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A Louisiana woman's lucky to be alive after a frightening encounter with mother nature when a lightning strike obliterated a tree, sending thousands of pieces flying ... and it was all caught on video.

The incident went down in the small town of Morgan City, Louisiana -- about 86 miles west of New Orleans -- where home security footage captured the moment Sarah Ribardi came incredibly close to being struck by wood shrapnel that came flying in her direction after the tree near her home was reduced to rubble in less than a second.

Watch the video ... it's incredible the woman was able to immediately run back inside after the huge tree splintered. The video, shot Friday, shows a nanosecond of a bright flash ... and then a deafening crack.

Donald Trump is campaigning hard for college football -- urging programs NOT to cancel the 2020 season.

And, he's on board the #WeWantToPlay movement, which is being led by his old fast-food buddy, Trevor Lawrence.

"The student-athletes have been working too hard for their season to be cancelled," POTUS tweeted Monday ... adding the hashtag, "#WeWantToPlay"

Trump made the comments while quote tweeting the Clemson QB's demands for a college football season.

As we previously reported, Lawrence -- along with other top college football stars -- spelled out a list of demands in order for the players to be on board with a 2020 football season.

Among the demands ... "Universal mandated health and safety procedures to protect college athletes against covid-19 among all conferences throughout the NCAA."

"Give players the opportunity to opt out and respect their decision."

Trump and Lawrence go way back -- remember, Trevor's Clemson football team was invited to the White House back in January 2019 to celebrate their national championship season.

Trump was widely mocked for the fast-food catering, but Lawrence had nothing but praise for POTUS on the way out ... saying the food was "awesome."

The family of Don Lewis -- Carole Baskin's millionaire husband who went missing in 1997, whose story was featured on 'Tiger King' -- is going all out to find out what happened to him ... including putting up billboards and offering a $100k reward.

Don's 3 daughters, alongside attorney John Phillips and family spokesperson Jack Smith, announced a series of steps currently in place to get more info on his disappearance ... which occurred on August 18, 1997, after Don left his Tampa home.

Don's daughters say a team is in place, led by Smith, that has restored their hope of finding out what happened to their father ... and they believe Phillips is the lawyer they've been waiting for to handle the case.

Along with erecting 4 billboards across Tampa reading, "Who Murdered Don Lewis?" -- which also highlights the reward for info -- Don's family spokesperson says a cold case group on Facebook was started to hunt for clues ... which he says has already yielded results.

For instance, they looked into details about a septic tank installation allegedly connected to the case, and claim they found a discrepancy with what Carole had previously stated about it.

Other revelations from the Monday press conference include Phillips' plan to sue Baskin -- presumably for wrongful death -- and that the $100k reward money was made possible by an anonymous donor. BTW ... Carole has denied any involvement in Don's disappearance.

The team said it would not discuss further evidence at this time, but TMZ's learned an anonymous letter was sent to Jeff Lowe at the GW Zoo allegedly detailing where Don's body is buried ... so the letter writer claimed. We're told Jeff turned the letter over to authorities.

The family hopes the money and heightened interest in the case will lead to someone finally coming forward with a helpful tip that breaks the cold case open ... and results in justice for Don.

As you may know ... rumors over the cause of Don's death were fueled on 'Tiger King' by Joe Exotic, who made it clear he believes Baskin killed him. Although Carole's not a suspect, the Sheriff has said he's suspicious.

Shocking new details in the Derrius Guice domestic violence case ... the NFL player's GF told cops he choked her unconscious during a March incident and when she came to, he was crying next to her.

It's all in new court documents obtained by TMZ Sports ... which spell out the allegations from 3 separate incidents allegedly involving the former Washington Football Team running back, beginning on Valentine's Day.

INCIDENT #1 -- Feb. 14, 2020

Guice's girlfriend told cops he "pushed her to the ground in his bedroom bathroom, causing injury to her left thumbnail where she caught her fall."

The woman says the nail eventually fell off due to a "popped blood vessel."

INCIDENT #2 -- March 13, 2020

Guice's GF told cops he "strangled her until she was unconscious by putting his hands around her neck and applying pressure."

The woman says when she regained consciousness, Guice was "crying and tapping her."

She told cops Guice had also pushed her and pulled her hair more than once that same day.

The woman says she left the house to catch a flight and didn't look in the mirror until she was at the airport. That's when she realized she was badly bruised and took photos of her injuries, which she submitted to police.

INCIDENT #3 -- April 17, 2020

The woman says Guice pushed her to the ground outside of his Ashburn, Virginia home causing injuries to her body, which she again photographed.

She claims Guice also thew her cell phone into the street, causing it to shatter.

As we previously reported, Guice was arrested on Friday and hit with multiple serious charges including assault and battery, felony strangulation and destruction of property.

If convicted on the felony, the faces up to 5 years in prison.

He was released on bond -- and cut by the Washington Football Team later that day.

Guice was a top running back at LSU during his college days and was selected in the 2nd-round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

He flashed huge potential but was hampered by injuries.

Fans were really down to insert Viola Davis into Cardi B's new song -- even at the expense of Kylie Jenner -- and the actress was all about it ... CB was too.

Viola posted a couple different fan tributes that creatively embedded her into Cardi and Meg Thee Stallion's music video for "WAP" -- one of which swapped VD's face and body for Kylie's. Viola seemed to think it was funny -- she wrote, "Who did this?" and added emojis.

She posted another fan rendition, which spliced in a scene of "How to Get Away with Murder" ... seamlessly syncing up Viola dancing to the "WAP" beat in the background. Viola liked that one too, reposting it and adding flamenco emojis with the hashtag #HowToGetAwayWithWAP.

That last shout-out caught the attention of Cardi herself, who appeared pretty starstruck with the love Viola was showing. She retweeted Viola's post with the caption, "I'm so fan out right now ya don't even know." Looks like both ladies are pretty fond of each other. Who knew?!?

The video's taken off since it was released last week ... it's already got 59 million-plus views, and it's spurred meme after meme after meme, including the Viola one you see above. Like we told you, the purpose of the project was to showcase women empowerment and solidarity.

The L.A. County Sheriffs are under fire again after pointing guns at three black teens who actually needed their help following several 911 calls.

The incident went down Friday in Santa Clarita, about 35 miles north of L.A., and you see in the video a bunch of deputies roll up as several other deputies are already pointing high-powered weapons at the teens, who have their hands up.

Tammi Collins, the mother of one of the teens, says her son and a couple of friends were sitting at a bus stop when a homeless man asked if they had any crack and then tried to steal their stuff. She says the man became super aggro, ripped his shirt off and pulled a knife on them, and attempted to stab them.  She says the kids fended the man off with their skateboards.

Tammi says several 911 calls were placed and all but one claimed the boys were the victims, but one caller, she says, told the dispatcher "two black guys were attacking a homeless man."

The deputies have their weapons trained on the teens, as bystanders explained they were the victims, but the cops were unmoved. It's unclear if the teens were placed under arrest. We have no idea if the cops detained the homeless man, or if he was even around when they arrived.

We reached out to the L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. ... so far, no word back.

Big blow to college football ... the BIG 10 has reportedly voted to CANCEL the 2020 season.

The Detroit Free Press is citing multiple sources who confirm BIG 10 presidents voted 12-2 in favor of canceling the season.

Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Northwestern and Purdue were among the programs that voted to cancel.

Meanwhile, the only 2 votes for playing came from Nebraska and Iowa, according to the Dan Patrick Show.

The conference will reportedly go public with the announcement on Tuesday.

As we previously reported, the leaders of college football's Power 5 conferences (ACC, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC) held an emergency meeting over the weekend to discuss their options.

But, as ESPN reports, the takeaway from the meeting was that a college football season in 2020 was unlikely pending some sort of miracle.

Patrick Schwarzenegger spilled the beans, possibly unintentionally, but his sister, Katherine, and her hubby, Chris Pratt, have had their baby.

The news came after a photographer spotted Patrick Sunday and congratulated him on becoming an uncle and then asked how Katherine and the baby are doing. PS responded, "Doing great, just got her a little gift." He then made it even clearer by showing the photog the gift, wrapped in a pink ribbon.

So, Katherine and Chris had a girl!!! It's Katherine's first child and Chris' second. He and ex-wife Anna Faris have a son, Jack. ET first broke the story.

They tied the knot in June 2019 ... remember those days?

So that makes The Terminator a first-time granddad and, of course, Maria Shriver a first-time grandma!!!

Congrats all!!!

Rachael Ray's home in upstate New York appears to have suffered major damage from a fire that ripped through the inside, shooting flames out the roof.

Firefighters were called to the celebrity cook's house in Lake Luzerne Sunday night around 8 PM to battle the blaze, the cause of which is still unknown ... according to officials.

Fortunately, Rachael and her husband, John Cusimano, are safe. Rachael's rep, Charlie Dougiello, tells TMZ ... "Rachael, her husband John and their dog Bella are safe. Their home was unfortunately damaged and we are in the process of accessing to what extent."

Rachael has owned the home since 2013, and has been filming live cooking segments of her daytime talk show there during the coronavirus pandemic.

She was at a charity golf outing with John earlier Sunday and had shared photos of elaborate spreads of food just hours before the fire.

Dan Snyder claims a fired ex-employee is taking bribes to feed information to a foreign-based website that's out to get him, and now he's naming names in court.

The Washington Football Team owner is calling out Mary Ellen Blair, whom he describes as a former executive assistant in the team's offices. In docs filed Monday morning, Snyder claims Blair -- who was first demoted and then fired in 2017 -- contacted a current team employee in late May or early June to say a Washington Post story was coming out that would "not [be] good for Dan." Snyder insinuates she used stolen information, such as team contacts, to fish for negative information for that story.

BTW, The WaPo story that came out on July 5 claimed "minority owners" of the Washington Football Team are pissed at Snyder and wanted to sell their stakes.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, Blair contacted team employees again in early July, and said another big story was coming out claiming Snyder did "dirty and illegal" things.

He claims Blair told one employee, you'd "probably make a lot of money" for info on Snyder. Sources connected to Snyder tell us he also has recordings of Blair and multiple affidavits indicating she actually offered bribes to contacts.

Snyder, who's hired high-powered attorney Joe Tacopina, says the employee didn't take the bait, and points out the WaPo story that was published July 16 alleged sexual harassment in Team offices ... but he was not accused.

However, around that time meaww.com did post stories alleging Snyder was involved in sex trafficking and tied to Jeffrey Epstein. As TMZ Sports first reported, he's filed a $10 million defamation lawsuit against the site, and now wants a judge to allow him to dig into Blair's recent contacts, her finances ... and especially her housing.

Snyder claims she's lived in a swanky apartment for years -- despite being in "dire financial straits" -- and says within the last 60 days she upgraded to an even higher-end home.

Lili Reinhart says there should be more LGBTQ+ representation on TV and in media because it teaches kids to know it's fine to be who you are, and Lili knows from where she speaks.

The "Riverdale" actress was leaving a restaurant Sunday night in L.A. when our camera guy congratulated her on recently coming out as bisexual. We ask if she has any advice for others who might still be in the closet -- and her wisdom is simple but effective.

ICYMI ... Lili announced she was bi back in June before attending a BLM protest in West Hollywood, where LGBTQ+ allies were also marching. Of her decision to finally come out, she said she'd never felt more solidarity or more welcomed -- and simply thought it was time.

Speaking of that, Lili also talks about the fact more gay and bi characters are being introduced to mainstream networks and streaming services, especially on Disney. There's a new show they're rolling out called "Owl House," which features an openly bi character ... and Lili's all for it.

A volcano in Indonesia exploded in spectacular fashion this week, sending a tower of ash flying three miles high ... leaving surrounding villages and communities shrouded in darkness.

Mount Sinabung erupted Monday on Indonesia's Sumatra Island, sending a massive column of volcanic ash spewing thousands of feet into the sky -- 16,400 to be exact. Luckily, no one was killed or seriously hurt from the explosion, but there were warnings of lava flows.

Folks were advised to stay at least three miles away from the crater's mouth, where lava could literally hijack the landscape. And, although the immediate area around the volcano has been roped off for years, people were still covered in ash below.

The AP reports up to 2 inches of ash gathered in some of the abandoned villages along the volcano's slopes. People further out carried on like normal, apparently -- except for the fact they had to turn on their car headlights to see through the darkness.

Mount Sinabung had been dormant for centuries before first erupting again in 2010 ... and since then, it's been active and experienced explosions a handful of times in the years to follow. The 2010 eruption killed two, 16 more were killed in 2014 and 7 died in 2016.

"Fixer Upper" is back -- but, before Chip Gaines can shout, "It's demolition day!" he and Joanna gotta hunt down the right projects ... and that's where you can help 'em.

The "Fixer Upper" reboot will be coming to the couple's new Magnolia Network in 2021, but in the meantime, they've put out a casting call for current homeowners in the Waco area looking for a stunning home renovation.

To be eligible, homeowners have to live within 30 miles of Waco ... though most hardcore fans of the show already know that. The new wrinkles include having at least a $50k remodel budget, handing over all design and renovation decisions to Chip and Joanna ... and be willing to vacate during the renovation.

They expect that to start later this fall.

It's interesting ... during the show's 5 successful seasons on HGTV, which last aired in April 2018, the Baylor football-loving couple usually trotted around town with their clients looking for a house they wanted to buy and renovate.

It looks like this time around ... they're considering "only homeowners who have closed on a home and/or currently living in their 'Fixer Upper.'"

The projects will last between 30 to 35 weeks, so anyone who gets picked will have to provide their own alternative housing. And, in case you've ever wondered ... the furniture used to stage the renovated home is available for purchase at a discounted rate after the big reveal.

Harvey Weinstein doesn't want to be dragged to Los Angeles to face further prosecution for alleged sex crimes ... because he's already serving a 23-year sentence in New York and feels a trip to an L.A. jail would be a death sentence because of COVID.

The L.A. County D.A. wants Weinstein extradited to Los Angeles for another sexual assault trial, but Weinstein's lawyer, Norman Effman, tells TMZ ... he's gonna fight the move.

Effman says his client's health would be at serious risk if he's transferred to L.A. -- where coronavirus cases have been surging -- especially the county's jail system which has been plagued by COVID-19 outbreaks.

As you may recall ... Weinstein tested positive for the virus in March and recovered, but his lawyer says that's no guarantee he's immune now.

Effman points out the Wende Correctional Facility in upstate New York -- where Weinstein's currently locked up -- has had a low infection rate and zero COVID deaths.

So, he argues, there's no reason to send Weinstein from a relatively safe environment to a dangerous one.

Effman says Weinstein's not fighting extradition altogether ... he just wants to wait until the conditions are safer. The coronavirus outbreak already delayed his extradition back in May. A hearing's set for this week to address the issue again, but it's clear ... Weinstein won't go quietly.

Weinstein was sentenced in March to 23 years in prison in New York after being convicted of committing a criminal sex act in the first degree and rape in the third degree.

Tito Ortiz says he already has some powerful support as he embarks on a political career -- with the Trump family standing firmly behind him.

As we previously reported, the UFC Hall of Famer is running for City Council in Huntington Beach, CA -- but tells TMZ Sports, he ultimately wants to become the mayor.

Earlier this week, we spotted Ortiz as he was submitted paperwork for the Nov. 3rd election ... and man, he is EXCITED.

45-year-old Tito says he was inspired to run for office after working with law enforcement to protect the community during the George Floyd protests back in May.

Ortiz says he ultimately realized becoming an officer was too dangerous at this point in his life -- and political career seemed like a better option.

"My community has given so much to me throughout my career, now its time for me to give back to my community. I'm ready for city council!"

Ortiz -- who's been tight with the Trump family for decades -- says Donald Trump Jr. already reached out to show love.

"Donald Trump Jr. reached out to me and said, 'I heard you're running at Huntington Beach, go get 'em champ!' I'm very thankful for that."

Ortiz also says he would love to get on the phone with POTUS to get some advice, but understands Donald is a little busy these days.

In the meantime, Ortiz says he's been brushing up on civics lessons in hopes of hitting the ground running if he gets elected.

Tito says his campaign will focus on making the city safe again -- noting it was once considered the "Safest City In America."

He also wants to put focus on growing the local economy and protecting the environment.

Ortiz says he won't be bought off by big corporations -- telling TMZ Sports, "I'm not here for the money, I'm here to make a difference for my community."