Mark Cuban My 11-Year-Old Got on Robinhood ... Big Wins, Losses Too!!!

Published | Updated
012821_mark_cuban_kal
WELCOME TO THE GAME, SON

One might say Mark Cuban's got a baby shark on his hands -- his 11-year-old son got in on the Robinhood craze, but in just one day he learned some tough lessons.

The "Shark Tank" star joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday and told us all about his fam's newest trader, Jake, who was flying high Wednesday, when he opened his Robinhood account and picked up a couple shares of AMC and BlackBerry.

Mark says Jake was riding high as he turned his first trades into seemingly easy money -- but like millions of investors, Thursday morning turned into a learning experience for him.

Pop had to break it down for Jake -- what goes up sometimes comes way down. Like, way down.

Fortunately for Jake, his father is a billionaire, so this lesson won't cost him everything -- he only invested about $100, anyway. But, watch the clip ... Mark taught his son something else about how to react when a stock you like suddenly plummets.

Stock school aside, Jake is ticked off about Robinhood shutting down trades -- and Mark told us why the free-trading app has some explaining to do.

Sounds like Jake might not be the only young'un jumping into the market. Mark says his son used an unusual source to pick his stocks ... one that's all the rage with kids.

GameStop Robinhood to Allow 'Limited Buys' ... After Trading Halt

Published
UPDATE

4:03 PM PT -- Robinhood says it will resume allowing trading Friday for GameStop, AMC, BlackBerry and the other securities it blocked Thursday ... but "limited buys" only.

UPDATE

Robinhood adds that it will "continue to monitor the situation and may make adjustments as needed."

UPDATE

In an email sent to customers Thursday evening, the financial services company acknowledges, "It's been a tough day" ... while saying its decision to temporarily halt trading was "made to best continue serving you, and was not an easy one to make."

UPDATE

Robinhood goes on to explain that its decision "was not made on the direction of any market maker we route to or other market participants."

The GameStop stock battle between retail investors and hedge fund managers has resulted in Robinhood unlisting the stock and several others ... and people are pissed.

As of Thursday morning ... Robinhood customers can no longer buy Gamestop stock on the free-trading app, thereby blocking members of the WallStreetBets forum on Reddit. Of course, that group of investors sparked the resurgence of GameStop's stock.

It also aimed to do the same for AMC, Nokia, BlackBerry, Naked Brands and a few other stocks ... but Robinhood's unlisted those too!

In making the move, Robinhood emailed customers warning of "the current volatile market conditions." The notice stated, "It’s as important as ever to be an informed investor," and included links to its investment resources.

Of course, this has infuriated customers who believe this is market manipulation favoring the hedge funds that have shorted stocks like GameStop... and hurting retail investors who are backing them.

As one person on Twitter put it ... "The free market is only free until rich people lose money."

As we reported, GameStop's stock price has surged to $350 this week -- after starting the year at $19 -- thanks to the backing of retail investors encouraged by the WallStreetBets group.

By Robinhood blocking trading on Thursday, the general feeling among the public is that the financial services company is siding with the hedge fund people on Wall Street ... and screwing over the little guy.

This could get ugly.

Originally published -- 6:48 AM PT

Miya Ponsetto Drunk in Public Charge Dismissed ... For Bev Hills Arrest

Published

Miya Ponsetto, infamously known as "SoHo Karen," is off the hook for one of her arrests last year -- the one at the Peninsula Hotel in Bev Hills ... before she made national headlines.

The 22-year-old caught a break during her hearing Thursday in L.A. County Court, when her case was dismissed. Prosecutors decided to drop the charge against her after Miya's attorney argued it was an isolated incident and claimed she had no criminal history in California at the time of that arrest.

Miya's lawyer also told the judge her client would not go back to the hotel. Now, Miya's mother, Nicole, was also in court for her arrest in the same incident ... but she didn't get off as easy.

012821_nicole_ponsetto_kal
PRAYING FOR ALL INVOLVED

Nicole pled no contest to battery on a police officer, and was given 100 hours of community service and entered into a 12-month diversion program. If she puts in her hours and stays out of trouble for a year, her case will also be dismissed.

Remember, long before Miya's SoHo hotel incident ... she and her mom were arrested last February at the Peninsula. They were allegedly drunk and belligerent, refusing to leave when asked by hotel staff. Cops say they both threw tantrums when officers responded.

Earlier, we erroneously reported the judge had given Miya the same 100 hours community service that her mom got.

Of course, Miya's had several other legal issues since then ... in California and New York.

Most recently, the Manhattan D.A. slapped her with a string of charges -- and extradited her -- for the December incident at the Arlo Hotel in SoHo. She tried to snatch a phone from a Black teen she falsely accused of stealing hers.

Before that, she was busted for DUI this past October in Ventura County -- which came 5 months after another DUI in Los Angeles. And you thought you had a bad 2020.

010921_miya_ponsetto_arrest_kal 10/3/20
THE WILD ARREST

Long story short, Miya's still potentially facing time behind bars depending on how her other cases go -- but as of today, she can rest easy about one of them.

Jordan Belfort The Wolf's Tip for WallStreetBets ... Get Rich Backing Good Companies!!!

Published | Updated

Jordan Belfort's all for the little guys getting rich, and taking on Wall Street's establishment -- but he warns they're going about it the wrong way, and might get burned.

Let's face it, the "Wolf of Wall Street" understands what the subreddit, WallStreetBets, is doing more than just about anyone, but Thursday on "TMZ Live" he told us they should be investing their money into winning companies ... not failing ones like GameStop, BlackBerry or AMC.

If you've seen the movie, you know Jordan infamously battled stock-shorting hedge fund managers ... and made a fortune doing it. He says the Reddit guys are basically doing what he did, but with the benefit of the Internet.

But, here's the irony ... the Wolf says he gets why Robinhood and other online platforms are stopping normies from trading the junk stocks -- it comes down to liability. When the little guys start losing their shirts, or homes, Jordan says they'll start suing ... and Robinhood's trying to dodge that.

He also thinks the WallStreetBets investors are walking a fine line, legally speaking. Now, don't get it twisted, Jordan says he wants to see the little guys strike it rich -- but says there's a better way to do it ... with much less risk.

Cedric Richmond Biden's Focused on Helping People ... Not Media Attention

Published | Updated

One of President Biden's Senior Advisors says the Prez is laser-focused on fulfilling campaign promises, and unlike the previous POTUS ... he's not thirsting for the spotlight.

Former Congressman Cedric Richmond -- who now serves as Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement -- joined "TMZ Live" Thursday to run down the record-setting list of executive orders Biden's signed. It's the most ever for a President during his first week in office.

Richmond tells us these orders are all Constitutionally-sound and address some of the most important issues for the nation in the eyes of the administration.

That includes COVID vaccines and recovery, protecting Dreamers, racial equity, climate change and, of course, overturning some Trump-era policies.

As for Trump ... the current Prez isn't concerned about all the media attention his predecessor continues to get. Richmond compared Biden to a certain Hall of Fame football star known for scoring a lot of touchdowns.

He says President Biden plans to keep on doing what he feels is best for the nation ... and he'll worry about celebrating down the road.

Super Bowl LV Could Be COVID Super-Spreader ... L.A. Health Officials Warn

Published

Think twice about getting the dip and callin' the bros for The Big Game ... L.A. county health officials are now warning people NOT to party for the Super Bowl, saying it could lead to the spread of COVID.

Coronavirus experts in Los Angeles made the announcement this week ... saying if people host large gatherings for the Chiefs vs. Bucs next weekend, it could be dire.

"Don’t organize a party at home," L.A. County public health director Barbara Ferrer said. "Don’t go to a Super Bowl party."

Ferrer added, "It will be tragic if the Super Bowl becomes a super-spreader of coronavirus."

The COVID numbers in L.A. are some of the worst in the nation ... with over 1 million people having been diagnosed in the county throughout the past year.

And, despite positivity rates finally starting to slowly decline, Ferrer and the rest of the county's health officials are urging people to not let their guard down -- even if it's just for a few hours to watch football.

"Each of us needs to make very careful choices about what we do," Ferrer said. "Please don’t resume socializing with lots of people not in your household."

If a social gathering is an absolute must ... Ferrer did lay out some guidelines -- explaining the event should consist of only one or two households that have been stable and safe.

Ferrer added gatherings should be "always outdoors, always keeping six feet of distance and always with no more than 15 people.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Won't Work with Ted Cruz ... 'You Almost Had Me Murdered'

Published

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wants to reach across the aisle to fix the Robinhood investors controversy -- as long as she doesn't have to work with Sen. Ted Cruz, who she says he tried to get her killed.

AOC blasted Cruz on Twitter after he agreed with one of her Thursday tweets questioning Robinhood's trading halt amid the GameStop stock surge ... she says he needs to sit this one out or resign because of his role in the failed coup.

In her scathing response, AOC says Cruz "almost had me murdered 3 weeks ago" during the insurrection ... and she's happy to work with "almost any other GOP that aren't trying to get me killed."

011321_aoc_kal 1/13/21
"I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE"

Remember ... AOC said she thought she was toast when Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in search of lawmakers, detailing her harrowing experience in an eye-opening video.

AOC's been going in on Cruz and other Republicans who sowed doubt about the election results before and after the siege ... and it's obvious there's still bad blood.

Robinhood Sued Investor Says He Got Screwed ... By Unfair Trading Halt

Published | Updated

A man with a major investment in BlackBerry options claims his finances are taking a dive due to Robinhood halting trading on his stock ... a move he believes was made to protect Wall Street's hedge fund bros.

Richard Joseph Gatz of Illinois is going after the financial services company, after it stopped allowing individuals to buy stock in companies at the center of the current battle between Reddit investors and hedge fund managers ... including GameStop, AMC, BlackBerry and Nokia.

According to the legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- Gatz says he owned 2 option contracts for BB, and when trading was halted Wednesday night he claims the value of those options decreased by nearly 200 percent.

Gatz claims the halt of retail trading for these stocks has caused irreparable harm to his bottom line, and accuses Robinhood of manipulating the market so that he's "unable to get fair market value for his options."

According to the docs, Gatz alleges Robinhood made the move "to protect institutional investment at the detriment of retail customers." He's suing for big damages.

As we reported, Robinhood's trading halt amid the GameStop stock surge has pissed off customers who believe it's siding with the Wall Street establishment -- i.e. hedge fund managers -- and screwing the little guy.

Gatz' lawsuit is likely to fuel that belief, as he claims while Robinhood has halted trading for regular customers ... it has "continued to allow investment in these securities by institutional investors who have benefited from the stoppage of retail investment."

Florida Cop Fires Taser at H.S. Student ... Takes Her Down After Violent Altercation

Published | Updated
012821_student_tased_kal
TASED IN THE CAFETERIA

A school resource officer used a Taser on a female student who cops say was involved in a fight with another student, and severely resisted when the officer got involved.

According to the police report ... the cop approached the girl as she was going after a male student in the cafeteria of Eustis High School in Central Florida. The cop says he tried to stop her, but she attacked him by punching him several times in the head.

The deputy claims he tried to talk her down, but it didn't work and she allegedly punched him in the face. Videos shared on TikTok show the violent struggle the cop had with the student as he tried to restrain her.

012821_student_tased_alternate_angle_kal
ANOTHER ANGLE

The deputy says he warned her he was going to Tase her if she didn't stop resisting. When she ignored that, he fired the Taser and she went down hard.

The girl was transported to the Lake County Jail without further incident, and later released to her guardian on home detention.

The Lake County Sheriff's Office tells us ... the deputy documented at least 18 strikes he took from the student before he fired his Taser. We're told the use of force was reviewed, and the officer was found to have acted lawfully and within agency policy.

012621_student_bodyslam_kal 1/26/21
THE BRUTAL TAKEDOWN

This is the second disturbing video to come out of Florida this week in which a school resource officer's seen using force on a Black female student.

As we reported ... the Osceola County Sheriff's Office announced Wednesday that their deputy who body-slammed a female high school student is on administrative paid leave pending an investigation.

Video showed the officer slamming the Liberty High School student's head on the concrete, seemingly knocking her unconscious. Police say she was treated at the scene and released and is going to be fine ... but the footage has sparked outrage over the perceived use of excessive force on students.

Men Accused of Gay Sex Publicly Flogged 77 Times in Indonesia

Published

Two men accused of having gay sex in Indonesia were savagely beaten with canes after neighbors reported them to police, and the punishment -- under Islamic law -- is tough to see.

The men, both in their 20s, were flogged 77 times each by Sharia police in the country's conservative Aceh province, where a huge crowd gathered to watch the lashing ... carried out by officers wearing robes and masks.

Pleas for mercy and cries of pain could not save the men ... and the lashes continued even after one officer's cane shattered on impact with one man's back. Sharia police only paused the punishment to allow the men a drink of water ... then the caning resumed.

Both men were arrested back in November, when police say officers, tipped off by locals, broke into a rented room and found the pair having sex. They served 3 months in prison, so their original 80-lash sentence was reduced by 3.

The Aceh province is the only part of Indonesia where gay sex is illegal ... and public flogging is a common punishment in the province, which started using Sharia law back in 2001.

The mother of one of the men was present for the punishment, and fainted as her son was being caned.

Liberty High School Students Want Body Slam Cop Fired ... Trust in Cops Now Destroyed

Published | Updated
012621_student_bodyslam_kal 1/26/21
THE BRUTAL TAKEDOWN

The students of Liberty High -- where a teen was body-slammed by a resource officer -- say the cop has no business being on campus anymore, because he's a menace.

Students at the Florida school tell us ... the sentiment among classmates is pretty much universal ... Officer Ethan Fournier must be fired -- or at the very least, permanently removed from duty at Liberty.

We're told lots of the kids no longer trust campus cops and they feel their safety is in jeopardy. We're hearing some students and their families are considering transferring out because of the incident ... that's how rattled everyone is.

Take senior Trey'vion Telfair ... who tells TMZ he used to think Officer Fournier was a good guy. He says Fournier participated in police brutality seminars for Liberty's Black Student Union back in September, and seemed genuine ... saying he stood with them.

Telfair now thinks it was all an act. Ditto for junior Daijah Watts, who says she remembers Fournier as a relatively chill dude ... but does recall one time when he allegedly went too far.

012721_student_bodyslam_presser_kal
UNDER INVESTIGATION

Watts claims she saw Fournier use pepper spray on a group of kids who were fighting 2 years ago. She now thinks the whole department is suspicious. Speaking of Liberty brass, we're told the school's offered up mental health resources for their kids and teachers alike ... making school psychologists, counselors and social workers available to anyone who needs to talk.

The Osceola County School District tells us the administration is also in touch with the girl who was slammed, as well as her family, and is offering professional resources to her too.

Rita Ora Offered London Joint Almost $7k To Host 30th BDay Bash

Published

Rita Ora went to expensive extremes to hold her 30th birthday soiree during lockdown in London -- paying almost $7,000 to make it happen ... TMZ has confirmed.

The British singer was already in hot water for the November event she held at Casa Cruz because it violated London's lockdown, but this new detail's coming out because of an upcoming court hearing.

According to law enforcement ... one of Rita's reps offered a manager at Casa Cruz $6,829 for the joint to host the party. The manager told police he wanted to "facilitate" the occasion because he was "greedy" after his staff had been furloughed.

The manager also told police only 7 guests were supposed to show up ... according to The Sun, which first reported the story.

Of course, we already know almost 20 showed up for the bash ... which became a PR nightmare for Rita. As we reported, she eventually apologized for breaking the country's COVID restrictions, admitting it was a "serious and inexcusable error of judgement."

A local government official tells us there's a hearing scheduled to decide whether the restaurant's license will be revoked or if other measures will be taken against Casa Cruz following the incident. They are NOT investigating Rita's payoff.

Rita was already slapped with a $12k fine for the party -- while the manager who opened Casa Cruz for her party has since been fired.

ATL Homeless Man Will Soon Be Homeless No More ... After Saving Animals From Burning Shelter

Published | Updated

Keith Walker -- the Atlanta homeless hero who saved 16 dogs and cats from a burning animal shelter -- is one step closer to leaving homelessness behind him ... thanks to the generosity of a local org.

Darlene Schultz, CEO of the Atlanta-based org, Georgia Works!, tells TMZ ... Keith is slated to enter her program. The goal is to make him a self-sufficient person ... and that includes teaching him occupational skills and money management.

We're told Georgia Works! -- whose goal is to take chronically homeless men and help them overcome their obstacles -- has been working with organizers of the GoFundMe set up to help Keith. The fundraiser, so far, has raised almost $90k since Keith became a hit for his bravery and love of animals.

As we reported ... Keith risked his own life last month to save dogs and cats from a burning shelter where, BTW, his own dog was being temporarily boarded. Georgia Works! will provide housing at its downtown ATL facility and Keith will visit his dog, which is now at another facility.

Keith will also get 3 meals a day plus access to a licensed therapist who is on duty 24/7 and staff that helps the men attend AA meetings and various job-readiness classes.

America's rooting for ya, Keith!!!

Homeland Security First Ever National Alert For Domestic Terrorism Threats

Published

The feds are putting the entire country on high alert ... warning of a looming domestic terrorism threat from groups pissed about President Biden's victory and several other issues.

For the first time, the Dept. of Homeland Security issued a federal bulletin about Americans plotting to attack Americans, saying there's a potential threat of "ideologically-motivated violent extremists."

The feds feel these domestic terrorists may be emboldened by the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol -- and say threats across the country are likely to persist in coming weeks motivated by several issues ... including anger over COVID-19 restrictions and the 2020 election results.

For example ... there's a full-on manhunt right now for a person who left pipe bombs intended to be detonated at the Democratic and Republican headquarters in Washington just days after the insurrection.

Most recently, a Napa man was arrested after authorities were tipped off about a huge stockpile of firepower at Ian Benjamin Rogers' house and business. They found more than 50 guns, 15,000 rounds of ammo, several pounds of gun powder ... and text messages in which Rogers said he'd like to blow up a democratic building.

For what it's worth ... Rogers' attorney reportedly said his client was "simply following the advice and the commentary of the President of the United States."

Coronavirus COVID-Sniffing Dogs Screen NBA Fans ... Debut at Miami Heat Game

Published | Updated
012821_covid_sniffing_dogs_kal
SUPER SNIFFERS

COVID-sniffing dogs are now a thing in America ... and the pups are getting their first whiff of action at an NBA game in Florida.

The Miami Heat debuted the virus-sniffing dogs at Wednesday's game at AmericanAirlines Arena, with our four-legged friends screening fans before they could be allowed inside the building.

As you can see, a trainer walks a dog down a line of socially-distanced fans under a big tent and the canine takes a big sniff before moving on to the next person. The dogs are taught to sit if they detect the virus, and the process looks quick and efficient.

The dogs are being used because the Heat are opening the arena up to fans for the first time this season, and it's just an added level of virus protocol in addition to a health questionnaire and mask mandate.

012521_dr_deetta_mills_kal
DOGGIE DETECTIVES

As we reported ... the dogs are being trained at nearby Florida International University, and Dr. DeEtta Mills, who is leading the program, told us how the canines could soon be deployed in airports across the country.

Before Miami, virus-sniffing dogs were already being used to detect COVID-19 in Chile, United Arab Emirates and Finland ... and researchers say the highly-trained dogs detect the disease with almost 100% accuracy.

Shaquille O'Neal Creates 'Shaq Bowl' Declares War On Super Bowl Pre-Game Shows

Published | Updated
012721_shaq_bowl_kal
THAT TIME OF THE YEAR

Shaquille O'Neal thinks the usual Super Bowl pre-game coverage is super lame -- so he's created his own event with a ton of his famous friends ... and he's calling it, "The Shaq Bowl."

Superstars like Tim Tebow, Ezekiel Elliott, Diplo, The Miz, Anthony Anderson, Nelly, Offset and more are all booked to compete in various crazy events at a custom-built Shaq Bowl stadium in Tampa on Feb. 7.

All of the action will happen leading up to the Super Bowl game -- and it'll be live-streamed across more than 20 platforms including LiveXLive, YouTube, Twitch, TikTok and Twitter starting at 3 PM ET.

"With everyone home this year, we're gonna do something that's fun and entertaining for the people," Shaq tells TMZ Sports.

"I got a crazy lineup, bunch of my close friends -- it's gonna feature athletes, celebrities, superstar-artists across 2 teams competing in fun and viral challenges."

Shaq tells us the event, officially titled "Mercari Presents the Shaq Bowl," will have strict COVID protocols in place ... and they WILL be enforced.

"We're gonna hire a professional well-known staff and they're gonna do what they do," Shaq says ... "Shaq does not mess around."

As for why he decided to go up against the big network Super Bowl pre-game show ... Shaq didn't pull any punches.

"Look, all the Super Bowl pre-game stuff is kinda boring ... so we're gonna change the game."

As for the events, we're told 2 teams will go head-to-head in everything from Dodgeball to a Tug-of-war ... and even a hot wing challenge.