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NASA's Mars rover landed safely on the Red Planet ... and its 293-million-mile journey is just beginning.

The Perseverance rover touched down at 12:56 PM PT Thursday, and quickly sent back the mission's first image from Mars' surface. As you can see, there's lots of dirt, dust and rocks.

NASA's mission control cheered and fist-bumped from California's Jet Propulsion Laboratory when the rover survived the landing ... a fun payoff after tons of hard work. Normally there would be bear hugs, but the celebration was spaced out and masked up.

Perseverance blasted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral way back in July, and now it's set to start exploring Mars' Jezero Crater in search of signs of ancient life. The crater is the site of an ancient lakebed, which scientists say is loaded with the remains of long-dead microbes.

The SUV-sized spacecraft even brought a small helicopter along for the first time ever, so more space history is on the way. When the chopper takes flight later on in the mission, it will be the first such flight on another planet.

George Floyd's murder trial is set to begin next month -- pandemic be damned -- and the courtroom's setup shows extensive coronavirus precautions are being made.

Here's the first look at the 18th-floor courtroom at the Hennepin County Government Center, where on March 8 ... former Minneapolis PD officer Derek Chauvin will stand trial for Floyd's murder.

The room's been set up for COVID-19 safety, with what looks like socially distanced seating for the jury, plexiglass dividers for the attorneys, judge and those who take the witness stand ... and hand sanitizer everywhere.

As we've reported ... Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter for his role in Floyd's death. He's seen in the horrific arrest video with his knee pressed on Floyd's neck for roughly 8 minutes, including nearly 2 minutes after he stopped breathing.

There's only one Texan who's warm right now, and that's Texas Senator Ted Cruz ... who bolted to Cancun with his family while millions in his state suffer.

Photos show the Republican Senator hanging out in the United Club lounge and boarding a flight to Mexico with his family  ... an incredible sight as people are literally dying in Cruz's state just trying to stay warm.

But, it's true ... while millions of his fellow Texans are without power and water and are literally freezing during a winter ice storm, Ted's off to a Cancun resort for some fun in the sun.

Cruz was already facing criticism this week during the Texas power outages as a tweet resurfaced of him mocking California's "failed energy policies" when it experienced outages last August.

As for his own state's power outages, Cruz threw in the towel, tweeting ... "I got no defense. A blizzard strikes Texas & our state shuts down. Not good. Stay safe!"

Ted might want to start working on a defense while he's poolside in Mexico.

Cyhi The Prynce says the folks who tried to gun him down chased him at speeds over 120 MPH, and he tried all sorts of dangerous maneuvers to escape before crashing.

The rapper joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday and detailed his brush with death ... he says a Maserati started chasing him last week on an Atlanta highway, and stuck to his Bentley SUV like white on rice.

You gotta see him explain all the moves he was forced to make, nearly causing a massive pileup -- it sounds like something you'd see in an action movie!!!

As we reported ... he ended up crashing, and he told cops someone was trying to gun him down.

Dolly Parton doesn't want a bust of her displayed outside the Tennessee Capitol ... she says the timing's just not right.

The legendary country singer turned thumbs down on a proposal from lawmakers in her home state that would honor her with a statue on Capitol grounds.

Dolly says there's just too much going on in the world to spend time, energy, effort and money on putting her on a pedestal ... so she doesn't feel the move would be appropriate.

DP makes some pretty good points and says she's asked state leaders to scuttle the bill, while also thanking lawmakers for holding her in such high esteem. She says she's honored and humbled by all the statue praise.

Dolly's leaving the door open for a Capitol grounds statue down the road ... she says she would proudly be immortalized in several years, or after she passes, if folks still feel she's deserving.

Guess you can say he "earned it!?"

The Weeknd got a pretty awesome piece of jewelry this week -- a sick diamond Super Bowl ring commemorating that epic halftime show in Tampa!

No, it's not an "official" ring like the ones the Tampa Bay Bucs will get -- this is a one-of-a-kind piece designed by celebrity jeweler, Elliot Eliantte, who's worked with some of the biggest names in Hollywood.

We're told the ring was commissioned by Cash -- who's the co-founder of The Weeknd's record label, XO -- hence the big XO design across the top.

The ring contains 16 carats of VVS diamonds -- with the words "World Champions" surrounding the Lombardi Trophy.

The ring also contains The Weeknd's name, the score of the game, the date and the Pepsi logo -- since they sponsored the halftime show.

And, to make it even more special, we're told Cash gifted the ring to the singer on his birthday -- Feb. 16.

The man who allegedly assaulted the 52-year-old Chinese mother of Olivia Munn's friend has been arrested ... and the actress is thanking the Internet for helping cops nab the guy.

According to the NYPD ... Patrick Mateo from Queens was arrested Thursday and booked on charges of assault and harassment.

Cops say they responded to a 911 call Tuesday for an assault outside a bakery. According to police ... the suspect got into a verbal dispute with the 52-year-old woman, then pushed her and caused her to hit her head. The incident was captured on surveillance cam before the guy fled the scene.

Munn put the word out on social media Wednesday that her friend's 5'3" Asian mother had been attacked, and shared a photo of the suspect in order to try to generate tips leading to his arrest.

Olivia's tweeting out praise, saying ... "F**k this guy. The internet is undefeated. Thank you thank you thank you." She added the hashtags #StopAsianHate and #ProtectOurElders.

Law enforcement sources tell us the alleged victim told cops she was waiting in line at the bakery when her attacker approached and began yelling at her. The woman was transported to the hospital and treated for minor injuries.

Meek Mill's enemies list might be growing ... after he pissed off a lot of fans with new lyrics about Kobe Bryant referencing the late NBA star's fatal helicopter crash.

The rapper's upcoming collab with Lil Baby has leaked, and people are paying special attention to Meek's bar about Bryant -- "And if I ever lack I’m going out with my chopper, it be another Kobe."

Understandably, the line is being perceived as insensitive and disrespectful ... and there's the inevitable online movement to cancel Meek.

MM's already responding to the backlash by suggesting the masses are blindly following an anti-Meek narrative. He tweeted, "somebody promo a narrative and y’all follow it.... y’all internet antics cannot stop me ....shit like zombie land or something! Lol" He added that it's "almost like mind control."

As we reported ... Meek already has an ongoing beef with Tekashi 6ix9ine, and the 2 almost came to blows last weekend outside a Miami nightclub.

Along with that, Meek's also been criticized recently for being a part of packed shows in Houston -- along with Bow Wow -- as COVID-19 cases were surging nationwide.

Tessica Brown's Gorilla Glue ordeal is NOT over ... her attempt to pay it forward is getting blocked because too many people think she's a fraud.

TMZ broke the story ... Tessica's planning to donate $20k -- the lion's share of the money in her GoFundMe account -- to a charitable org that provides reconstructive surgery ... but now she can't withdraw the cash.

Tessica says GoFundMe has frozen the account after it got flooded with claims she's pulled a fast one. As you probably know, there's a conspiracy theory out there that Tessica didn't really Gorilla Glue her hair, and she cooked this all up to milk the Internet for sympathy dough.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... GoFundMe has asked Tessica for an update on where the $23,000 in the account will be donated. We're told she's provided that info, and is now waiting for a response.

When she first set up the fundraiser -- to cover medical costs -- she only asked for $1500, but as the saga dragged on for more than a month, the money kept coming.

Tessica's donation is going to the Restore Foundation. As we first reported, Dr. Michael Obeng -- who got the glue out of Tessica's hair for free -- is also reaping benefits. His Bev Hills practice has been flooded with new customers ... for regular plastic surgery, not glue removal.

Marilyn Manson's in the crosshairs of federal and local law enforcement after a bunch of women accused the rocker of abuse ... and cops are set to talk with one of his alleged victims.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... detectives from the L.A. County Sheriff's Department plan to meet with one of Manson's alleged victims in the coming days, and we're told the meeting was the result of a wave of online allegations made by Manson's exes.

Our sources say Sheriff's deputies want to determine if a crime was committed, if it falls under their jurisdiction and if it warrants further investigation.

As you know ... one of Manson's accusers is "Westworld" star Evan Rachel Wood, who claims MM abused her over the course of their relationship. She claims he brainwashed and manipulated her into submission and started grooming her when she was a teenager.

The FBI actually was the first agency to get complaints against Manson after Wood's allegations, and the agency passed some of the information on to L.A. law enforcement. No word on whether or not the feds will get involved in investigating any of the various new allegations.

As we reported ... cops swarmed Marilyn's Hollywood Hills home earlier this month for a welfare check after someone called police. Manson was home and was fine, but he never came out to talk to the officers.

Emotional moment for Serena Williams -- who choked back tears before abruptly ending a press conference after her loss to Naomi Osaka at the Australian Open.

The 39-year-old superstar was defeated by Osaka in straight sets in a semi-finals match Thursday morning -- and as she left the court, put her hand on her heart to show love for the Australian crowd.

During the post-game press conference, Serena was asked if the gesture meant she was saying "farewell" ... especially with all the retirement talk following her these days.

"I don't know," Serena responded ... "If I ever say farewell, I wouldn't tell anyone."

Moments later, Serena was asked about the unusual amount of unforced errors she committed during her match with Osaka ... was she injured or was it just a bad day at the office?

That's when Serena grabbed a sip of water, took a deep breath ... and seemed to fight back the tears.

With her voice shaking, Serena finally replied, "I don't know" ... and that's when she stood up and said, "I'm done" ... and walked off.

Obviously, she just lost a match she cared deeply about winning -- and she's understandably emotional. But, it's unclear if she's seriously considering retirement.

As for her opponent, Naomi Osaka did her post-game presser wearing a Lakers jacket in an apparent tribute to her former mentor, Kobe Bryant.

Alicia Keys is legit OBSESSED with LEGOs ... and no one knows this better than Swizz Beatz, who dropped a king's ransom to gift her a colorful and ritzy LEGO-themed chain.

Celeb jeweler Elliot Eliantte tells TMZ ... Swizz reached out and said he wanted a one-of-a-kind chain worthy of Alicia's love for LEGOs -- plus it was for her 40th, so it had to be special.

As diehard Alicia fans know, building LEGOs is one of her favorite hobbies -- so what's better than a LEGO-themed link chain including her favorite colors?? Eliantte says he used around 65 carats of diamonds and sapphires to make it happen.

He's not saying how much Swizz dropped, but our sources say it's worth at least 6 figures. Important note: while the gems were arranged in LEGO form ... no actual LEGOs were used in the chain. Sorry, Alicia. 😔

It's okay, though ... one of her other bday gifts -- she turned 40 on January 25 -- was a Statue of Liberty LEGO set!!!

Kamaru Usman established himself as one of the greatest fighters ever ... and now the UFC superstar is looking to expand -- to the ballroom!!

Usman didn't just TKO Gilbert Burns over the weekend ... he made history. The Nigerian Nightmare broke GSP's record for consecutive welterweight wins in the UFC (Usman now holds the record with 13 straight).

So, when TMZ Sports talked to the champ, we asked if he'd be interested in "Dancing with the Stars" -- and Usman made it clear there could soon be a mirrorball trophy next to his UFC belts.

"I do my thing! I do my thing! That's the thing with me, I understand that practice makes perfect and I'm disciplined enough to be able to train at it," Kamaru tells us.

"So anything, if I need to work at it, do the moves, learn 'em, boom! I'm in there! I can get it down."

Usman wouldn't be the 1st UFC star to be on DWTS ... Chuck Liddell was on the show in 2009 (he was eliminated 5th). Paige VanZant was a contestant in 2016 ... and nearly won the show, finishing 2nd.

Primetime TV isn't new to Usman ... he previously told us he'd like to be the 1st Black 'Bachelor' (Matt James ended up landing the gig after 25 seasons).

But, with all the drama surrounding the 'Bachelor' franchise (see Chris Harrison), Kamaru's looking for less TV romance -- and more dance.

"It's a tough one now because with the controversy going on, now it kinda soils the name, ya know?"

Don't worry ... we also talked to Usman about his beefs with Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington.

An organization Rush Limbaugh supported and donated millions to will now pay tribute to him ... with a scholarship bearing his name.

Ed Boran and Sue Boulhosa -- President and Executive Director respectively of the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation -- tell TMZ ... it regularly gives $35,000 scholarships to children who lost a parent serving in the Marines or a federal law enforcement agency.

We're told MC-LEF will launch a Rush Limbaugh Memorial "Giant of Philanthropy" Scholarship that will go to 12 to 20 families who've lost loved ones ... with the same $35k award.

Ed and Sue say the initiative will start right away and last for years, and the families receiving the scholarship will be notified in a condolence letter saying Limbaugh was the donor. Typically, the letter says the scholarship was contributed by "our loyal donors."

We're told Rush donated around $3.5 million over the years to the org, along with regularly encouraging his radio listeners to donate as well.

MC-LEF was founded in 1995 and Rush was critical in its first 32 scholarships following the Oklahoma City bombing. Last year the org doled out 169 scholarships to more than 100 families.

Before this blonde baby with bangs was twinning with her A-list mother, she was just another fairy female playing with dolls in Santa Monica, California.

This cheesing chick showin' off her dimpled cheeks is known for being born into Hollywood with two famous parents ... who met just before scoring roles starring alongside each other in a cruel teen-romance drama in 1999. The pair eloped and had two children together before separating after 7 years of marriage.

Along with creating a sweet home for their daughter, her parents also named her after a famous 1940s actress.

Dr. Dre's estranged wife is demanding access to their marital home because she's pretty sure someone's been wearing her expensive shoes ... and it ain't Goldilocks.

Nicole Young just filed docs in their nasty divorce war, asking the court to allow her access to the Brentwood home, where she used to live with Dre, because she's left a bunch of personal belongings there.

In the docs, Nicole says she left back in April 2020 with a "bare minimum" of her stuff. Nicole claims she had to get out in a hurry because Dre was drunk and yelling, "F**k you. Get the f**k out. Go to Malibu."

She left a ton behind ... according to Nicole, her loot includes designer and vintage handbags, couture clothing and 20 fur coats in a "cedar and temperature-controlled" closet. BTW, she says her regular closet and "boutique room" at the home is about 1,000 sq. feet!!!

Since she's left, Nicole says she's observed several different women posting photos and videos inside the house -- and she claims some of Dre's visitors might be wearing her stuff.

For instance, Nicole claims one of Dre's playmates posted a photo in his bathroom while wearing what appear to be her Chanel slides. She's also upset Dre throws huge parties -- like one he had in October for the NBA Playoffs -- because she thinks with all the drinking, it's just a matter of time before someone damages or takes her belongings.