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Donald Trump exercised his right against self-incrimination Wednesday ... taking the 5th in a civil deposition ordered by the New York Attorney General, claiming she's corrupt.

Trump showed up at A.G. Letitia James' office Wednesday morning, fist raised and defiant. He issued a long statement, saying, "We cannot permit a renegade and out-of-control prosecutor to use this investigation as a means of advancing her political career."

James is investigating Trump's business empire for alleged illegal practices.

Trump went on to claim James has campaigned on the promise ... "Get and Destroy Trump."

As for taking the Fifth, Trump said, "I once asked, 'If you're innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?' Now I know the answer to that question. When your family, your company, and all the people in your orbit have become the targets of an unfounded, politically motivated Witch Hunt supported by lawyers, prosecutors, and the Fake News Media, you have no choice."

Trump added, "I did nothing wrong, which is why, after five years of looking, the Federal, State and local governments, together with the Fake News Media, have found nothing."

A plane crash on a busy California freeway certainly caused for some serious traffic delays, but video from the incredible scene shows just how lucky the pilot and passenger were to escape.

The footage, obtained by TMZ, shows billows of black smoke towering above the crash on the 91 freeway in Corona, CA Tuesday. Surrounding drivers were forced to slow down and pull over, after a witness says the plane "blew up" on impact.

You can see the plane's pilot and passenger escape the flaming wreckage, sprinting away as the whole vessel becomes engulfed. ... luckily, authorities say both people riding in the plane escaped uninjured.

The flames have also since been put out, but there's some serious cleanup still to do to clear everything out.

The FBI raid on Donald Trump's home immediately turned political ... with pro-Trump protesters gathering in front of Mar-a-Lago ... claiming it was a witch hunt.

As we reported, the FBI descended on Trump's home Monday ... on the hunt for classified and unclassified materials that Trump allegedly took from The White House when he left ... materials that should have ended up at the National Archives.

Trump improperly and allegedly illegally took a slew of materials that should have stayed in D.C., and months ago surrendered 15 boxes of stuff, but the feds believe he didn't turn over all of it.

A judge signed a warrant after determining there was probable cause the former President committed a crime by withholding the materials, which allowed the FBI to conduct the search. It's the first time in American history the feds raided the home of a former president.

This all didn't sit well with Trump supporters, who were weirdly celebratory as they encircled Mar-a-Lago. They played dance music ... not exactly the sign of angry protesters.

As for Trump ... he reportedly told his fans, "Another day in paradise."

No, this isn't deja-vu ... China has discovered a new, potentially fatal virus within its borders, which experts say could trigger yet another pandemic.

The Langya Henipavirus, referred to as "Langya," has already infected 35 people, according to Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control ... it's in the same family as the Hendra virus and Nipah virus.

While none of the patients have died or suffered serious illness, it's a virus that hasn't infected human beings prior to this outbreak ... so there are a lot of unknowns.

Being under the Henipavirus umbrella, it has the potential to do some serious damage ... WHO data classifies Henipavirus with a 40-75% fatality rate.

The symptoms might look all too familiar -- fever, headache, cough, fatigue, etc.

A report by the New England Journal of Medicine says the infected patients had a history of being in contact with animals ... however, it's now possible the virus has already been transmitted from human to human.

Issa Rae is showing her support, after a pregnant woman and 5 others died in a tragic car crash near her hometown ... donating money to help the woman's family in the wake of the devastating loss.

The family of 23-year-old Asherey Ryan set up a GoFundMe to raise $100K to help cover funeral expenses for the young mother. Not only was Asherey killed in the crash last week in Windsor Hills -- her 11-month-old son, Alonzo, and her unborn child also died -- the money raised will go toward their funeral expenses as well.

The family has received lots of support ... exceeding their goal by $50K. Issa Rae, who was raised in Inglewood, about 10 minutes from the crash site, is among those who have donated, chipping in $2,500.

Asherey was among 6 people who died in Thursday's fiery crash. Cops say 37-year-old Nicole Lorraine Linton was allegedly driving up to 100 mph, when she sped through a red light, slamming into several vehicles which ignited a massive blaze.

Surveillance video from a nearby business shows the horror of the accident.

There is growing evidence U.S. health officials ignored obvious signs monkeypox would become a health emergency, especially when it came to stockpiling vaccines.

The U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services had significant stockpiles of the vaccine but simply didn't have the foresight to bottle it so it could be quickly distributed ... this according to New York Times sources.

And, there's more ... there's a small company in Denmark that manufactures the vaccine worldwide, and the U.S. was so slow in putting in orders to bottle the vaccines ... the company gave hundreds of thousands of does to European countries ... doses that had been initially earmarked for the U.S.

So now, with more than 7,000 reported cases in the U.S. and counting, the government is distributing just over a million doses, yet it will take a minimum of 3 1/2 mil minimum to fight the outbreak. And, it gets worse ... the U.S. has ordered 5.5 million additional doses, but only half a million will be delivered this year, and not until October. The rest won't be delivered until 2023.

Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator, was grilled on CNN Friday about the U.S. response, and he struggled to explain why the U.S. was slow in responding.

Alex Jones' lies are going to cost him $4.1M ... an amount to be paid out to parents who lost their kids during the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary.

The decision, made Thursday by a jury in Austin, TX was for plaintiffs Scarlett Lewis and Neil Heslin, who first requested $150M in compensatory damages when the trial started. Punitive damages will be determined during another trial.

As we reported, Jones -- who essentially said the mass shooting was a hoax -- was grilled during the trial ... during one moment that's now gone viral, an attorney for the parents revealed Jones' own legal team accidentally distributed his text messages, catching Jones in an apparent lie.

Other standout moments included the judge chastising Jones for a number of things, like lying ... and even chewing gum.

President Biden's just declared monkeypox a public health emergency, and while it's already having a huge impact on gay communities, it could quickly spread outside that bubble ... according to a doctor on the front lines.

Dr. Anne Rimoin, a UCLA professor of epidemiology, joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live" and revealed there's already been a spill-over between communities in the U.S., and that won't stop unless we take appropriate action.

She explains "an infection anywhere can be an infection anywhere" -- meaning, it's time for ALL Americans to draw the line before the virus becomes more prevalent in society, in general.

The World Health Organization's put Dr. Rimoin on its Emergency Committee to tackle the monkeypox crisis, and she says this virus has been a simmering problem for years in Africa ... where she's been doing research since the early 2000s.

She recalls a 2017 outbreak in Nigeria and the symptoms were different from the ones she'd seen prior, showing how it can mutate over time.

The pilot who mysteriously died just before a plane made an emergency landing last week -- allegedly "jumping" out of the aircraft -- may have actually fallen after trying to examine the damaged landing gear.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... one of the operating theories is that co-pilot Charlie Crooks went to the back of the cargo plane and opened the back cargo door to inspect the landing gear that was damaged and accidentally fell out as the plane headed for the airport.

As reported first by WRAL, the pilot radioed air traffic control that Charlie had "jumped" out of the plane. A close friend of Charlie's who has flown with him tells TMZ, the notion of Charlie jumping is absurd. The friend tells us, Charlie was excited a few days before the fatal flight at the prospect of being promoted to captain. The friend says he was in a great head space.

The 23-year-old told his friend, the day before he died, the chief pilot from the company that owned the plane was coming out from Colorado Springs to fly with him for 2 days last week ... to evaluate Charlie with an eye toward making him a captain.

As for Charlie jumping out of panic, the close friend scoffs at that notion as well, saying Charlie was cool as a cucumber in the air, recalling that there was a mechanical mishap in one of the planes a while back and Charlie landed it so well -- although the landing was rough -- the company he was working for at the time actually gave him a piece of the plane as a thank you.

The photo (above) shows Charlie at the back of the plane ... sitting on the very door that is being looked at as the one he possibly opened to look underneath at the landing gear.

He posted the pic on social media with a joke "If there's anything we can do to make your journey more comfortable, there is an exit ramp at the rear of the airplane that we will gladly open for you."

The NTSB and other federal agencies are currently investigating the fall and the plane.

"SlamBall is back, baby!"

That's Mason Gordon, founder of SlamBall -- basketball mixed with football and MMA on big trampolines -- announcing to TMZ Sports ... the sport is returning in 2023!

"There have been all kinds of people clamoring for SlamBall to come back. There has been #BringBackSlamBall media, viewed over 200 million times in the last 12 months. So, I'm ready to announce next summer, 2023, SlamBall is coming back, live!"

If you haven't seen a SlamBall game, it's pretty damn awesome. Huge air, big hits ... it's great. And, that's why so many people waited for this day, including Celtics star Jayson Tatum, a SlamBall fan.

Gordon says he's had endless opportunities over the years to bring the game back, but he didn't want to do it until all the conditions were perfect for making a return.

"We've gotten opportunities pretty much every couple of months, there will be an opportunity to bring SlamBall back in some form. My partners and I have always looked at it and said, 'we're not gonna come back until the market conditions are like really optimal,' and the alternate sports marketplace is on fire."

Gordon and his partners felt it was the perfect time to strike ... especially since kids are decreasingly watching entire 3-hour sporting events.

"SlamBall just kind of fits the bill. They're 20-minute games. Television half hours. People obviously have really gravitated to the action, and it's this incredible mash-up between basketball, football, hockey, little bit of gymnastics, little bit of video games, that's just SlamBall."

SlamBall was built for social media -- and when it comes to the TV side of things, Gordon has a secret weapon -- producer/director Mike Tollin is a partner on the project ... the man behind "The Last Dance" and "The Captain," amongst many others.

A 911 call was placed by 2 FAA staffers after they got word a pilot of the cargo plane that was about to make an emergency landing had jumped from the plane.

One of the FAA employees is on the call telling the North Carolina 911 dispatcher, "This is from Raleigh Airport ... We have a pilot who was inbound to the field. His co-pilot jumped out of the aircraft. He made impact to the ground and here are the coordinates."

The employee went on to say the co-pilot, 23-year-old Charles Hew Crooks, "jumped out without the parachute, so he might have impact to the ground."

He went on ... "I am sure the pilot is going to be shaken up. I have no idea. He literally just said, 'My pilot just jumped out.'"

And, then there's this ... 'I guess at this point in time, all we can do is recovery. I don't know. I don't know. This is the craziest thing ever."

Presumably, the 911 call was placed so local authorities could recover the body, which they found in a backyard 30 miles from the airport.

The plane, which had landing gear issues, crash-landed ... the pilot suffered minor injuries and was taken to the hospital but released the same day.

There is something bizarre about this investigation ... It's been days, and the pilot who landed the plane still has not been identified and nobody -- the NTSB, FAA, FBI -- has said a word about interviewing him or what he said.

Aviation investigators are scratching their heads over a 10-person plane that took off with 2 pilots, but returned with just one ... after one of them fell to his death while they were midair.

An emergency landing went down at Raleigh Durham International Airport after 23-year-old co-pilot Charles Hew Crooks either fell or jumped to his death Friday while they were in the skies, according to federal authorities.

They were trying to get back to the ground as safe as possible after the plane lost its right wheel ... when Crooks exited the small 10-seater.

His body was found roughly 30 miles away, stuck in the trees of someone's backyard -- he had no parachute on him and authorities believe he fell 3,500 feet.

Both the Federal Aviation Authority and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating whether or not he died before the fall.

The other pilot was taken to a nearby hospital with minor injuries, and released the same day.

Crooks' father, Hew Crooks, told WRAL he's unable to process the news ... saying his son "wouldn’t trade places with anybody in the world. He loved where he was.”

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is not monkeying around when it comes to monkeypox ... she just declared a disaster emergency for the entire state to curb the growing spread of the disease.

On Friday night, Hochul tweeted the announcement, highlighting that 1 in 4 monkeypox cases in the U.S. originate in New York so, therefore, she wants to generate a faster response to combat the virus and get more people vaccinated.

Her announcement comes just one day after the New York State Commissioner of Health called monkeypox an “imminent threat to public health.”

Although the viral disease is almost never fatal, it can spread across the body, forming rashes and lesions on extremities and genitals.

New York and California are at the top of the list of states with the most recorded cases of monkeypox ... New York has 1,345 cases and California is second with 799, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Hochul's executive order allows for EMS personnel, pharmacists, midwives, physicians and certified nurse practitioners to administer vaccinations.

Move over Elon Musk ... there's a new billionaire in town after a lottery player from Illinois won a whopping $1.28 billion during Friday night's second-largest Mega Millions jackpot ever.

The winning numbers were 13, 36, 45, 57, 67 and a Mega Ball of 14, but the Illinois lottery has not yet released the lucky person's identity or where the ticket was purchased. The next drawing is set for 11 PM ET Tuesday.

Over the last few weeks, the jackpot had been rising steadily because no one could beat the odds to win, which are 1 in 302,575,350.

The biggest Mega Millions jackpot -- $1.537 billion -- was won by a single ticket holder in South Carolina back in 2018.

Hey, look up in the sky ... it's a bird, it's a plane ... no, it's another Chinese rocket crashing to Earth.

That's right. China, it seems, is about to do it again with its disastrous space program expected to rain debris down on our planet -- possibly as soon as Saturday, some experts warn.

China reportedly launched the 23-ton spacecraft, dubbed the Long March 5B, earlier this week and it's supposed to make an uncontrolled re-entry somewhere in the world, but no one knows where, making people even more nervous.

Of course, China's space program is crashing and burning of late ... the most recent example was Wednesday when a cargo spacecraft mostly evaporated due to massive heat as it reentered the atmosphere.

All that was left of the Tianzhou-3 ship were small pieces that luckily didn't hit anyone on land, but, instead, dropped in a predetermined area of the South Pacific, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

The cargo ship serviced China's orbiting space station and had been docked there until July 17 as the country tries to make the artificial satellite fully operational.

The mishap follows 2 other incidents that clearly underscore China's struggles with space exploration. Back in May 2021, debris from a Chinese rocket dropped from the sky into the Indian Ocean. A year earlier, metallic objects from another Chinese spacecraft showered villages in the Ivory Coast, but, thankfully, no one was injured.

Bill Maher thinks Elon Musk is worried about population collapse because it's a convenient excuse not to wear a condom ... it was a jk, but his point is ominous. Stay with us.

Bill is back on 'Real Time' after a month's hiatus, and he used the occasion to talk about the ridiculous push to add more people to planet Earth. We are now at 8 billion and counting ... the head honcho at the U.N. is celebrating and welcoming the diversity that comes with it, but B.M. couldn't be more scornful, and he's got a solid point.

Aside from climate change -- which is undeniably real, despite the climate deniers -- we are losing our resources, and the math is simple. More people = fewer resources, like food, trees, sand, you name it ... there'll be fewer of all of it, and eventually, it's gonna run out.

And, that brings him to Elon, who has worried out loud that we are in a world crisis because our population is tanking. Huh, Bill asks?