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Former President Donald Trump inflated his net worth by billions in order to get better loans, and now the state of NY is taking him to court over it ... seeking $250 million and penalties for his children too.

New York's Attorney General Letitia James announced the lawsuit Wednesday morning, alleging Trump engaged in widespread fraud for years to boost his real estate holdings. According to the suit, "The number of grossly inflated asset values is staggering, affecting most if not all of the real estate holdings in any given year.”

The AG adds, "All told, Mr. Trump, the Trump Organization, and the other Defendants, as part of a repeated pattern and common scheme, derived more than 200 false and misleading valuations of assets" over the course of 10 years ... 2011 to 2021.

The suit says the victims of Trump's alleged fraud were the lenders and financial institutions that did business with him based on those false numbers.

One example of Trump's alleged inflation of his assets focuses on his Mar-a-Lago estate. According to the suit, the South Florida property "should have been valued at about $75 million, but it was valued at $739 million."

The Empire State wants Trump's kids to pay a price as well. The lawsuit seeks to bar Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump and Eric Trump from being officers of any company in the state.

Trump's attorney Alina Habba denies any wrongdoing on the former president's part, and says the lawsuit is "neither focused on the facts nor the law – rather, it is solely focused on advancing the Attorney General’s political agenda."

The Washington Monument has been vandalized by someone with a bone to pick with the government ... but it's hard to tell which side he's on.

The vandal used some sort of brush to deface the homage to George Washington with this ... "Have you been f***ed by this (with an arrow pointing up). Gov says tough shit."

The culprit, Shaun Ray Deaton from Bloomington, IN, was nabbed at the scene and arrested at 7:30 PM Tuesday night. He's been charged with trespassing, tampering and vandalism.

As for the 555-foot-tall monument ... it's temporarily closed until a cleanup does its thing.

As for the meaning of the message ... who knows? It could be a protest over the very construction of the Washington Monument, which was built by slaves. It could also be a protest over `100 other things ... taxes, abortion, inflation, and on and on.

Justin Trudeau is coming under fire for his singing ... despite hitting the notes, folks are calling him tone-deaf for partying during Canada's official mourning period for The Queen.

The Canadian Prime Minister was out at a London hotel, Saturday night -- just 2 days prior to Queen Elizabeth's funeral at Westminster Abbey ... and folks aren't too happy with his decision to put on an impromptu hotel lobby concert.

Trudeau was spotted standing over a piano and belting out "Bohemian Rhapsody" with other members of his delegation. You can hear him singing the lyrics "Easy come, easy go. Little high, little low" during the sing-along.

Of course, the PM and other world leaders are in town to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II and attend her funeral, which he did.

But, his weekend festivities kinda overshadowed his visit -- he even got boo'ed from folks who saw him after the video surfaced.

As we've reported, The Queen's funeral was held Monday morning and folks gathered in the UK streets and tuned in from all over the world for her procession and the service ... before Q2E was laid to rest alongside her late husband, Prince Philip.

Get your tissues ready ... because 2 of Queen Elizabeth II's corgis were patiently waiting for their owner to arrive at her final resting place in Windsor Castle.

The royal pups, Muick and Sandy, were being walked Monday at the castle ... ahead of QE2's Committal Service, where she's being laid to rest next to her husband, Prince Philip.

One of the Queen's horses -- Emma -- was also brought out to watch her hearse go by as it arrived ... and it's clear the Internet can't handle the animals in mourning.

As we reported, there's been speculation on who will get the corgis after Her Majesty's passing -- although there have been reports that 2 of her dogs will live with Prince Andrew and Sarah "Fergie" Ferguson.

A billion people are watching the Queen's funeral on TV and online, and that's an impressive number for sure ... but more than a million people are right there -- in central London -- to catch a glimpse of her coffin and to say farewell.

It was also the most extensive, complicated law enforcement presence in the Country's history. In addition to crowd control, there's an unprecedented number of foreign leaders on hand to pay respects, including President Biden, Prime Minister Trudeau, President Macron, Prime Minister Truss, and on an on.

Some people waited more than 24 hours to get a good view of the procession, which is snaking around London with pageantry we don't see in the U.S.

Some of the mourners got some shuteye in sleeping bags on the street.

Most people in the crowd are silent ... taking in the moment as the Queen is about to be laid to rest. Many were visibly emotional, wiping away tears as they stood solemnly ... watching the casket go by.

As you know, with 70 years on the throne, Queen Elizabeth was the only Queen most folks there have ever known, so there was a connection unlike with other world leaders, who generally serve limited terms.

Fainting seems to be a reoccurring theme as Queen Elizabeth II gets closer and closer to her final resting place ... because a policeman took a hard fall during Her Majesty's funeral procession.

The officer collapsed Monday morning as the procession passed The Mall in London, near Parliament Square. He began to sway while guards were changing positions, before passing out.

2 other officers rushed to his aid, followed by medics -- he was carried away on a stretcher. His condition is currently unknown.

As we reported, one of the Royal guards took a rough fall at Westminster Hall last week ... landing face-first on the ground while standing guard at the foot of the casket.

He wasn't the only one losing consciousness Wednesday -- 41-year-old Lady Gabriella Windsor, the cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, collapsed earlier in the service.

President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden have touched down in the U.K. ahead of Queen Elizabeth's funeral -- but before that, they paid their respects while she lies in state.

POTUS/FLOTUS arrived in England this weekend, and were promptly met by Buckingham Palace officials as they prepared to swing by Westminster Hall to see QE2's coffin for the final day before her funeral service gets underway on Monday.

The Bidens were dressed in black, and when they were finally taken to see the Queen's temporary resting place itself ... they had their own private bird's-eye view from an elevated balcony area above the general visiting area -- with Secret Service standing at the ready.

JB looked on as others continued to pour in to see the casket ... and at one point he put his hand over heart, with minimal talking. They were pretty much just taking in the scene.

Eventually, Joe and Jill were taken to the Lancaster House in London -- where they signed a book of condolence that's been created to honor Her Majesty. The Prez was seated, with the First Lady standing behind him ... and after writing in his entry, Joe addressed the media.

He had some poignant words to remember the Queen, saying she was all about service ... and her lasting legacy (to him) is that people can make their communities better, even in the smallest of ways.

President Biden sent his thoughts and prayers to the people of the U.K., and to the Royal family as well. He even gave a nod to King Charles, saying his mother would be with him every step of the way in a vote of confidence.

The Bidens are just a couple of high-profile world leaders who are invited to attend the funeral procession. Others include Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, Indian President Droupadi Murmu, French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska and the presidents of several other European nations as well as Australia ... among others.

Pat Sajak posing for a photo with Marjorie Taylor Greene is getting double takes on the internet -- especially after old tweets of his have resurfaced that are raising eyebrows.

The "Wheel of Fortune" host stood shoulder to shoulder with the Georgia congresswoman and Right Side Broadcasting Network reporter Brian Glenn in a photo that popped up out of nowhere Saturday. There's no context on where or when it was shot, but people don't care.

The fact he's there with them at all -- especially Rep. Greene, smiling from ear to ear -- is enough for folks to be ripping him on Twitter ... which they absolutely are.

The reactions are brutal ... people are saying that Pat's showing his true colors here, and some are even vowing to boycott his iconic game show because of this. One person jokingly said Pat was pictured here with Vanna Whitesupremacist -- a reference to ... well, you get it.

Others are noting that Pat's actually expressed his conservative views in the past ... pointing to since-deleted tweets that are being attributed to him from years ago.

While a good amount of Twitter users seem genuinely shocked by this ... others say this is old news, as it's apparently been known where PS leans politically. Still, the fact he's yukking it up with these two, specifically, is a brand of conservativism that give many pause.

It's been noted that Pat seems to be on the verge of retirement, and if true ... maybe he's just letting it all hang out in public. What this might do to his legacy is anyone's guess.

Queen Elizabeth's death has triggered a worldwide outpouring of love for the longtime monarch, and you can see from her last semi-candid pic, she was dutiful and happy to the end.

This pic was taken during her last days, before meeting Prime Minister Liz Truss -- her 15th btw.

The pic was taken at Balmoral, reportedly 48 hours before meeting the new P.M.  She was clearly ill, and her aides reportedly suggested that maybe Prince Charles should greet the new Prime Minister, but the Queen wasn't having it. She performed the ceremonial duties herself.

Folks from all around the world have been waiting in lines that are so long it takes 24 hours to reach the casket, but waiting they are.

Gov. Gavin Newsom is flexing his pick-me muscles after challenging Gov. Ron DeSantis to a debate -- so much so, it's sad ... at least according to a dude famous for calling elections.

Political analyst and FiveThirtyEight founder Nate Silver -- who once correctly predicted the presidential outcomes in nearly all 50 states in the '08/'12 elections -- had some harsh words for Newsom Friday ... this after GN threw down the proverbial gauntlet against DeSantis.

After Dan Rather floated the idea -- Newsom piggybacked ... "Hey @GovRonDeSantis, clearly you're struggling, distracted, and busy playing politics with people’s lives. Since you have only one overriding need -- attention --let's take this up & debate. I’ll bring my hair gel. You bring your hairspray. Name the time before Election Day. @CNN."

The hair gel thing is in response to a crack RDS made about Newsom asking the DOJ to investigate the Martha's Vineyard stunt (more on that later) ... the Gov. clearly registered it.

Enter Silver ... whose political hot takes get noticed, and this one was no exception. He blasted Newsom, writing -- "Hard to think of more of a pot-calling-the-kettle-black situation than Gavin Newsom calling someone else attention-starved. Like DeSantis, he's trying to run a 2024 (presidential) campaign while dozens of his colleagues are in tight midterm races."

The dude's getting dragged for seemingly coming out in defense of DeSantis/on the attack against Newsom -- but on the issue of trying to soak in the spotlight and frame himself as a natural foil to the Florida Gov. ... Silver is not really wrong about Newsom here.

As we've seen over the past few months, Newsom has gone out of his way to troll DeSantis ... and has often name-dropped him in an effort to slam his policies in his state. Some political pundits say Newsom's ramping up for a presidential run -- and apparently thinks DeSantis will too, wanting to set the narrative early in a would-be matchup in 2024.

Of course, this latest dustup between them stems from a wild episode this week -- when Govs. DeSantis and Abbott dumped planes and busloads of Venezuelan migrants at both Martha's Vineyard and VP Kamala Harris' D.C. residence ... just to make a political point.

Those moves are now being labeled as outright kidnapping and human trafficking -- or at the very least ... using real people as pawns to score cheap headlines and outrage points.

Prince Harry got to wear his military uniform after all as he and his family continue to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II -- a change that reportedly came from the King himself.

Harry was in a full armed forces getup Saturday, alongside his brother Prince William -- who was also in uniform -- as well as 6 other of QE2's grandchildren, including Princess Anne's kids, Prince Andrew's daughters and Prince Edward's young ones ... who are 18 and 14.

Will was the head of the Queen's coffin, and Harry was at the foot ... with the other grandkids covering the edges. They stood in silence for 15 minutes during a special vigil just for them.

It's interesting Harry's wearing this ... remember, he was in civilian clothes earlier in the week when they were taking his grandmother's casket to lie in state, while Will was in uniform. Now, after a reported change of heart by King Charles, he got to wear military garb as well.

BTW, he ain't the only Royal (who's been on the outs) who got a special pass for this occasion ... Prince Andrew was also granted permission to wear his military uniform during a vigil held among the Queen's children on Friday, again ... reportedly at the King's behest.

Hundreds of thousands of people will make their way past Queen Elizabeth II's coffin, but one guy is getting all the attention for rushing the casket and getting tackled and arrested.

It happened late Friday ... a guy in line rushed toward QE2's casket and pulled the flag that draped it.

He was swiftly tackled by British police and held on the ground. This all went down on a live feed.

The guy was arrested for violating the Public Order Act. It's unclear what he intended to do.

The lines are so long, people will wait as long as 28 hours to say their final goodbye.

Stacey Abrams says there's a threat to democracy underway in her state of Georgia, and several others, due to laws making it harder for folks to vote -- which she believes tears at the very fabric of American democracy.

The voting rights activist is running for Governor in the Peach State and she joined us on "TMZ Live" Friday to discuss the roadblocks she says lawmakers are putting up for voters there.

Stacey says Georgia's incumbent, Gov. Brian Kemp, is on the record saying his frustration with how Georgians voted in the 2020 presidential and U.S. Senate elections -- flipping from red to blue -- prompted him to sign new laws ... which she says intentionally make it tougher for people to cast their votes.

There are growing concerns nationally about the GOP's full-court press to install Secretaries of State who could potentially certify an election for a candidate who actually lost at the polls -- but Stacey says voter suppression is an equal, if not greater, concern.

The way she sees it ... limiting ballots and people's access to voting is just another way to change election outcomes -- not as overt as rigging, but just as effective.

Stacey says Georgia is a prime example of these dynamics at work ... she says Georgia's Sec. of State, Brad Raffensperger, is getting credit for refusing to commit election fraud back in 2020, but she says he's a "very strong proponent of voter suppression."

Prince William admits the mourning process for his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, is making him relive the moment he walked in Princess Diana's funeral procession.

The Prince of Wales opened up Wednesday to folks outside Sandringham House ... they'd come to lay flowers there following the Queen's procession to Westminster Abbey, but ended up getting an interaction with William.

He told one woman who'd come to mourn the Queen that it's been difficult for the family to process the loss ... according to the Daily Telegraph. He said the ceremony brought back sad memories of his mother's death and funeral service.

Witnesses at Sandringham reportedly said the Prince's pain seemed evident in his eyes, and they claim he was close to tears.

As we reported, William and his brother, Prince Harry, walked behind their grandmother's coffin during Wednesday's ceremony as the procession went from Buckingham Palace to Westminster ... which is where QEII's will lie in State for a total of 4 days.

Her funeral and burial are set for Monday, Sept. 19.

One of the Royal guards took a rough fall at Westminster Hall ... smacking HARD onto the floor as he stood watch beside Queen Elizabeth II's coffin.

The guard was swaying side to side at the foot of the casket Wednesday before landing face-first on the ground ... the crash echoed through the Hall, with people rushing to his aid.

Royal guards normally rotate around the coffin every 20 minutes, with a full shift lasting 6 hours -- The BBC, which was streaming the ceremony, cut the feed until the incident was resolved.

It's unclear what caused the guard to collapse. No word on his condition either.

The guard wasn't the only one losing consciousness at Westminster Hall ... 41-year-old Lady Gabriella Windsor, the cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, collapsed earlier in the service.

Lady Gabriella was in the receiving line with other members of the Royals when several people began to look concerned ... including her mother, Princess Michael of Kent.

Her husband, Thomas Kingston, rushed to her aid. She reportedly regained consciousness but left the event.

Prince William and Harry walked behind their grandmother's casket during a ceremony steeped in pageantry as the procession went from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall where her body will lie in State for 4 days.

The 2 Princes walked side-by-side ... William in military garb, Harry in civvies.

Prince Andrew was also in the procession, and he too was in civilian clothes, and not by choice. Queen Elizabeth stripped Andrew of his Royal duties and many perks after his ties to Jeffrey Epstein surfaced.

The Queen's crown is resting atop the coffin. BTW ... only 3 people are allowed to touch the crown ... the monarch, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Crown Jeweler.

It's impossible to ignore what happened 25 years ago, when a young Harry and William walked side-by-side during the funeral of their mom, Princess Diana.

King Charles is obviously front and center as well, as everyone walked in lockstep to the Houses of Parliament, where the casket will be placed. Princess Anne is also right there ... she will assume an even larger role in the family.

The spouses of the Princes and the King are in cars ... following along per tradition. Queen Consort Camilla and Kate Middleton were in the same car. Meghan Markle was in another car with Sophie, the Countess of Wessex.

The procession arrived at Westminster Hall. William, Kate, Harry and Meghan are standing near each other while the ceremony carries on inside.