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GOP Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales ended his reelection bid this week after admitting to an affair with a former staffer who later died by suicide ... and that staffer's husband is stunned by the developments.

Here's the deal ... Gonzales terminated his campaign Thursday, the day after he admitted to an affair with Regina Santos-Aviles -- a woman who worked for him while he was in Congress. Initially, he said he would not end his reelection bid.

Adrian Aviles tells TMZ … he's surprised Gonzales finally "took some accountability" and told the truth about the affair … and he's "satisfied" that it appears Gonzales' political career is over.

Sam Asghari is breaking his silence on his ex-wife Britney Spears’ DUI arrest ... though he made it pretty clear he wasn’t exactly eager to go there, saying his focus right now is on the escalating situation in Iran.

During an interview on NewsNation's "Jesse Weber Live" Thursday, the host slipped in a Britney question right at the end ... and Sam pointed out the conversation was meant to focus on the U.S. and Israel missile strikes on Iran. Still, when asked about the past, he acknowledged everyone makes mistakes.

He added people deserve privacy after slipping up, noting the press can sometimes make things harder for someone trying to recover from a tough moment ... watch the full clip for his insight.

Misty Roberts -- the disgraced former Louisiana mayor -- is extending her 15 minutes of infamy by posing for a new mug shot Thursday after she registered as a sex offender.

As you can see, Roberts was in no mood to smile as her picture was snapped during the process of registering as a sex offender in Beauregard Parish, LA, which includes DeRidder -- a small city of about 10,000 people -- where Misty was mayor until the scandal broke.

On Tuesday, Roberts she was convicted at trial of two felonies -- carnal knowledge of a juvenile and indecent behavior of a juvenile. She was also required to register as a sex offender with the state.

Congressman Tony Gonzales has finally bowed out on his re-election campaign ... just one day after admitting he had an affair with a staffer who died by suicide.

Gonzales, a Texas Republican, announced Thursday night he was dropping out of the GOP primary race against Brandon Herrera ahead of their May 26 runoff election. Hours later, Herrera declared victory and will now move on to the general election for Gonzales' seat in Texas' 23rd District.

In a statement, Gonzales said after deep reflection -- and with the support of his family -- he decided to end his campaign, though he vowed to serve out the remainder of his term.

Gavin Newsom is pouring one out for Kristi Noem ... trolling the outgoing Homeland Security Secretary over her firing.

The California Governor gave a nod to Noem's ouster Thursday with a social media post ... an "In Memoriam" of sorts for Noem's short stint as President Trump's DHS Secretary.

Newsom's post features a slideshow of Noem photos playing to a version of Sarah McLachlan's famous song, "I Will Remember You." It says "IN MEMORIAM KRISTI NOEM 2025 - 2026" and later "IT WAS THE BEST WORST OF TIMES."

Kristi Noem was a terrible Homeland Security chief who cared more about her looks than doing her damn job ... so say Meghan McCain and Tomi Lahren.

The conservative commentators bashed Noem shortly after President Donald Trump announced she would no longer run DHS ... instead moving her to the position of "Special Envoy for The Shield of Americas."

First up, McCain questioned the massive $220 million advertising campaign DHS paid for ... pointing out an episode of "Game of Thrones" cost HBO far less to produce -- and federal investigators should look into where that money went.

President Trump sounds like he got to say his two favorite words ... "You're fired!" ... and the person on the receiving end this time is Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

Trump is firing Noem and replacing her with Oklahoma GOP Senator Markwayne Mullin ... according to a Trump post on his social media platform Truth Social.

BTW ... if you wanna know what kinda swagger Mullin's bringing to DHS, he's the same guy who challenged Teamsters Prez Sean O'Brien to a fist fight.

Yeah, this really happened a couple of years ago right in the middle of O'Brien's testimony on Capitol Hill.

Before moving on from Noem, POTUS had been asking aides and Republicans in Congress for a list of potential replacements for Noem, according to the WSJ ... and it sounds like the deciding factor here was Noem's fiery hearing Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

TikToker Riziki Ilenre's death has been ruled as a suicide, TMZ has learned.

The Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences has determined the 27-year-old died by hanging herself from a ceiling fan ... and was found during a welfare check.

She had a documented history of depression and past suicide attempts, the department said in an official investigation report.

TMZ previously confirmed with the Montgomery Police Department ... they were investigating her Dec. 12, 2025 death.

Cops in Arizona weren't messing around Wednesday night ... as you can see from this intense clip showing police taking down a couple of baddies during a traffic stop.

Check out the video ... a slew of Tempe PD officers converged on a vehicle at an intersection, jumping out of their SUVs before ripping a man and woman out of their ride.

We're told at least 7 unmarked Chevy Tahoe SUVs pulled up with lights flashing. Our sources say one of the SUVs was positioned in front of the vehicle so it couldn't flee.

Texas Congressman Tony Gonzales is finally fessing up to having an affair with a staffer who committed suicide last year by setting herself on fire.

The embattled GOP rep sat for an interview with conservative talk show host Joe “Pags” Pagliarulo that was released Wednesday night. During their chat, Gonzales acknowledged having the affair with his staffer, possibly violating the rules of the House of Representatives.

Gonzales said he had a lapse in judgement and made a mistake, noting "there was a lack of faith" and he has now taken "full responsibility for those actions." Despite his philandering, Gonzales says he has reconciled with his wife Angel, with whom he shares 6 children. The Congressman added ... God has forgiven him and his faith is as strong as ever.

Wild moment on Capitol Hill ... GOP Senator Tim Sheehy helped police remove an anti-war protestor from a Senate hearing ... and it's all on video.

Footage from Wednesday's Senate Armed Services Committee hearing shows a man in a Marine Corps uniform being dragged out by Capitol Police ... and then Sheehy runs over to help.

The protestor is heard shouting, "No one wants to fight for Israel!!!"

Michael Harris -- the new mayor of a small Louisiana city -- tells TMZ his predecessor, Misty Roberts, shocked the population when allegations of her having sex with a teenage boy at a drunken pool party broke.

According to Harris ... his prior impression of Misty is that she was a good wife, mother and person ... but that image was completely shattered by her arrest and subsequent conviction for having carnal knowledge of a juvenile -- a term often used interchangeably with statutory rape.

He said, "I'll use the word disappointment ... the majority of people in town are disappointed. Leadership should have higher standards."

Hard to say what the scarier sight was for a Los Angeles-area neighborhood ... the battalion of law enforcement officers with heavy-duty guns drawn -- or the suspect's uncovered you-know-what swinging in the breeze during his surrender and arrest.

Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies rushed to Santa Clarita -- a city about 40 miles north of Los Angeles proper -- after they received a report of a man suffering from a mental health crisis Wednesday morning.

Nancy Guthrie's investigation seemed to get a jolt when cops found gloves near her Tucson, Arizona home ... and they even linked it to a person -- but they've hit another dead end.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos confirmed to local outlet KVOA-TV investigators were able to match DNA found in the glove to a restaurant worker employed across the street from where the glove was found.

However, Nanos says it won't help them find Guthrie ... because the worker and glove have "nothing to do with the case."

Bobby Khan -- a convicted ex-felon running for Congress in Nevada -- just got banned from every MGM Resorts property in Las Vegas and beyond ... and his team says it's because Bobby's been torching the casino giant on social media for their hotel prices.

MGM Resorts fired off a legal warning to Bobby, saying he could face arrest and a potential fine or jail time if he steps foot at the Bellagio, Aria, Cosmopolitan, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, Luxor, New York New York, Excalibur, or Vdara casinos.

The letter, obtained by TMZ, also warns Bobby to stay the hell away from T-Mobile Arena in Vegas ... plus Borgata in New Jersey, Beau Rivage in Mississippi, MGM National Harbor in Maryland, and MGM Springfield in Massachusetts ... among others.

Misty Roberts -- the former mayor of a small Louisiana town who was convicted of having carnal knowledge of a juvenile -- is not happy with how her trial turned out ... because she still says she did nothing wrong.

Misty's lawyer Todd Clemons tells TMZ ... Misty is "very, very disappointed" in yesterday's verdict.

Clemons said ... "At this particular point, there's no apology that I'm gonna give on her behalf," adding while Misty respects the jury, she plans to appeal their verdict.