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Retired U.S. Secret Service Agent David Hoffmann, a 2x All-American football star, is weighing in on whether his former agency dropped the ball during the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, saying the tragedy never should've happened.

"I'll tell you it's very frustrating," Hoffmann told Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs nightly on FS1) ... "it just really pisses you off that this happened."

The longtime USSS special agent added ... "Sometimes everybody says 'things happen,' but this is something that just can't happen. This is inexcusable. And it's something that everybody needs to take a real hard dive at and look into this."

7/16 -- 9:40 AM PT -- Lil Reese is reacting to the charges with denial and in his own words, is "unbothered like an MF" ... and eagerly awaits his chance to vindicate himself.

Lil Reese is facing serious allegations -- he's accused of rape in Los Angeles, where police took him into custody ... TMZ Hip Hop has learned.

According to law enforcement sources, Lil Reese went on a date with a woman and following dinner, he and the woman went back to a Downtown L.A. hotel where Reese allegedly insisted they have sex.

Cops say the woman rebuffed Reese's advances, before he allegedly forced himself on her and raped her.

Ex-UFC star and former American sniper Tim Kennedy says many people need to answer for the disaster that was the Trump shooting ... and he thinks folks need to lose their jobs.

Tim -- who was once a U.S. Army Special Forces sniper -- tells TMZ he believes the training of those immediately around Trump during the Pennsylvania rally Saturday was most definitely not up to par for protecting him against the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks.

He says the site survey team was supposed to identify any locations that could pose a threat to Trump, which he believes they utterly failed to do ... and now, he thinks key people at the Secret Service and beyond should have to pay for it with their careers.

Thomas Matthew Crooks -- the shooter who tried and failed to take out Donald Trump -- clearly had a raunchy, sophomoric sense of humor ... as seen in new video obtained by TMZ.

In the clip we got from a former pal of Crooks, you can see him joking about being endowed with 10 inches, and also claiming he's a 6'4" student at Stanford. In reality, Crooks was just a 10th grader when this was shot, and we're told he was making funny videos with classmates while they were all in a computer tech class.

His buddy tells us the video was shot in Feb. 2020 at Steel Center Career and Technical Education in Jefferson Hills, PA -- which provides career and technical education to students attending several public school districts in PA. We have reached out to the school to confirm Crooks' enrollment ... but haven't heard back.

Sandra "Pepa" Denton was left grounded in Vegas this AM after a Southwest Airlines crew deemed her a safety risk on their flight!

The Salt-N-Pepa rap legend tells TMZ Hip Hop she was on a flight from Las Vegas to Nashville for a meeting -- a flight she takes frequently because it's the only direct one.

Due to a previous knee injury from a 2018 car crash, she paid for 2 seats and used the services of a greeter for wheelchair assistance.

Richard Simmons' housekeeper tried to get him to a doctor after he fell in his bathroom, but Richard pushed it off, because he just wanted to stay home for his birthday ... TMZ has learned.

As we reported, Richard fell Friday evening at home, in a bathroom ... and according to law enforcement sources, when his housekeeper came to help him up, she implored Richard to seek medical attention that night.

We're told Richard had described feeling dizzy before the fall, but he rejected the housekeeper's suggestion about seeing a doctor ... telling her maybe he'd go Saturday, but particularly didn't want to go that night as it had been his 76th birthday. So, she helped him back to bed, and that was that.

Haliey Welch's best known for her helpful mouth and spit tips, but it turns out men are hitting her up for a different part of her body ... namely, the little piggies on her feet.

We got the viral sensation at JFK Airport in New York City and our photog asked her if she'd received a whole bunch of DMs from guys trying to get with her ... and Welch told us they're all looking for one thing.

HW says a quick scroll through her messages reveals one common ask ... "toes, toes, toes."

There's a presidential conspiracy coming out of the White House ... about the leader of the free world taking extra steps to keep their feces a secret ... and this poop may hold water.

TMZ Studios has a new series, "Strange & Suspicious," now airing on a dozen FOX stations, where we explore strange, unexplained and downright weird stories ... including the possibility foreign adversaries try to dig up dirt on POTUS by digging through his poo.

Think about it ... there's a lot that can be learned from taking a sample of someone's crap ... like finding out if they suffer from cancer.

Jax Taylor isn't mixing business with pleasure -- he's navigating his separation from his estranged wife Brittany Cartwright before diving back into the dating pool.

We caught up with "The Valley" star at LAX, and he says with everything going on in his life right now ... the only thing occupying his mind is his family 'cause he hasn't seen them for weeks due to work events.

When it comes to women throwing themselves at him and all the female admiration he can get at these work events, Jax just chalks it up to meeting enthusiastic fans.

Rich The Kid's new album couldn't make his old problems go away ... TMZ Hip Hop has video of the "Carnival" rapper being served with court papers outside his album release party!!!

Check out the clip ... Rich and his entourage were strolling into Grandmaster Recordings in Hollywood when someone catches him before he reaches the door, tossing him an envelope filled with legal docs.

We obtained the docs and they're from attorney Baruch C. Cohen, who reps Peter Marco, Rich's former jeweler who sued him for $234k back in 2020 over an alleged unpaid tab.

A 1975 X-Men comic book fetched an impressive $170,000 at an auction ... marking it as the second-highest price ever paid for a '70s comic book.

ComicConnect recently sealed the deal on "Giant-Size X-Men #1," the only comic to ever score a near-perfect 9.9 from CGC.

The site's President, Vincent Zurzolo, noted that '70s comics often linger in discount bins for years before nostalgia and significance catch up -- and bump up their value.

Shifty Shellshock's loved ones are honoring him in a big way ... with plans for his celebration of life underway, TMZ has learned how they're going to show their love.

Ilya Krokav -- a close childhood friend of Shifty -- tells TMZ ... they're holding the celebration sometime in the next month or so in Los Angeles for friends and family ... but it will also be open to fans.

They're still searching for a venue, and looking at places that will hold a few hundred people. We are told they have not yet finalized what the musical tribute is going to look like.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard's baby registry appeared fulfilled within minutes, but TMZ has learned that's not the case ... 'cause we're told trolls only made it look that way to send Gypsy hate messages.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Gypsy uploaded a public Babylist registry on the same day she announced her pregnancy with Ken Urker filled with common items like diapers, bottles, burp cloths and some expensive items like a $550 Nuna stroller and a $500 Carter’s by DaVinci Arlo Recliner.

While all the items appeared to have been purchased within half an hour of the list going up, our sources say the items weren't actually bought. Instead, haters online clicked "purchase" on the item so they could direct message GRB.

Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy's recent remarks about his star player's DUI arrest have infuriated Mothers Against Drunk Driving ... who tell TMZ Sports the words were "irresponsible" and "dangerous."

The 56-year-old made the controversial comments at Big 12 Media Day earlier this week ... when he was asked why he didn't suspend Ollie Gordon II following allegations the running back drove while intoxicated in June.

Gundy stated that after he had looked into how many drinks it would take to put a person over Oklahoma's .08 blood alcohol limit ... he seemed to admit he very well may have done the same thing as Gordon throughout the years.

Sacramento Kings star Domantas Sabonis is welcoming his new teammate, DeMar DeRozan, to the squad with open arms ... telling TMZ Sports he's totally stoked about the new addition.

We caught up with the three-time All-Star at LAX fresh off the three-team deal that went down this week ... which sent Harrison Barnes to the San Antonio Spurs and Chris Duarte and two second-round picks to the Chicago Bulls -- and, of course, DeRozan to Sac-Town.

It's safe to say the league's back-to-back rebounding leader approves of the deal ... 'cause he couldn't say enough good things about it.

Jason Mewes says he hasn't heard from Ben Affleck in a while now ... but, he's not taking it personally ... explaining everyone gets busy and wishing his buddy the best.

We caught up with the actor in Los Angeles, and ask about his old friend ... inquiring if he'd checked in on Ben since telling us he'd be shocked if Affleck and his wife Jennifer Lopez were ending their marriage.

JM says he still hasn't heard from Affleck ... adding he's been focused on spending time with his wife and kids -- though that doesn't mean he hasn't reached out.