TMZ.com Home

Eleven members of the Texas State Legislature have fired off a letter to Sidley Austin, one of the largest law firms in the U.S., threatening the firm and its lawyers with criminal prosecution and disbarment if they in any way facilitate abortions, even in other states.

The letter, sent to the Chair of the firm's management committee and obtained by TMZ, states the Texas Freedom Caucus -- run by the 11 Texas Republican representatives -- has become aware Sidley Austin is "reimbursing travel costs of employees who leave Texas to murder their unborn children." The Caucus also accuses the firm of complicity in performing illegal abortions.

Rep. Mayes Middleton, the Chair of the Caucus who signed the letter, warns Sidley Austin abortion is a felony in Texas unless the mother's life is in danger.  Middleton notes the law covers "drug-induced abortions if any part of the drug regimen is ingested in Texas, even if the drugs were dispensed by an out-of-state abortionist."

Middleton threatens, if Sidley Austin violates the law, the firm and all of the partners will be subject to criminal prosecution and disbarment.

And maybe the most ominous ... the letter says Sidley "may have aided or abetted drug-induced abortions in violation of the Texas Heartbeat Act, by paying for abortions (or abortion-related travel) in which the patient ingested the second drug in Texas after receiving the drugs from an out-of-state provider." The letter goes on to say there is litigation underway to uncover the identity of the lawyers who did this. The letter demands Sidley preserve all documents related to any lawyer who basically helped any woman get an abortion after Sept. 1, 2021 -- the date the Texas Heartbeat Act was enacted.

The letter goes on to warn the law firm and its 2,000 lawyers ... there will be new legislation in the next session of the Texas State Legislature that will specifically target law firms that pay for abortion or abortion-related travel.

The legislation would also give private citizens the right to sue anyone who pays for an elective abortion performed on a Texas resident ... whether they pay directly or reimburse. It will also incentivize citizens who bring these lawsuits with a $10,000 bounty if they prevail.

There's more ... the new legislation would require the Texas State Bar to disbar any attorney who violates the anti-abortion law. And, if the State Bar refuses to act, then members of the public can sue the State Bar and get a judge to require the Bar to disbar the offending lawyer.

And in case there are any D.A.'s who won't enforce the law ... the proposed legislation would give any D.A. in the State the right to prosecute even outside their jurisdiction.

Kylie Jenner might've hinted at a 3rd baby on the way, which could be here a lot sooner than we think ... after leaving a string of pregnant-themed emojis on Travis Scott's latest post.

Travis put up a pic of himself on Instagram Sunday, with the caption "Got there in a New York minute" ... while fans flocked to the comments, begging the rapper to drop his new album, Kylie had something else on her mind.

She replied with a tongue-out emoji, followed by 4 pregnant women emojis ... and speculators were at the ready.

Some folks think this means she's pregnant again, while others see it as a push for TS to give her another bambino -- one person noted, "Kylie baby girl you haven’t even introduced your second baby."

There were even some who thought the whole thing was fake ... "She's all about playing that game."

As you know, the baby formally known as Wolf was born in February ... but the name didn't stick and 6 months in they still haven't revealed the new moniker.

Kylie and Travis have been fueling the rumor mill lately ... she caught people's eyes last week when she flashed her hand toward the camera, with a big rock on her ring finger.

Britney Spears claims her sister Jamie Lynn was having meetings with their dad during COVID while the rest of the world was on lockdown ... but we're told that's not the case at all.

Sources close to Jamie Lynn tell TMZ she wasn't parading around with her dad in 2020 -- instead, she was stuck at home like everyone else, and believes Britney got her story completely wrong ...  saying the proof is clear as day.

Britney posted a photo Sunday of Jamie Lynn and Jamie as supposed evidence of their pandemic meetings, along with a lengthy caption ... but we're told the pic in question was in 2019, before the lockdown.

At the time of the photo, JL was just getting back into work after having her second daughter, Ivey, the year before ... she had intro meetings with a few streaming services and Jamie dropped her off on the way to the airport.

We're told he didn't attend the meeting with her, and the picture was taken when she was staying in Britney's guest room during the trip ... which is why Jamie Lynn's confused as to how her big sis forgot that.

As a result, we're told JL wishes Britney would leave her out of future posts -- believing this is just a blatant lie to make her look bad. BTW, Brit has since taken down the entire post.

Ben Affleck seems to be getting super emotional during his honeymoon with Jennifer Lopez -- but it's still all love between them.

The couple enjoyed a romantic sit-down Sunday in Paris ... they'd stopped off for dinner at a place called La Girafe in front of the Eiffel --  on Jen's 53rd birthday, no less. Perfect setting.

Based on these pics, it looks like BA might’ve had a tender moment that led to tears during the private meal — which went down without any of their kids around, a couple of whom have joined them in Europe.

Unclear why Ben might’ve been crying, but he had a shoulder to lean on ... J Lo embraced him in a hug -- which you can kinda see in the photos here. She's got a hand on his face.

Ben turned off the waterworks soon enough -- later, they had themselves a nice little stroll around town, just the 2 of them, and he was back to smiling.

Ben and Jen have been enjoying the city for the past several days now -- this after getting hitched last weekend on a whim in Vegas.

Elon Musk is denying a report claiming he had an affair with a fellow techie billionaire's wife -- and claims the truth is ... he hasn't banged anyone in a while.

The Tesla chief responded to a WSJ story from this weekend, which cited sources saying Elon had hooked up with Nicole Shanahan, the wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin. The paper says they had a fling in December 2021, when Nicole and Sergey were separated.

But, Musk's calling BS -- he tweeted Sunday he'd just seen Sergey at a shindig this weekend, and that he'd only encountered Nicole a handful of times in person ... none of which he says were romantic in nature.

Elon also says he's so damn busy lately, working long hours, that he doesn't have time for "shenanigans" -- also noting to some in his Twitter replies that he hasn't had sex "in ages."

We're not so sure about that -- fact is, dude is popping out kids left and right these days.

In any case, Elon says the entire rumor is nonsense and chalks up the Journal putting this out as another effort to hurt him and his company, calling it a short-selling ploy.

Nicole and Sergey haven't commented on the story -- another factor Elon says is suspicious ... namely, no one going on the record or being interviewed for the piece.

Lil Wayne is currently mourning Robert Hoobler aka “Uncle Bob” -- the police officer who saved 12-year-old Wayne's life following a suicide attempt.

Weezy broke the news of the loss Monday on IG, where he posted ... “RIP uncle Bob. Aunt Kathie been waiting for u.”

According to Nola.com, Bob’s family said he was found dead in his home Friday. The former New Orleans officer was a double amputee, and his police peers always spoke fondly of Bob.

He was the responding officer when Wayne attempted suicide by shooting himself in the chest. Wayne's always credited Bob with not only responding, but rescuing him when he got on the scene.

Bob spoke to TMZ in August 2021, and said Wayne had offered to him financial assistance for life, if he ever needed it.

Wayne previously thought Uncle Bob had already passed -- he rapped about it in the 2015 track, "London Roads" -- but he was alive, got in touch with Weezy ... and they resumed their friendship.

Chucky might be real after all — that is, if you take a passing glance at these photos … which certainly make it seem like he’s alive and on the move.

A 5-year-old boy named Jackson has been freaking people out in Pinson, Alabama this month … roaming the streets for a “neighborhood watch” that he apparently likes to do in costume — this according to his mom, who spoke to a local TV station.

That getup, as it turns out, is his Halloween costume from last year — Chucky the Killer Doll, from the “Child’s Play” franchise … and it might be a little too lifelike, ‘cause it’s been scaring the crap out of some residents!

These photos of Jackson walking around as Chucky were posted on Facebook — with someone asking the parent(s) of this kid to come and wrangle him in … because he’s startling the neighbors.

It’s all in good fun, of course — and now that everyone knows who it is, the family is supposedly a little famous … with some party appearance requests even coming in for Chucky/Jackson.

Big Ed is channeling his inner bull rider at the rodeo by holding on for dear life ... only he's not grabbing rope ... he's grabbing his fiancée's butt!

TMZ obtained these photos of the "90 Day Fiancé" star and his bride-to-be, Liz, at a rodeo near San Diego ... and as you see, Big Ed has his mitt halfway down his girl's pants.

Big Ed made his big move on Liz when they hit up the Lakeside Rodeo in Lakeside, CA for what appears to be a date night ... and it seems he was trying to get her to save a horse and ride a cowboy.

TMZ broke the story ... Big Ed and Liz reconciled after their volatile relationship on "90 Day: The Single Life" blew up ... he later proposed and she's been showing off her engagement ring ever since.

Liam Payne's gonna hate this clip -- at least one part of it -- because the never-before-seen footage shows Simon Cowell taking a slight dig at the young singer while forming One Direction.

ITV dropped the un-aired video from back in 2010 ... it's the moment 'X Factor' judges Simon Cowell, Nicole Scherzinger and Louis Walsh picked the lineup of singers for the group that would become One Direction.

ICYMI, last month, Liam upset some folks by claiming 1D was formed around him -- he said the judges started with him before adding in the other singers ... Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik.

Liam made the claim on Logan Paul's Podcast saying, Simon "started with my face, and then worked around the rest. I was the honorary member of One Direction. He told me that story himself at his house"

Well, the new footage doesn't exactly bear that out -- Simon did say Liam had a great audition. However, he snidely added, "He thinks he's better than anyone else in that list."

To Liam's credit ... Simon was clearly impressed, but seemed to think he was a bit cocky.

Chess is supposed to be a non-contact game, but a boy in Russia find out differently when a competing robot crushed his finger during a tournament.

The boy was matched up against a bionic arm in the Moscow Chess Open when he moved one of his pieces, but didn't wait for the robot to respond. As he tried to make another move, the contraption simultaneously reacted and grabbed the boy's finger, squeezing it until the bone shattered.

Surveillance video captured the scary moment as people rushed to the boy's aid, managing to release him from the machine's grip and escorting him away.

Moscow Chess Federation President Sergey Lazarev told Tass media the boy's finger was broken and put in a cast, but he got back in the game the next day!

Lazarev added, “The robot was rented by us, it has been exhibited in many places by specialists for a long time. Apparently, the operators overlooked some flaws."

John Metchie III -- one of the Houston Texans' second-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft -- has been diagnosed with Leukemia ... and will likely miss the entire season while fighting the cancer.

The 22-year-old announced the news on Sunday ... saying doctors have thankfully described it as "the most curable form of Leukemia."

"I am currently receiving great medical care, am in good spirits and I expect to make a recovery at a later point in time," Metchie III added.

The receiver -- who played a huge role for Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide the past two years -- said he will almost certainly have to sit out his rookie season in order to recover.

"My main focus will be on my health and recovery," he said. "Thank you in advance for your support and well-wishes. I cannot wait to come back stronger than ever. God bless."

Metchie III -- who piled up 2,081 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns the last two years at Alabama -- was expected to be a key contributor for the Texans after being selected with the No. 44 overall pick in April.

Shanna Moakler and boyfriend Matthew Rondeau have another thing to deal with when it comes to their rocky relationship ... criminal charges from his domestic violence arrest.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the Los Angeles City Attorney charged Shanna's man with misdemeanor domestic violence, battery and vandalism.

TMZ broke the story ... Matthew was busted back in February for allegedly getting physical with Shanna during an argument.

Remember ... Mathew's arrest came on the heels of him posting an aggressive video on Shanna's social media account, insinuating she cheated on him and vowing to never get back together with her.

Shanna said they were done after his arrest ... but a few days later she announced she was pregnant with Matthew's child. They've since turned to Dr. Drew for couples counseling and have been spotted together on several occasions.

We spoke to Shanna who tells us, "I'm not pressing charges, I'm hoping the city attorney respects my wishes and drops everything as well. I will be supporting Matthew 100%. This has disrupted our lives enough. We have both learned from this experience we never wish to have been public and we would like to move forward in a positive and peaceful manner."

Jason Momoa was involved in a scary car wreck with a motorcycle this weekend -- but luckily, everyone's okay and no one's being blamed ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the 'Aquaman' star was traveling on Old Topanga Canyon Road Sunday out near the Calabasas area -- when at one point during his drive, a biker traveling in the opposite direction made contact with him coming around a curve.

We're told the motorcycle rider crossed over into Jason's lane during this bend, and then hit the left front end of his Oldsmobile muscle car ... and kinda went flying, albeit only briefly.

The rider, fortunately, was able to land on his feet -- this according to our sources -- but not before bouncing off of JM's windshield and clearing the hood of his car to end up on the other side. Like we said, the rider was apparently left standing up after the collision.

The motorcycle rider was transported to the hospital with minor injuries -- including bruising to their leg and an injury to their thumb -- but beyond that ... they seemed alright. Jason's fine too ... cops were on the scene and took reports, but nothing else came of the accident.

Byron Scott believes Shaquille O'Neal's son, Shareef, can still have a future in the NBA despite having a rough go in Summer League ... telling TMZ Sports the talent is there, but the 22-year-old still has little things he needs to work on in his game.

We spoke with the former Lakers head coach out at LAX this week ... and he was very candid about what he saw from Shareef, sharing what he believes is the biggest reason the former UCLA and LSU product has struggled to find success playing pro ball this summer.

"I think he looked a little bit out of place,” Scott said. "He wasn’t ready. I think he still has a little ways to go. I think the talent is there. Obviously, the athleticism is there."

"It’s just some other little things he has to tweak. But Scotty Pippen Jr. looked really good," he continued.

Shareef and Scotty have been linked together all summer -- considering they are both sons of Hall of Famers and were both signed to the Lakers -- but Byron thinks Scotty is ahead in his development, thanks to the time he spent in college.

"Again, it goes back to showing you four years of school compared to a guy that just went a year or whatever the case may be is a big difference," Byron said.

"Scotty is NBA ready."

Byron believes anybody overtly critical of Shareef's performance needs to remember that he's overcoming heart surgery ... and is still trying to find his way back physically.

"You should take that into consideration," Byron said. "The fact that he’s not where everybody thinks he should be at this particular point is because of some of the medical conditions that he’s had to deal with."

"And he’s still young. Give 'em a chance!"

Before this little one was spitting beats and rapping her way to the Grammy's stage, she was just a cool, little girl break dancing her socks off and bouncing between New York and Los Angeles, California.

This cute kid knows how to entertain a crowd and keep her fans ... AKA her 'Kittens' on their feet. After dropping out of high school in 11th grade, she took up music and began posting her tracks on SoundCloud. It is safe to say her music career really took off after her songs went viral on TikTok.

'Yeah-yeah, oh-whoa-whoa!'

Everybody seems to want a piece of Machine Gun Kelly these days, and unfortunately for him ... one fan took that concept literally, and much too far with a handsy display.

The singer was performing Thursday at the Moda Center in Portland, OR -- as part of his Mainstream Sellout tour -- and at one point in the show ... he went up into the seats with audience members, getting up right near some of them -- including this overzealous guy.

Watch ... in video obtained by TMZ, you see this gent wrap his hand around MGK while he's standing right next to his legs, seemingly trying to get a selfie with the star.

He should've just stopped there and let Kelly break away -- which he was clearly trying to do -- but this concertgoer apparently wasn't done having his fun. Instead, he grabs on tighter to MGK, wrapping his arm around the rest of his waist and reaching to the frontal area.

Indeed, the dude got a handful of Kelly's junk and held on tight -- that is, until his hand was stripped away by MGK himself ... and being pushed back by somebody else, maybe security.