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Vanessa Bryant is rallying politicians to get behind the "Kobe and Gianna Bryant Helicopter Safety Act" ... a bill outlining safety measures she claims will "save many lives."

The KGBHSA was formally introduced by lawmakers on Thursday -- and would require choppers that carry 6 or more people to contain important safety equipment including a Terrain Awareness and Warning System, a flight data recorder and a cockpit voice recorder.

Vanessa immediately threw her support behind the bill -- saying, "I strongly urge that the United States Congress pass a federal law that would improve the safety of helicopters operating in this country."

"I believe there is a chance that Kobe and Gianna would still be alive today if their helicopter had been equipped with the safety equipment required by this pending federal legislation."

She added, "I believe that these safety measures will save many lives."

"As passengers traveling on aircrafts we assume that proper safety measures are in order to prevent accidents from happening before we fly. It's unfortunate that this is not the case and aircraft companies must do their part to protect lives."

Kobe, Gianna and 7 other people died on January 26 when their helicopters crashed in Calabasas, CA.

As we previously reported, officials believe the pilot might've been disoriented by the thick fog in the area that day.

Vanessa is also pushing for the helicopter industry to "consider renaming the black box to Mamba 8 Box in honor of the 3 young Mamba team players, the 2 Mamba coaches and the 3 Mamba parents onboard, equaling 8."

George Floyd's name seems to be heading toward foundation status -- 'cause his family is already making moves to lock up the rights to something called just that ... TMZ has learned.

George's brother, Philonise Floyd, recently applied to trademark the phrase "The George Floyd Foundation" -- and if he gets it, he'll be able to use it to teach and advocate.

Philonise is looking to put "The George Floyd Foundation" on downloadable software for mobile phones that educate on police reform, downloadable media files featuring documentaries about George and other digital materials like DVDs, and audio and video files.

He also wants to feature "The George Floyd Foundation" on a website dedicated to police reform, as well as downloadable documents and PDFs with information on the topic too.

But, there's more -- if Philonise gets this trademark, he'll also be able to slap that phrasing on COVID-19 face coverings, sweatshirts and T-shirts, baseball caps ... and even charitable fundraising events to support families who've fallen victim to police brutality.

Philonise also reveals in the application that he and the fam aim to conduct business seminars on social justice and police reform. So, yeah ... it looks like they're going for the works here in terms of starting a full-blown nonprofit for their deceased relative.

Dr. Fauci just uttered the words every NFL and NCAA fan was dreading hearing ... "Football may not happen this year."

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

The coronavirus expert told CNN unless football players are able to lock down in some sort of bubble-like environment similar to the NBA's proposed comeback ... he's skeptical 2020 seasons will go down.

"It would be very hard to see how football is able to be played this fall," Fauci said. "If there is a second wave, which is certainly a possibility and which would be complicated by the predictable flu season, football may not happen this year."

Of course, the NFL has said it has no plans to derail its season at the moment ... still expecting to open training camps next month and the regular season in Sept.

The NCAA, meanwhile, has had athletes from various schools already return to campuses in preparation for the '20 season.

But, clearly, Fauci believes a second wave of positive COVID-19 tests is on the horizon ... and if that's the case, he ain't so sure it'll be possible to play without a myriad of extreme safety measures.

How's that for awful news to start your Thursday??

The elderly man who was violently shoved to the ground by cops in Buffalo can't go home whenever he's released from the hospital ... because there are threats against his life.

Martin Gugino's attorney, Kelly Zarcone, tells TMZ ... it's not safe for the 75-year-old man to return to his residence when he's healthy enough to leave the hospital ... because he's getting a constant barrage of threats.

We're told the threats are flooding in from folks who mistakenly believe a false claim going around about Martin -- that he's been arrested 300 times and has a long history of inciting riots.

Martin's attorney says in reality, the senior citizen has only been arrested 4 times for peacefully protesting, and only one arrest resulted in a criminal charge for trespassing, and he was acquitted.

As you know ... Martin is the same peaceful protester President Trump recently suggested -- without a shred of evidence -- might've been a provocateur with ties to Antifa who went to the protest to cause chaos and dissent.

Martin's lawyer has shot Trump's claim down as incredibly offensive and completely false, and she says Martin protests injustices he sees on various issues but is always peaceful.

A man who was recording video of cops pouncing on a protester from his building got his window blasted ... and he's looking for the officer he believes fired at him.

Twitter user Kentucky Kenji says he was shooting the Black Lives Matter protests in Louisville earlier this week, and as he got close to his window to zoom in on some potential police brutality, he got shot at.

As you can see, his window got smashed by a projectile -- looks like a rubber bullet or a pepper ball -- and the damage was visible as he backed away. Makes ya think ... they're non-lethal rounds, but damn!!! If one of those hit you from 20-30 feet away?

It's unclear exactly who shot at him, but Kenji's looking for "the name of the cop who shot at me."

The former Atlanta cop who shot Rayshard Brooks in the back and killed him has now been charged with felony murder, and the cop's partner has agreed to testify against him.

Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard announced 11 charges against Garrett Rolfe, including multiple acts of aggravated assault. Howard made particular notice that Rolfe kicked Brooks while he lay dying.

Howard made it clear ... he does not believe Rolfe feared for his life in any way, shape or form. Howard noted Brooks had been cordial, cooperative and calm for more than 41 minutes. The D.A. said Rolfe was not motivated by fear but rather "another type of emotion." Howard didn't specifically say which emotion, but did say you can hear Rolfe right after he shot Brooks say, "I got him."

It's especially significant the other cop, Devin Brosnan, is now cooperating with the D.A.'s investigation.

Howard has charged Brosnan with aggravated assault -- he's on video stepping on Brooks' shoulder. He's also been charged with failure to render timely aid. He could face more than 20 years in prison, but it's almost certain he'll get way less for cooperating.

Video of the incident shows Brooks was shot by Rolfe during a chase in a Wendy's parking lot after Brooks had obtained one of the officer's Tasers and was attempting to flee arrest following a failed breathalyzer test.

This is a sea change to the extent prosecutors have now sent a message to cops they don't have to blindly stand by colleagues who cross the line.

Howard said his office talked to multiple witnesses and reviewed a number of videos and other physical evidence before reaching the decision to charge them.

The D.A. is recommending a $50,000 bond for Brosnan and no bond at all for Rolfe. Both men have until Thursday night to surrender.

Odell Beckham, Kyle Kuzma and a TON of other people put social distancing to the wayside Wednesday night to party with Teyana Taylor ... and only about half the people were wearing masks!

Taylor had a huge listening party for her new album, "The Album," at a mansion in Beverly Hills ... which was supposed to include a heavy dose of social distancing and PPE.

In fact, the invite even spelled out guests would get hazmat suits and masks on the way in.

But, check out some shots from inside ... at one point, a BUNCH of people gathered to listen to music in a small room -- several of them NOT wearing masks!

One of whom is model Winnie Harlow, who's dating the Los Angeles Lakers star, Kyle Kuzma ... who's getting ready to head to Florida to continue the NBA season in a bubble environment!

Cardi B was also at the party with Offset and Kulture -- and you can see Cardi was partying mask-off too.

Outside in the yard, guests were invited to make their own graffiti art -- which is cool -- but we're hoping they washed their hands if sharing the same spray cans!

Look, we're all HOPING nobody has the virus and everyone is safe ... but fact is, Coronavirus cases in California are spiking, particularly in Los Angeles.

There were 2,000 new reported cases across the state on Wednesday.

And, in L.A. County alone, the numbers of COVID-related deaths are about to cross 3,000 ... with more than 73,000 confirmed cases.

H.E.R. wants to send a powerful message with her new song honoring George Floyd -- one that captures the feelings and concerns millions of Americans have since he was killed.

The Grammy winner tells us why she had to write, "I Can't Breathe," after conversations with fellow artists, and herself, about Floyd's death and the country's emotional reaction to it.

H.E.R. says the track tackles one important question that's been ringing in the heads of so many people lately: Why is there so much hate???

The singer/songwriter believes all artists should use their platform to talk about the George Floyd tragedy, because music can be a powerful vehicle for change. Specifically, the change she wants to see is healing -- and she's confident her new track can do that.

We had a great convo with H.E.R. about why it's important for artists to speak from the heart now, and music bridging the racial divide in America. You can see all of that on Thursday's TMZ Live.

Colin Kaepernick has a new job -- not the in the NFL (yet) -- he just joined the Board of Directors on a major online publishing platform.

Kap -- along with Kaepernick Publishing (which he created 2019) -- has teamed up with Medium, which hosts "social journalism" articles on everything from politics to health from a number of authors. Medium claims to have 120 million readers.

Now, Medium's founder Evan Williams has announced Colin Kaepernick is on board, starting Thursday.

"Today, we announce that civil rights activist and athlete Colin Kaepernick will be joining our Board of Directors," Williams said,.

"In addition to the board seat, Medium will partner with Colin and Kaepernick Publishing to create and feature stories focused on race and civil rights in America, and to elevate emerging voices from communities of color."

Williams continued, "I know he will bring valuable insights and leadership to Medium, especially in this moment when the world is finally catching up to his vision on racial justice."

According to Medium, Colin "will be sharing his thoughts on anti-Black racism in our society, and Medium and Kaepernick Publishing will co-publish thought-provoking feature stories from diverse writers of color."

Kaepernick has also commented -- saying, "I am excited for Kaepernick Publishing to partner with Medium to continue to elevate Black voices in the news and publishing industry."

Rayshard Brooks' death at the hands of police won't be in vain, and will lead to lasting changes in Atlanta ... at least that's how his family is viewing his legacy.

One of Rayshard's cousins, Decatur Redd, tells TMZ ... the family thinks the felony murder charge brought against the officer who fired the fatal shots is a start, and makes it feel like Rayshard died for a reason.

Decatur says charging Garrett Rolfe, the fired cop who fatally shot Rayshard in the back, won't bring back his cousin, but it could help Georgia enact its first hate crime bill.

As we reported ... Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard announced 11 charges against Rolfe Wednesday, including felony murder and multiple acts of aggravated assault.

Decatur tells us family members had trouble sleeping leading up to the announcement, because they feared Rayshard's killer would not be charged, which he says would have reopened lots of wounds in Atlanta.

That all changed, of course, after the D.A.'s announcement, and he shared the emotions of that moment.

The felony murder charge wasn't the only shock to the family. Decatur says it was heartbreaking to hear Rayshard didn't get timely medical aid -- and to see Rolfe kicked him as he lay dying.

Isaiah "J.R." Rider says UNLV's 'Hey Reb!' statue -- with ties to the Confederacy -- had to be removed ... telling TMZ Sports he's proud his alma mater "did the right thing."

Rider was an absolute beast at University of Nevada, Las Vegas in the early '90s... and was named an All-American in 1993. J.R. was the 5th overall pick in the NBA Draft.

We asked the former superstar hooper how he felt about UNLV yanking the popular giant bronze statue from the place it sat for years on campus.

"I'm proud. I think it's the right thing to do personally," Rider tells us, continuing ... "I think it was well done, on time, no need to delay, no need to think about it."

The former UNLV star kept it real when asked how he felt about the statue (and Runnin' Rebel mascot) when he was playing ball for the university ... saying he didn't know about all the baggage associated with the Rebel.

"Honestly, in school, I wasn't aware. I wasn't as conscious as I am now, as woke as I am now, as well-read as I am now."

But, Rider says after school he became educated on the issue ... and realized the name and statue were offensive.

"At the time at UNLV, no it didn't bother me at all. I was a 'Runnin' Rebel.' It didn't bother me at all but later in life, as I learned certain things, like the Redskins mascot, I started to have a problem with that for sure."

FYI, the "Rebel" was originally named after a Confederate general named Beauregard ... who ordered the Civil War's first gunshots, according to a Change.org petition demanding UNLV change the current mascot.

We also asked Rider what he'd say to UNLV fans who have lived-and-died with the "Runnin' Rebels" teams for years ... and are kinda bummed to see the school lose that identity.

"I would say to my people, my 'Runnin' Rebels' out there, that look, we're UNLV for life. When we talk, I always say UNLV. I never say 'Runnin' Rebel.' Not only because I don't really like it but I'm UNLV and we are UNLV for life and that doesn't change."

"We're UNLV Runnin', we're gonna drop the last part!"

Aunt Jemima syrup is no more -- 'cause the parent company is retiring the image and name after more than a century, while publicly copping to the fact she's a giant stereotype.

The Quaker Oats Company made the announcement Tuesday, saying they were doing away with Auntie. The company explains, "As we work to make progress toward racial equality through several initiatives, we also must take a hard look at our portfolio of brands and ensure they reflect our values and meet our consumers' expectations."

Aunt Jemima's been a thing for more than 130 years now, and its origins are deeply racist. The character is based on an 1800s "mammy" -- a black servant in a white household.

Specifically, Aunt Jemima is meant to portray a real-life woman named Nancy Green, who Quaker had previously described as a "storyteller, cook and missionary worker" ... but failing to mention she was born into slavery.

There's even more controversy surrounding the brand that's been swept under the rug over the years -- like the name Jemima coming from a minstrel-era song, "Old Aunt Jemima."

For the longest time, the Aunt Jemima brand featured a black woman with a headscarf -- but in the '80s ... Quaker switched up her look to appear more modern, decking her out in earrings and pearls.

In the wake of the civil unrest overtaking the country right now, tons of people were calling for Aunt Jemima to be shelved or re-branded. NBC News was first to report her demise.

BTW, folks are now calling for a handful of other brands to be changed ASAP because of the same issue -- among them are Uncle Ben's Rice and Cream of Wheat. It appears Uncle Ben's has gotten the message.

A rep for the brand said Wednesday, "As we listen to the voices of consumers, especially in the Black community, and to the voices of our Associates worldwide, we recognize that one way we can do this is by evolving the Uncle Ben’s brand, including its visual brand identity.”

It's unclear what the evolution of the brand will look like ... but the rep told HuffPost that all possibilities were on the table.

Before this little lady was known for her impeccable fashion sense she was just another posh kid doing the pressing while growing up in Essex, England.

Although this wannabe girl looks great in some kids' clothes and a smile ... once this pop musician in a girl group gained fame she traded in the toddler threads for high-end couture designs and a signature scowl.

The one thing that hasn't changed over the last 46 years was this brunette babe's dark locks ... even though she's more into blunt bobs than baby bangs nowadays.

Kobe Bryant's helicopter pilot was most likely severely disoriented by fog seconds before slamming into a hillside in January -- that's what federal investigators are now saying.

In new documents released Wednesday ... NTSB officials say they have evidence showing Ara Zobayan thought he was ascending when the chopper was actually going downward.

In the docs, investigators claim moments before the crash ... Zobayan told air traffic control he was "climbing to four thousand," and air traffic control asked him what he intended to do once he got to that altitude.

The NTSB says Zobayan never responded -- he had crashed by that point. Interestingly, according to the docs, the helicopter was actually descending rapidly at the time Zobayan said he was climbing.

Investigators add they believe "the pilot could have misperceived both pitch and roll angles" due to the dense fog in the area.

As we previously reported, Zobayan, Bryant and seven others on board hit the the ground at 184 MPH ... instantly killing everybody.

Autopsy results showed Zobayan was NOT high on alcohol or drugs at the time of the crash ... and in the new docs, investigators say Zobayan's girlfriend told them he was in great shape before the accident.

Vanessa Bryant and surviving family members of other passengers have sued the Zobayan and Island Express, which chartered the helicopter.

Various pilots have said Zobayan should not have been flying at such a high rate of speed in blinding fog.

It should be noted, investigators did NOT reveal an official conclusion on the cause of the crash. A final NTSB report with that information is expected to be released later.

French police are under fire for twisting a black woman's arm and pinning her to the ground during an arrest -- a loud and horrifying incident captured on video.

The arrest reportedly went down earlier this week at a train station outside Paris when a couple of cops first shoved the woman and directed her to leave the station. Within seconds, both cops had her arm behind her, and slammed her to the ground.

The video started circulating on Twitter with the caption, "French police assault a PREGNANT black woman and put her on her belly despite her cries of pain. The French president still denies the existence police violence."

We can't confirm the woman is pregnant -- someone in the background yelled that she is -- but she was very clearly screaming in agony while on the ground. She repeatedly yelled, "pourquoi," (why, in English)

The railway authority in France reportedly said the video's being taken out of context. The agency claims the woman spat and tried boarding the train without a ticket before officers stepped in. The railway authority has now opened an internal investigation.

"That 70's Show" star Danny Masterson has been charged with rape -- this after being accused by multiple women of sexual misconduct and assault over the years.

The charges against Danny were announced Wednesday by Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey, who says her office has charged the actor with three counts of felony forcible rape involving three different women ... all of whom are being identified as Jane Does.

The alleged rapes -- according to the D.A. -- occurred between 2001 and late 2003 ... right in the middle of the sitcom's run.

Danny's attorney, Tom Mesereau, tells TMZ ... "Mr. Masterson is innocent, and we’re confident that he will be exonerated when all the evidence finally comes to light and witnesses have the opportunity to testify."

He adds, "Obviously, Mr. Masterson and his wife are in complete shock considering that these nearly 20-year old allegations are suddenly resulting in charges being filed, but they and their family are comforted knowing that ultimately the truth will come out. The people who know Mr. Masterson know his character and know the allegations to be false."

The actor has been publicly accused of rape before, and each and every time ... he's vehemently denied it.

If convicted on all charges, Danny faces 45 years to life behind bars. It's unclear if he's been taken into custody yet, but the charging documents state that his recommended bail be set at $3.3 million.