Politics

Tupac's father Billy Garland is showing he's not above buying into a juicy conspiracy theory, and wholeheartedly believes the United States government killed his son.

In his latest interview bit with "The Art of Dialogue," Billy claims his son was tailed by the government for years including September 7, 1996, when Pac was shot in Vegas.

Rap fans have heard the stories a million times ... Pac and members of Death Row Records' entourage stomped out Los Angeles native Orlando Anderson following the Mike Tyson vs. Bruce Seldon fight, only for him allegedly to return hours later, guns a blazing.

Billy condemned Pac's behavior that night, citing his need to prove himself to the Death Row team. He also scolded Suge Knight and the security team for not protecting the label's money maker and being too comfortable with him leading the charge.

Orlando's uncle Keefe D has implicated his nephew (and himself) in the Tupac shooting for years ... but Billy thinks his self-snitching has been a part of the government's master plan and doesn't think either of them had anything to do with the murder.

Donald Trump is seen by some as America's #1 man -- but his org is also trying to sell him as #1 dad ... one your own pops can emulate with a bunch of Trump-y gear for the holiday.

The Trump Org is all set for Father's Day, blasting out an email to potential customers who might be inclined to get their Papa Bear a special gift this year ... in the spirit of DT himself. Indeed, they're hawking Trump-inspired merch ... so that your dad can look just like him.

Their campaign is called Dad's the Boss ... and it's full of items that reflect Trump's essence. Of course, they're selling silk red ties (blue ones too) that go for $125 a pop ... plus, a bunch of Trump-branded items like a flask, coasters, mugs and other knickknacks that are all less than $100. As far as actual clothing ... they got polos and pullovers ranging from $80-$100.

There's more ... in addition to the "Boss Dad" collection, there's also other categories called "For the Man Cave," "Gold Dad," "Sporty Dad" and others. All of them contain Trump-inspired toys and trinkets ... with either his name emblazoned, or a straight-up "45."

There's a lot to select from -- however ... this crap ain't exactly cheap! Even something as simple as a rambler is as high as $65. The price point for much of the items is almost on a high-end athletic brand level ... as if they fancy themselves as a Lacoste competitor.

The other thing to consider here ... the more Trump gets criminally indicted -- twice now already, FWIW -- the more it feels like trying to match his style is a losing man's game.

To each their own, we suppose. They wouldn't be peddling these things if people weren't buying them -- and as we know, there are many in this country who are fiercely loyal to the ex-Prez ... and continue to be despite the mounting charges and scandals ahead of 2024.

President Biden and the rest of the White House celebrated Pride this weekend -- but conservatives are crying foul, claiming JB broke the law in doing so ... flag law, specifically.

Here's the deal ... Joe and co. were hosting a Pride event outside the WH Saturday, where he spoke passionately about protecting individuals who identify as LGBTQ+ ... especially transgender children, whom he said were seen, heard and most definitely belonged.

His remarks were embraced by the LGBTQ+ community and their allies -- but, of course, they also came under fire by right-wingers who felt he was playing a dangerous game.

Eventually, they found something on the grounds to pin their outrage to ... a flag display hanging from the White House itself, with the Pride rainbow flag slotted in between two U.S. flags.

You see, some were citing a certain part of the U.S. Flag Code -- which, yes, is indeed real -- and asserted JB was in violation of section 7, article (e) ... which discusses how U.S. flags should be displayed in public. There are 15 articles dissecting this whole topic, BTW.

Article (e) reads, "The flag of the United States of America should be at the center and at the highest point of the group when a number of flags of States or localities or pennants of societies are grouped and displayed from staffs." Basically, the red, white and blue oughta take precedent and be most prominent among an assortment of flags -- that's the "rule."

In response to how the WH arranged the flags here, one conservative -- echoing many others -- writes, "To advance revolutionary transgender agenda targeting children, Biden violates basic tenet of US Flag Code and disrespects every American service member buried under its colors." Some are even calling on Biden to apologize and/or be held to account.

The reality ... nobody is going to do squat about this -- because, frankly, it's not a big deal. More importantly, though, the U.S. Flag Code (while technically a federal law) is not enforced at all ... and operates more as a recommendation on proper decorum/custom than anything.

Donald Trump thought he could use Matt Damon's voice to help raise some dough for his campaign, but the famous actor and his buddy Ben Affleck aren't gonna let it fly.

Trump pushed out a fundraising video on Truth Social last week which was almost entirely centered around a monologue from Damon's character in the film "Air." Among some of the lines from Damon, “Money can buy you almost anything, but it can’t buy you immortality."

Turns out, Trump didn't have permission to use the Damon audio, and Artists Equity, the company co-founded by Damon and Affleck that produced "Air" didn't hold back.

AE released a statement, saying, "We had no foreknowledge of, did not consent to and do not endorse or approve any footage or audio from Air being repurposed by the Trump campaign as a political advertisement or for any other use.”

The statement continues, “Specifically in terms of any & all rights available to us under U.S. copyright and intellectual property law, we hereby, expressly give notice that in the case of any use of material from Air by the Trump campaign where approval or consent is required, we do not grant such consent.”

"Air" is a film about the rise of Nike, and highlights the company's pursuit of Michael Jordan in what became the biggest footwear deal of all-time. Damon plays Nike exec Sonny Vaccaro.

Of course, it's not the first time Trump's gotten in trouble for using material he didn't get permission for in promoting himself ... he's gotten hammered for using songs like "Hallelujah," Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It" and Tom Petty's "I Wont' Back Down."

Most recently, he was scolded for using the song and image of The Village People's "Macho Man" during an event at Mar-a-Lago.

Megan Fox unleashed her fury on the guy who floated a now-debunked online rumor about her and her 3 kids, ripping him a new one for trying to capitalize on her celebrity and use her for political gain.

The actress took to Instagram Saturday and posted a vicious screed directed at Robby Starbuck who she says falsely claimed Megan was a child abuser for dressing her adolescent sons as girls, causing two of them to break down in a public park.

Starbuck's Twitter message was accompanied by a photo of Megan with the 3 boys she shares with ex Brian Austin Green, who categorically denied the story to TMZ.

In her IG post, Megan first called Starbuck a "clout chaser" who was desperate to "acquire wealth, power, success, or fame."

But, Megan warned Starbuck -- who unsuccessfully ran for a 2022 Tennessee congressional seat -- to "never use children as leverage or social currency, especially under malevolent and erroneous pretense."

As we reported, Megan's ex, and the father of the kids, Brian Austin Green, also went after Starbuck Saturday, telling us, "This person trying to claim this is true is a perfect example of someone with selfish motives that does not care about negatively affecting a parent-child relationship."

Megan went on to say ... "exploiting my child’s gender identity to gain attention in your political campaign has put you on the wrong side of the universe."

Megan also reminded Starbuck she has been "burned at the stake" by many "narcissistic" men, but she has nevertheless endured.

She ended with this ... "You f--ked with the wrong witch."

Superman has officially landed in Sin City, Dean Cain has scooped up a super stunning home outside Las Vegas ... after he swore off living in California.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Dean closed the deal on his new pad on May 26, dropping just under $4M in the deal.

The 5-bedroom, 7-bathroom home comes with all your high-profile entertainment needs like a a movie theater, glass wine cellar and game room. It's even got an elevator if you don't feel like walking up or downstairs and wanna save some energy for the nearby Vegas Strip.

Speaking of The Strip, the master suite comes with a spa bath, and steam shower ... and incredible views of some of the world's most famous casinos.

If Dean feels like taking things outdoors, there's an infinity edge pool, spa, built-in outdoor bar and kitchen ... as well as fire bowls and a waterfall. And get this ... the home has a walk-on-water entrance and a 360 degree roof deck to take in even more views.

As we reported, Dean unloaded his Malibu home last month for a whopping $6.25M. Earlier this week, he told Fox News he was forced to leave the Golden State because of the homeless crisis and what he calls, "soft-on-crime policies."

Hollywood needs to look no further than this real-life drama -- 4 young siblings, including a baby, are alive after 40 days in Colombia's jungle ... and that's after they survived a plane crash!

The extensive search and rescue mission, conducted by Colombian authorities for more than a month, came to a joyous conclusion when soldiers found the kids -- ages 13, 9, 4, and 11 months -- alive, but in "weak" condition. Combat medics are treating them, and they're all expected to recover.

Dramatic images of the rescue show the soldiers posing for photos with the children, who were swaddled in thermal blankets. The rescuers used winch line to load the youngsters into a helicopter, which whisked them to safety.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro held a news conference to commend the children on their survival skills, calling their saga historic.

This saga all started in the wee hours of May 1, when a small plane carrying six passengers and a pilot crashed after engine failure. Two weeks later, a team of searchers discovered the plane wreckage and bodies of the 3 adults who were on board, but the kids were MIA.

The Colombian army with the help of dogs and Indigenous tribe volunteers continued their hunt for the children ... hoping they'd found a way to stay alive. During the search, soldiers dropped boxes of food from helicopters into the forest, which might have allowed the kids to sustain themselves for so long.

Brian Austin Green is setting the record straight on a rumor -- regarding his ex-wife Megan Fox and their 3 children -- that's been circulating on Twitter.

First, here's what has Brian heated ... it's a tweet from a guy named Robby Starbuck -- a self-proclaimed "Free Thinker" who ran for U.S. Congress in 2022 -- who posted a pic of Megan and the kids, with the caption ... "These are Megan Fox’s sons. We used to live in the same gated community and our kids played at the park."

Starbuck adds, "I saw 2 of them have a full on breakdown saying they were forced by their mom to wear girls clothes as their nanny tried to console them. It’s pure child abuse. Pray for them."

Well, Brian tells TMZ ... "It’s a totally bogus story. There are only a few people in their world that can actually verify wether [sic] or not a story like this is true and I can tell you with absolute certainty it is not. This person trying to claim this is true is a perfect example of someone with selfish motives that does not care about negatively affecting a parent child relationship."

To Brian's point, Starbuck's motives in posting the phony claim do reek of political motivation, because he also said, "We knew California wouldn’t do anything about it because the state celebrates this stuff" -- and casually mentions he and his family moving to Tennessee.

Translation: He hates liberal CA, and hightailed it for greener conservative pastures in TN.

For the record, Megan has said she does not tell their children what to wear, particularly their eldest, Noah. Five years ago she did a few interviews saying, “If a boy loves princesses and a girl loves baseball, that’s not indicative of their sexuality. It’s indicative of their communication and creative expression. We can’t limit children by telling them how they should play.”

Former President Donald Trump's indictments won't push him off the campaign trail ... he could use the legal drama to catapult himself back to the presidency, even if he's convicted.

Loyola Law School Professor Jessica Levinson joined us Friday on "TMZ Live," to break down the 37-count federal indictment -- it's the first ever against a former President, but she says if he plays it right, it won't block his path to a 2024 victory.

What's most shocking, perhaps, is Levinson says even if Trump loses in court -- he's also facing a NY state indictment -- there's nothing in the Constitution barring him from serving his term in a prison cell.

With all that in mind, Jessica thinks it should come down to a simple question -- do folks want to back a candidate who could be doing time while running the country?

She also clues us in on a potential tactic Trump's opponents could use to get some of his supporters.

As we reported, Trump was indicted once again Friday for allegedly taking boxes upon boxes of classified documents when he left the White House, and stashed them at Mar-a-Lago -- some of them were stored in a bathroom.

He's accused of breaking 7 different laws, including a whopping 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information.

Donald Trump says he's been indicted by the feds over the classified documents he took with him to Mar-a-Lago when he left the White House at the end of his presidential term.

The former President got out in front of the indictment Thursday evening, announcing it before the Dept. of Justice did. He says the DOJ had informed his legal team he was being indicted ... and Trump's already proclaiming his innocence.

The indictment, handed up by a federal grand jury in Miami, reportedly includes at least 7 counts, but because the DOJ hasn't released it, there are no details yet about the specific charges. ABC is reporting the counts range from willful retention of national defense information to conspiracy related to a scheme to conceal to false statements and representations.

Trump says his initial court appearance to face the charges will be Tuesday at the federal courthouse in Miami. Echoing the thoughts of millions of Americans -- including his supporters and haters -- Trump says he never thought this would happen to a former U.S. President.

Make no mistake, this is historic ... Trump is the first former prez to ever face federal charges.

Remember, the feds say Trump took troves of classified docs to Mar-a-Lago ... where they allegedly sat in unsecured places, including a basement.

The FBI swarmed Mar-a-Lago back in August, seizing 11,000 documents.

The federal indictment comes a little over 2 months after Trump was indicted by a New York grand jury over his alleged involvement in the Stormy Daniels hush money case.

Pat Robertson, the legendary Christian philanthropist and radio broadcaster who once ran for President, has died.

According to a press release issued by the Christian Broadcasting Network ... Robertson passed away Thursday in his Virginia home as family gathered around him. His cause of death was not disclosed.

Robertson enjoyed a long illustrious career in TV, politics and religion. Decades ago, he first launched a small TV station and soon transformed himself into one of the most influential Christian commentators in the nation. He became known as both a religious leader and culture warrior.

Over the years, he founded the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), which was home to the immensely popular "The 700 Club." He also created the Christian Coalition, which was credited with helping bring American evangelicals to the modern Republican Party.

Robertson became a household name when he ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 1988, but lost to George H.W. Bush, who went on to become the commander in chief. Still, Robertson stayed close to politics, getting conservative Christians behind H.W.'s son, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump for their Presidential bids.

Justin Bieber's dad, Jeremy, is letting everybody know exactly how he feels about Pride Month, posting dismissive messages about the celebrations happening this June.

Jeremy, who has children with 3 different women, took to Twitter Wednesday to post a meme of a Pride flag and the message, "Don't forget to thank a straight person this month for your existence."

The meme comes on the heels of his posting Monday, which read, "We need to celebrate families. U know the reason we’re all here! The things this generation glorifies is unbelievable!"

Jeremy's messaging is pretty clear ... he's not about celebrating the LGBTQ+ community, and Justin's fans have certainly let him have it with their responses.

One wrote, "Don't forget to thank Justin Bieber this month for your paid bills" another said, "Yes! thanks straight man, who left your woman at the time raising your child alone. You are definitely the best person to something about family, respect and love."

Jeremy had Justin with Pattie Mallette when the two were 18 and split shortly after. Pattie raised Justin on her own with the help of her own parents ... though Justin and Jeremy maintained a relationship as he got older.

Of course, Jeremy's posts come on the heels of heightened tension and anti-LGBTQ legislation over the past several months. As we reported, a brawl broke out in California last night as a school board met to discuss including LGBTQ curriculum.

We covered it all in the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

Originally Published -- 7:21 AM PT

Rory McIlroy is breaking his silence on the PGA Tour and LIV Golf merger, saying he feels like a "sacrificial lamb" after turning down a reported $500 MILLION payout from the Saudis last year, only to watch the organizations come together ... minus the half a billion dollar check.

But, despite his personal feelings, the 4x Majors winner admits he believes the merger is "ultimately good for the game of professional golf."

34-year-old McIlroy met with the media at RBC Canadian Open in Canada ... and as expected, Rory was asked about the news that shocked golf to its core on Tuesday, when the two bitter enemies decided to put aside their differences and instead work together.

"It's hard for me to not sit up here and feel somewhat like a sacrificial lamb. Feeling like I've put myself out there and this is what happens," McIlroy flatly told reporters.

Rory added ... "Removing myself from the situation, I see how this is better for the game of golf. There's no denying that. But, for me as an individual, there's going to be conversations that have to be had."

Good or not for the game, McIlroy admits he doesn't like LIV, at all. And, he actually thinks LIV (in its current form) could go away with the merger.

"I still hate LIV. I hope it goes away and I fully expect that it does and I think that's where the distinction here is. This is the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour, and the PIF. Very different from LIV. All I've tried to do is protect what the PGA Tour is and what the PGA Tour stands for, and I think it will continue to do that."

The "PIF" is the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, operated by the Crown Prince, which backs LIV.

The PIF made big payments to stars like Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, and Dustin Johnson, enticing them to leave the PGA Tour. However, Rory and Tiger Woods turned down an unthinkable amount of money (reportedly $500m for Rory, and $800m for Tiger) to stick with the PGA.

Despite being left out in the cold, Rory says he hopes the seemingly endless amount of money ends up trickling down to the players.

"Whether you like it or not, the PIF and the Saudis want to spend money in the game of golf, and they weren't going to stop. The thing for me is how can we get that money into the game but use it the right way and I think that's what this ultimately will do."

Chris Licht's gamble on Donald Trump has come up snake eyes -- CNN is pulling the plug on his term as CEO.

Licht's firing comes exactly one month after he engineered the network's controversial Town Hall special with the GOP Presidential front-runner. Licht made a play for Trump's base, and did draw more than 3 million viewers that night ... but the blowback from CNN's viewership and Democrats in D.C. was severe. The network's ratings plummeted in the days after the Trump special.

CNN anchor Kate Bolduan drew the honors Wednesday morning of announcing Licht's firing on the air. It wasn't quite a "ding dong, the wicked witch is dead" moment ... but, make no mistake, Licht had ruffled a lot of feathers at the network.

Last week, he was also the subject of a pretty unflattering profile piece in The Atlantic, and he reportedly apologized to CNN staffers earlier this week.

Licht took over at CNN in May 2022 ... after Jeff Zucker's resignation. During his tenure, he clashed several times with Don Lemon over his on-air commentary and even his wardrobe -- and Licht finally fired him back in April.

Rick Ross' 2nd annual car show was a huge success ... and that's not only coming from the thousands of folks in attendance but Fayette County officials, who were initially reluctant about the whole thing.

Fayette County staff tell TMZ ... Ricky Rozay's event planners did a great job communicating with officials, and working with the county to make sure the event went on as smoothly as possible.

Now, that's not to say everything was perfect. We're told there were about 19 medical emergencies during the show, but EMS personnel were on site to help.

Four of those people were transported to a hospital, and only 1 case wound up being serious.

Our sources say the Fire Marshal made sure Rick and co. were meeting code, and the Health Department checked on food vendors -- everything passed with flying colors. Also, sheriffs were on hand for added security during the event.

We're told, even the traffic was also a whole lot better compared to last year's nightmare at the event.

You'll recall, Fayette County initially rejected Rick's permit to have the car show, saying it wasn't in compliance with zoning ordinances.

County officials also said last year's inaugural show went down without their approval -- despite being a huge success in Rick's eyes -- and they didn't want a repeat of that.

Of course, Da Boss wound up getting a permit with some strict guidelines for the massive event held on his massive Promised Land estate in Fayetteville.

Turned out to be another one for the books ... with a ton of celebs and other folks coming out as RR hit the stage and showed off a range of whips and vendors on his property.

Gov. Gavin Newsom isn't happy that a SoCal school board banned lessons on the late Harvey Milk for kids ... and it sounds like he's going to do something about it.

California's top governmental dog sounded off Saturday in response to a report about the Temecula Valley School Board recently voting to nix any literature about the former SF politician -- who was openly gay, and who served a member of the Board of Supervisors.

Board president, Dr. Joseph Komrosky, was hearing out a fellow member ... who wanted to ban a biography of Milk -- which was apparently available to 4th graders at a local elementary school as part of their social studies teachings -- which touched on his homosexual lifestyle in the supplemental resources section ... as a footnote.

The board member who raised this issue says he was made aware of the material, finding the information in it to be highly inappropriate for children -- and Komrosky agreed.

In fact, Komrosky shocked many in the audience by calling Milk a "pedophile" ... which several people, including some teachers/faculty/board members, pushed back on by strongly denying that characterization. They explained that he was instrumental in achieving gay rights in the U.S. ... and that that historical fact shouldn't be hidden from grade school kids.

Komrosky held his ground ... arguing that Milk's private life -- and presumably his public life at large -- wasn't relevant and not worthy of being in their curriculum. In the end, the board voted 3-2 to get rid of the Milk literature ... and now, Gov. Newsom is aware of it.

He took to Twitter and wrote, "An offensive statement from an ignorant person. This isn’t Texas or Florida. In the Golden State, our kids have the freedom to learn. Congrats Mr. Komrosky you have our attention. Stay tuned." Newsom didn't elaborate further.

Of course, GN's spoken out against other states trying to limit the scope of education as it pertains to issues like these -- especially in Florida, where Gov. DeSantis has set a tone.

As for the whole "pedophile" claim ... it's unclear why Komrosky referred to HM as that. It's possible he might be referencing Milk's one-time relationship with Jack McKinley, which is believed to have begun while McKinley was a teen ... but that part of history is a little hazy.