TMZ.com

The Department of War is reportedly so mad about some pictures taken of Pete Hegseth that officials have told several photographers not to come back to the Pentagon.

Here's the deal ... the Secretary of War has delivered multiple press briefings this month in the aftermath of the United States' bombing of Iran -- the first taking place on March 2.

Photographers were allowed in the room during the briefing ... but, The Washington Post reports, photos they took of Secretary Hegseth upset DoW officials.

According to WaPo -- citing two anonymous officials -- photographers were banned from briefings on March 4 and March 10 ... and Pentagon staff photogs took photos instead.

Gavin Newsom is having some fun at the expense of Pete Hegseth, slamming the Department of War Secretary for going on a $93 billion taxpayer-funded spending spree to buy pricey steaks, lobsters and crabs.

The California Governor, and likely 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, ripped Hegseth for his lavish spending habits during the last month of the fiscal year in September 2025, according to government watchdog Open the Books. The watchdog highlighted that Hegseth's bulk purchases were the largest of any federal agency since 2008.

As a result, Newsom's press office took a monster-size shot at Hegseth, writing in all caps on X Tuesday, “HEGSETH BLOWING $93 BILLION OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS IN 1 MONTH !!”

Pete Hegseth's Defense Department reportedly blew through tens of billions in one month ... including huge splurges on steak, lobster, crab, fruit baskets, and furniture according to recent analysis by the government watchdog Open the Books.

The Pentagon went on an epic spending spree in September 2025 by burning through $93 billion ... the most at the end of a fiscal year since 2008 ... all part of the federal government's use-it-or-lose-it budget.

Hegseth's DOD needed to spend the money to keep their current funding moving forward ... and he signed off on $6.9 million for lobster tail, $2 million for Alaskan king crab, $15.1 million for ribeye steak, $1 million for salmon, almost $140K for donuts, and $124K for ice cream machines.

While Donald Trump initially blamed Iran for an attack on an Iranian elementary school last month, evidence appears to be mounting that the school may have been inadvertently hit by a U.S. missile during a strike targeting an adjacent naval base.

The New York Times reports that Iranian state media claims to have found remnants of an American Tomahawk cruise missile near the ruins of the February 28 strike, which reportedly killed 175 people who were mostly children.

The NYT says they analyzed photos of the recovered missile's parts and determined it to bear the markings of an American missile.

Bill and Hillary Clinton were blowing off steam with a little NYC date night -- their sighting coming just days after they got grilled over their ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

The couple were spotted leaving Italian hotspot Il Tinello after dinner Monday night ... Hillary flashing a quick wave to people outside as she slid into their waiting ride, with Bill trailing right behind.

Judging by the scene, the mood was pretty breezy -- relaxed, casual, and a far cry from the hot seat they were in during those Epstein depositions.

Democratic Texas Representative Jasmine Crockett’s failed Senate campaign expenses included $200K on text messages to potential voters and tens of thousands of dollars on consultants -- while her opponent James Talarico outspent her like crazy on advertising ... TMZ has learned. 

Per campaign records, the Congresswoman listed $8,577,757.47 in receipts ... with $3,682,885.41 in individual contributions ... from December 2025 to February 2026.

During the same time period, Jasmine’s campaign spent $5,092,872.38 on expenses ... and $17,297.87 on contribution refunds. 

Veteran political strategist James Carville stopped by "TMZ Live" Monday after his controversial 12-minute takedown of Donald Trump over the weekend ... and he told us, he doesn't regret a thing.

ICYMI ... in a video for Politicon posted Saturday, Carville went on a rant, calling Trump a "fat f***," and he proudly proclaimed he's afflicted with "Trump Derangement Syndrome" -- an illness he said doesn't need a cure.

"I don't want to get better. I want to get worse," Carville said in the tirade. "I want to hate him more."

"Halo" voice actor Steve Downes -- who plays Master Chief in the video game franchise -- wants to pull the plug on the White House using his voice to promote their war in Iran.

Downes slammed Donald Trump's administration in a post on X, writing ... "It has come to my attention that there is at least one propaganda video circulating that was either produced or at the very least endorsed by the White House that uses images of Master Chief and uses my voice to support the war in Iran."

He continued ... "Let me make this crystal clear: I did not participate in nor was I consulted, nor do I endorse the use of my voice in this video, or the message it conveys."

Kai Trump was living her L.A. girlie fantasy this weekend -- rolling up to luxury L.A. grocery hotspot Erewhon with her Secret Service escorts in tow to grab some essentials ... and the internet’s got a seriously sour taste about it!

Donald Trump’s granddaughter documented the trip in a video originally titled "I Brought My Secret Service to Erewhon," later changing it to "I Tried the World’s Most Expensive Grocery Store" ... showing her scooping up pricey items -- including the famous $21 Hailey Bieber smoothie -- plus supplements and other high-end goodies.

Kai seemed to be having a blast too ... even checking out the store’s clothing merch and asking how much it cost -- not that it looked like the price tags were slowing her down.

Reverend Jesse Jackson's son is pissed at Barack Obama and Joe Biden, slamming the former presidents for using the civil rights leader's memorial service to throw jabs at current President Donald Trump ... while also trying to act like they knew his dad.

On Saturday, Jesse Jackson Jr. spoke to a crowd at his late father's Rainbow Push Coalition headquarters in Chicago -- giving the two lifelong democratic ex-presidents a piece of his mind. He also took a shot at a third former U.S. President -- Bill Clinton.

Jackson Jr. said he listened to Obama, Biden and Clinton give eulogies at Friday's memorial service for several hours about Jesse Jackson -- claiming the three men didn't even know his dad.

Two people have been taken into custody after "suspicious devices" were found outside New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's residence.

A spokesperson for the New York Police Department acknowledged the incident in a statement Saturday ... revealing the devices were found near Gracie Mansion during an anti-Islam protest put on by conservative influencer Jake Lang.

Photographers took pictures of one of the devices ... which is ovular and covered in silver duct tape.

Donald Trump says he's too busy to learn Spanish ... even while he works on a new initiative drawing Latin America deeper into the U.S.A.'s sphere of influence.

POTUS spoke at the first Shield of the Americas summit in Miami Saturday ... launching the new intiative which he told the crowd aims to "eradicate the criminal cartels plaguing our region."

Leaders from a dozen Latin American nations -- including Argentina, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Panama and more -- attended the event ... but, if they were hoping to hear President Trump speak their native tongue, it's time to put that pipe dream aside.

Killer Mike says he's tired of watching poor kids fight wars ... arguing countries that want to go to war should send entitled rich kids instead.

We caught up with the four-time Grammy winner at LAX Thursday ... and we had to ask the politically active star for his take on the devastating conflict in the Middle East.

KM says he thinks poor people need to refuse to fight for the empire that is the United States ... because it's often working-class kids who are risking their lives to further the aims of the state.

Ben Stiller is ripping the White House for using a clip from "Tropic Thunder" in a social media post promoting America's war capabilities.

The "Tropic Thunder" director and star quote-tweeted a video mashup from the White House's official X account and told them to remove a brief clip from his satirical comedy.

The brief "Tropic Thunder" reference is a clip of Tom Cruise's character dancing. A bunch of other blockbusters and video games are featured in the mashup.

GOP Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales ended his reelection bid this week after admitting to an affair with a former staffer who later died by suicide ... and that staffer's husband is stunned by the developments.

Here's the deal ... Gonzales terminated his campaign Thursday, the day after he admitted to an affair with Regina Santos-Aviles -- a woman who worked for him while he was in Congress. Initially, he said he would not end his reelection bid.

Adrian Aviles tells TMZ … he's surprised Gonzales finally "took some accountability" and told the truth about the affair … and he's "satisfied" that it appears Gonzales' political career is over.

Eric Adams says he's not ready to go full Hollywood just yet ... but, if he did, he's eyeing a two-time Oscar winner to play him on the big screen.

We caught up with the former mayor of New York City at LAX Thursday ... and, we asked him who he wants to portray him in a biopic about his life.

Adams was pretty quick with his reply ... telling us he thinks Denzel Washington would crush it as him -- unsurprising given DW crushes pretty much every role he takes. That said, Adams says he's not looking to get into H'wood ... telling us he's not interested in jumping back into the public eye.