Politics

Rep. Tony Gonzales says he's retiring from Congress ... stepping aside after admitting to having an affair with a staffer who committed suicide last year by setting herself on fire.

The Republican Congressman from Texas announced his retirement plans Monday in a social media post, saying ... "There is a season for everything and God has a plan for us all. When Congress returns tomorrow, I will file my retirement from office. It has been my privilege to serve the great people of Texas."

Gonzales was running for re-election until his campaign got rocked by allegations he had an affair with former staffer Regina Santos-Aviles, who died in 2025.

California Congressman Eric Swalwell says he’s stepping down from Capitol Hill -- and he’s owning up to past mistakes while blasting what he calls a rush to judgment in Washington.

In a statement announcing his resignation he posted to X, Swalwell apologized to his family, staff, and constituents for what he described as “mistakes in judgment” -- but made it clear he’s not backing down from a separate allegation he insists is flat-out false.

Swalwell says he plans to fight that accusation head-on … but at the same time, he admitted the controversy has become a distraction he doesn’t want hanging over the people he represents.

Our TMZ DC staff is now ensconced in Washington, D.C. and open for business!

Our 3 intrepid producers -- Charlie Cotton, Jacob Wasserman and Jakson Buhaj -- are working The Hill. They arrived over the weekend and their first day on the job was supposed to be today -- when members of Congress return from their 2-week break.

Turns out ... members of the House aren't coming back to work until Tuesday -- gotta make sure they get 2 full weeks off, right?

President Donald Trump got some heat for posting -- and ultimately deleting -- an A.I.-generated pic of himself as Jesus ... but he says that wasn't his intention.

In a news conference Monday, Donald said ... "I did post it and I thought it was me as a doctor." Trump claims he thought the image was of him as a Red Cross doc because there "was a Red Cross worker" in the photo.

While it's true there is a doctor in the pic ... the A.I. rendering of Trump shows himself wearing a white tunic and a red shawl -- which is what Jesus is commonly depicted wearing.

President Trump just got McDonald's delivered to the White House by a "DoorDash Grandma" in a bizarre scene that Trump says "doesn't look staged, does it?"

The Prez answered the door at the White House when a DoorDasher came knocking Monday ... she carried two bags of McDonald's and told Trump he was getting all of his favorite menu items.

Trump greeted the older woman -- who was wearing a "DoorDash Grandma" shirt -- grabbed the bags and started talking to her about her tax return.

Billionaire businessman Stephen Cloobeck directly confronted Eric Swalwell about the sexual assault allegations against him, telling the congressman he'd "busted the trust" ... before Cloobeck gave him the boot, TMZ has learned.

In a phone interview Monday with TMZ ... Cloobeck went into detail on what led up to tossing Swalwell (D-CA) out of his California mansion, saying it all came down to "integrity."

Cloobeck said as a businessman, he does not "bust the trust" and always has integrity ... which is not the case with Swalwell.

President Trump's $10 billion legal battle with the Wall Street Journal -- over its reporting on his alleged birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein -- just took a major hit, with a judge throwing it out of court ... for now.

In Monday morning's dismissal, the federal judge said Trump's defamation lawsuit failed to plausibly allege WSJ reported with "actual malice" or reckless disregard for the truth when it published a story claiming Trump wrote a racy letter celebrating Epstein's 50th birthday.

The letter, allegedly handwritten by Trump and framed in the image of a naked woman, included a creepy convo between Trump and Epstein, and Trump's closing line ... "A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy birthday -- and may every day be another wonderful secret."

President Donald Trump isn't the only one who can use A.I. ... California Governor Gavin Newsom just savagely trolled the president with a photo portraying DT as the Grim Reaper, with an old friend looking over his shoulder.

Newsom's brutal slam follows Trump sharing an A.I.-generated image of himself resembling Jesus on Sunday after criticizing Pope Leo XIV as "weak."

In response, Newsom posted a dark image of Trump in a black cloak, with his skeletal hand gripping a scythe as Jeffrey Epstein hovers just behind him.

Karol G delivered on her stated intention of giving a thoughtful message about immigration in the U.S. ... the singer powerfully spoke out during a performance at Coachella 2026.

Watch the video ... the Grammy winner says Latinos' recent struggles in this country bring out their resilience and "strong spirit."

"I stand for my Latino community," she says surrounded by dancers. She goes on to explain that they don't celebrate their culture to alienate people ... "Actually we do this, because we want everyone to feel welcome to our culture."

Pope Leo XIV is not taking any crap from President Donald Trump ... firing back at DJT's nasty Truth Social post that slammed the Pontiff for his perceived liberal-leaning views on crime and foreign policy.

Leo was speaking with journalists aboard the papal plane en route to Algeria Monday when he was asked about Trump's verbal attacks on what the Commander-in-Chief sees as the Pope's "Radical Left" beliefs.

Check out video of Leo's response ... he calmly tells reporters he has "no fear of the Trump administration or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do, what the Church is here to do."

Leo added he and his Catholic church cronies are not politicians and "don’t deal with foreign policy with the same perspective" as Trump. He went on to say he believes "in the message of the Gospel, as a peacemaker.”

As Eric Swalwell's political career continues to crumble at lightning-fast speed ... a big-time benefactor has pretty much told him to go to hell.

Billionaire Stephen Cloobeck went scorched earth in an interview with the California Post, saying he's booted the embattled Swalwell from his Beverly Hills mansion ... and he's looking to recoup $1 million he forked over for the politician's now-defunct gubernatorial run.

The backlash comes on the heels of the Democratic Congressman from California being accused by multiple women -- some who worked for him -- of sexual assault and other alleged sexual misconduct. Swalwell has denied any wrongdoing ... but is now the target of a criminal probe.

Swalwell has been staying at the mansion as a guest ... it's where he filmed his video denial prior to dropping out of the race for California governor over the weekend. We're told Swalwell had been staying there for a few days before he was kicked out Sunday morning.

Not even Pope Leo can escape the wrath of President Trump, who excoriated the Holy Father for his views on crime and foreign policy — and a bunch of other stuff, too!

Trump posted a long-winded message on Truth Social Sunday night, kicking things off by slamming Leo for being "WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy."

Trump is also pissed at The Pontiff for criticizing him over bombing the hell out of Iran and sparking a war between the 2 countries with the help of Israel. Over the weekend, Leo implied that a "delusion of omnipotence" is behind the U.S.-Israel war against Iran.  

Congressman Eric Swalwell's run for governor of California has come to a screeching halt ... amid allegations of sexual assault.

Swalwell made the announcement on X, writing, "I am suspending my campaign for Governor."

He continued ... "To my family, staff, friends, and supporters, I am deeply sorry for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past. I will fight the serious, false allegations that have been made -- but that’s my fight, not a campaign's."

Congressman Eric Swalwell is dealing with a growing pile of legal headaches ... he's now being investigated by the Department of Homeland Security.

New complaints allege Swalwell employed a Brazilian nanny whose work authorization may have expired, according to KTLA. What's more ... the gubernatorial candidate allegedly didn't exactly follow the rulebook when it came to paying her. The au-pair, Amanda Raissa Barbosa, allegedly stayed on the job while getting paid in a way that may have sidestepped labor and immigration laws.

Now, federal agencies are taking a closer look. DHS has reportedly been looped in to investigate the claims, adding even more pressure to an already messy situation.

Congressman Eric Swalwell is dealing with more than just sexual misconduct allegations ... he's now got an angry husband on his case after Swalwell allegedly bombarded his wife with explicit pics and showed up near their home.

Adam Parkhomenko -- husband to influencer Ally Sammarco -- posted Saturday ... "If Eric Swalwell or his attorney makes a single statement that disparages my wife, I will be filing a lawsuit against him."

He added, "I've already made clear that if he believes anything I've said is untrue, he should sue me immediately."

"Saturday Night Live" unloaded on Donald Trump last night ... but honestly, nobody was safe.

The show's cold open imagined Trump -- played by James Austin Johnson -- dialing up Tiger Woods ... and immediately regretting it. Instead of talking golf, Tiger drops a bombshell about his DUI and flipping his car, and Trump basically shrugs it off like, "should’ve told them we’re friends." Tiger -- played by Kenan Thompson -- responded that he did and it didn't work! Savage.

Next up ... Melania Trump, where things go from messy to straight-up unhinged. She floats the idea of giving a random speech denying ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Trump’s response? Says it sounds "a little insane."

And last but not least -- Pete Hegseth jumps into the mix -- portrayed as a war-hungry loose cannon giving wild updates about Iran, with jokes suggesting world leaders might actually prefer bombs over more U.S. negotiations.