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Jill Biden and Kamala Harris should go America first as they hunt for someone to design their dresses for the inaugural ball ... so says famous fashion designer Michael Costello.

The former "Project Runway" star tells us the First Lady and Vice President-elect should absolutely wear an American designer when the ball rolls around in January, which would only underscore their love of country.

The way Michael sees it ... inaugural balls are a huge platform for up-and-coming designers to get a huge career boost, so Jill and Kamala should try and find a diamond in the rough and transform that designer's career.

Remember ... Michelle Obama picked Jason Wu to design her dress way back in 2008, and Jason's career immediately took off thanks to the First Lady's endorsement.

Melania Trump, meanwhile, went with well-known French-American designer Herve Pierre.

Illinois-born actor Chris Klein was 20 years old when he landed the life-changing role of hunky high schooler Chris "Oz" Ostreicher -- who leaves his lacrosse team hanging to join the choir for the cute girl -- in the OG teen film "American Pie" ... and the follow-up films "American Pie 2" and "American Reunion."

Chris Klein shared the big screen with young actors on the rise including Mena Suvari as the sing-songy GF, Heather, Shannon Elizabeth as the foreign exchange hottie, Nadia, Natasha Lyonne as the jaded classmate, Jessica ... and of course Jason Biggs as the pie-loving, Jim.

One of President Trump's supporters is facing criminal charges after being caught on tape coughing on someone without a mask on -- and it happened on 45's own turf, no less.

The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office tells TMZ ... 61-year-old Raymond Deskins has been charged with misdemeanor simple assault and was released on a summons -- this after somebody got a citizen's warrant from a country magistrate.

All of that follows what was captured on video Saturday at the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, VA -- just outside of D.C. -- when a man, believed to be Deskins, was seen arguing with a protester ... and then forcefully coughing on her.

In the clip, the man isn't wearing a face mask or covering of any kind ... and he seems to do the exaggerated coughing/blowing in the woman's direction after she makes a fuss about him being too close to her and expressing COVID concerns.

At first, LCSO told us since cops weren't on the scene and didn't see this first-hand -- and because the video didn't quite capture everything unfold in its entirety -- their hands were tied as far as arresting anyone after both parties claimed assault.

So, as a temporary fix, we're told the man and woman in the video were instructed to run to court and get a warrant themselves ... apparently, only the woman followed through thus far. It's unclear what spurred Deskins' assault claim.

Two noteworthy things about this -- this appears to be one of the rare instances of somebody coughing on another person on purpose (outside of a law enforcement officer, which we've seen) and getting rung up on charges for it. It hardly happens.

The wheels have fallen off Donald Trump's court challenges, so his daughter-in-law now says they're entertaining the prospect of getting state legislators to subvert the democratic process -- and break the law -- by pressuring them to switch to pro-Trump electors.

It's both shocking and yet not really surprising. Lara Trump went on Fox Sunday and groused about all the alleged fraud and cheating in the election. Thing is ... her in-law had way more than a dozen chances to make that case before a judge, yet he's been thrown out of court left and right ... and schooled by angry judges who say the challenges are a big waste of time -- because Trump and co. presented no evidence of voter fraud.

So now, she's saying going to state legislators to try and overturn the results is an option. It's illegal in most states for legislators to turn on their voters and rig the electoral college system.

Lara Trump says there are 74 million people who voted for Trump who are angry at the results. Well, that's called losing, and we're guessing many of them may be upset but not necessarily inclined to rig the process so the loser becomes the winner.

She somehow thinks Joe Biden could not have gotten 80 million votes, because he only had a dozen people at some campaign events. Of course, that's ridiculous, especially because Biden played it safe and coronavirus has ravaged the maskless Trumps.

Patrick Quinn -- who co-created the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge -- has died.

Quinn passed away Sunday after a 7-year-long battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis -- also known as Lou Gehrig's disease -- this according to his official Facebook page.

A remembrance post read, "It is with great sadness that we must share the passing of Patrick early this morning.  He was a blessing to us all in so many ways.  We will always remember him for his inspiration and courage in his tireless fight against ALS."

Pat's involvement with the IBC is tied to his pal, Peter Frates, who was widely seen as the face/inspiration behind the challenge and why it went viral. Had it not been for PQ catching wind of a similar challenge happening earlier in 2014 and then linking it directly to ALS while spreading the word ... Frates might've never blown up.

Together, the two of them formally affiliated the challenge with ALS -- which took off all over the world and went on to raise significant awareness about the disease ... not to mention money. As of late, the Ice Bucket Challenge has helped raise upwards of $250 million to help study and, hopefully, eradicate the ailment.

As we reported, Frates -- who also had ALS -- died quite young as well at the age of 34 just last year. His Fenway Park video was the spark plug that made everyone jump on the challenge in August 2014 -- which also spurred folks to challenge other people as a result.

Celebs have also taken up the challenge over the years -- folks like David Spade, Charlie Sheen, Kim K, Ellen and others. Then-President Barack Obama rejected the challenge ... but opted to donate instead, which is probably worth more anyway.

As for Quinn, he was only 37 years old.

A bunch of free-spirited sex revelers had their good time cut short by cops in the Big Apple -- an interesting contrast to another attempted New York bust gone bad.

The NYC Sheriff's Office busted in and broke up an underground swingers club early Sunday morning in Queens ... which is said to have been hosting upwards of 80 people -- a big no-no under Gov. Cuomo's new 10-person-or-less rule.

Sure enough, there was a rager going down -- music was blasting and people were mingling and sipping on booze, which the Sheriff's Office says was being illegally served. Oh, and there were some people making whoopee too ... all together.

The cops say they found three couples having sex in a small room -- apparently, this swinger joint -- which goes by Caligula, of all names -- has services for that if you're looking to get busy. The Sheriff's Office even snapped a shot of one of those rooms, plus a price sheet going over rates, and what looks like a box of condoms!

All in all, two organizers and one patron were charged with misdemeanors -- and the place was cleared out. The NYP reports that the manager was hit with lots of fines ... which amounted to about $16,000 for violating emergency measures issued by the state. The guy reportedly also got dinged for booze infractions.

This is almost a complete 180 from what went down in neighboring Buffalo just the night prior -- when Sheriff's deputies and county health workers tried barging in on a packed business meeting to shut it down, only to get chased off by the mob.

Tyler Perry was in the giving mood this weekend -- and it appears thousands more were in the receiving mood ahead of an extremely challenging Thanksgiving.

Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta became the site of incredibly long lines of cars Sunday morning as folks came from all over to jump on the food drive giveaway the studio dubbed TPSGiving ... which aimed to feed 5,000 families.

TP and co. promised to offer up nonperishables as well as gift cards to the first 5,000 families to pull up to their grounds ... and the people heard them loud and clear, because the cars started arriving as early as Saturday afternoon, and only grew bigger going into Sunday -- with the drive going from 8 AM ET to noon.

Check out this drone footage TMZ obtained that shows a bird's-eye view of the scene -- you can see traffic backed up all along the surrounding freeway there ... and word on the ground is that it was even more packed than what this shows.

As for how it was carried out, Tyler's staff made sure to keep coronavirus in mind ... the hand-off of goods was all curbside pickup, and everyone receiving a care package was asked to wear masks. The TPS employees were covered in PPE from head to toe as well, so by all accounts ... it was as safe as can be for this type of thing.

Prince William and Kate Middleton's beloved dog, Lupo, has died ... a dog that was responsible for choosing the name of the future King of England.

The couple announced the sad news, saying, "Very sadly last weekend our dear dog, Lupo, passed away. He has been at the heart of our family for the past nine years and we will miss him so much."

Lupo, an English Cocker Spaniel, has been the face of the breed for several years and is responsible for the gain in the breed's popularity across the pond.

The pooch is the offspring of a dog owned by Kate's parents ... and Lupo was happily adopted by William.

Lupo, which means wolf in Italian, is responsible for Prince George ... well, sort of. Back when Kate was pregnant, she and William reportedly wrote a bunch of names on paper, which were strewn across their floor. They turned Lupo loose to see which piece of paper he would tap ... sure enough, it was the one bearing the name George.

Lupo was 9.

This tops every video this week ... an enormous elephant hoisted from a well and pulled to safety ... and it only took 12 hours!!!

It was an incredible feat. The majestic beast fell into a deep well in India and rescuers jumped into action. The dilemma -- how to pull all that tonnage up to solid ground.

The rescue effort began in daylight Thursday but extended into darkness, as the elephant was secured by ropes and then a crane was dispatched to lift the creature.

The animal was sedated and slowly ... it was lifted from the base of the well and ascended.

When all was said and done, the elephant emerged from the darkness ... with cheers from rescuers and onlookers. It was freed from the ropes and stood with obvious relief. The elephant's fine!

Apparently, wells are an attractive nuisance for elephants ... 2 others have fallen into Indian wells recently ... not to be confused with Indian Wells outside Palm Springs.

Folks struggling with the pandemic and all of its fallout got a big break Saturday, with celebs and others pitching in to help feed those in need.

The Feed Your City Event is 10-events strong, and it was held in numerous U.S. cities.  Among them ... Compton, where Dr. Dre, music industry icon Tony Draper and retired NBA star Ricky Davis sponsored the event in Compton.

The event is timed around Thanksgiving, where people could get free groceries including, of course, turkeys. This year the giveaway includes PP supplies.

The event was COVID-safe, with a one-lane drive-thru and another line for walk-ups.  Everyone socially distanced and masks were plentiful.

Also involved in organizing the event ... Compton Mayor Aja Brown, Power 106 and 93.5 KDAY.

David Spade must be struggling, because he's apparently auditioning for the job of TMZ photog ... and he's so good he may get a callback!!!

David put his cellphone to questionable use Saturday, when he interviewed a squirrel about the pandemic. The critter was very tight-lipped -- probably because his mouth was filled with nuts. Nevertheless, David peppered it with questions ... some of them questionable.

Note to David ... it's okay to ask the squirrel about lockdowns, but asking the rodent to talk smack on Fauci -- well, that crosses the line.

David persists, but the squirrel isn't having it and scampers off into the field.

Light at the end of the tunnel!!! Maybe. Because there's now a plan to vaccinate like crazy and get this country back to something that resembles normal by May, 2021.

Dr. Moncef Slaoui, the chief scientific advisor to Operation Warp Speed, told Jake Tapper Sunday on CNN, the drug companies -- notably Pfizer and Moderna -- are ready to ship out millions of doses of their vaccines as early as December 11, the day after anticipated FDA approval.

Dr. Slaoui went on to say 20 million doses would be shipped out in December, and 30 million a month thereafter. When you do the math, by May ... around half the country would be vaccinated and the good Doc thinks that opens the door to a restoration of normal life.

The problem ... May could be the sunset month for the vaccine, since half the country seems opposed to getting the shot. Nonetheless, if the vaccines do indeed provide 95% protection from the virus -- and especially if you choose the people with whom you interact face-to-face based on their inoculation status ... there would be reason to feel relatively safe from COVID.

Two Oxford scientists have skewered Facebook, claiming the company is engaged in anti-democratic censorship by flagging their article on mask-wearing "false information."

Professor Carl Heneghan and Dr. Tom Jefferson authored a paper called, "Landmark Danish Study Shows Face Masks Have No Significant Effect." They based the article on a study done in Denmark in which 6,000 folks were divided into 2 groups -- half wearing masks outside their homes and half not wearing masks. According to the study, the infection rate for mask-wearers was 1.8%. The rate for those who didn't wear masks was 2.1%.

The study called the results "inconclusive," but the 2 Oxford doctors went further, saying, " ... it seems that any effect masks have on preventing the spread of the disease in the community is small." That was enough for Facebook to step in and call BS, slapping a warning on the article and adding that it was "checked by independent fact-checkers."

Professor Heneghan railed on Facebook, saying, "I'm aware this is happening to others -- what has happened to academic freedom and freedom of speech. There is nothing in this article that is 'false.'"

Dr. Jefferson told the Daily Mail, "It is censorship and it is one of the reasons we face a global meltdown of free thinking and science."

On the scientific front, the study did not address what appears to be an indisputable fact ... that masks do reduce the spread of COVID-laced droplets and that's just common sense ... if someone who is infected wears a mask it's harder for the droplets to escape into the air.

"The Real Housewives of Atlanta" is known for some steamy scenes, but apparently season 13 gets so wild ... one woman's walking away mid-season.

Tanya Sam -- who's not an official Housewife but a "friend" of the show -- has officially bailed on filming the rest of the current season ... production sources tell TMZ.

As for why ... well, we're told it revolves around Cynthia Bailey's bachelorette party and what Tanya and Porsha Williams did with a male stripper while cameras were rolling ... and what they may or may not have done when cameras shut down.

Our sources say Tanya's not happy about the alleged stripper sex incident being so heavily promoted for the upcoming season, so she stopped filming about halfway through.

We're told she had other issues too -- like her relationship with her fiance and his alleged cheating taking center stage on season 12 -- but the stripper scandal was the last straw.

Our sources say she hasn't officially quit 'RHOA,' but she's done for the new season ... so viewers will notice her drop out after a few episodes.

We're also told that as of right now, Tanya's so ticked off she's not even considering doing the reunion show when the season wraps up.

Clare Crawley and Dale Moss are already engaged, but they're taking their relationship to new heights by spending a holiday with each other's families ... despite cheating rumors.

Sources close to "The Bachelorette" couple tell TMZ ... they're ignoring claims that Dale stepped out on Clare ... they'll spend their first Thanksgiving together on the West Coast.

We're told Dale flew to Sacramento to meet Clare, and they'll be heading down to San Diego to feast on turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie with family and friends on both sides.

Our sources say they place no stock in recent reports alleging Dale was kissing women in NYC last week.

ICYMI ... Dale -- a former football player turned model -- was photographed walking around the city with a few models last week after they worked a Hugo Boss event together.

They got drinks afterward, and that's when the rumor mill churned out talk that he was seen smooching on women. They say it's absolutely untrue ... one of the women Dale was hanging with is married, and the other has a boyfriend.

Regardless, Clare was unfazed by the gossip and met up with Dale in his hometown in South Dakota a few days later. She shared a romantic pic of the meetup.

Our sources say they plan to split their time between Sacramento and NYC due to their jobs.

As you know ... Clare's time as 'Bachelorette' was unprecedented, as she and Dale hit it off so intensely he proposed to her just days into filming her season. She said yes, and as of now ... we're told there's still no trouble in paradise.

John Daly is recovering after undergoing a surgical procedure related to his cancer this week -- a procedure he bumped up in hopes of playing a golf tourney with his son in December.

54-year-old Daly was diagnosed with bladder cancer back in September -- but he's been fighting like hell and recently told us straight-up, "I'll beat this sh*t, f*ck cancer."

Gotta love John Daly!

In fact, Daly's so confident, he recently entered the PNC Championship along with his 16-year-old son Little John Daly so they could play together during the Dec. 17 to 20 event.

The issue ... doctors recently told Daly they wanted him to undergo a procedure connected to his treatment -- and the timing could have clashed with the golf tourney.

So, John took the bull by the horns and bumped up the procedure -- which took place on Wednesday -- so he could have enough time to recover and get himself ready to play in December.

We're told John is doing well so far and is in good spirits -- and remains confident he'll give Tiger Woods and his son a run for their money!