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D.L. Hughley wants to know why so many Americans are incensed by the tearing down of statues of pretty awful people, whose history of oppression is very clear.

We talked to the comedian and author Monday on "TMZ Live" and while discussing his new book -- "Surrender, White People! Our Unconditional Terms for Peace" -- he made compelling points about so-called heroes enshrined all across this country. Some of which, are being taken down right by protesters demanding racial justice.

D.L.'s on the side of protesters who've topped some of those statues, and demanded cities remove others ... because, as he put it, most of the ones in question salute brutal slave owners or someone who oppressed people of color.

Case in point ... James Marion Sims, who's been hailed as the Father of Modern Gynecology.

As D.L. notes, the guy did shocking experiments on black women -- and without anesthesia -- and yet, he has statues erected in New York, South Carolina and Pennsylvania.

Hell, he even spits facts about Honest Abe ... who voiced some racist thinking years before he was the Great Emancipator.

If you're unfamiliar with the quote, Abraham Lincoln said in 1858 ... "And inasmuch as they (blacks and whites) cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be a position of superior and inferior, and I as much as any other man am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race." That's an actual quote!

D.L. puts it quite plainly -- why the desperate desire to celebrate American history that is steeped in Black pain? And, why do so many people cling to upholding that tradition? It's a fair question.

A bunch of idiots working at a Jimmy John's sandwich shop in Georgia are out of a job after a handful of them made a noose out of their grub ... and then "hanged" one of their own.

This went down in the city of Woodstock, where at least four JJ employees working on the 4th of July apparently thought it'd be funny to do a mock lynching with their supplies. They fashioned a noose out of dough they use to bake bread -- and proceeded to try it out.

One white worker slips the noose over around his neck while another holds the long end up ... as if to show the guy hanging. Two others are filming this ... and everyone's having a laugh about it. The whole thing is gross to watch -- especially how funny they think it is.

You know who didn't find it amusing? Jimmy John's themselves -- because the corporate headquarters responded to the video ... and says all of these fools have been fired.

They write, "We have zero tolerance for racism or discrimination in any form. The franchisee has taken immediate action and the employees have been terminated. The actions seen in this video are completely unacceptable and do not represent the Jimmy John's brand."

President Trump has now resorted to attacking Bubba Wallace, claiming the driver owes his bosses at NASCAR an apology for sounding the alarm over a noose that was found in his garage -- going so far as to call it a "hoax."

45 tweeted out the outrageous message Monday morning ... "Has @BubbaWallace apologized to all of those great NASCAR drivers & officials who came to his aid, stood by his side, & were willing to sacrifice everything for him, only to find out that the whole thing was just another HOAX?" He added, "That & Flag decision has caused lowest ratings EVER!"

What Trump didn't say ... the garage in question was the ONLY one that had a rope fashioned like a noose. Trump, of course, has no regard for how an African-American driver might react to a symbol of hate, death and racism.

As for why Trump is suddenly pissed off 2 weeks after the incident came to light ... well the Team Trump car with "Trump 2020" emblazoned on it crashed during the 16th lap.

So, Trump is focused on racist, confederate flags and other symbols. Coronavirus ... for him, it doesn't exist. Racism ... well, he seems to embrace it.

And BTW ... NASCAR's ratings are up.

Charlie Daniels -- a country and Southern rock legend known for his hit "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" -- has died after suffering a stroke ... according to his website.

The Country Music Hall of Famer died Monday morning at the Summit Medical Center in Hermitage, Tennessee. Doctors determined the cause of death was a hemorrhagic stroke.

Daniels' career began in the late 1950s, as a skilled player of the guitar, fiddle and banjo ... he formed a rock band and hit the road.

In the '60s, he co-wrote an Elvis Presley song -- "It Hurts Me" -- and played instruments for the likes of Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen.

Daniels put out his first solo album in 1971 and had his first big hit -- "Uneasy Rider" -- in 1973. He'd go on to play the fiddle for acts like the Marshall Tucker Band and Hank Williams Jr. in the '70s, before his Charlie Daniels Band put out its most famous song in 1979.

"The Devil Went Down to Georgia" reached #3 on the Billboard charts and landed Daniels his only Grammy win of his storied career for Best Country Vocal Performance.

Daniels would be nominated for 5 more Grammys, including Best Country Instrumental Performance for "I'll Fly Away" in 2005.

Charlie was also inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2008.

He's survived by his wife, Hazel, and their son, Charlie Daniels Jr.

Daniels was 83.

Breonna Taylor's shooting death stemmed from a city operation to clear her neighborhood undergoing gentrification ... so claims the family in new legal docs.

The Taylor family attorneys filed docs to amend the wrongful death lawsuit against the 3 cops involved in Breonna's death. According to docs, the family claims Breonna's home was raided by police because there was "a political need to clear out a street for a large real estate development project" ... adding Breonna’s death was the result of “a newly formed, rogue police unit violating all levels of policy, protocol and policing standards.”

In docs, the family says that this year alone, over a 3-week span -- and less than a month before Breonna's death -- 8 homes in her neighborhood were demolished in an effort to speed up a multi-million dollar development plan.

The family wants to make one thing clear ... that while there is no doubt gentrification of the West Louisville neighborhood could be a good thing, "the methods employed to do so have been unlawful and unconscionable."

The family says Breonna's death could have been avoided had cops surveilling her home simply ran the tags on Breonna’s and her boyfriend's cars. They say "it would have been clear that neither of these vehicles belonged" to the suspects cops were looking for that night.

But, by focusing on Breonna's home -- some 10 miles away from the redevelopment site -- cops thought they were targeting some of Louisville's violent crime and drug rings. The reality is, according to docs, the occupants "were not anywhere close to Louisville’s versions of Pablo Escobar or Scarface. And they were not violent criminals. They were simply a setback to a large real estate development deal and thus the issue needed to be cleaned up.”

The family points out in the suit, the first 5 no-knock warrants of the ENTIRE YEAR were executed for this project alone -- including the home of Breonna ... a woman with no criminal history and no drugs in her home.

Ben Crump, one of the family's lawyers, tells TMZ ... "Connecting the dots, it's clear that these officers should never have been at Breonna Taylor's home in the first place, and that they invaded the residence with no probable cause." He goes on to say, "The officers who robbed Breonna of her life -- and Tamika Palmer of her daughter -- exhibited outrageous, reckless, willful, wanton and unlawful conduct."

A spokeswoman for Mayor Greg Fischer told the Louisville Courier-Journal the allegations are "outrageous" and "without foundation or supporting facts." The spokeswoman added, "They are insulting to the neighborhood members of the Vision Russell initiative and all the people involved in the years of work being done to revitalize the neighborhoods of west Louisville."

Colin Kaepernick is now in business with Disney -- the Mouse House just signed the QB to an overall first-look deal ... and there's already a docuseries in the works.

Disney says the docuseries will feature "extensive new interviews and a vast never-before-seen archive that documents his last five years."

"Kaepernick will tell his story from his perspective."

And, get this ... Jemele Hill -- who used to work for ESPN -- will be involved in the project as well.

As for the overall deal, Disney says "the partnership will focus on telling scripted and unscripted stories that explore race, social injustice and the quest for equity, and will provide a new platform to showcase the work of Black and Brown directors and producers."

Kaepernick issued a statement -- saying, "I am excited to announce this historic partnership with Disney across all of its platforms to elevate Black and Brown directors, creators, storytellers, and producers, and to inspire the youth with compelling and authentic perspectives."

"I look forward to sharing the docuseries on my life story, in addition to many other culturally impactful projects we are developing."

Disney says the Kaepernick projects will be featured on several platforms including Walt Disney Television, ESPN, Hulu, Pixar, and The Undefeated.

Law enforcement officers bid a final goodbye to a Missouri State Highway Patrol K-9 officer after the doggo was diagnosed with a terminal illness ... and the video is super emotional.

The solemn sendoff for good boy Cuba happened recently in Springfield, MO ... with officers and friends from across Missouri joining state troopers in patting Cuba's head one last time before the K-9's partner, Trooper Zeller, took him on his final walk.

The crime fighting Cuba was previously diagnosed with terminal cancer, which was discovered during a visit to the University of Missouri for a hernia operation.

The K-9 has since been put down at the Animal Care Clinic in Branson, but remember ... all dogs go to heaven.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol says ... "Cuba spent his lifetime in service to Missouri, and he will be missed."

Kanye West's been having some very good days lately ... and it looks like he wants to make "West Day Ever" the next extension of his booming brand.

The apparent presidential candidate is much better at filing paperwork with the trademark office than he is with the Federal Election Commission ... because he filed docs last month to slap the 'West Day' slogan on clothing and shoes.

Ye, however, has yet to officially register to run for Prez despite his announcement over the weekend.

As for "West Day Ever" ... Kanye filed trademark docs on June 26 covering more than 100 different types of apparel -- t-shirts, hoodies, tracksuits, bomber jackets, turtlenecks, jumpsuits, g-strings, beanies, blazers, infantwear, footwear and everything in between.

The date is significant because it was the same day news broke that the rapper landed a 10-year deal with Gap to launch a new clothing line called Yeezy Gap.

That was when Kanye first tweeted the slogan, saying ... "YEEZY AND GAP FORM PARTNERSHIP #WESTDAYEVER."

He's since used the hashtag to promote the release of a shoe and new music, as well -- and it will likely be a big part of his 2020 campaign ... whenever that starts.

Of course, Kanye needs to do a lot more than just distribute some hats and shirts. He still needs to register with the FEC, present a campaign platform and collect enough signatures -- not just Elon Musk's -- to get on the November ballot.

Lizzo has a brief message for the guy who allegedly booted her and some friends from a rental property a wee bit early this weekend -- bite me, and preferably where the sun don't shine!!!

The singer was documenting her sun-filled weekend with her friends, which started at one pad they rented ... but then shifted over to another one a few days later after the landlord at the first place apparently kicked them out.

In response, Lizzo kept calm and twerked on.

She posted a vid of herself dancing at the new digs, and had this to say to the guy she claims cut her stay short ... "This is for the man that kicked me out of my 7-day rental 3 days early yesterday." She adds, "This is for mocking the way that I dance and for using Instagram footage of me and my 6 black homegirls to say that we could ‘hurt him’ and threaten to call the police." There's no additional footage that shows what she describes here.

Still, Lizzo says she knows the dude's watching and that he won't stop her shine, adding this for good measure ... "Thanks for kicking us out cus this house is better anyways. Xoxo 🖕🏾"

Unclear where exactly Lizzo was staying -- kinda looks like the L.A. area to us -- but just a few days earlier, she was showing off her and her girls having a good ass time at what appears to be the first spot.

"Big Brother" is coming back this summer with an All-Star cast for Season 22 ... coronavirus pandemic be damned.

Every year, "Big Brother" shoots during the summer, but due to COVID-19, there was lots of speculation 'BB' would be another casualty of the virus ... but we've learned the reality show is still ON.

Production sources tell TMZ ... "Big Brother" was in the middle of casting for its next season when the coronavirus outbreak hit. We're told casting was completely shut down in May, leaving execs to change the format to an All-Star edition instead.

Our sources say an All-Star cast made the most sense, because those contestants are already familiar with the show and have already been vetted by network execs ... plus it would have been difficult to cast fresh faces for a new season in the middle of a pandemic, a process we're told would have dragged on for weeks.

The coronavirus isn't preventing another season, but it is delaying things a bit ... we're told contestants were supposed to head to Los Angeles at the beginning of July to begin testing and quarantines, but the timetable is being pushed back to the end of the month.

Our sources say, contestants, who are flying in from across the country, will be tested for the virus and then quarantined for 2 weeks before being cleared to enter the "Big Brother" house.

Turns out, Hulk Hogan is even more of a physical specimen than a superhero -- 'cause Chris Hemsworth is beefing up beyond God of Thunder size to play the legendary wrestler.

Chris says he has to get more jacked than ever for the upcoming biopic ... and that includes all the 'Thor' flicks, where CH already resembled a Norse god.

Chris told Total Film ... "As you can imagine, the preparation for the role will be insanely physical. I will have to put on more size than I ever have before, even more than I put on for Thor." He added, "There is the accent as well as the physicality and the attitude."

It's supposed to be a full-blown transformation, and BTW ... Chris said he'd probably be balding in the movie.  Of course ... he'll also be sporting Hulk's iconic 'stache.

The movie tracks HH as he skyrocketed to wrestling fame in the 1980s. As wrestling fans know ... Hulk transformed the sport into family-friendly entertainment and the popularity of professional wrestling exploded.

A statue of Frederick Douglass was ripped from its base and damaged beyond repair in New York ... and the timing makes it look like revenge for the recent toppling of Confederate monuments.

The famed abolitionist's statue was torn down Sunday in Rochester's Maplewood Park, a site along the Underground Railroad where slaves were ushered to freedom with the help of Douglass and Harriet Tubman.

Police say the statue was found 50 feet from its pedestal and suffered damage to the base and a finger.

The damage is bad enough that another statue will have to take its place ... according to Carvin Eison, a leader of the project that brought the statue to the Rochester park.

The act of vandalism took place on the anniversary of one of Douglass' most famous speeches -- "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July" -- delivered in the city on July 5, 1852.

In the speech, Douglass called the celebration of Independence Day a sham in a nation that enslaves and oppresses Black citizens. Douglass said to a slave, the day "reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim."

Eison believes the statue being toppled might be a retaliatory act due to the "national fever over Confederate monuments right now," and called it disappointing.

Machine Gun Kelly planned to celebrate big-time Sunday ... but instead, he announced the passing of his father.

The rapper made the announcement Sunday on social media saying he had initially planned to celebrate the 1-year anniversary of his fourth album, "Hotel Diablo," which he released on July 5, 2019. MGK said, "That album was everything I wanted to say and I know it's close to my fans, but my father took his last breath this morning, and I've never felt a pain this deep in my life."

And, with that being said, the rapper said he's putting his phone down to mourn his father's passing.

MGK's friends responded to the news with outpouring support. Blink-182's Travis Barker, with whom MGK recently collaborated, wrote, "Send all the love in the world to you right now brother." Hailee Steinfeld also sent well wishes.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is offering a road map to those looking for meaningful change when it comes to real police and education reform ... and it starts with local elections.

We got the Congresswoman on Capitol Hill, and she was clear -- there is only so much that can be done at the federal level. She says people should be laser focused on 2 elections -- the election for their mayor, and for their city councilperson.

AOC's message ... vote local. She says, "Look at what your city council and mayor are saying. They're the ones that hold the key to the castle when it comes to police reform." She's right ... and she offers a prime example going down in her own backyard.

Ocasio-Cortez points to NYC's fiscal budget ... which includes Mayor Bill De Blasio proposing to shift $1 billion from the NYPD's $6 billion budget and earmark it for Summer Youth programs as well as family and social services. A huge chunk will also be diverted to the New York Housing Authority and Parks youth recreation centers.

AOC says there were rumors the City's education budget could face up to $3 billion in cuts ... the number's actually closer to $400 million. Still ... she says it begs the question -- why's it controversial to defund the police but NOT when education gets defunded?

The war between Antonio Brown and his rape accuser is raging on ...

The former NFL All-Pro now claims Britney Taylor is "hiding" from giving a live deposition -- and he's asking a judge to force her to show up in person for the depo ... or, if not, throw out the lawsuit.

But, Taylor's attorney tells TMZ Sports ... that's all a bunch of B.S., saying, "It's not that she's hiding, it's just that Florida's a little infected [with coronavirus] right now."

Here's the deal ... in new court docs, Brown's attorneys say they're trying to get Taylor to sit for a live depo to question her about her allegations that Brown sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions.

In the docs, though, the attorneys say Taylor is only willing to meet with them over Zoom ... something they say they're NOT OK with.

"The nature of her allegations," Browns attorneys say in the docs, "coupled with the fact that she has absolutely no corroboration for her claims mandate that a live deposition of Ms. Taylor be had."

They now want a judge to FORCE Taylor to show up in person -- while following all proper COVID-19 safety guidelines -- or throw out the case.

But, when we spoke with Taylor's attorney, David Haas, he told us the only reason Taylor is refusing to show up in person is because of the global pandemic.

Haas says his client is willing to answer questions but adds "we're just trying to keep her safe."

A ruling on the motion from the judge has yet to come down ... but Haas says he expects it to be denied.

As we previously reported, Taylor -- who met Brown while the two attended Central Michigan -- is suing the NFL player, claiming, among other things, he violently raped her in 2018.

President Woodrow Wilson's name could be removed from an L.A. street, if city leaders and residents decide his racist past is too problematic.

TMZ's learned L.A.'s City Council tackling the issue of renaming streets and removing statues, monuments and other artworks ... and Woodrow Wilson Drive could become a casualty.

L.A. City councilmen Mitch O'Farrell and Curren Price Jr. introduced a motion Tuesday requesting a policy for the removal of art pieces and for a process of renaming city buildings, facilities and streets if the current name has ties to a racist or oppressive past.

The motion was seconded by councilmen Herb Wesson and David Ryu, whose jurisdiction includes Woodrow Wilson Drive. Ryu is open to having discussions with folks in his community about all topics, including renaming that Hollywood Hills street ... according to his spokesperson.

As you know ... statues of historical figures considered racist are being toppled or removed across the globe, and there's a movement to rename streets too.

Wilson's name was recently removed from Princeton University's School of Public Health and International Affairs due to his racist past.

As President, Wilson segregated federal workers in D.C., blocked proposals on racial equality and hosted screenings of the horrifically racist 1915 film, "Birth of a Nation," at the White House. Critics also say he accepted racial segregation in the south as a way of maintaining peace and order.