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Historian Peter Kuznick fears for the fate of humanity ... warning of a third world war and a nuclear winter if conflicts across the globe continue to escalate.

The author and American University professor joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday, and we asked him just how close we are to World War III, given the war in the Middle East.

Peter says things were already trending towards a doomsday scenario as a result of the war between Ukraine and Russia and the situation in Taiwan ... and he fears recent developments in Gaza may push things over the edge.

The way Peter sees a nightmare situation unfolding -- Israel invades Palestine, forcing Hezbollah to join the war -- and then other countries are drawn into battle.

From there, Peter says it's an all-out world war ... and it's pretty much guaranteed nuclear warheads will be used.

Peter explains how even a small number of nukes would create a nuclear winter capable of killing 2 billion people across the globe ... telling us it would be worse than ever imagined.

Sickening audio has now surfaced of Joran van der Sloot confessing on tape to murdering Natalee Holloway ... bashing her head with a cinder block on the beach.

The chilling confession, released by the court, includes Joran describing his night with the 18-year-old Alabama native on a beach in Aruba back in 2005. Joran says in his confession they started kissing, but she denied his sexual advances and kneed him in the groin, which set him off.

He says he kicked her in the face, then grabbed a nearby cinder block and "completely" smashed her head in. Joran disturbingly says it was dark, but he could see her face had collapsed in as a result of the cinder block.

Joran claims he was scared and didn't know what to do after the attack ... which is when he says he put her body into the ocean.

Remember, Joran entered a guilty plea in Alabama on Wednesday to charges of wire fraud and extortion after telling Natalee's family he'd give details about her death in exchange for money.

Jeezy is finally breaking his silence on his divorce from Jeannie Mai ... saying the call to pull the plug wasn't an easy one, but his love for his estranged boo isn't lost.

In a statement given to TMZ, Jeezy says, "The decision to end this chapter in my life was not made impulsively and comes with a heavy heart. Despite this, my love and respect for Jeannie remains and the time we spent together holds a cherished place in my heart."

He continues, "Our beautiful daughter is the best gift from our relationship and I am committed to assuring she feels the love and stability she deserves."

As we reported, Jeezy filed for divorce last month in Georgia, saying in the docs there was no hope for reconciliation. The 2 share their 1-year-old daughter, Monaco, together ... and we we're told there was a prenup set in place.

You'll recall, Jeannie was being accused of cheating on Jeezy with "Access Hollywood" host, Mario Lopez -- but a source close to her said that was in no way true.

Britney Spears won't do a TV press tour to promote her new memoir ... the singer has made the decision to skip any sit-down interviews to help boost book sales.

Sources close to Britney tell TMZ ... she's passing on doing any televised promos for her upcoming memoir, "The Woman in Me" -- same goes for any other additional interviews moving forward.

There have been rumors that Britney was getting asked to appear on "60 Minutes," an exclusive interview with Oprah Winfrey, and other shows ... we're told none of those will happen.

In case ya missed it, Brit recently chatted with People Magazine about her much-anticipated memoir, but our sources say those questions were all answered over email.

The call to skip TV was all Britney's, BTW ... and we're told her book is gonna sell off its own power alone. Those around her also understand it would open up a lot of problematic doors if she were to jump back into the interview game, getting hit with personal questions.

As we reported, snippets of her tell-all have already revealed a LOT about her past -- including her ex-boyfriend, Justin Timberlake ... whom she says got her pregnant and pushed for her to get an abortion when they were just 19.

Ian Kinsler wasn't repping the Rangers or Astros last night, the former MLB star had a bigger cause on his mind than the ALCS ... the 4x All-Star, who is Jewish, threw out the first pitch wearing a Team Israel jersey.

Kinsler is a special assistant to the Rangers general manager ... and the organization invited him to kick off Game 3 of the American League Championship Series at Globe Life Field in Arlington, TX with the ceremonial first pitch.

IK was born in America but obtained Israeli citizenship (dual citizenship w/ U.S.) a few years back when he wanted to play for Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Ian then went on to serve as the manager for the Israeli team at the World Baseball Classic in 2023.

Since the horrific attack two-and-a-half weeks ago, Kinsler says he's been following the situation on the ground closely.

Kinsler is just one of many star athletes and celebs who have spoken out since October 7 ... 1,400 Israelis have been killed since the incursion began.

Perhaps none have done more than Floyd Mayweather, who sent his plane full of supplies to Tel Aviv over the weekend. He also FaceTimed IDF special forces soldiers and walked in a pro-Israeli march in Los Angeles.

Will Smith's standing by his formerly estranged wife, vowing that no matter what Jada Pinkett Smith confesses or reveals -- and there's been plenty already -- he'll be right by her side.

Jada and Will were shoulder to shoulder Wednesday night in her hometown of Baltimore, where she was plugging her memoir, "Worthy" ... and he played the Patsy Cline role perfectly. While hugging Jada, he declared, "I am going to show up for her and support her for the rest of my life."

He also called her the "best friend I have ever had on this planet" ... a statement that will likely shock a lot of his fans, who've felt Jada's tell-all book has only disrespected and/or emasculated him.

Remember, Jada's already revealed they've been separated and "living single" since 2016, called Tupac her "soulmate" and said the most shocking part of the Oscars slap was the fact Will called her his "wife."

Aside from one statement he issued, Will's been silent during Jada's media blitz -- but last night, with their kids Willow, Jaden and Trey onstage with them ... he posed the question, "Can you show up and love somebody for the rest of your life even when you don't agree with them?"

The answer is a resounding yes for Will. Even Jada's changed her tune in recent days, saying she thinks their separation is coming to an end ... and it definitely looked like it last night.

For everyone who's utterly baffled by Jada's running commentary during her book tour ... Will's remarks last night won't clear things up.

9:50 AM PT -- More attorney issues for Duane "Keefe D" Davis ... and the arraignment has been delayed once more. The new date is November 2 at 9 AM.

Duane "Keefe D" Davis -- the man arrested for allegedly killing Tupac Shakur -- is about to appear in court to face a murder charge in the nearly 30-year-old case.

The 60-year-old suspect is scheduled to show face at Clark County Court in Vegas around 9 AM Thursday ... where he will appear in front of Judge Tierra D. Jones for his arraignment.

He appeared in court 2 weeks ago, but the lawyer he hired was a no-show. His arraignment was then pushed to Thursday.

Clark County D.A. Steve Wolfson said in a press conference after the initial hearing that Keefe D was expected to plead not guilty to the charge of murder with the use of a deadly weapon in relation to the shooting of Tupac in 1996.

As we reported, Keefe was arrested at the end of September -- on top of the murder charge, he was also hit with a gang enhancement.

TMZ obtained body cam footage from his arrest ... showing cops walking up to him on a residential street to bust him, and Keefe acting pretty compliant throughout the arrest.

Cops say they reopened the case 27 years after Tupac was killed because Keefe has been outspoken in interviews about being involved in the rapper's murder.

There's new images raising eyebrows surrounding the timeline of Sophia Bush and soccer star Ashlyn Harris' relationship ... posing for flirty photos, and laughing together months before either had filed for divorce.

For starters, Sophia and Ashlyn attended Cannes back in June, both participating in a panel about uplifting women in sports ... and sitting right next to each other. Sophia posted 4 images from the event, two of which included Ashlyn.

However, in one of those images, Sophia and Ashlyn are both smiling and laughing while Sophia reaches over and grabs Ashlyn's arm.

There's also a pic Ashlyn posted of her and Sophia from the June Cannes trip where she's got her arm wrapped around Ashlyn as they pose for a selfie ... definite signs the two were very comfortable with each other.

Sophia and Ashlyn posed together in July as well ... snapping a pic at the La Copa Mundial Femenina watch party in Los Angeles.

As we reported ... Sophia and Ashlyn are currently going strong. Sophia filed for divorce August 4 and Ashlyn Harris filed for divorce from her fellow soccer star wife, Ali Krieger, on September 19. Ashlyn and Ali have two young kids together.

Shockingly enough, a report from DailyMail claims Ashlyn told Ali their relationship was over only days after returning from Cannes.

Ali has not yet spoken publicly about the split, but Sophia's estranged husband, Grant Hughes, issued a statement of support, telling us, "Grant will always want the best for Sophia, and is supportive of all that makes her happy and fulfilled."

Jussie Smollett has a new look as he turns over a new leaf.

The "Empire" star was out and about Wednesday sporting a shaved head as he gets outpatient treatment at a rehab facility.

Jussie was carrying a "Narcotics Anonymous" book as he walked into the rehab center, where he's getting treatment for substance abuse.

TMZ broke the story, Jussie has been struggling, with his rep telling us ... "Jussie has had an extremely difficult past few years. He has quietly been working very hard for some time now and we are proud of him for taking these necessary steps."

The actor is still fighting his conviction for faking a hate crime in Chicago back in 2019, when he claimed two masked Trump supporters attacked him and put a noose around his neck.

Jussie was sentenced to 150 days in jail for the incident, but released from jail while his case is appealed. That appeal is still pending.

The nature of the substance abuse has not been disclosed, but drug use was mentioned quite a bit during his trial.

Rob Kardashian made a small but memorable appearance on his family's reality show ... choosing some wild words when talking about the perfect girl for Scott Disick.

Kris Jenner called up Rob on Thursday's episode of "The Kardashians," hoping her son could give some insight into finding a lady for Kourtney's ex ... with her saying the gal has to have a sense of humor like Scott.

She got Rob on the phone and asked what his perfect girl would be -- his answer? A "f***ing whore."

Kris took that as a sign to cut their phone call short, with Rob not seeming to be in the mood to chat further. A producer even brought up that Disney, which owns Hulu, wouldn't be too keen on Rob's choice of words.

As you know, Rob appeared more often on the fam's original show, "Keeping Up With the Kardashians," touching on his struggles with his mental health and weight until he finally chose to step out of the limelight entirely.

He also make a return to reality TV when he starred in a show with his boo at the time, Blac Chyna, but that was canned after their breakup.

Travis Kelce is leveling up his living situation big time -- and part of the reason has to do with Taylor Swift ... TMZ has learned.

Sources familiar with the situation tell us the Chiefs tight end just bought a new home in Kansas City, with the sale closing Tuesday. We're told he snapped it up for just under $6 million ... and, yes, for that kinda dough in KC, he's getting a place that's way bigger and more secluded than his old house.

Our sources say this pad is in a gated community, and it's a straight-up mansion ... 6 bedrooms, 6 baths and over 16,000 square feet of living space!!!

It also screams luxury ... we're told there's a pool with a waterfall attached -- plus, a tennis and pickleball court, not to mention a mini golf course. Now, as far as why he upgraded ... our sources say there were a few things nagging him, including needing more privacy.

We're told at Travis's old house, it was simply far too accessible, and was starting to become a tourist attraction ... with people swinging by and staking out the place -- Travis was getting uncomfortable with the situation.

That actually proved to be an issue as recently as this past weekend ... when TayTay came to visit Trav in Kansas City, only to have paparazzi park outside waiting for any shots of the couple.

Bottom line, he wanted to be in a more secure spot -- and yes, our sources say him dating Taylor right now certainly factored into his decision.

And, we know what some Swifties might be thinking, but, no ... we're told he bought it with his own cash, and it's his alone.

A man who spent 16 years in prison for a wrongful conviction was shot to death by Georgia police during a traffic stop ... and it was all caught on video.

Leonard Cure was pulled over in his pickup truck by a sheriff's deputy Monday morning after he was clocked going over 100 miles per hour in a 70 MPH zone on Interstate 95 in Camden County, GA.

Police dashboard and body cam footage released Wednesday caught every bit of the violence that led to Cure's death.

Check it out ... the deputy orders Cure out of his truck and tells him to place his hands on the rear of the vehicle.

Cure insists he's done nothing wrong and yanks his arm away as the deputy tries to grab it. The deputy then pulls his TASER and again demands Cure put his hands on the truck.

This time Cure complies, but the deputy then asks him to move his hands behind his back.

Cure becomes agitated and starts questioning why he was pulled over in the first place.

The deputy informs Cure he's under arrest for speeding and reckless driving.

The two get into an argument, which quickly escalates to a point where the deputy TASES Cure.

Cure freezes from the electroshock before rushing at the deputy while flailing his arms. The deputy ends up fatally shooting Cure after a vicious fight.

Georgia Bureau of Investigation issued a statement, explaining that Cure assaulted the deputy and failed to comply with his orders.

But attorney Ben Crump, who represents the Cure family, said the deputy acted too aggressively and should have done a better job de-escalating the heated confrontation.

As for Cure's wrongful conviction, a jury found him guilty of armed robbery with a firearm and assault with a firearm in 2004, even though he had an alibi and no physical evidence tied him to the crimes.

Burt Young -- best known for his role as Paulie in the "Rocky" film franchise -- has died.

The Oscar-nominated actor passed away in Los Angeles on October 8. A cause of death was not disclosed.

His manager told TMZ, “Burt was an actor of tremendous emotional range. He could make you cry and he could scare you to death."

Young appeared in dozens of movies and TV shows during his decades-long career. Some of his most notable flicks included "Chinatown," "Once Upon a Time in America," "Back to School" and "The Pope of Greenwich Village."

He also landed parts in 2 hit TV programs, "M*A*S*H" and "Baretta."

But, Young will always be remembered most for playing Paulie, the rough and tumble brother-in-law of Sylvester Stallone's Rocky Balboa.

They starred together in each of the five "Rocky" movies from 1976 to 1990, as well as the final one in the series, "Rocky Balboa," in 2006.

Young received an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of Paulie in 1976, but lost to Jason Robards as Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee in "All The President's Men."

Young was 83.

Sophia Bush is in a new relationship, but she's in no rush to talk about it ... staying quiet about things with recently divorced USWNT star Ashlyn Harris.

Sophia touched down at LAX Wednesday, just one day after news broke she and Harris were a new item. Sophia wasn't in the mood to talk -- avoiding answering about how she and Ashlyn met or what it's been like to get support from her estranged husband, Grant Hughes.

As we reported, Grant's been nothing but supportive of Sophia's new relationship -- just two months after Sophia filed for divorce.

In a statement to TMZ, a rep for Grant tells us, "Grant will always want the best for Sophia, and is supportive of all that makes her happy and fulfilled."

Sophia's not the only one who recently got divorced, Ashlyn and her wife Ali Krieger filed for divorce just last month after 4 years together ... they've got two young kids together.

Mary Lou Retton has suffered a "scary setback" this week in her battle with a rare form of pneumonia ... and she now remains in the ICU fighting for her life.

The Olympic legend's daughter, Shayla, provided the concerning update in a video on her social media page Wednesday evening ... saying Retton had been showing signs of improvement prior to the turn.

"Basically, at the beginning of this week," Shayla said, "we were going on the up-and-up. We were so excited. Seeing so much progress. And then yesterday, we had a pretty scary setback. She is still in ICU."

Thankfully, there is at least a bit of positive news ... Shayla said Retton had a much better day Wednesday, though the 55-year-old former gymnast is clearly nowhere near out of the woods yet.

"We're just working through some things as far as her setback goes," Shayla said.

Retton has been in the ICU since earlier this month ... though plenty have sent prayers her way in the hopes she improves. So far, over 8,000 donors have given more than $450,000 to a SpotFund created on her behalf ... something Shayla said she's super grateful for.

Tori Spelling and her kids had a terrifying Wednesday after a SWAT team looking for a man with an assault rifle turned her block upside down.

Tori and co., along with her neighbors, were ordered to evacuate, and no one needed any encouragement to skedaddle.

Witnesses say the talk on the block was that a man next door to Tori's rental house was barricaded inside with an AR-15. Police took one man into custody.

Tori appeared visibly upset as she raced home in a full sprint ... frantically looking for her children. The actress and her family were in the thick of the action.

Tori stood behind the yellow police caution tape as the standoff played out ... and she was talking with neighbors and taking phone calls.