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A sonic boom heard throughout Washington D.C. was cause by fighter jets that sped off to intercept a wayward, unresponsive airplane ... which ultimately crashed in Virginia.

The loud, thunderous noise was widely reported Sunday throughout the D.C. region -- including neighboring states -- and it was later determined that the whole thing was planned by our armed forces, which was revealed later in the day ... despite spooking everyone.

At first, it seemed like it was just a drill they were conducting ... but now, the word is these F-16s were actually scrambled in an effort to intercept a small aircraft that was flying where it wasn't authorized to ... and which was apparently not responding to ATC signals.

Reports say the plane, a Cessna, lost altitude quickly -- and because no one knew where it came from or why it was cruising so close to the WH ... the military sprung into action.

ABC is reporting that the F16s actually caught up to the plane while it was still in the air -- but while it was also going down -- and that they actually saw the pilot of Cessna passed out inside. The plane ultimately crashed, and 4 people are said to have been onboard.

Their identities and conditions are unknown at this point, as is the cause of the plane going down in the first place. The FAA says the Cessna was going from Tennessee to Long Island -- but once it was in NY, it inexplicably turned around and flew in a straight line for D.C.

Prince Harry's legal war with the British press over alleged phone hacking is coming to a head this week when a trial is set to start ... and where he might even take the stand early.

The Duke of Sussex is reportedly expected to appear in a London court this upcoming week, and the word is ... he might even testify as early as Tuesday. The case being heard stems from a lawsuit he and others have filed against the parent company of the Daily Mirror.

This is just of a handful of publications he's suing ... all of which revolved around allegations of phone hacking, invasion of privacy and, effectively, spying on him and other members of the Royal Family dating back several years -- something PH is trying to rectify now.

The Daily Mirror case is going to be hashed out in court first, and Harry's likely testimony could actually be historic -- as he'll be the first senior Royal (or ex, rather) to testify in court as a witness offering evidence like this in a long time.

The last time it happened was way back in 1891, when King Edward VII (before he was actually king) testified in a slander case.

What Harry's suing over, in this particular case, is 33 of 150 stories about himself that the Daily Mirror published between 1995 and 2011 -- a period of time from which he claims these stories were produced via illegal tactics in Britain ... like alleged phone hacking, etc.

The Mirror has actually conceded in court docs that Harry and co. have a point about some unethical tactics they've employed over time, but they haven't fessed up on these specific stories he's citing. As such, he's dragging them into court to have it heard before a judge.

You'll recall ... Harry showed up across the pond back in March for another case he's pursuing against yet another tabloid parent company -- namely, Associated Newspapers, which publishes and distributes the Daily Mail, among other publications.

In that case, Elton John is a plaintiff as well ... as are other celebrities taking up Harry's cause in solidarity.

Like we said, he's suing a bunch of them -- and seems determined to take them all down ... one by one. If he's testifying for the Daily Mirror case, presumably he'll testify in others.

Diddy's eldest son, Justin Combs, was arrested for DUI this weekend in L.A. ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us Justin was arrested Sunday morning near Beverly Hills after a cop saw a vehicle run a red light. This occurred around 8 AM -- and the incident was also shot by an eyewitness. In pics obtained by TMZ, you can see JC interacting with the officer.

We're told the officer initiated a traffic stop, where Justin was found to be the driver. After a preliminary investigation, our sources tell us the cop felt there was enough probable cause to cuff him and haul him to jail on suspicion of driving under the influence.

It's unclear what sort of sobriety tests Justin might've been put through, but we know he was booked on a misdemeanor DUI charge ... and that his bond was set at $5,000. No word on whether he's still in custody or not.

Justin is Diddy's first kid, whom he had with Misa Hylton. Like Puff's other children, he's taken after his father and gotten into showbiz -- serving as an actor, producer and entrepreneur, among other things.

Leonardo DiCaprio's summer European yacht excursion is still rolling -- only this time, he had female company ... specifically, one hot model, who's actually pals with Gigi Hadid.

The 48-year-old actor was on a boat again this weekend ... except now, he was sailing off the coast of Ibiza -- and he was doing so with none other than 22-year-old Meghan Roche ... an American high-fashion model who's worked with pretty much all the big luxury brands.

As you can see in these shots, Leo and Meghan got out of the same SUV together as they were set to board Saturday ... and they weren't joined by anyone else, it seems. They also weren't really hiding the fact they were in lockstep with one another ... just out in the open.

It appears Meghan spent the night with Leo 'cause there's pics from the following day (Sunday) where she's in a different outfit completely. As for Leo, he was back to going shirtless/catching rays -- which he's been doing a lot of on this extended Euro trip.

No clear signs of PDA between 'em from what we can see ... but this certainly kicks off a new round of romance rumors -- this after the guy's been officially single for well over a year now post-Camilla Morrone. It might also finally dispel the Gigi speculation once and for all.

As you know ... there's been a lot conjecture about him hooking up with GH over the past several months -- even though we've been assured they're just friends -- and as it turns out ... he might just be banging her buddy. Meghan's been spotted out with Gigi before.

Of course, it'll take more than a night with a young, hot model to actually say Leo's dating her. He tends to hang out with models all the time -- so this doesn't really mean much until we see them again ... and again. Still, though, she's right in Leo's wheelhouse as far as taste.

The dude doesn't typically get involved with women much older than 24 or 25, and she's right in that sweet spot. Plus, naturally, she's a beaut -- and a rising star in modeling at that.

The new 'Spider-Man' movie went gangbusters at the box office this weekend -- hauling in a bundle ... and proving that having 2 studio parents for this IP might actually be best.

Of course, we're talking about "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" ... which took the top spot by a mile over the past three days -- with a final tally of about $120.5 million in ticket sales domestically. That's the 2nd best box office of 2023 ... behind 'Super Mario Bros.'

It's easily the money-maker of the summer thus far ... and the good news is that it exceeded expectations by a ton. 'Across the Spider-Verse' was projected to bring in just $80M-$90M ... but it blew well past that, and lands as one of the best-performing 'Spider-Man' flicks ever.

Not just that, but the reviews are off the charts ... with many calling it the best 'Spider-Man' installment and 'Spider-Man' story told in modern times. So, what do we make of all this???

There's a couple takeaways -- which Twitter seems to somewhat agree with -- and the first is ... Sony holding on to some of the 'Spider-Man' rights over the years has, perhaps, turned out to be for the best. Clearly, they partner with Marvel for all things Spidey ... but many say they've kept the character/IP grounded, despite Disney's overly-grand CBM aspirations.

The other fascinating element here is that Sony/Disney has been able to achieve true diversity in a character that has long been considered a typical white male in Peter Parker.

With the Miles Morales character -- who's Black/Puerto Rican -- there's a new face to Spider-Man (not to mention all the other Spider-Men in the movie) ... and there was little to no outrage over it. Of course, a lot of that might have to do with the fact that Miles and co. are comic canon ... so shout out to the writers who created these characters a long time ago!

It's interesting ... there've been a number of actors who've played Spider-Man (both live-action and animated) over the years -- but Tom Holland says Shameik Moore's Morales might, in fact, be the best out of all of them. He said as much anyway in a recent interview.

"Abbott Elementary" star Tyler James Williams is responding to rumors about his sexuality ... and warning that the culture of trying to out people is creating a "dangerous" culture.

Tyler posted a message saying, "I'm not gay," but then quickly explained he's only taking time to address the topic because, "Overanalyzing someone's behavior in an attempt to 'catch' them directly contributes to the anxiety a lot of queer and queer questioning people feel when they fear living in their truth."

It's clear Tyler's read social media posts claiming he exhibits some gay "behavior," and he says that the practice of trying to find some "hidden trait" makes it harder, if not dangerous, for closeted LGBTQ members to be themselves.

The Fugees came together this weekend during Lauryn Hill's headlining set in Philadelphia ... and it might be the last time we see them as a unit for a good long while.

The 3 ex-band members reunited Saturday during the Roots Picnic music festival ... where she was one of the last acts of the night to take the stage. It was a big deal, as she's celebrating the 25th anniversary of her album, "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill."

It seems Wyclef Jean and Pras realized the significance as well ... 'cause at one point during her performance, they joined her onstage and began performing as The Fugees again.

Indeed ... it was a very cool moment. They performed at least one song of theirs -- "Ready or Not" -- and the crowd was rocking with them. It's unclear if they did any other tracks ... but they certainly had plenty to choose from. The Fugees have tons of hits under their belt.

Sounds like the show went off without a hitch, and the festival's key organizer -- Questlove -- was certainly grateful. He took to IG with a throwback post of one of The Fugees' first gigs, noting this may well be one of the final times they join forces like this in this setting.

He wrote, "@MsLaurynHill did us a solid by letting us not only letting us celebrate with her the classic #MiseducationOfLaurynHill but she also made a moment by bringing together her bredren @WyclefJean & @PrasMichel ... I’m giving all the gratitude for making this miracle of a night happen."

Part of the reason The Fugees might not reunite like this again for quite some time is because Pras is likely going to prison after he was convicted in his illegal foreign influence scheme case ... and he faces up to 20 years behind bars. He hasn't been sentenced yet.

Bam Margera's family seems to be fearing the worst, and his brother's putting out a Twitter APB to find him before he can harm himself.

Jess Margera tweeted early Sunday morning, "If anyone in the LA area knows of Bams current whereabouts or a hotel he might be at please call the LAPD immediately."

Jess says he's trying to get police to ping Bam's phone in order to find his location, but he's hitting some red tape -- which is why he's asking for everyone to spread the word on Twitter.

As he put it, "I don't think we have that kind of time" to wait for police.

As we reported, the former "Jackass" star had a total meltdown 3 days ago over not being able to see his son, Phoenix, amid his divorce from Nikki ... and vowed to smoke crack until he dies.

One clue to Bam's current whereabouts came in a video TMZ obtained and posted on Saturday.

In the clip, Bam is hanging with some random folks at a Pennsylvania bar and grill. Witnesses say he told them he was getting ready to fly to L.A. to check into rehab.

Jess clearly believes Bam did get on a plane to L.A., but he's not buying the rehab part.

No Taylor Swift, no problem for Matty Healy, who planted a kiss on a security guard right in the middle of his band's Denmark concert.

The 1975 were cranking out their song, "Robbers" at the NorthSide Festival when their frontman, Matty, locked eyes with the guy who was standing watch Friday night near the front of the stage -- and then, he gave the guard some lip action.

The security guard was definitely into it, and even came back for more. He didn't get to double dip -- sorry, guy ... Taylor's got a leg up on ya!

For the uninitiated, this is kinda Matty's thing -- he's been known to kiss random concertgoers when they perform "Robbers" live.

Of course, Matty's romantic moves have been reserved for T-Swift lately. We've seen him attend several of her concerts ... even hanging with Taylor's dad during one.

Britney Spears is feeling some sorta way about her 2 boys moving out of state ... or so it seems based on the 13-year throwback pic she posted of her youngest.

Brit's emotions came through Saturday afternoon when she shared the 2010 shot of herself carrying a then 4-year-old Jayden on her hip.

She didn't use any words to describe her feelings in the caption, instead she only used 2 rose emojis 🌷🌷 -- and she also turned off comments.

That's interesting, because, as we've reported ... Britney's relationship with Jayden and her eldest, Sean Preston, has been strained to say the least.

TMZ broke the story, Kevin Federline plans to move to Hawaii this summer with his wife, Victoria, along with the boys. He asked Britney to sign off on the relocation plan, and she finally did last week, through her attorney Mathew Rosengart.

Britney hasn't seen the boys in more than a year, but you could view her post as a sign she's open to reconciling with her sons before they move.

As we reported, she recently had a great face-to-face meeting with her mother Lynne Spears ... and that once seemed impossible.

Tom Sandoval cheating on Ariana Madix is sorta paying off for her and her friends -- the whole 'Scandoval' thing landed her and Scheana Shay on a baseball diamond.

The "Vanderpump Rules" stars were drafted Saturday by the San Diego Padres to throw out their ceremonial first pitch before a game against the Chicago Cubs ... and they were pretty giddy about the gig.

Ariana and Scheana were rocking matching Padres jerseys and brown ball caps at Petco Park, where Scheana said, "This has been a dream of mine."

As for their actual pitches -- not exactly strikes from either of 'em, but they did reach the vicinity of home plate. Much better than several other celebs we've seen on a pitching mound. Definitely not looking at you 50 Cent. 😉

Mind you, neither Scheana or Ariana are San Diego natives, but you get why the Padres recruited them -- 'VPR' is hotter than ever since Tom's affair with Raquel Leviss came to light.

TMZ broke the story ... Ariana and Tom broke up in March after she learned of the months-long affair.

As a result, the 'VPR' reunion is drawing huge ratings for Bravo, Tom's band is selling out venues ... and Ariana is cashing in with brand deals, "Dancing with the Stars" and now baseball.

A brazen gunman is on the loose in NYC after going on a wild west style rampage through a restaurant, taking down one victim ... and it was all caught on security video.

The shocking footage starts out calmly with customers scanning food trays at a hot bar inside Boishakhi Restaurant Saturday afternoon in Queens.

Suddenly, the red-hoodie-wearing assailant dashes into the joint, brandishing a handgun and chasing after a man in a red shirt while firing shots at him.

The video, first obtained by the NY Post, shows others ducking for cover ... including a terrified family that scooped up their child and ran down a flight of stairs to protect themselves.

Meanwhile, the suspect continued to pursue the man, circling the hot bar and firing his handgun as he went. He eventually struck his target once ... in the butt, and then fled.

The victim was taken to a hospital, where he was listed in stable condition. No one else was injured.

By the time cops got on the scene, the shooter was long gone.

Jonathan Majors and Meagan Good are going strong overseas ... popping up in Morocco, where they're shopping for pottery.

TMZ obtained these photos of Jonathan and Meagan perusing a pottery shop in Fez, Morocco.

Folks who were there tell us the couple stopped by a shop called Art Naji, where they appeared to take an interest in a fountain and a fireplace.

The shop hails itself as the biggest handmade factory shop of pottery and zellige, Morrocan tiles, in the country ... and we're told Jonathan and Meagan seemed to be negotiating a deal with staff, though it's unclear if they pulled the trigger.

Elon Musk says a Vermont high school student and her family are getting a raw deal ... as they've been punished for demanding a biological male student -- who identifies as female -- be barred from the girls' locker rooms.

Former University of Kentucky swimmer, and now political activist, Riley Gaines amplified the Allen family's battle on Saturday -- tweeting Blake Allen had been suspended from school, and her father had been fired from his job.

Those were the consequences for the Allens who said Blake and some of her volleyball teammates were uncomfortable undressing in front of a fellow student who identifies as female ... but was born male.

Elon replied to Riley's tweet, "Incredibly unjust." Blake got a 2-day suspension and was reportedly told she couldn't return to school before apologizing for her feelings. Meanwhile, her father -- a middle school soccer coach -- had been suspended without pay because he publicly defended Blake, according to the Daily Signal.

The Allens did win some relief in the form of a lawsuit they filed against the school district ... which was recently settled. They'll reportedly get $125k in damages and attorney fees, plus Blake's suspension has been scrubbed from her record, and her father got back his coaching job.

As we reported, there's a similar legal battle at the University of Wyoming, where Kappa Kappa Gamma sisters are suing their sorority for allowing transgender Artemis Langford into the group.

Instagram model Liziane Gutierrez and her 10-lb pooch fell victim to some nasty crooks who not only broke into her home but decided they also needed to mace the pup in the process.

Check out the video, obtained by TMZ, showing 3 men break into Liziane's Vegas home Thursday night through a back door. You see her maltese, Duchess, approach the intruders in a friendly manner only to be blasted with pepper spray.

From there, the men rush upstairs and into Liziane's bedroom, ransacking her closet and making away with Gucci bags, a Rolex, a gold chain and designer sneakers.

Thankfully, Liziane was at the gym at the time of the incident ... but she tells us the men made away with over $50K in luxury goods. She called the cops as soon as she got home.

As for Duchess, she was taken to the vet -- given a bunch of baths and some medication for her lungs and eyes -- we're told she's still having a tough time recovering and isn't yet back to 100% ... though things are looking good.