TMZ.com Home

LeBron James is pleading with citizens of Akron, Ohio to help police in a murder case involving his good friend's sister ... saying Wednesday, "My city I need y’all to go to work."

Bron's lifelong pal, Brandon Weems -- who's the Cleveland Cavaliers' director of scouting -- lost his sister earlier this week in what officials have ruled a homicide.

According to News 5 in Cleveland, 37-year-old Ericka Weems was found by family members in Akron on Monday with a gunshot wound to her head.

Cops say they've launched an investigation ... but so far, they've made no arrests and say they've yet to identify any suspects.

LeBron is pleading for help to change that ... begging people of his hometown of Akron to come forward if they have any knowledge of the case.

"AKRON OHIO!!" LeBron wrote Wednesday on Twitter. "My brother’s sister was murdered this past weekend in her home! My brother family need answers to why and by whom."

"My city I need y’all to go to work and find out who did this awful, shameful, disgusting thing to such a caring, loving angel! #Justice4EricaWeems."

LeBron and Brandon's friendship goes back decades ... with MLive reporting the two met at Pee Wee football when they were little kids.

The two went on to become teammates on their St. Vincent-St. Mary H.S. basketball team ... and Bron grew so close to Brandon, he's called him his "brother" repeatedly in interviews over the years.

Akron detectives are urging people to call 330-375-2490 or 330-375-2TIP if they have any information regarding the case.

A reward of up to $5,000, meanwhile, has been offered for information by Summit County Crimestoppers as well.

Joe Biden just gave what sounded a lot like a victory speech -- despite having a ways to go -- but it also sounded extremely Presidential with a message of unity.

The Democratic candidate -- who's now just 17 electoral college votes away from being declared the official winner -- spoke in Wilmington, DE with his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris, by his side. The takeaway here ... he thinks he's got this in the bag.

Biden made sure to note he was NOT declaring a win just yet -- unlike President Trump did Tuesday night -- while at the same time expressing confidence most of the outstanding swing states are leaning his way.

The other goal of his speech was to address the blatant political divide in the country. Sounding like he might on his first day in the White House, JB said IF he wins, he aims to govern for every American.

Biden's comments here were much different in tone from Trump's defiant, accusatory one early Wednesday morning. Of course, you could say that's the difference between leading and trailing at the polls.

This is Biden's second public appearance since several polls closed Tuesday night -- with millions of votes still needing to be counted in a handful of states. Plus, Trump's already demanding a recount in at least Wisconsin ... if not 2-3 other states too.

NY Giants star Logan Ryan says team trainers saved his wife's life after the Bucs game on Monday night -- identifying a major medical emergency before it was too late.

Ryan -- a free safety who just signed with the Giants this season -- says he was being checked out by the trainers after losing to Tampa Bay on Monday night ... when his wife, Ashley, complained of stomach pain.

Ashley says she thought she was just having a stomach ache and was planning on popping some Tums and sleeping it off ... but the Giants' trainers felt the situation was more serious and urged her to head to the hospital.

Ashley listened (thankfully) ... and after undergoing tests at the E.R., she learned she was pregnant -- despite having a "fully functioning IUD."

The bigger issue ... Ashley says she was told the pregnancy was ectopic and had implanted in her Fallopian tube.

Ashley was told the pregnancy was not viable -- and to make matters worse, the tube had ruptured, requiring emergency surgery.

"They ended up saving her and ended up preventing a lot of what could've been done," Logan explained.

Ashley opened up about the situation on IG, saying the pain was "unbearable" -- but it seems the surgery was successful and she's currently recovering in Florida.

Logan is praising the NY Giants training staff -- saying, "Our trainer, Justin Maher, telling my wife going to the ER at 1 AM ending up could've saved her life or saved a lot of internal bleeding there."

Logan says Giants' head coach, Joe Judge, couldn't have been more understanding and helpful -- and says he can't thank him enough for his support throughout this ordeal.

Britney Spears says her business manager quit out of the blue, but she claims her bigger issue is that her dad hired a new manager without giving her any notice.

Britney's legal team filed docs requesting Bessemer Trust Company become the sole conservator of her business affairs ... as opposed to just co-conservator with her father, Jamie. In docs, obtained by TMZ, Britney says the move that set things in motion was an October 28 letter telling her that Tristar Sports and Entertainment Group resigned as Britney's business manager without any prior notice.

She says she's got beef with her dad for hiring Michael Kane of Miller Kaplan to come on as the new business manager without giving her notice or a chance to interview Kane, review the terms of his hiring, or consider alternatives.

Britney also says the move brings serious concern because Jamie's goal "is to introduce a new gatekeeper who admittedly has a major working relationship with [Jamie's] legal team."

Britney claims it's all part of Jamie's attempts to "retain full functional control of her assets, books and records."

President Trump predicted a Supreme Court battle over the 2020 election -- but his road to the high justices won't be one he can barrel down ... according to a prominent legal scholar.

Erwin Chemerinsky -- the Dean of UC Berkeley's School of Law -- hopped on "TMZ Live" Wednesday to discuss Trump's vow to take this fight over election results all the way to SCOTUS (even as it continues to play out) and he basically tells us ... not so fast, DT, quite literally.

Trump wants to rush his grievances to the Supreme Court, especially as it pertains to Pennsylvania. The commonwealth's recent ballot submission decisions -- from its own Supreme Court -- have drawn scrutiny ... but Chemerinsky says POTUS still can't hopscotch his way to SCOTUS without going through lower courts first.

However, EC also laid out a scenario where Trump could appeal directly to a Supreme Court Justice -- but even then he says it's not likely Trump would get a final answer on the ballot process in PA for a while.

If and when it does land on the Supreme Court's doorstep, Chemerinsky played that scenario out too ... and suggested the newly installed Justice Amy Coney Barrett could be the key.

Trump is getting way ahead of himself here -- as many predicted he would -- but that hasn't stopped him ratcheting up the rhetoric and sowing doubt about the legitimacy of the voting process ... especially in states he appears to be losing as of late Wednesday morning.

Pennsylvania might be on the table for a fight, along with Wisconsin ... which is close enough that Trump's ready to demand a recount.

The guy who helped kidnap Tekashi 6ix9ine -- one of his then-fellow gang members in the Nine Trey Bloods -- just got the book thrown at him for that crime.

Anthony "Harv" Ellison was sentenced Wednesday in a federal court in NYC, where the judge gave him 24 years in prison for the racketeering, kidnapping, and assault charges for which he was convicted last October.

In addition to his time behind bars, Ellison was also sentenced to five years of supervised release. His sentence comes more than a full year after his trial -- where Tekashi infamously snitched ... taking the stand and identifying Ellison as his kidnapper.

The kidnapping was just the tip of the iceberg though -- federal prosecutors successfully nailed Ellison, with Tekashi's help, for various other crimes connected to the Nine Treys.

You'll recall ... Tekashi was initially tight with Ellison, until their relationship soured -- after which, Ellison planned out the kidnapping scheme to get revenge ... according to T69's testimony anyway. Tekashi was abducted, taken for a ride around town, pistol-whipped and extorted for money -- some of which was captured on camera and played for the jury at trial.

Tekashi's then-GF was actually seen on camera handing over a bag of goods in exchange for Tekashi's safe return. That, coupled with Tekashi's snitching, helped seal Ellison's fate.

People who voted for 4 more years of Donald Trump are racists, even if they don't realize it yet ... at least that's activist Marc Lamont Hill's take on the election results.

Marc joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and made a statement many will find controversial about people who marked their ballots for Trump. He says some of those voters are just racist, but he adds ... others who don't see themselves as racist, should take a harder look.

The way Marc sees things ... it's one thing to look at the candidates and think they're all racist and make the best choice you can. But, for the BET host, it's an entirely different ballgame when you knowingly select the guy who defended white nationalists and wouldn't denounce folks like David Duke.

Marc says if you prioritized tax rates and a stimulus check over racism, then racism clearly just isn't a big deal to you. He suggests it's something with which Trump supporters just need to come to grips.

Votes are still being counted, but Trump's already approaching 67 million votes, and MLH says those numbers are alarming if you're Black.

The White House's coronavirus crisis last month is sparking a serious sanitizing mission ... and feds are spending thousands to keep the place virus-free going forward.

Regardless of who wins the Presidential election -- as we know, that's still very much up in the air -- a cleaning crew is going to be spraying down the place with a disinfectant mist.

According to federal financial docs, obtained by TMZ, the Public Building Service agency's dropping nearly $29,000 on the cleaning service in the East and West Wing "due to Covid at the White House."

Coincidentally, the cleaning contract started on Election Day and runs through November 2, 2021.

As you know ... President Trump tested positive for COVID-19 in early October about a week after a large ceremony at the Rose Garden to announce his new Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett.

Along with the Prez, several other members of his staff and guests at the event also contracted the virus, and Trump was hospitalized for a few days before returning to the White House -- maskless, of course.

The GAP had its heart in the right place with its post-election tweet urging unity but it clearly failed to read the room ... admitting it was just "too soon."

A spokesperson for the clothing retailer tells TMZ ... the intention of its social media post featuring a red and blue hoodie "was to show the power of unity." The spokesperson added, "It was just too soon for this message. We remain optimistic that our country will come together to drive positive change for all."

The tweet backfired almost immediately ... with one person replying, "A GREAT example of why it's smart to be paused on social right now." Tons of people responded with "read the room" and another user said, "I don't think a zipped hoodie is going to cut it when everyone is this tired, broke, and scared."

Chrissy Teigen also chimed in on the since-deleted post. For the record ... the hoodie was NOT for sale.

President Trump firmly believes HE won the election, and thinks the only way Joe Biden can win is if there's shady ballot business ... so, he's going to the Supreme Court, and setting America up for a battle royal.

It was well after 2 AM ET when POTUS spoke at the White House ... rattling off all the states where he'd won, and said he was getting ready for a big victory celebration when it was suddenly called off.

Trump was incensed, feeling he was well on his way to being declared the winner based on victories in Florida, Texas and Ohio. He also feels he has a big enough lead in North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Michigan to be declared the winner in those states ... which no media outlet is doing yet.

The incumbent is especially pissed about PA, where at the time of his speech he was beating Biden by more than 600,000 votes -- a lead he believes is unsurmountable. That's not how experts see it, with much of Philadelphia's ballots still not counted. Trump said he's going to SCOTUS anyway, because he suspects "surprise ballots," presumably cast for Biden, might be found at 4 AM.

The President also accused the Biden campaign of running to court, which, as far as the public knows, hasn't happened. Biden spoke about 90 minutes earlier, and was confident he was "on track" to win ... but made no mention of alleged cheating or the need for lawyers.

What's odd is Trump said he wants "all voting to stop." Voting has stopped, but what's happening now -- and clearly not in a manner to his liking -- is the counting of ballots. BTW, that counting might give Trump a victory in Arizona, where Fox News has projected Biden to win.

This is really the worst-case scenario for America. Neither candidate has the necessary 270 electoral college votes yet, but Trump is declaring victory and already accusing the Dems of cheating -- and now the Supreme Court, with his newly confirmed Justice Amy Coney Barrett, could be in play.

It all adds up to days, if not weeks and months of political strife, and possible civil unrest, ahead for the nation.

Folks in New Jersey have green on the mind -- they are eager to brush up on their marijuana skills after voting to legalize it, and their Google searches show it.

The term "how to roll a joint" saw a nearly 3,000% jump in the ultimate search engine during a solid 4 hours Tuesday evening as the Garden State overwhelmingly passed a ballot measure to make it legal to grow, smoke and sell herb starting in 2021.

Of course, like California, you'll have to be 21 to do all that ... and there's still some red tape they gotta go through -- like setting up the rules of this trade -- before anyone can partake. Still, a whole new batch of tokers are obviously itching to bust out rolling papers.

Also trending in Jersey ... the term "when will weed be legal in New Jersey." So, yeah, they're ready to burn.

Several other states are saying puff puff pass with Jersey, too -- Arizona, Montana and South Dakota also voted to approve pot measures.

Colorado, Washington, Cali, Oregon and Illinois have been leading the nation in cashing in on marijuana users ... having gone fully legal with it years ago.

President Trump revving up for a legal battle over the election is already triggering peaceful protests across the country ... and it's feeling like an eerie, relative calm before the storm.

Hundreds of protesters made their voice heard loud and clear late Tuesday night into Wednesday morning outside the White House. The demonstration went down while the election results were still very much up in the air -- and before Trump's controversial speech -- with the majority of the crowd being Joe Biden supporters -- but a handful were there to back the current Prez.

Nothing got out of hand, though, as many had anticipated. Much of Washington D.C.'s business district has been boarded up this week, but cops say they only made 4 arrests related to the protest.

As we've been reporting ... Beverly Hills was also bracing for the worst on election night, and a huge crowd of Trump supporters did line Canon Drive in that city.

The protesters were definitely loud, but there was no violence ... with cops only detaining one person there. Meanwhile, it was a little tenser in downtown L.A., where around 40 people were arrested after the LAPD declared an unlawful assembly.

Madison Cawthorn is only 25 years old, but that didn't stop him from being elected to represent North Carolina's 11th Congressional District ... making him the youngest member of the House in modern U.S. history.

Cawthorn -- a staunch Republican who's anti-abortion, pro-gun and shares President Trump's views on immigrants -- defeated Democrat Moe Davis for the seat ... according to CNN's projection.

His first message to his constituents after his historic victory was a sharp jab across the aisle -- "Cry more, lib." It's the kinda football spiking that would make Trump proud.

Before Cawthorn, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's win in New York in 2018 made her the youngest female elected member in modern history at 29 years, 2 months and 22 days.

However, the new NC Rep. isn't the youngest Congressman of all time ... that title belongs to William Charles Cole Claiborne of Tennessee, elected in 1797 at age 22 despite not meeting the constitutional age requirement.

Rules. NBD in the 18th century.

BTW, if Cawthorn looks familiar, it might be because you remember him from a maskless meeting with Trump back in July shortly after the Prez said it was "patriotic" to wear a mask amid the pandemic.

A professional hotline dedicated to reporting funny business at the polls was inundated with calls alleging voter intimidation this election cycle ... far surpassing anything they saw 4 years ago.

Election Protection is a safe haven for whistleblowers who see something fishy or downright illegal at polling places all over the country -- and according to the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (a nonprofit that manages the hotline) ... 2020 was crazy busy.

A rep for the Lawyers' Committee tells TMZ ... since the month of October, their collection of 40k-plus legal volunteers fielded upwards of 115k calls about potential voter suppression -- which pales in comparison to the total 150k or so calls they got for the ENTIRE year in 2016.

As of this past weekend -- when early voting was in full swing in a majority of states -- we're told EP got a call from out from Hanover, VA about what appeared to be a militia group holding a parade in front of a polling place ... which freaked out some people.

Lawyers' Committee adds that officials on the scene noted there were BLM counter-protesters on hand too -- and that voters were feeling uneasy about the whole thing in general. We're told local authorities were alerted to check it out and make sure nobody was being harassed.

On Tuesday, Lawyers' Committee tells us they received several calls regarding alleged voter intimidation in Florida ... from counties like Hillsborough, Brevard, Palm Beach and more. In Orange County, we're told they got a report of 5 pickup trucks blocking the entrance to a polling place there ... something Election Protection says they flagged to officials.

There are more incidents they were made aware of on Election Day, including pollsters taking temp checks in Virginia -- which some folks thought was meant to keep people from voting -- as well as a heavy reliance on paper ballots, misappropriated voting machines and delayed opening times at polling places in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Ohio and other states.

Joe Biden is feeling good about his chances to win the Presidency -- or at least he did shortly before 1 AM ET, when he addressed his supporters ... but President Trump is saying not so fast.

The former Vice President made his early morning speech in Wilmington, DE, telling the socially-distanced crowd he thinks he's "on track" to get the W ... once all the mail-in ballots and early votes are counted in swing states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.

Biden also tried to warn that final count is gonna take a while. He thanked Americans for being patient ... acknowledging what most experts are saying -- with so many ballots to be counted in multiple states, neither candidate will get to 270 electoral college votes Tuesday night ... or even Wednesday morning.

Joe says his campaign feels really good about its projected early lead in the race for 270 electoral votes, citing Fox News' projected flip of Arizona from red to blue.

Trump is pushing a far different narrative ... the Prez tweeted his campaign is actually winning and he's accusing the Democrats of "trying to STEAL the Election."

Trump's saying votes can't be cast after the polls are closed. He wasn't specific about where that alleged cheating was happening. However, Biden's mainly banking on early voting and mail-in ballots for the bulk of his votes ... so, Trump's beef might be a moot.

Twitter's already flagged the President's tweet as potentially being "misleading" -- which is sure to piss him off even more.

Americans freaking out through this volatile election season -- the most crucial of our lifetimes -- are drawing up self-care plans, and leaning into meditation to combat their anxiety and stress.

Health and wellness apps are seeing unprecedented spikes in activity this week ... which is good for biz, but ain't so pretty for citizens. For instance, honchos at Aura -- a meditation app with 4 million users -- tell us anti-anxiety usage was up 50% on election day. Anti-stress usage also spiked by 35% on Tuesday, but it was up a whopping 70% over the last month!!

By the way, anxiety is general worry about something -- while stress is brought on by something specific, and can lead to physical strain. Basically, stress is worse for ya, long term.

Now, over at Headspace, due to, not just politics, but also the coronavirus pandemic ... they're offering meditation resources for free. They say 65 percent of their users say they're anxious about politics, which actually edged out COVID-19 ... a mere 60 percent are worrying about that.

It's no wonder a recent survey found 52 percent of Americans believe their mental health has suffered as a result of the presidential election. The good news is that, depending on who ya voted for, that number might start plummeting as of Wednesday.