Senator Lindsey Graham hardly rolled out the welcome wagon for TMZ DC ... he blew off Charlie on a highly-relevant topic ... Disney World bubble wands!
Charlie ran into the Senator, who was on his way into his office Monday at the Russell Building, and asked about the now-famous photo of the gentleman from South Carolina in Fantasyland at Disney World, clutching a bubble wand during his 2-week Spring Break.
Senator Graham was not in a chatty mood ... he stayed radio silent on the subject.
It's our first day on Capitol Hill. Charlie, Jacob and Jakson are psyched ... ready to break stories and do fun s*** in the intersection of politics and pop culture.
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 inAnna 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 fiancéJoe 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.
AsBrian 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.
In response to a personal attack by President Donald Trump the night before, Pope Leo told journalists on the papal plane to Algeria:
“I have 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… pic.twitter.com/zV6FuacGSM@catholicourtney
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.”
As you know, Trump went scorched earth on Leo Sunday night, writing on Truth Social that the Pope is "WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy," citing his liberal views. And that was only the beginning of his tirade ... Trump's message got a lot uglier from that point on.
As Eric Swalwell's political career continues to crumble at lightning-fast speed ... a big-time benefactor has pretty much told him to go to hell.
Billionaire Stephen Cloobeck went scorched earth in an interview with the California Post, saying he's booted the embattled Swalwell from his Beverly Hills mansion ... and he's looking to recoup $1 million he forked over for the politician's now-defunct gubernatorial run.
The backlash comes on the heels of the Democratic Congressman from California being accused by multiple women -- some who worked for him -- of sexual assault and other alleged sexual misconduct. Swalwell has denied any wrongdoing ... but is now the target of a criminal probe.
Swalwell has been staying at the mansion as a guest ... it's where he filmed his video denial prior to dropping out of the race for California governor over the weekend. We're told Swalwell had been staying there for a few days before he was kicked out Sunday morning.
The billionaire made it clear to the Post, ES was never welcomed back ... and he is so pissed about the entire situation, he says he's washing his hands of the Democrats -- and is now a Libertarian.
Not even Pope Leo can escape the wrath of President Trump, who excoriated the Holy Father for his views on crime and foreign policy — and a bunch of other stuff, too!
Trump posted a long-winded message on Truth Social Sunday night, kicking things off by slamming Leo for being "WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy."
Trump is also pissed at The Pontiff for criticizing him over bombing the hell out of Iran and sparking a war between the 2 countries with the help of Israel. Over the weekend, Leo implied that a "delusion of omnipotence" is behind the U.S.-Israel war against Iran.
Congressman Eric Swalwell is dealing with more than just sexual misconduct allegations ... he's now got an angry husband on his case after Swalwell allegedly bombarded his wife with explicit pics and showed up near their home.
Adam Parkhomenko -- husband to influencer Ally Sammarco -- posted Saturday ... "If Eric Swalwell or his attorney makes a single statement that disparages my wife, I will be filing a lawsuit against him."
He added, "I've already made clear that if he believes anything I've said is untrue, he should sue me immediately."
President Donald Trump berated a reporter on the White House Lawn Saturday ... telling her she doesn't know a darn thing about Iran.
POTUS spoke to several reporters waiting for him outside the White House round 5 PM ET today ... and, one asked a question about why the Strait of Hormuz isn't open yet.
Eric Swalwell's senior staffers are distancing themselves from him ... while acknowledging not everyone has the means to do so.
Top staffers for Swalwell's congressional office and his gubernatorial campaign released a joint statement ... which begins with indignation over his alleged abusive behavior.
The two sides stand with their former colleague who accused Swalwell of raping her in 2024 and other women who have come forward and accused the congressman of sexual misconduct.
