Politics

Mitch McConnell apparently has Scott Jennings on speed dial ... and CNN wants to know why the Senator from Kentucky is calling his old pal instead of a credible news organization.

Scott got the third degree Tuesday on "The Arena with Kasie Hunt" after claiming McConnell personally called him earlier in the day.

CNN contributor Lulu Garcia-Navarro went straight at the elephant in the room ... "Why isn't he calling into a credible news organization?"

Oklahoma State Senate candidate Barry Christian died from a gunshot wound to the head ... and his death has been ruled a suicide.

TMZ has obtained the Oklahoma Chief Medical Examiner's summary report, which lists the gunshot wound as Christian's cause of death. No other contributing conditions are listed.

As we reported ... Christian was found dead inside his 2024 gray Ram pickup truck at the Sandy Sanders Wildlife Management Area in Beckham County on April 30.

A reporter who unknowingly became a decoy during an Iranian assassination threat against President Trump is demanding more transparency from the White House ... because it took weeks for the press corps to learn Trump secretly slipped away from the Air Force One flight they thought he was accompanying them on.

Gram Slattery -- a Reuters reporter -- joined us on "TMZ Live" Tuesday to discuss the bombshell Washington Post story about Trump sneaking off AF1 via an airport catering truck due to a security threat leaving Turkey.

Gram was among the journalists and Trump staffers who were essentially used as bait on the decoy flight ... and he says there was a request from the Secret Service to close their blinds at one point -- a request which members of the media grumbled about at the time as well -- which may have helped Trump's great escape.

Rep. Lauren Boebert's son Tyler casually used the N-word during a sexually charged text exchange tied to his child sexual exploitation case ... according to an arrest affidavit obtained by TMZ.

The docs are related to Tyler's recent arrest for allegedly filming a sex tape in 2024 ... when he was 18 and his then-girlfriend was 17, two weeks shy of her 18th birthday.

The docs say the 43-second sexually explicit video was sent to an ex-boyfriend of the girl ... which led to her going to the cops. She said she was unsure how her ex and others got a copy of the video.

President Trump left some of his biggest cabinet members aboard Air Force One while he secretly escaped Turkey amid an alleged Iranian threat against POTUS and AF1 ... including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other top aides.

The Wall Street Journal reports Rubio and several senior officials remained on the older AF1 after Trump made a big show of boarding it in Turkey ... only for Trump to sneak off in an airport catering truck and fly away on a military plane.

Israel reportedly warned the Trump administration Iran could target Air Force One with shoulder-to-air missiles ... prompting the Secret Service to take extraordinary measures to protect Trump -- and no one else.

Hunter Biden is worried President Trump may try to stay in the White House beyond his second term ... joining those who are already sounding the alarm.

Former President Joe Biden's son was leaving LAX on Monday night when a photog told him people fear Trump will run for a third term -- and Hunter didn't hesitate ... replying, "Yeah, me too."

Hunter also said his dad is holding up amid his prostate cancer battle, remains tuned into politics and will be remembered as a "great president" -- though Joe hasn't revealed who he wants leading the Democratic Party next, at least not in his conversations with Hunter.

President Trump isn't taking any chances when it comes to Iran ... 47 ducked inside a catering truck before he was whisked away in a military jet for fear of being assassinated. 

That's right ... according to The Washington Post, Trump flew to Turkey for the NATO summit last month and, while he was there, he and other U.S. officials publicly stated the prez would be leaving on July 8.

Trump told reporters he would be traveling on one of the older Air Force One jets -- and not the new luxury version gifted to the commander-in-chief by Qatar that he flew in on, saying he was doing it "for old time's sake."

Rep. Lauren Boebert’s son Tyler Boebert’s ex-girlfriend showed cops a 43-second video he allegedly filmed of her before she turned 18 ... which led to his arrest for child sexual exploitation, TMZ has learned. 

Per a criminal affidavit, 21-year-old Tyler, who was arrested on August 9, was charged with child sexual exploitation to induce or entice, possession with intent, sexual exploitation of a child, sexual exploitation of a child involving video, and two additional counts related to contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

The charges stem from an alleged video that a then-18-year-old Tyler filmed with his then-17-year-old girlfriend on April 1, 2024 ... a couple weeks before she reportedly turned 18. The ex-girlfriend reportedly called the police on April 2, 2024 ... after her ex was allegedly sent the video. 

While it may not have worked out for Spencer Pratt, Mauricio Umansky says he might throw his hat in the ring to be mayor of Los Angeles ... somewhere down the line.

Kyle Richards' ex thinks he could have what it takes to "make L.A. great again" ... adding himself to the growing list of reality TV stars attempting to hold political office ... in town and beyond.

Mauricio said on Monday's episode of the "Money Rehab" podcast ... "I'm not running for mayor yet. I never said never."

He tells host Nicole Lapin he's "thought about it a lot," but doesn't think now is the right time.

Rep. Lauren Boebert's adult son is back in legal trouble ... he's been arrested on multiple felony charges tied to the alleged sexual exploitation of a child.

21-year-old Tyler Boebert was arrested Sunday in Colorado ... with court records listing the alleged offense date as January 1, 2024 ... according to multiple reports.

Tyler faces three sexual exploitation charges -- including allegations involving inducement or enticement, possession with intent and video -- along with two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Rep. Boebert tells TMZ ... "I love my son. We take these allegations very seriously and pray for everyone affected during this challenging time."

President Trump just won't let the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool controversy sink ... because he again insisted the Pool was "violently" vandalized by ex-Olympian David Hearn ... even though he admits the contractor rushed to finish the job and he has no hard proof vandals are to blame.

47 took to Truth Social on Sunday evening and went on a Pool rant ... claiming a "highly credible witness" from the National Park Service saw Hearn vandalize the Pool in broad daylight by "violently ripping and tugging at the pool's somewhat delicate coating."

Trump claimed the NPS employee provided witness testimony to the U.S. Attorney's Office in early July ... before prosecutor Jeanine Pirro dropped vandalism charges against Hearn and others.

Despite going after Hearn again, Trump also admitted there was "some contractor error done by rushing the job for a July 4th opening." He said the errors occurred in a "very small" area and were "relatively inconsequential."

Ben Jones -- the actor-turned-politician best known for his role in the show "The Dukes of Hazzard" -- has died ... according to his wife.

Alma Viator -- to whom Jones was married from 1992 until his passing -- shared the tragic news Sunday ... sharing a photo of Ben grinning and holding a dog to her Facebook.

She said Ben passed from a "massive heart attack" while eagerly awaiting the start of the Atlanta Braves' game against the New York Yankees.

Royce White says he's testing out his new look before next year's WNBA draft ... throwing on a wig and embracing his "feminine era."

The former NBA player who announced he's throwing his hat in the ring for the 2027 WNBA draft shared the pic on X ... rocking the hair piece and a serious expression.

In his caption, Royce wrote he's glad the wig showed up on Saturday ... so he could "test it on the court" Sunday as his "feminine era" truly begins.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is opening up about a deeply personal decision, announcing she’s freezing her eggs and bringing her followers along for part of the process.

The New York congresswoman shared the news on Instagram, explaining that she normally keeps her personal life out of the spotlight but decided to speak publicly about her experience.

AOC explains she had been considering the decision for a long time and wanted to share what she was learning with other women. She said the process can feel "very daunting," particularly because women often aren't given enough information about their bodies and reproductive health throughout different stages of life.

Joe Biden's health battle has taken another difficult turn ... with his son Hunter revealing the former president's cancer has spread further and is leaving him in serious pain.

Hunter got emotional discussing his dad's condition during an interview with BBC's "Newsnight" Friday ... saying it's been "really sad to watch" the 83-year-old go through it.

He said he actually wishes his father would complain more about what he's dealing with ... explaining, "The cancer has spread, metastasized into his bones and further. It's very painful, and it's very debilitating in many respects."