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Admiration for the man suspected of murdering the UnitedHealthcare CEO is not just perverse ... it's dangerous, Michael Moynihan tells TMZ.

The renowned journalist told "TMZ Live" ... the level of joy and satisfaction a portion of the country felt when Brian Thompson was killed last week is deeply disturbing ... but not nearly as grotesque as people fawning over Luigi Mangione.

MM contends our society is clearly in a "sick place" ... and most of the people who see Mangione as a folk hero are too young -- and uninformed -- to really consider the twisted logic of the heinous crime.

12:42 PM PT -- Nigel Lythgoe tells TMZ ... “We live in a troubling time where a person is now automatically assumed to be guilty until proven innocent, a process that can take years. That is why, like Paula, I am glad to be able to put this behind me. I know the truth and that gives me great comfort.”

Paula Abdul says her sexual assault case against Nigel Lythgoe has ended, and "successfully" so -- the 2 former "American Idol" coworkers have reached a settlement.

According to court docs, they settled the case earlier this week and filed notice with L.A. County Superior Court. Their next step will be filing to dismiss the matter ... which had been scheduled to go to trial next year.

Kara Del Toro is grabbing the bull by the horns -- and pulling everyone's attention to boot ... this time in a white-hot 2-piece!

The bikini model shared a series of hot shots on social media Thursday ... giving her more than 1.8 million followers a view of her tanned body.

Del Toro's 2-piece barely covers her curves ... with droplets of water running down her skin after a quick dip in the ocean.

Local politicians in New Jersey are irate with the federal government's response to their recent drone problem, with multiple lawmakers telling us they want the feds to act, and they're worried their constituents will take matters into their own hands -- which could be disastrous.

We spoke with NJ Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia and Middletown Township Mayor Tony Perry about the hundreds of sightings of drones over multiple New Jersey counties in the past month ... and, in a nutshell, they say they need the federal government to act ... NOW!

Assemblywoman Fantasia tells us there has been basically no information about the unnerving situation provided by the federal government or state leaders ... and, there's even confusion on which agency is actually running the show.

Katie Couric will be sporting a nasty bruise this holiday season ... revealing she's now black and blue after an unfortunate pickleball accident.

The famed newswoman posted on her Instagram Stories Friday, where she shared an up-close look at the noticeable lump forming on her head.

Per Katie, the large mark -- which appeared to be turning purple -- was caused by a self-inflicted pickleball injury.

It's Taylor Swift's birthday ... and among the thousands sending her well wishes was none other than her boyfriend's employer, the NFL!!!

Travis Kelce's league cut a TikTok video on Thursday to celebrate Swift's 35th trip around the sun ... and it's adorable as hell.

Check it out -- the 31-second clip features a bunch of highlights of Swift at Arrowhead Stadium ... as well as some mushy moments between her and her man on the "Eras" tour.

Lily Phillips' tearful reaction had nothing to do with regret over sleeping with 100 men in 24 hours ... telling TMZ she was merely exhausted after the sexcapade.

The OnlyFans model, who made headlines for her recent sexathon, tells us ... she got emotional and broke down into tears in the aftermath of her feat due to fatigue -- and guilt that not all of the guys got to have their promised 5 minutes with her due to logistics.

She emphasizes she has zero regrets ... and is as dedicated as ever to try and break the record of sleeping with 1,000 men in 24 hours. Another woman holds the world record -- 919 men at a 2004 event.

James Kennedy and Ally Lewber are putting up a united front ... we've learned the Bravo couple has no plans to split following the "Vanderpump Rules" star's domestic violence arrest.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... the DJ and his astrologer girlfriend are sticking together in the wake of the controversy, with Ally choosing to stand by James in this situation.

We're told Ally and James did have an argument Tuesday evening, after they returned home from Kathy Hilton's holiday party. Sources say a neighbor caught wind of the spat, "overreacted" and called 911.

Luigi Mangione's family appears to be distancing themselves from the Brian Thompson murder investigation ... in which the Ivy League graduate is the main suspect.

Attorney David B. Irwin, who has been advising the Mangione family following Luigi's arrest, tells TMZ ... the suspected shooter's loved ones are in the dark about the case -- saying they don't "know all the facts."

In fact, the attorney tells us the family only knows what they "read in the papers" ... making it clear they aren't involved in Luigi's legal woes.

President Joe Biden commuted the two-decade-long prison sentence of University of Miami booster and Ponzi scheme mastermind Nevin Shapiro ... who previously admitted to illegally plying players with expensive gifts.

The commutation of the 55-year-old convicted felon was one of 1,499 handed down by Biden on Thursday ... a one-day record for a POTUS.

Shapiro pled guilty to 8 felony counts -- and was sentenced to 20 years in Federal prison -- for his role in a $900+ million Ponzi scheme, which he ran from his Capital Investments office in Miami.

James Kennedy is refusing to lay low in the aftermath of his domestic violence arrest ... we've learned the "Vanderpump Rules" star is keeping all his planned gigs for the foreseeable future.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... James isn't canceling ANY of his upcoming DJ gigs ... so, fans should expect to see him at his show in Milwaukee Saturday night.

We're told the reality TV star is choosing to move forward and focus on work ... remaining committed to his scheduled shows in Milwaukee, Seattle, Portland, Boston, Kansas City, and Las Vegas.

The murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is inspiring more threatening messages about other CEOs ... and, they're cropping up all over the nation.

Check it out ... people are tagging public areas with "Free Luigi" -- like the graffiti in this New York City subway stop, a rallying cry around alleged killer Luigi Mangione, who was charged with Thompson's murder this week.

"Deny, Defend, Depose" has also been painted on the side of buildings and other public areas ... a reference to the words written on the bullets Mangione allegedly used to kill Thompson.

The Fresh Prince is telling fans he's got no Diddy dirty laundry ... 'cause Will Smith says he's never been tight with the disgraced rap mogul.

The actor/rapper took the stage at The Observatory North Park in San Diego Thursday ... when during a break in the show, Smith addressed the sold-out crowd about all the memes trolls have made of him and Diddy.

Watch the clip ... Smith says it's hard to tell what's true or not in today's age -- and the memes online are clearly causing a ton of confusion.

Chris Zylka was involved in a violent encounter with Ohio police in a bizarre incident partially caught on body cam last week.

Police responded to a report of a man with a gun trying to get into a car last week with a driver inside in a residential neighborhood of Warren, about an hour east of Cleveland. The assailant was wearing pajama pants, but no shirt or shoes -- in 32-degree weather, according to police.

The suspect, later identified as Zylka -- Paris Hilton's ex-fiancé -- was found jumping around in traffic in the middle of an intersection. Zylka had allegedly tried to get into a woman's car and had been trying to break the window, police said.

Taylor Swift may be feeling 35 today, but she's proven over the years that she'll never go out of "Style."

So, in honor of the pop star's milestone birthday, we felt it only right to relive some of her best eras. Whether you're a fan of her country era or her bad-girl "Reputation" vibe, Taylor has always brought it for the red carpet and her various concerts.

In fact, this past year, Taylor has shaken things up a number of times for her record-breaking "Eras" tour ... often swapping out her costumes for jaw-dropping updated looks.

Conan O'Brien's parents passed away earlier this week ... with his mother dying Thursday, just three days after his father.

Dr. Thomas O’Brien's health had been failing for a long time prior to his death on Monday, according to the Boston Globe, while Ruth Reardon O’Brien passed peacefully on December 12.

Dr. O'Brien was an expert in antimicrobial drug resistance research -- serving as director of the Infectious Diseases Division at what is now Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He also taught at Harvard as an associate professor, finally retiring in 2019 at the age of 90.