Stacey Abrams Voter Suppression Laws Change Election Results ... It's Like Legal Rigging!!!
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Stacey Abrams says there's a threat to democracy underway in her state of Georgia, and several others, due to laws making it harder for folks to vote -- which she believes tears at the very fabric of American democracy.
The voting rights activist is running for Governor in the Peach State and she joined us on "TMZ Live" Friday to discuss the roadblocks she says lawmakers are putting up for voters there.
Stacey says Georgia's incumbent, Gov. Brian Kemp, is on the record saying his frustration with how Georgians voted in the 2020 presidential and U.S. Senate elections -- flipping from red to blue -- prompted him to sign new laws ... which she says intentionally make it tougher for people to cast their votes.
There are growing concerns nationally about the GOP's full-court press to install Secretaries of State who could potentially certify an election for a candidate who actually lost at the polls -- but Stacey says voter suppression is an equal, if not greater, concern.
The way she sees it ... limiting ballots and people's access to voting is just another way to change election outcomes -- not as overt as rigging, but just as effective.
Stacey says Georgia is a prime example of these dynamics at work ... she says Georgia's Sec. of State, Brad Raffensperger, is getting credit for refusing to commit election fraud back in 2020, but she says he's a "very strong proponent of voter suppression."
It's an interesting conversation ... but Stacey tells us there's one issue that's even more important to voters in Georgia. It might be true for the whole country too.
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Queen Elizabeth II Willy-Nilly Mourner Busted!!! Allegedly Exposed Himself
Hear ye, hear ye ... royal subjects shall not drop trou to honor Her Majesty the Queen.
Ya wouldn't think it was necessary to make such a decree, but it is after the wild scene that went down in the hours-long line to see Queen Elizabeth II's coffin.
As you know, QE2 has been lying in State this week in London's Westminster Abbey, and according to cops one mourner who showed up Wednesday got way outta line. The man was reportedly arrested for exposing himself to mourners who'd come to pay their respects to Queen.
Some people have been waiting as long as 12 hours, slowly and patiently waiting their turn to walk past Queen Elizabeth II's coffin -- but this yahoo created even more of a spectacle when he attempted to escape cops by jumping into the River Thames. It was not a successful getaway.
Law enforcement says ... the 19-year-old guy flashed 2 women while he was also in line. One of the alleged victims is said to have noticed him inching closer to her before feeling something touch her -- she then turned around and caught him in the act.
When cops fished him outta the river, he was charged with 2 counts of sexual assault and 2 counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order. He's already pled not guilty.
Very weird times.
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A$AP Rocky I Never Shot Him ... It's An Extortion Attempt!!!
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A$AP Rocky is clear ... he did NOT shoot A$AP Relli ... pushing back against his accuser, whom Rocky says is simply trying to make a cash grab.
The rapper's acclaimed lawyer, Joe Tacopina, tells TMZ ... "Rocky didn't commit a crime. It was an extortion attempt by a former associate, who threatened to make false criminal accusations if Rocky didn't pay him."
Remember ... A$AP is accused of firing shots at A$AP Relli during a dispute in Hollywood back in November, with Relli claiming bullet fragments caused a hand injury. Relli is suing Rocky over the alleged incident, and Rocky is also facing felony firearms charges.
Tacopina tells us he has 2 eyewitnesses who back Rocky's story ... not only that Relli wasn't hit by bullet fragments, but that no shot was even fired. In other words, Tacopina says Relli has made up the story in a "get-rich-quick scheme."
Rocky hired Joe because a couple of his friends -- YG and Meek Mill -- were also successfully repped by Tacopina.
Tacopina says both the civil and criminal cases against his client are slam dunks ... "What will become abundantly clear in the upcoming months, based on facts and evidence, is that Rocky is innocent of these charges."
As we reported, Rocky previously pled not guilty to both criminal charges of assault with a semiautomatic firearm.
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Safaree & Erica Mena Divorce Finalized ... New Child Support Guidelines Set
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The former marriage of Safaree and Erica Mena is officially dissolved -- they've finalized their divorce terms ... TMZ has learned.
Legal documents obtained by TMZ show the judge signed off on the divorce September 12, after the exes came to their agreement through arbitration. Among those terms ... Safaree will dole out $4,305 a month in child support.
Allow us to jog your memory ... Erica filed for divorce in May 2021 and the two have been living separately since, sharing joint custody of their 2 young children.
The pair already unloaded their sprawling $1.3 million Georgia mansion in June and, with the marriage officially over, the docs say Erica will again go by her maiden name.
The "Love & Hip Hop" power couple were married for less than 2 years when Erica claimed Safaree was cheating while she was pregnant with their second child, and she allegedly trashed his stuff ... effectively flushing the marriage for good.
Might sound harsh, but sometimes divorce just is the best option for some couples.
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Cara Delevingne Friends Desperate ... Say She Needs Rehab and Therapy, Stat
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Cara Delevingne's friends say she's in a bad way -- struggling with issues that go beyond substance abuse -- and their desperation to get her help is becoming increasingly obvious.
One of the model's closest friends, Margot Robbie, was visibly distraught this week shortly after leaving Cara's L.A. home.
Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ there's good reason Margot's emotions came pouring out that day. We're told Cara's been struggling for a while now, initially with mental health issues, but now the people closest to her believe she needs rehab too.
We're told Margot and other friends are advocating for Cara to immediately get into a treatment program that includes mental therapy as well as substance abuse treatment.
You might recall, Cara and Margot went on vacay together in August ... traveling to Spain with other friends to celebrate Cara's 30th birthday, and since then she's appeared increasingly erratic in public.
Last week, she looked totally disheveled and seemed confused after initially boarding one of Jay-Z's private jets in Los Angeles. The flight never took off, and she got off it 45 minutes later.
The day Margot went to visit Cara ... she was supposed to be at her own NY Fashion Week event. She never made it to NYC.
Our sources say Cara's not closing the door on getting treatment -- she hasn't flat out said no, but she's dragging her feet ... and we're told her struggles are getting worse.
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Wild Video Cali Surfer Fights With Sea Otter ... After Animal Steals Board
A surfer's day on the waves quickly turned into a fight for his board -- 'cause a sea otter stole it from him as he was dippin' in the Pacific Ocean, and refused to give it back!!
The wild scene all happened off the shores of California on Monday when an otter plopped itself onto Nick Ericksen's ride as he was hittin' the waves.
Video shot by one of Ericksen's friends showed despite all of the surfer's efforts to displace the animal -- it wasn't budging.
The two then engaged in a standoff for several moments -- with the otter in absolutely no mood to get back in the water.
At one point, Ericksen managed to get the otter off the board for a few seconds -- but it climbed back on and, again, didn't want to leave.
Finally, another surfer came to the rescue ... and pulled the board away long enough for Ericksen to hop back on it.
The whole thing was pretty funny -- but also a little scary, 'cause the pissed-off otter followed the surfer for a while!!!
According to one of Ericksen's friends, the surfer had considered getting an otter tattoo recently, "but this may have changed his mind."
Or ... maybe it makes it that much better?!?
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Drag Queen Valencia Prime Dead At 25 Collapses Mid-Performance
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The death of a famous Philadelphia drag queen is getting national attention ... due to the tragic manner in which she died.
25-year-old Valencia Prime passed away after performing as part of a drag show ... according to Shaniyah Banks, an investigator for Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office.
A rep for Philadelphia PD tells TMZ they got a call about someone who had collapsed at Tabu Lounge & Sports Bar around 11:15 PM Monday night ... they were pronounced dead just before midnight.
We're told the causes of death were determined to be cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity.
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The venue paid tribute to Valencia, posting a statement online about "the loss of a very bright and rising star in the performance community." They also said they're talking with her family about hosting a show in her honor in the future.
She's been met with tributes left and right since her passing ... drag queen Brittany Lynn wrote on Facebook, "You will be sorely missed ... keep twirling, ma'am," while drag artist Aloe Vera said, "I love you with everything in my heart Valencia. Rest in power.”
Valencia was 25.
RIP
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Oklahoma Accident Ya Better Brake for Sex Toys!!! Semitruck Spills the Goods
A semitrailer hauling sex toys and lubricant overturned on an Oklahoma highway, spilling its love load all over the place ... leaving reporters' and anchors' mouths agape.
The indecent exposure happened on I-40 on the outskirts of Oklahoma City, where the 18-wheeler got into an accident with another truck ... leaving boxes of dildos on the road.
One local TV news station, KWTV-News 9, had its helicopter over the scene and the report from the sky was absolutely hilarious. Hard to tell if the reporter and anchors actually knew what was filling the screen ... but they definitely skirted calling out the products.
When the camera zooms in some of the phallic merch was pretty evident -- whether in boxes or naked on the street -- so it made for some funny banter, even if it was inadvertent.
The sex toys really left a mess ... traffic was reportedly blocked for hours.
The semi looks in pretty bad shape too, it's on its side and all busted up ... but fortunately, no one was injured.
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King Charles I Brought My Own Pen This Time!!! Avoids Repeat Meltdown
King Charles isn't trying to get caught slipping again, after losing it over pen problems a couple times ... the monarch's practicing BYOP going forward, and looks damn proud of himself.
Charles and Queen Consort Camilla had the important duty of signing the visitors' book Friday in Llandaff Cathedral, and while the royal attendees gotta be on edge from the last time he whipped out a pen ... this time, King Charles got the job done with his own utensil.
Pretty hilarious, considering the inky situations he's had all week.
You'll recall, things got really sticky on Tuesday when the King attempted to hand sign a guest book at the royal residence of Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland ... and the pen leaked all over his hand.
KC3 threw a tantrum and stormed off muttering "this bloody thing" ... leaving Queen Camilla to sign for him.
Charles covers up breaking wind at his accession by wafting and blaming the pen tray and ink for the eh, pen and ink. pic.twitter.com/ZfW3cNPMIN
— DimEagleBuckie 🏴🌱🇪🇺 ⚛️ 💛 🤝 💚 (@BuckieDim) September 10, 2022 @BuckieDim
That leak came on the heels of another meltdown ... days before he came across a pen box on his desk while trying to sign a proclamation. He was not here for the box being in his way ... and motioned for an aide to quickly take it away. It's good to be the King, as they say.
Well, he's learned his lesson, and we gotta say ... Friday's signing was smooth and calm. No leaking ink, sweat or tears!
Sometimes that 3rd time really is a charm.
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Britney Spears Settlement Talks Underway ... Britney, Jamie and Tri Star Open to Ending Financial Dispute
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Lawyers for Britney Spears and Jamie Spears are in talks to end their contentious legal battle ... sources with direct knowledge on both sides tell TMZ.
Our sources tell TMZ ... Britney's attorney, Mathew Rosengart, has reached out to both Jamie's lawyer and lawyers for Tri Star Sports & Entertainment Group to settle up. As you know, Rosengart has accused both Jamie and Tri Star of misappropriating massive amounts of money from Britney ... an allegation they have strongly denied.
Our sources say a few months after the conservatorship ended last November, lawyers for Jamie and Tri Star approached Rosengart to settle their differences, but Britney's lawyer was having none of it and was going full steam ahead.
We're told Rosengart had a change of heart roughly a month ago and offered to end the legal fight for a price ... around $7 million. Sources tell us lawyers for Tri Star and Jamie wanted to know how he reached that figure, but they say Rosengart didn't offer specifics, so there was an impasse.
Our sources say both sides are still open to settling and, a source with direct knowledge tells TMZ ... as recently as this week Rosengart contacted Tri Star to forge ahead with a possible settlement.
This is not to say everyone's on the same page. Sources with direct knowledge of Tri Star and Jamie tell TMZ ... Rosengart is "scrambling" to settle the case. A source with direct knowledge in Britney's camp, however, tells TMZ ... Rosengart is not scrambling at all, and general settlement talks are simply standard operating procedure in any legal dispute.
The sticking point, obviously, is how much will Jamie and/or Tri Star be willing to pay, and how much will Britney be willing to accept to put an end to this legal war.
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Roger Goodell Gets Chummy W/ Jeff Bezos ... During 'TNF' Game
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Jeff Bezos had one of the best seats in the house at Arrowhead Stadium Thursday night -- taking in the Chargers-Chiefs game with Roger Goodell from the NFL commissioner's suite.
58-year-old Amazon founder was in the building with Goodell ... as the game was the first broadcast by Prime. Amazon won exclusive broadcast rights for "Thursday Night Football" through 2033. The Chiefs-Chargers game was the first on the platform.
Roger Goodell and Jeff Bezos are in attendance for at tonight’s Chargers/Chiefs game…#LACvsKC #TNF pic.twitter.com/MtxDqrBTjs
— SportsGridTV (@SportsGridTV) September 16, 2022 @SportsGridTV
Bezos, worth about $150 billion, according to Forbes, was shown during the game sitting next to the commish ... and the men appeared to be having a good time as two of the best teams in the AFC battled down on the field.
Of course, seeing Goodell and JB chop it up at the game had the Internet buzzin' -- as social media users wondered what the two tycoons were discussing.
Chiefs owner Clark Hunt and Chargers owner Dean Spanos also got some facetime with Bezos on the field before the game kicked off.
There was more for Goodell to celebrate than just the first Prime game. The home game marked the 50th season the Chiefs have played at Arrowhead Stadium -- opened in 1972 -- one of the best in all of football.
Rog, what's Elon Musk doing next Thursday??
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Chrissy Teigen I Actually Had An Abortion ... Not A Miscarriage 2 Years Ago
11:37 AM PT -- Chrissy Teigen responded to people who are reacting negatively to her announcement on social media.
I knew this would happen, and honestly I’ve already seen you do your worst so if this makes you feel better, great. It doesn’t make me feel worse though. pic.twitter.com/jCm8GH835V
— chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) September 16, 2022 @chrissyteigen
Chrissy Teigen says she actually didn't have a miscarriage in 2020 like she said ... she now says she actually had an abortion, but didn't realize that's what she did until recently.
Chrissy spoke Thursday at a summit called "A day of Unreasonable Conversation" ... saying it wasn't until nearly a year later did she process the fact that she had an abortion.
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She said, "Two years ago, when I was pregnant with Jack, John and my third child, I had to make a lot of difficult and heartbreaking decisions. It became very clear around halfway through that he would not survive, and that I wouldn’t either without any medical intervention."
Chrissy and husband John Legend announced they lost their son Jack at 20 weeks due to pregnancy complications ... calling it a miscarriage.
But, now she's backtracking all that ... "let's just call it what it was: It was an abortion. An abortion to save my life for a baby that had absolutely no chance."
Although she wasn't specific, it seems what she's saying is that doctors advised her at around 20 weeks the baby would not survive and she would probably die as well if she carried the baby to term. So, it sounds like doctors may have induced birth, knowing the baby would not survive, which she characterized as a miscarriage.
Chrissy went on to say the decision by the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade triggered the realization.
"I fell silent, feeling weird that I hadn't made sense of it that way," Teigen shared. "I told the world we had a miscarriage, the world agreed we had a miscarriage ... and I became really frustrated that I didn't, in the first place, say what it was, and I felt silly that it had taken me over a year to actually understand that we had had an abortion."
Chrissy and JL have 2 kids together -- Luna and Miles. The couple announced they are expecting another baby saying ... "joy has filled our home and hearts again."
Originally Published -- 6:51 AM PT
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David Beckham Gets In Line With Mourners Waits Patiently To See Queen's Coffin
David Beckham jumped in line to pay his respects to Queen Elizabeth II on Friday morning ... waiting hours with thousands of mourners to eventually see Her Majesty's coffin.
Beckham told reporters at the line that he showed up to the London queue at 2 AM hoping to avoid massive crowds -- but he said "everybody had that in mind," so he's been hanging patiently with normies for a while as the throngs of people slowly make their way into Westminster Hall.
Beckham dressed to the nines despite knowing the hours of standing he'd have to do to pay his respects, wearing a suit, shirt, tie and hat.
He said while waiting that he felt it was important to be there.
David Beckham just told @itvnews at 2pm that he joined the #QueueForTheQueen at 2am. pic.twitter.com/43AxWdxB0k
— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) September 16, 2022 @chrisshipitv
"I grew up in a household of Royalists and I was brought up that way," the soccer legend said. "So if my grandparents were here today, I know that they would have wanted to be here so I am here on their behalf and on behalf of my family and to celebrate with everybody else here."
It's been reported that lines to see the Queen could last as long as 14 hours on Friday ... but Beckham made it clear he didn't mind spending the time to make sure he got a glimpse of it all.
Queen Elizabeth -- the longest-serving monarch in British history -- died on Sept. 8. She was 96 years old.
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Lululemon Founder Pledges $76 Mil to Save Wilderness ... Great Idea Patagonia Guy!!!
Lululemon's founder is the latest to put their money where their mouth is and help save the planet ... by pledging a HUGE chunk of change to help preserve the wilderness.
Chip Wilson, founder of Lululemon Athletica Inc., and his wife Summer are pledging $100 million Canadian -- about $75.8 mil U.S. -- which marks the biggest gift the billionaire philanthropist's ever given.
The cash will be used by the Parks Foundation in British Columbia to acquire wilderness space in the area ... with the goal of turning massive amounts of land into spots locals can then use for money-making purposes such as tourism.
In a recent interview, Chip -- who's worth $5.6 billion -- says, "Our vision for our family is providing components for people to live a longer, healthier, and more fun life." Chip and Summer are hoping to get matching donations from other philanthropists, governments and local businesses.
Shout out to the Red Hot Chili Peppers ... because give it away, give it away, give it away now is the theme of the week among apparel-peddling billionaires.
The founder of Patagonia, Yvon Chouinard, did his part this week to help fight the climate crisis ... giving away his $3 billion company to an environmental nonprofit company called the Holdfast Collective.
While Patagonia will remain a for-profit company, after every year, all cash they make will be handed over to the Holdfast Collective to help end the climate crisis.
Call it a win for Mother Earth.
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Nick Cannon Most Complicated Family Tree Ever!!!
Nick Cannon has welcomed baby #9 into the world … and a few more kids are on the way. So we spent some time creating a family tree, so brace yourself!
Nick's first round of kids came courtesy of now-ex-wife Mariah Carey … twins Moroccan Scott and Monroe said hello to the world back in 2011. He and Mariah separated in 2014 after 6 years of marriage.
In 2017, Nick had his 3rd child, Golden Sagon ... this time around with former Miss USA Brittany Bell. Their encore was Powerful Queen, who was born in December of 2020.
Nick's procreation was about to shift into high gear with another set of twins, courtesy of Abby De La Rosa. Zion Mixolydian and Zillion Heir were born in June 2021, adding to his growing brood.
Abby discussed her open relationship with Nick on the "Lovers and Friends" podcast ... saying their polyamorous relationship doesn’t mean her standards are low or her parenting skills come up short.
Just 9 days after Zion and Zillion were born, Nick had his 7th kid -- Zen -- with model Alyssa Scott. Zen tragically passed away at 5 months from a brain tumor.
In June, Nick had baby #8 – Legendary Love -- with model Bre Tiesi, who documented the home birth in a YouTube vlog.
But wait, there's more! Onyx Ice Cole was born Wednesday. It was a surprise to just about everyone BUT Nick, who announced the birth on social media. This time around with new mom and former "The Price Is Right" model, LaNisha Cole.
Nick's still going full bore ... he and Brittany Bell are expecting a 3rd kid together in August ... and Abby De La Rosa announced she's pregnant again with Nick, and she's intimating that she might be carrying another set of twins.
So it's possible in a few months he may have spawned a dozen children, and remember, Nick's only 41, so that tree could branch out even further!
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Kanye West Donda Academy Makes Families Sign NDAs
Some parents whose kids are enrolled in Kanye West's Donda Academy claim they're being forced to sign non-disclosure agreements ... but Ye says that's all just hype, this according to a new report.
Two families sat down with Rolling Stone and spilled the beans about the non-disclosures, which are apparently in place to keep a tight lid on things that go on at the school. In the RS article, the families were unnamed and did not provide details on the hush-hush agreements.
But, one of Kanye's consultants, Tamar Andrews, reportedly fired back, saying only parents put their sigs on the forms and insisted the entire process was informal ... whatever that means.
"Honestly, we don't care if people know about the school," Andrews told RS.
He goes on ... "The people that want to come to the school are looking for a good Christian school in that area and they know that we're there ... there is also a certain notoriety that comes with being affiliated with Donda. So, I don't know that we have to advertise, which is a blessing and a curse."
Ye launched the private Christian school in 2022, catering to pre-K to 12th-grade students. Only about 100 students attend Donda Academy, which is not accredited.
Who are these students? Well, that's still a mystery. And, it's hard to piece together who the teachers are. According to the Donda site ... the mission is to motivate its students to "grow in their faith and community through daily all-school worship and celebration at Sunday Service."
Kanye's had a lot of drama in his life lately. He'd been beefing with Kim Kardashian about her choice of schools for their kids. And, as we reported, Ye's been battling with Gap and Adidas over his sneaker and clothing line partnerships. He recently took to social media to blast the companies, culminating on Thursday with Ye spiking his deal with Gap.
Never a dull moment with Ye. We've reached out to his rep for comment ... so far no word back.