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Johnny Depp clearly understands the power of TikTok, but his attorneys reject the notion it had any impact on the verdict ... instead, they say it's Amber Heard's testimony that hurt her with the jury.

Camille Vasquez -- fresh off her promotion to partner in her law firm -- and Ben Chew told ABC's George Stephanopoulos their strategy was to use Amber's own words against her ... carefully crafting their questions based on her previous testimony. Vasquez believes that showed the jury all it needed to know about Amber.

As for Team Amber's claim the jury was influenced by the overwhelming support for Johnny on social media -- including TikTok, which Depp joined Tuesday -- Chew says it "played no role whatsoever," and the jury reached the verdict purely based on the evidence presented by both sides.

Remember, the jury was not sequestered, and the criticism is it would've been impossible for them to avoid the flood of posts supporting Johnny and attacking Amber.

Vasquez also shot down the idea the #MeToo movement was setback by the verdict in Johnny's favor -- saying, "We encourage any victim to come forward. Domestic violence doesn't have a gender." She added, "The facts are what they were. The jury made a unanimous decision based on those facts."

Chew and Vasquez carefully skirted a question about the possibility of Johnny striking a deal ... where he would let Amber off the hook for the $8.35 million judgment, and she would not file an appeal ... as she's claimed she intends to do.

Sen. Ted Cruz is sticking to his guns, literally and figuratively, when it comes to potential gun reform in the wake of so many mass shootings -- insisting any solution should disarm bad guys, and not the good.

Cruz was at Reagan International Airport Monday, when we asked about the Uvalde massacre and what the Senate intended to do about the rash of mass shootings in America. The Senator from Texas quickly rattled off the Robb Elementary School casualties, and then dug in his heels against any bans on firearms.

Of course, in the wake of Uvalde and Buffalo, many have renewed calls for Congress to pass stricter gun control measures ... starting with banning assault rifles like the ones the shooters used in both tragedies.

Cruz, however, tells our photog most of his Texas constituents don't think that's the right way to decrease casualties in mass shooting incidents. Instead, he argues, we ought to focus on ways to get firearms out of the hands of those who never should've had them to begin with ... like the Uvalde shooter, for instance.

He says he's proposed legislation that would enforce stricter background checks on would-be gun seekers -- something that he seems eye-to-eye with Dems. He also wants new measures to beef up law enforcement at schools, a position Cruz and others have championed since the Sandy Hook massacre ... and, keep in mind, there was an armed guard in Uvalde too.

Fact is, several polls have shown the majority of Americans support common sense gun reform, including a ban on assault weapons -- but Sen. Cruz pushed back at any such notion, telling us Texans feel otherwise.

Terrifying video has emerged from a shooting at a cemetery funeral service which left multiple people with gunshot wounds.

The clip, recorded at Graceland Cemetery in Racine, Wisconsin shows dozens of people gathered around the service as a pastor speaks before shots ring out. Everyone screams, and gets on the ground as chaos erupts.

From there ... you hear someone in the crowd yell out that another person had been shot.

The Racine Police Department says 2 people were shot during the mayhem, one was flown to a hospital in Milwaukee and the other was treated and released. No arrests have been made.

As for the funeral, it was for Da'Shontay Lucas King Sr. who was killed by a police officer last month.

Reports of children calling 911 from within the classroom where the gunman massacred upwards of 20 people are accurate and harrowing ... 'cause you can now hear it in audio.

Listen to one of these dispatchers radioing in last Tuesday to any units available in the area and trying to find out if any officers had responded yet -- and notifying all of them that a child had dialed in for help ... from inside the classroom with the shooter.

The dispatcher asks if anyone is in or around that building, noting the child has told them the room is full of victims. A bit later, you hear a rough number from them -- 8 to 9 kids.

As we know, that number ended up being significantly higher -- 21 people total were killed, including 19 children -- and worse yet ... it took the authorities a lifetime and a half to engage the gunman and get other people out.

19 different cops were on the scene, but were apparently told to stand down and wait -- this as the killer was in the classroom and slaughtering kids.

It's unclear exactly why the commanding officer gave these orders -- it seems it might've been bad intel -- but in any case, it took over an hour for anyone to actually go in and do something. The officers who ended up taking the shooter out were Border Patrol agents.

What's become evident since is that if law enforcement had engaged earlier, they could've saved lives ... but their delayed response was far too late. 77 minutes is the official time.

The state of Massachusetts is going to need a bigger boat after hearing about this ... a great white has been spotted for the first time this season, and it's having a big meal right next to the beach.

Beachgoers saw quite the scene Sunday at a beach in Nantucket as a huge shark took down one of the nearby seals ... the clip shows the water quickly turning from blue to red as it takes bite after bite.

With this being the first sighting of the season, the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy is urging people to play it safe while catching rays -- things like staying close to the shore and avoiding areas with a lot of seals or schools of fish.

They also recommend people in the water keep their splashing to a minimum -- what a bummer.

Of course, this story seems too familiar ... great white spotted near a beach on a holiday weekend? Reminds anyone of that Jaw-dropping flick? Not to mention Spielberg filming his blockbuster in Martha's Vineyard -- on an island just a few hours away from this new sighting.

The newly-discovered cases of monkeypox in the U.S. are growing at a concerning rate ... and health officials might've found the first cases that involve person-to-person contact within our borders.

Four more monkeypox cases have been detected in the U.S., with one in Colorado being looked at as a "close contact" of another infected person they examined the day before.

Another close contact was found in California, with someone who had been around an infected patient 3 days prior.

Infection cases have risen to 14 people across 8 states ... as you know, 24 countries around the globe have seen spikes in cases, with the World Health Organization upgrading the crisis threat level to "moderate."

As we reported, the first case of monkeypox in the United States this year was detected on May 17 when a Massachusetts man tested positive after coming back from Canada ... the Massachusetts Department of Public Health says he's hospitalized in good condition.

Monkeypox transmits from animals to humans when an infected animal, usually a primate or rodent, bites or scratches a human. It can also come from preparing wild game or hunting wild animals.

Transmission between humans happens through skin-to-skin contact and an infected person's droplets.

Val Chmerkovskiy knows there's a lot going on outside of the crisis in Ukraine ... and he's asking people to do what they can to support his home, while understanding it's not easy.

We got the "Dancing With the Stars" pro at LAX and asked him if he's noticing any Ukraine war fatigue among Americans who raced to help Ukrainians stand up to Vladimir Putin's invasion.

The war's been raging for a few months now, and Val says it's hard for people to stay focused on supporting Ukraine relief efforts ... given all the turmoil and daily struggles that most folks here are dealing with.

Val's got his own foundation building homes for refugees over in Europe ... and he says it's sometimes even hard for him to reach out to his own supporters to rally around Ukraine.

It's an interesting perspective from Val ... he's thankful for all the support so far, and the pledges going forward, but knows lots of folks are struggling to keep their heads above water and understands it's not realistic for everyone to put all their focus on Ukraine.

Lil Pump may have inspired more than one fan when he invited them up on stage to dance ... possibly showing an entire community all things are possible.

The now-viral video is pretty awesome. Pump was performing at the Metro Metro Festival in Montreal earlier last week when he invited fan Woody Belfort on stage. Woody, who is in a wheelchair, took full advantage of the opportunity, getting out of his chair and doing some impressive dance moves ... including flips! He also busts some moves right in the chair.

We spoke with Woody -- who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a kid -- and says he's already gotten a ton of support from the disabled community since the video was posted.

Woody's got big plans for the future, saying he's going to use his video to empower others to embrace their entire selves -- regardless of their disability.

Woody says he always felt like an outsider, and it wasn't until high school when he started to do sports and train his body that he finally began to feel a part of a community and connect with others.

Lance Bass is shedding a light on one of the Uvalde victims whose wish was to go viral on TikTok -- something her family is hoping to achieve in the wake of her tragic death.

The NSYNC singer reposted a clip Saturday to his IG Story showing a TikTok video originally published by a man who says he's the uncle of 10-year-old Tess Marie Mata -- one of the 19 children slaughtered Tuesday by a crazed gunman at Robb Elementary School.

In the video, you see Tess dancing to Don Toliver's 'No Idea' -- a track of his which has been used a lot in different challenges, and which has become a fan fave lately among TikTokers.

Tess, clearly, was no exception ... as she had her own version to the dance -- something her uncle here says she was hopeful would translate to a little internet fame one day. He makes the plea to his followers ... can we honor her wish in death and make her go viral?

Lance was clearly on board, posting this on his own page ... and also commenting, "breaks my heart," to which the uncle thanked him -- saying Tess was a big fan of the boy band.

This child is just one of many whose life was cut short ... but it's videos like these that show, they had personalities and dreams -- all adding to the devastation, especially in light of reports that cops were slow to the draw and could've stepped in to help sooner.

People are rightly outraged over the fact current gun laws allow for weapons of war to be in the hands of ordinary citizens, but the videos of parents being held back and/or arrested in the moment while officers just stood around should, perhaps, cause as much indignation.

A legendary rock band played a surprise set at a legendary Los Angeles music venue ... with Def Leppard jamming out at the famous Whisky a Go Go.

The English rock band, which has been going strong for over four decades, took the stage Thursday at the historic nightclub in West Hollywood, playing their hits to a packed house who went absolutely bonkers.

Def Leppard's setlist included all the classics ... "Pour Some Sugar On Me," "Hysteria," "Animal," "Foolin'," "Love Bites," "Rocket," "Excitable," "Bringin' on the Heartbreak," "Rock of Ages" and "Photograph" ... just to name a few.

The surprise show -- part of the SiriusXM Small Stage Series -- coincides with Def Leppard releasing a new album Friday, "Diamond Star Halos," and they naturally played some of the new tracks ... like "Take What You Want" and "Kiss."

The band's been hanging around Hollywood for a few days at least ... performing this week on Jimmy Kimmel's talk show.

Def Leppard's new album is their first in 7 years ... and next month they're embarking on a stadium tour with Motley Crue, Poison and Joan Jett.

An 11-year-old student at the Robb Elementary School in Texas went into what a relative called "survival mode" after seeing a classmate who was fatally shot by the gunman, and smeared the other girl's blood all over her body to make it appear she too was dead.

It's horrific to even imagine, but Miah Cerrillo is now suffering extreme trauma after taking measures to save her life.

Her aunt, Blanca Rivera, went on KPRC and explained how her niece "played dead."

According to Rivera, the 4th grader grabbed the phone of her teacher -- who was also shot and killed -- and called 911.

Rivera says around midnight the day of the shooting, she got a call from Miah's mom saying her daughter was having a panic attack.

The massacre was made all the worse for survivors after learning law enforcement didn't enter the building for more than an hour after the initial attack. Authorities have not given clear answers explaining the delay, because there were officers present almost immediately but they did not enter until reinforcements came with body armor.

In what was already a nightmare situation for the family of a teacher killed in the Uvalde, Texas elementary school shooting -- more heartbreak -- as the woman's husband has now reportedly died of a heart attack.

Irma Garcia was one of two teachers killed in Tuesday's mass shooting, and now her family has announced her husband of 24 years, Joe Garcia, is dead too.

Garcia's nephew, John Martinez, posted, "EXTREMELY heartbreaking and come with deep sorrow to say that my Tia Irma's husband Joe Garcia has passed away due to grief, I truly am at a loss for words for how we are all feeling, PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR FAMILY, God have mercy on us, this isn't easy."

Local reporter, Ernie Zuniga, says Garcia suffered a fatal heart attack ... and that the two had 4 children together. A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family.

Irma had reportedly died trying to protect the children in her classroom. As we told you, 19 children and 2 teachers were killed in the mass shooting, carried out by an 18-year-old armed with an AR-15 which he purchased legally in the state of Texas.

Eva Mireles, the 4th-grade teacher who was killed in the Texas school shooting, is being remembered as a hero in a touching tribute from her daughter, who says her mom used her body to shield students from bullets.

Eva's daughter, Adalynn, says her mom "selflessly jumped in front of her students to save their lives" and adds ... "I'm so happy that people know your name and that beautiful face of yours and they know what a hero looks like."

The teacher's daughter says she's heartbroken by the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX, which claimed the lives of another adult and 19 children, expressing disbelief and saying she never imagined writing a goodbye to her mom.

Eva sounds like a great mom ... her daughter says they were best friends who laughed over TikToks, sang karaoke together, woke each other up from naps, talked on the phone every day after work and fought over the stupidest things only to laugh about it later.

Adalynn she's proud Eva was her mother ... and she's promising to take care of dad and the family dogs.

The man who gunned down 19 children and 2 adults in the latest shooting massacre was telegraphing his deadly plan to a random woman on social media ... weeks before his act.

The messages have surfaced online from what appears to be a female minor in Los Angeles -- who says the 18-year-old suspect DM'd her on May 12 out of the blue and for no apparent reason at all ... explaining she has no idea who he is or why he reached out.

The alleged shooter tagged her in a photo he posted of his guns -- including what seem to be semi-automatic rifles that resemble AR-15s -- and then proceeded to start a private chat.

Of the many disturbing DMs he sent, this one was the most chilling ... "I got a lil secret I wanna tell u. I'm about to..." Apparently, he never revealed his exact intentions -- dancing around the subject/playing coy as the girl engaged him ... totally confused and flabbergasted.

The man went back and forth with her for a while, telling her she oughta be grateful he tagged her -- and then on Tuesday, he said this ... "Ima air out." The girl clearly didn't know what he was talking about, and seemed to acknowledge as much with follow-up questions.

In the aftermath of the onslaught Tuesday ... the girl revealed these messages and defended herself -- insisting she had no idea what this guy would do, and explaining she only engaged him to try to deter him from committing a horrible act.

The shooter, who we're not naming, shot his grandmother before heading to Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX ... where he barricaded himself in classrooms and opened fire, eventually getting taken out by law enforcement.

He's said to have been armed with a rifle and a handgun during the bloodshed ... and apparently loaded up on a ton of heavy artillery on his 18th birthday, all of which seem to have been obtained legally.

Matthew McConaughey is pleading for gun reform following the tragic mass shooting in the elementary school in Uvalde, Texas ... which happens to be his hometown.

The actor shared his thoughts Tuesday, hours after the shooter went into Robb Elementary School and killed 21 people, including 19 students and 2 teachers.

He wrote, "As you all are aware there was another mass shooting today, this time in my home town of Uvalde, Texas. Once again, we have tragically proven that we are failing to be responsible for the rights our freedoms grant us."

Matthew's added, "The true call to action now is for every American to take a longer and deeper look in the mirror, and ask ourselves, 'What is it that we truly value? How do we repair the problem? What small sacrifices can we individually take today, to preserve a healthier and safer nation, state, and neighborhood tomorrow?'"

His post continued, "We cannot exhale once again, make excuses, and accept these tragic realities as the status quo. As Americans, Texans, mothers and fathers, it's time we re-evaluate, and renegotiate our wants from our needs. We have to rearrange our values and find a common ground above this devastating American reality that has tragically become our children's issue."

Clearly knowing the national conversation will turn political, Matthew also urged folks on both sides of the political aisle to do better -- "Action must be taken so that no parent has to experience what the parents in Uvalde and the others before them have endured."

Monkeypox may be less transmittable than COVID, but the virus is exploding and most folks aren't immune to its effects ... so says, Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding.

The World Health Network Epidemiologist joined "TMZ Live," Monday, to talk about the once-considered extremely rare disease and why it might not be so rare this time around.

Dr. Feigl-Ding tells us, the virus may be less contagious than Covid-19, but we're in the early stages with numbers exploding all over the world.

He says, generally speaking, the big problem is most folks under the age of 50 have no immunity to the virus. On top of that, the incubation period is much longer than other viruses -- starting from 10 days up to 21.

Because of this, many folks can be further along before they realize they may have it ... and could potentially transmit it to more people.

Doc says we have to be careful, because Monkeypox didn't always transmit like this -- maybe a few cases here and there. Now, he hopes reluctant Americans will wake up and realize that wearing a mask might be a bonus to protect against all viruses like COVID and Monkeypox.

BTW, he says some folks still debate whether it is airborne or not, but no matter what, he says it's a huge issue.