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Rener Gracie -- whose family is credited with creating Brazilian jiu-jitsu -- is teaching cops a new restraint that he says is safer than a chokehold, and he demonstrated on one of our own to hit the point home.

The MMA legend joined us on "TMZ Live" Tuesday and broke down the move, which he calls the "SafeWrap" ... trotting out an exhibition of sorts by deploying it on a TMZ staffer who played guinea pig for the demo.

Rener is now teaching his move to the NYPD ... explaining that it can take down a noncomplying suspect safely and effectively ... even if they are armed.

1:54 PM PT -- Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the shooting Tuesday was completely unrelated to the RNC -- and the reason Secret Service was on the ground was because agents happened to be in the area and simply rendered aid.

A homeless man was reportedly shot and killed not far from the Republican National Convention -- and while it doesn't seem tied to Donald Trump ... cops were out in force.

The shooting took place Tuesday in Milwaukee, about a mile outside the Fiserv Forum -- where there's a wide perimeter of security ... and where a police officer from Columbus, OH opened fire on a man -- who, according to eyewitnesses, was a vagrant in town.

The Secret Service beefed up security for Donald Trump in the weeks before the attempt on his life ... because of intelligence concerning an assassination plot by Iran.

The alleged Iranian threat was gathered from a human source in recent weeks and it was known by the U.S. Secret Service ... according to CNN, citing unnamed sources.

The report says there's no indication would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks -- the 20-year-old who tried and failed to kill Trump -- was connected to the alleged Iranian plot.

Christina Haack and hubby Joshua Hall are heading for divorce -- because he just made it official in court, signaling he wants to end their marriage ... but TMZ has learned Christina has also run to court to do the same.

According to the paperwork, obtained by TMZ, Josh filed for a dissolution of marriage Tuesday in Orange County, CA ... citing irreconcilable differences. He lists the date of separation as July 8 ... just a week or so ago.

In terms of spousal support ... Josh is asking for alimony from Christina and wants the court to eliminate her ability to collect from him. As far as splitting up their assets ... Josh says he wants the court to divvy up what was theirs respectively before they got hitched.

It seems like the entire internet is dunking on Ingrid Andress after her disastrous rendition of the National Anthem, but one person is still in her corner ... Roseanne Barr.

As you know ... Ingrid was relentlessly roasted Monday for her anthem performance at the MLB All-Star Home Run Derby, an incident that took a more serious tone Tuesday, when the singer revealed she was drunk at the time, and would head to rehab.

Even before that revelation though, Roseanne had Ingrid's back, telling TMZ people needed to back off ... 'cause she says that particular song is the "hardest in the world" to perform ... and RB actually tells us she thinks the country singer did just fine.

Cheryl Tyler, a former Secret Service Special Agent, is defending her female peers from a wave of criticism following the assassination attempt on Donald Trump.

In addition to protecting 2 presidents herself, Cheryl trained other agents, and she joined us Tuesday on "TMZ Live" -- in the wake of Saturday's attack -- to counter those hating on female agents, and to explain how difficult it is for any agent to get that detail ... whether they're female or male.

As Cheryl put it ... being a part of the Secret Service is no easy thing -- it's an elite group of specialists who are put through rigorous training and probation to earn the detail.

No shoes, no shirt, no problem when it comes to PowerSlap prep ... Paige VanZant threw on her finest teeny bikini and grabbed her MMA star hubby Austin Vanderford for a steamy training sesh!

The power couple -- who married in 2018 -- shared video on social media, showing PVZ rocking a neon, thong bikini ... as Austin, an 11-2 MMA fighter, trained wifey using a pool noodle (a lot better than getting slapped!)

Of course, Paige -- who competed in UFC, bare-knuckle, and boxing (as well as pro wrestling) -- made her debut at Power Slap 8 earlier this month against Christine Wolmarans ... a fight VanZant won!

The classic winning formula "Big Brother" has implemented for years is getting a facelift this season -- 'cause you won't be able to hit rewind anymore ... and fans are pissed.

Paramount+ dropped the news on their streaming site -- noting archives and flashbacks won’t be available for the live feed on Season 26 of their long-running CBS reality show -- but they've told fans they could still catch all the live feed action on four different cameras.

The only catch ... they'll have to do it in real time, so if you miss something -- tough!

Thomas Matthew Crooks was branded a "shooter" by his peers years before his assassination attempt on Donald Trump ... so says a former classmate.

Julianna Grooms -- who attended Bethel Park High School with Trump's would-be assassin -- has shed more light on the bullying Thomas faced before his deadly attack at Trump's rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

As Julianna told The New York Times ... Thomas was labeled "the school shooter" by his fellow students -- who apparently often teased him for his poor hygiene and body odor.

Country music star Ingrid Andress is owning up to her now-infamous national anthem at Monday night's Home Run Derby ... admitting she was hammered during the performance.

Andress faced the music hours after her rendition was widely panned on social media ... going to Instagram to explain why things went so awry.

"I'm not gonna bulls*** y'all, I was drunk last night," Andress said in a statement. "I'm checking myself into a facility today to get the help I need. That was not me last night."

11:38 AM PT -- Kobe's wife, Vanessa Bryant, just addressed Joe's passing ... sharing her condolences and reflecting on his relationship with the family.

"We hoped things would've been different," Vanessa said on Tuesday. "Although the times we spent together were few, he was always sweet and nice to be around."

"Kobe loved him very much."

Rob Lowe is sharing his favorite Tom Cruise story ... and it ends with Rob being knocked out cold.

The actor says he and Tom used to box when they were teenagers filming "The Outsiders" way back in the day ... and Tom got the better of him in one memorable sparring session.

As Rob recently explained on "The Rich Eisen Show" ... he was 17 years old and Tom was 18 when they filmed the movie together. He says they would work out, jog and box together while they were holed up in a hotel on location ... and the testosterone was flowing.

Senator Bob Menendez has been found guilty on all counts in his federal corruption trial.

The jury issued their verdict on Tuesday in a Manhattan courthouse, with the New Jersey Democrat being convicted on 16 counts -- including bribery, extortion, wire fraud, obstruction of justice, as well as acting as a foreign agent.

Menendez was indicted in September for his alleged role in a bribery scheme ... accused of using his influence as a U.S. Senator to advance the interests of the Egyptian military. Menendez and his wife, Nadine, allegedly received several bribes ... including gold bars, thousands of dollars in cash, and a Mercedes-Benz convertible, among other gifts.

A private call between RFK Jr. and Donald Trump just hours after the assassination attempt was made public, and RFK Jr. is horrified his son is the culprit who posted it.

During the call, Trump talked about his phone conversation with President Joe Biden just after the shooting. Trump says Biden was inquisitive as to how he chose to turn his head to the right -- a move that probably saved his life.

Trump says he told Biden he turned because he was referring to a chart, although he was not specific. The chart was an indictment of Biden's immigration policies.

Dashcam video shows a high-speed hit-and-run rollover crash on a Florida freeway -- just outside Disney World -- and cops are looking for the guys who caused an SUV to roll over.

Ya gotta see the footage ... a red Chevy Camaro comes speeding into frame, weaving through traffic, trying to split 2 cars before crashing into a Hyundai Tucson, sending the SUV spinning off I-4.

The Hyundai hits the shoulder and then flips ... rolling over multiple times. Incredibly, the Florida Highway Patrol says the 20-year-old woman behind the wheel was NOT injured.

When the summer blockbuster "Twisters" blows into theaters this week, don’t hold your breath for any climate change references ... as the director says he's purely focused on entertaining.

Director Lee Isaac Chung insists despite directing one of the most anticipated natural disaster flicks in ages, he’s not about making it preachy ... telling CNN he doesn't believe movies should be about heavy-handed messages.

The movie, ft. Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones is a fresh take on the 1996 classic. It centers on a retired tornado chaser who gets roped back into the action in Oklahoma, teaming up with a new squad and some fancy tech to chase storms again.