News

A woman accusing Eric Swalwell of sexual misconduct is set to detail her grievances in a press conference Tuesday, her attorney has announced.

The woman's high-profile attorney, Lisa Bloom, revealed the news on Instagram Monday night ... saying her client has "pretty serious sexual misconduct" allegations to air. The presser is set to take place this morning in Beverly Hills.

As you know, Swalwell exited California governor's race Sunday after sexual assault and misconduct allegations by a former staff member and at least 3 other women. Bloom slammed Swalwell in her Instagram video ... saying he didn't ditch the race as an act of accountability, but instead because he wanted to avoid the ethics investigation that Congress opened into him.

Brian Hooker, the husband at the center of a Bahamas disappearance mystery, has been released from police custody after days of questioning, but he's still firmly on investigators' radar.

Hooker was cut loose Monday evening without charges following a final round of questioning that lasted about an hour, his attorney, Terrel Butler tells TMZ. Butler says authorities had no evidence against her client and were essentially forced to let him go. She tells us Brian is "elated" to be released.

Despite walking free, Hooker isn't off the hook. Royal Bahamas Police Commissioner Shanta Knowles says the decision to release him came after consulting with prosecutors and confirmed he remains a suspect in an active investigation. She added officials are still hopeful Lynette, who's been missing for more than a week, will be found.

Rep. Johnathan Jackson is firmly in Pope Leo's corner amid a recent beef with President Trump ... and he's reminding POTUS he's not God.

A photog got the Congressman from Illinois arriving in Washington D.C. Monday after Congress' two-week paid vacation and asked him about Trump's attacks on the Pope.

Jackson, the son of the late Reverend Jesse Jackson, says Pope Leo is not to be messed with, and Trump needs to be reigned in.

Federal prosecutors are demanding Anna Kepner’s stepbrother be locked up after he was accused of raping and murdering his sister ... TMZ has learned. 

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, prosecutors call Anna’s brother -- only identified as T.H. in paperwork -- a “danger to others” and argue he should not be released on bond. 

The prosecutors said that the evidence “demonstrated the offense conduct that [T.H.] engaged in involved the most serious, egregious, and violative crimes one person can inflict upon another.” 

The man cops say is the guy seen in a viral video who went nuts on a porch before breaking into a Northern California home has been hit with charges ... TMZ has learned.

In wild video, police say you can see 30-year-old Jason Thomas Nichols kicking at the front door and yelling -- repeatedly saying, "Where's your daughter?" -- before eventually getting in through a sliding glass door ... according to a statement released by the Fairfield PD.

Fairfield Police say officers rushed to the house on April 7 when a man tried to force his way inside while a woman and child were home.

Rep. Tony Gonzales says he's retiring from Congress ... stepping aside after admitting to having an affair with a staffer who committed suicide last year by setting herself on fire.

The Republican Congressman from Texas announced his retirement plans Monday in a social media post, saying ... "There is a season for everything and God has a plan for us all. When Congress returns tomorrow, I will file my retirement from office. It has been my privilege to serve the great people of Texas."

Gonzales was running for re-election until his campaign got rocked by allegations he had an affair with former staffer Regina Santos-Aviles, who died in 2025.

Disturbing new twist in Anna Kepner's death aboard a Carnival Cruise ... the feds say her 16-year-old stepbrother raped her before murdering her on their family vacation.

Anna's stepbrother has been indicted as an adult by a federal grand jury and charged with first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse ... according to federal prosecutors in Florida.

The feds only identify Anna's stepbrother by his initials T.H., and say he's facing a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.

Ashlee Jenae was involved in a dispute with her fiancé Joe McCann before her tragic death in Tanzania earlier this month ... something local police say is now part of an active investigation.

According to North Unguja Regional Police Commander Benedict Mapujira, the couple had a falling out at the luxury resort Zuri Zanzibar ... with hotel staff stepping in and separating them into different rooms.

The situation escalated enough for staff to alert authorities, with concerns raised about Ashlee’s well-being -- prompting a report to Nungwi Police Station.

California Congressman Eric Swalwell says he’s stepping down from Capitol Hill -- and he’s owning up to past mistakes while blasting what he calls a rush to judgment in Washington.

In a statement announcing his resignation he posted to X, Swalwell apologized to his family, staff, and constituents for what he described as “mistakes in judgment” -- but made it clear he’s not backing down from a separate allegation he insists is flat-out false.

Swalwell says he plans to fight that accusation head-on … but at the same time, he admitted the controversy has become a distraction he doesn’t want hanging over the people he represents.

Our TMZ DC staff is now ensconced in Washington, D.C. and open for business!

Our 3 intrepid producers -- Charlie Cotton, Jacob Wasserman and Jakson Buhaj -- are working The Hill. They arrived over the weekend and their first day on the job was supposed to be today -- when members of Congress return from their 2-week break.

Turns out ... members of the House aren't coming back to work until Tuesday -- gotta make sure they get 2 full weeks off, right?

As Brian Hooker sits in police custody in the Bahamas in connection with his wife Lynette's disappearance, his stepdaughter is dropping bombshell revelations about what it was like living with him prior to the tragedy.

Karli Aylesworth, Lynette's daughter, told People her stepfather has "anger issues," was "strict," and had a "need for controlling my life."

She told the publication, "He does get mad and yells a lot. One time he got mad at me about homework and threw my book across the room."

Karli went on to say that her mom basically "just kind of let him dictate my life" when she was growing up.

Billionaire businessman Stephen Cloobeck directly confronted Eric Swalwell about the sexual assault allegations against him, telling the congressman he'd "busted the trust" ... before Cloobeck gave him the boot, TMZ has learned.

In a phone interview Monday with TMZ ... Cloobeck went into detail on what led up to tossing Swalwell (D-CA) out of his California mansion, saying it all came down to "integrity."

Cloobeck said as a businessman, he does not "bust the trust" and always has integrity ... which is not the case with Swalwell.

President Trump's $10 billion legal battle with the Wall Street Journal -- over its reporting on his alleged birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein -- just took a major hit, with a judge throwing it out of court ... for now.

In Monday morning's dismissal, the federal judge said Trump's defamation lawsuit failed to plausibly allege WSJ reported with "actual malice" or reckless disregard for the truth when it published a story claiming Trump wrote a racy letter celebrating Epstein's 50th birthday.

The letter, allegedly handwritten by Trump and framed in the image of a naked woman, included a creepy convo between Trump and Epstein, and Trump's closing line ... "A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy birthday -- and may every day be another wonderful secret."

President Donald Trump isn't the only one who can use A.I. ... California Governor Gavin Newsom just savagely trolled the president with a photo portraying DT as the Grim Reaper, with an old friend looking over his shoulder.

Newsom's brutal slam follows Trump sharing an A.I.-generated image of himself resembling Jesus on Sunday after criticizing Pope Leo XIV as "weak."

In response, Newsom posted a dark image of Trump in a black cloak, with his skeletal hand gripping a scythe as Jeffrey Epstein hovers just behind him.

Pope Leo XIV is not taking any crap from President Donald Trump ... firing back at DJT's nasty Truth Social post that slammed the Pontiff for his perceived liberal-leaning views on crime and foreign policy.

Leo was speaking with journalists aboard the papal plane en route to Algeria Monday when he was asked about Trump's verbal attacks on what the Commander-in-Chief sees as the Pope's "Radical Left" beliefs.

Check out video of Leo's response ... he calmly tells reporters he has "no fear of the Trump administration or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do, what the Church is here to do."

Leo added he and his Catholic church cronies are not politicians and "don’t deal with foreign policy with the same perspective" as Trump. He went on to say he believes "in the message of the Gospel, as a peacemaker.”