News

The journalist who called LSU women's basketball players "dirty debutantes" in a column last week has just issued an apology ... admitting, "I have failed miserably in my choice of words."

Ben Bolch wrote the controversial piece for the Los Angeles Times last Friday ... and it was almost immediately met with backlash. Critics slammed the way he compared the UCLA women's basketball team to "milk and cookies," while calling the Tigers' players "Louisiana hot sauce" -- insisting it was both racist and misogynistic.

In fact, LSU coach Kim Mulkey and her star player, Hailey Van Lith, were so offended by the article, they both used portions of their meetings with media members over the weekend to rail against Bolch.

The reporter clearly heard the criticism ... because on Monday afternoon, he issued a lengthy mea culpa.

In his statement -- which he posted to his X page -- Bolch acknowledged his words were "not appropriate" and were "deeply offensive."

"It was not my intent to be hurtful," he said, adding his employer did not require him to write the note, "but I now understand that I terribly missed the mark."

He concluded his message by writing, "I am deeply sorry."

For the L.A. Times' part, they swapped out portions of Bolch's original article ... writing in an editor's note, "The original version of this commentary did not meet Times editorial standards. It has been edited to remove language that was inappropriate and offensive."

An airplane was struck by lightning mid-air this weekend up in Northern California -- and while it looks dramatic ... it sounds like the aircraft was able to make a safe landing.

This video was posted by a local X user who was filming a thunderstorm in San Jose, aiming his camera at the sky from his car while rain was coming down. Mid-shot, you can see a plane cruising the sky -- fairly high up too -- and suddenly ... it gets hit by a bolt.

It wasn't a small one either ... this lightning streak was massive, and it tore right through the plane without missing a beat. The plane didn't stop either, of course, and kept on going.

Ramy Youssef se puso político en su monólogo de apertura en "Saturday Night Live", pidiéndole a Dios que libere a Palestina, así como a los rehenes israelíes.

El cómico abordó el conflicto el sábado, contando una anécdota con dos amigos suyos que le pidieron que incluyera sus luchas en sus oraciones.

Un amigo le pidió a Dios que le ayudara a recuperar la custodia de su perro de manos de su ex novia, mientras que otro le pidió que rezara por su familia en Gaza.

Ramy Youssef got political for his opening monologue on "Saturday Night Live" ... asking God to free Palestine, as well as the Israeli hostages.

The comedian touched on the conflict Saturday, recounting an anecdote involving 2 of his friends ... who asked him to work their struggles into his prayers.

One pal asked him to ask God to help him win back custody of his dog from his ex-girlfriend -- whereas another asked Ramy to pray for his family in Gaza.

El rey Charles III puede estar enfermo, pero tuvo una gran aparición pública el domingo, asistiendo a los servicios de Pascua en el Castillo de Windsor.

Carlos y Camilla llegaron a la Capilla de San Jorge, donde fueron recibidos con  una gran fanfarria. El clero se reunió con ellos fuera y Charles saludó a los espectadores.

Hubo diferencias este año debido al tratamiento médico de Charles -está recibiendo quimioterapia para el cáncer- lo que compromete su sistema inmunológico, por lo que él y Camilla estaban sentados aparte del resto de la realeza. Tampoco asistió a la recepción posterior a la ceremonia.

King Charles III may be ill, but he bounced back for a big public appearance Sunday ... attending Easter services at Windsor Castle.

KC and Camilla rolled up to St. George's Chapel and there was fanfare waiting for them. The clergy met them outside as Charles waved to onlookers.

There were differences this year because of Charles' medical treatment ... he's undergoing chemo for cancer, which compromises his immune system, so he and Camilla were seated apart from the rest of the royals. He also skipped the reception after the service.

The amenities on Air Force One are so damn good, journalists apparently can't keep their filthy paws off of them, and are even taking some home ... so says a new report.

According to Politico, an inventory was taken by the Air Force after a multi-day trip with the press out to the West Coast last month -- and several items were missing.

The outlet claims it was enough of a problem that the White House Travel Office was alerted ... prompting the WH Correspondents' Association prez to send an email reprimanding her peers. Among the items that were taken ... pillowcases, glasses, and gold-rimmed dinnerware.

Emily Willis is slowly -- and her family hopes, surely -- on the road to recovery after a cardiac arrest last month left her unconscious and hospitalized in critical condition.

The 25-year-old adult film star's father, Michael, tells TMZ ... while she remains in a vegetative state, there have been notable improvements -- mainly, she's now awake and able to track things with her eyes, smile, and even become emotional during conversations.

Sadly, Michael says doctors aren't anticipating further improvement beyond what she's already achieved.

Emily Willis se está recuperando después de un paro cardíaco que el mes pasado que la dejó inconsciente y hospitalizada en estado crítico.

El padre de la estrella de cine para adultos de 25 años de edad -Michael- le dice a TMZ que ha habido mejoras notables mientras permanece en estado vegetativo. Ahora está despierta y es capaz de seguir las cosas con los ojos, sonreír, e incluso emocionarse durante las conversaciones.

Lamentablemente, Michael dice que los médicos no están anticipando una mejora más allá de lo que ya ha logrado.

La afligida familia de Riley Strain ha ordenado una segunda autopsia privada después de que la primera no encontrara nada sospechoso. Han surgido nuevos detalles sobre su muerte.

El joven de 22 años no tenía sus botas de vaquero, pantalones o cartera cuando fue sacado del río Cumberland dos semanas después de desaparecer del bar de Luke Bryan en Nashville el 8 de marzo.

Pero Chris Dingman, un amigo de la familia que sirve como su portavoz, le dijo a NewsNation que Riley llevaba todos esos elementos la noche que desapareció, lo que les lleva a creer que su muerte fue más que accidental.

Riley Strain's grieving family is ordering a second private autopsy for him after the first found no signs of foul play -- this after new details emerged about his death.

The 22-year-old didn't have his cowboy boots, pants or wallet when he was pulled out of the Cumberland River 2 weeks after disappearing from Luke Bryan's Nashville bar on March 8.

But, Chris Dingman, a family friend serving as their spokesperson, told NewsNation Riley was wearing all those items the night he went missing ... leading them to believe his death was more than accidental.

Bethenny Frankel says a man walked up to her in NYC and punched her square in the face ... and, it sounds like this is part of a concerning trend plaguing women in the Big Apple.

Here's the deal ... a fashion student recently posted a video on TikTok where she revealed a man punched her in the face while she walked down the street -- randomly and for no reason.

In the clip, the student says she was just staring at her phone -- minding her own business -- when a dude came up and clocked her -- which she says her friends told her was becoming the norm for a lot of women all over the city.

Don Lemon is not saying never about returning to CNN -- which fired him last year -- and even has some requirements in mind, but he's also very realistic about why it ain't happening ... most likely.

The famed newsman joined us on the "TMZ Podcast" this week, and revealed he'd be open to going back to his former employer if they offered a particular company car -- one more associated with Elon Musk, ironically.

We're confident he was joking, but Don was serious about not holding his breath for a call from CNN. He says there's no bad blood between them, but also explained why it's probably not a great fit, for him at least.

La mansión de 7 millones de dólares de Cara Delevingne que se incendió hace unas semanas se encuentra en ruinas, lo que queda más que demostrado por algunas imágenes aéreas que muestran los devastadores daños.

Echa un vistazo a este video que da una visión completa de la casa de la supermodelo en Los Ángeles, la que fue golpeada por un gran incendio. Como se puede ver, está totalmente destruida, con la mayor parte del techo tomado por el fuego.

De hecho, la cocina y los dormitorios de la costosa morada se pueden apreciar claramente en las tomas aéreas de los escombros, lo que da una clara idea de lo gravemente quemada que está la casa. Los árboles cercanos y el césped adyacente también fueron arrasados.

Recordemos que casi 100 bomberos acudieron a la mansión tras una llamada al 911 en la madrugada del 15 de marzo. El fuego tardó unas dos horas en ser sofocado por completo.

Cara estaba devastada tras el accidente. Ella ha estado en Londres últimamente mientras protagoniza la producción "Cabaret" del West End, así que estaba físicamente a salvo.

Por supuesto, había mucha preocupación de que los dos gatos de Cara no hubieran podido salir, pero más tarde ella aseguró a sus fans que sus mascotas estaban sanas y salvas.

Los padres de Cara, Charles y Pandora, le dijeron a un fotógrafo poco después del trágico incendio que las llamas fueron causadas por un cable de alta tensión durante una noche particularmente ventosa en Los Ángeles. Actualmente, hay una investigación en curso sobre la causa oficial del incidente.

Cara Delevingne's $7 million mansion sits in ruins more than a week after her estate caught fire ... something more than evident in some devastating aerial footage showing the damage.

Check out this video that gives a full scope of the supermodel's L.A.-area home that was ravaged by a massive fire. As you can see, it's totally destroyed, with most of the roof taken out from the blaze.

In fact, the pricey abode's kitchen and bedrooms are captured clearly in the aerial shots of the burnt rubble ... giving us a clear understanding of just how badly burnt the house was. Nearby trees and the lawn adjacent to the home are also visibly scorched.

7:18 AM PT -- Baltimore's MLB team just sent out its thoughts and prayers to those affected by the collapse ... vowing in a statement to "get through this" as a "tight-knit and resilient city."

The Baltimore Ravens sent out prayers to the victims of the tragic Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse Tuesday morning ... writing in a statement their "hearts go out to those who have been affected."

The bridge crumpled into the Patapsco River at around 1:30 AM ... after a large ship hit one of its support columns.

Several vehicles were on the bridge when it crashed into the near-freezing water below ... and city officials say divers are now on the scene searching for victims.

The Ravens -- who play roughly 15 miles away from the bridge at M&T Bank Stadium -- added in their statement they're confident the city will bond together in the wake of the tragedy.

Former Ravens quarterback Robert Griffin III also sent prayers to those involved ... as did LSU women's basketball star Angel Reese, who was born and raised in the Baltimore area.