Politics

Jimmy Kimmel's return to TV -- which included a staunch defense of the First Amendment and an emotional salute to Charlie Kirk's widow -- went over like a fart in church with Congressman Dan Crenshaw.

The U.S. Representative from Texas joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live," and blasted Kimmel's monologue as not just disingenuous ... but, a "new brand of gaslighting."

Crenshaw thinks the late night host was only saying what he needed to say to save face after ABC suspended him, and wasn't actually apologizing to people who felt he'd insulted Kirk's memory and his conservative followers.

That was quick ... the statue of President Trump holding hands with Jeffrey Epstein has been taken away from the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

The bronze-colored statue popped up Tuesday, less than a mile from the White House, but by Wednesday morning, it was gone.

The U.S. Department of the Interior tells TMZ ... "The statue was removed because it was not compliant with the permit issued."

Eye for an eye from Jesse Watters ... he says America needs to bomb the United Nations building in New York City in response to a broken teleprompter and escalator during President Trump's recent visit.

The Fox News host said the U.N. "sabotaged" Trump's Tuesday visit ... saying a malfunctioning teleprompter during Trump's speech and an escalator that stopped as soon as Trump and Melania stepped onto it amounted to "an insurrection."

Watters said the response is clear ... "What we need to do is either leave the U.N. or we need to bomb it."

The Department of Homeland Security's Pokémon-themed video showcasing immigration arrests is going viral ... but the folks at Pokémon are not giving it their stamp of approval.

The clip shows federal law enforcement agents taking suspects into custody as the Pokémon theme song plays ... and the edit features scenes from the hit TV show ... but it sounds like the feds did this all on their own.

A rep for Pokémon Company International tells TMZ … "We are aware of a recent video posted by the Department of Homeland Security that includes imagery and language associated with our brand. Our company was not involved in the creation or distribution of this content, and permission was not granted for the use of our intellectual property."

Luigi Mangione says President Trump is violating his right to a fair trial by continually trashing him in public comments, especially in the wake of the Charlie Kirk assassination ... and he wants prosecutors in the case to be ordered to tell him to cut it out.

In new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Luigi's legal team says comments made by Trump and several prominent members of his Administration are prejudicing Luigi "by baselessly linking him to unrelated violent events, and left-wing extremist groups, despite there being no connection or affiliation."

Luigi's camp says the recent murder of Charlie Kirk murder "has only increased this prejudicial rhetoric."

Violet Affleck ripped into world leaders in a passionate speech at a United Nations meeting Tuesday -- blasting them for not protecting younger generations when it comes to the transmission and prevention of COVID-19.

Check out her heartfelt speech ... the daughter of Ben Affleck and Jen Garner argues leaders say her generation is the future ... but accuses them of actively stealing their lives in the present by avoiding the continued dangers of COVID-19.

She criticizes people in power of relentlessly trying to get back to "normal" while "ignoring, downplaying, and concealing" both the prevalence of airborne transmission and the threat of long COVID.

Gary Cohen dove headfirst into controversy Tuesday night, expressing bewilderment at Matt Shaw's decision to miss Sunday's Cubs game for his buddy Charlie Kirk's memorial service, and the Mets announcer is catching heat.

"Shaw had Cubs World in a tizzy this weekend when he was not here for the Cubs game with the Reds, and they lost 1-0, and his lack of presence was felt. It was later revealed that he had been given permission to attend Charlie Kirk's funeral," Cohen said in the 4th inning, as the 23-year-old was at the plate.

"I don't want to talk about any of the politics of it, but the thought of leaving your team in the middle of a race for any reason other than a family emergency, really strikes me as weird."

James B. Jones, known for starring on Netflix's "Love on the Spectrum," has reacted to President Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announcing Tylenol use during pregnancy has possible links to autism.

The reality star -- a person with Asperger syndrome, which is on the autism spectrum -- pushed back at the administration's comments in an Instagram video shared Tuesday ... imploring those concerned about taking Tylenol and other forms of acetaminophen not to worry.

James declares as someone with autism, whose mother was cautious about her health while pregnant with both him and his brother, he is nearly positive such medication has no influence on creating autism in developing fetuses.

President Donald Trump ain't happy that ABC put Jimmy Kimmel back on air ... and let everyone know by ripping into the "fake news" network Tuesday night.

Check out his post on Truth Social -- he says he "can't believe" Jimmy's suspension was lifted, theorizing ... "Something happened between then and now because his audience is GONE, and his 'talent' was never there."

The prez goes on to question why ABC would want someone "who does so poorly, who’s not funny, and who puts the Network in jeopardy by playing 99% positive Democrat GARBAGE" back on air.

10:57 AM PT -- DHS has since taken down the video.

Theo Von's support for Donald Trump might be waning ... he's pissed the administration used his face to promote Immigration Customs Enforcement deportation videos!

The popular podcaster specifically targeted Trump's Department of Homeland Security in his Tuesday night post on X, saying he never approved being included in the spot.

Theo also asked DHS to send him a check for using his likeness and to "please keep me out of your 'banger' deportation videos."

Jimmy Kimmel is back on 'Live!' 6 days after ABC placed the show on an indefinite hiatus over his comments regarding Charlie Kirk's death and he offered a soft apology without saying "sorry."

Jimmy got emotional as he stressed he never meant to make light of the murder of Charlie Kirk, praised free speech, and condemned the FCC and President Donald Trump for pressuring to take him off the air.

He joked about preempting "Celebrity Family Feud" then admitted the past 48 hours felt surreal. He compared it to the CEO of Tylenol's week. He said everyone he's ever known has reached out, even Larry, the Seattle radio boss who fired him years ago for refusing to do a donut bit.

Kimmel noted solidarity across the political spectrum, thanked ABC for 23 years of support, and pointed out Trump's push to fire late night hosts. He then shifted to comedy, joking with "FCC Chairman" Robert De Niro and mocking Trump's United Nations speech, escalator mishap, and teleprompter struggles.

He thanked viewers for speaking up so his voice could be heard, highlighting even those who disagree with him but defended his right to stay on the air.

1:53 PM PT -- President Trump just commented on the conviction of Routh and he thanked Attorney Pam Bondi and her staff for meting out swift justice in the case.

Ryan Routh has been found guilty on all charges in relation to his foiled attempt at assassinating President Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf course last year.

A Florida jury found him guilty Tuesday on five federal criminal counts -- including attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer and several firearms offenses.

And in a stunning turn of events, he tried stabbing himself in the neck with a pen directly after the verdict was read, Fox News reports.

Dr. Oz is tempering President Trump's recent comments on Tylenol use among pregnant women and its possible links to Autism ... clarifying when acetaminophen should be used, and when it should be avoided.

Oz, who is Trump's Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, joined us on "TMZ Live" Tuesday and offered more clarity on a lot of what Trump said during a White House briefing.

Trump went hard on Tylenol and basically told pregnant mothers to never use it and to not give it to their babies ... but Dr. Oz told us there is one circumstance where Tylenol may be necessary.

Jimmy Kimmel has finally spoken out after his late-night show's suspension ... and hours before he's set to return to air.

Check out his post on Instagram... it's a photo of him posing with Norman Lear, and he captioned it with a simple, "Missing this guy today."

Why is he missing Norman, you may ask? Well ... Norman was a huge proponent of the First Amendment and most known for his comedy series, "All in the Family," which was the first sitcom to touch on political and often controversial topics.

Ana Navarro's got a message for folks in Miami ... come see her moderate the last stop on the Kamala Harris book tour, "If you haven't been deported yet."

Kamala will be in Miami November 20 for the 15th and final stop of her promotional tour for her memoir, "107 Days," and the 'View' host will be moderating a discussion.

Ana's deportation joke was mostly met with laughter Tuesday on "The View" ... Kamala, sitting next to her, laughed and then mouthed, "Oh, that's awful."

Donald Trump is PO'd at liberals ... slamming them for seemingly paying for a statue of him holding hands with Jeffrey Epstein to go up right outside the White House!

Check out the new statues erected in the National Mall in Washington, D.C. -- they show Trump and Epstein giddily frolicking together and holding hands ... with a plaque announcing the new figures are in honor of Friendship Month, which falls in September, apparently.

The plaque additionally reads ... "We celebrate the long-lasting bond between President Donald J. Trump and his 'closest friend,' Jeffrey Epstein."