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Local politicians in New Jersey are irate with the federal government's response to their recent drone problem, with multiple lawmakers telling us they want the feds to act, and they're worried their constituents will take matters into their own hands -- which could be disastrous.

We spoke with NJ Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia and Middletown Township Mayor Tony Perry about the hundreds of sightings of drones over multiple New Jersey counties in the past month ... and, in a nutshell, they say they need the federal government to act ... NOW!

Assemblywoman Fantasia tells us there has been basically no information about the unnerving situation provided by the federal government or state leaders ... and, there's even confusion on which agency is actually running the show.

Katie Couric will be sporting a nasty bruise this holiday season ... revealing she's now black and blue after an unfortunate pickleball accident.

The famed newswoman posted on her Instagram Stories Friday, where she shared an up-close look at the noticeable lump forming on her head.

Per Katie, the large mark -- which appeared to be turning purple -- was caused by a self-inflicted pickleball injury.

It's Taylor Swift's birthday ... and among the thousands sending her well wishes was none other than her boyfriend's employer, the NFL!!!

Travis Kelce's league cut a TikTok video on Thursday to celebrate Swift's 35th trip around the sun ... and it's adorable as hell.

Check it out -- the 31-second clip features a bunch of highlights of Swift at Arrowhead Stadium ... as well as some mushy moments between her and her man on the "Eras" tour.

Lily Phillips' tearful reaction had nothing to do with regret over sleeping with 100 men in 24 hours ... telling TMZ she was merely exhausted after the sexcapade.

The OnlyFans model, who made headlines for her recent sexathon, tells us ... she got emotional and broke down into tears in the aftermath of her feat due to fatigue -- and guilt that not all of the guys got to have their promised 5 minutes with her due to logistics.

She emphasizes she has zero regrets ... and is as dedicated as ever to try and break the record of sleeping with 1,000 men in 24 hours. Another woman holds the world record -- 919 men at a 2004 event.

James Kennedy and Ally Lewber are putting up a united front ... we've learned the Bravo couple has no plans to split following the "Vanderpump Rules" star's domestic violence arrest.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... the DJ and his astrologer girlfriend are sticking together in the wake of the controversy, with Ally choosing to stand by James in this situation.

We're told Ally and James did have an argument Tuesday evening, after they returned home from Kathy Hilton's holiday party. Sources say a neighbor caught wind of the spat, "overreacted" and called 911.

Luigi Mangione's family appears to be distancing themselves from the Brian Thompson murder investigation ... in which the Ivy League graduate is the main suspect.

Attorney David B. Irwin, who has been advising the Mangione family following Luigi's arrest, tells TMZ ... the suspected shooter's loved ones are in the dark about the case -- saying they don't "know all the facts."

In fact, the attorney tells us the family only knows what they "read in the papers" ... making it clear they aren't involved in Luigi's legal woes.

President Joe Biden commuted the two-decade-long prison sentence of University of Miami booster and Ponzi scheme mastermind Nevin Shapiro ... who previously admitted to illegally plying players with expensive gifts.

The commutation of the 55-year-old convicted felon was one of 1,499 handed down by Biden on Thursday ... a one-day record for a POTUS.

Shapiro pled guilty to 8 felony counts -- and was sentenced to 20 years in Federal prison -- for his role in a $900+ million Ponzi scheme, which he ran from his Capital Investments office in Miami.

James Kennedy is refusing to lay low in the aftermath of his domestic violence arrest ... we've learned the "Vanderpump Rules" star is keeping all his planned gigs for the foreseeable future.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... James isn't canceling ANY of his upcoming DJ gigs ... so, fans should expect to see him at his show in Milwaukee Saturday night.

We're told the reality TV star is choosing to move forward and focus on work ... remaining committed to his scheduled shows in Milwaukee, Seattle, Portland, Boston, Kansas City, and Las Vegas.

The murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is inspiring more threatening messages about other CEOs ... and, they're cropping up all over the nation.

Check it out ... people are tagging public areas with "Free Luigi" -- like the graffiti in this New York City subway stop, a rallying cry around alleged killer Luigi Mangione, who was charged with Thompson's murder this week.

"Deny, Defend, Depose" has also been painted on the side of buildings and other public areas ... a reference to the words written on the bullets Mangione allegedly used to kill Thompson.

The Fresh Prince is telling fans he's got no Diddy dirty laundry ... 'cause Will Smith says he's never been tight with the disgraced rap mogul.

The actor/rapper took the stage at The Observatory North Park in San Diego Thursday ... when during a break in the show, Smith addressed the sold-out crowd about all the memes trolls have made of him and Diddy.

Watch the clip ... Smith says it's hard to tell what's true or not in today's age -- and the memes online are clearly causing a ton of confusion.

Chris Zylka was involved in a violent encounter with Ohio police in a bizarre incident partially caught on body cam last week.

Police responded to a report of a man with a gun trying to get into a car last week with a driver inside in a residential neighborhood of Warren, about an hour east of Cleveland. The assailant was wearing pajama pants, but no shirt or shoes -- in 32-degree weather, according to police.

The suspect, later identified as Zylka -- Paris Hilton's ex-fiancé -- was found jumping around in traffic in the middle of an intersection. Zylka had allegedly tried to get into a woman's car and had been trying to break the window, police said.

Taylor Swift may be feeling 35 today, but she's proven over the years that she'll never go out of "Style."

So, in honor of the pop star's milestone birthday, we felt it only right to relive some of her best eras. Whether you're a fan of her country era or her bad-girl "Reputation" vibe, Taylor has always brought it for the red carpet and her various concerts.

In fact, this past year, Taylor has shaken things up a number of times for her record-breaking "Eras" tour ... often swapping out her costumes for jaw-dropping updated looks.

Conan O'Brien's parents passed away earlier this week ... with his mother dying Thursday, just three days after his father.

Dr. Thomas O’Brien's health had been failing for a long time prior to his death on Monday, according to the Boston Globe, while Ruth Reardon O’Brien passed peacefully on December 12.

Dr. O'Brien was an expert in antimicrobial drug resistance research -- serving as director of the Infectious Diseases Division at what is now Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He also taught at Harvard as an associate professor, finally retiring in 2019 at the age of 90.

Ice Cube says he didn't even have to raise an eyebrow when Andrew Schulz and his son O'Shea Jackson Jr. had their war of words regarding the Kendrick Lamar "rape" jokes -- Cube feels his son won the verbal combat with ease!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Cube at LAX on Thursday evening and we got his take on his infamous "No Vaseline" diss being used as a prop in Schulz's argument that his sexually graphic description of "making love" to Kendrick was fair game.

O'Shea Jr. hopped in the social media madness to defend K. Dot -- as did Meek Mill, Peter Rosenberg and others, and Cube tells us Schulz should just up his game ... and come with better jokes!!!

The "beef" has since fizzled and OJJ is now actively promoting his 'Den of Thieves 2' film.

Cube also has new product on the market -- his 11th album, "Man Down," which came in hot after its lead single "It's My Ego" marked an all-time peak on the Billboard Charts for the legendary rapper.

Viral ring girl Sydney Thomas -- who stole the show after her appearance at the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight last month -- clocked in for another shift on Thursday ... throwing on a tiny outfit to work weigh-ins for an upcoming boxing event.

Thomas showed off her blue, sparkly ensemble prior to taking the stage for the Most Valuable Prospects 10 card going down in Orlando ... and she seemed thrilled to return to work.

"back in uniform," Thomas said on Instagram ... while also sharing a snap from the festivities.

American Airlines passengers had a foul flight Thursday ... when a fowl flew into a jet engine turbine and caused an emergency landing -- and, it was all caught on video.

Here's the deal ... Flight 1722 took off from LaGuardia Airport in New York City Thursday -- when a bird almost immediately flew headlong into the turbine, causing a minor fireball to appear on the side of the plane.

Watch the clip ... the bird hurtles toward the jet and smacks into the engine -- making a huge thumping noise and seemingly causing engine strain as the plane pitches slightly to the side.