Coronavirus

President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have both contracted the coronavirus.

The President broke the news with a tweet -- at nearly 1 AM Friday in D.C. -- saying ... "Tonight @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER."

The alarming news comes hours after we learned one of the President's aides, Hope Hicks, had tested positive. Hope had been traveling on Air Force One all week with POTUS ... going to and from the presidential debate in Cleveland ... and also to his rally in Minnesota.

The impact is far-reaching. Trump came into contact with numerous people over the last 5 days, including Joe Biden on the debate stage, and his Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett. And, then there's his treasury secretary -- someone who frequently meets with the president -- who had a meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Vice President Pence has tested negative, but there's still a window of risk since he's been in contact with Trump over the last week.

Trump was not feeling well on Wednesday, according to Bloomberg News, so it's also unclear how long Trump has been COVID positive.

Furthermore, what's unclear -- who gave the virus to whom? Did Trump contract the virus from Hope Hicks or vice versa, or did they contract it from someone else?

There's no good time to contract the virus, but it comes at a particularly critical time for the President ... less than 5 weeks before Election Day. We don't yet know if he and Melania are experiencing symptoms, but the First Lady tweeted that they are "feeling good."

Trump has made no secret of how much he hates wearing face masks, and has done it in public very rarely since the pandemic began.

The last time we saw him wearing one in public was a week ago at the public viewing for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg outside the Supreme Court.

During the debate on Tuesday night, he did pull one out of his pocket as he claimed to have no issue with wearing face coverings. It's worth noting, at 74 years old he is in a high-risk category for COVID-19. Melania is only 50.

As you know, Trump has logged a lot of miles this week -- traveling with his inner circle of aides and attending large scale events. Once contact tracing is done ... it's possible a large number of people will need to be tested immediately and quarantined.

So far, the administration is saying the Prez and Melania will remain in their White House residence while they quarantine. It's unclear how long that will last, but typically doctors recommend 14 days.

And, if you're wondering ... the next presidential debate is exactly 14 days away.

President Trump has been in close, maskless contact with many, many people -- in his administration and otherwise -- over the past several days ... people he may have exposed to the coronavirus.

As you know ... POTUS and First Lady Melania tested positive for COVID-19 Thursday night and Trump says they've begun their quarantine and recovery process.

Still, Trump contracting the virus now has everyone tracing his steps the past week. Even though he didn't test positive until Thursday, he could have been contagious for several days prior. As we reported, his adviser Hope Hicks tested positive hours before Trump, and they had traveled together.

But, let's go back ... to Saturday 9/26, when Trump nominates Amy Coney Barrett and walks right next to her as both are not wearing masks.

On Sunday, Trump holds a conference meeting at the White House and later goes golfing at the National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia.

Monday's a big day -- the Prez meets with reps from Lordstown Motors out of Ohio on the South Lawn of the WH, as well as 2 members of Congress. Later, he's in close contact with VP Mike Pence, members of his administration and Congress, and state officials during a conference, coincidentally, about COVID test kits.

Then, of course, Trump travels with Melania and family to Cleveland on Tuesday for the first presidential debate. Though members of his family are seen wearing masks, Trump is not. Hope Hicks was among the team that traveled with Trump for the debate.

Now, several people, including VP Pence, Barrett, Joe Biden and his wife have tested negative -- but that doesn't mean everyone's out of the woods because the virus has a gestation period.

On Wednesday, Trump travels to Minnesota for a private fundraiser and an outdoor rally. Again, Hicks is with him. At the rally, Trump tossed out hats to the crowd. Yikes!

On the return trip, Hicks reveals she feels ill and isolates herself on Air Force One. Despite her illness and close proximity to Trump, the President flies to his Bedminster, NJ resort Thursday for a private fundraiser. Several aides who were in proximity to Hicks scrap plans to accompany him.

Meanwhile, Ivanka -- who also had close contact with her father, FLOTUS and Hicks -- heads to Charlotte to meet with supporters. Soon after, it's revealed Hicks has tested positive ... as well as POTUS and FLOTUS.

Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, said Friday they've tested negative.

You've seen the Octagon on the beach. You've seen the insane fights.

But, you've never seen exactly HOW the UFC transformed Yas Island in Abu Dhabi into "Fight Island" in the thick of a global pandemic ... until now!!

It's all part of "UFC Fight Island: Declassified" -- a 4-part series on ESPN+ (premieres today) featuring some incredible behind the scenes footage showing how Dana White and his team successfully built a secure city to keep MMA alive while every other major sport was shut down.

Remember, Dana first revealed "Fight Island" to TMZ Sports back in April (we actually suggested the name "Fight Island").

From there, Dana and the UFC spent a fortune on buildings, medical personnel and more to ensure a bubble-style environment to host major fights consistently while the rest of the world was shut down.

In total, the UFC claims it took 400,000 man-hours and 350 tons of metal to get Fight Island up and running.

"There's no other thing on Earth like this," Dana says in the docuseries ... "Their platforms come up once in a blue moon."

The doc also features UFC superstars like Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal going through all of the COVID testing leading up to their fight.

The UFC faced a ton of criticism leading up to the opening of Fight Island at UFC 251 in July ... but ultimately, they executed several major events without a hitch.

In fact, the UFC has already RETURNED to Fight Island for another series of fights including the highly anticipated UFC 254 card featuring Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Justin Gaethje on Oct. 24.

Dana White says Fight Island was such a hit, it will be a regular fight location for the UFC for years to come.

"I'm telling you right now, Abu Dhabi is gonna become the fight capital of the world," White told us recently.

"Knowing him, he'll be able to go right on through this and hopefully not miss a beat."

Jerry Jones doesn't seem worried about Donald Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis ... he said Friday he's "very confident" POTUS will get through it all just fine.

In fact, the Dallas Cowboys owner says he's pretty sure #45 will still be able to do his job effectively over the coming days.

"No one in the world has the ability to handle this COVID any better than the office of the President of the United States," Jerry told 105.3 The Fan.

"I'm very confident that he'll be able to continue governing. I'm sure that he has anticipated this. Knowing him, he's the hardest worker you've ever seen."

Donald announced Thursday night he and Melania tested positive for the coronavirus and have already begun quarantining.

Trump is said to be only experiencing "mild" symptoms ... and he, too, seemed confident he'd beat the virus, adding in his official announcement, "We will get through this TOGETHER!"

Jerry and Trump have been friendly for years ... so Jones' support for the president comes as no surprise.

Tennessee and Pittsburgh will NOT be playing in Week 4 ... after one additional player and team staffer in the Titans organization tested positive for COVID-19.

The matchup -- originally scheduled to take place in Tennessee on Sunday at 1 PM PT -- becomes the first game to be pushed back due to the coronavirus this season.

The league released a statement Thursday, saying, "The decision to postpone the game was made to ensure the health and safety of players, coaches and game day personnel."

"The Titans facility will remain closed and the team will continue to have no in-person activities until further notice."

As we previously reported ... the Titans shut down their team facility after 3 players and 5 staffers tested positive earlier this week ... and announced it would not reopen until Saturday at the earliest.

There were hopes of pushing the game back until Monday or Tuesday ... but after the news of another player and staffer testing positive, the league had no choice but to push it past Week 4.

The league says the makeup date will be announced shortly.

Adjust your fantasy lineups accordingly ... and get better, Tennessee.

Reggie Bush doesn't think it's a coincidence that Donald Trump tested positive for COVID after "that disastrous debate" ... claiming it's all part of a plot to keep POTUS from ruining his re-election bid.

Bush -- who's been extremely critical of Trump for years -- unleashed on social media Friday morning after the White House announced both Donald and Melania Trump have tested positive for Coronavirus.

"Teflon Don just wants the attention on him," Bush said ... "Now the entire world will be on Trump watch. Now you test positive? After all the rallies with no masks you held, now you conveniently catch COVID after that disastrous debate?"

When one reader suggested Trump's team is behind the conspiracy to "get him out of future debates," Bush agreed wholeheartedly.

"Exactly now he won’t be available for questioning, can’t do debates, he’s going to disappear for 14 days while the world thinks he may die, YEAH RIGHT!!!!"

Bush continued, "It’s all a game and it’s all a reality tv show that’s what reality tv stars do they keep the attention on them at all costs."

The next Presidential debate between Trump and Joe Biden is scheduled for October 15 -- with a 3rd slated for the following week.

President Trump's close aide, Hope Hicks, has reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus after flying on Air Force One this week with the Prez.

Hope's positive COVID-19 test comes on the heels of her traveling to and from Tuesday's debate in Cleveland -- as well as a roundtrip flight to Trump's Wednesday rally in Minnesota ... according to a Bloomberg News report.

The report says she is experiencing symptoms now ... however, there's no indication POTUS has contracted the virus.

Hope is working for Trump again as a "counselor to the President" after previously serving as his communications director, and working on his 2016 campaign.

We reached out to the White House, and deputy press secretary Judd Deere would not comment about Hope or the President's health. He did tell us, "The President takes the health and safety of himself and everyone who works in support of him and the American people very seriously."

He continued, "White House Operations collaborates with the Physician to the President and the White House Military Office to ensure all plans and procedures incorporate current CDC guidance and best practices for limiting COVID-19 exposure to the greatest extent possible both on complex and when the President is traveling."

Amazon is dropping some alarming stats and, in case you were wondering, life on the frontlines ain't easy for their employees ... nearly 20,000 of whom they believe caught COVID-19.

The shipping giant made the revelation Thursday in a report about its testing policies and how it's responding to the health crisis. Amazon said between March 1 and September 19 ... 19,816 employees were either presumed or confirmed to have contracted the coronavirus. That's out of their roughly 1.37 million staffers at Amazon and Whole Foods Market.

While the number is startling, Amazon says its rate of infection among employees was way lower than expected. The company noted it could have reached 33,952 sick workers if its infection rate ran parallel to the general population.

BTW, the stats don't include third-party delivery drivers.

Amazon says it's currently conducting thousands of tests daily at its warehouses and by November they could be doing as many as 50,000 tests per day in 650 facilities.

FILE UNDER -- things you should NOT do during a pandemic!

Here's video of Tampa Bay Lightning players completely ignoring COVID-19 guidelines ... passing around the Stanley Cup to fans and allowing them to drink from it.

Yeah, not ideal.

Just hours after the team had its parade to celebrate its championship win over the Dallas Stars -- Alex Killorn and Nikita Kucherov took Lord Stanley to Tampa streets.

And, in a complete brain fart given the state of the coronavirus, they gathered in crowds of mask-less people ... and poured booze from the top of the trophy into people's mouths.

Obviously, it's a big no-no during pandemic times ... but even if COVID-19 were under control, it's probably not the most sanitary thing to do.

We've reached out to the Lightning over the videos ... but so far, no word back yet.

Meanwhile, it doesn't seem like the Lightning players -- who were all locked away in the NHL bubble throughout their playoff run -- have plans of stopping their party anytime soon.

Killorn got on the mic and shouted out Florida governor Ron DeSantis for opening up bars to allow celebrations to continue.

Love the enthusiasm ... but guys, please be safe!!

Diego Maradona says the "Toy Story" jokes stemming from his COVID mask are NOT funny ... and now, the soccer legend is firing back at his critics in a scathing social media post.

Maradona stepped out to coach his Argentinian soccer club this week in a huge face shield that covered the top of his head to below his chin ... and he quickly became the subject of Internet memes.

People poked fun at the face covering ... calling the 59-year-old everything from an astronaut to Buzz Lightyear.

But, Maradona says the mask is NOT a laughing matter ... adding he's using it to make sure he stays safe and coronavirus-free.

"It is the same that some doctors use," Maradona said Wednesday. "I did it out of obligation, and out of respect for all those who died from COVID."

Of course, Maradona's health problems have been well-documented ... he's battled breathing and heart issues throughout his life, as well as a much-publicized addiction to cocaine.

Maradona also famously needed medical treatment at the World Cup in 2018 ... after his body apparently couldn't handle the rush of all his animated celebrations.

Maradona is healthy now ... and taking all the proper steps to keep it that way -- including sanitizing his hands repeatedly during games.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson says the XFL isn't gonna rush back on to the field ... announcing the league will return in Spring 2022.

"As owners, we’re proud to champion our XFL players, coaches, cities and fans into an electrifying 2022 season!" Johnson tweeted Thursday.

"It’s an uphill battle - but we’re hungry, humble and no one will outwork us."

"A league of culture, passion & purpose."

Johnson's business partner and co-owner Dany Garcia previously said the league would consider trying to play in a bubble format to make a 2021 season happen ... but that plan was scrapped.

League President and COO Jeffrey Pollack also released a statement on the decision, saying, "For the love of football and for the safety of our players and fans, we’ll be back on the field in 2022."

"The opportunity in front of us, with our new ownership, is simply too big to rush back."

"We want to do this properly with care and thought for everyone who loves football, especially our players, coaches, partners and fans."

And, in true Rock fashion, the wrestling legend and Garcia released a hype video about the league's return ... and it'll have you ready to run through a brick wall.

The NFL is so pissed off over coaches continuing to flout its COVID mask rules ... it's now threatening to pull draft picks from teams if the violations continue.

It's all in a new league memo officials sent to the 32 clubs on Wednesday, which spells out the possible heavy punishments.

In the memo, obtained by multiple media outlets, the league says a forfeiture of picks as well as suspensions are on the table if coaches keep pulling down their masks during games.

Of course, the problem was a HUGE issue for teams in the first two weeks of the season ... and the league handed down some big fines over it all.

Head coaches like Jon Gruden, Sean Payton, Vic Fangio, Pete Carroll and Kyle Shanahan were all docked $100,000 ... while their respective teams were hit with $250k fines as well.

Coaches seemed to clean up their act in Week 3 ... with most of the previous offenders abiding by the rules.

But, cameras still caught Arizona Cardinals head man Kliff Kingsbury, Fangio and a few others once again ditching their masks ... and it's clear the league is tired of seeing it.

The Tennessee Titans have shut down ALL in-person activities immediately ... after 3 players and 5 additional staffers have tested positive for COVID-19.

The Minnesota Vikings -- who lost to the Titans on Sunday -- will also shut down their facilities as a safety precaution ... but have NOT reported any positive tests.

The Titans will reportedly not be allowed back at the team facility until Saturday -- which begs the question ... will they play the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday without practicing????

The NFL and Players' Association released a statement on the matter, saying, "Both clubs are working closely with the NFL and the NFLPA, including our infectious disease experts, to evaluate close contacts, perform additional testing and monitor developments."

"All decisions will be made with health and safety as our primary consideration. We will continue to share updates as more information becomes available."

Tennessee also released a statement ... claiming the decision to work remotely was "out of the abundance of caution."

It's bad news for the NFL, which has been able to play 3 regular season weeks without any major outbreaks.

Some of the best basketball players to ever live will be present for Game 1 of the NBA Finals ... but, of course, they won't actually *be* there due to COVID-19.

Shaquille O'Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and more headline the insane list of NBA legends slated to be virtual fans for the Lakers vs. Heat on Wednesday ... tuning in to the game from the comfort of anywhere other than the Orlando bubble.

The list is full of players who have hoisted the Larry O'Brien trophy in the past -- including Bill Walton, Clyde Drexler, Dirk Nowitzki, Dwyane Wade, Isiah Thomas, James Worthy, Julius Erving, Manu Ginobili, Robert Parish and more.

Seriously, there's a LOT of rings in the bunch.

On top of the champs in the crowd, there will be 40 first-time poll workers identified by LeBron James' "More Than A Vote" campaign!!

It won't be as electric as years past ... but heck, at least we have ball!!

COVID-19 pandemic, step aside ... the TB Lightning partied like it was 2019 after beating Dallas -- going insane in the locker room and chugging booze straight from the Stanley Cup!!!

The celebration all went down Monday night, after Tampa Bay earned a 4-2 series victory over the Stars ... and the scene was wild!!!

Lightning players poured a grip of champagne and beer into Lord Stanley -- and then got after it ... opening their throats and throwing booze straight down the hatch.

Check out video of the celly ... winger Pat Maroon and defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk were the chugging all-stars -- while others on the squad enjoyed some sips from the cup as well.

And, we know what you're thinking ... but NHL players have been locked away in a bubble with daily COVID testing the last couple months -- so this is all safe!!!

Of course, the Lightning earned every bit of this moment ... they were heartbreakingly swept out of the playoffs last season despite being the favorite, so the win Monday meant a helluva lot.

But, some Lightning fans weren't as careful as the players with their Cup parties ... take a look at people PACKING the streets in Tampa to celebrate the win.