TMZ TV HOT TAKES Taylor Swift Terror Plot ... Plus Nelly, Katie Ledecky

The alleged terror plot for a Taylor Swift concert, Nelly's casino arrest and Katie Ledecky's emotions are all part of today's TMZ TV Hot Takes ... and there's a lot to cover.

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TERRORISM PLOT
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First up on "TMZ Live," Harvey and Charles break down the foiled terror plot that targeted Taylor's Vienna concerts.

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JAIL FOR JACKPOT
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Over on "TMZ on TV," our crew reacts to Nelly's roller coaster experience at a Missouri casino ... where he went from jackpot winner to being under arrest.

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KATIE TAKES IT HOME!
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And on "TMZ Sports," Michael and Mojo look at the moment an emotional Katie learned she would be the Team USA flag bearer for the Paris Olympics closing ceremony.

Skateboarder Nyjah Huston Criticizes Olympic Medals ... 'Step Up The Quality!!!'

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RUSTY REWARD
Instagram / @nyjah

Team USA skateboarding star Nyjah Huston isn't entirely happy with his first Olympic medal ... 'cause he says his bronze is already going to crap -- and he shared video/photo evidence to back his claim.

Huston -- one of the greatest skateboarders alive -- went to Instagram to give a review of his hardware after winning the bronze with a 279.38 score in the Men's Street Final at the Paris Games ... revealing to his 5.3+ million fans how it currently appears.

"They look great when they're brand new, but after letting it sit on my skin with some sweat for lil' bit and letting my friends wear it over the weekend, they're apparently not as high quality as you would think," the goofy-footed skater said.

Kim Jong Un LOOK-ALIKE GATECRASHES THE OLYMPICS!!!

If you’ve seen photos of Kim Jong Un strutting around the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, don’t panic -- it’s just a look-alike causing all the chaos!

An Australian music producer, who goes by Howard X on X, is notorious for his side hustle moonlighting as the North Korean dictator ... and he struck again, making a dramatic entrance to cheer on North Korea’s Pang Chol-mi as she battled China’s Chang Yuan in the women's boxing semi-finals.

Howard was also spotted waving North Korea's flag ... and he took a bold swipe at China’s leader Xi Jinping by flaunting a Winnie the Pooh teddy bear last Sunday. ICYDK, the character’s been banned in China due to satirical comparisons with Xi.

Noah Lyles Wins Bronze In 200M ... Despite Covid

UPDATE

3:59 PM PT -- It sounds like Noah Lyles' 2024 Olympics are officially over ... despite being scheduled to run as part of the USA's 4x100m relay team.

The 100m gold medalist made the announcement on Instagram, writing "I believe this will be the end of my 2024 Olympics."

The news comes after Noah finished third in the 200m race, and then revealed he'd tested positive for Covid on Tuesday.

Team USA track superstar Noah Lyles shockingly finished with a bronze medal in the 200-meter race at the 2024 Olympics ... that is, until it was revealed he is currently battling Covid, but elected to participate in the event.

"I woke up early about 5 AM on Tuesday morning and was feeling really horrible," Noah told NBC minutes after the race.

"I knew it was more than just being sore from the 100. Woke up the doctors and we tested and unfortunately, it came up that I was positive for Covid. And my first thought was not to panic."

Team USA Survives Matchup Against Serbia ... With 17-Pt Comeback

The USA men's basketball team almost saw their gold medal dreams disappear on Thursday ... as the Red, White and Blue narrowly escaped an upset in a nail-biter against Serbia in the Olympics semifinals.

America was playing catchup for the majority of the game ... with Nikola Jokic and Bojan Bogdanović ballin' out for Serbia. The Joker finished with 17 points and Bogdanović led the squad with 20 of his own.

But in the waning moments of the contest, Stephen Curry, LeBron James and the rest of Team USA found enough in the tank to erase the lead and pull out the dramatic victory -- punching their tickets to a finals matchup with Team France and Victor Wembanyama.

CrossFit's Lazar Dukic Donations Pour In To Help Family ... After Athlete Drowns At 2024 Games

The CrossFit community is coming together to support Serbian athlete Lazar Dukic's family after he drowned at the 2024 CrossFit Games ... with hundreds of people donating tens of thousands of dollars in wake of the tragedy.

FITAID -- a drink company who was one of Dukic's business partners -- started a GoFundMe on Thursday ... with an initial goal of raising $30K.

But, the contributions are pouring in by the minute ... with more than $75,000 raised at the time of this post. The new goal has been set at $100,000.

2024 CrossFit Games Competitor Dies After Drowning ... During Swim Event

UPDATE

9:42 AM PT -- CrossFit CEO Don Faul just confirmed the competitor has died ... saying the organization is "deeply saddened" by the loss.

"We're doing everything in our power during this tragic time to support the family, to support our community," he said in a press conference minutes ago.

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Terrible Tragedy

The fire department added it used drones and a dive team to locate the body after an hour.

Faul said CrossFit is working with authorities on the investigation ... and the remainder of the day's events have been canceled -- but the future of this year's Games has not been determined at this time.

Tragedy struck the beginning of the 2024 CrossFit Games on Thursday ... as a drowning was reported during the run-swim event.

According to local reports, Fort Worth Fire Department rushed to Marine Creek Lake after receiving a call for service at approximately 8 AM.

A live stream of the competition showed who is believed to be athlete Lazar Dukic struggling and going underwater near the finish line. Later in the stream, a spectator appeared to dive into the water and sprint to where the person was last seen.

Team USA Basketball Sing Happy Bday To A'ja Wilson ... Joyeux Anniversaire!

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BDAY GIRL
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The U.S. women's basketball team serenaded star hooper A'ja Wilson ... who is celebrating her 28th trip around the sun in Paris!

The 2x WNBA champ is in France for the 2024 Olympics, and with it being Wilson's big day, the team gathered around her at practice to sing HBD -- the Stevie Wonder version!

A'ja dances a bit ... but ya gotta imagine Wilson and the rest of the women are exhausted.

White Sox Pedro Grifol Fired In 2nd Season As Manager ... After 89-190 Record

The Chicago White Sox are on track to have one of the worst seasons in the history of Major League Baseball ... but the club made a move in an attempt to right the ship in the future, announcing they've canned their manager, Pedro Grifol.

The team made the announcement after squandering a 2-0 lead to the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday ... as the team just ended their 21-game losing streak earlier in the week. It tied the longest streak in American League history.

"As we all recognize, our team's performance this season has been disappointing on so many levels." White Sox GM Chris Getz said.

Travis Kelce First Look At New 'Are You Smarter' Hosting Gig ... All Smiles On Set!!!

Travis Kelce just gave his fans a glimpse of how he'll look in his new role as a game show host -- and check it out, the NFL star appears to be a natural on set.

The Chiefs tight end -- along with Amazon Prime Video -- dropped the teaser for the new "Are You Smarter Than A Celebrity?" show on Instagram on Thursday morning ... and you can see Kelce in a blue suit sportin' a big smile on his face as he posed inside the studios.

As part of the promo, the football player and the network also revealed the show will officially hit screens beginning on October 16.

Olympic Star Lamecha Girma Stretchered Off Track In Neck Brace After Nasty Fall During Race

Scary scene during the Olympic men's steeplechase race in Paris ... Ethiopian star Lamecha Girma took a terrifying fall, crashing to the ground where he lay motionless -- before being loaded on a stretcher and rushed to the hospital.

The accident happened during the final lap of the 3000m race on Wednesday where Girma -- the world record holder and 2020 silver medalist -- attempted, in a crowded pack, to clear one of the race's final obstacles when his right leg made contact with the hurdle.

Girma went down hard, with his back/neck/head area seemingly taking the brunt of the impact.

TIM WALZ Ex-Student I Was Undecided - Now I'm All in on Harris/Walz!

Tim Walz has power with people from his past ... 'cause he's changed the mind of a former player he mentored decades ago when he was a Minnesota high school athletics coach.

Walz -- the current Minnesota governor and Kamala Harris' VP choice -- was the football coach at Mankato West High School in Mankato, MN, for several seasons in the '90s -- and he took a student named Dan Clement under his wing.

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SUPPORTIN' COACH
TMZ.com

TMZ caught up with Dan on Wednesday and asked about his experiences with Walz as a teenager. Dan told us Walz had such an impact on his life that he went from an undecided vote to the Harris/Walz Democratic ticket in the upcoming presidential election.

Canada's Alysha Newman Twerks It Out After Winning Bronze!!!

Canadian pole vaulter Alysha Newman had an all-time celebration after securing a bronze medal at the Olympics ... busting out a quick twerk in front of the entire stadium!!

The epic moment went down on Wednesday ... after the 30-year-old cleared the crossbar at 4.85 meters -- a new record for her country.

Newman initially faked an ailment after hopping off the mat ... before putting her hands on her knees and shakin' it for all to see.

Hulk Hogan Watch Out Ben and Matt ... You Cross the Line With Me at Your Peril!!!

Hulk Hogan can't be happy Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are doing a movie on what we're told is the "darkest period of his life," and if Ben and Matt cross the line, he's ready, willing and able to take legal action ... TMZ has learned.

B&M are producing a flick on the lawsuit the WWE legend filed and won against Gawker, after the site posted a sex tape video of Hogan and the wife of a friend. A racial epithet was captured on the vid. Hulk sued Gawker for invasion of privacy and in 2016 won a whopping $140 million verdict ... which eventually tanked Gawker.

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BACK ON TOP, BROTHER!
TMZSports.com

Sources connected to Hulk tell TMZ he has no involvement whatsoever in the film project and is currently "indifferent" about it. HOWEVER, if the movie treads into territory that a jury already found was protected by his right to privacy, Hulk will not hesitate to pursue legal options ... which he's clearly done before.

Ex-SB Champ Brandon Mebane Files Lawsuit ... I Was Screwed On Mansion Deal!!!

Former NFL defensive lineman Brandon Mebane -- who helped the Seahawks win Super Bowl XLVIII -- says he got screwed over in a deal to buy a Los Angeles mansion ... and now, he's suing to try to rectify things.

TMZ Sports has learned ... the 39-year-old ex-nose tackle filed the lawsuit in L.A. County this week -- some five years after he purchased a property in Encino for $4.85 million.

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Mebane says as part of the agreement he made to snag the home from the builders -- which included Roi Edery and Ofir Grushkovski -- they would handle all of the repairs he found following inspection.

TMZ TV HOT TAKES Ben Stiller's Racial Joke ... Plus Kamala-Walz, Messi

Ben Stiller wishes he was Black, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz kick off their campaign and Lionel Messi has a mess at home ... all this on today's TMZ TV Hot Takes.

TMZ Live

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A BIT TOO FAR???
TMZ.com

First up on "TMZ Live," Harvey and Babcock react to Ben's racial joke about Jewish guys wanting to be Black.

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