Erika Kirk was supposed to join J.D. Vance as he headlined a Turning Point USA event at the University of Georgia Tuesday ... but she backed out last minute after allegedly receiving "very serious threats."
Instead, TPUSA spokesperson Andrew Kolvet sat in for her, explaining to the VP -- and the audience -- why Charlie Kirk's widow didn't show.
Kolvet said ... "Mr. Vice President, I’m on stage here instead of our friend Erika Kirk because unfortunately she has received some very serious threats in her direction."
He added ... "It’s a terrible reflection on the state of reality and the state of the country."
Erika herself acknowledged her absence on X, saying she had been "looking forward" to the event ... but explained, "after all our family has been through, I take my security team’s recommendations extremely seriously."
Candace Owens, however, is not buying it. She accused Erika of backing out due to "bad ticket sales," telling her in a reply ... "Stop. This is exhausting."
Candace continued ... "People don’t believe you and don’t line up for you because you struggle to tell the truth about even the most basic facts. Where is the video of Charlie appointing you as CEO weeks before his death?"
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Candace argued the Secret Service wouldn't have allowed Vance to follow through with the event if there was "a viable threat."
She slammed Erika's "s*** Public Relations team" as the actual threat, saying they "operate under the delusion that they are smarter than the public."
To Candace's point ... there were tons of empty seats at the TPUSA tour stop.
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Multiple videos circulating social media show the arena mostly empty, allegedly just minutes before the VP was supposed to take the stage.
Don Lemon teasing a presidential run wasn't just a one-off moment to drive podcast views ... he thinks he's got a real chance at it -- reiterating to Sherri Shepherd he's entertaining the possibility.
The former CNN news anchor appeared on the actress' talk show this morning ... and she asked him about his recent interview on "Pod Save America" in which he said he might run and he could "run this country better than Donald Trump.”
Sherri is fully onboard with the idea ... telling Lemon he seems like a person she could totally imagine running for president -- and, he says "Why not?" ... as in "Why not him?"
Chilling security video shows the exact moment an Oklahoma high school principal explodes out of an office and tackles an armed gunman -- a takedown that ends with the heroic principal getting shot in the leg.
Pauls Valley High School Principal Kirk Moore went into full hero mode ... charging 20-year-old armed suspect Victor Lee Hawkins from behind, slamming him onto a bench, and ripping a handgun from his grip as terrified students scatter.
Check out video from inside the school ... which shows Hawkins lurking in the hallway with his firearms.
The police are advancing their investigation into the death of Ashlee Jenae -- the content creator who died on a trip to Zanzibar earlier this month. Authorities have seized her fiancé Joe McCann's passport and are questioning him ... but only as a witness, as no arrests have been made.
As you know ... Ashlee died while on vacation with Joe, who proposed to her on the trip. The vacation was planned as Ashlee's 31st birthday celebration, which turned out to be her last.
Ashlee's family appears to have been suspicious of Joe the whole time, as they say he waited 11 whole hours to tell them about the incident ... and even then downplayed it as if Ashlee was "okay."
YouTuber Johnny Somali will have plenty of time to brush up on his Korean in the prison library ... because he's been sentenced to serve 6 months for his controversial acts.
The Seoul Western District Court found Somali -- government name Ramsey Khalid Ismael -- guilty on multiple charges, including obstruction of business and distributing fabricated sexually explicit content.
Prosecutors say he harassed staff and visitors at an amusement park, disrupting a convenience store with loud music and flipping over noodles onto a table, and distributing non-consensual deepfake videos. They asked a judge to hand Somali a 3-year sentence.
Jessica McClure Morales -- the famous "Baby Jessica" who made national news when she fell down a well back in 1987 -- allegedly choked a member of her family.
According to the probable cause affidavit for Jessica's arrest ... cops in Midland County, Texas say Jessica told them the Saturday confrontation began when she and her husband got into a heated verbal argument -- during which she allegedly scratched him while trying to shove him away.
A witness apparently told the police a somewhat different story. Cops say they were told someone advised Jessica and her husband not to fight in front of a child who was in the room. Her husband allegedly said "F*** that" ... before she grabbed him by the throat.
Rep. Nancy Mace announced a major loss in her family ... she took to social media to announce her father, Gen. James E. Mace, died Tuesday night.
The South Carolina congresswoman shared a lengthy tribute to her father, posting a pic of him in his military gear and describing his final moments in the caption.
Nancy said her dad was surrounded by his wife, two of his daughters -- Nancy and Mary -- and his two dogs.
The politician said her dad passed as she read him testimony of the soldiers he served with, writing ... "As I read those words to him, he grew calm. And then he was gone."
President Donald Trump's making sure no one will mistake him for Jesus Christ this time around ... reposting a picture of himself standing alongside God's only son -- instead of one wearing his garments.
POTUS reshared an image the account "Irish for Trump" posted on X ... in which DJT leans close to Jesus -- with the two surrounded by a halo of light. A massive American flag frames them.
The OG post jokes God might be playing a "Trump card" in order to take down "satanic, demonic, child sacrificing monsters." Trump clearly agrees ... captioning his post, "The Radical Left Lunatics might not like this, but I think it is quite nice!!! President DJT."
Dems and Republicans have shown they are not capable of compromise when it comes to funding the Dept. of Homeland Security -- which is why thousands of workers are not getting paid -- so we decided to put something on the table so these workers can put food on theirs.
Jacob ran into Rep. Ritchie Torres late Tuesday on Capitol Hill, and he played "Let's Make a Deal" ... suggesting a compromise ... fund all of DHS, including ICE, with the proviso that ICE agents could not wear masks and they'd have to get search warrants.
True, it's not everything Dems want, and Republicans might wince ... but at least it's a compromise to fund DHS, and they could work out other details later.
Here's J.D. Vance firing back at a heckler who alleged the Trump administration is killing and bombing children in Gaza.
The Vice President was at a Turning Point USA event Tuesday in Georgia, talking about the crisis in the Middle East ... when a man in the crowd started yelling at him about Israel and Palestine.
Vance blamed former President Joe Biden for the situation in Gaza and said Trump was cleaning up Biden's mess ... and then the heckler screamed, "You're killing children ... you're bombing children."
David Daniel, a Capitol Rioter pardoned by President Trump, is cutting a plea deal with federal prosecutors in a separate case ... and it involves sexual exploitation and child pornography.
Daniel hammered out a plea deal after being charged in North Carolina with sexual exploitation of a minor and possessing sexually explicit images of children ... according to new legal docs obtained by TMZ.
The court docs, signed by Daniel's lawyer, say in 2015 and 2016, Daniel coerced a minor younger than 12 years old "to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing any visual depiction of the conduct."
Prosecutors say Daniel used a phone to document the sexually explicit images and kept them on a hard drive.
Eric Swalwellis now under investigation in Los Angeles County over sexual misconduct allegations.
The L.A. County District Attorney's Office confirms its Sex Crimes Division is actively working with law enforcement on the investigation, which stems from explosive claims by Lonna Drewes, a former model turned fashion tech pro, who alleges the former Congressman assaulted her back in 2018 in West Hollywood, CA.
At a press conference Tuesday, Drewes accused Swalwell of offering career connections before allegedly drugging, choking and raping her. Drewes says fear kept her silent for years.
Congressman Dan Meuser made some solid points in the beef between Donald Trump and Pope Leo ... and the Rep. from Pennsylvania is pretty much Team Trump.
Charlie asked him squarely -- who does he ride with -- and Meuser didn't hold back. On foreign policy, he thinks the Pope had a narrow view of peace when he condemned the war in Iran. He says there's virtue in peace through strength, and worries what would have happened in WWII if everyone followed the Pope's philosophy.
Meuser also felt it was curious the Pope wasn't condemning the atrocities in Iran, where leaders slaughtered tens of thousands of their own people.
Senator Pete Ricketts, by contrast, was crickets when it came to taking a side. He's aware of the beef, but he doesn't want to be forced to choose -- he says it's like having to choose between your mother and your father.
Chef CrouxKoplin isn’t just cooking up a storm at Coachella … he’s cashing in big time!
The private chef tells TMZ he and his tight-knit crew of six -- including another chef, an assistant and three helpers -- pulled in a sizzling $11K during the first weekend … all while bouncing between luxe desert estates and influencer-packed homes.
Croux says he locked down three separate gigs … starting with a marathon booking to cook for 15 to 17 German influencers from Wednesday through Monday across three different private homes.
Sneako was minding his business, streaming and walking down a New York City sidewalk when all of a sudden he got sneak attacked ... a man sucker punched him in the face and took him to the ground ... and it's all on video.
The famous streamer was looking down at his phone when he walked by a man who appeared to be waiting for him ... the aggressor unleashed a right hook that hit Sneako in the face, and then he took Sneako to the pavement.
Following the sucker punch, the camera goes to the ground too ... and it sounds like a struggle ensued ... plus, there are lots of expletives.
The photog got up and ran off ... and Sneako later posted about the incident on social media, saying ... "Im fine we got it handled."
Joe Biden is catching heat online after pausing a speech at Syracuse University to say a Trustee is a doppelganger for Barack Obama ... and it's all on video.
Check out this clip from Biden's speech Tuesday at his alma mater ... he's on stage for the unveiling of his portrait at the University's College of Law when things take an unexpected turn. The former Commander-in-Chief suddenly calls Syracuse Board Chairman Jeffrey Scruggs up to the podium and tells the crowd Jeffrey looks a lot like none other than ... President Obama.
The chittering sounds from the crowd lead us to believe that the comment was laughed off ... but the audience on social media is not as forgiving.
Jeffrey is kind of a big shot ... not only is he the Chairman of the Board at Syracuse, he is also a managing director at Goldman Sachs ... but it looks like he wasn't too offended by Biden comparing him to Barack, at least in this clip.
