News

D.C. was lit Saturday night at an after-party following the White House Correspondents' Dinner, and apparently so were some of the correspondents!!!

MSNBC anchor Stephanie Ruhle was yukking it up and feelin' the beat with fellow anchor Symone Sanders-Townsend ... posing for pics when she just collapsed. No harm, no foul ... Ruhle bounced back up, with a little help, and was back at it.

The party went down at the French Ambassador's residence in D.C. People were dancing and, we're guessing, drinking some as the shindig blazed on. Stephanie hit the ground at 1 AM. No word on how long the party lasted.

The event's a big deal in D.C. Ariana Madix and Lisa Vanderpump were guests at the Dinner and A.M. had to love it when host Roy Wood Jr. compared her ex, Tom Sandoval, to Tucker Carlson.

A dangerous challenge on TikTok landed a North Carolina teen in the hospital with serious burns over nearly 80 percent of his disfigured body.

Grisly photos of Mason Dark have gone viral after the 16-year-old was dared by a group of TikTokers to make a torch out of a spray paint can and a lighter.

The TT users often meet online to create mini-flamethrowers, but this time their makeshift project went awry as Dark was engulfed in flames after the can exploded.

Dark ran to a river near his Wake Forest home and dove inside to put out the flames. When he emerged from the water, he had third-degree burns over 76 percent of his body, including his face.

His mom, Holli, told Fox affiliate WRAL News, “He is unrecognizable, unrecognizable." She also said her son was rushed to a burn center, where he has already undergone skin grafts, which are surgeries that replace damaged skin with healthy skin from unaffected areas of the body. Dark is expected to stay in the hospital for at least 6 months.

Holli went on to say her son's flaming, bunched-up T-shirt was seared into his skin while he was trying to remove it at the riverbed.

She added that his physical appearance has only worsened since the accident last week, explaining, “The way he looked when those kids saw him when he first came in, to what he looks like now, it’s 100 times different."

Tucker Carlson is out at Fox News, and now another conservative news outlet, Newsmax, wants him to be more than just the face of the network, and it's putting on a full-court press to land him.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the news channel is doing everything it can to sweeten the deal for Tucker to come on board -- including floating the idea of letting him program the whole channel, not just his own show.

That would be a pretty enticing deal point ... in addition to having his own primetime show, Tucker would have a say over what shows lead into and out of his show, which can be key in achieving bigger TV ratings.

While our sources stress Newsmax hasn't formally offered Tucker a job -- he can't have formal discussions due to his current Fox News contract -- we're told the network execs have made it clear to people around him, they would basically give him a big say in rebranding their channel.

Newsmax has some competition for Tucker ... as we first reported, NewsNation is showing early interest as well.

Our sources acknowledge it's too early to know for sure where Tucker will pop up next, and it might not even be at a TV network ... but we're told whatever he does, it's going to be big, disruptive, and will create a seismic shift in the conservative media landscape.

Dylan Mulvaney has finally come back to social media after facing serious outrage online for her partnership with Bud Light ... saying she's still standing strong despite all the noise, adding the hatred being spewed at her is a real full-circle moment.

The transgender TikTok personality jumped back on Instagram Thursday, addressing her 1.8M followers with a "long time, no talk" convo ... first saying she took a step back once the controversy started in order to "let them tucker themselves out."

She never mentions Bud Light by name, but she's absolutely referring to the anger that was around her recent collab -- reassuring fans she's doing alright, but being called names or "too feminine" really took her back to when she was a kid.

What's different this time around is this isn't playground talk -- it's adults coming after her for being herself ... adding "Dehumanization has never fixed anything in history." Dylan says she's always trying to love everyone, including those that are against her.

She finishes by joking that something good came out of all of this, apart from the trans representation in ads -- saying the people pleaser in her has died because she's accepted the fact that she can't win them all.

As you know, Bud Light came under fire -- literally -- at the beginning of April after partnering up with Dylan ... and many people, including Kid Rock, decided to show their lack of support by destroying the beer cans they'd already purchased.

Carolyn Bryant Donham -- the woman who accused 14-year-old Emmett Till of whistling at her, leading to his horrifying death at the hands of her husband -- has died.

Donham's death was confirmed Thursday by the Calcasieu Parish, LA coroner's office ... which told Mississippi Today the 88-year-old had been under hospice care while suffering from cancer.

Donham's 1955 allegation against Emmett, which was never proven, prompted her husband and brother-in-law to kidnap the child, beat him and shoot him in the head.

When Emmett's body was found he'd been brutalized so badly his face was unrecognizable. More than 50,000 people attended his funeral, where his mother decided to leave his casket open, saying ... "Let the world see what they did to my boy."

A jury acquitted Donham's husband and brother-in-law, although many years later they confessed to the crimes.

As for Donham, she was never charged in Till's murder. Although, an unserved warrant for her arrest, back in 1955, was found last year in the basement of an old courthouse ... a grand jury declined to indict her for the slaying.

Ya gotta imagine Don Lemon and Kim Kardashian have plenty to catch up about -- like possible new career paths -- and they got into it at the Time100 Gala.

Kim and Don were deep in discussion Wednesday night in NYC ... along with Don's longtime partner Tim Malone, who was all smiles. We're guessing his sudden departure from CNN, and her saying she'd leave reality TV to be a full-time lawyer were hot topics for them.

Kim buzzed around a lot at the event ... bumping into Salma Hayek, Gayle King, and Padma Lakshmi.

As for Don, he certainly didn't look down in the dumps about his firing. As we reported, he looked pretty chill and happy throughout the night. Hey, no alarm clock going off before dawn can change your life!

Don also told TIME he's gonna have the summer of a 12-year-old, laying on the beach with Tim. He was even asked what kind of influence he thinks he's left at CNN -- a question he redirects to his former colleagues.

And as you know, Kim revealed earlier this week ... she'd ditch TV to become a lawyer full-time, saying she's already passed the baby bar and plans to take the real bar in 2025.

FYI -- Kim was named one of TIME's Most Influential People of 2015, and last year SKIMS made its list of Most Influential Companies.

Turns out the death of Canadian actor Saint Von Colucci as a result of a dozen cosmetic surgeries was one big hoax ... in fact, Von Colucci may not have even been a real person.

The Daily Mail, reported Saint died Sunday morning at a South Korean hospital due to complications from the surgeries that cost him $220,000. TMZ followed suit and posted the story.

The Mail quoted someone purporting to be a publicist for Saint, who supposedly went under the knife 12 separate times so he could play BTS boy band star, Jimin, in an upcoming Korean TV drama, "Pretty Lies."

The source told the outlet Saint's surgeries included jaw implants, a nose job, a face-lift, lip reduction, an eyebrow lift and an eye lift.

Don Lemon doesn't look down in the dumps over being out of a job ... in fact, it's quite the opposite.

Don was all smiles Wednesday at the Time100 Gala in New York City, mugging for the cameras despite his recent firing from CNN.

While Don lost his high-paying job Monday after 17 years at the cable news outlet, he's got a support system to fall back on ... he was joined at Wednesday's event by his longtime partner, Tim Malone, and they both appeared in great spirits.

Fact is, Don's going to have options in TV news despite his CNN ouster ... as we first reported, NewsNation is interested in adding Don to a growing roster of high-profile anchors.

Don, we're told, was making about $7 million a year at CNN ... and our sources say NewsNation would be comfortable offering him a seven-figure salary.

In other words, Don doesn't have too much to worry about even though he's unemployed ... and it looks like he's confident he's going to land on his feet.

Don Lemon and Tucker Carlson are now without a work home -- but they could land at the same place in the near future ... and that might be NewsNation, which wants 'em both.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the television network -- which has been growing steadily over the past few years -- is interested in potentially hiring DL and TC and adding them to their growing roster of high-profile anchors.

We're told the announcements of their oustings Monday came at a perfect time for NewsNation -- which just started running 24-hour programming starting this week.

Plus, we're told the fact both of these guys are huge, recognizable names in the news game is appealing to NewsNation honchos -- who feel like they both could bring in big swaths of a diverse audience on both the right and the left ... with NewsNation being the hub.

Our sources tell us NewsNation is aware that Don and Tucker each come with their own baggage -- but we're told the execs feel like they could manage it. BTW, the idea of bringing both of them on would not be a replacement move ... but a supplemental one, where they'd simply be expanding their talent and creating new shows for the air.

Now, on the issue of money ... there could be a hurdle, seeing how our sources tell us NewsNation would not pay either guy anywhere close to what they were making. In Tucker's case, we're told he's been making $20 million per year at FOX of late.

For Don, our sources tell us he's closer to $7 million/year -- and if they were gonna work at NewsNation, they'd have to be comfortable with a pretty big pay cut ... as we're told the org wouldn't be able to come anywhere close to either number. Still, though, our sources tell us their potential salaries would be fat nonetheless ... in the millions for both.

One final note ... we're told NewsNation is serious about this -- and that their executive team flew to NYC Monday to discuss this internally. So, it sounds like they might just pursue this plan -- as they clearly feel it could work out.

Chris Cuomo is a good example of that -- he was booted from CNN a couple years ago. It's actually interesting, because we're told Cuomo, who was close to Don back in the day, feels Don betrayed him after he was booted.

The fact NN has studios in big markets like D.C., Chicago and NYC, we're told, also makes the team feel like they might have a shot at hooking these 2 big fish. Of course, there are reports Don and Tucker have retained the same entertainment attorney, Bryan Freedman.

Terrifying moment for the Arsenal women's soccer team on Sunday evening ... their plane caught on fire just before it was set to take off -- but, thankfully, no one was injured, and the squad made it home safely Monday.

The horrifying scene went down just after Arsenal played Wolfsburg in a Champions League match in Germany ... when, according to multiple reports, a bird flew into one of their plane's engines just before it was set to take the players back to London.

A photo obtained by German media outlet BILD shows the impact caused a big blaze on one of the aircraft's wings ... sparking panic.

Pilots immediately aborted the flight, however ... and, fortunately, officials were able to get everyone off the ride and onto the ground without further issue.

Arsenal said in a statement hours after the incident that the team stayed overnight after the plane's problems -- but made it home just fine Monday.

"We would like to thank the staff onboard the aircraft and on the ground at the airport for their assistance," the team said.

Don Lemon is out at CNN, after 17 years at the network, a move he says he was never given any heads-up was happening.

In a statement Monday, Lemon said, "I was informed this morning by my agent that I have been terminated by CNN. I am stunned. After 17 years at CNN I would have thought that someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly."

He continues, "At no time was I ever given any indication that I would not be able to continue to do the work I have loved at the network. It is clear that there are some larger issues at play."

Finally saying, "With that said, I want to thank my colleagues and the many teams I have worked with for an incredible run. They are the most talented journalists in the business, and I wish them all the best."

Don was on air Monday morning, without a hint that anything might be off, and ending his show with the words, "Bye, everyone."

The move comes just 2 months after Lemon was benched briefly for sexist comments he made about Nikki Haley, when he said she was no longer "in her prime" at age 51.

He was also recently caught on a hot mic making comments about Jon Stewart ... however, it seemed those incidents had both cooled off with the network.

Unclear if there was something more happening behind the scenes.

Folks at Disneyland got extra Saturday night, as they watched parts of Tom Sawyer Island go up in flames.

It went down as park-goers were enjoying the Fantasmic light show on Tom Sawyer Island  ... suddenly, the head of the 45-foot-tall animatronic dragon erupted into a fireball and the flames began to spread.

Cast members were at the ready and quickly evacuated around 1,000 people from the area around Frontierland. No one was hurt, but there was clearly extensive property damage.

The fire started toward the end of the show, when Mickey Mouse was fighting the fire-breathing dragon, Maleficent. The fire breath engulfed the dragon's head and then spread to the rest of its body.

And this is interesting -- the way it was extinguished. The staff turned on a water feature that was part of the show and it doused the flames, and the crowd cheered.

Charles Barkley and Gayle King are teaming up to take CNN by storm -- they're gonna be hosting a new show together later this year ... which may be forcing HRH into a double take.

The announcement was made Saturday during TNT's pregame coverage ... where Gayle came on set with Chuck and the guys to talk about their new venture together -- namely, a weekly primetime slot on CNN that sees them both talking politics and timely topics.

The program's gonna be titled "King Charles" ... and while, on its face, it might sound Chuck-centric -- you'll remember, King is Gayle's last name ... so she's in there as well.

Now, as for what sort of stuff they might get into -- well, they teased a little bit on TNT ... including the hot-button issue of guns. Charles and Gayle brought up a string of shootings that have happened over the past few months ... including school shootings and even ones that have randomly occurred to innocent bystanders -- like Ralph Yarl and Kinsley White.

Now, while they'll certainly cover stories that touch on politics ... Charles insists the show itself won't be political by nature -- meaning, it won't pander to Republicans or Dems. The way they're pitching it is ... Gayle and Charles giving their "straight shooter" opinions live.

Gayle also says it doesn't always have to be so heavy ... adding they might get into food, pop culture and whatever else they wanna touch on that's in the news cycle that week.

"King Charles" will air Wednesdays starting this all, and both will retain their gigs at CBS and Turner, respectively ... the latter of which is an already subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.

A speeding freight train obliterated a pickup truck standing on the tracks in Texas ... and video of the collision is just INSANE.

Check out the wild footage showing the massive train barreling down the railway in Odessa and slamming into the unoccupied Ford truck on Wednesday morning.

As you can see, the truck literally exploded at the moment of impact as the train kept rolling down the tracks. No one was injured.

According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the truck wound up on the tracks after it collided with a Honda minivan earlier that day.

In the vehicle accident, the minivan driver was killed while a passenger was hospitalized in critical condition, DPS says. The truck driver was in stable condition at the hospital.

MyPillow's Mike Lindell will be eating his words right now -- because his company put out a challenge a couple of years back, saying he had proof that China interfered in the election and was egging people to prove him wrong.

The problem? An arbitration panel found that someone did ... and now he's gotta pay up.

Here's the deal, Mike put the "Prove Mike Wrong" challenge out there in 2021 ahead of his so-called cyber symposium in South Dakota. He said he had data showing Chinese interference in the 2020 election and offered up $5 mil to anyone that could prove it wasn't the real deal.

Fast forward to Wednesday -- according to the Washington Post, a private arbitration panel determined 63-year-old Nevada resident Robert Zeidman analyzed Mike's data and in fact proved it didn't show the evidence Mike said it did ... meaning Zeidman's entitled to the dough.

Zeidman put together a 15-page report that he insisted the data did "not contain any information related to the November 2020 election."

Robert reportedly had to go to the arbitrators after Mike's management company denied a payout. They've ordered the company to cough up the cash within the next 30 days. Mike clearly isn't going down without a fight ... telling The Post the arbitrators made a mistake and vowing "This will be going to court!"

The spate of homeowner shootings got even more insane after a 6-year-old and her parents were shot by a neighbor who was pissed off because their basketball rolled onto his property.

Robert Louis Singletary went ballistic Tuesday in North Carolina ... apparently angry at a bunch of kids who were playing basketball nearby. The ball bounced onto Singletary's yard, and he responded by running down the street with a gun and shooting at a neighbor.

Singletary wasn't done ... he started shooting at the little girl and her parents. The girl, Kinsley White, was grazed on her face by a bullet, and her parents were struck as well.  Kinsley's dad, William White, was hit in the back and critically injured. White apparently stepped into the line of fire to protect his daughter.

Kinsley told a local TV outlet WSOC-TV, "Why did you shoot my daddy and me? Why did you shoot a kid's dad?"

Singletary has been charged with 4 counts of first-degree attempted murder, among other charges.