Legal

Donald Trump would've used his lasso of truth to make Bryan Kohberger spill on the motive for his heinous crimes ... so says the White House Press Secretary.

Karoline Leavitt spoke from the White House Briefing Room Wednesday ... and, she kicked it off by addressing the families of Kohberger's victims -- telling them the administration is so sorry for the grief and pain caused by the murderous Kohberger.

Leavitt then added, "If it were up to the President, he would have forced this monster to publicly explain why he chose to steal these innocent souls."

Judge Judy isn’t holding back on her signature zingers -- she went all in, dropping some serious truth bombs when asked about Stephen Colbert’s late show cancellation.

We ran into the former TV judge in New York Tuesday, and she made it crystal clear -- she thinks Trump has nothing to do with the show’s end next May. Instead, it’s all about the show losing money.

Catch the clip... because JJ drops the truth bomb -- CBS is all about making money, so they’ve gotta do what they’ve gotta do -- or else, they’d be looking at a lawsuit!

Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane is sticking by his 2025 first-round draft pick Maxwell Hairston amid a sexual assault lawsuit ... calling the situation frustrating, and describing Hairston as "a very good young man."

Beane met with the media as the team kicked off its training camp in Western New York on Wednesday ... when he was asked if the team's perspective toward Hairston has changed since the suit was filed, to which he responded, "no."

"We have to remember in society that people can make accusations and do things," he said. "I have no idea what the agenda is there, but I can tell you every stone we turned over, every door we looked behind, this is a very good young man."

10:33 AM PT -- JetBlue Corporate Communications tells TMZ ... "This behavior is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated by JetBlue. Immediately upon receiving the report, our crewmembers acted swiftly to engage JetBlue’s security team and law enforcement. We are fully cooperating with the investigation and these customers are no longer welcome to fly JetBlue."

A Connecticut couple has been charged with lewd or lascivious exhibition after they were accused of hanky-panky on a flight from New York to Florida -- and not stopping when they noticed kids watching -- according to police.

Trista Reilly allegedly decided to get dirty on a JetBlue plane early Saturday by allegedly performing oral sex on Christopher Drew Arnold, according to court documents obtained by TMZ.

Specifically, police were informed she made "up-and-down movements with her head while she was face down" in his lap, and also masturbated him.

The 2 minors' appalled mother also claimed in her complaint that Trista "didn't care that the kids were watching her" and continued pleasuring her partner even after she noticed she had an audience.

It's unclear how long the sexual acts lasted, but the mother told police Trista went down on Christopher during takeoff. Which, if true, means the kids had to sit through the rest of the flight after witnessing such an obscene situation.

The couple was arrested by police when they landed at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport around 11:30 in the morning. They were released Monday and must have no contact with the alleged victims and stay out of trouble before their arraignment in August.

French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte have sued Candace Owens over what they call her "invasive, dehumanizing, and deeply unjust" claims that Brigitte is secretly a man who transitioned into a woman.

In the Wednesday filing, the Macrons say the conservative commentator has caused them "substantial" reputational and economic damages due to "outlandish, defamatory, and far-fetched fictions" that Brigitte was born a man and transitioned to become female -- and stole someone's identity.

While the 219-page defamation complaint claims Owens has pushed such lies for a while, it specifically mentions a March 2024 post on X in which she wrote ... "I would stake my entire professional reputation on the fact that Brigitte Macron is in fact a man."

A doctor charged in connection with "Friends" star Matthew Perry’s ketamine death has officially entered a guilty plea.

Dr. Salvador Plasencia just pled guilty to 4 counts of distributing ketamine in front of Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett in L.A. federal court Wednesday -- Plasencia is the fourth of five people charged in the "Friends" star's tragic 2023 death.

Plasencia is now staring down a max of 10 years per count in federal prison when he’s sentenced on December 3.

Bryan Kohberger may have gotten A's throughout his academic career, but he's "gonna be getting big D's in prison" ... an insult joke actually spoken in a victim impact statement in court today.

Kaylee Goncalves' mother, Kristi, spoke in the Ada County, Idaho Courthouse Wednesday ... and, she said she's disappointed Kohberger won't face a firing squad for killing four University of Idaho students as they slept in their off-campus house in 2022 -- but, she finds comfort in the knowledge that the men in prison will have their way with him.

She says, "You will finally get what you wanted: physical touch. Just probably not how you were expecting it."

Bryan Kohberger's victims' families have mostly talked about their disgust for his actions and their hope that he suffers in prison ... but one person is forgiving him before he's officially put away for life.

Kim Kernodle spoke at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho ... and she said it might not be popular, but she's forgiving Kohberger for murdering her niece Xana and three others at the house near the University of Idaho.

She says she can't hold on to that hate in her heart ... and, to be the best person she can be, she says she needs to forgive and move on.

One of Bryan Kohberger's survivors had a friend read her victim impact statement in an Idaho court Wednesday -- revealing the quadruple murder was so traumatic she had to sleep in her parents' room for a year to feel safe.

Emily Alandt stood at a podium during Kohberger's sentencing hearing and read the statement from her friend Bethany Funke -- who was inside the murder house that fateful night in 2020, but survived along with Dylan Mortensen. As you know, Kohberger butchered to death Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves.

Alandt told a rapt courtroom audience and Kohberger himself that Funke slept in her parents' room for nearly a year with double locks on every door in their home.

Kaylee Goncalves' father looked Bryan Kohberger in the eye when he spoke to him ... turning his podium to stare directly at the man who killed his daughter before tearing into him.

Steve Goncalves addressed the courtroom at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho in a victim impact statement Wednesday ... one of many made by the family and friends of the four people Kohberger pled guilty to murdering earlier this month.

While the speakers who went before Steve mostly stared ahead at the judge during their statements, Steve reconfigured the room ... turning the podium so he could look directly at BK.

The Epstein Files controversy continues to dog President Donald Trump as his relationship with the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender is under greater scrutiny lately ... now CNN is releasing more newly unearthed video of the two men together, happily chatting it up at an event in 1999.

In the newly unearthed video, obtained by CNN ... Epstein and Trump stand close together in a crowd at a Victoria's Secret fashion show in New York City -- Trump tapping on his shoulder at one point -- as they interact with other attendees ... including a young Melania.

In the minute-long-plus video of spliced-together clips from the event, Trump and Epstein are also seen sitting a couple of seats apart along the runway ... as a young Tyra Banks struts down the stage. Trump and Melania sit next to each other and enthusiastically comment on the models.

Post Malone's baby mama has filed to dismiss her request for physical custody of their daughter in California ... though it looks like they'll still fight it out in Utah.

Hee Sung "Jamie" Park dismissed her L.A. filing for physical custody earlier this week, a little more than three months after originally filing the docs.

Worth noting ... Malone originally beat her to the punch by filing his own documents in a Utah court -- and, there's no indication he plans to drop the case there.

The domestic violence charge famed powerlifter Stefi Cohen was facing was dropped on Wednesday, TMZ Sports has learned.

Official documents we obtained show prosecutors dismissed the case after the alleged victim declined to cooperate. Officials added there was insufficient evidence "to prove the charge beyond a reasonable doubt."

Cohen was hit with one count of misdemeanor battery in Miami earlier this month, after she allegedly assaulted her boyfriend, Tristan Hamm, during a heated dispute on July 1.

Wendy Williams' high-powered lawyer, Joe Tacopina, did not mince words ... his client's guardianship "sickens" him, and he says he's gonna sue the people responsible for it.

Wendy and Joe were celebrating Wendy's birthday at Fresco by Scotto restaurant in NYC, when he told our photog the process of getting Wendy out of the guardianship is "despicably slow." Fact is, the judge seems immovable and will almost certainly deny their motion to end the guardianship, which has lasted more than 3 years.

We're told Joe will then demand a jury trial, and based on hours of convos Harvey and many others have had with Wendy, her release is all but a sure bet. Translation: As Joe says, she's her normal self -- the same person you watched on TV.

Travis Hunter's father is currently behind bars in Florida ... after authorities claim he violated conditions of his probation.

Palm Beach County records show Travis Hunter Sr. was booked into jail on Tuesday on one charge of probation violation.

Law enforcement alleged in court documents that Hunter Sr. was "too far away from his" electric monitoring device for 11 minutes on June 28. On July 4, they claim they tested the equipment and it was "functioning properly." They added that Hunter Sr. told them he was "moving too fast and forgot it."

Hannah Brown is already technically a married woman … 'cause TMZ has learned she and her fiancé filed official paperwork with the court last month.

According to court records, seen by TMZ, "The Bachelorette" star and her fiancé Adam Woolard got legally hitched on June 21 in Tennessee. It's unclear if they had a ceremony in the States or just filed the paperwork with the courts.

Fast forward to now -- on Monday Hannah posted on Instagram to share that she was on her way to France for what fans assumed was her actual wedding. In reality, it's more of a formal celebration … the paperwork's already signed, sealed, and delivered back home in the States.

Hannah and Adam have been engaged since August 2023. They first started dating in early 2021. and have talked openly about planning a dreamy destination ceremony in Europe.

No word yet on exactly where or when the French festivities are going down, but one thing's for sure … they're already legally bound, vows or not.