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It's maybe the most incredible gaffe of the year -- and that's saying something -- former President George W. Bush tried to take aim at Vladimir Putin, and it boomeranged right back on him.

W. was speaking at SMU's George W. Bush Institute when he groused about Putin's invasion of Ukraine ... he was trying to say the war was the brainchild of a tyrant who brazenly invaded a neighboring country without any justification. But, here's how it came out ... "Political opponents are imprisoned or otherwise eliminated from participating in the electoral process. The result is an absence of checks and balances in Russia and the decision of one man to launch a wholly unjustified and brutal invasion of Iraq."

Well, he quickly corrected himself, saying "I mean of Ukraine," and then just shrugged.

As you know, Bush launched a U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 on the pretext Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction ... there were no such weapons but lots of destruction in the wake of U.S. aggression.

Now check this out ... if you listen closely, after Bush corrects himself, he says, "Iraq too." That's an incredible statement, because that puts him in the seat of the aggressor without justification.

And then, he gets a laugh by saying, "75" -- his age.

Elon Musk might be on the fence about Twitter, but he knows exactly where he stands politically ... he's going full Republican.

The world's richest man says he's been a longtime supporter of the Democratic party, which he says used to be "the kindness party." But, he adds, "They have become the party of division & hate, so I can no longer support them and will vote Republican."

Elon blasted out his political declaration Wednesday on Twitter -- even as he still mulls buying the platform for $44 billion -- which would seemingly muddy the waters surrounding that purchase.

As we've reported, Musk believes Twitter can be a flagship of free speech ... and has already said he thinks the ban of Donald Trump was misguided, and that he'd let him back on Twitter.

Going public with his new GOP-affiliation will certainly raise more than a few eyebrows ... especially at Twitter.

For now, Elon says he's still doing research on Twitter before he pulls the trigger. As for his political flip -- he says he's now expecting the Democrats to launch a "dirty tricks campaign" against him.

Selena Gomez has teamed up with President Biden and his administration to put a spotlight on mental health ... with the help of youth who are also speaking up on the issue.

The singer was on hand Wednesday at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. to deliver remarks and help lead a conversation with the newly formed Mental Health Youth Action Forum ... which was put together courtesy of MTV and Rare Beauty's Rare Impact Fund.

Selena was intro'd by Dr. Jill Biden, and then outlined why she was doing this ... and why it was important to empower people to discuss mental health more openly.

The whole idea of this is to end the stigma surrounding mental health, while also propping up young leaders who work in the field ... via advocacy, entrepreneurship or both. It appears some of those folks were actually sitting around as SG spoke -- it was a packed house.

Some of the things Selena and co. are hoping to achieve with this new forum include changing labor laws to be more sensitive to mental health needs -- including getting extra PTO specifically for mental health, which would be treated almost like sick days.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is just days away from his possible re-election and might've just earned some serious points with the anti-kid crowd ... tackling one unlucky boy to the ground.

The leader of the liberal party -- who was elected to office in 2018 -- was campaigning in Tasmania Wednesday and took some time for a photo-op with a group of kids playing soccer.

Turns out, dress shoes aren't the best choice for a grassy field, as Morrison finds out the hard way. After prepping himself for a pass, the PM sort of trips over himself, diving straight into an unsuspecting kid and taking him to the ground.

Lucky for all involved in the crash, the kid seemed to be OK ... and Morrison came off as just slightly embarrassed.

Congressman Eric Swalwell says we should not tolerate Pentagon retribution against government officials and military personnel who speak up about UFO sightings, and he's hopeful Congressional hearings this week will change the culture surrounding these mysterious objects.

We got Swalwell on Capitol Hill Tuesday ... and he -- like a growing number of his colleagues -- views these UFOs as serious security threats. Fact is ... there have been as many as 14 objects that defy explanation buzzing our military ships and traversing our skies.

There have been a number of military officials and pilots who have suffered severe retribution for daring to implore the Pentagon to take UFOs seriously. Lue Elizondo, a former Pentagon Counterintelligence official, appeared on camera for a TMZ documentary on UFOs, and he explained how Pentagon officials threatened to pull his security clearance, called him a liar and smeared his name because he was pushing for UFO transparency.

Former Navy Pilot Ryan Graves told us he saw plenty of UFOs during his time in the sky, but said a lot of pilots wouldn't speak out about their own experiences for fear of being called crazy and having their reputations ruined.

Former Defense Department Official Christopher Mellon, who has spoken out about Government findings and sightings says his career was placed in jeopardy by pressing the UFO issue -- but says he's willing to accept those consequences given the importance of the subject.

As we've told you, experts have long awaited the moment the U.S. government would take UFOs seriously, and it's finally happening.

Congress is holding a hearing about unexplainable objects in the skies from experts who say they are baffled .... finally, after over 50 years, our government is taking UFOs seriously.

A House panel is hearing from experts Tuesday on 144 UAPs -- Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, aka UFOs. This comes after years of silence, cover-ups and retribution against Defense Dept. officials and others who dared to express the belief ... something is out there.

Rep. Andre Carson expressed a sentiment shared by many experts over the years ... that UAPs represent a serious national security threat and must be treated as such.

Carson echoed what TMZ presented in a FOX Network documentary ... profiling Navy pilots who said they were hesitant to even report these UAPs because they feared they'd be laughed at and viewed as wackos ... possibly compromising their position in the military.

Carson said, "For too long, the stigma associated with UAPs has gotten in the way of good intelligence analysis. Pilots avoided reporting or were laughed at when they did. DOD officials relegated the issue to the backroom or swept it under the rug entirely, fearful of a skeptical national security community," Carson said. "Today, we know better. UAPs are unexplained, it's true. But, they are real. They need to be investigated. And, any threats they pose need to be mitigated."

The Pentagon's UAP Task Force released a report last year, concluding more than 140 objects they analyzed could not be explained.

Pentagon officials say the number of UAPs has now surged to over 400 since last year's report was published.

Originally Published -- 8:34 AM PT

Starbucks in jumping into the Roe v. Wade fray by telling its employees the company will pay travel expenses for any staffer who has to travel more than 100 miles from home to get an abortion.

A Starbucks exec put it this way ... "Like many of you, I'm deeply concerned by the draft Supreme Court opinion related to the constitutional right to abortion that was first established by Roe v. Wade."

She went on ... "I know this is weighing on many of you, so let me be clear up front — regardless of what the Supreme Court ends up deciding, we will always ensure our partners have access to quality healthcare. And when actions impact your access to healthcare, we will work on a way to make sure you feel supported."

The coffee company pledged to its 240,000 employees it will cover all travel-related expenses "when accessing abortion or gender-affirming procedures."

Elon Musk says President Biden is a regular Ron Burgundy -- namely, the guy relies way too much on teleprompters ... so much so, in fact, that Elon thinks whoever runs it is in charge.

The Tesla chief and Twitter-owner-hopeful took a shot at JB this week on the 'All-In Podcast,' where he fielded a number of questions ranging from his attempt to buy the bird app, how he manages his keystone companies ... and also, what he thinks of politics in terms of red/blue.

On the latter issue, Elon made some cracks at 46's expense ... saying, "The real president is whoever controls the teleprompter. The path to power is the path to the teleprompter."

He wasn't done there ... Elon invoked the Will Ferrell flick, adding, "I do feel like if somebody were to accidentally lean on the teleprompter, it's going to be like 'Anchorman.'"

A few more parting shots at Biden and co. ... EM says that the current administration doesn't seem to get a lot done compared to the Trump days. That's not to say he's a fan of DT, per se, but apparently admired the people working behind the scenes on efficiency.

Visitors to Windsor Castle were either really excited or disappointed as hell to see a couple Harry and Meghan look-alikes walking outside the grounds, complete with a camera crew in tow.

Take a look at the actually somewhat convincing duo out on Sunday, fake Meghan in a white pantsuit and fake Harry in royal garb. The two stopped to take photos with castle visitors, and according to reports, actually were able to convince some they were the real deal.

Of course, anyone with some knowledge of Harry and Meghan's leaving the Royal Family would know it doesn't make sense to have them there.

The phonies didn't just stop at the castle ... they also hit a local pub for lunch, grabbing drinks and snapping selfies.

The best part? Fake Harry and Meghan also thought to have their own camera crew following them around ... maybe to try and be just that much more convincing.

President Biden has been trying to take credit for lowering inflation, or offer suggestions on how to reduce it -- but in both cases, Jeff Bezos is calling BS ... in pretty public terms.

The Amazon founder fired off a couple of scathing tweets this weekend aimed at the Biden administration, or in some cases ... at Joe himself. This is all about the sky-high prices we're all experiencing at the moment, and Jeff doesn't think the Prez is being forthright.

On Friday, he called for the newly-formed Disinformation Governing Board -- which is supposed to combat fake news, etc. -- to fact-check one of Biden's own tweets, which suggested wealthy corporations paying their fair share would lower inflation.

Jeff responded, "The newly created Disinformation Board should review this tweet, or maybe they need to form a new Non Sequitur Board instead. Raising corp taxes is fine to discuss. Taming inflation is critical to discuss. Mushing them together is just misdirection."

Come Sunday, he was going after Biden again ... this time as it relates to the national deficit -- for which Biden was trying to take credit, but was rebuffed by a random Twitter user.

Well, Jeff wasn't having it ... pointing out that Biden and co. were trying to pump more stimulus money into an economy that was already overheating on the inflation level.

He writes, "In fact, the administration tried hard to inject even more stimulus into an already over-heated, inflationary economy and only Manchin saved them from themselves. Inflation is a regressive tax that most hurts the least affluent. Misdirection doesn’t help the country."

Seems Jeff takes issue with Biden seemingly trying to spin things his way -- which is typical of any politician, regardless of party -- but he's going in hard ... and not being shy about it.

Melania Trump is back on our airwaves, and one of the first things she did since her hubby left office was take shots at Dr. Jill Biden ... over none other than a magazine appearance.

The former First Lady did an interview with "Fox & Friends," and she was asked about how she might've been treated by the media versus how President Biden's wife is currently being received ... and they brought up the fact that DJB graced the cover of Vogue last year.

You might recall ... Jill was featured as the lead story for their August issue, and the cover was released a couple months before that. The subhead read, "A First Lady for All of Us."

Welp, MT has some thoughts -- and her takeaway sentiment is ... the media picks and chooses who they want to celebrate (even in the exact same post), and apparently did so here since Melania never made it on Vogue's cover ... nor was she asked.

Melania suggests an agenda might be at play with decisions like these -- and she also says ordinary folks can see it clear as day. The point is emphasized by the interviewer pointing out that Kamala Harris made it on the cover before being sworn in, and Michelle Obama got tapped several times as First Lady when Barack was in office.

The interviewer also points out that Melania, objectively, would've made for a great cover story -- aside from being FLOTUS, she has extensive experience in fashion and business.

Despite some seeing this as sour grapes on Melania's part, she insists she had better things to do during her run than be on the cover of Vogue -- but if we're being honest, she likely would've jumped at the opportunity.

Jen Psaki bid farewell to the White House Press Office Friday, giving her last briefing ... and it was both emotional and apolitical.

Psaki psyched herself up to remain stoic with the press corps, but the emotions bubbled up to the surface as she looked back on her tenure as Press Secretary.

She talked about her mission statement -- to help restore integrity and grace to the office She acknowledged there were times she fell short ... saying the Irish sometimes came out in her and her boss as well. But, she added, "On my best days and as I look back, I hope I followed the example of integrity and grace that they have set for all of us, every day."

She also talked about the messy business of dealing with the media ... dealings that can get super contentious. As Psaki puts it, the arguing, the debating is actually part of democracy.

Psaki said from the jump she'd only do the job for about a year, so she actually stayed on longer than she anticipated.

Queen Elizabeth started her week with some serious mobility issues -- which prevented her from attending a Royal function -- but ended it surrounded by some of her favorite 4-legged friends.

QE2 had the best seat in the house at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in England Friday ... sporting a scarf on her head and a massive smile on her face.

The appearance has to be a sign of relief for many, considering Her Royal Highness announced she'd miss the State Opening of Parliament on Tuesday because of "episodic mobility problems."

It was the first time in 59 years the Queen didn't attend the opening, instead, Prince Charles took on the duties.

As we reported, the 96-year-old battled COVID back in February and said in April the virus had left her feeling "very tired."

Indianapolis Colts owner, Jim Irsay, has revealed that he is the buyer of the baseball ... tweeting about the purchase on Thursday morning.

"Added to my @IrsayCollection yesterday at auction," Irsay said, "the only known baseball signed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a visit to NY in 2019. A portion of proceeds going to Ukrainian relief."

Irsay added a flexing emoji as well.

An incredibly rare baseball signed by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy just sold at auction ... and a portion of the proceeds are going to a relief fund for the country.

The winning bid for the autographed baseball came in at $50,103 ... according to Boston-based RR Auction, which will be donating their cut of more than $15k to relief efforts in Zelensky's war-torn country.

The sale price is higher than expected ... remember, the ball was projected to go for $15k, and now that's the figure that's being donated.

Zelensky signed his last name on the baseball in two different languages ... Ukrainian cursive and English print ... with his signature underneath an MLB logo.

The ball comes with a letter signed by Volodymyr Yelchenko, Ukraine's Ambassador to the United Nations in September 2019, when Zelensky left his John Hancock during a visit to New York.

Randy L. Kaplan, a government affairs specialist in the Big Apple, got the ball as a gift from Yelchenko ... and he's been collecting signed Major League baseballs from world leaders and heads of state dating all the way back to 1996 with Bill Clinton.

We're told there were 35 bids entered and the buyer wishes to remain anonymous.

When it comes to the fight over abortion, imagery is all-important, and protesters took that to heart Wednesday night when they wore 'Handmaid's Tale' costumes and took it to the home of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett.

A small group of pro-choice demonstrators made their way to Falls Church, Virginia to make their feelings known about the SCOTUS draft opinion that would squarely overturn Roe v. Wade.

One of the protesters made a point of distinguishing ACB's choice to give birth to 5 kids from other women, claiming her devout Catholicism skewed the way she looks at the law, saying, "Not everybody wants to have 5 kids, or 4 kids or 1 kid."

There have been other protests at the homes of justices. Demonstrators showed up earlier this week at the homes of Justices Kavanaugh and Alito, as well as Chief Justice Roberts.

It's unclear if the draft opinion -- which has the sign-on of 5 justices -- will be the one that becomes the decision of record, but there's evidence it indeed will be. There has not been a subsequent draft circulated among the justices since the February draft -- this according to Politico -- and that is a strong indication the February draft may be close to the final version.

Sarah Silverman has a fascinating take on whether Trump should be allowed back on Twitter -- and it all has to do with what George Washington and co. could or couldn't predict.

We ran into the comedian Wednesday in NYC and asked what she made of Elon Musk essentially saying he's going to bring the ex-Prez back onto the bird app -- once his mega $44-billion deal closes, that is -- and she had a very nuanced answer that's worth hearing.

Check it out ... she says her feelings on this have evolved -- first, it was relief that DT got the boot after Jan. 6 ... but then she started thinking about what free speech is supposed to mean philosophically -- namely, tolerating abhorrent speech you don't agree with.

Sarah seems to have thought maybe Trump should've actually been allowed to stay in light of that -- but upon further reflection ... she suggests banning him might've been best.

Her argument boils down to what our founding fathers envisioned when they were writing the Constitution, and she uses the Second Amendment as a good example of an arguably outdated fundamental right we have that didn't have AR-15s in the minds of the framers when it was drafted.

That same logic, Sarah says, could be applied to social media ... the OGs certainly didn't foresee Twitter or the far-reaching impact it has on the masses.