Politics

A newly-elected Congressman went viral for a full-blown presentation he gave on the House floor, praising Beyoncé -- and we got to the bottom of what was behind it all.

Our photog ran into Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) on Capitol Hill Wednesday ... this after his impassioned speech just hours earlier, where he talked about the end of Black History Month and the start of Women's History Month ... using Queen Bey as the bridge between the two.

Rep. Garcia explained himself perfectly well in his ode to the iconic performer -- rightly noting Beyoncé is, well, awesome, but he elaborated a bit more with us ... breaking down why exactly he felt she was the perfect person to honor.

Watch ... he says Beyoncé achieved that rare feat of being both an entertainer and an activist, which puts her in a different category of celebrity. He also says it's exactly because of this she's worthy enough to be called out in a very good way.

Jon Stewart still can't believe the vitriol that's been spewed at him since he publicly embraced the coronavirus lab leak theory on network TV -- this in the wake of the U.S. government saying it might be legit, but he's far from gloating.

The former 'Daily Show' host discussed the new Energy Dept. findings during the latest episode of his Apple TV+ show. ICYMI, the feds investigation showed COVID-19 might have, in fact, been started and disseminated from a Wuhan lab.

Jon raised that theory during an appearance on Stephen Colbert's show back in 2021 where he ran with what he saw as simply common sense -- namely, the notion the Wuhan Virology Lab might be tied to the start of the pandemic.

JS got slammed for that take ... and now, in reflection, he says he was alarmed by just how tribal the country had become -- politically and otherwise -- and it was evidenced in the sheer amount of rage and hate he got from people he once thought loved him.

He's not necessarily taking a victory lap here, but does hope we can take a lesson from this.

In his view, keep an open mind on things ... especially when, at face value, they make sense. Jon believes that approach is key in navigating modern-world problems -- and he adds, outright censorship is just wrong.

Giannis Antetokounmpo took some big-time shots at Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic and Kevin Durant on Monday -- and while they were totally scripted and not his words ... it was hilarious to hear the 2-time MVP talk-trash nonetheless!

The Milwaukee Bucks superstar's "roast" of his peers all went down on "The Daily Show" ... when host Hasan Minhaj wanted to get Giannis out of his ultra-nice-guy role and into villain mode.

Minhaj queued up some scorching burns for Giannis to read out loud ... and while the basketball player didn't quite get through the one about Doncic, he certainly delivered on the other two.

"Joker," the Greek Freak read off a teleprompter, "how are you going to make it through the Finals when you look like you can barely make it through a Burger King drive-through."

Giannis tried to then compliment the Denver Nuggets center -- before Minhaj interrupted ... and then made him go after KD.

"You keep joining these super teams to win an NBA title," Antetokounmpo said. "How about we work out together sometime so I can teach you how to carry your own team."

Yeeeeesh.

Of course, Antetokounmpo didn't last long in the character ... 'cause then he proceeded to shower Durant with praise, before refusing to even remotely come close to saying a negative word about LeBron James.

Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene says she was "attacked" by people inside a restaurant Monday night ... and the motive was purely political.

Greene (R-GA) tweeted she and her assistants were having dinner when they were attacked by an "insane" woman and her screaming adult son.

The Georgia rep said, "They had no respect for the restaurant or the staff or the other people dining or people like me who simply have different political views."

She continued, "They are self righteous, insane, and completely out of control. I was sitting at my table, working with my staff, and never even noticed these people until they turned into demons."

Greene ended with this, "People used to respect others even if they had different views. But not anymore. Our country is gone."

Despite her claims of aggression, Greene did not say the attack got physical, nor did she mention any police involvement.

No stranger to controversy or combativeness ... Greene has been under fire lately. Last week, she was blasted for saying that red and blue states should separate to shrink the federal government.

Woody Harrelson raised more than a few eyebrows during his "Saturday Night Live" appearance ... this after the actor went all conspiratorial on COVID vaccines ... something he's done before.

Harrelson leaned in on COVID as this week's SNL host, delivering a rambling opening monologue about smoking a joint and parking himself against a tree in Central Park while reading the "craziest script."

After 6 minutes, Woody got to the point, and it was sumpin' ...“So the movie goes like this: The biggest drug cartels in the world get together and buy up all the media and all the politicians and force all the people in the world to stay locked in their homes. And people can only come out if they take the cartel’s drugs and keep taking them over and over.”

He wrapped it up this way ...“I threw the script away. I mean, who was going to believe that crazy idea? Being forced to do drugs? I do that voluntarily all day.”

Social media wasn't amused. TV producer, Lee Goldberg tweeted, “Thank you, @nbcsnl, for Woody Harrelson’s insipid anti-vax monologue.”

A second person wrote, "That's NOT COOL! I lost the best mother figure to me & my sister that we had who died only 4hrs after contracting the f***ing virus!"

Another person chimed in, "This Guy IS a joke."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has made his way onto country star Brad Paisley's new song ... and as Americans seem to be losing passion in helping the war-torn country, you gotta admit ... it's brilliant on Zelensky's part to garner some support where it counts.

Brad dropped the track "Same Here" Friday, exactly one year since the war in Ukraine began -- and he draws a ton of similarities between the USA and Ukraine ... while pointing out how absurd our problems are when compared to what's happening overseas.

Zelensky is featured in the back half of the song, via a phone call between Brad and the Prez ... listing numerous ways both countries are alike.

As you know, America's pretty divided on our ongoing support for Ukraine, especially as President Biden announced a continuation of support this week. Republicans are more inclined than Democrats to pull the plug on Ukranian support, and country music has a big Republican base of fans, so Zelensky is hitting his target audience.

Former Department of Energy Official Sam Brinton could be in even more hot water regarding stolen bags ... this time a fashion designer claims she saw Brinton wearing an outfit from her missing suitcase.

Fashion designer Asya Khamsin dragged Brinton on Twitter, saying her luggage went missing back in 2018 at the Ronald Reagan Airport in Virginia ... and it wasn't until she heard about Brinton's prior alleged luggage stealing that she became suspicious.

Check out the side-by-side Asya showed, which she says shows Brinton wearing one of her custom-made dresses a year after she claims her bags were swiped.

Asya told Fox she was heading to D.C. to put her clothes on display for an event when the bag went missing ... and lost out on the opportunity as a result. She said her husband filed a police report at the time, but nothing was found.

Asya says she filed another report this December after seeing pics of Brinton in what she claims is her outfit -- and says she was then contacted by the FBI the next month regarding the complaint ... but says nothing much has happened since then.

As you know, Brinton's been accused of stealing suitcases from airports on 2 separate occasions ... getting charged in both Nevada and Minnesota. Brinton appeared in court last week in Minneapolis for one of the alleged incidents.

Not only is Don Lemon thankful to be back on the air at CNN, he wants to remain there for the foreseeable future, and worked hand-in-hand with the network on his return apology ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ, Don was in contact with CNN honchos throughout his entire time off, with a common goal, get back to work and apologize for his wrongdoing.

In fact, we're told it was agreed upon by both Don and the network that he would tweet out an apology before getting back on-air Wednesday. Our sources say Don never refused to apologize on-air ... everyone, including the network, thought it would be best they get back to reporting the news and move on from Don's mishap.

Additional sources say there was never an impression, internally, Don would be fired -- despite many outside CNN calling for that. We're told both he and the network are looking forward to continuing a long-term working relationship. We're told Don really enjoys working on 'This Morning' and is fully committed.

Our network sources say Don feels awful he said something dumb and made the mistake, but he's now acknowledged it and apologized publicly and internally.

A U.S. Air Force pilot has a unique keepsake from the Chinese spy balloon crisis -- a selfie snapped with the device in the background ... before it was shot down over the Atlantic Ocean.

The Pentagon released new images Wednesday, showing the balloon in flight on Feb. 3 -- the USAF eventually fired a missile on Feb. 4 to take it down. The photos were taken from the cockpit of a U-2 spy plane, which is capable of flying at an altitude of up to 70,000 feet.

The spy balloon was reportedly floating around 40,000 feet when it was destroyed. Interestingly, the new photos show it was still over land on Feb. 3, and that the U.S. military was keeping a close eye on the balloon.

U.S. officials said China's super snooper was about the size of 3 school buses, and you can see in the pics ... it had huge solar panels attached to the spying equipment.

President Biden said he gave the order to shoot it down on Feb. 1, but military advisors said it would be best to wait until it was over open water.

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg had a weirdly tense and terse reaction when a reporter asked him about the residents suffering in the wake of the East Palestine train disaster, refusing to answer questions, saying he was on "personal time."

Buttigieg was in Washington D.C. Tuesday, when a reporter with the Daily Caller approached him and asked what he would say to the folks in East Palestine. His response -- "I'd refer you to about a dozen interviews I've given today, and if you'd like to arrange a conversation, make sure to reach out to our press office."

When the reporter persisted, Buttigieg, who was walking with his husband Chasten, brushed her off, saying, "... I'm taking some personal time and I'm walking down the street."

That wasn't the end ... the reporter asked when the former presidential candidate would go to East Palestine, he said he'd "share that when I'm ready."

And then the bizarre turn ... he stopped and asked the reporter if he could take a picture of her. It seemed like an intimidation tactic ... the reporter later Tweeted, "I guess he didn't like that so he took a pic of me ... just doing my job, sir."

Don Lemon is on thin ice at CNN -- although he's being welcomed back for now, TMZ has learned he's a strike away from getting the boot permanently, and he knows it.

Sources with direct knowledge about Don's situation tell us ... when the veteran anchor spoke with upper management this week to discuss his sexist comments and the path forward, he was told this was his final warning on such antics.

We're told it was communicated to Don in no uncertain terms ... the next time he insults his cohosts or creates a toxic environment (on or off-air) will be his last with the network.

Of course, we know Don agreed to these terms in addition to signing off on participating in formal training of some sort. The guy's set to return to his job Wednesday, so he's up to speed on all this.

It's interesting Don was given this ultimatum, especially since we've heard from people in his world that he's not happy at CNN -- not at all -- so the uneasiness is mutual.

As for why Don was given such a short leash -- well, the fact is ... he's pretty polarizing. DL's racked up negative headlines (for one reason or another) in recent years, and not just from criticism from people on the right.

There's another factor here too that must be on the minds of CNN Worldwide CEO Chris Licht and co. ... ratings. Not only were Don's numbers for his former primetime slot not strong enough to warrant him sticking around there ... ratings on his new gig have tanked.

Plus, we're hearing staffers at CNN are still on edge over Thursday's incident ... with one source saying the anger is real and hasn't died down. It's truly become a distraction.

One of the descendants of Confederate General Robert E. Lee is blasting Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene for suggesting red and blue states separate ... telling us her idea is "nothing short of treason."

Reverend Robert W. Lee IV, a collateral descendant of General Lee, tells TMZ ... by calling for a "national divorce," MTG is acting no better than the Confederates who fought against the Union during the Civil War.

MTG tweeted out the idea Monday, calling for Democratic and Republican voting states to split. While she didn't use the word secession, that's exactly what she's calling for ... and she claims everyone she talks to agrees.

While advocating for the creation of 2 separate governments, she also calls for the federal government to shrink.

Robert admits his ancestor, General Lee, would be totally on board with MTG's suggestion, but adds that's nothing to celebrate. Instead, he says the Congresswoman from Georgia is outing herself as a traitor, and he'd like to see more politicians condemn her statement.

Remember, Rev. Lee famously denounced racism and white supremacy at the 2017 MTV VMAs ... and he's been outspoken about taking down statues of Gen. Lee.

Brittney Griner looks thrilled to be back on a basketball court with her WNBA team ... judging by this glimpse the Phoenix Mercury's providing of her shoot-around sesh.

32-year-old Griner was all smiles Tuesday as she got some work in on the practice court ... just a couple days after she inked a one-year deal to return to her former team.

Remember ... Brittney hasn't played in the WNBA since the 2021 season, when she averaged 20.5 points and 9.5 rebounds to lead the Mercury to the WNBA Finals.

BG went overseas last year to play basketball in Russia, but as you know ... she was arrested at an airport just outside Moscow in February 2022 after Russia claimed she was caught attempting to smuggle vape cartridges into the country.

Brittney was detained in Russia for 10 months until December 2022, when she came home in a swap for high-value Russian prisoner Viktor Bout.

BG vowed to return to the WNBA as soon as she got home ... and over the weekend she agreed to a deal with the Mercury, the team that originally drafted her with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 WNBA Draft.

President Biden just made a surprise visit to Europe -- touching down in Ukraine to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ... as we come up on a year of warfare.

Biden popped up in Kyiv early Monday morning, a stop that wasn't previously announced -- and perhaps for good reason. It seems POTUS wanted to keep this trip under the radar, which makes sense considering he's in a literal battle zone.

The purpose of the visit is to announce new financial assistance -- upwards of half a billion dollars, Prez Biden noted -- which will cover everything from more military equipment, artillery, ammo and weapons for the Ukrainian army as they continue to fight Putin's troops.

On top of that, he said the U.S. would impose new sanctions against Moscow -- all on the heels of Vice President Kamala Harris declaring Russia has committed crimes against humanity by waging war.

In other words, Biden simply wanted to show in-person solidarity and reaffirm America's commitment to the embattled nation ... and his presence was certainly a sight to behold, especially with sirens sounding off as Joe did a walkabout with Zelensky.

The timing here is also noteworthy ... Feb. 24th will mark the one-year anniversary of the day Russia launched a full-scale invasion.

Former United States Presidents are going to new heights -- well, samples of their hair are ... because they'll be shot into space in honor of Presidents Day.

Hair samples from George Washington, John F. Kennedy, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Ronald Reagan will soon be rockin' zero Gs ... scoring a ride on Celestis' upcoming deep space Enterprise Mission atop the Vulcan Centaur rocket.

The launch from the company, which specializes in memorial spaceflights, marks the first time a President or any part thereof has taken to space.

We're told the samples were originally held by celebrity hair collector, Louis Mushro -- yup, that's a real job. It's all legit, with the requisite certificates of authenticity.

Mushro passed away in 2014, but the follicles were later sent to the spaceflight company by an anonymous donor.

As we reported, Celestis is also hosting the launch of a hair sample from "Star Trek" star DeForest Kelley and the ashes of Nichelle Nichols. We're told the past presidents will be sharin' space with the intergalactic actors later this year when the rocket launches from Cape Canaveral.

Presidents of the United States aren't the only ones holding the title in this country ... so this holiday we're celebrating some very famous presidents of your fave companies!

The Kardashian/Jenner clan holds a few huge big shots of their respective fields. There's Kim Kardashian --- CEO of the booming SKIMS underwear and leisurewear line. Kendall has her 818 Tequila line and Kylie Jenner is the prez of her wildly successful cosmetics line.

Of course, there's tough competition. Rihanna has her booming Fenty Beauty biz ... and Jessica Alba is president of her award-winning baby and beauty line, The Honest Company.

Meanwhile, Tyler Perry continues making his mark in the entertainment industry with his own production company in Atlanta.

And, we can't forget about rapper/producer Dr. Dre and his popular Beats by Dre line.

We also have to give it up for some OGs who have been in showbiz and running their businesses for many years ... like Daymond John, who started FUBU clothing in 1992 and Master P -- creator of the popular '90s chips, Rap Snacks.