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NASA's finally heading back to the moon ... its new rocket has finally successfully launched -- and without a hitch -- after months of delays due to a slew of issues.

The Artemis I mission kicked off early Wednesday morning at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, FL ... beginning a 25-day mission that'll set the company back 4 billion big ones.

The Orion capsule sits on top of the rocket ... and it'll detach and soar about 60 miles above the moon before coming back to Earth. Don't worry, though -- the only passengers on this test flight are mannequins.

As we reported, there's a lot riding on this mission -- it's the first launch of the massive, most powerful rocket ever ... and it could forge a path for astronauts to revisit our moon as early as 2024.

The launch was set to go down at the end of August, but had issues left and right -- including a thunderstorm, lightning bolts striking towers near the rocket, and even a fuel leak.

Ticketmaster is in shambles over fans trying to snag Taylor Swift tickets -- and the company's message to frustrated customers is ... bear with us!

The singer's Eras concert is all the rage, and it shows after Ticketmaster's site experienced all kinds of issues Tuesday as folks tried to get their hands on presale passes ... which kinda broke their page, leaving tons of would-be buyers in limbo.

Swifties were up in arms, and Ticketmaster heard all the outrage ... because they issued a statement to calm the waters. Right off the bat, they note there's unprecedented demand for tickets and those who are still in the queue to buy should remain there to the end.

TM says they're still pushing through all the orders they have, but it's just taking time ... ensuring anyone in line will get attended to eventually.

Those on the West Coast, however -- who had their own window today to snatch up tickets at 10 AM PT -- were bumped out to later in the day ... 3 PM PT. There's also another sale window through Capital One that's being rescheduled entirely ... for tomorrow at 2 PM.

An apparent tragedy is unfolding in Dallas, where two planes collided while in the air and then hit the earth in a fiery crash ... this amid a performance for Veterans Day weekend.

The horrific incident unfolded Saturday around 11:30 AM PT outside of the Dallas Executive Airport, where a WWII-themed airshow was being put on for the public ... Wings Over Dallas. It looks they were flying aircraft from back then ... single-engine bombers and the like.

The FAA says the planes in question were a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and a Bell P-63. As the B-17 (the larger aircraft) is heading toward the airport, the smaller P-63 seems to come out of nowhere and clips the back of it ... which sends both of them plummeting.

Tons of people were filming this moment, BTW, and you can hear their utter shock when the two planes collide and start going down. They're even more freaked out when they each hit the ground and fireballs explode in the air. Almost immediately, you can also hear sirens.

There are several angles all over the internet -- it looks like the larger plane was split in half on impact. This was happening relatively close to a crowd of people too ... who were watching from the outskirts of the airport. A man came on the intercom and tried keeping everyone calm, telling them to remain in place and refrain from too much cell phone activity.

It's unclear for now how many people were onboard each plane, or what sort of injuries were sustained. We know first responders are on the scene, and the area's been roped off.

We're reaching out to officials in Dallas to get an update on the status of things. An investigation by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board is underway.

TSA agents in South Florida aren't pullin' anyone's wing after confiscating a raw chicken -- one that turned out to be fully loaded.

The Transportation Security Administration posted the raw crime Monday ... showing the offending bird stuffed with a handgun after it was seized at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

The bird seemed to be completely packaged, with the firearm wrapped up tight in plastic and then jammed into the bird ... a pretty dangerous spin on the whole Turducken craze.

Chickens -- raw or cooked -- are ok to travel with passengers, according to TSA's guidelines, but obviously, firearms inside said chicken ... ain't gonna fly.

FYI -- the airports in FL have seen a MAJOR spike in illegal guns at security checkpoints ... with 700 total found across the state so far this year, but we're guessing nothing like this.

A brazen thief woke up in handcuffs after he literally knocked himself out by slamming into a large window at a Louis Vuitton store in Washington state.

The 17-year-old suspect was caught on surveillance vid clutching $18K in stolen goods and dashing for the exit inside the luxury shop in Bellevue, WA.

Moments later, the teen crashed into the plate glass window and fell like a sack of potatoes. As he lay unconscious, an officer ran over, sat on his back and placed him in cuffs.

The dramatic footage started circulating Monday ... it wasn't clear when the attempted heist went down.

Nancy Pelosi is going after Elon Musk for using his newly-purchased social media platform to push conspiracies about the Paul Pelosi attack ... calling the new Twitter owner destructive.

The Speaker of The House sat down for an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper, and she laid into Elon and former President Donald Trump when Anderson asked her about influential folks spreading misinformation about the attack on her husband.

Nancy referenced the incendiary tweet Elon posted and deleted ... the one where Elon alleged there may be more to the story than meets the eye, adding a link to a fringe site with a salacious headline about Paul and his attacker.

She told Anderson it's "really sad for the country" to see people with large platforms -- like Musk and Trump -- "separate themselves from the facts and the truth in such a blatant way."

CNN aired the interview Monday night, on the eve of an election where folks are concerned about misinformation influencing the results at the ballot box.

Nancy says Elon's behavior is "destructive" to the unity she thinks is happening in the country ... but she says there's nothing she would like to personally say to Musk or Trump, because there's "no common ground" between them.

Speaker Pelosi also gave an update on Paul's recovery after being attacked by a hammer-wielding man who broke into their San Francisco home looking for Nancy and wanting to break her kneecaps ... getting super emotional as she recalled how she first heard about the attack.

The race for Mayor of Los Angeles will come to a close on Election Day Tuesday ... and lots of stars are sharing their endorsements in hopes they'll push their favorite candidate over the finish line with a victory.

Since the primaries wrapped up back in June, it's all come down to Rep. Karen Bass and Rick Caruso ... and while Bass seems to be feelin' the love in terms of cash support, Caruso has secured a ton of A-list celebrity shout-outs.

Since June, Bass' campaign has gotten donations from Ken Jeong, Natalie Portman, "Criminal Minds" star Kirsten Vangsness, and Dan Castellaneta -- the voice of Homer Simpson -- all at $1,500 each -- the maximum donation allowed.

Jane Fonda also chipped in $1,200 to Bass -- Kerry Washington and "Grey's Anatomy"s James Pickens Jr. each sent in $1K, while Chris Colfer from "Glee" and WeHo's Laugh Factory pitched in $500.

As for team Caruso, Paris Hilton's father and Kathy's husband, Rick, donated $1,500 -- as did a bunch of Hollywood execs from Warner Bros. - Discovery, Sony Music, Universal and more.

Caruso got a big celebrity endorsement Sunday from Chris Pratt ... calling him "the guy for our city."

As we reported, a slew of celebs shelled out for both Bass and Caruso during the primaries over the summer, with Tiffany Haddish, John Legend, Steven Spielberg, Jennifer Aniston, and Samuel L. Jackson being a few that went team Bass ... while Kim Kardashian, Katy Perry, Elon Musk, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Snoop Dogg went with Caruso -- just to name a few.

Elon Musk has made good on his promise to charge Twitter users a fee ... and he's now trying to lure other customers with a celebrity sales pitch.

Musk -- who purchased the social media giant for $44 billion last month -- has officially launched Twitter Blue for $7.99 a month to users with verified accounts.

Twitter announced the move Saturday ... and tried to make it appealing to the masses with a reference to star power.

The statement began ... "Get Twitter Blue if you sign up now. Blue checkmark: Power to the people. Your account will get a blue checkmark, just like the celebrities, companies and politicians you follow."

The company then mentioned plans to cut half the ads and make the remaining ones much better. "Since you’re supporting Twitter in the battle against the bots, we’re going to reward you with half the ads and make them twice as relevant.”

It also pledged to allow users to post extended videos and give them priority rankings for quality content in the form of replies, mentions and searches.

Musk is hoping that by charging the monthly user fee he can offset the major losses he's accrued since his massive purchase of Twitter in late October.

Elon insists the San Francisco based-company is hemorrhaging $4 million a day, leading to him firing half the workforce -- or roughly 3,700 employees.

After receiving an ominous email about the pending layoffs, Twitter workers filed a class action lawsuit to try to save their jobs, arguing Musk had given them insufficient notice, which was in violation of federal and California law.

Looks like Bhad Bhabie has a future in addressing prestigious debate clubs, because she crushed it at Oxford University, and the student body greeted her with thunderous applause.

Folks at the event tell TMZ ... Bhad Bhabie, aka Danielle Bregoli, chatted it up with a chamber full of students Wednesday night, and it was standing room only. Some kids waited for hours in the rain to get their spot inside.

You can tell the crowd was thrilled to have her. Danielle took part in a Q&A with the president of the Oxford Union, where she spoke about her alleged abusive experience at Turn-About Ranch, what it was like becoming famous so young, making 50 million bucks on OnlyFans ... and her new scholarship fund.

Afterward, they opened up the floor to questions from students and, not shockingly, Ye was a hot topic. Gotta admit, she had a pretty funny response when asked about what she thinks of him -- shouting out the rapper's early 2000s hits, and then keeping it moving.

No, Ye's antisemitic comments didn't come up -- most likely due to the huge applause her answer drew.

Danielle's in pretty elite company -- one night before her, Pakistani education activist Malala Yousafzai was at Oxford. BTW, similar turnout for both young women.

As we reported, Danielle was invited to speak back in September -- the Oxford Union prez offered the opportunity, saying "It would be an honour to welcome you to continue this fine tradition."

Nikolas Cruz, the monster who murdered 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018, has been sentenced to life in prison without parole.

The 24-year-old's sentencing was made final Wednesday ... following an emotional couple days of victims' parents and loved ones addressing Cruz directly.

Before the sentencing was handed down, the judge spoke directly to the victims and families -- reminding them that they're a part of a strong community -- adding those they've lost will never be forgotten.

As we reported, the jury recommended life in prison for Cruz in October -- they were unable to unanimously decide on the death penalty. At the time, Family members of Cruz's 17 victims were very obviously angry sitting inside the courtroom -- many shaking their heads and crying in disbelief. Cruz sat expressionless.

You'll recall, Cruz pled guilty last year to 34 counts -- 17 charges of murder and 17 charges of attempted murder.

Elon Musk is about to throw down the guillotine at Twitter -- with layoffs expected to be announced soon ... this ahead of a crucial date when employees are due to cash in.

The NYT reports that EM may start getting rid of people as early as Saturday, with some departments due to get slimmed down more than others ... although it's unclear which ones are on the chopping block. It's also unclear how many workers, exactly, he's cutting loose.

What is reportedly happening, however, is Musk tasking managers with creating lists of subordinates they could do without -- and he apparently wants 'em gone before Tuesday.

The reason for that is interesting ... the Times says on Nov. 1, Twitter employees are apparently due to receive stock grants as part of their compensation packages. No word on what those stocks look like or how often they're dished out, but it seems Elon wants to avoid handing out any more than he needs to by trimming the fat before the deadline.

Remember, there were reports this month that Elon was aiming to reduce the Twitter workforce by as much as 75% ... but there's been conflicting accounts since, suggesting he was reconsidering. Twitter has about 7,500 full-time employees that span the globe.

While this is pretty serious news for the staff ... Elon's carrying on like usual, with a lot of deadpan humor. He tweeted Saturday that free speech was back now that people could say carbs are actually good. EM also said comedy is now legal on Twitter again -- and he even poked fun at the Twitter firing hoax last week that took some media outlets for a ride.

He clearly saw the joke in the names ascribed to the fake Twitter employees who pretended to be canned en masse. Now, though, it looks like some real job loss is on the horizon.

Multiple people are feared dead after dozens of lifeless bodies required CPR in South Korea Saturday during what appears to be a mass gathering that turned into a crowd surge.

Several videos and photos are circulating on social media right now showing countless people laid out on the floor in the streets of Itaewon -- a popular neighborhood in Seoul -- and receiving chest compressions from both first responders and bystanders alike.

The images are scary ... as a lot of these folks don't seem to have any signs of consciousness -- and you can tell how frantic of a scene it is by the reaction.

Reports on the ground say upwards of 100 people were injured total -- with a significant amount purportedly having gone into cardiac arrest as well. There are signs multiple fatalities could result from this -- some photos show cops putting tarps over what seem to be dead bodies ... but there's no official count of lives beyond just 2, per NYT.

The reason all these people congregated here is because it's one of the biggest Halloween get-togethers there in Seoul -- reports say tens of thousands of people had packed into the relatively tight alleyways, which some speculate likely triggered a stampede of some sort.

One rumor floating around -- which hasn't been substantiated -- is that the crowd crush was caused by folks rushing toward a bar there in Itaewon after word of a celeb sighting ... although it's unclear who exactly it might've been, if anyone.

S. Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has dispatched emergency services to Seoul, and the mayor is on his way back from an international trip to survey the damage and get briefed.

A Missouri radio anchor had to go live on the air to report on the St. Louis school shooting this week -- while knowing her daughter was inside the school, and being uncertain she was alive.

St. Louis-based reporter Debbie Monterrey -- who works for KMOX news -- received alarming texts from her 17-year-old, Caeli, who's a senior at the Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience ... notifying her there was an intruder on campus and she was hearing loud bangs.

Her texts read ... "OMG THERE’S AN INTRUDER IN THE BUILDING," while a couple others said, "OMG IT’S NOT A DRILL," and "OMG THE ALARMS ARE GOING OFF."

This was all happening while Monterrey was live on the air covering this exact incident as it was unfolding -- and she says there was actually a period of silence while she composed herself before she finally spoke again to continue her job ... keeping it together.

It sounds like she got through it, because later ... Monterrey recounted the surreal experience, saying she had to maintain her composure best she could in the moment ... adding she started crying when they cut to commercial, because she'd just learned her daughter was safe.

The 19-year-old gunman used an AR-15-style weapon to shoot and kill a student and a teacher ... while reportedly injuring seven others. He was ultimately killed by police during an exchange of gunfire.

An Amazon driver is dead after an apparent dog attack in Missouri -- with the guy's body being laid out on the owner's property for hours.

Sheriff's deputies were called out to a residential home near Excelsior Springs Monday night, where neighbors reported an Amazon van had been parked in front of a house for quite a long time, with no sign of movement or change.

When they arrived, they found the driver dead on the front lawn, with 2 aggressive dogs also roaming about the grounds near the victim's body ... according to FOX 4 Kansas City.

Officers reportedly shot one of the dogs outside, but then they both scurried inside through the home's front door. First responders later killed both animals. We don't know what breed they were, or where their owners were at the time.

Rainer Schaller -- who owns Gold's Gym, among other brands -- is still missing after his plane disappeared off the coast of Costa Rica, and his gym's parent company says the plane crashed.

The RSG Group issued a statement Monday confirming Rainer, his family and two others were on board the plane when it crashed.

There is still no official word if Rainer died ... though there are reports two bodies were found, plus luggage and pieces of the twin-engine plane.

The airplane wreckage was found at sea, so the situation does not sound good.

As we reported ... Rainer's flight disappeared overnight Friday, with the plane vanishing off the coast of Costa Rica on a flight path from Mexico.

Serena Williams is flirting with a tennis return once again -- the superstar says she is NOT retired ... and the chances of her playing are "very high."

The 23-time Grand Slam winner made the comment at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco just days ago ... and it definitely sounds like she's got the itch to pick up the racket again.

"I'm not retired," Williams said.

In fact, Serena goes on to say there's a good chance fans will be able to watch her compete again ... but followed up with a joke.

"The chances are very high," Willaims said. "You can come to my house, I got a court. I got you."

Remember ... Williams said back in August she was "evolving away" from the game of tennis after 27 years, and her last match would be at the U.S. Open.

Of course, we saw that end on an emotional note as Williams lost in the third round to Ajla Tomljanović ... and since then, Serena says it's been challenging to adjust to her new life.

"I did wake up the other day and I went on the court and I was like, 'Oh, for the first time in my life, I'm not playing for a competition and it felt really weird,'" she said.

"It was like the first day of the rest of my life, and so far, I am enjoying it. But, I’m still trying to find that balance."

Williams has hinted at making a return in the past -- back in September, she name-dropped Tom Brady when talking about possibly coming back.