The Houston cop at the center of a viral racist rant video is officially off the force ... because the department says her behavior was beyond the pale.
The Houston Police Department announced Friday it has terminated Officer AshleyGonzalez... saying in a statement she is "no longer an employee of the department" following an internal investigation into the shocking viral clip.
According to HPD, Gonzalez was immediately relieved of duty once the department became aware of the video ... and officials say they moved "as fast as legally possible" under state civil service laws to complete the investigation.
Police Chief J. Noe Diaz, Jr. didn’t mince words either ... calling Gonzalez's conduct "abhorrent, disgusting, and entirely unacceptable."
TMZ DC has gone international, with an invite to the Secretary of War's news conference, and Jacobfired off a question that goes right to the psychology of war.
Jacob and Charliecame locked and loaded with questions, the first being what goes through Pete Hegseth's mind and body when he orders the military to drop bombs on people and places -- does he feel an adrenaline rush, power, is he scared? It's really a mindset question about how he approaches war. He didn't really answer, but good on Jacob.
Charlie also had a good question -- check out the video.
An Orlando-area congressman is sounding the alarm over a controversial attraction called Sloth World ... urging federal officials to step in before more animals are harmed.
Rep. Maxwell Frost is calling on a federal agency to launch an immediate investigation into the facility, alleging deeply troubling conditions persisting ahead of its opening to the public.
Before it even opened, Sloth World saw 31 sloths die after being kept in unsafe conditions.
I’ve called on the Secretary of Agriculture and USDA to investigate Sloth World, protect any surviving sloths, and prevent more from being brought in.
Frost said in a statement ... "Before it even opened, Sloth World saw 31 sloths die after being kept in unsafe conditions." Frost continues ... "I've called on the Secretary of Agriculture and USDA to investigate Sloth World, protect any surviving sloths, and prevent more from being brought in."
FBI DirectorKash Patel is suing over claims he's been drunk on the job ... but he reportedly admitted in the past to twice being arrested for alcohol-related offenses around 2 decades ago.
When Patel worked for the Miami-Dade County Public Defender's Office back in the day, he wrote a letter elaborating on a couple disclosures from his Florida Bar application, which related to his past arrests ... and The Intercept obtained a copy.
Patel wrote he was arrested for public intoxication in February 2001 when he was a junior at the University of Richmond. He said he was under 21 years of age at the time and had two drinks before getting booted from the crowd at a Richmond basketball game for "excessive" cheering. He said he paid a fine.
Crazy domino effect after a dog peed on a neighbor's lawn ... two men came out of the home and urinated in retaliation ... then a knife fight broke out, sending three people to the hospital ... and it's all on video.
It went down in Queens, NY yesterday ... a guy was walking his French bulldog down the sidewalk when the pooch stopped and pissed on a patch of grass. Two men emerged and peed on the dog owner's neighboring lawn, and then a fight broke out.
One of the guys who urinated was wielding a knife, and he stabbed two neighbors, including a 39-year-old woman, and his own father ... according to police.
Jake Reiner is opening up about the unimaginable pain of losing both of his parents in the same tragedy ... revealing he feels "robbed" of major life moments they'll now never get to see.
In a heartbreaking Substackpost titled "Mom and Dad: The center of my life," Jake said the loss still feels surreal after both of his parents, Roband Michelle, were killed the same day -- admitting he wakes up every morning hoping it was all just a nightmare.
The gut-punch line of the post centers on everything he says was stolen from him in an instant ... writing, "I was robbed of so many things that day. My parents won't be at my wedding, they won't get to hold their future grandchild, and they won't get to see me have the successful career I'm still seeking."
Melania Trump is running a honeypot operation out of the White House ... as in, she's adding a couple new bee colonies to bump up honey production.
The First Lady just announced an expansion of the White House honey program -- yes, that's a thing -- with a newly installed, fully functioning beehive on the South Lawn.
Melania's hive is a miniature version of the White House ... it's crafted by a local artisan and it's home to a pair of bee colonies. The White House says the new hives are expected to increase annual honey production at the White House by an estimated 30 pounds.
Tragedy in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil ... attorney and martial arts influencer Tamyris Teixeira Santos has been found dead on a beach at age 36 -- three days after she was reported missing.
Her relatives identified a body discovered on Botafogo Beach Wednesday ... just a day after it was found, according to local outlet g1.
A forensic report cited by Brazilian outlet Metrópoles says she suffered a stroke while drowning -- oxygen deprivation and water flooding led to severe and fatal brain damage.
Jeffrey MacDonald has made a name for himself as "Chef of the Year" at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, but now he's making headlines as an alleged wife-murderer.
According to law enforcement ... MacDonald bludgeoned his wife, Emma MacDonald, to death inside a hotel room on the UMass campus Wednesday.
The cook confessed to police he killed Emma "using his hands, feet, as well as a variety of other objects," according to The Boston Globe, citing a police report. MacDonald also told investigators it was his "intent" to kill his wife, the Globe reports.
In a press conference Thursday before the start of the NFL Draft, Vrabel avoided Russini relationship specifics but admitted his "previous actions don't meet the standard that I hold myself to."
Vrabel also said he's become a distraction to his family, his players, the Patriots organization and their fans, adding ... "My family needs me this weekend and that's where I'll be."
D4vd's iPhone contains a ton of child pornography ... at least according to prosecutors.
The singer was in court Thursday -- exactly one year to the day of when prosecutors claim he murdered Celeste Rivas -- for a status hearing on his upcoming preliminary hearing, which a judge set for May 1.
During the hearing, prosecutors claimed they went through his phone and found a "significant amount" of child porn. It's unclear if the alleged CP features Celeste.
Prosecutors also revealed a wire tap was involved in the investigation. They said the wire tap took place last year, but there were no other specifics.
D4vd was shackled and wore an orange jail jumpsuit ... he was calm, cool, collected, and looked kinda bored. He spoke briefly to the judge, telling her, "Yes, ma'am," as she explained to him how the prelim works.
Sandra Lee's ex-fiancé Ben Youcef is speaking out on their split ... and his message is all about gratitude, respect, and moving forward.
Through his rep, Brandon Cohen of BAC Talent, Ben tells TMZ ... "Over the past 5 years Sandra Lee and I shared a beautiful chapter together. We traveled the world, created unforgettable memories and experienced life in a way I will always be grateful for. She is an extraordinary person and I will always have nothing but respect and admiration for her."
He adds ... "Presently I am focused on building my acting career and raising my 10-year-old twins who are my pride and joy. I wish Sandra all the happiness and success the world has to offer."
David Wilcock's final moments are even more tragic given what he was dealing with behind the scenes ... 'cause cops tell TMZ he was battling serious financial and health problems leading up to his death.
Law enforcement tells TMZ ... Wilcock made a disturbing 911 call Monday morning, telling dispatch, "I need to leave" and "I will be to the left of the house," while also opening up about ongoing money troubles and health issues. He refused to say whether he was armed or planning to hurt himself.
In dispatch audio obtained by TMZ, authorities are heard in real time explaining the situation ... announcing the call as a "potential suicide" and breaking down the moments they arrived on scene.
We broke the story ... the "Ancient Aliens" regular and bestselling paranormal author died after deputies responded to his Colorado home and found him in a mental health crisis.
Authorities tell TMZ ... deputies approached cautiously, staging nearby until backup deputy arrived due to the unknown threat level.
The FBI says it plans to dig into possible connections between the disappearances and/or deaths of at least 10 scientists and government workers over the last few years ... but their family members say it's all a bunch of baloney.
The House Oversight Committee announced Monday they're probing any possible connections between 10 cases dating back to 2023 ... but family members of Melissa Casias, Carl Grillmair, Michael Hicks and Jason Thomas all say there's no way they're linked -- and some have proof.
Melissa was an administrative assistant at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico who vanished in June 2025. A family member, Paul, tells TMZ ... he believes Melissa wanted to go MIA and "does not want to be found."
10 people were injured in a mass shooting at the Mall of Louisiana Thursday, and police were still searching for shooting suspects in the afternoon.
Baton Rouge Police said the shooting looked a "targeted" incident "between two groups of people." Police said an argument broke out between the two groups, and people began "shooting at each other" ... but police clarified there was "no more active shooting going on."
Some of the victims may be innocent bystanders not involved in the altercation, according to police. At least six victims were hospitalized, according to WAFB-TV ... two people were listed in critical condition.
Authorities said the shooting happened near the food court at the Baton Rouge mall, and a video circulating on social media appears to show someone lying on the floor near a Sbarro. The mall was immediately evacuated.
A California man was charged with murder Thursday in the stabbing death of a beloved Burbank 1st-grade teacher earlier this week.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office is charging Sergio Fraire with murder, with a special circumstance of lying in wait, for allegedly attacking and killing Arti Varma in a Burbank, CA home early Monday morning.
Arti’s daughter -- identified by neighbors as 25-year-old mental health activist Meera Varma -- was also stabbed in the attack ... she was hospitalized in critical but stable condition.
On top of the murder charge, Fraire has also been hit with one felony count of attempted murder and one felony count of first-degree residential burglary.
