Politics

President Donald Trump had a fiery on-air showdown during an interview on "Meet the Press" -- with things escalating to the point where he abruptly left after repeated pushback from host Kristen Welker.

The final stretch of the roughly six-minute exchange centered on Trump’s proposed $1.8 Billion "anti-weaponization" fund, a program his administration has reportedly stepped back from, and talk of elections being "rigged."

Watch the clip as the interview heated up when Welker asked whether people involved in the January 6 Capitol attack should receive taxpayer money ... which Trump responded with saying each case would need to be looked at individually, while also making claims about bias inside law enforcement -- which Welker immediately challenged.

Scott Pelley is opening up about his dramatic exit from CBS News ... and he’s not holding back on the emotion, comparing his firing from "60 Minutes" to his spouse being murdered.

In a new interview with The New York Times, the longtime news veteran became visibly emotional while discussing how he is feeling after being axed from the network last week -- saying at an emotional level, "it's like your spouse was murdered."

The news of Pelley's termination followed a sweep of lay-offs, which he refers to the internal shake-up as a "Black Thursday" moment ... saying the sudden departures of longtime colleagues -- many of whom he’s worked alongside for decades -- left him devastated.

Bob Packwood -- the longtime Oregon senator whose career came crashing down amid a massive sexual misconduct scandal -- died Saturday in hospice care at 93.

The former Republican lawmaker spent more than 25 years in the U.S. Senate after first winning election in 1968. He became one of Oregon's most influential politicians, building a reputation as a moderate Republican who often broke with his party on issues like abortion rights and environmental policy.

But his legacy was ultimately overshadowed by scandal.

Da Brat's firing back at Rep. Andy Ogles' explanation for an anti-gay post on his social media account ... making it clear she's got little patience for homophobia.

We got Da Brat and her wife, Jesseca "Judy" Harris-Dupart, at LAX on Thursday and asked her about the Congressman telling TMZ DC his post about homosexuality having 'no place in America' was actually shared by a staffer, not him.

Da Brat didn't seem too convinced by the explanation, telling us comments like that are the kind nobody wants to own once the blowback begins ... and she's sorry for all the homophobes out there.

Move over Clavicular ... Donald Trump's officially entering his mogging era ... and he's using a reflecting pool to dive into the trend.

The White House hopped on X Wednesday with a photo of Trump in the Oval Office, proudly holding up a giant chart celebrating the newly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool ... and, in true Trump fashion, the announcement came with a size comparison.

The poster -- bluntly titled "Our Pool Is Bigger Than Skyscrapers" -- compares the reflecting pool's 2,030-foot length to the shorter heights of iconic buildings, including Chicago's Willis (formerly Sears) Tower, New York City's Empire State Building, and the One World Trade Center.

Naturally, the internet had a field day with it -- especially after the White House captioned the post "mogged," borrowing the internet slang term popularized by looksmaxxing creator Clavicular, who recently got 'out-mogged' by a hot judge at his recent court hearing.

Kathy Hilton has pulled the plug on being Grand Marshal Icon for the 2026 WeHo Pride event in Los Angeles amid backlash over her alleged ties to President Trump's MAGA movement and an incident in which she purportedly said a homophobic slur.

"The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star was supposed to take the honorary role at this Sunday's West Hollywood Pride Parade, but everything changed Wednesday after Hilton and event organizers released a joint statement saying it wasn't happening.

The statement says city officials received a range of reactions to Hilton's previous appointment to the ceremonial position, creating a hot debate within the LGBTQ+ community that eventually led to Hilton stepping aside.

6/4 -- 5:51 AM PT -- A CNN spokesperson tells TMZ ... "Kaitlan Collins is an exceptional journalist, reporting every day from the White House and the field with real depth and tenacity. She skillfully brings that reporting to the anchor chair and CNN platforms every day, which audiences around the world know they can trust.”

President Donald Trump treated an Oval Office policy question like batting practice ... taking a few swings at CNN's Kaitlan Collins instead of the issue she raised.

The fireworks started when POTUS was pressed about a proposed $1.8B anti-weaponization fund -- a massive compensation program for people who claimed they were victims of politically motivated government investigations -- that has since been scrapped following bipartisan criticism.

Watch the clip ... before Trump could get very far into the substance of the question, he turned his attention to Collins.

Spencer Pratt is close to securing political success and advancing to the L.A. mayoral runoff election -- though he would still have one more challenge to face.

So far, the reality star has won 30.4% of the vote as of early Wednesday morning ... putting him in second place in the primary election behind his arch nemesis, Incumbent Mayor Karen Bass.

Bass has so far raked in 34.8% of the vote to put her in first place, earning her a spot in the general election on November 3 in Los Angeles. City Councilwoman Nithya Raman is currently in third place with 22.3% of the primary vote.

Former U.S. Congressman George Santos is in hot water again with the feds ... the Department of Justice is reportedly investigating him for alleged insider trading.

Santos, a convicted felon, is now facing possible new federal charges for making a suspicious trade in a prediction market on one of President Trump's speeches, according to the Associated Press.

The outlet reports that Santos bragged about attending Trump's State of the Union address on February 24, but he then bet against showing up for it.

Rep. Andy Ogles is taking back his anti-gay tweet that caused a stir Tuesday ... but claims he's not the one who posted it in the first place!

Check it out -- the Tennessee GOP rep told followers the "stupid, hurtful" message was posted by someone on his communications team when he was working on his farm and called it a "complete distraction" from his "America First focus."

He also claimed the employee was reprimanded. No word on who the employee was behind the tweet.

Taylor Swift and Karlie Kloss have officially buried the hatchet ... because Taylor wants Karlie at her wedding.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Karlie scored an invite to Taylor's wedding to Travis Kelce in New York City on July 3, a major development considering the former BFFs haven't been spotted together in years following their widely rumored fallout.

We're told there were real issues between them, but it's all water under the bridge now ... the pals actually made up quite some time ago ... so, Taylor had no problem adding Karlie to the guest list for the celeb-packed ceremony.