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G Herbo is grounded -- for international travel, anyway -- after handing over his passport and pleading not guilty in his fraud case.

The rapper appeared, via Zoom, in front of a federal judge Wednesday in Massachusetts to enter his plea. According to legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Herbo posted $75k bail but there are lots of strings attached.

For one, the rapper had to surrender his passport, and even some of his domestic travel will require permission. He also can't sell or give away any assets worth more than $50k. And, get this ... Herbo's also barred from opening any new lines of credit. It's a fraud case, after all.

He's also gotta submit to drug testing. As we reported ... Herbo, along with his associates, are accused of perpetrating a massive fraud to fund their fancy vacations, private jets and even puppies.

According to the federal complaint ... Herbo allegedly conspired to defraud several businesses with stolen credit cards over the course of a 4-year period. The feds also alleged Herbo used the scheme to purchase 2 "designer puppies" at a luxury pet store. He was charged with 1 count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and 2 counts of aiding and abetting aggravated identity theft.

Post Malone's got a new line of custom Crocs, and to test them out ... he put a new pair on the feet of every single kid at his old school FOR FREE.

The Post Malone x Crocs Duet Max Clog II hit the market for the first time Tuesday, and sold out within a few hours -- but one group that was for sure able to snag some before they were swept up was the entire academic body of Grapevine High School in Grapevine, TX.

Sources tell us Posty hooked up his alma mater with a new pair of PM Crocs of their own -- and we're talking every single student and every single faculty member. What does that mean numbers-wise??? Well, Grapevine HS has a student body of about 1,900 and with maybe 100 or so teachers ... we're talking somewhere in the 2,000 range.

Grapevine's principal, Alex Fingers, made the announcement to everyone this week ... saying Post had noticed all the good work they'd been doing for the community of late, so he decided to give back a little himself. Principal Fingers even flashed his own set of Crocs.

We're told a Google spreadsheet was distributed throughout the entire school last week, where everyone was told to put down their shoe size ... and then the Principal dropped the news.

He also posted photos of kids on campus opening their bags of PM Crocs -- and as you can see, people seemed pretty pleased. BTW, we're told these were distributed as safely as possible ... clearly, Grapevine's one of the schools in this country that's open right now.

A Portland controversy that's been simmering for months is now boiling over ... creating a chaotic confrontation with cops and several arrests ... and the Mayor's fed up.

Protesters gathered at a home dubbed "Red House on Mississippi" Tuesday morning to keep police from allowing fencing to be put up on the property, but it escalated to violence ... including rocks and paint-filled balloons being hurled at the officers.

After the fencing was up, police attempted to leave but the chaos continued when demonstrators removed part of the fence and trespassed on the property, and even created a makeshift barricade to block off the street.

With no sign of the chaos subsiding, Mayor Ted Wheeler authorized Portland Police "to use all lawful means to end the illegal occupation," adding ... "There will be no autonomous zone in Portland."

Cops say 7 arrests were made, and several police vehicles were damaged. Mayor Wheeler is rebuking the demonstrators for their behavior, saying ... "There are many ways to protest and work toward needed reform. Illegally occupying private property, openly carrying weapons, threatening and intimidating people are not among them."

So what's this all about? Well, activists have been protesting at the location since an Afro-Indigenous family -- the Kinneys -- got evicted in September. Their house went into foreclosure and the Kinneys were forcibly removed amid the pandemic and raging wildfires in Oregon ... which did not sit well with people.

The eviction sparked a rally to help the family reclaim their home on North Mississippi Ave, but has also evolved into a larger protest of evictions during the COVID crisis ... which makes the homeless crisis even worse.

So, Portland demonstrators have made the Red House the focal point of their larger message and their efforts have helped the GoFundMe accrue over $100k to fight the eviction -- but the problem is ... cops say there have been more than 80 calls about the property in the past 3 months.

Ain't no party like a Hollywood party ... especially when it's bright and early in the morning at the actual Hollywood sign.

This is pretty wild, but popular pro gamer FaZe Banks and a small group of his peeps got to rage right next to the famous landmark Wednesday morning ... while Israeli DJ Itay Galo pumped the dance music.

Keep in mind, this was all going down just shortly after 7 AM ... amid the coronavirus pandemic and recently renewed L.A. County lockdown orders.

Tomer Shmulevich and The Hosts Group produced and organized the event with FaZe and other influencers, and tells us it obtained all the proper permits and ensured proper COVID-19 precautions were taken.

The entertainment company says everyone involved in the Hollywood sign shindig had to be tested and quarantine beforehand, and there were temperature checks on site.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... some people in the neighborhood called police on the party, but cops did not respond because the event was for a shoot and had acquired all the necessary permits.

Spike Lee praised Darnella Frazier -- the teen who captured George Floyd's death on video, sparking worldwide protests -- while presenting her with an award for courage.

The famed director said he was "proud of my sister" in presenting Frazier with the 2020 PEN/Benenson Freedom of Expression Courage Award during Tuesday night's PEN America Virtual Gala. Spike made note of what everyone's been saying about Frazer ... her courage to stand there for more than 10 minutes to record every minute of George's last dying breath reverberated around the world.

For her part ... Frazer said everything that transpired after posting the video on social media has been a lot to take in and NOTHING she would have ever imagined. She also said she felt honored about Spike presenting the award.

The org noted Frazer didn't set out to change the world on May 25 ... just another teenager looking out for her young cousin heading to a nearby store when she saw Floyd's encounter with cops ... including ex-cop Derek Chauvin pressing his knee on Floyd's neck.

As we reported ... Darnella's bravery didn't come without her facing her own consequences in the aftermath of her video. Her family told us they sought therapy to help Darnella cope with the emotional trauma.

Gabourey Sidibe didn't need a super offensive photo to check Twista for posting a disgusting, bullying meme -- she just destroyed him with words, and even got him to apologize ... but that may not be nearly enough.

The "Precious" star brilliantly clapped back at the fast-spitting MC after he posted a meme displaying a side-by-side photo of her and model Bernice Burgos. Gabourey's captioned "Option A," adding she's super successful while Bernice is listed as "Option B" ... a couch surfer with no car, 3 kids and 12K Instagram followers.

Twista then asked his 438K followers "Who y'all choosing A or B."

Once Gabourey got word of the meme, she obliterated him, saying ... "Wow. I um…. gee. @twistagmg I only like you as a rapper I forgot about in 2005. But good luck with option B!" She added a kissing emoji ... for good measure.

Twista deleted the post but furious reactions continued, like this one ... "Twista a bitch for this post and you are the lowest of the low."

Twista's now apologized ... telling The Shade Room it was an "honest mistake," adding "I was traveling most of the day when I saw the mistake. I immediately had it taken down. I don't know her directly but my sincere apologies to her."

Gayle King says the fact our top former leaders in the U.S. are willing to get a COVID-19 vaccination -- with the world watching -- should be all the proof people need to feel reassured.

We got the CBS News anchor leaving the studio Tuesday in NYC, where we asked what she made of the fact that the 3 most recent former Presidents (plus soon-to-be-former Prez Trump) have said they're willing to get a COVID vaccine live on camera.

She says she's all for it -- anything that gets people to trust the vaccine, in her mind, is a good thing ... and what better way to convince folks than to get a bunch of Commanders in Chief to partake?

We asked if Gayle would be open to having one administered to herself on her own show, and if she'd be courageous enough to take a gamble. The veteran interviewer flipped it on our guy, and asked an even more poignant question ... about bravery and the COVID-19 vaccines. Well played, GK!

The Trump campaign's "star witness" about alleged voter fraud denies she was boozing before her now-infamous testimony ... which is always a great sign it went well.

Melissa Carone has spoken out about last week's Michigan hearing led by Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis, in which Melissa stole the show with her unfounded claims and unhinged behavior.

At one point, Giuliani even appeared to try to reel her in -- to no avail -- and people speculated she might have been intoxicated.

Carone insists she wasn't though, telling "Inside Edition" she'd go under oath to prove it. She says that's just her personality, and even though she's been widely mocked for it -- including on 'SNL' -- she seems cool with it.

What's not cool is that despite Giuliani being hospitalized for COVID-19 after the public hearing, and Ellis also testing positive, Carone's refusing to quarantine ... even though she sat right next to them without a mask.

This defies a local county order that anyone in direct contact with someone who tests positive for coronavirus must quarantine ... but Carone doesn't seem to care.

Russia's vodka industry is taking a major hit -- leaders over there are telling citizens to lay off the sauce when they get the coronavirus vaccine.

Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova says Russians who receive the Sputnik V vaccine -- which is administered in 2 phases 21 days apart -- must abstain from alcohol for 42 days ... because it's an immunosuppressant.

That's not all -- Russians planning to get the vaccine are also supposed to give up drinking 2 weeks before their first injection. So, that's about 2 months of sobriety for people living in the nation known to be one of the world's leading alcohol consumers.

Anna Popova, head of Russia’s consumer watchdog agency, says beer and liquor are a strain on the body, adding ... "If we want to stay healthy and have a strong immune response, don’t drink alcohol." Smoking cigarettes is also being discouraged.

So far, Russian officials estimate 100,000 have received the Sputnik V vaccine.

Ken Jennings -- the greatest "Jeopardy!" contestant of all time -- is being honored at the school he credits for helping him possibly become the trivia champion of all time.

Seoul Foreign School in South Korea has named Jennings its 2020 Alumnus of the Year, and he'll deliver the commencement speech in June to the graduating class of 2021.

The school says this is the highest honor it bestows upon alumni, and it recognizes the recipient's "excellence in their chosen field of endeavor and outstanding service to the community or profession, as well as devotion to SFS."

So, the obvious question ... South Korea??? That's correct. Jennings moved there with his parents at age 7 due to their jobs, and he attended SFS from grades 2-12 until he was 17 ... graduating high school in 1992.

Jennings says ... "It's hard to overstate how my eleven years at SFS shaped me as a person, and continues to loom in my psyche." He adds ... "I couldn't feel more honored by this award, given my fond memories of Seoul Foreign."

Ken's also said many times his time in S. Korea led to his desire to learn as much as possible about America and the world ... and his obsession with "Jeopardy!" He watched almost daily with friends after school on the one channel he got.

The rest, as they say, is history. Jennings won a record 74 games in a row on the game show in 2004, and in early 2020 ... he was crowned 'The Greatest of All Time' in a tournament with the other 2 most successful contestants ever -- Brad Rutter and James Holzhauer.

Of course, one can't mention Jennings without thinking of the late, great Alex Trebek, who died November 8 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Ken was one of his biggest fans and is set to guest host "Jeopardy!" after Alex's final episode airs Xmas Day.

Kim Kardashian could have the new Los Angeles County D.A.'s ear when it comes to how to go about achieving prison reform, because the guy wants a face-to-face with her.

Max Szabo, a rep for George Gascon -- who was just elected as the new D.A. -- tells TMZ ... the County's top prosecutor is interested in meeting with Kim after she shouted him out on social media this week.

Kim wrote ... "Los Angeles County is the largest jail system in the country, and its home to the largest jurisdiction in the state. These changes out of the DA’s office are the change we’ve been waiting for, and I hope they have a ripple effect across the country."

She added, "More people will see the justice they deserve soon. @GeorgeGascon"

Welp, Kim's message was not lost on Gascon ... he reposted her comments on his Instagram story, writing, "Thank you @kimkardashian. We need all hands on deck."

Turns out, Gascon wasn't just blowing smoke ... we're told he's now eager to chat with the Princess of Prison Reform and talk ideas ... because they seem to share a lot of the same values, and he respects the work she's done.

Gascon also wants to talk about the death penalty -- which Gascon is firmly against ... as is Kim, which we've seen through her advocacy in the past. Remember, she helped lobby for a stay of execution for Rodney Reed not too long ago -- and was even with the guy on death row when word came down that his execution was stayed.

Brooklyn born actor Ashley Monique Clark was only 10 years old when she shot to stardom after she landed the role of the adorable older sister Sydney Hughley -- who made trouble for her parents with her younger brother -- in the late '90s family sitcom "The Hughleys."

Ashley Monique Clark shared the screen time on the ABC show with Elise Neal as the mom, Yvonne Williams-Hughley, Dee Jay Daniels as the younger bro, Michael Hughley ... and of course D.L. Hughley as the man of the house, Darryl Hughley.

Ashley went on to be cast in other big-name shows like "Zoey 101" and "The Bernie Mac Show."

Oh, boy, Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino has pissed off his probation officer cause she's asking the judge to slap him on the wrist for falling way behind on completing his community service hours.

According to docs obtained by TMZ ... the "Jersey Shore" star has only completed 18 of the 500 hours of community service he was ordered to complete as part of his tax evasion sentence.

In the docs, the probation officer says she's continually talked to Mike about where to volunteer in his community ... like at Toys for Tots, his church and several food banks, but so far he's only done 18 hours since his release from prison in 2019. In fact, the probation officer says Mike was scheduled to volunteer back in August, but failed to attend due to COVID-19 concerns.

Still, the probation officer says she's reminded Mike "at nearly every interaction to find a venue for community service, including service that could be performed from home" but she claims he's made next to no effort. The probation officer told it to the judge ... who's now issuing Mike a written warning.

Sitch was released from prison in September 2019 after 8 months behind bars. He and his wife, Lauren, recently announced they're having a baby boy due in May 2021 ... so, dude's gonna be busy.

Taylor Swift is lending a much-needed hand to a couple of mothers struggling financially due to the coronavirus pandemic ... just in time for the holidays.

The singer donated $13,000 apiece to 2 moms who have fallen on hard times, and whose stories were featured in a recent article about the millions of Americans who are unemployed, or behind on their rent and utilities.

The women -- Nikki Cornwell from Nashville and Shelbie Selewski from Michigan -- both received a generous donation from Taylor on their GoFundMe pages ... along with a personal note of encouragement.

Taylor wrote to Nikki ... "I read about you in the Washington Post and thought it was really brave of you to share your story. I'm so sorry for everything you've had to go through this year and wanted to send you this gift, from one Nashville girl to another."

Shelbie's message says ... "I'm sending you this gift after reading about you in the Washington Post. No one should have to feel the kind of stress that's been put on you. I hope you and your beautiful family have a great holiday season."

Both women have suffered both medical and financial hardships this year and say they are in danger of being kicked out of their homes if they don't catch up on bills.

Sadly, there are millions more in the U.S. who are also in dire straits, and without another government stimulus for support ... are feeling helpless.

Ann Marie -- who's been arrested and is facing charges in the shooting of her male friend -- was screaming and pleading for help on the phone before emergency responders arrived.

The R&B singer's obviously overcome with emotions on the 911 call -- obtained by TMZ -- but it doesn't shed much light on what happened in the Atlanta hotel room where the incident took place.

At one point, Marie tells the dispatcher it was an accident and explains she reached for a towel and implies that led to her friend accidentally getting shot. Amid her screaming and crying, she's also heard saying, "I love you" to the shooting victim, 24-year-old Jonathon Wright.

After several minutes, police and emergency workers show up and tend to Wright, and it sounds like they are dealing with a scary situation ... as they're heard trying to keep him awake and alert.

As we reported ... cops say they got a call to the InterContinental in Buckhead on December 1 and came upon the grisly scene. The police report says Marie was frantic in a hotel room while Wright laid on the floor with a bullet entry wound in his forehead with an exit wound in his left temple.

Cops say the singer was emotional, but not crying on the scene. She allegedly told officers a gun had fallen off a table and went off, shooting Wright in the head.

Isaac Wright Jr. -- who was wrongfully convicted and sentenced to life in prison -- is now running for Mayor of NYC, and says he'd welcome Kim Kardashian's counsel in overhauling the city's justice system.

Isaac joined "TMZ Live" Tuesday and said there's no question about it ... Kim K's platform and her influential power would be a huge boost, not only for his campaign ... but for his goals if he wins next year's election.

His incredible life up to this point is already famous -- wrongfully convicted on drug charges in 1991, Isaac was sentenced to life in prison ... but studied as a paralegal while inside and proved his innocence in 1996. His story is the inspiration for the 50 Cent produced show, "For Life" on ABC.

Kim K and Wright are kinda on the same team already ... fighting for criminal justice reform and prisoner's rights. Isaac helped overturn 20 wrongful convictions, along with his own, just as Kim's successfully helped several inmates get clemency or overturned convictions.

Isaac acknowledges Kim's not only getting it done due to her celebrity -- he says she gets in the trenches ... and says that's the kind of people he wants working with him once he's elected.