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President Trump is very much aware of A$AP Rocky's legal sitch in Sweden -- and he's got his team working to get him freed ... thanks in part to Kim K and Kanye West.

That's right ... we've learned Kim and Kanye lobbied The White House to jump in and get involved in the drama across the pond -- where A$AP's been behind bars for more than two weeks now as prosecutors determine if the rapper should be charged with aggravated assault.

Here's how it went down. We're told as soon as Kim and Kanye heard about A$AP's predicament earlier this month ... Kanye urged Kim to get on the horn and talk to Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner -- with whom Kim is very familiar from her previous White House work.

Our sources say Kim filled Jared in on what was happening, and Jared then took the info to Trump himself ... whom, we're told, acknowledged something seemed amiss.

In addition to Kim and Kanye, Kareem Lanier and Pastor Darrell Scott of the White House’s Urban Revitalization Coalition, also played a big role … helping to connect ASAP’s management directly with Kushner through a phone call.

We're told Trump told Kushner he believed A$AP was being held unfairly, and wanted to help. As we reported, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo got involved and unleashed a few deputies in an attempt to get some action. A State Dept. member was supposed to arrive in Sweden Thursday.  We're told the State Dept. is now actively working to get A$AP out of jail, thanks in large part to Kim's efforts.

However, some feel the State Dept. isn't moving fast enough. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus called Pompeo out for not doing more, though our sources say he's been working tirelessly. Fact is ... Swedish authorities have been unmoved so far ... and our sources say there's now real fear prosecutors might delay their decision beyond the 3 week mark and keep A$AP in custody.

Cardi B has compassion for A$AP Rocky and wants him freed ASAP, but she's not about to boycott a country that has shown her unbridled love ... i.e., Sweden.

Cardi literally (well, almost) stopped Bev Hills in its tracks when she perused the shelves at Prada, with throngs of fans craning their necks to sneak a peak.

Our photog asked if she's down with pulling the plug on appearances in Sweden in protest of Sweden's decision to keep A$AP Rocky in jail while prosecutors noodle over whether to charge him with aggravated assault.

Cardi is clearly empathetic to the plight of A$AP, who's been stuck in a Swedish jail for more than 2 weeks. The State Dept. is actively trying to get him out and, with a little help from Kim and Kanye, President Trump is on board as well.

Cardi hadn't seen our video with Quavo, who said he too was abused by cops in Sweden.

Nike says the Kawhi Leonard logo they created to put on merchandise in 2014 is distinctly different from the logo Kawhi sketched himself back in 2011 ... and they claim the proof is in the pictures.

Remember, Kawhi -- who was under contract with Nike from 2011 to 2018 -- claims he got a cease and desist in late '18 from Swoosh execs who claim they own the copyright to the "Claw Design" and forbid the NBA star from using it elsewhere.

In his lawsuit, filed in June 2019, Kawhi claimed he came up with the design while sketching around in college back in 2011. His version consists of his initials K.L. and jersey number #2 in a hand design. Leonard claims since he created the logo, he should have the rights to it.

But, Nike says that's simply not the case ... explaining they collaborated with Kawhi in 2014 to come up with an original design. Nike claims they submitted several concepts to him with a "number of proposed designs."

In new court docs obtained by TMZ Sports, Nike admits Kawhi had sent them a copy of his K.L. hand-design sketch as part of the collaborative process.

But, Nike says they eventually settled on an "original" version that is different from Kawhi's sketch.

Nike claims Kawhi signed off on the company using the final "Claw Design" in 2014 -- so they filed a trademark application to effectively own the rights to the image.

Nike says the company found out in 2017 Kawhi also filed an application to trademark the image -- and they were pissed ... saying he has no rights to it and had "fraudulently claimed to be the author and sole owner of the Claw Design."

In their suit, Nike says Kawhi even acknowledged publicly that Nike should be given "all the credit" for the design for turning a "rough draft" into a professional logo.

Nike is countersuing for copyright infringement, fraud and breach of contract -- and they're looking for a judge to stop Kawhi from using the design. They also want unspecified monetary damages.

The Washington Monument is more than a phallic symbol this week ... it's the backdrop for commemorating the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11.

The image is life size -- a 363-foot projection of the Saturn V rocket that launched 3 astronauts on the historic moon mission. The tip of the Monument is nearly 200 feet higher than the tip of the space capsule.

The National Air and Space Museum is hosting a series of events to honor astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins' amazing mission that took them from Earth to the moon.

There will also be a 17-minute show projected onto the Monument Friday and Saturday dubbed "Apollo 50: Go for the Moon" ... which will recreate the historic July 20, 1969 launch and subsequent lunar landing that paved the way for Neil Armstrong's most iconic quote after he was first to step on the moon.

Fun fact ... Neil Armstrong said everyone got his famous words wrong ... he did not say "This is one small step for man ..." he says he said "This is one small step for 'A' man." Apparently the "A" got lost in transmission.

Peyton Manning ain't closing the door to the idea of running an NFL team -- telling TMZ Sports he REALLY likes being a fan right now ... but "we'll see."

"I kind of like being a fan," the future Hall of Famer told us on his way out of Spago in Beverly Hills.

"[I get to] go to a lot of games ... see the Broncos play, Colts play, see the Giants play ... so I'm kind of enjoying doing that part of it right now but we'll see."

There are multiple teams who have reached out to Manning to run football operations -- but Manning clearly isn't ready to make that life commitment right now ... just a few seasons after retiring as a player.

Peyton also weighs in on the current state of the QB position in the NFL ... and shouts out Patrick Mahomes from the Chiefs.

The 43-year-old also talks about how the NFL has handled issues regarding players getting violent off the field ... explaining why he thinks Roger Goodell and his crew are "trying their best."

Ted Cruz is earmarking the billions upon billions of dollars El Chapo's been ordered to fork over to the U.S. to secure the southern border, and he says President Trump's backing his plan.

Like the Prez, the Texas Senator's all about building the wall, and he tells TMZ the next step now that the Mexican drug lord has been sentenced to life in prison ... should be to use his $12.6 BILLION fortune to make it happen.

Cruz acknowledges El Chapo's drug money might be difficult to track down, but says there should be no debate over where the cash goes once it's seized.

Ted's been serious about this for a couple years now -- he introduced legislation known as the EL CHAPO Act in April 2017, but it died ... so he reintroduced it in January.

He believes it's still a perfectly fitting conclusion to the Mexican kingpin's case. Check out his reasoning ... to Cruz it's basically poetic justice.

Logan Paul says he and KSI are thiiiis close to finalizing the details on a rematch ... and it's gonna BIG!!!

Remember, the two YouTube superstars clashed at Manchester Arena in England for a 6-round Pay-Per-View boxing match back in August 2018 ... a match that ended in a majority draw.

The fight did impressively well -- even drawing compliments from UFC honcho Dana White -- and leaving many wondering when they would run it back.

But, when we spoke with Logan at Quavo's celebrity charity basketball game on Tuesday in Los Angeles ... he told us some of the big details are being ironed out as we speak.

Paul says the fight will DEFINITELY take place in L.A. and the venue is down to either the Staples Center or The Forum ... two iconic arenas.

As for KSI, Logan says he's confident he'll beat the brakes off his YouTube rival ... telling us, "KSI's a bitch, bro! I mean it!"

Paul also says KSI hasn't been taking his boxing training seriously -- and "he looks like a f*cking meatball right now."

Conversely, Logan says he's in the best shape of his life ... and as you already know, he's fighting all comers in the boxing ring he set up in the backyard of his L.A. home -- including fake Ivan Drago.

Jenelle Evans' ex-husband has been busted again in North Carolina ... for violating his probation in a felony case.

Courtland Keith Rogers -- who was married to the former 'Teen Mom' star from 2012 to 2014 -- got arrested Wednesday in Leland and booked at the Brunswick County Jail for a felony probation violation. His bond is set at $10k.

It's unclear what Rogers did to violate his probation, but it seems it's connected to Rogers' arrest back in April 2018 on drug charges.

He was also arrested for allegedly assaulting a woman in August, 2018.

Jenelle doesn't have any kids with Rogers, and the couple was only married a couple months before they split in January 2013, only to reunite a few months later ... when both got arrested for heroin possession and domestic violence.

They officially divorced in June 2014.

As you know ... Jenelle's had her own share of legal troubles since then, and then some.

This mahogany-eyed teen went on to become one of the funniest ladies in the (wine) country.

She cut her comedy teeth as a regular on "Saturday Night Live" in the 2000s, but this actress actually got her start in showbiz on hospital dramas like "City of Angels" and "Chicago Hope." After her big 'SNL' break -- where she played characters like Beyonce, Tyra Banks, Barbara Streisand and even Donatella Versace -- she went on to bigger and better things.

This kiddo has starred on hit shows like "Up All Night," "Portlandia," "Brooklyn 99," "Maya & Marty," "Big Mouth," "The Awesomes," "The Good Place" and others.

She's also acted in some huge movies, such as "As Good As It Gets," "MacGruber," "Idiocracy," "Shrek the Third," "Grown Ups," "50 First Dates," "The Happytime Murders," "Bridesmaids" ... and Amy Poehler's Netflix movie, "Wine Country."

FYI, this star is tight with a bunch of the funniest women in the industry -- Tina Fey, Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig and a bunch of those other 'SNL' alums are good pals of hers.

2019 is seeing her lend her talents to a ton of voice acting, but we're sure we'll see her on the big screen again soon enough here.

Wendy Williams' last year has had a lot of ups and downs ... but some paparazzi just gave her a big up singing "Happy Birthday" to her a day before she hits a milestone.

The talk show host was looking like a princess Wednesday -- quite literally -- as she walked out of a NYC TV studio wearing a giant tiara and a hot pink outfit, in which she showed off some leg. She was all smiles as she got into her waiting vehicle, and for good reason too ... the surrounding paps belted out a heartfelt 'HB' a day before she hits the big 5-5.

Yes, Wendy is turning 55 Thursday ... and the crush of photogs let her know how much she meant to them with a song (for a soundbite, of course). She seemed to appreciate the gesture though, thanking everyone who sang as she climbed into the car.

Wendy's got every reason to celebrate -- her family drama seems to be simmering down after her son, Kevin Jr., was cut loose by prosecutors after he got into a scuffle with his dad.

Of course, she's still in the middle of an up-and-down divorce with her estranged husband/biz partner, Kevin Hunter, but even in the love department ... she's doing alright.

Wendy's been hanging with a young buck, who seems to be keeping her busy from coast-to-coast. He's already said he's not using her .. just enjoying her company, and vice versa.

If anything ... her smile here is a most welcome 180 flip from what we saw her doing about a month ago, when she was shedding tears on camera over her family.

A lot has been made of Jermaine Dupri's comments about female rappers -- but he wants to set the record straight on what was and wasn't said ... straight from the horse's mouth.

We talked to JD on "TMZ Live" Wednesday about an interview he recently did with People Now that's been catching tons of backlash in and around the hip-hop community. 

He said some of the hot femcees in the game right now sound like "strippers rapping" when asked specifically about Cardi B, Nicki Minaj and Megan Thee Stallion, going on to say he didn't have a fave of those three 'cause he felt they all rapped about the same thing.

For the record, Cardi is the only one out of the above-mentioned MCs who used to dance -- Nicki and Meg did not. 

Jermaine clarifies that his remark was only aimed at the artists he was asked about -- and made a point to say that his statement was not meant to be a blanket label on all female rappers. He also recoils against claims he's sexist, saying nothing's further from the truth.

Cardi weighed in on the issue herself, basically saying she's giving the people what they want ... so she's gonna keep rapping about her "p***y" 'til people demand otherwise. 

Jermaine points out Cardi appears to have heard this complaint before, and that his remark is likely a widespread sentiment that's only catching fire because he's the first big name to publicly voice it -- namely, the most popular female rappers right now focus heavily on sex.

Kevin Spacey just won a huge victory, because the criminal case against him in Nantucket, Massachusetts has been dismissed.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the case was dropped "due to the unavailability of the complaining witness."

As we reported, the man, who was 18 at the time, claimed Spacey repeatedly groped him in a bar, took the 5th Amendment earlier this month while testifying about the incident. Defense lawyer Alan Jackson grilled him over his cellphone and whether he deleted texts that were exculpatory for Spacey. He then took the 5th.

The alleged victim had earlier dropped his civil case.

Sources tell us the dismissal was at the behest of prosecutors.

The alleged victim claimed that back in 2016, when he worked at the bar, Spacey plied him with alcohol and then repeatedly groped his genitals. He also claimed he texted his girlfriend while it was happening. Those texts were the subject of last week's cross examination ... Spacey's lawyer had information the alleged victim selectively deleted texts and, when pressed, he invoked the 5th.

The alleged victim's mother, former Boston TV anchor Heather Unruh, who came forward with the allegations against Spacey back in November 2017, told investigators she was the one who deleted texts related to her son's "frat boy activities."

The guy who hit Tom Brady with a green laser pointer back in the AFC Championship game just fessed up to the crime ... but he'll avoid jail time after pleading guilty Wednesday.

64-year-old Dwyan Morgan was cited for disturbing the peace after he was accused of shining a laser pointer in TB12's eyes during the 4th quarter of the Jan. 20 Pats-Chiefs game at Arrowhead Stadium.

Morgan was facing time behind bars for the offense ... the charge carried a maximum of ONE YEAR in jail plus a $1,000 fine if he was convicted.

But, TMZ Sports has learned the judge decided to take things easy on Morgan after he pleaded guilty to the charge in court ... deciding only to hit him with a $500 fine.

We're told Morgan paid that off ... and the matter is now considered closed.

As we previously reported, sources close to Morgan told us he was a massive Chiefs fan who blamed an excessive amount of booze for the decision to break the laser out.

We're told Morgan had no intention to ever to hurt anyone ... and didn't expect things to blow up the way they did.

Will Smith and his family are in full vacation mode on a breathtaking Italian island ... golfing, swimming, boating and hopping on jet skis for some summer fun overseas!!!

Will brought the gang with him to Sardinia ... and they added a new guest to the bunch, Willow's boyfriend Tyler Cole.

The only thing more beautiful than the Smith clan ... the sparkling blue waters. Willow and Tyler dove right in, while Will and Jada Pinkett Smith stayed on land and hit the links for a competitive round between husband and wife.

Cuba Gooding Jr.'s motion to dismiss his groping charges doesn't sit well with the D.A.'s Office, which is calling him out for using the alleged victim's mental health as an excuse to toss the case.

The Manhattan D.A. responded to Cuba's motion to dismiss the case, saying the Oscar winner and his legal team are jumping the gun. In docs, obtained by TMZ, prosecutors say the alleged victim's mental health and expert evaluations of the surveillance videos ... are matters to be addressed once Gooding is on trial.

Further, the D.A. basically calls out Gooding's team for victim shaming, saying her mental health history is irrelevant to whether the actor touched her breast that night in the NYC bar. Prosecutors added ... if the judge were to dismiss Gooding's case, it would send a horrible message to the public -- that the tactic of exposing an accuser's past works.

Essentially, it would create a chilling effect for alleged victims coming forward.

According to the docs, the fact Gooding is a "world renowned" Oscar-winning movie star who has no prior convictions bares no relevance to his guilt or innocence in the matter.

Gooding's lawyers filed the motion to dismiss last month, but the judge said she would not make any "rash decisions" ... and tabled the matter for August 14.

As we reported ... Gooding turned himself in last month a few days after a woman called 911 claiming he touched her breast without consent at a New York bar. He was charged with one count of misdemeanor forcible touching and one count of sexual abuse in the third degree ... Cuba pled not guilty.

We obtained video of the incident via the bar's security footage, as well as another run-in after the alleged groping incident.

The Oscar-winner's attorneys, Mark Heller and Peter Toumbekis, claim he's innocent and believe the video evidence is inconclusive. Their motion cited blog posts where the accuser allegedly said she was starving for attention and also suffering PTSD and anxiety disorder.

Cuba himself claimed she has a "warped mental state" and has denied any misconduct with her. His lawyers argued the case is plagued by inconsistencies and an alleged NYPD screw-up.

In the docs, prosecutors shoot down any claim of police misconduct ... saying Cuba's attorneys misrepresented the police report and NYPD's initial investigation of the case.

Amber Portwood's ex-fiance says she's a loving mom who would never put her kids in harm's way ... and he's not buying her as a machete-wielding maniac.

Matt Baier -- who was engaged to Amber before they split in 2017 -- tells TMZ ... her domestic violence case doesn't add up to him, and he wants to hear her side of the story.

Amber's ex admits they had some "legendary arguments" when they were together, but says she never got violent with him ... even when she was in her most heated moments.

He adds that she was nothing but a wonderful mother during their time together ... so it's hard for him to believe she'd do something dangerous around her 1-year-old son, James.

We broke the story ... Amber was arrested for domestic battery on July 5 after her boyfriend, Andrew Glennon, contacted police and claimed she struck him with a shoe while he was holding their boy.

We later learned she also allegedly struck a door with a machete while Andrew was on the other side of it.

Baier thinks that allegation is fishy, and speculates there's more to the altercation people don't know ... suggesting it couldn't have just been a fight over fireworks, as some outlets have reported.

As we told you, Amber was in court last week to face the 3 felony charges against her and attend a hearing about custody of her son. Andrew filed for sole custody after her arrest, and a judge slapped Portwood with a temporary restraining order.

Interestingly, another ex and baby daddy of Amber's, Gary Shirley, was at the courthouse with his wife to show her support.