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Pete Hegseth blocked the promotion of four diverse Army officers to the rank of One-Star General ... according to a New York Times report.

NYT -- citing current and former senior military officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity -- reports two of the officers targeted by the Secretary of War are Black, and two are women.

Secretary Hegseth had reportedly been trying to convince military officials -- including Army Secretary Daniel P. Driscoll -- to remove the officers' names for months ... before ultimately just unilaterally making the decision.

FBI Director Kash Patel has been attacked -- or rather, his personal email has been -- because his account just got compromised by suspected Iran-linked hackers.

According to multiple reports ... the hacker group Handala Hack ​Team claimed responsibility for the cyber invasion -- and said Patel "will now find his ​name among the list of successfully hacked victims."

Reuters reviewed some material from the alleged Patel account, uploaded by the group ... which reportedly was a mix of personal and work correspondence ​between ​2010 ⁠and 2019.

A Justice Department official confirmed to the news outlet that ​Patel's account was hacked ... but offered no details about what was taken -- or the investigation into the perpetrators.

President Donald Trump somehow turned a conversation about the war in Iran into an opportunity to claim he's a hit with the gay community in the U.S.

During a phone interview with "The Five" on Fox News, host Jesse Watters asked the president about "Ayatollah Jr." -- an apparent nickname for Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, who took over as Iran's new supreme leader when his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was assassinated.

Jesse asked Trump about the leader's rumored assassination before speculating about his sexuality, saying ... "You kind of suggested we knocked out Ayatollah Junior, have we? And did the CIA tell you that Ayatollah Junior's gay?"

As TSA officers are selling their blood to keep a roof over their heads, members of Congress are packing their bags for a 2-week vacation, and WE WANT THE PICS!

Since compromise isn't working, maybe some shame will, and that's why we're asking everyone to be on the lookout over the next 2 weeks for the folks who "work" on Capitol Hill, enjoying their leisure time.

Rebecca Wolf is down with this, because she's a TSA agent who is struggling in every sense of the word. She told us on "TMZ Live" Thursday she's losing everything, including her health and sanity, over the shutdown. Rebecca's last paycheck was February 28th, for a grand total of $13 and change.

Kevin Sorbo is calling out the Spanish government for the voluntary euthanasia of Noelia Castillo Ramos -- a fate he suggests would've been more appropriate for her alleged rapists -- and other celebs are also weighing in.

The actor posted a fiery condemnation on X today, saying the European country has blood on its hands, writing ... "Spain decided to give the death penalty to the victim, not the men who gang rped her. Our world is broken."

The post immediately went viral and even got the attention of Elon Musk, who agreed with Kevin, commenting, "So f***ed up." Tristan Tate, Andrew Tate's brother, also had thoughts.

Weird stuff is happening on the White House's social media accounts ... two head-scratching videos popped up, and then one was mysteriously taken down.

Here's the deal ... last night, the videos were posted on the WH's X and Instagram accounts for reasons that were unclear. 

The first clip, uploaded around 9:15 PM ET, showed someone's feet being filmed by a phone with a female voice in the background saying, "It's launching soon, right?" The following words also appeared on screen, "Sound on." After 4 seconds, the video cuts off and was later deleted.

Longtime California political colleagues Governor Gavin Newsom and former Vice President Kamala Harris are rumored to have a pretty icy relationship ... but Newsom is finally shutting down the gossip, calling the idea "preposterous."

In a new interview, political correspondent Alex Thompson asks the California governor straight up, "Why don't you like each other?"

But according to Newsom, Alex's whole premise was off. "We absolutely do!" Newsom replied, pointing to their long history of acquaintance, which stretches back even before they became rival politicians in The Golden State.

More like ... the Circuit Service! First Lady Melania Trump just walked into a White House Tech Summit with what may be the future most powerful person on Earth.

An A.I.-powered robot named Figure 03 accompanied Melania at an event focused on empowering children through educational technology Wednesday.

Watch the video, it's wild ... set to the "Flight to Neverland" theme music from "Hook," the First Lady awkwardly kept pace with her creepy wireless friend like a scene straight out of "I, Robot." The whole thing is very weird.

President Donald Trump is clearly impressed with his newly confirmed Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin ... not just when it comes to his work -- but by his wife, too.

Mullin's swearing-in ceremony took place at the White House on Tuesday ... where Trump gave a nod to his family, saying he wouldn’t be there without them.

But then, Trump zeroed in on Mullin's wife, Christie ... gesturing toward her and their kids, saying, "And that goes especially for mom, who looks like she's about 22 years old. I see these kids, but she looks very young.”

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says every time he tries to leave his working-out-in-jeans routine in the past, they keep pulling him back in ... because he feels he's in too deep to change it up now.

The U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services opened up about his unconventional workout garb during a conversation on "The Bossticks," hosted by Lauryn and Michael Bosstick ... explaining he started working out in jeans out of convenience due to his busy schedule.

Then, on the campaign trail in the run-up to the 2024 election -- before he dropped out and threw his support behind then-candidate Donald Trump -- Kennedy says people snapped pics of his attire ... and it blew up online.

Donald Trump visited Graceland on Monday and -- while he gave a lot of praise to the late legend during his tour of the estate -- he mused about going toe-to-toe with "The King."

Trump was signing a replica of one of Elvis' guitars when he was told that the rock-and-roll icon had several black belts in karate.

President Donald Trump is following through with his promise to send ICE agents to U.S. airports if Congress continues to stiff TSA agents.

The prez announced Sunday fliers can look forward to ICE officers lining up at airport security to give a helping hand with the understaffed Transportation Security Administration agents starting Monday amid the ongoing partial government shutdown.

He posted the news on Truth Social and applauded TSA agents who have stayed on the job "despite the fact that the Radical Left Democrats, who are only focused on protecting hard line criminals who have entered our Country illegally, are endangering the USA by holding back the money that was long ago agreed to with signed and sealed contracts, and all."

President Donald Trump was quick to react to the news of former FBI Director Robert Mueller's dead ... saying, "Good, I'm glad he's dead."

The President continues his post on Truth Social with, "He can no longer hurt innocent people!"

Things between Robert Mueller and Donald Trump were seriously icy during the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election ... with Trump blasting it nonstop as a “witch hunt.”

President Donald Trump has issued an ultimatum to Congress over airports ... telling pols to either pay TSA -- or get ready for pat downs conducted by ICE.

The 47th POTUS took to Truth Social to issue his demand ... complaining that if "Radical Left Democrats" don't sign an agreement to fund the Department of Homeland Security -- which pays TSA -- he will send ICE agents to fill their jobs.

DJT promises they will "do Security like no one has ever seen before, including the immediate arrest of all Illegal Immigrants who have come into our Country, with heavy emphasis on those from Somalia."

Robert Mueller -- the former FBI director who served as special counsel during an investigation into the 2016 election -- has died.

His family announced the news in a statement to the New York Times ... telling the paper of record he passed away Friday. They did not share where or how he died.

Mueller began his career in public service when he joined the United States Marine Corps in 1968 ... attaining the rank of captain and becoming a decorated soldier during the Vietnam War.