President Trump's teleprompter operator allegedly turned the commander in chief's speeches into his own personal jackpot ... raking in more than $100,000 by betting on what Trump would say before he said it.
Gabriel Perez -- Trump's longtime teleprompter operator -- is in settlement talks with federal regulators after investigators found he allegedly used his advance knowledge of POTUS' remarks to place winning bets on prediction market Kalshi, according to an ABC News report.
The wagers reportedly centered on whether Trump would mention certain words, phrases, or topics during public speeches ... with Perez allegedly betting on more than a dozen appearances over a three-month stretch, including the State of the Union and Trump's address at the World Economic Forum.
As the guy with some of the final eyes on Trump's scripts -- and access to last-minute edits from POTUS himself -- Perez seemingly had one hell of an inside edge.
A wanted man took his escape attempt way off-road Thursday morning ... leading LAPD officers on a foot chase before diving into the Pacific Ocean and trying to swim his way out of an arrest.
Take a look at the video ... the suspect is swimming off Will Rogers State Beach when L.A. County Lifeguards roll up and grapple with him in the water ... eventually loading him onto a L.A. County Sheriff's Department boat.
Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... LAPD officers stopped the man near Pacific Coast Highway and Sunset Boulevard around 7:20 AM after learning he was wanted on a felony warrant.
Poker player Jared Griener was barefoot and still had duct tape on his wrist when he begged a neighbor for help after being allegedly hogtied and robbed at his Las Vegas Airbnb.
Ring footage from the neighbor's house shows Jared on the doorstep asking the homeowner to call 911.
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He claims he was "f***ing robbed" and the thieves made off with everything he had, including his phone.
Folks are blowing the whole explosive diarrhea outbreak crap out of proportion ... at least that's what Dr. Drew is saying.
We got Dr. Drew out in L.A. on Wednesday and our photog asked him about the cyclosporiasis surge and an investigation into possible links to Taco Bell.
Dr. Drew says folks need to clam down ... throwing some numbers out there that should make you feel a lot better.
Here's Ben Shapiro pivoting from Lindsey Graham's death to promo mode in seconds ... and tying things together with his newborn baby.
The conservative commentator transitioned from a rant on the reaction to Lindsey's sudden death to a paid promo for ZipRecruiter ... mentioning his newborn along the way to string it all together under one common theme -- there's no time to waste in life!!!
Ben rips some Democrats -- or "dumocrats" if you're President Trump -- for their reaction to Lindsey's death and then says ... "Whenever you talk about mortality or the passage of time it's a big reminder that you don't have time to waste ... and that's also true when it comes to your business."
A grandmother in Georgia is facing manslaughter and cruelty to children charges after her 2-year-old grandson drowned in a pool, police said.
Emelisa Paz-Santos was booked Wednesday in the Fulton County Jail on those two charges, while Immigration Customs Enforcement also put a detainer on her, according to official online records.
Roswell PD says 2-year-old Axel Delgado drowned in a clubhouse pool on the night of June 21. Police also say first responders raced to the scene and performed live-saving measures before transporting the child to a hospital where he died.
A new judge has been assigned to oversee the ongoing proceedings in Karmelo Anthony's murder case ... as the convicted murderer's new lawyer calls foul on his trial judge.
The new judge, Sid L. Harle, was assigned to Karmelo's case Tuesday, per court records obtained by WFAA. Harle will preside over Karmelo's motion to recuse trial Judge John Roach from handling post-trial proceedings.
Karmelo's new attorney, Russell Wilson, is blasting the trial judge ... claiming Roach made comments following Karmelo's conviction that showed he could not be fair and unbiased.
Wilson also claims "gentleman's agreements" made between attorneys about what testimony would be admissible weren't completely followed, and that impacted Karmelo's decision not to testify and therefore impacted the outcome of the trial.
4:30 AM PST -- The person who died Wednesday evening after jumping from the Los Angeles City Hall is 19-year-old Avery Truesdale.
A person is dead after jumping from several stories up at Los Angeles City Hall on Wednesday evening … and TMZ has learned cops are investigating it as an apparent suicide.
Law enforcement tells TMZ ... the man jumped just after 4 PM from the Spring Street side of City Hall -- and landed onto the front steps of the iconic Downtown landmark.
The person -- who it's believed jumped from the 25th floor or 26th floor -- was pronounced dead at the scene. We're told the person was NOT a city employee.
Rep. Ilhan Omar says she's not convinced Senator Mitch McConnell is doing well despite the recent proof of life photo released by his office ... questioning why we haven't heard McConnell speak yet.
Our TMZ DC team caught up with the Congresswoman from Minnesota on Wednesday ... and we asked about her the online theory that photo showing him a rehab facility with his wife is doctored.
Rep. Omar says it looks like A.I. to her ... adding she has read some compelling arguments online which back up the claim, and she's personally hung up on why we haven't seen McConnell on video.
A Kansas City man found himself in one seriously crappy situation ... trapped beneath the seat of a porta-potty ... he needed firefighters to saw a hole and free him ... and it's all on video.
STUCK WHERE?!?!? Firefighters in Kansas City were forced to cut apart a portable toilet after a man somehow became trapped beneath the seat in a strange rescue. https://t.co/7deBVUY1QP@Breaking911
Take a look at the wild rescue ... members of the Kansas City Fire Department crowd around the portable toilet and use an electric saw to slice through the plastic as they work to free the man from underneath the bowl.
It's unclear how he ended up in no-man's land ... but firefighters appear to take their time carefully cutting apart the porta-potty while the man remains stuck inside.
A four-year-old boy in Florida shot and killed his two-year-old cousin with a handgun cops say wasn't properly secured.
According to reports ... officers were called to a home in Kissimmee, Florida on Sunday where they found the two-year-old suffering from a gunshot wound.
The boy -- Brayden Tennyson -- was taken to the hospital ... where he was pronounced dead ... just days before what would have been his third birthday.
Pete Hegseth wants America's fighting force locked, loaded, and high-T ... announcing annual testosterone screenings for service members age 30 and older.
The Secretary of War rolled out the new program Wednesday ... saying the military spends billions on weapons, platforms, and gear -- but its "most decisive tactical advantage" remains the our servicemembers ... and he with just the right amount of testosterone.
Get a load of this ... under Pete's plan, testosterone testing will be added to the yearly health assessment troops already receive once they hit the big 3-0. Younger service members can also get screened, but they'll have to volunteer.
Hegseth says troops found to have low levels could be offered testosterone replacement therapy under the supervision of military doctors ... though getting treatment would be entirely their choice.
Nolan Wells will be laid to rest next week in Mississippi ... and his parents say the family also intends to do something fun to celebrate their son.
Christine Wonsley says her son's visitation will be held at Center Pointe Church in Ocean Springs on Monday July 20 from 9 to 11 a.m. ... with the funeral to follow.
She also explained the family plans to have a party for Nolan, saying ... "We want to celebrate Nolan, he would not want us to be sitting around crying and eating."
The Massachusetts mom accused of brutally murdering her three young children wants a group of mothers who say they've battled postpartum depression and psychosis to help with her insanity defense ... saying numerous women have come forward offering to testify at her murder trial.
According to new court docs, obtained by TMZ, Lindsay Clancy's attorney says the mothers contacted him to share their own experiences with postpartum mental illness -- including thoughts of killing themselves or others, hearing voices, and feeling ordered by those voices to act.
Lindsay's defense is now asking the judge for permission to present testimony from the women at trial ... arguing such testimony would show jurors the symptoms are very real and not simply "made up" to dodge responsibility for a crime.
JD Vance isn't saying amen to a report claiming President Trump was "anointed by Jesus" to bomb Iran ... telling Joe Rogan people need to rein it in.
Check out the VP's appearance on "The Joe Rogan Experience" ... Joe reads an account claiming American troops were told Trump had been chosen by Jesus to attack Iran and set the stage for Armageddon -- and JD has plenty to say in response.
Joe's reaction comes first and fast -- "Hit the brakes! Hit the brakes!" -- before Vance jokes the situation might call for some of the psychedelics they discussed during his last visit to the podcast.
Jared Griener won big at the World Series of Poker and then he lost it all ... he says he cashed out his winnings and went back to his Las Vegas rental, where he was hogtied and robbed.
The poker pro shared a screenshot on X detailing the alleged robbery in a series of texts, claiming two masked men broke into his Sin City Airbnb, hogtied him, and threatened to kill him if he moved.
According to Jared, the guys allegedly made off with his backpack ... which contained his entire poker payout.
