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Jerry Falwell Jr. says it's bad enough he was the victim of an extortion plot over a phony sex scandal, but then the university his own father founded gave him the boot over the matter ... according to a new lawsuit.

Falwell Jr. filed legal docs accusing Liberty University -- founded by his father in 1971 -- of forcing his resignation in the wake of a former acquaintance, Giancarlo Granda, alleging he had sex with Falwell's wife as Falwell watched.

In the suit, Falwell says he and his family became the targets of a malicious smear campaign incited by anti-evangelical forces ... after Liberty University used the allegations as an excuse to force him to step down.

Falwell even claims these were efforts by political operatives pissed about his support of President Trump.

Granda told Reuters back in August the affair with Falwell's wife started in 2012 and lasted until 2018. In docs, Falwell admits Granda had an affair with his wife that ended in 2014, but denies watching them for pleasure. He also claims Granda demanded enormous cash payments from the Falwells to stay silent. Falwell says he refused to pay, and that's when he claims Granda went to the media.

Falwell claims Liberty University accepted the salacious and baseless accusations against him and his wife at face value and then a day later forced his resignation as president after 13 years at the helm. He insists the school didn't conduct an investigation.

The future is bright for this young man and his fellow youth ... he's rapping about careers A through Z with a fun take on the ABCs.

Ya gotta see the video ... 6-year-old Sam is running down a list of cool occupations using every letter of the alphabet, and he literally doesn't miss a beat.

Sam's got serious flow and he's inspiring kids to be anything they want when they grow up with his #YouCanBeABCs ... and his dad's hyping him up and laying down a solid beatbox.

Bill Maher's politics seem mostly aligned with the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg, but he thinks RBG messed up by not taking Barack Obama's "hint" to retire before he left office.

The 'Real Time' host was on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" and railed on the Dems for being a "loser party" that doesn't know how to do politics.

Jimmy gave Bill props for the way he handled RBG's death -- he was on the air when someone broke the news to him and he pivoted in expert fashion. But, Bill thinks we never should have been in this position where RGB rolled the dice Trump would not be elected and if he was elected she could outlast him.

The "Real Time" host said there was a reason Obama invited RGB to The White House, because he says Obama didn't just invite people over to shoot the breeze ... he invited her, he said, to nudge her into retirement, but she didn't take the bait.

Bill skewered the Dems for not pressing more, and when Jimmy said her death came as a shock, Maher scoffed and said she had a long history of cancer and she was very old, so it should not have been shocking that she finally passed. It turned into a bonanza for Trump, who secured Amy Coney Barrett's elevation to the High Court ... the Justice Maher calls it "Nutso."

This woman's taking face mask tirades to the next level, adding a disgusting racist tirade that included her busting out alleged Kung Fu moves on an Asian employee.

This all went down at Shoppers Drug Mart in Ontario, Canada where the employee had told the customer she had to wear a mask while inside the store ... and that set off the so-called "battle" you see in the video.

The maskless customer claimed she was doing Kung Fu because, "I know you know martial arts. So do I!" The employee desperately tried to get the woman out of the store and threatened to call police.

As if the situation couldn't get more bizarre ... the maskless woman appeared to threaten the employee with her own blood. You can see her waving a tissue she claimed had her blood on it.

Forget the "Drake Curse," Nick Jonas says athletes should be lining up for the "Jonas Blessing" -- a PROVEN theory that the JoBros can help win championships!!!

Patrick Mahomes. Cody Bellinger. Lewis Hamilton.

They all attended Jonas Brothers concerts just MONTHS before they dominated their respective sports.

Coincidence? NICK THINKS NOT!!

"To fully understand this conspiracy, we have to back things up to Sept. 22nd, 2019," Nick says ... "That is the day of the Jonas Brothers show in Kansas City Missouri. You know who was at that show? Patrick Mahomes. Cut to a few months later, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl 54."

That checks out.

"Next up, Dec 10, Arizona. Who was there you might ask? Oh, Cody Bellinger. Cut to October 27th, the Dodgers win the World Series."

Also, accurate.

"Lewis Hamilton attended the Jonas Brothers concert in Paris on Feb. 22nd. Just last week, he won his 92nd Grand Prix, the most of all time."

SOUNDS SCIENTIFIC TO US!

"The key to success is to come to a Jonas Brother show," Nick explains ... "Basically the reverse of the Drake Curse. Let's call it the Jonas Blessing."

Nick says talent and work ethic are fine and all ... but if you REALLY wanna win, it's about Jonas bangers like "Year 3000" and "Sucker."

"Congrats to all you Jonas-loving athletes who were smart enough to come to a show. You deserve those championships!"

Leanza Cornett, who was crowned Miss America in 1993, has died after suffering a traumatic brain injury earlier this month.

Cornett died Wednesday, according to a family spokesperson. Though no cause of death was given, Cornett was severely injured during a fall at home on October 12 ... which required her undergoing a decompressive craniectomy to treat swelling and bleeding on her brain.

The Miss America Organization confirmed her passing, saying it's devastated for this sudden loss and deeply sorry for her loved ones. It adds ... "Leanza had a bright and beautiful spirit and her laugh was infectious."

Leanza was a familiar face on TV in the mid and late '90s -- she hosted several shows, including "Entertainment Tonight" in 1994.

The Jacksonville native was first crowned Miss Florida in 1992 before winning her Miss America crown the next year. She also sang in a Christian music group called Area Code and performed as Ariel from "The Little Mermaid" at Walt Disney World MGM Studios.

Once she was Miss America, Leanza used her platform in the '90s to be a leading activist for AIDS awareness ... and was often seen wearing a reds AIDS ribbon to support the cause.

She was 49.

The Dodgers are "working closely" with the L.A. County Health Department after Justin Turner tested positive for COVID … and officials are advising an immediate team-wide quarantine.

TMZ Sports spoke with Health Department officials who tell us they've already been in contact with the champs and have issued recommendations on the next steps "to prevent additional exposures."

The Dept. is wishing Turner a speedy recovery ... but reminded the slugger that he -- like anyone who is COVID positive -- MUST quarantine until they beat the virus.

But, they're not just singling out Turner ... the LACDPH says any Dodgers player or staff member "who has been a close contact of a person who has tested positive for the virus for 15 minutes or more over a 24 hour period must quarantine for 14 days."

Since Turner got up close and personal with most of the team during the World Series celebration -- even packing in close for a team photo -- the suggestion is everyone needs to isolate, ASAP.

As we previously reported, the Dodgers boarded a plane and flew back to L.A. on Wednesday.

George Clooney and Rande Gerber's famous Casamigos Halloween party's got a unique twist this year -- screw the lime, they've got a whole truck!!!

The founders of the famous tequila brand won't be putting on their annual Halloween extravaganza this year -- COVID strikes again -- but they're not killing off their party spirit. Instead, they've prepped a 26-foot, custom-wrapped truck featuring a Halloween-themed image of George and Rande, or ... Cloober, if you will.

The truck's gonna be making stops all over L.A. to visit FOCs -- friends of Casamigos -- who are having safe, in-home celebrations.

Fans of the brand who live in L.A. can get in on the action too. The grand prize winner will get a visit from the truck. To enter, fans must take a photo of themselves in their most creative costume, tag Casamigos in the photo and include the hashtags #CasamigosHalloween and #Contest.

Those not in L.A. can still give it a shot, but your prize will be a sweet swag bag instead. Sorry, Rande and George gotta watch mileage on the truck.

Casamigos legendary Halloween ragers have entertained Justin Timberlake, Kim Kardashian, Harry Styles, Jessica Alba, Kendall Jenner, Zoe and Lenny Kravitz and many more. Last year's had a scary number of celebs.

So, this is nuts -- a popular coconut milk brand allegedly uses abused monkeys to harvest its product, which is why you won't see it on Costco shelves anymore.

The wholesale giant says it's discontinuing Chaokoh coconut milk after PETA made it aware of the alleged monkey business going down in Thailand. We know it sounds like a joke: How many monkeys does it take to pick a coconut?

But, according to PETA, there's no punchline ... just monkeys taken from their families to be chained, caged, and forced to become "coconut picking machines" until their deaths.

Now, for its part, Chaokoh denies PETA's abuse claims, saying ... "We do not engage the use of monkey labour in our coconut plantations" -- and adds all of its suppliers have signed an agreement not to do so either.

Andre Abram -- the Black man who was told "This is a no n***er zone" by a man named Paul Ng -- says he's dealing with difficult mental aftershock from the incident going viral ... but he's not holding any grudges.

Abram tells TMZ ... last week's confrontation with Ng in Scottsdale was extremely upsetting for him, and he's having a tough time reliving it over and over as the media replays it.

Abram says he's using breathing and relaxation techniques to stay calm, but admits it's been emotionally taxing. He says he has a strong support system of friends and family ... and he won't hesitate to seek more help if needed.

As for Ng ... Andre says he forgives the guy for his actions, but stresses that he needs to understand what he did was wrong and unacceptable.

As we first reported ... Ng was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct for his interaction with Abram. He allegedly told cops he was looking out for his community and suspected Abram and his friend of casing the area. In actuality, they were recording an episode of Abram's podcast.

Golf legend Jack Nicklaus is officially endorsing Donald Trump -- saying he's "learned to look past" the President's flaws ... including bad tweets.

"I have had the privilege over the last 3-and-a-half years to get to know our current President a little more as his term progressed," the 80-year-old said in a statement Wednesday.

"I have been very disappointed at what he's had to put up with from many directions, but with that, I have seen a resolve and a determination to do the right thing for our country."

Nicklaus says Trump has "delivered on his promises. He's worked for the average person."

Then, Nicklaus addressed some of the controversial and offensive things Trump has said/tweeted over the years -- chalking it up as no big deal.

"You might not like the way our President says or tweets some things – and trust me, I have told him that! But, I have learned to look past that and focus on what he's tried to accomplish."

Jack says he's convinced Trump "has been more diverse than any President I have seen and has tried to help people from all walks of life -- equally."

"This is not a personality contest; it's about patriotism, policies and the people they impact," Nicklaus continued.

"His love for America and its citizens, and putting his country first, has come through loud and clear. How he has said it has not been important to me. What has been important are his actions. Now you have the opportunity to take action."

He concluded, "I strongly recommend you consider Donald J. Trump for another 4 years. I certainly have and have already cast my vote for him."

For his part, Trump liked the endorsement -- saying, "Jack, this is a great honor. Thank you!"

With Election Day fast approaching, lots of folks will be looking for ways to get to their polling places, which is where Lyft comes in ... with a major assist for thousands of voters.

A rep for the rideshare co. tells TMZ ... their team has already helped mobilize nearly 30,000 people with a transportation plan on Nov. 3. They're also helping voters to make sure they're registered.

Might seem like small potatoes, but since every vote counts in this election -- it's actually a big deal. Lyft says they've achieved this via their Voting Access Hub, along with countless partnerships in a comprehensive push to get out the vote.

Lyft's also offering sweet deals on Election Day for folks who need a lift to the polling place.

It'll be cheaper than usual to use Lyft that day -- and it could be straight-up free, depending on your circumstance. Lyft says it's offering 50% off one ride with a $10 max discount, one way. The code to get the discount is 2020VOTE.

For folks in underserved communities, they'll have the opportunity to get a ride on the house.

Lyft is partnering with orgs like Nike, More Than a Vote, Vote.org, Black Women's Roundtable, Sony Music Group, Plus 1 Vote ... and even John Legend, who's focusing on getting transportation for formerly incarcerated people who are eligible to vote.

There IS something worse than a SoCal traffic jam -- try getting caught behind a semitruck as powerful wind tosses it like a rocking chair, nearly tipping it over right in front of you!!!

The incredible footage shows the big rig leaning and rocking in the wind, and as you can see, at one point the entire trailer was lifted up on one side as it came oh so close to falling over.

Erik, the guy who shot the video, tells us he was driving onto the 210 Freeway Monday in Fontana, CA -- an hour east of L.A. -- when he noticed the semi struggling to cut through the strong Santa Ana winds, which gusted up to 96 MPH that day.

Erik says he started filming the semi, thinking it was only a matter of time before it blew on its side. He was dangerously close to being right.

The worst part for Erik was there was already bumper-to-bumper traffic on the freeway due to multiple other semis flipping in the wind.

Hollywood's Halloween costume parties will be looking like a ghost town this year ... so instead, let's take a stroll down memory lane and try to guess who's behind these sexy costumes!!!

Here's a few hints ... the babe in the Miley Cyrus costume is a hotel heiress. The hottie dressed as Poison Ivy loves to rap about sex. Oh, and the bombshells dressed as Karl Lagerfeld and a Victoria's Secret angel are sisters in a super famous fam.

Check out the gallery for some of the hottest costumes from Halloweens past ... and good luck making your best guesses.

Before this Halloween-ready runt was famous for his comedy on a popular Netflix show, he was just another playful kid acting out a gory horror scene in Le Mars, Iowa.

This ketchup covered kid became famous after starring alongside Hayden Panettiere in a romantic comedy film named after her captivating character. Looking for love became a common trend in his work after he scored a role exploring the trials and tribulations of his relationship with his girlfriend, played by Gillian Jacobs.

Even though he is a hilarious comedian on-screen, this funny fella is also known for his career as a writer.