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Dr. Anthony Fauci held his breath for months with Donald Trump, but he's now fully exhaled and is having a hard time hiding his glee over the change in administrations.

The infectious disease guru made it clear at the White House coronavirus briefing Thursday ... SCIENCE RULES!!

The good doc made it clear ... there were times working with Trump when he felt uncomfortable -- fact is, you could see it all over his face. He was walking a tightrope because if he disagreed with 45 he could end up getting pink-slipped, which would have been bad for the country.

The best evidence of this, he said, is Trump touting hydroxychloroquine. He didn't want to squarely contradict Trump, because of Trump's temper ... he clearly feels comfortable giving Biden the straight take.

Fauci shaded Trump, by saying the mantra of the Biden Administration when it comes to coronavirus is simple ... "If you don't know the answer, don't guess. Just say you don't know the answer."

Dr. Fauci says getting back to facts and letting the science speak for itself in approaching the pandemic is a "liberating feeling."

Time to make some room in the binders, collectors ... Bernie Sanders is now getting a baseball card based on his 'fit at Wednesday's inauguration -- and it's pretty amazing!!

The guys at Topps just designed a piece based on the incredibly meme-able shot of Sanders at Joe Biden's historic event ... offering up the one-of-a-kind card for $9.99.

As part of the Topps Now program, collectors have until Jan. 28 to purchase the card ... and Topps will then print off however many were sold and send them out.

The beauty of it all for collectors? Topps says the Jan. 21 to Jan. 28 timeframe is the ONLY times in history they'll produce this card -- so it could make the thing super valuable down the road.

Unique spin on the hobby, right??

Sanders' iconic shot at POTUS' festivities won't just be memorialized in a card form, though ... he's also getting a bobblehead treatment!

The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame unveiled Thursday they've created a piece based on Sanders' mask, jacket and gloves for $25 a pop!

A woman who says Soulja Boy hired her to be his personal assistant claims he raped and assaulted her for nearly 2 years .. but he denies laying a hand on her.

The rapper's being sued by a Jane Doe, who alleges he began to abuse her shortly after he hired her in December 2018 -- beginning with sending her unsolicited photos of his penis within the first month.

But, according to the lawsuit ... they eventually developed a romantic relationship and she moved in with him.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, she says Soulja started acting violently toward her in January 2019 ... including an argument they had while driving. She alleges he pushed her out of the vehicle and forced her to walk 5 miles.

The accuser claims Soulja sexually assaulted her for the first time in February 2019 ... and "expressed remorse" afterward by paying her $1,000.

In May 2019, the woman claims the rapper spit on her when she told him she wanted to quit, and alleges he would become insanely jealous when she got social media comments or phone calls.

In the suit, she alleges he would "punch, kick and body slam" her due to his jealousy, and once threatened, "I should have killed you." Further, she claims he locked her in a room with no mattress, food or water on multiple occasions.

She also claims she was sometimes sexually assaulted twice a day ... and after one violent attack in August 2020 -- where she thought she would die -- she moved out. According to the suit, she went back to get her belongings the next month, and he allegedly raped her again.

The woman is suing for sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, infliction of emotional distress and -- on top of everything else -- she claims she wasn't paid properly for her work ... so she wants damages for that too.

A rep for Soulja tells us, "Soulja would never put his hands on a female. He wouldn't beat a woman or put his hands on a woman ... this is non-sense!!!"

As you may know ... he was also sued for assault in January 2020.

Oklahoma's about to be the hotspot for everyone looking to legally hunt Bigfoot ... if a lawmaker there gets his wish.

OK State Rep. Justin Humphrey introduced a real-life bill Wednesday calling for the Oklahoma Wildlife Commission to establish an official bigfoot hunting season, complete with licenses and tags.

Oklahoma's infamous for its sasquatch sightings, especially in the southeastern and southern parts of the state, which Humphrey represents. So the dude's got skin in the game.

There's even an annual bigfoot festival each October, and Humphrey wants the hunting season to coincide with the festival to maximize tourism. If the bill's passed into law, it would take effect on Nov. 1 of this year.

But, there's a catch ... Humphrey reportedly wants people to trap bigfoot instead of killing it, and hopes to create a $25,000 bounty for the first person to catch the creature.

YFN Lucci's hoping to get out of lockup to take care of his kids and his mom ... even though he's facing some serious charges for his alleged role in a homicide.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ ... the rapper's asking the judge to set a reasonable bond because he has "four underaged children whom he financially supports."

YFN also claims to provide a home and money for his mother living in Fulton County, GA.

In addition, he says there's no risk of him fleeing his pending trial ... and claims he "poses no significant threat or danger to any person, to the community, or to any property in the community." He points out he has no felony criminal record either.

Of course, the rapper's facing very serious charges -- murder, aggravated assault and possibly gun and gang-related felonies -- which arguably make him sound like he’s very much a danger to society ... but it will be up to the judge to decide.

As we reported ... YFN turned himself into Atlanta police last week after an arrest warrant was issued for felony murder. The alleged murder victim is James Adams ... a member of YFN's own crew.

The Big Aristotle is now The Big Community Relations Director ... Shaquille O'Neal has been hired for the role by a sheriff's office in Georgia!!

A rep for the Henry County Sheriff's Office confirmed to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday that the NBA legend will be starting the job ASAP.

Goal #1 for the former L.A. Lakers superstar, according to Sheriff’s spokesperson Eric Jackson? Have Shaq help bring the community closer.

"As a part of Sheriff [Reginald] Scandrett’s strategic plan, bridging the gap between the community and law enforcement is paramount,” Jackson told the AJC.

“Coupled with Dr. O’Neal’s philanthropy, Scandrett and Shaq have a specific plan to begin uniting the Henry County community.”

Cool gig for Shaq ... but of course, it shouldn't surprise anybody at all that he landed the role.

You'll recall, The Big Diesel has always had an affinity for law enforcement ... and has even been sworn in as a deputy or officer at several police agencies across the country through the years.

In fact, Shaq had once said it was his goal to ultimately be the Henry County Sheriff himself!!

Dustin Diamond has completed his first round of chemo after being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer ... according to his team.

The "Saved by the Bell" star is still in the hospital and is doing everything he can to deal with his diagnosis ... which his team tells TMZ is stage 4 small cell carcinoma.

This is commonly referred to as advanced lung cancer, but in Dustin's case ... we're told the cancer started elsewhere in his body and metastasized in his lungs. His next round of chemo is being scheduled soon.

His team says he will also begin physical therapy, and adds that Dustin is keeping a positive outlook and is looking forward to spending more time with his girlfriend. We're told he's also enjoying playing his bass guitar (learning songs by Tool and Foo Fighters) and video games ... and making videos for his fans on social media.

We broke the story ... Diamond, best known for playing Screech on the hit '90s sitcom, was hospitalized earlier this month in Florida after feeling pain all over his body and a general sense of unease.

From the get-go, there was concern he had cancer due to his family history, and sadly ... that concern became a scary reality.

Dustin's team says he's been receiving a bunch of fan mail wishing him well, and will be getting it to him at the hospital to lift his spirits soon.

Those bombs bursting in air for President Biden's Inauguration celebration required tens of thousands of fireworks to ensure his big day ended with a bang.

The company behind Wednesday night's fireworks show that lit up the sky while Katy Perry sang her hit, "Firework," tells TMZ ... a total of 35,000 shells exploded around the Washington Monument.

Garden State Fireworks owner August Santore tell us work began in earnest last Thursday, with a 25-man crew gearing up for the grand finale of the "Celebrating America" primetime special by setting up launching pads at 14 different locations.

With 35,000 fireworks going off, that's a lot of shells and debris to pick up ... and we're told the cleanup crew is aiming to be done by Saturday if all goes well.

The show went off without a hitch as the new Prez and First Lady soaked it all in from a White House balcony. Uncle Sam's relied on Garden State Fireworks for years, they've scored 8 straight contracts for the annual 4th of July Celebration at the National Mall.

BTW ... those 4th of July firework shows are much bigger than what we saw Inauguration Day, as this show was only 5 minutes compared to the 20-minute variety for Independence Day.

While GSF did most of the heavy lifting, we're told they also worked with a live special events company, Strictly FX, that was hired by the Inauguration Committee.

Amanda Gorman's poem at President Biden's Inauguration didn't just make her a household name, it put her at the top of Amazon's Best-Sellers list.

Hours after reading her poem, "The Hill We Climb" and becoming the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history, Gorman couldn't contain her joy as she learned her books -- "The Hill We Climb" and "Change Sings" -- clocked in at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, on Amazon sales.

What's really impressive about that is the books won't even be out until September 21 ... everyone's just pre-ordering now.

That's a massive accomplishment in such a short time especially when you consider this -- Barack Obama's "A Promised Land" is at No. 4, Kamala Harris' "Superheroes Are Everywhere" is at No. 8 and Michelle Obama's "Becoming" is at No. 12.

The 22-year-old West L.A. native and Harvard grad got a HUGE plug from 44 ... who tweeted, "On a day for the history books, @TheAmandaGorman delivered a poem that more than met the moment. Young people like her are proof that 'there is always light, if only we're brave enough to see it; if only we're brave enough to be it.'"

It should be noted ... Hillary Clinton, Oprah Winfrey and Lin-Manuel Miranda also shared her poem, which scored rave reviews and was trending just seconds after delivering it.

Joe Exotic's lack of being guilty and abundance of being gay is why he didn't get a pardon from Trump ... according to the 'Tiger King' star himself.

The disgraced former zoo owner's not taking his presidential pardon snub very well, and says ... "I was too innocent and too GAY to deserve a Pardon from Trump."

Joe adds that he thinks he only got some pardon attention initially from Don Jr. because Trump's son "needed to make a comment about me to boost his social media post."

He also threw some extra shade at the former Prez, saying ... "Boy were we all stupid to believe he actually stood for Equal Justice? His corrupt friends all come first."

As we've told you ... Joe's legal team was confident all the hard work they put in would lead to a pardon. They even had a stretch limo waiting for Exotic to go pick him up from prison once they got word Trump had freed him.

Unfortunately for Joe ... it never happened. Trump pardoned 73 people and commuted the sentences of 70 others, but not him. Team Tiger told us they were very disappointed, but added that they "will never leave Joe’s side and will continue to work until his freedom is gained."

We spoke to Joe's nemesis, Carole Baskin, who came out as bisexual in October ... she says Joe's latest statements are, "Just further evidence that he has no remorse for all the harm he's caused to exotic cats and the people in his life."

Kodak Black is getting out of federal prison thanks to Donald Trump, but prosecutors in South Carolina are still ready to aggressively pursue a sexual assault case against him.

The rapper was indicted in South Carolina on a felony charge of first-degree criminal sexual conduct ... and prosecutors tell us they still plan on pressing the case against Kodak until he cops a plea deal or there's a trial.

Ed Clements, the 12th Circuit Solicitor in Florence County, tells TMZ ... their pending case against Kodak from 2016 has been disrupted by COVID -- jury trials are suspended and there's no court date scheduled -- but prosecutors still want to "aggressively" go after Kodak.

As we reported ... Trump commuted Kodak's 46-month sentence for making a false statement on a federal document, so he's getting out after serving half the time.

But, here's the catch for Kodak ... Trump commuting his sentence for a federal crime has NO impact on cases in state court, like the one he's facing in South Carolina, and Clements says it's full steam ahead.

Prosecutors in S.C. claim Kodak forced himself on an 18-year-old woman in a hotel room after a Feb. 2016 concert, allegedly raping her and biting her neck and right breast ... according to legal docs obtained by TMZ.

Kodak's attorney in S.C., Beattie Ashmore, tells us, "Aggressively prosecute? It’s been four years. That speaks volumes. Kodak was on bond and on tour for two years before his federal case even began. Ed’s a very fine and experienced prosecutor and I look forward to once again speaking with him about this case. It’s been awhile."

Joe Biden ended his first night in the White House soaking in a fireworks show over D.C. ... with Katy Perry putting a bow on a historic day.

The new President and First Lady Jill Biden wore masks and hugged on a balcony outside their new digs, watching fireworks over the Washington Monument as Katy sang her hit, "Firework."

The "Celebrating America" inauguration concert saved the best for last ... with Katy bringing down the house.

Tom Hanks hosted the 90-minute primetime concert live from D.C., braving a cold winter's night at the Lincoln Memorial.

Former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama delivered a special message too ... sending Biden words of encouragement and wishing him success for the good of the country, while taking some subtle shots at the guy Biden's replacing.

Demi Lovato, Justin Timberlake, Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Foo Fighters and John Legend performed virtually before Katy's grand finale ... as did Ant Clemons, Tim McGraw and Florida Georgia Line's Tyler Hubbard.

Kerry Washington and Eva Longoria were also part of the action ... introducing the acts and sharing stories about young folks making differences in their communities.

Donald Trump's final piece of Presidential biz has Detroit's imprisoned ex-Mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick, enjoying his first taste of freedom in 7 years.

Kilpatrick got sprung from federal prison Wednesday and reunited with family members at Detroit's airport after Trump commuted his sentence. He had been serving a 28-year sentence for corruption crimes while he was Mayor.

Though he's a free man now, his 24 felony convictions still stand ... and he's still on the hook for $195,000 owed to the IRS and $1.5 million to Detroit.

If ya don't know ... Kilpatrick was dubbed the city's "Hip-Hop Mayor," but from his first term, he was dogged with scandals -- both accusations of misusing funds and a text-messaging sex scandal with his chief of staff.

Then, in 2013, he was convicted of racketeering conspiracy, fraud, extortion and tax crimes in a scheme the government called the "Kilpatrick enterprise."

Despite all of that, Kwame still had a slew of supporters in the D who felt his sentence was too harsh and pushed for a commutation. Trump came through for him, and in shortening his sentence noted ... "During his incarceration, Mr. Kilpatrick has taught public speaking classes and has led Bible Study groups with his fellow inmates."

President Trump came through for Lil Wayne with a full pardon that gets him off the hook for a gun charge that could've meant serious prison time, and rapper Kodak Black also got clemency with a commutation of his sentence.

Wayne's pardon announcement included a statement of support by Brett Berish of Sovereign Brands, who described him as "trustworthy, kind-hearted and generous." The pardon statement then reads, "Mr. Carter has exhibited this generosity through commitment to a variety of charities, including donations to research hospitals and a host of foodbanks."

Deion Sanders, also a supporter of the pardon, referred to Lil Wayne as "a provider for his family, a friend to many, a man of faith, a natural giver to the less fortunate, a waymaker [and] a game changer."

Weezy's pardon came just hours before the sun set on Trump's Presidency ... and it's just one of a stack of pardons, including Kodak Black. Black, who was sentenced to 46 months in prison for making a false statement on a Federal document, served nearly half his sentence.

The pardon statement notes he has been charitable in various ways, "such as providing educational resources to students and families of fallen law enforcement officers and the underprivileged." It goes on to note KB has provided funding to daycare centers, helped with food banks and worked with underprivileged children. And, the statement notes Kodak donated $50k to Dave Portnoy's Barstool Fund, which provides financial assistance to struggling businesses in the wake of COVID.

Wayne endorsed Trump in the final days of the 2020 election campaign -- posing for a photo, talking up Trump's criminal justice reform efforts and his proposed "platinum plan" to benefit the Black community.

With the pardon ... Weezy no longer has to worry about his federal gun case. As we reported ... he pled guilty in federal court last month to illegally possessing a loaded weapon while traveling to Miami on a private jet a year earlier.

He hadn't been sentenced, but faced the possibility of up to 10 years. That's all in Wayne's rearview mirror now.

Kylie and Kendall Jenner are living like queens south of the border ... soaking up the sun in a castle by the sea.

The billionaire and her model sister are treating themselves to a Mexican getaway, shacking up in the super luxurious Ocean Castle Sol de Oriente in Costa Careyes ... and ya gotta see their digs.

The 6-bedroom villa sits atop the Peninsula de las Estrellas -- that's Spanish for stars -- and it's surrounded by a 360-degree infinity pool offering panoramic views of the ocean and beach.

The private estate goes for $6,500 a night and has room for 12 ... but this girls' trip is reserved for Kylie, Kendall and Stassie Karanikolaou.

The fortress is very camera-friendly too ... Kylie, Kendall and Stassie all have been posting tons of pics out by the pool, from sunrise to sunset.

Sarah Fuller's used to performing under pressure, but doing it barefoot and in freezing temps was something new as she played a key role in President Biden's Inauguration celebration.

The Vanderbilt University football/soccer player was in Nashville for the "Celebrating America" special and introduced the nation's first female VP, Kamala Harris.

Vanderbilt's associate athletic director tweeted photos of Sarah at a freezing cold stadium recording her intro ... and she showed up in heels.

The AD says Sarah started out shifting side to side in the turf, probably to shake off the nerves -- but then she lost the heels, and once barefoot ... nailed it.

Sarah's intro for VP Harris referenced her own challenges on soccer and football fields. She said, "I faced a lot of challenges as a goalkeeper on the Vanderbilt University women’s soccer team and as a kicker on the football team. But seeing other women break barriers and being first at what they do inspired me and gave me the strength to succeed."

She continued, "and that’s why it is such an honor to introduce a true groundbreaker. And after 232 years of waiting, being able to say these words — our nation’s first woman vice president, vice president Kamala Harris."

Sarah, of course, became the first woman to play in a Power Five football conference when she filled in as an emergency kicker last fall ... and she was also the first woman ever to score in a Power Five game against Tennessee.