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Mitch McConnell's proof of life photo was supposed to silence the internet ... instead, it poured gasoline on the fire ... and lots of folks still aren't buying it.

After weeks of wild rumors claiming the longtime Senator was brain-dead, secretly dead, or otherwise being hidden from the public ... and an image his office released Sunday meant to reassure everyone McConnell was fine instead sparked a fresh conspiracy all its own -- with countless people insisting it was either A.I.-generated, photoshopped or recycled from years ago.

Internet sleuths are pointing out all sorts of strange things going on in the image, particularly around McConnell's hand holding the Sunday sports page of the Washington Post.

Jordan Belfort -- aka "The Wolf of Wall Street" -- is finally free from making court-ordered restitution payments stemming from his federal fraud case, TMZ has learned.

According to sources, Jordan's legal obligation to continue making restitution payments expired on April 28, 2026 ... bringing to a close more than two decades of court supervision tied to the case.

Jordan tells TMZ ... "For nearly three decades, I've lived with the consequences of my past and worked every day to take responsibility for it. Today, I can finally say that I completed my court-ordered restitution. It's hard to put into words what that means. It brings a sense of closure that I've been working toward for most of my adult life."

Lindsey Graham's Senate seat is staying in the family ... with his sister officially tapped to take over after the longtime South Carolina senator's sudden death.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster announced Monday that Darline Graham Nordone will serve out the remainder of her late brother's term ... just hours after President Donald Trump publicly threw his support behind the move, urging she be appointed to fill the vacancy.

Darline may be new to elected office, but she's no newcomer to Lindsey's political orbit. The mother of two was one of his closest advisers, regularly appeared in his campaign ads ... and during his 2015 presidential run, Lindsey even joked she'd be his first lady because he never married.

Donald Trump Jr.'s podcast chat allegedly went completely off the rails ... with prosecutors saying one viewer repeatedly threatened to kill the President's son.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of New York ... 39-year-old James Gerald Eckert Jr. of Rochester was arrested and charged with threatening to kill, kidnap, or inflict bodily harm on a member of the immediate family of the President -- a federal offense carrying a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

Prosecutors say the alleged threats were made June 18 during a livestream of Don Jr.'s "Triggered with Donald Trump Jr." podcast on Rumble.

Ben Crump, the attorney for Nolan Wells' family, is following every lead in the teen's tragic death ... including a photo that suggests he may have made it back to the Mississippi mainland before he died.

Crump shared a snap circulating on social media that shows a group of teens at a "land-based pool party" ... and people think one of the kids in the photo is Nolan.

The internet believes the snap was taken before 1 a.m. on July 5 ... and Crump reposted the photo from an account called Shannel Tarot TV.

Crump said in his caption, "Now listen, I don't know if these are facts or rumors because no official statements have been confirmed. We sometimes have to follow all clues until the truth is found."

The viral Yellowstone National Park tourist who was tossed into the air by a massive bison has been identified ... and despite his injuries, he seems to be taking the wild encounter in stride.

Carl Isom-McDaniel was cracking jokes as he lay in severe pain after suffering multiple broken bones in Friday's harrowing encounter with the massive beast at the Bridge Bay Campground near Yellowstone Lake.

A witness told The New York Times ... the 65-year-old was traveling with his grandson when the bison became enraged and went after Carl. Viral video shows Carl running around trees trying to get away ... before the bison catches up to him and tosses him into the air like a rag doll.

4:09 PM PT -- According to Senator Angus King's office, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin later clarified the man was not the subject of the warrant. King's office said Mullin had first indicated the man was the intended target before revising that account.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents fatally shot a person in Biddeford, Maine on Monday morning ... marking the second deadly shooting involving ICE agents in less than one week.

Maine House Speaker Ryan Fecteau said in a statement on Facebook ... "A person was killed. ICE was involved. State Police and the Department of Public Safety are now on scene to gather details and would expect the FBI to investigate as well. These are the details that I have at this time. I will provide further updates, as they are relayed to me."

Purported video from the scene shows the aftermath of the shooting ... and agents appeared to be rendering first aid to the person, who was laid out on the street.

A deadly fire engulfed a bar in Bangkok ... killing at least 28 people and injuring dozens more ... and the massive blaze is on video.

Horrifying footage shows giant flames shooting out of the beer hall like a giant blowtorch ... as people scream and escape onto the street.

A thick pillar of black smoke billowed out of the doors and windows, creating a haze around the establishment as people continued to flee the scene.

Margaret Cho isn't letting Lindsey Graham rest in peace ... ripping into him in a shocking TikTok video just hours after he died.

The controversial comedian posted a video to TikTok Sunday morning with the caption, "Bye gurl" -- though it's more of a "good riddance" than a "bon voyage."

In the clip, Margaret says goodbye to Lindsey several times ... before repeating an oft-repeated rumor that Graham was gay.

Mitch McConnell has shared the first photo of himself since he was hospitalized last month ... and he says he's been receiving treatment after a fall -- not a more serious medical issue.

The senator of Kentucky released the photo alongside a press release on Sunday ... in which he's sitting in a geriatric chair -- smiling alongside Elaine Chao.

In the release, McConnell says, "Surviving childhood polio meant spending my entire life with mobility challenges. They haven’t exactly gotten easier to manage with age. And last month, I took a fall which landed me in the hospital."

Donald Trump may not have reached a peace deal with Iran yet, but it seems he's putting an end to a different longstanding feud ... because his former fixer says they're reconciling.

Here's the deal ... on Sunday, the New York Times reported Trump met with Michael Cohen last summer at the prez's members-only golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.

The pair shared a "brief yet significant conversation," the Times reports ... a huge step forward in what's been an icy relationship ever since Cohen testified against Trump during his 2024 criminal trial.

Lindsey Graham's died from a tear in his aorta ... this according to his longtime spokesperson.

Taylor Reidy -- Graham's communications director -- shared the news to X just moments ago ... writing the information comes from the Medical Examiner of the District of Columbia’s preliminary findings.

According to the preliminary exam, Graham died from "aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease."

Lindsey Graham was wheeled out on a gurney from his Washington D.C. home on Saturday night -- and EMS workers tried desperately to save his life.

TMZ DC obtained exclusive photos showing the South Carolina Republican senator being carted out of his residence while surrounded by Emergency Medical Service workers administering first aid.

In the pics, you can see Lindsey is in bad shape and appears to be intubated as the paramedics lift him into an ambulance. We're not sure what happened after the ambulance drove Lindsey off ... D.C. Fire and EMS Department wouldn't provide information, citing HIPAA laws.

Nancy Mace says she won't look to replace Lindsey Graham in the U.S. Senate short term ... but reports indicate she may run to replace him in November.

Here's the deal ... Mace appeared on CNN Sunday morning to discuss Graham's passing -- and, during the interview, she flat-out denied she wants to replace him on an interim basis.

Listen to the interview carefully ... Mace says she doesn't want the short-term job because Republicans can't afford to lose seats in the House of Representatives. She adds the next few weeks should be focused on grieving Graham.

A grandfather got an up-close look at nature he never wanted ... because a behemoth bison sent him flying in a wild new video.

The incident went down Friday night at Yellowstone National Park where Mike MacLeod -- a professional photographer -- was filming the erratic behavior of a bison rolling around in the dirt when a couple of people, an older man with a white beard and a younger guy, walked by and took a couple pictures.

The National Park Service recommends being at least 75 feet away from bison and elk -- which it appears these two were. Plus, Mike says they weren't being disrespectful ... they were just snapping a quick pic or video like him.

Lindsey Graham's sudden death has shocked the political world ... not least of all because he was one of the most active members of the Senate -- something we experienced firsthand recently.

Remember ... our TMZ DC team caught up with the senator from South Carolina less than a month ago, and our cameraman Charlie chatted with him about Freedom 250 -- the UFC fight on the White House Lawn.

Of course, Senator Graham was a busy man ... and Charlie got him while on the move -- following along while the senator tackled several flights of stairs like they were NBD, chatting all the while.