TMZ.com

Sen. Mitch McConnell is insisting he's fine, but an odd moment in the middle of a news conference says otherwise ... as the Senate Minority leader stopped talking mid-sentence, and stood still as a rock at the podium.

The Senator was speaking to reporters Wednesday on Capitol Hill when he suddenly stopped talking and stared blankly ahead. After more than 30 seconds of standing still without blinking or opening his mouth ... he was escorted off camera.

The 81-year-old Kentucky lawmaker later returned to the podium to answer questions from reporters, and addressed what had just happened to him, saying ... "No, I'm fine."

While it's unclear what happened to Mitch here, it's worth noting he was hospitalized back in March after tripping and falling at a Washington D.C. hotel, and was treated for a concussion. He denied the fall having anything to do with today's incident.

CNN's Manu Raju says one of McConnell's aides told him the Senator was feeling "light-headed," and stepped aside for a moment.

President Biden's dog Commander doesn't have to be a recidivist biter ... a former Secret Service agent -- who's trained other White House pups -- says the pup can be trained to stop sinking his teeth into people.

Marshall Mirarchi was in the Secret Service's K-9 division during the Obama administration -- when Biden was VP -- and he joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" to explain why Commander's bitten 7 people over a 4-month span, and to tell us what the hell can be done about it.

Marshall says Commander absolutely can have the urge to bite trained out of him ... offering up his own dog, Hurricane, as a living, breathing example of a dog that can go from harmless to menace on command.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre brushed off Commander's biting problem Tuesday as a casualty of the stressful conditions at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

That's not just spin, according to Marshall -- he confirmed there are plenty of stressors for a White House dog, but he also believes the Secret Service can get the German shepherd to stop attacking folks.

Of course, Marshall says it's going to take a lot of training and patience to see a change in Commander ... but he's confident it can be done, and that the Secret Service has the right agents for the job.

For what it's worth, Marshall trained dogs for Barack Obama and G.W. Bush, and there were no known biting incidents with them. He says that's partly due to differences in breeds, but the guy clearly knows his stuff.

Judge Greg Mathis got into it with some Los Angeles City employees ... but there are drastically different stories from each side as to just how intense things escalated.

Law enforcement sources tell us an employee from the L.A. Dept. of Water and Power made a report Tuesday accusing Mathis of threatening workers with a gun after a heated confrontation. According to the employee, Mathis got pissed after they asked him to move his vehicle -- words were exchanged -- and things escalated to the point of Mathis allegedly flashing and pointing his gun at the workers.

However, we spoke to Mathis, who has a much different story. Mathis tells us the employees were actually blocking his vehicle in, and he was unable to pull out of his driveway.

Mathis says one of the employees got smart with him when he stood in the street, saying if he didn't move, he'd get run over by their work truck. Mathis took that as a threat, and tells us he informed he had a weapon -- though he says he NEVER showed the gun, let alone pointed it at anyone.

Eventually, both sides cooled off ... and the LADWP employees continued on with their work further down the street.

President Biden's pooch Commander is not some sweet, loving pet, but rather a complete menace to society.

Commander -- a two-year-old German shepherd -- went on a four-month rampage, biting SEVEN people, including at least two Secret Service agents, according to an internal Secret Service memo obtained by the New York Post.

The document states ... Commander allegedly sank his teeth into one agent's arm and thigh, sending the uniformed officer to the hospital for treatment.

On a second occasion, Commander was accused of getting toothy with another Secret Service member, biting their arm and hand during movie night at the White House.

A third attack occurred at Biden's Wilmington, Delaware home, where Commander gnawed on a security technician. And, of course, Commander allegedly carried out four other nibbling assaults.

The revelations come after Biden's other canine, Major, got booted from the White House for his hostile behavior, even losing his title as first dog. Major was turned over to the care of a Biden family friend after chewing on a Secret Service agent in 2021.

Even "Barbie" cannot escape the great political divide in America, because the right has folded the flick into its culture wars, lambasting it as a "flaming garbage heap."

Ben Shapiro jumped on Twitter Friday, saying, "My producers dragged me to see 'Barbie' and it was one of the most woke movies I have ever seen."

Others on the right have jumped on social media, calling the movie "feminist cancer" and "man-hating trash."

There are also folks on the right attacking trans actor Hari Nef, who appears in the film, saying, "Women being forced to pretend men can be women."

And, of course, there's Rep. Matt Gaetz ... his wife, Ginger, mused Ken had "disappointingly low T."

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. floated a theory this week, suggesting COVID-19 was manufactured to attack certain races/ethnicities, and to skip others ... including Jewish people.

The Dem presidential hopeful was at a dinner in NYC Friday when he made the inflammatory comments -- which were actually caught on camera and published by the NY Post. In the clip, RFK Jr. starts out by talking about bioweapons, and then moves on to the virus.

He says there's evidence backing the notion that COVID was designed to be "ethnically targeted," adding there are studies that show it hit certain demographics harder than others.

As he explains -- to the clear discomfort of others around him -- COVID was allegedly more prone to latch onto and "attack" Caucasians and Black people because of their genetic makeup ... but then says Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese folks are the most immune to it.

The guy hedges things a bit by saying it's unclear if the virus was purposely designed to act in this way, but it seems clear he's trying to entertain a conspiracy theory here -- and a lot of people have called his remarks antisemitic and racist. And yet, RFK Jr.'s defending himself.

He said NYP was mistaken, adding, "I have never, ever suggested that the COVID-19 virus was targeted to spare Jews. I accurately pointed out — during an off-the-record conversation — that the U.S. and other governments are developing ethnically targeted bioweapons and that a 2021 study of the COVID-19 virus shows that COVID-19 appears to disproportionately affect certain races since the furin cleave docking site is most compatible with Blacks and Caucasians and least compatible with ethnic Chinese, Finns, and Ashkenazi Jews."

RFK Jr. went on ... "In that sense, it serves as a kind of proof of concept for ethnically targeted bioweapons. I do not believe and never implied that the ethnic effect was deliberately engineered." He linked to a NIH study about genetic susceptibility pertaining to COVID.

Whoever left their coke in the White House can smile ... they're not gonna get busted for it, because the Secret Service has no video evidence to nail a suspect.

The Secret Service says it closed its investigation into the bag of cocaine that was found July 2 in the West Wing -- and, absolutely stunningly, they've been unable to identify who left it.

The agency says there was "no surveillance video footage found" that revealed who made the coke drop. Further, the Secret Service says the FBI lab couldn't find any fingerprints or DNA it could use to compare with the "known pool of individuals" ... such as White House staffers.

Interestingly, authorities say the coke was found in a "receptacle used to temporarily store electronic and personal devices prior to entering the West Wing."

You'd think there are security cameras blanketing nearly every inch of the President's residence -- especially in the West Wing, which hosts so many visitors, journalists and staffers each day. If ya buy what the Secret Service is saying here ... that's, apparently, not the case.

The Secret Service says it's closing the investigation "due to a lack of physical evidence."

French President Emmanuel Macron was reportedly given the finger this week, but not in the way you'd think  ... this one was severed from a human being and sent to him in the mail.

Macron was the recipient of the gory delivery Monday, according to news outlet London Evening Standard ... which says the digit showed up at the  Élysée Palace in Paris without a note. We don't know if Macron ever personally saw what was inside.

A source claims police immediately put the finger in their communal fridge, where snacks are usually kept, to keep it preserved ahead of testing -- which came back to show it was from a living human being.

The outlet says the person missing the finger was located and given medical support ... although they weren't identified. It's unclear if any arrests have been made.

France has been dealing with a lot of unrest lately -- waves of riots erupted after cops in Paris fatally shot 17-year-old French Algerian Nahel Merzouk last week. He was allegedly trying to drive away from the officers during a traffic stop.

Vladimir Putin travels all around Russia by train, but no one really knew just how lavish and secure his rides are ... until now.

New photos, obtained by CNN, show what is purported to be the Russian president's 22-car "ghost train" that acts as his private chauffeur as he tours cities and towns throughout his country.

The perks are eye-popping, and they include luxurious bedrooms, opulent dining cars, a Turkish bath steam room, a state-of-the-art health club and a massage parlor with anti-aging machines.

Plus, if Vlad wants to take in a movie, he can kick back in his own private theater. And, if he chooses to speak to his staff at the Kremlin or stay up-to-date on the news, he can do that too with the high-tech communications systems right at his fingertips.

But, that's not all ... Vlad is totally protected from any assassination attempts or military offenses while he's rolling down the tracks. The train is fitted with heavily armored doors and bulletproof windows along with medical facilities and equipment just in case something goes wrong.

Furthermore ... the train reportedly costs $74 million with an additional price tag of $15.8 million in annual upkeep.

CNN received the never-before-seen train images, with apparent Russian documents, from the Dossier Center, a London-based group devoted to investigating Putin. The cable news outlet published all the information Tuesday morning.

Rep. George Santos ain't Rosa Parks, despite comparing himself to the civil rights pioneer  -- so says the icon's niece ... telling GS to keep her name out of his mouth.

Rhea McCauley tells TMZ ... she felt it was totally inappropriate for Santos to compare himself to her aunt, saying it's apples to oranges when it comes to the situation. She also says other family members related to Parks are pretty pissed about his remarks too.

The NY congressman name-dropped RP in a recent interview he did, where he referenced Sen. Mitt Romney telling him to sit toward the back during Biden's SOTU earlier this year ... this after he'd been exposed as having told several different lies before getting elected.

Santos said he didn't appreciate a white man (Romney) telling a Latino gay man that he didn't belong somewhere -- then saying Rosa Parks didn't give up her seat way back when.

In other words, he seemed to be suggesting ... he wouldn't either, likening himself to her.

McCauley says she and the rest of the fam are ticked off that Santos even brought her up, pointing out that his juxtaposition here isn't even historically accurate -- namely, on account of the fact that Parks was fighting against segregation ... and that George seems to be airing out a petty feud between himself and another politician. Not really the same thing.

President Biden's got a busy week ahead of him with a planned trip to Europe -- but before he gets back on the job ... it looks like he wanted to kick up his feet, and some sand too.

JB was in Rehoboth Beach, DE Saturday -- where he and FLOTUS, Jill Biden, have a summer home in the North Shores neighborhood -- and both of them went down toward the shore to soak in some rays and enjoy the atmosphere ... a very sunny one, indeed.

Now, eyewitnesses tell us it was Jill who actually arrived on the beach first -- accompanied by a bunch of Secret Service agents -- and that Joe eventually followed with his own flock.

As you can see, the Bidens had chairs and umbrellas laid out ... and Jill even threw on some sunscreen for protection. When it comes to Joe -- he settled for a baseball cap and keeping his shirt on. Shoes, too, it seems ... you can never be too careful for POTUS!

When they were finally seated next to each other ... we're told Joe was busy reading a bunch of papers, although it's unclear what was on them. No PDA between the first couple or anything -- sounds like they were just content with being in each other's company.

Anyway, like we said ... Joe's scheduled to hit the skies Sunday for a 5-day trip overseas, where he'll touch down in England, Lithuania and Finland for a handful of engagements.

It's interesting he's gonna be out of town this week, seeing how the findings of the ongoing cocaine probe are expected to be released in the coming days. Remember, an undisclosed amount of the illicit substance was found in the West Wing over 4th of July weekend.

Ben and Jerry's drew a line in the sand on the 4th of July -- turning the cold shoulder on blind American patriotism, and demanding the U.S. return stolen land dating back centuries.

The famed ice cream company -- which has gotten increasingly political over the years -- threw up a bold statement Tuesday for the holiday ... which, inevitably, pissed off about half the country, especially considering the occasion.

They took to Twitter, writing, "The United States was founded on stolen indigenous land. This Fourth of July, let’s commit to returning it." Pretty straightforward, but also ... polarizing.

B & J's website echoed a similar sentiment but hit the point home even further -- where they argued that Independence Day celebrations could, perhaps, "distract from an essential truth about this nation’s birth." As far as their game plan, they wanna start with Mt. Rushmore.

Here's what they have to say, "What is the meaning of Independence Day for those whose land this country stole, those who were murdered and forced with brutal violence onto reservations, those who were pushed from their holy places and denied their freedom."

Ben and Jerry's continues ... "The faces on Mount Rushmore are the faces of men who actively worked to destroy Indigenous cultures and ways of life, to deny Indigenous people their basic rights."

As you can imagine, their stance here drew the ire of many on social media ... some of whom accused the brand of being a traitor to the country for pushing out what they consider anti-American views on the biggest national holiday meant to celebrate America.

Cocaine may have been found inside the White House this weekend -- and it appears to have been discovered in an area that President Biden frequents a lot on the job.

The Secret Service says it discovered a white powdery substance Sunday night in the West Wing during routine rounds. It's unclear where exactly in the West Wing it was found -- but a spokesperson for the agency will only say agents stumbled upon it in a "work area."

The SS rep also notes any notion the substance might've been found in the executive mansion is false. While Secret Service won't disclose where the alleged coke lay, it appears DC's FEMS let the cat outta the bag ... reportedly relaying via dispatch it was in the library.

POTUS was not at the White House during this entire ordeal, BTW.

The discovery of the unknown powder prompted an increased security alert and a brief evacuation of the premises, and tests are being done to decide what it might be. WaPo, citing sources familiar with the matter, says preliminary tests suggest it is, in fact, blow.

Speaking of that dispatch audio from earlier ... it seems a firefighter who was on the ground firmly believed cocaine was the culprit, -- telling the department's hazardous materials team that a test they conducted indicated "cocaine hydrochloride." No ambiguity at all.

Officials are saying the substance did not pose a threat, and an investigation is underway as to how it made its way into the White House ... and, obviously, who brought it in.

Presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis and his team might wanna take things back to the drawing board because one anti-Trump Pride Month ad just didn't quite stick the way they had hoped.

A video shared by the official DeSantisWarRoom campaign account on Twitter with the caption, "To wrap up 'Pride Month,' let’s hear from the politician who did more than any other Republican to celebrate it…"

The video went on to show images of Trump posing with a rainbow flag, talking highly of his friend, Caitlyn Jenner, and vowing to protect the LGBTQ community.

Whether or not Trump has kept those promises is another discussion ... but Twitter users unleashed on the DeSantis campaign, confused about how they truly thought the whole thing would land.

Some of the most popular comments included, "Is Ron Desantis running for President of Iran?" "Lol bro this just made me like trump for 2 minutes." "This is the most Trump thing DeSantis has ever done ... keep it up" and "This might as well be a pro-Trump ad."

Michael Imperioli isn't happy with the Supreme Court's decision in further allowing business owners to turn away customers from the LGBTQ+ community ... making his outrage clear.

The former "Sopranos" star took to social media this weekend to blow off some steam over the mega-ruling that came down Friday -- with a majority of the justices siding with a web designer who refuses to work on a gay couples wedding sites on religious grounds.

In the end, they said she has every right to refuse gay couples her services ... on account of the First Amendment. Remember, another ruling for a wedding cake shop owner also seemed to back that up ... albeit in not nearly as clear terms as this one was. In any case, MI's pissed.

He posted a photo of the web designer in question with a headline attached, and then added this commentary ... "i’ve decided to forbid bigots and homophobes from watching The Sopranos, The White Lotus, Goodfellas or any movie or tv show I’ve been in."

Mike adds, "Thank you Supreme Court for allowing me to discriminate and exclude those who I don’t agree with and am opposed to. USA ! USA!" He went on to say hate and ignorance were not a legitimate POV ... and America was becoming dumber by the minute.

The response he's getting to this is interesting ... seems like a lot of people who agree with the high court's decision are not on board with his take, and many appear shocked he was this passionate about the topic.

Welp, Michael's made no bones about where he stands on this -- and considering that conservatives appear to be boycotting anything they consider "woke" ... ya gotta wonder if they'll take him up on his suggestion and stop watching his TV shows and movies.

Dr. Michael Eric Dyson's is livid six justices have upended affirmative action in this country, saying Black people are getting screwed all over again.

The Vanderbilt University professor joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday and ... excoriated Chief Justice John Robert's and the 5 justices who joined him, ruling affirmative action violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution.

Dr. Dyson argues Black people have always been denied opportunities in America, specifically because of their race, so there's no way to right that wrong without taking race into consideration.

The impact of the SCOTUS decision is seismic ... private and public universities can no longer consider race as a factor in admissions. Many supporters of affirmative action fear white and Asian students will now be significantly favored in higher education, at the expense of other minority groups. The decision will clearly have repercussions in the workplace.