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Elon Musk is begrudgingly agreeing to keep his satellite internet service up and running in Ukraine ... while complaining about how much money is going down the drain to do it.

The Tesla chief aired out his frustration on Twitter Saturday over a decision to potentially yank Starlink access out of Eastern Europe, apparently because it's too damn expensive ... and costing him and his company, SpaceX, a fortune to keep operating free of charge.

CNN says SpaceX honchos recently wrote D.C. to tell them they'd soon ask the Pentagon to start picking up the tab on Starlink as it pertains to Ukraine -- this after already burning through $80 million on their own dime ... with a projection of $100 mil by December.

Despite this report, EM himself is doing an about-face some 48 hours later. Now, he's saying 'screw it' ... we'll take the L and keep up the handouts, even if it puts us in the red.

He tweeted, "The hell with it … even though Starlink is still losing money & other companies are getting billions of taxpayer $, we’ll just keep funding Ukraine govt for free." In response to someone saying no good deed goes unpunished, he said good deeds should still be done.

It's unclear if Elon's being sarcastic here, but on its face -- it sounds like he and SpaceX are gonna bite the bullet on this and keep their satellites afloat as the war with Russia rages on. That's surprising, because lately ... Elon has been accused of being a Putin sympathizer.

A few weeks ago, he offered a would-be solution to the conflict ... and there were some concessions he suggested for Russia, which a lot of people weren't happy about -- including Volodymyr Zelensky, who fired back at Elon publicly for seemingly changing his tune.

The president posed his own poll, simply asking ... "Which @elonmusk do you like more?" The options being ... "One who supports Ukraine" and "One who supports Russia." The overwhelming favorite was the former.

Nicki Minaj and Latto are at each other’s throats ... arguing about which Grammy categories their songs belong in and there's nothing sacred in this war, as they're both putting private convos on front street.

Both rappers had been subtweeting each other for weeks about the Grammy's decision to move Nicki’s smash hit “Super Freaky Girl” from the Rap category to Pop, and Thursday night the feud erupted like a volcano.

As Nicki sees it, Latto should have spoken up in her defense ... seeing as how the Grammys left her record, “Big Energy,” in the Rap category, despite having the same bubbly pop sound.

Nicki then began to retweet Barbz who were dissing Latto's silence on the subject ... prompting Latto to tweet, she "can't win for losing." That's when Nicki posted a DM convo where Latto agreed with Nicki's viewpoints, but said she didn't like the fact Nicki put her in the beef.

Then the gloves really came off.

Nicki called Latto a "Karen" and "Scratch-Off" ... posted more DMs, including one where she turned down Latto's attempt to collaborate on the "Big Energy" remix.

Latto fired back, calling Nicki a 40-year-old bully, and uploaded a recorded phone conversation they had on the Grammy topic ... and you hear both women going at it!!!

Latto accused Nicki of having "only child syndrome" because, at one time, she was the only female rap star in the game -- to which, Nicki scolded her with, "You didn't do your research!"

As of now, there's no resolution, and fans don't expect one.

Some big rappers are starting to rail against the very social media platforms that boosted their celebrity -- a move that comes as Kanye West is flaming out on Instagram and Twitter.

"Drink Champs" has been teasing their Boosie Badazz episode for days, and the latest clip finds the Lousiana rapper clearly blaming IG for wrecking marriages and relationships.

Boosie says before social media, men and women had limited access to other people's lifestyles and arrangements, but now they're more tempted than ever to cheat ... given the number of opportunities at their fingertips.

Not to be outdone, Freddie Gibbs tackled social media's impact while on "The Breakfast Club," and said he doesn't believe in monogamy, so his polyamorous relationships are in good order.

On the other hand, he says social media culture makes people abandon their true character for clout. The Gary, Indiana-born rapper compares social media addiction to crack.

In fact, Freddie's new album, "$$$" has a track called "CIA" -- an acronym for "Crack, Instagram and AIDS" -- and says he aimed to showcase detrimental things in the Black community with this record.

Freddie also rivals Boosie for the title of rapper with the most Instagram accounts being banned ... so it's understandable they're calling for a changing of the guard.

Interesting that they're dropping these warnings amid Kanye getting restricted on social media for posting anti-Semitic remarks ... which included accusing Diddy of being controlled by Jewish people.

As we reported, LeBron James' just axed an episode of "The Shop" he shot with Ye due to the rapper allegedly spewing "dangerous stereotypes" during their convo.

No telling if he thinks he has a social media addiction or not ... but in response to IG and Twitter putting the clamps on him, Ye's revved up his Facebook account.

Memphis rapper BlocBoy JB sent out some alarming tweets last week, hinting he's navigating some troubled waters -- but now he's seeking treatment and opening up to TMZ Hip Hop about it.

We caught the Shoot Dance creator at LAX and picked his brain a bit regarding his soul-baring post. The Memphis rapper made it clear he was in dire straits ... flat out saying he wasn't going to "make it" if he couldn't get his mind right.

BlocBoy says his label, Interscope, hasn't reached out, aside from an A&R -- but he was forthcoming with us in revealing his music career isn't the cause of the pain.

He admits feeling the pressure of being the top provider in his circle, and having so many close friends die at a young age has been tough for him.

On the bright side, BlocBoy says his closest kin reached out following the tweet, which is great, especially since he really seems to gravitate toward loyalty.

It's been an amazing past few years for BlocBoy ... beginning in 2018 when he hit it big with his Drake-assisted "Look Alive" single.

The song would go on to sell 5x platinum ... predating the current Memphis rap boom highlighted by NLE Choppa, Moneybagg Yo, GloRilla and many more.

He also tells us there are plans for him to release a new project this winter ... but we need ya healthy first, BlocBoy!!!

Elon Musk has a great way to end his legal war with Twitter ... he's finally ready to close his OG $44B offer to purchase the company.

According to multiple reports, Elon's lawyers sent his proposal in a letter Sunday ... saying he "intends to proceed to closing of the transaction contemplated by the April 25, 2022 Merger Agreement" -- meaning he's looking to wrap up the deal at the original price of $54.20 per share.

Twitter responded to the news ... saying, "The intention of the Company is to close the transaction at $54.20 per share."

Sounds like a done deal, especially because shareholders had already put their stamp on the deal, and so did government regulators. As we reported, Elon proposed his big-ticket offer back in April ... only to reverse course a month later and attempt to torpedo the deal.

He claimed the company had not complied with its contractual obligation to hand over business info he'd requested, and complained that Twitter grossly understated the number of spam bots on its platform.

Twitter, of course, wanted to hold him to the deal, and filed a lawsuit hoping to force him to do so.

Elon Musk might need to step it up in Tesla robotics department -- because his signature droid doesn't hold a candle to the ones from Boston Dynamics ... so says Twitter anyway.

The CEO was on hand Friday as his company unveiled some new toys as part of their AI Day -- including a self-controlled humanoid bot that they call Optimus ... which actually trotted itself out on stage and moved around a bit in front of a (mostly less-than-impressed) crowd.

For starters, this thing walked very slowly and gingerly ... and did a little examination of his five-fingered hands, plus a wave, before walking back at tortoise-like speed. It also didn't look all that aesthetically pleasing. EM said this was the first time Optimus had walked alone without a tether, so they were taking it easy ... as he didn't want it to "fall on its face." Oof.

He went on to claim Optimus is capable of doing fairly complex tasks (even now) that humans will eventually be able to ask for on-demand on the market -- but much of Tech Twitter wasn't buying it ... especially as a bunch of BD videos popped up in comparison.

The reason ... Boston Dynamics' bots -- especially Atlas -- are VERY advanced, and can apparently do a heck of a lot more than what Elon's creation can at this point. Their videos often go viral, particularly when they do complex dance routines and backflips, etc.

Aside from the mocking, there was genuine disappointment in Elon's demonstration ... with many saying he should've just waited until he had something more flashy to show.

A Florida weatherman is feeling Twitter's wrath after posting a video of a struggling kitten in Hurricane Ian -- and not being able to bring it to safety -- as conditions in the area continue to worsen and pose life-threatening risks to anyone who dares to go out in the storm.

WINK-TV meteorologist Dylan Federico posted a short clip of the kitten outside the Fort Myers TV station clinging to a bench with water and wind thrashing all around it. Federico's caption read, "Storm surge is rising rapidly outside WINK News. A kitten is on the bench trying to escape the water. The doors are locked but we're trying to get the kitten inside."

More than an hour passed without an update on the kitten from Federico ... and his followers got PISSED.

One Twitter user wrote, "Less filming, more saving. If the water ain’t as high as a bench, you sure as heck can go out there and get that baby." Another said, "bro, save the cat! For the love of god!"

Dylan eventually deleted the post -- and the anger on social media continued. Another person wrote, "You may have deleted the video but none of us will ever forgive you. Cowardly, cruel and inhumane."

Finally, a couple hours after the video first went up, Federico Tweeted, "Right after the video was posted we attempted to get to the cat but it swam in a different direction out of view. I waited to post an update in hopes we could grab it. Please take your companions with you when you evacuate."

What's more, a source with direct knowledge tells us staffers were given strict instructions to stay inside the building as conditions continue to worsen and going outside could prove deadly.

On a better note ... one video showed a dog and a kitten rescued from a sailboat Wednesday while the storm hammered boats in a harbor.

Elon Musk's legal team was all set to grill Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal Monday -- but it never happened, and now EM's team is considering filing action to hold Agrawal in contempt.

Sources with direct knowledge of the case tell TMZ ... Elon's attorneys flew out to the west coast Monday to conduct Agrawal's deposition in Twitter's lawsuit against Elon for backing out of his purchase of the company. Sources close to Elon say Parag unexpectedly no-showed, but folks at Twitter say that's BS.

Our Twitter sources say both sides agreed on Sunday that Monday's deposition would be rescheduled for personal reasons, and will, instead, happen later this week.

Now, our Elon sources say his legal team might ask the judge to hold Parag in contempt for missing the depo ... which, if successful, could mean consequences even before the trial, which is set to begin Oct. 17.

Other reports suggested Elon was also supposed to sit for a depo Monday in Delaware, but Elon's attorney, Alex Spiro, tells TMZ, "It's a lie." He also insists the Parag's depo was still scheduled to go down Monday in San Francisco.

Remember, this is all about Twitter trying to force Elon to buy the company like he said he would ... only to then reverse course when he claimed Twitter wasn't being forthright about spambot data and security-related problems with the platform.

The U.S. Space Force has released its official song ... and folks online certainly don't appear to be warming up to the new jam.

The military branch unveiled its official tune Tuesday during an Air, Space and Cyber Conference in Maryland titled "Semper Supra", which means "Always Above" in Latin.

One social media user wrote, "Wtf is this? Might as well use the #StarWars theme song! What a joke! #spaceforce". Another guy criticized its "night and day" lyrics saying ... "there is no night or day in outer space..."

FYI, the Space Force was born in 2019, so it was only a matter of time before it adopted an official song like every other military branch.

Of course, this isn't the first time the Space Force raised some eyebrows. You'll recall, it got a lot of backlash in 2020 when the force dropped its camo uniforms. And folks pointed out the fact that it might not be the best idea, when trying to fly under the radar in space.

Pat Sajak posing for a photo with Marjorie Taylor Greene is getting double takes on the internet -- especially after old tweets of his have resurfaced that are raising eyebrows.

The "Wheel of Fortune" host stood shoulder to shoulder with the Georgia congresswoman and Right Side Broadcasting Network reporter Brian Glenn in a photo that popped up out of nowhere Saturday. There's no context on where or when it was shot, but people don't care.

The fact he's there with them at all -- especially Rep. Greene, smiling from ear to ear -- is enough for folks to be ripping him on Twitter ... which they absolutely are.

The reactions are brutal ... people are saying that Pat's showing his true colors here, and some are even vowing to boycott his iconic game show because of this. One person jokingly said Pat was pictured here with Vanna Whitesupremacist -- a reference to ... well, you get it.

Others are noting that Pat's actually expressed his conservative views in the past ... pointing to since-deleted tweets that are being attributed to him from years ago.

While a good amount of Twitter users seem genuinely shocked by this ... others say this is old news, as it's apparently been known where PS leans politically. Still, the fact he's yukking it up with these two, specifically, is a brand of conservativism that give many pause.

It's been noted that Pat seems to be on the verge of retirement, and if true ... maybe he's just letting it all hang out in public. What this might do to his legacy is anyone's guess.

Brie Larson can't catch a break in the world of Marvel -- something she acknowledged this weekend with a snarky answer ... for which the internet is once again criticizing her.

The actress was on hand Saturday at the D23 Expo -- where Disney showcased a ton of new stuff they got coming out. One of those projects, "The Marvels," involves Brie and her character Captain Marvel ... only this time, it'll include other ladies with Marvel-like powers.

While she was doing press outside the main stage area, she was asked a pretty straightforward question -- how long do you think you'll continue to play Capt. Marvel?

Her answer's telling. She says she frankly doesn't know, openly wondering/questioning whether people actually want her to take up the mantle any more than she already has. It was a little tense, and the interviewer tried lightening the mood ... to no real avail.

Now, the backlash ... Brie's catching flak from a good amount of folks replying to this video in the comments -- with their main gripe being, why is she making such a big passive-aggressive stink over such a layup of a question ... especially with this saga being years old.

We'll spare you the details of it all, but essentially ... when Brie was cast as Captain Marvel back in 2018 and with its release in 2019, there was a lot of seemingly random hate aimed at her -- for a variety of reasons not even we understand. Her haters say she's simply unlikable -- her advocates say she's the victim of blatant misogyny by a rabid fan base.

The apparent dislike for her wasn't just confined to Twitter either -- there were reports of her movie and others she was affiliated with around the time getting review bombed by people who simply wanted to spite her ... again, for reasons ill-defined and out of nowhere.

Some have said her support of more diverse casts/critic pools -- via inclusion riders, etc. -- might be a catalyst ... but in any case, Brie's obviously aware of the target on her back. FWIW, Brie's also getting a lot of folks rushing to her defense ... but it's a mixed bag.

Of course, she's going to do this newest movie -- which comes out next year -- where she'll reprise her character ... but with all the grief she's getting, we wouldn't be surprised if she hangs it up and moves on from the Mouse House.

The death of Queen Elizabeth II has caused confusion in America, because apparently lots of folks were wiping away tears thinking another queen had passed.

Queen Latifah is been trending for more than a day, according to Hip-HopDX   ... because lots of folks thought she was the one who left this earth.

Think about it ... if you were playing "Family Feud" and the clue was "Most Famous Queen," the #1 answer would clearly be QEII but Latifah would come in a strong second.

According to the outlet, the whole thing started after someone tweeted, “I told my mama the Queen died, she talking about ‘LATIFAH ????'” It became a game of telephone, and the rumor spread like wildfire!

Another group tried to reassure the panicked that the beloved, 52-year-old actress/rapper was alive and well.

Funny enough, Latifah told James Corden awhile back, after her 1996 hit, “Set it Off,” she put a “no death” clause in her acting contracts so she couldn’t get killed off in future flicks ... “When I first started doing movies, I always had these death scenes … and apparently I died too well. And then I caught on, like wait a minute, if I die in these movies, I can’t be in the sequel!”

The internet was wild on Thursday following the death of Queen Elizabeth, but one weird trend seemed to gain a lot of steam on Twitter, with users joking that Trisha Paytas was to give birth to a reincarnation of the Queen.

Paytas, a YouTube star, announced Wednesday night she was 1 cm dilated and believed she would soon go into labor. Fast forward to Thursday morning, when it was announced Queen Elizabeth's health was failing ... and the Twitter "theories" took off.

At one point, Paytas was trending #2 on the app -- only behind Queen Elizabeth herself.

On Friday, Paytas finally addressed the wild joke, saying she didn't think it would have been appropriate to acknowledge it on the day Queen Elizabeth died.

Paytas showed her pregnant belly, proving she hadn't yet given birth, and laughed off the social media speculation her baby was to be QE2 reincarnated.

D.L. Hughley says the folks who were celebrating Queen Elizabeth's death are pretty soulless, because even if they have a point about her legacy ... the timing is in poor taste.

We got the comedian Thursday in L.A. on the heels of QE2's passing, which sparked an unsympathetic response on Twitter -- a ton of memes and jokes flying at her expense. While it was trending under "Black Twitter," that by no means represents the view of all Black people.

Still, it was a thing ... and D.L.'s got some poignant thoughts about the notion of dancing on someone's grave. To him, it's a low blow and completely unnecessary ... regardless of how you might feel about any one person.

The complaints that were being aired out about the Queen had to do with her role in upholding the legacy of British imperialism, which often affected nations with Black and/or brown people -- and to some, the fact she was the figurehead for this old institution is something that just didn't sit well in 2022.

But, even if some of those critiques are warranted, D.L.'s point here is that there's a time and place to get it out ... and in his mind, that shouldn't happen right as someone dies.

Marjorie Taylor Greene has a lot of people thinking she might've flexed her pipes on 'American Idol' once upon a time -- based on a viral video -- but the speculation is bogus.

The Georgia Representative is getting talked about on Twitter right now, but not for the usual political reasons. This time it's about an old 'Idol' clip from Season 1 that's making the rounds ... showing a rambunctious woman's audition in front of Simon, Paula and Randy.

The lady's name is listed as Stefanie Sugarman, who told producers at the time ('02), that she was 23 and from Alta Loma, CA (Rancho Cucamonga area). Her tryout certainly left an impression with audiences and the judges alike ... not necessarily in a good way either.

SS was eliminated after singing 'Knockin' Da Boots' and some colorful commentary. Like we said, she's a feisty one -- but more importantly, she's also a dead ringer for MTG.

That's certainly what Twitter thinks, anyway, with many jumping the gun and suggesting this is, in fact, Rep. Greene performing under a stage name. We'll admit, they do look incredibly similar ... and they're both quite outspoken, it seems. Thing is, Stefanie Sugarman is real!

We looked her up, and public records show there is actually a Stefanie Sugarman with roots in Rancho/Alta Loma and San Bernardino County generally. She seems to have married since -- now going under a different last name -- and her age matches up too. She's now 43.

Kevin Federline says his sons haven't seen their mom, Britney Spears, in nearly 6 months, and we've learned the relationship continues to sour -- especially since Britney went after her boys online.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Britney's two boys, 16-year-old Sean Preston and 15-year-old Jayden James, aren't ready to go see their mom after she blasted their conduct as "hateful" in an Instagram post last month.

We're told Britney's post made an already frayed relationship even more strained, and there's a lot of anger built up against her.

Kevin's attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan tells TMZ ... "While I will not comment on whether there were or were not regular custodial exchanges, one must consider that the comments about the boys such as those that were recently published hardly create a pro custodial environment. This is something that the parties involved will have to work out over time."

As we reported, Thursday Britney turned to Instagram to once again post about her boys after 15-year-old Jayden did an interview claiming he felt Britney gave him more attention than Preston. Britney wrote, ""Finally at 40 without the restraints of what my family did to me ... I say to my son Jayden that I send all the love in the world to you every day for the rest of my life!!! My love for my children has no boundaries."

As we told you last month, Kaplan claims the boys feel uncomfortable around their mom, and Kevin posted a series of videos the boys recorded under Britney's care where she disciplined them.

Remember, Britney's been beefing with Kevin recently over his tell-all interview that he shot a few months ago with a UK tabloid about their private lives, and the kids are caught up in the drama.

New clips from that interview are set to air Sunday on "60 Minutes: Australia."