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It's very much out with the old and in with the new, as President Biden's dog Major is getting the boot from the White House ... and several biting incidents followed by failed training attempts to fix the pup seem to be the catalyst.

The White House just announced POTUS' German Shepherd will "live in a quieter environment with family friends" ... with the Bidens making the move after consulting with dog trainers, animal behaviorists and veterinarians.

You'll recall ... Major was involved in 2 biting incidents at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. ... with the first one in March getting him and his late pal, Champ, sent back to Delaware.

Major eventually returned from the dog house, but there was another biting incident at the White House only days after his return ... resulting in a new trainer and some extra dog handlers.

As we reported ... Joe and Jill have a new puppy at The White House, a new German Shepherd puppy named Commander, arrived as an early Christmas present.

Dennis Rodman's a member of the new mile high club -- the one composed of people who allegedly refuse to wear a face mask on commercial flights -- and cops were waiting for him when he landed.

Rodman flew from L.A. to Ft. Lauderdale Monday morning, and was allegedly told several times to put his mask back on by JetBlue staffers. Law enforcement sources tell us Rodman would first oblige, but then pull the mask down, citing he was having trouble breathing.

That's a big no-no -- especially since there's still a federal mask mandate in effect which all airports and airlines have to abide by. Not to mention ... Omicron's on the rise.

Deputies from the Broward Co. Sheriff's Office spoke to Rodman upon landing, we're told he was cooperative and, in the end, they cut him loose, letting him leave on his own without citing him.

An eyewitness on the flight says Rodman was in first-class ... and was asked 4 different times to keep his face covering over his mouth and nose. We're told he constantly lowered it to his chin, and wouldn't immediately put it back on when asked.

Christmas came early for President Biden -- the guy has a new four-legged addition to his family ... and he's showing off his present at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

First Lady Jill Biden's press secretary confirmed Monday ... yes, the Bidens have a new dog in their midst, a German Shepherd puppy named Commander. Shortly after the news broke, the Prez took to Twitter himself and gave official word with a sweet shot.

He tagged his pic with "Welcome to the White House, Commander" ... showing off the cute little guy running through some grass with a ball in his mouth.

Joe posted a video, too, that featured Commander ... and he seems to be making himself at home already.

Word of a new pooch in the Biden brood started percolating when folks saw Commander here running across the South Lawn. According to reports ... he's a gift to the Prez from his own family, one they apparently couldn't keep hidden until this weekend.

The dog is a welcome sight, we're sure, for 46 and Dr. Biden ... who just lost their first beloved Shepherd, Champ, back in June at the age of 13. They have another GS, Major, that's still kicking -- but he's been a bit of a bad boy lately with his chompers.

Here's hoping Commander is better behaved. Oh, and BTW, the pets could well keep rolling into the front doors of the WH in the near future. The First Lady said earlier this year they'd be getting a cat soon.

Big Time Rush is in the TikTok hot seat after some users accused the group of knowingly exposing fans to COVID after one member tested positive.

If you hadn't seen, Big Time Rush had a show in Manhattan Saturday, and it was announced to fans just before the meet and greet started that band member Kendall Schmidt had tested positive for COVID-19.

From there ... rumors started to swirl, including one claiming Kendall had been in the building and around his bandmates just before getting his test result. Fans started to draw conclusions -- believing the band continued with the meet and greet and performance, even though they'd been around a sick Kendall.

However, a source connected to the band tells us ... Kendall was not near the group or the venue for Saturday's show, and everyone in the band -- including James Maslow, Logan Henderson & Carlos PenaVega -- all tested negative multiple times before arriving for the gig.

We're told all of the guys wore masks during the meet & greet, for extra precaution, and they stood on an elevated platform to increase distance between fans and them.

Shaquille O'Neal came through with the gifts -- and the jokes -- this holiday season ... giving back in a huge way for more than 500 kids in Atlanta ... and roasting Charles Barkley in the process!!

The Big Aristotle joined Charles and Babcock on "TMZ Live" to talk about his 20th annual Shaq-A-Claus event that went down on Monday ... which included hooking students up with backpacks, Walmart gift cards, toys, clothes, haircuts and more.

On top of that, the extravaganza came with BBQ, DJ music and games.

The Hall of Famer says he first started the yearly holiday bash back in 1992 when his mom asked him to help kids at the local Boys & Girls Club ... so, he went to the nearest Toys "R" Us and bought out the store.

O'Neal loved helping out so much, he decided to do it every year.

"This is all about making the kids happy," Shaq said. "But, more importantly, it's all about making my mother happy ... for her to see her baby boy doing good things like she taught him to do, that right there is one of the best feelings."

"Today is a special day," he added. "I saw a lot of happy kids."

Now, considering Christmas is a time when people tend to put on some holiday weight, we also had to ask how Shaq keeps off the extra pounds -- and naturally, he had to make fun of his "Inside The NBA" co-host.

"I always said to myself, I don't want to have the C.B.O.T.B.B. -- that's the Charles Barkley Over The Belt Belly," Shaq joked. "I never wanna have that, so I just try to eat right and try to stay slim."

Trevor Moore died as a direct result of the fall he suffered at his home -- a drop that L.A. County officials are saying was an accident ... which may have been caused by booze.

The "Whitest Kids U Know" star's cause of death was revealed to be blunt force head trauma, this after falling from his second-story balcony ... which the L.A. County Medical Examiner's Office has deemed to be an accident.

Per the autopsy report, obtained by TMZ, Moore was also heavily intoxicated at the time of his death ... with his BAC coming back as high as 0.27 among 3 different samples taken -- more than three times the legal limit to drive.

TMZ broke the story, cops discovered open bottles of booze scattered about when they arrived at Moore's home back in August after the accident.

The Medical Examiner also notes ... they watched security camera footage to help make the determination that TM's death was not a suicide.

As we reported, the guy was found unresponsive in his backyard where he was pronounced dead. Law enforcement sources had told us at the time -- it appeared he'd fallen from a balcony out there ... and that it was just him, with no foul play suspected.

Trevor is most famous for helping launch the WKUK comedy sketch group. He was 41.

DeMarcus Cousins unloaded on a security guard who was trying to block a fan from getting an autograph from the NBA star ... and the unique scene was all captured on video.

While Cousins and the Milwaukee Bucks took on the Rockets in Houston earlier this month ... Boogie spotted one of his biggest fans in the crowd and dapped him up.

The two then posed for a pic ... and when the fan -- noted YouTuber JiDion -- asked for an autograph on his #15 Cousins jersey, Boogie was all about it.

But, a security guard stepped in and tried to shut the whole thing down ... which clearly ticked off Cousins.

"I can sign his jersey! Stop acting like that," Cousins told the arena staffer. "You taking your job too serious!"

The security guard fired back, "Excuse me?!"

But, Boogie kept his head down, signed the jersey and then left the area to get back with his team.

JiDion, meanwhile, was fired up over it all -- you can see in pics and in the video he was absolutely giddy over the interaction.

Jake Paul had moves in the ring on Saturday, and he kept it going at Miami clubs ... dancing like crazy to celebrate his huge win over Tyron Woodley!!

The Problem Child hit up Daer Nightclub on Sunday ... fresh off knocking out the ex-UFC champion in the 6th round of a crazy fight.

With a win like that, there was no way the 5-0 boxer was gonna go without soaking it all in ... and he brought his brother, Logan, and GF, Julia Rose, along for the club-hopping.

Check out the videos from the night -- there's plenty of good vibes going around, with music blaring and custom signs welcoming Jake to the party (thrown and produced by Celebrity Sports Entertainment) -- even Ja Rule came through to show the Paul Bros. some love at Daer.

We're told Jake also did some giving back in the process -- hosting a Boxing For Bullies fundraiser at Mr. Hospitality's El Tucan ... with NFTs, Alec Monopoly art and Logan's personal items being auctioned off.

The group then took the raging to E11even ... where we're told they partied from 1:45 AM to 4:30 AM with vodka, Casamigos and champagne.

The tables next to Jake were celebrating the big win too ... sending over bottles of bubbly to congratulate him on the success.

As for how he was doing post-fight, we caught up with Jake shortly after the knockout ... and he made it clear he has nothing but respect for Tyron -- even tossing around the idea of doing a podcast or movies together.

Billie Eilish is brave for speaking out about how watching porn as a kid hurt her adult sex life ... at least according to a retired XXX star, who says she's on to something and young people should pay attention.

Randy Spears, who starred in and directed adult movies for decades tells TMZ ... Billie is absolutely right about the damage porn can inflict on the developing brain.

The way Randy sees it ... pornographic images and movies are way too much for children to understand, and he agrees with Billie that such experiences can have lasting negative effects.

As we reported ... Billie says she was just 11 years old when she started watching "violent" porn and she thinks it caused her to have nightmares, sleep paralysis and bedroom troubles when she started having sex as she grew older.

Peng Shuai adamantly denies ever claiming she was sexually assaulted by a powerful Chinese politician ... the tennis star told a Singapore newspaper on Sunday.

"First of all, I want to emphasize something that is very important. I have never said that I wrote that anyone sexually assaulted me," Peng told the paper.

"I need to emphasize this point very clearly," she added.

Peng did the bizarre interview with the outlet ... who said they interviewed her at a promotional event for the Beijing Olympic Winter games, set to begin on February 4.

According to the outlet, the video of Peng was taken in Shanghai ... and in it, Peng makes it clear that she has been staying at home in Beijing, but added she was free to come and go as she chose.

Of course, Peng's well-being and safety became of international concern after the 35-year-old seemingly disappeared following a post on her verified Weibo social media account ... accusing former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of sexually assaulting her several years ago.

Gaoli is one of the most powerful people in the country of 1.4 billion.

But, the post was swiftly removed and Peng seemed to drop out of sight -- despite some very strange and seemingly staged appearances -- leading many to question if she was in danger.

Everyone from Naomi Osaka to Novak Djokovic expressed concern for Peng.

The WTA -- who has been incredibly outspoken about the situation -- released a statement in response to the interview, saying it remains concerned about Peng's "well-being and ability to communicate without censorship or coercion."

"As we have consistently stated, these appearances do not alleviate or address the WTA's significant concerns about her well-being and ability to communicate without censorship or coercion," the WTA said in a statement.

Teddy Bridgewater was forced to spend Sunday night in a hospital ... after he terrifyingly slammed his head on the grass during the Broncos' game against the Bengals.

The horrifying scene all went down on Sunday in the third quarter of the game at Empower Field in Denver ... when Bridgewater dove for a first down but landed awkwardly on his head and neck.

Video of the play is scary ... you can see in the clip, Teddy appeared to be knocked unconscious as soon as his face hit the turf.

Trainers and staffers raced out to tend to the star quarterback ... removing his facemask and strapping him to a backboard, before taking him off the field and to a hospital on a stretcher.

Denver head coach Vic Fangio announced after the game Bridgewater would be kept at a medical facility for evaluation through at least Monday ... though he did say he expected the signal-caller to somehow be okay.

"Everything has checked out good up to this point," Fangio told reporters after Denver went on to lose, 15-10. "They're just going to keep him overnight for observations. But they think he'll -- should be and will be fine. Eventually."

Bridgewater is no stranger to horrible injuries -- you'll recall, he nearly lost his leg after he gruesomely tore his ACL in a play during Minnesota Vikings practice in 2016.

He's since come back from that injury strongly ... and had been having a solid year for Denver this season, recording 3,052 passing yards and 18 passing TDs.

Get well soon, Teddy.

The cast members of "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" weren't the only ones at Bravo fighting COVID, honcho Andy Cohen had the illness as well, and just finished his 10-day quarantine ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us Cohen tested positive for COVID -- his second bout with the disease -- two weeks ago. We're told Andy quarantined at home, and has since tested negative.

Our sources say Andy was fully vaccinated, helping to reduce his symptoms.

It was in March of last year when Andy first had COVID, posting, "After a few days of self-quarantine, and not feeling great, I have tested positive for Coronavirus. As much as I felt like I could push through whatever I was feeling to do #WWHL from home, we’re putting a pin in that for now so I can focus on getting better..."

The T in TB12 now stands for temper ... 'cause Tom Brady completely lost his cool during a bad loss to the Saints on Sunday -- appearing to tell New Orleans coach Dennis Allen to "go f*** yourself."

It was anything but Brady's night in Tampa Bay -- the Bucs fell 9-0 in a blowout lost to New Orleans ... and things came to a head when the 7-time Super Bowl champ threw an interception to C.J. Gardner-Johnson in the 4th quarter.

After the pick, many believe Brady ran over to Allen -- who stepped up after HC Sean Payton tested positive for COVID-19 -- and cussed him out.

The interaction was caught on video ... and naturally, every amateur lipreader on social media came up with the same conclusion.

But, that wasn't the only outburst of the night -- Brady got so pissed later in the 4th quarter that he chucked his Microsoft Surface on the sideline ... completely wrecking it in the process.

The frustrations have been piling on in recent years ... as Tom can't seem to figure out how to beat the Saints in the regular season since joining the Bucs.

Another Amazon worker has been caught saving the day! This time, a driver jumped in front of a pit bull to stop it from attacking a young woman and her dog ... all while delivering holiday packages in Las Vegas.

Stephanie Lontz came to the rescue earlier this month for 19-year-old Lauren. As you can see in the Ring Camera video ... Lauren began screaming for help with her dog in her arms,  as the larger dog was biting and lunging at them.

After several terrifying seconds, they were only able to escape safely into the house, thanks to Stephanie, who ran from her delivery van and got in between Lauren and the pit bull.

The Amazon driver says she was just doing the right thing ... "The screams made me think of my own child. I would only hope someone would jump in and help her if she was in a similar situation," She told the local NBC TV station, "I wouldn't even think it's motherly, it's just the human thing to do."

Though Lontz saved Lauren's day, she says Amazon workers go through so much on a normal basis that this sort of thing was not unusual for her. In fact, she says she herself was bitten by a dog 2 days prior to this incident.

Carlos Marin, a member of Il Divo, has died ... this according to his bandmates.

The operatic quartet confirmed Marin's passing Sunday, writing ... "It is with heavy hearts that we are letting you know that our friend and partner, Carlos Marin, has passed away. He will be missed by his friends, family and fans. There wiIl never be another voice or spirit like Carlos."

They add, "For 17 years the four of us have been on this incredible journey of Il Divo together, and we will miss our dear friend. We hope and pray that his beautiful soul will rest in peace. With Love -- David, Sebastien and Urs."

His death might be COVID related ... as his agent reportedly told some media outlets he'd contracted the virus and was recently hospitalized -- this while he was actually on tour with his guys in Europe.

Marin was the only baritone of the group ... with Urs Buhler, David Miller and Sebastien Izambard -- the other 3 singers -- all serving as tenors. The group was formed by Simon Cowell in '03, sort of as a reimagining of the hugely popular Three Tenors from the '90s.

Speaking of Cowell, he too shared his condolences with a sweet tribute ... "I am finding this so difficult to put into words how I feel right now. I am devastated Carlos Marin has passed away. He loved life. He loved performing and always had so much appreciation towards the fans who supported the group from day 1. Rest in peace Carlos. I will miss you."

Il Divo had a prolific run through the 2000s and well into the 2010s ... cranking out 10 studio albums, 2 live albums, lots of collabs and other mashups of their greatest hits over the years. The 4 crooners are credited with pioneering the way for pop opera ... AKA, popera.

They were a big hit ... producing more than 150 certified gold and platinum hits globally, and pumping out around 30 million album sales as well. Il Divo had some of their original songs -- like "Regresa a Mi" ... but were also well known for their covers, including "O Holy Night," "Hallelujah," "Amazing Grace" and others.

Marin was 53.

Elon Musk says he's ponying up to Uncle Sam and then some -- paying more than $11 billion in taxes ... which he likely hopes will get some political bigwigs off his back for a while.

Tesla's CEO put his cards on the table this weekend, tweeting ... "For those wondering, I will pay over $11 billion in taxes this year." He doesn't specify where the tax money will be pulled from -- whether it's his personal cash or Tesla -- but it's a large chunk of change, nonetheless.

Of course, EM's been getting dogged by Senator Elizabeth Warren -- among other elected officials -- for not paying his fair share in taxes, and coasting on profits from the huge pile of stock and other assets he holds onto without really ever cashing out.

While Elon's honesty might seem pretty forthright and righteous ... the truth is, he was expected to pay about this much regardless -- especially since he's got A LOT of stock options that are set to expire in August, which was projected to produce a tax bill of at least $15 bil.

Of course, Congress could still come down heavy on billionaires under Biden's agenda ... so it's also possible Elon wants it known he's paying what he considers his fair share already.

Whether he did it to get ahead of the curve or not, Elon's lump sum of $11 billion-plus will go down as one of the highest tax payments in U.S. history, if not the largest. That's counts for something, we suppose.

In any case, you gotta imagine Elon's tweet was mostly for the eyes of Sen. Warren, in hopes she gets off his back about not paying taxes -- 'cause he's definitely doing that this year.

However, if you ask Warren, she likely would say she wants big taxes paid by billionaires to become a regular thing ... and come under the rules of the law.