News

Rep. Rashida Tlaib says President Trump is NOT off the hook in Robert Mueller's Russian collusion investigation ... because she clearly doesn't trust the man who summarized it.

We got the Democrat Congresswoman at Reagan National and raised the issue ... isn't it a good thing for the country if the Prez didn't collude with Putin and Co.? The Congresswoman recoiled and made it clear ... she's not convinced Trump's clean, given all we know is what his hired gun, Attorney General William Barr, said in his letter.

Barr did quote Mueller's conclusion on the issue of collusion ... "[T]he investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities."

The unconvinced Tlaib says the only way this "dark cloud" can be lifted is for the report to be released in full, without a cushion from a Trump ally.

3/26 7:40 AM PT -- DeRay's response to the decision is a pretty pointed shot at Jeanine. He tellsTMZ, "I'm obviously disappointed, but as FOX argued and the judge recognized ... when you have a certain reputation, less is expected of you."

Black Lives Matter leader DeRay Mckesson is coming up short in his legal battle against Jeanine Pirro -- his defamation lawsuit has been tossed out of court.

The judge dismissed the case, according to docs filed Thursday in NY state, saying most of the statements Pirro made about Mckesson during a "FOX & Friends" appearance were her opinion ... and therefore protected by the First Amendment.

You'll recall ... DeRay sued Pirro and FOX News over comments she made back in 2017 when she essentially blamed him for inciting violence during a Baton Rouge protest. A police officer was injured during the incident, and Jeanine felt DeRay should've been held responsible for that.

The judge didn't exactly paint a flattering picture of Pirro's commentary, saying ... "Pirro's lack of temperament and caustic commentary is what she is known, celebrated, and frequently criticized for."

1:12 PM PT -- Adam tells TMZ walking 17.2 miles at the L.A. Marathon was the greatest weekend of his life. He says he's still beat up from the experience but clearly it was worth it. Check out the vid ... he tells us exactly how a paralyzed person can walk with help from the ReWalk Exoskeleton.

Adam Gorlitsky -- who is paralyzed from the waist down -- provided one of the most uplifting stories from the Los Angeles Marathon ... walking a stunning 17.2 miles.

As we first reported ... Adam walked with help from the $95k ReWalk Exoskeleton. His journey began Friday at midnight at Dodger Stadium, and by 7 PM ... Adam had made it to mile marker 11 at Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood, walking for a whopping 19 hours straight.

The hills at Chavez Ravine and managing traffic before the race course was completely set up proved to be big obstacles for Adam. Exhaustion and pain on his wrists also forced him to take a breather.

He returned Sunday at 7 AM in Westwood at the brand new start line for the "ReEnabled Division" at mile marker 20. The new start line's something Adam and the foundation, I GOT LEGS, helped create for others like him who want to take part in the elite marathon with a little help from the course.

Adam walked the remaining 6.2 miles and crossed the finish line at around 4 PM. He started the race with a support group that included friends traveling from other states to walk with him. Adam finished with a bigger group as others inspired by his story decided to walk the final stretch with him.

While Adam didn't walk the entire 26.2-mile course ... he vows to keep trying until he becomes the first paralyzed person in history to complete a full marathon on U.S. soil. When you see his determination in this video, it's hard to doubt he'll do it.

A second student survivor of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre has died by suicide -- this just days after another survivor took her own life.

The Coral Springs Police Department responded to a neighboring home Saturday night where a dead juvenile had been found, according to a spokesperson, who kept the victim's ID anonymous. Cop say they're investigating the death as an apparent suicide.

According to reports, the student was a 17-year-old male sophomore at MSDHS, who was enrolled at the school at the time of 2018 shooting, which claimed 17 lives.

This marks the second suicide death in just a matter of days, as 19-year-old Sydney Aiello -- who also survived the massacre and recently graduated from MSDHS -- killed herself last week and had a funeral held for her this past week.

Aiello's mother told local media that her daughter had been dealing with survivor's guilt after the shooting and was recently diagnosed with PTSD.

3/24 9:40 AM PT -- Viking Sky cruise has finally docked safely in the port of Molde in Norway.

3/24 7:40 AM PT -- The ship has regained some power and is being towed in by a tugboat and 2 supply ships. Only 500 people were airlifted from the distressed vessel. There are over 800 people still on board. Around 20 people sustained injuries as a result of being tossed around like rag dolls.

7:40 PM PT -- The evacuation is ongoing and may go well into Sunday, as rescuers have been facing waves more than 20 feet high. Passengers have been getting airlifted out one at a time.

According to CNN ... passengers were on a 12-day Northern Lights cruise that began on March 14 and was supposed to arrive at its final destination in England on March 26. The Viking Sky had been stopping at various Norwegian towns before the Saturday mayday call.

12:25 PM PT-- A passenger just shared video from inside the cruise ship ... and it's terrifying. Furniture and large plants on deck of the tilting vessel are being thrashed around by the rough seas.

Other reports are coming in from passengers who have made it back to the mainland, calling the experience the worst and scariest of their lives. One woman said there's water and broken glass everywhere due to items being thrown around and smashing windows, and people are getting cut up. It's easy to see how.

There are still reportedly more than 800 people on board, as the helicopters can only rescue 10-15 at a time, and the rescue boats have been having difficulty in the rough waters.

Passengers on a cruise off of Norway's coast are taking the ride of their lives ... but not in the fun way they expected at all.

Police say the cruise ship Viking Sky issued a mayday call Saturday off of Norway's western coast due to engine problems amid high waves and strong winds.

The ship's 1,300 passengers and crew are being evacuated by several helicopters and ships after Norway's sea rescue agency received the distress signal.

There haven't been any serious injuries, fortunately, but 5 people have reportedly been taken to the hospital. According to reports, the cruise ship was beginning to drift toward shore but managed to restart an engine and regain its course as the evacuation continues.

It's expected to take several hours.

The Viking Sky belongs to Viking Ocean Cruises and made its maiden voyage in 2017.

3/21 5:30 AM PT -- A spokesperson for KLM tells us ... "The dog's owner has been notified and we express our condolences. In cooperation with the local health authority in the US, the CDC, the dog was initially examined to ensure there was no immediately obvious public health threat. The dog was loaded correctly according to KLM's pet policy."

They concluded by saying they'll need to wait for the necropsy results to determine the cause of death.

2:14 PM PT -- A rep for PETA tells us, "Tragedies like this one are exactly why airlines must require that animals travel in the main cabin only. PETA urges Air France-KLM to join airlines such as JetBlue and Southwest in prohibiting companion animals from being flown in the cargo hold, where they endure noise, extreme temperatures and sometimes inadequate pressurization, before yet another sensitive animal suffers and dies, terrified and alone."

A dog that made a trip aboard an Air France-KLM jetliner that took off in Amsterdam ended up dead in L.A.

Airline sources tell TMZ ... the dog, which looks like a husky, was found dead Tuesday afternoon in the cargo hold.

One Air France employee with knowledge of the incident claims ... the dog was incorrectly loaded in the cargo hold and lost oxygen during the transatlantic flight. According to flight trackers, the flight time was 10 hours, 45 minutes.

We're told the dog's owner picked up her dead pet at Air France's LAX warehouse ... and as you can imagine, she was devastated.

We've seen pictures of the dead dog ... but the images are too disturbing to share.

As we've reported ... dead dogs on commercial flights are becoming all too common, and some deaths end up triggering criminal investigations.

Air France and KLM merged in 2004 to create Air France-KLM.

We've reached out to Air France for comment ... so far, no word back.

3/17 -- Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... cops are investigating whether Cali's killing was over a family dispute -- namely, whether Cali blocked Comello from dating his niece. We're told police believe this is something that could've possibly motivated Comello to shoot Cali.

2:21 PM PT -- The NYPD held a press conference Saturday, saying Anthony Comello is in custody and expected to be charged for Frank Cali's murder. NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea told the media that they believe Comello is the shooter. He's currently being held in a New Jersey jail but will be charged in Staten Island. No word on an official motive.

Police have apprehended a person of interest in the murder of Gambino crime boss, Frank Cali ... TMZ has confirmed.

Law enforcement sources tell us cops picked up a white 24-year-old man in New Jersey Saturday morning, who is now being questioned in connection with the killing.

As we reported ... someone rolled up to Cali's Staten Island home Wednesday night and opened fire on the mob boss, apparently running him over as well.

Our sources say the man was apprehended in Jersey in the vicinity of a blue pickup truck -- which is significant to the investigation. According to investigators, witnesses say they saw a man in a blue pickup truck slam into Cali's parked car, prompting him to come outside.

Police say about a minute after Cali confronted the man who'd struck his car, the other guy pulled out a handgun and fired 12 shots ... 6 of which hit Cali. Cops say Cali then tried to crawl under the back end of the other guy's truck before the man drove away.

We're told the 24-year-old, who has yet to be identified, has not been arrested or charged with a crime as of yet. He's simply someone cops wanted to talk to. Our sources also tell us the dude -- whom we're being told is from Staten Island -- was tracked down in part through his cell phone.

Also interesting ... we're told cops don't believe the murder was actually mob-related, as it appears to be more of a personal dispute than anything else.

Cali reportedly took over as head of the Gambino family in 2015. John Gotti was the "boss" before going down for murder and racketeering in 1992.

'Breakfast Club' host Angela Yee isn't shying away from having President Trump on the hip-hop radio show -- in fact, she's already got her questions lined up.

Angela expanded on the interview she, DJ Envy and Charlamagne Tha God did with FOX News this week, where they were asked if they'd be open to having DT come on the show. She doubled down with us, saying sure ... but they're not gonna reach out.

Seeing how the Prez's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, entertained the idea further by encouraging an appearance, Angela gave us a taste of what she and the team might ask.

Hint ... they're tough questions the Prez has been able to duck and dodge in a press conference setting, but would be incredibly difficult to evade in a radio setting. And, they're valid questions too -- ranging from his Central Park Five history to Obama himself.

But, because Trump has a history of censoring the media -- or at least trying to -- it doesn't sound like Angela is holding her breath for a possible face-to-face.

7:50 PM PT - Our intel is clear -- Lori's not coming back to "Fuller House." A well-placed production source tells TMZ, "Fuller House is not currently in production. Lori is a guest star and was during the previous 4 seasons and there are currently no plans for her to return to the 5th season." Translation ... she's gone from the show.

6:56 PM PT -- Hallmark has now addressed their show, "When Calls the Heart," which is now in the middle of airing its 6th season and stars Loughlin, saying, "The series will not air on Sunday, March 17. We are evaluating all creative options related to When Calls the Heart series."

With 7 episodes to go for the season, that must be a busy writers' room.

2:50 PM PT -- Tresemme has also announced they are cutting ties with Olivia. They stated, "We take this very seriously and are no longer working with Olivia."

12:35 PM PT -- Hallmark has cut ties with Lori Loughlin, a longtime collaborator with the company. In a statement Hallmark's parent company, Crown Media, says it is no longer working with Lori and has stopped development of all productions she's involved in, adding it was "saddened" by the allegations.

Hallmark's first tragic ending ever. That's a shame.

12:08 PM PT -- Olivia's page with clothing brand Princess Polly is no longer active ... we've reached out to the company to see if the line has been completely shelved, but no word back so far.

Lori Loughlin's alleged cheating is already costing her daughter, Olivia Jade -- 'cause Sephora just kicked the kid to the curb in the wake of the college admissions scandal.

A honcho for Sephora -- which had a partnership with Olivia -- tells TMZ, "After careful review of recent developments, we have made the decision to end the Sephora Collection partnership with Olivia Jade, effective immediately."

Olivia had a makeup partnership with the cosmetics chain that produced the Olivia Jade x Sephora palette. That page on Sephora's website has been 86'd.

Lori's youngest daughter has been catching the bulk of the backlash since her mom and dad were indicted for allegedly paying bribes to get their kids into USC.

TMZ broke the story ... Olivia was on Rick Caruso's yacht in the Bahamas with his daughter when the indictment news broke ... Caruso -- the Chairman of USC's Board of Trustees -- tells us that Olivia is no longer on his yacht, and has since gone home.

USC has yet to decide Olivia's fate.

12:27 PM PT -- A sketch artist caught Manafort in court Wednesday.

10:00 AM PT -- Manafort just got hit with 16 NEW charges in an NYC indictment tied to a mortgage fraud scheme. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. says Manafort will now face 16 felonies for alleged residential mortgage fraud, conspiracy and falsifying business records ... to name just a few.

What's that thing about raining and pouring? It's a monsoon for Manafort.

Paul Manafort is nearly doubling his time behind bars -- another judge just sentenced him to an extra 43 months .... nearly 4 more years in the pen.

President Trump's former campaign manager went through his second sentencing Wednesday in D.C., where a judge presided over the criminal case Robert Mueller's office prosecuted. Manafort got an additional 43 months in prison ... on top of the tax and bank fraud sentence he got last week.

You'll recall ... Manafort got 47 months in that matter. This additional time will bring his full prison sentence to 7 1/2 years.

This second case includes 2 conspiracy charges. Federal prosecutors accused Manafort of witness tampering and obstruction of justice after he was released on bail ... saying he urged 2 witnesses to commit perjury in his defense.

That got him sent back to the slammer, where he's been ever since last June. For the record ... Manafort pled guilty to the 2 conspiracy charges.

Manafort apologized for his crimes during Wednesday's sentencing -- he read a statement from his wheelchair, and begged the judge to "let my wife and I be together." He reminded the judge that he is about to turn 70, and his wife is 66.

Manafort actually got sentenced to 73 months, but the judge allowed 30 of them to be served concurrently with the 47 months for fraud.

3/8 -- Manafort appeared in his inmate jumpsuit in court, and the scene was captured by a sketch artist inside.

Paul Manafort is going away for a little while -- a judge just sentenced him to 47 months in prison ... which means he could be a free man again relatively soon.

President Trump's former campaign chair was sentenced Thursday after being found guilty on 8 criminal counts, ranging from tax fraud to bank fraud ... not to mention laundering more than $18 million to fuel his lavish lifestyle.

Manafort was facing a maximum of 80 years in prison, but federal prosecutors recommended he get up to 25 years. Clearly, the 69-year-old caught a huge break with the judge.

As we reported ... Manafort's charges stemmed from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into potential Russian collusion with the Trump campaign leading up to the 2016 election.

The sentencing is the climax of Manafort's tumble from political power -- the FBI raided his house in VA and seized tons of documents ... he was eventually indicted on multiple federal charges, and surrendered to the FBI.

Although he was out on bail, he got sent back to jail for violating his bail conditions. Mueller's office accused him of witness tampering and obstruction of justice. Prosecutors say he urged 2 witnesses in his case to commit perjury in his defense.

Manafort's been sitting in solitary confinement since June -- and, reportedly, he's mostly been doing it in a wheelchair or using a cane due to his declining health. His lawyers said in court filings he's battling gout.

The big question is will Trump pardon Manafort?

The death of the sailor in that famous V-J Day photo -- where he kissed an unsuspecting nurse -- is being marked by the #MeToo movement with an act of vandalism on a statue.

The statue recreating George Mendonsa and Greta Zimmer Friedman's iconic moment from 1945 was tagged Monday in Sarasota, FL with red spray paint that spelled "#METOO." Police say they don't have any surveillance video or witnesses to the crime, at this point.

The vandalism took place on the heels of news that George had died at the age 95. While the photo of him kissing Greta is often romanticized -- he later admitted he'd randomly grabbed her at the time and kissed her without consent.

For her part, Greta told CBS News in 2015 ... "I did not see him approaching, and before I know it I was in this tight grip." George said he'd had a few drinks and the excitement of the war being over compelled him to plant the kiss, which he said didn't last long.

It's interesting ... Greta was willing to "reunite" with George at least twice in her life, and didn't seem to be too upset about the kiss all those years later. Still, the question never seems to have been posed to her on the record ... was she actually bothered by it?

11:35 AM PT -- The sketch artist in the courtroom caught the moment El Chapo and his wife exchanged thumbs-up after the verdict was announced.

Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman is guilty on all 10 counts he was facing in a Brooklyn federal court ... and he's now facing life in prison.

A jury of 7 women and 5 men returned the verdict Tuesday to wrap up a nearly 3-month long criminal trial that included up to 200 hours of testimony about drug trafficking, gold-plated AK-47s, diamond-encrusted pistols ... and an alleged $100 million payment to a former Mexican president.

After 6 days of deliberations, the jury returned guilty verdicts against Chapo for engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, conspiracy to launder narcotics proceeds, international distribution of cocaine, heroin, marijuana and other drugs and use of firearms.

Reporters in the courtroom say Chapo looks stunned by the verdict, and his wife, Emma Coronel, fought back tears ... even as she and Chapo gave each other thumbs up.

It's been a wild ride for the Sinaloa Cartel's leader over these past few years. He was captured by the Mexican government in 2014, escaped more than a year later through a mile-long underground tunnel ... but got caught again in early 2016.

He was extradited to the U.S. in 2017, and between then and last November -- when his criminal trial got underway -- there have been a series of weird motions and rulings about his life behind bars. Just to name a few, Chapo has had prison TV woes, prayer problems, love letter recommendations and made a heartfelt promise NOT to kill his anonymous jurors.

Law enforcement sources tell us Chapo is looking at a mandatory life sentence ... without parole. Sentencing will be announced June 25.

Chapo's lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman -- who's in the unenviable position of losing the case -- tells us, "We're very disappointed but we fought like hell and left it all on the battlefield."

2/8 11:33 AM PT -- It seems as though Kelly has already complied with the court's demand to remove the bed.

2/8 -- The judge agreed to meet him in the middle -- he has extended the working hours for the first-floor studio space from 9 AM-9 PM.

Kelly's also been ordered to remove the mattress immediately.

R. Kelly's attorney, Melvin Sims, tells TMZ that they are pleased with the outcome, but still "concerned with the restriction and limitation of any recording artist's ability to create music and ply their trade in a private studio, to certain hours of the day, particularly through the use of local ordinances."

The case has been continued until May 2.

R. Kelly wants back in his studio, and he wants to work late-night hours -- 'cause that's when his creative juices flow the best ... according to new legal docs.

The singer filed paperwork in Chicago Thursday as part of his building code violations case asking a judge to give him access to his studio during the wee hours of the night. According to the docs -- obtained by TMZ -- Kelly wants access to the space between the hours of 8 PM to 7 AM.

Kelly says it's during those hours when he puts in the best work on his music, just like a lot of big artists in and around Chi-Town. He also lists this schedule as his employees' normal working hours.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, R. Kelly doesn't spell it out specifically, but we've been told by sources close to the singer that he sometimes spends up to 15 hours in his studio ... and needs a place to crash -- hence the bed that was there as of Wednesday when city officials did a follow-up inspection to Thursday's hearing.

These are photos taken from inside R. Kelly's studio, and as you can tell ... there's still a bed inside that hasn't been removed. City officials attached this photo as evidence that R. Kelly is using the space as a residence, even though he says he's removed most of his other belongings since the city's January raid.

A city inspection showed a number of personal items were being stored inside the studio, including clothes, a massage table, couches, an entertainment set and other miscellaneous items. There was even a full bathroom that'd been installed, shower included.

The building's landlord was facing heavy fines for each of the violations -- which ranged between $500 and $1,000 for each day the violation went unaddressed, adding up to staggering amounts in the tens of thousands. Sources close to R. Kelly tell us he helped the landlord pay off some of those fines.

R. Kelly had already been instructed that he could only use the studio for recording during business hours -- 9 AM to 5 PM.

A judge continued the case and is expected to officially weigh in Friday.

Van Jones wants to give President Trump credit for his State of the Union Address, but he can hardly bring himself to do it ... because he says POTUS also talked way too much crap on immigrants.

We got Van on Capitol Hill Tuesday night after the SOTU and the CNN commentator summed up the night like this -- Trump served a "nice bowl of Kool-Aid with some bird poop in it."

Translation: Trump's nice speech about criminal justice reform was ruined by his rhetoric on immigrants.

Van said he was touched by the compassion Trump showed for Americans wronged by the criminal justice system, and particularly how he praised Alice Marie Johnson, who Trump commuted last summer.

But, Van was NOT down with how POTUS dehumanized immigrants and justifying taking babies away from their mothers at the border.

Bill Bellamy says Virginia Governor Ralph Northam has no choice but to resign after admitting he'd worn blackface in his youth ... 'cause he thinks people don't really change.

We got the longtime comedian Sunday at LAX and asked what he thought of Gov. Northam denying he was pictured in an old blackface photo that surfaced in his medical school's yearbook but copping to wearing blackface for a Michael Jackson costume/dance contest.

Northam told reporters Saturday that while he does not believe he was in either of the racist costumes that showed up on his own personal yearbook page, he did explain how he once put shoe polish on his face to dance like MJ. He also said he wasn't resigning.

Bill thinks the scandal's too big for the Gov not to step down, despite his best efforts to wiggle out of the predicament. According to BB ... you simply can't serve as a state's representative with that in your history ... no matter how far back it goes, period.