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Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer just made a stunning revelation ... 13 members of 2 militia groups have been arrested for hatching a plot to kidnap and possibly kill her.

The Governor, who has been sharply critical of Donald Trump, said the FBI investigated and made the arrests.

She blames Trump for setting a violent tone that encourages right-wing groups to resort to violence.

Trump has gone after Governor Whitmer, sometimes not even referring to her by name but rather as "that woman." The 2 got into it over Trump's response to the coronavirus.

As you know ... Trump urged his supporters to "liberate" Michigan and a gaggle of his supporters showed up with guns at the State Capitol to make their point.

President Trump is pulling out of the 2nd debate with Joe Biden, because it would be done remotely ... something he calls a waste of his time.

The Prez was defiant Thursday morning on FOX Business Network, reacting to the Commission on Presidential Debates announcement to go virtual due to Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis. He said, "I'm not gonna waste my time on a virtual debate. That's not what debating's all about."

The CPD announced the change, but said C-SPAN's Steve Scully would still moderate next Thursday from Miami. Biden's agreed to the new safety protocols, but Trump says it's not acceptable -- because sitting behind a computer is not how you debate.

Remember, the first debate was a disaster with both candidates interrupting each other, calling each other names and the President attacking moderator Chris Wallace. The sequel to that is now totally up in the air.

The Commission's move comes in wake of Trump -- and at least 13 others who work in the White House -- contracting the coronavirus last week. Trump, who falsely claimed living with COVID is less deadly than the flu, also claimed he now feels great, and also says HE thinks he's not contagious now. We've yet to hear from that from a doctor.

Kanye West is in the home stretch of his Presidential campaign, and he's laser-focused ... on making money off a pricey line of 2020 Vision merch.

Ye unveiled a collection that included $60 hats and $160 hoodies Wednesday night while the legit VP candidates were debating. The items included messages like, "Vote Kanye" and "God Save America."

Now, he's not completely ignoring his actual campaign -- Ye also listed a brief summary of his Presidential Platform.

Among other things, Kanye says he wants to restore prayer in classrooms, reduce household and student loan debt, work on equality in the criminal justice system and take care of the environment.

He does not go into detail about how he'd accomplish those goals ... but that's typical for politicians.

What's odd is the guy who claims he's really running for President hasn't made a single public campaign appearance since South Carolina back in July, when he cried while talking about abortion.

Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris seemed to avoid answering nearly every question during their debate, but one of 'em couldn't dodge a fly ... for an uncomfortably long time.

Much of the buzz about the debate is focused on what looks like a common housefly that set up shop on the head of President Trump's Veep. While Harris and Pence danced around direct responses to moderator Susan Page's questions about COVID, the Supreme Court and the election ... the fly would not be deterred.

It landed on Pence's head during one of his remarks about systemic racism and police reform ... and remained there quietly, not moving an inch, even after he stopped talking. Talk about patience -- the fly even hung out during much of Harris' rebuttal, before taking off. Total photobomb time? 2 minutes!!!

As you'd imagine ... the little bugger is trending on social media -- and even Joe Biden couldn't help but fire off a Twitter jab.

Not exactly what the American people were tuning in for, especially after last week's disastrous debate between Trump and Biden.

No word if the fly is registered to vote. We've got a call in to Jeff Goldblum.

On a more serious note, Pence's left eye also caught the eye of many debate viewers, because it at least looked like a case of conjunctivitis ... aka pink eye.

Pink eye is a possible symptom of COVID-19, but pretty rarely ... according to doctors and scientists. Still, with more than a dozen people around the President already testing positive for the coronavirus ... the bloodshot eye made people wonder.

The White House says Pence's test results have been negative since the outbreak, and that includes one he took Wednesday in Salt Lake City ahead of the debate.

President Trump says his COVID diagnosis was a blessing from God in disguise ... and he wants the American people to get the same treatment he did -- for free.

Trump just released another video update on his health, and he says he's feeling great after getting treated with Regeneron. Trump promised to give the therapeutic to Americans who come down with COVID, and it's all gonna be free.

Ok ... lots of issues. First, Trump was speaking at The White House with NO MASK, despite the fact he has COVID, is contagious, and a hundred people who work in the residence quarters may be compromised.

What's even more ridiculous ... Trump says he's the one who decided he should take Regeneron. So, with all the doctors at Walter Reed, Trump decided he knows best so he's self-medicating.

And, there's this ... people with COVID can take a dramatically bad turn 5 to 7 days in, even if they feel good. In other words, he's not out of the woods. And, he's on steroids, which mask the symptoms.

Watch the video ... one minute in, you see Trump, and as he says "A short 24 hours later," spittle shoots out of his mouth. We point this out to show the dangers of the President being around people while he's still recovering from the virus.

BTW ... Trump's medical treatment for COVID would have cost more than $100,000 in our health care system, according to The New York Times.

Trump claims there are huge amounts of Regeneron just waiting to get sent to hospitals all over the country. He's also strangely calling it a cure and saying there are vaccines right around the corner.

Socialist Trump ... who saw this coming?!?

If nudity and democracy don't seem like 2 things that go hand in hand -- welcome to 2020, where celebs are seamlessly pairing booties and ballots.

A bunch of A-listers stripped down to their birthday suits to warn voters this year about "naked" ballots -- that's when your voter card isn't properly filled out or placed in the right number of envelopes (in certain states). Those don't get counted, and that's no bueno.

To avoid that ... folks like Sarah Silverman, Mark Ruffalo, Chelsea Handler, Naomi Campbell, Josh Gad, Chris Rock and others disrobed to emphasize the point. They might be naked, but that doesn't mean your absentee ballot has to follow (birthday)suit.

The PSA was put together by an org called RepresentUs, and their whole purpose seems to be spreading awareness about voting from home this election cycle -- something that's been hotly debated, and incorrectly described as corrupt by the Trump administration.

You can check out what the stars have to say about mail-in ballots yourself -- but the gist is ... follow directions, and make sure you know your state's protocol for mailing in your vote.

Americans should absolutely be concerned the man with our nuclear codes is on steroids, because the reality is President Trump's judgment could be impaired ... according to Dr. Robert Wachter.

Dr. Wachter, considered the father of the hospitalist field, joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and told us older COVID patients sick enough to be hospitalized have a decent chance of experiencing cognitive problems.

He added ... coupling that with steroids increases the odds POTUS might not be thinking straight.

Dr. Wachter, who's the chair of UC San Francisco's Dept. of Medicine, says Trump could be experiencing euphoria or sometimes even mania due to the steroids ... which might explain some of the President's recent tweetstorms. Let's be honest, its hard to tell.

Just to give you an idea how impairing steroids can be ... Dr. Wachter says the FAA wouldn't allow the Prez to fly a plane -- if he were a pilot -- due to his steroid dosage.

President Trump's in quarantine at the White House, and now his wax statue is getting a taste of what isolation feels like.

The President's wax figure at Madame Tussauds in Amsterdam is following in his footsteps, being put in quarantine after the real Prez and First Lady Melania both tested positive for COVID-19.

The famed wax museum is isolating Trump in the museum's front window, adding a blue and white surgical mask over his mouth and nose. So far, the mask has not been taken off, unlike the real Prez, and we can absolutely confirm ... the wax figure IS having trouble breathing.

One might say Madame Tussauds' POTUS is doing a better job conveying the risks of coronavirus to the public, than the actual President ... who continues to claim there's nothing to fear. The museum has placed huge caution signs and caution tape around Trump's wax statue.

No word how long the wax figure will be in quarantine, but 14 days is pretty standard.

Donald Trump's takeaway from COVID ... hey, the flu kills people and we learned to live with it, so why not do the same with coronavirus?

It's unbelievable, but maybe not. Trump grossly exaggerated the number of flu-related deaths ... he says annually it's 100,000, but it's WAY less than that.

And, the most fundamental point ... do people with the flu go to Walter Reed and have more than a dozen doctors try to keep them alive by pumping them with experimental drugs and oxygen?

If it's just like the flu, why did Trump gasp for air after climbing a single flight of stairs when he returned to The White House?

It's clear ... Trump is actually doubling down with his head-in-the-sand approach to COVID. What's worse ... he's needlessly exposing White House staff to the virus. The idea that he took his mask off the second he arrived is just beyond any sense of compassion or basic human responsibility.

By the way ... in case you didn't hear, The White House is not doing any contact tracing for the Amy Coney Barrett event at which nearly a dozen people ended up with COVID.

Kanye West isn't a top choice on the Presidential ticket in Cali -- but the reason he's been tapped to be VP to someone else is all about an attempt to screw Joe Biden.

You mighta heard Kanye will be a Vice Presidential candidate in the Golden State, the running mate alongside a guy named Rocky De La Fuente ... who's running for Prez from the American Independent Party. The AIP admits choosing Ye as Veep was an anti-Dems strategy.

Markham Robinson -- Vice Chairman of the AIP -- tells TMZ party leaders nominated Kanye to be on the ticket with De La Fuente at their state convention in late August ... and no, they did NOT run it by KW or RDLF for that matter. That's just how the AIP does it.

Anyway, Robinson says Kanye was right up their alley as far as political views -- but also, they thought he was perfect to help siphon votes from CA Dems, plus "Never Trump" Republicans. There's more of the former in California, so this move clearly has Biden in mind.

If you're wondering how De La Fuente feels about all this ... he's not all that happy about the process of choosing Ye, but accepts the way it worked out in the end and wants to make of the most of it at the polls. He tells us Ye's popular with voters in the 18-25 demographic, and even though he acknowledges he won't win CA ... he's hoping for a strong third place.

Here's the fatal flaw in the plan ... California is a winner-take-all state when it comes to Electoral College votes.  The winner gets all 55 votes, and there's no chance Trump's gonna win in the Golden State.  So putting Ye on the ballot won't affect anything.

Between De La Fuente and Kanye each running in several other states as the top-dog candidate -- it'll be interesting to see how their combined forces play on the West Coast.

President Trump says he's getting ready to leave the hospital, and is even telling Americans there's no reason to be afraid of COVID-19 ... despite the fact he wasn't treated like a typical patient.

POTUS says he'll be out of Walter Reed Medical Center at 6:30 PM ET. While at the hospital, he's been getting round-the-clock treatment while a team of a dozen doctors help him combat COVID-19.

The odd part of the President's tweet was his suggestion there's nothing to fear from the coronavirus ... which has killed more than 200,000 Americans.

Trump said, "Feeling really good! Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life." He says his administration has developed great "drugs and knowledge" about combatting the virus, adding ... "I feel better than I did 20 years ago!"

If the President's condition has improved that much, that's great for him -- however, his statement ignores the fact he's gotten, and will continue to get, treatment far beyond what the average American would get if they needed to be hospitalized with COVID-19. Remember, the Prez even got an experimental cocktail of antibodies not even available to the general public.

Not a great message from the President ... who just yesterday claimed to have finally learned so much about the disease which has been a deadly plague on Americans for more than 6 months now. His own physician, Dr. Sean Conley, declined to comment on Trump's tweet.

We now know Trump received supplemental oxygen over the past three days at least twice -- and that he's been placed on a number of medications, including Remdesivir and dexamethasone ... among others.

Here's the big problem and the most suspicious thing about these press briefings. Dr. Sean Conley mentioned certain meds and therapies the President was getting, but when it came to talking about lung damage and other potential complications, the doctor invoked HIPAA. Why is the doctor so willing to talk about treatment when the President is responding well, but when asked about possible serious problems, he invokes HIPAA ... something frankly we've never heard invoked by a President before.

It's unclear what exactly will be done at the White House to protect staffers from a potentially contagious COVID-19 patient. Doctors say they won't approve his return to the campaign trail until there is no trace of live virus in his system.

They also say he will get the same round-the-clock, top-notch medical treatment he's been receiving. Let's hope the same is true for the growing number of people around the President who've been exposed to the virus.

Dan Emmett, a retired Secret Service agent who worked with 3 former Presidents, isn't slamming President Trump for his hospital stunt ... saying danger is routine for agents' -- coronavirus or not.

Emmett -- who spent 21 years in the Secret Service during the terms of George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush -- was on "TMZ Live" Monday talking about the controversy Trump created by taking an SUV ride, while having COVID-19, just to wave to his supporters.

Dan downplays the outrage and provides some insider perspective, telling us any time the President is outside of The White House there's serious risk to the agents on his detail ... and Trump's not the first to add to it, strictly for PR purposes.

According to Emmett ... this is what signing up for the Secret Service entails -- POTUS can do what he wants, and it's up to the agents to protect him. Dan even offers a famous example from the Clinton era ... and it's a fair point.

Still, a pandemic's a different situation, but Dan suggests proper medical precautions were taken to be as safe as possible for Trump's brief hospital respite.

He also says with the mitigating circumstances, the agents who escorted Trump could have opted out if they felt uncomfortable with the COVID exposure and it would have been no biggie ... but that's not how Secret Service agents tend to roll.

Several others working under Kayleigh McEnany have reportedly tested positive for coronavirus -- including two key aides -- Chad Gilmartin and Karoline Leavitt -- as well as other mid-level staffers in the White House press shop.

Another White House staffer has tested positive for coronavirus -- this time, it's the Press Secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, who says she's asymptomatic ... and eager to keep working.

McEnany shared the news Monday, saying she'd contracted COVID-19 after days of testing negative since Trump's positive diagnosis announcement Thursday. She says she's experiencing no symptoms, adding no members of the press are reported as close contacts by the White House Medical Unit -- so presumably, they should be alright.

She also claims she had no knowledge of Hope Hicks' positive status prior to holding her last press briefing last week, explaining she's been doing her public service for the American people as diligently as possible.

Now that she's positive, however, McEnany says she'll begin to quarantine right away -- but goes on to say she'll continue to work remotely. She's the latest person in Trump's orbit who's been infected over the past week -- at least 5 others have also tested positive.

Unclear who might've started the super-spreading going on at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., but what seems clear is that the virus was front and center at the Amy Coney Barrett nomination ceremony. Among those present who now have COVID ... Donald and Melania Trump, Kellyanne Conway, Rev. John Jenkins, Chris Christie, Senators Mike Lee and Thom Tillis as well as Hope Hicks.

President Trump was up and at 'em this morning with one message on his mind that he felt the need to repeat over and over and over AND OVER again -- America, vote ... MAGA.

DT sent out a barrage of tweets early Monday, and they were all different versions of the same sentiment -- here's why folks oughta punch their ballots in for him ... with his signature all caps font, of course. In all, he had about 15 or so bullet point reasons to vote Trump.

Just to name a few of the most amusing ... 401(k), LAW & ORDER, STOCK MARKET HIGHS, STRONGEST MILITARY EVER, PRO LIFE, FIGHT THE CORRUPT FAKE NEWS MEDIA ... and, of course, SPACE FORCE!!!! There's more, but you get it, we're sure.

He also had a friendly reminder for residents in key swing states he needs to win to defeat Biden (who's ahead in the polls in a lot of these places). He told people in Ohio, Florida, Georgia, Arizona and Texas Monday was the last day to register and offered a link so they could sign up ... a link that leads to a site that literally pushes you to vote for Trump.

We'd give him credit for promoting the democratic process, but since he's leading would-be voters right to his own punch card ... we'll hold off on the kudos for now. One last note we'll make about Trump's back-to-business mentality on Twitter ... some are calling it "roid rage."

As you mighta heard, Trump's now on a steroid called dexamethasone, which helps fight off inflammation in the body caused by disease and/or viruses. While there are different reports on the potential side effects, one that keeps getting brought up is the possibility of "delusions of grandeur" and general outbursts or acts of anger -- y'know, 'cause of the 'roids and all.

Donald Trump is doing well enough that he can be discharged as early as Monday, but the latest update from doctors raises new concerns about Trump's health and whether his doctors are being straight with the American public.

Trump's personal physician, Dr. Sean Conley, fessed up that he was evasive Saturday when he wouldn't say if Trump received supplemental oxygen at The White House before being transferred to Walter Reed. This time, Dr. Conley said Trump not only received oxygen Friday at The White House but a second round Saturday. In both instances, Trump's oxygen level dropped below 94%.

And, there's this ... Dr. Conley confessed he wasn't forthcoming Saturday because he wanted to reflect Trump's "upbeat mood." As for whether he hid information, Dr. Conley said that "isn't necessarily true."

Dr. Conley actually said Trump's Chief of Staff "misconstrued" Trump's condition when he said Trump's condition was deteriorating Friday at The White House. Yet, Dr. Conley concedes Trump was tired with a fever, a cough and low oxygen levels.

A reporter asked Dr. Conley if Trump's lungs were damaged and he would not answer directly. Nor would Dr. Conley say if there was evidence of pneumonia.

Trump's being pumped full of drugs and doctors say he's responding well.

Add Kellyanne Conway to the ever-growing list of President Trump's inner circle to test positive for COVID-19.

Trump's trusted advisor just announced her test results, and it totally makes sense when you see the people she was exposed to last weekend at the White House.

Kellyanne was seated in a Bermuda Triangle of sorts at the Amy Coney Barrett announcement in the Rose Garden -- smack in the middle of First Lady Melania Trump, Sen. Mike Lee and Notre Dame President John I. Jenkins. All 3 have tested positive.

Kellyanne tweeted she's experiencing a "mild cough," but her often outspoken daughter begs to differ. Shortly before KC announced she'd caught the coronavirus, Claudia Conway was giving Mom the business on TikTok.

She posted an image of herself looking annoyed with the caption, "my mom coughing all around the house after Trump tested positive for covid."

Initially, it seemed like Claudia was just giving her mother crap, as she tends to do, but now ... not so much.

Kellyanne is the 12th known person at the Judge Barrett event to contract the virus. It's getting hot in DC.