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Twitter was experiencing mass outages this weekend -- and now, Elon Musk has explained why ... he's instituting a new policy that limits nonpaying customers to a daily tweet count.

The Twitter exec addressed a massive problem Twitter users at large were experiencing Saturday -- namely, the inability to see new tweets, dive into trends or refresh their main feed whatsoever. Everyone was getting hit with the same message ... Rate Limit Exceeded.

A lot of folks assumed there was some kind server capacity problem that Twitter was experiencing -- not the first time that's happened under EM's watch -- or that there was just a glitch in the system. Wrong on both counts ... which was confirmed by Elon himself.

He wrote ... "To address extreme levels of data scraping & system manipulation, we’ve applied the following temporary limits: - Verified accounts are limited to reading 6000 posts/day - Unverified accounts to 600 posts/day - New unverified accounts to 300/day."

He followed that up with a trollish joke, saying that people were hitting their rate limits by reading all the tweets about the rate limits being exceeded -- but then changed his mind on the drop of a hat (again) by promising to up the count on all fronts by a smidge.

He says verified users will soon get 8,000 tweets per day, unverified users will get 800 and new unverified users will get 400. Bottom line, he's setting a hard cap at the amount of tweets people can see in a day ... which is getting A LOT of pushback and backlash.

This appears to be yet another play to get people to sign up for Twitter Blue and pay to be verified -- something EM and co. have been trying to do for months now since rolling out the new service ... and coming up short on interested customers. Twitter Blue costs $8/month.

Of course, this comes in the wake of news a couple months ago that Twitter's valuation had been slashed by at least a third since the Musk takeover. He bought it for $44 billion, but it's now reported to be worth between $8 and $15 billion ... and Elon's also been forthright about economic challenges of late, including getting new advertisers and streams of revenue.

Now he's put his user base into a corner and is forcing their hand. As a result, several Twitter users are considering other options -- and the "death" of Twitter is trending too.

Damian Lillard is throwing in the towel in Portland -- the guy just requested a trade from his longtime team, the Trailblazers, and word is ... he wants to go southeast.

News broke Saturday that the PG asked Portland brass for a one-way ticket out of the franchise, and per NBA insider Shams Charania -- he's angling for a deal to be made with the Miami Heat specifically. Woj is reporting the Blazers will try to accommodate him.

Now, while Dame has apparently made his desired landing spot clear ... what remains to be seen is if he actually ends up going there. Woj is also reporting that other interested parties include the Clippers and 76ers ... that the Blazers will get as much as they can for DL.

In other words, if the Heat turn out to be a team that can't give them the most bang for their buck (draft picks/young players) ... they'll go elsewhere, and Dame could end up back in the west again, despite a reported interest in moving to the East Coast. Business 101.

Now, while a lot of Blazers fans are lamenting losing the bona fide face of the franchise -- who's been incredibly loyal to Portland for years now -- this is actually a move many anticipated in the wake of the team drafting Scoot Henderson recently ... an up-and-coming point guard who has a lot of potential and who the Blazers clearly want to replace Dame.

Many took that pick as a not-so-subtle message to Dame ... namely, it's time for you to go big dawg. For a minute, there was an unspoken game of chicken going on as to who'd blink first. As it turns out, Dame pulled the trigger and got the message -- time to move on.

Another element at play here that's made it difficult for the Blazers to sign other good players over the years is the fact that he signed a cash-rich supermax deal with the team a few years ago ... and while he's said he was dedicated to bringing them a championship, the reality is -- that was likely never going to happen with their salary cap issues.

France was roiled by riots for a fourth night Friday after police killed a 17-year-old as the country's leader, Emmanuel Macron, blasted the protesters.

Mobs of people went on an evening rampage through the streets of a Paris suburb, where the teen, identified as Nahel M, was fatally shot by cops during a traffic stop Tuesday.

The crowds expressed their fury over Nahel's death by smashing windows and setting cars and buildings ablaze. They also violently clashed with cops in riot gear as more than 1,300 demonstrators were arrested and detained overnight all across France.

France's Interior Ministry said 2,560 fires were reported on public roads, 1,350 cars were burned, and there were 234 incidents involving damaged or charred buildings.

In addition, police were attacked 58 times by militants and 79 officers suffered injuries. A total of 45,000 cops were dispatched Friday to quell the chaos in the Paris suburb and other towns and cities like Marseille.

President Macron condemned the combatants, accusing them of justifying their anarchy by "unacceptable exploitation of the adolescent's death."

Caleb Willingham, best known as the husband of "1000-Lb. Sisters" star Tammy Slaton, has died.

His stepmom, Shirley Willingham, confirmed the sad news to TMZ ... but couldn’t provide further details or a cause of death.

As you might know, Caleb -- nicknamed "Killa K" or "Double K," was an infrequent, yet much-beloved character on the reality show alongside Tammy chronicling their constant battle with weight. In 2022, the two met at a rehab facility in Ohio, where they underwent treatment for obesity and they tied the knot that same year.

Weeks later, Slaton told People mag, "Our wedding day was perfect, there was so much love in the room. I literally married my best friend."

But The Sun reported the couple split in May because Caleb was not following his diet, and Tammy was reportedly getting set to file for divorce.

Caleb was 40.

RIP

Tyler Perry is coming to the rescue of a 93-year-old woman so she can keep the South Carolina home her family has owned since the Civil War era.

The actor/filmmaker jumped into a legal battle between Josephine Wright and the Bailey Point Investment Group over her Hilton Head home. Simply put, Bailey Point reportedly wants to buy Wright's land, but she doesn't want to give it up so now BP filed a lawsuit to seize control of her property.

Well, that didn't sit well with Tyler who fired off a message on Instagram, quoting Wright, '''I've pretty much been a fighter all my life' said 93-year-old Josephine Wright. Well, that makes two of us. Ms. Wright, please tell where to show up and what you need to help you fight."

Not clear if the two have connected yet or what their potential plans are ... but Wright gave an interview to a local news org, WSAV-TV, calling the lawsuit "frivolous" that Bailey Point filed against her.

She told a reporter BP got approval from the town to develop 29 acres of land behind her home and the company offered to buy her property, but she turned them down. That's when, Wrights says, BP started harassing her and filed the suit to rip away her family's crown jewel.

Wright says the property has been in her family since the Civil War began in 1861, adding that her relatives escaped slavery and were freed by the Union soldiers.

Amanda Bynes continues to battle her mental health problems, but there's some good news ... she's now out of a psychiatric facility with a plan in place for her to stay healthy and safe.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us ... Amanda checked out of a mental health facility late Friday, nearly two weeks after she was admitted. Both Amanda and her medical team felt she's made the right steps toward getting back to living independently.

Obviously, Bynes isn't totally in the clear -- as her mental health is an ongoing battle -- but there's now a plan in place to make sure she does everything to get her illness in check.

For starters, our sources say she'll start outpatient care ... with a medical professional checking in daily.

We're told Amanda will also be monitored to make sure she's taking her daily meds and continues to stay in a good headspace.

TMZ broke the story, Amanda called LAPD June 17 to report she was in distress and felt she could do herself harm. Officers responded with a mental health specialist who determined Amanda needed to be placed on a psych hold ... where she remained until Friday.

Of course, the incident is just one in a long history for Bynes ... but the important thing is she's been able to self-identify when she's in trouble.

As we first reported, Amanda was seen walking near DTLA without clothes earlier this year, flagging down a car and calling 911 to get some help. She was placed on a mental health hold back then as well ... and it lasted for several weeks.

Leo DiCaprio knows how to roll and he was high rolling in NYC Friday ... showing off a tricked-out Porsche to anyone who wanted to see it.

The superstar actor, of course, was in normal Leo mode trying to hide his face under a baseball cap ... only this time he came out of his shell and more than a bit.

TMZ obtained these photos of Leo sitting in the passenger seat of the black sports car parked on a crowded street for the world to gawk at. Usually, Leo stays far, far away from regular folks ... but, just look at him, right there in the thick of it on the Lower East Side.

We're told Leo was just chilling with his 2 buddies in the epic convertible with a front lid trunk. Our sources say 3 to 4 beautiful women sauntered up to Leo for a little chat before he and his pals rolled off into the sunset.

Unclear where they were headed ... but we're pretty sure wherever it was they had a really good time!

Italians would riot in the streets if Rome's Colosseum staged a UFC fight between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg ... that's the prediction from a famed archaeologist over in Italy.

Darius Arya, a historian whose been on tons of TV programs about Ancient Rome, joined us on "TMZ Live" Friday from Italy's capital and we asked him about the Italian government contacting Zuckerberg about hosting his fight with Elon.

For Darius, the prospect of the billionaires doing battle at the same site as the ancient gladiators of old sounds super enticing ... telling us the Colosseum would come out on top of a list of potential venues, mainly because of its international fame as the ultimate arena of the ancient world.

Darius says there are inherent issues with staging a fight of this magnitude at the Colosseum, because it's a heritage site and tourist attraction ... and while he's confident it would never come to fruition, he's glad folks are talking about the venue and getting excited about history.

Logistics aside, Darius firmly believes Italians would take to the streets in protest if the nearly 2,000-year-old venue gets the green light to host the fight ... so that's another hurdle for Dana White.

There's been concerts and other events on the Colosseum grounds over the years, mostly outside the arena walls ... and we've been told Elon and Mark would love to fight there ... but it sounds like Las Vegas might be a more likely fight destination.

As we reported, the Ministry of Culture reached out to Mark Zuckerberg about the prospect of staging a Musk vs. Zuck fight at the Colosseum, and Zuck passed it on to UFC's Dana White, whose people were in touch with the Ministry. A Zoom call was set for next week.

We've been telling you, Musk vs. Zuck is gonna happen, and Ryan Seacrest is clearly a big wheel. So we gotta ask ...

Treylon Burks is catchin' on to the whole good husband thing quickly ... the Tennessee Titans star happily played photographer for his wife on Thursday -- just five days after the two tied the knot!!

The couple has been out in St. Lucia this week following their wedding on Saturday ... and it appears Burks is stepping into his husband role nicely -- jumping in when his new wifey was in need of some oceanside pics.

Check out video we obtained of the two as they were soaking in honeymoon rays -- Burks grabbed Shelby's phone when she wanted some photos ... and he then proceeded to make sure to get all of the angles for her as she got her poses in.

Shelby seemed pleased with the job Treylon did -- she took one glance at the set of pics ... before she and Treylon jetted off to their next adventure on the island.

Impromptu photo shoots aside ... the duo appears to be loving their post-nuptial life -- chasing waterfalls and getting some toe dips in the Atlantic Ocean as well.

As for the upcoming football season, Burks is clearly keepin' himself in shape while on vacay ... all of his muscles were on display in a pair of tiny board shorts Thursday.

From "The Real Housewives of New York City" to a self-made entrepreneur ... when Bethenny Frankel steps out, you know she means business! Put down your Skinny Girl margs and see if you can bottle up the discreet changes in these two shots!

The business mogul happily strutted her stuff in the Big Apple ... heading into 'The Today Show' where she recently sat in for Jenna Bush. Wearing a bright blue romper, Ms. Frankel was up and at 'em with her bottle and bags in tow (and presumably her other essentials being rolled in).

"Commit to the Bit!"

Joseph Baena's upcoming action film includes a nod to his famous dad ... Arnold Schwarzenegger's most famous one-liner.

TMZ obtained this clip from Joseph's new action flick, "Called to Duty," where he puts his spin on Arnold's famous line from "The Terminator."

Joseph's character, a Navy pilot, is flying a fighter jet into battle and he tells his fellow pilots ... "In 1984, there was an actor who gave one of the greatest lines of all-time ... I'll be back!!!"

After delivering the warning, Joseph's jet peels off from the group.

It's pretty cool to hear Joseph channel his inner Arnold ... the movie, which came out Saturday, is Joseph's first foray into action flicks ... and it seems he's truly following in his father's footsteps.

As we've shown you ... Joseph looks super jacked, just like his pops ... even shooting a scene in a gym.

The plot for "Called to Duty" sounds a lot like "Top Gun" ... it's about Navy air show pilots who are called into battle ... a story loosely based on real events between North Korea and the United States.

Cupid's arrow won't hit the Target bullseye any time soon -- the megastore is getting hit with a lawsuit from a guy who claims some missing marshmallows tanked his Valentine's Day.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Donte Cross is comin' after the retailer for false advertising, which he says traces back to a bag of S'mores Bark Crisps -- a $4 online item.

Cross says he picked up the sweet treat for a loved one, but "discovered the absence of visible marshmallows" when the bag was opened -- adding the grub didn't resemble or taste like what was described on the packaging.

He claims his loved one was filled with disappointment and chucked the bag at Cross ... telling him, "This has no marshmallow."

Cross says the sticky situation upended his Valentine's Day celebration, not to mention the embarrassment it caused. He feels deceived by what he says is Target's false advertising.

The unhappy customer says he's suffered emotional distress over the whole ordeal and is coming after Target for unspecified damages.

Hollywood was feeling the heat (and themselves) this month and couldn't help but toss their sultry selfies up on socials! From tropical bikini shots to bare-skinned babes posted up, there was absolutely no holding back from these stars lookin' like a summer snack!

The hot meter was through the roof ... so much so, Kourtney Kardashian showed off her baby bump in a revealing bikini, Ricky Martin stripped down to nothing but his Calvins and Rosalia snapped a topless selfie shot.

Lisa Vanderpump's not getting into the middle of the contract negotiations going on between Raquel Leviss and Bravo ... at least not publicly.

We got Lisa at TomTom Restaurant & Bar in West Hollywood, and we asked her where things stand between Raquel and the network ... and the whole conversation played out in front of the TMZ Celebrity Tour!!!

Lisa was very chatty about the final days of her flagship eatery, Pump Restaurant Lounge, but she playfully tried to leave once our photog asked her about Raquel's contract discussions and 'VPR' filming a new season.

TMZ broke the story ... Raquel and Bravo recently started negotiating her new deal, but the clock is ticking because "Vanderpump Rules" is already filming the new season, fresh off her cheating scandal with Tom Sandoval.

While Lisa is mum on dollar demands and contract details, she says a return date is squarely up to Raquel, who we've been told is getting close to leaving the mental health facility she's called home for more than 2 months.

Lisa says it's also going to be up to the other 'VPR' stars on how they welcome Raquel back into the fold after the Scandoval ... pointing out, they clearly all do their own thing already and don't necessarily listen to her.

It looked like a scene straight out of, well, a movie on the Warner Bros. lot ... as black smoke billowed into the air from the famous Hollywood plot.

Fire crews raced to the scene in Burbank Friday afternoon after a transformer -- no, not the car/robot kind -- reportedly blew up and started a fire. The good news is no one appears to have been hurt during the melee, and the whole thing was put out super quickly.

As for the lot, it's obviously got a TON of history, so it's a good thing none of the famous sound stages suffered any significant damage in the blaze.

And, if you're wondering ... that iconic WB water tower didn't come in handy for firefighters, it's actually empty.

The Warner Bros. lot served as home base for some of the most popular shows ever on TV -- including "Friends," "The Big Bang Theory," "Shameless," and "Euphoria."

Not to mention, some of Hollywood's biggest blockbusters were also filmed on location, including "Jurassic Park," "Batman & Robin," "Casablanca," "Inception" and a ton more.