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Pope Francis is condemning the war in Ukraine -- and arguably Putin -- by kissing a flag that once flew in the city of Bucha ... where Russians soldiers left dead bodies tied up and lying in the streets after torturing and shooting them.

The Pope displayed the tattered and stained flag to his weekly audience Wednesday in the Vatican's auditorium. After kissing and displaying it, the crowd burst into applause.

The Pope said, "Recent news from the war in Ukraine, instead of bringing relief and hope, brought new atrocities, such as the massacre of Bucha."

He pled for the barbarism to come to an end. After his speech, the Pope invited several refugee children to join him on stage, saying, "Let's not forget them, and let's not forget the Ukrainian people."

The Pope decried a lack of support from the United Nations. He's been considering a trip to Kyiv ... slamming Putin for the destruction he's caused.

Former President Barack Obama is back in the White House with President Biden ... at least for now, delivering remarks with his former running mate.

Biden and VP Harris welcomed back the former Prez, Tuesday, to talk about healthcare ... but they also had a few laughs, happy to be back under the same roof but in a different capacity.

44 was greeted with a standing O from those in attendance as he approached the podium.

During his speech, Obama joked around, calling the current Prez "Vice President Biden" ... a clear reference to his own administration. He later said, Biden was a friend and partner who "stuck by his side for 8 years".

President Biden added, "it feels like the good ol' days" and being with Barack brings back so many good memories.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky shared a message with the Grammy crowd ... urging everyone in attendance and at home to continue to support his country in their battle with Russia.

Zelensky -- who spoke in English via a pre-taped segment -- intro'd John Legend, who performed "Free" with 3 Ukrainian entertainers. Zelensky took the time to remind everyone of the devastation ... listing the countries hit hardest by Russian forces.

He also pushed a message of freedom, what his people are fighting for, and asked that everyone continue to talk about the devastation.

His strongest message, perhaps, "Support us in any way you can. Any. But not silence. And then peace will come."

Donald Trump is still very plugged into the daily news, it seems, because he commented on reports that Jen Psaki is leaving her White House job to join a news outlet ... but with jokes.

The ex-Prez was holding a rally down in Michigan Saturday, and at one point ... he invoked President Biden's Press Secretary -- who's rumored to be leaving soon to team up with MSNBC, something she didn't outright deny at Friday's briefing with reporters.

Instead, Psaki said she was staying put for right now (typical nondenial answer) and that if and when the time came for her to step down ... it'd be by the books and totally ethical.

Welp ... DT has some thoughts about her would-be exit, and as you might imagine -- they're not totally nice. Check it out ... the guy made some cracks at Psaki's expense, and MSNBC too for that matter.

He invoked her hair, saying the network was in need of a redhead ... and got some laughs from his MAGA crowd. But, that might not even be the main takeaway of the night, frankly.

Sarah Palin is back in the political arena -- that is, if Alaskans will have her ... throwing her hat into the race for an open seat in Congress, this after a long hiatus from public service.

The former Alaskan governor and one-time presidential running mate to John McCain announced Friday that she was joining the packed field of candidates vying for the vacated position left behind by the late Don Young, who died suddenly a couple weeks ago.

Filing just before the 5 PM deadline, Palin threw up this photo of herself at the State of Alaska Division of Election, where she was submitting her paperwork in the nick of time.

She also had this to say ... "Today I'm announcing my candidacy for the U.S. House seat representing Alaska. Public service is a calling, and I would be honored to represent the men and women of Alaska in Congress, just as Rep. Young did for 49 years."

Palin added, "America is at a tipping point. As I've watched the far left destroy the country, I knew I had to step up and join the fight. The people of the great State of Alaska, like others all over the country, are struggling with out-of-control inflation, empty shelves, and gas prices that are among the highest in the world."

In true Trump fashion, she also said ... "At this critical time in our nation's history, we need leaders who will combat the left's socialist, big government, America-last agenda."

Of course, that rhetoric isn't very surprising ... she endorsed the ex-Prez ahead of the 2016 election, and appears to have had his back throughout his presidency -- even now, it seems.

As you know, Palin's been out of politics, in an official capacity, since she resigned from her governorship early in '09, shortly after she and McCain lost out to Barack Obama. Since then, she has certainly teased the idea of getting back into the game -- from a potential POTUS run, or fighting for a local post ... but in the end, she never jumped back into the pool.

Seeing how Palin is the most well-known candidate of the dozens who want Young's old job -- except, perhaps, for a fella named Santa Claus from North Pole, AK -- she likely has a strong chance at success here ... and we'll see how people vote in the coming months.

"Jeopardy!" Champion Amy Schneider took a trip to The White House to meet with Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, discussing the importance of trans awareness on the Transgender Day of Visibility.

Amy spoke to reporters in the White House Briefing Room Thursday, saying she was invited to meet with Emhoff about advancing transgender visibility and equality in the country ... and on the national holiday that was proclaimed by President Biden the previous year.

The trivia champ was eager to continue her mission spreading awareness of the transgender community, and her time spent with the Second Gentleman was a big step forward.

On the same day as Amy's meeting, Biden announced new measures that, hopefully, make more people feel accepted in the country ... including gender-neutral TSA scanners and the "X" gender option on passport applications.

As you'll recall, Amy was the first transgender "Jeopardy!" contestant to qualify for the show's Tournament of Champions, and is the most successful woman ever in the show's history ... winning 40 games in a row and pocketing $1.38 million dollars!

One of Ukraine's prominent politicians says western nations can do more than send military support ... they can financially stick it to the children of Russia's oligarchs in order to put pressure on Vladimir Putin.

Inna Sovsun is hunkered down near Kyiv, and joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live" ... as the Russian army attempts to fortify positions, apparently digging in for a much longer war than Putin anticipated.

As devastating as the war has been for her country, Inna tells us citizens -- male and female -- remain focused on defending their homeland ... even though they're painfully aware Russia might resort to using chemical weapons and ultrasonic missiles.

While no one expects Putin to stand down ... she hopes people around him will realize the price of war is too high, and that's where the U.S. and other western nations can help.

Sovsun says tough personal sanctions against Russia's political elites -- aka Putin's oligarch buddies -- are a start, but shutting down their children will also hit them where it hurts. She points out that the oligarchs' kids are still allowed into the U.S. and some are still studying in Great Britain.

Inna told us, "I want them to go back to mother Russia and suffer for the consequences of what their parents did."

Rep. Ilhan Omar says Justice Clarence Thomas doesn't care about the oath he took when he was confirmed to the Supreme Court, and if he's not held accountable ... our Democracy is at stake.

We got the U.S. Congresswoman from Minnesota on Capitol Hill, and she doubled down on her call to impeach Thomas following revelations his wife was involved, at the highest levels, in encouraging and promoting Donald Trump's 'Stop the Steal' campaign.

Ilhan says the fact Thomas didn't recuse himself from a Supreme Court vote on releasing Trump's Jan. 6 documents -- which could have implicated his wife -- shows he lacks interest in upholding his oath. Thomas was the only "no" vote in the 8-1 decision.

Rep. Omar says SCOTUS justices are expected to recuse themselves when they know people involved in a case, and she believes Thomas fell short of that standard ... so, he's gotta pay the piper.

The way the Congresswoman sees it, the consequences for Thomas should be impeachment proceedings ... or at least an investigation. She says doing neither would weaken our Democracy.

President Biden is apparently one of the few people on Earth who hasn't seen the Will Smith slap by now -- and that's exactly why he can't say if it was wrong or right.

White House communications director Kate Bedingfield said as much Tuesday during a press briefing, when she was asked about the Oscars confrontation by reporter Simon Ateba of Todays News Africa -- who asked if the White House condemns this violence?

You'd think it'd be an easy enough response -- yes, violence is never the answer, etc. -- but, Bedingfield refused to weigh in officially on behalf of the Prez and the administration, explaining Biden simply hadn't seen it yet -- so she couldn't respond.

If you think that's hard to believe, you aren't alone ... but Bedingfield said, "I know the President was not able to watch the Oscars -- didn't see it," adding, "So I don't have anything. I don't have any official comment from him or from the White House on this."

Ateba then kept it more broad about condemning violence in general, but even there ... Bedingfield waffled and refused to say one way or another, again explaining she had nothing official to offer on the matter.

46 had barely arrived in the U.S. from Europe on Sunday -- this after attending to Ukrainian refugees and meeting with troops/world leaders to discuss Russia throughout the past week -- so it's totally feasible he may not have watched it that day.

But, between Sunday and Tuesday, you gotta imagine he peeped a clip online somewhere -- as Ateba noted, it was indeed the biggest story at that point -- but the WH is clearly denying that ... which is a bit strange.

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson should start cleaning out her drawers at the Court of Appeals, because she's headed to higher ground -- the U.S. Supreme Court.

Republican Senator Susan Collins just revealed she'll support the nom, which all but assures her confirmation. With a 50-50 split, Collins will provide the cushion so the Veep doesn't have to cast a tiebreaker. What's more, Collins could open the door for more Republican support, although don't count on it.

Collins said, "After reviewing Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's extensive record, watching much of her hearing testimony, and meeting with her twice in person, I have concluded that she possesses the experience, qualifications, and integrity to serve as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court. I will, therefore, vote to confirm her to this position."

Collins met with Brown Tuesday for a second time, and said after the meeting that the Judge had provided clarification on certain issues ... unclear what those issues were.

President Biden has been saying a lot during his Euro trip -- but on a few occasions, he's misspoken about our intentions with Russia ... including the idea that Putin has got to go.

POTUS sparked a lot of headlines Saturday following a rousing speech he gave in Poland reaffirming the U.S.'s commitment to helping out Ukraine -- the reason ... he ended his remarks with an eyebrow-raising statement about what should happen to Russia's leader.

Biden says, "For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power" ... this after listing all the atrocities Putin has committed during this war.

Might not sound like a big deal on its face, but for U.S. officials and military strategists -- those words signaled a call for a regime change in Russia ... which is one helluva policy change from what the Biden administration has thus far touted and publicly backed.

While Biden's words were fairly clear, a White House rep has since re-explained what the Commander in Chief was trying to say -- namely, that he was NOT calling for a regime change. They clarified that JB just meant ... Putin can't be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region. That's definitely not was Biden said, but fair enough.

Not just that, but following his speech ... WaPo reports that the Prez went off-script in that moment, calling it another "inarticulate" moment when he shoots from the hip.

There's another incident that sounded alarms -- it was on Friday when 46 was meeting with U.S. Army soldiers stationed in Poland (with whom he broke bread, or pizza dough rather) and he told them they would see "when you're there" the Ukrainian resilience first-hand.

There, too, he appeared to be implying we'd be sending boots on the ground in Ukraine -- which has been viewed as a terrible move by many, as it could elevate tensions with Russian and spark a full-fledged war of colossal proportions -- but that isn't the case, it seems.

When reporters heard this, they went back to the WH yet again for clarity -- and a spokesperson said, "The President has been clear we are not sending U.S. troops to Ukraine and there is no change in that position."

Sean Penn is backing Amy Schumer's idea of having Zelensky beam in to the Oscars ceremony -- going so far as to say if it doesn't happen ... the show should be boycotted.

The award-winning actor -- who's got two statuettes of his own -- made the bold suggestion Saturday during an interview on CNN, which was delving into the humanitarian work he and his crew are doing in Europe as they work to offer relief and aid to fleeing Ukrainians.

Toward the end of the chat, anchor Jim Acosta asked SP what he'd like to see from the Academy Awards Sunday -- and the guy didn't hold back with his thoughts.

Check it out ... Sean is firmly behind the idea of having Zelensky and/or other Ukrainian leaders make an appearance during the telecast, saying there is nothing more important that Hollywood could do in a time like this.

He said some have argued politics should be left out of shows like this, and while he says he might agree with that in some respects ... he suggests the war transcends grandstanding.

Sean also says he's heard the Oscars producers have actually elected to NOT feature Zelensky -- something this year's Oscar co-host, Schumer, alluded to in a recent interview, this after she apparently floated it -- and goes on to say if that's the case ... he'll be pissed.

Bill Maher went in hard on "toxic masculinity" ... saying Volodymyr Zelensky is a prime example of ... be careful what you wish for.

Nope, Maher's not trashing The Ukrainian Prez ... quite the opposite. He says Zelensky is living proof women actually want some of that masculinity in their men. He points to various polls and social media with an undeniable conclusion ... women, and some men find him incredibly hot.

As the "Real Time" host puts it ... the lesson from this war is that "the world needs grown-ass men!"

Bill's not saying toxic masculinity is always a good thing, but he is making a case that a little -- maybe a little more than a little -- is sexy and, indeed, essential.

His overarching point ... he says there's been such a push by women to make men more like them, the men are emasculated and women no longer are sexually attracted to them. He points to studies showing people having sex is at a 30 year low.

He uses an ad the Obama Administration put out to push Obamacare, and, well, you just gotta watch ... it's kinda brutal.

Bill says Zelensky is sexy because of comments like ... I don't need a ride, I need ammo.  As he says, when there's an invasion, you want a little big d**k energy.

It's a super interesting case he makes ... that some attributes traditionally characteristic of men are now problematic ... as he says, "It's like men were born wrong."

It's a heartbreaking photo ... Mariupol, Ukraine reduced to rubble as Putin continues his reign of brutality on the country.

The photo was taken after enormously heavy shelling in the Ukrainian city. President Zelensky said more than 100,000 people are still living in what remains of Mariupol ... this despite a Herculean effort to evacuate civilians.

It's hard to process ... once a beautiful city flatted by Russian aggression.

Zelensky has said this of the unrelenting attack ... it's "ultimate evidence that genocide of Ukrainians is happening."

As you know, Putin is sparing no one ... even bombing a theater with the warning emblazoned on the ground -- "Children." It didn't stop Putin from bombing the building, killing hundreds.

On the other hand, Russian troops have largely been checked by Ukrainian forces in much of the country, and Zelensky has said they've killed 15,000 Russian soldiers. There are multiple reports the Russian army is demoralized.

The war is entering an even more dangerous phase, as U.S. intelligence officials worry the Russian dictator may resort to chemical weapons.

President Biden's adding some spice to his visit to Poland ... because while he's next door to the war in Ukraine, he's putting jalapenos on his pizza and hanging with the troops.

Check out these pics of the Commander in Chief greeting the men and women of the 82nd Airborne Division ... he grabbed slices of jalapeno and pepperoni pizza, pausing between bites to take selfies with the rank and file.

Biden's visit didn't just include a presidential pizza party ... he also swung by the barbershop on base, masking up to shake hands with troops waiting in line to get their hair cut.

The troops are on a deterrence mission and Biden warned Friday the stakes in Ukraine are extremely high for the rest of the world.

The world is bracing as the prospect of WWIII looms, and all eyes are on Putin, but just as serious a threat is North Korea, and Kim Jong-Un has made that clear in a new video.

It's, well bizarre ... the North Korean dictator is the star of a highly-produced video that almost mimics a Hollywood movie ... but this is way more ominous.

AP obtained the video from a third party and has not independently verified its authenticity, but it certainly looks real, as the country's leader and his military celebrates what has been called a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile.

North Korea has been testing ICBMs with greater frequency recently, and the 38-year-old leader's mental stability makes his intentions cause for great concern.

North Korea does not have the ability to put a nuclear warhead on its ICBMs ... at least not yet, and experts have varying opinions as to when that could happen ... some think within a year or so.