Politics

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. floated a theory this week, suggesting COVID-19 was manufactured to attack certain races/ethnicities, and to skip others ... including Jewish people.

The Dem presidential hopeful was at a dinner in NYC Friday when he made the inflammatory comments -- which were actually caught on camera and published by the NY Post. In the clip, RFK Jr. starts out by talking about bioweapons, and then moves on to the virus.

He says there's evidence backing the notion that COVID was designed to be "ethnically targeted," adding there are studies that show it hit certain demographics harder than others.

As he explains -- to the clear discomfort of others around him -- COVID was allegedly more prone to latch onto and "attack" Caucasians and Black people because of their genetic makeup ... but then says Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese folks are the most immune to it.

The guy hedges things a bit by saying it's unclear if the virus was purposely designed to act in this way, but it seems clear he's trying to entertain a conspiracy theory here -- and a lot of people have called his remarks antisemitic and racist. And yet, RFK Jr.'s defending himself.

He said NYP was mistaken, adding, "I have never, ever suggested that the COVID-19 virus was targeted to spare Jews. I accurately pointed out — during an off-the-record conversation — that the U.S. and other governments are developing ethnically targeted bioweapons and that a 2021 study of the COVID-19 virus shows that COVID-19 appears to disproportionately affect certain races since the furin cleave docking site is most compatible with Blacks and Caucasians and least compatible with ethnic Chinese, Finns, and Ashkenazi Jews."

RFK Jr. went on ... "In that sense, it serves as a kind of proof of concept for ethnically targeted bioweapons. I do not believe and never implied that the ethnic effect was deliberately engineered." He linked to a NIH study about genetic susceptibility pertaining to COVID.

Taylor Swift took a break from her Eras Tour to go out and vote in her hometown of Nashville ... and she's calling on her millions of fans to follow suit.

The pop star posted a message to her Instagram story Friday ... informing her Tennessee neighbors early voting for their city officials and some state seats had already begun. She also attached a photo of herself wearing a sticker that read, "I voted today."

Taylor continued, "We have the opportunity to choose those who will represent us for the next four years ... I urge each and every one of you to do the same and make your voice heard."

She ended by providing a link to her followers instructing them on how to get to the polls for early voting.

Politics has piqued Taylor's interest in the past. In 2018, Taylor endorsed Phil Bredesen, who was running for the Tennessee Senate seat as a Democrat, but he lost to Republican Marsha Blackburn.

The following year, Taylor penned a letter to Republican Tennessee Senator, Lamar Alexander, encouraging him to get behind the Equality Act, which prohibits discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation.

Even though the legislation had already been passed by the House of Representatives, a number of Republicans voiced their opposition to it.

Taylor has also tweeted about her views against racism and police brutality.

Whoever left their coke in the White House can smile ... they're not gonna get busted for it, because the Secret Service has no video evidence to nail a suspect.

The Secret Service says it closed its investigation into the bag of cocaine that was found July 2 in the West Wing -- and, absolutely stunningly, they've been unable to identify who left it.

The agency says there was "no surveillance video footage found" that revealed who made the coke drop. Further, the Secret Service says the FBI lab couldn't find any fingerprints or DNA it could use to compare with the "known pool of individuals" ... such as White House staffers.

Interestingly, authorities say the coke was found in a "receptacle used to temporarily store electronic and personal devices prior to entering the West Wing."

You'd think there are security cameras blanketing nearly every inch of the President's residence -- especially in the West Wing, which hosts so many visitors, journalists and staffers each day. If ya buy what the Secret Service is saying here ... that's, apparently, not the case.

The Secret Service says it's closing the investigation "due to a lack of physical evidence."

French President Emmanuel Macron was reportedly given the finger this week, but not in the way you'd think  ... this one was severed from a human being and sent to him in the mail.

Macron was the recipient of the gory delivery Monday, according to news outlet London Evening Standard ... which says the digit showed up at the  Élysée Palace in Paris without a note. We don't know if Macron ever personally saw what was inside.

A source claims police immediately put the finger in their communal fridge, where snacks are usually kept, to keep it preserved ahead of testing -- which came back to show it was from a living human being.

The outlet says the person missing the finger was located and given medical support ... although they weren't identified. It's unclear if any arrests have been made.

France has been dealing with a lot of unrest lately -- waves of riots erupted after cops in Paris fatally shot 17-year-old French Algerian Nahel Merzouk last week. He was allegedly trying to drive away from the officers during a traffic stop.

It's definitely no longer Prime day in Canada ... officials up north said this week they're recalling Logan Paul and KSI's popular energy drink -- due to its high caffeine content.

Health Canada announced the decision Wednesday ... saying at 200 milligrams of caffeine per can, Prime Energy needs to be pulled from store shelves.

Officials said the caffeine in each container -- which is equal to roughly two full cans of Red Bull -- is just too high ... coming in at 20 milligrams over the country's recommended limit of 180 per serving.

The move comes just a couple days after United States senator Chuck Schumer questioned whether the social media influencers' beverage should be sold in American stores as well.

The democrat argued that it posed a "serious health concern" for kids ... and he urged the Food and Drug Administration to investigate it all.

For their part, Paul and KSI have fired back ... noting that Prime Energy is different than the Prime Hydration beverage that they initially launched back in 2022.

The hydration one, they and the company reiterated, is for everyone ... while the energy version -- which dropped earlier this year -- is "not recommended" for anyone under 18 years old.

Paul recently created a sarcastic social media video where he attempted to demonstrate the difference between the drinks and water.

"As a brand," Prime officials added in a statement earlier this week, "our top priority is consumer safety, so we welcome discussions with the FDA or any other organization regarding suggested industry changes they feel are necessary in order to protect consumers."

All versions of the Prime drinks have become wildly popular since their debuts ... as the social media stars have aggressively advertised it to their legions of fans with a ton of success.

Leslie Van Houten is likely to kill again after being released from prison -- so says Sharon Tate's sister ... who's deeply offended California cut loose the former Charles Manson follower.

Debra Tate tells TMZ that she's disappointed in the criminal justice system in the state, and especially the governor's office ... which she thinks really dropped the ball in not fighting harder against Van Houten's release.

While Gov. Gavin Newsom said he isn't happy with the decision handed down by the Court of Appeals -- siding with the parole board releasing Van Houten -- he also said he wasn't going to push back, arguing it was a losing effort.

Debra says Newsom could've taken it to a higher court, which is true, and she's taking his surrender as a huge slap in the face to the families of Manson's victims.

As far as how those loved ones feel about Van Houten being a free woman again ... well, she tells us they're absolutely terrified because there's a fear she could resort to her killing ways again in a heartbeat.

Clearly, Debra doesn't buy the parole board's belief Van Houten's rehabilitated. Her rationale boils down to the nature of the crime itself, and the mindset Van Houten was once under. She says once somebody goes down that dark path, in her eyes, it's easy to go back.

Now, while Van Houten wasn't involved in the Tate murders -- remember, it was the LaBiancas she helped butcher -- she's publicly said she really wanted to be present for the slayings of Sharon and 3 friends.

Debra finds that very troubling, and says that's why she has every right to weigh in here.

She adds ... the victims' families are outraged Van Houten gets to live out the rest of her life outside of prison -- despite a life sentence they assumed would be imposed forever more.

Debra's been leading a charge to keep all the Manson family members locked up, with an ongoing online petition she's maintained for a while now.

Donald Trump is one of the most polarizing people ever, but that wasn't the case at UFC 290 ... the former president received heaps of love from the packed crowd in Las Vegas, including celebs and fighters!

The 45th President of the United States was captured on video walking into T-Mobile Arena flanked by longtime friend, UFC president Dana White, escorted by a gang of Secret Service Agents ... where Trump received a raucous ovation.

After enough handshakes to put a campaign event to shame (including dapping up Raiders star Maxx Crosby), Trump and White made their way to their seats, Octagon-side.

The card featured a ton of great fights ... and a bunch of the athletes showed Trump love after their scraps, including Bo Nickal, who beat Val Woodburn by 1st round knockout.

After the KO, Bo climbed the Octagon fence and had a brief chat with DT.

Jalin Turner's corner also had a conversation with Donald ... with one of the lightweight contender's coaches asking him, "Mr. Trump, are you winning again? Are you winning again? Yes! Please! We need it!"

In between the fights, Trump also found time to hang with Israel Adesanya, "Suga" Sean O'Malley and Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone.

Leslie Van Houten -- a former member of the Manson family -- has been released from prison after more than 4 decades behind bars.

The convicted murderer walked out of a California facility Tuesday after successfully receiving parole earlier in the month ... this after Gov. Gavin Newsom said he would not challenge her release, despite doing so 3 different times throughout his tenure as Governor.

Van Houten was convicted of 2 counts of first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder way back in 1971 for her involvement in the grisly 1969 LaBianca murders here in Los Angeles ... when Leno and Rosemary LaBianca were stabbed to death at their home. Van Houten said she held Rosemary down while someone else stabbed her, and later admitted she stabbed her as well after Rosemary was dead.

In the years since her conviction ... Van Houten's attorneys have said she was young and brainwashed by her cult leader, Charles Manson, at the time -- arguing she had been rehabilitated.

More importantly, Van Houten's lawyers have said she does not pose a threat to society anymore ... and it seems a handful of parole boards agreed with that, signing off on recommendations that she oughta be released, in spite of her life sentence.

Like we said, Newsom has shot her down time and again ... with his argument being, the nature of her crime should prevent her from ever enjoying a free life. But, after his last rejection ... she appealed his decision in court, and they ended up siding with her.

The governor's office said trying to fight it was a losing effort, so they were going to drop it.

Now, at age 73 ... Van Houten's back on the outside, and it'll be interesting to see what she does going forward. At first, she'll be sent to a halfway house where she'll learn basic skills and get up to date on all the new technology that's come out since she was imprisoned.

Van Houten is said to have been a constructive prisoner over the years, having found faith and showing an eagerness to teach/learn. She's also expressed remorse about her role in the murders.

Vladimir Putin travels all around Russia by train, but no one really knew just how lavish and secure his rides are ... until now.

New photos, obtained by CNN, show what is purported to be the Russian president's 22-car "ghost train" that acts as his private chauffeur as he tours cities and towns throughout his country.

The perks are eye-popping, and they include luxurious bedrooms, opulent dining cars, a Turkish bath steam room, a state-of-the-art health club and a massage parlor with anti-aging machines.

Plus, if Vlad wants to take in a movie, he can kick back in his own private theater. And, if he chooses to speak to his staff at the Kremlin or stay up-to-date on the news, he can do that too with the high-tech communications systems right at his fingertips.

But, that's not all ... Vlad is totally protected from any assassination attempts or military offenses while he's rolling down the tracks. The train is fitted with heavily armored doors and bulletproof windows along with medical facilities and equipment just in case something goes wrong.

Furthermore ... the train reportedly costs $74 million with an additional price tag of $15.8 million in annual upkeep.

CNN received the never-before-seen train images, with apparent Russian documents, from the Dossier Center, a London-based group devoted to investigating Putin. The cable news outlet published all the information Tuesday morning.

Rep. George Santos ain't Rosa Parks, despite comparing himself to the civil rights pioneer  -- so says the icon's niece ... telling GS to keep her name out of his mouth.

Rhea McCauley tells TMZ ... she felt it was totally inappropriate for Santos to compare himself to her aunt, saying it's apples to oranges when it comes to the situation. She also says other family members related to Parks are pretty pissed about his remarks too.

The NY congressman name-dropped RP in a recent interview he did, where he referenced Sen. Mitt Romney telling him to sit toward the back during Biden's SOTU earlier this year ... this after he'd been exposed as having told several different lies before getting elected.

Santos said he didn't appreciate a white man (Romney) telling a Latino gay man that he didn't belong somewhere -- then saying Rosa Parks didn't give up her seat way back when.

In other words, he seemed to be suggesting ... he wouldn't either, likening himself to her.

McCauley says she and the rest of the fam are ticked off that Santos even brought her up, pointing out that his juxtaposition here isn't even historically accurate -- namely, on account of the fact that Parks was fighting against segregation ... and that George seems to be airing out a petty feud between himself and another politician. Not really the same thing.

President Biden's got a busy week ahead of him with a planned trip to Europe -- but before he gets back on the job ... it looks like he wanted to kick up his feet, and some sand too.

JB was in Rehoboth Beach, DE Saturday -- where he and FLOTUS, Jill Biden, have a summer home in the North Shores neighborhood -- and both of them went down toward the shore to soak in some rays and enjoy the atmosphere ... a very sunny one, indeed.

Now, eyewitnesses tell us it was Jill who actually arrived on the beach first -- accompanied by a bunch of Secret Service agents -- and that Joe eventually followed with his own flock.

As you can see, the Bidens had chairs and umbrellas laid out ... and Jill even threw on some sunscreen for protection. When it comes to Joe -- he settled for a baseball cap and keeping his shirt on. Shoes, too, it seems ... you can never be too careful for POTUS!

When they were finally seated next to each other ... we're told Joe was busy reading a bunch of papers, although it's unclear what was on them. No PDA between the first couple or anything -- sounds like they were just content with being in each other's company.

Anyway, like we said ... Joe's scheduled to hit the skies Sunday for a 5-day trip overseas, where he'll touch down in England, Lithuania and Finland for a handful of engagements.

It's interesting he's gonna be out of town this week, seeing how the findings of the ongoing cocaine probe are expected to be released in the coming days. Remember, an undisclosed amount of the illicit substance was found in the West Wing over 4th of July weekend.

Manson family killer Leslie Van Houten's recent whiff of freedom will not be snuffed out by California Gov. Gavin Newsom ... he says he won't appeal her upcoming parole.

Newsom's office announced the decision in a Friday afternoon news dump, saying the governor would not challenge an earlier appeals court decision clearing the way for Van Houten's release.

73-year-old Van Houten has been in prison for decades ... after being convicted for the August 1969 stabbing murders of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca.

Newsom's office says he's reversed her parole grant three times since taking office and he's disappointed the appeals court ruled for her to be granted parole. The governor claims he would be unlikely to succeed in challenging her release this time.

Remember ... Van Houten claimed she was immature and brainwashed by Manson as a 19-year-old when she stabbed the LaBiancas to death in their Los Feliz home.

Ben and Jerry's drew a line in the sand on the 4th of July -- turning the cold shoulder on blind American patriotism, and demanding the U.S. return stolen land dating back centuries.

The famed ice cream company -- which has gotten increasingly political over the years -- threw up a bold statement Tuesday for the holiday ... which, inevitably, pissed off about half the country, especially considering the occasion.

They took to Twitter, writing, "The United States was founded on stolen indigenous land. This Fourth of July, let’s commit to returning it." Pretty straightforward, but also ... polarizing.

B & J's website echoed a similar sentiment but hit the point home even further -- where they argued that Independence Day celebrations could, perhaps, "distract from an essential truth about this nation’s birth." As far as their game plan, they wanna start with Mt. Rushmore.

Here's what they have to say, "What is the meaning of Independence Day for those whose land this country stole, those who were murdered and forced with brutal violence onto reservations, those who were pushed from their holy places and denied their freedom."

Ben and Jerry's continues ... "The faces on Mount Rushmore are the faces of men who actively worked to destroy Indigenous cultures and ways of life, to deny Indigenous people their basic rights."

As you can imagine, their stance here drew the ire of many on social media ... some of whom accused the brand of being a traitor to the country for pushing out what they consider anti-American views on the biggest national holiday meant to celebrate America.

Two protesters just brought a Wimbledon match to a screeching halt ... after they rushed the court and hurled confetti all over the place.

The bizarre scene went down just minutes ago during Sho Shimabukuro's first-round tilt with Grigor Dimitrov ... when a man and a woman wearing "Just Stop Oil" T-shirts leaped from the crowd and disrupted play.

The two unloaded boxes full of orange paper ... as well as puzzle pieces -- all while Shimabukuro and Dimitrov looked on from just feet away.

They quickly escorted the woman from the area ... but the man sat cross-legged on the court until security pulled him away from the scene.

Activist group Just Stop Oil (who are known for these kinds of stunts) took credit for the commotion in a series of tweets Wednesday morning ... saying the actions were in response to Wimbledon's sponsorship deal with Barclays, an org. which Just Stop Oil officials claim has "given £30 billion to oil and gas companies" in the past two years.

Cocaine may have been found inside the White House this weekend -- and it appears to have been discovered in an area that President Biden frequents a lot on the job.

The Secret Service says it discovered a white powdery substance Sunday night in the West Wing during routine rounds. It's unclear where exactly in the West Wing it was found -- but a spokesperson for the agency will only say agents stumbled upon it in a "work area."

The SS rep also notes any notion the substance might've been found in the executive mansion is false. While Secret Service won't disclose where the alleged coke lay, it appears DC's FEMS let the cat outta the bag ... reportedly relaying via dispatch it was in the library.

POTUS was not at the White House during this entire ordeal, BTW.

The discovery of the unknown powder prompted an increased security alert and a brief evacuation of the premises, and tests are being done to decide what it might be. WaPo, citing sources familiar with the matter, says preliminary tests suggest it is, in fact, blow.

Speaking of that dispatch audio from earlier ... it seems a firefighter who was on the ground firmly believed cocaine was the culprit, -- telling the department's hazardous materials team that a test they conducted indicated "cocaine hydrochloride." No ambiguity at all.

Officials are saying the substance did not pose a threat, and an investigation is underway as to how it made its way into the White House ... and, obviously, who brought it in.

Washington, D.C. isn't skimping on this year's annual fireworks extravaganza at the National Mall -- and we've learned America's dropping a nice chunk of change to make it happen!

According to federal records, obtained by TMZ, the big fireworks show put on by the National Park Service will cost taxpayers $269,000 ... with Garden State Fireworks once again getting the honor of lighting up the D.C. sky.

But before ya start waggin' your finger at the 6-figure price tag, this is in the same ballpark as years past -- TMZ broke the story, the price tag was $278,500 back in 2021 for the patriotic bash.

Garden State Fireworks got a big bump -- we paid them $320K when former President Donald Trump wanted to beef up the show.