Travis Barker Cruisin' with Kourtney after Hospitalization

Travis Barker has resurfaced after his scary hospitalization last week, and he didn't look the worse for wear.

Travis and his wife Kourtney Kardashian took a ride in a vintage orange truck on the 4th, with Penelope and Reign in the back.

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JOY RIDIN'

They looked super chill, as they listened to Bruno Mars' "Grenade."

Travis has said he's feeling a lot better after landing in the hospital.

TMZ broke the story ... he had a colonoscopy which triggered pancreatitis -- a serious problem that kept him in a hospital bed for days as doctors ran tests and treated the ailment.

Travis took to social media last weekend and said "I went in for an endoscopy Monday feeling great. But After dinner, I developed excruciating pain and have been hospitalized ever since."

He went on ...  "During the endoscopy, I had a very small polyp removed right in a very sensitive area, usually handled by specialists, which unfortunately damaged a critical pancreatic drainage tube. This resulted in severe life threatening pancreatitis."

All seems to be well now, thankfully.

Travis Scott Stops Concert and Orders Fans to Stop Dangling from Truss

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CROWD CONTROL
TMZ.com

Travis Scott stopped his show Monday night because several fans put themselves in danger ... and it's impossible not to think about the tragedy at Astroworld when looking at the video.

Travis and Meek Mill performed at The Day Party concert at Coney Art Walls in Coney Island. He took the stage at around 8 PM, DJ'd and then performed.

The crowd was packed in, so much so that a couple of concertgoers climbed up a lighting truss and dangled as they watched Travis perform. One of the fans must have planned ahead ... he was wearing a Spiderman costume.

Travis saw what was happening and stopped the show, ordering the fans to climb down from the truss. They followed his orders and the concert went on.

As you all know, Travis is facing multiple lawsuits over the Astroworld tragedy, with some of the victims and victims' families alleging he should have stopped the show before the crush. Travis insists he didn't see or know what was going on, and fact is ... apparently neither did the police, who seemed oblivious.

Travis is expected to perform at several concerts with enormous crowds later this year.

July 4th Mass Shooting FBI Raids Home of Person of Interest Robert Crimo

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COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP
TMZ.com

FBI agents wearing tactical gear and brandishing assault rifles poured out of an armored vehicle Monday and raided the suburban Chicago home of Robert Crimo -- the person of interest in the July 4th mass shooting -- and TMZ obtained exclusive video of the raid.

The scene unfolded around 4:30 PM Monday in Highwood, Illinois -- where Robert Crimo lives with his family -- two hours before the alleged killer was taken into custody by police after a brief car chase. Cops identified Crimo as a "person of interest" in the heinous shootings and recovered a high-powered rifle from the scene.

Video from the raid shows two teams of FBI agents with guns poised ... walking up to the front and side entrances of the house. One of the agents is heard banging on the front door and yelling, "It's The FBI. If you're inside, come out with your hands up."

The other team is seen walking along the side of the house and pointing their guns at the windows, before entering the home through an unlocked door.

Witnesses tell TMZ ... the feds stayed there for several hours taking photos, but it's unclear if they removed evidence from the home or made arrests. Some agents were overheard saying they had viewed "some interesting things."

During the raid, we're told Crimo's father drove up, spoke with the FBI and made a call to his son, leaving a voicemail that the feds wanted to talk to him, the witnesses said.

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END OF THE LINE
ViralHog

The 22-year-old Crimo -- if he's indeed the gunman -- turned the Fourth Of July parade in Highland Park into a shooting gallery by opening fire at a crowd from the rooftop of a local business. Six people were killed and more than two dozen were taken to hospitals with injuries. The victims ranged in age from 8 to 85.

Highland Park Shooting Person of Interest Captured Posted Mass Murder Videos for Years

UPDATE

4:51 PM PT -- Crimo has reportedly been taken into custody.

UPDATE

Crimo has reportedly posted videos glorifying mass shootings -- for years. The videos are graphic, extreme and shocking. He also posted the photo of Lee Harvey Oswald, JFK's assassin, holding a rifle. He also called himself a rapper and his music videos were celebrations of mass shootings. His most recent video reportedly shows him getting shot by cops after committing mass murder.

UPDATE

2:58 PM PT -- The suspect is still on the loose ... but police have now identified 22-year-old Robert 'Bobby' E. Crimo III as a person of interest. The suspected shooter is believed to be armed and dangerous.

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UPDATE

Reports suggest Crimo has a YouTube page with videos depicting mass shootings, including videos of him playing first-person shooter games.

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UPDATE

Multiple photos of him are now surfacing ... he appears to have face tattoos, and with dyed hair. Cops say he is still unaccounted for as of this writing ... meaning he's still out there and has yet to be captured. Police say he is driving a silver Honda Fit, license plate DM80653.

UPDATE

12:09 PM PT -- Police say the suspect likely opened fire from the rooftop of a store.

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UPDATE

As you can see in video, people began to flee in panic as they heard heavy gunfire.

UPDATE

11:05 AM PT -- Highland Park Police just gave an update at a news conference moments ago ... they confirm 6 people are dead and two dozen are injured. A rifle has been found, but officials are urging residents to stay inside as the suspect remains at large.

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UPDATE

10:31 AM PT -- 5 people are dead, and at least 16 others were taken to a local hospital in today's mass shooting -- this according to the City of Highland Park.

UPDATE

10:12 AM PT -- Authorities say the shooter is still at large, and surrounding 4th of July celebrations are currently canceled.

A 4th of July parade was the site of yet another mass shooting ... this time in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park.

The parade started at 10 AM CT and 10 minutes in ... gunshots rang out and an unknown number of people were hit.

Cell phone videos show the panic among parade-goers ... as they scrambled for safety, not knowing which way to turn.

A Chicago Sun-Times reporter says he saw blankets covering 3 bodies that appeared bloodied. One parade-goer says he counted more than 20 shots.

There are unconfirmed reports of 9 people shot. We do not know the extent of their injuries or if anyone was killed.

The scene was chaotic ... people ran for cover, leaving their baby strollers and blankets. They seemed confused at first, but quickly realized this was the scene of yet another mass shooting.

Police responded quickly and were quick to pull out their rifles and other firearms and equipment ... looking for the shooter.

At the time of this post, the shooter had not been identified or captured.

Story developing.

Originally Published -- 9:49 AM PT

'9-1-1: LONE STAR' ACTOR Tyler Sanders Died From Apparent Overdose

Tyler Sanders' death is being treated as a suspected overdose ... sources connected to the death investigation tell TMZ.

We're told Tyler, who had roles in big shows like "9-1-1: Lone Star" and "Fear the Walking Dead," had a history of drug use and cops found a plastic straw and white powder in the room where he died.

TMZ broke the story ... 18-year-old Tyler was found dead June 16 in his Los Angeles home.

Our sources say Tyler's friends called police to conduct a welfare check because they had not heard from him following a night out ... and that's what led to his body being discovered.

Tyler was laid to rest in Houston ... and someone who attended the funeral tells us Tyler's dad, David Sanders, delivered the eulogy and told the crowd Tyler died of an apparent drug overdose.

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We're told Tyler started battling depression when he began filming '9-1-1' and his father repeated some of Tyler's own words at his funeral, talking about how Tyler's brain was wired to where he could not feel happiness.

An official cause of death for Tyler will be determined by the coroner once toxicology reports come back in 4 to 6 months.

Martin Luther King Jr. Discusses Use of 'N' Word in Rare Letter

A significant piece of history is now up for sale ... a letter from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. where he candidly talks about the "n" word and the term "dark skinned American."

MLK wrote the letter January 18, 1966. The recipient was a man named William A. Bennett -- unclear who Bennett is. Dr. King embraced the term "dark skinned" ... saying he used it often as it reflects "both our great heritage and our devotion to a brand of Americanism of the highest order."

Of course, MLK has thoughts about the "n" word, which he says "carries with it a meaning deeply rooted in the debilitating racist caste ordering of our society's slavery epoch and segregation era."

The historical artifact was held in a private collection until recently, and now it's for sale on the Moments In Time site for $95,000.

Read the letter ... it's really interesting.

Booker T Praises Ric Flair Ahead Of 'Last Match' ... 'That's That Guy, Man'

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HAPPILY RETIRED
TMZSports.com

Booker T tells TMZ Sports his wrestling days are long behind him ... however, he respects a guy like Ric Flair, who, at age 73, will be lacing up his boots and stepping in the ring to fight one final match later this summer.

"I have no itch to scratch," Booker T said when asked about possibly coming out of retirement. "I've scratched every itch that I want to scratch as for as getting back inside the squared circle."

"What Ric Flair is doing, he's doing that because he loves this business, man. Ric Flair told me a long time ago that he would never retire. That's that guy, man."

As we reported, Ric is slated to wrestle one final time on July 31 against an undisclosed opponent, despite admitting he has some concerns that prior health issues might crop up in the ring.

57-year-old Booker T is clearly impressed by Flair's tenacity ... telling us, "He's gonna come in and go out in a blaze of glory. You can only respect that."

Booker also reflected on the first time he ever wrestled the Nature Boy -- it was a WCW Saturday night taping that he got thrown into at the last minute.

"Half of the time, I didn't know if I was coming or going just because he was telling me one thing, and he was doing another," Booker said.

The former heavyweight champ said he learned so much from sharing the ring with Naitch that night ... recalling he was like a "sponge" just trying to soak up all the knowledge Flair was imparting.

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BLAST FROM THE PAST
TMZSports.com

Booker may no longer be an in-ring performer ... but he remains an integral part of WWE's storytelling as a commentator, which is why the King of the Spinarooni has been tapped to host a new series called "WWE Rivals."

The series -- which is a joint collaboration between A&E network and WWE -- dives into the most iconic rivalries in the promotion's history ... and it airs on July 10 at 8 PM ET.

Stars Hanging In The Hamptons ... Life's A Beach!

If you're one of the East Coast elite, there is no better place to be during the dog days of summer than on the soft sands and at the private parties along the eastern Long Island coastline ... aka The Hamptons.

The uber-rich stretch of the seascape is where actors, musicians, socialites and politicians all congregate to rub elbows and in a decadent display of wealth ... mixed with a downright drive to party on the pristine shores.

Take a sneak peek into a life well out of reach by checking out all the selfies the stars have shared while hanging in The Hamptons.

Jessica Nabongo I'm The First Black Woman To Visit Every Country ... Writes Book About Travels

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OH THE PLACES I'VE GONE
TMZ.com

Travel influencer Jessica Nabongo is the first Black woman to visit every country on this planet ... and her new book shows off some of the most exciting parts of her years-long journey!

We talked to the author on "TMZ Live," and she concedes some places were more welcoming than others ... she's been to more than 190 countries during her journey -- needless to say, she's got her favorites -- and some to which she won't return.

She's been in North Korea, which was an eerie experience ... her Ugandan passport got her in -- the U.S. isn't allowing people to travel to NK.

Pyongyang was weird for her, just because of how normal things felt ... it was nothing like it seems in movies.

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Not only has Jessica joined the ranks of 400 others who've hit up every country, her book, 'The Catch Me If You Can,' documents her travels as she racked up more than 450 flights and logged more than 1 million miles!!!

Guess Who This Darling Kiddo Turned Into!

Before this cute kid turned into a TV personality, among many other notable roles, she was just like every other young child ... losing her baby teeth and waiting for the tooth fairy while growing up in Los Angeles, California.

When this strong beauty isn't organizing her pantry, modeling her clothing line or hanging with her fam, you can find her up in the gym working on her fitness. Out of all of her siblings, she definitely does the best impression of her mother ... and she does a great impression of Cardi B's 'Okurrr.'

Can you guess who she is?

Katy Perry Abortion Tweet Dragged ... Don't You Back Caruso???

Katy Perry sent a message this holiday weekend to express frustration about the Roe v. Wade decision -- but all Twitter wants to do is point out what it sees as hypocrisy.

The singer tweeted Monday about the 4th of July and what it means in her eyes in the wake of the Supreme Court's ruling to reverse the landmark decision ... effectively outlawing abortions almost immediately in several states across the country, and more to come.

She sarcastically writes, "'Baby you’re a firework' is a 10 but women in the US have fewer rights than an actual sparkler smh" -- clearly referencing her 2010 track of the same name.

NBD, or so you would think ... rather than getting praised for her pro-choice sentiment here -- as many celebs have been lately -- Katy is actually getting dragged to no end right now. And it all has to do with who she publicly supported for L.A. Mayor ... aka, Rick Caruso.

As we reported ... KP was one of many celebs who endorsed the billionaire entrepreneur and real estate developer running for Mayor. And while he didn't outright win in June's election -- he has a chance to take it home in Nov. in a runoff race with Rep. Karen Bass.

The problem ... Caruso, who's running as a Dem, has been perceived as wish-washy on his abortion stance over the years, at least that's what old interviews from the 2000s suggest. Until recently ... Rick was a Republican and has donated to a lot of GOPers, including folks some say have it out for abortion rights -- all of which he's been called out over of late.

Now, he says he's pro-choice and touts himself as an advocate for women's rights. Unfortunately for him (and for Katy, it seems) ... Twitter's not buying it, and they're telling Katy to sit this one out due to her very vocal support for him.

She's far from the only celeb who backed Caruso, though -- Kim Kardashian also got behind him in the run-up to the election last month ... but she appears to have wisely dodged Twitter to lament the abortion sitch lately.

Instead, she's voiced her displeasure via IG Stories -- where random people can't comment or go after her as easily as they could on the old bird app . Smart move in hindsight.

Chris Rock Brunch Date with Lake Bell ... Seem to Go Public as Couple

Chris Rock isn't hiding his relationship with Lake Bell any longer -- the duo is out and about in L.A. for all to see ... and we gotta say, they look pretty good together!

The comedian and actress were hitting the town this weekend, popping up at Giorgio Baldi together in Santa Monica where they chowed down. And on Sunday, the couple grabbed a bite at Coast Restaurant in the same neighborhood ... dining with just the two of them.

We're told there was no obvious PDA here -- ditto for the Baldi outing, BTW -- but they certainly seemed to be flirty and in good spirits.

The fact we're seeing Chris and Lake all over the country together now suggests they're dating, and apparently serious. You'll recall ... they were recently spotted at a Cardinals game in St. Louis, where they were sitting in the same box trying to lay low.

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TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME
TMZ.com

As we noted then, both stars are currently single and fresh off long-term relationships. Even in the baseball game instance, though, they didn't appear to be truly hiding anything ... and now, the cat's outta the bag.

Nothing to help smooth over a hard slap like a sweet, newfound love. Clearly, not everybody hates Chris.

James Cameron 'Avatar 2' Is Long, Deal With It ... Take a Leak If You Must!!!

James Cameron has a message for folks who might complain about a long runtime for his new 'Avatar' movie -- pipe down and stop fussing ... unless you gotta wiz.

The esteemed director did a wide-ranging interview with Empire -- where he says, among other things, that he might not actually direct 'Avatar 4' or '5' ... but instead opt to pass the baton to other filmmakers, as he apparently has other stuff he wants to get to.

Cool, cool, cool ... but another even more interesting quote also surfaced in this sit-down -- namely, JC apparently getting preemptively irked about future viewers who might bitch about a likely 3-hour plus movie ... for which he has some words, and even a solution.

Cameron says in part, "I don't want anybody whining about length when they sit and binge-watch [television] for eight hours ... I can almost write this part of the review. 'The agonizingly long three-hour movie...' It's like, give me a f***ing break. I've watched my kids sit and do five one-hour episodes in a row."

He also adds this ... "Here's the big social paradigm shift that has to happen: it's okay to get up and go pee." This part doesn't actually make much sense, unless he's advocating for people to be willing to miss parts of his movie rather than just pee their pants.

Of course, we can't pause films in theaters ... so that seems to be what he's getting at. Now, one way to deal with this organically is to work in a hard intermission, like in the old days.

Even though his other really long movie, 'Titanic,' didn't have an intermission built into the theater screenings when it played in the '90s -- the VHS versions did indeed split the movie into 2 parts. Might not be too lousy of an idea if James is anticipating bladders bursting.

That, or just hold it. It builds character!

Brittney Griner Writes Open Letter to Biden ... Please Get Me Out of Here

Brittney Griner is speaking for herself for the first time in a long time as she's been detained in Russia pending a trial -- and her words are an emotional plea to President Biden.

Excerpts of a letter sent to the White House this week on behalf of Griner were published Sunday, through reps for Griner, and it consists of bullet point thoughts she's expressing as she faces years behind bars for allegedly bringing hash cartridges into the country.

Griner writes to Joe, in part ... "… as I sit here in a Russian prison, alone with my thoughts and without the protection of my wife, family, friends, Olympic jersey, or any accomplishments, I'm terrified I might be here forever."

The WNBA star goes on to say that on the 4th of July, she has a tradition of honoring service members -- including within her own family -- but that this year ... freedom means something completely different to her amid her circumstance.

The final excerpt reads, "I realize you are dealing with so much, but please don't forget about me and the other American Detainees. Please do all you can to bring us home. I voted for the first time in 2020 and I voted for you."

Griner ends with this final thought for POTUS ... "I believe in you. I still have so much good to do with my freedom that you can help restore. I miss my wife! I miss my family! I miss my teammates! It kills me to know they are suffering so much right now. I am grateful for whatever you can do at this moment to get me home."

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A MESSAGE TO BIDEN
CNN

BG's wife recently said while she felt the administration was acting in good faith to bring her back -- she still felt they weren't doing enough, and Griner's own words reflect that.

The entirety of the letter has not been publicly published -- it's unclear what else Brittney might've written to Biden, but this itself is pretty telling ... she's begging for a lifeline.

Bette Midler Invokes Trans Argument ... Talking Abortion, Women's Rights

UPDATE

5:45 PM PT -- Macy Gray appears to concur with Bette. While talking to Piers Morgan, she expressed similar views ... albeit not necessarily in the context of abortion.

UPDATE
UPDATE

It appears the convo was more broad about trans people in general -- and on the front, Macy says ... "Just because you go change your parts, (that) doesn't make you a woman."

Bette Midler has embraced an argument some are invoking to address the abortion crisis in the country -- bringing up transgender people to make a point ... a lightning rod one at that.

The actress has been very active on Twitter these past couple days, blasting the Supreme Court for reversing Roe v. Wade -- mostly hitting out at Clarence Thomas, it seems -- and in the same breath ... she's speaking up on women's rights. Emphasis on that first part.

BM writes, "WOMEN OF THE WORLD! We are being stripped of our rights over our bodies, our lives and even of our name! They don’t call us 'women' anymore; they call us 'birthing people' or 'menstruators', and even 'people with vaginas'!"

She adds fervently ... "Don’t let them erase you! Every human on earth owes you!" Of course, that gets to trans/non-binary people ... and some are calling this POV transphobic.

Interestingly, her comment piggybacks on a now-viral op-ed published in the NYT this weekend, titled "The Far Right And Far Left Agree on One Thing: Women Don't Count" ... in which the author makes similar arguments about cisgender women being "erased" on the extremes of both sides of the aisle ... either for inclusivity's sake, or outright oppression.

While some might agree, others say it's a false equivalency to compare trying to be sensitive to trans people/using mindful language to what the GOP seems to be doing (banning abortions) ... suggesting one is clearly a far more serious and dire threat than the other is.

In any case, we know where Bette stands on the issue. She seems to be very much an old-school feminist who's pretty pissed off about all this. One crisis at a time, though, perhaps.

Originally Published -- 11:58 AM PT

Tristan Thompson Chatting Up Hotties in Vegas Club ... Single & Ready to Mingle

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you can find me in the club ...
TMZ.com

Tristan Thompson is living the single life, partying it up in Vegas ... with at least one lovely lady hanging off his arm.

The NBA star was seen hanging out at the Marquee Nightclub in Sin City early Sunday morning (around 1:30 AM), where we're told he was with a posse of 3 ... one dude, who seemed to be his wingman for the night, and a couple of girls. One for each guy.

Eyewitnesses tell us the group was definitely together the whole time and seemed to be having a good time -- dancing with each other and chatting up with drinks in tow.

At one point, we're told the woman that Tristan appeared to be in lockstep with actually danced up on him ... and that they were very touchy-feely. As you can see in this video, obtained by TMZ, Tristan looked to be holding on to her tight, and whispering in her ear.

Eventually, we're told the crew left around 3 AM. Unclear who any of these people with Tristan might've been -- they're certainly not anyone we recognize in his immediate circle.

Now, we know what everyone must be thinking ... what about Khloe?!? Fact is, this isn't nearly as scandalous as it might appear ... as people well know, Khloe and Tristan are not romantically involved at the moment and they simply co-parent, which we've seen.

So in other words ... no harm, no foul. Just an unattached man doing his thing.