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Jussie Smollett's reacting to a dangerous byproduct of the nearly nationwide quarantine -- a spike in domestic violence -- by supporting a group he says is very dear to him.

The ex-"Empire" star says, sadly, safe-at-home orders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have created unsafe domestic situations for many vulnerable women and children. We're told Jussie got word from a friend the Jenesse Center -- which aids victims of domestic violence -- had an influx of new emergency cases in recent weeks.

So, Jussie's now lending his support to the org, and encouraging others to do the same. We're told he's already donated money for welcome bags handed out to new families at the shelter.

He's also shouting out the Black AIDS Institute for its efforts to care for anyone who needs medical care right now and vows to keep supporting COVID-19 relief causes as well.

As we reported ... Smollett broke his social media silence a couple weeks back after 9 months of not posting anything and said he's looking to move on from the alleged racist attack in Chicago back in January 2019.

Of course, that's gonna be difficult with his pending criminal trial after getting recharged for allegedly lying to police about the attack.

Small businesses are folding left and right due to COVID-19 -- and now a bunch of 'em are suing the pants off China ... for TRILLIONS.

A group of small businesses in California -- including Cardiff Prestige Property, Little Saigon Chamber of Commerce, First Premier X and others -- just filed the lawsuit against the People's Republic of China, the City of Wuhan and that country's Health Commission.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, the small biz squad claims the Chinese government knew as early as mid-November that they were dealing with a "new" and potentially deadly virus, but kept quiet about it and even tried covering it up.

The lawsuit -- which this coalition is aiming to make a class-action by inviting similarly affected businesses across the U.S. -- also alleges it's possible a bio-weapons lab near Wuhan could be responsible for the infected bat that ended up in a wet market ... ultimately starting the pandemic.

It's pretty simple ... the suit claims since China was well aware of the simmering pandemic WAY earlier than February ... it had a responsibility to give a heads up to the World Health Organization and neighboring nations, but didn't.

As a result, this group of businesses says China has cost entrepreneurs dearly. The group is asking for a whopping $8 TRILLION in damages they say they and other small businesses have either already suffered, or will down the line due to government-ordered closures.

The WWE is moving forward with "SmackDown" and "Raw" -- and they've sent out a memo to wrestlers and staffers telling them how they plan to keep everyone safe from COVID-19.

We're told WWE honchos were so happy with the way things went down at WrestleMania over the weekend, they plan on using a similar protocol for the upcoming events including "SmackDown" on Friday and "Raw" on Monday.

Both events will take place at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando -- just like 'Mania -- with a medical team screening EVERYONE before they can walk in the door.

The email outlines protocol ... saying the medical team will take each individual's temperature before they enter the building -- which is expected to cause some delays -- so arrive early.

Once inside, everyone is encouraged to wear a face mask -- and if you can't get one, make one!

WWE explains how to McGyver one together by sewing fabric, wearing a bandanna or ripping off an old t-shirt sleeve. The org. does note that masks should come off when cameras are rolling.

The guidelines sound pretty similar to how the WWE handled WrestleMania this weekend ... remember, Drew McIntyre told us he had the whole locker room to himself for some serious social distancing.

Zoom has serious loopholes when it comes to privacy, but it wasn't until the COVID-19 pandemic when it was finally exposed ... so claims one of its shareholders who is now suing.

Michael Drieu, a Zoom shareholder, has filed a class-action lawsuit against the video conferencing company claiming Zoom "had significantly overstated the degree to which its video communication software was encrypted."

Drieu claims things were so bad "organizations consequently prohibited its employees from utilizing Zoom for work activities."

Elon Musk's companies (Tesla and SpaceX), the New York City Department of Education, as well as, government agencies around the world have reportedly banned Zoom conferencing.

Drieu claims Zoom's lack of software encryption ultimately left the company vulnerable to hackers -- dubbed as "Zoom bombing" -- where uninvited guests pop into Zoom meetings.

Remember, Zoom's not only for work meetings. Since the pandemic forced people into quarantine ... millions have been holding virtual happy hours on Zoom and even weddings.

Zoom CEO Eric Yuan has apologized for the flaws and acknowledged as much in a blog post last week. Zoom has vowed to bridge the security loopholes.

Former U.S. Congressman Paul Broun is turning to pandemic fear-mongering and a gun giveaway in an effort to return to the U.S. House of Representatives.

The GOP politician from Georgia's latest ad leans in hard on the 2nd Amendment, and includes what sounds like a racist dog whistle. In the spot, Broun says warns you might have to defend against "looting hordes from Atlanta" during these "uncertain times."

Broun, who served as the Rep. for GA's 10th congressional district from 2007 to 2015, also touts AR-15s as the ultimate "liberty machine" for fighting off a tyrannical government and the ever-looming threat of socialism.

Not only does Broun vow to never give up his guns ... he's also giving away a semi-automatic rifle to "one lucky person" who signs up for his email updates.

"If they die ... they die."

Yes, a now-infamous Louisiana pastor got all "Rocky IV" on us ... saying, if any of his church members die from the virus, they'll have done so in the name of God and freedom.

Tony Spell, leader of Life Tabernacle Church in Baton Rouge, tells TMZ ... he thinks true Christians do not mind dying from COVID-19. He insists that what they fear instead is living in fear. As he puts it, "People that can prefer tyranny over freedom do not deserve freedom."

He's also not flinching at medical experts suggesting most of the nation will eventually contract the virus, even if only mildly. Spell's reaction is, "Let's get on with life."

As you've probably heard ... Spell's been defiant of Louisiana's shelter-at-home order. He opened his church last week for Palm Sunday where over 1,000 members attended. He had previously been arrested and charged for violating the state mandate.

Watch the video, Spell is sticking to his guns for Easter Sunday too. He was totally unswayed by our producer suggesting a different approach.

''Jeopardy!'' had a clue about a pandemic ... more than a month before the World Health Organization did -- or so it appears to befuddled fans of the show.

The totally eerie coincidence played out Tuesday night's episode of the College Championship tournament. Yale sophomore Nathaniel Miller selected the "Health & Medicine" category, and Alex read, "From a Greek word for people, it describes a disease that affects many people at one time."

Of course, Yale was all over it ... "What is a pandemic?"

Naturally, viewers -- sheltered at home in the middle of the coronavirus PANDEMIC -- freaked the hell out. Thing is ... the tournament was reportedly shot on February 3 and 4, long before the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11.

One viewer tweeted, "Did anyone else get a lump in their throat when they realized 'pandemic' was an answer on #Jeopardy tonight or just me?" And, another said ... "#Jeopardy knows too much. They were ready for this pandemic two months before the US even was."

It's come to this ... cops stepped into a house divided, where a mother and son fought over toilet paper -- specifically, due to hiding and over-wiping.

L.A. County Sheriff's deputies busted 26-year-old Adrian Yan around 3 AM -- always a bad sign -- for punching his mother. Why? He claims he discovered his mom was hoarding TP.

Yan's mom told cops, her own flesh and blood decked her over the clandestine stockpile -- we're guessing he was pretty desperate for a square or 5. Yan was arrested for battery.

Interestingly, cops say his mother didn't even deny stashing the TP, and say she told them her kid uses too much. In short, he's allegedly a classic over-wiper.

Mom refused medical treatment at the scene, so the punch couldn't have been too bad -- but it's still a cautionary tale as we're all supposed to be "safer" at home.

Tiger Woods didn't let the pandemic stop one of the greatest traditions in golf -- the Masters Champions dinner -- only this time, it was WAY smaller than usual.

Every year, the reigning Masters champ hosts a lavish dinner for his rival golfers at Augusta National ... and the winner usually customizes the menu with meaningful (and usually pricey) food items.

Since coronavirus threw a huge wrench in this year's plans, Tiger pivoted -- and threw a much smaller dinner for his girlfriend, Erica Herman, and his kids, Sam and Charlie.

"Masters Champions Dinner quarantine style," Tiger says ... "Nothing better than being with family."

Woods even busted out his Green Jacket for the meal -- another tradition he's dead set on carrying on! Did you notice the replica trophy on the table?!

Unclear exactly what he served up, but it looks like Tiger had some sushi, some meat ... and cupcakes!!

By the way, the 2020 Masters has been postponed to November -- with the Champions Dinner tentatively scheduled to go down on Nov. 10 ... as long as the pandemic is over by then.

We've all heard that a Chinese bat got the coronavirus ball rolling, but that doesn't mean our domestic bats are a problem -- and if anything, we're a bigger threat to them.

U.S. federal wildlife workers have been talking amongst themselves about a so-called bat fear that's spreading due to the pandemic -- and they're saying it's misguided. They're also warning bat catchers to lay off for a while.

TMZ obtained an email sent by Dr. Michelle Verant -- a wildlife veterinarian with the National Parks Service -- to her colleagues, warning them humans could potentially infect bat colonies here at home with a strain of COVID-19.

The email reads in part, "The actual outcomes of this scenario are unknown, but the concern is that it could result in sustained transmission of the virus among wild bat populations in North America, which could have consequences for the health of bats as well as humans." It goes on to instruct her colleagues who might be partaking in any bat-catching studies right now to refrain, or at the very least ... take great precautions.

Dr. Verant confirmed she sent the email and expanded by telling us there needs to be a clear distinction between the horseshoe bat (the species blamed for transmitting the virus in Wuhan) and North American bats. She says they're much different and there's NO evidence the virus lives in the American species.

To sum up Verant's concerns: Bats here are virus-free right now, but if they catch it from humans -- then there might be potential for them to pass it back to livestock or humans. Talk about vicious cycles!

Officials in New York City are making sure the famous public basketball courts are not a hub for the coronavirus ... they've shut down ALL public courts and have begun removing rims.

"New York City is a proud basketball town and we would never remove hoops unless absolutely necessary," a rep for NYC Dept. of Parks and Recreation tells TMZ Sports.

"In an effort to protect the health of City residents, all basketball courts are currently closed."

We're told the move to shut down ALL public courts was made on April 6 and will last until officials believe the danger is gone.

So far, we're told 51% of rims citywide have been removed from parks to ensure groups will NOT gather at those locations, where the virus could be spread.

FYI, there are HUNDREDS of public outdoor courts across the city, according to the Parks and Rec website.

The rims were even removed from NYC's famous Rucker Park on March 25 -- and we're told it was because people were not following the rules of social distancing.

Rucker might be the most legendary streetball court in the world -- where superstars like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and more have balled out for decades.