President Trump

President Trump came through for Lil Wayne with a full pardon that gets him off the hook for a gun charge that could've meant serious prison time, and rapper Kodak Black also got clemency with a commutation of his sentence.

Wayne's pardon announcement included a statement of support by Brett Berish of Sovereign Brands, who described him as "trustworthy, kind-hearted and generous." The pardon statement then reads, "Mr. Carter has exhibited this generosity through commitment to a variety of charities, including donations to research hospitals and a host of foodbanks."

Deion Sanders, also a supporter of the pardon, referred to Lil Wayne as "a provider for his family, a friend to many, a man of faith, a natural giver to the less fortunate, a waymaker [and] a game changer."

Weezy's pardon came just hours before the sun set on Trump's Presidency ... and it's just one of a stack of pardons, including Kodak Black. Black, who was sentenced to 46 months in prison for making a false statement on a Federal document, served nearly half his sentence.

The pardon statement notes he has been charitable in various ways, "such as providing educational resources to students and families of fallen law enforcement officers and the underprivileged." It goes on to note KB has provided funding to daycare centers, helped with food banks and worked with underprivileged children. And, the statement notes Kodak donated $50k to Dave Portnoy's Barstool Fund, which provides financial assistance to struggling businesses in the wake of COVID.

Wayne endorsed Trump in the final days of the 2020 election campaign -- posing for a photo, talking up Trump's criminal justice reform efforts and his proposed "platinum plan" to benefit the Black community.

With the pardon ... Weezy no longer has to worry about his federal gun case. As we reported ... he pled guilty in federal court last month to illegally possessing a loaded weapon while traveling to Miami on a private jet a year earlier.

He hadn't been sentenced, but faced the possibility of up to 10 years. That's all in Wayne's rearview mirror now.

It's been a looooong journey, but Joe Biden's big day is finally here -- he'll be sworn in as 46th President of the United States in an inauguration ceremony unlike any other in American history ... and you can watch it live right here.

The President-elect and Vice President-elect, Kamala Harris, are set to be sworn in Wednesday in D.C. shortly after noon, and then Biden will deliver his first presidential address to the nation.

Along the way during the "America United"-themed Inauguration Day, many of the normal ceremonial displays, tributes to the troops, A-list performances and former presidents will be featured, but otherwise ... it will be far from normal.

That's because COVID-19 continues to ravage the country, and because 2 weeks ago ... pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol and wreaked havoc in a coup attempt that resulted in multiple deaths.

For a combination of those reasons, Biden's inauguration will not draw a large crowd -- in fact, his team hopes it's the smallest ever, with folks opting to watch at home -- nor will it be followed up by a series of inauguration balls.

Instead, there will be a heavy police and security presence ... as the threat of more violence continues to loom large following the Capitol riots.

And, of course, Biden's inauguration will be different due to the fact for the first time since Andrew Johnson left office in 1869 ... the outgoing President, Donald Trump, is choosing to skip it. VP Mike Pence will attend, along with past presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton and their former first ladies Michelle Obama, Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton.

If all goes well though, the only other big news of the day will be the performances of Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, Bruce Springsteen and Garth Brooks, a virtual parade ... and the inauguration television special called "Celebrating America" hosted by Tom Hanks.

Hopefully, America gets that lucky.

With 25,000 National Guard members set to protect D.C. for Joe Biden's inauguration, each member has been subject to a heavy vetting, which includes high-tech facial recognition.

Federal law enforcement sources tell us ... FBI vetting -- which is normal for high-security events -- begins by checking social media accounts, looking for connections to extremist groups.

Along with reviewing posts, comments and photos ... we're told the feds are using facial recognition software to track the activities of guardsmen and women, specifically searching for photos or videos tying them to radical activities.

Our sources say all 21,000+ National Guard members currently in D.C. -- who have come in from all 50 states -- have been scrutinized by facial recognition and other high-tech methods to determine if they had any involvement -- direct or indirect -- in the Capitol riots.

As for how that works ... all Guard members were required to take a photo when they showed up in D.C. for duty. We're told that photo is then cross-referenced with security camera footage along with online content to make sure there's no connection to extremist, far-right or fringe groups.

Along with the high-tech vetting tricks, our sources say the more common criminal background checks are also conducted ... in order to pick up on any red flags such as arrests or police report mentions.

When it's all said and done ... the FBI's goal is obviously to weed out anyone who might not have national security as their top priority while serving with the National Guard.

Snoop Dogg is trying to sway President Trump to free Death Row Records co-founder Michael 'Harry-O' Harris from an attempted murder conviction ... but the clock's ticking.

During the presidential transition, Snoop's been secretly lobbying Trump to commute Harris' sentence and the rapper even enlisted Alice Marie Johnson to bolster his case ... according to The Daily Beast.

Harris, who started Death Row Records with Suge Knight way back in 1992 and helped sign Snoop and Tupac to the label, is serving time on attempted murder and drug charges at California's FCI Lompoc.

Supposedly a changed man, Harris has been incarcerated for nearly 30 years ... and he's not supposed to get out until at least 2028, unless Trump steps in.

Snoop's reportedly gotten Trump's attention ... Alice Marie says Trump, Ivanka, Jared and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows all know about Harris' case. Remember, Kim Kardashian helped Alice get her life sentence commuted by Trump.

What's remarkable about Snoop's effort here is that back in 2017 ... he made his hatred of Trump perfectly clear in his "Lavender" music video by pulling a fake gun on a Trump lookalike in clown makeup.

So, this could be an uphill battle for Snoop to get Trump to see things his way. There's a long list of candidates for potential pardons with less than 24 hours to go in Trump's presidency ... so stay tuned.

Here's a new idea that might entice more folks to get vaccinated for COVID-19 ... bags of free weed!!

Cannabis rights activist Adam Eidinger joined us on "TMZ Live" Tuesday and told us about his big plans to use medical marijuana to get more shots in arms in our nation's capital.

Adam's the brainchild behind, "Joints For Jabs," a free ganja giveaway for folks in Washington, D.C. who get the COVID vaccine. The premise -- getting people to trust the science behind the vaccine by comparing it to the science behind pot's medicinal benefits.

Once mass vaccination sites are up and running in D.C., where Adam helped decriminalize weed back in 2015. He says activists from D.C. Marijuana Justice will be on hand giving away free chronic to anyone who gets the shot, and yes ... they're keeping it COVID safe.

Tiffany Trump is ready to say "I Do" ... and her new fiancé seems to have impeccable timing.

President Trump's youngest daughter announced her engagement to Michael Boulos Tuesday, on her father's last full day in office.

Tiffany says she's been honored to celebrate milestones, historic occasions and create memories with her family at The White House, but nothing compares to her engagement.

Looks like the couple snapped some engagement pics at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. ... not many folks can say that.

Michael's timing on popping the question seems a bit odd, all things in Washington and the Trump family this week. It's kinda like Rome's burning, but when Nero's in love ... what are ya gonna do?

As you know ... Tiffany and Michael started dating back in 2018 after meeting over the summer in Greece, when she was busy living it up with old friend Lindsay Lohan.

State capitols aren't the only landmarks authorities fear might become potential targets for violence in the wake of Joe Biden's inauguration ... we're told law enforcement will pay special attention to other landmarks around the U.S.

In New York, we're told there will be heightened security at Trump Tower and other locations linked to the outgoing President ... with additional officers patrolling City Hall in the days leading up to the inauguration. We're told there are no specific threats targeting these buildings, but the NYPD and other agencies aren't taking any chances.

Our sources say in L.A., aside from fortifying government buildings, the LAPD is going to pay special attention to power structures, water treatment plants, communication towers, power grids and the L.A. Zoo. This isn't the first time the zoo got special protection. As for why ... police are concerned people who want to cause trouble would go in and release animals, which would turn the city upside down.

Likewise, Beverly Hills PD sources tell us they're pulling out all the stops in terms of police presence on Inauguration Day. You may recall, Bev Hills was the site of protests and some unrest in the wake of George Floyd's death -- lots of pro and anti-Trump activity.

"Monitoring the situation" is the mantra in San Fran, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Chicago, Atlanta and Miami as well ... according to our sources.

The D.C. police officers who've been tasked with protecting the nation's capital in the aftermath of the Capitol riots are feeling depleted ... which is causing concern in the days leading up to Joe Biden's inauguration.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... since January 6, the date of the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, officers with both Capitol Police and the Metropolitan PD have been working a minimum of 12-hour shifts, 7 days a week, with no clear end in sight.

We're told a large number of cops are feeling drained with all of the overtime, and fear they won't be in good form come Inauguration Day -- when they need to be eagle-eyed.

Our sources say some Capitol Police staff are upset with leadership at the agency, because they feel they're most worried about image right now ... given the disaster on January 6.

Officers with the Metro PD have also been enlisted to protect the Capitol and buildings in D.C., and we're told they have many of the same grievances since the riots -- 12-14 hour days with no breaks ... and everyone's fatigued.

We're told Metro and USCP officers have been told they need to be on board with little or no time for family for a couple weeks ... possibly well into February if there's still a credible threat of unrest after the inauguration.

It has already taken its toll, with some law enforcement personnel resigning.

Our sources say a common question being asked by the officers is ... how are we supposed to be 100 percent if we're already spent?

The silver lining, according to our sources, is that officers are being allowed to take time off if they are having mental health struggles. We broke the story ... Capitol Police are being encouraged to seek counseling to deal with the deaths and trauma linked to the riots, and are getting the help they need.

There were Capitol police who were nothing less than heroic trying to contain the January 6 insurrection, and there were other Capitol cops who were up to no good ... so says Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

AOC appeared Friday on Rachel Maddow's show, and talked somewhat obliquely about the terror she felt during the failed coup.

Her account is bone-chilling ... "These acts of great heroism, even within Capitol Police and within Congressional staff, etc, that were juxtaposed with acts of great betrayal by people in those same ranks."

As AOC explains ... she and other members couldn't tell the good guys from the bad. As she put it ... "Whether they are there to hurt, or help."

Maddow asked the Congresswoman about what AOC had previously described as a brush with death, though she was not specific at the time. AOC had explained she couldn't provide details because of security concerns, but something frightening clearly went down.

TMZ broke the story ... the FBI almost immediately honed in on what appears to be a small group of Capitol police and Capitol staff, investigating whether they facilitated the insurrection. Several Capitol cops actually opened the door for some of the rioters.

You may have heard ... several members of Congress actually gave some of the insurrectionists a guided tour of the Capitol the day before the riot, which could, in part, explain how they could beeline to Nancy Pelosi's out-of-the-way office and to Jim Clyburn's office that had an unmarked door.

Emma Jablonski was heartbroken when she watched Officer Daniel Hodges doing his job in agony, as he was crushed by a metal door frame during the attack. He was trying to fend off the rioters who had overwhelmed him and other Capitol cops.

Emma couldn't do much from her home in Billings, but she wanted to do something ... so she wrote Hodges a get well card that read ... "I hope you heal from being crushed. I feel bad for you. Those people are really bad hurting you... I saw the video on CNN about people crushing you with a door. I almost cried. Get well."

Emma tweeted her note, and it only took a few hours for the Capitol police to see it. The Dept. responded by telling the girl, "Officer Hodges is recovering and doing well."

Word got to Hodges, and he and Emma connected on video chat. Emma decided she'd send him a card with her note along with a gift or 2.

Bill Maher is back with a vengeance!!! None other than Kellyanne Conway kicked off Bill's first show since the election, and there were some hilarious moments.

Bill reminded Kellyanne she once said Trump didn't hurl personal insults ... well, he then ticked off not 2, not 5, not 10, not 20 ... but 22 Trumpian attacks on the 'Real Time' host, including, "Moron," "Stupid guy," "A low life," "Failing comedian," "Dumb ass," and so on.

Kellyanne's response ... well, watch the video. It's hilarious.

Maybe even more hilarious .... Bill wanted to explain to Trump in the simplest terms that he really did lose the election, so he wrote a children's book called "Pack Your S*** and Go."

It begins like this ...

All the votes have been counted

All the courts said no

You're all out of options

Now pack your s*** and go

Donald Trump apparently missed the class on etiquette, because you know that Thor hammer that was carried out of the White House? Well, it was a gift 4 years ago, and he never said "thank-you."

The hammer, which looks like a movie prop, was one of the many items that have made their exit from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

We found out ... it was a gift from artists Clay and Teri Williams, who spent 3 months back in 2016 creating the art piece. They say the solid block of aluminum with a hand-cast pewter handle wrapped in high-grade Italian leather is valued at $3,500.

The couple are big Trump supporters ... they engraved the hammer with the battle cry, "Trump Make America Great."

They sent the hammer to Trump Tower in NYC a week before his inauguration but never heard anything from Trump thereafter.

They actually tried to find out what happened to the hammer by contacting the White House, but nada ... nothing.

The way they found out about the hammer's whereabouts ... well, they saw our story Friday with the photo of it being carried out of the West Wing.

As for not getting a simple "thank-you," well, they are letting him off the hook by saying he was busy the last 4 years. Still, you'd think with all the TV he watched, he'd have time to write a thank-you note.

The Williams say they still support Trump's values but don't support what happened at the Capitol.

Donald Trump is no Theodore Roosevelt ... instead of carrying a big stick, Trump wields the hammer of Thor!! Who knew?

Check out what was just carried out of the White House ... a large, silver hammer engraved with the President's last name. We don't know if it's Marvel-issued, but it's a dead ringer for Thor's fave toy.

We all know Trump loves putting his name on buildings, so the engraved movie prop seems par for the course.

Hard to fault him for coveting this memorabilia, though ... even the dude from the National Archives and Records Administration who's hauling it away seems more than happy to be hauling it out.

It's been super interesting to keep an eye on Trump's trinkets being taken away from The White House this week ... like the mini baseball bat in storage containers marked "Presidential Library Gifts," and the bust of Abraham Lincoln.

Even for maskless Karens, this arrest is bizarre ... a woman -- decked out in animal print -- accused cops of violating her "personhood" and trying to kidnap her and steal her purse.

Cindy Falco-DiCorrado was arrested Thursday in Palm Beach County, Florida where she was filmed maskless inside an Einstein Bros. bagel joint ... after management says she refused to leave. She claimed it was her constitutional right to not wear a mask.

According to the arrest affidavit ... Falco-DiCorrado told cops she was within her constitutional right to not wear a mask, but when cops tried to arrest her for trespassing, the 61-year-old accused the cop of violating her "personhood." A second cop eventually comes in to help get her out of the bagel shop.

Falco-DiCorrado's finally taken outside where she's arrested. She then starts accusing the cops of trying to steal her purse. Then ... she starts praying. You can see the cops are amused.

She was eventually arrested and booked for trespassing and resisting arrest. BTW, it's not the first time she's been embroiled in controversy.

Falco-DiCorrado, a staunch Trump supporter, was forced to resign from her volunteer seat on the County's Community Redevelopment Agency Advisory Board in 2017, following controversial remarks made during a meeting to designate Boynton Beach a sanctuary city.

It's far from a pizza party, but the National Guard troops stationed in the nation's capital to keep the peace ahead of Inauguration Day are being treated to pizza on the reg ... thanks to thoughtful donors.

A cargo van loaded with stacks of pies was delivered to troops throughout D.C. Friday, from the popular local restaurant We, The Pizza.

The pizza joint tells TMZ ... it launched an initiative Tuesday for people to donate money to provide food for the National Guard, D.C. and Capitol Police and the fire department.

We're told on Thursday this resulted in about 1,500 pizzas being delivered, and the number's at 500 and counting Friday. We, The Pizza says it plans on keeping up the pizza drive through the inauguration.

Members of Congress -- such as Reps. Michael Waltz and Vicky Hartzler -- have been personally involved in handing out the pies in the Capitol Building this week ... to show their support for protecting them.

As we've reported ... members of the National Guard have been called in to boost security in wake of the January 6 Capitol riots, which 20,000 expected to be in D.C. for Joe Biden's inauguration.

President Trump's double impeachment isn't altering some big plans he's already making ... to build and fill his Presidential Library.

As Trump prepares to move out of The White House, several boxes and items were hauled out Thursday ... including a few storage containers marked "Presidential Library Gifts."

The bins are clear, but it's still hard to make out most of what's inside them ... although it looks like a mini baseball bat made the cut.

Presidents rack up gifts from all around the country and world during their time in The White House, and Trump's Republican Presidential predecessor ... George W. Bush houses approximately 43,000 such gifts at his Presidential Library and Museum in Dallas, TX.

Based on the labels on the storage bins ... it appears Trump has a similar idea in mind.

However, even though every POTUS since Hoover has had a Presidential Library, it's no easy project ... and the tale of the Barack Obama Presidential Center is a perfect example. There have been major funding and planning challenges because all the money comes from private sources, and construction was suspended in the Fall. They're hoping to restart sometime this year.

Considering Trump's been impeached twice and has suffered major blows to his business lately, he might face similar challenges. But, we know he's all about having his name on buildings ... so ya gotta think he's gonna try.