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Evanston, Illinois just made history by becoming the first U.S. city to offer reparations to Black residents, but one member of its City Council doesn't want its plan to be the way of the future ... because she thinks it misses the mark.

Alderwoman Cicely Fleming was the lone vote against the Chicago suburb's proposed reparations program, but not because she's against reparations ... she doesn't believe this program qualifies to be called that.

If ya don't know, the City Council voted 8-1 to distribute $400,000 to 16 qualifying Black households. Each can get up to $25k, but it must be used for home repairs or home down payments.

Fleming was on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and said she considers it more of a housing plan -- and a good one -- but it falls way short of being a precedent-setting reparations system for others to emulate. Watch the clip ... the alderwoman explained why all the strings attached to the program will end up benefitting the very banks that have harmed Black citizens by discriminating against them.

President Biden's four-legged friends are back at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. after completing training for a biting incident with White House staff.

News broke Tuesday that the German Shepherds, Major and Champ, finished up training in Delaware and were reunited with their owners. As we reported, BOTH dogs were sent packing after Major bit a Biden staffer.

President Biden recently revealed the incident with Major was just an example of the pooch being protective, and the bite didn't break the skin ... yet it was still enough for the extra training.

We had one of the dog's former trainers on "TMZ Live" who told us a move to The White House translates to a lot of sudden changes for the pups, including a totally new environment. Apparently, both Major and Champ are quick learners, because the new training lasted only two weeks.

President Biden is apparently an even bigger believer in dogs than we all previously thought ... he says man's best friend might be able to help cure cancer!!!

The Prez showered dogs with tons of praise Tuesday during a visit to Ohio State University’s James Cancer Hospital, saying ... "Dogs may help cure cancer. Not a joke."

Biden's statement immediately raised a lot of eyebrows around the country, because even if ya love dogs -- CURING cancer??? Watch the clip, because the President did say something 100% factual ... which is that dogs can smell cancer, and some have been trained to give patients and/or doctors a heads-up.

But, that's really detection, stretching it out to curing cancer ... seems far-fetched. Sorry, Fido.

Biden's remark harkens us back to a time last summer when another POTUS suggested ingesting bleach would be a great way to combat the coronavirus. He's always claimed he was joking, but c'mon ... we all saw the news conference.

Of course, some are defending Biden's statement by pointing out early detection is key to a patient starting treatment ... and therefore, giving them a better shot at remission. We guess one could make that argument.

D.L. Hughley says folks who are splitting hairs about the Colorado shooter's race are missing the point -- and that point is this ... easy access to guns is the true root of America's mass shooting problem.

The comedian, author and activist gave us his thoughts Tuesday at LAX about the 10 people killed Monday in Boulder when cops say Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa opened fire in a grocery store.

Although the release of Alissa's name had the phrase "He's Muslim" trending Tuesday on Twitter, D.L. says people pushing that narrative are missing the point ... especially because the vast majority of mass shooters in America are white.

Regardless of what race or religion the shooter turned out to be, D.L. says it wouldn't change the bigger issue ... the ease with which folks can purchase weapons like an AR-15 -- which Alissa used -- and also stockpile large amounts of ammunition.

He draws an interesting parallel between hoarding guns and cold medicine -- explaining one of those purchases will get you more stares than the other ... and it ain't the one you might think.

Marco Rubio is worried as hell about unidentified flying objects buzzing over military bases and he's on board with the government getting to the bottom of it.

We got the U.S. Senator from Florida out Monday at Reagan National Airport and asked him about UFOs and aliens. Our intent was a lighthearted convo, but Rubio got dead-ass serious about the potential danger the U.S. faces from unidentified aircraft flying over our military installations.

His argument's simple ... we don't know what's flying above our military bases -- or our not-so-friendly skies, for that matter -- and his colleagues on the Senate Committee on Intelligence need to figure it out because "maybe it's another country, and that would be bad news too."

Luckily for us humans ... the Pentagon's on it after forming a new task force last August to investigate UFOs spotted by U.S. military aircraft. Remember, the Pentagon had already declassified UFO videos they describe as "unexplained aerial phenomena."

And, just last month, an American Airlines pilot flying over New Mexico radioed saying, "I hate to say this, but it looked like a long cylindrical object that almost looked like a cruise-missile type of thing. Moving really fast and went right over the top of us." The FAA later refuted the pilot's sighting ... but it sure makes ya wonder as sightings keep happening.

Marco Rubio says Miami Beach looks "unsafe" with all the spring breakers, but he still wants folks to come and have a good time ... as long as it can be done without violence.

We got the U.S. Senator at Reagan National Airport in D.C. Monday and asked him about the state of emergency for Miami Beach, which is struggling to maintain law, order and COVID safety ... amid a flood of partygoers.

Marco admits the videos of spring breakers flooding the streets and breaking the 8 PM curfew is not a good look and unsafe. As he put it, "It's never a good look when you're throwing chairs and tearing the place up" -- but he's also blaming that chaos on just a few bad apples.

Despite thousands of arrests, including 2 men busted for allegedly drugging and raping a woman who later died in a hotel ... Marco says people should still spend their spring break dollars in Miami, if they can do so without getting out of control.

As for a possible super-spreader event -- which Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber has said is a concern -- Sen. Rubio's brushing that off, and told us why he thinks most of the South Beach revelers won't get sick.

Not sure about his logic, but what's clear is the Senator is trying to walk the line between health and economic concerns in his constituency.

Donald Trump's 757 jet is in mothballs in upstate New York, missing parts with one of its engines shrink-wrapped.

The jet is far, far away from the former President, who now calls Florida his home. The plane was a crown jewel in Trump's empire. It was called "Trump Force One" -- a status symbol he prized for years, yet now it seems the plane has been abandoned.

It's missing engine parts, according to CNN, and it's been exposed to brutal winter weather. To make it airworthy again, it's gonna cost a fortune, and it doesn't seem Trump's into it anymore.

As we reported, he flew in a relatively tiny jet from FL to NYC recently.

Trump was famously pictured chowing down on McDonald's during a flight in day's past ... when he didn't have to worry if the smell of fries would drive others on board crazy.

The plane hasn't been flown since Trump was elected ... he had another mode of transportation after that.

Several White House staffers got the ultimate buzzkill when they were asked to resign or got demoted for smoking weed in the past ... even though they were told it would be no biggie.

Those are the claims being made about President Biden's administration anyway, and the firings reportedly even affected WH employees who lived in one of the 14 U.S. states where marijuana use is legal.

According to the report ... Biden's staff was subjected to background checks where they had to disclose their history of pot use, but some were told it would be "overlooked."

Apparently, that wasn't the case, as White House Director of Management and Administration Anne Filipic reportedly called up many of the workers and asked those who admitted to marijuana use to either resign or be placed in a remote work program.

The White House is disputing how many staffers were actually affected by the weed-related moves, but says ... "This decision was made following intensive consultation with career security officials and will effectively protect our national security while modernizing policies to ensure that talented and otherwise well-qualified applicants with limited marijuana use will not be barred from serving the American people."

As you may know ... marijuana is still illegal on the federal level -- despite being legalized all over the country at a state-level and in D.C. -- so critics of these reported firings say it unfairly targets younger people and those who come from states where it's legal.

Arnold Schwarzenegger should be put in charge if aliens ever invade our planet ... according to 2,000 adults in Great Britain.

"The Terminator" star and ex-California Governor topped the list of 20 celebs and public figures in a British survey of who'd be best equipped to handle the doomsday scenario ... with Will Smith coming in at #2.

Both actors are known for their badass movie roles in which they battle bizarre creatures, but apparently Arnold's political experience as "Governator" gave him the edge over Smith's film experience in "Independence Day" and "Men in Black."

Rounding out the top 5 on the list were beloved Brit, Sir David Attenborough, followed by Bruce Willis and Tom Cruise.

Ex-President Donald Trump was the top current politician at #8 -- just behind Harrison Ford and "Alien" star Sigourney Weaver. The bad news for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is the UK survey put him all the way down at #12.

Apparently, the polled Brits have even less faith, though, in America's current administration ... when it comes to handling aliens. VP Kamala Harris came in at #19, while President Biden was last at #20.

The BLAZE TV channel that commissioned the survey says Arnold is a strong top choice, but adds ... "it’s worrying to see that so many celebrities with fictional alien experience are considered by many to be better candidates than our current crop of world leaders."

The same study also found 11 percent of the adults surveyed believe they have seen a UFO ... so maybe take all of this with a grain of salt? Yeah, for sure.

Vice President Kamala Harris could have been in danger Wednesday afternoon ... the Secret Service tells us agents detained a man outside the Veep's D.C. residence and cops say he had guns and ammo.

The agents stopped the man around 1 PM ET near the Naval Observatory, which is the traditional Vice President's mansion. Cops say they found a firearm, a bunch of ammo and several gun clips with ammo in the man's car, which was parked in a D.C. garage.

Fortunately, the Veep wasn't at the Naval Observatory when agents nabbed the man -- the mansion is getting a bunch of repairs so she and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff have been living at Blair House ... a 19th-century row house steps away from the White House.

The Vice Prez was working Wednesday in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which is right next to Blair House.

Story developing ...

President Biden says Gov. Andrew Cuomo should step down if the ongoing investigation finds his sexual harassment accusers are telling the truth.

Biden weighed in on the Cuomo controversy Tuesday during an interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos ... and he went so far as to say Cuomo could end up being prosecuted as well.

New York's Attorney General is probing allegations Cuomo sexually harassed a number of women, including 2 ex-staffers alleging misconduct ranging from an unwanted kiss to remarks about their sex life and appearance.

Before today, President Biden had said he didn't want to comment on Cuomo -- one of his close political allies -- until the investigation was completed.

For his part, Cuomo has denied the allegations ... but New York's 2 U.S. Senators, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, have called on him to resign ... as have several Democrats in the House, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

As we reported ... Cuomo doubled down on his denial earlier this month, after a new photo of him grabbing a woman's face surfaced. He vehemently denied touching anyone inappropriately, but acknowledged he might've been a little too chummy for comfort at times.

President Biden isn't throwing his youngest German Shepherd to the wolves over his White House biting incident -- in fact, he's adding context that makes the pup sound like a good protector.

The Prez sat with ABC for an interview that aired Wednesday morning, and George Stephanopoulos dropped a hard-hitting question -- is 3-year-old Major out of the dog house yet??? Yep, it got a chuckle out of Joe as well.

The answer ... yes, he is, according to his owner. Biden explained the circumstances of how Major came to nip at someone -- and it sounds like someone the First Dog wasn't familiar with made one too many quick movements.

President Biden also clarified another important detail ... Major's bite didn't break the skin.

Remember, Major AND Champ were both sent back home to Delaware after the dustup -- but Biden clears that up too, saying they weren't necessarily being banished without their parents to care for them. Watch ... sounds like the First Lady wasn't too far behind them in the transfer.

Fact is, Major, and his older bro Champ, are making a tough transition. Life in the White House can be stressful -- even for dogs. One of their trainers was on TMZ Live, breaking down the challenges of getting them ready for life in D.C.

Donald Trump wants to go head-to-head with Meghan Markle for the Presidency, but first, he's doing something critics say he failed to do while in office ... and that's encouraging Americans to get the COVID vaccine.

Trump made it clear Tuesday he's siding with the Queen over Meghan, and says he's not a fan of Prince Harry's wife. In a telephone interview with Fox News' Maria Bartiromo, Trump said he wants MM to follow through with the political ambitions she reportedly has.

Not shockingly, 45 sees running against a political neophyte as the perfect incentive for his potential run to be 47.

As you know ... Meghan and Harry are beefing with the palace over allegations of racism within the Royal Family. Trump says the Queen is a "tremendous person," but he just doesn't like Meghan.

Trump also granted Dr. Fauci's recent wish, encouraging all Americans to get vaccinated for COVID-19 ... especially his supporters, the majority of whom say they won't get the shot, according to recent surveys.

Vice President Kamala Harris is taking to the skies to plug the COVID relief package -- and in addition to GOP pushback, she's also fighting severe weather ... so bad, she had to get a new ride.

Check out these photos of the Veep and the Second Gentleman, Doug Emhoff, waving goodbye to spectators Monday as they boarded AF2 at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland ...

All was good as they departed to Vegas, as you can see, but check out the shot of them eventually landing in L.A. ... something is clearly missing: the Vice Presidential seal has vanished!

The wind -- whipping around and tossing Kamala's hair every which way -- ripped the seal clean off the aircraft. They seem to be deplaning the exact same way they came in, and yet ... no official marker can be seen. So, at first glance ... ya might not have known who was touching down at LAX.

We kid, of course ... any reporter who was there certainly knew it was Kamala and Doug. Still, it makes you wonder how they're plastering those decals onto AF1/2 ... is it Velcro???

Anyway, because of mechanical issues with yesterday's carrier ... VP Harris had to use another plane on Tuesday to go about her travels. Fun fact for those who didn't know: the new plane is also called Air Force Two -- whatever aircraft she's in gets that title.

Ted Cruz is liking what he's seeing with the country's vaccination rollout, and it's got him thinking about ballin' ... even though the court at the Senate gym sucks.

The Texas Senator was arriving at Reagan National Airport in D.C. Monday when he had a hopeful chat with our photog about returning to normal, putting the pandemic behind us ... and taking a member of his staff to the hole.

Sounds like Ted's got a case of March Madness, and even though he tells us the basketball court at the Senate's facility is terrible ... he's ready to "bang around a little bit."

If ya don't know, Cruz ain't bad when it comes to playing hoops ... at least compared to Jimmy Kimmel. He took down his late-night talk show host rival in a sweaty mess of a 1-on-1 match back in 2018. Thankfully, it was all for charity.

Clearly, Ted's itching to get back to the sport and says everyone's eager to get out of their houses after a year of dealing with COVID-19 ... and he's encouraged we're getting closer to normalcy.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg will be honored at the midpoint of Women's History Month ... it will be RBG day in the city where she grew up, and there's a new statue to memorialize the honor.

The statue of the late Supreme Court Justice was unveiled Friday in Brooklyn ... the place where she formed her values.

The Prez of Brooklyn Borough, Eric Adams, said, "RBG was clearly a symbol of what's great about this country and how, when we are inclusive, we can stop the level of exclusiveness that is pervasive throughout this country."

RBG had a say in the statute -- it was designed by Gillie and Marc Schattner while Ruth was still alive, and she gave it her stamp of approval.

As for honoring RBG during Women's History Month ... who better?  As a civil rights lawyer, she was the locomotive that propelled women's rights into the law books of America, and as a Supreme Court Justice, she fought hard to maintain and expand women's rights as well as the civil rights of others.