Politics

Jason Lee was accused of both abusing his power as Vice Mayor and misusing $50,000 from the City of Stockton’s risk fund for a "Wild 'n Out" event last year ... but a thorough investigation has cleared his name!!!

California's Stockton City Council posted legal docs at the top of the month that they -- and the law office of Hanson Bridgett LLC -- held two hearings in August and December 2025 to determine if Lee was guilty of any financial violations, or even should have recused himself in deciding to push the event forward.

The investigation noted the event announcement carried the connotation it was to tout Lee's celebrity ... but it was ruled that his interests aligned with the city's well-being.

Dr. Oz is defending new federal guidelines on alcohol consumption ... he says it's best to limit the booze -- but if you must imbibe, at least drink with friends and be sociable.

The head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services joined us on "TMZ Live," and we challenged him over guardrails being removed from federal guidance on alcohol.

The government's new guidelines say to "limit alcoholic beverages" ... before, the feds said two drinks max per day for men, and one for women ... and now, there are no specifics.

Donald Trump said U.S. forces are preparing to attack cartels on land in an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News that aired Thursday night ... and it appeared he was suggesting Mexico was the target.

Discussing the recent Venezuela military operation that resulted in the arrest of President Nicolás Maduro, Trump told Hannity ... "We’ve knocked out 97 percent of the drugs coming in by water, and we are going to start now hitting land with regard to the cartels. The cartels are running Mexico."

POTUS' intention to invade Mexico is not new ... he said the idea of ordering strikes were on the table in November, according to NBC News.

Trump said then the United States would do "whatever we have to do" to stem the apparent flow of drugs into the country ... although he didn't say if he'd obtain the Mexican government's permission to conduct operations in Mexico. Mexico has rejected the idea outright.

Trump asserted he knew about the locations of all of the alleged major Mexican drug traffickers and described their actions as warlike -- and said he is more than willing to utilize physical intervention.

A presidential aircraft dubbed the “Doomsday Plane" was recently spotted at LAX ... and social media has already jumped to the most disastrous conclusions.

The Boeing E-4 Advanced Airborne Command Post was filmed landing in Los Angeles on Thursday ... and it's a pretty big freaking deal given the current extreme global tensions.

Basically, this is the bird President Trump would travel in amid a nuclear war ... so yeah, people are going bananas online.

Jesse Ventura's been open about his disdain for President Donald Trump over the years ... and he made it clear he feels POTUS is a "draft-dodging coward" while speaking to KMSP-TV on Thursday.

The former professional wrestler and one-time governor of Minnesota was visiting his old high school in Minneapolis Thursday to show his support for the school's staff after one of its teachers was reportedly pepper-sprayed and detained by federal officers. He claimed Trump "did what all rich white boys did" during the Vietnam War, skipping out on military service.

Trump received four determents for education, as he was attending the University of Pennsylvania, and he was given a fifth and final deferment when he was diagnosed with bone spurs following his graduation in 1968, according to Business Insider.

A Honduran politician got a not-so-warm welcome Thursday when an explosive device detonated behind her during a press conference, sending her to the hospital with severe injuries.

Gladis Aurora López, Vice President of the National Congress of Honduras, cheated death while chatting with a reporter in the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa.

Check out the video ... everything seems to be okay at first as López answers a question from a journalist ... but then she's struck in the head by a flying object followed by a massive blast.

Spencer Pratt works as hard in reality TV as anyone who has a traditional 9-to-5 gig ... so says his fellow costar on "The Hills," Brody Jenner.

The son of Caitlyn Jenner took to social media to defend his pal after Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass' office ridiculed his mayoral candidacy announcement ... calling it a little more than a publicity stunt to sell his new book.

Brody's telling people not to underestimate Spencer ... pointing out the guy has a degree in political science from USC -- but he chose to stick with reality TV because he recognized a great opportunity.

Spencer Pratt announced his run for mayor of Los Angeles yesterday ... but Karen Bass' team doesn't seem worried.

As we reported ... the 42-year-old reality star announced his new mayoral bid on the first anniversary of the Pacific Palisades wildfire, which destroyed more than 6,000 structures -- including the house Pratt shared with wife Heidi Montag and their two sons.

Since the tragedy, Spencer has engaged in fiery exchanges with California politicians, encouraging fans to call for him to run for office. While he's answered the call ... not everyone seems to think it's a good idea.

Mayor Karen Bass's campaign strategist Douglas Herman tells TMZ ... "It's no shock that in advance of his imminent book release, a reality TV 'villain' who once staged a fake divorce to boost ratings and spent the last summer spewing post-fire misinformation and disinformation to pump up his social media following, would now announce he's running for Mayor."

It looks like Diddy's going to have to suck it up and serve out his prison sentence ... because President Trump says he's not considering a pardon.

Trump told The New York Times he received a letter from Diddy seeking a pardon ... but told the outlet he wasn't considering granting the request.

POTUS is certainly bursting Diddy's bubble here ... as we first reported, Diddy was telling inmates at FCI Fort Dix in New Jersey back in November that he would get a presidential pardon from Trump early in 2026.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is staying far away from Jesse Watters ... claiming she won't go on his show because he's sexually harassed her on the program before!

The New York congresswoman answered media questions in Washington, D.C. Wednesday ... when a producer for Fox News offered her the chance to appear on "Jesse Watters Primetime."

Watch the clip ... AOC turns down the offer flat -- telling the producer Jesse sexually harassed and sexualized her on the network recently, and she won't help boost his ratings.

Dramatic new video shows the aftermath of the woman fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minnesota ... with her spouse breaking down in tears, saying she can't breathe.

Check it out ... The clip begins showing the crowded Minneapolis street filled with law enforcement officers. In the background, you can hear the inconsolable wife of Renee Nicole Good having a conversation with a man about Good's death.

The man asks her if she was riding with Good and she says, "That's my wife" and "I have a 6-year-old in school." She also tries to explain something, but she's so upset it's hard to make out what she's saying.

The man then asks if she's called any of her "people," and she replies she's new in town, going on to say, "I can't even breathe."

At one point during the ordeal, federal agents refused to allow a doctor on scene to provide medical assistance to Good, saying they had their own physicians on the way.

1:42 PM PT -- Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin tells TMZ ... “Immediately following the incident, our ICE officers got medics and there was an ambulance on the scene. The individual was pronounced dead. There was no pulse, but that individual was immediately given aid. Any loss of life is an absolute tragedy. We do pray for the deceased and her family, and as well as for our officer and all affected in this situation.”

First responders attempted to revive the woman shot who was shot in the head on a Minneapolis street by an ICE agent Wednesday morning ... and the efforts were captured in harrowing video.

In a YouTube clip posted by Status Coup News, you can see paramedics carrying Renee Nicole Good's body down a sidewalk. When they get around the corner, they're seen laying her lifeless body on the ground, where they begin performing chest compressions on her.

More emergency personnel rush a gurney down the street as the life-saving measures proved futile.

Emily Ratajkowski is a big fan of New York City's newest mayor, Zohran Mamdani ... because she dedicated a whole social media post to him ... and it begins with video of her shaking her booty.

The model took to Instagram today to welcome Mamdani to the job -- he was sworn in on New Year's Day -- and the first slide of her carousel shows her dropping it low in a NYC bodega, shaking her tailfeathers in a low-cut dress.

On the second slide, Emily included a photo of her wearing a white hijab in what appears to be a mosque -- Mamdani is NYC's first Muslim mayor.

President Donald Trump is planning to ban institutional investors from buying up single-family homes ... according to a new Truth Social post.

Trump said buying a home was the "pinnacle of the American Dream," but that's become nearly impossible under policies he blamed on former president Joe Biden and Congressional Democrats.

Trump claimed he'll take steps to keep institutional investors from purchasing more homes and said he'll call on Congress to make it official.

He promised to discuss proposals related to housing and affordability in his planned speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos in two weeks.

Trump has previously pledged "some of the most aggressive housing reform plans in American history" during a televised address last month, The New York Times reports.

He claimed "the colossal border invasion" is one of the biggest factors in the rise of housing costs -- that claim is widely disputed by economists.

Kristi Noem claimed a woman shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on Wednesday committed "an act of domestic terrorism" before being shot.

ICE agents got out of a truck in traffic and approached a woman in a Honda Pilot on a residential street in Minneapolis, and one directed the driver to get out of the vehicle. The driver backed up the SUV, then moved forward ... that's when an agent fired shots into the windshield, and the SUV crashed into a parked car on the street.

The unidentified woman was struck in the face and was pronounced dead at a hospital. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told TMZ ICE agents were reportedly hurt -- though video doesn't appear to show much physical contact -- and were expected to recover from their injuries.

Kristi Noem held a press conference at the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas later Wednesday and asserted the ICE agents who shot the woman were acting "defensively," Fox News reports.

Noem said the woman was trying to run the agents over or ram them with the SUV. She claimed sanctuary cities and states -- where local law enforcement's cooperation with federal immigration agencies is limited -- were protecting dangerous people.

Spencer Pratt has announced he's running for mayor of Los Angeles ... test your Pratt-ical knowledge about the TV star!

The reality star made the announcement Wednesday in front of a cheering crowd, saying, "This is not just a campaign. This is a mission. And we are going to expose the system!"

This mayoral bid begins on the first anniversary of the Pacific Palisades wildfire, which destroyed more than 6,000 structures -- including the house Pratt shared with wife Heidi and their two sons. Spencer has been engaged in a battle with California politicians ever since.

Spencer's ongoing war of words with California Governor Gavin Newsom escalated Tuesday in an Instagram post revealing a letter sent to him from the governor's office.