U.S. Central Command is trying to steady the ship after a wave of bad press over conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln ... praising the crew and pointing to comparatively low numbers of mental health cases.
CENTCOM Admiral Brad Cooper says his recent visit aboard the carrier was "awe-inspiring" ... adding Americans would be proud to see the crew's camaraderie, teamwork and resilience firsthand.
Cooper says that among the Navy's 11 active aircraft carriers, the Lincoln currently has one of the lowest numbers of mental health-related cases.
President Trump says Karoline Leavitt is irreplaceable ... though he may have found her successor standing on the other side of a Fox News microphone.
During a Fox News interview, correspondent Alexis McAdams asked Trump whether Leavitt could be replaced. Trump said no, praised her work and joked he was concerned because "she likes her children more than she likes Trump."
When McAdams pressed him on who he wanted behind the White House podium next, Trump turned the question right back on her -- "You? How about you?" -- before saying she could do the job.
Donald Trump doesn't think sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln have been stuck at sea too long ... in fact, he says their nearly 9-month deployment hasn't been long enough.
POTUS was asked by reporters Friday at Joint Base Andrews about families raising concerns over sailors' mental health and living conditions aboard the aircraft carrier ... and he quickly dismissed the concerns.
When asked whether 8-plus months at sea was too long, Trump responded, "No, no, no. Not nearly long enough" ... then abruptly turned and boarded Air Force One.
Life aboard some U.S. warships doesn't sound like smooth sailing ... with sailors and their families sounding off about alleged broken toilets, undercooked food and marathon stretches at sea.
The complaints come as families of sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln raise concerns over conditions during its lengthy deployment in the Middle East ... with publicly shared messages describing shortages, plumbing problems and trouble getting mail.
Journalist Aaron Parnas says his inbox is now flooded with messages from people who have family members aboard the Lincoln ... and he posted images of one note claiming sailors have no "workable toilets around us," are being served "undercooked chicken" and aren't getting mail regularly.
Trump announced Karoline's upcoming career move in a Truth Social post Wednesday ... saying she's leaving the gig at the end of the month so she can spend more time with her kids and family.
Karoline gave birth in May to a daughter ... her second child.
Trump says Karoline will be one of his top outside advisors and continue to be an influential voice within the GOP.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and California Governor Gavin Newsom go back many years ... but she still won't tell him if she's running for president -- at least, not on camera.
Gov. Whitmer sat down with Gov. Newsom for an episode of his "This Is Gavin Newsom" podcast ... they filmed at Whitmer's fav dive bar -- Crunchy's in East Lansing, Michigan ... and we obtained an exclusive clip ... where Newsom asks about her political ambitions.
Newsom tries to get Whitmer to commit to running for the White House ... but she doesn't come out and say it, even if he thinks he found the answer he's looking for.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's always open about talking policy ... but not her dating life clearly -- because she shut a reporter down who tried to dive into her love life.
Rep. Haley Stevens says Rep. Tom Tiffany has only one thing on his mind as he runs for governor of Wisconsin ... changing hunting laws so he can hunt wolves!!!
The Congresswoman from Michigan appeared on CNN Wednesday morning to discuss the Democratic primary for her neighboring state's gubernatorial election in an interview that quickly went off the rails ... when she started howling about Tiffany's alleged wolf hunting obsession.
Rep. Stevens says all of her interactions with Rep. Tiffany, the GOP nominee for Wisconsin governor, have taught her three things ... he's a nice guy, is deeply conservative and his big priority is wolves.
The Trump administration's plan to upgrade the White House is costing a whole lot of green ... because the president wants to spend over $900 million to update the property ... and taxpayers are on the hook for most of the bill.
The Washington Post revealed the higher-than-expected number in an article published Wednesday, citing records the outlet reviewed.
The report says the Trump administration pooled funding from federal agencies and private donors -- instead of securing money directly from Congress -- with the total cost ballooning to at least $927 million.
President Donald Trump says the wild Air Force One switcheroo wasn't his call ... revealing the Secret Service and military told him to take another plane because of a security threat.
Trump addressed the operation Tuesday, saying he follows the guidance of those responsible for protecting him. "I go by Secret Service and the military. They wanted me to go in a different flight, different plane," Trump said.
Mitch McConnell apparently has Scott Jennings on speed dial ... and CNN wants to know why the Senator from Kentucky is calling his old pal instead of a credible news organization.
Scott got the third degree Tuesday on "The Arena with Kasie Hunt" after claiming McConnell personally called him earlier in the day.
CNN contributor Lulu Garcia-Navarro went straight at the elephant in the room ... "Why isn't he calling into a credible news organization?"
A reporter who unknowingly became a decoy during an Iranian assassination threat against President Trump is demanding more transparency from the White House ... because it took weeks for the press corps to learn Trump secretly slipped away from the Air Force One flight they thought he was accompanying them on.
Gram Slattery -- a Reuters reporter -- joined us on "TMZ Live" Tuesday to discuss the bombshell Washington Post story about Trump sneaking off AF1 via an airport catering truck due to a security threat leaving Turkey.
Gram was among the journalists and Trump staffers who were essentially used as bait on the decoy flight ... and he says there was a request from the Secret Service to close their blinds at one point -- a request which members of the media grumbled about at the time as well -- which may have helped Trump's great escape.
Hunter Biden is worried President Trump may try to stay in the White House beyond his second term ... joining those who are already sounding the alarm.
Former President Joe Biden's son was leaving LAX on Monday night when a photog told him people fear Trump will run for a third term -- and Hunter didn't hesitate ... replying, "Yeah, me too."
Hunter also said his dadis holding up amid his prostate cancer battle, remains tuned into politics and will be remembered as a "great president" -- though Joe hasn't revealed who he wants leading the Democratic Party next, at least not in his conversations with Hunter.
President Trump isn't taking any chances when it comes to Iran ... 47 ducked inside a catering truck before he was whisked away in a military jet for fear of being assassinated.
That's right ... according to The Washington Post, Trump flew to Turkey for the NATO summit last month and, while he was there, he and other U.S. officials publicly stated the prez would be leaving on July 8.
Trump told reporters he would be traveling on one of the older Air Force One jets -- and not the new luxury version gifted to the commander-in-chief by Qatar that he flew in on, saying he was doing it "for old time's sake."
While it may not have worked out for Spencer Pratt, Mauricio Umansky says he might throw his hat in the ring to be mayor of Los Angeles ... somewhere down the line.
Kyle Richards' ex thinks he could have what it takes to "make L.A. great again" ... adding himself to the growing list of reality TV stars attempting to hold political office ... in town and beyond.
Mauricio said on Monday's episode of the "Money Rehab" podcast ... "I'm not running for mayor yet. I never said never."
He tells host Nicole Lapin he's "thought about it a lot," but doesn't think now is the right time.
