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Racial tension is boiling over -- this time in Brooklyn between a cyclist and a driver, and it ended in a sparked hateful tirade against Asians.

The racist rant started when the guy who recorded this video admits he gave a "light honk" to the biker, who he says was swerving all over the road.

The biker quickly goes racial and hurled so many ethnic and homophobic slurs and stereotypes, you'd think he was trying to win racist bingo.

Basically, the cyclist's lame-ass defense was he's from that neighborhood, and no one should be honking at him on his bike, especially not Asians. Naturally, he pulls the get-out-of-my-country routine.

Breonna Taylor's mother knew in advance her daughter would become the first person other than Oprah to appear solo on the cover of O magazine ... because O told her herself.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Oprah's team reached out to one of Breonna's family attorneys, Ben Crump, several weeks ago to see if she could get in touch directly with her mom, Tamika Palmer.

We're told there was no hesitation on the part of Breonna's family ... Oprah got Tamika's number and gave her a call in early June ... shortly after O posted a birthday tribute to Breonna on Instagram.

We're told it was the first time the two women had spoken, and it was just them on the call. That's when Oprah revealed her plan to Tamika to feature Breonna on the cover and ask for her blessing.

Our sources say Tamika was "in complete awe" of Oprah's gesture -- calling it an unbelievable moment -- and of course, she's honored O's doing something she's never done before as a tribute to Breonna.

As we reported ... Breonna's cover is historical, as it's the only time Oprah has not been on it. She stepped aside for one of her final print editions and dedicated it to Taylor by declaring, "If you turn a blind eye to racism, you become an accomplice to it." Emblazoned on the cover are the words ... "HER LIFE MATTERS."

Breonna was killed by Louisville police on March 13 in her own home in a botched raid over a "no-knock" warrant. So far, her death has resulted in no arrests, which sparked countless protests ... along with the death of George Floyd.

In an interview with "CBS This Morning," Oprah expressed her desire to protest as well, saying ... "if it were not for COVID I would be marching in the streets."

Fortunately, she found another impactful way to do her part.

The sight of a George Floyd 3D hologram is pissing off racists -- at least one of whom flew into a rage and spewed the n-word at spectators.

The disturbing altercation went down in Richmond, Virginia where the Floyd hologram was projected above the site where a Robert E. Lee statue had stood a month ago. As a crowd gathered for the event, a white woman started yelling, "This is my city" ... prompting some people to push her away.

The video, shot Tuesday night, really amps up, though, when she screams ... "Look at that n****r s**t!"

A nearby man immediately told her to get lost (that's the clean version) -- at which point several people shoved her away from the event ... narrowly avoiding more violence.

The event was dubbed "A Monumental Change: The George Floyd Hologram Memorial Project." As we reported ... the hologram first appeared in Richmond and it'll make stops at 5 other sites including some in North Carolina and Georgia.

More than 100 years too late, the Bronx Zoo is apologizing for its horrific treatment of Ota Benga, a Central African man, who was actually on display in the zoo's monkey house ... with an orangutan.

The Wildlife Conservation Society -- the organization that runs the zoo -- is formally apologizing for the 1906 imprisonment and caged display of Benga for one week.

The WCS says ... "We deeply regret that many people and generations have been hurt by these actions or by our failure previously to publicly condemn and denounce them."

The apology was clearly prompted by the social activism since George Floyd's murder, and the WCS added ... "We recognize that overt and systemic racism persists, and our institution must play a greater role to confront it."

Benga was a member of the Mbuti people of the present-day Democratic Republic of Congo, and for several days during the week of Sept. 8, 1906, he was held in inhumane conditions, forced to live with an ape ... and was only allowed short periods of time outside.

Benga started to resist and threaten zoo attendants, and was only released after a delegation of local black churches demanded it. When he was finally freed, Reverend James Gordon took him in at his Brooklyn orphanage ... but Benga died by suicide 10 years later.

YO, THIS IS AWESOME!!

Remember those two girls who went viral for playing rooftop tennis at their apartment buildings in Italy back in April?!

Roger Federer just surprised 'em for a special rooftop match -- and the video rules!

Yeah, it's a cheap publicity stunt for a pasta company -- but you can't fake the excitement the girls had when their tennis hero showed up out of nowhere!!

BACKSTORY -- During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, 13-year-old Vittoria and 11-year-old Carola went SUPER VIRAL for their rooftop match, which took place on top of two buildings in Liguria, Italy.

The video was shared all over the world -- with people giving 'em huge props for finding a way to play even though courts were closed.

Fast forward to July ... the girls were told they were going to be interviewed by the news media about their viral moment -- not knowing Roger Federer was secretly waiting behind the scenes!

During the interview, both girls praised Roger as their favorite player -- with Vittoria saying, "If I were to meet him, I would jump on him or I would be starstruck!

That's when the current #4-ranked player in the world appeared out of nowhere -- AND THE LOOK ON THE GIRLS' FACES IS PRICELESS!!!

"We cannot believe it, Federer is on our rooftop!!!"

The moment was awesome -- they took selfies, they chatted ... and then they played rooftop tennis!!!

Federer and the girls successfully volleyed for a bit ... but naturally, some shots came up short and became a hazard down below.

No one cared about that though -- the lost balls are probably collector's items now!

The whole surprise was coordinated by the Barilla pasta company --which explains why everyone scarfed down noodles after the match!

Federer also hooked up his new friends with another incredible experience -- 2 entries to Rafael Nadal's tennis camp!!

Things have gotten way too personal for TikTok's most-followed personality, and after getting an online threat ... her family's hired round-the-clock security.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Charli D'Amelio got a scare on July 8 when someone posted on social media, claiming they were going to show up at her house.

No one followed through on that threat, apparently, but we're told cops are investigating. The situation alarmed Charli and her fam enough to hire cops to keep an eye on things.

Our sources say the family is paying the OT to have police officers surveil their property for the foreseeable future, because this isn't the first frightening incident they've experienced.

We're told Charli's also been the victim of multiple "swatting" calls, where random people have falsely reported an emergency at her home ... then authorities show up to nothing.

Happy Friday ... here's a filthy, but happy, Jason Momoa getting hosed down after riding on a dune buggy.

The Hollywood hunk and star of the upcoming "Dune" remake flaunted his hot bod in a series of photos ... where he's caked in mud ... giving a thumbs up while trying to clean him off.

Jason captioned the pics ... "like a pig in sh**." He added ... "hard to explain this one. but i had an amazing day. now i need a dune buggy. dune coming soon aloha j."

The actor's dune buggy escapades clearly are designed to promote the new feature adaptation of Frank Herbert's science fiction novel ... which costars Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, Timothee Chalamet, Dave Bautista, Josh Brolin, Oscar Isaac and Javier Bardem.

But, who really knows -- or cares. Bloody Marys are a good idea for heading into the weekend ... but might we suggest Muddy Momoas instead?

Powerful moment from the NBA restart -- where every single player on both the New Orleans Pelicans and Utah Jazz took a knee in solidarity during the national anthem.

It was quite a statement Thursday evening in the first official game of the NBA restart -- which tipped off in the bubble environment at Walt Disney World in Orlando.

Seems every coach and referee in the building also took a knee alongside stars like Rudy Gobert, Lonzo Ball, Zion Williamson and Donovan Mitchell.

All of the players were wearing "Black Lives Matter" shirts -- and were standing behind the BLM art at center court.

The anthem was performed by musician Jon Batiste -- an instrumental rendition featuring heavy guitar and piano elements.

The players were arm in arm during the anthem -- some players raised their fists.

After the anthem, Shaquille O'Neal praised everyone involved -- saying the kneeling was "beautifully done in unity -- nice to see."

He added, "We have to continue to fight, continue the movement ... now we have to go vote."

Charles Barkley also weighed in ... saying, "If people don't kneel, they're not a bad person. I want to make that clear."

Barkley added that if a person chooses not to kneel, "they should not be vilified."

Of course, the kneeling movement was started by Colin Kaepernick who says the point of the demonstration is to put a spotlight on police brutality and social injustice.

The NBA allowed players to replace their names on the back of their jerseys with social justice messages.

Zion's jersey says "Peace." Lonzo Ball's says "Equality." Brandon Ingram's says "Freedom." Mike Conley's says "I Am a Man."

Sharon Osbourne says seeing is believing when it comes to paranormal activity and other-worldly beings ... she wants to believe we're not alone, but needs her own hard evidence.

Sharon joined us on "TMZ Live" and we wanted to know if she's a UFO believer like her son, Jack.

While Sharon says she's seen our footage of a possible UFO over the skies of Long Beach -- lots of folks reported seeing something flying over L.A. too -- she tells us why the video alone is not enough to convince her 100 percent.

Sharon's getting the hard sell on UFOs back at home ... the famous family has a new show on Travel Channel, "The Osbournes Want To Believe," where Jack tries to convince her and Ozzy about the existence of aliens, Bigfoot, poltergeists, haunted dolls and other strange beasts.

This is unusual nowadays, but senators on both sides of the aisle are in agreement on something -- President Trump can float the idea of election delays all he wants ... it ain't happening.

We got Sen. Tim Kaine -- a Virginia Democrat and former VP candidate -- on Capitol Hill Thursday, and he reassured voters ... POTUS simply doesn't have the authority to push the November 3 election date.

Now, he admits it might be a challenge convincing the Prez of that, but he also thinks POTUS might have an ulterior motive for raising the issue in the first place.

Sen. Kaine has faith members of Congress -- including Republicans -- will make sure the election goes down as scheduled, and Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana lends credence to that.

Cassidy is a GOP'er and went a little softer on Trump, naturally, and attempted to explain where the Prez was coming from when he tweeted, "Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???"

But, he still came to the same conclusion -- Sen. Cassidy tells us there's no need to delay the election, and he'll support the winner, because the U.S. Constitution tells him so.

As we reported ... Trump's using the false notion of rampant fraud connected to mail-in voting as the basis for all this postponement buzz.

Patrick Mahomes will THRIVE in his new MLB ownership role ... so says George Brett, who tells TMZ Sports he's pumped for the NFL superstar to join the Royals' org!!

"They do things a little bit different here," says the K.C. legend, who's now in his 27th season as the team's VP of baseball operations. "Your family is number 1, baseball is number 2."

"And, I think he's going to fit right in with the ownership group and with the Royals culture that they have within the ball club."

Pat just used a portion of his new $500 MILLION contract to buy into the Royals this week ... and Brett says he couldn't be happier to welcome the Chiefs QB to the team.

In fact, the Royals G.O.A.T. says the two are actually golfing buddies ... so he knows Pat well -- and he tells us he's certain the move will be good for both the Royals and the NFL superstar.

"I'm sure everybody in Kansas City is real excited," Brett says. "Because, like me, they've adopted Patrick Mahomes."

By the way, we asked George about Mahomes' baseball prowess ... and the Hall of Famer told us from everything he's seen, he believes the 24-year-old could've been a hell of a pitcher.

But, if Brett had to face Pat in his prime? Ya gotta hear George tell us how that would've been an absolute laugher ...

Child actor Kelley Parker gained fame at a very young age after she was cast to play the little, blonde homeless girl, Katie -- who follows Michael Jackson around the city, dodges lethal injections from Mr. Big (played by Joe Pesci) and watches MJ turn into an epic, flying robot -- in the ground-breaking 1988 music movie, "Moonwalker."

Kelley Parker was cast alongside two well-known child actors ... musician and artist Sean Lennon (John Lennon and Yoko Ono's son) played Katie's homeless friend, Sean and Brandon Quintin Adams (of "Sandlot" and "Mighty Ducks" fame) played the mini MJ and gang leader in the Badder segment and the final homeless kid, Zeke, at the ending of the film.

THIS is some real-life superhero stuff -- a good Samaritan pulling a driver to safety just as his flame-engulfed vehicle starts to explode ... and it's all on video.

The dramatic rescue went down in St. Louis, where the life-saving hero, Antonio Morgan, encountered the burning vehicle Tuesday on Interstate-70 and noticed the driver, Keilen Robinson, slumped over with his car on fire.

Antonio pulled over and sprung into action, telling his teenage son they had to save the driver.

With flames from the engine licking at his face, Antonio struggled to pull Keilen to safety before realizing he was still buckled in the driver's seat. After one explosion, Antonio had to step back, but quickly returned to unhook the seat belt and drag Keilen away from the burning wreck.

A second hero was Johnny, on the spot with a fire extinguisher to prevent any more explosions. He got a well-deserved bear hug from Antonio when all was said and done.

Tamar Braxton is opening up about her attempt to end her own life, claiming her years in the reality TV business and the "toxic, systemic bondage" that dwells there almost killed her ... but now she's healing and speaking up.

Tamar says the July 16 incident was "my attempt to end my pain and my life," and only by God's grace and mercy did she make it out alive.

As you know ... Tamar was rushed to a hospital July 16 after her boyfriend, David Adefeso, called 911 from their hotel room in downtown L.A. EMTs found her unconscious inside her room when they arrived.

Tamar says her pain has been building for 11 years, and had eaten away her spirit and caused her to suffer mental illness. She says over the past 5 years, in particular, she has been overworked, underpaid, taken advantage of and betrayed by reality TV producers. She flat out accuses them ... claiming they "filmed the damage made, for monetary gain."

She says over 2 months ago, she wrote a letter to WE tv -- the network producing her new series, "Get Ya Life!" -- asking to be freed from her contract and explained the "demise" she was experiencing. She claims her cry for help was ignored.

Instead, she says the network pushed forward with the new series, which she says tainted her spirit and her soul. She adds ... "It was witnessing the death of the woman I knew, that discouraged my will to fight. I felt like I was no longer living, I was existing for the purpose of corporations gain, and that killed me."

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... the final straw for Tamar was when she viewed the first episode of "Get Ya Life!" and felt the network and producers did everything they promised they wouldn't ... including portraying her as the "angry black woman" who was choosing a man over her family.

We're also told she was very upset about how her BF, David, was used by the network and came off in the show.

Now, as we first reported, sources connected to the Braxton family told us the family believes it was David who got angry about his portrayal in that first episode, and that's what fueled Tamar's emotions.

First episode aside, Tamar clearly has a bigger issue with reality TV and its treatment of minorities. As she put it, "They promise us opportunity but produce exploitation."

A dramatic rescue scene played out in Kansas when an SUV driver slammed into a city bus, but kept his foot on the gas and wouldn't let up.

It all went down in Wichita after a 41-year-old guy crashed his black Escalade crashed into the back of the commuter bus. According to reports ... the SUV driver suffered a medical emergency, triggering the crash.

That explains why the driver also kept his foot on the gas pedal. Check out the video ... the tires were screeching and smoke was billowing everywhere during the Tuesday incident. Good Samaritans frantically jumped into action, with one man literally punching the SUV's passenger's side window in an effort to get in and take control of the Escalade.

The SUV actually pushed the bus forward for a while before coming to a stop!

The same man who punched the window eventually forced his way inside with a hammer and a fire extinguisher before he finally got the driver's foot off the pedal and stopped the vehicle.