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A U.S. congressman pulled a fire alarm on Capitol Hill this weekend right before the House was set to vote on a spending bill in hopes of avoiding a government shutdown.

Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) copped to the apparent delay tactic Saturday ... with a rep from his office saying, "Congressman Bowman did not realize he would trigger a building alarm as he was rushing to make an urgent vote. The Congressman regrets any confusion."

Capitol Police released a photo to the public, which appears to show Bowman pulling down the lever inside the Cannon House Office Building -- adjacent the Capitol itself -- which obviously set off a siren in the building and evacuation to follow. He's now under investigation for the stunt ... and Republicans are slamming as unpatriotic.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he was appalled that Dems would resort to something like this ... accusing them as a party of trying to force the federal government into a freeze.

Now, as for the actual vote itself ... it eventually continued, and a bill proposed by House Republicans actually got enough votes to pass -- which will now get kicked over to the Senate. They gotta vote on it soon ... come midnight, the shutdown goes into effect.

The bill -- which was voted in as a bipartisan, 45-day stopgap -- has a lot of disaster relief funding in it ... but no extra cash for Ukraine, which is something Dems were seeking.

The White House says this House bill should do the trick for now, but they expect McCarthy to bring a separate bill "shortly" to address the Ukraine issue. Time will tell if he does.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has had a tough go at running for president as a Democrat -- so, now, it sounds like he's gonna try another way ... as an independent candidate.

The polarizing political figure -- who's caused a stir trying to challenge Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination over the past several months -- kicked the rumors into high gear Friday with a teaser to his big announcement on Oct. 9 ... when he says he'll have big news.

RFK Jr. will make a speech in Philly that day -- and based on what he's signaling here ... it sure sounds like going to pivot away from Dems and Republicans, and go his own way.

BTW, there are reports suggesting that is, in fact, what's going to happen. As for why -- well, it's no secret ... dude's been very frustrated with the Democratic National Committee.

Kennedy has been calling on a debate between himself and Biden for a while now ... but Joe's team has brushed the request off, as has the DNC. The feeling is -- they're not taking his candidacy seriously ... but RFK Jr. insists JB (the incumbent) should have to earn re-election by having to go through him first. Now, he's found a roundabout way to disrupt.

Fact is ... as an independent, Kennedy could potentially do damage to Joe's campaign by siphoning away votes from people who don't necessarily wanna vote for Biden and prefer a 3rd option ... a la Bernie Sanders, who never actually did what RFK's apparently about to.

By the same token, RFK Jr. going independent could also ding Trump -- 'cause there's tons of conservatives who like the guy ... so it's a bit of a toss-up over who it could hurt more.

Bill Maher has high praise for President Biden -- he says he's done a good job and has brought some normalcy back to The White House -- but he needs to pass the torch now, or Trump will get reelected.

The 'Real Time' host is back in full force after the writers' strike settled, and could not have been more fired up about 2024. BM says Donald Trump MUST be defeated or democracy will surely die, but he believes Biden can't beat him ... because voters are scared about his age, as well as physical and mental acuity.

Maher says, it doesn't matter at this point whether Biden is sharp enough for a second term -- even Dems have deep reservations, and perception is now reality.

Maher says age should not be an automatic disqualifier ... it should be case by case. And speaking of ... you gotta hear Bill talk about Mitch McConnell ... that the freezing episodes looked like Mitch was in a "buffering state."

As for Trump ... he says even though he's around the same age as Biden ... somehow he seems more vibrant -- "Trump is like KISS. He puts on the face paint and the wig and he looks like he did in 1978!"

And speaking of Trump ... Bill hilariously has some pointers for the future possible cellmate of the former Prez ... you gotta watch.

Dianne Feinstein entertained a close friend at her house -- and posed for photos with her -- in the hours preceding her sudden death.

The esteemed, longtime Senator from California posed for a photo Thursday afternoon with former California congresswoman Jane Harman ... who told CNN she was likely the last person to see Dianne.

As we reported ... Dianne died Thursday night at her home in Washington D.C.

Dianne was 90 years old and needed a wheelchair to get around the Capitol earlier this month, but she was standing and smiling in Thursday's photo ... so her death was clearly unexpected, at least judging from the last pic she snapped.

In fact, Dianne was working right up until her death ... in addition to hosting Harman at home, Dianne cast her final vote Thursday on the Senate floor.

Dianne needed help getting onto the floor to vote ... raising her hand and voting 'aye' in favor of short-term funding for the government.

Dianne Feinstein -- the esteemed, longtime Senator from California, has died.

A statement from Feinstein's team reveals she died Thursday night at her home in Washington D.C.. The statement reads, "Her passing is a great loss for so many, from those who loved and cared for her to the people of California that she dedicated her life to serving."

Feinstein was the longest-serving female member of the Senate in history -- spending more than three decades within the hallowed walls of the Senate. She was a staunch Democrat from San Francisco and a strong voice for gun control.

Before serving in the Senate, Feinstein cut her political teeth as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. She became Mayor of San Francisco in 1978 after Mayor George Moscone was assassinated, along with Supervisor Harvey Milk. She became a U.S. Senator in 1992.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has said in the event of a Senate vacancy he would appoint a Black woman to serve out Feinstein's term.

The 90-year-old senator has suffered from various ailments in the last few years. She had a long absence recently because of shingles and Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, along with encephalitis. There were calls for her resignation but Feinstein decided to tough it out.

The senator was born in 1933 in San Francisco, going to an all girls' high school and participating in things like ballet, athletics, and the glee club. She went on to attend Stanford University, graduating in 1955 with a Bachelor of Arts in history.

She was 90.

Kellyanne Conway has nothing but great things to say about her daughter, Claudia ... calling her an independent woman who's making big moves straight out of high school.

We got the former Senior Counselor to Donald Trump Wednesday night at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in CA, after the Republican debate came to a close.

Kellyanne let us know how 18-year-old Claudia's career as a singer has been going, a few years after making a name for herself on season 19 of "American Idol."

According to Kellyanne, Claudia's doin' great outside music, too -- saying she got herself a fellowship in the Big Apple while taking a gap year from school.

We also ask her what she thinks about her kid being a part of Playboy earlier this year, but KC says her daughter's an entrepreneur and an independent gal, and she's proud of her ... although she claims Claudia's Playboy days might be over.

It sounds like the 2 have a much better relationship these days. In 2021, Claudia secretly filmed and posted a video of Kellyanne screaming and cussing her out.

Claudia later posted a video of Kellyanne talking with cops about their explosive confrontation ... and law enforcement sources told us cops did a welfare check after the intense video was shared.

California Governor Gavin Newsom says Taylor Swift could be a pivotal force in the 2024 presidential election ... and it's pretty clear the Guv feels she could help keep Dems in The White House.

California's top Democrat was at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley Wednesday night for the second Republican debate ... showing up as a pundit to grade the candidates. Real talk -- he's there because he's increasingly viewed as a future presidential contender.

Our TMZ guy asked him how celebs might have an impact on next year's race, and he immediately singled out Taylor as someone who stands "tall and unique" in her influence on young voters. He says she's the one who can activate young people to cast ballots.

Taylor has some history here ... she came out strong in 2020, urging her fans to exercise their franchise as she made it clear ... Biden was her choice.

Swift has not officially declared her party affiliation, but based on issues on which she's spoken -- LGBTQ rights, pro-choice on the issue of abortion -- she's pretty clearly a Dem.

Here's an example of Taylor's power and influence -- last week she urged her 272 million followers to register, and 35,000 of them immediately took the cue.

Presidential races tend to be won by razor-thin margins -- 44,000 votes in 2020 made all the difference, so Taylor could become a kingmaker.

Newsom also took a shot at Republicans, saying they have been critical of her for daring to get people inspired to vote.

Donald Trump was compared to Donald Duck for "ducking" Wednesday night's GOP presidential debate -- and the diss came from his former friend turned Republican rival Chris Christie.

Christie came out swinging against the 45th President shortly after the first commercial break during the second GOP debate at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California.

In a dramatic moment, the ex-New Jersey governor stared into the camera and addressed Trump directly, saying, "Donald, I know you’re watching, you can’t help yourself."

Christie continued, "You’re not here tonight, not because of polls, and not because of your indictments. You’re not here tonight because you’re afraid of being on the stage and defending your record."

He went on, "You’re ducking these things, and let me tell you what’s going to happen. You keep doing that, and no one up here is going to call you Donald Trump anymore."

Then Christie delivered the punchline ... "We’re going to call you Donald Duck!”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis also had some choice words for Trump and current President Joe Biden, claiming he's "completely missing in action from leadership."

As for Trump, DeSantis blasted the former Prez for skipping out on his second GOP debate, saying he owes it to the American people to defend his record.

DeSantis then blamed Trump for high inflation in the country because of the $7.8 trillion in debt he added to the economy while he was in office.

Five other GOP candidates were also on the debate stage last night ... North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Vice President Mike Pence, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott. But none of them slammed Trump -- who's leading heavily in the polls -- the way Christie and DeSantis did.

President Biden has a biter on his hands ... his dog, Commander, has struck yet again ... possibly the 11th victim.

Commander is reported to have chomped down on another Secret Service agent Monday ... this according to a spokesperson for the agency. They confirmed that one of their guys had been bitten around 8 PM and that he was treated by medical personnel.

The exact circumstances of what led up to the biting and the extent of the SS agent's injuries haven't been disclosed -- but regardless ... it's proven to be a troubling trend this year.

Remember, it was revealed in July that Commander apparently went on a 4-month biting spree ... attacking several different Secret Service agents with varying degrees of wounds. The number we'd heard at the time was 7 ... but some reports had it as high as 10.

The White House Press Secretary said the dog was stressed out by all the commotion and people darting back and forth in the residence area of The White House and other areas as well.

When this came to light in the summer, the White House said they were going to have Commander undergo more training/leashing ... and that they'd also carve out designated areas and times on the grounds for Commander to roam and stretch his legs.

There was no indication that Commander would get the boot like his older brother, Major ... another German Shepherd of Biden's that had also run into biting trouble.

A pair of tickets to Ford's Theatre on the night of Abraham Lincoln's assassination have sold for an absolute fortune.

The 2 front-row balcony tickets, said to be in very good condition, made $262,500 through RR Auction, which closed the rare lot over the weekend -- they're dated "APR 14, 1865" and specifically say it's for "Ford's Theatre" in Washington, D.C.

Whoever owned the tickets would've been sitting in section D in seats 41 and 42. That would've put them on the opposite side of the theater from Lincoln's balcony seats, and given them an unobstructed view of the former president's assassination.

As you know, John Wilkes Booth -- who was an actor -- used his knowledge of the theater space to sneak into Lincoln's booth during the 3rd act of "Our American Cousin," shooting him in the head right next to First Lady Mary Todd ... days after the Civil War ended.

BTW, there aren't a whole lot of tickets from that fateful night still out there -- one of them is known to be at Harvard’s Houghton Library, and it's only half of the full ticket. The one at Harvard was even used to verify the balcony tickets that sold at auction.

John Cusack -- someone who's been transparent about his liberal views for years -- is coming after Democrats ... 'cause in his eyes, they have a total lack of morals.

The often-left-wing actor didn't hold back on social media earlier this week, saying those towards the top of the Democratic Party are "full of s***." He goes on to blame them for people switching to Donald Trump as a consideration for the presidency.

It's a long rant that John goes on -- he even takes shots at former Prez Barack Obama's iconic "Hope and Change" slogan ... something John's calling, "another branded hustle."

John's heated talk came in response to an article that claimed Dems are considering doing away with federal wealth taxes ... writing, "This kind of staggering amoral bulls*** is one of the main reason[s] (yes there are others) Trump's demagoguery works on people."

He sarcastically adds, "Don’t worry fellas - the democrats will save the .000000001 % from paying tax" ... saying, "To even attempt this … Unbelievable."

For those unaware, John's often spoken out about things like politics, activism, and wealth distribution ... but he usually sees things from a Democratic perspective.

Rep. Lauren Boebert's handsy night at the theater has a Colorado bar getting flooded with a bunch of negative reviews ... all because the guy she was foolin' around with owns it.

Lauren's date that night, Quinn Gallagher, owns Hooch Craft Cocktail Bar in Aspen, and folks online have been taking to Yelp to express their distaste -- but they're more enraged about his night out as opposed to the actual biz.

One Yelper said Quinn is "disruptive & disrespectful in public places," an obvious reference to last week's caught-on-camera moment while he and Boebert were enjoying "Beetlejuice" the musical ... and each other.

Another wrote, "This place sucks unless you admire an owner that dates Boobert [sic] and causes a ruckus at a theater play" -- while someone else added, "The owner is doinking 36 year old Grandma Boebert, who supported an insurrection against America!"

The chatter on Yelp has gotten so bad, the platform had to temporarily disable reviews -- something the site often does when it sees a rapid uptick in folks review-bombing a business.

It didn't stop there, though -- Hooch's Facebook page was met with the same negative energy ... and its Instagram account has also turned off comments.

As we reported, we got Lauren in D.C., and she told us Quinn is a great guy, but a second date isn't in their future ... something she openly attributes to their political differences.

Donald Trump Jr. might wanna get Elon Musk on the horn -- cuz he just got his X (formerly Twitter) account hacked -- sending out tweets about Biden, North Korea and the false news his father died.

Trump Jr.'s account came under attack Wednesday morning, users on the social media app became alarmed when the account wrote, "I'm sad to announce, my father Donald Trump has passed away. I will be running for president in 2024."

Of course, there were almost immediately skeptics, as the message itself seemed off ... but the next string of tweets really proved there was a hack.

The account wrote, "This just in: North Korea is about to get smoked" as well as "Some interesting messages with Jeffrey Epstein" and "F*** Joe Biden Stupid Ass N****."

Eric Clapton and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. consider themselves rebels in their respective fields -- but those worlds collided in a big way this week in an effort to raise cash ... and a lot of it.

The rocker performed at a private show Monday night in L.A. -- where EC plugged in his amp and started strumming at a ritzy estate in Brentwood. No word on who exactly hosted -- but it sounds like the place was packed ... 'cause the show raised $2.2 million.

Mind you, this was definitely a political thing ... namely, raising money for RFK Jr.'s presidential campaign -- and Eric was the leading talent and, apparently, the big draw.

Tickets for this event were damn pricey -- starting on the low end at $3,300 just for entry and going as high as $6,600 for a little facetime with the candidate himself. Unclear how exactly the ticket sale tiers played out ... but clearly, enough people showed up to 7 figures.

We're told that of the money raised -- $1 million went straight to Kennedy's campaign, and the other $1.2 million went toward a PAC that's supporting him.

RFK Jr. was grateful for Eric's help in all this, saying ... "I am deeply grateful to Eric Clapton for bringing his musical artistry and rebellious spirit to my gathering."

He added ... "I sometimes think that in our divided society, it is music rather than any kind of intellectual agreement that has the most potential to bring us together again. Eric sings from the depths of the human condition. If he sees in me the possibility of bringing unity to our country, it is only possible because artists like him invoke a buried faith in the limitless power of human beings to overcome any obstacle."

Rep. Lauren Boebert isn't to blame for her raunchy theater hookup -- her estranged husband is actually responsible for making her a horny single ... so says the man himself.

Jayson Boebert -- who's in the middle of a divorce right now with the Colorado congresswoman -- took to Facebook Monday to defend his soon-to-be ex-wife ... saying that people shouldn't pile on Lauren for her behavior, and instead come after him.

He addresses RLB's constituents, writing ... "I am writing to address the deep concerns circulating. Watching the attacks against Lauren, I feel the people should know the truth of our broken marriage and burden she has carried for too long."

Jayson goes on to praise Lauren as an exceptional mom, wife and grandmother -- adding that she was a wonderful spouse and partner in their marriage ... that is, before he shattered her trust by cheating. It seems he's attributing that to her decision to file in May.

He puts it quite plainly ... explaining, "This has been a devastating divorce that I hold all responsibility for. It upsets me that everyone believes she left me over fame or a new lifestyle. That is far from the truth. Then again, most of what’s said about our family is untrue. Another battle we have faced together for too long. Much of this is on me because the problem starts at the root. I am the root."

Jayson says he's put Rep. Boebert through the wringer, and believes it's because of this pain that she might've acted out this way. He then makes a personal overture to her personally, saying he stands behind her and condemns the attacks coming her way in the fallout.

One final plea to the public from JB ... "I am asking for you all to show grace and mercy towards Lauren in this troubling season. She deserves a chance to earn your forgiveness and regain trust. I have broke her down in so many ways, but she will come out stronger as she always does, and so will I."

As for Rep. Boebert herself -- she's reacted to Jayson's message, saying she appreciates his sentiments, but stops short of saying there's any sort of reconciliation on the horizon.

She's been handling this as well as she can -- taking responsibility and getting back to work in D.C. As she explained to us on camera yesterday ... no more dates for the time being.

Rep. Lauren Boebert says it's dunzo between her and the theater groping guy -- saying the one-time private moment came and went ... and it sounds like his politics might be at play.

The Colorado congresswoman touched down in D.C. Monday to get back to work -- and she chatted it up with a photog at the airport who asked all about her busy past few days outside of Capitol Hill. Of course, we're referring to her wild night out in Denver last week.

Check out what she has to say about it ... she's got some interesting soundbites here.

For starters, Boebert again takes accountability ... saying she regrets how everything played out, especially in public. She somewhat defends her fooling around as a little bit of "me time," and she was just cutting loose and enjoying herself on a romantic date.

Speaking of that date -- bar owner Quinn Gallagher -- it sounds like he might be out of luck for a second meetup ... at least based on what she says here. The reason she's cutting him loose ... he's a freaking Dem! Apparently, she didn't know that before going out with him. Nonetheless, she says he's a great guy.

What we can glean from her remarks ... this seems to have been a first date. If true, that's certainly fascinating -- especially considering how handsy they were with each other. Here's hoping he enjoyed it, 'cause RLB probably ain't calling him again ... nice as he was.