Politics

Michael Knowles says Americans are too focused on troubled past eras of the country's history ... and, he thinks President Trump is right to intervene in the Smithsonian Institution -- even though Michael admits he hasn't been there recently.

The Daily Wire host stopped by "TMZ Live" Wednesday ... starting off his appearance by declaring he knows Trump's announcement is not meant to distract anyone from the still-unreleased Epstein Files, because this mission has been in the works for a while.

ICYMI ... Trump posted on Truth Social Tuesday to let his followers know he's instructed lawyers to challenge the famous museum because "everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been — Nothing about Success, nothing about Brightness, nothing about the Future."

J.D. Vance may never live down rumors that he got intimate with a piece of furniture ... 'cause a group of hecklers called him out for being a "couch f***er" on Wednesday.

The Vice President of the United States stepped out with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller ... walking through Union Station in Washington, D.C. to pick up Shake Shack -- more on that later.

No matter where he goes, VP Vance always has a few boo birds confronting him in the streets ... and, here they screamed out about his alleged fornication with a couch.

Eric Adams says he can't support legalizing prostitution ... citing his past experience as a police officer and his faith as the main reasons for it.

The Mayor of New York City joined us for an interview airing Thursday ... and, he says he's absolutely against legalizing prostitution -- not like his opponent Zohran Mamdani has indicated in the past.

Adams says he remembers seeing young men -- just 18 or 19 years old -- selling their bodies on the street back in the day ... and, he claims prostitution contributed to the AIDS epidemic in the city back in the day as well.

Donald Trump hears he's not going to get through the Pearly Gates ... but, he's got a foolproof plan to fix that -- and, it involves brokering peace between Russia and Ukraine.

The President of the United States talked about the war and his recent summit with Russian Prez Vladimir Putin in Alaska last week ... rattling off facts about the conflict between the two countries.

Trump points out the devastating death toll -- especially on civilians when strikes are focused solely on enemy soldiers ... and, he wants to stop the carnage.

A Rhode Island prosecutor tried to school the police on the law ... but she got schooled herself and slapped with handcuffs for trespassing and creating a wild scene outside a restaurant with her friend, according to body cam footage.

Devon Hogan Flanagan -- a Special Assistant Attorney General -- even had the audacity to tell the arresting officer that he would "regret this" as he cuffed her and put her in the back of a patrol car.

The body cam footage, obtained by TMZ, shows Flanagan repeatedly telling the cop that she's an "AG" while being escorted in cuffs to the patrol car.

Kid Rock is here to troll Gavin Newsom 'All Summer Long' -- and that's exactly what he's doing in a clapback to the California governor.

Check out his hilarious post on X -- the singer ain't laughing at Newsom's image posted Sunday depicting KR dressed as Uncle Sam, encouraging Americans to support Newsom.

Instead of simply ignoring it, he had posted a rebuttal Monday night that could have come out of any middle schooler's mouth -- "The only support Gavin Newscum will ever get out of me is from DEEZ NUTZ"

Chris Pratt is a big fan of Robert Kennedy Jr. ... and he's more than willing to go to the mat for his wife's cousin, which he recently discussed with Bill Maher.

The Marvel star dropped by Maher's podcast "Club Random" for the most recent episode ... and naturally, Bill brought up Chris' super famous in-laws ... which includes the current controversial Secretary of Health and Human Services.

As you can see in the clip ... Bill thinks pretty highly of RFK Jr. and even agrees with some of his views -- and Pratt totally has his back, but he certainly picks his words carefully when the critics are mentioned.

An Indiana woman has been arrested in Washington, D.C. for making death threats against President Donald Trump on social media -- including a claim she would disembowel him.

Nathalie Rose Jones, 50, was taken into custody on Saturday after protesting outside the White House and was charged with 2 felonies, the Justice Department announced.

The U.S. Secret Service first began monitoring her social media posts when she started sharing threatening comments about 47 on Instagram between August 2 and August 9. She overlapped her Instagram threats with concerning Facebook posts on August 6 and continued sharing such messages through August 15.

Melania Trump walked straight into the global crossfire by putting pen to paper in a letter to Vladimir Putin -- and that's made her prime roast material, according to Jack Schlossberg, who just posted a parody video mocking the First Lady.

JFK’s grandson doubled down on his recent taunting of Melania on "TMZ Live" Monday, insisting it’s not about hating her or Trump -- he points out with a brutal war tearing through Europe, seeing Putin -- who's accused of horrific war crimes -- get a hero’s welcome on U.S. soil was way over the line, and the apparently heartfelt letter Melania wrote ain't moving the needle.

Catch our clip -- Jack goes all in, saying yeah, Melania’s wish that kids don’t suffer is fine ... but she, Trump, and the U.S. need to get serious. Enough with the pointless meetings and tacked-on letters -- he wants real foreign policy, not half-baked gestures.

4:58 PM PT -- Linda Hogan reached out to TMZ to clarify her earlier comments ... she now tells us her ex-husband Hulk Hogan wouldn't have been a supporter of California Gov. Gavin Newsom ... 'cause the fam never went along with liberal policies. As far as she's concerned ... no one likes Gavin! So, the meme was lame -- and only worked to confuse some fans.

Gov. Gavin Newsom is trying to beat Trump at his own game as far as ridiculous A.I. memes go ... but his latest post featuring Hulk Hogan was just too painfully stupid, the WWE legend's ex-wife tells TMZ.

Here's the deal ... on Sunday morning, Newsom threw X into chaos with an A.I.-generated image featuring Kid Rock, Tucker Carlson, and Hulk -- sprouting angel wings and a halo -- blessing him under the caption "so nice." Obviously, the meme was meant to rile up Trump and his supporters, since they've shared similar memes in the past in sincere support of the president.

Linda Hogan tells TMZ … For anyone confused about the troll game Newsom is playing with his Trump-esque posts, Hulk couldn’t stand Newsom, and was as far from liberal as you can get.

Volodymyr Zelensky is back in D.C. at the White House ... and this time, he decided to wear a business-like suit instead of his usual military garb.

The president of Ukraine -- along with several other European leaders -- is meeting with Donald Trump Monday in the hopes of ending the war between Russia and Ukraine -- following a disastrous February meeting when VZ was criticized for not appearing sufficiently formal. Zelensky appeared in all black in a tightly cut suit Monday, shirt buttoned up to the top, though he still opted to skip a necktie.

As you know, Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin three days ago in Alaska ... but the two failed to reach a ceasefire agreement. Zelensky was notably not invited to that sit-down.

Melania Trump's letter to Russian leader Vladimir Putin didn't go over so well with one of the Kennedys ... who trolled the First Lady while wearing a wig.

John F. Kennedy's grandson Jack Schlossberg savagely mocked Melania in an Instagram video after she penned a letter to Putin about children caught up in the Ukraine war.

As you know, Trump handed the letter to Putin in person during last week's high-stakes summit in Alaska to discuss ending the war.

Gavin Newsom just flexed his trolling skills big time ... posting an A.I. pic of himself getting blessed by the ultimate Trump celeb squad -- and Republicans are foaming at the mouth with fury!

On Sunday morning, California’s governor threw X into chaos with an A.I. fever dream ... Kid Rock, Tucker Carlson, and the late Hulk Hogan -- sprouting angel wings and a halo -- blessing him under the caption "so nice."

The image mimics other fan art of Trump -- which the prez has sometimes shared himself -- featuring various deceased celebs, and even Jesus, with their hands on the president's shoulders. Of course, Gavin's shot didn't land well with conservatives, with one outraged user slamming the post as "Very disrespectful and blasphemy!"

Rumors about Vladimir Putin's declining health have been around for years ... and there might be some truth to the speculation if you caught the subtle clues during his high-stakes summit with President Donald Trump in Alaska.

Video has surfaced showing the Russian leader standing with Donald after their Friday press conference in Anchorage following their big meeting to try to end the war in Ukraine. As you know, there was no deal reached by the two world leaders.

Check out the footage ... Putin looks jumpy as he chats with Trump with the help of a translator standing nearby. At one point, Putin's legs start twitching as does his right hand before he uses it to shake hands with Trump.

Gal Gadot is speaking out after sparking headlines with comments about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the "Snow White" movie's lackluster performance at the box office.

The actress took to Instagram Stories on Sunday to clarify remarks she made during a sit down on Israeli TV. In the interview, Gadot was asked why Disney's "Snow White" tanked at the box office despite its whopping $200 million budget.

"When the film came out, I felt that those who are against Israel criticized me in a very personal, almost visceral way," she said on IG. "They saw me first and foremost as an Israeli, not as an actress. That's the perspective I spoke from."

Melania Trump may not have attended the big summit between President Donald Trump and Vladamir Putin Friday -- but she sure as Hell made her presence known in the form of a poignant personal letter.

The United States' first lady penned a message to the Russian president that was reportedly hand-delivered to him during his meeting with 47 in Anchorage, Alaska.

The letter, which Melania shared on Instagram Saturday, raises concern for the children abducted during the war in Ukraine. She pleads with Putin to protect "the innocence" of the children, who she says deserve the right to the dream of "love, possibility, and safety from danger."