Brian Hooker Hits Mute Button in Search for Wife Lost at Sea

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Brian Hooker is going quiet ... and it’s raising just as many questions as answers in the desperate search for his wife, Lynette Hooker, who's been missing for 10 days after she went overboard on a boat in the Bahamas.

The husband at the center of the mystery has officially stepped back from the spotlight ... with his attorney, Terrel Butler, announcing Tuesday he will no longer be doing media interviews as the situation intensifies.

Hooker’s focus is locked in on finding his wife of 25 years ... pouring all of his emotional and physical energy into the ocean search while working behind the scenes with “relevant parties,” according to his lawyer.

Eric Swalwell Rocking Bathrobe in Unearthed Yacht Party Video

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PARTY BOY

Eric Swalwell is red-faced and bleary-eyed in a recently rediscovered video reportedly capturing a wild yacht trip from 2022 ... amid numerous accusations of sexual misconduct brought against the disgraced politician.

Watch the clip ... multiple scantily clad young women are seen throughout the vid, dancing near a bar and partying the night away. In 2 separate parts of the video, Swalwell is seen in a bathrobe.

The mysterious video, posted Saturday by influencer Nik Richie, comes as Swalwell has been inundated with sexual assault and misconduct allegations by a former staff member and at least 3 other women. 

Anna Kepner's Alleged Killer Death Penalty Is Off the Table ... Stepbrother Too Young to Be Executed

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The stepbrother charged with raping and murdering 18-year-old Anna Kepner received a glimmer of good news amid all the bad news in his indictment ... prosecutors say there's no chance he'll be put to death, because it's unconstitutional.

Here's how it all breaks down ... the 16-year-old defendant, identified in court docs as "T.H., a minor," is charged with first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse, and he faces life in prison if convicted. In the charging docs, prosecutors indicated this is not a death penalty case.

In their new motion seeking to keep T.H. behind bars pending his trial, the feds says the death penalty is off the table under Supreme Court precedent that bars the imposition of capital punishment on juvenile offenders. T.H. was 16 at the time he allegedly killed Kepner ... though he was actually indicted as an adult by a federal grand jury.

Influencer Ashlee Jenae Dad Turns To GoFundMe Over Mounting Costs

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Ashlee Jenae’s family is reeling after her sudden death ... and now they’re facing a whole new reality: the financial toll of bringing her home to the States.

Her father Harry Robinson has launched a GoFundMe with a $50K goal, saying the money will go toward travel, arrangements, and mounting costs as they deal with an ongoing investigation overseas.

As we reported, Ashlee -- whose real name is Ashly Robinson -- was found unconscious at a resort villa in Tanzania and rushed to a hospital ... where she died the following day on Friday, April 10.

President Trump Slams Riley Gaines for Jesus Pic Criticism

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President Donald Trump is done with one of his most ardent supporters Riley Gaines, after she dared to criticize him for posting an A.I. image of himself looking like Jesus Christ.

Here's the deal ... Gaines, a former NCAA swimmer and current anti-trans activist, posted a message on X, asking Trump to show a "little humility" and refrain from mocking God.

That, of course, pissed off the Commander-in-Chief, who went after Gaines -- after he deleted the controversial image due to mounting pressure from his base and from Catholics, who saw the photo as blasphemous.

As you can see, the image depicts Trump in a Jesus-like robe, putting one hand on the forehead of a sick man in a hospital bed while a divine light shines in his other hand.

Arizona Woman Arrested for Killing, Disposing of Baby in 1981

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A 65-year-old woman from Arizona is finally facing justice decades after she allegedly suffocated her newborn baby to death and tossed her in the woods at a North Dakota college campus.

Nancy Jean Trottier was arrested April 7 for the alleged murder of the baby, named "Rebecca" by police, after a DNA breakthrough linked her to the child's corpse, local Fargo, ND outlet Valley News Live reports.

Trottier is accused of birthing the baby and then stuffing her inside a plastic bag -- with her umbilical cord still attached -- and dumping the bag in a wooded area behind Valley City State College in 1981. Trottier was reportedly a student there from 1978 to 1982.

Eric Swalwell Accuser Lawyers Up ... Set to Speak Publicly About Alleged Assault

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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.

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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 Released From Custody ... Still a Suspect in Wife's Disappearance

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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. Jonathan Jackson To Trump Pope Is Not To Be Messed With!!!

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YOU'RE NOT GOD, MR. PRESIDENT

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.

Anna Kepner Prosecutors Brother Had No 'Strife' With Her Before Alleged Murder

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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.” 

Viral Doorbell Intruder 'Where's your daughter?!?' facing charges involving a child

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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 Quitting Congress After Affair

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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.

Anna Kepner Cruise Ship Death Feds Say Step Bro Raped Her Before Murder

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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.

Influencer Ashlee Jenae Had Blowout With Fiancé Before Death, Cops Say

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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.

Eric Swalwell Resigns From Congress Amid Scandal

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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.