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Robert De Niro says he could stomach -- and "deal with" -- VP Mike Pence in the Oval just so long as it means as Donald Trump gets forced out of office and out of D.C. for good.

The legendary actor took a few seconds out of his press tour-de-force Saturday in NYC -- a day after he, Martin Scorsese, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci premiered their new flick "The Irishman" for the NY Film Festival -- to talk Trump and a possible impeachment.

As we've reported ... Nancy Pelosi and the House of Reps. launched a formal impeachment inquiry last week after word got out about DT's call this summer with the Ukrainian Prez ... in which POTUS casually asked him to look into Joe Biden and his son, Hunter.

The White House even released a rough transcript of the call, and it couldn't be any clearer -- Trump asked the guy to get to the bottom of it, with the help of Attorney General William Barr and even his own personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani. Rudy denied wrongdoing, FWIW.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez believes the case for impeaching Donald Trump has been mounting for awhile, but with the latest developments ... kicking his ass out of office is a no-brainer.

The Congresswoman was out on Capitol Hill Tuesday after word got out that Nancy Pelosi launched a formal impeachment inquiry of the President, and she broke down for us why the case against POTUS is so serious this time around.

AOC says Trump abused his power and used foreign relations to try to influence the upcoming election -- a clear violation of the law -- and even admitted to it. In fact, a transcript of the call between Trump and the Ukranian President was just released, and Trump clearly asks the President to lean on the Ukranian Attorney General for dirt.

She calls his actions a betrayal of the American people, and suggests no matter how hard the Prez tries ... there's no talking his way out of this one.

Donald Trump has more numbers to brag about -- his Trump Straws are selling like hotcakes, quickly approaching $1 million in sales ... and MAGA hats have reached a milestone.

Sources with the President's campaign tell TMZ ... sales for the straws -- which come in a 10-pack for $15 and are meant to own the libs -- have surpassed $850,000. We're told they're by far the most popular item right now on Trump's online shop.

As you can see ... the red plastic straws come laser engraved with "Trump" branding, and are advertised as reusable, recyclable and made in the U.S. of A. They're also touted as superior to "liberal paper straws."

While straws are the current hot purchase among Trump supporters, the red MAGA hat is still going strong on the shop at #2 ... and just passed 1 million units sold. It's unclear how many Kanye's responsible for, but either way -- at 25 bucks a pop -- that means the hat has generated $25 mil for the campaign to date ... minus the cost of production, obviously.

Trump's team was pushing both products Friday ... the same day as Berlin's "climate strike" and a day before the UN Climate Action Summit will take place in NYC.

The booming sales numbers came on the heels of Trump's trip to California, in which he raised $15 million from 4 events in Los Angeles.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is walking the walk and talking the talk ... showing everyone she's in the game of life.

RBG got a little help from security but also walked without assistance Thursday in NYC as she entered the 92nd Street Y cultural center.

She spoke to the crowd -- something she's been doing with some frequency after her 4th bout with cancer.

The night before, Ginsburg spoke at the Yale Club and told the crowd, "This latest has been my fourth cancer battle and I found each time that when I'm active I'm much better than if I'm just lying about and feeling sorry for myself."

She's repeatedly said she will stay on the Court as long as she's mentally agile.

Good news.

Donald Trump wouldn't stand a chance in Elizabeth Warren's Harvard Law School class ... so says Rep. Joe Kennedy III, who calls Liz the best teacher he's ever had.

We got Joe on Capitol Hill Thursday and asked about his first professor at Harvard Law back in the day, and he gives Warren an A+ when it comes to teaching.

Joe is effusive in his praise for Elizabeth, telling us why she was so great at explaining law and its impact in the real world. He says Warren's the same in the classroom as she is on the campaign trail -- she brings out the best in people.

But, there's one person Joe thinks even Elizabeth couldn't prop up ... Trump.

Joe's mum on his grades under Professor Warren, who he calls a tough grader, but he did graduate ... and ya gotta hear what Joe says about Trump's ability to handle one of Liz's classes.

BTW ... Kennedy is set to make a big announcement Saturday. Looks like he's making a run for the U.S. Senate ... just like his famous grandfather, Bobby, and great uncles, John and Ted.

Al Sharpton is calling out Justin Trudeau for his blackface scandal ... slamming Canada's Prime Minister for not coming clean about the photos BEFORE running for office.

We got the Rev. in Washington D.C. and he went off on Trudeau for the 2001 picture that surfaced showing the PM in blackface when he was 29 years old. Sharpton stated the obvious ... that the imagery is insulting and offensive -- but beyond that, he has major issues with Trudeau's apology.

The PM admitted it was racist and said he was deeply sorry for dressing up as Aladdin for a gala at a private school where he was a teacher.

Sharpton says it's too late because Trudeau damn well knew he had done blackface when he first ran for office. Issuing a mea culpa after the photos surface is clearly insincere ... in Rev. Al's eyes.

Trudeau just launched his re-election campaign last week and says he's not going to resign, despite some Canadians calling for him to step down and bow out of the race.

Sinbad couldn't disagree more with Candace Owens on the idea that this country was ever great -- as President Trump suggests.

You know the famous Voltaire line ... "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." That's not exactly what Sinbad said to us Monday at LAX, but it's close in spirit ... maybe. He notes Candace has every right to spew half-baked theories in the U.S. of A.

Of course, he's referring to the spirited debate Candace and T.I. got into over the weekend in Atlanta, where Diddy's REVOLT TV held a summit and talked about 'MAGA.' T.I. asked when this country was ever great -- and she was never able to answer.

Sinbad is firmly in T.I.'s corner on the issue, saying that there are way too many bad tendencies Americans seem to go back to time and time again to reach true greatness. Watch ... he makes an interesting point, even saying America has the potential to be great.

T.I. had a good question for staunch Trump supporter Candace Owens -- when was America actually great ... and what exactly is DT trying to emulate???

The rapper asked this of Candace Saturday night at a summit held by Diddy's REVOLT TV in Atlanta, where they were discussing why the President's slogan is viewed as racist among many in the black community. Safe to say, things escalated quickly from there.

Moderator Jeff Johnson said Trump has stoked fear into poor whites that their enemy is poor blacks -- to which Candace asked when the Prez said that verbatim. Johnson suggested that the guy's slogan in and of itself was a sign of that fear-mongering.

Then T.I. jumped in ... and s*** hit the fan.

T.I. firmly asked Candace what period in American history is Trump so sure was "great" -- listing examples, like when women couldn't vote ... or when black people were lynched.

Candace suggests Trump is hearkening back to the Reagan years, when the then-presidential hopeful said something to the same effect while on the campaign trail. T.I., however, has his own view of the 80s ... calling it the crack era. He kept pressing, and Candace ultimately wasn't able to get out a straight answer to his initial question.

Things got worse when Candace invoked slavery -- seemingly suggesting, at first, that America was one of the first countries to free its slaves ... but stopping and quickly pointing out that slavery was worldwide, and not just taking place here in the States.

Folks in the crowd became even more irate about that, and when Candace tried to get her point out ... T.I. was quick to shut her down, saying her beginning premise was "bulls***."

REVOLT TV is bringing its summit to L.A. next month. If the Atlanta event is any indication, L.A. should bring out the fireworks just the same.

Pete Buttigieg is down with a revolution ... in the Marvel Universe.

On the heels of the Democratic debate Thursday night, Mayor Pete joined "TMZ Live" Friday to discuss some major issues like diversity and inclusion ... which led to talk about comic book movies.

We ask the presidential hopeful what he thinks about Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige's potential plan to recast the iconic roles of Professor X and Magneto with African-American actors.

Pete says the beauty of classic comic book stories is the ability to reimagine them onscreen, and he's all for film portrayals better reflecting American culture ... i.e. more diverse and representative of the population.

Ultimately, though ... Buttigieg says the color of the cast shouldn't be what makes a movie buzzworthy -- it's all about whether or not it's any good.

So, actors of color willing and able to fill the shoes of Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender ... Pete says go on and unleash your superpowers.

Beto O'Rourke got a rise out of an elected official from Texas when he said during Thursday's presidential debate that he wants to take assault weapons away from everyone who possesses them ... in the form of a not-so-veiled death threat.

O'Rourke gave a stirring answer to a question about assault rifles, saying, "Hell yes, we're going to take your AR-15, your AK-47," adding, "If the high-impact, high-velocity round, when it hits your body, shreds everything inside of your body because it was designed to do that so that you would bleed to death on the battlefield."

Well, that was enough for Texas Republican State Rep. Briscoe Cain, who fired back on Twitter, "My AR is ready for you Robert Francis."

O'Rourke stated the obvious on twitter, calling it a "death threat." What's more ... his team reported Briscoe to the FBI.

Donald Trump Jr. says it's time for Joe Biden to hang it up and withdraw from the 2020 Presidential Race.

We got 45's son Friday in NYC, and he honed in on Biden's gaffes, saying if his dad said the things Biden has said, he'd be torn apart.

DTJ may have forgotten, his father's forgotten the words to "God Bless America." And then, there's referring to 9/11 as 7-Eleven. And, who can forget Trump's 4th of July speech ... during the Revolutionary War, the Continental Army "rammed the ramparts, it took over the airports."

Alyssa Milano just got done sitting down with Sen. Ted Cruz for a discussion about gun reform ... and she tells us despite their contrasting opinions, the powwow was cordial.

We got Alyssa strolling the halls outside the Texas Senator's office on Capitol Hill ... and she says their Tuesday meeting was not at all like their exchange of Twitter barbs that sparked the much-anticipated discussion.

Alyssa and Ted's face-to-face talk was streamed live and, during the hour-long session, the actress said she was begging Cruz "to have the courage to lead" on gun reform, and told him his stance on the polarizing subject "has made you almost like this caricature of a villain."

Cruz talked about the division in America, calling it an "angry time" in our nation's history ... and said the convo was beneficial, because it could show people how to treat others with civility and humanity, no matter what side of the issue they feel strongly about.

As you know, Ted agreed to the meeting after Alyssa called him out on Twitter for offering "thoughts and prayers" after a gunman went on a shooting spree earlier last month in Texas.

Sasha Obama is the it girl ... just ask University of Michigan sororities champing at the bit to land her as a pledge, but we've learned one Greek sisterhood has the edge.

We've called around Ann Arbor ... there's a scramble to recruit 44's youngest daughter, who's been dubbed a "rush crush."

The people we've spoken to say it's undeniable -- having an Obama in the house is an unquestionable badge of honor -- but that's not the only reason Sasha's a hot commodity. They say she's smart, personable and she can draw a crowd.

We're told Alpha Chi Omega (AXO) is the front-runner for a couple of reasons. For starters, when she visited the school earlier this year, Sasha stayed at AXO's house. Turns out, one of Sasha's close friends from high school pledged there.

Sasha's just started her freshman year, but rushing doesn't begin until Spring. If she decides to pledge, all signs seem to point to AXO, which has a mantra that will surely get her parents' seal of approval ... a sorority populated by "unique, talented, genuine women choosing a fun and meaningful way to enhance your college experience and building lifelong bonds that extend long into your alumni years."

After months of debate, controversy, and a threatened Brad Pitt lawsuit ... the so-called Straight Pride Parade is underway in Boston.

The parade organizers -- a group called Super Happy Fun America -- claim straight people are an "oppressed majority" and believe "the day will come when straights will finally be included as equals among all other orientations."

Those kinds of statements made many think the whole parade was just a troll, and not something that would really happen, but there are several hundred people lining the same route of the Boston's Pride Parade back in June.

The Grand Marshal is, ironically, the openly gay, but extremely conservative, Milo Yiannopoulos.

Protesters are on hand as well, but don't appear to be confrontational. Hell, they brought musical instruments.

Still Boston police are out in force ... just in case tensions rise and anything goes down.

You'll recall, earlier this year the parade organizers used Brad Pitt's face on promotional material ... calling him straight America's mascot -- but as TMZ first reported, Brad wasn't down. He threatened to sue if Super Happy Fun America didn't cease and desist. They did.

Rudy Giuliani says liberals don't care about science when it comes to forecasting Hurricane Dorian's path -- and instead they've just used it as a political tool.

We got President Trump's former advisor at Reagan National Airport, and he ripped former Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell for tweeting that she hopes Dorian slams into Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate. She's since apologized, but Rudy says it's a sign of our super-heated political times.

Then the ex-NYC Mayor jumped to climate change, which he clearly does not consider a crisis. Again, Giuliani says facts, schmacts -- he believes the left has turned the phrase "global warming" into a religion ... which they blindly believe without any science to back it up.

We're just gonna leave that irony here. Let that marinate for awhile.

BTW, Giuliani did concede Mar-a-Lago will be underwater ... someday. As he put it, "that's just what happens on coasts." As for WHY he thinks that happens? Search us.

Forget Iowa, forget the polls and forget the talking heads -- Elizabeth Warren will be the Democratic nominee for President of the United States, according to people who really matter ... bookies.

Okay, it's not a guarantee, but according to oddsmakers at US-Bookies.com ... Warren has surged ahead of Joe Biden in the past week and is the favorite to win the Dem nomination to go up against Donald Trump in 2020.

Warren's odds are currently 15/8, making her the fave over Biden who's 11/4. Kamala Harris is 11/2 and Bernie Sanders is 6/1 ... followed by bigger long shots like Pete Buttigieg at 12/1 and Beto O'Rourke at 33/1.

In terms of actually WINNING the presidency, Warren still leads the Dems at 9/2 compared to Biden at 6/1. Of course, because he's not facing as much competition right now, Trump's the favorite to win in 2020 overall ... he's odds are even money.

It's interesting ... prior to the June debates, Biden was the frontrunner, but was passed by Harris after her strong performance in the second debate. Warren was third, according to the odds.

Over the course of July, the 3 candidates played musical chairs in the standings, but Biden became the favorite again on August 2 ... slightly ahead of Harris and Warren.

Senator Warren has been picking up steam the past couple weeks, though, and took over the top spot as of August 20.