Politics

D4vd's behind bars, but do prosecutors have the evidence to nail him for Celeste Rivas's murder ... plus Prez Trump goes mano a mano with Pope Leo, and Ice Spice throws hands, not happy meals! So, we gotta ask ...

Sandra Lee's isn't exactly giving 'here comes the bride' ... in fact, her latest run-in with TMZ has us wondering if there's trouble in paradise with fiancé Ben Youcef.

We got her out Thursday at La Boca in NYC, and when we asked about wedding plans … she swerved hard, insisting she's focused on work right now. Not a "date’s set" or even a "soon" ... just a full pivot.

And then came the moment that really raises eyebrows. When we asked to see the engagement ring, Sandra brushed it off ... saying her outfit just didn't call for jewelry. Problem is ... there was no ring on THAT finger.

4:05 PM PT -- The hearing has ended ... the judge will issue a ruling later today or Monday.

Tyler Robinson is making another appearance in court Friday ... this time asking the judge not to allow cameras into his trial because of the media's biased coverage of his case -- and, we're live-streaming it for you.

The alleged murderer will appear alongside his attorneys, while his defense asked a judge to stop live streaming coverage of the trial.

His lawyers say the live streams are being used to commodify the trial instead of serving their intended purpose -- which is to educate the public on the proceedings.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani's rap career is all about the Benjamins ... about 16 of them -- because that's approximately what he made from royalties on his music last year.

The NYC mayor's tax filings are obviously public record ... and, he reported $1,643 in music royalties he made from songs he released as "Young Cardamom," which he called himself back in the day.

This is $376 more than he made from his music in 2024 ... almost certainly helped by his campaign for mayor -- though he probably shouldn't quit his day job to go after artistic pursuits again.

Jill Biden came ready to play -- and no, not with Joe Biden -- but for a very pricey TV cameo!

The former First Lady dropped a $35K bid for a walk-on role in the next season of "Heated Rivalry" at the NYC LGBT Community Center’s Center Dinner Thursday night ... but got iced out.

Jill's offer barely made a dent -- the role sold twice for $125K a pop -- and Jill later joked on social media she "won’t be heading to the cottage after all."

4:53 PM PT -- A rep for Gavin Newsom's political team tells TMZ ... "Governor Newsom did not do a "bulk buy" of $1.5M worth of books to boost sales. The book sales through his email list were individual sales done through a new, innovative approach that allows his list to receive copies of the book early. The campaign viewed the book offer as a major list-building and engagement opportunity – one of the largest of any campaign in the country."

The statement continues, "Supporters were invited to give whatever amount they could afford and still receive a copy of the book. The goal was participation and engagement, not fundraising. The campaign's list provided an opportunity for supporters to buy the book through a vendor consistently used by other authors. Each book was sold and sent out through the vendor, similar to buying from Amazon or Barnes and Noble. In total, more than 67,000 individual sales were made through the campaign's offers."

Want a copy of Gavin Newsom’s book? Turns out all it took was a donation -- and a PAC with deep pockets!

Here’s how it played out ... The New York Times reports Newsom’s political action committee shelled out more than $1.5M to scoop up copies of his memoir, "Young Man in a Hurry," and hand them out to supporters who chipped in -- any amount got you in the door.

And plenty of people took the bait. About 67,000 books were sent out through the donation deal -- accounting for roughly two-thirds of all print copies sold. Yeah … that bestseller run didn’t exactly happen the old-fashioned way.

Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax rallied around gun regulation -- and even proudly held up a "disarm abusers" sign -- years before he shot his wife, and then himself, in an apparent murder-suicide ... TMZ has learned.

Check out the photo -- the now-deceased politician is smiling alongside gun violence survivor Kate Ranta and her young son while posing with the pointed sign the minor made.

You can see the sign's intentions loud and clear -- it's taking aim at the National Rifle Association while standing up for women's rights and raising awareness for those who die by gun violence at home.

Tyler Robinson's defense team may have sustained the biggest blow yet to their case ... a forensic report's findings purportedly fail to rule Tyler out as Charlie Kirk's killer.

The report, unsealed by a judge on Wednesday, reveals that one bullet jacket fragment recovered from Kirk's autopsy was determined to come from a .30 caliber bullet, according to Daily Mail. That would match the caliber of the Mauser 98 .30-06 rifle reportedly recovered near the scene of the shooting, which prosecutors allege was used by Robinson to kill Kirk.

As we reported ... initial bullet-matching test results were inconclusive, but that did not remove Tyler from suspicion.

Tyler's defense team suggested they may use the initial test as exculpatory evidence ... but prosecutors told us it wouldn't help Tyler's case.

Pope Leo XIV and Donald Trump have been going at it this week ... and now cops say His Holiness' brother may have found himself caught in the crosshairs.

On Wednesday, the New Lenox Police Department in Illinois said officers responded to a "reported bomb threat" directed at a residence on Sojourn Road ... reportedly the home of the Chicago Pope's brother, John Prevost.

The cops say they evacuated the neighborhood and called in an explosives K9 unit ... but nothing turned up and they dubbed the threat "unsubstantiated."

According to Chicago Tribune, New Lenox Police Chief Micah Nuesse said the investigation into the incident remains "active and ongoing."

Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax's wife, Cerina Fairfax, evidently felt the need to beef up the amount of security measures taken inside their house before Thursday's apparent murder-suicide ... she set up a bunch of cameras in the home.

As you know ... police believe Justin shot Cerina dead early Thursday before turning the gun on himself. The couple was reportedly going through a messy divorce ... during which Cerina had the cameras installed, according to cops.

Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis told reporters outside the family's Annandale, VA home Thursday that they first became aware of the cameras in January when they were used to discredit Justin's claims that Cerina assaulted him.

A man tried to jump a barrier at the White House Thursday ... but he didn't get far, TMZ has learned.

A Secret Service official tells TMZ ... shortly after 11:30 AM, a man was detained by uniformed U.S. Secret Service police officers after jumping over a vehicle bollard near the Treasury Building on the northeast side of the complex.

We're told officers encountered the individual near a pedestrian gate, where he engaged in a physical altercation before being taken into custody.