Politics

Russell Brand says he did sleep with a 16-year-old ... but, he's clear that's the age of consent in the United Kingdom -- and he never sexually assaulted anyone.

The actor opened up about the charges he's facing in his home country during an interview with Megyn Kelly published Wednesday ... claiming he had consensual sex with the teen when he was 30 years old.

Brand admits he wasn't kind to women back in the day ... using fame, money and charisma to have sex with a ton of ladies -- and not applying any consideration to their feelings.

WrestleMania has become a pressing matter on Capitol Hill ... 'cause one senator asked WWE exec Nick Khan when the Grandest Stage of Them All would make its way to Ohio -- right in the middle of a hearing on Wednesday.

The silly moment went down as a Senate Subcommittee met with the WWE president and other big names in the combat sports business -- including Oscar De La Hoya and Nico Ali-Walsh -- to discuss proposed changes to the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act.

While they, of course, discussed the topic at hand ... Sen. Bernie Moreno from Ohio had to take advantage of his opportunity to pitch WM to his turf in the future.

Andy Cohen had some surprisingly nice things to say about Spencer Pratt’s mayoral campaign -- but the second Joe Rogan got brought up, the conversation went completely off the rails.

During Tuesday's episode of "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen," Kristin Cavallari told Andy she initially thought Spencer’s run for Los Angeles mayor was a joke ... but now she says she truly thinks he could actually pull it off.

She pointed to growing support around him and casually mentioned that Rogan had already endorsed him last week on his podcast ... saying he’d vote for him if he lived in L.A.

Watch the clip ... that’s when Andy pounced.

It's not looking good for Kash Patel -- because a federal judge just tossed out his defamation lawsuit against former FBI official Frank Figliuzzi.

Figliuzzi -- the former assistant director for Counterintelligence at the FBI -- had quipped on the MS NOW show "Morning Joe" last year that the FBI director had been "visible at nightclubs far more than he has been on the seventh floor" of FBI HQ in D.C. ... but U.S. District Court Judge George Hanks Jr. wasn’t buying it as fact.

Instead, he ruled Tuesday the remark was "rhetorical hyperbole" ... meaning no reasonable person would take it literally.

Kash Patel is lashing out at what he calls the "fake news mafia" after a report alleged he has an alcohol abuse problem.

The FBI director took some pointed shots at the media Tuesday after filing a $250 million defamation lawsuit on Monday following an unflattering article about him in The Atlantic magazine.

Patel denied reports he shows up to work drunk or sometimes doesn't show up at all ... claiming he is working more days than his predecessors.

Rep. James Comer is telling people not to worry about aliens snatching up American scientists, because he says hostile foreign nations are more likely to blame. Great!

The reality is nearly a dozen scientists with knowledge of America's nuclear and/or space programs have either died or gone missing since 2022 ... and House Oversight Committee Chairman joined us Tuesday on "TMZ Live" to talk about government investigations into the mystery.

Comer makes it clear he doesn't think aliens are beaming up scientists to learn about humanity's weaknesses -- as some are theorizing online -- though he knows some of his colleagues think otherwise.

Instead, the Congressman from Kentucky says it's more likely the usual suspects are involved ... Russian, Iranian or Chinese agents who want info on the USA's nuclear capabilities.

ICYMI ... the mystery surrounding 11 scientists is now on the radar of the FBI, and even President Trump was briefed on it last week.

Donald Trump Jr. isn't rushing down the aisle just yet, because he and Bettina Anderson are still figuring out what their big day will actually look like ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the couple tell TMZ ... there's no wedding date on the books, and nothing has been officially decided. Instead, we're told they’re actively weighing two very different options.

One possibility is a quick elopement within the next month, with a larger celebration coming later. While a White House event has been floated, our sources say a formal ceremony there isn't feasible in the immediate future, though celebrating there down the line is still being considered.

1:00 PM PST -- Frederick Alfred Jr. has been dropped by the Chainsaw Caucus just weeks after their endorsement. They tell TMZ ... "We take child safety and parental responsibility extremely seriously, and these allegations are inconsistent with the standards we expect from candidates we support. We have no further comment at this time."

A Republican running for a state senate seat in Colorado was arrested in Florida ... after cops say his daughter started drowning in a pool when he left his kids unattended while going to the bar for some booze.

Frederick Alfred Jr. was arrested Monday in Key West on two counts of felony child neglect without great harm.

According to the police report, obtained by TMZ, cops say his 4-year-old daughter began drowning in the pool, became unconscious, started foaming at the mouth, and eventually needed CPR from someone at the pool.

Tucker Carlson says he feels partly responsible for President Donald Trump securing a second term in the Oval Office ... and, he's really sorry about it.

The conservative commentator issued a mea cupla during an episode of "The Tucker Carlson Show" released Monday while chatting with his younger brother, Buckley, who worked as a speechwriter for POTUS.

Carlson said he and Buckley are "implicated" in making Trump president again ... and, he says it's not enough to simply say they changed their minds ... because he feels they, and millions of others, are the reason for the state of affairs.

George W. Bush is freshening up the story on that viral moment with Michelle Obama … and it’s just as wholesome as it looked.

Watch the clip … the former POTUS sat down with his daughter, Jenna Bush Hager, for a "TODAY" exclusive tied to a History Channel event ahead of America's 250th birthday ... and the convo quickly turned to the Altoid heard 'round the internet.

Rewinding to 2018, during the funeral for John McCain, Bush casually slipped a piece of candy to Michelle Obama … a blink-and-you-miss-it moment that somehow stole the spotlight during an otherwise somber day.

6:00 AM PT -- We asked Nomiki Konst about the photos and the details of her claim ... she now says, "Over the course of 2 years, I attended over 10 Democratic organizing meetings. I'm not a whistleblower or a Swalwell survivor -- but was simply sharing an anecdote of an event that occurred at one of these many meetings. The event was in a public space with witnesses. After reviewing documents, the event occurred at a DNC meeting in 2017. The point has always been about his recklessness and demanding democratic leadership have better modes of accountability."

The woman who claims Eric Swalwell made her "uncomfortable" at a Democratic National Convention event appears to have her facts mixed up, because we obtained photos showing Swalwell wasn't there. She stands by her story but admits she mixed up the dates.

Here's the deal ... Nomiki Konst last week alleged she and Swalwell had an interaction at a 2018 DNC gathering in Chicago, which ran from August 23 through August 25, that made her "uncomfortable."

Konst, who is Bill de Blasio's ex-girlfriend, went on a podcast and claimed Swalwell brought her a glass of Prosecco and "zoomed" in on her. She also said he became "touchy-feely, touching my hands."