Donald Trump I'm the Best Prez for Black People Since Lincoln!!!

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A ROUGH START
NABJ

Donald Trump is in the hot seat right now, as he's being put to task for his controversial past ... though, he thinks his record is pretty impressive -- comparing himself to one of history's most famous U.S. presidents.

Trump was at the National Association of Black Journalists Annual Convention Wednesday morning in Chicago, where he had a Q&A with 3 journalists ... in front of a packed ballroom of convention attendees.

Right out the gate, Trump was questioned for his seemingly racist rhetoric and prior associations with White Supremacists. 45 did NOT appreciate the line of questioning  ... as he slammed the introduction as "rude" and accused the NABJ of inviting him to speak under false pretenses.

Elon Musk Bring It On, Maduro ... Accepts Venezuelan President's Fight Challenge

Elon Musk's talking tough once again ... accepting Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's invitation to brawl -- one year after he vowed he'd fight Mark Zuckerberg.

President Maduro called out Musk on national television this morning ... challenging Musk to fisticuffs in a bizarre rant where he told Elon anyone who came up against him "dries up."

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FIGHTING WORDS

You should watch the video for yourself ... but, ultimately Maduro's making it clear -- EM only needs to name a time and place for the brawl, and Maduro will come ready to kick his ass.

Trump Assassination Attempt New POV Shows Shooter On Roof ... Visible, Close To Stage!!!

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RUNNING ACROSS THE ROOF
Fox News Digital

Shocking new video filmed by one of the victims at the Donald Trump rally shooting shows just how close Thomas Matthew Crooks was to Trump ... and it's incredible the Secret Service missed him.

The footage, obtained by Fox News, shot from the bleachers behind Trump, shows Crooks moving quickly along the roof of the American Glass Research Building, disappearing and then popping back up ... minutes before squeezing off 8 shots.

It's the first video showing Crooks and Trump in the same frame ... and this new vantage point illustrates just how close the rooftop was to where Trump was on stage.

Britney Spears Said I'm 'Single As F***' ... But Still Hanging w/ Ex Paul!!!

Britney Spears might be doing a classic relationship backslide ... 'cause she's hanging out with her ex Paul Soliz -- just weeks after saying she's washing her hands of the guy.

The pop star hit up the world-famous SoHo House in Malibu Tuesday, where she appeared to enjoy an outing with Paul and his family. She attempted to keep a low profile, as she wore an oversized sunhat and sunglasses for the visit ... but stood out like a sore thumb.

Paul and Britney kept their distance outside the celebrity hotspot ... sticking to opposite sides of the sidewalk. In fact, no sign of PDA was seen between the on-again, off-again couple -- so technically, this could well just be a friendly outing.

Juice WRLD ESTATE SUED BY PRODUCER OVER UNPAID ROYALTIES

Late rapper Juice WRLD’s estate is facing a lawsuit from a guy who says he helped produce one of the rapper's biggest tracks but didn't get paid what he's owed.

TMZ obtained the docs -- Plaintiff Joshua Jaramillo claims he worked on producing the late rapper’s posthumous 2021 track "Girl of My Dreams" in exchange for 5% ownership of the song and 1% of the royalties.

He claims, despite multiple requests, he still hasn’t been paid the full amount of what he's owed ... despite asking the estate how much the song has raked in.

Donald Trump I Don't Do Pronouns ... Gets Asked If He's 'Fluid'

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NO PRONOUNS FOR ME, THANKS
Fox News

Donald Trump says he doesn't play the pronoun game -- and as a result, he got asked if he considers himself fluid ... yeah, it's as surreal as it sounds.

Check it out ... the ex-Prez was asked by Fox News host Laura Ingraham about Vice President Kamala Harris' decision to share her pronouns on social media (she/her), and when LI asks what his pronouns are ... DT declared he doesn't want pronouns.

Ingraham seemed to pick up on the fact this is actually a somewhat liberal take -- as it suggests Trump might use they/them pronouns ... and she asked him about that.

Simone Biles I've Been Blocked On Social Media ... Amid Spat With MyKayla Skinner

UPDATE

11:07 AM PT -- Seems Simone Biles was, indeed, talking about MyKayla Skinner with her post on X ... Jordan Chiles just shared a snap of a phone that appeared to show Skinner has blocked the gymnastics superstar on Instagram.

Simone Biles says she's been blocked on social media -- and while she didn't name any names ... just about everyone thinks MyKayla Skinner's the one who put the G.O.A.T. on mute.

Biles informed her 1.7 million followers on X of the block on Wednesday afternoon with a cheeky four-word post -- "oop I’ve been blocked."

Along with the sentence, the superstar gymnast added three emojis that all suggested she didn't mind it one bit.

RICHARD SIMMONS FAMILY SLAM PAULY SHORE'S COMMENTS He Wrote His Own Posts!!!

Richard Simmons’ family is fuming over Pauly Shore trying to cast doubt on the authenticity of the late fitness guru's most recent posts ... and they're coming out swinging.

RS' team dropped a statement from his brother Lenny on X Wednesday -- clearing things up, writing ... "Dicky absolutely wrote his own posts. He worked on them a week in advance, going over and over them to get the right message."

Lenny added Richard would usually show his posts to him and his wife Cathy before they went live. So they’re saying it was definitely Richard behind those messages ... despite Pauly recently saying he wasn't so sure.

'Baby Reindeer' Real-Life Martha Wasn't Convicted For Stalking ... Netflix Reportedly Admits

update

10:20 AM PT -- Netflix tells TMZ ... "The letter was sent to the DCMS Select Committee on 23 May, well before any legal case was filed, and has been publicly available since. It does not impact our legal position."

Netflix seems to now be backtracking on the "true story" nature of "Baby Reindeer" -- they've reportedly admitted that the "real-life Martha" is not, in fact, a convicted stalker.

According to Deadline ... the streaming giant recently submitted a letter to Parliament's Culture, Media and Sport Committee in which their senior UK director of public policy admitted Fiona Harvey -- the woman who we all now know served as inspiration for Martha in the show -- was not actually convicted of stalking, despite being depicted as such on TV.

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COMPLETELY MADE UP
YouTube / Piers Morgan Uncensored

If you haven't seen it ... the show ends with an emotional scene where Martha receives a guilty verdict in court and goes to prison -- the character's second conviction, as described/shown in the series.

Jonathan Majors 'Heartbroken' After Marvel Pivots Focus to RDJ

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DOOM'S COOL, BUT...
TMZ.com

Jonathan Majors is expressing heartbreak after Marvel officially announced Robert Downey Jr. as the franchise's new villain ... pivoting away from his Kang the Conqueror character.

We caught up with the actor in West Hollywood Tuesday, where he explained why the RDJ Dr. Doom news was bittersweet for him. As he put it ... Dr. Doom's introduction into the MCU is pretty cool, but he loved playing Kang -- and so, it's only natural he's bummed about Marvel's redirection.

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DOUBLE STANDARD AT PLAY???
TMZ.com

Though, some fans have felt Jonathan being blacklisted from the MCU has been too harsh of a punishment ... given he was found guilty of misdemeanor assault and harassment and given no jail time.

J.D. Vance Wife Might Make Me Sleep on the Couch Jokes Amid Untrue Rumor

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SENT TO THE COUCH

J.D. Vance fired off a lighthearted joke about him and a couch -- and considering all the (unfounded) rumors about him and furniture ... you couldn't write a better script.

The vice presidential candidate spoke in Nevada Tuesday at a rally ... and during his remarks, he mentioned his wife of a decade, Usha -- implying she's not big on public speaking.

In fact, Vance says, if he calls her up to the stage -- she'll probably make him sleep on the couch ... an off-the-cuff comment that drew a few chuckles from the crowd, but which had the internet cracking up en masse.

Simone Biles Trolls Ex-Teammate After Getting Gold

Simone Biles paused her gold medal party Tuesday to take a shot at her former teammate ... and the troll job was executed so perfectly -- over TWO MILLION people threw it a "like."

The gymnastics G.O.A.T. hurled the barb at MyKayla Skinner hours after she, Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles and Jade Carey smoked the competition at the Olympics team final at Bercy Arena in Paris.

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On IG, she posted four pics of her team celebrating their big dub ... with the caption, "lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions ❤️🥇."

Kamala Harris Stepdaughter Ella's Secret Service in Altercation with Angry New Yorker

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SECRET SERVICE STAREDOWN
TMZ.com

Kamala Harris' stepdaughter, Ella Emhoff, ran into a little bit of trouble in the Big Apple this week -- or rather, her Secret Service detail did ... and it ended with an arrest.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Ella -- who's Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff's kid -- was out in the Tribeca neighborhood of NYC Tuesday afternoon, where she was grabbing a bite at a restaurant ... all while her Secret Service detail was standing guard out front.

We're told while she was inside, one of her agents -- who was dressed in plain clothes -- had an altercation with what's been described to us as an "anti-police watcher."

MARGOT ROBBIE GROUP OLYMPICS PIC W/ CELEB PALS 📸 ... Gerwig, Cruise & More!!

The 2024 Paris Olympics is serving up some serious star power -- major celebs are getting snap-happy at the hottest ticket in town ... and exhibit A is in this photo right here.

Margot Robbie teamed up with her "Barbie" pal Greta Gerwig for an epic star-studded meet-up bonanza ... which included Tom Cruise and directors Steven Spielberg and Christopher McQuarrie, all of whom came together for a photo-op out in Paris.

It’s a mega celeb line-up all in one shot -- like the iconic 2014 Oscars selfie, but with a more laid-back vibe.

'The Bachelor' Hailey Merkt Dead At 31

Former "Bachelor" contestant Hailey Merkt has lost her battle with cancer.

Hailey’s death was announced Tuesday on her Instagram page following her battle with leukemia -- a cancerous disease of the body’s blood forming tissues -- which she publicly revealed she had in 2023.

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In the IG post, her loved ones first talked about how they were broken hearted to see her leave them after a courageous fight.

Offset Cheating Denial Sparks Cardi Pregnant Rumor ... But Pump the Brakes

Offset's latest public denial of cheating on Cardi B is setting off a ton of speculation about whether his wife is expecting -- because he refers to an 8-months pregnant woman -- but Cardi's camp is clearing it all up.

Here's where the trouble started -- The Neighborhood Talk posted a pic Tuesday night of Offset chilling at a casino with a woman it claimed was an ex-GF. Offset actually hopped in the comments to deny any dirty dealings, but his choice of words sparked serious confusion.

Offset angrily shot back, "People really need to do the research...I'm at a public place gambling at a casino with a married 8 month pregnant women wtf I look like being outside publicly cheating SMD!!!