TMZ.com Home

Andrew Yang says it's sad but true -- many Americans are aiming their hostilities over the coronavirus at Asians ... but he's trying his best to be empathetic.

The former presidential candidate -- who's Taiwanese American -- tells us he understands that times are tough for everyone right now, and with tough times comes feelings of anger ... and for some, it creates a need to find scapegoats.

Unfortunately, many Asian Americans like Yang are bearing the brunt of what he calls "racial hostility" ... due in part to people falsely equating the coronavirus' Chinese origins to all Asians somehow being responsible for it. It didn't help Trump started calling it the Chinese virus.

Yang points out that Asian Americans' lives have been upended just like everybody else's by the COVID-19 crisis ... but everyone else isn't having to deal with daily prejudice on the streets because of it, as well.

It's totally unfair, but Andrew's not one for sulking during the pandemic ... he's about solutions.

He's been urging his fellow Asian Americans to not cower in fear, but to "do everything in our power to accelerate the end of this crisis."

Georgia's Governor apparently lives under a rock, but crawled out long enough to make a shocking statement -- that he just found out people showing no symptoms can still spread COVID-19.

No joke ... Gov. Brian Kemp, who on Wednesday finally issued a stay-at-home order for Georgia, admitted he had just learned in the last 24 hours the virus could be spread by asymptomatic people.

We should probably say he "claimed" that because it seems impossible he, or someone on his staff, could have avoided information that's been widely known and disseminated for weeks.

Clearly, Kemp hasn't been listening to Dr. Anthony Fauci during the daily White House briefings with President Trump ... with whom Kemp is reportedly pretty tight.

Safe to say, Kemp would NOT be one of the governors Pete Buttigieg is hailing for showing leadership in a time of crisis.

A man infected with COVID-19 spit in another man's face as they waited to board a train in Thailand ... and the coronavirus-stricken man soon dropped dead thereafter.

Surveillance video shows the disturbing interaction on a train platform in Bangkok ... the patient walking up to another man in line to buy tickets and hocking a loogie right in his grill!!!

The sick spitter, 56-year-old Anan Sahoh, later tested positive for COVID-19 after he was found dead Tuesday on a train headed to Narathiwat ... according to Metro UK.

It's pretty crazy ... the spitter reportedly passed a mandatory temperature check in order to board the train, and fellow passengers say he was coughing and vomiting.

Sahoh eventually dropped dead in front of an onboard toilet, according to the report, and medical personnel performed a coronavirus test that came back positive for COVID-19.

Now, authorities in Thailand are on the hunt for the man who got the face full of spit, but so far he remains on the loose.

Daymond John's issuing a dire warning to most brick-and-mortar retail stores struggling during the coronavirus pandemic ... adapt or die.

The "Shark Tank" star joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live" and said -- with most of the nation under stay-at-home orders -- now is the time for businesses that usually rely on foot traffic to find new ways to thrive.

Let's face it, most retail stores typically in malls and shopping plazas were already struggling, but the pandemic closures are speeding up their demise. Daymond says luxury stores like Louis Vuitton, or superstores like Target and Walmart, will survive -- but most others will have to add offer some value to customers besides their product.

He says the future is in direct sales, just like a company he invested in on "Shark Tank." Smart plug, Daymond!

Oprah is cutting a huge check for coronavirus relief efforts ... with a massive $10 million donation to help folks struggling during the pandemic.

O just announced the huge pledge Thursday on social media ... and she's allocating $1 million of her donation to help feed hungry Americans who are food insecure.

Oprah says that money is going to America's Food Fund -- an initiative co-founded by Leonardo DiCaprio and Laurene Powell Jobs which just got off the ground. AFF is aiming to provide meals for communities hit hard by the virus, and it's also backed by Apple and the Ford Foundation.

As for the remaining $9 million, Oprah says the money will go to various COVID-19 related relief efforts in communities across the country and in areas where she grew up -- Mississippi and Tennessee.

Oprah is the latest celeb to pitch in to coronavirus relief ... just this week, Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively gave $400k to New York hospitals after a previous $1 million donation to Feeding America and Food Bank Canada.

Kylie Jenner, Bryan Cranston, Gwyneth Paltrow and more have also opened up their wallets.

Way to go, O!!!

Amazon's got a problem with drivers leaving bodily fluids behind along with the packages they're delivering.

The latest outrageous footage comes from Maryland, where a Ring camera caught a driver peeing on a homeowner's lawn, driveway and sidewalk last weekend as he stood outside his cargo van.

We're told the reason for the driver's outdoor urination was he locked himself out of his van, and apparently couldn't hold it any longer.

As you can see ... the driver looks around -- seemingly to make sure the coast is clear -- before deciding to take a leak right then and there.

The full Ring footage shows the delivery guy dropped off a package, but when he got back to his van he realized he had locked himself out ... so he had to call for help.

Unfortunately, nature also called while he waited ... and he couldn't hold it. Now, in this guy's defense ... in the middle of this pandemic, homeowners might, understandably, be less likely to let him in their home to use the bathroom. Likewise, using a public restroom -- if he could get to one -- seems like risky business.

We're told the homeowner has not contacted Amazon yet about the man peeing on his property.

Democrats are going to have to wait a little longer before they officially know who will be the party's presidential nominee ... cause the Democratic National Committee just postponed its presidential convention due to the coronavirus.

The DNC just announced it's pushing its presidential convention from July 13 to August 17 in Milwaukee. The move now means the DNC will hold its convention a week before the Republicans hold their convention in Charlotte.

The move also comes on the heels of the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden publicly calling for the convention to be delayed as the nation continues to get a grip on the deadly coronavirus pandemic. BTW, there's still no clear timeline on when the nation, as a whole, will have flattened the curve on COVID-19 cases.

Joe Solmonese, the CEO of the Democratic National Convention Committee, said, "In our current climate of uncertainty, we believe the smartest approach is to take additional time to monitor how this situation unfolds so we can best position our party for a safe and successful convention."

He went on to say, "During this critical time, when the scope and scale of the pandemic and its impact remain unknown, we will continue to monitor the situation and follow the advice of health care professionals and emergency responders."

Chris Cuomo says the effects of the coronavirus are no joke ... it's been so bad he says he chipped his tooth from violent shivers and hallucinated seeing his dead father.

The CNN anchor ended his show Wednesday night describing the horrors he's experienced from contracting COVID-19 ... and he says he now gets why hospitals are being flooded with scared patients.

Cuomo said he was up all night Tuesday with a 103-plus fever "that wouldn't quit" and tightness in his chest. He said, "I was shivering so much, that Sanjay's right, I chipped my tooth." And for good measure ... he let his audience know his chompers aren't cheap.

Then, the hallucinations. Chris said, "I tell you, I was hallucinating. My dad was talking to me." Cuomo's dad is the former NY Gov. Mario Cuomo, who died in 2015.

In short ... Chris says the virus came at him like nothing he's ever seen or experienced. And he issued a warning to young, healthy and strong Americans ... nobody's safe from the virus.

But believe it or not ... what scares him the most is not knowing whether he may have spread the virus to his wife and kids. Chris said not being able to protect them has been difficult ... since he's now relegated to his basement.

As we reported ... Chris was diagnosed with the disease earlier this week. At the time, Chris said he was feeling well and would continue to broadcast his prime-time show from his home. But it seems the virus has really hit peak level.

The Florida pastor who got hauled in by police for hosting a megachurch service despite quarantine and stay-at-home orders has FINALLY done the right thing ... he's closing the congregation.

The Tampa-area minister, Rodney Howard-Browne, is shutting his church down and will not hold another packed Sunday service. He explained the decision on his own podcast/telecast and his reasoning is pretty interesting.

RHB says he's closing the church to protect his followers from what he says is a "tyrannical" government, NOT the rapidly spreading and dangerous coronavirus.

The pastor also says he and his congregation have been the target of death threats ... and he's blaming the media for blowing the story out of proportion, while throwing the sheriff under the bus.

COVID-19 is playing a role in RHB's decision though ... he says he doesn't want protesters showing up who might be infected with the virus.

It's an interesting decision from RHB ... Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared churches an essential function, making them exempt from the stay-at-home mandate.

RHB's lawyer, Patrick Leduc, tells TMZ ... before the governor came out with the order, RHB had already made his decision not to hold the Sunday service out of respect for the authorities. The governor's order took them both by surprise.

The coronavirus might be even more contagious and dangerous than we already think, and one scientist warns a super-risky place to be is near the ocean ... so she's urging folks to stay the hell away ... at least as the Pacific Ocean is concerned.

Kim Prather -- an atmospheric chemist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography -- strongly believes that COVID-19 could enter the Pacific and transfer back into the air along the California coast ... possibly infecting anyone still daring to surf, swim or simply take a walk on the beach.

Prather, who lives in San Diego, tells the L.A. Times ... "I wouldn’t go in the water if you paid me $1 million right now."

According to her research ... Prather's found the ocean contains all kinds of pathogens and constantly sprays these particles into the air, but the scary part is -- she believes the coronavirus is light enough to float through the air much farther than we think.

Translation -- social distancing doesn't work with the ocean. Kim drives the point home by saying ... "It’s not going to kill you if you miss a few surfing sessions, but it could if you go out there and get in the wrong air."

Prather's warning comes as the world's scientists are struggling to determine if COVID-19 can spread by more than just sneezes and coughs.

Even Dr. Fauci's publicly hinting the virus might be more airborne than originally believed and suggesting it's a good idea for everyone to cover their faces.

As of now, that's not recommended by WHO or the CDC ... but beaches across the country are closing to keep people from gathering in large groups and possibly infecting each other.

Clearly, Prather thinks the beach should be a no-go for everyone.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis -- the guy who until this week refused to order a statewide lockdown -- now says he thinks COVID-19 was likely spread at Super Bowl LIV.

The Republican governor said at a Tuesday press conference, the virus may have started spreading as far back as February in South Florida ... the area of the state with the most positive cases of the virus. Super Bowl LIV was held February 2 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.

The stadium holds just over 62,000 fans but there were hundreds of thousands of fans who flooded the Miami area for festivities leading up to the Super Bowl. Florida's first positive cases of the coronavirus were reported on March 1 but at the time only those who had recently visited China were being tested.

As you know by now ... Florida's joining a long list of states now bracing for an even bigger outbreak. So far, there are more than 6,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus and nearly 100 deaths in the Sunshine State.

DeSantis refused to close state beaches and allowed a bunch of college kids to descend on Florida and party for spring break.

Bad move ... cause now more than 40 spring breakers have tested positive for COVID-19.

The no-refunds rage continues -- this time it's folks on the frontlines helping us fight coronavirus who are getting screwed, and it's all because a cruise line won't budge.

TMZ has learned ... Royal Caribbean Cruises is NOT refunding a bunch of nurses who were supposed to board one of its behemoth boats this year for a networking convention called NURSECON at Sea, which was canceled as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.

It sucks, 'cause it's left a lot of cash-strapped RNs pissed off and wanting their money back. They're getting a rain check for another event down the line, but that's not cutting it with some of the heroes who want their money back, and STAT.

According to a letter NURSECON brass sent to ticket holders for the conference, it's spelled out pretty clearly ... anybody who was going to NURSECON 2020 (which was at first postponed, later canceled) will get to join any NURSECON voyage in the future through 2023. They'll also get cruise ship spending credit -- up to $100 worth.

And, if nurses who were going ended up shelling out cash for extra vacay packages -- excursions, drink and meal plans, etc. -- Royal Caribbean WILL refund them for that -- but not for the big-ticket item ... the cost of the cruise.

That's about it ... no mention of a refund in full for the trip itself this year. It wasn't NURSECON's decision, however, as sources familiar with the negotiations between that company and Royal Caribbean tell us, it's actually RC Cruises honchos who wouldn't give the cash back. So, if there's someone to be mad at, it's the cruise line.

For the record, a rep for NURSECON doesn't see any blame to go around for anybody involved, insisting the rescheduled cruises and cruise credit was the best option for all parties, insisting that most of their patrons (the nurses) are actually pleased with the deal.

That's not how some of the nurses we spoke with directly felt. We're told the no-refund policy is a slap in the face -- and a promise for a future sail isn't making up for it either.

Fact is ... nurses, too, are having a hard time to make ends meet ... and every penny counts right now. They also deserve every break they can get these days, frankly. So, yeah ... they would like their money back, 'cause they didn't cancel ... the bigwigs did.

Just ONE Kennedy Space Center employee testing positive for COVID-19 requires a massive and pricey operation to sanitize every inch of the complex.

According to federal docs, obtained by TMZ ... just under $191k in taxpayer dough is being paid to several companies contracted to sterilize the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.

One firm, LL & JP, received a total of $145,367 for cleaning "up to CDC standards for suspected or cases of Coronavirus Disease 2019" at Stennis ... which is NASA's largest rocket engine test facility.

According to the docs, the money came in 2 rounds -- first on March 18 for $80,986 and then again March 27 for $64,381. The second round came after 3 Stennis employees tested positive for the virus earlier this week.

Meanwhile, over at the legendary Kennedy Space Center, a firm called Brevard Achievement Center received $45,258 for janitorial services. The money was earmarked "for unanticipated precautionary coronavirus related tasks."

That's feds-speak for ... we had to scrub down real good after an employee recently tested positive for COVID-19.

Bottom line: There's no good place to contract coronavirus, but it's super expensive when it happens at NASA.