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The largest city in Alaska woke up to a horrifying and devastating 7.0 earthquake ... swaying buildings, buckling roads and knocking down telephone towers.

The powerful earthquake struck Anchorage around 8:30 AM local time -- and the aftershocks were nearly as powerful. People reportedly started going back inside buildings after the first quake rocked, only to send them running back outside when a 5.8 aftershock hit.

Immediately following the shaking, the National Weather Service issued a tsunami warning for the southern Alaska coastal area. Residents had been instructed to head to higher ground but the warning was later called off.

Heather Hintze, a reporter at KTVA, was inside the Nesbett Courthouse when the building started shaking. It's terrifying to watch ... the terror easily lasts over a minute long.

8:28 AM PT -- Joy and the rest of "The View" crew addressed Rock's statement on air. Behar took it with a smile and invited Rock to join "this bitch and these bitches" on the show and to have a beer together. Check it out.

Kid Rock went on FOX News on Friday to share a message with America -- love everybody ... except "that Joy Behar bitch."

The rock star was on "FOX & Friends" griping about how people are too politically correct these days ... and called for people to stop being so sensitive.

That's when Rock -- who bragged about being all "hopped up on coffee and Baileys" -- took the shot at the liberal host of "The View."

"I would say love everybody ... except I’d say screw that Joy Behar bitch. Everybody but that!"

The crowd behind Rock roared and cheered -- while Doocy immediately tried to cut Rock off and apologize.

"You cannot say that!" Doocy said ... to which Rock replied, "I mean 'Lady.'"

Afterward, Rock insisted he was "joking" -- and said he'd be open to sitting down with her and hashing out their differences sometime in the future.

Rock says the main point of his rant was to bring the country together -- and remind everyone that "we're all Americans."

So far, no response from Joy Behar -- but we're guessing she ain't gonna stay quiet long on this.

Casey Kasem's children can have some peace of mind after cops confirmed they had nothing to do with his death, but his widow ... maybe not so much.

As we reported ... police in Washington opened an investigation into Kasem's death last month at the request of his widow, Jean Kasem, who alleged members of the Church of Scientology and Casey's kids conspired to kill the radio icon for his money.

But, Gig Harbor Police concluded the standard of care Casey received from medical personnel at the behest of his children was appropriate, adding ... "There was no evidence of collusion between parties that would construe any part of this incident to be considered a homicide."

Casey's daughter, Julie, tells TMZ the family's grateful to the police for confirming what they already knew ... "That Jean Kasem’s ridiculous allegations are completely unsupported by reality or fact."

Julie adds ... "Jean has once again instigated a baseless investigation, then went on a media blitz to detract from the mountains of evidence we have compiled against her.”

As you know ... Julie and her siblings filed a wrongful death suit against Jean in 2015. They claim she removed their dad from an assisted living facility in California and took him on a 7-day journey, but when they returned, Casey had a massive bedsore that was deeply infected. The kids allege Jean's neglect led to a staph infection, UTI, and sepsis ... all of which killed their father.

A new woman is accusing Les Moonves of forcing her to perform oral sex, and she claims he tried to buy her silence by lining up acting roles for her.

Actress Bobbie Phillips tells the New York Times she met the ex-CBS honcho in 1995 during a meeting at Warner Bros. studio in Burbank. She alleges Moonves told her, "Look how hard you make me" before he unzipped his pants and exposed his erect penis.

Phillips claims Moonves told her, "Be my girlfriend and I'll put you on any show" before grabbing her by the neck and forcing his penis into her mouth. Phillips says the assault ended when Moonves' intercom rang.

The actress told the NYT there was a bat nearby she thought about using "to knock his head off." She said the experience led her to turn down an offer from producers, and she never spoke or worked with Moonves again.

According to the NYT report, Mooves attempted to smooth things over by trying to get Phillips a job -- and conspired with Phillips' former manager, Marv Dauer, earlier this year to keep her quiet. Dauer reportedly said Moonves told him, "If Bobbie talks, I'm finished."

Moonves denied the allegations ... telling the NYT, "I strongly believe that the sexual encounter with Ms. Phillips more than 20 years ago was consensual."

Richard Simmons has struck a deal with "National Enquirer" in his transgender defamation lawsuit that will put the legal drama behind him ... for the most part.

Simmons has agreed to drop his appeal against American Media -- which owns 'Enquirer' -- after a judge ruled against him last year. If you don't remember, the fitness icon sued for defamation over a story published claiming he was in the process of sexual reassignment.

The judge sided with American Media, though, saying being misidentified as transgender does not inherently expose someone to "hatred, contempt or ridicule." Simmons filed an appeal shortly thereafter.

The 2 sides have now come to an agreement to drop it and move on ... but the terms are confidential. So, it's unclear if Simmons is still on the hook for American Media's legal fees.

Not everything related to the case is wrapped up -- he's still got a lawsuit out against the private investigator who allegedly planted tracking devices on him to try and prove the sex change rumors.

Shawn Mendes is once again shutting down rumors he's gay ... adamantly saying he isn't, after years of speculation.

The 20-year-old singer told Rolling Stone so much attention on his personal life has caused tons of stress ... particularly about his sexuality and whether or not he's gay. Shawn told RS, "I'd like to say I don't care about it, but that's not true. This massive, massive thing for the last 5 years about me being gay."

Shawn tells Rolling Stone he often analyzes his own interviews and analyzes his voice and body language to see what vibe he's giving off. He tells RS, "In the back of my heart, I feel like I need to go be seen with someone -- like a girl -- in public, to prove to people that I'm not gay."

He goes on to say, "Even though in my heart I know that it's not a bad thing. There's still a piece of me that thinks that. And I hate that side of me." Shawn, however, did admit he grew up putting glitter on his eyelids to make his parents laugh ... growing up with 15 female cousins he said he would be "braiding hair and painting nails. Maybe I am a little more feminine -- but that's the way it is. That's why I am me."

Remember ... years ago, Shawn addressed rumors about his sexuality, taking to Snapchat and saying, "I noticed a lot of people were saying I gave them a 'gay vibe' ... first of all, I'm not gay. Second of all, it shouldn't make a difference if I was or wasn't."

12:27 PM PT -- We've learned Cardi's pilot suffered some serious stomach issues during the flight, causing the emergency landing. The plane was diverted to O'Hare due to a weather-related runway closure at Midway.

Cardi B's private plane made an emergency landing in Chicago ... not because of mechanical issues, but because someone on board needed medical attention ... TMZ has learned.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... the jet was traveling from L.A. to NYC either late Sunday night or early Monday morning when Cardi announced that the aircraft made an unscheduled landing in Chicago.

It's unclear who got sick ... but we're told the passenger was not a member of Cardi's crew.

4:34 PM PT -- CBP San Diego says pedestrian bridges between Tijuana and San Diego are now open again in both directions, heading north and south.

Tensions are at a boiling point at the U.S.-Mexico border in California, where migrants have started to clash with border agents ... who've also begun throwing tear gas at them and their children.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection closed the San Ysidro border crossing outside of San Diego Sunday, as hundreds of migrants trying to enter the U.S. -- many of whom are seeking asylum -- gathered at the border and demanded entry. Some of them even started throwing rocks at agents, and U.S. agents reportedly responded by throwing tear gas into the crowd.

The move is drawing heavy criticism, as there are children among the migrants. No shots have been fired, but remember ... President Trump essentially gave the green light for retaliation a few weeks ago as the migrant caravan made its way north.

Needless to say, it's an intense scene. As for a possible solution ... the Trump administration reportedly struck a deal with the incoming Mexican government to keep asylum seekers south of the border as their cases are heard in court.

Laura Avila, the Dallas realtor who ended up in a coma after a botched nose job procedure in Mexico, has died ... TMZ has learned.

Laura's death comes days after her family made the difficult decision to move her to hospice care, following deliberations with her medical team.

As we reported ... Laura slipped into a coma after surgeons in Ciudad Juarez botched her nose job by incorrectly administering anesthesia. She had gone south of the border for the procedure to save some money ... and was stuck there for 8 days before her family was able to transfer her back to Texas.

Laura's attorney, Larry Friedman, tells us ... "She had the best of life in front of her until this tragic, unfortunate and senseless death. So that her death is not in vain, people should think of Laura before they look for cross border discount surgery. They should do their homework and investigate the experience, training and track record of anyone BEFORE they sign up."

He adds ... "Always LOOK before you leap!"

11/24 10:30 AM PT -- Police are now saying that the man shot and killed Thursday night at the Alabama mall "likely did not fire" the shots that wounded and hospitalized 2 people, an 18-year-old and a 12-year-old.

Authorities say they mistakenly believed 21-year-old Emantic Fitzgerald Bradford Jr. was the shooter, but admit now "our initial media release was not totally accurate." Bradford -- who was shot and killed by an officer as he fled the scene -- is believed to have been involved in the altercation ... but was not the gunman.

The actual suspected gunman is still at large.

A confrontation erupted at an Alabama mall on Thanksgiving night, and it ended with a gunman injuring 2 before he was shot dead.

The incident went down at Alabama's largest enclosed mall -- the Riverchase Galleria in the Birmingham suburb of Hoover.

There was an argument between a 21-year-old man and an 18-year-old male. The 21-year-old pulled out a gun and shot the 18-year-old twice in the torso. An armed, off-duty cop who was working security shot the gunman as he fled, killing him.

A 12-year-old girl was shot in the melee, although it's unclear if the bullet was from the gun of the shooter or the officer.

The 2 victims are expected to survive. The 12-year-old girl had to undergo surgery. She's in stable condition.

President Trump forgot the name of the California town he was visiting, which had just been burned to ashes by wildfires ... calling it "Pleasure" instead of Paradise.

DT was touring the wildfire wreckage in CA Saturday alongside Governor Jerry Brown and Governor-elect Gavin Newsom -- seeing the damage from the Camp and Woolsey Fires firsthand. At one point, he made the embarrassing blunder ... and seemed to stick by his mistake at first, despite being corrected by a group of people.

He eventually corrects himself after enough people insist Paradise, CA is, in fact, called Paradise ... and not Pleasure. He also flippantly said ... "What a name." Paradise was the first stop of his California tour this weekend. At least 76 people have been killed so far from NorCal's Camp Fire, and least 3 have died from the Woolsey Fire down south.

Remember ... Trump originally placed blame on the Golden State as the fires were at their peaks, even threatening to cut federal funding from California if its alleged mismanagement of forests wasn't remedied "now." He changed his tune a bit Saturday, saying if people would just rake the dang grounds more, fires like these could be prevented.

Beto O'Rourke doesn't buy the criticism of Beyonce -- that she waited too long to throw her support behind him in the Texas Senatorial election -- to the contrary, he says it's hard to find anything from Houston more impressive than her.

We got Beto on Capitol Hill, and he can't say enough about Bey ... can't say enough because he's interrupted by a slew of fans who went nuts when they saw him.

As for Beyonce, some of Beto's supporters think it was too little, too late throwing her support behind him on the day of the election.

Gotta say ... he's about as genuine as they come -- unspotted by the ever-present phoniness of politics.

Marlon Wayans tells us Donald Trump should feel right at home at the scene of the destructive California wildfires ... because the comedian thinks the President is "the devil."

We got Marlon on Saturday at LAX ... and he tells our photog it's ironic Trump is visiting areas devastated by the Camp Fire because he feels POTUS is ultimately responsible for the deadliest fire in California history.

Check out the clip ... Marlon paints a picture of how he imagines Trump, and it's really dark.

Trump arrived in Northern California on Saturday and he's surveying fire recovery efforts and inspecting the damage.

When the wildfires started scorching California last week, Trump blamed the flames on poor forest management and threatened to cut federal funding.

Robin Thicke and April Love Geary lost it all in California's wildfires ... but you wouldn't it know it based on the new perspective they've gained in the aftermath of the inferno.

We got the couple Friday in Bev Hills and asked how they were holding up after their Malibu home burned to the ground. The singer told us they haven't even started thinking about rebuilding yet ... instead, they're squarely focused on something bigger than their own property.

We also asked them about P!nk and Carey Hart's issue with looters. As we reported, Carey put any potential looters on notice with a pretty menacing photo. Let's just say Robin doesn't share that concern, but for a very sad reason.

George Lopez was positive Donald Trump would let D.L. Hughley in the White House press room before Jim Acosta would ever be invited back, so imagine his SHOCK when he learned from us Jim's back in action!

Don't get George wrong ... he stands with Acosta. But, the Trump/Acosta fiery relationship makes George's attacks on Trump look like a pillow fight ... hence his surprise.

10:14 AM PT -- Trump just addressed the situation, and he issues a stern warning to reporters like Acosta ... follow the rules or end up back in court.

9:49 AM PT -- Acosta hit the ground running, and is already back at the White House just hours after his victory.

9:20 AM PT -- Sounds like the White House fully intends to challenge the judge's ruling. Sarah Sanders said, "In response to the court, we will temporarily reinstate the reporter's hard pass."

"Temporarily" being the keyword there.

Sanders added, "We will also further develop rules and processes to ensure fair and orderly press conferences in the future. There must be decorum at the White House."

Translation: They're not done battling Acosta.

President Trump had it out for CNN White House Correspondent Jim Acosta ... so says a federal judge who has just ordered The White House to give Acosta his press credentials back.

The judge didn't buy the White House party line, because it shifted from Acosta making contact with a W.H. intern as the basis for its decision, to Acosta's "general conduct."

The judge did not base his core ruling off the First Amendment but rather the Due Process clause of the 5th Amendment. The judge said the decision to revoke the pass was "so shrouded in mystery that the government could not tell me ... who made the decision."

The judge went on to say Trump has no obligation to call on Acosta during White House news conferences but Acosta has a right to due process before his hard pass can be revoked.

CNN and its chief White House reporter, Jim Acosta, sued Trump Tuesday after Acosta's hard pass was yanked following aggressive questioning last week during a press conference ... Trump and Co. pulled his pass after he made contact with a White House intern, who was trying to take the mic away from him.

CNN argued in court Trump was infringing on Acosta's 1st and 5th Amendment rights by pulling his press pass, adding the real reason behind the move is his extreme hatred for CNN.

For his part, Trump's White House lawyers responded by saying the Prez can pick and choose who gets on White House grounds to cover his administration.

Originally Published -- 7:28 AM PT