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Dan Emmett, a retired Secret Service agent who worked with 3 former Presidents, isn't slamming President Trump for his hospital stunt ... saying danger is routine for agents' -- coronavirus or not.

Emmett -- who spent 21 years in the Secret Service during the terms of George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush -- was on "TMZ Live" Monday talking about the controversy Trump created by taking an SUV ride, while having COVID-19, just to wave to his supporters.

Dan downplays the outrage and provides some insider perspective, telling us any time the President is outside of The White House there's serious risk to the agents on his detail ... and Trump's not the first to add to it, strictly for PR purposes.

According to Emmett ... this is what signing up for the Secret Service entails -- POTUS can do what he wants, and it's up to the agents to protect him. Dan even offers a famous example from the Clinton era ... and it's a fair point.

Still, a pandemic's a different situation, but Dan suggests proper medical precautions were taken to be as safe as possible for Trump's brief hospital respite.

He also says with the mitigating circumstances, the agents who escorted Trump could have opted out if they felt uncomfortable with the COVID exposure and it would have been no biggie ... but that's not how Secret Service agents tend to roll.

Several others working under Kayleigh McEnany have reportedly tested positive for coronavirus -- including two key aides -- Chad Gilmartin and Karoline Leavitt -- as well as other mid-level staffers in the White House press shop.

Another White House staffer has tested positive for coronavirus -- this time, it's the Press Secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, who says she's asymptomatic ... and eager to keep working.

McEnany shared the news Monday, saying she'd contracted COVID-19 after days of testing negative since Trump's positive diagnosis announcement Thursday. She says she's experiencing no symptoms, adding no members of the press are reported as close contacts by the White House Medical Unit -- so presumably, they should be alright.

She also claims she had no knowledge of Hope Hicks' positive status prior to holding her last press briefing last week, explaining she's been doing her public service for the American people as diligently as possible.

Now that she's positive, however, McEnany says she'll begin to quarantine right away -- but goes on to say she'll continue to work remotely. She's the latest person in Trump's orbit who's been infected over the past week -- at least 5 others have also tested positive.

Unclear who might've started the super-spreading going on at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., but what seems clear is that the virus was front and center at the Amy Coney Barrett nomination ceremony. Among those present who now have COVID ... Donald and Melania Trump, Kellyanne Conway, Rev. John Jenkins, Chris Christie, Senators Mike Lee and Thom Tillis as well as Hope Hicks.

TikTok star Bryce Hall and some members of The Sway Boys ganged up on one dude and delivered a beat down so bad, cops were called ... but somehow they all made up in the end.

The violence broke out when Bryce and fellow Sway members Jordan Rodriguez, Josh Richards, Nick Bean and Jaden Hossler all got dragged into a scuffle with an unknown man outside of Mel's Diner on Sunset.

Video of the Sept. 23 brawl shows Bryce -- who had his power turned off after throwing a massive party during quarantine -- in the red shorts trying to break up the fight as is Jordan. We're told Josh and Jaden are the ones throwing punches in the video claiming self-defense after Nick got punched in the face. The brawl was the group's response to Nick getting socked.

You can also hear someone hurling homophobic slurs at least 3 times -- we're told that was Nick, who according to witnesses, seemed pretty drunk and out of control.

We're also being told what triggered this was Nick allegedly putting a cone under the car of the unknown man ... who then confronted the Sway Boys and all hell broke loose.

For his part, Bryce says, "We don't condone violence, but if you punch someone in front of us, we'll have no choice but to defend ourselves."

Cops ultimately showed up to the scene and talked to the guy who got beat up, but we're told no one involved wanted to press charges or cooperate.

How does Joey Chestnut celebrate National Taco Day??

By crushing a MASSIVE, 12-pound walking taco in 38 minutes!!!

(IMPORTANT STORY NOTE --  a "walking taco" is essentially a bunch of taco ingredients stuffed inside of a chip bag. Good stuff)

The food G.O.A.T. would have been competing in the annual Pacific Park World Taco Eating Championship on Sunday if it weren't for COVID-19 ... but NOTHING can stop this dude from eating insane amounts of tacos on the food holiday.

So, Jaws took matters into his own hands and made a humongous walking taco in the comfort of his own kitchen ... and the list of ingredients is wild.

-- 2 pounds of chips
-- 3 pounds of ground beef
-- 2+ pounds of cheese
-- 1+ pound of salsa
-- 6+ avocados
-- onions and sour cream
-- Joey's signature green hatch and jalapeno sauce

Now, no meal is too big for Chestnut ... and the guy was even ENJOYING eating the giant concoction while only needing 38 minutes and some change to finish it.

FYI -- Joey guzzled 82 street-style carnitas tacos in 8 minutes to win last year's eating competition in Santa Monica ... but at least he was able to take his time this year.

As for how the dude celebrated the feat??

"... a beer, belly rub and nap."

President Trump was up and at 'em this morning with one message on his mind that he felt the need to repeat over and over and over AND OVER again -- America, vote ... MAGA.

DT sent out a barrage of tweets early Monday, and they were all different versions of the same sentiment -- here's why folks oughta punch their ballots in for him ... with his signature all caps font, of course. In all, he had about 15 or so bullet point reasons to vote Trump.

Just to name a few of the most amusing ... 401(k), LAW & ORDER, STOCK MARKET HIGHS, STRONGEST MILITARY EVER, PRO LIFE, FIGHT THE CORRUPT FAKE NEWS MEDIA ... and, of course, SPACE FORCE!!!! There's more, but you get it, we're sure.

He also had a friendly reminder for residents in key swing states he needs to win to defeat Biden (who's ahead in the polls in a lot of these places). He told people in Ohio, Florida, Georgia, Arizona and Texas Monday was the last day to register and offered a link so they could sign up ... a link that leads to a site that literally pushes you to vote for Trump.

We'd give him credit for promoting the democratic process, but since he's leading would-be voters right to his own punch card ... we'll hold off on the kudos for now. One last note we'll make about Trump's back-to-business mentality on Twitter ... some are calling it "roid rage."

As you mighta heard, Trump's now on a steroid called dexamethasone, which helps fight off inflammation in the body caused by disease and/or viruses. While there are different reports on the potential side effects, one that keeps getting brought up is the possibility of "delusions of grandeur" and general outbursts or acts of anger -- y'know, 'cause of the 'roids and all.

WWE legend Joseph Laurinaitis -- AKA Road Warrior Animal -- died during a romantic getaway with his wife to celebrate their wedding anniversary, this according to police documents.

Laurinaitis -- one half of the famous Legion of Doom tag team -- was with his wife, Kimberly, at the Margaritaville Lake Resorts in Osage Beach, Missouri on Sept. 22 for a quick getaway.

According to the police report, obtained by TMZ Sports, Laurinaitis had set up a whole romantic evening for Kim -- starting with a fancy dinner and returning to their room, which was covered in rose petals and a gift basket.

But, after they arrived back to the room, Laurinaitis suffered a medical emergency -- and collapsed on the bed.

Kim tried to perform CPR, but unfortunately, Joseph could not be saved, according to officials.

The medical examiner launched an investigation into his death -- and notes medication for Laurinaitis was collected at the scene.

Laurinaitis is considered one of the best in-ring performers of all time -- he wrestled for most of his WWE career with Road Warrior Hawk and won multiple tag team championships as The Road Warriors/Legion of Doom.

He was only 60 years old.

RIP

Kourtney Kardashian is NOT carrying her fourth child with Scott Disick, despite some strong speculation she's pregnant.

As you know ... the trailer for "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" season 19 dropped last month, insinuating Kourtney and Scott are back together and she's having his baby.

Kourtney's recent Instagram post, featuring a shadow some eagle-eyed fans thought looked like a baby bump, kept the rumor mill churning ... but we've learned that's simply NOT the case.

Sources close to Kourtney tell TMZ ... she is not pregnant again and she's happy being a mother of 3. As for the 'KUWTK' scene, we're told it was taken out of context as a teaser.

Bottom line ... our sources say Kourtney and Scott are not together as a couple, they're just very good friends and co-parents.

SZA confirms Drake's claim they used to date, but she also wants to set the record straight -- it didn't happen in 2008 ... 'cause that woulda been creepy.

The singer issued an important correction to what Drake raps about on the new 21 Savage track, "Mr. Right Now" ... where he says, "Yeah, said she wanna f**k to some SZA, wait / 'Cause I used to date SZA back in '08."

After people pointed out that SZA would most likely have been 17 at the time, if Drake's timeline of their dating history is accurate ... she took to Twitter to clarify.

SZA tweeted they actually dated in 2009 and explained ... "lol I think he jus innocently rhymed 08 w wait . Anybody who really knows me and was around during this time can confirm."

She added, "I just didn’t want anybody thinking anything underage or creepy was happening . Completely innocent . Lifetimes ago ."

It's interesting, because fans noticed SZA unfollowed Drake on Instagram shortly after "Mr. Right Now" dropped ... suggesting she wasn't happy about his lyric.

Darryl Strawberry wants to personally help former NBA star Delonte West kick drugs ... 'cause the MLB legend knows firsthand how addiction can ruin lives.

The 58-year-old former NY Mets star famously battled alcohol and cocaine addiction -- but he's been sober for over a decade and now dedicates his life to helping others conquer drugs.

So, with 37-year-old West -- who was reportedly using drugs and living on the street -- entering rehab last week with the help of Mark Cuban, we called Strawberry to ask what advice he has for the hooper.

"Delonte West is just like anyone else that probably has some deep-rooted issues that have never been dealt with, ya know? Putting on a basketball uniform and being successful, that just covers up everything that happens to a person."

Strawberry continued ... "It reflects back to when he was probably young somewhere, some kinda trauma, abuse or something affected him and it can leave you crippled and paralyzed. So, no one signs up to be in that situation he is. I didn't sign up to be in that situation."

But, Darryl -- who now runs Strawberry Ministries with his wife, Tracy -- isn't just talking about West's struggles ... he actually wants to work with Delonte.

"I would love to help him."

Strawberry says he doesn't want to interfere with Delonte's current treatment program ... but after he completes rehab, Straw wants West to know he'll be around to help keep on the right back.

"My hopes and thoughts and prayers are with him. Here was a guy that was successful playing in the NBA, and here he is struggling. He's down and out."

"I just want him to know that people like me, that are in recovery, been for a long time, is praying for him and thinking about him," Darryl tells us.

"If there's anything I can ever do to encourage him and sit down and have a talk with him, I just hope he can reach out and do that."

Before this cheesin' child became one of the greatest basketball players of all time, he was just another cute kid smiling for his school pictures in Newark, New Jersey.

Throughout his NBA career, this talented athlete had moved to numerous different teams but as the first-round pick back in the 1992 draft, the beginning of his career was magic. Standing at over 7-feet tall, he scored three consecutive championship wins with the Los Angeles Lakers.

This grinning guy has shown off lots of other talents as well ... including acting, rapping, DJing, and sports commentating.

Donald Trump is doing well enough that he can be discharged as early as Monday, but the latest update from doctors raises new concerns about Trump's health and whether his doctors are being straight with the American public.

Trump's personal physician, Dr. Sean Conley, fessed up that he was evasive Saturday when he wouldn't say if Trump received supplemental oxygen at The White House before being transferred to Walter Reed. This time, Dr. Conley said Trump not only received oxygen Friday at The White House but a second round Saturday. In both instances, Trump's oxygen level dropped below 94%.

And, there's this ... Dr. Conley confessed he wasn't forthcoming Saturday because he wanted to reflect Trump's "upbeat mood." As for whether he hid information, Dr. Conley said that "isn't necessarily true."

Dr. Conley actually said Trump's Chief of Staff "misconstrued" Trump's condition when he said Trump's condition was deteriorating Friday at The White House. Yet, Dr. Conley concedes Trump was tired with a fever, a cough and low oxygen levels.

A reporter asked Dr. Conley if Trump's lungs were damaged and he would not answer directly. Nor would Dr. Conley say if there was evidence of pneumonia.

Trump's being pumped full of drugs and doctors say he's responding well.

A group of climate and labor activists have gathered in L.A. to protest Amazon and its founder Jeff Bezos ... and they're taking their protest all the way to his doorstep.

The Congress of Essential Workers is the group of former and current Amazon warehouse employees leading the march, whose mission is to call out the company for its working conditions and impact on the climate.

The protest kicked off at 2 PM at Will Rogers State Park, with the group addressing the crowd about the alleged corporate greed and mistreatment of the planet by Amazon.

Many were seen holding signs saying "Tax Bezos" as well.

The protesters are now marching to Bezos' pad in Beverly Hills, less than a mile from the park, where they plan to stop and demonstrate before returning to the park.

The march was promoted earlier this week online with the tagline, "The wrong Amazon is burning!" ... and the protest comes just a little over a week before Amazon's popular Prime Day.

As we've reported ... the e-commerce giant's already having a bad publicity week on the heels of revealing it's had nearly 20 THOUSAND cases of coronavirus among its labor force since March.

Mick Fleetwood's going the way of the Fleetwood Mac-loving skateboarder who went viral for cruising on "Dreams" and juice ... and it's awesome.

The rock band's co-founder and drummer joined the "Dreams" Challenge Sunday by sharing his own TikTok, showing him grooving to their 1977 hit on a skateboard ... while sipping on some cran-raspberry juice.

Mick says Nathan Apodaca -- the TikTok star whose original video sparked the challenge -- "had it right. Dreams and Cranberry just hits different."

As you may know ... Nathan's become a sensation since posting his Fleetwood Mac-inspired feel-good vid. It's not only racked up millions of views but also helped him get thousands in donations to better his life ... as TMZ first told you.

President Trump is still hard at work while batting COVID-19 at Walter Reed, or at least that's how it seems at a quick glance -- but a closer look at a photo of him signing a document has some folks skeptical.

The White House released photos of the President working in his suite at the hospital Saturday night, his second night of hospitalization after testing positive for the coronavirus.

Two of his kids, Ivanka and Eric, shared the pics on Twitter, with Ivanka saying ... "Nothing can stop him from working for the American people. RELENTLESS!" and Eric adding ... "If only all elected officials had this work ethic."

Soon after, though, eagle-eyed viewers noticed Trump appears to be signing his name in the middle of a blank piece of paper ... suggesting it was all staged.

Furthermore, Jon Ostrower -- the editor in chief of an aviation publication -- pulled data from the 2 photos shared by The White House and revealed they were taken 10 minutes apart ... despite being in 2 separate rooms with Trump wearing different clothing.

So, signs are there it might have been a PR setup... which only prompts more distrust of the administration about the President's health ... and other stuff.

Thomas Jefferson Byrd -- who appeared in several Spike Lee joints -- has been murdered in Atlanta ... according to Spike himself.

Lee says ... "I’m So Sad To Announce The Tragic Murder Of Our Beloved Brother Thomas Jefferson Byrd Last Night In Atlanta, Georgia." Spike shared a photo of Thomas as the character Errol Barnes in his 1995 film, "Clockers."

Along with "Clockers," Byrd also appeared in "Get on the Bus," "Bamboozled," "He Got Game," "Red Hook Summer," "Chi-Raq" and more.

He was also a successful theater actor, nominated for Broadway's 2003 Tony Award as Best Actor for a revival of August Wilson's "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom."

He has starred in numerous regional stage productions including the San Diego Repertory Theater's award-winning performance of "Spunk".

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