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Canadian artist Raffi Cavoukian (or better known as just Raffi) has been famous for nearly half a century for his soothing children's songs that worked their way into millions of children's hearts and minds around the world.

Raffi armed with only a guitar and his calming vocal style has become a household name with songs like "Baby Beluga," "Bananaphone," "Down by the Bay," "Shake My Sillies Out," "Apples and Bananas" and many more classic preschool tunes.

Raffi's made such an impact on the world that he's been awarded honorary doctorates from multiple universities and even received the Fred Rogers Integrity Award back in 2006.

A key piece of evidence the Trump campaign was counting on to prove voter fraud in the election just crumbled ... because the witness is recanting.

A USPS worker who recently claimed he'd overheard a supervisor in Erie, PA tell workers to backdate ballots that arrived after Nov. 3 is now taking it all back, saying he made up the whole thing ... this according to the Washington Post.

The guy's name is Richard Hopkins, and just last week many in the GOP, and beyond, were citing him as a whistleblower. He eventually signed an affidavit about his claim, which is at the crux of much of what Trump's camp has hoisted up as evidence of voter fraud in PA.

Welp, as of Tuesday WaPo says the guy copped to lying during a committee hearing with U.S. lawmakers. The House Oversight Committee tweeted the huge development ... noting it's unclear why he lied in the first place.

Keep in mind, Hopkins' false testimony set off a massive chain of events ... including some of the lawsuits Trump's brought forward, and Attorney General William Barr giving the Dept. of Justice the green light to probe any credible claims of voting irregularities.

All that ... for a lie.

We should note, the Erie Postmaster -- Rob Weisenbach -- flat-out denied the claim early, said Hopkins was full of it, and denied any backdating of ballots at his location whatsoever. He suggested Hopkins was disgruntled, as he'd recently been disciplined many times.

Hopkins' false tale isn't dying easily, though, because ... well it's 2020.

The far-right org Project Veritas claims to have recordings of the guy being intimidated by investigators into taking back his story. We'll see if that comes out, but for now President Trump's voting fraud smoking gun seems to be firing blanks.

The Lt. Gov. of Texas is dangling a very expensive carrot in hopes of finding proof of voter fraud ... but what he's really doing is motivating liars to come out of the woodwork.

Yes, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick made the crazy announcement Tuesday ... saying he "will pay up to $1 million to incentivize, encourage and reward people to come forward and report voter fraud." He says the cash will come from his campaign fund.

There is a catch ... Patrick says any whistleblowers would have to turn over evidence that leads to an arrest and conviction in order to get paid. Each person who does that will receive at least $25,000 -- so, Patrick is clearly planning to hook dozens of tipsters.

Remember ... Republicans have filed several affidavits and complaints in courts across the country alleging potential voter fraud and unfair elections, but so far, no court has reversed any election results or confirmed the allegations.

Make no mistake, Patrick is scoring points with President Trump, who still refuses to concede to President-elect Joe Biden. Patrick says he supports "Trump's efforts to identify voter fraud in the presidential election and his commitment to making sure that every legal vote is counted and every illegal vote is disqualified."

With $25k up for grabs, we're guessing Patrick will get plenty of people claiming to have the evidence he's seeking -- whether they actually have it or not.

The only officer to be charged in the Breonna Taylor case is just now accused of sexual assault -- something the alleged victim claims his bosses knew about, but did nothing to correct.

Margo Borders is suing Brett Hankison, claiming he sexually assaulted her in 2018 after a night out at a bar where he worked security. She says she was drunk around closing time, and Hankison offered her a ride home.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Borders alleges Hankison invited himself into her home and plopped down on the couch, while she went into her bedroom to change.

Borders says she passed out, but claims Hankison came into her room, got naked and sexually assaulted her while she was unconscious. When she finally woke up, she claims she screamed for him to get off her, and Hankison grabbed his uniform and left.

The next day, Borders claims Hankison contacted her, insisting they'd engaged in consensual relations. She also claims more than 10 other anonymous women have come forward to make statements about Hankison's alleged misconduct with them.

She's also suing several of his co-workers and supervisors -- on the police force and at the bar -- claiming they were aware of his alleged abuse but never took action to stop it.

It doesn't sound like Borders herself filed a police report, but she claims several of the other women made police reports that never got pursued.

As you know, Hankison was charged with wanton endangerment in the Breonna Taylor case ... for allegedly shooting into a neighboring apartment, but not for shooting and killing Breonna.

He's pled not guilty, and has been fired from LMPD.

Odell Beckham is officially on the road to recovery ... the star receiver and the Cleveland Browns just announced he underwent successful surgery to repair his torn ACL.

Beckham shredded the knee early in the Browns-Bengals game back on Oct. 25 ... and he was finally able to go under the knife Tuesday to repair the issue.

The Browns said in a statement the operation -- performed by world-renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews down in Florida -- was a complete success.

"Beckham is expected to be ready for the 2021 season," the team added.

Beckham appeared to be pleased with the results of the surgery as well ... he posted a pic of himself post-op and wrote, "Sit back relax n watch how God work.....Now let the journey begin."

Beckham was having his best year as a Brown before the injury ... logging 319 receiving yards and 4 total TDs in 7 starts.

The wideout has vowed to come back stronger than ever ... writing on his social media page earlier this week, "Adversity.... it’s nothin new to me!"

Get well soon!

Britney Spears believes her father dished out hundreds of thousands of dollars to her former business manager for no good reason ... and she thinks it was way too much.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Tri Star Sports & Entertainment Group began repping Britney more than a decade ago, and got paid 5 percent commission on her gross entertainment-related income.

That obviously added up to a lot of money when Britney was actively performing, but it took a hit when she announced her "indefinite work hiatus" in early 2019.

According to the docs ... Tri Star emailed Brit's dad, Jamie Spears, in November 2019 and said it wanted to remain on the 5 percent commission plan, but with a $500k annual minimum.

Britney claims her dad approved this new arrangement without attempting to negotiate a more favorable deal, and in doing so ... screwed her out of $308,974.51 it sent to Tri Star for its services in 2019.

Britney's legal team calls these "radical new arrangements" that gave Tri Star a 260% raise from the amount it would have been owed under the previous deal. She's looking to disallow the $309k payment as excessive and credit it back to her on the accounting.

We broke the story ... Tri Star also recently resigned as Brit's biz manager last month, and Jamie already hired a new one. This is creating another major rift in her ongoing conservatorship case, and played a role in Brit's decision to try to get her dad removed as co-conservator.

Justin Turner is a changed man -- the Dodgers star was out in L.A. Tuesday and it seems he's learned to keep his mask on at all times!

Check out the 35-year-old slugger rockin' his mask while out on a walk with his two doggies -- super safe and super adorable!

It was exactly 2 weeks ago the star 3rd baseman ignited major outbreak concerns during Game 6 of the World Series -- when he blew off the MLB coronavirus protocol to celebrate with his teammates after being told in the 7th inning he had tested positive for the virus.

There was even a point where Turner removed his mask and sat next to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts (a cancer survivor) for a team photo.

Turner has since apologized for his actions at the World Series -- saying he failed to "appreciate the risks" of returning to the field after he learned he was COVID positive.

"I have spoken with almost every teammate, coach, and staff member and my intentions were never to make anyone uncomfortable or put anyone at further risk," Turner said in a statement.

Over the weekend, the L.A. County Department of Public Health said 5 members of the Dodgers organization (plus one family member) have tested positive for COVID ... though they have not identified those people by name.

Congressman Jim Clyburn's widely credited with saving Joe Biden's Presidential campaign, but he says Joe shouldn't thank him ... the credit goes to 2 Black women who inspired him.

The distinguished gentleman from South Carolina joined "TMZ Live" Tuesday to shed some light on his decision to throw major support behind Biden leading up to the SC primary, which proved pivotal in Joe landing the Democratic nomination.

Clyburn tells us he was already a Biden fan, but he decided to go all out for him to honor his late wife, Emily ... who passed in September 2019. The congressman says his wife absolutely loved Joe, and she made him promise her he'd commit to helping Biden get the nom.

The other Black woman who persuaded Clyburn is anonymous, but his interaction with her was so impactful ... he attributes it to his game-changing endorsement of Biden. The rest, as they say ... is history.

Of course, this all led to Biden becoming President-elect, and Rep. Clyburn seems pretty confident nothing's going to change that ... despite President Trump's efforts.

In fact, Jim seems fed up with all the Trump talk since the election, and reminds us the sitting Prez is just one individual -- one the congressman would like to see put in his place. As he's told us before, if Trump won't leave quietly ... he believes the military will make him.

Finally, on the topic of Georgia and its uber-important Senate races ... Jim has an interesting take on how they could affect Biden's presidency and the Democratic Party as a whole.

Hoda Kotb says things are looking up for Al Roker in his battle with prostate cancer ... and she's got a message for fans who want to help out.

We got the "Today" host jogging through NYC Tuesday -- she says she's running for Al, BTW -- and asked for an update on his health. She'd just recently spoken to him, and was happy to report Al's in a great mood ahead of surgery this week to remove his prostate.

As you know ... Al revealed his cancer diagnosis on the air Friday, saying he learned about the diagnosis Sept. 30 and explaining why he's going to be taking time away from "Today" for surgery and recovery.

Hoda says Al feels things are "looking good" for him, but she had a message for all of his fans looking for a way to help.

It's great news Al's doing well, but we can't say as much for our photog. Watch the clip and one thing is obvious ... Hoda can teach our guy a thing or 2 about cardio.

Hall of Famer Tom Heinsohn -- who won 10 titles for the Boston Celtics as a player and coach -- has died, the team announced Monday. He was 86.

Heinsohn is the only person to have ties to each of the Celtics' 17 championships ... going on to spend 30 years as a beloved color commentator after his coaching career.

Tom was a 6-time All-Star on the court ... winning Rookie of the Year honors in 1957. Heinsohn -- AKA "Tommy Gun" -- averaged 18.6 points in 654 games in his career.

He retired as a player in 1965 ... and the Celtics retired his #15 jersey a year later.

Heinsohn spent 9 seasons as Celtics head coach from 1969-78 -- winning titles in 1974 and 1976 -- and was named Coach of the Year in 1973.

Heinsohn was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 1986 ... and was later recognized for his coaching career in 2015.

The Celtics ownership group released a statement, saying, "This is a devastating loss. Tommy was the ultimate Celtic."

"For the past 18 years, our ownership group has relied hugely on Tommy’s advice and insights and have reveled in his hundreds of stories about Red Auerbach, Bill Russell, and how the Celtics became a dynasty. He will be remembered forever.

Ex-Celtics star Isaiah Thomas mourned the loss on Tuesday ... saying, "Damn RIP Tommy Heinsohn!!!"

"'The Little guy' that’s the nickname he gave me. Will miss his voice and everything he brought to the game especially Celtics basketball."

NBC's Ken Dilanian is the latest victim of the dreaded hot mic ... unwittingly unleashing a stream of curse words on live TV, but he's got an explanation and an apology.

Here's the deal ... Ken was supposed to be doing a live hit Tuesday on MSNBC about new developments in President Trump's refusal to concede and acknowledge President-Elect Joe Biden, and he cursed as Craig Melvin introduced him.

"Oh, s***, f***," Ken exclaimed while looking down at his phone. MSNBC quickly cut away after the profanity.

Ken's already saying sorry for his on-air gaffe ... he's apologizing for using profanity and says it was a byproduct of technical difficulties. He mistakenly hung up on the control room -- hence the four-letter words -- but didn't realize his mic was still hot.

President Trump has the right to exhaust every avenue to determine if there was voter fraud in the election, but if nothing turns up, he should exit stage left ... so says the Texas GOP chairman.

Allen West joined "TMZ Live" on Tuesday and said people are getting way ahead of themselves by declaring Joe Biden the President-elect ... not while ballots are still being counted -- or recounted -- in George, Arizona and North Carolina.

West, a former U.S. Congressman and retired Lt. Col., added the voter fraud allegations in Pennsylvania -- so far, unfounded -- also have to play out in court. While West is throwing his support behind team Trump and the audit of ballots, he makes it crystal clear -- if it's ruled a fair and legal election ... Trump has to abide by that.

How did Mike Tyson maintain a rock star lifestyle and still pass all his drug tests?!

FAKE DONG!!!

The boxing legend went in-depth about how he was able to cheat the system on his "Hotboxin'" podcast this week ... admitting he used a device called a "Whizzinator" to pass his tests.

The "Whizzinator" is basically a prosthetic penis with a built-in bag to store someone else's pee. People have tried to use the device for years to fool in-person drug testers ... including Tyson.

"It was awesome, man," Tyson said during a conversation with Jeff Novitzky, UFC's Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance.

"I put my baby’s urine in it."

So, why did the guy need fake piss?? Tyson did a lot of drugs.

The 54-year-old boxing legend has said he'd NEVER touch PEDs, but he has been open about his cocaine and weed consumption throughout his career ... and instead of laying off the booger sugar, the dude went the prosthetic penis route.

But, the fake shlong wasn't fool-proof -- Tyson says there were some close calls along the way.

"One time I was using my wife’s [urine] and my wife was like, 'Baby, you better not hope that it comes back pregnant or something.' And I said, 'nah, so we ain’t gonna use you any more, we’re gonna use the kid.'"

"Cuz I got scared that the piss might come back pregnant."

Novitsky -- who oversees the UFC's drug-testing program -- told Tyson he thinks that's actually happened before!!

"A male provided a urine sample and it came back and they said ‘Sir, you’re pregnant. Either you’re pregnant or this is somebody else’s urine!'"

Novitzky also explained how urine testing is a very up close and personal job -- where the tester has to actually watch the athlete in the act of providing the sample.

In other words, if you're gonna use a "Whizzinator" -- it has to match the user's skin color. So, Jeff asked Mike if his "whiz" actually looked like his real penis.

"Yeah, hell yeah, I had a brown one," Tyson said.

Tyson ain't the first athlete to use the device -- ex-NFL running back Onterrio Smith was busted with the "Whiz" back in 2005.

And years later, Smith's fake wiener hit the auction block -- where it sold for $750!

So, if Mike can find his old device ... he might be able to make some cash!

Originally Published -- 8:50 AM PT

Obamacare was on the line Tuesday before the U.S. Supreme Court .... and not only does it seem the justices are inclined to do away with part or all of it -- although there seems to be a good chance the case will be thrown out on technical legal grounds -- there was also talk about another looming issue ... whether the federal government could impose a mandatory mask requirement.

Oral arguments kicked off Tuesday on the issue of whether the ACA's individual mandate is constitutional anymore since a Republican-held Congress removed the tax penalty in 2017. The justices had said previously that the law was grounded in Congress's ability to tax citizens, but now that there's no longer a tax penalty, some of the justices felt there was no longer a legal basis for the law. The Trump administration wants the whole law 86'd, but others say the justices could declare just the mandatory health insurance provision unconstitutional and save the rest of the ACA.

As the groundwork for that was being laid out at the beginning of the hearing, Justice Clarence Thomas raised an illuminating comparison ... asking if a proposed national mask mandate could, for instance, be challenged if there's no real threat of enforcement.

He seemed to be spit-balling, but the fact he chose to hurl that wad specifically in this context was telling, especially since Joe Biden said he would roll out a national mandate.

Back to the ACA ... Justices Kavanaugh and Alito -- both of whom tend to have strict interpretations of the constitution -- appeared to signal they thought removing the mandate and leaving the rest of law in place was something that could feasibly work.

Alito, for example, compared the mandate to a crucial part of a plane that engineers thought, at first, was necessary to fly. But, if that part gets removed once it's in the air, and if the plane continues to fly ... he asked why is it necessary to take the whole thing down? It was pretty insightful -- but time will tell if or how they actually rule on the subject.

One person who was relatively muted throughout Tuesday's proceedings -- and who didn't really show her cards much at all -- was Justice Amy Coney Barrett, the newbie of the group, and the one who could well be the deciding vote to strike the ACA down, or uphold it.

Her questions were brief, and were mostly buried in legalese ... it was hard to pick up what, if anything, she was signaling on how she felt about the merits of the case.

As this case plays out over the next few months, Justice Thomas' question of masks might be setting up another showdown over the legality of mandated mask-wearing ... something we'll definitely keep an eye out for.

Stop the search ... this California man just won Father of the Year honors after building his own Disneyland roller coaster just to entertain his family during quarantine.

Sean LaRochelle of Napa spent around 4 months building a scaled-down version of the famed Matterhorn ride. It's a 2-story, single-passenger roller coaster ... and you can tell Sean did everything in his power to get every detail of the alpine-themed ride.

Check out the videos ... his 400-feet of track includes Swiss flags, waterfalls and even the ticked off Yeti inside the mountain!!! The aerial shots of his mini Matterhorn are also pretty awesome -- we're thinking Sean needs to go Hollywood.

Sean's kid can thank coronavirus for their backyard playground-on-steroids. Disneyland closed in mid-March due to the pandemic, and 2 weeks later Sean started building the ride. He finished in July.

Ya might've guessed it, but Sean's working on a degree in architecture, and says he had some socially-distanced help from about 30 friends and family members. Doesn't hurt to come from a family of architects.

BTW, his child is only 6 months old. Sorry kid, you're just not tall enough for this ride yet.

The answer to "Who is Alex Trebek?" is not a short one, but the good folks of Greater Sudbury, Ontario want it to be known he's their hometown hero ... in the form of a memorial.

We broke the story ... the iconic "Jeopardy!" host died Sunday morning after battling pancreatic cancer. The Canadian city where he was born and raised is honoring him by flying flags outside its City Hall at half-staff and creating a virtual condolences book where residents can leave messages for the Trebek family.

Brian Bigger, Mayor of Greater Sudbury, tells TMZ they want to honor him in a much bigger way ... and there are already a few leading ideas on how to do so.

Mayor Bigger says proposals on social media include some type of public work of art -- either erecting a statue of Alex or putting up a mural -- or ... possibly linking Trebek to Sudbury's public library set to be built over the next few years.

The Mayor says the library idea makes a lot of sense considering the TV legend was so involved in education, but he makes it clear ... this is just wishful thinking at this point.

Bigger tells us nothing has been decided -- this is just preliminary planning -- but he will bring the ideas to the next City Council meeting to get the ball rolling.

Mayor Bigger adds that Trebek's family should have a say in the matter, but he's waiting to reach out to them so they have the proper time to grieve first.

Alex met with the mayor during his last visit to Sudbury in 2015, and Bigger says he was very interested in growth and development in the community ... and it's no surprise he's beloved there.

The same goes for Canada as a whole. Get this -- Alex was honored with a key to the city of Ottawa in 2016 and received the Order of Canada, the country's highest civilian honor, in 2017.