Politics

George Santos says he's taken inventory of his life after a nearly six-week stint in solitary ... and, he's got a new mission after President Trump commuted his sentence and set him free.

The former New York Congressman joined us on "TMZ Live" Monday ... and, he gave us the rundown on his time in the clink, which he says gave him a ton of time to think about his past mistakes -- especially while he spent 41 days in the special housing unit.

Santos says he's embarrassed by the lies he told and his own duplicitous nature ... and, he watched his whole life like a movie in his own head -- running through each and every mistake. During this time, Santos says he fell back on his own religion, and he thinks he's square with the big guy upstairs now.

Charlie Kirk's memorial cost taxpayers a pretty penny to keep safe ... 'cause we've learned the United States Secret Service paid an event company millions to secure the perimeter.

We've obtained documents that show the Secret Service paid ARCUS Group, LLC -- a full-service event management and disaster relief aid company -- was paid $2,677,416.19 to protect the perimeter of the ceremony at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

ARCUS has experience with perimeter protection at high-profile events. Their website touts their past perimeter protection jobs which include President Donald Trump's 2021 inauguration ... so, clearly the administration feels confident in the services they provide.

It looks like Mike Johnson got a kick out of Donald Trump's A.I.-generated response to the "No Kings" protests ... because he just defended the clip at a news conference.

Here's the deal ... POTUS shared a video created with A.I. on his Truth Social account on Saturday, which showed him flying a fighter jet and dropping what appeared to be poop all over protesters.

Oh, and 47 made sure to have a crown generated on his head for the video ... just in case his response to the "No Kings" protests wasn't subtle enough.

Harvey Levin, like millions of Americans, is sick of the government shutdown, and, he wants help issuing an ultimatum to EVERY member of Congress -- end the shutdown this week or face primary challenges in next year's midterm elections.

The founder and executive producer of TMZ called for our whole office's attention during Monday's TMZ Livestream to announce a new movement called "OWTA" -- which stands for "Out With Their Asses."

HL says he's done with gridlock in Washington, especially because of the ongoing government shutdown ... and, he wants to hold politicians to account. Basically, calling on voters to support non-incumbents in next year's election cycle to force pols on both sides to the table.

Gavin Newsom slammed the White House after a live-fire demonstration by the Marine Corps resulted in a California Highway Patrol vehicle being hit with shrapnel.

The demonstration took place at Camp Pendleton in San Diego Country on Saturday, and an explosive artillery shell was fired as part of the event, which was attended by Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to The Hill.

Newsom had ordered part of Interstate 5 to be closed down prior to the demonstration after being advised by traffic safety experts from CHP.

It looks like Donald Trump's really trying to get things winding down in Ukraine ... because he reportedly told Volodymyr Zelensky to consider cutting his losses.

POTUS had a sit-down with the Ukrainian President at the White House over the weekend, and the former spoke to reporters on Sunday and claimed he didn't tell Zelensky to give up entirely, according to the New York Post.

However, 47 admitted he'd advised Zelensky to think about stopping the fighting where the current battle lines are and sending his forces home.

Kenny Loggins is super pissed Donald Trump ripped his classic "Danger Zone" for a recent controversial video ... and the iconic singer is ready to take action.

Here's the deal ... Trump used the 'Top Gun' classic in an A.I. video in which DT pilots a jet while wearing a crown ... and proceeds to dump poop on No Kings protesters, who were out in several major cities this weekend.

A source close to Kenny tells TMZ … the rocker is exploring legal options to ensure Trump stops using his music … but it’s complicated in this instance ‘cause Kenny doesn’t own full copyright to the tune. Two other guys -- Giorgio Moroder and Tom Whitlock -- wrote and composed 'Danger Zone' along with Kenny for Warner Bros.

The United States military blew up another boat off the coast of Florida ... and the vicious strike was captured on video which the Secretary of War shared to social media.

SecWar Pete Hegseth put the clip on X Sunday morning ... explaining the U.S. took down a ship allegedly associated with Ejército de Liberación Nacional -- a far-left guerrilla movement designated a terrorist org. in the United States.

The video is taken from above the ship on Friday when the strike took place. The vessel is carving through the ocean quickly before the aircraft fires at it -- completely decimating the target.

Pedro Pascal popped up at the "No Kings" protest in Los Angeles over the weekend ... with a sharp message for President Trump.

The actor was pictured holding a sign depicting a drag queen giving a side eye to a throwback image of Trump with his first wife Ivana during Saturday's massive demonstration in downtown L.A.

"No Kings" was written across the top of the sign and "Only Queens" was scrawled across the bottom. Clearly, Pedro was making a statement about Trump's perceived authoritarian leadership while also showing his support for the LGBTQ community.

The United States Secret Service is looking into a hunting stand found in Florida which they say had a direct sightline to where Air Force One could park.

The law enforcement agency revealed Sunday they found the stand near Palm Beach International Airport last week ... releasing a photo of the structure set up in a tree.

In a statement released to media, the U.S. Secret Service Chief of Communications, Anthony Guglielmi said, "During advance security preparations prior to the Palm Beach arrival, which included the use of technology and comprehensive physical sweeps, our teams identified items of interest near Palm Beach International Airport."

6:50 AM PT -- George Santos told CNN Sunday morning he learned about his sentence being commuted while still behind bars ... saying other inmates saw it on TV before he did. "The President was very kind," Santos said. "It was humbling to speak with a sitting President ... that's not something that happens where I come from."

Santos added he had "no expectations" of a commutation and only found out when fellow inmates called him over after seeing the news on a prison TV. "I'd just been released from 41 days in isolation for no valid reason," he said. "I was shocked when I found out. My family confirmed it after I called them."

When asked to address the outrage over his controversial commutation, Santos said Trump could pardon Jesus Christ himself and people would still be mad.

George Santos has broken his silence following his surprise release from federal prison ... thanking President Donald Trump for giving him what he calls "a true second chance at life."

In a lengthy post on X Saturday, the ex-Congressman said he was deeply moved by Trump's "kindness" and "generosity" after the President commuted his seven year sentence for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

"Yesterday, I was given something I never thought I’d have again: a true second chance at life," Santos wrote. "First and foremost, I want to thank our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for never abandoning me... I also want to express my deepest gratitude to President Donald J. Trump."

Eric Trump's unhappy with the investigation into the attempt on his father's life ... and, he seems to be indicating there's widespread conspiracy surrounding it.

The son of President Donald Trump made an appearance on CNN Sunday to promote his new book "Under Siege: My Family's Fight to Save Our Nation" ... and, he was asked about a recent comment he made saying he was "unsatisfied" with all the questions surrounding the July 2024 attack in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Trump launches into an angry tirade ... telling the host he's absolutely pissed that it doesn't seem the public knows anything about the man who shot Trump, Thomas Matthew Crooks.

Thousands of demonstrations are taking place around the world today ... with protesters flooding the streets in opposition to the Trump administration.

New York City, Boston, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Memphis and many more major areas are playing host to protests today -- and, activists are shaking signs and even dressing up in costume to make their point.

Protesters gathered in Chicago's Millennium Park outside the famous Cloudgate statue ... with one person holding a sign of Trump dancing with "Party Like It's 1939" written underneath -- a reference to the comparison between DJT and Adolf Hitler some have made in the past.

5:30 PM PT -- Santo's lawyer, Andrew Mancilla, tells TMZ ... GS will likely get out around 11 pm ET, but that is just an estimation. Family will pick him up. He's looking forward to a good night of sleep at home.

President Trump is springing ex-Congressman George Santos from prison, saying the convicted fraudster has no business doing 7 years behind bars.

POTUS admitted Santos had been a "rogue" ... but added, at least Santos "had the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN!" That's enough in Trump's book to warrant a commutation of Santos' 87-month sentence for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Santos just went into federal prison in NJ in July, when he was open about his fears of being assaulted or even killed while doing his time. He stressed he was NOT suicidal ... just in case something happened to him.

Bad Bunny’s been getting slammed for sitting through "God Bless America" at Yankee Stadium recently -- but "Marlins Man" tells TMZ everyone needs to calm down... because the guy didn’t break any rules.

The sports superfan (real name Laurence Leavy) says he’s pissed people are ripping Bad Bunny for this ... insisting the rapper had every right to sit, it’s not against the law, and honestly, the world’s got way bigger problems than this.

Marlins Man says he was sitting right next to BB when it all went down and, sure, he told him to stand -- but Bunny’s camp had their own reasons. His handler even brought up that 'SNL' monologue where BB joked about Americans needing "4 months to learn Spanish before the Super Bowl.”

Prince Andrew is voluntarily relinquishing his royal titles ... though he's still vehemently denying all of the scandalous accusations against him related to Jeffrey Epstein.

The senior royal announced the news in a prepared statement Friday ... writing that, in consultation with his brother King Charles and his other immediate family, it's become clear the allegations leveled against him have distracted from the work of British Royal Family.

He explains he has decided to put his family first once again -- just as he did when he stepped down from his duties five years ago -- and, so he will no longer use his honorifics.