News

John Schneider's production studio lot in Louisiana has been ravaged by Hurricane Ida, and while his life was spared, the actor needs some help.

The 'Dukes of Hazzard' star's movie/TV magic sanctuary in Holden, LA got torn up this week as Ida continues to rip through the area. Among the casualties on his property was a massive tree that toppled over, crashing down onto his orange "General Lee" stunt car.

Don't worry ... it ain't John's one and only -- he has several models on hand.

John's rep tells us he's doing just fine, but was off the grid for a while due to bad cell service ... he's leaving for Nashville in just a few hours.

With that said ... JS uploaded a video that's pretty sad to watch considering the devastation he -- and thousands of other Louisianans -- are going through right now. He's asking the public to give him a hand by going to his studio store and buying merch ... which is gonna go a long way to getting the place up and running again.

The U.S. Marine who got relieved of his duties for criticizing the U.S. Afghanistan pull-out is beating his bosses to the punch by quitting -- but not before going off about a psych evaluation he says he was asked to undergo, and lots more.

Lt. Colonel Stuart Scheller is getting his feelings out on social media after his dramatic announcement -- that he'd been disciplined for speaking out on the way the U.S. handled the withdrawal.

In a new YouTube vid he said he'd actually be resigning, and turning down a lucrative retirement he's owed to avoid being silenced -- but he also pointed out this was far from dishonorable as some might suggest. He dared superiors to ask anyone he served with about about his rep in battle.

While Scheller repeatedly says he's not considering legal action just yet ... it sure sounds like he might be soon, because he ominously warns this is far from over.

Then on FB, he addressed another issue Monday ... claiming his commanding officer asked him to get a mental health checkup, because they were apparently worried about his first video last week.

Scheller says he gets why that request was made, but he feels reducing behavior like this to a PTSD claim is perhaps the biggest disservice the U.S. military can do to any of its members.

He goes on to say all he wanted from leadership was accountability and a confession that the mission was botched -- but because of what he characterizes as a system of silence and following orders no matter what, he didn't get that ... so he's exiting on his own terms.

As people continue to scramble to flee Afghanistan, so too are a number of four-legged allies ... and one guy's nonprofit is in desperate need of a major donor to make it happen.

His name's Joshua Hosler, President of Veteran Sheepdogs of America ... which is working frantically right now to help evacuate dozens of military dogs used by U.S. service members and others in and around Kabul, which don't seem to have many options for getting out.

He posted a TikTok video explaining the dire sitch -- with a photo of a ton of carrying crates in front of a chopper. Josh says this is just a fraction of the dogs left behind in the mass pull-out. There are military personnel on the ground that Josh is currently working with to coordinate a rescue, but the bottom line is ... he needs resources (like a 737 plane) which ain't cheap.

JH shoots his shots with the multi-millionaires and billionaires of the world -- including guys like Musk and Gates -- who could presumably cut a check for at least $1.67 million to fund an aircraft that could accommodate all these dogs to land somewhere outside the country.

Sounds like some active armed forces members are vouching for him online -- telling folks he isn't a fraudster or anything of the sort, and that he and his cause do, in fact, need all the help (and money) they can get ... thanking him for his sainthood in the process.

Based on @VetSheepdogsUS's tweets, it seems like things are coming down to the wire. The account last wrote some 8 hours ago, "We were told just now if the dogs aren't on the plane we will be forced to leave them in hanger! WE NEED A MIRACLE!"

Afghan-American actor Ali Olomi is heartbroken about what's going on in Afghanistan, and sadly ... he expects it to get even worse.

We got Ali out in L.A. Thursday as news was pouring in about the attacks at the Kabul airport -- which left at least 12 U.S. service members dead -- and he predicts the violence will continue ... especially after America fully withdraws.

Like Ali points out, if this sort of mayhem is already happening, it's hard to believe it will go away once we leave.

The actor -- who's had guest roles on TV shows like "NCIS: Los Angeles," "SEAL Team" and "Madam Secretary" -- is asking everyone to send positive thoughts and prayers to the Afghan people ... because they're in a terrible situation right now.

More chaos in Afghanistan -- there was just an explosion outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport that appears to be a suicide attack ... according to U.S. officials.

The blast reportedly occurred Thursday at one of the entry gates of the Kabul airport, where crowds of Afghans have been gathering to try to get into the airport.

According to Fox News reporter Jennifer Griffin, the attack's being called a suicide bomber "complex SBIED attack" with firefight ... and there are Afghan casualties reported.

However, a Pentagon spokesperson confirmed the explosion but was not specific as to casualties ... though video from the scene show several people with apparent injuries.

The apparent attack comes shortly after U.S. officials stated they had deep concerns about security around the Kabul airport based on "a very specific threat stream."

President Biden's reportedly been briefed on the explosion, which comes on the heels of his highly criticized decision to withdraw U.S. troops amid the Taliban takeover in the country ... which so far, has led to mayhem and tragedy.

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds are chipping in to help those in the hardest-hit areas of Haiti following the devastating earthquake earlier this month.

TMZ's learned the couple sent a donation of $10,000 to Hope for Haiti to aid in the country's quake relief efforts, which has been an ongoing struggle in Southwestern Haiti since the 7.2-magnitude quake hit on August 14.

We're told Blake and Ryan's donation will be used to set up mobile clinics in the communities where there's the most need, as determined by the Ministry of Health.

In addition ... the org will use the money to cover distribution costs to continue to deliver dry food and warm meals -- donated by World Central Kitchen -- to families in these hard-hit areas in Southern Haiti.

There's also a big push to get emergency kits packed up and distributed soon ... so more donations are needed. The good news is Hope for Haiti is awaiting some big shipments of emergency relief and medical supplies from large U.S. companies like Amazon and Americares very soon, but distributing to those who need them remains a challenge.

Andrew Cuomo is no longer the Governor of New York, and now ... he's no longer an Emmy Award winner either.

The disgraced ex-governor has been stripped of his special 2020 international Emmy in wake of the sexual harassment scandal that led to his recent resignation.

The decision to rescind the award was handed down Tuesday by the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, in wake of him leaving office following the New York AG's report that substantiated allegations of Cuomo's misconduct.

The International Academy adds ... "His name and any reference to his receiving the award will be eliminated from International Academy material going forward."

Cuomo -- who officially resigned as Gov. Monday -- was bestowed the Founders Award at the 48th International Emmys in November for his daily, almost ubiquitous COVID-19 press briefings beginning in March 2020 ... in recognition of his "effective use of television during the pandemic."

He's not the first person to lose such an award for similar reasons -- the same thing happened to Kevin Spacey following allegations of sexual misconduct in 2017.

However, on the movie side of things, Roman Polanski won an Oscar for Best Director in 2003 for "The Pianist" after he pled guilty to having sex with a 13-year-old girl. Polanski received a standing ovation for winning the award, yet wasn't even allowed in the country to accept it. It was never taken away.

As we reported ... Cuomo resigned following NY State's harassment probe but denied any criminal activity.

Dr. Fauci's delivering a harsh dose of reality for Americans ... he says we won't get the pandemic under control until spring, 2022 -- and that's only if people get the damn vaccine.

It's a huge step backward from just a few months ago. Remember, President Biden hopefully called July 4 Independence Day from the pandemic, and it looked like we were heading in that direction. But then, the delta variant hit, and everything changed.

More than 80 million Americans have not received a single shot, and that's what triggered the explosion of cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the past month.

A number of states are reporting their highest level of COVID-19 cases since spring ... when vaccine rates were much, much lower.

The good news -- the FDA granted full approval to the Pfizer vax Monday, which could convince some of the holdouts it's time to get their shots. It also gives businesses an even better reason to mandate vaccinations and exclude those who refuse to get the shot.

Despite the hellish scene in and around Afghanistan in recent weeks, here's a snapshot of some humanity at its finest ... a Marine giving kids water as they wait to be evacuated.

Check out this sweet clip of a soldier on the ground in what appears to be Kabul -- where a majority of the load-and-go's have been happening. He's going around pouring H2O into the mouths of several thirsty Afghan children ... straight from his own water bottle.

Not much talking is happening here -- it's all body language, and the kiddos get the drill ... opening up and letting the guy waterfall for a couple seconds each. It's both heartwarming, but also sad ... presumably, there isn't much fresh water to go around at the moment.

It's just an example of U.S. forces there still doing the hard work of trying to get people out ASAP ... while also maintaining a good attitude and trying to keep things light, especially with the little ones. Different photos have emerged showing exactly that within the walls of the Kabul Airport, where different military personnel are interacting with locals.

Of course, it's not always as rosy as this one moment was -- there are several videos that are way more tense ... with U.S. troops trying to maintain order among those seeking to flee, in some cases needing to apparently fire warning shots in the air for crowd control.

Still, when they can ... seems the men and women of our armed forces are doing their best to keep the peace and follow orders -- namely, to keep up the steady stream of flights out of there going as efficiently and safely as possible ... with Taliban lurking everywhere.

The White House says that between Saturday and Sunday, about 8,000 people total have been evacuated between dozens of flights that are being provided by the U.S. military, allies and even some commercial airlines who've stepped up after President Biden called for help.

At one point, several gunshots ring out as a sea of men, women and children run for their lives ... truly terrifying stuff.

Afghans desperate to escape their country on the coattails of American diplomats fleeing themselves stopped at nothing to get onto planes ... including, in some cases, fatal plunges from the sky.

Wild footage has surfaced at the Kabul airport, where thousands of Afghans were trying to force their way onto U.S. military aircraft -- officials were prioritizing U.S. officials/allies.

That wasn't deterring folks from attempting to book it out of there ... as you see, hundreds of people literally climbing airstairs in what appears to be a last-ditch effort to get onto one of these jumbo cargo planes, which were already full.

Even as some of these planes began taxiing for takeoff ... a swarm of Afghans were chasing it and impeding their path, with some even clinging to the side of the aircraft.

American soldiers on the ground fired warning shots in the air in an attempt to clear the area around the plane, but somehow, five Afghans on the ground ended up dead. This in addition to 3 stowaways who fell from up above.

Check out this video of someone who was apparently clinging to the plane and lost their grip, plunging to the earth below.

Meanwhile in the city, the Taliban had fully overtaken the Capital ... as well as the rest of the country. The Afghan President is gone, and so is any real trace of Afghan resistance.

The Taliban are continuing to take hold of Afghanistan, and instant changes reflecting their ideology are already cropping up in the nation's capital ... especially as it relates to women.

The so-called religious "students" and their vast discipleship are on the brink of sacking Kabul right now -- with mass evacuations underway among citizens and leaders (like Afghanistan's president, Ashraf Ghani, who's said to have fled) but also ... U.S. diplomats and other allies who are stranded at the embassy there, which is basically under siege.

Aside from the utter chaos that's descended upon the area over the past week or so -- it's becoming quite clear that with the Taliban at the helm again, which looks more and more likely by the day, their world is going to look vastly different ... and almost overnight, too.

One example of this that's manifesting this weekend is the fact that posters, billboards and advertising-like images of women in and around Kabul are starting to get painted over completely, presumably at the Taliban's behest. Check out this photo showing exactly that.

The thinking here seems to be in line with what the Taliban subscribes to -- a strict interpretation of Islamic law, which often sees women of its faith being covered up and often relegated to whatever a man has to say. One glance at this, and it would appear the Taliban wants to get the status-quo back ASAP -- unraveling 20 years of a U.S. presence there.

Of course, it's become a political nightmare on our shores -- with Republicans pointing the finger at President Biden for evacuating our troops in recent months. But, his counterpoint was ... well, this is something Trump brokered while in office, and he just followed through.

In the meantime, footage that has surfaced of what's going on on the ground level is shocking. The streets of Kabul are jam-packed with people trying to hit the airport to get outta Dodge. But they're out of luck because commercial flights have reportedly been suspended.

Instead, it looks like only military aircrafts are being used at the moment ... and there's video of people trying to board what appears to be a cargo plane of some sort -- the type that opens up in the back, normally used for transporting massive gear and equipment.

This is just a taste of the scene there, and it's gut-wrenching. Big picture ... some U.S. officials have openly warned what letting the Taliban have its run of the place might mean for national security -- AKA, potential terrorism threats that could arise from this insurgence.

Tennis star Naomi Osaka has stepped up in a big way to help victims of the massive earthquake in Haiti ... she's opening her wallet to provide badly-needed assistance.

Naomi has pledged to donate whatever prize money she wins at next week's Western & Southern Open to the Haitian relief effort.

Naomi, whose dad is Haitian, said, "Really hurts to see all the devastation that's going on in Haiti, and I feel like we really can't catch a break," adding, "I'm about to play a tournament this week and I'll give all the prize money to relief efforts for Haiti.  I know our ancestor's blood is strong we'll keep rising."

The massive, 7.2-magnitude quake rocked Haiti Saturday. The casualty numbers are not final, but more than 300 people have died, hundreds have been injured and an untolled numb er have been displaced from their homes.

Naomi has been a fierce advocate of various causes, including mental health and social justice. She wore masks with the names of victims of police violence at last year's U.S. Open.

Gina Krasley -- who appeared on Season 8 of "My 600-Lb. Life" -- has died ... according to TLC.

The official cause of death is unclear, but an obituary says Gina died Sunday at home in Tuckerton, New Jersey, where she was surrounded by family.

Gina joined the '600-Lb. Life' franchise in Jan. 2020, and in April of last year, TLC featured her in an episode called, "Time Is Running Out For Gina."

In the clip, Gina says she's been struggling with weight for as long as she can remember, saying her life has been hard, and she's always felt like "I was just pushed under the rug."

Gina said she turned to food as an outlet when she was 14 years old and already 300 pounds. She admitted it became harder to do everyday things as she approached 500 pounds.

TLC says the network is "saddened" by Gina's death and sends thoughts and prayers to her family.

Gina's survived by her wife, Elizabeth Krasley, her sister, her mother and her grandparents.

She was 30 years old.

"Jeopardy!" has finally settled on a new permanent host to take over for the late Alex Trebek ... and no, it's not Aaron Rodgers, it's not LeVar Burton, and it's not Anderson Cooper.

Executive producer Mike Richards is expected to take the reins of the famous game show that was hosted by Trebek for 36 years ... according to Variety. Richards is reportedly in advanced negotiations with Sony Pictures Television to become the host of "Jeopardy!" and launch a new era.

It's super interesting ... the entire season was all about big celebs vying for the dream job ... Mayim Bialik, Katie Couric, George Stephanopoulos and more. But, in the end, they went in-house. It's not like Mike Richards chose himself -- Sony bigwigs did that. But, well, interesting.

Fact is ... Richards guest-hosted the show in February and crushed it. He's hosted game shows before ... "Divided" and "The Pyramid" for Sony Pictures’ GSN cabler. He's also produced more than 4,000 hours of game shows.

The McCains and the Trumps continue to fire shots at each other ... and this time it's pitting John McCain's daughter against Donald Trump's niece.

Meghan McCain went scorched-earth on Mary Trump Monday after the former President's niece took a shot at her on "The View."

Mary, who secretly recorded her relatives for a book she wrote, beamed into the talk show for an interview about her famous family members, and she ripped Meghan for not being part of the discussion, saying it showed a lack of courage on MM's part.

Well, Meghan didn't take the dig too kindly and now she's going after Mary and the rest of the Trumps, saying ... "There is no 'good' Trump family member to me. Continue to wish they would all just leave me and my entire family the f*** alone."

It's unclear why Meghan was not part of the segment with Mary ... Meghan appeared in earlier segments of the show, but Mary was only fielding questions from Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sara Haines and Sunny Hostin.

Kathy Griffin says she has lung cancer, and doctors are moving swiftly to battle it.

The comedian announced Monday morning ... the cancer is in her left lung and she's going into surgery to have it removed today. Kathy notes she's never smoked in her life, and yet here she is fighting lung cancer.

Kathy writes, "The doctors are very optimistic as it is stage one and contained to my left lung. Hopefully no chemo or radiation after this and I should have normal function with my breathing." She goes on to say she should be up and running like normal in about a month.

KG goes on to say that she's also vaccinated against COVID, acknowledging that if she hadn't been -- this could've been much worse. She ends by telling her fans/followers to make sure to get themselves checked out with docs early and often, as it can save their lives.

She's already talked about the cancer diagnosis with ABC's 'Nightline,' where she sounded optimistic, and still had a sense of humor about the whole thing. It's classic Kathy ... watch for yourself.

Now, Kathy had a bit of a health scare last year that had her hospitalized for a bit -- which may or may not have been coronavirus related. It wasn't entirely clear at the time, because she said she wasn't able to get tested due to such high demand of the test kits ... the lack of which she blamed on Trump's early handling of the pandemic.

Besides the COVID scare, though, she hasn't had any major ailments we're aware of in recent years.