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Whoopi Goldberg is rolling out a much-needed apology ... after making claims about the Holocaust that many found incredibly antisemitic.

Whoopi offered her "sincere apologies" Tuesday, telling Rolling Stone, "It was never my intention to appear as if I was doubling down on hurtful comments, especially after talking with and hearing people like rabbis and old and new friends weighing in."

She says she's still learning -- but confirms, "I believe that the Holocaust was about race, and I am still as sorry now as I was then that I upset, hurt and angered people.”

As we reported, Whoopi faced severe backlash after recently telling The Times Jewish people themselves are divided on whether they're actually a race or not, even quoting one Jewish friend as saying ... "Not for nothing is there no box on the census for the Jewish race. So that leads me to believe that we’re probably not a race."

Whoopi went on to double down on the notion that the Holocaust wasn't about race, from her POV, by saying ... "Remember who they were killing first. They were not killing racial; they were killing physical. They were killing people they considered to be mentally defective. And then they made this decision.”

Moscow PD seems to still be struggling to find significant leads in the case of the slain college students ... but the cops investigating have been offered counseling as pressure to get answers ramps up.

The counseling services have been activated in the department as a way to take "care of our officers," according to department spokesman Captain Anthony Dahlinger ... who told DailyMail the resources are there "for anyone who needs them, and our priority is to keep our force healthy as we work until we get this investigation to its conclusion."

Capt. Dahlinger says morale is still high, however ... adding, "We're all committed to seeing this investigation through to the end – it being the holidays is kind of moot. We're just focused on that goal."

A rep for the department confirms the news with TMZ, and says "Our officers and their families are continually offered support through several avenues including our regional Peer Support Team," adding counseling will continue to be offered on an as-needed basis.

We're also told patrols around Moscow and Univ. of Idaho are constant and will continue -- thanks to the help from Idaho State Police.

Actor Daren Kagasoff's ex-girlfriend has dismissed the temporary restraining order against him ... and he sees this as a huge win -- especially after she claimed he threatened to leak nude pictures of her, amongst other things.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Breanna Trupiano filed a request for dismissal in Los Angeles court last week ... although a reason for wanting to drop the TRO isn't given.

The "Devotion" star's obviously thrilled about the news ... because he tells TMZ, through his attorney, Tiffany Feder, "I was advised by my attorney to not make any statements and let the legal system run its course.  However, I was accused of things that are totally untrue."

Daren tells us the restraining order disappeared as quickly as it surfaced -- and says he's going to go after whoever's responsible for the alleged false claims ... adding "No one should ever have to go through this."

He also says, "We inhabit a world in which everything can be traced back to the sender.  And thanks to a dedicated legal team for being so vigorous in uncovering the truth."

Diddy just dropped something major on social media, and it ain't new music -- it's the first full look at his beautiful new baby girl.

Sean 'Diddy' Combs put up the cute pic Tuesday ... showin' off his daughter, Love Sean Combs, to the world -- this after spending the holiday weekend with his family in the Caribbean.

The comment section is going nuts, BTW ... because just about everyone thinks she's perfect. One even wrote, "What in the most beautiful baby in the world is going on here 🥺."

As we reported, Love was born on October 15 in Newport Beach, CA ... and he had her with 28-year-old cyber security specialist Dana Tran.

Yung Miami, someone Diddy's also publically dated, recently confirmed he made her aware of the upcoming newborn before October, too.

In case you missed it, fans almost got a glimpse of Love's face the other day ... but Diddy had to tease everyone, facin' her away from the camera.

Jeff Bezos and his boo Lauren Sanchez are living their best lives this holiday season ... tacklin' the slopes in the snow as a couple!

Jeff and Lauren strapped on some ski boots and took to Aspen, CO Tuesday -- enjoyin' each other's company, no doubt ... as they tried their luck on some of the many slopes in the area.

We're told the couple was on the slopes for about an hour and a half before comin' back down around lunchtime. JB and LS were also a part of a big group with an instructor -- unclear if any of Jeff's high-profile pals tagged along, though.

As you know, Jeff and Lauren have been inseparable for the last 3 years, traveling the world and essentially living together. Lauren even revealed she's planning on blasting into space on Bezos' Blue Origin rocket next year, and it's gonna be an all-female crew.

'Tiger King' star Joe Exotic's divorce from Dillon Passage is extremely close to being finalized, TMZ has learned ... because the 2 are just waiting on a judge to sign off and make things official.

Joe's lawyer, Autumn Blackledge, tells TMZ ... divorce docs between Joe and Dillon are finished -- they just need a judge's signature to officially close things up.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, there are no joint assets or marital property between them, so they're each entitled to whatever separate property they have.

The docs say they've waived the right to any alimony, and there's a nondisparagement agreement -- meaning one ain't allowed to bad-mouth the other.

Dillon also has to give up "any right to distribute, profit from, sell, transfer or use" any of the likenesses of Joe Exotic from Tiger King and "Joe Exotic For President."

Joe is dropping Dillon's last name, which he had taken when they got marriage -- so he'll be Joseph Maldonado once again.

TMZ broke the story, Joe filed for divorce earlier this year, saying the marriage was irretrievably broken. Joe tweeted shortly after filing, "Dillon, please just sign it and go away."

Dillon's lawyer Parastoo Majd tells TMZ ... Dillon is very happy to close this chapter of his life, move on and leave Tiger King behind.

It's lookin' like hell on Earth this holiday season for Southwest passengers, and cancelations still aren't easing up -- but it looks like the CEO is hoping to encourage his employees to get the job done during this nightmare.

The Dallas-based air transport company nixed another 2,500 flights Tuesday, according to CNBC ... or roughly 63% of its flights. For those unaware, Southwest also killed 70% the day before.

CEO Bob Jordan reportedly sent a message to his employees after customers were getting stranded at airports ... saying, "We’ve got to get out of this. We’ve got to get to the point where we’re reliable and we get our Customers, our Crews, our aircraft, everything on track."

Southwest is gunning to fly on a third of its schedule throughout the week -- with the goal of simply getting planes and crews where they're needed. Jordan says, however, "Obviously that will have even more impact on our Customers."

The company says it'll "honor reasonable requests for reimbursement for meals, hotel, and alternate transportation,” according to its website ... as long as passengers can provide a receipt to match.

FYI -- the U.S. Department of Transportation announced an investigation into Southwest Monday ... saying it's going to look into the "unacceptable rate of cancellations and delays & reports of lack of prompt customer service."

One of the best careers in NFL history is coming to an end in just two weeks ... Arizona Cardinals star J.J. Watt just revealed he's retiring following the end of this season.

The 3-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year made the surprising announcement on his social media page Tuesday morning ... saying he's grateful his two-month-old son, Koa, was able to watch his last-ever home game on Christmas.

"Koa's first-ever NFL game," Watt said in his announcement. "My last ever NFL home game."

"My heart is filled with nothing but love and gratitude. It’s been an absolute honor and a pleasure."

Stars from all over the sports world congratulated Watt on his legendary career, including Kevin Durant, who wrote, "True game changer and a legend. Much respect 99."

The former Wisconsin Badger was the 11th overall pick of the 2011 NFL Draft and played the majority of his 12-year career with the Houston Texans. Watt suited up for Arizona in his last two seasons.

Watt logged 111.5 sacks and 27 forced fumbles during his career ... and earned five All-Pro selections. He also won Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year in 2017.

The 33-year-old, who just had his first baby with Kealia Ohai Watt in October, may not be on the field after this season ... but his family will still be represented well in the NFL nonetheless -- as his brothers, Derek and T.J., currently play for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

J.J.'s final two NFL games will be against the Falcons this weekend ... and then the 49ers on Jan. 8.

A man who lived in the house where 4 University of Idaho students were brutally killed is baffled no one heard the sounds of death, because the house itself had to give off signals something terrible was happening.

Cole Alteneder, who graduated from the University, told ABC News, "It's definitely an old, creaky house ... You can't walk up any of the stairs or on any of the floors without everybody in the house knowing it."

As we reported, there were 6 people in the house at the time of the quadruple murders ... 2 people were spared and say they heard nothing. Police have said the 2 survivors are not suspects.

Cole says the house and the area surrounding it were well-known places to party, adding, "... people would hop the fences and just, like, walk away if the cops came."

Lots of people in the area knew the house and had access, and cops say they have been chasing down leads since the brutal murders.

Cherelle Griner can finally breathe ... something most people do without effort or thought, but something that was elusive to her during the 10 months her wife, Brittney Griner, was held captive by the Russian government.

Cherelle, who finished law school during her wife's captivity, tells PEOPLE ... "It was almost as if somebody just punched you in the stomach and you inhaled. You never get to breathe out."

She admits it was hard to hang on to hope ... "I was hopeless a lot of days. You try and stay grounded, but I'm human. Still, I would never completely give up hope on my wife's life."

As for Brittney's release ... Cherelle says her reaction surprised her ... "I had thought about that moment a thousand times, and I thought I would be full of tears, but I was overwhelmingly happy. It was the first time I was able to finally exhale."

Reuniting in San Antonio, where Brittney flew for medical observation and treatment, Cherelle said, "We were both just instantly crying. I was standing there full of tears and someone ran over and handed me a handkerchief. I definitely needed it."

She then described their embrace ... "I couldn't stop touching her facer. I was like, 'Is this really you?' It did not feel real. It was chilling, and warm. I was just holding on tight. I couldn't let her go."

Their first night together was sleepless ... "We just talked all night long and all morning." And then she reflected -- "I had all my freedom. I had my bed. But when you have your family overseas in a situation like that, time zones play a factor. Every night, that's the only time I could talk to her attorneys and I could handle things. And so I just hadn't slept."

It's one thing to get a bad review ... it's another to be cast in the same light as Kanye West and Donald Trump, but that's exactly what one reviewer did.

Politico writer Joanna Weiss posted a story called, "2022 Is the Year We All Finally Got Tired of the Narcissists," and she had plenty of fodder to build out her story ... in addition to the above names, she noted Sam Bankman-Fried and Elizabeth Holmes.

As for Meghan Markle, she says the Netflix doc "Harry & Meghan" backfired in a big way. It's one of the most watched docs in a long time, but that doesn't mean it was received the way it was meant.

Weiss writes, "My natural sympathy for the couple started turning to irritation, and it occurred to me that ego has its limits. And it struck me that the overreach that led to the Sussexes' critically panned mega-series is the same impulse that turned Elon Musk into a terror on Twitter, that prompted Ye to up the ante of outrageous behavior until he crossed the line into blatant antisemitism, that sent Bankman-Fried from the top of the world to a Bahamian jail."

She concedes Harry and Meghan's conduct is more benign than the others, but says it's still problematic.

The documentary is filled with grievances against the Royal Family, including Harry saying it was "terrifying" when his brother Prince William screamed at him after Harry dropped the bombshell that he and Meghan were leaving.

A dog that was separated from her owner during a hike during the winter blast got a precious Xmas present -- life -- thanks to a determined owner and a rescue team.

Nala was hiking with her owner Christmas Eve in Ogden, Utah ... near Waterfall Canyon. Somehow the pooch and owner got separated. The owner searched high and low, but no Nala in sight. At nightfall, the frustrated and worried owner went back home.

On Christmas Day, the owner returned to the trail -- 2.4 miles from start to finish -- and spotted his dog. Thing is ... the owner's family didn't have a clue because cell service sucked, so they became worried he might be in trouble and called the cops.

A rescue team spotted the owner, who told them he spotted Nala at the top of a frozen waterfall, but couldn't reach her because of ice and steep terrain.

With the help of a drone, the rescue team spotted the dog and they then began a difficult hike to save the animal. Nala was a little freaked out at first, but eventually realized the team was there to help and she cooperated as they brought her down the mountain.

Nala had a few injuries, but nothing life-threatening. She's back with her fam.

Stephen Greif, who played Speaker of the House Sir Bernard Weatherill on Season 4 of "The Crown," has died.

Greif's reps announced his death Monday, but did not disclose the cause.

The British actor's role in the Netflix hit was his most recognized, but he was a working actor for many decades with numerous credits.

Greif appeared in Touchstone Pictures' flick, "Casanova" back in 2005. He was on numerous TV shows, including "Tales of the Unexpected," and he appeared in the '70s science fiction series, "Blake's 7."

He was also a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company back in the '60s.

His fellow actors took to social media in droves honoring him, one calling Greif "a consummate professional and an absolute gent."

He's survived by 2 sons.

Stephen Greif was 78.

Long Island Rep.-elect George Santos is admitting he wasn't the most honest guy while on the campaign trail when it came to his resume ... but he oddly doesn't see what the big fuss is about all the lies.

Santos came "clean" Monday, confirming with WABC Radio he in fact never graduated from a college -- or worked directly for Citigroup and Goldman Sachs ... despite once claiming it all to be true.

Santos doesn't see this as a way to deter him from serving his 2-year term, however ... downplaying the situation by telling New York Post, “My sins here are embellishing my resume. I’m sorry.”

He's apparently keepin' a pretty cool head -- he adds, "I am not a criminal. This [controversy] will not deter me from having good legislative success. I will be effective. I will be good.”

For those unaware, Santos was in the hot seat last week after New York Times poked massive holes in his previous history ... finding no references in past campaigns to a master's degree from NYU, among many, many other things.

Both Citigroup and Goldman Sachs also told CNN they had no record of Santos' employment.

Todd Chrisley is gearing up for his lengthy prison sentence ... and here's a detailed look at how things are run at the prison where he'll be serving his 12-year sentence.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ, Todd's set to report to minimum security FPC Pensacola in FL on January 17 ... and the facility has a specific uniform for inmates -- green pants, green shirts, white socks and black steel-toed boots.

As for the daily routine, lights come on at 4:45 AM daily -- and breakfast is served from 5-6. From there, beds must be made military style by 6:30, and his room should be completely clean ... likely not an issue for the self-professed germaphobe.

The work day begins as late as 7:30 AM and ends between 3 PM and 5 PM. There are a bunch of gigs Todd could pick up while behind bars ... jobs like cook, plumber, librarian, landscape worker, dishwasher or laundry worker.

Lunch is served at 11 AM, and he'll get an evening meal from 4:30 - 5:30 ... followed by mail call until 8:30. The compound then closes down shortly after, and lights out at 10:30.

A bunch of sports are offered at Todd's facility -- things like softball, flag football, basketball, soccer and volleyball. They also have the ability to do weight training, music, hobby crafts like art or woodworking and horseshoes.

As far as visiting hours ... he'll be limited to no more than 5 people at a time under the prison's policy.

We should say -- Todd has filed a motion asking for bail pending his appeal -- so if the judge grants that and EVERYTHING goes in his favor on the appeal, there's technically a chance he won't see any prison time.

D.L. Hughley says Donald Trump should be criminally charged over the Jan. 6 riots ... and he wants the former president charged with the death of a Capitol Police officer.

We got the comedian at LAX and he told our photog ... Trump would be staring at a slew of charges if he were Black ... including manslaughter.

The way D.L. sees it ... Trump should be held responsible for the death of Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, who died the day after being viciously attacked by the mob during the insurrection.

Trump has yet to be charged by the Justice Department. The Jan. 6 Committee voted to refer Trump for possible criminal charges ... so potential charges are on the table.

As we reported, the Jan. 6 panel feels four charges are warranted for Trump ... obstruction of an official proceeding, conspiracy to make a false statement, conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and insurrection.