Politics

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."

Tucker Carlson’s son has bounced from J.D. Vance’s office ... but his decision had nothing to do with the fiery feud between President Donald Trump and his dad.

A source with direct knowledge tells TMZ ... Buckley Carlson is out as deputy press secretary in the VP’s office ... a call he made after an "intense" year in the role. We're told it's common for people to depart the WH after a year ... and this has nothing whatsoever to do with Trump and his pop's bad blood.

Obviously, the timing set off a lot of speculation ... since Trump has been going scorched-earth on Tucker lately -- calling him “low IQ,” “overrated,” and even a “broken man” in recent Truth Social posts -- while Tucker’s been firing back over everything from Iran policy to Trump’s rhetoric, accusing him of crossing serious lines.

Tucker reportedly tried to personally talk Trump out of striking Iran and has since become one of his loudest conservative critics on the issue -- turning their once-friendly relationship into a full-on public slugfest.

The tragic deaths of former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax and his wife, Cerina Fairfax, have officially been ruled a murder-suicide ... and the details are as grim as they come.

The Virginia Department of Health’s Chief Medical Examiner tells TMZ … Cerina died from multiple gunshot wounds, with her manner of death ruled a homicide. Justin, meanwhile, died from a contact gunshot wound to the head, with officials ruling his death a suicide.

The two were found dead last Thursday at their home in Annandale, VA from gunshot wounds ... Cerina's body was found in the basement and Justin's body was found in a bedroom. The couple was reportedly going through a messy divorce.

Freedom 250 at the White House will be one of the most secure places on the planet, TMZ Sports has learned.

According to an official from the Department of Homeland Security, Freedom 250, going down on the South Lawn on June 14, has been designated a Level 1 Special Event Assessment Rating (SEAR) ... meaning multiple federal law enforcement agencies will be involved in keeping fighters, teams, and throngs of fans safe.

Officials take importance, attendance, visibility, and risk assessment into account when designating an event ... and level 1 is reserved for events like the Super Bowl and major marathons.

The Indianapolis 500 and Kentucky Derby have traditionally been SEAR 2, while the Masters is SEAR 3.

Kash Patel is suing a magazine and a journalist for defamation over a story claiming the FBI director has "alarmed colleagues with episodes of excessive drinking and unexplained absences."

Patel filed suit Monday against The Atlantic and the woman who wrote the article, Sarah Fitzpatrick ... and he's going after them for $250 million in damages.

The story was published Friday with the headline "Kash Patel's Erratic Behavior Could Cost Him His Job" ... and in Patel's lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, he takes issue with what he claims are "numerous false and defamatory statements of fact."

Senator Mark Warner is dealing with an unimaginable loss … his daughter, Madison Warner, has died at just 36 after a long and difficult health battle.

The Virginia Democrat and his wife, Lisa Collis, shared the heartbreaking news Monday morning ... revealing Madison passed away following a “decades-long” fight with juvenile diabetes and other serious health issues.

In an emotional statement, the couple didn’t hold back their grief, saying they’re “heartbroken beyond words” over the loss of their daughter -- who they say brought constant joy into their lives.

“She filled our lives with love and laughter, and her absence leaves an immeasurable void,” the statement reads.

The Strokes didn’t just rock Coachella -- they lit a political firestorm in the middle of the desert had the crowd doing a double take.

The NYC rockers were cruising through their performance on Saturday like any other big act when things suddenly took a sharp left turn. Frontman Julian Casablancas and co. rolled out a heavy video montage calling out U.S. foreign intervention … and yeah, it got serious fast.

The visuals included a rundown of governments allegedly overthrown by the CIA over the years, mixed with footage of more recent conflicts -- including Israel bombing Gaza and U.S. strikes on Iran -- all playing while the band ripped through “Oblivius,” a track they haven’t performed live since 2016.

Not exactly your typical Coachella vibe of flower crowns and influencer selfies!

Disgraced ex-congressman Eric Swalwell is catching heat again -- this time for allegedly running up a boozy tab on his own campaign’s dime.

Swalwell’s campaign allegedly racked up more than 100 alcohol delivery charges over a four-year period starting in 2020 ... with booze bills reportedly tied straight to congressional campaign funds instead of his own wallet, according to a NY Post report.

Yeah … you read that right. Campaign cash -- the kind donors fork over to win elections -- allegedly being used for repeated liquor store runs.

Talk about awkward timing ... Tucker Carlson’s son is bouncing from J.D. Vance’s office right as President Donald Trump’s attacks on his dad hit a fever pitch.

Buckley Carlson -- son of the conservative lightning rod -- is out as deputy press secretary in the VP’s office … heading for the private sector to launch a political consulting firm, with Politico first reporting the move.

Now, this reportedly wasn’t some sudden blow-up. Buckley actually gave notice back in December and stuck around to help smooth the transition.

Hulk Hogan, just months before his death, convinced his good friend, President Donald Trump, to sit down for an interview for an upcoming Netflix doc, the director revealed to TMZ Sports.

"Hulk Hogan: Real American" hits the streaming giant next week, and the man behind the highly anticipated four-part series, Bryan Storkel, shared the story of locking down POTUS.

"There's a nice little surprise interview with Donald Trump, which [Hulk] helped me set up. We went to the White House and interviewed Trump and he talked all about Hulk Hogan," Storkel told Babcock.

Bryan says it took a few calls for Hulk to convince the president to do the interview -- he's a busy man -- but DJT eventually came around and agreed to sit down in the spring.