President Trump

President Trump insists he's not feeling any impeachment heat, but his Veep Mike Pence is in prepare-for-the-worst mode ... according to Congressman Gregory Meeks.

We got the distinguished gentleman from NY on Capitol Hill and he tells us he sees similarities between Mueller's Trump investigation and the one that eventually forced Richard M. Nixon out of office.

Meeks believes Robert Mueller's court filing last week was devastating for POTUS because it revealed Cohen told the special counsel's office it was Trump who directed payments to 2 women -- Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal. Meeks says Pence is paying close attention as the info trickles out.

Case in point, during Tuesday's fireworks at the White House, Trump railed on Rep. Schumer and Rep. Pelosi ... while Pence sat silently.

Bottom line -- Rep. Meeks thinks Pence will have very little to say about his pal, the Prez, in coming weeks because he's busy reading writing on walls. And, no ... he ain't talking graffiti.

The Trump Organization's got legal trouble unrelated to Robert Mueller ... this time it's a guy pissed off about an ice skating rink he considers a virtual death trap.

Philip Kassai is suing President Trump's organization over the Lasker Rink it operates in Central Park. According to Kassai's attorney, Marc Freund, his client was injured during a March skate outing with his 9-year-old son. After just one lap, he claims he noticed the rink had dangerous areas of slush, crevices and bumps.

As he was leaving the ice, his skate got caught in a crevice, he fell and dislocated and fractured his shoulder ... according to Freund. He says the injury still hasn't fully healed.

According to the suit, filed by Freund's firm Lipsig, Shapey, Manus & Moverman ... Kassai wants Trump's co. to fork over damages for negligence in properly inspecting and maintaining the ice rink.

The Red Sox should ABSOLUTELY take their championship trip to the White House ... so says ex-MLB star Brad Penny, who says the team needs to support Donald Trump regardless of their opinions of him.

It's up in the air whether Boston will make its post-World Series visit to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave ... especially after manager Alex Cora publicly criticized the President in September.

But, Penny says it would be a huge mistake to not go ... telling TMZ Sports the team should be there.

"You gotta go," the ex-star pitcher says ... "You support the President whether you voted for him or not ... I think they just gotta go."

Penny knows a thing or two about those trips ... the 2-time All-Star went to George W. Bush's White House after his Marlins won it all back in 2003.

He says the trip was unforgettable ... and Red Sox players would regret not making it.

In fact -- Brad tells us he thinks Boston can send a strong message to those protesting Trump by going.

"All those protests and stuff, to me, we want everybody who's in office to do good ... I feel like a lot of people want Trump to fail and it's unfortunate."

Unclear whether Red Sox players will listen to Brad ... but we know at least one of their pitchers is on board.

Kelsey Grammer all but said there's no need to worry about a potentially catastrophic impact on climate change ... 'cause it's all BS.

We got the "Frasier" star leaving a party Saturday night in Brentwood, and wanted to get his take on President Trump holding out at the G-20 summit on signing a deal to tackle climate change.

Kelsey -- with some help from his wife, Kayte -- said climate change is just science's way of keeping everyone on their toes. Kayte was more adamant ... straight-up saying it's all a myth.

We also tell Kelsey about Trump not believing his own administration's report -- involving 13 federal agencies and more than 300 climate scientists -- that said brace for the worse if nothing's done about climate change.

4:34 PM PT -- CBP San Diego says pedestrian bridges between Tijuana and San Diego are now open again in both directions, heading north and south.

Tensions are at a boiling point at the U.S.-Mexico border in California, where migrants have started to clash with border agents ... who've also begun throwing tear gas at them and their children.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection closed the San Ysidro border crossing outside of San Diego Sunday, as hundreds of migrants trying to enter the U.S. -- many of whom are seeking asylum -- gathered at the border and demanded entry. Some of them even started throwing rocks at agents, and U.S. agents reportedly responded by throwing tear gas into the crowd.

The move is drawing heavy criticism, as there are children among the migrants. No shots have been fired, but remember ... President Trump essentially gave the green light for retaliation a few weeks ago as the migrant caravan made its way north.

Needless to say, it's an intense scene. As for a possible solution ... the Trump administration reportedly struck a deal with the incoming Mexican government to keep asylum seekers south of the border as their cases are heard in court.

Paulina Rubio threw many fans for a loop at a concert for women when she blurted out "We love you, Donald Trump" -- but it appears to have been purely for literary effect.

The Mexican pop star was performing Saturday in L.A. during the 'K-Love Live: Las Que Mandan' concert when, at one point, she coupled her shout-outs to women with a seemingly random plug for the President ... which got a lot of boos from the crowd.

The lines about Trump didn't have much context, but in an interview after the show ... Paulina seemed to imply her "love" for Trump was nothing but sarcasm and an attempt at irony. When the host asks her if she had a message for 45, Paulina says (in Spanish) that Hispanics have been here long before DT became the Prez, and that her mom had told her she wasn't going anywhere in the Trump times. Translation ... she's not team MAGA.

Besides, Paulina's been quoted many times bashing President Trump, calling him a "pendejo" among other insults. So, it's unlikely she'd do a hard flip-flop in such a public way ... or so it seems, anyway.

Marlon Wayans tells us Donald Trump should feel right at home at the scene of the destructive California wildfires ... because the comedian thinks the President is "the devil."

We got Marlon on Saturday at LAX ... and he tells our photog it's ironic Trump is visiting areas devastated by the Camp Fire because he feels POTUS is ultimately responsible for the deadliest fire in California history.

Check out the clip ... Marlon paints a picture of how he imagines Trump, and it's really dark.

Trump arrived in Northern California on Saturday and he's surveying fire recovery efforts and inspecting the damage.

When the wildfires started scorching California last week, Trump blamed the flames on poor forest management and threatened to cut federal funding.

Bill Maher thinks Stan Lee is partly to blame for the dumbing down of America.

Bill wrote an essay on his blog, saying he has nothing against comic books, but they're for kids ... and when you grow up you should "move on to big-boy books without the pictures."

He mused that around 20 years ago, adults had a revelation ... "They didn't have to give up kid stuff. And so they pretended comic books were actually sophisticated literature."

He pulls back slightly and says, "I'm not saying we've necessarily gotten stupider." But, then he bores in ... "The problem is, we're using our smarts on stupid stuff."

And, then he goes in for the kill ... "I don't think it's a huge stretch to suggest that Donald Trump could only get elected in a country that thinks comic books are important."

Mike Judge, the creator of "Beavis and Butt-Head" and co-creator of "King of the Hill" and "Silicon Valley," had a very different view of Stan.

Stan Lee died Monday at age 95.

George Lopez was positive Donald Trump would let D.L. Hughley in the White House press room before Jim Acosta would ever be invited back, so imagine his SHOCK when he learned from us Jim's back in action!

Don't get George wrong ... he stands with Acosta. But, the Trump/Acosta fiery relationship makes George's attacks on Trump look like a pillow fight ... hence his surprise.

10:14 AM PT -- Trump just addressed the situation, and he issues a stern warning to reporters like Acosta ... follow the rules or end up back in court.

9:49 AM PT -- Acosta hit the ground running, and is already back at the White House just hours after his victory.

9:20 AM PT -- Sounds like the White House fully intends to challenge the judge's ruling. Sarah Sanders said, "In response to the court, we will temporarily reinstate the reporter's hard pass."

"Temporarily" being the keyword there.

Sanders added, "We will also further develop rules and processes to ensure fair and orderly press conferences in the future. There must be decorum at the White House."

Translation: They're not done battling Acosta.

President Trump had it out for CNN White House Correspondent Jim Acosta ... so says a federal judge who has just ordered The White House to give Acosta his press credentials back.

The judge didn't buy the White House party line, because it shifted from Acosta making contact with a W.H. intern as the basis for its decision, to Acosta's "general conduct."

The judge did not base his core ruling off the First Amendment but rather the Due Process clause of the 5th Amendment. The judge said the decision to revoke the pass was "so shrouded in mystery that the government could not tell me ... who made the decision."

The judge went on to say Trump has no obligation to call on Acosta during White House news conferences but Acosta has a right to due process before his hard pass can be revoked.

CNN and its chief White House reporter, Jim Acosta, sued Trump Tuesday after Acosta's hard pass was yanked following aggressive questioning last week during a press conference ... Trump and Co. pulled his pass after he made contact with a White House intern, who was trying to take the mic away from him.

CNN argued in court Trump was infringing on Acosta's 1st and 5th Amendment rights by pulling his press pass, adding the real reason behind the move is his extreme hatred for CNN.

For his part, Trump's White House lawyers responded by saying the Prez can pick and choose who gets on White House grounds to cover his administration.

Originally Published -- 7:28 AM PT

President Trump put in years of secret planning to get CNN's White House correspondent kicked off his detail ... at least according to Omarosa.

Trump's former aide was in D.C. Wednesday when a photog asked her about Jim Acosta and CNN suing POTUS for revoking his press pass. Omarosa was pretty nonchalant about it, because she claims the Prez held "private meetings" about Acosta back when she was still in the White House.

Omarosa claims booting Acosta, in particular, has been on Trump's agenda for a long time.

For his part, Acosta walked into a federal courthouse in D.C. on Wednesday, seeking an emergency order that would grant him immediate White House access. The court hasn't ruled yet.

Omarosa's got an opinion on how the battle will play out for CNN and Acosta.

Granted, she has plenty of beef with 45 about how she was 86'd, but IF Omarosa's right about the alleged "private meetings," it confirms the media's biggest fears: That the President is trying to crush Freedom of the Press if he doesn't like your reporting.

President Trump can't take his CNN grudge out on Jim Acosta by yanking his White House press pass ... at least that's what CNN is asserting in a new lawsuit.

CNN and Acosta are taking the extraordinary step to sue POTUS over last week's fiery showdown during a news conference. According to the suit, CNN believes Trump violated its First Amendment right by revoking Acosta's "hard pass" ... thereby hampering his ability to cover the White House.

In the suit, they say Trump and Sarah Sanders are hiding behind the flimsy argument Acosta accosted an intern who was trying to grab his microphone. They point out the video Sanders posted was apparently doctored, and say even Trump later described the incident as not "overly horrible."

CNN says the "sole justification" for the Administration pulling Acosta's pass is "their dislike for [CNN and Acosta]'s coverage" of Trump.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Trump also violated CNN's 5th Amendment due process rights because Acosta wasn't informed ahead of time his credential was revoked.

In fact, Jim posted video of the Secret Service agent confiscating his press pass. The lawsuit -- filed against Trump, Sanders and Chief of Staff Gen. -- seeks to get Acosta's pass returned, stat.

They're likely facing an uphill battle, though.

Michelle Obama seethed with anger at Donald Trump, saying his false claims about President Obama's birthright could have caused a "kook" to shoot her family.

Michelle's book, "Becoming," is about to be released, and she is extremely candid about her marriage, saying 20 years ago she felt "broken" after suffering a miscarriage. She says they had to do IVF to conceive their 2 daughters.

On the subject of Donald Trump ... Michelle expressed rage, particularly Trump's baseless birther allegation that Barack was not born in the U.S. She says it was absolutely meant to stir up bigotry and xenophobia, "deliberately meant to stir up the wingnuts and kooks."

She goes on ... "What if someone with an unstable mind loaded a gun and drove to Washington? What if that person went looking for our girls? Donald Trump, with his loud and reckless innuendos, was putting my family's safety at risk. And for this, I'd never forgive him."

As for the "Access Hollywood" video, Michelle says when she heard Trump brag about assaulting women ... her "body buzzed with fury."

She also can't believe so many women voted for a "misogynist" after all Trump has said.

And, this is interesting ... she's very open how she and Barack received marriage counseling. She says she has a "phenomenal marriage" and "we work on our marriage. And we get help with our marriage when we need it."

President Trump's relentless attacks on CNN have forced the network to take extreme measures -- offering armed security to on-air talent who have reason to fear for their safety.

Network sources tell TMZ ... CNN brass offered reporters and anchors who have been targets of President Trump around-the-clock protection. We're told the logic is simple ... there are Trump fanatics who believe the President when he calls the media and certain reporters "the enemy of the people," and the fear is that they will take violent action.

There's actual proof here ... the person who sent mail bombs targeted CNN at least twice.

We're told CNN has told the targeted employees they can choose the level of protection they want, ranging from round-the-clock armed guards to more limited security, such as following the personality to and from work.

Trump has repeatedly attacked Don Lemon ... and it doesn't seem like a coincidence a self-proclaimed white nationalist Trump supporter threatened to kill him.

More recently ... a 39-year-old Arkansas man was busted Tuesday for making more than 40 calls to CNN that included death threats aimed at Lemon.

TMZ broke the story ... April Ryan -- a White House correspondent with Urban Radio Networks and well-known CNN contributor -- now has protection after receiving threats over the last few months ... threats which sure seem related to Trump's venom toward her.

Conan O'Brien's laughing his ass off a lot these days, courtesy President Trump and co. -- but the problem is they're also stomping all over the late night host's turf ... according to Conan.

We got COB out in the Big Apple Thursday and asked him to weigh in on the White House yanking Jim Acosta's press credentials after his head-to-head with the Prez. Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders uploaded a vid she said supported the decision -- but the clip is clearly sped up to make it appear Acosta shoved an intern.

Conan's take? Great production skills on the part of Trump's team!

Conan joked with us about how Trump's news conference antics are inspiring his own creativity.

6:37 PM PT -- CNN has come to the defense of Acosta, saying the White House's actions are a threat to our democracy and calling Sanders a liar.

In a statement, CNN said the Trump Administration's decision to strip Acosta's press credential "was done in retaliation for his challenging questions at today's press conference. In an explanation, Press Secretary Sarah Sanders lied. She provided fraudulent accusations and cited an incident that never happened. This unprecedented decision is a threat to our democracy and the country deserves better."

5:03 PM PT -- The White House has pulled Acosta's press credential. Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders released a series of tweets, saying, "President Trump believes in a free press and expects and welcomes tough questions of him and his Administration. We will, however, never tolerate a reporter placing his hands on a young woman just trying to do her job as a White House intern."

She continues, "Contrary to CNN’s assertions there is no greater demonstration of the President’s support for a free press than the event he held today. Only they would attack the President for not supporting a free press in the midst of him taking 68 questions from 35 different reporters."

Finally, she says, "The fact that CNN is proud of the way their employee behaved is not only disgusting, it‘s an example of their outrageous disregard for everyone, including young women, who work in this Administration. As a result of today’s incident, the White House is suspending the hard pass of the reporter involved until further notice."

Donald Trump went for the jugular Wednesday ... calling a CNN reporter unfit for his job and a "terrible person" ... and it didn't end there.

CNN reporter Jim Acosta asked Trump during a news conference about the President's claim there was an impending invasion by people in the refugee caravan.

It got hot almost immediately ... Acosta pressed Trump, and POTUS erupted in anger.

The President tried to shut Acosta down, ordering him to put his mic down, but the next person to ask a question was NBC's Peter Alexander, who defended Acosta. That further infuriated the President.

And, it didn't end there. American Urban Radio Networks correspondent April Ryan tried to ask a question and Trump rudely shut her down.

And then, there's Yamiche Alcindor from PBS NewsHour, who asked Trump about his comment during the campaign that he's a nationalist. When she said that seemed to embolden white nationalists, Trump said she was asking racist questions.

BTW ... another amazing moment -- Trump was asked if he'd comply with the inevitable demand by the House to release his tax returns, and the Prez essentially said it was too complicated for Congress to understand.