Politics

Gavin Newsom says Fox News has gone off the deep end ... purely peddling the Trump administration's propaganda these days -- and, he's calling for an apology in regards to the defamation lawsuit he filed.

The Governor of California joined Brian Tyler Cohen on his podcast Friday ... and, he told Brian he doesn't like to use the courts in situations like this -- but, he felt it was finally time to fight the "propaganda network."

Governor Newsom says he's willing to let the network off the hook if he receives an on-air apology for the story they ran claiming he lied about calling President Trump ... but, if not, he's ready to let the lawyers duke it out in court.

Former Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff ain't happy about the ongoing ICE raids -- telling TMZ what's happening across the nation is simply "outrageous."

We caught up with Emhoff in L.A. Thursday ... though he's got a cool demeanor, he clearly thinks ICE raids targeting undocumented immigrants amid an aggressive deportations push under the Trump administration are appalling.

He's got a positive message, though -- promising families worried about how the federal actions will impact them that he and his wife, former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, are "always going to stand up for people in need."

3:25 PM PT -- Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to TMZ ... “Luis Hipolito was arrested for ASSAULTING an ICE law enforcement officer. Andrea Guadalupe Velez was arrested for impeding an arrest after she forcefully obstructed an ICE officer by making physical contact with him. Secretary Noem has been clear: if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Our ICE officers are facing a 500 percent increase in assaults against them while they carry out enforcement operations. These U.S. citizens actions kept ICE law enforcement from arresting the target illegal alien of their operation.”

Several law enforcement officers -- including at least one wearing ICE gear -- tackled a U.S. citizen to the ground and put their knees on his back after he allegedly punched an ICE agent in the face.

The incident went down Tuesday ... with bystanders recording multiple men -- including one wearing a "Police ICE" vest -- slamming a man in a white T-shirt and black pants to the asphalt, pushing his face into the curb as they wrestle to handcuff him.

It takes some time for the group to fully take him down ... and, at different times, the agents take turns putting their knees into the suspect's back -- while onlookers scream at them.

Gavin Newsom's ripping a page out of President Trump's own playbook ... suggesting Trump's elderly brain might be slipping, and says that might be why he couldn't remember details of their phone call.

The Cali Governor takes the shot at Trump in the defamation lawsuit he filed against Fox News. He comments on Trump suggesting he'd spoken to Newsom on June 9 -- when in fact the call happened on June 7 -- saying, "It is impossible to know for certain whether President Trump's distortion was intentionally deceptive or merely a result of his poor cognitive state."

Some MAGA supporters might read that as a cheap shot, but it's one Trump's made a habit of hurling at his predecessor, President Joe Biden ... or as 47 calls him, "Sleepy Joe."

Donald Trump may have opened Pandora's box with his pardon of Todd and Julie Chrisley ... 'cause now yet another reality star is coming out of the woodwork begging the prez for a favor.

Joe Giudice took to Instagram Thursday to straight-up beg President Trump for a pardon so he can return to the U.S. to visit his kids -- more than a decade after he was deported.

Giudice writes, "I was raised in Jersey, I’m a father of four amazing daughters, and I just want to be allowed to visit them again. President Trump, I respect you and I’m asking for a second chance."

Michelle Obama's sick of divorce rumors about her and Barack ... and, she's got a simple message for their fans -- stop assuming there is a right way to prove you love someone!

The former First Lady sat down for an interview with NPR -- published Thursday -- and, she told everyone she and her husband aren't spring chickens anymore ... so, they don't share everything on Instagram like younger generations might want them to.

Michelle says the lack of social media surplus doesn't mean the two are getting ready to split ... they're just not interested in sharing every little thing with the public.

Pete Hegseth just berated the press corps for questioning the Trump administration ... essentially calling them un-American for their reporting on the recent attack on Iran.

The Secretary of Defense flipped out on the media Thursday morning after several outlets published details from a leaked Pentagon report, which indicates the attack may have only set Iran's nuclear program back a few months.

Secretary Hegseth says the media hates Donald Trump so much they hope everything he does is a failure ... at the cost of recognizing the patriotism of the military personnel who actually pulled off Saturday night's strike.

The Pentagon's "bunker-buster" bombs used on three nuclear facilities in Iran can decimate the inside of a deeply buried target ... and, the Defense Department's got the film to prove it.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine broke down a fiery video during Thursday morning's briefing at the Pentagon ... finally rolling out a clip of the bomb in action.

To be clear ... it's not a video from Fordow, Natanz or Isfahan -- the three nuclear sites a fleet of B-2 bombers attacked Saturday night -- this is video of a test run, presumably prior to the bombing.

President Trump is the "Daddy" of world leaders who attended the recent NATO summit in the Netherlands ... at least according to a new White House promotional video that incorporates none other than Usher's music.

The White House posted a 1-minute-plus clip to X on Wednesday, featuring The Donald looking all presidential as Usher's 2010 hit, "Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home)," plays over the montage of images at the summit.

This is interesting 'cause, as you know, Usher is no fan of President Trump ... the singer supported Kamala Harris in the 2024 election and even appeared alongside her during her failed presidential campaign.

Todd and Julie Chrisley are recalling the moment they found out President Trump granted them full pardons ... and Julie says she busted out crying.

The reality TV family sits down for an interview in an upcoming episode of FOX News Channel's "My View With Lara Trump" ... and a preview shows them telling Trump's daughter-in-law about how they reacted to the pardon news behind bars.

Julie says her daughter Savannah called her and told her Trump had signed the pardon and then the tears started flowing and she nervously hung up the phone.

Todd says he initially thought people in prison were pulling his chain ... but the reality hit him when a correctional officer came to his cell and told him it was official.

The "Chrisley Knows Best" star says God led people to advocate for him and Julie ... and he prayed every night that he would return home to his wife and kids.

Fireworks on "TMZ Live" during a segment on President Trump with special guest D.L. Hughley ... and things got racial, explicit, nasty and extremely personal.

D.L. was ripping Trump for tearing up Barack Obama's deal with Iran and scoffing at the idea of Trump getting the Nobel Peace Prize when our Michael Babcock joined the conversation and asked the comedian what Trump would have to do to get some props ... and things escalated very quickly.

The heated back-and-forth on Trump's presidency, in general, quickly shifted to a convo about race -- with D.L. asking Babcock why Trump's changing military base names to honor Confederates?

A handful of businesses in Venice, Italy are reaping the rewards of the Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez wedding -- but, others are worried their city is ripe for a terrorist attack with local authorities focused on the days-long event and subsequent protests.

TMZ spoke with several Venetian businesses, and most were more worried about what the wedding will do to the city -- rather than being optimistic about what it would do FOR the city.

An employee of the historic restaurant Enoteca Al Volto tells TMZ ... she and locals she's chatted with only reaction to the wedding is fear city leaders and law enforcement are so laser-focused on security for the roughly 200 A-list, ultra-wealthy guests ... a blind spot may exist for a terrorist attack.

The heated back-and-forth between President Donald Trump and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez reached a feverish pitch Tuesday with DT calling AOC a rodent and AOC claiming she could eat DT for breakfast.

The feisty New Yorkers went toe to toe on social media over Trump pulling the trigger on bombing Iran's nuclear sites over the weekend.

AOC fired the first salvo Saturday when she wrote on X that Trump's "disastrous decision to bomb Iran without authorization is a grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers."

Ivanka Trump is rolling into Venice serving looks -- sunnies on, chic 'fit locked in, and Jared Kushner by her side -- all set to slay at Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez’s luxe 'I do’s.'

Catch the pics -- Ivanka was giving full-on sweltering Euro summer vibes in a patterned two-piece set as she and Jared boarded a boat Tuesday, likely en route to the ultra-posh Aman Venice hotel ... aka HQ for Bezos, Sanchez, and their A-list wedding squad.

With under 200 names on the guest list, Ivanka was a no-brainer -- especially with that effortlessly luxe style that screams VIP and upscale glam.

Matt Gaetz may want to invest in a privacy screen for his mobile phone ... 'cause a fellow passenger on a plane spied on his text messages, recording his convo with his mom and blasting the video out on the Internet!

The mole later posted the clip on TikTok ... showing Matt seated in a chair and scrawling through messages from his mom on his cell phone. And Gaetz's momma, Victoria, had some stern advice for her son regarding President Donald Trump, Iran and more.

Check it out for yourself ... Victoria seems adamant if her boy publicly criticizes Trump over his recent strike against Iran, Matt's gonna lose the MAGA fan base. Victoria also scoffs at the idea of Matt going back to practicing law. She warns him ... "Let's not mess up this media gig."

Diego Luna is onboard with making America great again, but not the way President Trump wants to do it -- while guest hosting "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" he said it's immigrants, not Trump, who'll get the job done.

Check out the clip ... the "Andor" star questions how someone like POTUS could come into a place of so much power while spewing so much hate -- in a country that's been so welcoming to generations of immigrants.

During his monologue, Diego pointed to the country's track record as evidence, noting ... "The multiple times that this country has had to rebuild itself, immigrants were always there to pick up the slack."