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"Black Ink Crew" star Ceaser Emanuel wants to set the record straight about the viral video of him abusing his dog, and he's claiming someone set him up.

Ceaser was out in NYC Thursday night -- hours after TMZ broke the story VH1 fired him over the horrible video of him at home hitting one of his pets with a metal folding chair. He claims the video isn't what it seems, and he was simply breaking up a fight between his dogs -- until one of them went for him.

He does say he wishes he could take it back, but adds, in the moment, he felt like he had to back down his dogs any way he could, and was afraid of what could happen next.

As for the video, Ceaser says the clip came from his home security camera -- and he thinks someone had it out for him, since the video was leaked online.

Of course, none of that is an excuse for abusing an animal.

Ceaser also claims both dogs are fine now, but says he had to give one away ... and get the other into some serious obedience training.

With growing Roe v. Wade protests outside the Supreme Court and Capitol ... police there are taking an all-hands-on-deck approach.

Sources within the Capitol Police tell TMZ ... cops were anticipating the landmark SCOTUS decision and they've been bracing for protests and preparing their response, beefing up security at the Capitol to address any civil unrest.

The Supreme Court does have its own police force, but we're told CPD is currently at the Court to bolster the ranks there, in addition to patrolling the Capitol.

All Capitol Police officers are now working extended duty -- we're told what is typically an 8-hour daily shift is being boosted to 12 to 16 hours on duty.

Tensions are high after SCOTUS overturned the 50-year-old precedent that legalized abortion nationwide ... and we're told the protests forming outside the Capitol feature both pro-life supporters and pro-choice advocates.

The way Capitol Police sees it ... anytime there are crowds of people on opposing sides, it's a recipe for potential violence.

We're told officers are just monitoring the crowds for now ... but it's clear they are prepared for the worst, some are already suited up in riot gear.

In another sign of the times ... we're told in addition to a security fence around the Supreme Court, there are snipers positioned on the roof of the building.

The Supreme Court's own police force is small, which is why Capitol Police are sending over more manpower.

Delonte West said he was looking for a job -- and he found one.

The ex-NBA star landed a flooring gig this week ... after some amazing people heard about his tough situation and decided to help out.

As we previously reported, West -- who has battled mental health and addiction issues -- has been working hard at building a better life for himself ... but said earlier this week he was in between jobs.

We're told the team at the Beyer Subaru car dealership in Alexandria, Virginia saw the stories about West and noticed he had been asking for money nearby ... so they put their heads together to figure out a way to help him earn some dough.

As it turns out, the dealership is currently getting some floor work done ... so they asked the company in charge of the project if West could lend a hand.

We're told the flooring company was thrilled to have the extra help ... and West has been working with them for the past two days -- and doing a great job!!

We're told West has been nothing but polite with the whole crew ... sharing stories and talking with everyone throughout the day.

The U.S. Supreme Court has officially overturned Roe v. Wade ... reversing the 50-year-old precedent that legalized abortion nationwide.

Justice Samuel Alito -- the conservative justice who has sat on the Court since 2006 -- wrote the opinion and didn't mince words, writing, "We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled. The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any Constitutional provision ... It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people's elected representatives."

Four justices signed on to Alito's opinion. Chief Justice Roberts wrote a separate, concurring opinion.

Alito added, "Roe was egregiously wrong from the start."

Put simply, a majority of the justices ruled there was no right under the U.S. Constitution for a woman to have an abortion ... so a Mississippi law that banned most abortions after the 15th week of pregnancy was not unconstitutional.

The three liberal justices -- Breyer, Kagan and Sotomayor -- wrote a joint dissent, harshly criticizing the majority's reasoning and lamenting the public-health risks of overturning Roe for women across the country. The dissenters note the majority made no exceptions for rape, incest, the health of the mother or physical abnormalities of the fetus.

The reversal doesn't mean that abortion automatically becomes illegal in the country ... the issue will now be left to the states, but 13 states have trigger laws that outlaw abortions as soon as the Court overturned Roe. Nine other states have laws on the books that, if enforced, will severely restrict or outlaw the right to an abortion.

Many other states are expected to severely restrict abortion rights in response to the ruling. Abortion has been a hot-button issue for decades ... and it's very likely this decision will only stoke the flames.

The leaked draft opinion caused a huge stir at the time. It was an enormous breach of protocol for the nation's highest court and prompted an immediate investigation to determine the source of the leak. Chief Justice Roberts called it "absolutely appalling" but vowed that the leak would have no effect on the justices' decision process. The results of that investigation have not been released.

The Court issued the ruling along with a host of other opinions in advance of its summer recess … but it's clear that everyone is focused on Roe.

Britney Spears' blood feud with her parents and sister isn't stopping Lynne Spears from wishing her daughter well ... and hoping against hope they can patch things up.

Brit's mom was at LAX Thursday night when a photog asked about the state of the Spears family from Lynne's perspective. We already know exactly how Britney feels.

So, could the family ever get back together? Lynne makes it clear she's not giving up on that yet ... although, it's unclear how she could possibly make that happen right now.

Mama Spears says she just wants to see her daughter happy ... and she absolutely meant those sentimental words she shared on Instagram right after the wedding.

You'll recall, Britney tied the knot with her hubby Sam Asghari, earlier this month but she didn't invite her parents or her sister, Jamie. But, that didn't stop Lynne from publicly showing her support.

Lynne kept a close watch on her daughter's big day via social media.

In an IG comment, she wrote, "You look radiant and so happy! Your wedding is the 'Dream' wedding! And having it at your home makes it so sentimental and special! I am soooo happy for you! I love you!"

Amber Heard is now officially on the hook for $8.35 million, and she could be on the hook for even more if she appeals the defamation verdict.

As you know, a jury awarded Johnny Depp the $8.35M after an explosive trial. The judge Friday officially entered the judgment into the court record, and there's a string attached if Amber decides to go forward with an appeal.

The judge said if Amber appeals she must post a bond in the full amount of Johnny's judgment PLUS 6% -- that's an additional $621k. Presumably, the 6% is an interest penalty for a delay in collection.

As for Amber, her rep released a statement invoking, of all things, the January 6th House hearings, stating ... she will indeed appeal, saying, "As stated in yesterday's congressional hearings, you don't ask for a pardon if you are innocent.  And, you don't decline to appeal if you know you are right."

Bill Bellamy says he's being forced to make an impossible choice after the deaths of his father and father-in-law -- due to an "unauthorized" memorial service planned by his sister.

The comedian and actor's going through an incredibly painful period ... with his father-in-law dying May 17, and then his own dad passing on June 8.

That would be gut-wrenching enough, but TMZ has learned things got even worse. While Bill was out of the country ... we're told his sister, Karen, made plans to lay their father, William, to rest today, June 24 -- the same weekend Bill and his wife had already planned his father-in-law's service in a different state.

According to documents filed in New Jersey, Bill actually attempted to get a restraining order which would force Karen to change the date, but he was denied -- there really is no legal standing for a judge to get involved in this sort of family dispute.

The obvious rift with his sister has left Bill in an unenviable position. He tells TMZ ... "In the span of less than a month I lost both my father William Bellamy Senior and my father-in-law Bernard Baker Junior. These two wonderful men that have impacted my life and my family's lives in ways that are beyond words."

He continues, "My effort to stop an unauthorized memorial service for my father, which was planned without my knowledge, was not successful. I am devastated my family has to choose to miss one service for another, no one should ever have to be in this position. My father-in-law's memorial service was confirmed back in May when he passed.

There are no words to express how disappointed I am to not be a part of laying my father to rest but I look forward to celebrating my father's life and legacy with my wife, his grandchildren and our close friends in our own time.

Johnny Depp's attorney Camille Vasquez helped another guy out of a jam ... she's being hailed as "wonder woman" for tending to a man suffering a medical emergency at 40,000 feet.

Folks on an American Airlines flight from Los Angeles to New York this week tell us Camille rushed to assist an elderly passenger who collapsed and hit his head midflight.

We're told the incident went down when the man in his 70s fell to the floor while walking past her and her bodyguard, who were both sitting in first class.

When the flight attendants yelled for help, we're told Camille and her muscle sprang out of their seats and tended to the guy.

Passengers say Camille got in touch with her brother-in-law, a doctor, and he started guiding her through steps to check if the man was having a heart attack or brain bleed from the fall.

Camille's bodyguard took off his Apple watch to monitor the passenger's heart rate.

Incredibly, folks say there was a surgeon on board who came forward to take over for Camille and her guard.

One of the flight attendants told Camille she was "wonder woman" and gifted her 2 bottles ... Merlot and champagne.

The plane turned back to LAX ... when it landed the man was conscious and EMTs came aboard and escorted him off the plane.

A rep for American Airlines confirmed the incident to TMZ.

Two Travis Scott fans are somewhere cradling his shoes right now, after Trav blew their minds by handing them a pair of shoes ... apparently, right off his feet!!!

Here's how it went down -- Travis was leaving his event Thursday night at TAO in Hollywood, and, as usual, a group of fans were waiting outside to greet him and hoping to snap some pics or get an autograph.

The rapper hopped in his car and decided to swing by the crowd before taking off ... rolling down his window, and shocking the hell out of them by handing out a pair of laced-up Jordans.

Their faces say it all ... complete and utter shock. Even the security guard nearby was showing some respect for their new gifts.

One of the kids took off pretty quick after getting the Jordan 1 Lows -- gotta stash that in a safe place!

TS has been working closely with Nike for a while ... doing shoe collabs that sell out fast -- one of the latest drops had over a million people going online to clean them out in under 30 minutes.

Rafael Nadal took a well-deserved break after winning his 14th French Open ... hitting the Spanish seas with his pregnant wife and friends on an insane mega-yacht!

The No. 4 ranked tennis star was spotted on the 78-foot, multimillion-dollar catamaran yacht named "Great White" just days after beating Norwegian Casper Ruud in the major tourney -- setting a new record with 14 French Open title wins.

And, the champ was celebrating like someone who just made history ... diving into the water, and hanging out on the deck with his buddies.

His wife, Maria Perello, was also livin' the vacay life ... just days after the couple -- who married in 2019 -- announced they're expecting their first child.

But, the R&R won't last long, though. Nadal -- who's dealing with pain in his left foot -- has Wimbledon to win ... and his first match is Tuesday against Francisco Cerúndolo.

"I'm going to be in Wimbledon if my body is ready to be in Wimbledon," Nadal said after winning the French Open.

"That's it. Wimbledon is not a tournament that I want to miss. I think nobody wants to miss Wimbledon. I love Wimbledon."

David Spade seems moved by the Burger King employee who got a mediocre goodie bag in recognition of 27 years without missing work ... giving him money and making him laugh.

Kevin Ford, who went viral this week after showing off his company gifts, tells TMZ ... his daughter let him know someone named David Spade donated $5,000 to his GoFundMe, but he wasn't sure it was the comedian himself, until he checked his Instagram inbox.

David slid in Kevin's direct messages ... telling him to keep it up after 27 years on the job without a break, and even cracking a joke about waiting a few more years before finally taking a day off.

Kevin tells us he's a huge fan of David's, so to get a donation plus some fun back and forth with Spade is surreal.

With David's $5k donation, Kevin's GoFundMe has now raised over $30,000 ... with the money going to help him visit his daughters and grandkids in Texas. He also says he wants to use the dough to buy a new Ford hybrid.

The L.A. Lakers' summer roster just got a whole lot more interesting ... because after the NBA Draft this week, the team signed Shaq and Scottie Pippen's sons to deals!!

Both Shareef O'Neal and Scotty Pippen Jr. inked agreements with the Purple and Gold on Thursday night ... after going undrafted in the NBA's annual two-round selection event.

According to reports, O'Neal signed on to play for the Lakers on their NBA Summer League squad. Pippen Jr., meanwhile, signed a two-way deal, meaning he'll also play on the summer roster with O'Neal, but will then have a good shot of getting on the actual regular-season squad.

The sons of both NBA legends were fired up over the contracts ... O'Neal posted a video of him as a baby in a Lakers jersey on his social media page to celebrate, while Pippen Jr. popped a bottle of champagne and then had a long hug with his family and famous Dad.

While the two aren't as gifted as their fathers (who the hell is?!?) ... both bring a ton to the Lakers' table. Shareef -- who played his college ball at both UCLA and LSU -- is a 6-foot-10, 225-pound big man who can stretch the floor.

Pippen Jr. -- a star at Vanderbilt the past three years -- is a 6-foot-3 guard who averaged 20.4 points per game in his final collegiate season.

Eric Trump must be feeling the vise tightening around his famous family as the Jan. 6th hearings roll on ... but on the surface, he seems unbothered, because he was livin' it up in Vegas.

Former President Trump's son -- along with his wife, Lara -- were in Sin City Wednesday night ...  Eric's entourage piled into a waiting SUV at The Venetian Hotel.

Eric and Lara are rolling deep ... a bunch of ladies got into the SUV before him. It seems they were being whisked away to check out a Luke Bryan concert at a nearby hotel, where they posed for pics with the country music star.

It's interesting to see Eric living it up in Vegas ... especially because the committee is now listening hard to some of his comments and those of other family members.

As we reported ... the House Committee just subpoenaed all of the footage from a Trump family documentary that was being filmed leading up to, during and after the insurrection ... outtakes that could produce a "Watergate moment" for Eric's dad.

ET wasn't keeping a particularly low profile on The Strip either ... his black SUV sported a vanity license plate -- "Trump 2."

Terrifying news from one of the stars of the Netflix series, "Cheer" -- Maddy Brum says she was struck by a car that was traveling 20-30 MPH earlier this week ... but thankfully, she escaped with just bruises and cuts on her body.

Brum -- who rose to fame during season 2 of the hit show -- says she was walking with her teammates at a crosswalk when a car turned and drove into her.

Brum posted pics from the hospital ... and appears to be in good spirits, giving a thumbs up.

In fact, the Navarro star -- who's currently on tour promoting the show -- says she will continue to perform during the next upcoming dates "to the best of my ability" after being checked out by an orthopedic surgeon.

Brum's Navarro friends shared kind words for their friend ... with La'Darius Marshall commenting, "I'm praying for you darling 😢get well soon!"

Gabi Butler added ... "I love you Madison 🤍 got them guardian angels around you 🙏🏽"

Navarro coach Monica Aldama said, "I'm so thankful it wasn't worse! ❤️❤️❤️ I love you!"

Brum thanked her teammates Angel Rice, Javon "Jay" Kendrick and James Thomas for taking care of her during the incident ... calling them the "bestest" friends.

Prosecutors want Nicki Minaj’s husband to do serious jail time -- not home confinement -- for failing to register as a sex offender in California ... TMZ Hip Hop has learned.

According to new legal docs, federal prosecutors don't think 6 months behind bars followed by supervised release is sufficient punishment for Kenneth Petty, who pled guilty to the offense. They specifically note any home confinement ordered as part of his supervised release would be spent in a huge Calabasas home where he and Nicki live.

The feds point out it's in a "gated affluent community" and includes a pool, Nicki’s music studio, and their beautifully landscaped backyard -- amenities not in line with their idea of crime and punishment.

In fact, the U.S. Attorney's Office seems to think that lap of luxury is what led Petty down the wrong path. In the docs, prosecutors say Petty kept up with his sex offender registry paperwork for nearly 20 years ... until he met Nicki in 2019 and moved to Cali. As they describe it, "Defendant began dating his wife, quit his job, moved to Los Angeles, and adopted an affluent lifestyle."

Petty told the court he didn't know the specific requirements to register upon leaving NY state, but prosecutors say he was well aware of the rules after getting annual warnings for 2 decades. As we've reported ... Petty had to register as a sex offender after a 1995 attempted rape conviction in NY.

Now, federal prosecutors in CA are recommending he serve 15 months of prison time, 5 years supervised release and pay $55K in retribution. The judge will have final say when sentencing goes down July 6.

Amy Schumer had to call it quits with Penn Badgley's wife, who was working as her doula while recovering from her C-section ... and looks had EVERYTHING to do with it.

Amy told the "You" star about firing his wife Domino Kirke on his podcast "Podcrushed" Tuesday ... she says qualifications weren't an issue here -- but she was like a goddess roaming her house, while Amy was feeling less than perfect.

A doula acts as a labor assistant for someone that's going through or just finished their pregnancy, providing emotional and physical support ... while it sounds like Domino did her job well, Amy just couldn't get over that perfect look.

She says the "floating siren" made her feel vulnerable after having her 1st kid ... and she couldn't stand melting to her touch for one second more. She admits she feels pretty bad about giving her the boot.

Amy and her husband Chris Fischer welcomed baby Gene in 2019 -- their first kid together. The comedian decided to document her entire experience through the docuseries, "Expecting Amy."