VP Mike Pence Denies He's in Self-Isolation ... After Staffer Catches 'Rona

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UPDATE

4:04 PM PT -- Mike Pence's office has released a statement, essentially denying Bloomberg's report that he's self-isolating -- but their wording is interesting.

UPDATE

A spokesperson for the VP says, "Vice President Pence will continue to follow the advice of the White House Medical Unit and is not in quarantine. Additionally, Vice President Pence has tested negative every single day and plans to be at the White House tomorrow."

UPDATE

It's interesting, 'cause Bloomberg didn't say Pence was in quarantine ... they made sure to use the phrase self-isolation. In any case, it was a brief solo stint if he was, in fact, doing that ... as he's apparently expected to be back at the podium on Monday. Welcome back!

Vice President Mike Pence is going away for a little while -- the Veep is reportedly self-isolating after someone in his own office tested positive for coronavirus.

Pence is self-isolating away from the White House, which would explain his absence from a meeting with President Trump and other top military officials Saturday, according to Bloomberg. He's staying home out of an abundance of caution says Bloomberg, noting he hasn't tested positive himself. Unclear how long MP will be in isolation, or if it'll be a full quarantine.

Of course, this comes after his press secretary, Katie Miller, recently tested positive. She's usually in close contact with Pence, as well as others on the coronavirus task force. Miller is also married to Stephen Miller, who's a key member of Trump's administration at the WH.

As for DT, no word yet if he'll shutter himself in like his #2. One of Trump's personal valet of his also tested positive for coronavirus, as have several Secret Service agents.

In the meantime, both the Prez and Vice Prez will continue getting tested daily. Pence is the latest at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. to head inside -- Dr. Fauci is currently in a modified quarantine himself ... and other CDC officials are on lockdown too.

The White House is a mess.

Originally Published -- 3:20 PM PT

Alec Baldwin Hilariously Plays Trump ... In 'SNL' Season Finale

Published

The season 45 finale of 'SNL' was laugh-out-loud hysterical, thanks to one of the funniest Donald Trump skits ever.

Alec Baldwin reprised his faux-presidential role for the open of the show ... which began with a zoom graduation ceremony, where solicitations to the Obamas, murder hornets and others for keynote speaker were rejected ... but one person was happy to step in -- the Prez.

He provided "inspiration" to the grads by telling them there were many job opportunities available to them, like grocery store bouncer, camgirl, porch pirate ... you get the pic.

But then ... Trump was thirsty for more than compliments, and you gotta see what Baldwin does ... it's hilarious.

At the end of his speech, all but one graduate has fled zoom ... which then triggered "Trump" to say, "Wow, this crowd has thinned out faster than Adele."

It really works from home, right?

Dr. Fauci Goes Into 'Modified' Quarantine ... After Possible WH Exposure

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Dr. Fauci is headed for self-isolation -- a tweaked version, that is -- after a White House staffer tested positive for coronavirus ... but he's only doing so as a precaution.

The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases will go into what he describes as a "modified' quarantine, which means he'll be working remotely from home for 14 days with a mask on -- but might come and go to his office as needed, albeit solo.

Fauci says he's made "low-risk" contact with the staffer, and therefore, won't go into full quarantine ... unlike two other members of Trump's coronavirus task force, who've already gone into full lockdown themselves. Fauci says he's currently negative for COVID-19.

Earlier last week, it was revealed that VP Mike Pence's press secretary, Katie Miller, had coronavirus -- but it's not clear if she's the one everyone's going into quarantine over. Of course, Trump's own valet driver has also tested positive, and reports of about a dozen Secret Service agents dedicated to protecting Trump and others have also contracted it.

In other words ... the White House is starting to feel like a biohazard zone to some -- including old Tony here -- and they wanna steer clear for a while. Probably a good idea.

VP Mike Pence Press Sec. Tests Positive for COVID She's Married to Pres. Trump's Sr. Adviser Too

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The White House is dealing with a second positive coronavirus test -- now it's Mike Pence's press secretary ... who's husband happens to be one of President Trump's top aides.

POTUS said Friday at the White House ... Pence's press secretary, Katie Miller, is the senior Pence staffer who tested positive. The President said, "She's a wonderful young woman, Katie, she tested very good for a long period of time and then all of a sudden today she tested positive."

Trump also said Katie has NOT come into contact with him, though she's in constant contact with Pence as his office's official spokesperson. Katie, BTW, is married to Stephen Miller, one of Trump's most trusted advisers. It's unclear if Miller he's been in contact with the Prez.

The VP's trip Friday morning aboard Air Force Two was delayed as staffers who'd been in contact with Katie had to leave the plane immediately after getting the news about her test results.

The announcement comes just one day after Trump's personal valet tested positive for coronavirus. The Prez says both he and his veep continue to test negative -- but you'd think the close calls would have them on edge.

Important to note, President Trump still refuses to wear a face mask -- and even though he's testing negative, it's still possible he could be transmitting the virus, because he could have been exposed. That's ditto for Pence now.

Joe Exotic Hey Prez, Seriously, Pardon Me

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Joe Exotic is going right to the top in his bid to undo his criminal conviction for attempting to kill his archrival ... he's going right to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. to ask for a pardon.

Sources connected to the 'Tiger King' star tell TMZ, Joe's legal team out of Ft. Worth, Texas is preparing a case file that will be sent on to Trump, claiming Joe was wrongly convicted for the murder-for-hire plot against Carole Baskin.

They wrapped a big bus and plan to roll out the big announcement in a few days, but the endgame is clear ... get Joe out of prison.

There are interesting grounds for a pardon. For starters, Joe told everyone who would listen that he wanted Carol dead and even suggested to various people -- some he hardly knew -- that he'd pay as much as $50,000 to have Carol murdered.

Typically, people who seriously hire people to kill people don't tell everyone who would listen that they're marketing a murder plot.

Tiger King
ON THE ROAD AGAIN

What's more ... the alleged hitman, Allen Glover, was the star witness at Joe's trial, because he's the only one who took money from Joe. Glover says Joe gave him $3k for the hit ... Joe says it was to get Allen the hell out of the zoo.

We interviewed Glover for our TMZ Fox special a few weeks ago, and he made it clear ... this was "payback" and Glover says Joe caused so much misery to people and animals, he wishes he could have done more to hurt him. That's what you call a biased witness, and if the jury heard that they may have discounted his testimony.

And, there's even more ... the prosecutor in the case also charged Joe with killing tigers. His lawyers feel it was done just to dirty Joe up, to make the jury hate him, so they would convict him of ordering the hit on Carol.

Donald Trump 4/8/20
EXOTIC PARDON

As you know ... Trump actually talked about Joe and 'Tiger King' at one of the coronavirus briefings and joked about a pardon. Nothing's a joke anymore in these times.

50 Cent Looking Pence-ive in New Pic

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If you ever wondered what 50 Cent would look like as Veep Mike Pence ... well, here you go.

An Australian artist created a Pence-ish looking painting using Fitty as his inspiration and it's, well, interesting.

50 seemed to approve, saying ... "This f***ing guy won’t stop, SMH. I guess i’m not wearing a mask because i’m tested frequently."

He was referring to Pence's ridiculous defiance when he went to the Mayo Clinic this week, ignoring protocol as he was the only one in the room not wearing a mask. He says he was tested, but that really doesn't make a difference. They told him to wear one and he didn't.

The artist who painted the Pence pic -- Lushsux -- has a history with 50. He's turned him into Donald Trump ... something that clearly doesn't sit well with the rapper/mogul.

And, what really set 50 off ... when Lushsux turned him into Taylor Swift. He said at the time ... "Man look at this s***, TF is wrong with this guy he won't stop ... Swifty cent, I'd like to hit this MF right in the back of his head while he doing this s***.'

Atlanta Restaurants We Still Stand With Mayor Bottoms ... Too Soon To Open Back Up!!!

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Georgia's Governor lifted restaurant restrictions almost a week ago, but most popular ATL spots are instead heeding Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms ... refusing to open for dine-in service.

Many of Atlanta's most famous and popular restaurants are telling TMZ ... despite Gov. Brian Kemp's green light, they feel it's not safe enough to return to business as usual. However, some of them are still embracing crowds of customers ... for take-out.

Check out the gallery ... mouth-watering restaurants like Hattie Marie’s BBQ, The Original Hot Dog Factory, Nouveau Bar & Grill, Slutty Vegan and Bon Ton Atlanta are sticking with the status quo, only offering takeout and delivery options while dine-in tables sit empty.

Copper Cove Buckhead is taking a more extreme approach -- it's staying completely closed until Mayor Bottoms gives the all-clear. We're told ownership is using this time to sanitize the whole building.

Tons of celebs frequent Copper Cove ... Diddy, Fabolous, Offset, Pusha T, Toya Wright and Jermaine Dupri to name a few ... but they're just gonna have to wait.

As we reported ... the mayor's encouraging her citizens to listen to data coming from health officials in the middle of the crisis ... instead of what President Trump and Gov. Kemp are pushing.

Lamont D. Johnson, the PR rep for The Original Hot Dog Factory and CRU Hemp Lounge, tells TMZ ... the restaurants are pairing up with hospitals to donate food to medical workers.

And, Slutty Vegan owner Pinky Cole tells us she's paying rent for other small businesses in Atlanta, while providing free food to frontline workers.

Different approaches across the city, but most remain in solidarity with their Mayor.

President Trump Buys Into N. Korean Media I, For One, Am Glad Kim's Doin' OK!!!

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North Korea's state-run media is apparently good enough for President Trump -- he's taking their word that Kim Jong-un has a clean bill of health ahead of him at face value ... congratulating the guy on his alleged bounce-back.

POTUS tweeted Saturday -- a day after photos surfaced of Kim at some ribbon-cutting ceremony at a factory there, which the media (that he and his regime control) claims were taken this weekend as proof that KJU is still kicking -- and didn't question the authenticity.

He wrote, "I, for one, am glad to see he is back, and well!" His words came in the form of a retweet from a user who put up the photos and a caption that reads ... "KimJongUn cut the tape at the ceremony marking the completion of Sunchon Phosphatic Fertilizer Factory in Sunchon. #NorthKorea." That same user also attached video that purportedly shows Kim walking around the factory grounds on his own two feet, smiling and taking it all in.

Of course, if the photos show what N. Korea says they show, it would be the first public appearance Kim's made since early April -- after which rumors swirled about his health. Some reports from overseas claimed he was actually dead at one point, while others hedged more, claiming he was either on his death bed, in "grave danger" or in a vegetative state.

Considering Kim and co. run a brutal dictatorship and control all the information that seeps out to the world, we, for one, are inclined to take their media's reporting with a grain of salt. Fact is ... we don't know for sure when this visit took place. And, we doubt many outside North Korea do either.

All good in DT's book, though ... it seems. Trust him AND your lying eyes! 👀