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Freshman Congresswoman Katie Hill just threw in the towel ... announcing her resignation amid a scandal that she's now blaming on her husband and dirty politics.

Rep. Hill -- a Democrat --  issued a letter Sunday, saying she was stepping down from her elected post in the House of Representatives after winning the seat in last year's election. She repped California's 25th congressional district, covering parts of Northern Los Angeles.

In the document, she makes some damning allegations against her estranged husband, Kenny Heslep ... whom she's in the middle of divorcing right now, and it just got nastier.

Hill writes, "This is what needs to happen so that the good people who supported me will no longer be subjected to the pain inflicted by my abusive husband and the brutality of hateful political operatives who seem to happily provide a platform to a monster who is driving a smear campaign built around cyber exploitation."

She goes on to say, "Having private photos of personal moments weaponized against me has been an appalling invasion of my privacy. It's also illegal, and we are currently pursuing all of our available legal options." The implication is that Heslep facilitated the leak.

If you hadn't heard ... nude photos of Hill surfaced last week, as did news of extramarital relationships she allegedly had with 2 different people -- a congressional staffer of hers, and a former campaign aide. She admitted to the aide fling, but denied a staffer affair.

Hill finishes her letter by saying that she's stepping down to avoid further pain and embarrassment being thrust onto her and others, while also apologizing for her mistakes.

She writes, "Thank you for allowing me to turn my focus on this particular battle right now, and know that I stand with you as we continue to fight for the many important issues that brought me to Congress in the first place."

Former congressman Rep. John Conyers has died.

Conyers passed away in his sleep Sunday, per his son, John Conyers III. A longtime representative of Detroit and the longest-serving member of the House prior to stepping down in 2017, Conyers was instrumental in establishing the Congressional Black Caucus.

He was elected into office in the '60s and continued to serve in his capacity for decades to come ... working tirelessly toward civil rights for African-Americans and minorities along the way, helping to boost voter registration in the community while also securing legal representation for countless people who were wrongly arrested.

He co-sponsored the original Voting Rights Act of 1965, and shortly after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968 ... Conyers introduced a bill that would honor Dr. King with a federal holiday, which President Reagan signed into law years later.

He earned a seat on the House Judiciary Committee in 1965, and eventually went on to chair the committee in 2007 -- becoming the first black man in American history to do it. Conyers was also famously on President Nixon's "enemies" list during the Watergate scandal.

Rep. Conyers became embroiled in a scandal himself in 2017 after allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced in the wake of #MeToo. He denied the accusations but resigned nonetheless. His son, Conyers III, had shown interest in running for his open seat, but Rep. Rashida Tlaib ultimately ran and ended up winning it in the 2018 election.

Conyers' death comes a little more than a week after his congressional colleague and fellow civil rights activist, Rep. Elijah Cummings, passed away himself.

Rep. Elijah Cummings had a spectacular send-off after a life well-lived, with former Presidents and other dignitaries singing his praises at his funeral.

Among the mourners ... Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden, Senator Kamala Harris and many others filled all the seats at the New Psalmist Baptist Church in Baltimore. Interesting and predictable ... Trump was a no-show, although we're guessing he wasn't invited.

The theme from all of the speakers -- Rep. Cummings was a powerful, moral voice in Congress and was a pillar of integrity. As you know, he has famously squared off with President Trump, sometimes expressing moral outrage over the conduct of The White House.

Cummings had been hospitalized and underwent some sort of medical treatment. His office said the Congressman passed due to "complications concerning longstanding health challenges."

As for his health issues, Cummings had been dealing with ill health for years, which included heart surgery.

Cummings was 68. RIP.

Congressman Matt Gaetz sure is feeling himself after leading the blitz of House Republicans into private impeachment hearings -- delaying them for hours -- and he's glowing about scoring brownie points with POTUS.

We got the Florida Rep. on Capitol Hill, shortly after members of his Freedom Caucus ignored protocol and barged into a secure facility Wednesday, where Adam Schiff was conducting a closed-door deposition as part of President Trump's impeachment inquiry.

Gaetz compared his move to the Spartans in the the 2006 movie, "300." Seriously, you gotta see how pumped he was -- we fully expected him to shout, "This ... is ... Washington!!!"

Gerard Butler Matt adds that he thinks their mission was accomplished for now. He says they demonstrated the Prez deserves due process, and Dems should provide transparency.

As for Trump, Gaetz says he hasn't spoken to him yet about the stunt he pulled with fellow Republicans, but he expects a strong reaction from the Oval. He went beyond gushing when we asked about his and Trump's relationship.

We asked if he's planning more demonstrations, and if he's willing to get arrested. Gaetz didn't flinch and, in fact, made a laughing reference to his 2008 DUI bust.

One thing he was NOT down to joke about ... comparing his sit-in protest to the so-called Brooks Brothers riot during Florida's 2000 election recount.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is getting a big fat check for her contributions to social justice and gender equality ... and she's paying it forward.

RBG was just announced the winner of the Berggruen Prize for Philosophy & Culture, given annually to folks who shape "human self-understanding and advancement." It has not been announced which charity the 86-year-old is donating her $1 million prize to.

The Notorious RBG, who has served on the Supreme Court since 1993, is scheduled to accept the award in December at the New York Public Library.

The Berggruen Institute, founded by billionaire philanthropist Nicolas Berggruen, cited RBG's honorable work before and during her tenure on the highest court in the land ... including authoring the first law textbook on gender discrimination and her efforts in the 1970s with the ACLU's Women's Rights Project.

We're guessing the recognition will add a little pep to RBG's step ... not that she needs it.

RBG's still plugging along after her 4th bout with cancer ... and when we spotted her in New York City last month, she was walking without assistance.

And, get this ... RBG told a crowd at UC Berkeley this week she never stopped working out during her fight with cancer, and she still does push-ups every day.

RBG ... an inspiration to us all.

Piers Morgan says President Trump's use of "lynching" is lazy and ignorant, but Joe Biden's guilty of it too ... so all the outrage is a bunch of rubbish.

We got the British TV host leaving Staples Center Tuesday night and asked about Trump's "lynching" tweet to describe his potential impeachment, and he points out many politicians have used the language for many years ... so going after the Prez is totally disingenuous.

Or, as he puts it ... it's just another fake scandal.

Morgan's case in point is Biden -- who called Trump's tweet "abhorrent" -- using the same term in 1998 to describe the impeachment process at the time against President Bill Clinton.

Joe said in a CNN interview ... "Even if the president should be impeached, history is going to question whether or not this was just a partisan lynching or whether or not it was something that in fact met the standard, the very high bar, that was set by the founders as to what constituted an impeachable offense."

After the clip surfaced, Biden apologized for using the word, but stuck to his criticism of Trump ... claiming POTUS chose his words deliberately to continue to stoke racial divides in America.

Whether or not that's true, it seems Joe and Piers are on the same page about it being time to stop using "lynching" language ... even if Lindsey Graham's still all about it.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says President Trump is intentionally stirring up racial outrage in America by comparing his potential impeachment to a "lynching" ... and she believes it's all part of his master plan.

We got AOC on Capitol Hill Tuesday morning, and she ripped into the President for the tweet that definitely got America buzzing -- equating his impeachment inquiry to mob violence. She got kinda choked up as she called his use of slave imagery "horrifying."

She says what's even more disturbing is Trump using the word "lynching" on purpose. The freshman Congresswoman pulled back the curtain on what she believes POTUS is doing -- and it's all about riling up his base ... no matter how divisive it is to the country.

That being said ... AOC says folks can't allow Trump's rhetoric to become normalized, and she poses some important questions about America's future.

Barack Obama, Tim Cook and Robert De Niro likely all have a spot on the list of celebs people want to have dinner with ... and the trio was seated at the same table Monday night in NYC.

The former U.S. Prez, the Apple CEO and the movie star met up at Yves restaurant in the City's Tribeca neighborhood for a meeting of the minds ... and we're told they dined for several hours.

So, the big question here -- other than who picked up the check -- is what the heck did they talk about? Politics? Technology? Movies? Streaming services? De Niro's appearance on CNN last month?

Gotta think they reminisced about that last one for sure.

Anyway, Obama's New York visit's been pretty low-key other than the power dinner -- no big speeches or fundraising galas on the books -- and he's even crashing at a friend's place.

Nancy Pelosi's brother and one-time mayor of Baltimore, Thomas D'Alesandro III, has died.

The Speaker of the House confirmed the news Sunday, saying in a statement ... "My husband Paul and our entire family are devastated by the loss of our patriarch, my beloved brother, Thomas D’Alesandro III." He reportedly passed after suffering a stroke.

Pelosi went on to describe her brother as "the finest public servant I have ever known." She added, "His life and leadership were a tribute to the Catholic values with which we were raised: faith, family, patriotism.  He profoundly believed, as did our parents, that public service was a noble calling and that we all had a responsibility to help others."

The late mayor's sister also made note of his public service, saying ... "Tommy dedicated his life to our city.  A champion of civil rights, he worked tirelessly for all who called Baltimore home. Tommy was a leader of dignity, compassion and extraordinary courage, whose presence radiated hope upon our city during times of struggle and conflict."

She went on to say, "All his life, Tommy worked on the side of the angels. Now, he is with them. With his commitment to his family and public service, his life has truly blessed America."

D'Alesandro served as Baltimore's leader between 1967 and 1971, after which he stepped away from politics and public life ... going on to practice private law. His tenure as mayor is said to have been tumultuous, having to deal with the Baltimore riots of 1968.

People took to the streets in uproar following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. The Maryland National Guard had to be brought in to assist with the unrest.

D'Alesandro is survived by his wife, Margaret, five children as well as grandchildren. He was 90.

Justin Trudeau's blackface scandal is still a hot-button issue as the election for Canada's Prime Minister approaches ... as a couple of demonstrators were happy to remind him.

Trudeau took a road trip Friday in Ontario to meet with voters and hold babies -- including black babies -- as he campaigns for reelection, making stops in Barrie and Whitby.

He was greeted by a group of protesters, at one of his stops, decked out in blackface while holding up the old blackface photos of Trudeau that threw him into a storm of controversy.

The demonstrators also had signs reading, "We're Aladdin Too! Orillia Blackface Club Welcomes Trudeau."

As we've reported ... the Canadian PM has been on the apology tour since a 2001 yearbook photo surfaced showing him in blackface when he was 29 years old. He claimed he was dressed as Aladdin but, after the initial scandal, 2 other instances surfaced where Trudeau wore blackface as part of a costume.

Justin's been trying to save face ever since, staging a boxing workout with a famous black fighter and appearing on a kids' show to tell a pair of black twin girls he was sorry.

Elijah Cummings, one of the strongest voices in Congress for decades who early on expressed outrage at the way Donald Trump was running the country, has died.

Cummings had been hospitalized earlier this week and underwent some sort of medical treatment. His office said the Congressman passed due to "complications concerning longstanding health challenges."

Cummings proudly served his Baltimore district where he grew up ... coming home every night from D.C.

He was a civil rights leader from an early age. When he was 11 he was partly responsible for integrating a Baltimore swimming pool ... as he was being hit by rocks and bottles.

Cummings attended Howard University where he became student body president and went on to get a law degree at the Univ. of Maryland. He became a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, where he became the youngest member of the Black Caucus.

He won his seat to the House in 1996, rose through the ranks and became the Chairman of the Black Caucus and Chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee.

Recently, after Trump attacked the City of Baltimore, Cummings went after the Prez ... something he was never afraid to do. He became a fierce opponent of Trump's immigration policies, especially the one that separated children from families, calling it inhumane.

As for his health issues, Cummings had been dealing with ill health for years, which included heart surgery.

Cummings was 68. RIP.

Pete Buttigieg is nipping at the heels of Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren when it comes to campaign donations -- thanks, in no small part, to Mayor Pete's strong celebrity backing.

We combed through 2019 Federal Election Commission filings to find which celebs keep cutting checks for Pete, Bernie and Liz ... and Buttigieg has the upper hand.

Alyssa Milano is leading the way for Mayor Pete after throwing down $3,050 this past quarter ... while Michael J. Fox, Jennifer Garner and David Hyde Pierce all plunked down $2,800.

Zachary Woods is right behind with his $2,500 donation ... and Pete got $1,500 from both Anthony Rapp and Emmy Rossum, plus $1,000 each from Ben Platt, George Takei and Christine Taylor.

Josh Holloway's wife, Yessica, chipped in $3,000 ... while Thomas Lennon contributed a little under $900, Cherry Jones and Meredith Baker added $200 and Harvey Fierstein gave $100.

Kim Jong-un might be on the verge of some major policy shifts, 'cause he just Paul Revere'd his ass to a snowy mountain ... where he traditionally likes to sit and think.

The Supreme Leader/dictator released some interesting photos this week, showing himself galloping on a gorgeous white stallion through the snowy grounds surrounding Paektu Mountain -- an active stratovolcano on the Chinese-North Korean border.

The mountain is said to be a sacred getaway, with tons of symbolism and mythical history to a lot of Koreans. For this guy specifically, Kim has previously visited Paektu before major decisions for his country ... so a recent visit could mean he's up to something.

Of course, the horseback outing is hilariously similar to Russian President Vladimir Putin's ride through the mountains of Siberia in 2009 ... when he famously went shirtless.

Andrew Cuomo used the n-word -- while reading a quote from the NY Times -- to illustrate his point about racism against Italian-Americans.

New York's Governor was being interviewed Tuesday on WAMC radio when the topic turned to Indigenous Peoples' Day -- which was celebrated Monday -- and he steered the discussion to slurs used against Italians in the U.S. over history.

Referring to a NYT op-ed published over the weekend ... Cuomo said southern Italians, or Sicilians, were called "quote-unquote and pardon my language, but I’m just quoting the Times: ‘n****r wops.’ n-word wops, as a derogatory comment."

An insanely violent movie scene parody video following a fake Donald Trump as he shoots, stabs and kills political rivals and media outlets is being condemned ... and The White House says the President agrees.

The video -- an edited version of the church massacre scene from the film "Kingsman: The Secret Service" -- was reportedly played at a pro-Trump conference by his supporters at his Trump National Doral Miami resort last week.

In the vid, the fake Trump begins a killing spree at the "Church of Fake News" of the major media outlets and news sites like Politico, NPR, Slate, The Hill, HuffPo and Vice News ... along with the activist movement Black Lives Matter.

He also assaults or murders critics like John McCain, Mitt Romney, Maxine Waters, Rosie O'Donnell, Bernie Sanders, Adam Schiff and Barack Obama ... before putting a stake in the head of a person with a CNN logo for a face.

Jane Fonda is willing to go to jail over climate change -- she just got busted outside the U.S. Capitol during a massive protest.

Jane was arrested Friday along with a number of other protesters on the steps on the east side of the Capitol building. In video from the demonstration, you see Jane being placed in handcuffs and escorted into a police van.

Jane was demonstrating with the group Oil Change International over the climate change crisis. The protest is part of Jane's "Fire Drill Fridays" initiative -- she's vowed to protest outside the Capitol every Friday, rain or shine, and says she's been inspired by Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg and her weekly climate strikes across the globe.