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There was a spectacular site above the Gulf of Mexico early Sunday, when the SpaceX Dragon capsule careened and then floated into the sea with 4 astronauts on board.

The 4 astronauts -- 3 from the U.S. and 1 from Japan -- ended their 167-day mission ... the longest ever for a crew capsule launching from the United States.

The Dragon capsule -- named Resilience -- had a welcoming party at the ready. Several ships were nearby to recover the capsule and the astronauts. It was a perfect landing, judging by how close the capsule touched down next to the ships.

The seamen jumped into action and recovered the spaceship in a half an hour. Some people were so impressed with the speed, they likened it to a pit stop at a car race.

The folks at Mission Control were ecstatic ... sending a message to astronauts ... “We welcome you back to planet Earth and thanks for flying SpaceX. For those of you enrolled in our frequent flyer program, you’ve earned 68 million miles on this voyage.”

Spacecraft Commander Mike Hopkins was more than willing to accept the perk ...“We’ll take those miles. Are they transferrable?”

Ghislaine Maxwell is sleep deprived and things are so torturous for her behind bars she's suffered a black eye ... so claims her attorney in a letter and photo she filed in court.

Maxwell's attorney, Bobbi Sternheim, filed docs attaching a picture showing what Jeffrey Epstein's associate is looking like these days while locked up at NYC's Metropolitan Detention Center.

It's clear she's suffered a bruise under her eye, but how she got it is a mystery. Her lawyer's filing included a letter to the judge stating Maxwell only noticed the bruise after catching her reflection on a nail clipper. She doesn't have a mirror.

Sternheim says Maxwell -- who's accused of trafficking underage girls to have sex with Epstein -- doesn't know how she got the bruise. It appears prison officials aren't buying that, because Sternheim claims officials threatened to put Maxwell in a Special Housing Unit unless she spilled the beans on how she got the bruise.

But, Sternheim says if Maxwell's ever placed in SHU "it would be ironic" because "it would signal that Ms. Maxwell needs protection from the very staff so intent on protecting her, since she has no contact with anyone but staff."

BTW ... there's one theory on how Maxwell got the bruise. Sternheim said, "There is concern that the bruise may be related to the need for Ms. Maxwell to shield her eyes [using a sock or towel] from the lights projected into her cell throughout the night."

Sternheim's concerned about Maxwell's sleep disruption every 15 minutes to check on her breathing ... to which the attorney also objects, saying it's a "myth" that "Maxwell's conditions of confinement are related to her being a suicide risk."

Alfred Hitchcock is smiling somewhere -- hundreds of birds overran a Southern California home, and even spent the night ... and the video is straight out of that very famous horror movie.

The nightmarish scene played out recently in Torrance, CA where a family says they counted at least 800 birds flapping around inside their pad.

Video shows the huge flock ominously circling above the home before diving in through the chimney and then causing all kinds of chaos inside.

As you can see, the avian invasion took over every nook and cranny of the home -- birds were on the ceiling, along the windows, in the corners, in the bedrooms, in the bathrooms, on the furniture, on the stairs ... everywhere.

Oh, and ya know what birds do -- there's poop. Lots and lots of bird poop!!!

The family says the birds, which are migrating north, were in their home for a few days and didn't seem to want to leave for some odd reason. They actually spent one night with the birds, but it was too much, and the next night they moved to a hotel.

A "Jeopardy!" winner flashing a hand gesture associated with "white power groups" is outraging hundreds of past players, who are calling out their beloved game show, but he insists they've got him all wrong.

The group of 467 former "Jeopardy!" contestants issued an open letter Wednesday, demanding "a statement and a disavowal" of the actions of Kelly Donohue ... who it accuses of racist messaging "either intentionally or unintentionally" on 2 separate occasions this week.

According to the letter, posted on Medium, the most egregious incident happened Tuesday, when Donohue made a 3-finger gesture to the camera that's extremely similar to the gesture "co-opted by white power groups, alt-right groups, and an anti-government group that calls itself the Three Percenters."

Donahue insists his hand signal was simply to indicate he'd won 3 games. In fact, Thursday morning he posted a long response to the backlash, saying, "I deeply regret this terrible misunderstanding. I never meant to hurt a soul and I assure you I am no friend of racists or white supremacists."

Even if that's true, the past players are still pissed "Jeopardy!" allowed the gesture to air without censoring it, and they point to a past example.

"A couple of years ago, a contestant unintentionally wagered a monetary amount that used numerical values coopted by white supremacist groups and, since the total didn’t affect the outcome of the game, 'Jeopardy!' digitally altered the numbers in the version that aired."

It should also be noted that Donahue held up one and two fingers after his first and second wins ... seemingly supporting his explanation that there was no hate behind it.

Even so, the former contestants believe it was on the production team to similarly catch Donohue's gesture and make an edit. The letter also alleges Kelly responded to a clue on Monday with a term for the Romani culture that's considered a slur.

Marvin Scott III -- a 26-year-old Black man who died last month in a Texas jail after being restrained to a bed for several hours -- died as a result of homicide, according to the medical examiner.

Scott was arrested for misdemeanor marijuana possession in a Dallas suburb on March 14, and though he was first taken to a local hospital for reportedly acting erratically ... he was later transported to the Collin County Jail in McKinney.

It was there Scott began "exhibiting some strange behavior" according to Collin County Sheriff Jim Skinner, and officials say he was subsequently restrained, pepper-sprayed and had a spit mask put on his face by detention officers.

According to reports, sometime during the several hours of being restrained to a bed, Scott became unresponsive and was later pronounced dead at a hospital. Skinner called it a "profound tragedy" at a news conference.

But, Collin County's chief medical examiner, Dr. William Rohr, is calling it a homicide. According to Rohr, his findings show Scott's cause of death was "fatal acute stress response in an individual with previously diagnosed schizophrenia during restraint struggle with law enforcement."

Scott's family says he had schizophrenia and was experiencing a mental health crisis while in police custody, and family attorney Lee Merritt claims Scott was using marijuana at the time of his arrest "to self-medicate after being two years diagnosed with schizophrenia."

Merritt tells TMZ ... he got the news about Marvin's death being ruled a homicide around the same time he learned the suspects in Ahmaud Arbery's killing were being charged with federal hate crimes, so it was a bittersweet day.

Lee, who represents Arbery's family as well, adds ... "I now have another uphill battle, having to fight the system for justice. Again, the cycle continues."

Worth noting -- the Collin County sheriff announced earlier this month that 7 detention officers who were allegedly involved in Scott's death have been fired for violating department policies and procedures.

The teenager whose video was seen 'round the world of George Floyd being murdered by Derek Chauvin has spoken on the guilty verdict that just came down ... and she's elated.

17-year-old Darnella Frazier just reacted to the news Chauvin was found guilty on all 3 counts, and now faces a max sentence of 40 years. She says, "I just cried so hard😩This last hour my heart was beating so fast, I was so anxious, anxiety bussing through the roof. But to know GUILTY ON ALL 3 CHARGES !!!"

Darnella shared her emotions on Facebook ... the same platform where she first posted the infamous 9 minute-plus video, which was the critical piece of evidence in Chauvin's trial.

She added, "THANK YOU GOD THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU😭🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽George Floyd we did it!!🥺❤️❤️❤️❤️justice has been served✊🏽"

Darnella elaborated even further on IG, saying ... "My heart goes out to George Floyd’s family!❤️🙏🏽Although no amount of charges will bring back a loved one, justice was served and his murderer will pay the price. We did it❤️❤️✊🏽#justicewasserved."

It's no exaggeration to say Chauvin's conviction is due in large part to the fact Darnella captured every painful minute his knee was on George Floyd's neck ... nearly 10 minutes.

Her video was played almost daily during Chauvin's trial and, in the end, clearly helped the jury reach its unanimous decision in under 11 hours.

It's been a long road for Darnella -- you might recall, she was going through a hard time in the immediate aftermath of the video going viral -- with some people questioning her motives and even asking why she didn't do more. She and her fam told us she might need therapy.

President Biden saying he's "praying the verdict is the right verdict" in Derek Chauvin's murder trial is a breath of fresh air for Rev. Al Sharpton, who believes the Prez didn't do anything wrong by weighing in ... and showing he's human.

The Rev. joined "TMZ Live" Tuesday shortly before it was announced the Chauvin jury had reached a verdict in his trial for murdering George Floyd. Obviously, collective anxiety is high in the country -- which is why Biden's comments Tuesday morning were surprising to some. But Sharpton notes ... the President has a connection to Floyd's family, which the Rev. says makes his remarks appropriate.

Not only that, but Al says Joe should be allowed as President to show some empathy about a case that has greatly impacted the Black community and the nation as a whole. He says he welcomes empathy over contempt, which he accuses former President Trump of consistently demonstrating.

Sharpton also points out ... Biden waited to comment on the Chauvin trial until the jury was sequestered, so his comments couldn't have an influence on the outcome of the trial.

Finally, he takes issue with Chauvin trial Judge Cahill going off on Rep. Maxine Waters in court Monday. Rev. Al told us he thinks the judge was out of line and totally misconstrued Waters' remarks about protesting if the jury returns a not guilty verdict.

The fiery Tesla crash that killed 2 people in Texas was most likely the result of the car's Autopilot feature failing, as cops tell TMZ ... neither man was behind the wheel.

Physical evidence after the Saturday night crash led authorities to believe the 2 men in the Tesla 2019 Model S were not driving it when it failed to navigate a turn, ran off the road and hit a tree ... then burst into flames.

According to Mark Herman, the Harris County Precinct 4 constable ... one of the men was in the front passenger seat, and the other was in the rear seat when it was traveling at a high rate of speed before the crash.

Law enforcement sources tell us they'll be issuing subpoenas for information on the car to determine if it was indeed on Autopilot ... though that's their working assumption. We're told law enforcement is also in contact with Tesla honchos to determine what went wrong.

The men, ages 59 and 69, were with their wives minutes before the fatal wreck telling them about taking the Tesla out for a drive and wanting to use the driver-assistance feature ... according to Herman.

It's another small step for man and giant leap for mankind -- this on Mars, where NASA just pulled off the first-ever powered flight on another planet ... courtesy of a mini helicopter.

NASA flew the aircraft, dubbed Ingenuity, and beamed in the live stream first thing Monday morning. Sending it instructions all the way here (some 180 million miles away) ... this little chopper got up off the ground at about 10 feet!

It's a historic feat ... marking the first time we've ever flown something that wasn't a rocket on another celestial body in our solar system. Think of it as the Wright Brothers flying the first plane on Earth -- this is like that, only it happened on Mars, with no one aboard ... and slightly better video!

As for the specs of how NASA was able to make it happen ... it sounds like they just had to tweak a few things for Ingenuity to achieve liftoff on the Red Planet.

For starters, Mars' atmosphere is quite thin compared to ours -- only about 1% as dense -- and it also has less gravity than what we're working with here. So, to account for that, NASA built this thing with much bigger blades that rotate incredibly rapidly ... around 2,537 RPM.

Now that they know Ingenuity can indeed get some air ... the plan is to test its capabilities and see if it can help us navigate and explore the mysterious red planet some more.

Joe Buck is set to try and fill Alex Trebek's shoes on "Jeopardy!" -- at least temporarily, and perhaps forever(?) ... this according to some new reports.

Different outlets are reporting that Buck -- perhaps America's most famous sports broadcaster -- will serve as a guest host on the legacy game show soon ... with his episodes apparently slated to air later this summer.

Unclear when filming begins, or how long his stint will be -- but it probably wouldn't run longer than 2 weeks, which is about how long all the other guest hosts have stepped in. Word is his time on "Jeopardy!" won't get in the way of his other broadcast duties for FOX.

One report claims Buck's "Jeopardy!" attempt is actually being considered for a longer-term role ... maybe even as permanent host of the series. IF true, that'd be a huge blow to people who have been begging for LeVar Burton to get a shot ... which has yet to happen.

Of course, the actor was the longtime host of "Reading Rainbow" once upon a time ... and many think he'd be a natural fit. LeVar does too, apparently, as he's been very vocal recently about his desire to stand behind the podium ... even posting a viral petition demanding it.

LeVar has been even more explicit than that, though .. there's a clip of him doing an interview and getting into the nitty-gritty of the "Jeopardy!" gig, which he says he's had his eye on for a long time now ... harkening back to before Trebek passed and was in contract negotiations. At the time, LeVar notes he was quite interested ... and appears to remain so to this day.

The question, of course, is whether Sony Pictures Television -- which produces "Jeopardy!" -- is listening, and whether they'll actually cave in to the overwhelming sentiment that LB is perfect for the job.

You gotta imagine if they're going through the Rolodex of well-spoken, brainy and calm-your-nerves on-camera personalities ... then LeVar oughta be at least considered for a go at it. Nothing against Joe or anything, but the guy's got his hands full in the sports world.

A massive police presence has converged on a mall in Omaha, Nebraska -- where another shooting just took place.

The details are scarce at this point, but one thing is clear ... Omaha PD is telling the public to steer clear of the Westroads Mall, where a legion of police cruisers and ambulances have arrived. OPD says there are 2 suspects at large, and that cops are doing a sweep of the facility out of precaution. So far, one person has been transported in critical condition.

Word of the shooting first started percolating on Twitter, where a local reporter said she saw people running for their lives ... but stopped short of saying she heard any shots herself. Another person confirmed people were barreling out of the mall, but with no obvious signs of a shooting just yet. Still, it's clear that one did, in fact, occur.

The mere fact officers were loading up semi-automatics in tactical gear and preparing for some type of gunfight indicates this might have been an active shooter situation at one point.

There has been a slew of shootings recently since restrictions have eased over the pandemic.

We're trying to get more details on what led up to the latest incident -- but haven't been able to get through to anyone. OPD says a press release will be sent out soon detailing the narrative.

Geraldo Rivera has seriously pissed off his fellow Fox News pundit Leo Terrell by challenging his cred in the Black community -- and they just went HAM on each other!!!

Geraldo and Leo were on Bill Hemmer's "America's Newsroom" Thursday to talk about race and policing, particularly in St. Louis. That city's Mayor-Elect Tishaura Jones -- a Black woman -- questioned the "lived experience" of white allies in leading a population that is nearly 50 percent Black.

That remark got Leo all hot and bothered, and as he started going off on Mayor-Elect Jones ... Geraldo jumped in with, "Hey, Leo! When was the last time you were in the ghetto?"

Explosion in 3, 2 ...

Leo -- a famed civil rights attorney for several decades -- damn near jumped through the TV screen in his rage at Geraldo. Both men exchanged inner-city resumes, barking out their hometowns. FYI, Leo's reppin' the West coast, and Geraldo the East.

You gotta see the fireworks. Far as we can tell, the only real winner is Fox News' ratings. We doubt Geraldo and Leo will be breaking bread anytime soon.

The man who rammed into Capitol police and attempted to slice them with a knife, bought that weapon just hours before the fatal incident ... suggesting he premeditated the whole attack.

TMZ has obtained shots of Noah Green in a D.C. kitchen appliance store 90 minutes before authorities say he drove his car into a barricade at the Capitol last week and proceeded to get shot and killed after getting out to attack officers with a knife.

Green was in District Cutlery -- about a 10-minute drive from the Capitol -- and he purchased the blade you see here. We're told it's a Kurosaki Shizuku Sujihiki 270mm SG2 knife, and it retails for about $300.

You can see the knife he purchased at the store looks identical to the one police recovered at the scene after Green was gunned down, and a Capitol Police officer was killed.

Eyewitnesses say Green was calm and collected during his purchase, and didn't seem to raise any red flags to bystanders.

Marc Lamont Hill says traditional media has an unconscious white bias and does not properly cover black issues, but he has a solution ... a show called "Black News Tonight."

Marc's the host of the daily news show, which debuts Monday night on the Black News Channel, and he appeared Monday on "TMZ Live." He says there's a giant hole in the market when it comes to black issues -- CNN, MSNBC, FNC, ETC, he says largely caters to white folks, so there's a need to present issues and stories that directly impact the black community.

This is where it gets really interesting. Marc doesn't think his show puts a wall up between black and white communities. Quite the opposite ... he thinks black-focused media can help drive their stories to the mainstream and connect with both.

Rep. Matt Gaetz is under investigation for sex trafficking, allegedly with a 17-year-old girl, but Gaetz says he's not only innocent ... he suggests there's foul play afoot.

The U.S. congressman from Florida came on Tucker Carlson's show Tuesday to explain his side after the NYT published a story that Gaetz was being investigated by the DOJ over an alleged sexual relationship he had with a 17-year-old girl, whom he supposedly paid to travel with him a couple years ago. There's a bizarre exchange, where Gaetz tries to remind Carlson of a dinner they had -- Carlson, his wife, Gaetz and an unnamed woman -- almost like it was an alibi. Carlson said he didn't know what Gaetz was talking about.

The Times says the investigation is part of a broader case involving local politician Joel Greenberg, who's pled not guilty to charges of sex trafficking a minor. The outlet says the probe was opened late in Trump's final months at the behest of AG William Barr.

As for Gaetz ... he's flat-out denying any wrongdoing, while also insisting what's happening is actually a lot more sinister behind the scenes. Long story short, Gaetz says a former DOJ official named David McGee is trying to blackmail him and his family ... having allegedly demanded $25 million to make the allegations "go away."

MG even says he and his family went to the FBI to tell them about this, and he claims they set his father up with a wire to help expose the alleged plot. It's all very bizarre.

Richard Branson's space tourism company is doing something NASA has struggled with for a long time -- making a rocket ship actually look cool ... because, hey, optics are important.

Virgin Galactic just unveiled its latest spaceship ... the beginning of what they're calling a new series of spacecraft vehicles that are supposed to be revolutionary. This model's been dubbed VSS Imagine ... and it's been designed to lead the pack in the company's fleet.

What's different about this rocket -- the third such spacecraft Virgin has made thus far -- is that it's supposedly quicker to assemble, and quicker to do maintenance on ... so they can get more of them up in the air in an efficient manner.

Virgin says it can't produce VSS Imagine on an assembly line quite yet, but based on this prototype ... they can start cranking out a lot of them sooner, which will advance their plans to shoot paying customers off into space.

Virgin hopes Imagine follows in the successful path of its VSS Unity ship which has completed a couple spaceflights in recent years ... with a 3rd expected in May.

All of Virgin's spaceships have looked pretty sleek in appearance -- but VSS Imagine tops them all with an out-of-this-world design that looks like it's straight out of "The Jetsons."

Compare that to rocket ships that have been part of NASA's Space Shuttle program for the last 30 odd years ... and you can immediately see the difference. The Space Shuttle ships have been bulky and a bit of an eyesore through the years, and haven't changed a whole lot in terms of design, externally, anyway.

Granted, NASA is the OG of space travel in this country -- and they've had a lot of historical success. Still, they should upgrade their look if they wanna capture the youth's imagination again.