Politics

Michigan politician Matt Maddock is adamant that several buses filled with the Gonzaga men's basketball team were actually packed with "illegal invaders" -- and despite being proven wrong ... he's still insisting it's true.

Maddock posted the nonsense on his X page on Wednesday night ... after seeing three large buses get a police escort away from the Detroit Metropolitan Airport.

The MI House of Representatives member -- a Republican -- said to his nearly 2,000 followers, "Happening right now. Three buses just loaded up with illegal invaders at Detroit Metro."

Larry David ripped into Donald Trump for refusing to accept the results of the 2020 election  ... saying the former Prez has upended 250 years of democracy, as LD explodes in anger.

The "Curb Your Enthusiasm" star sounded off on "Who's Talking to Chris Wallace?" ... where the accuser could not hide his disdain and contempt for 45.

Larry says  ... "He’s such a sociopath, he’s so insane, he just couldn’t admit to losing. And we know he lost. He knows he lost. And look how he’s fooled everybody, he’s convinced all these people that he didn’t lose. He’s such a sick man. He’s so sick."

Joe Lieberman, who was Al Gore's running mate in the disputed 2000 election, is dead after suffering a fall at home.

The former U.S. Senator's family says he fell while at home Tuesday night, and he passed away on Wednesday.

Joe was first elected to the Senate, representing Connecticut, in 1989 ... and he retired in 2013. He was a Democrat for most of his political career, but declared himself an Independent late in his political career.

Jussie Smollett tendrá su día en los tribunales por la apelación de su condena penal, de hecho, podrá presentar su caso frente a la mayor corte de Illinois.

El actor se acaba de anotar una gran victoria porque el Tribunal Supremo de Illinois notificó que están abiertos a escuchar su caso. En otras palabras, su apelación ante el Tribunal Supremo del Estado fue aprobada y los jueces del tribunal juzgarán sobre esta saga de una vez por todas.

Recuerden, Jussie ha estado apelando su condena desde el 2021, cuando un jurado lo declaró culpable por mentirle a la policía sobre un crimen de odio del que habría sido víctima.

Jussie Smollett will have his day in court over his appeal of his criminal conviction -- in fact, he'll be able to make his case in front of the highest court in the land ... of Illinois, that is.

The actor just scored a huge W Wednesday -- 'cause the Supreme Court of Illinois ticked his case off as one they are open to hearing ... in other words, his appeal to the State Supreme Court is approved, and the justices for this court will weigh in on this saga once and for all.

Remember, Jussie has been appealing his conviction pretty much ever since it came down way back in 2021 ... when a jury found him guilty of lying to cops about a hate crime he claimed he'd been victim to.

Ron DeSantis and Disney have buried the hatchet in court over their nearly year-long war regarding his 'Don't Say Gay' bill ... and it seems the Gov. and co. gave in.

Board members for the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District -- which took over Disney's Reedy Creek -- signed off on terms for a settlement Wednesday with the entertainment giant ... bringing a close to their ongoing litigation, something Disney initiated last year.

Disney says, "This agreement opens a new chapter of constructive engagement with the new leadership of the district and serves the interests of all parties by enabling significant continued investment and the creation of thousands of direct and indirect jobs and economic opportunity in the State."

It would've been better than an episode of "Veep" ... sadly, Vice President Aaron Rodgers won't be coming to a poll near you -- Robert F. Kennedy has picked his running mate, and it's NOT the 4-time NFL MVP!

During a campaign event in Oakland on Tuesday, RFK Jr. announced Northern California-based attorney Nicole Shanahan, 38, would anchor the Independent's ticket.

Of course, RFK Jr. was considering two other high-profile options ... including 40-year-old Rodgers, a future first-ballot Hall of Famer, who the 70-year-old confirmed was near the "top" of his shortlist. Mike Rowe and Jesse Ventura were also considered.

Donald Trump's catching a bit of a break yet again ... his hefty multi-million-dollar bond in his New York civil case just got a major trim, and he may just be able to pay it off.

A NY appeals court sliced DT's civil fraud judgment bond from a staggering $454 million down to $175 million Monday ... plus they're tossing in an extra 10 days for him to rustle up the cash after his legal squad said they were hitting roadblocks securing the dough.

The ruling comes on the same day New York Attorney General Letitia James would've started trying to enforce the judgment against Trump in this case -- namely, by initiating the gears of attempting to seize his assets, including cash he might have and even properties.

Joe Biden took time out of his Sunday night to throw a jab at Donald Trump ... trolling the former president for receiving golf awards at his own course.

No. 45 got the honors at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida ... earning the titles of Club Champion and Senior Club Champion -- and afterward, he gloated about it on Truth Social.

In his post, Trump said he got the trophies over a talented field ... writing, "The qualifying and match play was amazing."

The death count in Friday's tragic Moscow mass shooting is much higher than originally believed ... according to Russia's President Vladimir Putin.

The controversial head of state reportedly told the nation during a televised address that 133 people had been killed in the vicious attack at Crocus City Hall, a concert venue on Moscow's Western outskirts.

Putin likens the shooters to Nazis ... saying they killed in an organized fashion, aiming for Russian citizens and even children.

ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack, but President Putin laid the blame squarely at the feet of Ukrainian officials ... saying they were working to let the perpetrators cross the border into their country.

FWIW ... an anonymous United States official told The Washington Post there's no reason to doubt the Islamic State's claim.

As we reported ... videos from the tragic shooting went viral -- showing graphic scenes of death and destruction at the music hall. People huddled behind chairs while gunshots echoed around the structure, and initial estimates put the death count at above 40.

Explosives were reportedly used during the attack, resulting in the whole building catching fire.

Officials in Western countries warned their citizens about venturing out to large public gatherings this month in the aftermath of Putin's recent election victory ... warning of possible terror attacks.

At least one man was detained by police last night ... caught on video being frisked with his hands up against a wall. It's unclear how many people were detained or how many were involved in the mass shooting.

Bill Maher makes a super compelling case that pandering to racial groups is a sure way to lose elections ... because all these identities in America are now blurred beyond recognition.

The 'Real Time' host lasered in on Democrats who try to sell voters on what makes us different, and he says they're barking up the wrong tree because our country has blended.

As BM says, 1 out of 5 newlyweds are now in interracial marriages, which produce multiracial children, and that's just one of many examples he offers.

Beyond that, Bill notes we no longer fit into nice, neat boxes. For example, the #1 country song is Beyonce's. Forty-one percent of Dems live with someone who owns a gun. And, as Maher muses, there's even a "Gays for Trump" org because everybody knows gays love a good drag queen!

Maher says it's no surprise Joe Biden's losing Black voters by the day, because they and other groups generally no longer make identity the trigger for casting ballots.

Kate Middleton's cancer diagnosis is on President Biden's radar ... as the White House Press Secretary addressed the news minutes after it broke.

Karine Jean-Pierre kicked off her daily briefing Friday by acknowledging the White House heard the news out of Kensington Palace, and said their thoughts were with the Duchess of Cambridge, along with Prince William and the rest of the Royal Family

KJP wished Kate a full recovery, and then said she and the rest of the administration want to respect her privacy, and wouldn't comment further on the matter.

Jean-Pierre added that she wouldn't answer questions about whether the prez had spoken with any member of the Royal Family -- wisely anticipating what was coming next from the press corps -- and then moved on to other business.

It seems the news caught the White House about as off-guard as the rest of the world ... the Royal Family made no indication of Kate's health until she posted the video this morning at 11 AM PT telling the world about her diagnosis.

As we reported, Kate had abdominal surgery back in January, and she says tests run after the surgery showed cancer had been present. She started a round of preventative chemotherapy and only recently resurfaced in public.

President Biden has a close relationship with King Charles -- discussing climate change last summer on JB's first visit to the UK after Charles was crowned King, and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden actually met Kate while attending Charles' Coronation in May 2023.

Kate Middleton's mystery disappearance from public view will be solved shortly, TMZ has learned, because Kensington Palace is about to reveal specific details on her health.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the British media has been briefed on Kate's condition, but there is a strict embargo on the information until 2 PM ET, 11 AM PT.

We're also told the Palace will release a video of Kate speaking on her condition.

Our sources say this statement is dramatic, clear and could well put all the controversy surrounding her disappearance to rest.

As you know, the Palace says Kate entered the hospital in January for "scheduled abdominal surgery," but spent 13 days at The London Clinic before returning home, where she has been recuperating.

TMZ aired a special Thursday night on FOX, in which Dr. George Crawford said 13 days suggests when doctors went in for the surgery, they may have found something else.

We're told the Palace will get specific shortly.

Remember ... this all follows several weeks of speculation and innuendo over Kate's whereabouts and her overall condition -- which has been kept under wraps until now.

TMZ broke the story ... video surfaced showing Kate out and about with William last weekend, and she seemed to be doing well. It was the first real sighing of Kate out in the wild, and on her own two feet, since she had her surgery back in January.

There've been other glimpses of her in cars -- but the Windsor Farm Shop seemed to be the first instance of her walking around. Like we said ... she was happy, and looked relatively OK.

Of course, this whole saga kicked into overdrive nearly two weeks ago when Kate posted a Mother's Day photo that featured her and her kids -- but which was later revealed to be inauthentic. All the conspiracy theories about Kate up to that point only doubled.

Now, it appears Kensington Palace is geared up to set the record straight, right from the Princess's mouth.

GloRilla never thought in a million yurrrs she'd be partying up at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue -- but that was the Memphis rapper's real life as she met President Biden face-to-face!!!

But, on the heels of that White House visit, Glo went on CNN to talk about whether it would impact her vote.

The "F.N.F." rapper told Laura Coates she was basically just at the White House for the vibes. When asked about possibly campaigning, she said ... "That ain't got nothing to do with me."

She punctuated her seriousness about not getting all political by singing along to Jill Scott's good mood anthem, "Golden."

Big Glo was amongst the handpicked Gen-Z influencers invited to kick it with Biden and VP Kamala Harris at a Women’s History Month event on Monday -- but her presence at the ballots on Election Day is still up in the air.

Biden's administration is feverishly trying to round up young voters ... their State of the Union watch party on March 7 had swarms of TikTokers and IG stars inside the WH, but TBD if those invites will translate to votes.

We spoke to finance guru Tiffany Aliche following the event, but she was still unsure if the glitzy galas would drive young voters to the polls.

La misteriosa desaparición de Kate Middleton podría resolverse en breve, según ha averiguado TMZ, porque el Palacio de Kensington está a punto de revelar detalles específicos sobre su estado salud.

Fuentes con conocimiento directo le dicen a TMZ que los medios de comunicación británicos han sido informados sobre el estado de Kate, pero bajo un estricto embargo que corre hasta las 2 PM ET, 11 PM PT.

También nos dicen que el Palacio dará a conocer un video de Kate hablando de su condición.

Nuestras fuentes dicen que esta declaración es dramática, clara y bien podría poner fin a toda la controversia que ha rodeado su desaparición.

Como bien saben, el Palacio dice que Kate entró al hospital en enero para someterse a una "cirugía abdominal programada", pero pasó 13 días en la clínica de Londres (The London Clinic) antes de regresar a casa, donde se ha estado recuperando.

TMZ emitió un especial el jueves por la noche en FOX, en donde el Dr. George Crawford sugiere que si un doctor recomienda 13 días de reposo puede ser porque han encontrado algo más durante el procedimiento.

Nos dicen que el Palacio será específico al respecto en breve-

Recuerden, todo esto se da luego de varias semanas de especulaciones e insinuaciones sobre el paradero de Kate.

TMZ fue el primero en compartir un video de Kate, donde aparecía yendo de compras con William el pasado fin de semana y parecía estar bien. Fue la primera vez que Kate estaba fuera y caminando sobre sus propios pies, desde que la operaron en enero.

Ha habido otros destellos de ella al interior de los vehículos, pero su aparición en la tienda de Windsor parecía ser la primera vez que podía caminar libremente. Como hemos dicho ... se veía feliz y parecía relativamente bien.

Por supuesto, toda esta saga se disparó hace casi dos semanas cuando Kate publicó una foto del Día de la Madre con sus hijos, pero que se reveló que no era auténtica. Todas las teorías conspirativas que había sobre Kate no hicieron más que duplicarse.

Ahora, parece que el Palacio de Kensington está preparado para aclarar las cosas, directamente de boca de la Princesa.

Candace Owens was fired from her hosting job at the Daily Wire because her bosses were fed up with what they viewed as her repeated promotion of antisemitism ... TMZ has learned.

The conservative media company announced Friday morning that it was parting ways with Candace, and while no official reason was mentioned ... sources with direct knowledge tell us it was squarely over what the Daily Wire honchos saw as antisemitism, and the firing went down early this week.

Candace and fellow Daily Wire host Ben Shapiro have had a very public feud recently on social media over their opposing views on the Israel-Gaza conflict -- and we're told the last straw for the DW was her March 8 appearance on the "Fresh and Fit" podcast.

The hosts were talking to Candace about the rift with Ben, and every time Ben or his wife -- who is Israeli -- was mentioned the show dropped a cha-ching sound effect, an obvious nod to the antisemitic trope about Jews and money.

While Candace didn't say anything to besmirch Ben, we're told the feeling was she didn't say anything to defend him or call out the antisemitism. To be fair, it's unclear whether she heard that sound effect while recording the podcast.

We're told Daily Wire execs had previous conversations with Candace in an attempt to understand her position -- as they didn't want to censor her -- but they felt the podcast incident crossed the line.

As one source in the know put it, Candace often bragged about being one of the best communicators in media, so the DW execs felt "she knew what she was doing."

We're also told Shapiro was not involved in the decision to fire Candace, and he doesn't have any power to do so.

Candace addressed her feud with Ben when she was on "The Breakfast Club" Thursday, saying she was not anti-Israel or antisemitic ... she's simply against all forms of genocide. A source connected to Candace insists the same, telling us "She's obviously not an antisemite."