Politics

President Donald Trump berated a reporter on the White House Lawn Saturday ... telling her she doesn't know a darn thing about Iran.

POTUS spoke to several reporters waiting for him outside the White House round 5 PM ET today ... and, one asked a question about why the Strait of Hormuz isn't open yet.

Check out the clip ... the prez is clearly unhappy about it -- and, he tells her "You know nothing" before asking which outlet she represents.

Eric Swalwell's senior staffers are distancing themselves from him ... while acknowledging not everyone has the means to do so.

Top staffers for Swalwell's congressional office and his gubernatorial campaign released a joint statement ... which begins with indignation over his alleged abusive behavior.

The two sides stand with their former colleague who accused Swalwell of raping her in 2024 and other women who have come forward and accused the congressman of sexual misconduct.

Eric Swalwell is the subject of an investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney ... TMZ has confirmed.

The D.A.'s office acknowledged the investigation Saturday morning ... one day after CNN shared an interview with a staffer who spoke on the condition of anonymity about an incident during which Swalwell allegedly raped her.

In a statement to TMZ, the D.A.'s office shared, "We urge survivors and anyone with knowledge of these allegations to contact our Special Victims Division at 212-335-9373. Our specially trained prosecutors, investigators and counselors are well-equipped to help you in a trauma-informed, survivor-centered manner.”

Congressman Eric Swalwell released a minute long video defending himself hours after being accused of rape.

In the video, Eric stares into the camera saying, "I thought it was important you see and hear from me directly. These allegations of sexual assault are flat false" ... adding, "They did not happen. They have never happened."

He noted the accusations come on the eve of an election where he is the front runner. Eric added that he is not “perfect or a saint” and admits to making "mistake in judgement" in his past ... adding "Those mistake are between me and my wife. And to her, I apologize deeply for putting her in this position.”

Eric Swalwell's campaign for governor looks like it's on life support ... top Democrats are calling on him to drop out of the race as his campaign reportedly "implodes."

The congressman had gathered a ton of support from his fellow Dems in Congress -- but after a former staffer accused him of rape, that support quickly evaporated.

Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said she's had a conversation with Swalwell, urging him to end his campaign, according to NBC News reporter Melanie Zanona ... so the allegations against him can be fully and fairly investigated.

A former staffer for Eric Swalwell told CNN the congressman raped her back in 2024.

CNN ran the interview Friday afternoon ... hiding the woman's face to protect her anonymity while she told a story about meeting up with Swalwell for a drink in 2024.

This woman says she went to the bathroom at one point in the evening and completely blacked out ... only remembering a snippet of the night's events -- during which she says she remembers trying to force Swalwell off of her and telling him she didn't consent to sex with him.

President Donald Trump's staff apparently doesn't have to worry about breaking federal law at all ... because a new report says he's offered to pardon them en masse, repeatedly.

The Wall Street Journal released a new report Friday ... claiming POTUS has repeatedly promised top administration officials he will pardon them before he leaves office in January 2029 -- usually jokingly, like when he reportedly said recently, "I'll pardon everyone who has come within 200 feet of the Oval."

Unnamed administration officials told WSJ Trump often jokes about matters he later pursues seriously ... and the frequent references have led some to believe he might be genuinely considering the pardons. It's unclear why they'd need them.

Rep. Eric Swalwell -- who's running for Governor of California -- has been accused of sexual assault by a former staffer ... this according to a new report.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, a woman, who says she had sexual encounters with the congressman while she worked for him, claims he sexually assaulted her twice ... when she was too intoxicated to give consent.

Swalwell called the allegations "false" and threatened "legal action" in a statement on Friday, saying ... "For nearly 20 years, I have served the public — as a prosecutor and a congressman and have always protected women."

California congressman and gubernatorial candidate Eric Swalwell is coming under fire for claims he's acted inappropriately with female staffers ... something he denies, but bailing on a town hall in the aftermath is raising eyebrows.

Several left-leaning influencers have recently made the unsubstantiated allegations, posting statements and videos on social media.

Swalwell's camp told POLITICO the claims are a "false, outrageous rumor" made by "flailing opponents who have sadly teamed up with MAGA conspiracy theorists," saying the whole thing is an attempt to tank his gubernatorial run because he's "the frontrunner in this race."

Kamala Harris might take another crack at the Oval Office ... telling Reverend Al Sharpton she's thinking about launching a 2028 candidacy for president.

The former Vice President of the United States spoke at the National Action Network's conference in Manhattan on Friday ... and Sharpton came right out and asked if another run at the White House is in her future.

Harris laughs ... then confirms she's giving it some serious thought -- though she's clear she hasn't made a formal decision yet.

Melania Trump’s got a loyal voice backing her up ... because a top member of her staff is going to bat for her after her surprise Epstein denial speech to the nation yesterday.

Marc Beckman -- a senior advisor to the First Lady -- came in hot on "Fox & Friends" Friday morning, echoing the First Lady’s stance that she had no close ties to Jeffrey Epstein ... but said he’s over the chatter, firing off a direct message: "Enough is enough."

He didn’t stop there -- Beckman pushed hard for a full pivot, saying the public should be focusing on Melania’s achievements instead of rehashing Epstein rumors ... urging people to be in awe of her impact across the board.

First Lady Melania Trump’s surprise national address from the White House yesterday -- rebutting claims she was close friends with Jeffrey Epstein -- is already getting major pushback from survivors of the late convicted pedophile.

In a sharp statement released Thursday night by Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury (D-NM), a group of survivors firmly declared ... "Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein have already shown extraordinary courage by coming forward, filing reports, and giving testimony. Asking more of them now is a deflection of responsibility, not justice."

In her speech, Melania urged Congress to hold a public hearing so survivors can testify about Epstein’s crimes ... but "Survivors have done their part," the new statement reads.

President Donald Trump is once again blaming Joe Biden for the ills of society, posting a horrific video showing what 47 says is an "Illegal Alien Criminal from Haiti" beating the hell out of a woman with a hammer until she's dead.

Trump posted the grotesque, uncensored 20-second clip on his Truth Social account Thursday with a long message that begins with him crapping all over the 46th President and Congressional Democrats for opening U.S. borders so the Haitian man could allegedly enter the country illegally. 

In the video, the woman rushes out of a Florida convenience store after seeing the man smashing a vehicle with a hammer in the parking lot. She yells at him to stop before he approaches her and starts wailing on her head with the hammer, even after she falls limp to the ground.

Some folks at the White House ain't happy about Melania Trump's Thursday statement in which she denied having any relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, according to a new report.

A handful of officials were "stunned by the timing" of the First Lady's remarks, according to a Thursday tweet from CNN Senior White House Correspondent Kristen Holmes.

She explained ... "One official said there was disagreement among those close to Melania Trump as to whether or not to go through with the remarks, given that the story had died down." But, the source noted Melania saw the stories still circulating and "wanted to go on the record with a firm denial."

President Donald Trump is going scorched earth on some of the biggest names in conservative media ... He just torched Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, Candace Owens, and Alex Jones in a blistering Truth Social post.

Trump claims the group has been "fighting" him for years, and says he knows exactly why ... accusing them of pushing views he says are soft on Iran and completely out of step with his MAGA base.

With his signature flair, POTUS calls them "low IQs," "stupid people," and "losers," insisting they've all been booted from major platforms and are now clinging to relevance through what he dubs "third-rate podcasts."

Rep. Randy Fine is clapping back at Dan Bilzerian for calling him a "fat Jew" ... telling us the influencer-turned-candidate's bigotry won't win at the polls, while also defending his own bigoted remarks against Muslims.

The congressman stopped by "TMZ Live" Thursday to tell us he thinks Bilzerian is absolutely antisemitic, and only referred to his ethnicity that way to be disparaging.

Watch the clip ... Randy says Dan said what he said, "not because it's factual." Instead, he believes Bilzerian views Judaism "as some sort of negative thing."