Alcohol

Former NFL star Malcolm Butler -- who famously helped the Patriots win Super Bowl XLIX with a last-minute interception -- was arrested in Rhode Island earlier this month, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

According to North Providence Police Dept. documents, Butler was thrown behind bars back on March 16 after officers say he displayed signs of driving drunk during a traffic stop.

Cops say they initially pulled his white Mercedes-Benz over at around 3:22 AM ... after he was allegedly blocking traffic while stopped in a travel lane.

Trevor Etienne -- the college football star and brother to Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne -- has been arrested for DUI ... TMZ has confirmed.

A representative with the Athens-Clarke County jail tells TMZ ... Trevor was booked at 4:35 AM ET on a DUI charge.

He was also charged with reckless driving, failure to maintain lane/improper driving on the road, and affixing materials that reduce visibility of windows/windshield.

Karen Huger was swaying and had a strong odor of alcohol on her breath following her frightening crash Tuesday night in Potomac, MD ... this according to the police report.

According to the report, obtained by TMZ, officers noted the 'Real Housewives of Potomac' cast member also had slurred speech and bloodshot eyes when they arrived on scene -- and they say she didn't answer when cops asked her twice how much she had to drink.

Officers also noted she had 2 closed bottles of the alcoholic beverage Stella inside her vehicle.

The report adds that while cops thought Karen appeared to be intoxicated ... she declined to undergo a field sobriety test or a breathalyzer.

Fire rescue, which also responded to the scene, tried to get her to sit on a stretcher -- but the report says she refused both the stretcher and any medical care.

According to officers, Karen also made it clear she did not wish to be recorded when officers told her she was on their bodycam footage.

She was ultimately arrested for DUI, and driven to the police station where she was issued citations ... and later released to her husband, Raymond.

As we reported ... cops told us Karen hit the median and a street sign late Tuesday night while driving her 2017 Maserati -- and a security guard in the neighborhood called the police after witnessing the whole thing.

Huger hasn't addressed the charges yet.

BTW, we spoke with Karen's 'RHOP' costar Candiace Dillard Bassett ... who filled us in on the folks showing her tons of support following her crash -- as well as what it might mean for Karen's future on the series.

8:30 AM PT -- Cops just held a presser and provided more details about how exactly Riley Strain was found. They say the body was discovered around 7:28 AM CT when a worker found him after removing an object from the river, after which the body surfaced.

The police say that the Medical Examiner reviewed the body and confirmed it was Riley -- they also say he still had his shirt and watch on him from the night he went missing. Nashville PD says the family was notified, and reiterates no foul play is suspected for now.

The body of Riley Strain -- the Missouri college student who went missing in Nashville 2 weeks ago -- has finally been found ... and it was recovered from a river in the area.

His corpse was discovered Friday in the Cumberland River, reportedly 8 miles away from the DT Nashville area ... where Riley had last been seen after getting separated from his group during a night of bar hopping on March 8.

Cops say there is no foul play suspected at this point, and no trauma observed either. An autopsy to determine a cause of death is pending. Unclear where exactly in the river Strain's body was found or under what circumstances ... but this marks the end of a tragic saga.

Strain first disappeared on a Friday night -- this after getting kicked out of Luke Bryan's 32 Bridge bar along Broadway ... at which point he wandered off on his own.

Surveillance footage released to the public showed Strain aimlessly wandering the streets of Nashville -- at times looking out of sorts and stumbling over. At other points in since-released footage of him from that night -- including body cam video -- Strain looked fairly coherent.

The bar says they asked Riley to leave after he started violating their conduct policies -- suggesting he was heavily intoxicated -- but also insist they did not overserve him.

There were claims the bar had given a lot of booze that night -- but 32 Bridge says their records show he was only given one drink and two waters before he was booted ... at which point, the bar says his friends did not leave with him. The Tennessee ABC is investigating the overserving allegation.

Strain's friends, meanwhile, say he told them he'd meet them back at their hotel, just a few blocks away, but he never turned up later on.

Instead, it appears Strain got lost and made his way over toward the river -- where different eyewitnesses say they saw him that night ... confirmed by the fact his bank card was recently discovered near that area as well. Search crews have been scouring the river for days now and hadn't found anything ... that is, until today. No word on who found him.

Strain's family have been in Nashville since the beginning ... calling on the public's help, and putting pressure on police to bring in more resources to track him down. We'd even been told by a family spokesperson that his mother and father believed he might still be alive.

Strain was only 22.

RIP

8:30 AM PT -- La policía acaba de dar una conferencia de prensa y proporcionó más detalles sobre cómo fue encontrado exactamente Riley. Dicen que su cuerpo fue descubierto alrededor de las 7:28 AM CT por un trabajador que remover un objeto del río y con ello provocó que el cuerpo saliera a la superficie.

La policía dice que el Médico Forense revisó el cuerpo y confirmó que era Riley. También dicen que tenía la camisa y el reloj que estaba usando la noche que desapareció. La policía de Nashville dice que la familia fue notificada y que no se sospecha de crimen violento por ahora.

El cuerpo de Riley Strain, el estudiante universitario de Missouri que desapareció en Nashville hace 2 semanas, finalmente fue encontrado y recuperado en un río cercano.

Su cadáver fue descubierto el viernes en el río Cumberland, al parecer a 8 millas de distancia del centro de Nashville donde Riley fue visto por última vez después de separarse de su grupo tras una noche de fiesta el 8 de marzo.

Los policías dicen que no se sospecha de crimen violento en este momento y tampoco se observa trauma en su cuerpo. Está pendiente una autopsia para determinar la causa de muerte. Tampoco está claro en qué parte del río fue encontrado el cuerpo de Strain exactamente o en qué circunstancias, pero esto marca el final de una saga trágica.

Strain desapareció por primera vez un viernes por la noche, después de ser expulsado del bar de Luke Bryan en Broadway, momento en el que se fue vagando por su cuenta.

Las imágenes de vigilancia que se dieron a conocer al público mostraban a Strain caminando sin rumbo por las calles de Nashville, a veces mirando al vacío y tropezándose. En otras imágenes liberadas de esa noche, Strain parecía bastante coherente.

El bar dice que le pidieron a Riley que se fuera luego de violar sus políticas de conducta, lo que sugiere que estaba muy intoxicado, aunque también insisten que no le sirvieron de más.

Hubo afirmaciones de que el bar le había dado un montón de alcohol esa noche, pero 32 Bridge (el nombre del bar) dice que sus registros muestran que solo le dieron una bebida y dos aguas antes de que fuera expulsado. Cuando le pidieron que se fuera, el bar dice que sus amigos no se fueron con él. ABC de Tennessee está investigando la alegación.

Los amigos de Strain, por su parte, dicen que les dijo que se reuniría con ellos en el hotel, que estaba a pocas cuadras de distancia, pero nunca apareció.

En su lugar, parece que Strain se perdió y se dirigió hacia el río, donde diferentes testigos lo vieron esa noche. Esto fue confirmado luego de que encontraran su tarjeta bancaria cerca de la zona también. Los equipos de búsqueda llevaban días rastreando el río y no habían encontrado nada hasta hoy. No se sabe quién lo encontró.

La familia de Strain ha estado en Nashville desde el principio pidiendo la ayuda del público, y presionando a la policía para que destine más recursos para localizarlo. Un portavoz de la familia incluso nos había dicho que su madre y su padre creían que todavía estaba vivo.

Strain solo tenía 22 años.

Kylie Jenner was all pumped up to push her new canned vodka soda venture ... but things fizzled right out of the gate.

The makeup mogul's driver accidentally crashed into her mom Kris Jenner's $400k Rolls-Royce Ghost while arriving at WeHo's Catch Steak Thursday for the brand's launch party -- and the collision's aftermath is captured in this wild clip.

Check it out ... as the KarJenners were arriving for Kylie's big launch event -- where she was plugging her new booze Sprinter -- one of the drivers behind the wheel in their fleet of SUVs, believed to be that of Kylie's, rammed into Kris's very pricey whip.

As the driver reverses ... you can see the impact was so strong that it left Kris's license plate dangling off the RR's bumper. It amounted to a fender-bender -- but it was still shocking.

Luckily, Kris's luxury ride doesn't seem too messed up ... and it looks like it'll just need a quick trip to the repair shop. That's a relief ... especially seeing how Kris was the first person to snag keys to the ride in 2021.

After the little vehicle run-in, the rest of the evening went on without a hitch for the Sprinter Soda bash, with host Kylie rocking a killer black plunging PVC dress.

Another thing to note -- this outing was the first one Kris made after the tragic news that her sister Karen Houghton recently passed just days earlier. She was all smiles for this, putting on a brave face no doubt.

Despite her personal grief, Kris rocked her momager hat like a boss ... showing up with her trademark support at her daughter's shindig.

As for the bumper thing ... leave it to the insurance.

Kylie Jenner estaba con toda la adrenalina en el cuerpo para impulsar su nueva empresa de refrescos de vodka, pero las cosas se salieron de control al salir nada más del carro.

El conductor de la magnate del maquillaje se estrelló accidentalmente contra el Rolls-Royce Ghost de su madre Kris Jenner, avaluado en $400K, mientras estaban llegando a Catch Steak en West Hollywood para la fiesta de lanzamiento de su marca el jueves, y las consecuencias del choque fueron capturadas en este loco video.

Compruébalo tú mismo, las KarJenners estaban llegando al gran evento de Kylie, donde ella lanzó su nueva bebida Sprinter, cuando uno de los conductores al volante de su flota de SUVs, que se cree que era de Kylie, embistió contra el lujoso vehículo de Kris.

Mientras el conductor estaba dando marcha atrás, se puede ver que el impacto fue tan fuerte que dejó la matrícula de Kris colgando del parachoques del Rolls Royce. Al final fue un accidente menor, pero aun así impactante.

Por suerte, el carro de lujo de Kris no quedó demasiado estropeado y parece que solo necesitará un viaje rápido al taller mecánico, lo que es un alivio.

Después del pequeño incidente, la noche transcurrió sin problemas para celebrar el lanzamiento de Sprinter Soda, con la anfitriona Kylie luciendo un vestido negro de PVC.

Otra cosa a tener en cuenta es que esta fue la primera salida de Kris desde que se supo la trágica noticia de la muerte de su hermana Karen Houghton hace unos días. La personalidad televisiva estaba muy contenta, seguramente haciéndose la fuerte.

A pesar de su dolor personal, Kris sacudió su sombrero de matriarca para apoyar el lanzamiento de la marca de su hija.

La familia de Riley Strain está 100% segura de que el joven sigue vivo y están frustrados con los esfuerzos de búsqueda de la policía, exigiendo que se involucren los federales.

Hablamos con el portavoz de la familia Strain -Chris Dingman- el martes y nos dijo directamente que los padres de Riley simplemente no creen que su hijo esté muerto, esto a pesar de que la mayoría de la gente cree que es así.

A pesar de que ha pasado más de una semana desde que Riley desapareció en Nashville luego de ir de bar en bar con sus amigos, Dingman dice que la familia tiene esperanzas, pero más que eso, están irritados de que gran parte de la investigación de la policía de Nashville se ha centrado principalmente en el río cercano.

Dingman dice que los Strains tienen sus razones, dice que el río no es tan profundo, y no parece haber sido un factor la noche que desapareció. Por lo tanto, que haya sido arrastrado por este no es probable.

Dingman también nos dice que desde el punto de vista de la familia, la policía no ha hecho grandes esfuerzos por encontrarlo, alegando que hay empresas a lo largo de la orilla del río con videos de vigilancia sin investigar.

Mientras que los Strains aprecian la ayuda de la policía hasta el momento, nos dicen que piensan que es hora de llamar a la caballería y obtener ayuda adicional para ayudar a encontrar a Riley más temprano que tarde.

La policía de Nashville ya ha dicho que están dispuestos a llamar a los federales si resulta necesario. Dingman dice que piensan que la búsqueda de Riley tiene que ampliarse mucho más allá del río.

Por supuesto, la tarjeta bancaria de Riley fue encontrada allí -probablemente sea la razón por la que este es un punto focal en el esfuerzo- pero Dingman dice que su mamá y papá quieren otras opciones.

No tienen una idea exacta de dónde puede estar o lo que le pasó, pero en base a los relatos de testigos que siguen apareciendo día tras día, suena como que podría haber estado en un lugar muy público antes de desaparecer.

Otra cosa extraña es que cuando Riley caminó cerca de un oficial de policía, parecía estar todo normal, sin embargo, otros videos de vigilancia lo capturaron ebrio y fuera de sí. Así que la familia tiene muchas dudas.

Lo único que saben es que quieren respuestas y pronto. Los Strains han estado en Nashville desde hace varios días y cuanto más tiempo Riley está desaparecido, más ansiosos se ponen.

11:57 AM PT -- Riley Strain's family just held a press conference, announcing they've enlisted the help of the United Cajun Navy -- a nonprofit that helps in this sort of effort -- while reiterating the need to get more resources on the case ... and also thanking Nashville PD for their work thus far.

Police went on to say that they've been inundated with tips and leads from various sources, but none have resulted in anything concrete in terms of locating Riley and there is no indication of foul play.

Riley Strain's family is 100% confident that their loved one is still alive somewhere -- and they're frustrated with cops' search efforts ... demanding extra boots on the ground.

We talked to the Strain family spokesperson, Chris Dingman, Tuesday and he told us straight up ... Riley's parents, simply don't believe their son is dead -- this despite most of the public starting to assume that's the case at this point.

Even though it's been well over a week since Riley first vanished in Nashville after bar hopping with his friends -- Dingman says the family is hopeful ... but more than that, they're irked that much of Nashville PD's investigating has been focused mostly on the river nearby.

There's a few reasons why Dingman says the Strains feel this way -- for one, he says the river just isn't that deep, and it doesn't appear to have been roaring on the night he disappeared. So, in their eyes, him falling in and being swept away doesn't seem plausible.

Dingman also tells us that from the family's POV, cops haven't turned over every possible stone in trying to track him down -- claiming there are businesses along the river bank with surveillance video that weren't approached until very recently ... so, slow going at best.

While the Strains appreciate the police's help and diligence thus far -- we're told they think it's time to call in the cavalry and get extra assistance in helping find Riley sooner rather than later.

Nashville PD has already said they're prepared to call in the feds if it proves necessary. Dingman says the Strains think that time has come ... and that the sweep for Riley needs to expand well beyond just the river search that's been going on these past few days.

Of course, Riley's bank card was found there -- which is probably why this is a focal point in the effort -- but Dingman says his mom and dad want other possibilities looked into.

He doesn't have an exact idea of where he may be or what happened to him, but based on eyewitness accounts that continue to crop up day after day ... it sounds like people might've possibly been with him during the last known moments of him being out and about.

The other odd thing that's not quite tracking for the Strains is that when Riley was walking by the police officer -- he came across as coherent and normal, but other surveillance videos captured him looking inebriated and out of it. So the family doesn't know what's what here.

The one thing they do know ... they want answers, and soon. The Strains have been in Nashville for several days now -- and the longer Riley is missing, the more anxious they get.

Riley was last seen on March 8, and there's been no sign of him since. Cops are encouraging anyone with helpful info to call 615-742-7463.

11:35 AM PT -- Nashville PD has released the latest evidence they have of Riley Strain being seen on the night in question -- and it comes courtesy of none other than bodycam footage from a police officer.

In the body cam video -- which was rolling while the officer was checking out a burglary call on a vehicle -- you can see Officer Reginald Young interact with Riley who casually strolls right by him ... they even exchange a brief hello, and RS looks fairly normal and put together.

Nashville PD says this appears to be the last sighting of him on camera before he vanished.

A major clue has been uncovered in the disappearance of Riley Strain ... as authorities discovered the missing college student's bank card Sunday near a river in town.

According to Nashville Police, Riley's bank card was found on the embankment between Gay St. and the Cumberland River -- where surveillance video is said to have last captured Riley. No other update was issued ... except that the search for Riley continues.

This update comes after Nashville's Office of Emergency Management had the dive team search for Riley in the Cumberland River on Saturday. As the OEM put it to FOX17 ... the search plan included taking several boats along the riverfront where Riley was last seen.

Based on indicators from search K9s onboard, sonars were used to locate areas where divers could look more thoroughly. Saturday's search reportedly resulted in no conclusive findings. Additionally ... the outlet says police do not currently suspect foul play.

However, a local eyewitness claimed to FOX17 Riley was not alone after leaving Luke's 32 Bridge Friday evening. A homeless man detailed that he and his wife, who live by the riverbank, heard a commotion and allegedly saw Riley almost stumble into the river.

He added ... "I never seen anybody stumble that hard before," while claiming RS looked very intoxicated.

The man claims he didn't explore the situation further, claiming someone was apparently already there with Riley, who assured him Riley was just drunk. No word on who that person might've been, or any description of them. The FOX17 report didn't elaborate either.

Remember ... the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission is currently investigating whether Riley was overserved at Luke Bryan's Nashville bar. While the establishment is cooperating with authorities, they defended themselves in a recent statement that they only served Riley one alcoholic drink (and two waters) before asking him to leave.

The country superstar himself also spoke out on Riley's disappearance, calling the whole thing scary and asking for prayers.

For anyone who may have reliable information on Riley's whereabouts, cops encourage you to call 615-742-7463.

11:35 AM PT -- La policía de Nashville ha publicado las últimas pruebas que tienen de Riley siendo visto en la noche en cuestión, y vienen por cortesía de nada menos que las imágenes de la cámara corporal de un oficial de policía.

En el video -que estaba rodando mientras el oficial estaba comprobando una llamada de robo de un vehículo- se puede ver al oficial Reginald Young interactuar con Riley que casualmente paseaba junto a él, incluso intercambian un breve hola, y Riley se ve bastante normal.

La policía de Nashville dice que este parece ser el último avistamiento de él en cámara antes de que desapareciera.

Se ha descubierto una pista importante en la desaparición de Riley Strain, ya que las autoridades descubrieron la tarjeta bancaria del estudiante universitario desaparecido el domingo cerca de un río de la ciudad.

Según la policía de Nashville, la tarjeta bancaria de Riley fue encontrada en el terraplén entre Gay St. y el río Cumberland, donde se dice que el video de vigilancia capturó por última vez a Riley. No se emitió ninguna otra actualización, excepto que la búsqueda de Riley continúa.

Esta actualización se produce luego de que la Oficina de Gestión de Emergencias de Nashville tuviera a un equipo de buceo buscando a Riley en el río Cumberland el sábado. La OEM le dijo a FOX17 que el plan de búsqueda incluye usar varios barcos a lo largo de la orilla del río, donde Riley fue visto por última vez.

Se utilizaron sonares para localizar áreas donde los buzos podrían buscar más a fondo, aunque la búsqueda al parecer no dio lugar a resultados concluyentes. Además, la policía no sospecha actualmente de un caso criminal.

Sin embargo, un testigo local le dijo a FOX17 que Riley no estaba solo después de salir de Luke's 32 Bridge el viernes por la noche. Un hombre sin hogar detalló que él y su esposa -que viven junto a la orilla del río- escuchó una conmoción y supuestamente vio a Riley casi tropezar en el río.

Añadió: "Nunca he visto a nadie tropezar tan fuerte antes", mientras afirma que Riley parecía estar muy intoxicado.

El hombre afirma que no exploró la situación más allá, alegando que alguien aparentemente ya estaba allí con Riley, y aseguró que el joven solo estaba borracho. No se sabe quién podría haber sido esa persona, o cualquier descripción de ellos. El informe de FOX17 tampoco dio más detalles.

Recordemos que la Comisión de Bebidas Alcohólicas de Tennessee está investigando actualmente si Riley bebió en exceso en el bar de Luke Bryan en Nashville. Mientras que el establecimiento está cooperando con las autoridades, se defendieron en un reciente comunicado afirmando que solo le sirvieron Riley una bebida alcohólica (y dos aguas) antes de pedirle que se fuera.

La superestrella del country también se pronunció sobre la desaparición de Riley, calificando todo el asunto de aterrador y pidiendo oraciones.

Luke Bryan's Nashville bar says Riley Strain only had one drink while at their establishment last week -- denying overserving claims and other narratives that have been floated.

A rep for the TC Restaurant Group and Luke's 32 Bridge tells TMZ ... they quickly provided cops with any and all pertinent information in helping track Riley's whereabouts when he first disappeared last Friday -- including handing over all the surveillance footage they had.

They go on to say they also forked over receipts, transaction records and time stamps to prove what exactly he drank while in the building ... and as it turns out, they're saying he only purchased and was served one alcoholic drink.

In addition to the boozy beverage, Luke's 32 Bridge says Riley was also given two waters.

Despite this, they say their security team made a decision around 9:35 PM that Riley needed to go -- based on their conduct standards, they say -- and the muscle escorted him to the front of the venue ... where they say he was accompanied by one person in his party.

They also claim the dude who came downstairs with him did not exit with Riley, but instead ... returned upstairs without him. This is different than what Riley's family has said in interviews ... where his father seemed to suggest his friends had been blocked from leaving.

Ryan Gilbert, Riley's dad, told FOX17 ... "He was put out of the bar by himself, and there was a time that went by that his friend wasn’t able to get out. We believe they were taking care of the bar tab or whatnot. By the time they got outside, he just wasn’t there any longer."

On its face, it would appear the dad was putting some blame on the bar -- and even when police first relayed what had allegedly happened ... they said they'd been told Riley was overserved, something Luke's 32 Bridge is now explicitly refuting with their information.

Of course, this comes on the heels of the TABC opening an investigation into claims that the bar gave him one drink too many -- with a misdemeanor charge on the table. They made clear that it's against the law to serve someone alcohol who is visibly intoxicated.

That seems to be the lingering question here ... was Riley obviously drunk to the bar staff?

Luke himself has already addressed the tragic story in the wake of Riley's week-long disappearance -- he posted a message asking for prayers and noting his bar was cooperating with the authorities. Officials have scoured the Nashville area looking for Riley, with no luck.

Cops are asking anyone with reliable information on Riley's whereabouts to call 615-742-7463.

Luke Bryan's Nashville bar is alleged to have overserved a Missouri college student who went missing last week -- and now a state agency has launched an investigation into it.

The Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission -- the licensing authority for manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers of booze beverages in the state -- tells TMZ ... while there's no specific rule that dictates a business escorting out intoxicated patrons, let alone providing assistance to said patrons, there are laws about providing too much alcohol to someone.

We're told Tennessee law prohibits serving alcoholic beverages to someone who is visibly intoxicated -- and any violation of this is considered a class A misdemeanor.

As it pertains to claims that Riley Strain, who's still missing, was overserved ... we're told the TABC has opened an investigation to see if any violations have occurred in this matter.

Remember, it was cops who suggested Riley might've been overserved Friday when he and some friends hit the town and ended up at Luke's 32 Bridge -- where the 22-year-old was reportedly kicked out ... and where he got separated from his party and went off on his own.

As the story goes ... Riley apparently told his friends he'd meet them back at their hotel -- but he was nowhere to be found when the rest of the guys showed up. As of Thursday, there's still no sign of him ... despite an extensive search effort throughout the city.

Crews have scoured the streets, and the search for Riley has even extended to the riverbank nearby -- as some suspect he may have gotten lost and perhaps fallen into the water.

Remember, surveillance footage of Riley stumbling along the streets of Nashville has surfaced ... and he looks out of sorts, and possibly under the influence too. It's eerie video, no doubt.

Luke himself spoke out on the story, asking for prayers. He also noted his bar was cooperating with law enforcement and providing any surveillance video of their own that could help find him. We reached out to them on this latest update, but they had no comment.

Nashville PD also gave an update Thursday on where they were in the case ... noting they were scouring through tons of tips, and said they might bring in state and/or federal help if they feel they need it. For now, it sounds like it's just them handling things internally.

Riley's family has said they're living through a nightmare as they continue to look for him. Riley had apparently FaceTimed his mom earlier in the evening, and she said nothing seemed amiss then, even though they knew he was bar hopping.

Tan Mom is bowing out of the race for a U.S. Senate seat in Florida, and, oddly, Wendy Williams -- of all people -- played a role in her decision ... TMZ has learned.

The bronzed mother of 5, whose real name is Patricia Krentcil, says in a new video obtained by TMZ that she's dropped out of the running after watching the new Wendy documentary, and comparing it to her own reality series, "Tan to 10."

Tan Mom says she realized she could end up like Wendy, who struggles with alcohol abuse and a myriad of other health issues, if she continued with all the pressure that comes along with a political run for office.

Another factor ... mass layoffs at struggling and bankrupt Vice Media.

Tan Mom says she was filming a documentary about her campaign for Vice, but the media company pulled the plug and has not paid her or her team a dime, despite a contract she says she signed with Vice.

Patricia says the Vice staffers who were working on her documentary told her team a couple weeks ago their entire department was laid off, and would try to get her paid -- but Tan Mom says the whole thing has been a waste of time and effort and greatly hurt her campaign.

She also took time off the campaign trail in November to undergo a risky medical procedure ... bypass surgery to remove a stent separating her pancreas and liver.

When she announced her Senate bid last year, Tan Mom told us she was motivated to run because of Florida's hot-button issues ... like healthcare and drag show bans.

Even though she's waving the white flag, Tan Mom says she's proud of all the work she did on her campaign -- such as a Town Hall she filmed at Hamburger Mary's supporting the LGBTQ community.

Megan Thee Stallion's snake-driven campaign slithered away with a whimper when she met face-to-face with the real deal ... a bottle of alcohol with a dead snake stuffed inside!!!

The rapper is currently turning heads during a trip out in Japan that tested her "Fear Factor" meter -- this after she sampled Habushu, a traditionally super strong liquor native to Okinawa.

Apparently, it's powered by poison ... the local Habu snake is said to ferment inside the container to age as long as possible -- which makes for one hell of a boozy drink.

Welp, Meg dove in without hesitation and asked if the potion would send her to the morgue -- but she didn't chicken out ... taking a sip of the concoction, but not really liking it much.

Meg took a little slurp of the Habushu -- but this time around, she didn't drive the boat too far ... docking and anchoring her experience, saying the drink was too strong for her liking. Can't blame her ... drinking dead snake, even for a buzz, doesn't sound pleasant at all.

It's pretty funny ... Meg topped the Billboard Hot 100 a few weeks back with her single "Hiss" -- which was the follow-up to another reptilian record "Cobra." But, when it comes to the real McCoy ... she isn't into it, it seems.

A youngster at the USA vs. Colombia CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup matchup apparently needed something stronger than milk ... 'cause the baby was spotted adorably trying to drink a Truly hard seltzer!!

The hilarious moment was caught on the CBS Sports broadcast on Sunday ... showing a dad and his kid soaking in the 3-0 win for the Red, White and Blue in the 73rd minute of the contest.

All eyes were on what was in the little one's hands ... which appeared to be a wild berry Truly (which contains 5% alcohol).

But judging by the fact the kiddo was able to pull the can up to its lips, we're assuming the thing was empty ... so no need to destroy the kid's future with an underage.

Even though the baby was probably teething, some folks thought it was a bad look to let it even hold the can in the first place ... while others felt it was the perfect visual representation of 'Merica.

As for the game, the USWNT won the quarterfinal matchup at BMO Stadium in L.A. with ease ... punching a ticket to the semis against Canada.

Here's hoping if the kid makes it to San Diego for that game, it sticks to the non-alcoholic bevvies.