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Dolly Parton is refusing to take sides in the drama between the CMAs and Beyoncé ... unwilling to acknowledge the singer may've been purposefully shut out of the awards show.

The country legend addressed Bey earning not one CMA Awards nomination -- despite having one of the biggest country albums and songs of the year -- confessing to Variety that she didn't realize the country newcomer was left out until recently.

While members of the Beyhive voiced their outrage after Beyoncé's "Cowboy Carter" was left off the nominations list, Dolly speculates the lack of honors has more to do with the amount of talent in the country scene right now ... that it's not a reflection of Bey's ability.

4:28 PM PT -- A spokesperson for J.D. Vance tells TMZ ... "The media is making a story up out of thin air. Senator Vance was referring to the fact that he prefers fried chicken, and his wife prefers curry chicken. Fried chicken was a staple in the Vance household when JD was a kid, as he wrote in Hillbilly Elegy."

J.D. Vance is catching heat for taking Laura Loomer's racist Kamala Harris diss to the next level ... adding fried chicken to the mix, along with a side of curry.

In a recent interview on NBC News' "Meet The Press," Vance tells Kristen Welker ... "Whether you're eating curry at your dinner table or fried chicken, things have gotten more expensive thanks to her policies."

Vance was being asked about Loomer's recent racist comments aimed at the Vice President ... namely, saying if Harris, whose mom was Indian American, got elected, the White House would "smell like curry."

Michael Bay is going to need some costly home repairs ... because cops say someone drove a car into his front gate and caused six figures' worth of damage before fleeing the scene.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the LAPD responded to the famous director's Los Angeles area home Tuesday morning for a hit-and-run involving his property.

Cops were called after a Bay employee discovered a car had damaged the front gate, snapped a tree in half, knocked over a city sign and took out the gate keypad.

A popular IVF clinic frequented by the likes of former patients including Kim Kardashian, Chrissy Teigen and Paris Hilton threw a couple's precious embryos in the trash, and now they may not be able to have kids ... at least according to a new lawsuit.

Reproductive Partners Medical Group, a Los Angeles-based fertility clinic, is being sued by Marissa Calhoun and Stephen Castaneda ... a couple of everyday people who say the clinic sabotaged their dream of having children.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, the couple claims Marissa had her eggs retrieved, frozen and stored by RPMG in 2021 and 2022 ... but says tragedy struck in October 2023 when the IVF clinic made a huge error.

Cardi B isn't listening to critics as she faces backlash for hitting the gym a mere week after giving birth to her third child ... though, doctors tell us she might want to heed the warnings.

Here's the skinny ... the rapper took to Instagram Sunday, documenting herself on the StairMaster a little over a week after welcoming her third baby with Offset. This sparked a big reaction online ... with fans expressing concern for her well-being, while others slammed her for succumbing to "snap back" pressure.

Cardi made it clear she was tuning out the peanut gallery ... returning to the gym again Monday, pointing out she's only doing 30-minute sessions, and taking it slow. As Cardi put it, she's using cardio to help prevent postpartum depression, noting it's her third time going through this experience.

Sean "Diddy" Combs wants out of federal lockup really badly ... he's proposed a $50 million package to secure his release on bail until his trial begins.

Diddy's team filed the offer with the federal court, and it's an impressive offer in terms of the assets he's willing to lay on the line. According to the docs, Diddy says his mansion on Miami's Star Island would be offered up as collateral ... that's worth $48 million, and his mother's Miami home would cover the remaining $2 mil.

He's also willing to have his travel limited to Florida, NY and New Jersey. Presumably, he would live in Miami and travel to the NY area to face trial. Diddy says he's willing to wear a GPS monitor, so the feds can track his whereabouts.

8:50 AM PT -- The feds do not want Diddy to be allowed out on bail. U.S Attorney Damian Williams says his office believes he is a flight risk, and is also a danger to society ... as he's allegedly resorted to violence against multiple victims.

Prosecutors point to the fact Diddy, if convicted, is facing a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years, and a statutory maximum sentence of life in prison ... as motive enough for him to potentially flee.

Williams broke down the indictment during Tuesday's news conference ... sharing photos of the AR-15s the feds say were seized during the raids at Diddy's homes in Beverly Hills and Miami. He says the guns were found in Diddy's bedroom closet in Miami.

Diddy's the only defendant charged in the indictment, but Williams says the investigation is ongoing and they are looking into all the people in Diddy's orbit for possible criminal charges.

Williams says Diddy did not act alone and needed a lot of help to set up the "Freak Off" parties. The feds say Diddy recorded the Freak Offs and they seized the footage in the raids.

The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York will hold a news conference at 11:30 AM ET to provide more details on the massive indictment of Sean "Diddy" Combs ... and TMZ will live stream the presser.

Damian Williams will speak about the indictment, which includes allegations of racketeering, sex trafficking, kidnapping, prostitution, narcotics offenses, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice.

Williams is also expected to address the "Freak Off" parties that are mentioned prominently in the indictment.

Social media detectives can relax ... Shaquille O'Neal says he is NOT the man in the PDA photo making the rounds all over the internet Tuesday.

If you haven't seen it yet ... the selfie was posted by Maria Ozuna Teachey to her 200K-plus followers on Instagram earlier this week -- and it featured her in front of a mirror with a large man's arms wrapped around her.

Because of the dude's size, many believed it was the Big Diesel -- after all, the dude appeared super tall and really buff -- and he seemingly had big hands and feet as well.

Donald Trump is thanking the sheriff's deputies who played a pivotal role in the capture of the suspect in the 2nd assassination attempt on his life ... praising them all as "good-looking humans" in a giddy meet and greet.

The former prez appeared to be high on life when he greeted Martin County Sheriff William D. Snyder and his deputies at Mar-a-Lago Tuesday ... shaking their hands and saying words of encouragement to each one -- all of whom helped bring in alleged would-be assassin Ryan Wesley Routh.

Trump was clearly feeling good after surviving his 2nd assassination attempt of the year, as he quipped to the group ... "I'm still here!!!"

Kendrick Lamar openly wondered what Christian hip hop stars Lecrae and Dee-1 would do in his culture-despising shoes -- and now we have the answer, because both rappers have responded with raps!!!

Lecrae and Dee released their own solo songs, creating a trinity around K. Dot's latest internet breaker ... the MCs showcase completely different flows, deliveries and production choices -- but the messages and cover art are nearly identical.

They both hover around the subject that record labels have allowed rap music to poison the minds of consumers so well, to the point fans don't even know they're being manipulated ... until it's too late!!!

Emily Gold -- the teenage "America's Got Talent" cheerleader who tragically died last Friday -- will be honored by her high school football team and its student body later this week ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The Chaffey Joint Union High School District in Southern California tells us ... Los Osos H.S. -- where Gold attended before her death -- will have several tributes at its football game Thursday, including a "gold game," where fans are strongly encouraged to wear gold.

Officials added there will also be a moment of silence for Gold at the event ... which is slated to kick off less than one week after the 17-year-old was found dead under a bridge on the 210 Freeway in Rancho Cucamonga.

Hip hop music industry vet Kevin Liles is resigning from his Warner Music Group Executive VP gig.

On Tuesday, Liles sent a company memo announcing his resignation as chairman and CEO of Warner Music’s 300 Elektra Entertainment Chairman ... passing the torch to seasoned vets Rayna Bass, Selim Bouab, and Gregg Nadel.

Liles has been with Warner since 2004, which formerly housed Diddy’s Bad Boy Records ... and he’s been vocal defending the mounds of allegations against Puff.

Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish are "Birds of a Feather" when it comes to their election plans ... as the 22-year-old singer is voicing her support for Kamala Harris.

The pop star took to Instagram alongside brother and music producer Finneas Tuesday, where they encouraged their U.S. followers to register to vote ... and endorsed the Vice President of the United States in her bid for the White House.

Billie said ... "We are voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz because they are fighting to protect our reproductive freedom, our planet, and our Democracy."

New body cam footage of the arrest of Ryan Wesley Routh, the suspected would-be Donald Trump assassin, explains why Martin County Sheriff William Snyder "was taken aback" over the capture.

Watch the video ... Routh is seen calmly walking backward with his shirt lifted over his head as sheriff's deputies holding guns shout instructions at him. The suspect barely utters a word while following directions to a T ... keeping his composure as he surrenders to the authorities, who slap a pair of handcuffs on him.

He even offers up his name without protest when asked by deputies to identify himself ... showing he was not rattled during the high-profile arrest.

Sean "Diddy" Combs is now a criminal defendant in a sex trafficking, racketeering and kidnapping case after a grand jury indicted him ... this according to official documents.

Diddy has been charged with 3 counts -- racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution.

According to the indictment, from 2008 to the present, members of the Combs enterprise allegedly engaged in sex trafficking, forced labor, interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution, coercion and enticement to engage in prostitution, narcotics offenses, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice.

According to the indictment, the purpose of the Combs enterprise was to operate a global business in the media, entertainment, and lifestyle industries. The purpose also includes preserving Diddy's power and fulfilling his personal desires, especially in relation to his sexual gratification, including through the exploitation of women and the use of commercial sex workers.

The indictment mentions the now-famous "Freak off" parties ... calling them "elaborate and produced sex performances that Combs arranged, directed, masturbated during, and often electronically recorded."

The indictment alleges Combs lured women into his orbit under the pretense of a romantic relationship and then used force, threats of force, and coercion, to cause victims to engage in extended sex acts with male commercial sex workers.

After the freak offs, Combs and the victims typically received IV fluids to recover from the physical exertion and drug use.

The indictment does not include details on the kidnapping allegations, other than they occurred in California, as did arson and bribery.

As for the drug charges, they allegedly involve the intent to distribute narcotics, including cocaine, oxycodone, Xanax, GHB -- the "date rape" drug -- MDMA and ketamine.

The indictment references what was seized during the raids at Diddy's homes in Beverly Hills and Miami -- various freak off supplies, including narcotics and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant. They also seized firearms, including 3 AR-15s with defaced serial numbers and a drum magazine.

The indictment also includes allegations of violence against women. He's alleged to have assaulted women by striking, punching, dragging, throwing objects at and kicking them. It references a March 2016 incident at an L.A. hotel captured on video, and this is clearly referencing the Cassie incident.

There's more ... prosecutors say in late 2023, following public allegations of the crimes, Combs and his associates would pressure victims and witnesses, including through attempted bribery, to say silent.

Tuesday morning, Diddy's son's King and Justin were in lower Manhattan, outside Federal court, awaiting their father's appearance before a judge.

If convicted on all counts, Diddy faces decades in prison.

His lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, said going into the courthouse, he will "fight like hell" to get his client released on bail. Agnifilo said his client is not only not guilty, but outright innocent.

Diddy will appear before a judge Tuesday morning where the charges will be read.

TMZ broke the story ... Diddy was arrested Monday night at the Park Hyatt hotel in midtown Manhattan, where he had been staying. Law enforcement sources told TMZ ... the arrest was supposed to go down Tuesday but something happened to accelerate it.

Aubrey O'Day, who had a contentious relationship with Diddy during filming of "Making the Band," tells TMZ, "I never thought I would see this day. We all buried this inside of us in order to be able to keep going. And not just me, but victims you don't even know yet. We are all processing what that type of vindication can actually feel like now. Every conversation I've had with victims last night has been beyond moving on all levels."

Rich Homie Quan fans have been feeling some type of way since his abrupt death on September 5 -- and they let the support show in their streams!!!

On Tuesday, mourners flocked to World Changers Church International in Atlanta suburb College Park to pay their respects to the late platinum-selling rapper.

On the inside of the church, there were glowing pillars documenting his life. The family has also posted his obituary online.