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Donald Trump had the crowd laughing Friday while taking aim at Democrats ... joking he'd become the "greatest communist in history" because, according to him, it's just that easy!

Speaking at Washington's Faith & Freedom Coalition Policy Conference, Trump sarcastically acted out life under communism ... nobody would have to pay rent, and everyone could just pick whatever house they wanted.

POTUS quickly snapped back to reality, arguing such a system would "destroy everything" and reduce the country to a third-world nation.

A cruise ship brought some strange cargo to Alaska ... pulling into port with a massive carcass on its bow -- a pregnant 61-foot fin whale.

The Royal Caribbean Group's "Ovation of the Seas" arrived in Seward, AK, on June 19, hauling the endangered whale, which was towed to a local beach for further examination.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Alaska, the whale was freshly dead and in good nutritional condition ... with an adequate amount of blubber and muscle.

Preliminary findings from the necropsy reportedly indicate the whale died after being struck by a vessel. The marine mammal had blunt force trauma to the jaw, spine, and ribs.

A Utah judge is apparently pissed that prosecutors in Tyler Robinson's murder trial blabbed to the press in violation of a gag order ... but the death penalty is still on the table.

Utah Judge Tony Graf found prosecutor Christopher Ballard in civil contempt for talking to the media about evidence in the case ... namely, conflicting information about whether the bullet matched the rifle Robinson allegedly used to shoot and kill Charlie Kirk.

As you know, Robinson's lawyers previously filed docs claiming the ballistics didn't add up … which sparked online theories about whether Robinson's gun fired the fatal shot ... and prompted prosecutors to try to clarify the forensics to the media.

A jury couldn't reach a decision in the federal arson trial against Jonathan Rinderknecht -- the man accused of starting the Palisades fire in L.A. last year -- and the judge declared a mistrial.

It was 10-2 vote in favor of a not guilty verdict, but the 2 outliers weren't budging.

The jury started deliberations on Wednesday after about a 2-week trial, and initially indicated they'd unanimously reached verdicts in Rinderknecht's 3 arson charges before changing course.

John Bolton -- a former National Security Adviser to Donald Trump who turned into the President's political enemy -- pled guilty to one charge of unlawfully retaining sensitive national security information.

Bolton appeared in court Friday and admitted to one count of illegal retention of classified information ... standing before Judge Theodore Chuang and declaring, "I'm sorry for it."

The plea agreement -- reached by prosecutors and Bolton's attorneys -- includes no more than 60 months in prison and a $2.25 million fine. Bolton was initially facing a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison after being indicted on 18 counts of willfully transmitting and retaining national defense information.

A small plane crashed into Beijing's iconic CITIC Tower on Friday ... and the immediate aftermath was caught on harrowing video.

Watch for yourself ... the small aircraft disintegrates as it falls from the sky following the crash.

It doesn't appear from the footage posted to social that the skyscraper -- the tallest building in Beijing -- suffered any major damage.

Large chunks of debris were pictured around the area ... including the intact tail of the aircraft lying in the street.

One woman in India got absolutely steamrolled by a runaway bull ... after the beast came flying out of nowhere, launched itself at her scooter, and sent her crashing hard onto the pavement ... and it's all on video.

Wild CCTV footage from the city of Manmad shows the bull charging across the road before attempting to hurdle the unsuspecting woman ... only to completely botch the jump, slam into her, knock her off the scooter and bolt from the scene.

The impact left the woman with serious head and shoulder injuries, and she was rushed to a nearby hospital.

A former Arby's employee is in hot water with the law ... after allegedly spitting on a customer's food and giving her herpes ... this according to cops and a new lawsuit.

A rep for the sheriff's office in McCurtain County, Oklahoma tells TMZ ... Amanda Hendricks was arrested last Sunday and booked in jail for felony food poisoning.

As of this morning, we're told Hendricks remains behind bars with her bond set at $25K. The alleged crimes are sickening, and she's now been sued over them by a woman named Jennica Church.

According to the lawsuit ... Church rolled up to the drive-thru at an Arby's restaurant in Broken Bow, OK in late March and placed an order for sandwiches.

She said Hendricks was working that night and was responsible for preparing her food. Church claims "Hendricks intentionally and deliberately spit on the meat or sandwich components."

Church also said Hendricks spit on the food, knowing she had "oral herpes” and was experiencing an active herpes outbreak with visible lesions.

After eating the food, Church claims she started getting flare-ups around her mouth, so she went to a doctor, who gave her an STD test and confirmed she had herpes.

Church says she now lives in constant fear that she'll transmit the disease to other family members and friends. She's suing the restaurant and Hendricks for battery, emotional distress, and more ... and wants unspecified damages, including punitives.

According to the suit, Church believes there is surveillance video from the restaurant showing Hendricks spitting in the sandwiches while preparing Church's order.

Church later told a news outlet during an interview that the two women knew each other and had a history ... but said it was nothing major.

A disturbed passenger on a United Airlines flight caused one helluva scene, prompting the captain to divert the plane and land in Tokyo for safety reasons, according to an eyewitness.

The bizarre incident occurred on a UA commercial jet heading to San Francisco from Shanghai, China, on Wednesday afternoon, the witness wrote in a post on Reddit. 

According to the witness's account ... after takeoff, a passenger was getting unruly ... before beefing with crew members on the plane.

Taylor Parker -- the Texas woman convicted in the shocking "Maternal Instincts" murder case -- is heard claiming to cops she just gave birth to her child, moments before officers realize the darker story.

Parker's chilling encounter with law enforcement is back in the spotlight ... and in the complete, uncut 911 audio obtained by TMZ from Bowie County court, the convicted killer is heard insisting she's going into labor on the side of the road.

Parker told officers and the dispatcher she had delivered a baby in her car, and was desperately trying to get medical help. At the time, cops had no idea they were stepping into one of the most disturbing murder cases in recent memory.

Two of Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged victims believe he had help pulling off his horrific sex trafficking ring … and are pointing fingers at former Victoria’s Secret CEO Les Wexner … TMZ has learned.

In new court documents, obtained by TMZ, 2 Jane Does are suing Wexner for allegedly enabling Epstein’s crimes by giving him resources, access to his mansion, and the appearance of legitimacy.

According to the docs, which were filed Thursday, the girls say they were 17 -- and therefore minors -- when they were sexually assaulted at Epstein’s Manhattan mansion on East 71st Street … which they claimed Wexner had bought in 1989 before he "transferred it to Epstein for a fraction of its value."

Cops have a woman in custody for the L.A. street vendor attack that's going viral, and she's getting booked for a felony ... TMZ has learned.

The shocking video of Arabelia Martinez fighting off another woman has been all over social media this week, and on Thursday, LAPD tracked down the alleged attacker ... 19-year-old Harmunie Heaven Church.

After her arrest for felony battery, she's being held on $50,000 bail.

Arabelia's family says they're "relieved" the suspect's in custody and thanked the LAPD for their help. They added, "We also want to thank the people of Los Angeles, and everyone around the world, for the incredible outpouring of love, prayers, and support."

Absolute chaos erupted in Mexico after a car plowed through a crowd celebrating the country's World Cup win -- leaving multiple people injured in a terrifying scene caught on camera.

Check out this video, filmed by TikTok user @verodejesus4 in Cabo San Lucas ... fans were out celebrating Mexico's World Cup victory over Czechia Wednesday night when a black car suddenly barreled through the packed street. You can see the jubilation transform into fear and anger ... as people started chasing after the driver.

Seventeen people were hurt, and authorities say the driver was detained at the scene before being taken to a hospital in police custody.

4:05 PM PT -- Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ there have been no plea bargain negotiations between prosecutors and the defense team.

Luigi Mangione may be mulling over a guilty plea, because a new report states his lawyers have discussed a deal with prosecutors ... but Luigi's team calls the report an intentional attempt to prejudice their client.

According to ABC News ... the alleged murderer's legal team and federal prosecutors have discussed a possible plea ahead of a court hearing scheduled for Monday.

Sources told the outlet it's unclear how close the two sides got to getting a deal done, but they discussed it.

Taylor Parker -- the Texas woman convicted in the shocking "Maternal Instinct" murder case -- appeared to express remorse in a handwritten letter sent to her former boyfriend's father from prison ... TMZ has learned.

In the emotional note, obtained by TMZ from the Bowie County court, Parker directly addresses the father, Jimmy Griffin, of her boyfriend at the time, Wade Griffin, and asked for forgiveness while acknowledging she may not deserve it ... adding "I've asked God for forgiveness and I believe He has showed me it."

Read the letter ... as it offers a glimpse into Parker's state of mind following her arrest in 2020 and prior to her murder conviction in 2022 ... with much of the message focused on faith, family, and her relationship with Jimmy and Wade.

TikTok is cleansing itself of a disturbing social media trend that appears to mock the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf, TMZ has learned.

As TMZ previously reported, videos nicknamed "Austin Bloopers" spread across the internet that showed creators seemingly acting out stabbing motions to mimic the horrific April 2025 attack, with other clips taking aim at Austin's family circulating as well.

TMZ has learned TikTok is fast at work scrubbing the app of such distasteful videos. A spokesperson tells us ... "Our Community Guidelines make clear we don’t allow content that harasses or bullies others, including mocking someone's death. Any violative content is being removed."