Dr. JILL BIDEN SECURITY DETAIL OFFERED Gifts ... From Alleged Fake Federal Agents!!!

Members of Jill Biden's security detail are under investigation after they were offered lavish gifts from 2 men allegedly posing as federal agents ... and prosecutors say those gifts included firearms and rent-free apartments.

The 2 men, Arian Taherzadeh and Haider Ali, were arrested Wednesday in D.C. and charged with impersonating federal law enforcement agents -- prosecutors claim they posed as Department of Homeland Security agents, and then tried to hook up the First Lady's Secret Service agents.

Taherzadeh allegedly offered a $2,000 assault rifle to one of Dr. Biden's agents -- and now 4 of her agents are on administrative leave pending an investigation.

Prosecutors claim the federal posers also lavished Secret Service agents and a real DHS employee with iPhones, a drone, a flat screen TV, a generator, an assault rifle storage case, surveillance systems and law enforcement equipment.

Prosecutors says one Secret Service agent, who was assigned to the protect the White House, lived rent-free in a 3-bedroom luxury apartment provided by Taherzadeh ... where the rent typically runs more than $48,000 a year.

The FBI says Taherzadeh and Ali pretended to be agents from a fake DHS task force investigating violence at the Jan. 6 riots ... and the feds say the men used insignias and firearms used by federal agents to keep up the act.

Prosecutors believe the men were posing as agents "to ingratiate themselves with members of federal law enforcement and the defense community."

The alleged impostor act began to unravel last month, when a U.S. Postal Inspector looked into a possible assault on a letter carrier at the apartment complex where Taherzadeh lived, with the men allegedly identifying themselves as members of the non-existent task force.

FBI agents raided the building Wednesday, leading to the suspects' arrests.

Judge Ketanji Jackson Confirmed as Supreme Court Justice ... First African-American Woman to Join

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is officially confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court ... making history as the first Black woman ever to hold the position.

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Ketanji's confirmation means she will officially replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer on the highest court. Senate Republicans Mitt Romney, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski all joined Democrats in voting to confirm.

Voting was at 53-47 in favor -- Senator Rand Paul was the last to cast his vote.

President Biden nominated Judge Brown Jackson back in February, but during her confirmation hearing she was drilled with questions from Lindsey Graham, Ted Cruz and others.

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HIGH PRAISE

Things got emotional for Judge Brown Jackson during the hearing when Senator Cory Booker let her know, as a Black person, how proud he was of her accomplishments and how many obstacles she had to face to get to the position.

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As we told you, Justice Brown Jackson is the first African-American woman to be on the court, and the second African-American to join the current Justices. Justice Clarence Thomas is African-American, and currently going through his own drama outside the bench.

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We got footage of Reverend Al Sharpton and Hillary Clinton celebrating the confirmation at an event in New York today.

Terrell Owens Getcha Popcorn 🍿 Ready I'm Officially Back Playing Football!!

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AGE CAN'T STOP ME
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Terrell Owens is officially back!

The 48-year-old wide receiver -- who hasn't played professional football in a decade -- has signed a contract with Fan Controlled Football (FCF), the NFL legend tells TMZ Sports.

"Playing football, I mean that's something that comes naturally. Something that I've been doing pretty much all of my life. To get on and get back on the field, obviously competitively play, I mean that's when I get my juices flowing," Owens says.

"At the end of the day, I'm not really worried about getting tackle, taking a hit, things of that nature, that's part of football."

If you aren't familiar with the FCF, it's an indoor pro league where fans literally control the game ... even picking the plays run on the field. The FCF has a bunch of celeb owners like Marshawn Lynch and Quavo.

Even though the Pro Football Hall of Famer hasn't played competitively in years, T.O. wanted to make it clear this isn't a football player coming out of retirement. 'cause he never quit the game.

"First and foremost, I know the headlines have been I'm 'coming out of retirement,' all this good stuff, but I never retired, number one. As I try to explain to a lot of people, what I'm doing playing Fan Controlled Football is no different than anything that I've been doing over the last five, six, seven, eight years, going out mentoring guys, running routes, helping guys, learn how to play the receiver position."

"Just giving them the little tools and kind of the blueprint of what made me the Hall of Famer that I am today."

Of course, Owens is one of the very best WR's in football history. He was a 6x Pro Bowler, and 5x First Team All-Pro. T.O. caught 1,078 passes for 15,934 yards. Terrell caught 153 touchdown passes over his 15 year NFL career.

Owens, highlighting the sometimes absurd personal nature of HOF voting, had to wait a year before being inducted into Canton.

Even though he hasn't caught a ball in the NFL since 2010, Terrell has openly expressed his desire (and what he believes is his ability) to still play in the National Football League, despite his age.

So, we asked T.O. if he was playing in the FCF as a way to prove to NFL front offices that he's no ordinary man standing on the doorstep of his 50s ... and could still help a team.

"Not necessarily. That's not my main objective, but at the end of the day, being who I am, I know there's gonna be some eyes," Owens answered, adding, "If it happens, it happens. But at the end of the day, like I said my main focus honestly is to have fun and like I said, getting paid a little bit."

Who will throw Terrell the football? It's unclear which team he'll suit up for, but there's a chance he could link up with fellow star and FCF player, Johnny Manziel.

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BACK AT IT AGAIN
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We broke the story a few weeks back ... Johnny Football is returning for another FCF season, after playing last year.

Regardless of the team, Terrell's hyped for the opportunity.

"I get to do something and have fun and really mentor a lot of these guys while I'm doing it."

🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿

YK Osiris Paying for 'Orlando Free-Fall' Victim's Funeral ... 'I Know I Had To Help'

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YK Osiris is in talks with the family of the 14-year-old who fell to his death from an amusement park ride, saying he wants to do his part by covering funeral expenses.

We talked to YK Tuesday at LAX, where he told us he's already talking through the process with Tyre Sampson's family. The rapper says he'd also like to be in attendance for the funeral, if they'll have him.

YK says he decided to get involved when ICON Park in Orlando, FL wasn't acting fast enough, in his opinion, so he wanted to make something happen for the family.

As we reported, 14-year-old Tyre was visiting ICON Park a few weeks ago when he fell to his death from the "Orlando Free-Fall" ride. The attraction, which just opened in December, reportedly plummets at 75 mph.

Florida officials say Sampson was wearing his safety harness and it "was still in a down and locked position when the ride stopped." His family has reportedly raised concerns he was too big for the ride ... or so they believe after checking the ride's safety manual.

Emily Bridges Trans Cyclist Deactivates Social Media ... After 'Targeted Abuse'

A British transgender cyclist says she had to deactivate her social media to stop the "targeted abuse" following her disqualification from a women's championship race.

As we previously reported, Emily Bridges was banned two days before the April 2 women's championship race in the UK by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) ... because she's registered as a male cyclist.

Ever since, the 21-year-old says her "privacy has been totally violated" to the point where she had to shut down her social media to avoid mistreatment.

"I've had to deactivate my social media to prevent the targeted abuse I am receiving," Bridges said in a statement, "and block websites to stop seeing them."

Bridges calls out the British media for harassing her as well -- saying reporters have been at her home pressuring her for a story.

"I've had journalists at my front door every day harassing us for comment and story, my privacy has been totally violated over speculation around my eligibility and fairness to compete."

"They attack anything that isn't the norm and print whatever is most likely to result in the highest engagement for their articles."

But Bridges -- who was in contact with the UCI about her status six months before the disqualification -- says she will continue to dispute her ineligibility with the org.

"I am an athlete," Bridges said, "and I just want to race competitively again, within the Regulations set by British Cycling and UCI after careful consideration of the research around transgender athletes."

Bridges previously raced in the male competition -- setting a national junior's record over 25 miles in 2018 before starting hormone therapy last year.

Prince Rare News Footage When He Was 11!!! Found in Station's Archive

Here's Prince at age 11 doing his very first interview, but not about music -- just a kid sharing his opinion on a Minnesota teachers' strike ... an incredible piece of lost TV footage!

The clip is from way back in April 1970, and it shows a reporter from local TV outlet WCCO asking young Prince what he thinks of the picket lines outside schools. The kid was rocking a winter hat and that same sly smile the world would come to know 13 years later.

11-year-old Prince told the reporter, "I think they should get a better education too cause, um, and I think they should get some more money cause they work, they be working extra hours for us and all that stuff."

At first glance, the kid looks a lot like Prince, but the reporter never asked the kid's name ... so there was no proof on camera that it really was Prince Rogers Nelson.

WCCO did some digging, tracking down other kids from the archival footage who did share their names, but ran into some dead ends. That's when they turned to Prince historian Kristen Zschomler, who gasped when she first saw the clip.

Zschomler says it's definitely Prince in the video, standing outside his old Lincoln Junior High School stomping grounds ... and she says footage of Prince as a child is super rare.

The TV station got further confirmation it was Prince, getting in touch with an old classmate who recognized Prince and some of their other peers on tape.

The only reason this Prince clip was uncovered ... WCCO restored some old footage to offer context on a teachers' strike last month in the same school district.

Alien Life Is There Anybody Out There?!? Scientists Sending New Message to Space

If alien life is out there in this great, big universe, we're doing our best to reach it with a new message -- and this time, it's got some algebra attached. Just in case they're big on math.

NASA is partnering with some of the country's top scientific minds in hopes of broadcasting a new radio message via a high-tech telescope -- very similar to what we did in 1974 from a telescope in Puerto Rico (then called the "Arecibo").

Not to get all math-y on ya, but that message to the stars only included binary code, plus some images of our Solar System and DNA sequences. This time, we're calling it the Beacon in the Galaxy message -- and we're kicking things up a notch by transmitting math equations.

There will be other graphical information communicating some basic principles and features of our world ... including cosmic landmarks that could help aliens find Earth in the Milky Way.

Sounds neat, of course, especially if some E.T.s actually pick up our signal and respond -- but this sort of reaching out actually spurred a warning from the late, great Stephen Hawking ... who once said we should refrain from chatting, and to do more listening instead.

The reason -- he said not all potential alien life might come in peace, and if they're able to receive what we send, they can presumably come down here and do major damage with way more advanced tech than we have.

Welp ... we're rolling the dice. Aliens, here we come!!!

Ketanji Brown Jackson She's a Lock for SCOTUS ... First Republican Jumps on Board

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson should start cleaning out her drawers at the Court of Appeals, because she's headed to higher ground -- the U.S. Supreme Court.

Republican Senator Susan Collins just revealed she'll support the nom, which all but assures her confirmation. With a 50-50 split, Collins will provide the cushion so the Veep doesn't have to cast a tiebreaker. What's more, Collins could open the door for more Republican support, although don't count on it.

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Collins said, "After reviewing Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's extensive record, watching much of her hearing testimony, and meeting with her twice in person, I have concluded that she possesses the experience, qualifications, and integrity to serve as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court. I will, therefore, vote to confirm her to this position."

Collins met with Brown Tuesday for a second time, and said after the meeting that the Judge had provided clarification on certain issues ... unclear what those issues were.

Brown would become the first female Black justice in the Court's history.

Amusement Park Death 14-Yr-Old's Harness Was Locked ... Despite Fatal Fall

The teenager who fell to his death in an Orlando amusement park was wearing a safety harness that was still locked after the tragedy ... according to Florida officials.

The new detail comes from an accident report that claims 14-year-old Tyre Sampson came out of his seat when "magnets engaged" during the free-fall ride's rapid descent. Here's the puzzling part ... Florida officials say Tyre was wearing his safety harness and it "was still in a down and locked position when the ride stopped."

The report, first obtained by People, says Tyre died from "multiple injuries and trauma."

As we previously reported, the terrifying incident happened last week when the Missouri teen fell from the "Orlando Free-Fall" ride, which stands 430 ft. tall.

The ride, which just opened in December, reportedly plummets at 75 mph.

Tyre's family has reportedly raised concerns he was too big for the ride ... or so they believe after checking the ride's safety manual.

Officials are still investigating the tragedy.

Mariupol, Ukraine Reduced to Rubble ... Zelensky Accuses Russia of Genocide

It's a heartbreaking photo ... Mariupol, Ukraine reduced to rubble as Putin continues his reign of brutality on the country.

The photo was taken after enormously heavy shelling in the Ukrainian city. President Zelensky said more than 100,000 people are still living in what remains of Mariupol ... this despite a Herculean effort to evacuate civilians.

It's hard to process ... once a beautiful city flatted by Russian aggression.

Zelensky has said this of the unrelenting attack ... it's "ultimate evidence that genocide of Ukrainians is happening."

As you know, Putin is sparing no one ... even bombing a theater with the warning emblazoned on the ground -- "Children." It didn't stop Putin from bombing the building, killing hundreds.

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THE DEVASTATING AFTERMATH
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On the other hand, Russian troops have largely been checked by Ukrainian forces in much of the country, and Zelensky has said they've killed 15,000 Russian soldiers. There are multiple reports the Russian army is demoralized.

The war is entering an even more dangerous phase, as U.S. intelligence officials worry the Russian dictator may resort to chemical weapons.

As for Mariupol, those who remain face a desperate situation ... with little water, and no electricity and gas. It's so bad bodies are left in the street because of the danger of claiming them.

Amusement Park Tragedy 14-Year-Old Boy Dead ... Falls Off 'Orlando Free-Fall' Ride

UPDATE

11:16 AM PT -- The victim has been identified as Tyre Sampson, who was visiting the park from Missouri.

UPDATE

There was a horrendous accident at a Florida amusement park that left a child dead, and sadly it's yet another case of the fact ... these rides are not risk-free.

A 14-year-old boy was riding the "Orlando Free-Fall" at ICON Park Thursday when he fell to the ground and died.

The apex of the ride stands at 430 feet ... the park boasts the world's tallest freestanding drop tower.

An eyewitness told Fox News 35 ... "At first we thought it was a piece of the ride or whatever until we got a little closer and it was a person laying on the ground. Everyone was just panicking and screaming."

Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.

The ride is a new edition ... it opened in December. The way it works ... once the chairs reach the top, they hurl toward earth at 75 mph.

Police are investigating.

Originally Published -- 6:22 AM PT

Russia Gunning To Host UEFA Tourney In '28 ... Despite Ukraine War

Russia, in the midst of a horrific war where they've killed innocent civilians, wants to host a major soccer tournament, the European Football Championship, in 2028 or 2032.

Yes, Vladimir Putin isn't going to let the invasion of a sovereign nation and the killing of thousands of people stop them from applying to hold the Euros.

According to the Associated Press, the Russian Football Union announced their intent to play host, with RFU president Alexander Dyukov telling Russian TV ... "We must take the opportunity to host the Euro. It will be at the World Cup stadiums, and we have developed infrastructure."

FYI, Russia hosted the 2018 World Cup.

Even back then many fans weren't happy the country got the most prestigious sporting event in the world. But now, Russia has become pariahs of the world.

In fact, Russia has been shunned by the global soccer community. FIFA (International Federation of Association Football) and UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) decided to ban the country from competing in any international soccer tourneys.

At the time, the organizations released the following statement, saying, "Football is fully united here and in full solidarity with all the people affected in Ukraine. Both [FIFA & UEFA] presidents hope that the situation in Ukraine will improve significantly and rapidly so that football can again be a vector for unity and peace amongst people.”

UEFA also relocated the Champions League finals, originally supposed to be played in Russia in February, to Paris.

Russia will be bidding against Turkey and the British Isles ... who also want to host the 2028 European Championship. As for the 2032 bid, Italy is also vying to host the tourney.

A decision will not be made until September 2023 ... but it's almost impossible to imagine Russia being granted the bid.

Paralyzed Man Orders Beer Using Brain Implant ... First Words in Months!!!

"I want a beer" ... a simple and direct request, but a damn amazing one because it was uttered by a paralyzed man who's communicating for the first time in months, thanks to a life-changing brain implant.

In a testament to the power of science, and beer -- researchers in Switzerland outfitted a 36-year-old ALS patient with a chip in his brain, which allows him to spell out sentences one letter at a time, and he used it to order up a cold one.

On top of a brew, the guy also asked caregivers for a head massage from his mother, curry and soup fed through tubes, and wanted to rock out to the band Tool. In his words, he wanted it "loud."

The good folks doing the amazing research over at the Wyss Center in Geneva say it's the first instance of someone with no voluntary muscle movement being able to communicate.

The ALS patient, who consented to the brain implant back in 2018 when he could still use eye movement to communicate, is now completely paralyzed. The chip allows him to signal "yes" or "no" to a series of letters and spell out commands at a rate of one character per minute.

That means it took him more than 10 minutes to order a beer, but we're thinking he'd say it was well worth the wait.

Cheers to science!!!

'Odd Radio Circles' Spotted In Outer Space ... Baffling Scientists

The mysteries of space are offering up a new phenomenon to the list ... astronomers have documented something called 'odd radio circles' ... and there's lots of head-scratching going on.

These ORCs were first discovered by astronomers in 2020, using the Australian SKA Pathfinder telescope ... operated by Australia's national science agency, CSIRO.

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Org believes something like this takes a billion years to end up at its max size, and stretches about 16 times bigger than the Milky Way. It's already expanded past multiple galaxies.

The South African Radio Astronomy Observatory's MeerKAT telescope was able to get an even better shot.

Researchers have a few theories ... it's either the aftermath of an explosion at the center of the galaxy, jets that push out energetic particles, or the result of a starburst shock wave, caused by the creation of new stars.

Ray Norris, a professor at the Western Sydney University and CSIRO, says "We know ORCs are rings of faint radio emissions surrounding a galaxy with a highly active black hole at its center, but we don't yet know what causes them, or why they are so rare."

So far, only 5 odd radio circles have been spotted, all by telescopes that observe through radio wavelengths. Visible light, infrared and X-ray telescopes have yet to document the ORCs.

Justice Stephen Breyer Clarence Thomas is Fine ... And I Got No Dog in Confirmation Fight

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HE'S DOING FINE
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Justice Stephen Breyer is reassuring folks, his colleague, Justice Clarence Thomas, is not in any danger after being hospitalized for an infection.

We got the retiring Justice Wednesday outside Cafe Milano ... a favorite watering hole for Washington bigwigs.

Justice Thomas was hospitalized last Friday after he experienced flu-like symptoms. Turns out it was an infection, which was being treated with IV antibiotics.

The SCOTUS Public Information Office said a few days ago, Thomas was expected to be released Tuesday, but on Wednesday the PIO was mum, not saying if Thomas is back home or still laid up in the hospital.

Justice Breyer said simply, Thomas is fine.

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We also asked about the confirmation hearing of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, which has become acrimonious at times, with Republicans going on the attack.

We wanted to know if he was sad the confirmation process had become hyper-political. His response was muted because the 83-year-old was masked up, but it sounds like he said, "Their politics is not my affair. My affair is done."

Translation, we think ... he's not involved or commenting on another prospective justice's confirmation. He's already been through that.

Vladimir Putin Super Yacht in Italy ... Allegedly Linked to Russian Leader

Vladimir Putin likes to claim relative poverty in public, but behind the scenes he's allegedly rolling in it ... as evidenced by a super yacht some people believe he owns.

The massive vessel -- dubbed the Scheherazade, and valued at around $700 million -- has been docked at an Italian port off the Tuscan coast since September ... and amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, investigative groups have claimed Putin owns it.

The reason they believe that ... documents detailing the crew members allegedly show the majority of the guys aren't just Russian, but work for Russia's Federal Protective Service.

Of course, it might not be Putin's -- it could easily belong to another Russian oligarch -- but if this is Vlad's palace on the sea, it would fly in the face of what he says he's worth.

The Russian Prez has alleged he makes a salary of no more than $140k/year -- and that he lives in an apartment that's about 800 square feet. No one really buys that, and if this yacht is, indeed, his ... that characterization is almost certainly BS. His net worth has been speculated to be in the high billions, despite what he chooses to disclose to the world.

As for the yacht itself ... it's certainly fit for a king, or dictator. It's more than 400 feet in length, and features 6 decks -- not to mention 2 helipads, 3 saunas, a pool and a lot of other perks. It also accommodates 18 guests and 40 crew members.

Independent watchdog groups -- the same ones alleging the yacht is Putin's -- are calling for the Italian government to seize the boat and cut off Putin.

So far, though, it doesn't seem like anyone's doing much except letting it sit there and float.