FBI Director Kash Patel is firing back at The Atlantic, threatening to sue after the mag published a bombshell report accusing him of boozing too much and acting paranoid.
Patel announced his intentions Friday night, telling The Atlantic and its journalist Sarah Fitzpatrick he'll see their "entire entourage of false reporting in court."
He then egged them on, adding ... "But do keep at it with the fake news, actual malice standard is now what some would call a legal lay up."
He also shared an apparent screenshot of Assistant Director for Public Affairs at the FBI Ben Williamson's initial response to Fitzpatrick's request for comment, in which he called her allegations "absurd" and slammed her for giving him a 2-hour deadline.
Celeste Rivas's family is reportedly planning to release a statement through their attorney on Monday in reaction to D4vd being arrested 7 months after the 14-year-old's decomposing body was found in the trunk of his Tesla.
The family statement would be the first time the public hears from Celeste's loved ones since D4vd's Thursday arrest in Los Angeles.
Prosecutors have a Monday deadline to either charge D4vd with a crime or release him from police custody ... and, according to ABC7, an attorney representing Celeste's family says if the Los Angeles County District Attorney holds a press conference, Celeste's parents and sister will be there.
Kyrsten Sinema got grilled by the woman suing the ex-senator for breaking up her marriage – and now the pissed off wife is revealing their heated text exchange.
According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, Heather Ammel, the estranged wife of Kyrsten’s boyfriend Matthew Ammel, slammed the former U.S. Senator from Arizona for allegedly misrepresenting the facts about their affair in court.
Heather said before Kyrsten ruined her marriage, she had a “good and loving marriage and genuine love” with her husband.
She said after Matthew took a 2023 trip with Kyrsten -- in his role as her bodyguard -- he appeared "uncomfortable.”
She recalled meeting Kyrsten at a U2 concert while with Matthew. Heather said the politician told her, “I feel like I already know you, because I’ve heard so much about you from Matt.”
She said she personally witnessed Matthew receive texts from Kyrsten, including one that had a photo of Kyrsten “wrapped in a towel.” She says the picture "showed her bare upper back with cupping bruises.” In another alleged message, Heather said Krysten asked Matthew to bring MDMA (aka molly or ecstacy) on a work trip, so “she could guide him through a psychedelic experience.”
The Church of Scientology is asking for a judge to make the Los Angeles Police Department hand over information about alleged leaks regarding Leah Remini and the church leader’s wife ... TMZ has learned.
According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, lawyers for the Church are asking a judge to force the LAPD to turn over documents immediately.
The Church is pissed the LAPD failed to identify who leaked the Missing Persons Report filed in 2013, which claimed Scientology leader David Miscavige’s wife, Shelly, was missing.
Sandra Lee's isn't exactly giving 'here comes the bride' ... in fact, her latest run-in with TMZ has us wondering if there's trouble in paradise with fiancé Ben Youcef.
We got her out Thursday at La Boca in NYC, and when we asked about wedding plans … she swerved hard, insisting she's focused on work right now. Not a "date’s set" or even a "soon" ... just a full pivot.
And then came the moment that really raises eyebrows. When we asked to see the engagement ring, Sandra brushed it off ... saying her outfit just didn't call for jewelry. Problem is ... there was no ring on THAT finger.
A critical piece of evidence in the D4vd murder case is what caused Celeste Rivas's death ... and a high-ranking LAPD source tells TMZ ... the L.A. County Medical Examiner has ruled her death a homicide.
The Medical Examiner had trouble determining the manner of death because of the decomposition of her body when it was found last September ... a source connected to the M.E. had told TMZ.
The search for Nancy Guthrie’s been dragging on for nearly two months -- but the Pima County Sheriff's Department had people thinking it was finally over ... before the internet quickly called BS!
The department dropped a "Update: Nancy has been located" post on X Thursday night -- and given they’re the ones leading the search for Savannah Guthrie’s mom, you’d assume they meant that Nancy. Not quite.
A quick glance at the poster attached tells a very different story -- it’s actually a completely different woman, Nancy Radakovich, with "LOCATED" stamped across her pic.
4:05 PM PT -- The hearing has ended ... the judge will issue a ruling later today or Monday.
Tyler Robinson is making another appearance in court Friday ... this time asking the judge not to allow cameras into his trial because of the media's biased coverage of his case -- and, we're live-streaming it for you.
The alleged murderer will appear alongside his attorneys, while his defense asked a judge to stop live streaming coverage of the trial.
His lawyers say the live streams are being used to commodify the trial instead of serving their intended purpose -- which is to educate the public on the proceedings.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani's rap career is all about the Benjamins ... about 16 of them -- because that's approximately what he made from royalties on his music last year.
The NYC mayor's tax filings are obviously public record ... and, he reported $1,643 in music royalties he made from songs he released as "Young Cardamom," which he called himself back in the day.
This is $376 more than he made from his music in 2024 ... almost certainly helped by his campaign for mayor -- though he probably shouldn't quit his day job to go after artistic pursuits again.
4:53 PM PT -- A rep for Gavin Newsom's political team tells TMZ ... "Governor Newsom did not do a "bulk buy" of $1.5M worth of books to boost sales. The book sales through his email list were individual sales done through a new, innovative approach that allows his list to receive copies of the book early. The campaign viewed the book offer as a major list-building and engagement opportunity – one of the largest of any campaign in the country."
The statement continues, "Supporters were invited to give whatever amount they could afford and still receive a copy of the book. The goal was participation and engagement, not fundraising. The campaign's list provided an opportunity for supporters to buy the book through a vendor consistently used by other authors. Each book was sold and sent out through the vendor, similar to buying from Amazon or Barnes and Noble. In total, more than 67,000 individual sales were made through the campaign's offers."
Want a copy of Gavin Newsom’s book? Turns out all it took was a donation -- and a PAC with deep pockets!
Here’s how it played out ... The New York Times reports Newsom’s political action committee shelled out more than $1.5M to scoop up copies of his memoir, "Young Man in a Hurry," and hand them out to supporters who chipped in -- any amount got you in the door.
And plenty of people took the bait. About 67,000 books were sent out through the donation deal -- accounting for roughly two-thirds of all print copies sold. Yeah … that bestseller run didn’t exactly happen the old-fashioned way.
Four witnesses from the KarenRead saga are flipping the script -- suing her and blogger “Turtleboy” for allegedly trying to turn them into murder suspects.
JenniferMcCabe, BrianAlbert, ColinAlbert and BrianHiggins filed a lawsuit Thursday in Massachusetts, claiming Read teamed up with AidanKearney -- aka Turtleboy -- to push a narrative that they -- not her -- were responsible for the death of Boston cop John O'Keefe.
According to the complaint, Read and Kearney “worked hand in hand” to spread what they call a deliberate web of lies ... all in an effort to shift blame away from Read after O’Keefe was found dead outside a home in January 2022.
Kearney, however, is pushing back ... telling us, "For 3 years I have relentlessly investigated the killing of John O’Keefe. Norfolk County and the MSP spent millions to convict Karen Read but they failed. Twice. Twice juries rejected the Commonwealth’s claim that Karen Read did this.
Bianca Huntley -- a mother of 2 whose family says she was pregnant with her third child -- was killed in Atlanta earlier this week while sitting in rush hour traffic.
According to 11 Alive -- a local outlet based in the ATL area -- cops responded to a report of a woman shot on the I-75 freeway, traveling northbound, just after 6 PM on April 14.
Huntley was found shot, but still alive, in her white BMW SUV. First responders rushed her to the hospital ... where she later died of her injuries.
Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax rallied around gun regulation -- and even proudly held up a "disarm abusers" sign -- years before he shot his wife, and then himself, in an apparent murder-suicide ... TMZ has learned.
Check out the photo -- the now-deceased politician is smiling alongside gun violence survivor Kate Ranta and her young son while posing with the pointed sign the minor made.
You can see the sign's intentions loud and clear -- it's taking aim at the National Rifle Association while standing up for women's rights and raising awareness for those who die by gun violence at home.
The violent end of former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax'slife is reigniting scrutiny over the sexual assault allegations that rocked his career ... with one of his accuser’s attorneys speaking out after the apparent murder-suicide.
NancyErika Smith, who represented Meredith Watson -- the woman who came forward in 2019 accusing Fairfax of raping her when they were both students at Duke University around 2000 -- said her thoughts are with the couple’s children, who were reportedly home during the incident.
“First, this is horrific for their children who were home at the time of this event,” Smith said in a statement to the NYPost, before turning sharply critical.
The hunt for Nancy Guthrie in her cold case may have just hit a turning point ... because the FBI is using new technology to zero in on DNA evidence.
Law enforcement sources tell TMZ that agents are analyzing what could be a crucial sample recovered from the 84-year-old’s Tucson, Arizona home ... and it’s already been sent through a private lab working with the Pima County Sheriff's Department before landing in federal hands.
This is the same DNA evidence that was recovered from Nancy’s home earlier in the probe. But here’s the catch ... the DNA isn’t clean. Investigators say it’s a mixed sample from multiple people, meaning it’ll take time to separate and figure out what actually matters.
Thieves are always stirrup-ing trouble -- but this one got a full-on hoof chase -- as a mounted NYPD cop went galloping after a purse-snatching suspect, all caught on body cam.
Check the wild clip -- it’s straight-up chaos as the officer tears through NYC streets on horseback, camera bouncing with every stride -- you feel like you’re riding shotgun for the whole pursuit.
The twist? The takedown doesn’t even come from the cop -- a passerby swoops in and grabs the thief first ... and holds the horse while the officer arrests the perp.
