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2:12 PM PT -- The press conference just ended and Kim made a major announcement … she’s involved in a rideshare partnership to give former inmates free rides to job interviews.

Kim says after spending time visiting prisons all over the country and talking with inmates on the inside and those who were recently released, one of their biggest hurdles is finding ways to get to job interviews and to work.

Meanwhile, the Prez announced a series of initiatives by the federal government and employers to help former inmates find work when they get back to their communities.

Kim Kardashian is back at the White House to talk prison reform, but this time she'll be making a speech alongside President Trump ... and TMZ is streaming it live.

Kim and the Prez are talking about the first prisoners released under the recently passed First Step Act ... and Trump is also expected to discuss hiring people with criminal records.

As you know, Kim and her legal team have been working diligently to free nonviolent prisoners who are spending life in prison for small drug crimes under Draconian sentences ... helping dozens of men and women gain their freedom.

Kim went to 1600 Penn. last year in the name of prison reform ... sitting down with POTUS in the Oval Office ... and now we're going to learn more about the fruits of their labor.

Their news conference is set to begin at 1 PM PT, and we'll have it all here.

"Orange is the New Black" star Lorraine Toussaint is bailing out of her marriage ... she's filed for divorce.

According to court records ... Lorraine filed her divorce petition Thursday in Los Angeles to make the split from her husband, Robert Michael Tomlinson, official, legally.

According to the docs they have no minor children together ... although there have been reports they have a teenage daughter. They were married on June 25, 2017.

Lorraine is asking the court to award her spousal support, and to block the court's ability to award support the other way around.

Lorraine played inmate Yvonne "Vee" Parker on season 2 on the hit Netflix show, 'OITNB.' She's also appeared on many other TV shows ... including "Where I Live," "Amazing Grace," "Law & Order," "Judging Amy," "Ugly Betty" and "Friday Night Lights."

But, Vee was definitely her breakout role -- she even won a 2015 SAG Award for it, along with her co-stars. Lorraine also garnered rave reviews from TV Guide and Vanity Fair.

She's also done several films, and got praise for her role in "Selma."

** WARNING -- THIS THE GROSSEST THING YOU WILL SEE ALL DAY!!! **

SERIOUSLY ... IT'S SUPER GRAPHIC. YOU SEE BLOOD AND BONE AND A METAL ROD.

IF YOU'RE EATING ... PUT DOWN THE CHALUPA!!!

Okay ... breathe. Focus.

These are intensely graphic pictures from Paige VanZant's arm surgery -- where a metal rod was reinserted into her right forearm.

Remember, Paige initially jacked up the arm during her Jan. 2018 fight when she tried to hit Jessica Rose-Clark with a spinning back fist ... and caught her with the forearm instead.

She had two surgeries since but the arm still isn't 100% so she went under the knife again Thursday for another procedure in hopes of fixing it once and for all.

But, Paige loves to shock her audience and decided to go public with the in-surgery photos of the procedure -- which show the metal stabilizing rod being implanted next to her radius and ulna.

So, if you're a freak and enjoy looking at gross and graphic pics ... YOU'RE GONNA LOVE THIS!!!

"The Wendy Williams Show" has never been better -- as far as the staff is concerned -- and it's all due to her estranged husband's departure.

As you know, Wendy is going through a divorce with Kevin Hunter, who was a producer of her talk show until he left in April amid their rising relationship drama. According to sources close to the TV show ... the collective feeling about his departure was GOOD RIDDANCE.

We're told several staff members called Kevin leaving a "breath of fresh air" ... and say the work environment has been 100 percent less hostile. Our sources say Hunter was notorious for being overly controlling and unpleasant, and had employees in constant fear of being fired.

Kevin's exit has had a huge positive impact on Wendy too. We're told she seemed back to her regular, down to earth self in the final weeks of taping before the show went on hiatus ... and you'd never know she was going through a nasty divorce by the way she was on set.

Williams has been enjoying her single life lately -- especially with her new, young "friend," Marc Tomblin -- but the ex-couple have also been exchanging barbs as their divorce moves ahead.

Wendy accused Kevin of keeping her cooped up at home and treating her like a "show pony," and he fired back by calling her lazy.

There's also the issue between Kevin and their son, Kevin Jr., which isn't any closer to being mended.

All that aside, it seems like everyone working for Wendy is happy and rejuvenated, and we're told they're excited to get back to filming the show after its break ... sans Kevin, of course.

Common is sick and tired of watching female athletes get TRASHED by "sexist" sports fans who hold the women to a completely different standard than their male counterparts ... and he's calling for it to end.

The rapper/actor/social activist was at LAX sporting a shirt that reads, "Love Her" -- so we asked about the U.S. Women's National Team getting no love from people upset with their 13-0 victory over Thailand.

Some critics have called the team classless for celebrating after some of the late goals -- and accused the team of unnecessarily running up the score against an obviously outmatched opponent.

But, Common says we should be CELEBRATING the women and lifting them up for their accomplishments instead of looking for ways to put them down.

"If they felt like celebrating then they celebrated," Common explained ... "They worked hard to get there. If they celebrated, that's okay."

Common also says this latest round of criticism is nothing new -- saying "the whole country has been sexist" when it comes to sports ... adding, "We just gotta erase that whole mentality."

He also compared the plight of female athletes to black athletes -- saying they face similar unfair criticism from the masses.

Wendy Williams' estranged husband, Kevin Hunter Sr., says her claim he kept her pent up at home is a lie and adds ... she was too lazy to give a damn -- but Wendy says believe nothing her ex says.

Kevin is firing back at the beloved talk show host after she told us she "was cooped up only to be a show pony" during their marriage. Sources close to Kevin say that's a bald-faced lie, and he claims her memory is just off.

The way Kevin sees it ... Wendy orchestrated her schedule and chose, primarily, to do her talk show and go home. We're told Kevin feels Wendy just didn't want to hit red carpet events or put in any effort outside of the on-camera work for her show.

A source close to Wendy is doubling down though ... calling Kevin "extremely controlling and sneaky" during the marriage, and "nothing he says is the truth."

When it comes to business decisions ... sources close to Kevin say Wendy took a hands-off approach and willingly left everything up to her husband -- trusting him for 22 years to handle her career.

As for Wendy's young, new arm candy ... we're told Kevin isn't jealous and understands why she wants to go out and have some carefree fun.

He does, however, take issue with Wendy saying he “had a full baby with a woman he was involved with for 15 years.” We're told he calls that a gross exaggeration because he didn’t meet his mistress until 2008.

We get the feeling the nitpicking is just beginning -- and even though Wendy thinks they'll eventually make peace -- it feels like their divorce is gonna be a long, drawn-out affair.

Cassie's got HUGE news, less than a year after splitting from Diddy ... the singer and her new BF, Alex Fine, are expecting their first child ... but it might not have ever happened without Diddy.

Cassie announced she's having a girl by posting a pic late Wednesday of herself and Alex with the caption, "Can’t wait to meet our baby girl." The couple wasted very little time starting a family.

As we reported, Diddy and his longtime on and off GF broke up about 8 months ago. They'd been together for about 10 years and, before they split, our sources say Diddy had hired Alex -- a pro bull rider and personal trainer -- to train Cassie.

At the time, we were told Diddy felt betrayed because they'd hooked up before the breakup. Sources connected to Alex and Cassie insisted they weren't together until Diddy was out of the picture.

Anyway, Alex has mind on fatherhood now. He posted a "Letter to my Daughter" ... saying, "I never thought my heart could grow bigger after meeting your mother... then I found out we were having you and I instantly felt a love that is so indescribable."

Mazel tov.

Michael Avenatti's legal troubles continue mounting ... he's now facing a lawsuit from his former paraplegic client who claims Avenatti stole nearly $4 million from him.

Geoffrey Johnson is suing the lawyer claiming Avenatti took the vast majority of a $4 million settlement payment that Johnson scored years ago but Avenatti wired to himself in January 2015.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Johnson sued the L.A. County Sheriff's Department in 2012 claiming its deputies roughed him up during a wrongful arrest. Long story short ... Johnson scored a settlement but says all Avenatti's firm did was wire him meager $1,900 monthly payments.

Johnson's now suing for $9.5 million in compensatory damages ... which includes the $4 mil settlement and $5 mil in additional damages including severe emotional distress. Johnson, BTW, is the guy the feds mentioned in its 36-count indictment that could land Avenatti in prison for the rest of his life.

Avenatti's vehemently denied any wrongdoing telling TMZ ... "Mr. Johnson's claims are categorically false and frivolous, and his case will be thrown out of court." Avenatti explained, "He previously agreed on numerous occasions, including in multiple detailed writings which he reviewed, initialed and signed (after a different lawyer reviewed), that I conducted myself ethically at all times."

Bunch of people at a bar in Charlottesville, Virginia took it all the way back to 1994 this week ... when Dwyane Wade took over the stage on karaoke night and busted out "Candy Rain."

You remember the song ... it was Soul For Real's biggest hit back in the day (hit #2 on the Billboard Hot 100) ... produced by Heavy D and written by Ali Shaheed Muhammad from A Tribe Called Quest.

In other words, it's a classic!!!

So, when D-Wade and his friends were in town for a youth basketball tournament, the retired NBA superstar decided to hit up Rapture Restaurant and provide some musical entertainment ... and the crowd loved it!

At one point, the other guy on stage is calling for someone in the crowd to come up -- someone he refers to as "Drizzy" and "Drake" ... but from what we're told, it wasn't the superstar rapper Drake.

Still, enjoy the clip ... and here's the original song if you're in the mood to jam.

Ariana Grande found a few different ways to honor Mac Miller during her first show in his hometown since he died, but she was way too emotional to actually sing his name ... so the crowd stepped up.

Ariana's Sweetener Tour was in Pittsburgh Wednesday night, and it was obvious how moved she was to be in her ex-boyfriend's city as she performed "Thank U, Next."

When it came time to sing the line, "Wish I could say, 'Thank you' to Malcolm" ... Ariana choked up. Her fans quickly realized and sang it for her and cheered wildly for Mac. She eventually recovered for the rest of the song.

Ariana also got upset during the opening number, "Raindrops (An Angel Cried)" and was unable to finish the song through her tears.

Regardless, fans say she put on an amazing show in tribute to Mac ... which also included having an empty seat reserved for him and pumping his music through the speakers of PPG Paints Arena before she took the stage.

Ariana started that trend at the very first Sweetener tour show back in March ... but it was way more special in Pittsburgh.

Ronnie Ortiz-Magro and Jen Harley are like a broken record, and a trip to Disney World's not going to fix it ... so say sources close to the volatile pair.

We broke the story ... the 'Jersey Shore' star and his baby mama looked more like they were going to prison than vacay early Wednesday morning as they boarded a flight from Las Vegas to Florida with their daughter. They didn't sit together or speak on the flight.

We're told the separate seating was due to booking last minute -- but seeing the moody duo together definitely raised eyebrows.

Our sources tell us looks do not deceive -- Ronnie and Jen are still far from being solid in their relationship and are "on and off" on a weekly basis. We're told family and friends close to them are very concerned and fear things will take another violent turn at any moment.

Yes, even at the "The Most Magical Place on Earth."

As we've reported ... Harley was arrested last month for a New Year's Eve incident in which she allegedly threw an ashtray at Ron's face and bloodied it, the same night he allegedly ransacked her home.

Ronnie was also recorded smashing the security camera at her front door in December 2018 ... and earlier that year he got a black eye during that crazy car dragging incident.

Matt Damon's selfie game is strong -- if he were a middle school girl .. or a Kardashian.

Matt and his buddy, Chris Hemsworth, went out on a double date with their wives Wednesday night in Brooklyn, and after hitting up DUMBO House for dinner ... they stopped on the street for a group selfie with some other friends.

That's when Jason Bourne busted out one of his most surprising moves ever -- the kissy face!

Look away, Ben Affleck.

In case you're wondering ... the bromance between Bourne and Thor is real.

They've been super-tight for a couple years now, and Hemsworth's wife, Elsa Pataky, has said their families hit it off because they each have a few kids ... and she's a huge fan of Damon's wife, Luciana Barroso.

Matt also attended the premiere of Chris' new movie, "Men in Black: International," in NYC Tuesday to support his pal.

Famed director Bryan Singer is going to fork over $150,000 to settle allegations he raped a teenage boy on a yacht ... but Singer is still denying his accuser's claims.

Singer was sued by Cesar Sanchez-Guzman back in 2017 for allegedly forcing the then-17-year-old to perform oral sex on him and then raping him during a yacht party in Seattle.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... a bankruptcy trustee urged the court to approve a $150K settlement with Singer. Sanchez-Guzman had filed for bankruptcy, so a judge has to sign off on the settlement.

However ... Singer's attorney, Andrew Brettler, says the director still maintains his innocence and the settlement is not an admission of guilt.

Singer's attorney says ... "Mr. Singer has denied even knowing this individual, let alone allegedly having interacted with him more than 15 years ago."

St. Louis Blues fans went absolutely bonkers after winning the first title in franchise history ... hitting the streets and attacking anything with wheels!!

The Blues finished off the Boston Bruins in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final ... and the fans flooded the streets and hit the roofs of OCCUPIED cars to celebrate ... and tried their best to knock over a golf cart.

The fans kept the party going all night ... which is a great thing, 'cause the players showed up early Thursday morning with their new friend, Lord Stanley!!

The Blues players wasted no time getting back to the home crowd, celebrating in the locker room briefly before hoppin' on their jet and flying to St. Louis.

But don't worry, they also had their fun on the ice as well before going home ... Robby Fabbri was CHUGGING whiskey straight out of the bottle like a boss.

Team captain Alex Pietrangelo showed off the trophy while the fans went crazy ... despite it being 4:30 in the morning.

Mod Sun has some unanswered questions about Bella Thorne -- the first being, why can't she take a joke? The second being ... WHERE'S MY MONEY?!?!

We got Mod Sun as he was leaving The Nice Guy in WeHo, and had to ask him about what he said a couple of weeks ago. ICYMI ... he told our friends over at TooFab that Bella's stuff was still at his place -- dubbed the Mod Sun storage unit -- and threatened to hawk it all on eBay.

Bella, of course, didn't take too kindly to this ... and blasted Mod as a fame whore.

Mod strongly hints Bella's stuff is STILL at his place, but he also says his issues with her go beyond that. We're talking finances, and specifically ... debt!!! He claims she owes him some cold hard cash, and it sounds like the already bad breakup could get way worse.

As we reported ... Mod and Bella ended their 18-month fairy tale romance after their weekend in Coachella back in April -- and when she tried to get her stuff from his place, the ugliness began.

Vinny from "Jersey Shore" is gonna let it all hang out again for Chippendales ... they're inviting him back cause he was huge ... at the box office, that is.

Due to popular demand, as they say, we're told Vinny will headline Chippendales during a 6-week run beginning July 26 and ending September 1st. It's no secret why the male revue would want him back -- Vinny's been very, very good for biz.

We're told ticket sales during his April through May run rivaled Tyson Beckford's legendary 2017 run.

'JS' fans, or just fans of abs, will remember Vinny made the crowd go wild ... first with a sneak peek of his Italian stallions and then with a steamy shower scene. Fans should note, his ripped keto diet fueled bod will be on display for the Friday and Saturday night gigs at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino.

BTW, Vinny said Chippendales never told him to bare his ass in that shower scene, it was actually his choice ... "Because I've always been known to go hard or go home."