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Malia Obama is taking in all the sights and attractions L.A. has to offer ... this time joined by a mystery male companion, who's got Malia grinning from ear to ear.

Malia and her pal were spotted on a trip Wednesday to The Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Planned or not -- Malia and her friend sported some similar colors in their outfits -- she wore teal pants and he chose shorts.

Unclear if the pair are just friends or something more ... but both certainly seemed content, sporting big smiles.

Mark Zuckerberg was apparently a baseball star for a very small part of his life, and a signed piece of that history is hitting the auction block.

The card's being sold at auction by ComicConnect.com in September ... it's allegedly been held by one of Mark's old camp counselors all these years.

Allie Tarantino remembers Mark standing out amongst the rest at Elmwood Day Camp in Westchester, NY back in 1992. Allie had an extensive baseball card collection, so when the 9-year-old kid came up to him with one of his own, he knew it had to get signed.

Since Mark's rise to the top, Allie's used the card as a big talking point in conversations, of course -- he decided to sell it off to help with his kids' college funds.

Collectibles expert Stephen Fishler, says it's tough to value because there's nothing like it --they're opening the bid at $1, but it'll be an unpredictable fight to the top. It will also be auctioned as an NFT.

Rookie cards seem to be all the rage right now, at least as far as price points go -- one of Lebron James recently sold for a whopping $5.2M!!!

FYI -- Zuck's stats are great, too ... the 48-pound infielder hit 23 of 25 at-bats that season, cleaning up with an impressive .920.

Brittney Griner was emotional in Russian court on Thursday ... apologizing for "my mistake that I made," while pleading with the judge to hand down a light sentence.

Griner issued the mea culpa at another hearing in her drug case ... telling the Moscow courtroom she was deeply sorry for inadvertently packing hashish oil in her luggage back in mid-February.

"I want to apologize to my teammates, my club, my fans and the city of [Yekaterinburg] for my mistake that I made and the embarrassment that I brought on them," the WNBA superstar said.

"I want to also apologize to my parents, my siblings, the Phoenix Mercury organization back at home, the amazing women of the WNBA, and my amazing spouse back at home."

According to Associated Press reporters on the scene, Griner -- wearing a gray T-shirt and dark pants -- appeared to be very emotional while saying she was sorry.

Griner later urged the judge to take it easy on her when her sentence is eventually handed down ... saying she hopes the ruling "does not end my life.”

Prosecutors, though, reportedly argued in the courtroom Thursday that Griner did intentionally bring the cannabis oil ... and urged the judge to sentence the 31-year-old to 9.5 years behind bars. They also reportedly argued Griner should be hit with a big fine.

The judge is expected to make a ruling in the case as early as Thursday afternoon.

As we reported, Griner pleaded guilty to the drug charges against her last month. She's facing a sentence of up to 10 years behind bars.

U.S. officials, meanwhile, have classified her as wrongfully detained ... and have confirmed they've made Russia a substantial trade offer to ultimately bring her home.

The U.S. Department of Justice just made a significant move in the investigation into the police raid that resulted in the killing of Breonna Taylor ... charging several officers involved that day and in the events leading up.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced charges Thursday against four former and current Lousiville cops. Charges include unconstitutional use of force, unlawful conspiracies, civil rights offenses and others.

Brett Hankison, a former detective is said to have "willfully used unconstitutionally excessive force ... when he fired his service weapon into Taylor's apartment through a covered window and covered glass door."

Ex-Detective Joshua Jaynes, and Detective Kelly Goodlett and Sergeant Kyle Meany were charged with submitting a false affidavit to search Breonna's apartment and then allegedly put together a "false cover story in an attempt to escape responsibility for their roles in preparing the warrant affidavit that contained false information."

It was back in March 2020 when officers stormed Breonna's apartment in a forced-entry, shooting and killing the emergency room technician.

The pilot who mysteriously died just before a plane made an emergency landing last week -- allegedly "jumping" out of the aircraft -- may have actually fallen after trying to examine the damaged landing gear.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... one of the operating theories is that co-pilot Charlie Crooks went to the back of the cargo plane and opened the back cargo door to inspect the landing gear that was damaged and accidentally fell out as the plane headed for the airport.

As reported first by WRAL, the pilot radioed air traffic control that Charlie had "jumped" out of the plane. A close friend of Charlie's who has flown with him tells TMZ, the notion of Charlie jumping is absurd. The friend tells us, Charlie was excited a few days before the fatal flight at the prospect of being promoted to captain. The friend says he was in a great head space.

The 23-year-old told his friend, the day before he died, the chief pilot from the company that owned the plane was coming out from Colorado Springs to fly with him for 2 days last week ... to evaluate Charlie with an eye toward making him a captain.

As for Charlie jumping out of panic, the close friend scoffs at that notion as well, saying Charlie was cool as a cucumber in the air, recalling that there was a mechanical mishap in one of the planes a while back and Charlie landed it so well -- although the landing was rough -- the company he was working for at the time actually gave him a piece of the plane as a thank you.

The photo (above) shows Charlie at the back of the plane ... sitting on the very door that is being looked at as the one he possibly opened to look underneath at the landing gear.

He posted the pic on social media with a joke "If there's anything we can do to make your journey more comfortable, there is an exit ramp at the rear of the airplane that we will gladly open for you."

The NTSB and other federal agencies are currently investigating the fall and the plane.

Chuck E. Cheese has a hot mess on its hands -- and no, we're not talking about its pizza ... it's a possible lawsuit from the mom of the child who was snubbed by their mascot.

Naney D. Muhammad is the mother of the young Black girl who recently got the cold shoulder at a CEC in New Jersey -- and she tells TMZ ... yes, she's preparing to take legal action against the pizza chain for what she considers overt and blatant racist behavior.

Nancy says she's noticed a pattern of this sort of thing at amusement parks and indoor play areas for children -- and finds it heartbreaking she and her daughter were on the receiving end of it at Chuck E. Cheese.

She tells us CEC corporate fired off a standard statement she feels is empty and void of an apology ... and, as a result, says she's consulting with her lawyer for next steps so justice can be achieved. In her eyes, no kid should be made to feel how hers did that day.

Of course, this might just be the latest in what could become several lawsuits -- we've already seen things like this happen at Sesame Place. One class action lawsuit's already been filed against that Pennsylvania theme park.

Terrell Owens got into such a heated argument with a woman in his neighborhood on Wednesday night, cops had to get involved ... and when they arrived, the woman quarreling with the football legend screamed at T.O., "You're a Black man approaching a white woman!"

Parts of the incident were captured by Owens on his social media live stream -- after he and one of his neighbors apparently got into a dispute over the way he had been driving around his neighborhood.

Owens began filming the incident moments after cops had arrived on the scene.

In the footage, the woman accused T.O. of driving recklessly, nearly hitting her with his car, and then getting out of his ride to intimidate her. Owens adamantly denied the allegations, saying he was driving safely, and only got out of his vehicle because she was screaming profanities at him.

"You don't yell at me and tell me I almost hit you and I didn't," Owens can be heard telling the woman in the video.

"But, you didn't have to get out of your f***ing car!" she replied.

Owens continued, "You didn't have to talk to me that way, either! Karen!"

That's when the woman yelled back, "You're a Black man approaching a white woman!"

The woman then broke down in tears a few moments later. Owens accused her of hamming it up for the cop on the scene.

The police officer attempted to de-escalate the situation -- separating the two -- but it's unclear how it was all resolved ... Owens signed off before the cops left.

The 48-year-old former Dallas Cowboys star did caption the video by writing, "KAREN IS REAL!!!!"

"Wow!! JUST A NORMAL NIGHT OF BEING A BLACK MAN IN AMERICA 🤷🏾‍♂️😂😂," he continued. "I want to say I can’t believe it but y’all know what it is. #karenonbikes #tears #falseaccusations #hernameiskate"

"Selling Sunset" star Heather Rae Young is going after a strip club she says used her image to promote NFL viewing parties ... and now, she wants them to pay.

Heather and two other women just filed legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- claiming Platinum West and Platinum Plus Gentlemen's clubs in SC and PA, respectively, plastered their images on promo posters to get patrons into the club.

In the docs, Heather includes the flyer she says Platinum West used with her image for Sunday and Monday night football events ... with the phrase, "Cheerleaders for Every Fan."

Heather says she never had any sort of agreement, or communications at all with Platinum ... and to use her image to allure guests is plain old false advertising. Not only that, Heather claims the club is defaming her by making it appear she works there as a stripper.

As for the two other women -- Amber Lancaster and Jaime Edmondson Longoria -- suing the club ... Lancaster works on "The Price is Right" and was previously crowned Miss Washington Teen USA, Longoria has worked for Playboy and as a Dolphins cheerleader ... and is married to SF Giants All-Star Evan Longoria.

Gabby Petito's mother says the organization formed in her daughter's name is making a huge donation to fight domestic violence, and adds ... she's not buying the story Brian Laundrie told in his journal.

Nicole Schmidt announced The Gabby Petito Foundation's $100K gift to the National Domestic Violence Hotline -- part of the org's "Hope Can't Wait" initiative -- while talking to Kate Snow Thursday on 'Today.'

She says she's certain domestic violence was the cause of her daughter's untimely death ... and wants to do good by Gabby and everyone else who might also be in her situation.

She was joined by the National Domestic Violence Hotline CEO Katie Ray-Jones ... who says their call center has been flooded with calls this summer -- nearly twice as many conversations compared to last year.

The huge donation comes in just under a year after Gabby was found dead near a Wyoming campground. As you know, a manhunt ensued for Brian, and a month later his remains were found along with his notebook.

A group of pigs were pronounced dead for hours as part of a study .... and then, incredibly, scientists got it beating again!

The implications here are staggering for humans ... being able, potentially, to regenerate what is essentially a dead heart and bring people back to life.

Researchers from Yale began pumping synthetic fluids through the bodies of dead pigs, finding their hearts began to faintly beat ...  according to a peer-reviewed study published by Nature.

The team used 2 systems for its test -- the first group of pigs got OrganEx, a device that resembles heart-lung machines ... they also got an experimental mixture of fluids that are supposed to reduce inflammation and provide cellular health.

Some motor function also returned -- the head and neck of some of the dead pigs began to move ... something that shocked everyone. The movements appeared involuntary.

Aaron Rodgers says the secret to his recent NFL dominance is a psychedelic experience in South America ... claiming the ayahuasca plant helped him improve his mental health and have the "best season of my career."

Ayahuasca -- which contains DMT -- has been used socially and medically for centuries ... and some consumers credit the plant brew for spiritual healing.

The Super Bowl champ says it's not a "coincidence" he returned from South America and won his next two MVP awards in 2020 and 2021 ... and is speaking out to change the negative stereotypes around using ayahuasca.

"I think there's so many myths and rumors about it," Rodgers said on the "Aubrey Marcus Podcast."

"The fear around it is, you're going to s*** yourself, it's just a big throw-up fest ... but the negative framework of it is that is the experience, not the deep and meaningful and crazy mind-expanding possibilities and also deep self-love and healing that can happen on the other side."

Rodgers says his intention for the first experience was to find out what pure love feels like ... and it worked.

"I had a magical experience with the sensation of feeling a hundred different hands on my body imparting a blessing of love and forgiveness for myself and gratitude for this life from what seemed to be my ancestors," he added.

38-year-old Rodgers says a previous experience with mushrooms led him to try ayahuasca ... and because he did, he has a new perspective on life.

Meghan Markle is celebrating her 41st birthday ... and some of the royals are, at least publicly, setting aside their very deep differences to wish her well.

Prince William and Kate Middleton marked their sister-in-law's big day on social media by posting a photo of Meghan dressed in all white with the caption ... "Wishing a happy birthday to The Duchess of Sussex!"

Not exactly warm and fuzzy, but kind of a big deal when you consider the beef between Meghan, Prince Harry and the rest of the royal family. As you know, tensions have been high for some years now ... especially since Meghan and Harry resigned as senior royals in 2020.

Anyway, there's clearly a royal plan afoot to at least make it seem they're all making nice -- in addition to William and Kate's message ... Prince Charles and Camilla also posted, "Happy birthday to The Duchess of Sussex!"

The Meghan pic they posted was from the Queen's Platinum Jubilee this year, the last time they all saw her in person.

You'll recall, Meghan and Prince Harry attended the Jubilee in the U.K. back in June, and, there was a clear divide -- physically and otherwise -- between them and some of the royal fam.

Post Malone raised a huge chunk of change for a handful of charities by picking up a controller, putting on his headset, and playing one of his favorite video games.

The singer did a series of "Gaming for Love" live streams on Twitch in July playing the battle royale game Apex Legends for Human Rights Watch, Project HOPE, United Way and The Trevor Project.

He ended up raising over $196K through donations over the 4 nights ... part of the cash was from Respawn Entertainment, which created the free-to-play game. The company donated $40K for Post's hard work, putting him over the $200K mark.

Post's final stream went down with a 60-person tournament on a private server ... he got $76,026 in donations that night, going out with a bang.

The guy's a big fan of the video game, too -- he's popped up in content creator's streams from time to time to play some Apex with them, and even mentioned it's his favorite game of the genre during an episode of the "Full Send Podcast."

Tory Lanez recently surprised Chris Brown in Toronto with an insane diamond chain that crowned him the undisputed “King Of Pop” over Michael Jackson … and TMZ Hip Hop has all the shiny details attached.

We spoke to Imperial Jewelry in NYC who tells us they’re very proud of the latest piece, having worked with Tory a bunch on other custom pieces in the past.

Tory had actually been working on the piece all the way since March and it’s not hard to see why with all the exclusive details … all the way down to CB’s tattoos and poses.

IJ says the entire piece weighs nearly 300g total — with over 40 carats of diamonds on the pendant and another 20 carats on the chain. They wouldn't disclose how much it cost Tory, but said the piece is worth around $200,000.

And it’s more custom to Breezy than meets the eye; the back pendant features a host of CB’s musical accomplishments, such as award show wins and sales milestones.

Jerry Harris, star of Netflix's "Cheer," is getting a new routine ... and TMZ has a glimpse into his life in federal lockdown.

Jerry is about a month into his 12-year prison sentence in his child pornography case. He was recently transferred to a federal prison in Oklahoma City, where his daily life will be a huge culture shock.

Jerry's going to need to find a new way to stay active, because the only fitness opportunities are basketball, handball, walking and lifting weights.

Other ways to pass the time include hobby craft programs, board and card games, group discussion, letter writing and TV viewing ... but the inmates don't get to pick what's on the tube.

Jerry's got a new bedtime too ... lights go out at 11:30 PM on weekdays and 1 AM on weekends ... but there's no sleeping in ... he's gotta be dressed and out of his cell by 6 AM.

It's unlikely Jerry will make many friends on the inside ... guys who plead guilty to child porn aren't exactly welcomed by other inmates ... but he can see visitors on weekends and federal holidays.

Jerry's also hanging up the cheer uniform for standard prison garb, which he's got to wear from 6 AM to 4 PM during the week.

Outside those hours, he can wear clothes purchased through approved channels. Oh and he's getting a new barber too, one of his fellow inmates.

Chrissy Teigen and John Legend have a new baby on the way, and though Chrissy says she's still nervous with each doctor appointment ... so far, everything is "perfect and beautiful."

Teigen took to Instagram Wednesday to show off her baby bump and announce the news, writing, "The last few years have been a blur of emotions to say the least, but joy has filled our home and hearts again. 1 billion shots later (in the leg lately, as u can see!) we have another on the way."

It was in September 2020 when tragedy struck Chrissy and John's family, losing their son Jack to complications during Chrissy's pregnancy.

The loss is clearly still on Chrissy's mind with her new pregnancy, as she says, "Every appointment I’ve said to myself, “ok if it’s healthy today I’ll announce” but then I breathe a sigh of relief to hear a heartbeat and decide I’m just too nervous still."

She says, "I don’t think I’ll ever walk out of an appointment with more excitement than nerves but so far, everything is perfect and beautiful and I’m feeling hopeful and amazing. Ok phew it’s been very hard keeping this in for so long!"

Chrissy and John already have a 6-year-old daughter, Luna, and a 4-year-old son named Miles.