs through her attorney, Ariel Mitchell, in Los Angeles on Tuesday ... asking a judge to block Kenya from directly or indirectly contacting their 83-year-old mother, Ernestine Barris, about the ongoing legal issue between the siblings.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Colette claims Kenya is attempting to influence Ernestine to testify falsely against her in court, and is "manipulating and intimidating" her over her "refusal to provide false testimony" and desire to remain neutral in the dispute between her son and daughter.

Los Angeles-bred gang leader Eugene "Big U" Henley Jr. has pled not guilty to the slew of charges thrown at him last month, including a murder -- but the mother of the man he supposedly killed is speaking out ... and she's claiming he did what feds say he did!!!

TMZ Hip Hop recently caught up with the family of Rayshawn Williams ... his mother, Shadonna Brown, and her daughter, outside Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles.

According to the federal indictment, prosecutors outlined how Big U allegedly killed Williams after a dispute in Las Vegas before dragging his body into the desert where it began to deteriorate.

The wife of Weezer bassist Scott Shriner was shot by cops during a wild chase in L.A., TMZ has learned ... and then she was booked for attempted murder.

California Highway Patrol and LAPD officers responded to a hit-and-run Tuesday afternoon on a freeway winding through the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles. Three unidentified suspects fled the scene on foot -- one bailed out of his vehicle, climbed over a freeway embankment and ended up on a residential street.

The suspect stripped off some of his clothing, trying to blend into the neighborhood -- it didn't work.

Mario Edgardo Garcia Aquino -- the man who the L.A. County D.A. alleges killed 13-year-old Oscar Omar Hernandez -- deserves the death penalty, one U.S congressman says ... and, he blames California Governor Gavin Newsom for making that impossible.

We spoke with U.S. Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.) Wednesday about this case ... and, he tells us the moratorium on the death penalty instituted by Gov. Newsom in 2019 has had disastrous consequences.

Among them, Kiley says, the people of California voted to keep the death penalty legal ... and, the governor stepped in to override the rule, making criminals less afraid of committing major crimes. California Proposition 62 -- which would've repealed the death penalty -- failed back in 2016.

Time clearly doesn't heal all wounds ... 'cause WWE legend Bret Hart still can't trust Hulk Hogan -- telling TMZ Sports his longtime nemesis is a straight-up fibber.

Hart and Hogan's beef goes back decades ... with the former accusing the latter of deliberately trying to step on his shine, as well as the two not seeing eye-to-eye on their approaches to wrestling.

Well, it's the year 2025 and there's still plenty of drama ... 'cause Hart made it clear he's not the biggest fan of the Hulkster while revisiting a moment leading up to WrestleMania IX in 1993, which is documented in a new Peacock original, 'Becoming a Spectacle.'

So much for Wendy Williams' guardian insisting Wendy is allowed to leave the confines of her assisted living facility to visit with family, because the guardian just torpedoed a night out with Wendy's niece ... according to sources with direct knowledge.

Wendy planned a night out with her niece, Alex Finnie and her new personal lawyer, famed attorney Joe Tacopina. They were going to have dinner at a New York City restaurant ... that is, until Wendy's guardian, Sabrina Morrissey, put the kibosh on Wendy leaving the 5th floor of the facility, which Wendy calls "a luxury prison."

Interesting ... since the lawyer for Morrissey recently sent TMZ a letter, insisting Wendy was not being kept from her family and she could see them whenever she wanted. Well, it seems clear that's not the case.

It's lights, camera, action for the "Vanderpump Rules" reboot ... and Lisa Vanderpump is the first one being filmed.

Season 12 of the Bravo show began filming Wednesday in West Hollywood ... with camera crews on hand at Lisa's famous restaurant, SUR, to record her pulling up to work.

As you can see, Lisa is being watched like a hawk as she gets out of her blacked out Bentley and goes into SUR ... the textbook definition of B-roll.

Mel Novak, the Hollywood actor best known for his starring role in Bruce Lee's classic "Game of Death," has died, his daughter Nikol Conant tells TMZ.

Novak died Wednesday morning at a SoCal board and care facility of natural causes, Nikol told us.

The iconic actor whose career spanned decades in Hollywood suffered numerous injures during his time in the biz ... 'cause he was known for doing all of his own stunts and fighting scenes. But, he was in pain daily -- especially the past few years -- from the beatings he took in front of the camera, Nikol says.

Kevin O'Leary is going for the jugular ... he wants President Trump to hammer China with massive tariffs and force Chinese President Xi Jinping to the bargaining table.

The "Shark Tank" star joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and told us why slapping tariffs on China is not about bringing manufacturing back to the United States, but more about forcing a trade deal and getting China to finally play by the rules.

Kevin says China's been lying, cheating and stealing when it comes to technology and trade for years now ... and he wants Trump to hit them where it hurts -- with a 400% tariff.

8:55 AM PT -- A spokesperson for The New York Times tells TMZ ... "Our comprehensive investigation into the allegations of sexual harassment and abuse against Mr. Weinstein was rigorously reported over many months and based on on-the-record interviews, legal settlements paid to accusers and other documents. None of the facts in our coverage are in dispute. Mr. Weinstein acknowledged his misconduct in a statement that was published in full in The Times. He's since been criminally convicted of rape and sexual assault."

Harvey Weinstein is inserting himself into the Justin Baldoni-Blake Lively legal battle ... and blasting the New York Times for allegedly doing the same thing to him that the paper of record did to Baldoni.

The jailed Hollywood producer issued a scathing statement to TMZ about the NYT's role in the bitter legal fight between Justin and Blake over their 2024 movie, "It Ends with Us."

As you know, Blake and Justin starred in the film and Justin directed it, but it ended with both filing lawsuits against each other -- Blake accused Justin of sexual harassment and smearing her name ... Justin accused Blake and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, of waging their own smear campaign to destroy his reputation.

Aaron Pico is officially a UFC fighter -- and while the featherweight star is pumped -- he says the work is only beginning!

"It's a big day for me, honestly. I'm really happy," 28-year-old Pico told TMZ Sports.

"It's something that I've been working for my whole life. I wanted to be a UFC fighter since the beginning. But I got the job, but now the work isn't done. I have the biggest test ahead of me with these UFC guys. But I'm ready to fight them all."

Gary Michael Hilton is one of the oldest living serial killers in the country ... and now he's confessing for the first time to the murder that landed him on Death Row in Florida.

The 78-year-old Hilton -- AKA The National Forest Serial Killer -- sat down with Court TV's investigative reporter David Scott -- and TMZ has obtained an exclusive clip of their recent face-to-face interview ... and it's pretty damn wild!

But first, just to recap ... Hilton was convicted of killing four people during his monstrous 2007-2008 spree in three states: Florida, North Carolina and Georgia. He committed the murders in national parks and confessed to three of them, but he never copped to the fourth -- a nurse named Cheryl Dunlap, who was killed in 2007 in Leon County, Florida. That is, until now.

If Michael Malone is having regrets over his Nuggets tattoo now that the team unceremoniously fired him, the man who put the ink on the coach's body tells TMZ Sports he's down to cover it up.

The former Denver head man famously got the Maxie the Miner piece etched onto his shoulder after he won his first-ever NBA title two years ago ... but if he now wants it gone, Mike Diaz of Triple W Tattoos says he'll break out his needle once more.

The artist -- who designed the whimsical championship piece for Malone in June 2023 -- told us he's hopeful the 53-year-old will keep it, as it's an amazing memory for him and his city ... but he added, "If he really wanted to do that, I would help out."