White House

Joe Biden is promising to change his ways in the wake of allegations he's gotten way too close for the comfort of at least 2 women.

The former Veep -- and expected Presidential candidate for 2020 -- is addressing the handsy allegations head-on ... saying it's just who he is, or at least who he HAS been. Biden added, in a video posted Wednesday, he'll get himself in check going forward and be mindful of people's personal space.

Joe says he's always thought of politics as a way to connect to people ... and that he took that to heart quite literally, with handshakes, hugs, shoulder squeezes and other forms of embrace.

He doesn't mention kissing women's heads, though, as Lucy Flores claims he did to her back in 2014. Another woman accused him of pulling her in by the neck to rub noses at a fundraiser in 2009.

In his kinda-mea culpa vid, Biden acknowledges the boundaries of personal bubbles have been reset, and says he'll change too.

His video response couldn't have been better timed, as President Trump and the GOP lean into lampooning Biden for his touchy-feely tendencies.

Sen. Marco Rubio says the allegations against Joe Biden -- ahead of his anticipated presidential run -- are nothing new in D.C., and he's suggesting the whole thing is Dirty Politics 101.

We got the Florida senator at Reagan National Airport and got his take on the 2 women who've claimed Biden inappropriately touched them years ago. Rubio says he's not surprised at all it's coming out now because it's perfect timing.

Rubio feels someone's been sitting on this information for a while, and it's only being weaponized now to hurt the former Veep, ahead of his expected 2020 run for Prez.

Watch the clip ... it's going too far to say Republican Rubio is defending Democrat Biden -- but, at the very least, he empathizes with him. Remember, Rubio's been down the Presidential campaign trial, and he thinks anyone running for office should expect the same kinda treatment Biden's getting.

For the record, no one's accusing Biden of sexual misconduct ... it's more about invading personal space and inappropriate touching.

He's been very touchy-feely with lots of folks over the course of his career -- and a lot of it's been caught on camera. He's said his public displays of affection never carried any intent to harm, and he never thought he'd acted inappropriately.

Linda McMahon is stepping down from her position in President Trump's cabinet ... but she won't be far from POTUS for long.

Trump announced the former WWE CEO is resigning as the head of the Small Business Administration at Mar-a-Lago on Friday .... saying "She has been one of our all-time favorites."

"I knew she was good, but I didn't know she was that good."

Although McMahon is stepping down, she's not leavin' Trump -- she's putting her focus on his reelection.

"She'll be leaving, she's going to go and help us with a very, very important year-and-a-half that we have coming up," Trump told reporters.

McMahon is an original member of Trump's cabinet -- she was confirmed back in February 2017.

We spoke with WWE legend Kurt Angle prior to McMahon taking the job ... and he said she's a "genius," adding, "If you doubt Linda McMahon, you'd have to be literally crazy."

No word on who will be Linda's replacement ... but Trump says she'll be part of the process.

President Trump heard the outrage loud and clear, 'cause he just announced that he will NOT seek to cut nearly $18 MILLION in funding from the Special Olympics.

Trump's Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos proposed cutting nearly every cent of funding to the organization earlier this week ... and people were PISSED.

TMZ Sports even spoke to WWE legend and Special Olympics ambassador -- Big Show -- who called the idea "bulls**t."

Now, Trump is putting an end to all that talk ... telling reporters at the White House that he's given the order to fund the organization -- like was originally planned.

“The Special Olympics will be funded," Trump said ... "I just authorized the funding of the Special Olympics. I have overridden my people.”

No "hamberders" or chicken sandwiches were served on silver platters ... but Washington Capitals star Nicklas Backstrom says the team's visit to Trump's White House was still awesome!

Backstrom -- along with several Caps teammates -- hit up 1600 Penn on Monday to celebrate their 2018 Stanley Cup victory. We spotted the guys out near the team practice facility after the visit.

And, since Trump has made it a "thing" to serve his championship guests smorgasbords of fast food ... we asked Backstrom if POTUS rolled out the silver platters for the Caps ... the same way Trump did for the football players at Clemson and North Dakota State.

Remember, the college guys LOVED the food -- with Tigers star QB Trevor Lawrence telling TMZ Sports the meal was a huge hit!

Unfortunately for the hockey players, Trump's tradition ended on Monday -- no chicken, no pizza, no berders -- but Backstrom says it didn't stop the visit from being great!!

"It was nice of him to invite us," the center tells us ... adding "It was just nice to be there. We were happy about it."

We also asked Nik if there was any drama in the locker room with Braden Holtby and other players who decided to skip the trip altogether ... but Backstrom says "everything's good."

Rep. Rashida Tlaib says President Trump is NOT off the hook in Robert Mueller's Russian collusion investigation ... because she clearly doesn't trust the man who summarized it.

We got the Democrat Congresswoman at Reagan National and raised the issue ... isn't it a good thing for the country if the Prez didn't collude with Putin and Co.? The Congresswoman recoiled and made it clear ... she's not convinced Trump's clean, given all we know is what his hired gun, Attorney General William Barr, said in his letter.

Barr did quote Mueller's conclusion on the issue of collusion ... "[T]he investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities."

The unconvinced Tlaib says the only way this "dark cloud" can be lifted is for the report to be released in full, without a cushion from a Trump ally.

Cory Booker says the future is very, VERY bright for him and Rosario Dawson ... and it'll be downright blinding if she joins him in The White House.

We got the Jersey Senator and presidential hopeful leaving NBC in NYC Friday, and when we ask him if his girlfriend will join him at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave in D.C. if he's elected Prez -- even if they're unmarried -- Cory goes into all-out dote mode.

It's hard to keep up with all the adjectives Booker drops to lovingly describe Dawson, but the bottom line -- he believes she'd be an amazing First Lady ... and the first of her kind.

We broke the story ... Rosario confirmed last week she and Cory are dating and in love, gushing about her man just as much as he does her. She didn't say much about becoming First Lady, but clearly ... the Senator can talk enough for the both of them about that.

Rudy Giuliani is coming out swinging for President Trump over his recent attacks on late Senator John McCain ... telling us Trump's furious over McCain's role in distributing the salacious Steele dossier.

We got Rudy at Reagan National in D.C. Wednesday, and our photog asked about Trump bashing McCain 7 months after his death. The President's personal attorney strongly defends his boss, and tells us why Trump's still pissed at McCain.

As you know ... Trump's been blasting McCain all week, even taking credit for the Republican's moving Washington funeral and complaining about not receiving a "thank you."

Trump's latest round of attacks allege that McCain turned over the dossier to the FBI and the media before the 2016 election. Rudy says that's what's further driving a wedge between Trump and McCain.

'Breakfast Club' host Angela Yee isn't shying away from having President Trump on the hip-hop radio show -- in fact, she's already got her questions lined up.

Angela expanded on the interview she, DJ Envy and Charlamagne Tha God did with FOX News this week, where they were asked if they'd be open to having DT come on the show. She doubled down with us, saying sure ... but they're not gonna reach out.

Seeing how the Prez's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, entertained the idea further by encouraging an appearance, Angela gave us a taste of what she and the team might ask.

Hint ... they're tough questions the Prez has been able to duck and dodge in a press conference setting, but would be incredibly difficult to evade in a radio setting. And, they're valid questions too -- ranging from his Central Park Five history to Obama himself.

But, because Trump has a history of censoring the media -- or at least trying to -- it doesn't sound like Angela is holding her breath for a possible face-to-face.

Donald Trump is showing some serious insecurity over the border wall, because he wants an affirmation from his die-hard supporters before he puts pen to paper and vetoes the legislation rejecting his border wall emergency proclamation.

The President blasted out a poll to his email subscribers shortly after the Senate voted Thursday 59-41 to put the kibosh on Trump's declaration of national emergency, asking their opinion on whether he exercises his first veto as Prez.

If he can't get support from the people who say he can do no wrong, well ...

And, check out how he loads the vote -- "Friend, President Trump will not let this National Security and Humanitarian Nightmare continue. Liberals in the Senate just voted against a National Emergency."

Looks like there are at least 12 Republicans who aren't on board -- the Republican Senators who joined Democrats in defying Trump ... something not mentioned in the email.

POTUS already made his intentions clear when he tweeted "VETO!" right after the Senate motion passed, so the poll is not just ridiculous ... it's superfluous.

He'll get his way this time, 'cause there aren't enough votes in Congress to override a veto.

Stay tuned.

12:27 PM PT -- A sketch artist caught Manafort in court Wednesday.

10:00 AM PT -- Manafort just got hit with 16 NEW charges in an NYC indictment tied to a mortgage fraud scheme. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. says Manafort will now face 16 felonies for alleged residential mortgage fraud, conspiracy and falsifying business records ... to name just a few.

What's that thing about raining and pouring? It's a monsoon for Manafort.

Paul Manafort is nearly doubling his time behind bars -- another judge just sentenced him to an extra 43 months .... nearly 4 more years in the pen.

President Trump's former campaign manager went through his second sentencing Wednesday in D.C., where a judge presided over the criminal case Robert Mueller's office prosecuted. Manafort got an additional 43 months in prison ... on top of the tax and bank fraud sentence he got last week.

You'll recall ... Manafort got 47 months in that matter. This additional time will bring his full prison sentence to 7 1/2 years.

This second case includes 2 conspiracy charges. Federal prosecutors accused Manafort of witness tampering and obstruction of justice after he was released on bail ... saying he urged 2 witnesses to commit perjury in his defense.

That got him sent back to the slammer, where he's been ever since last June. For the record ... Manafort pled guilty to the 2 conspiracy charges.

Manafort apologized for his crimes during Wednesday's sentencing -- he read a statement from his wheelchair, and begged the judge to "let my wife and I be together." He reminded the judge that he is about to turn 70, and his wife is 66.

Manafort actually got sentenced to 73 months, but the judge allowed 30 of them to be served concurrently with the 47 months for fraud.

3/8 -- Manafort appeared in his inmate jumpsuit in court, and the scene was captured by a sketch artist inside.

Paul Manafort is going away for a little while -- a judge just sentenced him to 47 months in prison ... which means he could be a free man again relatively soon.

President Trump's former campaign chair was sentenced Thursday after being found guilty on 8 criminal counts, ranging from tax fraud to bank fraud ... not to mention laundering more than $18 million to fuel his lavish lifestyle.

Manafort was facing a maximum of 80 years in prison, but federal prosecutors recommended he get up to 25 years. Clearly, the 69-year-old caught a huge break with the judge.

As we reported ... Manafort's charges stemmed from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into potential Russian collusion with the Trump campaign leading up to the 2016 election.

The sentencing is the climax of Manafort's tumble from political power -- the FBI raided his house in VA and seized tons of documents ... he was eventually indicted on multiple federal charges, and surrendered to the FBI.

Although he was out on bail, he got sent back to jail for violating his bail conditions. Mueller's office accused him of witness tampering and obstruction of justice. Prosecutors say he urged 2 witnesses in his case to commit perjury in his defense.

Manafort's been sitting in solitary confinement since June -- and, reportedly, he's mostly been doing it in a wheelchair or using a cane due to his declining health. His lawyers said in court filings he's battling gout.

The big question is will Trump pardon Manafort?

Michael Cohen says Donald Trump left him and high dry the second things got hot, and went back on a promise to cover all of Cohen's legal fees related to the Mueller investigation.

Cohen just filed a lawsuit against the Trump Organization for more than a million bucks -- money he says was supposed to be paid to his lawyers. In the suit, Cohen says shortly after he was first subpoenaed, Donald's co. agreed to cover all of his attorney's fees.

That was in July 2017, and Cohen says all seemed to be going well. In October, his attorneys got a check for $137,460 from the Trump Org. -- and that continued until May 2018. He says Trump's company eventually covered $1.7 million of his legal expenses.

But, when Trump's former right-hand man flipped in June 2018 ... the relationship soured. Funny how that goes. Trump started distancing himself from Cohen. In fact, Cohen recalls his former boss saying in June, "I haven't spoken to Michael in a long time. He's not my lawyer anymore."

According to the suit, the well ran dry that same month ... and Cohen says a total of $1,037,868 remains unpaid to his high-powered law firm. Most attorneys frown upon working for free, and Cohen says they indeed pulled out ... which hurt his case.

Remember, he was sentenced to 3 years in prison for tax fraud and campaign finance violations.

Donald Trump thought he landed a nice jab at Hillary Clinton by basking in her decision not to run in 2020 -- but looks like she's getting the last laugh ... and Regina George would love it!

DT took the first shot Tuesday, tweeting -- naturally -- his response to "Crooked" Hillary not running ... "'Aw-shucks, does that mean I won’t get to run against her again? She will be sorely missed!"

Hillary did promise to continue fighting for what she believes in ... and looks like giving Trump the business is on that list. After his Twitter-diss she clapped back "Mean Girls" style.

She posted a classic GIF of Rachel McAdams' character asking Janis why she's so obsessed with her. Hard to argue with that -- years after his 2016 victory, POTUS never passes up an opportunity to reference her ... and never glowingly.

Funny enough, a Twitter account for the Embassy of Israel responded to the Ayatollah with the same thing when the Iranian dictator went on a tirade against the country.

Donald Trump treated ANOTHER college football team to a fast food spread at the White House on Monday -- with the North Dakota State squad getting Chick-fil-A and McDonald's on a silver platter!

The NDSU Bison football team was invited to Trump's White House to celebrate winning the FCS Championship with a 38-24 win over Eastern Washington back in January.

The team reportedly wasn't expecting ANY food during the trip -- but after the success Trump had with the Clemson football team back in January, he decided to break out the fast food again!

You can see in the photo ... the spread was loaded with Big Macs and chicken sandwiches.

Remember when Clemson visited, Trump served up McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King AND pizza to celebrate their national championship win over Alabama.

At the time, Trump explained the menu by saying, "I would think that's their favorite food."

The food was a hit -- with Clemson's star QB Trevor Lawrence telling TMZ Sports, "It was awesome. We had McDonald's and everything. It was good."

The NDSU Bison have won the FCS Championship 7 times in the last 8 years -- but this is the first time they've gone to the White House.

Before the trip, head coach Matt Entz told the Grand Forks Herald ... "This isn’t a political trip, this is a Bison trip and, personally, I sold it as two things: It’s one more opportunity for the 2018 team to be together, but also in my mind the start of the 2019 season and the things we’re going to do together."

The big question ... how did the food go over with the players?

President Trump finally made it to Vietnam -- but he did it using a ton of taxpayer dollars ... and got a whole lot of nothin' out of it from North Korea.

TMZ did some digging on the cost of Trump's second summit with Kim Jong-un in Hanoi, and turns out it was at least $1.3 million ... much of which went toward putting Americans up for a couple of nights and making sure they were cozy.

According to federal procurement docs -- obtained by TMZ -- lodging alone for Trump and co. during the two-day summit -- which wrapped Thursday without a deal on nukes or sanctions -- ran Uncle Sam upwards of $632k between 3 hotels and miscellaneous costs.

The State Dept. footed the majority of that lodging bill, including a separate $157k for lodging at the Melia Hanoi Hotel -- where Kim Jong-un stayed and where the American press corp was staying as well ... before getting booted by Kim's camp.

According to reports, Kim became uneasy with the American press in such close proximity ... so they were ultimately moved to a new hotel.

But, wait ... there's more!!!

The conference rooms alone where Trump and Kim couldn't come to terms cost $316k, and things like lights, stereo systems, drapes and awnings ran about $100k all together. The Dept. of Defense dropped about $60k for leased internet lines.