Politics

D.L. Hughley says anyone who spent serious time with Jeffrey Epstein back in the day should be raked over the coals for it ... arguing many people have been canceled for far less.

We caught up with the comedian at LAX Friday morning ... and, we had to ask him about the political topic on everyone's mind -- the impending release of the Epstein Files.

In the clip, Hughley expresses his outrage that we don't know everything about these men ... chalking it up to privileged rich white men.

Hilarious moment at a Trump protest in Alabama ... a grandmother wearing an inflatable penis costume on the side of the road got arrested ... and it's all on video.

Newly released police body cam footage shows the moment 61-year-old Renea Gamble is confronted and busted by law enforcement during a No Kings protest in Fairhope.

Renea says she's the person underneath the inflatable penis costume with a picket sign that says, "No D*ck Tator."

Donald Trump's online post threatening U.S. lawmakers for what he calls sedition set off serious alarms Thursday ... but House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson didn't seem overly concerned about the whole situation.

FYI ... six senators and representatives released a video Tuesday encouraging active duty service members to refuse unlawful orders from their superiors.

President Trump was livid about the video, posting on his Truth Social site to describe the elected politicians "seditious" and called for them to be arrested. He reposted someone else's comment calling for the lawmakers to be executed by hanging. He later posted "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!"

Johnson told reporters Thursday his colleagues shouldn't have encouraged troops to refuse unlawful orders, according to CNN. He called the video "wildly inappropriate."

Johnson admitted he wouldn't have used the same language as Trump did. He said he didn't think the actions of the senators and representatives earned them the death penalty.

Jimmy Kimmel gave Donald Trump a special shout-out on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" Thursday night, after the prez called for ABC to "get the bum off the air" following Wednesday's show.

Check out the clip -- Jimmy laid into Trump ... and even urged viewers to listen to him, reasoning ... "He keeps saying we have bad ratings. And you should listen to him – because if anyone knows about bad ratings – it’s that guy!" Burn.

The late-night host went on to remind the prez he tried getting him fired back in September. But, he admitted he wasn't against the idea of leaving TV, and even proposed a deal -- "I’ll go when you go," he noted. "We’ll be a team. Let’s ride off into the sunset together!"

The U.S. Capitol is on fire, kind of ... a fire started in a underground tunnel that connects Congressional buildings by train ... and it landed two police officers in the hospital.

The fire sparked Thursday afternoon on the Capitol subway system and two U.S. Capitol Police officers were taken to a local hospital for further evaluation.

Officials say there were no injuries among train passengers. It's unclear who was on the train.

Honesty is the best policy ... at least according to Karoline Leavitt, who brazenly defended Donald Trump calling a female reporter "piggy," telling White House journalists they should appreciate the president's honest and direct approach.

Strap in -- the White House Press Secretary went full ride-or-die at Thursday’s briefing, doubling down on Trump’s jab and basically saying, hey, at least he was open and honest, which in her universe counts as "respectful."

When the Washington Post’s Natalie Allison pressed her on it, Leavitt elaborated -- saying Trump’s "frankness" is basically why he got re-elected, and insisting he only gets cranky when reporters lie and spread "fake news." And she claimed Trump's rudeness is preferable to the Biden administration's press dealings.

A Florida Congresswoman's been charged with stealing millions of dollars in federal disaster funds -- and using the cash to foot the bill for her last congressional campaign.

According to a DOJ press release, Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick and her brother, Edwin Cherfilus, worked on a FEMA-funded COVID-19 vaccination staffing contract through their family healthcare company in 2021.

The DOJ says the company received an overpayment of $5 million in FEMA funds and Cherfilus-McCormick and her brother allegedly laundered the cash ... which was used for candidate contributions to her 2021 campaign. She won a special campaign to replace late Representative Alcee Hastings in 2022 with 72 percent of the vote.

The Justice Department said Cherfilus-McCormick and another defendant allegedly funneled cash to various friends and family members who, in turn, donated the money to her campaign. The Congresswoman and her 2021 tax preparer were also charged with conspiring to file a false federal tax return.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi described the use of disaster relief funds for personal gain as a "particularly selfish, cynical crime."

Cherfilus-McCormick's legal team released a statement saying they'll keep fighting to restore the Representative's "good name."

Keith Urban is not letting a silly controversy about his recent Mar-a-Lago performance faze him ... 'cause the country star's too busy raising bank for sick children.

Here the deal ... KU just headlined a benefit concert at the CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Florida on Tuesday ... and he helped raise a record $2 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

It's a big deal for a few reasons ... obviously, the dude has a huge heart -- actively supporting St. Jude for years -- and he also just performed and presented at last night's CMAs. But there was a snag over a song he played at a private gig.

President Donald Trump has signed a bill legislating the release of the Epstein Files ... but a Democratic lawmaker does not have faith the Commander in Chief will honor the commitment.

Rep. Suhas Subramanyam stopped by TMZ Live Thursday to tell us Trump's signature doesn't guarantee a whole lot. The Virginia congressman told us he wouldn't be surprised if Trump tampered with the files, or only releases files relating to Democrats, or withholds anything that could make him look bad.

Suhas said ... "I think that's why he was so quick to sign the legislation."

President Donald Trump's incendiary post threatening politicians with execution by hanging isn't sitting well with House Democrats ... some of whom have reported the Truth Social post to U.S. Capitol Police.

ICYMI ... two U.S. Senators and four Representatives who formerly served in the military or intelligence services released a video Tuesday encouraging active duty service members to refuse illegal orders from the military chain of command.

The video really struck a nerve with Trump, who described the content as "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL" on Truth Social and reposted a user's comment reading ... "HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD!!" He also posted so-called seditious behavior is "punishable by DEATH!"

1:20 PM PT -- A Coast Guard official responded to The Washington Post's report on the service's official X account Thursday afternoon, denying the details.

Acting Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, Admiral Kevin Lunday, posted ... “The claims that the U.S. Coast Guard will no longer classify swastikas, nooses or other extremist imagery as prohibited symbols are categorically false. These symbols have been and remain prohibited in the Coast Guard per policy. Any display, use or promotion of such symbols, as always, will be thoroughly investigated and severely punished. The Coast Guard remains unwavering in its commitment to fostering a safe, respectful and professional workplace. Symbols such as swastikas, nooses and other extremist or racist imagery violate our core values and are treated with the seriousness they warrant under current policy."

Seismic change is in the works at the U.S. Coast Guard ... the military service branch just drafted a new policy that no longer classifies swastikas and nooses as hate symbols.

Instead, the Coast Guard will consider the swastika -- long the symbol of Nazis and forever linked to the Holocaust -- as "potentially divisive" ... according to documents obtained by The Washington Post.

The sweeping changes go into effect next month ... when the noose and the Confederate flag will also be downgraded from hateful to potentially divisive.

He shoots, he scores… kinda!! Donald Trump was in full kick-back mode -- literally -- dropping an A.I. clip of himself pulling World Cup-level moves during his White House hang with Cristiano Ronaldo.

In a Thursday Truth Social drop, Trump served up a rare dose of humor ... posting the clip that kickstarted with a football -- ahem, soccer ball -- bonking him on the head before he and digi-Cristiano started flexing their header game and some fancy footwork.

The A.I. clip really went for it, turning the Oval Office into a full pitch, with Ronaldo and Trump cheesin' hard as they boot the ball back and forth like it's match day.

Donald Trump’s reigniting his beef with Jimmy Kimmel after the talk show quipped the Prez would be "bracing for Hurricane Epstein" Wednesday night ... and let’s just say, Trump did not find the weather forecast funny.

Trump went off in a Truth Social post Wednesday, ranting about why ABC "fake news" keeps Jimmy on air ... calling him talentless, dragging his ratings, alleging "biased" network coverage, and ending it with one heck of a burn ... "Get the bum off the air!!!"

Now, he could just be popping off for sport ... but it’s way more likely he’s reacting to Jimmy’s late-night talk show monologue last night, claiming Trump will be a major name in the Epstein files release.

President Trump wants to see a group of Democratic Congressmen and women arrested and strung up for openly urging U.S. soldiers to disobey his orders.

POTUS is firing back at the 2 U.S. Senators and 4 Representatives -- all ex-military or CIA -- who put together a video in which they encourage current members of the military to refuse unlawful and un-Constitutional orders from their superiors.

Thursday morning on Truth Social, he called the video "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL. Each one of these traitors to our Country should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL."

8:22 AM PT -- Natalie Greene's lawyer, Louis Barbone, tells TMZ ... "At the age of 26, my client served her community working full time to assist the constituents of the Congressman with loyalty and fidelity. She did that while being a full-time student. Under the law, she is presumed innocent and reserves all of her defenses for presentation in a court of law."

After a New Jersey woman reported she was zip-tied and slashed all over her body, with the words "Trump Whore" carved into her stomach ... authorities say she made the whole thing up, and even paid an artist to cut her skin to help sell the fabricated attack.

In court papers obtained by TMZ, federal prosecutors say the 26-year-old woman paid $500 to have a body modification artist she found on Instagram to expertly slice her up with a scalpel. Natalie Greene -- a former aide to a GOP Congressman -- is now facing charges.

Greene claimed 3 armed men attacked her and a friend on July 23 at Egg Harbor Township Nature Reserve in New Jersey. She said they threatened to shoot her before striking her in the head, tying her with zip-ties, and carving up her face and body. She also claimed they wrote political slurs on her stomach and back. Check out the photos.

Donald Trump has signed the bill to require the Justice Department to release all unclassified records relating to Jeffrey Epstein.

This comes after the bill was put on the House floor Tuesday for a full vote, and it passed 427 to 1 -- sending it to the Senate, which agreed unanimously to approve it Tuesday afternoon and send it to Trump's desk

Kentucky GOP Rep. Thomas Massie sponsored the bill with California Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna ... and Massie has called on Trump to release the files himself. Remember, Trump could have immediately ordered the release of the Epstein Files at any time ... without a House or Senate vote.