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A U.S. congressman has the internet dumbfounded by a cryptic tweet aimed at young folks -- and while some try to figure out what he means ... it's music to others peoples' ears.

Representative Clay Higgins -- who reps Louisiana's 3rd congressional district -- fired off a bizarre message Sunday ... seemingly pissed off at liberals -- but his insult kinda fell flat, because no one really knows what the hell he's even saying.

Higgins wrote, "You millennial leftists who never lived one day under nuclear threat can now reflect upon your woke sky. You made quite a non-binary fuss to save the world from intercontinental ballistic tweets."

There's a lot to unpack here ... millennial leftists ... woke sky ... non-binary fuss ... intercontinental ballistic tweets??? Indeed, there's a lot of good standout imagery here -- and as a result, it's got many thinking these are great band names and/or album titles.

Others imagined this as something a comic book character might say in a panel ... just 'cause it's so dang flowery and ominous. And even more yet thought it was poetic!

Even Dictionary.com got in on the fun ... directly responding to Rep. Higgins by asking the obvious -- whatcha mean, man??? They wrote, "We’re not entirely sure what this tweet is supposed to mean, and we’re literally the dictionary."

As for what CH is actually getting at ... it appears to be related to Ukraine -- and without reading too much into it ... he seems to be parroting far-right talking points that have bubbled up during this whole fiasco -- namely, about how this is all about culture wars.

Yes, even in this dire time ... it would seem some simply can't let go of that mindset -- and even crazier, just as many, in some cases, are even embracing and cozying up to Russia right now, sympathizing with their cause!

Every so often, Amerie's hit single '1 Thing' crops up online -- and like clockwork, a fierce debate gets fired up ... inevitably bringing Beyonce and Jennifer Lopez into the convo.

Here's the deal ... the 2005 track -- featured on Amerie's 2nd album, 'Touch' -- resurfaces on Twitter every few months, like it's doing now, with many arguing her mainstream success was cut short ... and not just that, but that she was allegedly done dirty by the industry.

The reason folks feel like that ... her fans say this unique sound featured on the song, which is often referred to as "go-go" and was quite popular at the time, is one that ended up also getting used by stars like Bey and J Lo, among other female R&B singers back then.

With tracks of theirs like "Crazy In Love" and "Get Right," respectively, employing similar break beats and drum patterns -- some have even gone so far as to claim that B and J (Lo) actually hijacked Amerie's whole aesthetic ... and, thus, robbed her of her thunder.

Of course, a proper timeline of events is necessary here to put things in context ... as is an explanation of who the heck Rich Harrison is, because he's at the center of all of this -- and the main reason for the comparisons being made in the first place.

Harrison was a producer in the 2000s who was working a lot with Columbia Records -- who had all these ladies under their roster in the early to mid-2000s. Fact is, he was making "go-go" beats for just about all them, and others in the game too ... including Toni Braxton, Kelly Rowland and even Mary J. Blige. Everybody was dipping their toe into the RH pool here.

As for who did what first -- between Bey, J and Amerie, that is -- it would appear Beyonce was, in fact, the first of the 3 to trot out Harrison's sound with 'CIL' ('03), even though KR might've arguably had it first with '02's "Can't Nobody" -- and perhaps others used it even before then. Amerie and J Lo, meanwhile, came out with their songs, "1 Thing" and "Get Right," around the same time in 2005 ... with JL getting a slightly earlier release in January.

And spoiler alert ... ALL of these songs were produced by Harrison, so of course they sound alike!

So that settles that, or so it seems. However, there's one other element here that's also getting some attention as it relates to Amerie and J Lo, specifically ... namely, old stories/rumors that Jen was allegedly getting prioritized over labelmates/contemporaries.

This has been a recurring theme in J Lo's music career -- Fat Joe even touched on it not too long ago -- but the alleged tale goes ... '1 Thing' was supposedly being shopped to J Lo BTS, and the Columbia label heads actually wanted it to go to her instead of Amerie.

Upon learning this, they say Amerie went ahead and leaked '1 Thing' to radio stations on her own, and because it became so popular ... Columbia had to back down and let it be.

The Russian national soccer team will be allowed to take the pitch ahead of some World Cup qualifying games -- because FIFA's letting them proceed ... despite some sanctions.

The international governing body for the game announced Sunday they would let Russia's players play against some neighboring countries in soon-to-come matches -- like against Poland, for example -- stopping short of an all-out ban ... which many were calling for.

Instead of kicking them out of the competition entirely, FIFA says they are, instead, not going to allow the Russian flag to be displayed, and won't play the Russian anthem either. They're also going to force the team to go by a new moniker -- the Football Union of Russia ... and no fans are allowed either.

Perhaps the biggest restriction FIFA is laying down in response to Putin's invasion ... not allowing any matches to be played in Russia itself, insisting on neutral territories.

Poland, the Czech Republic and Sweden were set to dive into a 4-team playoff round -- with games scheduled to be played in Russia itself -- and have since said they wouldn't square off against Russia at all ... no matter where the games were situated.

Seeing how Poland was supposed to play Russia first in this tournament -- they responded to FIFA's announcement shortly thereafter, reportedly calling it "totally unacceptable" and again reaffirming their commitment to not playing against Russia no matter what.

The Ukraine crisis is still very much underway, and yet ... some are already opining about who could play Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a movie -- and Jeremy Renner seems to be it.

Twitter users are up in arms again over this one ... perhaps for good reason. Essentially, this is a debate about whether talking about a would-be biopic is appropriate when the situation is unfolding live -- let alone musing about which actor could star as Ukraine's president.

Of course, some Tweeters couldn't help themselves ... firing off takes about how Hollywood is already cooking up a flick behind the scenes, and how Renner may well be the top choice to portray VZ.

The reason ... well, they look high-key alike -- almost dead ringers, if we're being honest. Same type of facial structure and everything ... and they're especially similar in appearance when wearing fatigues and whatnot.

But even if they are doppelgangers of one another, the other question is ... what difference does it make??? A good majority of folks online argue -- *now* is NOT the time to be discussing a possible film about Zelenskyy or Ukraine, because it's a serious situation.

Indeed, people are dying and/or fleeing for their lives ... so it does seem like a bad time to be making light of things -- and publicly spit-balling about a possible biopic down the road certainly feels like that ... namely, it's too freakin' soon to even bring up as a topic.

Interestingly, those who are batting this type of thinking down are attributing it to a uniquely American mindset -- suggesting that U.S. citizens often seem to be more interested in entertainment than real-life lives that are actually at risk.

We'll leave that philosophical ball for the Twittersphere to kick around -- but here's one thing that can't be denied ... Renner and Zelenskyy do bear a striking resemblance, and yes ... Renner is a fantastic actor, proven time and again in his pre-Marvel days.

And yes ... there may even be a studio out there that has a script in mind -- that's certainly not outside the realm of possibility, as Tinseltown never sleeps on the next big thing, and Zelenskyy's life story alone is totally worthy of the movie treatment (objectively).

Still, it sounds like what's got people pissed off is, obviously, the timing of such discussions -- but also, the callousness and lack of thoughtfulness in cavalier posts like these.

Renner, meanwhile, is minding his own business out in the woods of Lake Tahoe ... so ya gotta figure he might be upset to hear how he's getting roped into this nonsense.

As millions of people attempt to leave Ukraine and seek refuge in neighboring countries, a disturbing trend has surfaced ... namely, Africans, allegedly, being discriminated against.

Several videos and accounts have emerged over the past 24 hours or so from Africans and other POC, who claim they are not being allowed to board certain trains and other modes of transportation to flee Ukraine -- and they think it's because of the color of their skin.

This mostly appears to be happening at the Ukrainian-Polish border in the northwest region, where many allege that border agents and local police are literally letting white Ukrainians hop on in ... while refusing access -- or at the very least, limiting access -- to Black people.

Multiple clips appear to show scores of African migrants and/or expatriates being left behind at train stations -- and not just that, but actually being pushed back as they try to enter.

One clip shows a group of Africans who appear to have weapons drawn on them, and they shout that they're unarmed students ... tensions escalating quickly. It's unclear who exactly may be deciding who's able to book it out of there first and how -- but the feeling among those on standby (in some cases for days, it seems) is that they're a second-rate class.

As you can imagine, this is creating resentment and frustration -- especially for those who see this from afar and can't help but wonder ... how can racism persist in a time of war???

It's a fair question ... especially if what looks to be happening here is, in fact, going down as described. There isn't much context in a lot of the videos beyond what's being claimed by the person on camera and/or the person posting it. Still ... it looks damning on the face of things.

Many users -- African-American and otherwise -- are sounding off online ... noting that even when Black people show solidarity against a nation in crisis -- those on the ground still might have to go above and beyond for a shred of dignity or mere safety, while others are being afforded exactly that without a blink of the eye. That's the consensus, anyway.

As we've told you ... Russia continues to invade Ukraine, and the military there is trying its best to defend itself -- while Western allies keep putting the financial squeeze on Putin and his people.

Elon Musk has vowed to become a real-life action hero, saving the world -- or at least part of it -- by thwarting any attempt by the Russian Government to send the International Space Station hurtling toward earth.

Musk is reacting to a Russian space official who menacingly suggested the ISS could lose its trajectory and careen toward the U.S. or Europe if the Russians sabotage the craft. The official suggested sanctions could trigger the move. Russia controls the engines on the ISS, and it can direct the trajectory accordingly.

Musk's Twitter response ... a SpaceX logo.

Someone on Twitter inquired if E.M. was suggesting SpaceX would prevent the ISS from plummeting to earth. His response -- "Yes."

Musk acknowledged another tweet with the ISS, but one thing was missing -- any evidence of Russia. Instead, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft was front and center.  Elon responded, "Good thread."

The ISS could do lots of damage for sure ... it weighs in at 500 tons.

As for how serious the threat, the Russian official said, "The ISS does not fly over Russia, therefore all the risks are yours. Are you ready for them?"

NASA says nothing's changing with respect to ISS operations. What's unclear ... can Russia do what it's threatening?

Don't count Musk out ... NASA has increasingly relied on SpaceX for space exploration.

'SNL' broke from tradition Saturday night ... there were no laughs in the cold open -- instead, there was a moving tribute to Ukraine.

The show opened with Kate McKinnon and Cecily Strong somberly introducing the Ukrainian Chorus Dumka of New York. The choir sang a mournful song called "Prayer for Ukraine."

The Chorus has a deep connection to both Ukraine and the U.S. ... Ukrainian immigrants back in the 1940's created the Chorus to preserve their Ukrainian heritage and celebrate music ... something deeply important in Ukrainian culture.

A table filled with candles was center stage, spelling the name of the capital -- Kyiv.

'SNL' has broken from tradition with serious cold opens only a few times in the past -- notably, after 9/11 Paul Simon sang "The Boxer" as first responders and then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani stood by.

The Ukrainian people have mounted a heroic resistance to Russian aggression ... people from all walks of life, including beauty queens.

Anastasiia Lenna, aka former Miss Grand Ukraine, is now a member of Ukraine's fighting force to block Russia from taking over her country.

Lenna has influence, for sure ... with more than 115,000 Instagram followers. She's also a bad ass, writing, "Everyone who crosses the Ukrainian border with the intent to invade will be killed!"

She paid homage to the person who has become a worldwide hero -- President Volodymyr Zelensky, referring to him as "a true and strong leader."

She's been posting pics of her in military issue ... sporting the guns she's more than willing to use to protect her homeland.

Lenna has been blasting out pleas for donations to allow her military to fight off the Russians.

Another Memphis rapper has been shot and killed ... just in the last few months.

Snootie Wild succumbed to his injuries after being shot Friday in Houston. His death was announced Saturday night on his Instagram page ... "Gone in body, but your NAME & LEGACY will live forever! #TeamYayo4Life."

Wild was shot in the neck ... discovered laying in a ditch, beside an SUV. A Houston cop told the ABC Houston station, "It looks like he backed in there accidentally. Then the other vehicle pulled up, and folks got out of the car," adding "They were talking for a little bit, and then all of a sudden, gunfire went off. Only one shot, actually."

He was rushed to a hospital, but doctors were unable to save him.

You'll recall, Young Dolph was shot and killed in Memphis outside a bakery in a clear ambush. Three people have been arrested, but Gotti was not implicated.

Kanye West certainly has a new muse in Kim Kardashian look-alike Chaney Jones, but the two don't consider themselves a couple, at least not yet.

Sources close to the two tell us ... while they've been together here and there over the last couple weeks, it's all for fun. We're told Kanye's obviously attracted to Chaney ... undeniably drawn to her because of her similarities to Kim.

As for how they met ... nothing fancy. We're told Chaney slid into Kanye's DMs and things went from there.

Of course, Chaney and Ye started hanging out shortly after he and Julia Fox split up -- Julia herself had admitted things were never that serious -- and our Kanye sources echo that ... he's not looking for commitment with anyone right now.

Chaney's style lately has almost been a carbon copy of Kim ... especially the tight-fitting bodysuits. She's even worn the same sunglasses as Kim.

Farrah Abraham says she's putting her child's happiness first, and standing by her decision to allow Sophia to get a septum piercing for her 13th birthday.

The "Teen Mom" star tells TMZ ... she's doing her best as a parent -- despite what her critics say -- to make sure her teen is happy and healthy, and if that means Sophia getting a needle through her nose, so be it!

What's interesting is Farrah acknowledges she wasn't personally a fan of Sophia getting the piercing, but says it was more important to her that it be done by a professional ... rather than Sophia sneaking off to do it herself.

Despite not being for it, Farrah sure sounded happy to celebrate the piercing as a new Abraham family milestone. As for Sophia, she's also blocking out the haters, and called her new nose bling a "birthday wish come true".

Seems like the reality star is in a much better place, compared to last month. You'll recall, she was arrested outside a club after allegedly slapping a security guard.

Since the incident, she's moved away from L.A. while threatening to sue the club. She's also said she's had suicidal thoughts due to the arrest.

There's beef, and then there's Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal ... who absolutely HATE each other!!

TMZ Sports talked to 34-year-old Covington, the #1 ranked welterweight fighter, ahead of his "blood feud" with 37-year-old Masvidal, the #6 ranked WW, at UFC 272 on March 4.

"This is a blood feud. This goes back to a brotherhood. We were eight years together every single day, side by side, couldn't leave each other -- best friends," Chaos told us.

"Now, we're the biggest bitter enemies. He's the one person on Earth that I don't give a s***. Anytime I see him, I want to send that guy straight to hell and luckily I get to do it in the UFC Octagon next Saturday night on Pay-Per-View and it's gonna be bad, man. I'm gonna make him pay. I'm gonna make him suffer for backstabbing me."

See ... this goes beyond the routine pre-fight trash talk.

Colby and Jorge were friends ... best friends. Unfortunately, the relationship fell apart (long story) ... and now the men are about to be locked in a steel cage together.

One of the things both guys have in common is a friendship with Donald Trump.

So, who's the former Commander-In-Chief rooting for?! We asked Colby.

"Mr. President, #45, is not torn. He knows where his loyalty stands. He knows the person that put his whole platform for him, that was sacrificing, doing everything, really showing that I'm a true supporter. George is a fake supporter. He's not a real supporter."

Then, Covington added ... "Donald Trump, you know, I talked to his family the other day, I know where his loyalty resides."

Speaking of Trump, we also asked CC whether the ex-prez would be attending the fight.

Remember, DT attended UFC 264 in July 2021 -- Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 3 -- where he dapped up Masvidal backstage.

Simon Leviev is an expensive habit -- as several European women will attest -- and now he's got nightclubs lining up to hand him up to $20K just to pop bottles and party.

Leviev is now infamous from the Netflix documentary 'Tinder Swindler,' and becoming a household name -- even for negative reasons -- means some hot spot clubs are looking to book him for appearances.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ … Simon has several offers from clubs in Philly, Boston, Germany and Mexico, and he's at least interested, because his team responded with a laundry list of demands.

We're told he's asking for the $20,000 payday, plus bottle service ... but it doesn't stop there. Leviev's also requesting a private jet, suite at a 5-star hotel, black SUV car service and 2 full-time security guards.

Basically, he wants the same lifestyle his alleged victims say he pretended to have while he duped them into handing over millions of dollars. As we reported, Simon was recently shopping for Ferraris ... so, he's for sure, leaning into the image he portrayed in 'Swindler.'

You'll recall, the doc claims he bilked women out of more than $10 mil by gaining their trust on Tinder.

Ya gotta wonder if he really has Ferrari money now, but if not, he's now trying to get it legitimately ... if the nightclubs will bite.

Zoe Kravitz's good looks have nine lives.

Here's a 19-year-old version of the actor ... and daughter of rock god Lenny Kravitz and looker Lisa Bonnet ... at an after-party during the Tribeca Film Fest in New York City back in 2008 (left). This was shortly after Zoe's acting debut in the film "No Reservations."

And, 14 years later, the now 33-year-old famous feline ... who has been traveling the globe to promote her puuuurfect role as the Catwoman in the new "The Batman" movie opposite Robert Pattinson in London earlier this week (right).

Meow!

The question is ...

Louis Tomlinson is ready and willing to pump the brakes on his live shows if one of his fans goes down, and after a Minneapolis show ... it's evident his security is also ready to react quickly.

The former One Direction member put on a sold-out show Thursday night, and as he neared the end of the show -- singing his hit, "Walls" -- he looked into the standing-room-only audience, stopped the song abruptly and then called out on the mic for help.

As security guards rushed over to a female fan in distress, Louis urged the crowd to let them get through. He and the guards yelled, "Make a hole" ... and then LT waited calmly onstage to let the responders do their job.

When security began taking her out of the theater, Louis decided to bring the lights up and take 5. Fans around the incident quickly cooperated and made a clear path to the doors.

This latest incident seals it ... artists are definitely more attentive to audience members who are sick or injured. Of course, Billie Eilish did it weeks ago at a show in Atlanta, giving the whole crowd a chance to relax, sit down and take a step back from the stage.

Billie even passed her inhaler to a fan in need a few weeks ago ... saying she likes to guarantee her fans are safe at her shows. John Mayer also slowed things down for a fan during an L.A. gig.

As we reported ... some people, most notably Kanye West, took Billie's comments as a dig at Travis Scott, whose Astroworld event ended with the death of 10 people, including children.

Underneath this stretched-out snap is a phenomenal actress who is taking the film and television world by storm.

This warped-out woman got her start in TV as a child star who shook audiences up by showcasing the greatness of all her talents combined ... she can sing, dance and act with ease!