News

A reporter covering Governor Mike DeWine's news conference was taken down to the ground by law enforcement and arrested Wednesday for allegedly disrupting a news conference.

Governor DeWine was at an East Palestine, Ohio gym, discussing a train derailment in the city when reporter Evan Lambert was doing a live shot for NewsNation. It appears police told Lambert he was interrupting the Governor, but Lambert was in the middle of his report and continued on.

Just after Lambert finished, local police took Lambert down to the ground and cuffed him, as onlookers questioned cops as to why.

Lambert was cuffed and taken to jail. A NewsNation exec tells TMZ they were told Lambert would have to spend the night in jail, adding the Governor called the network and said he wanted Lambert released.

Lambert was arrested for disorderly conduct and criminal trespassing.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi says she isn't hearing so much as a peep from across the aisle when it comes to apologies for Republican conspiracy theories about the attack on her husband, Paul Pelosi.

We got the former Speaker of the House Wednesday morning in D.C. on the heels of President Biden's State of the Union address -- where both Pelosis were front and center -- and asked if anyone in the GOP has shown contrition for fueling misinformation about her husband ... especially after the brutal body cam was released.

As it turns out ... nobody has, according to NP -- who also gave us an update on Paul's recovery in general. Sounds like things are looking up, and he's almost on the other side of this. He certainly looked good at the SOTU ... cozying up to Bono in the balcony seats.

When it comes to this apology, though -- it's telling that no Republican has circled back to correct the record, including Sen. Ted Cruz, who was one of those spreading fake news.

Back in October -- shortly after the attack -- he was one of several right-wing politicians suggesting things weren't as they seemed on paper ... even hinting Paul might have known the attacker, David DePape.

Of course, that has since been debunked -- it was nothing more than a break-in/assault which prosecutors say was politically motivated. And Paul was most definitely brutalized, as seen in the since-released video showing the moment officers came to the door.

But, Pelosi says none of that's moved her congressional comrades to offer the slightest mea culpa.

Tyre Nichols' mom is hopeful Congress will make good on what came across as a promise during President Biden's State of the Union address ... but she's reiterating it's time for them to finally act on real police reforms.

We caught up with RowVaughn Wells on Capitol Hill Tuesday night, shortly after the President delivered his State of the Union address ... in which he referenced the fatal beating her son endured at the hands of Memphis cops last month.

RowVaughn tells us she's very appreciative of the President's strong message Tuesday night ... saying now it's all about putting forth action.

Given the reaction in Congress after the Prez speech, she says it looks like something might really change this time around. However, she says "we'll just wait to see" -- a point Ben Crump, who is representing the Nichols family also reinforced.

As you know Tyre was beaten by multiple Memphis PD officers so badly during a Jan. 7 traffic stop ... he died 3 days later in a hospital bed.

Since his death, police have released gruesome video of the brutal beating ... which stirred outrage and multiple peaceful protests across the country.

Five Black officers were immediately fired, and later charged with second-degree murder.

Other firefighters and officers who responded to the scene without rendering timely assistance to Tyre have also been fired, but no one else has been criminally charged.

Tyre's family has vowed to join the renewed push for legislators to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing act ... which was defeated in a 2021 Senate vote.

Arnold Schwarzenegger was involved in a traffic accident that sent a bicyclist to the ER -- but it's not something he could've avoided or is to blame over ... TMZ has learned.

Sources familiar with the situation tell us the movie star was driving in West L.A. Sunday morning, when at some point ... a woman riding a bike on the road suddenly swerved into his lane and made contact with his vehicle -- something confirmed by 3 eyewitnesses.

We're told first responders arrived on the scene and that the woman was transported to a hospital. Arnold, our sources say, was also on the scene speaking with cops.

As for how the police view this, thus far ... law enforcement sources tell us it appears Schwarzenegger is not at fault for this collision. An investigation is ongoing, but we're told a determination has been made that it's something he simply couldn't have avoided.

Our sources tell us the woman suffered minor injuries, and is expected to be okay.

George Santos is caught allegedly spinning the truth once again ... this time claiming he worked on the Spider-Man musical, another apparent lie.

That's right ... a new report from Bloomberg claims while Santos was running for Congress in 2021, he told a group of potential donors he worked as one of the producers on the musical "Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark."

As has almost become automatic, Bloomberg reports Santos' claim was shut down by the show's lead producer, Michael Cohl. Cohl says Santos was not a producer on the musical, and his name never appeared in the playbills for the show.

"Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark" ran from 2011 to 2014 with a massive $75 million budget. However, the show became notorious for it's delay in opening and injuries to actors performing stunts.

Of course, it's just the latest in a series of Santos' alleged lies ... including when he said his mom died in 9/11, his education and even accusations he stole money from a charity aimed to help a former military dog with a tumor.

Rep. Jamaal Bowman says Democrats and Republicans are scared to break party lines, particularly when it comes to police reform, and it's maddening because people are literally dying as a result.

The Congressman from New York joined us Friday on "TMZ Live" and we asked him if any legislation will come out of Tyre Nichols' death, which is sparking renewed calls to pass reforms written in the wake of George Floyd's death.

Rep. Bowman, a member of the Congressional Black Congress, says provisions in the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act would do a lot of good for Americans who have their rights violated by police ... but he says the gridlock in Washington is making it impossible.

It's pretty damning ... Rep. Bowman says there's so much tribalism going on within the Capitol, nothing can get done ... and he's blaming corporations and mega donors for the standstill.

Rep. Bowman says Democrats and Republicans agree on different aspects of police reform behind closed doors ... but he says lawmakers are too scared to piss off Congressional leaders and the folks who put them in power, and almost no one has the guts to go against the grain.

An educator before being elected to Congress in 2020, Rep. Bowman says the tribalism in D.C. is especially frustrating for him to watch because he's not a career politician ... and as he puts it, the logjam is happening as "people are freaking dying."

A Polish tourist in Mexico got a crash course in Mayan history after climbing a sacred pyramid ... locals were waiting for him when he got down, and one beat him with a stick.

The wild scene, which was captured on video, played out over the weekend at the famous Chichén Itzá archaeological site in Mexico's Yucatan.

In the viral footage, you see the tourist coming down the Kukulkan pyramid's steps ... and when he gets to the bottom, he's confronted by an angry mob ... including a shirtless man with a huge stick who bonks the tourist on the head as others show their displeasure.

The issue for locals ... the Mayan temple is considered one of the New Seven Wonders of the World and it's illegal to climb the pyramid.

The tourist is reportedly from Poland, and was arrested Saturday and released after 12 hours in custody.

Adding insult to injury, the tourist was also slapped with a fine of $5,000 pesos ... but the stick to the head's gotta hurt worse.

ABC is wasting no time in moving on from T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach ... dropping their names from the show they anchored together before their romance sparked their exit.

'GMA3' had a noticeably different intro for Monday's episode, with the announcer saying ... "Now from Times Square, here's what you need to know."

When T.J. and Amy were anchoring the daily news program, before their romantic relationship changed the game, the show intro used to go like this ... "Now from Times Square, Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes with what you need to know."

TMZ broke the story ... T.J. and Amy officially left ABC Friday, signing exit agreements with the network following an "extremely contentious" mediation. Both leave with compensation packages.

T.J. and Amy had been off the air since Dec. 2, sidelined while ABC investigated their relationship, but their names remained part of the 'GMA3' intro, even as recently as Friday.

DeMarco Morgan and Rhiannon Ally anchored the show again today, as they've been doing for weeks, but ABC hasn't added their names to the intro ... at least not yet.

The special task force to which all 5 officers involved in Tyre Nichols' death belonged is being dismantled for good ... an about-face after the top dog said she wouldn't do it.

The Memphis Police Department announced Saturday they were deactivating the SCORPION Unit effective immediately ... this in the wake of public outcry following the release of body cam footage that showed 5 cops detaining and brutally beating Nichols on Jan. 7.

The department says Police Chief Cerelyn "C.J." Davis met with the remaining officers that were part of SCORPION (Street Crimes Operations to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods) and mutually came to the decision it'd be best to disband the unit in light of everything.

MPD says they've made this decision after listening to the family of Tyre, community leaders and the public at large -- noting that the officers who are part of SCORPION, and who do fine work normally, "agree unreservedly with this next step."

They add, "While the heinous actions of a few casts a cloud of dishonor on the title SCORPION, it is imperative that we, the Memphis Police Department, take proactive steps in the healing process for all impacted." MPD also says they want to restore trust ASAP.

Interestingly, Chief Davis on Friday said she wouldn't be shutting down SCORPION ... telling AP, "The whole idea that the Scorpion unit is a bad unit, I just have a problem with that."

There's been a lot of digging into what this unit was/why officers who were in it had any reason to come into contact with Tyre on the night in question. SCORPION was formed in October 2021 and launched the following month ... so it's been around for just over a year.

According to a MPD description of SCORPION at the time ... the whole idea of it was to get about 40 officers split into 4 teams to patrol "high crime hotspots" all throughout Memphis.

Tyre's traffic stop-turned-chase occurred at the intersection of East Raines Road and Ross Road -- near the Autumn Ridge neighborhood ... which appears to be one of the areas SCORPION was assigned to cover. The fact five of its cops were there is no coincidence.

The Chief has since said no evidence has surfaced for why Tyre was pulled over in the first place. Reckless driving was cited, but proof of probable cause for that is nonexistent.

A top U.S. Air Force official sent a stunning confession to his subordinates this week that warns of a looming war with China that he believes will manifest in the next couple years.

General Mike Minihan -- a four-star officer -- fired off an internal memo Friday to the rank and file that reports to him within the Air Mobility Command ... a unit that encompasses roughly 50,000 service members and oversees 500 planes for transport/refueling purposes.

While AMC doesn't sound like a combat-ready entity, Minihan reportedly told his guys to prepare for battle ... this according to NBC News, which says it obtained a copy of his note.

According to the outlet, Gen. Minihan writes ... "I hope I am wrong. My gut tells me will fight in 2025," while going on to describe what he says he believes China will do during the 2024 general election cycle -- namely, use that volatility here in the States to move on Taiwan.

In the event this comes to pass, Minihan reportedly laid out a very detailed defense and attack plan ... which includes building up a "Joint Force Maneuver Team" that can mobilize quickly to "fight and win inside the first island chain." He's ordering all airwing commanders and AF operational commanders to report on their progress for this by the end of February.

There's more ... Minihan reportedly has goals in mind for February and March, which entail his boys firing clips at 7-meter targets -- while noting, "unrepentant lethality matters most. Aim for the head." In March, he wants the AMC team to "consider their personal affairs and whether a visit should be scheduled with their servicing base legal office to ensure they are legally ready and prepared." Also, he tells them to update their emergency contacts.

In addition to this, Minihan's memo talks of risk/reward in training ... reportedly saying, "Run deliberately, not recklessly," and later adding, "If you are comfortable in your approach to training, then you are not taking enough risk." NBC News also says he discusses the possible use of commercial drone swarms as a tactic the U.S. might use against China.

In other words, this guy is rounding up the cavalry in very real terms ... not hypotheticals. And yet, a DoD rep went on record to say Minihan's concerns don't reflect the department's view on China ... distancing themselves from what sounds like legit wartime preparations.

Protests over the brutal slaying of Tyre Nichols at the hands of police boiled over in NYC Friday night, but overall the demonstrations were peaceful across the country.

Check out this footage -- a man standing on the hood of an NYPD vehicle in Times Square packed with demonstrators marching against the 5 fired Memphis cops now charged with Tyre's recorded on-camera murder.

He stomps and punches the windshield, crushing the glass. Cops quickly swarm him, throwing him to the ground and cuffing him. Protesters gather around and film the arrest, repeatedly telling the officers ... "Easy, don't hurt him."

NYPD heard the message loud and clear ... the officers led the man through the crowd, asking people to back away so they could get through.

The suspect was booked for criminal mischief. Two women were also arrested -- one for making graffiti on a police car (not clear what she wrote) and the other for assaulting a cop.

More protests formed in cities across the country, including Washington D.C., Boston, Seattle, Detroit, Atlanta and Memphis, where Tyre was killed. But they were all largely peaceful.

Al Sharpton went in on the fired Memphis police officers accused of murdering Tyre Nichols, saying the fact the 5 ex-cops are all Black makes the situation even worse.

We caught up with the Reverend on Friday outside NBC Studios in NYC ... and he didn't mince words after the release of police body cam footage showing Tyre's deadly assault.

The Rev told us ... "I want to make it clear: these five officers are Black does not make it less. In fact, it's more egregious that some black cops in a town where MLK gave his life, that's where he was killed, would do this is outrageous."

Of course, Al was referring to the fatal shooting of Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis, TN, on April 4, 1968. James Earl Ray confessed to the murder and died of liver disease in prison.

What's more, the Rev said the ex-officers did a disservice to Black people trying to change the justice system from within ... "We fought to get them on the [police] force to correct the force, not to do this."

He also took a swipe at Congress for failing to pass into law the 2021 George Floyd Act, which would have increased accountability for police misconduct.

The Rev said ... "I put this at the feet of those that would not vote for federal law after George Floyd, there were no laws changed!"

Floyd, as you know, was infamously killed in 2020 by then-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted of the homicide and sentenced to decades behind bars.

Al wrapped things up by urging anyone protesting in Tyre's name not to engage in violence. He said if they do riot it will only help the accused officers defend themselves in the criminal case.

Paul Pelosi's attacker cased the family's home before making a move inside, leading to a chilling 911 call from Paul where he subtly relayed to the operator he was in danger.

We've obtained additional footage from outside the Pelosi home in San Francisco from the night of the attack when David DePape broke in and struck Paul with a hammer. At first, DePape checks around the house, possibly looking for a way in.

A few minutes pass, and he returns with a bag ... pulling out a hammer and gloves. DePape doesn't waste a lot of time smashing the back door with his weapon and climbing inside.

The 911 call Paul made is equally as terrifying, you hear him try to stay calm -- without outright saying there was a problem -- it's clearly an attempt to keep DePape at bay.

He tells the operator his name, and states his friend is there but he doesn't know the "friend" as you can also hear DePape in the background. Paul then tells the operator he has to go, and that his "friend" really wants him to get off the phone.

In additional footage released Friday, you see cops find Pelosi and DePape at the door, Pelosi tries to wrestle the hammer away from the intruder -- but he strikes him in the head -- knocking Paul out cold before cops intervene.

Police body cam footage from Paul Pelosi's hammer-wielding home burglar attack has been released ... showing the 82-year-old getting struck in the head by a hammer.

The footage, released Friday, shows officers approach Paul and Nancy's home. Paul opens the door, standing next to his attacker, both men have their hands on the hammer in an effort to control it.

The attacker breaks away, holding the hammer, and immediately strikes Paul in the head with the weapon. Both men fall to the ground as police move into the house and take the attacker into custody. Paul is totally out cold from the impact.

As we reported, Paul was asleep at his San Francisco home in October when suspect David DePape broke in ... later telling the FBI he was planning on shattering the then-House Speaker's kneecaps because he thought she was a liar.

DePape allegedly brought zip ties, tape and rope for Nancy -- who was in D.C. during the attack.

Pelosi made a 911 call, reportedly speaking in codes to the operator while alerting them something was wrong. Cops said they saw Pelosi fighting with DePape over a hammer when they arrived, which is when he got hit in the head.

The suspect's been charged with attempted murder, residential burglary, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, false imprisonment of an elder, and threats to a public official and their family -- and, if convicted, he faces 13 years to life.

Since the attack, Paul's had successful brain surgery, and attended a few public events where he seemed to be well on his way to making a full recovery.

David Miscavige, leader of the Church of Scientology, is playing a cat-and-mouse game with lawyers trying to serve him a trafficking suit -- at least that's what the lawyers think now that he's allegedly vanished.

Over a four month period, Miscavige has reportedly eluded process servers a whopping 27 times at Scientology offices in L.A. and Clearwater, Florida, where the group is headquartered.

Security guards at both locations keep refusing to accept the suit, saying they have no idea where Miscavige is hiding ... according to multiple media reports.

Three plaintiffs, who formerly belonged to a Scientology sect called Sea Org, claim they were forced into the church as kids and worked into adulthood for nominal pay.

Valeska Paris, along with Gawain and Laura Baxter (who are married), eventually quit Sea Org and filed a civil complaint against Miscavige in 2022.

Last month, one of the plaintiff's lawyers filed docs, saying ... “Miscavige cannot be permitted to continue his gamesmanship" -- and a federal judge says she will soon decide whether Miscavige can be considered officially served.

What's weird about Miscavige's alleged disappearance is that some people believe his wife, Shelly, has also vanished. She was reported missing in 2013 by ex-Scientologist Leah Remini, who is one of the org's chief critics.

The police report said Shelly hadn't been seen since August 2007, but her lawyer issued a 2012 statement, saying, "Any reports [Shelly] is missing are false."

As for the Miscaviges' current status, there's been no update from their reps or lawyers.

Answers about Tyre Nichols' death are coming ... Memphis PD says it's preparing to release the graphic body cam footage of the 29-year-old Black man's arrest.

Police Chief Cerelyn Davis updated the public Wednesday night, saying the clip will be released "in the coming days" ... and promising her department will provide full cooperation to investigators surrounding the horrific incident.

She also says she's expecting protests to occur, but asks the community to keep each other safe in the process.

As you know, Nichols' death has sparked outrage across the country after getting pulled over on January 7 for reckless driving in Memphis -- allegedly running away from police on foot, and eventually getting apprehended.

Memphis PD says Nichols started complaining about shortness of breath during his arrest, which is when an ambulance was called -- and he was rushed to St. Francis Hospital, where he passed away 3 days later.

A gruesome image from inside the hospital was released by Nichols' stepfather this week, showing blood on his face and a severely swollen eye. His mother also says he was hooked up to a breathing machine.

Nichols' family, as well as attorney Ben Crump and his legal team, reviewed the body cam footage privately -- with Crump calling it "appalling" and "heinous."

Another attorney in Crump's firm referred to Nichols as "a human piñata for those police officers."

MPD has since fired the 5 officers involved in the arrest of Nichols, saying they violated "multiple department policies, including excessive use of force, duty to intervene, and duty to render aid."