News

Those who speculated COVID-19 might've arisen from a lab in China -- meaning it was created by scientists and accidentally escaped -- appear to have been right all along.

Per the Wall Street Journal -- which says it's reviewed an internal report by the U.S. Energy Dept. that was apparently shared with the White House and Congress recently -- the lab leak theory seems to hold true, at least based on their own investigation and findings.

The DoE's classified intelligence report concludes COVID likely slipped out into the public via a "mishap" at a lab in China -- unclear which one though, or under which exact circumstances -- and that they've reached this new determination with fresh intel. However, the report also notes their confidence is "low" in terms of being absolutely sure here.

Here's the thing ... the FBI arrived at a similar assessment in '21 on the origin of the virus -- through their own investigation -- but not every government agency agrees. In fact, there are 4 other (unidentified) agencies, as well as a national intelligence panel, that still feel it may have emerged through natural transmission ... but their confidence in that is also "low," according to WSJ. In other words, no one really knows -- but everyone has a good guess.

So, while this Energy report is far from a definitive say on how COVID came about -- it does open the door for debate ... which was widely shut down as conspiratorial 2-3 years ago, when regular folks were suggesting it might have been something man-made/man-spread.

In fact, some claimed they were being outright censored on social media for spreading this type of theory ... which was being written off at the time as misinformation, and some even went so far as to say it was racist and xenophobic in nature to even suggest the lab leak.

Glynn Turman tells us why Black elementary school kids getting racist drawings during Black History Month isn't a story that shocks him ... and he's got some incredible words for the kids that were apparently targeted.

We got the longtime actor at Wally's in Bev Hills ... and, as he puts it, hatred like this is deeply rooted in America's DNA, which is why it's an incident we should've seen coming -- and he calls out the lack of education as a reason why.

Glynn says we can't keep burying racism in this country, pointing to this vulgar act as an example. He's also got words of wisdom for Black kids who are facing hatred like this in schools today ... check it out, it's incredibly powerful.

As we reported, drawings saying things like "To my favorite cotton picker" and "You're my favorite monkey" were passed out at Pepper Tree Elementary School in Upland, CA ... needless to say, parents of the targeted students were outraged.

Another Norfolk Southern train has derailed in North Carolina, but the company says there were no hazardous materials aboard ... and that there's no danger to the public this time.

One of the freight train's 132 cars fell off the tracks Saturday morning near Lexington, which affected a few Amtrak trains' paths near Greensboro/surrounding areas. The announcement from one Amtrak train went out around 9:20 AM, but the path was partially clear again about an hour later ... so it sounds like a cleanup crew was able to get out there quickly.

Norfolk Southern confirmed it was, in fact, one of their freights that had toppled over, telling FOX News ... "There are no reports of a hazmat situation or danger to the public. Our crew is safe and additional personnel are on their way to begin cleanup. We appreciate the public’s patience and care near this area during the cleanup work."

Still no word on what might've caused this, but it's certainly not a good look for NS -- which is still dealing with the fallout from another more serious derailment in East Palestine, OH.

As you know, the EPA ordered Norfolk to cover the costs for all cleanup efforts in Ohio ... and has vowed they'll pay triple if they cut corners and don't do the job right the first time.

Meanwhile, Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg went down to East Palestine Thursday for the first time -- blasting Norfolk Southern for pushing back on safety regulations that could've possibly avoided this in the first place. He and the Biden administration continue to face criticism for the seemingly slow response to the ongoing environmental disaster unfolding.

The creator of the classic comic strip, 'Dilbert,' may have just lined up the final nail in his coffin when it comes to newspapers running his stuff ... via a racist rant about Black people.

Scott Adams posted a new episode to his podcast Wednesday, where he discussed a poll he says was put out by Rasmussen ... which cites 53% of Black Americans agreeing with the phrase "It's okay to be white," meaning almost half of the respondents surveyed didn't necessarily agree, sending Adams into a tirade about the ramifications of that, from his POV.

Check out what he said ... because it's truly something. SA launches into a tirade about how white people should simply stop trying to help African-Americans in this country, because it always backfires and only festers hate from Black people's side. That's his takeaway.

He also goes so far as to say that Black people, at large, are a hate group ... with his rationale being -- if they're not okay with the phrase, they're trafficking in racial bigotry.

Adams went on to distinguish the differences between white and Black neighborhoods -- invoking Don Lemon, no less -- and ended with the cherry on top ... namely, his suggestion that white citizens steer clear of Black people ... 'cause it's just more trouble than it's worth.

As hostile and antagonistic as that sounds, Adams insists he's tried being an ally to Black folks throughout his life ... so much so, he apparently started *identifying* as Black too. 🤔

Welp, that was enough for some major flagship news operations to kick him and 'Dilbert' to the curb -- including Gannett, which runs and publishes USA Today ... which now says it's done with him and will no longer continue to print 'Dilbert' comics in any of its papers.

The Plain Dealer -- a Cleveland publication -- announced the same shortly thereafter ... but it's actually late to the game. Several other newspapers in recent years have already dropped Adams/'Dilbert' ... upwards of 77 under Lee Enterprises and the SF Chronicle too.

Mother Nature is adding some natural chill to wine made in Napa Valley -- some areas of California's most famous wine-growing region are covered in snow -- and the images coming out of Napa Valley are stunning.

Seriously, you've probably never seen Napa quite like this ... an unprecedented winter storm is making it snow at lower than normal elevations all across California, with some wineries in Napa Valley getting up to a foot of snow!!!

Three famous vineyards on Napa's famed Howell Mountain were blanketed in snow Friday morning ... including 10 to 12 inches at Neal Family Vineyards.

As you can see, the wineries have naturally transformed into a winter wonderland ... with Arkenstone and CADE Estate also getting tons of snow dumped from the heavens above. What's particularly crazy, Napa Valley's average elevation is just a few hundred feet above sea level ... making the snow that much more of a rarity.

Napa Valley wineries may get occasional dustings of snowfall or snow flurries every now and then ... but a foot of snow is super rare and almost unheard of around these parts.

A Disneyland superfan has etched his name in the Guinness Book of World Records -- by visiting the house of mouse nearly 3,000 times in a ROW!

50-year-old Jeff Reitz made his mark by hitting up the Anaheim resort a whopping 2,995 times consecutively, starting back in 2012 ... adding up to a total of 8 years, 3 months, and 13 days.

The Huntington Beach local and Disney fan told Guinness the idea started as a joke a decade ago when the park announced it would be holding a 24-hour event on Leap Day ... making it possible for him to spend 366 days at the park starting in 2012.

Clearly, it evolved from just a joke, though -- suddenly Jeff started picking up steam as the days went by, getting contacted by newspapers and radio stations to tell his story. He was even given a gift basket and declared an honorary citizen of the park after his first 366 days.

Jeff was hoping to reach the big 3K milestone, but his run was cut short in March 2020 when the park was shut down due to COVID restrictions ... but it's an accomplishment he's incredibly proud of nonetheless.

FYI -- Jeff quickly became a bit of a celeb in the parks, with other Disney fans and even cast members wanting to take photos and meet the guy.

Gotta admit you know you've made it when Chewbacca wants YOUR autograph. Congrats Jeff!

The Florida man accused of fatally shooting three people -- including a 9-year-old girl and a news reporter-- screamed "They're killing me!" as the police took him to the ground and disarmed him.

Check out this dramatic body cam video, released by the Orange County Sheriff's Office, showing cops driving up to Keith Melvin Moses in Orlando on Wednesday and jumping out with their guns pointed at the alleged killer.

One cop yelled, "Get on your f***king face!" Another officer shrieked, "Get on the f***king ground!"

One of the cops shoved Moses, knocking him to the ground. The cop then straddled his chest and tried to restrain him. Moses started screaming, "They're killing me" and "Let me go!"

The cops turned him over onto his chest and cuffed his hands behind his back. Moses started complaining that he couldn't breathe while the cops suggested that he could be on drugs.

An eagle-eyed deputy noticed Moses had a "zero" in his leg pocket, meaning a weapon.

Another officer asked for his knife and cut open Moses' pant leg, revealing the alleged handgun used in the shootings. You could hear the officer say the gun "is still hot."

Police say Moses embarked on his shooting rampage Wednesday morning when he murdered a woman inside a vehicle and then fled.

Spectrum News 13 reporter Dylan Lyons and his photographer showed up at the scene to cover the slaying.

At some point, Moses allegedly returned to the scene and shot the journalists, killing Lyons and critically wounding his photog.

Cops say Moses then slipped inside a home nearby and shot a mother and her 9-year-old daughter. The mother was critically injured. Her daughter died.

Investigators initially said Moses knew the first victim, but a witness later contradicted that statement, saying there was no connection. Moses also had no link to the other victims.

The elementary school students who targeted Black classmates with horrifically racist drawings aren't being held accountable, despite multiple other incidents of bigotry ... so says the SoCal school's PTA President.

Robin Allen joined "TMZ Live" Thursday, and unloaded on the school district for failing to issue any meaningful punishment for the students at Pepper Tree Elementary in Upland, CA. She also shot down the theory parents are behind the racist drawings.

Robin pointed out 6th graders made the offensive drawings on their own, completely unsolicited by teachers -- in other words, this was NOT a Black History Month lesson gone awry.

As we reported ... the drawings included captions like, "You're my favorite monkey," and "To my favorite cotton picker."

Even more disturbing ... Robin says the group of students responsible for the drawings have been calling Black kids monkeys and making animal noises all year -- not just this month.

Unfortunately, she claims the school district has let them get away with it for far too long.

One pair of parents of a Black student is blaming the parents of the offending students for teaching them bigotry -- but, as we said, Robin isn't letting the kids off that easy ... and wants the school district to prove it really does have a zero tolerance for hate.

Robin also feels the principal's apology for the incidents was far too delayed, coming 2 weeks after news of the drawings.

A Florida TV journalist broke down in tears live on camera while covering a shooting that claimed the life of both a 9-year-old and a reporter.

WESH correspondent Luana Munoz was doing a live shot outside an Orlando hospital Wednesday night after she had gotten word that fellow journalist Dylan Lyons was one of 3 victims fatally shot in the savage attacks that left 2 others critically wounded. The surviving victims had been rushed to the hospital.

Munoz opened her report with her voice cracking and wiping a tear from her eye. She said, "I apologize. This is really difficult to cover. This is every reporter’s absolutely worst nightmare. We go home at night afraid that something like this will occur and that is what happened here."

She also got choked up talking about Lyons' fianceé, saying they had embraced earlier as other journalists stood in solidarity with their fallen colleague.

Munoz ended with ... "So again we are at Orlando Regional Medical Center where we have learned that one of our own, a fellow reporter, has died while out covering a shooting. There are members of his family here along with his fiancée who are just incredibly distraught tonight."

Orange County Sheriff John Mina said Keith Melvin Moses began his shooting spree late Wednesday morning when he murdered a woman -- with whom he was acquainted -- inside a vehicle and then fled.

Mina said Lyons and a photographer then showed up at the scene to cover the slaying for Spectrum 13 News. While they were doing their jobs, Moses allegedly returned to the scene and shot the journalists, killing Lyons and critically wounding the photog.

But, Moses wasn't done. He allegedly slipped inside a home nearby and shot a mother and her 9-year-old daughter. The mother was critically injured. Her daughter died.

Not only is Don Lemon thankful to be back on the air at CNN, he wants to remain there for the foreseeable future, and worked hand-in-hand with the network on his return apology ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ, Don was in contact with CNN honchos throughout his entire time off, with a common goal, get back to work and apologize for his wrongdoing.

In fact, we're told it was agreed upon by both Don and the network that he would tweet out an apology before getting back on-air Wednesday. Our sources say Don never refused to apologize on-air ... everyone, including the network, thought it would be best they get back to reporting the news and move on from Don's mishap.

Additional sources say there was never an impression, internally, Don would be fired -- despite many outside CNN calling for that. We're told both he and the network are looking forward to continuing a long-term working relationship. We're told Don really enjoys working on 'This Morning' and is fully committed.

Our network sources say Don feels awful he said something dumb and made the mistake, but he's now acknowledged it and apologized publicly and internally.

The 911 call from an alligator's deadly attack on an 85-year-old woman in Florida has just been released ... and it's terrifying.

The frightened caller, who saw it all go down, tells the 911 dispatcher ... "There's a woman in the lake. The alligator's got her!"

The caller says the huge gator grabbed the woman as she walked her small dog by the water, telling the dispatcher ... "He pulled her into the lake."

The dispatcher asks if the gator dragged the woman below the surface ... and the caller says "Yes."

As the call unfolds, the caller says she hasn't seen the woman surface for several minutes ... but about 8 minutes in the caller notices a body floating in the water and exclaims, "I think she's gone, oh my God."

As we reported ... the attack happened Monday at a retirement community in Fort Pierce, FL, where the victim, 85-year-old Gloria Serge, was walking her dog near a retention pond when the gator lunged at them.

The roughly 10-foot alligator was ultimately captured and killed ... but the woman's dog survived.

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg had a weirdly tense and terse reaction when a reporter asked him about the residents suffering in the wake of the East Palestine train disaster, refusing to answer questions, saying he was on "personal time."

Buttigieg was in Washington D.C. Tuesday, when a reporter with the Daily Caller approached him and asked what he would say to the folks in East Palestine. His response -- "I'd refer you to about a dozen interviews I've given today, and if you'd like to arrange a conversation, make sure to reach out to our press office."

When the reporter persisted, Buttigieg, who was walking with his husband Chasten, brushed her off, saying, "... I'm taking some personal time and I'm walking down the street."

That wasn't the end ... the reporter asked when the former presidential candidate would go to East Palestine, he said he'd "share that when I'm ready."

And then the bizarre turn ... he stopped and asked the reporter if he could take a picture of her. It seemed like an intimidation tactic ... the reporter later Tweeted, "I guess he didn't like that so he took a pic of me ... just doing my job, sir."

Don Lemon is on thin ice at CNN -- although he's being welcomed back for now, TMZ has learned he's a strike away from getting the boot permanently, and he knows it.

Sources with direct knowledge about Don's situation tell us ... when the veteran anchor spoke with upper management this week to discuss his sexist comments and the path forward, he was told this was his final warning on such antics.

We're told it was communicated to Don in no uncertain terms ... the next time he insults his cohosts or creates a toxic environment (on or off-air) will be his last with the network.

Of course, we know Don agreed to these terms in addition to signing off on participating in formal training of some sort. The guy's set to return to his job Wednesday, so he's up to speed on all this.

It's interesting Don was given this ultimatum, especially since we've heard from people in his world that he's not happy at CNN -- not at all -- so the uneasiness is mutual.

As for why Don was given such a short leash -- well, the fact is ... he's pretty polarizing. DL's racked up negative headlines (for one reason or another) in recent years, and not just from criticism from people on the right.

There's another factor here too that must be on the minds of CNN Worldwide CEO Chris Licht and co. ... ratings. Not only were Don's numbers for his former primetime slot not strong enough to warrant him sticking around there ... ratings on his new gig have tanked.

Plus, we're hearing staffers at CNN are still on edge over Thursday's incident ... with one source saying the anger is real and hasn't died down. It's truly become a distraction.

Don Lemon returned to his CNN morning gig Wednesday and, if you tuned in to see some fireworks on set or an apology from the anchor, you were very disappointed.

Instead, Lemon tweeted an apology about 30 minutes before appearing on CNN This Morning, nearly a week after he made sexist on-air remarks.

Lemon tweeted, "I appreciate the opportunity to be back on @CNNThisMorning today. To my network, my colleagues and our incredible audience — I’m sorry. “I’ve heard you, I’m learning from you, and I’m committed to doing better. See you soon."

Then Lemon opened the show with a rather dull segment alongside cohost Poppy Harlow in the studio while Kaitlan Collins was reporting from Warsaw, Poland, where she's covering President Biden.

Don commented on Biden's speech about Kyiv standing strong one year after Ukraine was invaded by Russia. He turned to Harlow and said, "Very powerful speech from the President."

Harlow responded, "Very powerful and juxtaposed to what we heard from Putin in the morning," referring to the Russian President's speech in opposition to Biden's.

Harlow then turned to Lemon and cheerfully added, "What a day. Good morning everyone, Don and I are here in New York. And Kaitlin is live again in Warsaw Poland."

There was no mention of Don's sexist on-air remarks from last week -- nor was there an on-air apology from Lemon. It seemed like they were playing the role of a happy family on set or, at least, that's how the hosts were trying to portray it.

But, behind the scenes, there's much tension. As we reported ... Don is one strike away from being canned by the network. Our sources say if he screws up again, he's out!

We're told senior CNN executives gave the final warning to Don when they spoke to him this week. Don might not be so sad if he leaves. We're told he's not happy at CNN anyway.

And last week's debacle only ratcheted up the tensions. As you know, Lemon made sexist comments on air about 2024 Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley calling her past her prime at 51.

Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes can't keep their lips to themselves down in Mexico ... their getaway south of the border keeps heating up, with some steamy PDA by the beach.

The former 'GMA3' cohosts enjoyed a romantic stroll along the coast in Puerto Vallarta, showing off their toned beach bodies and kicking back with some cold cervezas at an oceanfront bar.

Amy soaked up the sun in a black bikini as she walked arm in arm with a topless T.J. ... and by the time they threw back a couple Pacificos at the cantina, they couldn't hold back any longer and started making out.

The lovebirds shared a bunch of laughs too ... and they're definitely putting the fun in funemployment.

Remember ... Amy and T.J. recently excited ABC with nice little payouts from their contracts after their affair forced them off the air ... and they've spent the last week locking lips all over Puerto Vallarta.

As we first told you, Amy and T.J. popped up in Mexico on Wednesday, attached at the hip as they strolled the streets, shopping and even stopping to talk with fans.

An elderly woman is dead after an alligator attacked while she was walking her dog -- and her efforts to save her pooch ended up costing her her life.

The tragedy happened Monday at a retirement community in Fort Pierce, FL where the beast lunged at 85-year-old Gloria Serge. The gator reportedly went after the dog first, but Gloria wasn't giving up her pet without a fight.

Unfortunately, Serge got knocked over in the struggle, and the alligator yanked her by the foot into a nearby pond ... where she drowned. Not too long after that, the authorities were called in to wrangle and kill the gator.

Photos released by the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Dept. show the dramatic scene ... officers straddling the reptile and tying it up as they prepared to haul it off in the back of a truck.

This one was estimated to be 10 feet in length, and was ultimately euthanized ... while the dog survived the ordeal.

As we know, gators are a dime a dozen in the sunshine state, and are incredibly dangerous. A toddler was killed under similar circumstances at Disney World in 2016.