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Karina Rodriguez isn't ready to forgive the Phoenix "Karen" who made racist comments about her, because she says the woman has yet to take responsibility for her actions ... and Karina doesn't buy her excuse either.

Rodriguez tells TMZ ... she's not going to consider accepting an apology over the gas station incident in which she slapped back at "Karen" -- whose real name is Tamara Harrian -- until she hears the words "I'm sorry" out of Tamara's mouth.

So far Karina's only received a tearful apology from Tamara's husband Bob, who claims his wife acted the way she did because she's been battling mental illness after a break-in incident more than a year ago.

That doesn't cut if for Karina, though ... and she explains why.

She tells us she doesn't believe being racist and being mentally ill have anything to do with each other, and she's willing to bet Tamara's racism dates back earlier than whatever she's been dealing with recently.

Karina advises "Karen" to immediately start working toward bettering herself if she wants a shot at redemption, but she's not holding her breath.

Blake Shelton's shout-out to a fan's new book -- written in honor of her late daughter -- is giving her a huge emotional pick-me-up, and it ain't bad for sales!

Frankie Williams is the author of "The Merdragon," a fictional children's book she wrote for her daughter, Shauntae, who passed away last year. Shauntae was only 36 and died from undiagnosed heart disease.

Frankie says, at the time, she tweeted at Shelton and his country singer friend Craig Morgan, because Craig had written a song about his son's tragic death. Blake was promoting the tune, "The Father, My Son and The Holy Ghost" ... and she found it very inspiring.

Frankie says Blake replied, saying he was inspired by people like her and Craig who find ways to help others deal with grief while still dealing with their own ... and it motivated her to write the book as a tribute to Shauntae.

Flash forward to Monday -- Frankie tweeted at Shelton saying she wanted to send him a copy of 'Merdragon' as a token of gratitude for his kind words, and he responded again ... saying he'll order it instead.

And, the kicker ... he encouraged all of his 20 million followers to order it, too!

Frankie tells us ever since Blake's tweet, her book's been selling like hotcakes. She says she doesn't have official sales numbers yet, but it's currently in the top 5 in three different children's categories on Amazon ... skyrocketing up the charts from the 400-500 range it was in before Shelton's shout-out.

Eric Garner's mother says George Floyd's death is largely responsible for an anti-chokehold bill finally getting passed in NY -- making it a bittersweet victory for her after years of fighting for it.

Gwen Carr spoke to us a few days after New York lawmakers passed the Eric Garner Anti-Chokehold Act -- which Gov. Andrew Cuomo has already said he'll sign into law -- and said it's a step in the right direction.

Gwen's been pushing for this bill since 2014, when Eric was killed -- and it will make it illegal for cops to use a chokehold or a similar restraining move, resulting in serious injury or death. Similar language has been in the NYPD rule book since 1993, but now it's on its way to becoming state law.

Gwen told us she feels George's death was the last straw that finally got local politicians to commit to passing the legislation -- as, she notes, his killing has reverberated even beyond Eric's story.

It's heartbreaking, because Gwen says she felt like she was hearing her own son from the grave listening to George plead with officers that he couldn't breathe. New York's State Assembly was also moved, because it passed the bill just 2 weeks after George was killed -- even though Ms. Carr had been lobbying for it for nearly 6 years.

George Floyd protesters are taking their anger and frustration out on historical statues deemed to undermine the movement ... and it's happening all over the world.

A statue of Belgian King Leopold II was defaced following an anti-racism protest in Brussels. You can see the BLM letters are tagged on the statue itself. Over in Bristol, England ... you can see a statue of Edward Colston being pushed into the river.

So, who's Colston? He was a slave trader in the late 17th century who played a major role in the development of the city of Bristol. In London ... a BLM placard was placed on the Winston Churchill statue at Parliament Square.

Check out the pics ... you can see the Christopher Columbus statue painted with red during recent protests. As we reported ... Columbus statues all over the US of A have also gotten their fair share of vandalism.

Staton Island signer Eamon (full name Eamon Doyle) shot to stardom after his single "F*** It (I Don't Want You Back)" or the clean version "I Don't Want You Back" became the break-up banger of the winter of 2003 ... and reached the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100.

Eamon's single spurred the release of his debut album I Don't Want You Back which included other explicit modern-day loves songs including "I Love Them Ho's," "Get Off My D***" and "I'd Rather F*** With You."

Eamon is now happily married and has a baby daughter.

Tony Hawk is proudly showing off the wild x-rays from his most recent skateboarding accident ... saying docs had to cut his wedding ring off in order to put his fingers back in place.

Of course, the GOAT revealed he dislocated his fingers in a nasty accident over the weekend ... when he was skating with his son and some friends at an empty backyard pool.

"The session was fun until I did a backside smith stall as a set up for a backside blunt, and suddenly found myself on the flat bottom with my fingers bending in new directions," Hawk said at the time.

Hawk was rushed to the hospital to get his fingers locked back into place ... and luckily, he's gonna make a full recovery.

Now, the 52-year-old has some new souvenirs in the x-rays following the debacle ... and the way he describes what the docs had to do is CRINGE.

"They had to cut my ring off before returning my bones to their full upright and locked position. My fingers are still sore / stiff / swollen but mostly functional."

But, if you think this is gonna stop Hawk from skating again ... you're DEAD wrong.

Ya can't say Anson Williams and his wife didn't give it the ol' college try, but the "Happy Days" star is filing divorce docs for the 2nd time in less than a year.

Anson, who played Potsie on "Happy Days," filed in L.A. last Friday ... and we're guessing all he really had to do was change the date from the docs he filed last September.

Anson and Jackie Williams have been together more than 30 years now, and have 5 kids together -- but things have clearly been rocky since at least last year when they broke up, but pretty quickly decided to try again.

As we reported, Anson first went down divorce road last year on 9/11. However, by October 1 he was back in court, filing to dismiss that divorce.

Fast forward 9 months and they're back in splitsville. Unclear what led to their parting of ways this time around. Last year, Anson told us "sometimes you have to do what's best for everyone."

We've reached out to his rep. No word back yet.

Coachella 2020 is officially dead on the table -- the music festival will NOT go on in October as previously planned ... with hopes to fire it back up next year.

The news came down Wednesday from Riverside County Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser. Kaiser signed an order to cancel the October event citing the fears of another rise in COVID cases in the fall. Stagecoach -- a country music festival held on the same grounds -- is also canceled.

It's still undecided if Coachella organizers will try to bring it back in April -- when it normally runs -- in a limited capacity, or just wait 'til October 2021 to open anew, and welcome everyone.

Another thing that's not totally clear is whether the 2020 lineup will remain the same, or if organizers will try booking new acts for 2021. You'll recall, this year's headliners -- which were supposed to perform later this October after the initial postponement -- included Travis Scott, Frank Ocean, Rage Against the Machine and even a late-game Gaga announcement.

A lot of those artists were already rescheduling shows for 2021, so folks probably saw this coming. Not just that, but Lollapalooza just got canceled too ... and will live stream instead.

Thomas Lane, the rookie ex-cop charged in George Floyd's murder case is out of jail after posting his $750k bail.

According to Hennepin County Jail records ... Lane will be conditionally released on bond Wednesday. Lane's attorney, Earl Gray, would only say, "It's pretty good news" when we asked about how his client raised the necessary funds.

TMZ broke the story ... Lane's family was seeking donations via a website they set up to raise money for his legal defense after he and 2 other ex-cops were arrested and charged with aiding and abetting 2nd-degree murder, and aiding and abetting 2nd-degree manslaughter.

If convicted, Lane faces a maximum sentence of up to 40 years in prison. As we reported, Lane's attorney claims the ex-cop did everything he could to help George Floyd. Lane's family argued the same ... pointing out Lane suggested rolling Floyd on his side ... which they -- and prosecutors -- say Derek Chauvin refused to do.

Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas are getting the hell outta Los Angeles -- but they ain't flyin' solo -- Ben's kids are comin' along too!

Ben, Ana and at least two of his kiddos were spotted boarding a private jet Wednesday on their way to what we're guessing will be some rest and relaxation. Ana's pooch even made the trip to make it a true bonding experience.

The private jet seems pretty practical during the age of COVID-19, plenty of legroom, personalized service and not to mention some serious social distancing from strangers.

It's unclear where the group is headed ... but the trip isn't the first time we've seen Ben's kids hang with his new gf. Violet, Seraphina and Samuel were seen on a neighborhood stroll with Ben and Ana just last month ... they also brought their dog for some exercise.

Jussie Smollett isn't out of the metaphorical woods regarding his alleged hoax "attack" in Chicago, but he's heading into actual woods for a hike with an old friend.

The ex-"Empire" star ventured out Wednesday morning in L.A. with Taraji P. Henson and his sister, Jurnee Smollett. It was kinda hard for the trio to keep a low profile with Taraji's bright red hair. She's been rockin' that 'do recently.

Anyway, all three looked pretty chummy as they walked the hiking path, and kept things Fauci-friendly during the trek with their face coverings.

If you're doing a double-take at seeing Taraji with Jussie -- who was written out of the show in 2019 -- you shouldn't be. TPH has been very vocal in her continued support for him ... even after show execs gave him the heave-ho.

Sure, he's still fighting the City of Chicago in a civil case, as well as Cook County in another criminal case after a special prosecutor re-charged him. But, Jussie's got himself a ride or die in Taraji, who played his TV mom.

Bubba Wallace got what he wanted ... NASCAR has officially banned the Confederate flag from all events, starting right now.

"The presence of the confederate flag at NASCAR events runs contrary to our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans, our competitors and our industry," the org. said in a statement.

"Bringing people together around a love for racing and the community that it creates is what makes our fans and sports special."

"The display of the confederate flag will be prohibited from all NASCAR events and properties."

The announcement comes just days after Bubba -- the only black driver at NASCAR's highest level -- publicly called for a ban, saying there's just no place for them in the sport anymore.

"No one should feel uncomfortable when they come to a NASCAR race," Wallace said. "So it starts with confederate flags. Get them out of here."

By the way, Wallace is racing Wednesday night at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia in a car featuring the words, "Black Lives Matter."

Originally Published 1:52 PM PT

A journalist covering the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis is suing the city and its police chief, claiming cops left her permanently blind in one eye ... courtesy of rubber bullets.

In the lawsuit, journalist Linda Tirado claims cops ignored her press credential and targeted her with a ballistic tracking round ... before firing foam bullets at her face.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Tirado says she was covering the protests on May 29 -- the first night the city implemented a curfew -- and was left with blood dripping down her face as she repeatedly cried "I'm press." She claims officers ignored her and it was protesters who got her to a medic who transported her to the hospital.

Tirado claims by the time she got to the hospital her left eye was permanently destroyed. She says doctors told her "in connection with her injury, she now has a flat aspect and no depth perception.”

The mother of 2 also says the injury will have long-term effects on her children. She says her oldest is 9 years old and is autistic and "will need therapy to work through her trauma associated with her mother’s injury." Tirado also says her youngest, 7, may also need therapy.

Rev. Al Sharpton says his eulogy for George Floyd was intended to underscore the suffering black families have endured for centuries ... and to demand those responsible finally be held accountable.

The civil rights activist joined "TMZ Live" Wednesday to expand on the powerful message he delivered Tuesday in Houston. Al says he wanted to remind everyone that George's killing is not an isolated incident ... and that's the root of the protests and the growing movement for justice and equality.

Sharpton says with family members for Eric Garner and Ahmaud Arbery in attendance ... it was appropriate to discuss, not only their pain, but the fact they've yet to get justice.

The Rev. told us it's way past time to stop ignoring this and change the law enforcement system that continues to allow it to happen. He suggested one fix that could greatly aid in the prosecution of bad cops.

He acknowledged it won't be easy to change -- but Sharpton believes George's death can be the tipping point America needs to make it happen. As he put it, slavery and Jim Crow went on for a long time too.

Lisa Vanderpump's signature L.A. eatery is boarded up and now covered in spray painting that seems perfectly timed ... now that Bravo's fired 4 "Vanderpump Rules" cast members over racist behavior.

Check out these photos of Lisa's PUMP restaurant in West Hollywood -- where a lot of her fellow cast members work and mingle on her reality show. As you can see, it's been heavily tagged with Black Lives Matter.

It's some of the best-timed graffiti ... considering Stassi Schroeder, Kristen Doute, Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni were just canned by Bravo this week over resurfaced comments and acts that reeked of racism.

It appears the tagging, and boarding up, happened before the news came down Tuesday about the 4 cast members getting fired. BLM graffiti's been popping up all over L.A. during the George Floyd protests.

Of course, LV did NOT fire Max or Brett after learning of their old, bad tweets -- some of which used the n-word multiple times. During last week's reunion show, she basically forgave them, saying everyone's made mistakes ... and that if she fired everyone who'd screwed up, no one would be working.

A few days later, Bravo stepped in and yanked the 4 cast members, anyway.

Officer Tito Ortiz?!

Maybe ... because the MMA legend tells TMZ Sports he's not kidding around about making a career switch to law enforcement.

"I plan on it," Ortiz says ... "It just depends on what ranking I want to do. Do I want to be a sheriff or do I want to be a police officer? I haven't made my decision yet."

The 45-year-old UFC Hall of Famer says he's been doing a lot of research -- and actually set up a police ride-along in the coming days to help guide his decision.

So, why?

Tito says with his MMA career winding down, he wants a job that won't just keep him excited but also wants to serve the community.

"I'll be fighting one more time this year. I want to hang 'em up. But, I want to do something else that will not just keep that excitement going but just do what's right for the country. Do what's right for the city, for my city."

Tito says he was always told cops are the "bad guys" -- but as a grown-ass man, "I came to realize that the cops are the good guys."