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Monica Lewinsky and Linda Tripp's relationship is under a microscope in Ryan Murphy's 'Impeachment' series -- and the journalist who first got the real-life story says there's no way to soft-pedal how Monica was stabbed in the back.

Author and journalist Michael Isikoff joined us Thursday to recount his 1997 meetings with Tripp ... which led to him uncovering the fact an independent counsel was investigating Bill Clinton's affair with the then-22-year-old White House intern. He said it was clear to him Linda was betraying Monica's confidence ... something he calls "indefensible."

Those of you alive back then will recall Tripp secretly recorded her conversations with Monica about Clinton -- and now a whole new generation will see those meetings play out in "Impeachment: American Crime Story."

Isikoff says Monica, who's a producer on 'Impeachment,' deserves the opportunity to tell the scandal from her perspective. As he puts it, Linda's treatment of Monica was "dicey" from an ethical standpoint.

Speaking of ethics, Isikoff -- who wrote the book, "Uncovering Clinton: A Reporter's Story" -- also told us why he turned down Tripp's offer to steal Monica's infamous blue dress and hand it over to him.

Of course, Tripp eventually turned over the dress, with Clinton's semen stain on it, to independent counsel Ken Starr, along with her recordings of Monica.

The Food Network wants to make it clear ... it has NO relationship anymore with the former FN host who went on a rant over the Texas anti-abortion law and the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to punt.

Josh Denny -- a comedian who hosted Food Network's "Ginormous Food," and has described himself as a "canceled" comedian -- went on a tear over the Texas law, telling women to "calm down." He also took issue that most women would have no idea they were pregnant in the first 6 weeks, saying in disgusting fashion ... "Only whores wouldn't know for 6 weeks."

People on social media tore into Denny, who responded with this ... “Your freedom to be offended is commensurate to my freedom to offend you.”

President Biden brings up his late son, Beau, way too much for comfort, and it might be a political mistake -- so suggests the NYT, which had to tweak a headline over this.

The paper of record published a story Saturday that's all about how some people are seriously tired of Biden invoking Beau in seemingly any context ... and citing his grief over his boy's death as a way to connect to the topic at hand. Lately, that's been Afghanistan.

The Times' OG headline for this story read, "Biden, Still Grieving His Son, Finds That Not Everyone Wants to Hear About It" -- which caught TONS of backlash, and was changed. Now, it says, "In Invoking Beau, Biden Broaches a Loss That’s Guided His Presidency."

The NYT reports some Biden advisers acknowledge that, yeah, JB does name-drop Beau a lot ... and doesn't always tweak his approach based on his audience, which might be smart in certain situations -- as Biden's gotten criticism over this of late ... including from one Gold Star father, whose own kid recently got killed in Afghanistan during the chaotic pull-out.

Mark Schmitz told WaPo that during a dignified transfer last week for the 13 Marines killed during a bombing in Kabul -- for which Biden was present -- the Prez apparently steered a private convo they had to his own son, which Schmitz found inappropriate ... seeing how they were there to remember the recently fallen. Not just that, but many point out Beau wasn't killed in combat ... he died of brain cancer, after serving as a military lawyer in Iraq.

With all that said, that first headline is pretty harsh ... and fairly insensitive. Many online say Biden should be allowed to grieve however the hell he wants -- and the Times seems to have taken notice, 'cause they changed how they phrased it. Still, the sentiment remains.

On the flip side ... there are other families who've lost children to tragedy -- and have gotten face time with Joe after the fact -- who've said they appreciate Biden connecting with them on a personal level by talking Beau, humanizing him. So, it's a mixed bag of reception here.

Sarah Silverman is not mincing words -- the Texas anti-abortion law is a declaration of war, but only certain women are targeted.

We got Sarah Saturday night in WeHo on her way out of Craig's, and she was blunt ... the law which effectively outlaws most abortions is a war on poor people. As she says, rich women have the means to leave the state and get an abortion elsewhere.

Sarah is not a fan of boycotts ... she says it only hurts people in the state who are themselves, victims. The real targets, she says, should be the politicians who enacted the law.

As you probably know by now, the Texas law pretty much outlaws abortion after the first 6 weeks of pregnancy. There are no exceptions for rape or incest. And, the law puts a bounty on the heads of anyone who assists a woman in getting an abortion after 6 weeks. Anybody in the country can sue people who assist for $10k plus attorney's fees.

Pete Buttigieg and his husband, Chasten, are brand new parents ... with a couple bundles of joy they just introduced to the world this weekend.

President Biden's Transportation Secretary made the announcement Saturday, writing ... "Chasten and I are beyond thankful for all the kind wishes since first sharing the news that we’re becoming parents. We are delighted to welcome Penelope Rose and Joseph August Buttigieg to our family." He attached a photo of him and Chasten holding their kids.

The siblings are wrapped in blankets, while Chasten and Pete look at each other in a hospital bed. Presumably, these newborns are adopted -- it's no secret the couple have been trying to undertake the process for a good while ... and now, they're at the finish line.

Looks like their children might be twins ... but it's not entirely clear if they adopted from one birth parent or two. The babies are also about a month old now -- Pete first broke the news of their arrival back in mid-August, and this is the first time he's shared a pic.

He wrote at the time, "For some time, Chasten and I have wanted to grow our family. We're overjoyed to share that we've become parents! The process isn't done yet and we're thankful for the love, support, and respect for our privacy that has been offered to us."

Bette Midler has a solution to get Texas legislators to reverse course on their anti-abortion law -- just stop banging them ... as in, women should.

The actress tweeted out her thoughts for the proposed plan earlier this week, writing, "I suggest that all women refuse to have sex with men until they are guaranteed the right to choose by Congress."

In other words, a sex strike -- which is so simple (yet effective) that it might actually work! At least, that seems to be the consensus online ... folks are giving Bette props for coming up with such a devious plot, and some even be down to get started right away.

On the other hand, there are some who are pointing out some flaws in her logic here ... for a variety of reasons. For one, liberal women not doing it with dudes -- presumably conservative ones who might support the law -- is probably already happening anyway.

More importantly, as one Twitter user aptly noted, it's counterintuitive to withhold something like that just to get a point across ... because, yes, women like sex too. Who knew?!?

Of course, BM was probably half-joking with the sex suggestion -- but one thing she's definitely not kidding around with is how serious this issue is for her ... and millions of other ladies. Her follow-up tweets since then reflect as much -- she's very outspoken on it all.

She wrote this just yesterday, "This isn't about guns, speech, money or war. It's about women, their lives, their bodies and their autonomy. That's what allowed the court to do shoddy work, with careless disregard, because who's going to stop it?"

Ex-congressman Joseph Kennedy III is outraged at the looming release of the man who killed his grandfather, Robert F. Kennedy ... standing in square opposition to two of RFK's own children.

Joe put out a statement Wednesday after last week's news that assassin Sirhan Sirhan was getting out of prison after 53 years. It's pretty scathing ... he says flatly, Sirhan doesn't deserve it.

He writes, "I echo the anger and heartache of my father, a majority of his siblings, and my grandmother at the California Parole Board's recent recommendation. For our family, there has been no apology, no acceptance of responsibility, and no remorse."

JKIII adds this ... "For our country, there has been no justification for letting the perpetrator of one of our most devastating political assassinations walk free."

Joe goes on to explain the U.S. cannot accept violence as an answer to political disagreement ... which he suggests is what led to Sirhan killing Bobby all those years ago. He adds he's all for rehabilitation of criminals, but for those who skirt responsibility -- like Sirhan  -- Joe says "there should be no accommodation."

It's a pretty fierce take on the strong likelihood that the 77-year-old will walk free soon. He's also standing against Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Douglas Kennedy -- two of RFK's sons who've come out in support of SS's release.

Here's a painfully dramatic picture ... the last U.S. soldier leaving war-torn Afghanistan following a 20-year battle that's, arguably, changed nothing in the country.

His name is Maj. Gen. Chris Donahue, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, XVIII Airborne Corps. His unit's based out of Fort Bragg, N.C. and on Monday he became the final soldier to board a C-17 cargo plane out of Kabul airport to officially end the U.S. mission.

The night vision image shows Chris carrying his firearm and a look of resignation as the pullout ended under cover of darkness.

According to the Pentagon ... this 20-year war saw more than 775,000 American troops serve and more than 2,400 of them were killed in combat. The departure of Donahue's unit officially brings an end to America's longest war, and meets the August 31 deadline.

President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden on Sunday attended a ceremony at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to honor the 13 U.S. troops killed during last week's terrorist attack in Kabul as their bodies arrived in caskets wrapped with U.S. flags. The President vowed to hunt down those responsible for the attack.

With the U.S. now out of Afghanistan, the Taliban has taken over the entire country ... including Kabul airport. An L.A. Times reporter captured the moment Taliban fighters entered a Hangar at the airport to examine Chinook helicopters and other equipment.

A woman fleeing Afghanistan gave birth on a Turkish Airlines flight headed for the U.K. ... but the citizenship of the baby is something of a mystery.

Soman Noori, a 26-year-old Afghan with 2 kids, was on board the jet when she started having contractions. As the plane cruised at 33,000 feet above Kuwait, she gave birth.

The baby's name is Havva -- in English, Eve.

There have been other births during the evacuation as well.  Several other Afghan women gave birth either on a U.S. aircraft or at a U.S. military base in a foreign country.

One woman gave birth on a U.S. military plane that landed in Germany. Medics jumped on board when the plane landed and tended to her. The parents named the newborn girl Reach ... the call sign of the C-17.

According to the State Dept's Foreign Affairs Manual, "A U.S.-registered aircraft outside U.S. airspace is not considered to be part of U.S. territory," thus "a child born on such an aircraft outside U.S. airspace does not acquire U.S. citizenship by reason of the place of birth."

If a child is born over U.S. airspace, they would become a U.S. citizen.

It's unclear if a baby born on a military base in a foreign country would be eligible for U.S. citizenship.

A Marine Corps lieutenant colonel was swiftly disciplined after railing on the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other military leaders for bungling the disastrous exit from Afghanistan.

Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller, a 17-year-veteran who has served in Afghanistan, says he knew the brass would come down on him like a hammer, but he felt it was his duty to publicly demand accountability for failing to protect the troops.

Lt. Col. Scheller was relieved of his duties after posting his video, in which he says, "People are upset because their senior leaders let them down. And, none of them are raising their hands and accepting accountability or saying, 'We messed this up.'"

The lieutenant colonel, who says he had a personal relationship with one of the fallen soldiers, says he knew his criticisms would result in a high cost to him, his family and his career, and also said he was urged by some of his fellow Marines not to say publicly what they were all feeling privately.

The Lt. Col. zeroed in on what he believes was a fatal error ... not securing the Bagram Air Base before evacuating our soldiers and Afghan allies.

The Marine brass said they disciplined Lt. Col. Scheller because they lost trust and confidence in his ability to command.

President Biden just delivered an unmistakable threat to terrorists responsible for the suicide bombings in Afghanistan that killed at least a dozen U.S. service members ... and he got emotional doing it.

Biden offered this not-so-subtle warning to those who carried out the attack, saying ... "We will hunt you down and make you pay."

The Prez then started to get emotional when remembering the 11 marines and 1 Navy medic killed in the explosion Thursday outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.

At one point during his remarks, it looked like Biden was about to break down and cry.

As we reported ... the blast rocked the Kabul airport, where crowds of Afghans have been gathering to try and get into the airport and catch a flight out of the country.

The attack came on the heels of Biden's highly criticized decision to withdraw U.S. forces amid the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

Donald Trump can say just about anything to his base and they will cheer ... anything, with one big exception -- urging folks to get the vaccine.

Trump was booed -- yes booed -- during a rally in Cullman, Alabama Saturday night, after urging the crowd to get the COVID shot. "I believe totally in your freedoms," he said. "I do, you gotta do what you gotta do, but I recommend taking the vaccines. I did it. It's good."  You'd think he just told them to surrender their guns, because the crowd turned on him.

"That's okay, that's alright," Trump said, pressing on. "But I happen to take the vaccine. If it doesn't work, you'll be the first to know. But it is working. You do have your freedoms, you have to maintain that."

And, there's more. Trump has bragged in the past about his "good relationship" with the Taliban.

At the rally, Trump praised the Taliban as "great negotiators" and "tough fighters." He also said, “with me in office the Taliban would not have ever dreamt of capturing our airfield or parading around with our American weapons.”

He even suggested we might send our troops back to Afghanistan ... curious, since he's the one who set the wheels in motion for the withdrawal.

The Taliban is rubbing America's nose in the mess left behind in Afghanistan -- and they're doing so with a massive troll move ... recreating an iconic war photo, for their own purposes.

A Taliban military unit that calls themselves the Badri 313 Battalion put out a ton of propaganda footage this week -- showing a bunch of these guys rocking what appears to be American uniforms and gear left behind in the chaos from the past few weeks.

They're out there patrolling the streets in fatigues that are eerily similar to what U.S. soldiers have worn in the area ... only now, the Taliban seems to have gotten ahold of it. The B313B boys also have rifles in hand, and they're also using jeeps that seem to be American too.

That's not the worst of it though -- in what appears to be a total F-U to the USA, the battalion also posted a photo of them raising a Taliban flag ... in the same style as the shot of American troops raising the U.S. flag atop Mt. Suribachi in Iwo Jima during WWII.

There doesn't seem to be a caption attached, but the message couldn't be more clear ... they see this as them claiming victory in the region, which is exactly what this pic has gone on to represent in our history. It's a slap in the face, really ... an audacious one at that.

BTW, what you're seeing here as far as artillery and weaponry and whatnot being used by the Taliban is just a taste of what's said to be part of a total estimate of about $28 billion worth of gear we'd sent to Afghan army forces dating back to the early 2000s.

President Biden did right by getting the U.S. out of Afghanistan but Rep. Barbara Lee -- who was against the war from the get-go -- says there was one HUGE problem ... the execution sucked.

The Congresswoman from Oakland joined "TMZ Live" Thursday and praised 46 for getting U.S. troops out of Afghanistan because, in her words, there was "no military solution." She said adding 10,000 troops would have exacerbated the situation because it would have inevitably created another 20 futile years of military operations in the war-torn region.

That said ... Lee didn't let Biden off the hook. She took him and the administration to task over the execution. She called it "horrible" ... adding the U.S. has a moral obligation to make sure Americans, allies and journalists alike have a safe passage out of Afghanistan.

Biden told George Stephanopoulos he had no regrets over the U.S.'s chaotic exit from Afghanistan, because he said they didn't make any mistakes. Lee begs to differ ... and she's calling on U.S. troops to stick around until all appropriate personnel who want to get out ... do get out.

Biden was grilled on whether U.S. troops might stay beyond the August 31 deadline. The prez initially hedged saying it depended on the situation ... but finally relented and said he may keep troops there past the deadline until all Americans are out. He did not say the same for the Afghan allies who are at grave risk.

Lee -- the star of a documentary, 'Speaking Truth to Power,' dropping Friday -- says she doesn't feel vindicated 20 years after opposing the war on Afghanistan. She made the argument on the House floor just 3 days after the September 11 attacks ... and was the lone House member to cast a "no" vote authorizing then-President George W. Bush's actions.

President Biden has no regrets over the U.S.'s chaotic exit from Afghanistan ... because he says they didn't make any mistakes.

The Prez told George Stephanopoulos he didn't think pulling out troops, U.S. citizens and allies from the war-torn country could have been handled any better.

When asked if any mistakes were made Biden said "no" before adding, "The idea that somehow, there's a way to have gotten out without chaos ensuing, I don't know how that happens."

Biden, who gained wide popularity because of his empathy, did not show it when asked how he felt when he saw video of more than 600 Afghans packed into a C-17 at the Kabul airport. He did not express sorrow for them ... and that's uncharacteristic.

George grilled Biden on whether U.S. troops might stay beyond the August 31 deadline. Biden hedged at first, saying it "depends on where we are," but Stephanopoulos wouldn't let it go, and Biden finally said he might keep troops past that deadline to get all Americans out. He did not, however, say he would keep our troops there to get the 10's of thousands of Afghan allies out who helped us in the war effort.

Azita Ghanizada says Afghan-Americans like herself knew Donald Trump's brokered peace deal with the Taliban would "end disastrously" ... but she adds, President Biden didn't do anything to stop it from happening either.

The Kabul-born actress -- known for roles in "Complete Unknown," "Ballers" and "Magnum P.I." -- was in downtown L.A. Tuesday when she talked to us about the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan ... telling us it's a horrible situation to witness.

Like many Americans, Azita's placing the blame for the country's collapse on politicians of the past 2 decades -- from both parties -- but specifically calls out Trump for negotiating a peace deal with the Taliban in early 2020.

However, she also calls Biden's decision to hastily withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan a "stain" on his presidency ... and clearly thinks it contributed to the current crisis.

Azita's also very concerned about what this means for women's rights in Afghanistan, as the Taliban's promise to protect them is dubious at best ... and has already been contradicted by reports of a woman being executed for not wearing a burqa.

She tells us the fear is real for women in Afghanistan, as the Taliban being in control likely means women will be set back at least 20 years in society.

Finally, Azita's calling on the world to help the refugees who are trying to flee Afghanistan ... pointing out they are in a desperate situation.