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Oprah Winfrey was reportedly denied entry into a Maui shelter where wildfire survivors were seeking refuge ... but officials on the island are looking to clear it all up.

ICYMI, there were reports Oprah showed up to War Memorial Gymnasium in Wailuku last week with a CBS News crew, but was turned away ... and wasn't allowed in, until she told the camera ops to wait outside.

The County of Maui explained Sunday on Facebook ..."To clarify, Oprah was able to visit our shelter and we thank her for instructing media journalists and camera crews to remain outside."

In other words, Oprah wasn't singled out, she merely got the same treatment as all media showing up at the shelters.

The County went on to say, "Her visit inside of the shelter today was truly heartwarming and we appreciate her understanding of our policy of having no camera crews or reporters accompanying dignitaries and celebrities in our emergency shelters."

As we reported, video from inside the shelter on Thursday showed Oprah handing out pillows to the evacuees ... and she also passed around things like toiletries and even cots.

The part-time Maui resident took to Instagram Sunday -- after reports of her being denied entry broke -- sharing her experience with helping those in need on the island. She also says she'll be donating a big amount once the fires are out and rebuilding can begin.

The Rock and Jason Momoa are speaking up after the devastating wildfires in Maui -- and they're offering ways to help ... as well as some strongly-worded advice to outsiders.

The two Hollywood heavyweights -- both of whom have Hawaiian heritage -- have issued public statements this weekend, reflecting on the destruction left behind in Lahaina ... where the body count is now nearing the 100-person mark, with several still unaccounted for.

Jason has been posting about it all weekend, and he's plugging an organization called the Hawai'i Community Foundation ... specifically, a fund they've created to help the victims of Maui. In addition to the laying out a roadmap to resources, he's got a clear message.

To all tourists considering traveling to Hawai'i, especially Maui, JM is saying ... stay away.

He writes in no uncertain terms, "Maui is not the place to have your vacation right now. DO NOT TRAVEL TO MAUI. Do not convince yourself that your presence is needed on an island that is suffering this deeply. Mahalo to everyone who has donated and shown aloha to the community in this time of need."

Might sound like a no-brainer, but there've been on-the-ground reports of folks/tourists still frolicking in the area and enjoying their vacays, right in the middle of this disaster.

One video, in particular, has been going viral for what appears to be a group of tourists being taken out to sea near Maui by an excursion company ... this as the photog bashes the hell out of them for being insensitive about the deadly situation all around them. That company has since apologized, insisting they were gonna donate the funds from this to charity -- but vowing to halt operations for the time being. Safe to say ... that's a good call.

Now, as for Dwayne Johnson ... he, too, has addressed the crisis and is pointing people to the Hawai'i Community Foundation Maui Fund as well -- saying any donations and assistance will go a long way in helping restore the community, which is still reeling from the fires.

The Rock writes, "Heartbroken but our faith and mana is strong. First responders, health care teams, hotels, locals businesses, boots on the ground organizations and all our local heroes, stay strong - we love you and appreciate you."

He adds, "All our local families, our ohana, our aiga, stay strong thru this devastating time. Resilience resolve is our DNA. Our ancestors are in our blood. This is who we are. This is what we do. I love you. Stay strong. More to come."

Others celebs are chiming in as well -- including "Moana" star Auliʻi Cravalho -- who's been guiding people to helpful resources too. Of course, people like Jeff Bezos and Oprah are helping in a big way as well ... be it with major cash donations, or other means.

A Kansas newspaper was raided by cops after leaked DUI intel made its way to the publisher -- and many are calling it a chilling attempt at censorship over freedom of the press.

The Marion County Record was paid a visit Friday by the local authorities ... who were executing a warrant that had been signed by a judge, giving them the green light to confiscate a ton of items -- including computers, phones, hard drives and other data.

The reason law enforcement stormed the place -- not to mention the home of the publisher, Eric Meyer -- is due to a complaint a restaurateur in town filed ... namely, accusing the Record of identity theft/unlawful use of a computer in putting together a piece about her.

It's a complicated backstory -- but, essentially, this woman (Kari Newell) and the newspaper have apparently had some bad blood of late ... and, in the aftermath of that, the Record says it recently obtained a tip about her past, revealing she'd once gotten a DUI and had driven without a license thereafter. This info could've hindered her business prospects.

While investigating the tip and confirming its veracity, the Record's publisher, Meyer, concluded the info was likely coming from Newell's husband ... whom she was in the middle of divorcing. In other words, questionable motives ... so he decided to pass on it altogether.

However, he did more than just that ... he actually alerted cops to the fact that this information had been leaked to them -- although it's unclear why. In any case, it backfired.

It seems Newell became privy to the fact Meyer and co. had fallen into possession of this information, and believed they'd done so illegally ... something the Marion County Record denies. Nonetheless, she went to the cops and filed a complaint ... which escalated into a full search warrant that Marion County District Court Magistrate Judge Laura Viar signed.

The Montgomery riverfront brawl is triggering ... in a financial sense, because retailers are cashing in with merch based on the viral fight, and the items are going like hotcakes.

Sites like Etsy, eBay and Amazon made it their business to start hawking brawl-themed merch almost immediately last Sunday -- the day after the Alabama fight went down, and these platforms are still surging with a bunch of creative options to buy.

Some of the things ya can scoop up include folding chair earrings and keychains, hoodies with photos from the fight, and even shirts that read, "Don't start nothing, won't be nothing."

One of the most common shirt designs says, "F*** around and find out," with a folding chair front and center ... pretty funny stuff.

JoeRyanDesigns on Etsy made an "Avengers Assemble" coffee mug with people portraying superheroes, like the man with the folding chair -- who's since been arrested -- and the company tells us its merch is going viral, just like the event that inspired it.

The site's seen a "massive increase" in traffic, which comes out to a 3,011% uptick in views.

Jeff Bezos is taking some much-needed action to help Maui recover and rebuild after the horrific wildfires -- not only by donating a huge sum of money, but also by creating a fund to keep the relief effort going.

Jeff's fiancee Lauren Sanchez announced they're donating $100 million and launching the Maui Fund, saying ... "Jeff and I are heartbroken by what's happening in Maui. We are thinking of all the families that have lost so much and a community that has been left devastated."

The deadly fires -- which have claimed at least 59 lives and wiped Lahaina off the map -- have left thousands homeless and without any personal belongings. The humanitarian crisis would be enough to draw Bezos' attention, but he also has a personal tie to the island.

He purchased a 14-acre estate for $78 million in 2021 ... which is about 20 miles south of where the fires are raging.

The Alabama riverboat co-captain who got into that epic fight with a group of white boaters says the men threatened to beat him to death during the wild melee.

Damien Pickett, the co-captain of the Harriott 2 passenger ferry -- and the man who tossed his hat in the air -- told police the boaters who ganged up on him peppered him with threats during the beatdown on the docks, telling him "I'm gonna kill you, motherf*****. Beat your ass, motherf*****."

Damien's claims are part of his written account of the incident, first obtained by NBC News, where he tells police his side of the story.

The co-captain says crew members on the Harriott 2 asked the folks on the pontoon boat to move several times because it was docked where the ferry needed to land, and he says the boaters responded by giving them the middle finger.

Damien says he and a dockhand went to shore and untied the pontoon boat, moving it "three steps to the right" before tying it back to the dock to clear space for the Harriott 2 ... and that's when he claims 2 of the boaters ran up to him and yelled, "Don't touch that boat motherf***** or we will beat your ass."

The co-captain says the men continued to threaten them and then the pontoon boat's owner -- dressed in a gray shirt, red shorts and a sun visor -- eventually came over and got in his face.

Damien says the guy who threw the first punch was "a tall, older white guy" who hit him in the face ... and he says he soon found himself being attacked from all angles, so he started defending himself and fighting back.

The co-captain couldn't tell police how long the brawl lasted, explaining ... "I grabbed one of them and just held on for dear life."

So far, 4 people have been charged for the brawl ... Allen Todd, 23, and Zachary Shipman, 25, turned themselves in Wednesday and were charged with one count of assault 3rd degree.

Oprah is helping her ohana on Maui ... personally delivering crucial supplies to folks who lost everything in the deadly wildfires that wiped out an historic town.

The media mogul, who is one of Maui's biggest private landowners, visited wildfire victims Thursday at a makeshift relief shelter ... passing out cots, pillows and toiletries.

Video shows Oprah giving a man in a cot a pillow, and he appears bandaged. Oprah reportedly offered to buy supplies for the shelter, which is overrun with folks who lost their homes in the deadly blaze.

Oprah shared moments with evacuees at War Memorial Gymnasium in Wailuku, which is being used as a shelter and a drop-off location for donations and supplies, even taking a moment to pose for photos.

Oprah owns more than 1,000 acres on Maui ... including in Hana and Kula, which is in one of the areas where the fires are raging. The blaze completely wiped out Lahaina, an historic town and popular tourist destination.

Maui's been absolutely devastated by the wildfires that ripped through the island this week, and as of Friday the death toll stands at 55. In addition to the tragic loss of life, thousands of structures burned to the ground.

Folks on Maui were forced to flee the flames with just the clothing on their backs ... so they need all the help they can get.

TMZ broke the story ... boxer Floyd Mayweather is paying for 68 families displaced by the fires to fly to safety and stay in a hotel for several weeks, and he's also footing the bill for their food and clothing.

In what could be a scene directly out of a horror movie ... Lahaina residents barely escape with their lives after diving into the ocean for relief from the city's deadly fires.

The terrifying clip shows residents -- many who appear to have grabbed whatever belongings they could last minute -- getting into the water for shelter. Some cling onto pieces of wood to stick together, while others appear to be solo.

The smoke and ash make it almost impossible for residents to see, let alone breathe ... and the diving into the water shows just how desperate the situation got on Maui.

As of Thursday night, the wildfires -- which spread at an unimaginable speed because of high winds -- were about 80% contained. However, there's still been a significant loss of life, with at least 55 people reported dead and more expected once rescue efforts conclude.

Lahaina has seemingly taken the worst hit of the towns in the area -- leaving it essentially flattened and thousands of residents without water, power and forms of communication.

The mom suing Southwest Airlines for accusing her of child trafficking says it's really a case of racial profiling ... and adds, there's a better way to protect kids if the airline would train its employees better.

Mary MacCarthy joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live," telling us why she feels her daughter's race was the only reason Southwest reported her, back in 2021, to Denver PD.

For those unaware, Mary and her child, Moira -- who was 10 at the time -- were flying to Colorado because Mary's brother had died, but cops greeted them as soon as they landed.

Southwest employees suspected Mary was trafficking Moira.

Mary insists the airline's only red flag was skin color -- she is white, while her daughter is biracial -- and she told us the misunderstanding could've been cleared up, if a crew member had spoken to them instead of calling police.

She also claims she never got a proper apology from the airline and is still waiting for it to admit fault for racially profiling them.

Senator Dianne Feinstein was at the hospital, TMZ has learned, after tripping and falling Tuesday in her home city of San Francisco.

We do not know how serious her injuries are ... only that she was taken to a nearby hospital. We're told she returned home Tuesday night.

The 90-year-old Senator has struggled with health issues over the last year. She was absent from the Senate for nearly 3 months earlier this year dealing with shingles, Ramsay Hunt syndrome and encephalitis.

She's also appeared confused ... telling a reporter upon her return she wasn't absent at all. She's also appeared confused at recent Senate hearings.

There have been quiet talks among Democrats and louder talks among Republicans for her to step down.

We reached out to the Senator's officer for comment ... so far, no word back.

Originally Published -- 6:36 AM PT

Police have arrested someone in connection to the killing of O'Shae Sibley -- a gay dancer who was recently stabbed to death in NYC ... this after voguing to Beyoncé's music, no less.

The NYPD announced Saturday that they had a suspect in custody, whom they believe is responsible for Sibley's death. The unidentified perp is a 17-year-old boy, per cops, and he's being charged with murder ... which NYPD says is being prosecuted as a hate crime.

The suspect surrendered Friday in Brooklyn, accompanied by a lawyer. He'd been on the police's radar since the July 29 incident ... as they believed he went to school in the area. So far, he's the only one being charged, although it's unclear if he'll be tried as an adult.

The fact this is being pursued as a hate crime lends credence to what friends of Sibley's -- some of whom say they were actually there at the gas station that night -- have been saying on social media ... namely, that the suspect and whatever group of people he was with apparently had an issue with Sibley and co. being gay. It led to a full-blown shouting match, and an eventual scuffle that resulted in Sibley being stabbed ... which was caught on video.

Based on reports, it sounds like the whole thing emanated from Sibley and his friends dancing in the parking lot ... and playing Bey's music in the background. The singer paid tribute to Sibley after hearing about it -- she has his name up on her website's homepage.

Since his death, tons of people have been paying their respects in a number of ways -- including visiting the site of his murder and voguing/protesting en masse, in his name.

The suspected killer of four University of Idaho students has served up an alibi for that fateful night ... claiming he routinely drives around alone late into the evening.

Bryan Kohberger filed a motion in Latah County Court in connection with the fatal stabbings of classmates Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Kaylee Goncalves in an off-campus house last November.

Kohberger, a former criminology student at Washington State University, is charged with all four slayings and faces the death penalty if convicted. He has pled not guilty.

In his court filing, Kohberger says he "has long had a habit of going for drives alone" and "often he would go for drives at night."

He noted that he "did so late on November 12 and into November 13, 2022," during the time of the murders, indicating he had nothing to do with them.

As we reported, Kohberger was arrested at his parent's home in Pennsylvania weeks after the deadly attack.

The wife and children of alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann are reeling in the wake of his arrest ... with all the crippling anxiety and sleeping difficulties you'd expect for a family suddenly thrust into a nightmare.

The suspected killer's wife, Asa Ellerup, says the couple's son and daughter are crying themselves to sleep.

Heuermann's wife revealed the toll the grisly allegations are taking on her family in an interview with the NY Post, telling the publication she often wakes up shivering from anxiety in the middle of the night.

As we reported ... Heuermann's family recently returned to the Long Island home where cops believe he gruesomely murdered his victims.

The couple's 33-year-old son, Christopher, got super emotional as he sat down on the front porch last week.

Now, Asa says the home is a complete mess as a result of a 12-day search by police ... and the couple's daughter, Victoria, feels like the family is being treated like animals.

Living and sleeping in that home under the gruesome circumstances seems like an impossibly traumatic situation -- but Heuermann's wife says they have nowhere else to go.

Among the alleged damage left by police ... cat litter boxes strewn about, a couch in shambles, a broken guitar, and some damaged collectibles.

Heuermann has been charged with 3 murders ... and investigators are digging into a theory he might have killed the victims in the home while his wife and kids were out of town.

Volodymyr Zelensky has said Ukraine is taking the fight in the ongoing war to Russia's doorstep -- and now, it appears like that's manifesting ... in the nation's capital, no less.

A viral video shows an explosion that went down in Moscow Sunday -- right in the heart of the financial district, it seems -- and it's pretty wild to see. You hear a woman who's filming, and she's got her camera aimed at a bunch of skyscrapers off in the not-too-far distance.

Suddenly, you see a massive ball of fire erupt near one of those buildings ... and it absolutely shocks the bystanders, who start to scream in a panic ... and even cry.

The Russian Defense Ministry is saying this was actually a Ukrainian drone ... and it was apparently just one of three that they say they took down before they could make impact. In this instance, RDM says the drone blew up near skyscrapers that housed government offices.

The Russian government also says there were no injuries or casualties here ... only minor damage to the façade of the two buildings. Still, people on the ground are reeling from this. BTW, this is the second reported attack on Russian soil in a week ... so they're escalating.

During a Sunday address, Zelensky is quoted as having said ... "Russian aggression has gone bankrupt on the battlefield. Today is the 522nd day of the so-called 'special military operation,' which the Russian leadership expected to last for a week or two. Ukraine is getting stronger. Gradually, the war is returning to the territory of Russia — to its symbolic centers and military bases, and this is an inevitable, natural, and absolutely fair process."

Lake Lanier has claimed yet another life in Georgia -- only this time, the mode of death is one no one seems to be able to explain ... because a guy was shocked to his demise.

24-year-old Thomas Milner was killed Thursday after he reportedly jumped into the water from his nearby family dock -- only to start screaming moments later and calling for help ... apparently, he was being electrocuted from within the lake itself.

Reports say, citing Georgia officials, that family friends tried pulling Milner out ... but were unsuccessful. It seems a neighbor had to actually drive over to his location with their own boat -- only for someone in the boat to finally jump in and attempt to bring him ashore.

That person, who hasn't been identified, reportedly told authorities they started to feel a burning sensation as soon as they got into the water ... which they assumed was electricity.

According to one local outlet, the diver actually got out of the water briefly ... turned off a power box that was adjacent to the dock ... and then went back in to get Milner, at which point they were able to pull him out. Unfortunately, it was too late for everyone involved.

They tried life-saving measures, but Milner later died at a hospital.

There's no official word why the water had electric currents in it -- but, believe it or not, this is something Lake Lanier officials have actually warned the public about over the years ... citing the risk of "electric shock drowning." Some say faulty outlets could cause this.

Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan are counting their blessings today ... 'cause the couple says they were at the scene of a terrifying officer-involved shooting Thursday evening.

The incident went down at around 5:30 PM in a popular shopping area in Miami ... after a man had allegedly taken two people hostage inside a Victoria's Secret and threatened to stab them with a knife.

According to police, in an attempt to de-escalate the situation ... an officer opened fire on the man and struck him.

Larsa said in an Instagram post following the shooting that she was just feet away from it all ... and it was "scary AF."

"So thankful for the Miami Beach Police Department," she said, "everyone was running and screaming."

In footage from the scene that Pippen shared, you can see people were panicked ... as officers tried to clear out the area.

A spokesperson for the Miami Beach Police Dept. says the suspect was taken to the hospital following the shooting ... though he was later pronounced dead there.