Ahmaud Arbery Murder Suspects Denied Bond

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The father and son charged with the murder of Ahmaud Arbery are staying put in jail pending their trial ... a judge just denied their request for bond.

Travis McMichael and his father Greg McMichael were back in a Georgia courthouse Friday for the second straight day of court hearings, and that's when Judge Timothy Walmsley made his decision, saying they need to stay locked up pending their trial because they are a danger to the community.

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TALKING WITH POLICE

During the hearing, the state played police body cam footage from the aftermath of the Arbery shooting ... and the judge said there was "significant danger" in the McMichaels' actions. The video shows Greg McMichael repeatedly mentioning his previous ties to local law enforcement, which prosecutors believe was an attempt to "obstruct justice."

Ahmaud's mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, again spoke in the courthouse during Friday's hearing ... and was visibly emotional, saying it was the first time she'd seen the police footage.

As we reported ... Ahmaud's mom addressed the court Thursday, saying the McMichaels didn't give her son a chance to go home when they allegedly murdered him, so they shouldn't get to go home either.

Wanda also said the McMichaels are just as dangerous now as they were when Ahmaud was shot dead ... and it sounds like the judge agreed.

As you know ... the McMichaels and William "Roddie" Bryan, the man who authorities say recorded Ahmaud's slaying, were indicted by a grand jury back in June, and they're facing 9 felony charges ... including 4 counts felony murder, 1 count of malice murder, 2 counts aggravated assault, 1 count false imprisonment and 1 count criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment.

The 3 defendants have been in custody since their arrests back in May -- Bryan previously had his bond request denied.

Kobe Bryant On Forbes List of 'Highest-Paid Dead Celebs' ... Earned $20 Mil

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Kobe Bryant is still a titan of industry -- even in death -- so says Forbes which just ranked him #6 on its "Highest-Paid Dead Celebrities of 2020" list.

The NBA legend passed away on Jan. 26 in a helicopter crash -- but in the months that followed, his estate pulled in an estimated $20 million in earnings, Forbes says.

The main source of income is from shoes and apparel -- with Nike reportedly raking in around $250 mil annually from Mamba items.

In addition to sneakers, Kobe's 2018 autobiography, "The Mamba Mentality: How I Play" sold more than 300,000 copies this year --TEN TIMES the number of copies it did in 2019, Forbes says.

There's more ... after the Lakers won the NBA championship in October, Bryant's jersey was the #2 seller for the organization, behind Finals MVP LeBron James.

As for the rest of the Forbes list ... Michael Jackson is still #1 with $48 mil in earnings in 2020. Dr. Seuss is #2 with $33 mil. Peanuts creator Charles Schulz is #3 with $32.5. Arnold Palmer is #4 with $25 million. And #5 is Elvis with $23 mil.

Elvis' estate has lost a ton of money this year because of the COVID pandemic -- tourism at his legendary home Graceland is a big moneymaker, but it's been hit hard by the shutdowns.

Unfortunately, there's another newcomer to the "Dead Celebs" list -- rapper Juice WRLD, who died back in Dec. 2019 at only 21. Forbes says his music sales spiked after his death, helping the estate bring in $15 mil.

Quawan Charles' Death Family Compares Death to Emmett Till’s ... Attorney Speaks

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UPDATE

11:15 AM PT -- The family attorney, Ron Haley, tells TMZ ... he refutes the Sheriff's conclusion that Charles drowned. He said, "When you see his mangled body it does not look like he drowned." He said the Sheriff's explanation doesn't add up ... because Charles' body was found in a sugar cane field and the bodies of water there only amount to 1 to 2 feet.

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UPDATE

Then there's this ... the family has not received an official autopsy report. So, they've commissioned an independent autopsy, which the family should get back by the weekend. Ron says the Sheriff's details so far are hazy, at best.

The death of 15-year-old Quawan "Bobby" Charles has all the markings of a modern-day lynching according to his family -- who say the case reminds them of the Emmett Till tragedy.

The Black teenager's body was found in a sugar cane field in Louisiana on November 3 after he'd been reported missing on October 30. Although the Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office has said it's investigating the "suspicious circumstances" of his death, it has not released many details.

Cops did tell Quawan's family that he drowned and water was found in his lungs. His family, including his cousin, Celina Charles, calls that explanation "bogus" ... saying Quawan's terribly disfigured face tells a much different story.

Quawan's mother, Roxanne Nelson, chose to release a photo of his face -- apparently taken at the morgue -- which bears a tragic resemblance to Till ... the 14-year-old who was lynched in Mississippi in 1955, and whose horrific death helped spark the Civil Rights movement.

An autopsy has reportedly been performed on Quawan, but the Sheriff's Office says results could take up to 12 weeks. Quawan's family says it has not seen preliminary results nor a police report.

Quawan's family claims cops dropped the ball from the start, when he was reported missing to the Baldwin Police Dept. on Oct. 30. Quawan's family attorney says the cops gave no indication they were actively looking for him, and instead suggested he might have just gone to a football game.

According to the family, they discovered on their own that Quawan had been picked up on the day of his disappearance by a 17-year-old white friend and his mother ... but Quawan's family claims it does not know this family and did not give them permission to take him.

The family reportedly confirmed they picked up Quawan because the kids wanted to hang out, but say Quawan later left alone.

Quawan's family and civil rights advocates believe racial bias played into law enforcement's delayed investigation, and Quawan's mother wants more answers from the white family that last saw him alive.

So far, no suspects have been named in the case and it has not been designated as a homicide.

Quawan's family has launched a Gofundme to conduct an independent autopsy and help cover costs of investigating his death.

Originally Published -- 7:33 AM PT

Murder Hornets Queens May Be Out There ... But Not Coming To Kill You!!!

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The only thing Americans have to fear from murder hornets is fear itself ... experts say odds are low the remaining queens out there give birth to an army of killers.

Here's the deal ... a lot of folks were alarmed by recent reports that scientists in Washington found nearly 200 queens in the nest that was eradicated last month, the fear being ... how many escaped alive and are now buzzing around?!?

But, you can breathe a sigh of relief ... Chris Looney from the Washington State Department of Agriculture, which is studying the insects, tells us there's no particular reason to believe a lot of murder hornets got out of that nest, and even if they did, the majority of those queens are unlikely to start their own nests. Phew.

Of course, there are scenarios where those queens might start their own nests, but fortunately, we're told those odds are low ... even in 2020.

The doomsday scenario would have to play out like this ... a queen would need to mate with a male murder hornet, but that's no simple task. It's not like they have Bumble.

Let's say the queen mates ... the queen would then have to spend this winter hibernating. Well, surviving hibernation is not a given, and we're told some of the queens would surely die in the process, just like any other bug.

There's more hurdles after mating and hibernation ... in the spring, a queen would have to find food and an appropriate nesting site. Again, no easy task, and the process exposes the queen to more potential danger and puts them at risk of dying.

Feel better now?!?

And, there's this ... Chris says murder hornets have only been found in Northwest Washington, so folks in nearby states have no reason to fear murder hornets flying their way.

In fact, he says WSDA scientists recently conducted a study showing it would take about a decade or more for murder hornets to invade another state ... and that's the worst-case scenario, because it's likely to take even longer.

And, if you do live in Washington, we're told the only worry should be about the murder hornet nests that are already made and haven't been found. Just like the nest the WSDA eradicated last month, we're told there could be a nest out there with a ton of queens, some of which will go off and form their own nests.

But, while some of those queens may be successful, by and large, they won't be.

King Von Shooting QUANDO RONDO CLAIMS HIS CREW WAS DEFENDING ITSELF In Brawl Before Shootout

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Quando Rondo didn't come looking for trouble when his crew got into a violent altercation with King Von that ended in a fatal shooting ... at least according to Quando's camp.

Sources close to Quando Rondo tell TMZ ... the rapper wasn't seeking out a fight with King Von the night Von was shot dead outside an Atlanta hookah lounge, and they say Von was acting as the aggressor in the brawl that preceded gunfire.

Our sources say Quando was napping in a car outside the club and when he woke up, Von's crew was there, and things suddenly got tense. We're told Von approached Quando and his crew with anger, which led to the brawl.

New footage from outside the club appears to show King Von throwing punches at Quando Rondo's crew, and our sources claim Quando's camp was just defending itself. We're told Quando didn't know what was going on and believed his life was in danger.

As we reported ... police also opened fire while confronting the gunmen, but cops say King Von was shot during the initial shootout with Quando Rondo's group.

One of Quando Rondo's crew members was arrested for felony murder, and our law enforcement sources tell us QR is NOT under investigation and cops consider the case closed.

Sources close to Quando Rondo tell us he feels extremely bad about the situation and how it unfolded ... though we're told both sides have not spoken to each other since the incident.

Russell Westbrook All Smiles at L.A. Birthday Dinner ... Despite Rockets Drama

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He may not be happy in Houston, but Russell Westbrook was all smiles in L.A. on Thursday ... where he celebrated his birthday at one of the swankiest spots in town.

Russ turned the big 3-2 on Thursday -- and hit up Delilah with his wife, Nina, and some close pals (No, James Harden wasn't there).

As you may have heard, Westbrook is looking to leave the Houston Rockets ... where he's reportedly unhappy with the team's "accountability and culture," according to The Athletic.

He apparently wants to play for a squad where "he can have a role similar to his prior, floor-general role in Oklahoma City."

So, Westbrook has reportedly made a trade request with just about a month until the 2020-21 NBA season kicks off. Tick tock ...

Westbrook still has 3 years left on his current contract -- which is set to pay him out more than $132 MILLION.

No wonder he's still so happy!

'Party Down South' Mattie Breaux Gets Jail Time ... Sentenced for 3rd DUI

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The party's over for Mattie Breaux ... she's doing time behind bars, because the third time is NOT a charm when you're talking DUIs.

The "Party Down South" star pled guilty to misdemeanor DUI and will serve 7 days at Davidson County Jail. According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, the judge hit Mattie with nearly a year behind bars, but suspended all but 7 days of her sentence.

Karla West, chief of staff at the Davidson County Sheriff's Office, tells TMZ ... Mattie will serve her jail time on weekends until she finishes her sentence. We're told it's normal procedure for similar DUI cases.

Once she's served 7 days behind bars, Mattie -- who's also been on MTV's "Floribama Shore" and "The Challenge" -- will be on supervised probation for close to a year, and will also lose her driver's license for a year. Third time for that too.

Mattie was arrested in August 2019 after a solo crash in Nashville. Cops say she told them she'd taken Hydrocodone and chugged 2 beers before getting behind the wheel.

Cops also say they smelled a strong odor of booze and that her speech was slurred. While getting treated at a hospital, she told cops she had 2 previous DUIs in Louisiana.

Pretty crappy trifecta to score.

We reached out to Mattie's attorney, who declined to comment.

Rep. Eric Swalwell Trump's Gotta Pay ... 'Presidential Crimes Commission' is the Way!!!

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As soon as President Trump is no longer the U.S. President, he needs to answer for his alleged criminal activity ... according to Congressman Eric Swalwell, who has a proposal on how to make that happen.

The Democratic Representative from California says 45's day of reckoning must come -- along with his enablers -- for what he says they've done to the country, which is why he wants to create a 'Presidential Crimes Commission.'

Swalwell says ideally, this group would be made up of independent prosecutors outside Congress who would be responsible for determining if the President or senior officials broke the law during their term, and if so ... they'd go after them.

The Congressman says the goal is to make sure nobody, not even POTUS, is above the law and gets away with any offenses. As for what crimes he'd want the PCC to take a look at with Trump ... there's a laundry list, but obstructing justice and sabotaging the mail are top of mind for Swalwell.

Currently, Swalwell believes the Prez is committing another transgression by not cooperating with President-elect Joe Biden during the transition period ... something Trump's press secretary won't even talk about.

It might not be a crime, but Swalwell says it's definitely making us less safe ... but he sounds pretty hopeful, Trump's about to go away soon, one way or another.

Terence Crawford Dead Serious About Conor McGregor Fight ... 'Money Talks!'

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"They put that money up, hell yeah I'll go over there and fight him!"

That's boxing superstar Terence Crawford -- arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world -- telling TMZ Sports he would seriously consider an MMA match with Conor McGregor.

So, why would the undefeated welterweight champ cross over into Conor's sport? Easy ...

Turns out, Crawford comes from a family of wrestlers and has some legit wrestling experience himself. He's very confident in his skills.

Plus, he doesn't think Conor's that big of a threat on the ground anyway!

"To keep it real, Conor's not a real good wrestler. He may kick the sh*t out of you. You gotta worry about them kicks to the head and them elbows more than him grabbing you."

"It'd be other things that you'd be having to worry about other than wrestling you."

Of course, if Conor wanted to stand up and turn it into a fistfight, the undefeated Crawford believes it would be a slaughter.

There's been talk about a possible Crawford vs. McGregor match for a while -- but Terence says he's seriously open to it.

"Conor is a big talent in the octagon and I'm a big talent in the boxing ring. Money talks. They put that money up, hell yeah I'll go over there and fight him!"

In the meantime, Crawford has a big fight coming up on Saturday -- taking on former champ Kell Brook in a WBO welterweight title bout.

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ONE ROUND AT A TIME

Crawford is a huge favorite -- but we spoke with Kell, and he ain't about to roll over.

34-year-old Brook is 39 and 2 as a pro -- with a win over Shawn Porter in 2014.

In fact, his only 2 losses were to some pretty great fighters -- Gennady Golovkin and Errol Spence.

Sam Kanisky on 'Gimme A Break' 'Memba Her?!

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East Coast actor Lara Jill Miller was only 14 years old when she shot to stardom after landing the role of the Kanisky daughter Sam -- who was the youngest in the brood until they added little Joey in the 3rd season -- on the classic '80s family sitcom "Gimme A Break!"

Lara Jill Miller shared the show's limelight with Kari Michaelsen and Lauri Hendler as the other two sisters Katie and Julie, Joey Lawrence as the bay bro, Joey, ... and of course Nell Carter as the mother figure, Nellie "Nell" Harper.

Miller is still in the entertainment industry as a voice actress on popular animated programs including Disney's "Doc McStuffins" and Amazon's "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie."

Guess what Lara Jill Miller looks like now at 53 years old!

Barack Obama Trump's Undermining Our Democracy And His Fellow Republicans are Even Worse

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Barack Obama is ripping Donald Trump and Republicans for continuing to make baseless claims of a fraudulent election ... he says it's a very slippery slope.

The former president broke his silence on Trump's unfounded claims of voter fraud in an interview with "60 Minutes," telling Scott Pelley he's troubled by the large number of Republicans going along with Trump's claims and humoring him.

Obama says Republicans are not only trying to delegitimize president-elect Joe Biden and his incoming administration, but also democracy in general.

What's more, Obama says what Trump and the GOP are doing is putting America on "a dangerous path."

As you know, Trump is refusing to concede the election ... and Obama shares what he thinks is behind Trump's refusal to admit Biden won.

Ahmaud Arbery's Mom Keep Murder Suspects Behind Bars!!! Speaks at Bond Hearing

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Ahmaud Arbery's mother says the father and son accused of murdering her son did not give him a chance to go home ... so they shouldn't get to go home either.

Wanda Cooper-Jones spoke in a Georgia courthouse Thursday at the end of a long bond hearing for Travis McMichael and his father, Gregory McMichael, who are trying to convince the judge they should be released. They've been in jail since May when they were charged.

Ahmaud's mom says the 2 men are trying to present themselves as the good guys and her son as the criminal, while ignoring what she believes is an absolutely unjustifiable killing.

According to Cooper-Jones ... the McMichaels are just as dangerous now as they were on the day Ahmaud was killed, and it would be another injustice to let them go home while they wait for their trial.

Earlier during the hearing, a handful of character witnesses spoke on behalf of Travis and Gregory and why they believe they should be granted bond. Travis' mom and friends said he's a great father and a happy person who would pose no threat of fleeing.

Likewise, Gregory's wife and coworkers said he poses no flight risk, and his landlord said he's always been a good tenant.

The judge did not make a decision yet, but is expected to when the hearing continues Friday.

William "Roddie" Bryan, the man who authorities say recorded Ahmaud's slaying, was not involved in this hearing, but was first denied bond back in July, when a judge deemed him a flight risk.

As we've reported ... all 3 men were indicted by a grand jury back in June, and they're facing 9 felony charges ... including 4 counts felony murder, 1 count of malice murder, 2 counts aggravated assault, 1 count of false imprisonment and 1 count of criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment.

The 3 defendants last appeared in court together in July, when they all entered not guilty pleas.

Authorities say Travis fired the fatal shots during a struggle with Ahmaud on February 23 while Bryan recorded the incident. A GBI detective previously testified Bryan told police he heard Travis call Arbery a "f***ing n*****" after shooting him.

Protesters gathered in front of the courthouse Wednesday before marching and chanting "no bond."

Originally Published -- 6:45 AM PT