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The mysteries of space are offering up a new phenomenon to the list ... astronomers have documented something called 'odd radio circles' ... and there's lots of head-scratching going on.

These ORCs were first discovered by astronomers in 2020, using the Australian SKA Pathfinder telescope ... operated by Australia's national science agency, CSIRO.

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Org believes something like this takes a billion years to end up at its max size, and stretches about 16 times bigger than the Milky Way. It's already expanded past multiple galaxies.

The South African Radio Astronomy Observatory's MeerKAT telescope was able to get an even better shot.

Researchers have a few theories ... it's either the aftermath of an explosion at the center of the galaxy, jets that push out energetic particles, or the result of a starburst shock wave, caused by the creation of new stars.

Ray Norris, a professor at the Western Sydney University and CSIRO, says "We know ORCs are rings of faint radio emissions surrounding a galaxy with a highly active black hole at its center, but we don't yet know what causes them, or why they are so rare."

Justice Stephen Breyer is reassuring folks, his colleague, Justice Clarence Thomas, is not in any danger after being hospitalized for an infection.

We got the retiring Justice Wednesday outside Cafe Milano ... a favorite watering hole for Washington bigwigs.

Justice Thomas was hospitalized last Friday after he experienced flu-like symptoms. Turns out it was an infection, which was being treated with IV antibiotics.

The SCOTUS Public Information Office said a few days ago, Thomas was expected to be released Tuesday, but on Wednesday the PIO was mum, not saying if Thomas is back home or still laid up in the hospital.

Justice Breyer said simply, Thomas is fine.

We also asked about the confirmation hearing of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, which has become acrimonious at times, with Republicans going on the attack.

We wanted to know if he was sad the confirmation process had become hyper-political. His response was muted because the 83-year-old was masked up, but it sounds like he said, "Their politics is not my affair. My affair is done."

Forget whoever comes up in Google, Soulja Boy is the original creator of TikTok ... at least, according to the rapper himself.

The "Crank That" rapper sat down with Raq on the "It's Tricky With Raquel Harper" podcast and talked about all things TikTok ... and the impact he feels he's made on the app.

Big Draco (partially) joked around saying, he created TikTok and the folks making money behind the app need to pay up. As you know, TikTok has had huge success, reaching 1 billion users.

Many songs go viral with choreographed dances on the app ... a trend Soulja says he started back in 2007 with his hit single "Crank That (Soulja Boy)." And, while he didn't quite create the app ... he raises a fair point.

All in all, though, Soulja says he's a fan of the app. He added, his song "She Make It Clap" was only able to reach new heights because of TikTok ... like climbing to no. 1 on Billboard, getting him a record deal and prompting some of Hollywood's biggest names to listen and whip out their dance moves.

Of course, it hasn't been all easy breezy for Soulja. You'll recall, he got the boot from Kanye's "Donda" album ... and Ye even trashed his verse in an interview. Eventually, they ironed out their beef and SB joked it all off.

Though he may have had some trouble getting a hit with Ye, it seems TikTok surely has welcomed him with opened arms ... and he's had huge success.

Christina Haack is getting ready to bolt from her California home ... she's preparing to sell it for a million bucks more than she bought it for less than a year ago!!!

Real estate sources tell TMZ ... Christina will be unloading her 5-bed, 7-bath Dana Point home in the next two weeks. She bought the pad -- which is in an exclusive guard-gated community -- last July for $10.3 million and is looking to sell it for $11.5 million.

The 6,084 square foot house comes with a game room, movie theater and its own spa. Not to mention, the panoramic Pacific Ocean views that are perfection.

We broke the story that Christina sold her Newport Beach home in June of last year for $5.35 million. The sale followed her split from ex-husband Ant Anstead after less than two years of marriage. A month later, she bought the current home that she's now about to get rid of.

Sarma Melngailis, known as the "Bad Vegan" from the popular Netflix docuseries, is open to starting a new restaurant after she was convicted of stealing millions from her last one ... and her ex thinks she should go for it!

Chef Matthew Kenney wasn't just dating Sarma back in the early 2000s, they went into biz together, opening Pure Food and Wine. As "Bad Vegan" viewers know ... their relationship went south, and Matthew got bumped out of their restaurant venture.

Despite that, a rep for Matthew tells TMZ … he believes in second chances and wishes Sarma the best. If opening another restaurant is what she wants, he thinks she should pursue it.

Matthew hasn't seen the new series yet, despite being featured on it -- but it doesn't appear there's any bad blood between Sarma and her ex.

We're told Matthew spoke to her a few years ago, and actually wrote a letter in support of her.

ICYMI ... Sarma and Matthew opened Pure Food and Wine in 2004, but when they split up the next year, they asked investor Jeffrey Chodorow to choose which one to stay on board, and Sarma was picked.

SPOILER ALERT ... 'cause this is where "Bad Vegan" takes a real bizarre turn!!!

Sarma met Anthony Strangis through mutual friend Alec Baldwin in 2011, then tied the knot a year later. Anthony allegedly promised Sarma immortality for herself and her dog, but required large sums of money from her to prove she was worthy.

In the end, both were convicted for stealing nearly $2 million from the restaurant.

Restaurant employees protested outside the joint over unpaid wages, and the couple went on the run.

Gotta love how they got caught, though -- police got tipped off after Sarma and Anthony ordered chicken wings and pizza from Domino's in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Sarma served 4 months at Rikers Island, and was released in October 2017 with an additional 5 years of probation. In 2018, she filed for divorce from Anthony shortly after her release.

Golf star Brooks Koepka used a famous line from "Tin Cup" to shut down a group of autograph seekers at an event in Texas on Wednesday -- and his channeling of David Simms was pretty spot-on.

TMZ Sports has learned the 31-year-old was out on the course for his opening round at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play event in Austin, Texas ... when a group of people asked for his John Hancock.

We're told there were several kids in the group -- and when Brooks ignored them, a man screamed at him to stop for the children.

Video shows Brooks, while calmly walking away, did his best Don Johnson impression to get out of the signing.

"I got to work," he said. "I don't come to your job asking for your s***, do I? I don't think so!"

Brooks mixed up the wording just a tad -- Don's line in "Tip Cup" was "I'm working here. This is my office. Do I come to your office and ask you for your autograph? I don't think so!"

But, still, pretty funny, right?

Brooks is a connoisseur of golf films -- he's previously called "Happy Gilmore" his favorite one ever -- and back in 2020, he called at least one of the scenes in "Tin Cup" "realistic."

As for his play Wednesday following the interaction with fans, Koepka was solid against Erik van Rooyen -- and, no, there were no signs of him going full Kevin Costner and hitting balls into the water.

Canadian-American actor Harland Williams was in his mid-30s when he blazed the role of Kenny Davis -- the high school teacher who goes to jail after accidentally killing a cop's horse -- in the classic stoner comedy "Half Baked."

Also featured in the film were actors Dave Chappelle playing Sir Smoke-a-Lot, Jim Breuer as Brian, and Guillermo Díaz as Scarface. Other notable stars included Snoop Dogg, Stephen Baldwin and Jon Stewart.

24 years later, Harland continues to bring the laughs with his stand-up comedy and his wacky IG antics ... like taking his Instagram followers on his shopping trips to IKEA.

Whoever's disguised as the Hydra on "The Masked Singer" voiced some concern after the costume caused a near-disastrous rehearsal that forced the crew to work extra hard to keep them safe!

We're told the team scrambled to add much-needed precautions to the massive ensemble, including handles that give them something to hold on to while inside.

The massive getup includes 3 towering heads ... each able to blow smoke. FYI, a costume like this probably isn't helmed by just one celeb -- we're thinking the 3 heads might be a clue.

The outfit is so over-the-top, it requires 5 times the number of staffers it normally takes to help the mystery singer(s) ready for show time.

While contestants usually put on their costumes in dressing rooms -- allowing them to keep their identity a mystery -- the Hydra has to do things differently.

We're told the costume's so big, the performers have to walk to the stage exposed, and get dressed there. That's means the crew has to lock down the set and build a barrier to wall off the stage, keeping everything hush hush.

Drake is once again subscribing to God's plan -- throwing down big on roulette and giving back to the community just as much as he won ... with none other than LeBron James!

Champagne Papi made a massive donation over the weekend, offering up a cool mil in Bitcoin to the LeBron James Family Foundation -- which focuses on charitable efforts for underprivileged students, among other initiatives -- and did so in partnership with Stake.com ... an online gambling house that Drizzy uses early and often, and which facilitated this dough.

You see ... Drake actually placed a massive bet recently on one of their online roulette tables -- wagering a hefty sum on black 11 -- and when it hit ... the dude got paid out big time.

Part of that money is what was donated to the LBJ Foundation -- and Bron Bron was actually on hand in Toronto Friday to usher in the gracious gesture, hitting up a fancy restaurant in the area called Harbour 60.

It wasn't just these 2 patting each other on the back though -- Drake had a huge surprise for a local high school basketball player named Michael (of Royal Crown Academy) who's on his way to a college career. To send him off properly, Drake donated $100k to him and his mom.

Drake and co. actually captured that sweet moment on camera as well ... and it was very reminiscent of when he was handing out cash to strangers a few years back -- and just as emotional.

More legal trouble for Conor McGregor ... the UFC superstar was reportedly arrested on Tuesday in Ireland for driving dangerously.

The Irish Independent reports McGregor was pulled over in west Dublin in a pricey Bentley Continental GT after officials say he committed multiple traffic offenses.

The 33-year-old was eventually arrested, according to the outlet, and his car was seized.

McGregor was reportedly taken to the local station and later released on bail. He's since reportedly been charged with dangerous driving.

McGregor -- who's been photographed in a Bentley in Ireland repeatedly over the last few weeks -- has a court date next month for a hearing on the matter, the Irish Independent reported.

The outlet explained if he's convicted on the count, he could face up to six months in jail.

We've reached out to McGregor's camp for comment, but so far no word back yet.

This is far from Conor's first trouble with the law ... there was the dolly incident in Brooklyn, the punch in Dublin, and the cell phone incident in Miami -- among other things.

Conor, though, has managed to evade any serious punishment in the cases.

After breaking his leg in July 2021, Conor has been rehabbing in and out of Ireland with the hopes of returning back to the UFC octagon soon.

Bob Saget was not feeling well the night he went into his hotel room and ended up dying -- at least that's what one of the last people to speak with him is claiming.

A showrunner who works at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall -- where Bob's last show took place before he booked it to Orlando that fateful night -- told investigators Bob had disclosed to her and other stage crew that he wasn't well health-wise preshow.

The woman, whose name is Rosalie Cocci, said Bob had told them he was battling long-term COVID, and it had taken a toll on his body.

As far as what he was dealing with specifically ... the woman told cops Bob mentioned his hearing was off and he was constantly asking them to turn everything up.

In addition to hearing trouble, Cocci went on to explain Bob had said he was sick the day before, and his throat was sore ... she added he seemed to be "talking himself up" to get ready for his stand-up performance ... which he ultimately did.

In the end, Cocci says she and the crew were surprised he knocked it out of the park when push came to shove -- despite his earlier complaints, they say he didn't miss a beat and put on a great show, as if nothing was wrong.

If it's true that his hearing was off, that could cause balance issues ... it's unclear what exactly caused Bob's fatal brain bleed ... but a problem with balance could result in a fall or misjudging distance.

Now Bob's family tells TMZ, they don't believe he had long-term COVID, because he had only come down with the virus 2 weeks earlier and he never complained of hearing problems.

As you know, the authorities have said Bob bumped his head somehow while he was in his hotel room later that night -- and ended up dying as a result of a major brain bleed.

Senator Lindsey Graham went on the attack Wednesday, challenging Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's sentencing decisions regarding child pornography.

Graham was indignant that Judge Jackson said a major deterrent against people who consume child pornography online is major supervision over what they do.

Graham scoffed, and says the way to deter people from looking at child porn online is to "put their ass in jail."

It got super contentious as the judge tried addressing Graham, who shot back, "Answer my question!"

Some of the senators at the hearing said they objected to some of Judge Jackson's sentencing decisions regarding child porn, saying she was too lenient. Fact is, many judges have imposed sentences lower than those recommended in the federal guidelines, because they're outdated.

As for the confrontation, here's what Judge Jackson said that incited Graham ... “Senator, with respect to the computer, one of the most effective deterrents is one that I imposed in every case – and that judges across the country impose in every case – which is substantial, substantial supervision."

Graham shot back ... “I think the best way to deter people from getting on a computer and viewing thousands and hundreds … of children being exploited and abused … is to put their ass in jail, not supervise their computer usage!” Graham said.

Madeleine Albright, the first woman to serve as U.S. Secretary of State, is dead after battling cancer.

Sec. Albright's daughter, Anne, says her mother passed away surrounded by family and friends. The statement announcing her passing says, "We have lost a loving mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend,” as well as a “tireless champion of democracy and human rights.”

President Bill Clinton selected Madeleine to be his Sec. of State in 1997. He'd previously named her U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations in 1993.

Albright famously helped guide American foreign policy in the wake of the Soviet Union's fall and the Cold War.

During that key moment in history, Albright championed the expansion of NATO, pushed for U.S. intervention in the Balkans to stop ethnic cleansing and the  championed the reduction of nuclear weapons around the world.

Interestingly, her passing comes just as the U.S. weighs the matter of intervention in Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Albright coined the term "assertive multilateralism" to describe the Clinton administration's foreign policy.

She boldly declared the U.S. was an "indispensable nation" when it comes to defending democracies across the globe. She told NBC News in 1998, "I know that the American men and women in uniform are always prepared to sacrifice for freedom, democracy and the American way of life."

Albright had a very personal connection to the horrors of fascism, having been born to a father who was forced to flee his homeland of Czechoslovakia when the Nazis invaded in 1939. Her family emigrated to the U.S. in 1948.

President Barack Obama awarded her the Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian honor.

Albright is survived by her brother and sister, 3 daughters and 6 grandchildren.

She was 84.

As millions of refugees continue to flee Ukraine amid the Russian invasion, one couple is springing into action in the most humanitarian way -- giving traumatized families a safe place to sleep and begin their new lives.

Jakub and Gosia Golata are Polish-born UK citizens who've done something remarkable ... dropping everything in their lives and heading back to their native land to offer assistance by booking the entire Park Hotel in Tryszczyn. It currently has 180 beds, and the Golatas are using them exclusively to provide free refuge for Ukrainians.

Not just that ... but they're also volunteering transportation to and from the border via buses they've rented there. They joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" tell -- with the assistance of donations that have been pouring in from all over.

We asked what motivated them to do all this -- especially considering they've paused their day-to-day occupations in England -- and their answer was telling ... basically, they say they just couldn't stand by and not to do nothing for a neighboring nation in crisis.

Country music icon Hank Williams Jr. is in mourning -- his longtime wife, Mary Jane Thomas, has died ... TMZ has learned.

A family member confirmed Mary Jane passed away Tuesday in Jupiter, Florida, and we're told the early indication is it appears she suffered a complication -- possibly a blood clot -- following a medical procedure.

A spokesperson for the Jupiter, FL PD tells us they got a medical call to the Jupiter Beach Resort & Spa around 5PM Tuesday ... Mary Jane was transported to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead. At this time, her death does not appear to be suspicious.

Mary Jane, a former model for Hawaiian Tropic suntan lotion, has been married to Hank since 1990 -- the couple met in 1985 at one of his concerts in Washington State. Her death is the latest heartbreak for Hank and his family.

He and Mary Jane had 2 children together -- daughter Katie Williams-Dunning and son Samuel Williams. Katie died tragically in a 2020 car accident in Tennessee. Her husband, Tyler Dunning was also in the vehicle, but survived with critical injuries.

TMZ broke the story ... Sam claimed back in February his father and half-sister Holly had him under a conservatorship, which began in August 2020 -- less than 2 months after Katie's death.

While Hank's known for big hits like "All My Rowdy Friends," and is frequently in the spotlight -- most recently for his Country Music Hall of Fame induction last November -- Mary Jane's known to be more private.

She and Hank had separated in 2007, but eventually saved their marriage ... fully reconciling in 2011 when they celebrated their 21st anniversary.

We reached out to a Williams family member who told us they'd like privacy at this time.

Mary Jane is survived by Hank, Sam, and 3 grandchildren.

She was 58.

Peyton List and Jacob Bertrand are officially a couple -- TMZ got visual and verbal confirmation -- and neither's worried about the potential consequences of dating a coworker.

We got the "Cobra Kai" stars traveling together Tuesday at LAX, finally confirming their long-rumored relationship ... with Jacob joking we caught them red-handed.

Jacob tells our photog they've actually been seeing each other quietly for some time ... and they don't sound the least bit worried about their romance interfering with the show.

As Jacob put it, this is trial by fire ... but since he's been on the Netflix show longer than his girlfriend, he's not worried about being the one written off the show if things ever go south with Peyton.

He was pretty clearly joking.

And, get this ... Jacob tells us he and Peyton actually go way back. Watch the clip, he gives us the origin story of how they met way back in their teens.