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The U.S. Capitol Police officer who fatally shot Ashli Babbitt during the January 6 riot has revealed himself publicly and strongly defends his actions ... saying it was a last resort, but necessary.

The 28-year veteran officer, Michael Byrd, told NBC News' Lester Holt ... his job that day was to protect scores of House members who were holed up in a room just yards away from the insurrectionists.

Byrd says he screamed a series of commands for the insurrectionists to retreat, but they kept pushing. He says had they got through the glass door ... "they’re into the House chamber and upon the members of Congress."

As you know, Babbitt climbed through a window that led into the Speaker's Lobby, and that's when Byrd opened fire ... striking her in the shoulder. He says squarely... she posed a threat to House members.

Byrd says, "I tried to wait as long as I could ... I hoped and prayed no one tried to enter through those doors. But, their failure to comply required me to take the appropriate action to save the lives of members of Congress and myself and my fellow officers."

The death of Babbitt, a QAnon supporter and Air Force veteran, has been used by right-wing groups to frame a false narrative about the incident, calling Byrd a murderer.

Folks are donating air miles to fly refugees -- like those in Afghanistan -- out of harm's way ... and celebs like Jennifer Aniston and Phoebe Bridgers have supercharged the effort that now boasts 200 million miles!!!

Celebs are helping raise awareness for a non-profit called Miles4Migrants, which pools airline miles for refugees around the globe, and in the wake of the chaos in Afghanistan, the donations are piling in.

Miles4Migrants tells TMZ ... in the past week, the program's seen a whopping 222 million frequent-flyer miles pour in ... a staggering figure that dwarfs the 168 million miles raised in the first 5 years of the program's existence.

Jennifer and Phoebe are among the celebs encouraging their fans and followers to donate airline miles ... and we're told the 222 million miles donated could get more than 15,000 refugees on planes, including many Afghans.

As you know ... there's a rush to get folks out of Afghanistan, and there have been some heart-wrenching scenes playing out at airports across the country.

While much of the focus is on Afghanistan, and rightfully so, we're told the donated frequent-flyer miles will also benefit refugees in other countries and asylum-seeking families separated by war, persecution and disaster.

Ronnie Ortiz-Magro says he's cleaned himself up and he's getting ready to come back to reality TV.

We got Ronnie at Avra in Beverly Hills on Thursday and he told our photog he's 4 months sober and planning to return to 'Jersey Shore' by the end of the 5th season.

It's welcome news for 'Jersey Shore' fans who've been missing Ron, and for him ... because it sounds like he's in a better place in his life.

As we reported ... Ronnie announced back in May he was stepping away from the show that made him famous as a result of mental health issues.

Ronnie's departure came in the wake of his domestic violence arrest, with Ron and MTV honchos agreeing he needed some time away from the cameras to seek treatment for issues he felt he was ignoring.

Ron says he's learned from his mountain of legal issues over the years ... and he says he's become a better father and fiancé.

As you know ... Ronnie got engaged to Saffire Matos despite allegedly attacking her and getting arrested. He ended up dodging criminal charges in the case.

Ronnie also tells us who is getting wedding invites and who is getting snubbed ... and it sounds like his ex, Jenn Harley, doesn't need to sit by the mailbox.

Kanye West has a lot of people scratching their heads ... his "Donda" listening event has started in Chicago with appearances from DaBaby and Marilyn Manson.

West packed fans into Chicago's Soldier Field Thursday night, the event was supposed to start at 9 PM local, but kicked off closer to 11. He opened the event with one of the album's most popular songs, "Jail" -- which previously featured a verse from Jay-Z -- but the verse was replaced by one from DaBaby ... a puzzling move.

Not only was DaBaby -- who recently made disgustingly homophobic comments at Rolling Loud -- on the song, he also joined Kanye on "stage." Marilyn Manson -- who has been sued by multiple women in the last few months for sexual assault -- was also on stage.

Much like the other listening parties, Kanye has only danced to the album, not performing it live.

As for the stage ... it's a replica of Kanye's childhood home that he grew up in in Chicago.

While controversial, DaBaby's appearance at the event makes sense if he's on the album. As for why Manson -- who looked very out of place -- was included ... that remains to be seen. He's apparently not featured on any of the songs.

Farrah Abraham has moved on from her feud with Chrissy Teigen ... she's now going off on Harvard -- yes, that Harvard -- claiming she was the victim of "educational abuse" and promising legal action against the University.

We got the former "Teen Mom" star out in Hollywood Thursday, and she rattled off her laundry list of issues with the famed Ivy League school ... which stems from her allegedly being booted from a Zoom course by her teacher, with no follow-up explanation.

Farrah, who may be mad but not angry enough to put her Harvard sweatshirt in mothballs, claims her professor, Patricia Bellanca, played mind games with her by telling her to turn in an assignment without checking it over ... then later used that against her in trying to convince her to drop the course.

She also alleges Harvard's entire online program is a "joke" and a "scam," while insinuating she may have been racially discriminated against as well ... saying she was the "most person of color" in the class.

Farrah adds that she's had no choice but to go public with her Harvard beef, because allegedly neither her professor nor Dean Robert Neugeboren has returned any of her calls or emails.

Finally, she says she's going to file a lawsuit against the school for what she calls "abusive" treatment.

Afghan-American actor Ali Olomi is heartbroken about what's going on in Afghanistan, and sadly ... he expects it to get even worse.

We got Ali out in L.A. Thursday as news was pouring in about the attacks at the Kabul airport -- which left at least 12 U.S. service members dead -- and he predicts the violence will continue ... especially after America fully withdraws.

Like Ali points out, if this sort of mayhem is already happening, it's hard to believe it will go away once we leave.

The actor -- who's had guest roles on TV shows like "NCIS: Los Angeles," "SEAL Team" and "Madam Secretary" -- is asking everyone to send positive thoughts and prayers to the Afghan people ... because they're in a terrible situation right now.

Adam "Pacman" Jones is ready to whoop some serious ass in his boxing debut ... telling TMZ Sports he expects to have his hand raised at Rough N' Rowdy Friday night!!

The 37-year-old ex-NFL star has taken his talents to fighting after retiring from football in 2019 ... and is set to face off against 5-0 (amateur record) boxer Bobby Laing at the Barstool Sports event in West Virginia.

Jones says he's been training on and off for about 10 years now ... and beating the brakes off someone in the ring has always been on his bucket list.

Pacman says he's truly addicted to the sport ... and has been training with world-class professionals over the past few months to prepare for his debut.

So, how's he expect it to go??

"With my hand raised as the new motherf***ing RNR champ," Jones tells us ... adding one last warning to his opponent.

"Bobby Laing, your goddamn winning is over with. The honeymoon has officially ended today. I'm ready to f***ing go. Let's go."

We also spoke with Barstool's Chef Donny -- who's set to face off against TikTok star QCP on the same card -- and he tells us he's ready to humble the influencer who's got more than 8 MILLION followers on the platform.

Donny says he's been doing 2-a-days every day for more than a month leading up to the big matchup ... and has been in "war mode" to mentally prepare himself for battle.

"The kid's got a pretty face, so I've really wanted to just destroy something beautiful," he tells us. "It's gonna be a pretty bad moment for him."

"I guarantee you, it's going to be an action-packed fight."

Florida native Alexa Vega (now Alexa PenaVega) was only 12 years old when she landed the breakout role as Carmen Cortez -- who teams up with her brother to thwart Floop's evil plans -- in the 2001 family action film "Spy Kids" and the follow-up films "Spy Kids 2: Island Of Lost Dreams" and the 2003 finale "Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over."

The classic kids movie was filled with other notable actors including Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino as the supportive spy parents, Gregorio and Ingrid Cortez ... and of course Daryl Sabara as the butt-kicking spy bro, Juni Cortez.

Kanye West fans are probably hoping there's a "Beetlejuice" situation with his "Donda" album -- after the third listening party it'll magically appear -- but regardless ... Kim Kardashian and their kids are in attendance once again.

As you probably know, Ye's holding another big event in anticipation of the release of his 10th studio album, but this one's the most special of the 3 ... because it's in his hometown of Chicago at Soldier Field.

Sources close to Kim and Kanye tell TMZ ... she and their 4 kids flew from L.A. to Chi-town Thursday, attending the show for support, just like they did for his Atlanta shows.

We're told he requested their presence because this listening event -- which will showcase a replica of his childhood home -- is very important to him.

As far as Kim and Kanye's relationship's concerned ... our source says it's still very much the same -- amicable and supportive. We got a glimpse of that as the 2 went out for lunch last week, and Kim's also keeping Kanye's last name ... despite what he does with it.

Paul Stanley has tested positive for COVID-19, and now KISS won't be taking the stage for a scheduled concert in Pennsylvania ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to Paul tell TMZ ... the KISS lead singer is fully vaccinated and feeling fine despite testing positive. But, nonetheless, the band still had to call it quits on their show at The Pavilion at Star Lake in Burgettstown, PA.

There were rumblings on Twitter Paul was having heart issues -- and that's why the show was canceled -- but we're told that's NOT the case. In fact, Paul got on Twitter to let fans know the heart attack rumors were BS, and he's healthy as an ox. His tweet did not mention his positive test.

KISS is currently on tour and their next scheduled concert is Saturday in North Carolina.

A rep for the group tells us, "More information about show dates will be made available ASAP. Everyone on the entire tour, both band and crew, are fully vaccinated."

The rep continues, "The band and their crew have operated in a bubble independently to safeguard everyone as much as possible at each show and in between shows. The tour also has a COVID safety protocol officer on staff full-time that is ensuring everyone is closely following all CDC guidelines."

President Biden just delivered an unmistakable threat to terrorists responsible for the suicide bombings in Afghanistan that killed at least a dozen U.S. service members ... and he got emotional doing it.

Biden offered this not-so-subtle warning to those who carried out the attack, saying ... "We will hunt you down and make you pay."

The Prez then started to get emotional when remembering the 11 marines and 1 Navy medic killed in the explosion Thursday outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.

At one point during his remarks, it looked like Biden was about to break down and cry.

As we reported ... the blast rocked the Kabul airport, where crowds of Afghans have been gathering to try and get into the airport and catch a flight out of the country.

The attack came on the heels of Biden's highly criticized decision to withdraw U.S. forces amid the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

Jay Cutler admitted he hasn't had much fun dating since his split with Kristin Cavallari ... explaining that getting back into the scene has been "hard as hell."

The ex-NFL star made the revelation on his "Uncut with Jay Cutler" podcast this week ... saying straight-up that "meeting people is hard."

The 38-year-old was comparing dating to his former Chicago Bears team finding a new quarterback ... when he broke off on a tangent about how searching for love again has not been easy.

"I think finding out what people really, really want from you, I think that's probably an issue," Cutler said when he was asked why it's been tough.

"I'm at a different phase of my life now with kids and priorities are just changed," Jay added.

"Like, it isn't just a purely selfish play by my part. Like, there's a lot of other aspects that have to be taken into consideration whenever you get back out into that world."

Cutler said dealing with apps and social media platforms to court women has also been a big change.

"Like, it's a whole different ball game," he said. "You're not just walking into a restaurant or bar and talking to somebody. That doesn't exist anymore."

Cutler and Cavallari officially called it quits back in April 2020 ... and Jay has been spotted with a few women over the past year, most notably in January with a mystery blonde in Mexico.

Jay, though, made it clear he hasn't found anything too worthwhile ... saying he's not even sure what he wants in his next flame.

"I, honestly, I don't know that," Cutler said. "I wish I knew -- I think I'm trying to figure that out throughout this process, but I will [figure it out]. It's not a rush for me at this point."

Demi Lovato -- who recently revealed they're "California sober" -- certainly isn't scared to flaunt the lifestyle ... sharing vids of a visit to a pot farm and enjoying the product.

Demi posted pics and vids from their visit to the growing site for Ball Family Farms, a premium cannabis company in L.A. ... capped off with a video where they're smoking a joint in a car.

The singer captioned the vid, "Left w some goodies aka MIYAGI DO."

Demi -- who also came out as non-binary in May -- has been very open about their 2018 near-death experience and the recovery process ... which interestingly includes what has been dubbed, "California sober."

Now, there's no exact definition for that term, but it commonly means that the person uses a little marijuana and may drink in moderation.

It's certainly a gray area -- especially for addicts -- and has been met with criticism by many folks ... like 'Intervention' host Ken Seeley. The critics say sober is not a negotiation term ... you either are or you aren't.

Absolute chaos broke out at the Jake Paul and Tyron Woodley press conference just now ... with the UFC star's own MOTHER getting into it with the YouTuber's camp!!!

It all went down after the two fighters faced off and posed for pictures ... with everything seemingly going according to plan.

But, as the cameras cut back to commentators Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell, a verbal scuffle broke out behind them ... and it was none other than Deborah Woodley in the middle of it.

There were chairs knocked over as a crowd formed around DW ... and security and police worked their way in to try and calm down the crowd.

As all this was going down, Jake was spotted steering clear of the area and appearing to head back to his spot.

The announcers broke down what they heard ... claiming Tyron demanded "a f***ing apology" and was shouting "you think it's a game."

Tyron was clearly LIVID over Jake's camp confronting his beloved mom ... and the guy had to be escorted out of the room.

The whole ordeal went down for several minutes ... and Thomas even called for security to step in and get everyone out of the area.

Once Tyron left the room, he was spotted yelling at pro boxer and Jake's training partner, J'Leon Love ... who denied ever saying anything to his mother.

Jake and Tyron are set to fight at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland on Sunday night ... and yeah, it just got personal.

"True Life: Crime" is taking a deep dive into the fatal shooting of Darrien Hunt for its season 2 finale ... and one of show host Dometi Pongo's goals is to have the case re-opened.

The MTV host joined "TMZ Live" Thursday and said Darrien's family never got justice after he was gunned down in 2014 by police in Saratoga Springs, Utah. At the time, the case drew national attention following an outcry over inconsistencies in the police narrative.

Darrien was shot and killed September 10, 2014 after cops said the 22-year-old lunged at them with a sword.

An autopsy report later showed Darrien -- who was cosplaying as a samurai while carrying a decorative sword -- was shot 6 times in the back. Surveillance footage shows Darrien running from cops -- a glaring inconsistency from the police report.

The Utah County D.A.'s Office concluded the use of deadly force was justified. Fast forward to now ... there's a Change.org petition demanding officials reopen the case. The petition is now 744,000 signatures strong.

Actress Allyssa Brooke's teenage son was viciously attacked on a basketball court ... and it was all filmed by other kids who just stood by and laughed.

You see Allyssa's son, Nick, driving the lane before he's shoved to the ground. Nick quickly gets up to confront the guy who committed the flagrant foul but he's pushed ... and then, someone comes out of nowhere and punches him in the face.

Nick suffered a broken jaw in 3 places, a severe concussion and whiplash. When he got to the hospital, a baseball-sized lump had formed on the back of his head ... prompting concerns from doctors that there might be internal bleeding in his brain.

Allyssa -- whose acting credits include "Stranger Things," "Ozark" and "Queen of the South" -- told 11Alive she spent Nick's 17th birthday feeding him liquids through a syringe because his jaw's been wired shut for 6 weeks.

Allyssa's angry at those who found joy in the beatdown. She said, "I don't expect everybody to be a hero and run in to save the day if that's not your style. But, to laugh and applaud, and cheer, that's not humanity."

Nick's got a long road of recovery ahead. Once his jaw's unwired, Allyssa says he'll need additional weeks of bands to strengthen and retrain his bite. He also faces 6 months to a year of wearing braces to realign his teeth ... several of which she says were twisted out of place.

As for the attackers ... the kid who broke Nick's jaw has been charged with assault as a juvenile. But, Allyssa says the kids who filmed the incident should also be brought to justice. She has since started a Change.org petition toward that end.