Politicians are trying just about anything to connect with voters ahead of the midterm elections ... and one Congressman from California is turning up the heat -- launching his own talk show that's nearly a carbon copy of "Hot Ones."
Rep. George Whitesides -- who represents part of Los Angeles County -- is rolling out "Capitol Heat" ... a new YouTube series where he takes on the Sean Evans role, sitting across from fellow Democrats to discuss everything from their personal lives to serious political issues.
Just like the popular show ... with each question comes an even spicier chicken wing.
A National Guardsman got arrested and charged with 2 felonies after pulling a gun on a fellow Guard member and vowing to "slap the Jackson 5" out of her, according to an arrest affidavit.
The affidavit, obtained by TMZ, stated that Zion Mitchell was apprehended by police last week and charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm after a judge issued an arrest warrant for him.
The alleged incident occurred on August 25, when Mitchell got into a heated argument with a female National Guard member while they were on break from patrol inside a van parked outside a Popeyes restaurant in D.C., according to cops.
Natalie Harp's devotion to President Donald Trump is paying off big time ... she and 2 other aides received $45,000 in cash gifts from the commander-in-chief.
Natalie and a pair of female aides reported Trump's "cash gifts for the holidays" in financial disclosure forms released by the White House ... according to CNN.
The disclosure forms also revealed Natalie and the other aides -- Chamberlain Harris, deputy director of Oval Office operations, and Margo Martin, a communications adviser -- each rake in $150,000 a year.
"South Park" just added another Emmy to its trophy case ... and immediately handed President Trumpthe punchline.
The Comedy Central series won Outstanding Animated Program Sunday for "Sermon On The 'Mount," an episode that heavily satirized Trump and even depicted him in bed with Satan.
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After the win, the show's social media account posted an image of its animated Trump clutching the trophy with the message, "You finally got your Emmy."
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says her fertility journey isn't just about her ... it's also about being a resource for women going through the same struggle.
Senator John Fetterman vocally supports the police ... but it seems he may be all talk -- because he apparently bailed on a funeral for three officers because of the service length.
The Wall Street Journal published a long-form piece on the Pennsylvania senator's Congressional record ... which included alleged messages between Fetterman and an aide.
According to WSJ ... these messages are in connection with a funeral held for three police officers killed in the line of duty near York, Pennsylvania -- Fetterman's hometown.
President Donald Trump's former Secretary of Labor is a supporter of the working class ... because she apparently ordered a member of her security team to make it rain on a stripper.
The Office of the Inspector General -- an office dedicated to government oversight -- released a report on Thursday detailing a series of sordid actions the office claims Lori Chavez-DeRemer committed while serving in Trump's Cabinet.
The report specifically notes she went to a partially nude strip club in Oregon in April 2025 -- just a month after taking office -- where Secretary Chavez-DeRemer allegedly “took money from her purse, gave the money to the driver [a member of security detail], and directed him to give it to the performer.”
Rep. Brian Mast is flying back home as Congress heads into a district work period ... which is harder for him than most because his cyborg body sets off alarm bells for TSA.
Our TMZ DC reporter Charlie caught up with the congressman from Florida at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Thursday morning ... and Charlie had to ask if it's tough getting through airport security with a pair of metal legs.
Rep. Mast -- who lost both his legs while serving in Afghanistan -- says, of course it is ... because, since he can't be scanned by a metal detector, he gets "scanned by many hands" instead.
Congressman Eric Burlison used TMZ D.C.'s Jacobfor batting practice while talkin' about "The Show" outside the Capitol, savagely trolling the Dodgers!
Burlison, who reps Missouri in the House, was choppin' it up with the TMZ guys in the nation's capital on Thursday ... when a friendly convo turned into a heated baseball debate.
Charlie Cotton asked Burlison what he did to relax, offering up a softball ... only for him to send back a four-seamer, high and tight.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna says Congress isn't afraid to go after people who have run afoul of the investigation into the infamous Epstein files ... because the body wants the Department of Justice to prosecute an alleged perjurer.
Jacob caught up with the congresswoman from Florida on Thursday ... and the two discussed Leon Black -- a billionaire who skipped his deposition in the Epstein investigation and is now suing the House Oversight Committee to block subpoenas they've issued regarding non-disclosure agreements he allegedly had women sign.
In response, Black's attorney, Susan Estrich, said in a statement ... "Mr. Black never abused a woman. He never was with an underage woman. He never engaged in sex trafficking. He never paid Epstein for access to women. He was never blackmailed by Epstein.”
Rep. Nancy Mace is ripping women who think Lindsay Clancy isn't guilty of murdering her children and says those crowds outside the court would abandon Clancy in a heartbeat ... if she were Black.
The congresswoman dropped that huge hypothetical Wednesday in D.C., where Jacob asked her about the Clancy trial, and she went off about the so-called "pink mob" backing Lindsay.
It's clear Nancy thinks the jury should find the defendant guilty of murder, but she also thinks Clancy's vocal supporters are misguided ... and racist. She came with receipts, too.
Congressman Max Miller doesn't want to talk about his congressional opponent ... dodging questions about his new political ad and focusing on his legislative successes.
TMZ DC tried to catch up with the representative from Ohio on Wednesday ... but our cameraman Charlie ran into a ton of resistance when he brought up Brian Poindexter's ad.
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Poindexter is running for Miller's seat in the House of Representatives ... and he shared an ad featuring his three daughters talking about how great a father he is.
Rep. Derrick Van Orden came out swinging Wednesday, saying a bunch of members of Congress shamefully use insider trading to make loads of cash, but he says Prez Trump doesn't cross the line.
Charliegot Van Orden in the Capitol, and the Representative from Wisconsin was clear ... "I get exposed to so much insider information because of my position and there have been of lot of my colleagues who abuse that."
Van Orden vows he has never nor will he ever buy, sell or trade individual stocks as long as he's a member of Congress, but he's clear ... lots of other members do just that.
Rep. Jonathan Jackson says Tupac Shakur's murder verdict brought back a night he'll never forget ... the night he saw Pac clinging to life.
Charlie caught up with the Illinois congressman on Capitol Hill Tuesday after Duane "Keffe D" Davis was found guilty of first-degree murder in Tupac's 1996 killing.
Jackson says he was at the Mike Tyson fight that night with his father, Rev. Jesse Jackson ... and the two later went to the hospital, where Jonathan saw Tupac in "pretty bad shape."
Rep. Mike Lawler isn't shy about his Michael Jackson fandom ... and says the jury that acquitted the King of Pop in 2005 absolutely got it right.
Jacob caught up with the New York congressman on Capitol Hill Tuesday and asked about a wild chapter from Lawler's past -- he actually attended part of Jackson's criminal trial as a high schooler.
Lawler says he was helping biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli with research at the time and ended up inside the Santa Maria courtroom, where Jackson was facing child molestation and other charges.
Rep. Nancy Mace may be running out the clock on Congress ... but she's nowhere near done running up her tattoo count.
Charlie caught up with the South Carolina congresswoman on Capitol Hill Tuesday, where Nancy showed up with her pup, Millie ... then quickly got down to the other new additions she's planning -- tattoos.
Mace says she's already got far more than nine tats and still wants to finish her half-sleeves ... though she's resisting going full sleeve so she can cover everything up when duty calls.
