Politics

One of John F. Kennedy's Secret Service agents -- who was with him in the car that day -- says the famed magic bullet theory doesn't quite add up ... based on what he remembers.

Paul Landis shared his story with NYT, which will also be touched on in a new book of his due out in Oct. Here, he recounts what he says happened when the Prez was assassinated ... insisting the first bullet to hit JFK wasn't the same one to pierce Gov. Connally.

The reason that has been the official view of the U.S. Government for decades now is due to the findings of the Warren Commission -- which investigated the President's assassination, and concluded Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone shooter ... arriving to this conclusion, in part, because of this single bullet that was recovered in Dallas in the immediate aftermath.

Basically, Kennedy first got shot through the throat ... and almost instantly, Gov. Connally was also hit -- getting shot through his chest, wrist and thigh. Despite skeptics, for years, saying it was virtually impossible for that "magic bullet" to have caused so much damage the way it did ... Uncle Sam ultimately determined that's what happened, and closed the case.

They landed on the magic bullet theory because one of those sniper projectiles was found in the stretcher that was carrying Connally ... so they assumed it was the same one that had hit Kennedy to kick off the assassination. That's not how it went down, though ... per Landis.

He claims he actually recovered the first sniper bullet himself, which he says was lodged in the backseat behind where Kennedy sat. Landis says he snatched it because he thought it was a key piece of evidence, threw it on Kennedy's stretcher -- thinking docs would find it -- but presumes the bullet bounced off JFK's stretcher and into Connally's in all the ruckus.

In other words, Landis is now saying that the first bullet that struck Kennedy probably started and ended with him ... and did not travel on to hit Connally. That lends credence to the notion of a second shooter -- something conspiracy theorists have asserted for ages now.

The magic bullet theory has long been the subject of speculation/intrigue -- it was famously spoofed on 'Seinfeld' ... perfectly capturing how ludicrous the masses have found it.

Donald Trump is ready for beer pong and keg stands -- at least that's the vibe here as he meets and greets frat boys in the mid-west ... ones of the land, that is.

The ex-Prez is at Iowa State University right now, where he's expected to attend the Cy-Hawk football game against the University of Iowa. His team announced he'd be in the stands there at Jack Trice Stadium -- and it looks like he's already showing his allegiance.

Check out this clip posted by his campaign team ... it shows 45 walking into a room full of members from the Alpha Gamma Ro Agriculture Fraternity House. So, yes ... farmer bros!!!

Sounds like the guys -- upwards of 40 of them, it seems -- were super happy to see DT ... 'cause they welcomed him with a huge round of applause as he walked in. As for Don, he entered the same way Roy Williams famously did in that locker room once upon a time.

There are a couple different angles floating online, and one shows a little bit of what happened after the guys settled down and stopped clapping. It looks like Trump made a quick quip to the room, which was about to start laughing ... but the clip cuts off before that starts.

Even outside the frat house, there was a huge crowd there to greet Trump ... cheering him on. There's more footage of DT making the rounds on campus and getting received warmly.

Of course, his presence there makes sense ... he's still in campaign mode -- even amid all his legal woes -- and Iowa's a big player in the run-up to a nominee being selected in the GOP. Based on what we can see, it appears he's still got lots of fans in the state of Iowa.

New Mexico's governor temporarily banned Albuquerque's citizens from carrying guns in public -- this after a surge in shootings -- and defended her controversial decision on video.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham made the move Friday, issuing an order to suspend open and concealed carry of firearms in this one city specifically -- for a total of 30 days -- after citing a public health emergency pertaining to the number of gun violence incidents of late.

The story that broke the camel's back ... the shooting death of an 11-year-old boy on Wednesday named Froylan Villegas -- who was killed after leaving a park with his family, which police now say emanated from a road rage matter. He got caught in the crossfire.

Tragic as that is, many are outraged ... calling the Gov's order a blatant violation of the Constitution. She disagrees with that -- explaining to the press Friday why she felt she had the unilateral power on this issue ... noting not every Constitutional right is absolute.

Check out how she explains this ... Gov. Lujan Grisham says she has a duty to protect the people of her state, and if gun violence starts to present a serious public health problem -- she says she's within her right and powers to do what she needs to stop the bleeding.

Worth noting, NM is an open-carry state in general -- meaning people can walk around with pistols in their holster in most public areas ... so that's why it's ruffling a lot of feathers.

As far what repercussions people face during this month-long ban ... it's not all that serious -- they amount to civil penalties and a fine of up to $5,000. So we'll see who abides or not.

Kim Kardashian is sending a message to President Joe Biden in the hopes of preventing another Armenian Genocide ... asking him to help cut ties with Azerbaijan.

In a Rolling Stone piece released Friday by Kim and Dr. Eric Esrailian, she starts by saying she and countless others like her are "descendants of Armenian Genocide survivors" ... saying she doesn't want to have to talk about yet another genocide in the future.

Kim goes on to talk about how "Azerbaijan has blockaded the only lifeline between the indigenous Christian Armenians of Artsakh" and the rest of the world since December, adding the war in Ukraine has meant some countries have had to rely on Azerbaijan for oil -- resulting in using "starvation as a weapon against the Armenian population in the region."

She says we are past the point of "thoughts, prayers, or concern," outlining the conflict overseas, as well as the 2020 attacks on Armenians in Artsakh and a ceasefire agreement that she says wasn't upheld.

What's more, Kim, who is of Armenian descent, says the silence by governments across the globe has only been fueling the fire, and is now asking Biden to cut off foreign aid to Azerbaijan and boycott international events happening in the country.

As we reported, Kim donated $1 million toward the conflict in Armenia in 2020, as conflicts were heating up -- sources told us Khloe, Kourtney and Rob all made sizeable donations, too.

Prince Harry is back on his home turf, but without Meghan Markle by his side as he makes a lowkey trip on the anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's death.

Harry was stepping out of St. George's Chapel Friday in Windsor, where likely visited his grandmother's resting place a year after she passed away.

The Duke of Sussex's appearance came unannounced, but isn't a total shock given the date -- it appears to have been a quick trip, however, and he wasn't seen with any other royal family members while stepping out of the chapel.

Harry was seen just an hour after his father, King Charles, attended a memorial service for QE2 with Queen Camilla in Scotland.

His brother Prince William, was in Wales with his wife, Kate Middleton, not long after Harry left Windsor, too. Seems like the royals spread out over the UK to honor the late Queen.

Of course, there's a pretty glaring difference ... the King and William's appearances were public affairs with media present -- they're "working" Senior Royals, after all -- while Harry's visit was off the grid.

TMZ broke the story, Harry and Meghan have recently been spending time house hunting in Malibu -- sources told us they spent Labor Day weekend checking out an $8M plot of land that's almost 6 acres.

Bob Barker's name could soon grace an intersection in Hollywood ... his longtime girlfriend and management team are working on getting him a memorial town square.

Roger Neal, Bob's longtime publicist, tells TMZ ... Bob's girlfriend, Nancy Burnet, and Bob's reps are working with the City of Los Angeles to make a potential "Bob Barker Memorial Square" a reality.

We're told Bob's camp is talking with city council members to see which intersection works best for a Barker tribute.

The late 'Price Is Right' host lived in Hollywood on Outpost Drive since the 1950s, and we're told the city agrees it's a no-brainer to remember him with a town square named in his honor ... so it sounds like location is the main hurdle.

Bob's publicist previously helped shepherd memorial town squares for Carol Burnett and Mickey Rooney in L.A. ... which would seem to bode well for Barker's camp.

TMZ broke the story ... PETA previously asked the city to honor Bob with Bob Barker Blvd. in front of their office on Sunset Blvd.

We're told Nancy and Bob's team are not a part of PETA's plans, and this is a totally separate memorial.

Bill Maher is wondering why California's Governor is standing on the sidelines during Hollywood's economy-crushing labor disputes, and he's calling on Gavin Newsom to help hammer out a deal.

The 'Real Time' host joined us on "TMZ Live" and we asked him about the strike that's put his, and every other TV host's, staffs out of work for months now. Bill says this should be Gov. Newsom's time to shine by getting both sides in a room to find a quicker path to ending the work stoppage.

He also pointed out the obvious -- showbiz is one of California's biggest industries, so Gov. Newsom absolutely has a vested interest in fixing it.

Now, Bill says he is supportive of the writers -- hell, he IS one, and says he's not shooting his show out of solidarity -- but he also tells us some of the union demands get under his skin ... and lays out exactly why.

The HBO host also has strong thoughts on what's going on at college campuses around the country ... explaining why he's not surprised Harvard was just ranked the worst school for free speech.

Bill says it's part of an ever-growing echo chamber of sorts, calling it an extension of what has been playing out at corporate media outlets for decades, but he's got some solutions.

As always, Bill is equal parts funny, practical and blunt, and he's got a lot to say before he heads out to the MGM Grand in Las Vegas for a series of standup shows on Sept. 15-16 and Nov. 3-4.

Perhaps LeBron James wasn't kidding when he said he'd play in Saudi Arabia if the bag was big enough ... 'cause the King was spotted in the country, just weeks after he made the comment on social media.

Bron was in Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia, earlier this week. The exact reason for the trip is unclear, but James was seen hanging out in a gymnasium with a banner that said "Welcome to Arabia" and "Ministry of Sport."

LeBron was invited to watch a match between Saudi prospects at the AZM Academy, according to an online report.

So, while Lakers fans shouldn't worry (for now, at least) ... it doesn't seem impossible that James could play in Saudi for a massive amount of money after his NBA career is over.

In July, the Lakers superstar used a Tom Hanks' Forrest Gump GIF to show how fast he'd go to the Middle Eastern company if he got Kylian Mbappe-type money (the French soccer superstar got a staggering $776 million offer to play for Al-Hilal, but turned the money down).

Many fans perceived LBJ's tweet as a joke, but ... maybe not.

LeBron's not alone. We talked to Giannis Antetokounmpo a few weeks ago about the same subject ... and the Milwaukee Bucks superstar told us he'd be down to suit up in Saudi if the cash was right.

Just James visiting the country will likely be enough to spark a debate ... considering Saudi Arabia's history of human rights violations.

Despite the controversy, Saudi Arabia, with their enormous wealth, has lured some of the world's biggest athletes to their country, including Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo. Golfers like Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson, among others, also bolted for Saudi.

Vladimir Putin is apparently set to meet with Kim Jong-Un in the near future, and he wants to talk about teaming up for the Ukraine war ... which is definitely a terrible update.

The NYT reports that the North Korean leader and Russia's president are supposed to have a face-to-face sometime later this month ... and that it'd be Kim who travels to Russia for the sit-down. As far as what they'll be discussing -- the Times says it's all about weapons.

Apparently, Putin and co. are in need some of major reinforcements amid the ongoing war -- specifically, artillery shells and anti-tank missiles ... which he believes N. Korea can supply.

In exchange ... the NYT says Kim is seeking newer satellite tech and nuke-powered subs, as well as food for his people. Nothing's guaranteed, but it sounds like N. Korea is certainly open to the talks and seriously committed to discussing the possibility, at the very least.

Obviously, this is bad news in general ... as it appears Putin wants to form an alliance of sorts with Kim Jong-Un, with both nations being adversaries of the U.S./the West at large.

There's two takeaways from this -- one, Putin/Russia are low on firepower and seem to be out of allies/resources, so they're going to the isolated N. Korean state for backup. Second, it seems to prove that America's funds to Ukraine are helping Zelensky fight off Russia.

President Biden says he hasn't a chance to visit East Palestine -- where a disastrous train derailment occurred -- but his critics say ... that's BS, seeing how often he vacations.

Joe was in Florida Saturday surveying the damage left behind by Hurricane Idalia, and while he was talking to the media ... one reporter asked him about an awful event from months ago -- bringing up the Ohio city and wondering why POTUS hasn't gone to see it.

Of course, the journo noted that the Prez explicitly said he'd get around to it at some point -- but as of now, he has yet to make an in-person appearance in East Palestine ... and now, months later, there doesn't seem to be any indication he plans to in the near future either.

JB's response to this is getting roasted -- he says he hasn't occasion to go visit East Palestine, arguing that he's been too busy with all the engagements he's had to attend to ... including some overseas.

President Biden even said he was considering going to East Palestine this week -- but adds he was reminded he has elsewhere to be. Joe finished by saying he'd made sure the people of East Palestine had what they needed to recover ... but even that is being questioned.

Some of the scrutiny he's facing here has to do with his track record on vacation days since he's been in office -- and there's been many ... upwards of 40% of his presidency, in fact, is said to have been spent away from the White House/on overnight stays out of D.C.

We've seen a lot of this for ourselves these past few months ... the dude has been hitting the beach a ton this summer -- especially out in Delaware, where he has a summer home.

There've also been quite a few bike rides Joe's gone on since being sworn in, and just last week ... he was out in Lake Tahoe. And yes -- he goes to Camp David a lot too with his fam -- and the record is starting to stack up against him, as far as his haters are concerned.

James Cromwell was back on the frontlines for animal rights this weekend -- taking the fight to Louis Vuitton in the Big Apple ... and showing them they had blood on their hands.

The actor/activist was one of the notable faces among a massive group of protests Saturday who descended upon the Louis V flagship store in SoHo ... where barricades had been set up, and where folks were loudly chanting through megaphones -- complete with signage.

Check out this video we obtained ... you can see that James went past the barricade and was right up on the sidewalk, facing off with what one can presume would be management.

Somewhat dramatically ... he pours some red liquid onto the sidewalk and points it out to Louis Vuitton -- echoing what the protesters behind are shouting. Earlier, he made an impassioned speech in support of veganism -- and laying out what they were there for.

Of course, this has to do with the use of real fur -- something LVMH has been accused of using to this day. As for James ... he's been in this animal rights world for a long time.

Margaritaville is mourning the death of Jimmy Buffett, and one of the ways is the symbolic flag-lowering.

The Margaritaville in Palm Springs, and presumably elsewhere, lowered its flag to half-mast in honor of the legendary singer/songwriter.

Jimmy was known as the Mayor of Margaritaville, so in a way it's an official title that makes flag-lowering appropriate.

As we reported, Jimmy died late Friday night. We're told he was diagnosed with skin cancer 4 years ago and it turned into lymphoma.

He was receiving hospice care since Monday. On Friday night, we're told the house was filled with people, just hours before his death. Jimmy was in an upstairs bedroom, and he passed peacefully.

And, as we reported, Sir Paul McCartney went to the South Hampton home a week ago to sing for Jimmy and his family.

A number of people posted tributes, including Elton John, Kenny Chesney and President Biden.

Jimmy was 76.

Bob Barker's animal rights legacy is something PETA wants to honor with a street name change on the most iconic boulevard in L.A. ... which could actually happen!

A rep for PETA tells TMZ ... they've made an official request with the City of Los Angeles for an honorary add-on to Sunset Blvd. -- to pay tribute the late 'Price Is Right' host, who just died last weekend.

Don't worry ... this isn't as wacky as it sounds. PETA assures us this would only be a minor change, and it wouldn't even require the removal of an actual "Sunset Blvd." sign hanging from street lights.

Basically what we're talking about is a second sign -- under one of the Sunset Blvd. signs -- that would read "Bob Barker Blvd." The PETA rep says they'd love to have this on their block on Sunset.

There's also this ... PETA tells us they've actually taken steps to make this happen. They've contacted City Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez, who reps their area. We're told PETA brass and Soto-Martinez's staff are scheduled to meet in the coming weeks.

PETA says they're pushing this because Bob actually made a generous donation way back when that allowed them to open this L.A.-based office, and they wanna return the favor.

Senator Mitch McConnell has the green light to return to work after his second time freezing up in front of reporters, but this time doctors think they know what's causing it.

According to a statement from Dr. Brian P. Monahan, 81-year-old McConnell was consulted and the doc talked with his neurology team, with Wednesday's evaluation determining, "he is medically clear to continue with his schedule as planned."

Monahan continues, "Occasional lightheadedness is not uncommon in concussion recovery and can also be expected as a result of dehydration."

The checkup comes on the heels of the Kentucky legislator talking to reporters Wednesday in Covington -- he was asked about the possibility of running for office again, which was when he took a long pause and appeared to zone out.

Even after aides walked up to help him, he continued to appear frozen. His camp later said the Senator "felt momentarily lightheaded" and would be "consulting a physician prior to his next event."

The same thing went down last month while on Capitol Hill, as McConnell stopped dead in his tracks, mid-sentence.

July's incident didn't come with a medical evaluation -- not one that was publicly announced, at least -- so, the doctor's remarks this time certainly start to connect the dots.

Remember, McConnell was admitted to a hospital and was being treated for a concussion back in March after taking a fall at a hotel in Washington, D.C.

Hurricane Idalia's trail of destruction across Florida includes a direct hit on Gov. Ron DeSantis' home, where a century-old oak tree came slamming down as his wife and kids were inside.

DeSantis' wife, Casey, shared the frightening news Wednesday evening, as the brutal storm made its way through Florida and Georgia -- she wrote, "100 year old oak tree falls on the Governor’s Mansion in Tallahassee."

What's worse, she says she was hunkered down in the home -- with their 3 young kids, Madison, Mason and Mamie -- when Idalia toppled the mighty oak!

Luckily, she says no one was injured, but it's safe to say it'll take a pretty big cleanup crew to get rid of the lumber.

The FL Governor was asked about the tree damage while giving the state updates on the storm ... reassuring folks his family was safe despite the close call.

He managed to find a silver lining for the fallen tree, though ... joking (we hope) his kids would now have more room to practice baseball.

Sen. Mitch McConnell's spokesman says, "Leader McConnell felt momentarily lightheaded," and that's why he paused.

However, one of McConnell's aides says although the Senator "feels fine" now, he will be "consulting a physician prior to his next event."

Senator Mitch McConnell froze yet again mid-sentence while addressing the media -- marking a second frightening episode like this that he's suffered in public.

The Kentucky legislator was talking to reporters Wednesday in Covington, KY, addressing a Chamber of Commerce matter and seemingly doing fine ... that is, until he wasn't. When a reporter asked him about running for reelection, he took a long pause.

Much like he did a month ago on Capitol Hill ... Sen. McConnell just stood there quietly, and appeared to zone out. Eventually, one of his aides stepped in and asked if he heard the question ... but he didn't even respond to her, only staring out into space and remaining frozen.

The aide asked the media for a moment of privacy, and that's where the video cuts out.

Obviously, this is deja vu -- and many suspect he might have experienced a medical episode ... although, the first incident was never officially described as such by his team. Now, there are almost certainly going to be even more questions and scrutiny over his health.

Remember, Sen. McConnell also suffered a nasty fall earlier this year that saw him hospitalized for a time. At the moment, he's the top-ranking Republican in the Senate.