Politics

Donald Trump is now allowed to make a comeback to social media -- Meta, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram, is ending his suspension -- but it'll come with some rules.

Meta made the announcement Wednesday, saying the accounts will be restored in the coming weeks -- noting it believes users should be able to hear what politicians have to say in order to make informed decisions.

Meta continues, "The suspension was an extraordinary decision taken in extraordinary circumstances. The normal state of affairs is that the public should be able to hear from a former President of the United States, and a declared candidate for that office again, on our platforms."

However, the reinstatement comes with words of caution, "But that does not mean there are no limits to what people can say on our platform. When there is a clear risk of real world harm – a deliberately high bar for Meta to intervene in public discourse – we act."

As you know, Trump was kicked off a handful of social media apps and sites back in January 2021 after companies concluded he used the platforms to incite the violent insurrection on the U.S. Capitol on Jan 6.

You'll recall -- he was booted from Facebook/Instagram and others, including Pinterest, Shopify Twitch, Snapchat, Reddit and even TikTok.

Rep. George Santos is truly (we think) flattered he reminds people of Leonardo DiCaprio's character from "Catch Me If You Can" -- but he's hung up on the Leo thing, and not the compulsive and convicted liar part!!!

File this hilarious clip under "Ya Missed the Point" -- but we got the embattled Congressman from New York Wednesday morning on Capitol Hill ... where our photog asked if he's seen the Leo and Tom Hanks movie about infamous con man, Frank Abganale.

Santos claims he hasn't seen the Steven Spielberg-directed film that had Leo portraying Frank conning his way through life -- pretending to be an airline pilot, doctor, teacher and prosecutor.

Perhaps not shockingly, Santos tells us he's "flattered" to be compared to Leo ... but totally ignores the real reason people are making the parallel. Y'know, the lies on lies on lies part!!!

The Congressman did latch on to one other thing besides Leo's looks, saying he wishes he had the actor's bank account. Of course, there's a good chance he's already told someone that he does!

In the movie, Leo's character is caught in the end ... and Santos has already been caught in more than a few lies. Besides his fib-packed resume, he recently admitted he DID have a drag alter ego in his youth in Brazil ... after initially denying it.

As for a movie about his lie-filled path to Congress -- doesn't sound like he's down to sell the rights. Someone should tell Georgie it doesn't work that way -- if nothing else, he's a walking Lifetime flick waiting to happen!!!

Sen. Amy Klobuchar says Ticketmaster's stranglehold on the concert tickets and venues is a longstanding problem -- but she gives full credit to Taylor Swift fans for pushing the issue over the hump.

The Senator from Minnesota joins us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday to reveal why Swifties' making a historic fuss over the botched presale for Taylor's tour, directly led to Tuesday's Senate Judiciary Committee grilling of Live Nation, Ticketmaster's parent company.

Klobuchar dropped something that's always a bombshell in Washington -- the 'B' word ... as in, bipartisanship! She tells us the much-anticipated hearing had lawmakers in agreement about Ticketmaster's monopoly, and the need for the company to finally face the music.

Although Swifties got the ball rolling ... she says this issue goes well beyond Taylor's tour -- because Ticketmaster dominates the game by selling tickets, running promotions and even owning some of the venues.

The Senator says testimony from industry experts -- including some musicians -- makes it clear to her it's nearly impossible for competitors to drive down rising ticket prices.

She says bands have been sounding the alarm for years, including Pearl Jam back in the day -- but the dam broke in November, when Taylor's legion of fans got pissed off and even Taylor called out Ticketmaster.

Sen. Klobuchar says the tide's finally turning, and she expects real changes from Ticketmaster ... and quickly. You can see the full interview on Wednesday's "TMZ Live" ... check your local listings.

Donald Trump just hired one of the country's top trial attorneys, Joe Tacopina, to go after a former Manhattan prosecutor for allegedly defaming him, TMZ has learned.

In his first order of biz as 45's new legal eagle, Tacopina fired off a letter Monday to lawyer Mark Pomerantz, claiming Pomerantz falsely stated Trump was "guilty of numerous felony violations" and that it was a "grave failure of justice not to hold [Trump] accountable by way of criminal prosecution."

Pomerantz's statements appeared in his 2022 resignation letter to Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg, which Tacopina says was later leaked to the New York Times.

In his letter, Tacopina's particularly incensed Pomerantz is about to publish a book, "The People vs. Donald Trump," which, Joe believes, will contain even more libelous remarks about DT.

That's why Tacopina's issuing a legal threat to Pomerantz, writing ... "I strongly admonish you to take these next words seriously: If you publish such a book and continue making defamatory statements against my client, my office will aggressively pursue all legal remedies against you and your book publisher, Simon & Schuster."

Tacopina added, "Trust me, I will zealously use every possible legal resource to punish you and your publisher for the incredible financial harm that you have caused my clients to suffer."

As we reported, the Manhattan D.A. has conducted an ongoing 2-year probe into the Trump Organization's business practices.

Pomerantz was one of the senior prosecutors on the case before he resigned, allegedly after Bragg wouldn't let him pursue a criminal indictment against Trump.

So far, Bragg's investigation has led to the recent conviction of Allen Weisselberg, former CFO of the Trump Organization who pled guilty and was sentenced to 5 months behind bars for various financial crimes.

Bragg has expressed concern Pomerantz's upcoming book could derail his investigation into the 45th president, who announced his 2024 run for the White House in November. Tacopina says in the letter Trump is leading all potential candidates in the most recent polls.

President Biden's hand-signed memoir -- gifted to the nurse who took care of his son before he died of cancer -- is up for grabs, giving buyers a chance to own the exclusive note from the Prez.

The signed copy of Biden's book, "Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose" is currently listed on the Moments In Time auction site.

The site acquired it from a collector, who bought it directly from Beau Biden's nurse, Roz, and, it comes with a $28K price tag.

We're told the then-former VP personally wrote a message to Roz, in 2017, for taking care of Beau while he was battling cancer. The note also mentions Howard, another nurse who assisted Beau.

Joe wrote, "I know what you did for my son. I learned after the fact. You are both the definition of generosity. Roz- if they have angels in Heaven they are all nurses. Thank you both and keep the faith." It's dated December 19, 2017.

As we reported, the younger Biden died of brain cancer in 2015 when he was 46.

As for the book, it's said to be the only substantial handwritten document from the now President. He's signed many things in office, but we're told he typically only signs his name.

Nancy Pelosi tried to excommunicate evil spirits from her San Francisco townhouse after the vicious attack on her husband in October.

The former House Speaker and her daughter, Alexandra, sat down with the New York Times and made a stunning admission about holding their own private exorcism.

Alexandra said Nancy sought the help of priests after Paul Pelosi was bludgeoned by a hammer-wielding assailant, who broke into the couple's stately home.

"I think that weighed really heavy on her soul," Alexandra said, referring to Nancy. "I think it really broke her. Over Thanksgiving, she had priests coming, trying to have an exorcism of the house and having prayer services."

Pelosi (D-CA) said it will take three to four months before Paul is "really back to normal."

Paul's attacker, David DePape, was arrested and charged by state and federal authorities with attempted murder, attempting kidnapping, burglary and assault with a deadly weapon.

Rep. George Santos did, in fact, dress in women's clothing as a young man -- but don't go calling him a drag queen now ... 'cause he's still rejecting that label, it seems.

The newly-elected New York congressman touched down in the Big Apple Saturday on a flight from D.C., and sure enough ... the media was there to greet him, peppering him with questions about his many scandals and apparent lies -- including the drag thing.

Check out the video ... Santos seems agitated that he's being asked about the same stuff over and over -- but frankly, his explanations to this point have been less than adequate.

Finally, when someone asks him about recently-resurfaced photos that seem to show him dressed in drag ... he cops to it, saying he was "just having fun" out there and that it's much ado about nothing. He also made sure to specifically denounce the term "drag queen."

It's great Santos -- who's openly gay -- is finally being truthful ... but the fact this is basically a 180 from his outright denial appears to be in line with an emerging pattern with him. Namely, he tends to flatly challenge stories about him as false -- only to recant later.

Of course, the larger issue is that he made up a lot of stuff on his resume -- both academically and professionally -- in the process of getting elected as a Representative.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries doesn't think Rep. George Santos should set foot in the Capitol again -- but he says it's on Republicans to give the freshman legislator the ol' heave ho after getting caught in so many lies.

The new Democratic leader in the House was on the west coast Friday ... we got him outside WeHo Bistro, and asked about all the heat Rep. Santos is getting, from both sides of the aisle.

Hakeem made it clear he views Santos as a GOP mess, and it's on them to clean it up after backing his campaigns, getting him to D.C. ... and "now the American people are stuck with this fraud."

As you know ... Santos has already been caught in a web of lies after winning the election in November -- he's admitted to lying about his education, work history and family heritage.

He's also accused of scamming a homeless Navy vet out of money earmarked to save his dying dog -- though the Congressman denies it, whatever that's worth.

Earlier this week, a person claiming to be an old friend of Santos posted a 2008 pic which they claim is him in drag at a pride event in Brazil.

Again, Santos denied he's ever been a drag queen and said the media "continues to make outrageous claims about my life."

Members of his own party are calling on Santos to step down, however, Republican leadership in Congress continues to back him.

Rep. George Santos has yet another past alias, at least according to an ex-friend in Brazil who's posted a photo of him in drag ... which is interesting because Santos has spoken out against drag shows in America.

The ex-friend, Eula Rochard, posted a pic from 2008 which she says shows Santos as a drag queen named "Kitara." Eula told a website called The Handbasket her experience with Santos was that he lied a lot ... a now oft-told tale about the embattled freshman U.S. Congressman from NY.

Eula says they met when Santos was 16 or 17, and going by the name Anthony. He's already copped to previous aliases of Anthony Devolder and Anthony Zabrovsky.

As for his "Kitara" days, Eula says the pic was taken at a Pride Parade, but she says he was not a pro drag performer -- "George did not have the glamour for that.” Ouch!

The more relevant point here is that present-day Santos -- who is openly gay -- has backed Florida's Don't Say Gay bill, and aligned himself with Republicans who claim drag queens and drag shows groom children.

Eula says she posted the pic after seeing Santos on TV, and friends doubted her when she said the Congressman and "Kitara" were the same person.

The "Kitara" pic would add a new wrinkle of hypocrisy to the tapestry of Santos' lies. As we've reported, he's already admitted to fabricating details of his education, previous jobs and family heritage. He's also been accused of falsely claiming his mother was in the World Trade Center on 9/11.

While some members of Congress have called for Santos to resign in light of all the lies that came out since he was elected in November, he's refused to do so ... and GOP leadership is still backing him, even appointing him to committees.

We've reached out to Santos' office for comment on the "Kitara" pic, but no word back yet.

Navy veteran Richard Osthoff choked up while claiming Rep. George Santos scammed him out of money intended to keep his dying service pooch alive ... he says the dog saved his life.

Osthoff recalled his alleged history with the freshman legislator from NY -- who's already fessed up to lying about his work experience and education -- in an interview with CNN, getting emotional as he told his story ... with his late dog's ashes in a box next to him.

The Navy vet says his pooch, Sapphire, saved his life when he was in a dark place after first getting out of the service ... and he's convinced he wouldn't be alive today without the dog.

Osthoff says Santos offered to help get the dog a life-saving medical procedure several years ago ... when Santos was going by his alias, Anthony Devolder ... but says he never saw a dime of the $3,000 Santos raised online.

Instead, Osthoff claims he actually lost money in his dealings with Santos ... another blow to the homeless Navy vet who says he watched his dog die instead of being saved.

For his part, Santos is denying the allegations ... claiming he has dozens of folks who would go on the record saying Santos saved their dogs and cats.

But Osthoff says he won't believe Santos without proof.

Ben Savage wants another bite at the apple in politics -- only this time, he's thinking bigger ... now running for a U.S. Congressional seat.

The "Boy Meets World" star is throwing his hat in the ring for a soon-to-be vacant seat in the U.S. House of Representatives -- assuming Rep. Adam Schiff makes a run for Sen. Dianne Feinstein's Senate seat, which is widely expected to happen in the near future.

Anticipating that political shift ... Ben has officially filed paperwork expressing his interest to enter the race for a chance to represent California's 30th District, which includes parts of Los Angeles and cities immediately to its north.

Of course, this comes just a couple months after Ben tried his hand at more local politics -- in November, he ran for L.A. City Council, but lost ... garnering only 6.3% of the vote and tying for 7th place.

Rather than take his ball and go home, though ... Cory Matthews is getting back out there. He's registered as a Democrat, same as when he ran for city council.

Ben actually interned for then-U.S. Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania back in the 2000s while he was a student at Stanford University.

Rep. George Santos is now firmly in the doghouse ... the embattled U.S. Congressman allegedly scammed a disabled homeless military veteran out of thousands in donations intended to keep his dying service pooch alive.

The freshman legislator from NY -- who's already copped to lying about his education and work experience -- crossed paths with Navy veteran Richard Osthoff in May 2016 and identified himself by one of his aliases, Anthony Devolder ... according to local news site, Patch.

Osthoff told Patch he and his beloved service dog, Sapphire, were living out of a tent on the side of a highway in Howell, NJ. That would be trying enough, but Sapphire also had a stomach tumor that was getting larger day by day.

Osthoff needed to come up with $3,000 for his dog's surgery, so a veterinary tech put him in touch with Santos through a charity named "Friends of Pets United" ... which was operated by "Anthony Devolder," Santos' alias. Ya, see where this is going, right?

Santos/Devolder allegedly started a GoFundMe to harness funds for Sapphire's surgery, and Osthoff says one month later, Santos posted on Facebook, "We made the goal, and then some."

This is where it gets really shady -- according to Osthoff, he and Santos discussed taking Sapphire to a different vet after a bleak prognosis from Santos' animal doctor.

Osthoff texted Santos, "My dog is going to die because of god knows what" -- and Santos allegedly replied, "Sapphire is not a candidate for this surgery the funds are moved to the next animal in need and we will make sure we use of resources [sic] to keep her comfortable!"

Osthoff says Sapphire never got the surgery, died in January 2017 ... and they never saw a dime of the donation money. Osthoff was so distraught, he contemplated suicide, pointing out he "loved that dog so much, I inhaled her last breaths when I had her euthanized.”

Now, Santos is denying the whole ordeal ... saying he has no clue who Osthoff is or what he's talking about. He told the Semafor news site, "Fake. No clue who this is."

As we've reported, Santos' track record already sucks ... he was accused of fabricating much of his resume to help him win the congressional seat repping parts of Long Island and Queens.

There are growing calls, even from Republicans, for him to resign after he admitted lying about earning degrees from Baruch College and New York University, and making misleading claims about working for Citigroup and Goldman Sachs.

The Golden State Warriors returned to The White House to celebrate their 2021-2022 NBA Season championship -- but it wasn't just members of the team who went -- Oakland hip hop legends joined in too!!!

TMZ Hip Hop obtained photos and videos of E-40, Too $hort, Sway Calloway and Mistah F.A.B. at the White House during the reception, posting up with V.P. Kamala Harris and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

We’re told V.P. Harris was excited to meet 40 and $hort ... being a proud Oakland native herself, and the guys got to swap stories with Pelosi and her husband, Paul.

The hip hop stars are regulars at The Chase Center, supporting the Warriors through thick and thin -- so it's not totally shocking they were able to tag along. The group also got a pic in with players Andre Iguodala and Moses Moody.

Outside on the White House grounds, 40, $hort and F.A.B. discussed Oakland streetwear legacy and later connected with former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms for a photo-op.

We spoke with $hort earlier this season about the potential for this year's squad, and he’s adamant the Warriors will win another chip with ease.

Last year marked the Warriors’ 4th championship in recent years, but it was their first trip back to the White House since 2015, after refusing to celebrate with Donald Trump.

Cops in New Mexico have arrested a failed GOP candidate in connection with multiple shootings at local Democrats' homes ... this after the guy proudly refused, in Trump fashion, to accept he lost.

Albuquerque PD took Solomon Peña into custody Monday, and the police chief says he believes Peña is the "mastermind" of 4 separate shootings that occurred between Dec. 4 and Jan. 3.

In each instance, police say Democratic politicians were targeted -- including the Bernalillo County Commissioner, the State House Speaker, a former county commissioner and a state senator. Cops claim they have evidence directly tying Peña to the scene of the latest shooting.

For the other incidents, ADP claims Peña hired at least 4 men to carry out the shootings. Police also say they believe this was politically motivated. Thankfully, nobody was harmed in any of the four shootings, but the homes were damaged.

Peña ran for a state House seat in 2022, but lost by a landslide to a Democrat. Up until recently, he'd been denying the results ... claiming he's the victim of election fraud. If that sounds familiar -- the answer to your question is yes, he's a staunch supporter of former President Trump.

BTW, Peña's reportedly got a rap sheet, including convictions for burglary and larceny.

"Orange Is the New Black" star Dascha Polanco is in full support of Kim Kardashian's latest prison visit ... saying it proves Kim's more than just talk when it comes to prison reform.

We got the actress Monday at LAX, and asked her thoughts on Kim's latest visit to Cali's Pelican Bay State prison, where she met inmates held in solitary confinement -- a visit that drew mixed reactions ... from the public, at least.

Dascha says she's all the way here for Kim Kardashian making these kinds of visits.

From her own experience, she admits she's felt intimidated working with inmates at times ... but she salutes anyone who's willing to go above and beyond to make a difference.

As for whether Kim can have a real impact, Dascha says "absolutely" ... adding it all comes down to having a conversation and having influence, which we all know Kim has in abundance.

As we told you, the SKIMS founder recently spent a day at Pelican Bay ... chatting face-to-face with inmates about the toll solitary confinement can take on their mental stability.

Over the years ... Kim's dedicated a lot of time to prison reform. You'll recall, she met with former President Trump in 2018 to help pardon Alice Marie Johnson, and she played a huge role in freeing a number of inmates like Matthew Charles and Jeffrey Stringer.

Like many things, Kim got some backlash for her efforts -- but as far as Dascha is concerned, haters are always going to talk.

Rinat Akhmetov -- the billionaire owner of the Ukrainian soccer club Shakhtar Donetsk -- is taking a third of Mykhailo Mudryk's $75.8 million transfer fee from Chelsea and giving it back to his country ... donating $25 million to help soldiers fighting against Russia.

The 22-year-old winger's move to Chelsea was announced on Sunday ... in a record deal for any Ukrainian team.

Akhmetov -- who's reportedly worth around $4.3 billion -- addressed the transaction on Monday ... saying it's a bittersweet moment for him.

"On the one hand, I am happy for Mykhaylo and proud of him," Akhmetov said in a statement. "This guy is leading by example, showing that talent and hard work can make the impossible possible. I am absolutely confident that the entire Europe will acclaim Mykhaylo's brilliant and fine play."

"On the other hand, I have never made it a secret that my dream is to win European trophies. This means that players like Mudryk should be invited to our club, to our Ukrainian championship, and we should win European trophies with such players, rather than root for them, even when they play in the world's top clubs."

"Unfortunately, it is impossible now, as Ukraine is fighting the horrendous and unjust war waged against us by the Russian Federation. But, I am confident that we will win."

To do his part, Akhmetov says he is launching the Heart of Azovstal to help soldiers in Mariupol and their families as they continue to protect their country.

"Their acts of bravery are unparalleled in the modern history," Akhmetov said. "It is them, their sacrifice and courage that helped contain the enemy in the first months of the war and let all of us feel the inevitability of the Victory of Ukraine now."

Akhmetov says the massive $25 million donation will provide financial assistance for medical and prosthetic treatment, psychological support and more.