Rep. Maxine Waters Fears Trump Won't Leave White House if He Loses ... Could Civil War Follow???

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Rep. Maxine Waters fears what's going on in Portland could be a sign of trouble to come in November ... IF President Trump loses the election, and refuses to give up power.

The Congresswoman, who was on Capitol Hill, was super concerned over AG William Barr's testimony, in which he supported the aggressive federal response to the protests.

Even more ominous than Barr ... Trump refusing to say he'd accept the results of the election, win or lose, and even more ominous ... whether he'd hand over the reigns of power.

Rep. Waters makes it clear ... she's worried her fears could become a reality, especially since neither Trump nor Barr will squarely say the President will accept the election results.

Waters says there's evidence Trump won't go willingly if he loses ... as she puts it, he's a wanna-be dictator whose methods follow a long line of dictators. And, she thinks the federal presence in Portland may be a dry run for things to come in November.

The growing fear ... that the election could not only trigger a constitutional crisis ... it could trigger a civil war.

L.A. County Sheriff's That Wasn't a Tamponccino!!! Investigation Clears Starbucks

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The L.A. County Sheriff's Department's investigation has determined a cop's Starbucks drink was NOT tampered with a tampon -- instead it was a cleaning cloth ... which still ain't great.

You remember an off-duty LAPD cop made the accusation last month ... saying a Starbucks employee stuffed down a tampon in the Frapp drink he ordered. The cop claimed he used his police credit union debit card to buy the drink and says he found the feminine hygiene product inside his drink. This all went down at the height of social unrest over police brutality.

In any event ... the Sheriff's Dept. investigated and was unable to prove the store employee acted maliciously. Sheriff Alex Villanueva said, "Based on the evidence available at this time, the item in the drink was possibly a cleaning type cloth commonly used by store employees."

NYPD had a similar alleged situation with a Shake Shack order, but again... no ill will was proven there.

Kim Kardashian Returns To L.A. Without Kanye ... After Tense Trip To Wyoming

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Kim Kardashian is back in California after what seems to have been a very difficult visit with Kanye West in Wyoming ... and she flew back solo.

Kim landed in L.A. Tuesday morning, and as you can see, she was all by herself as she walked down the stairs of her private jet. Kanye's still at the ranch.

Kim Kardashian 7/28/20
RETURNING SOLO

We broke the story ... Kim and Kanye reunited Monday in Wyoming for the first time since Yeezy's off-the-rails campaign rally in South Carolina ignited a bitter back and forth that saw Kim desperately trying to get Ye treatment for a serious, bipolar episode.

As we reported ... the couple stopped at a Wendy's drive-thru in Wyoming, and things got super emotional in the car, with Kim breaking down crying.

As for why Kanye didn't fly back with Kim ... we're told he's deep into the final touches of his album.

As you know ... Kanye talked about divorcing Kim, but he apologized Saturday for a comment he made to hurt his wife, and we're guessing it's the abortion talk.

Bottom line ... Kim's back in Cali, and Kanye's home on the range.

'RHONJ' Ramping Up to Shoot Amid COVID ... Teresa Taking Center Stage

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The 'Real Housewives of New Jersey' are falling in line with the other 'Housewives' -- they're getting back to work, safely, and Teresa Giudice is reassuming her role as top dog ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the production tell us the Jersey gals are going to begin shooting for their 11th season very soon, much like 'Real Housewives' in Atlanta and Orange County have recently started to do as well. Bravo halted filming on all the shows in March due to the pandemic.

The Jersey cast and crew will go through the same safety precautions as the other shows -- everyone on set gets daily temp checks, folks are encouraged to socially distance and a lot of scenes will be outdoors.

We've heard the crews will be required to wear masks, but it doesn't sound like the cast members will be forced to do so.

As for season 11 storylines? We're told Teresa will be heavily featured again ... especially her co-parenting with her estranged husband, Joe, who's in Italy after losing an appeal in his deportation case last year. Season 10 covered some of the fallout from that, including the family trip to visit him.

We're told Joe and Teresa's frequent FaceTime calls and phone chats will likely be documented -- they're on good terms right now, and there's no hint of a looming divorce, even though they're technically split up. No word on whether Joe's getting his own camera crew in his motherland, but it seems unlikely when you consider the cost.

FaceTime's way cheaper than a 2 or 3 person camera crew!

Julianne, Eva & Tracee Accepted The Challenge!!! to Push Women Empowerment

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Julianne Hough, Eva Longoria and Tracee Ellis Ross are just some of the MANY celebrities who have jumped on the #ChallengeAccepted train.

Unless you've been living under a rock -- or straight-up just don't have Instagram -- you've seen Instagram feeds over the last few days being overtaken by black and white selfies by women. The objective? Females nominating other females to post a B/W selfie in an effort to promote women empowerment. When said female posts her pic, she's accepted the challenge.

Check out the pics ... some of the many stars who have accepted the challenge include Reese Witherspoon, Kerry Washington, Debra Messing, Chrissy Metz, Vanessa Bryant, Nicole Scherzinger, Uzo Aduba, Jessica Alba, Ilana Glazer, Mischa Barton, P!nk and Brooke Shields.

BTW ... this trend's nothing news. Back in 2016, there was a similar challenge to spread cancer awareness. And, in case you're wondering ... the 2020 hashtag challenge so far has reportedly seen more than 3 million posts uploaded on Instagram.

It should be noted ... the challenge has seen some pushback by others wondering why -- instead of posting selfies -- not promote books, products or charities that would benefit women's advancement instead.

Esteban on 'The Suite Life of Zack and Cody' 'Memba Him?!

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Florida-born actor Adrian R'Mante is best known for his role as the fumbling Peruvian bellman, Esteban (full name Esteban Julio Ricardo Montoya de la Rosa Ramírez) -- who hangs around the Tipton Hotel and tries to keep the peace between the teens' kooky antics -- in the early 2000s Disney Channel sitcom, "The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody."

Adrian R'Mante was cast alongside some awesome young actors including Brenda Song as the hotel heir, London Tipton, Ashley Tisdale as the candy kid, Maddie Fitzpatrick ... and of course, Dylan and Cole Sprouse as Zack and Cody Martin.

Guess what he looks like now ... and shirtless!

George Floyd Light Hologram Going on Tour ... Through Southern States

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George Floyd's memory, and the worldwide movement his murder started, is being honored with a new hologram that will be on full display across several Southern states.

Change.org partnered with the George Floyd Foundation to create this hologram image of George along with his name ... all in glowing yellow light. The image was unveiled Monday night in what some might call the most fitting place possible.

Several of George's family members gathered for the ceremony where the Jefferson Davis statue used to stand in Richmond, Virginia. The hologram was projected right where the President of the Confederacy had been honored before protestors tore down his statue last month.

On Tuesday night, the hologram will appear again in Richmond -- but this time ... it will be projected where a Robert E. Lee statue used to stand. City officials took that one down.

From there, the George Floyd hologram will be on the move ... making stops at five other sites between North Carolina, Georgia and other states -- pretty much following the same route as the 1961 Freedom Rides during the Civil Rights era.

George's family said they wanted his hologram displayed in places they felt needed to see it most right now.

GLOW Wrestling Sally the Farmer's Daughter Dies ... After Cancer Battle

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Ex-pro wrestler Beckie Mullen -- famously known as Sally The Farmer's Daughter from GLOW -- has passed away after a long fight with cancer, TMZ Sports has confirmed with multiple family members.

We spoke with Beckie's daughter, Brittani Rabay, who tells us, "Mom had stage 4 kidney, colon and liver cancer."

Mullen was diagnosed in October and was told she didn't have long to live. She passed away earlier this week at a hospital in Palm Springs, CA.

"She fought as long as she could."

We also spoke with Beckie's mother, Jackie, who tells us her daughter was suffering and she's now confident she's moved on to a better place.

Beckie's mom tells us the wrestler was 55-years-old when she passed.

We've spoken with several former GLOW wrestlers who worked with Beckie and are devastated by the news. Beckie was clearly well-liked amongst her peers.

She first appeared on "Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling" back in 1986 -- the inaugural season.

There has been renewed interest in GLOW after Netflix launched a scripted series based on the wrestling promotion starring Marc Maron and Alison Brie.

After her wrestling career, Beckie scored some acting roles in Hollywood -- appearing on shows like "Married with Children," "MadTV," "Renegade" and "Pacific Blue."

She was also featured in the 1991 music video for Van Halen's "Poundcake."

MacKenzie Scott Bezos' Ex-Wife Donates $1.7 Billion to Charity!!!

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MacKenzie Scott truly is putting her money where her mouth is -- she just announced she's donated nearly 2 BILLION BUCKS to a slew of charities.

MacKenzie, who restored her maiden name after divorcing Jeff Bezos, said Tuesday, "Like many, I watched the first half of 2020 with a mixture of heartbreak and horror." Referring to her enormous wealth, she acknowledged the privilege and opportunities she had and said she wanted to help organizations that level the playing field for all.

As she put it, "Many will choose to share some of what they have with people whose equal participation is essential to the construction of a better world."

Here's the breakdown of her jaw-dropping gift:

-$586.7 million to racial equity
-$46 million to LGBTQ+ equity
-$133 million to gender equity
-$399.5 million to economic mobility
-$55 million to empathy and bridging divides
-$72 million to functional democracy
-$128.3 million to public health
-$130 million to global development
-$125 million to climate change

MacKenzie -- who last year pledged to give away the majority of her wealth -- wanted to make it crystal clear ... she didn't just blindly shove money to non-profit organizations. She said, "On this list, 91% of the racial equity organizations are run by leaders of color, 100% of the LGBTQ+ equity organizations are run by LGBTQ+ leaders, and 83% of the gender equity organizations are run by women."

As you'd expect, she's getting big props for her donation, although that's not always a given ... as her ex-husband knows. Remember, even though Jeff's thrown his support firmly behind the Black Lives Matter movement, that hasn't stopped others from targeting him ... like when his D.C. home was targeted by angry protesters with a guillotine.

That Bezos divorce came with a lot of zeros, but ya can't say MacKenzie isn't paying it forward!

Tamar Braxton Reality Show Postponed After Apparent Suicide Attempt

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Tamar Braxton's upcoming reality show premiere is being pushed back by the network after the apparent suicide attempt that sent her to a hospital.

WE tv tells TMZ it's postponing the debut of her new series, "Get Ya Life!," from July 30 to Sept. 10 because of "the current situation" with Tamar.

The network says its first concern is for Tamar's recovery and well-being and the timing just isn't right to debut the new show.

WE tv added, "At this moment we are joining with her fans and sending strength and healing in the hope that she is getting the support and help she needs at this difficult time."

As we reported ... Tamar was rushed to a hospital July 16 after her boyfriend, David Adefeso, called 911 from their Ritz-Carlton hotel room in downtown Los Angeles. EMTs found Tamar unconscious inside her room when they arrived. She was hospitalized and has since improved to stable condition.

David claimed during the 911 call that Tamar was distraught -- and mixed pills with alcohol -- because she'd been feuding with WE tv over her portrayal in the first episode. However, our sources say it was more David who was upset with the way he came off on the show.

The network has not commented on the alleged beef, but says Tamar is "an incredibly important member" of the We TV family.

A$AP Bari Lambo Wrecked!!!

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A$AP Bari was a passenger in a Lamborghini that crashed and spun out in NYC ... sending 3 people to the hospital.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Bari was riding shotgun Monday around 5 PM in a Lambo SUV that was driven by a 23-year-old woman. We're told the woman tried to get off the FDR Highway at 49th Street, but she lost control, smashed into protective barriers ... and then spun out.

Our sources say 3 people were transported to the hospital though it's unclear if Bari, who suffered minor injuries, was one of them. As you can see from the pics ... Bari seemed fine on the scene as he spoke to responding officers.

An eyewitness says they saw the Lambo cut across traffic trying to exit before slamming into the protective barriers. We're told the tires blew out, glass shattered and airbags deployed during the crash.

No word on who owns the Lamborghini or what the damage is, but it's a Lambo ... so, it ain't gonna be cheap. Assuming it's not totaled.

KFC Secret Recipe Crocs Are Hot Ticket ... Finger Lickin' Gone!!!

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The more bizarre, the better, apparently -- a fashion collab between KFC and Crocs is a rousing success ... KFC says its fried chicken-scented shoes are already sold out!!!

Someone had the bright idea to pair the famous foam clog company with the fried chicken icon to make limited-edition kicks -- and they flew off (virtual) shelves Tuesday, selling out in less than 90 minutes.

The bucket clogs went for $60 a pair, with $3 from each sale going toward the KFC Foundation's employee scholarship fund. The Crocs look like a bucket of the Colonel's original and -- most shockingly -- have a chicken-scented Jibbitz charm shaped like a drumstick.

KFC says the bad news is the Crocs are sold out, the good news is real buckets of chicken are still available. We guess you could rub some secret recipe on your regular crocs. You'd fool your dog or cat, but that's about it.

Kanye West Pushes Ahead in NJ To Appear on Ballot for Prez

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Kanye West's bid to appear in the NJ ballot for president is full steam ahead ... TMZ's learned he's filed the necessary paperwork to do just that.

We've learned Ye submitted petitions Monday with 1,327 signatures in his quest for a presidential run. In the Garden State, the requirement for Independent candidates to file for president is 800 signatures. Ye clearly surpassed that ... but from now until July 31 at 5 PM, there's an objection period where someone can challenge the validity of individual signatures submitted. If there are no objections, Kanye gets a place on the ballot.

This, of course, all sounds too familiar. TMZ broke the story ... he's facing a huge hurdle in his home state of Illinois after several objections over the validity of signatures gathered to get on that state's ballot. As we reported ... one of the objectors says he reviewed roughly 3,200 signatures but claims to have found less than 1,000 valid signatures in Kanye's docs. A hearing is set for next week on that issue.

As we've reported ... Kanye's already submitted paperwork to get on the ballot in Illinois, Missouri and Oklahoma.

So while Kanye is in the middle of a battle with his own family and mental health struggles ... it's clear his political team is still firing on all cylinders.

Rodney King Beating Camera Up for Auction ... Starting Bid, $225,000!!!

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The camera used to videotape LAPD officers beating Rodney King is about to go up for sale to the public, but this piece of history is gonna cost ya 6 figures.

Auction house Nate D. Sanders will put the original Sony camera up on the auction block this Thursday, and the opening bid is set at $225k -- which means they expect it to fetch wayyy more than that.

George Holliday used the camera on March 3, 1991 -- when he shot the horrific scene from his apartment balcony in L.A. What he captured eventually set off the 1992 L.A. riots ... after the 4 white cops involved were acquitted in the criminal trial.

Holliday referenced the significance of his camera and how it's more relevant today than ever, saying ... "I hope this video camera inspires people to use their power to record events that they find troubling." He added, "Don’t be afraid to use it."

It's unclear if the original videotape of the Rodney beating is included in the auction piece -- but Holliday has said that people to this day still seek him out to obtain and use it. It was most recently featured in a Netflix documentary about the riots.

Although King wasn't victorious in criminal court, he won on the civil lawsuit in 1994 -- with a jury finding the city of Los Angeles liable for his injuries, and awarding him nearly $4 million.

He died in a 2012 accidental drowning.

Patrick Mahomes Becomes K.C. Royals Part Owner ... 'I'm Honored'

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Patrick Mahomes is the king of Kansas City -- the Chiefs superstar is now a part-owner of the Royals, the team announced Tuesday.

Just weeks after inking a 10-year, $503 million deal with the Chiefs, Mahomes is now in business with the city's MLB franchise -- joining the Royals ownership group.

We know what you're thinking -- Mahomes is already spending that fat new contract -- but right now, we don't know how much he paid or what percentage of the team he owns.

That said, both Mahomes and the Royals are stoked about the partnership.

"I'm honored to become a part-owner of the Kansas City Royals," Patrick said. "I love this city and the people of this great town. This opportunity allows me to deepen my roots in this community, which is something I'm excited to do."

Royals chairman and CEO John Sherman added, "We are very proud and excited to have Patrick as our partner in the ownership group of this franchise."

"Consistent with the entirety of our ownership group, he has a deep commitment to Kansas City and a real passion for the game of baseball – dating back to his childhood."

Patrick's connection to MLB is well-known -- his father, Pat, was a pitcher in the big leagues for 11 seasons.

The move makes 24-year-old Mahomes the youngest owner in MLB history.

Congrats!!!