Rep.Seth Magaziner understands concerns about the bad optics of him hosting a 'Real Housewives' premiere party during the government shutdown ... but he's laying blame on the guy who sent the House of Representatives packing for this two-week recess.
The Congressman from Rhode Island joined us Friday on "TMZ Live," and pointed a finger at House Speaker Mike Johnson, saying he never should have sent everyone home without voting on a bill to end the partial shutdown ... which, of course, has thousands of federal employees working without pay.
It's something we've heard a lot recently from Congress members -- the Democrats, at least -- that it's all Johnson's fault, and while there may be some truth there ... we're thinking BOTH parties should wear the stalemate, because THEY aren't doing their jobs.
Congressman John James is taking his best shot at distracting voters in his home state from his island vacation -- amid the ongoing government shutdown -- by reminding them he's a badass with a gun.
Here's the deal ... yesterday, right around the time we posted a pic of Rep. James on his Turks & Caicos getaway, James posted a clip of himself unloading hand guns and assault rifles on targets and knocking out some pullups. Y'know? Super alpha male stuff.
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In his caption, JJ said he went out shooting with the good people at the local outlet the Michigan Enjoyer, and he definitely did ... but it was 8 freakin' months ago!
Retired Air Force Major General William "Neil" McCasland went missing last month … and his wife thinks his disappearance may have been intentional.
In the newly-released 911 call from his February 27 disappearance -- obtained by Law&Crime Network -- Susan McCasland Wilkerson tells the dispatcher that she has "some indication that he planned not to be found."
She said Neil changed his clothes, turned his phone off and left it behind ... which she noted "seems kind of deliberate, because he's always got his phone."
1:53 PM PT -- The DOJ's Rapid Response X account is attempting to debunk the now-viral pic of Pam Bondi's portrait in the trash ... claiming the shot is "Fake News." It also included a photo of the framed picture hanging on the wall -- calling that "Real News."
It's unclear when the picture of the portrait hanging on the wall was taken, for the record.
Pam Bondi looks like she's considered nothing but trash at the Department of Justice ... because hours after President Trump canned her as attorney general, her framed portrait was in the trash can.
Check out this photo, obtained by MS NOW, showing Pam's official portrait resting upside down in an otherwise empty wired trash can in the DOJ office. Ouch.
Pam's portrait used to be hanging on a wall alongside portraits of Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance ... but now it looks pretty lonely in its new home.
NASA doesn't have the whole world on a string ... but they've got it all in a pic, which the astronauts on Artemis II snapped.
The new pics capture our home in all its blue and brown glory from the window of the space capsule ... with the sun's glow hitting the side of the planet.
NASA says the snaps capture everyone on the planet looking back up at the Artemis II astronauts and cheering the mission on ... despite the s****y start it got off to.
U.S. Rep. Seth Magaziner takes the prize for most unique Congressional recess plans ... partying with a bunch of 'Real Housewives,' despite the fact Congress has done nothing to end the shutdown and get federal workers paid.
We got pics of the Congressman from Rhode Island inside the watch party for the premiere episode of "The Real Housewives of Rhode Island."
Magaziner mugged for pics at the fancy event with various Bravo fans and one of his cohosts, State Sen. Hanna Gallo ... and, of course, some cast members -- including Kelsey Swanson and Liz McGraw -- were also there.
Iran is flaunting a U.S. fighter jet it claims to have shot down ... and the U.S. military is reportedly launching a rescue mission for the crew.
Iranian media and a source "familiar with the incident" are saying responders are searching for the jet's two crew members ... Axios reports.
Iranian state media published pictures Friday, allegedly showing the debris from the crash. There are conflicting reports about whether the plane in question was an F-15 or F-35 fighter jet.
You can see in the photo ... there's a partial logo that reads "U.S. Air Forces in Europe" -- which CNN reporter Paula Hancocks says typically appears on the tailfin of an F-15.
President Trump might be eyeing a fresh round of firings in his administration after he gave the ax to Attorney General Pam Bondi, according to reports.
The Atlantic and Politico published articles Thursday night outlining Trump's next cabinet members to possibly get the boot. Here's the list: Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, FBI Director Kash Patel and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll.
One senior Trump aide told Politico ... the potential firings are targeting officials who have underperformed and generated too much negative attention.
Artemis II mission specialist Christina Koch has a new name to add to her resume -- "space plumber" -- now that she successfully fixed the toilet issue on the NASA rocket en route to the moon.
Koch gave viewers the rundown after the Orion spacecraft's porcelain throne -- called the Universal Waste Management System -- stopped working just hours after launch on Thursday. Luckily, Koch noted it was a minor issue that had to do with the toilet sitting for too long. It just needed to warm up before the crew could warm its seat!
We told you all about the bathroom turbulence -- the potty troublesforced the astronauts to hold number 1 or use a backup system until the issue was fixed, which took several hours to do.
🎶 Aruba, Jamaica ... ooh, Rep. John James wants to take himself to a secluded island during his 2-week recess as the government shutdown drags on -- but we found him anyway!
The Congressman from Michigan is down in Turks & Caicos, where he was photographed Wednesday. Our sources tell us he's down in the Caribbean for a family vacay ... he looked to be enjoying a meal with his wife, Elizabeth.
Distill Social, a grassroots Michigan outlet, first posted the shot of JJ's getaway ... which, of course, comes as thousands of government workers would love to be on island time -- if only they were getting paid!
The Texas judge going viral for being super rude to an IT worker looks like he was deep in the red last year ... he reportedly filed for bankruptcy and listed over $75K in debt, TMZ has confirmed.
Judge Nathan J. Milliron -- who sits on the bench of the Texas 215th District Court -- filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy in May 2025 in Texas ... according toKPRC 2 in Houston.
Chapter 13 means Milliron is planning to pay back his creditors, and just wants to set up a payment plan with the court.
13-year-old Christina Marie Plante "vanished without a trace" 32 years ago ... but cops say she's been found alive after all this time.
Christina was first reported missing and deemed "endangered under suspicious circumstances" back in 1994 ... after police say she left her house in Star Valley, Arizona to walk to the stable where her horse was.
Officials reported she was "not seen again" ... until now.
Senator Cory Booker is more than 2,000 miles from work, chillin' at a swanky L.A. hotel for a little breakfast.
The New Jersey Senator was hanging with his wife at the restaurant inside The London West Hollywood at Beverly Hills. They were photographed around 9:30 AM Thursday, and it looks like they may have finished a workout.
The hotel is one of L.A.'s finest, fit certainly for a Senator who is on his Spring Break.
The Florida man accused of killing his politician wife, Nancy Bowen, told his uncle he shot his wife dead with a shotgun because he "couldn't take it anymore" ... at least according to cops.
TMZ obtained the complaint affidavit from the case against Nancy's husband, Stephen Bowen, and police say a man claiming to be Stephen's uncle called 911 and said his nephew confessed to killing Nancy.
