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The man accused of opening fire just outside the White House Correspondents' Dinner appeared before a judge Monday -- and prosecutors formally hit him with three charges during his arraignment in D.C. federal court ... including attempting to assassinate the president.

Cole Allen -- a 31-year-old teacher from Torrance, California -- was also charged with allegedly transporting a firearm and ammunition with intent to commit a felony ... and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. He did not enter a plea.

Before Monday's charges, Allen was initially accused of using a firearm during a crime of violence and assaulting a federal officer with a dangerous weapon following Saturday night's terrifying incident at the Washington Hilton.

Authorities say Allen allegedly charged toward the White House Correspondents' Dinner while firing his weapon as he ran toward the ballroom area inside the hotel where it was taking place ... where President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance and several members of Trump's cabinet were gathered inside.

Donnell Rawlings is standing firmly in Michael Jackson’s corner ... telling us the filmmakers were right to reportedly spend millions reworking the upcoming biopic to remove references to abuse allegations.

Check out the clip ... we caught up with the comedian over the weekend and asked whether the reported $25M overhaul to reshoot the third act -- which featured sexual abuse allegations against the pop star -- was the right move ... and Donnell didn’t hesitate to give his POV.

He pointed to the fact Michael was acquitted in his 2005 criminal trial and said the allegations ultimately amounted to “speculation” ... adding the movie shouldn’t tarnish the King of Pop’s legacy by ending on accusations instead of his contributions to music and the world.

Donnell told us people should remember Michael for “healing the world” and being “the greatest performer that we’ve ever seen” ... making it crystal clear where he stands on the controversy.

Lizzo has once again gone 365 days around the sun and she's still lookin' "Good as Hell!" The "Birthday Girl" turns 38 today and it's only right to showcase her sexiest shots ... she sure knows her best angles!

The body positive singer never misses a chance to share her hottest pics, and we've gathered them all in one place for your convenience! Don't be shy, scroll through the gallery and then see if you can guess the word in our Lizzo-themed game!

Melania Trump is demanding ABC fire Jimmy Kimmel ... blasting the late-night host as a "coward" and accusing him of spreading "hateful and violent rhetoric" after his jokes about her family.

The First Lady unloaded in a fiery statement Monday ... saying Kimmel's monologue "isn't comedy" and claiming his comments are helping fuel division across the country. Kimmel's roast of the event aired Thursday night, days before the WHCD shooting in D.C. Saturday night.

"His words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America,” she said ... adding that people like Kimmel “shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate.”

Melania also accused the network of shielding Kimmel from consequences ... saying he “hides behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to protect him.”

Michael Madsen is getting dragged to court even in death ... Los Angeles County says the late actor owes his ex-wife a ton of money.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ, the Los Angeles County Child Support Services Department claims Michael owes his ex-wife Jeannine Bisignano over $1.2 million in back child-support payments.

The department says the $1,267,573.49 in back child support stems from Michael and Jeannine's divorce judgment, which dates all the way back to March 1995 ... and it looks like Jeannine is entitled to a percentage of payments Michael received in his SAG pension plan.

Nicki Minaj's ex-assistant is asking a judge to sanction the rapper for failing to turn over potential evidence in their court battle ... TMZ has learned.

According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Brandon Garrett -- who worked for Nicki in 2024 -- claimed she got physical with him.

He said Nicki called him into her dressing room at a Detroit show. Brandon alleged that Nicki became enraged with him.

"Are you f***ing crazy having him pick up my prescription? You have lost your f***ing mind and if my husband were here, he would knock out your f***ing teeth," Brandon said Nicki told him backstage. "You're a dead man walking. You just f***ed up your whole life and you will never be anyone, I'll make sure of it."

The Lonely Island member Jorma Taccone is looking back at his "Saturday Night Live" days ... and calling out the one guest host who made him seriously uncomfortable ... Kevin Spacey.

Taccone spilled it on the "Obsessed" podcast, saying there was one person he "wasn't super geeked on" -- before finally naming Spacey -- admitting he'd never said it out loud before.

Jorma didn't go into much detail, just saying the vibe around Kevin during his guest-hosting in 2006 made him uneasy.

Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby is entering a treatment program for a gambling addiction after allegedly making thousands of bets on sporting events during his collegiate career, the program announced.

The official word came from the program on Monday ... and ESPN is reporting the former Cincinnati Bearcat and Indiana Hoosier is in the NCAA's crosshairs for potentially violating its betting policy with wagers on a number of sports.

The outlet stated in 2022, Sorsby bet on Indiana to win while he was a redshirt true freshman ... but never in games in which he appeared.

Marvel Comics writer and former Editor-in-Chief Gerry Conway -- who co-created "The Punisher" -- has died at age 73.

Marvel posted the news on Monday ... but it is not clear when Conway died, or how.

Dan Buckley, President of Marvel Comics and Franchise, said in a statement ... "Gerry Conway was a gifted writer. He was thoughtful, deeply attuned to the emotional and moral core of storytelling, and a wonderful and articulate advocate for comics and creators. His writing has inspired all of us at Marvel, and will continue to inspire generations of writers, readers and fans to come."

Of all the contributions he made to the stories of iconic Marvel characters ... he is best known for co-creating the anti-hero character The Punisher. Currently, Jon Bernthal plays the fan-favorite character both on the Marvel TV series and in the upcoming movie "Spider-Man: Brand New Day."

The legendary writer is survived by his wife, Laura Conway.

Marvel extended its deepest sympathies to Conway's family, friends, and fans around the world.

He was 73.

Karoline Leavitt is widening her war with Trump critics ... arguing it's not just Jimmy Kimmel's jokes that are dangerous, but what she calls years of inflammatory rhetoric from Democrats and media figures that inspires violence against President Donald Trump.

During a fiery briefing Monday, the White House press secretary was asked about Kimmel's "expectant widow" joke about First Lady Melania Trump ... and whether rhetoric surrounding Trump has become normalized.

Instead of focusing solely on Kimmel, Leavitt zoomed out ... saying the entire political climate has become toxic and blaming critics who repeatedly label Trump a threat to democracy.

We want you to be a part of TMZ, so every weekday, between 10:30 AM and 12:00 PM PT, we take you inside our newsroom via live stream.

You never know what you're gonna get ... a big story that breaks, an argument erupts in the room, or someone's just joking around.

Your comments are a big part of the stream, and the staff spends a lot of time speaking directly to you. Every day is different!

James Safechuck -- one of Michael Jackson's sexual assault accusers -- says there's no way he's going to watch the new biopic about the King of Pop ... and he doesn't think it should have been produced in the first place.

A photog got Safechuck in Sherman Oaks over the weekend and asked him if he planned to go check out "Michael" on opening weekend ... and Safechuck gave an emphatic "no."

Safechuck says the movie shouldn't have gotten the green light ... he says he doesn't believe in supporting alleged child abusers.

He also reiterated his support for abuse survivors.

Dylan Carter, a singer from South Carolina who once competed on "The Voice," is dead ... after a car accident in his home state.

Law enforcement tells us ... a person was killed Saturday night in a single-car accident around 11:42 PM on Lowcountry Highway and Smakes in Colleton County. The victim was not identified, but according to local reports, it was Dylan. The singer was set to perform in the Town of Moncks Corner on Monday ... but that has since been cancelled.

Dylan appeared on "The Voice" Season 24 in 2023 ... he was on the show for a couple of weeks after his blind audition made all four judges turn their chairs around in a show of support ... singing Whitney Houston's "I Look to You."

Late Angels great Garret Anderson was dealing with multiple medical conditions before he died earlier this month, according to the local coroner.

While Anderson passed away from acute necrotizing pancreatitis, the coroner says the Angels' all-time hits leader was also dealing with liver and heart issues.

During the autopsy, it was discovered that the longtime big leaguer had a "massive fatty liver" and "hypertensive-type cardiovascular disease."

Anderson had "severe hepatic steatosis," the most advanced stage of fat buildup in the liver.

Mariclare Costello, best known for playing schoolteacher Rosemary Hunter on "The Waltons," has died at 90.

Her family says she passed away April 17 in Brooklyn, closing out a long and impressive career that also includes the 1971 cult horror flick "Let's Scare Jessica to Death," and starring opposite Martin Sheen in the ABC telefilm "The Execution of Private Slovik."

Mariclare was also a familiar face on Broadway in the '60s and '70s ... but TV fans knew her best as Rosemary on 15 episodes of "The Waltons," before she moved on to costar as the family matriarch in the CBS drama "The Fitzpatricks."

Al Pacino and his baby mama, Noor Alfallah, stepped out for a fancy dinner -- but the night wrapped with a pretty awkward tiff ... and yep, it’s all on camera.

Things looked smooth as they left E Baldi in Beverly Hills over the weekend -- all smiles at first -- until Noor tried to peek at something on Al’s phone ... and he quickly yanked it away from her.

That didn’t go down well. Noor immediately turned on her heel and stormed to the car, clearly annoyed and muttering about "respecting her."