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The Artemis II crew's grateful to be back on earth ... especially the mission's commander, Reid Wiseman, who was overcome with emotion while speaking Saturday.

The crew just did a debrief in Houston, TX after landing near San Diego Friday ... and the commander delivered an impassioned speech to the crowd that really peeled back the curtain on space travel.

Wiseman says the team couldn't wait to go up before takeoff ... but, as soon as they got into the vacuum of space, they only thought about getting home to their families.

Justin Baldoni's team says Blake Lively can't have her cookies and eat them too ... arguing she's filing tons of last-minute exhibits with no relevance, like a link to a famous recipe.

The Wayfarer Studios legal team filed a ton of documents with the court Friday ... including one asking the judge for more time to review a series of exhibits only recently filed.

Among these many exhibits, Baldoni's team says, is a link to an article regarding "a Taylor Swift cookie recipe that was linked in other correspondence" ... which Baldoni's side argues "is exceptionally unlikely" to be shown to jurors at trial.

Eric Swalwell is the subject of an investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney ... TMZ has confirmed.

The D.A.'s office acknowledged the investigation Saturday morning ... one day after CNN shared an interview with a staffer who spoke on the condition of anonymity about an incident during which Swalwell allegedly raped her.

In a statement to TMZ, the D.A.'s office shared, "We urge survivors and anyone with knowledge of these allegations to contact our Special Victims Division at 212-335-9373. Our specially trained prosecutors, investigators and counselors are well-equipped to help you in a trauma-informed, survivor-centered manner.”

5:10 PM PT -- It was a picture perfect splashdown in the Pacific Ocean ... right on time at 5:07 PM PT. The capsule floated down to the water under 3 deployed parachutes, just minutes after it was speeding through the air at more than 23,000 MPH!

Naval boats are speeding toward the capsule to recover the Artemis crew.

Artemis II is wrapping up its historic mission after nine and a half days ... and it’s all coming back down to Earth in a big way, which you can watch on the livestream here.

Astronauts -- Christina Koch, Victor Glover, Jeremy Hansen, and Commander Reid Wiseman -- are set to make a Pacific splashdown off the coast of San Diego at around 8:07 PM EDT.

NASA says a U.S. Navy helicopter will track the Orion capsule as it re-enters Earth’s atmosphere, with boats set to recover the crew once they’re down.

The mission already made history with its closest flyby of the Moon -- marking the first crewed lunar mission in more than 50 years.

Eric Swalwell's campaign for governor looks like it's on life support ... top Democrats are calling on him to drop out of the race as his campaign reportedly "implodes."

The congressman had gathered a ton of support from his fellow Dems in Congress -- but after a former staffer accused him of rape, that support quickly evaporated.

Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said she's had a conversation with Swalwell, urging him to end his campaign, according to NBC News reporter Melanie Zanona ... so the allegations against him can be fully and fairly investigated.

A former staffer for Eric Swalwell told CNN the congressman raped her back in 2024.

CNN ran the interview Friday afternoon ... hiding the woman's face to protect her anonymity while she told a story about meeting up with Swalwell for a drink in 2024.

This woman says she went to the bathroom at one point in the evening and completely blacked out ... only remembering a snippet of the night's events -- during which she says she remembers trying to force Swalwell off of her and telling him she didn't consent to sex with him.

President Donald Trump's staff apparently doesn't have to worry about breaking federal law at all ... because a new report says he's offered to pardon them en masse, repeatedly.

The Wall Street Journal released a new report Friday ... claiming POTUS has repeatedly promised top administration officials he will pardon them before he leaves office in January 2029 -- usually jokingly, like when he reportedly said recently, "I'll pardon everyone who has come within 200 feet of the Oval."

Unnamed administration officials told WSJ Trump often jokes about matters he later pursues seriously ... and the frequent references have led some to believe he might be genuinely considering the pardons. It's unclear why they'd need them.

Rep. Eric Swalwell -- who's running for Governor of California -- has been accused of sexual assault by a former staffer ... this according to a new report.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, a woman, who says she had sexual encounters with the congressman while she worked for him, claims he sexually assaulted her twice ... when she was too intoxicated to give consent.

Swalwell called the allegations "false" and threatened "legal action" in a statement on Friday, saying ... "For nearly 20 years, I have served the public — as a prosecutor and a congressman and have always protected women."

California congressman and gubernatorial candidate Eric Swalwell is coming under fire for claims he's acted inappropriately with female staffers ... something he denies, but bailing on a town hall in the aftermath is raising eyebrows.

Several left-leaning influencers have recently made the unsubstantiated allegations, posting statements and videos on social media.

Swalwell's camp told POLITICO the claims are a "false, outrageous rumor" made by "flailing opponents who have sadly teamed up with MAGA conspiracy theorists," saying the whole thing is an attempt to tank his gubernatorial run because he's "the frontrunner in this race."

Kamala Harris might take another crack at the Oval Office ... telling Reverend Al Sharpton she's thinking about launching a 2028 candidacy for president.

The former Vice President of the United States spoke at the National Action Network's conference in Manhattan on Friday ... and Sharpton came right out and asked if another run at the White House is in her future.

Harris laughs ... then confirms she's giving it some serious thought -- though she's clear she hasn't made a formal decision yet.

Brian Hooker almost vanished just like his wife Lynette ... after he fell overboard while handcuffed on his boat in police custody ... but he was saved in the nick of time, TMZ has learned.

The latest twist in Lynette Hooker's disappearance in the Bahamas kicked off late Wednesday night after Brian's arrest in connection with the case, according to his attorney, Terrel Butler. Butler tells TMZ she visited Brian Thursday night at the Central Police Station in Grand Bahama -- and Brian told her a harrowing story.

He said the police took him out on his boat under heavy rain and strong winds to search for Lynette. He said his hands were cuffed in front of him while gripping a change of clothes when, suddenly, he lost his footing as he moved sideways across the wet, unstable deck.

Melania Trump’s got a loyal voice backing her up ... because a top member of her staff is going to bat for her after her surprise Epstein denial speech to the nation yesterday.

Marc Beckman -- a senior advisor to the First Lady -- came in hot on "Fox & Friends" Friday morning, echoing the First Lady’s stance that she had no close ties to Jeffrey Epstein ... but said he’s over the chatter, firing off a direct message: "Enough is enough."

He didn’t stop there -- Beckman pushed hard for a full pivot, saying the public should be focusing on Melania’s achievements instead of rehashing Epstein rumors ... urging people to be in awe of her impact across the board.

First Lady Melania Trump’s surprise national address from the White House yesterday -- rebutting claims she was close friends with Jeffrey Epstein -- is already getting major pushback from survivors of the late convicted pedophile.

In a sharp statement released Thursday night by Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury (D-NM), a group of survivors firmly declared ... "Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein have already shown extraordinary courage by coming forward, filing reports, and giving testimony. Asking more of them now is a deflection of responsibility, not justice."

In her speech, Melania urged Congress to hold a public hearing so survivors can testify about Epstein’s crimes ... but "Survivors have done their part," the new statement reads.

Laken Snelling -- the former University of Kentucky cheerleader who was charged in connection with her newborn's death -- entered a not guilty plea when she appeared before a judge Friday morning.

Her attorney told the judge ... "We are entering a not guilty plea." As you know, she has been charged with abusing a corpse, tampering with evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant.

We've told you all about the case ... Snelling's college roommates allegedly found a deceased infant in Snelling's closet wrapped in a towel inside a black trash bag ... while Snelling was on a trip to McDonald's after giving birth on August 27, 2025.

Some folks at the White House ain't happy about Melania Trump's Thursday statement in which she denied having any relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, according to a new report.

A handful of officials were "stunned by the timing" of the First Lady's remarks, according to a Thursday tweet from CNN Senior White House Correspondent Kristen Holmes.

She explained ... "One official said there was disagreement among those close to Melania Trump as to whether or not to go through with the remarks, given that the story had died down." But, the source noted Melania saw the stories still circulating and "wanted to go on the record with a firm denial."

The TikToker who was ordered to pay $10 million to the college professor for falsely accusing her of playing a role in the University of Idaho murders is fighting back in court ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ, social media personality Ashley Guillard -- who goes by Ashley Solves Mysteries on TikTok -- compared the judgment entered against her to the “Salem Witch trials.”

Ashley claims she conducted a tarot card reading after the murders to get “information on who killed the students and why.”

She said her cards revealed to her that one of the slain students had a relationship with University of Idaho professor Rebecca Scofield and that Scofield "ordered the murders of the four students."