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Former Department of Energy Official Sam Brinton could be in even more hot water regarding stolen bags ... this time a fashion designer claims she saw Brinton wearing an outfit from her missing suitcase.

Fashion designer Asya Khamsin dragged Brinton on Twitter, saying her luggage went missing back in 2018 at the Ronald Reagan Airport in Virginia ... and it wasn't until she heard about Brinton's prior alleged luggage stealing that she became suspicious.

Check out the side-by-side Asya showed, which she says shows Brinton wearing one of her custom-made dresses a year after she claims her bags were swiped.

Asya told Fox she was heading to D.C. to put her clothes on display for an event when the bag went missing ... and lost out on the opportunity as a result. She said her husband filed a police report at the time, but nothing was found.

Asya says she filed another report this December after seeing pics of Brinton in what she claims is her outfit -- and says she was then contacted by the FBI the next month regarding the complaint ... but says nothing much has happened since then.

As you know, Brinton's been accused of stealing suitcases from airports on 2 separate occasions ... getting charged in both Nevada and Minnesota. Brinton appeared in court last week in Minneapolis for one of the alleged incidents.

A U.S. Air Force pilot has a unique keepsake from the Chinese spy balloon crisis -- a selfie snapped with the device in the background ... before it was shot down over the Atlantic Ocean.

The Pentagon released new images Wednesday, showing the balloon in flight on Feb. 3 -- the USAF eventually fired a missile on Feb. 4 to take it down. The photos were taken from the cockpit of a U-2 spy plane, which is capable of flying at an altitude of up to 70,000 feet.

The spy balloon was reportedly floating around 40,000 feet when it was destroyed. Interestingly, the new photos show it was still over land on Feb. 3, and that the U.S. military was keeping a close eye on the balloon.

U.S. officials said China's super snooper was about the size of 3 school buses, and you can see in the pics ... it had huge solar panels attached to the spying equipment.

President Biden said he gave the order to shoot it down on Feb. 1, but military advisors said it would be best to wait until it was over open water.

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg had a weirdly tense and terse reaction when a reporter asked him about the residents suffering in the wake of the East Palestine train disaster, refusing to answer questions, saying he was on "personal time."

Buttigieg was in Washington D.C. Tuesday, when a reporter with the Daily Caller approached him and asked what he would say to the folks in East Palestine. His response -- "I'd refer you to about a dozen interviews I've given today, and if you'd like to arrange a conversation, make sure to reach out to our press office."

When the reporter persisted, Buttigieg, who was walking with his husband Chasten, brushed her off, saying, "... I'm taking some personal time and I'm walking down the street."

That wasn't the end ... the reporter asked when the former presidential candidate would go to East Palestine, he said he'd "share that when I'm ready."

And then the bizarre turn ... he stopped and asked the reporter if he could take a picture of her. It seemed like an intimidation tactic ... the reporter later Tweeted, "I guess he didn't like that so he took a pic of me ... just doing my job, sir."

One of the descendants of Confederate General Robert E. Lee is blasting Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene for suggesting red and blue states separate ... telling us her idea is "nothing short of treason."

Reverend Robert W. Lee IV, a collateral descendant of General Lee, tells TMZ ... by calling for a "national divorce," MTG is acting no better than the Confederates who fought against the Union during the Civil War.

MTG tweeted out the idea Monday, calling for Democratic and Republican voting states to split. While she didn't use the word secession, that's exactly what she's calling for ... and she claims everyone she talks to agrees.

While advocating for the creation of 2 separate governments, she also calls for the federal government to shrink.

Robert admits his ancestor, General Lee, would be totally on board with MTG's suggestion, but adds that's nothing to celebrate. Instead, he says the Congresswoman from Georgia is outing herself as a traitor, and he'd like to see more politicians condemn her statement.

Remember, Rev. Lee famously denounced racism and white supremacy at the 2017 MTV VMAs ... and he's been outspoken about taking down statues of Gen. Lee.

President Biden just made a surprise visit to Europe -- touching down in Ukraine to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ... as we come up on a year of warfare.

Biden popped up in Kyiv early Monday morning, a stop that wasn't previously announced -- and perhaps for good reason. It seems POTUS wanted to keep this trip under the radar, which makes sense considering he's in a literal battle zone.

The purpose of the visit is to announce new financial assistance -- upwards of half a billion dollars, Prez Biden noted -- which will cover everything from more military equipment, artillery, ammo and weapons for the Ukrainian army as they continue to fight Putin's troops.

On top of that, he said the U.S. would impose new sanctions against Moscow -- all on the heels of Vice President Kamala Harris declaring Russia has committed crimes against humanity by waging war.

In other words, Biden simply wanted to show in-person solidarity and reaffirm America's commitment to the embattled nation ... and his presence was certainly a sight to behold, especially with sirens sounding off as Joe did a walkabout with Zelensky.

The timing here is also noteworthy ... Feb. 24th will mark the one-year anniversary of the day Russia launched a full-scale invasion.

Former United States Presidents are going to new heights -- well, samples of their hair are ... because they'll be shot into space in honor of Presidents Day.

Hair samples from George Washington, John F. Kennedy, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Ronald Reagan will soon be rockin' zero Gs ... scoring a ride on Celestis' upcoming deep space Enterprise Mission atop the Vulcan Centaur rocket.

The launch from the company, which specializes in memorial spaceflights, marks the first time a President or any part thereof has taken to space.

We're told the samples were originally held by celebrity hair collector, Louis Mushro -- yup, that's a real job. It's all legit, with the requisite certificates of authenticity.

Mushro passed away in 2014, but the follicles were later sent to the spaceflight company by an anonymous donor.

As we reported, Celestis is also hosting the launch of a hair sample from "Star Trek" star DeForest Kelley and the ashes of Nichelle Nichols. We're told the past presidents will be sharin' space with the intergalactic actors later this year when the rocket launches from Cape Canaveral.

Presidents of the United States aren't the only ones holding the title in this country ... so this holiday we're celebrating some very famous presidents of your fave companies!

The Kardashian/Jenner clan holds a few huge big shots of their respective fields. There's Kim Kardashian --- CEO of the booming SKIMS underwear and leisurewear line. Kendall has her 818 Tequila line and Kylie Jenner is the prez of her wildly successful cosmetics line.

Of course, there's tough competition. Rihanna has her booming Fenty Beauty biz ... and Jessica Alba is president of her award-winning baby and beauty line, The Honest Company.

Meanwhile, Tyler Perry continues making his mark in the entertainment industry with his own production company in Atlanta.

And, we can't forget about rapper/producer Dr. Dre and his popular Beats by Dre line.

We also have to give it up for some OGs who have been in showbiz and running their businesses for many years ... like Daymond John, who started FUBU clothing in 1992 and Master P -- creator of the popular '90s chips, Rap Snacks.

Former President Jimmy Carter has apparently been in and out of the hospital of late -- pertaining to a number of ailments and injuries -- but now ... he's entering hospice care.

A statement issued by the Carter Center reads in part, "After a series of short hospital stays, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter today decided to spend his remaining time at home with his family and receive hospice care instead of additional medical intervention."

It adds, "He has the full support of his family and his medical team. The Carter family asks for privacy during this time and is grateful for the concern shown by his many admirers." It's unclear what Carter's recent hospital stays are related to -- but it's sad news nonetheless.

The obvious implication is that Carter is on his last legs, and may well pass away soon -- that's usually what entering hospice care means ... so, naturally, the well-wishes and salutes to his legacy are pouring in all over social media right now.

In 2019, Carter suffered a hard fall that left him rattled and in need of stitches. At the time, he also received surgery to relieve pressure in his brain, the result of internal bleeding from that same fall. Carter also beat skin cancer, which he'd been diagnosed with in 2015.

Carter, who's now 98 years old, served as the 39th President, beating incumbent Gerald Ford. He served one term and was succeeded by Ronald Reagan.

Bill Maher did it again ... he didn't just call out politicians for being increasingly hateful toward each other, he offered a solution -- do it like the movies!!!

The "Real Time" host made a compelling point ... it's only a matter of time before we see fistfights on the House floor. After all, we've seen video after video of brawls erupting in parliaments around the world, and the trajectory of Washington D.C. leads right to that doorstep.

As for evidence ... it started when Obama was interrupted during a State of the Union address.  Then look at Biden's recent address ... Republicans, especially the crazy ones, were acting like it was a football game ... booing, jeering and so on.  How long before that contempt becomes physical?

So Bill's solution -- take a page out of Hollywood. He gives enough evidence to win a trial -- stars who were paired in some of the greatest movies of all time despised each other, wouldn't even look at each other, yet when it counted they delivered and no one was the wiser.

Kim Kardashian is applauding Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's call to abolish capital punishment in his state.

Gov. Shapiro urged state lawmakers to end the death penalty in Pennsylvania in a Thursday announcement, with Kim quote tweeting the Governor's social media post on the subject and adding a trio of applause emojis.

In the thread, Gov. Shapiro says he won't allow Pennsylvania to execute any inmates during his term. He goes even further, calling for the death penalty to be repealed in Pennsylvania.

There hasn't been an execution in Pennsylvania since 1999, but Gov. Shapiro says an execution warrant landed on his desk last week ... and he's the first Pennsylvania Governor to formally ask the State Assembly to abolish the death penalty.

Kim's got a long history of fighting for inmates on death row all across the country ... working to stop their executions. There are 27 states with the death penalty on the books, including, at least for now, Pennsylvania.

Remember ... Kim went to bat for Oklahoma death row inmate Julius Jones in 2020, and the following year Jones had his life spared and instead saw his death sentence commuted to life without parole.

President Biden has finally addressed the spate of UFOs that caused enough alarm that we shot 4 of them down, and although the government doesn't know what they are, he has a theory.

Biden spoke for 7 minutes about the 3 smaller objects that our military shot down over the last week or so, but he did not take questions.

He says they're not part of China's spy balloon program -- like the first balloon that was shot down from the skies -- and are most likely balloons that were launched by private companies for various purposes.

Biden says he doesn't believe there are more objects than usual popping up over the U.S. ... he says we've simply enhanced our ability to detect these objects so we're seeing more than in the past.

Now, on the subject of aliens -- something his Press Secretary addressed earlier in the week -- Biden never used the word, nor did he reference it.

As for why the 3 objects were shot down -- he says it's simply because they posed a danger to commercial air traffic.

CNN's Don Lemon is trending for saying women, like presidential candidate Nikki Haley, are well beyond their "prime" years -- a comment that irked at least one of his cohosts, and many more people online.

The CNN crew was reacting to Haley's Wednesday speech where she called for "mandatory mental competency tests for politicians over the age of 75." It's a clear shot at President Biden, and even her GOP nomination rival Donald Trump ... and Lemon saw an opening to take a shot at Haley herself.

Poppy Harlow asked "elder statesman" Don for his opinion, and he suggested Haley was barking up the wrong tree because "Nikki Haley isn't in her prime. Sorry. A woman is considered to be in her prime in her 20s and 30s, and maybe 40s."

Poppy immediately called him out, but Don played the "don't shoot the messenger" card ... claiming Google told him those are the facts. He seemed to backpedal, saying he doesn't necessarily agree with that.

Important to note, 51-year-old Haley didn't use the word "prime" when calling for the competency testing -- and whether or not you agree with her, there's a clear difference, generally speaking, between people in their 50s and 80s ... which was really her point.

Don's remark shot him to the top of Twitter's trending news, and also drew a quick response from Haley, who said, "Liberals can't stand the idea of having competency tests for older politicians to make sure they can do the job. BTW it's always the liberals who are the most sexist."

We're not saying it's a liberal vs. conservative thing, but it's definitely a "foot in mouth" thing ... at least where Don and Poppy -- who's 40, BTW -- are concerned.

With the recent takedowns of unexplained flying objects in the sky -- and mass speculation they may be of another world -- one former Navy pilot says the convo is long overdue.

We talked to Ryan Graves -- a retired naval lieutenant who used to fly F-18s and who's attested to seeing UAPs -- to help make sense of these latest mysterious incidents ... namely, the U.S. government shooting objects down but not knowing what they are.

On "TMZ Live" Wednesday, Graves weighed in on the latest piece to this wonky puzzle ... the alarming cockpit audio that was just released, where the pilots are baffled by what they were seeing over Lake Huron this past weekend ... ultimately calling it an apparent balloon.

According to RG, they probably only landed on "balloon" because that's the best thing they could refer to describe this -- even though it's clear that whatever they saw fell outside the parameters of a typical orb they might normally see floating around.

With the White House now explicitly saying "alien" -- specifically, to deny that the UFOs that were shot down were E.T.-related in any way -- Graves says this topic is finally breaking through in a meaningful way ... this after years of military personnel having seen them.

He tells us there are likely things in this world, and universe, that we simply don't understand and can't quite explain ... and now that we're zeroing in on some of this stuff -- by actually seeking it out, he adds -- it's going to be a difficult road in making sense of it all.

The best thing Uncle Sam can do, he suggests, is to be upfront and transparent about what we know or don't ... as that's the best way to maintain trust and get to the truth.

Rihanna got lots of compliments for her Super Bowl halftime performance, but there was one glaring, predictable exception ... the man who famously holds grudges -- Donald Trump.

The ex-Prez went on his social media platform, Truth Social, and had nothing but bad things to say ... "EPIC FAIL: Rihanna gave, without question, the single worst Halftime Show in Super Bowl history — This after insulting far more than half of our Nation, which is already in serious DECLINE, with her foul and insulting language. Also, so much for her 'Stylist!'”

As for why the grudge ... well, in August 2020, in the heat of the election Trump ultimately lost, Rihanna posted a photo on Instagram, featuring a car littered with graffiti, with the words "F*** Trump" spray-painted on it.

First Lady Jill Biden may have played her husband's hand when it comes to the 2024 ticket ... and it all comes down to a kiss.

Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff was in the VIP section of the House, up in the gallery when the First Lady arrived. She planted a friendly kiss, smack on Doug's lips, which has now become a thing on social media.

The smooch is an old-fashioned, polite gesture for sure, but there could be political implications as well.

There have been rumblings within the Democratic Party about the Veep's fate as JB circles a 2nd bid for POTUS, which he's expected to announce in a couple weeks. Some Dems think Harris would be a drag on the ticket and want him to dump her and go with a new running mate.

Now it's certainly possible we and others may be reading too much into the kiss, but Jill and Joe know what time it is ... they've certainly been around long enough to know image matters. The fact that Jill gave Doug a Kay Jewelers greeting suggests the Prez and the Veep are tight ... making a ticket change less likely.

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema has a warning for DC -- or, at least, that's what her bold dress choice for the State of the Union address seems to scream ... 'cause it didn't do well at the polls.

The Senator from Arizona rocked a bright yellow dress with huge ruffle sleeves Tuesday night for President Biden's speech -- an obvious, eye-grabbing contrast to her fellow members of Congress who largely opted for black and navy business attire.

If she was looking for attention, Twitter gave her plenty.

One user wrote, "Kyrsten Sinema……tell me you’re desperate for attention without telling me you’re desperate for attention."

Others mocked her evening attire ... comparing her to the distinguished gentleman from Sesame Street, sharing a ton of memes and calling her out for confusing the political affair with the Grammys.

Another viewer wrote, "I feel so bad for every DEM who voted for Kyrsten Sinema. Can you imagine not being able to get a refund for THAT?"

Sinema ditched the Democratic Party last year, declaring herself an Independent -- so, maybe the yellow was her visual middle ground between red and blue??? 🤷🏽‍♂️