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Investigators in the Tiger Woods crash have obtained a search warrant to pull the "black box" from the SUV the golfer wrecked on Feb. 23 ... but it's still very unlikely he'll be charged with a crime.

The L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. confirmed the warrant to USA Today -- but insisted it was a "routine part" of a typical crash investigation and does not make it any more likely officials will hit the 45-year-old with criminal charges.

A car's black box usually contains information about the vehicle's speed at the time of a collision. It can also show if brakes were applied, airbags were deployed, seatbelts were worn, etc.

“We’re trying to determine if a crime was committed,” Sheriff’s Deputy John Schloegl told USA Today ... "If somebody is involved in a traffic collision, we’ve got to reconstruct the traffic collision, if there was any reckless driving, if somebody was on their cell phone or something like that."

"We determine if there was a crime. If there was no crime, we close out the case, and it was a regular traffic collision."

Sheriff Alex Villanueva previously said Tiger will NOT face criminal charges -- and suggested the worst thing that could happen is Woods gets hit with an infraction if investigators determined he was driving while distracted.

"We do not contemplate any charges whatsoever in this crash," Villanueva said last week ... "This remains an accident. An accident is not a crime."

Both Villanueva and Schloegl have said there is no evidence to support the theory Tiger was impaired while he was behind the wheel on Feb. 23 ... which is why officials never made a concentrated effort to obtain a blood sample.

Woods was severely injured in the wreck -- requiring major surgery to repair multiple fractures in his right leg.

Meghan Markle says she knows what it's like to experience bullying, but denies dishing it out ... something Kensington Palace staff have accused her of doing.

According to a spokesperson for Meghan and Prince Harry ... "The Duchess is saddened by this latest attack on her character, particularly as someone who has been the target of bullying herself."

The spokesperson says Meghan's "deeply committed to supporting those who have experienced pain and trauma" and is "determined to continue her work building compassion around the world and will keep striving to set an example for doing what is right and doing what is good."

All this comes in response to UK reports Tuesday the Duchess faced a bullying complaint in October 2018 -- made by her former communications secretary, Jason Knauf.

Meghan allegedly drove 2 personal assistants out of her household with her treatment, undermined the confidence of another worker and would occasionally reduce staff to tears ... according to the reports.

A report from The Times also claims that during a trip to Fiji in 2018, Meghan wore earrings that were a wedding gift from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia ... the same man who has been accused of allowing the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

A spokesperson for Harry and Meghan called the recent bullying report a "calculated smear campaign" by Buckingham Palace against the couple, and said it was no coincidence the report came out just days before their sit-down with Oprah.

A royal source reportedly told MailOnline the recent allegations were in no way an orchestrated attack, and that aides are currently focused on the declining health of Prince Philip.

Despite what The Palace has said, it's hard not to question the timing of everything -- Meghan and Harry's potentially explosive sit-down interview with Oprah about dealing with the Royal Family and the British media is set to air Sunday.

The Duke and Duchess also recently made it official they will not be returning to their roles as senior royals after stepping back from their duties last year.

If you wanna be Donald Trump's neighbor, the family's unloading a Palm Beach pad that comes with entry to Mar-a-Lago -- but normie MAGA supporters need not apply.

An LLC linked to the former President has listed this yuuuuuge 10,455-square-foot home for $49 million. The beachfront, half-acre property comes with the coveted Ocean Blvd address, 8 bedrooms, 8.5 bathrooms and, of course, sweeping ocean views.

It's right across the street from Mar-a-Lago -- IF rubbing elbows with 45 is your thing -- and the buyer gets membership to the club. However, signs in the sky are not included.

Guy Clark, a real estate agent with Douglas Elliman, told Bloomberg, "Because of its proximity and its lack of privacy, it would probably be a difficult thing to sell to someone who's not a Trump supporter."

Know your market, for sure.

Celebrities who own businesses in Texas aren't ditching mask mandates and COVID safety protocols just because Gov. Greg Abbott says it's now cool to do so ... but there's a notable outlier.

Gov. Abbott lifted Texas' statewide mask mandate Tuesday and allowed businesses to go back to full capacity, so we contacted joints with celeb connections to see if they were following suit ... and most told us they're NOT on the same page as the Guv.

Gwyneth Paltrow's folks at Blo Blow Dry Bar tell us there are still concerns about the ongoing pandemic and the biz will continue insisting clients wear masks and follow all other safety measures that were already in place.

A bunch of restaurants -- Pat Green's The Rustic, Guy Fieri's Guy's Taco Joint and Pudge Rodriguez's Pudge's Pizza -- tell us they will continue to follow all COVID protocols.

Meanwhile, at the state's Rock & Brews locations, owned by KISS, customers will have the option to mask up ... and there will no longer be capacity limits.

Over at Buddy Valastro's bakeries, we're told there's been no final decision on going with or against Gov. Abbott ... so masks are still required in the meantime.

Vanessa Bryant is opening up about her life after the deaths of Kobe and Gianna -- admitting, "This pain is unimaginable [but] you just have to get up and push forward."

"Lying in bed crying isn't going to change the fact that my family will never be the same again," Vanessa told People.com ... "But getting out of bed and pushing forward is going to make the day better for my girls and for me. So that's what I do."

Vanessa has kept very busy in the year after Kobe and 13-year-old Gianna passed away in that tragic helicopter crash -- taking the reigns on various projects Kobe had been working on in both entertainment and charity.

She worked with author Ivy Claire to complete Kobe's novel for young adults, "Epoca: The River of Sand" -- which dropped back in December.

And, she's been a force with Kobe's non-profit organization -- relaunching it as the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation, with the mission of helping "underserved athletes and women in sports."

Vanessa says Kobe and Gianna serve as her inspiration to "keep going" -- "They inspire me to try harder and be better every day. Their love is unconditional and they motivate me in so many different ways."

Now, as Vanessa moves forward with her 3 daughters -- 18-year-old Natalia, 4-year-old Bianka and 1-year-old Capri -- she leans on her family to "give me strength."

Sofia Vergara just won a huge victory in her years-long battle with an ex over their frozen embryos -- a judge permanently blocked Nick Loeb from using them with a surrogate.

The 'Modern Family' star won big in L.A. County Superior Court, where Nick Loeb had been fighting tooth and nail for permission to bring the embryos to term, even going so far as trying to take custody of them through a trust ... and giving the fertilized eggs names in a lawsuit.

Welp, the judge said that ain't gonna happen ... at least not without Sofia's consent. The judge granted a permanent injunction -- saying the contract they both signed with a fertility clinic back in 2013 remains valid.

Because of that, the court said Nick can't try to use the embryos for his own purposes and give them rights -- which he tried to do in a Louisiana court, essentially arguing the embryos should be recognized as people with rights.

He recently got shot down there as well -- and now, he's lost again in L.A., where this whole mess started not too long after he and Sofia split in 2014. With the order in place and the original contract upheld, Nick will have to get Sofia's consent for anything having to do with the embryos.

Donald Trump's got a home outside the GOP if they ditch him in 2024 -- namely the American Independent Party ... which says he's their guy, assuming he runs for POTUS again.

AIP chairman Markham Robinson tells us he and his party cohorts are dead set on nominating Trump to head up their ticket for the next presidential race ... that is, if Trump decides to have another go at it.

There's still a lot of time to see how things officially play out, but Markham made clear he and the AIP leaders were more than enthusiastic at Trump's apparent desire to stay in politics, which he strongly hinted at during his CPAC speech this past weekend.

In Markham's eyes, DT is the perfect guy to lead their party -- for starters, they're notoriously far-right ... and support a limited role in government, tax cuts and are pro-life. Just take a look at his MAGA supporters ... and you can see how some see it as a good fit.

The American Independent Party's first presidential nominee was segregationist George Wallace. Another segregationist, Lester Maddox was also the party's standard-bearer in the '70s.

Of course, the AIP also nominated Trump and Pence in 2016 -- which Republicans obviously didn't support, especially in California ... the only place they're currently recognized on the ballot. Markham says they're working on expanding their reach nationwide, hopefully in time for 2024.

As for whether Trump himself wants any part of Markham and Co. ... probably not. He was firm in his remarks at CPAC about sticking with the GOP, saying he wasn't jumping ship to start his own thing. Presumably, that means he ain't itching to run over to the AIP either.

We've seen this before with these guys ... they can nominate whoever the hell they want, even if that person doesn't publicly agree or acknowledge. Just ask Kanye about that ...

Breonna Taylor's mother is hurt and troubled by a Georgia teacher spreading lies about her daughter's death, but also deeply appreciates the students who pushed back.

Tamika Palmer's attorney, Sam Aguiar, tells TMZ his client saw the video of the Zoom class where Pebblebrook High's Susan McCoy told students Breonna's death was her own fault ... and spread misinformation about the case.

We're told it was disturbing for Tamika to witness, and troubling in that the real facts still aren't quite understood by all ... and that a twisted version of it is being forced onto youths by educators.

The one upside ... the kids themselves, whom Aguiar says Tamika was proud of as they spoke out against McCoy in real-time and fired back with the truth -- namely that Breonna was NOT with a man wanted on charges, but with her current BF at the time, Kenneth Walker.

Of course, you've heard the rest ... Louisville cops insist they knocked and made their presence known before entering. Walker, however, claims the exact opposite ... saying he thought burglars were entering their home.

He says he fired in self-defense, at which point the officers fired back ... killing Breonna in the crossfire. The students in McCoy's class made that known, and for that ... we're told Tamika is grateful, especially as BT's death anniversary looms on March 13.

No word on what Tamika would like to see happen to McCoy, but school district officials say they're reviewing the matter and weighing their options.

Tyrod Taylor says the punctured lung he suffered before a game last September has NOT had any lasting impact on his health ... and now, he tells TMZ Sports he's ready for free agency.

You'll recall ... Taylor was the starting QB for the Chargers until Sept. 20 -- when team doctors botched a painkiller injection and injured his lung just minutes before kickoff against the Chiefs.

31-year-old Taylor was rushed to the hospital ... but the injury put him out for so long, star rookie Justin Herbert took the signal-caller reins and never gave them back.

It was unclear if Taylor was dealing with any long-term damage from the injury ... but when we got the QB out in West Hollywood on Tuesday, he told us he's 100% good to go.

"Everything good," Taylor said ... adding, "I'm healthy, bro!"

As for his football future, Taylor's a free agent this offseason ... and when he talked to us outside of Toast in WeHo, he didn't appear to be a man gearing up to head back to the Bolts.

But, Tyrod did say he won't be picky when it comes to his next football destination ... saying, "I'm ready either way."

Hollywood sex symbol Mamie Van Doren was in her '20s when she became a household name -- with her platinum blonde hairdo and provocative figure -- MVD could be spotted on a long list of classic films in the '50s and '60s ... most notably her roles as Peggy DeFore in "Teacher's Pet," Jackie Adams in "Born Reckless" and Silver Morgan in "Girls Town."

Mamie shared the big screen with some serious A-list actors during her career including Tony Curtis in the 1953 film "All American," Mickey Rooney in "The Big Operator," Clark Gable in "Teacher's Pet" and Clint Eastwood in "Star in the Dust."

Dolly Parton's employing her enormous talent and wealth to encourage folks to follow in her awesome footsteps, and get the COVID-19 vaccine.

The beloved "9 to 5" singer got her first dose of the Moderna vaccine Tuesday at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, and shared a vid of the process, saying ... "Dolly gets a dose of her own medicine."

Clever headline, Dolly ... because as you may recall, she donated $1 million last year to coronavirus research, which she later learned was used to fund Moderna's vaccine.

The country music icon even changed the words to her famous song, "Jolene" ... busting out a hilarious -- and slightly dark -- parody version to hammer home her wish for everyone to get vaccinated.

Dolly's also playfully calling out the "cowards" and "chicken squats" afraid to get their shot by showing herself getting injected ... and she says it didn't even hurt.

As for why the 75-year-old waited so long to be vaccinated, she's previously stated she wanted to wait her turn. Dolly said, "I don’t want it to look like I’m jumping the line just because I donated money."

Joe Exotic is getting the best revenge he can against Carole Baskin -- hiring the attorney who recently repped the family of her missing husband ... who's now working to free him.

John M. Phillips of the Phillips & Hunt firm broke the news Tuesday, saying he'd been retained by the 'Tiger King' himself in a bid to get a new trial arranged so Joe can plead his case in front of a new set of 12 jurors.

Phillips writes, "Work has already begun on @joe_exotic's New Trial Motion. We are proud to be leading his team. I was sworn into the Western District of Oklahoma this morning. This isn't about tigers, television or tomfoolery, it's about justice and evidence. More soon."

He also posted a video ... which took some shots at Joe's former legal team, who Phillips characterized as engaging in "buffoonery" in their bid to get JE pardoned by Prez Trump.

Doesn't sound like Joe disagrees -- at least that's how Phillips makes it sound. He says shortly after the failed attempt, the man himself reached out and asked about his services. One thing led to another, and now Phillips is on the case -- and he ain't looking to Joe Biden for a bail-out either.

Remember, Phillips was also brought on by Don Lewis' surviving family members -- who seem to believe Carole knows more about his mysterious vanishing than she's let on. They even bought air time during her debut appearance on 'DWTS' which aired mid-broadcast.

Chris D'Elia had sex with a 17-year-old high school student and she says when she told him her age, he said it was "hot" ... this according to a new lawsuit and Chris denies the allegations.

The comedian is being sued by a Jane Doe for allegedly violating federal child sexual exploitation and child pornography laws. She is not suing because the two allegedly had sex when they met in Connecticut. The age of consent in CT is 16.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Chris' alleged victim claims she started communicating with him over social media in 2014 when she was just 17 and he quickly started demanding nudes. She says two months later he invited her to his hotel room before one of his shows, where they had sex.

The woman claims Chris D'Elia demanded eye contact when they had sex and says when she told him she was 17 and still in high school, Chris responded by saying it was "hot."

As you know ... Chris recently got emotional addressing allegations he was grooming underage girls online and allegedly exposing himself to several women, saying sex controlled his life.

A spokesperson for Chris, in addressing the new lawsuit, tells us, "Chris denies these allegations and will vigorously defend himself against them in court."

According to the docs, the girl says she was a virgin before having sex with Chris, who also asked her to send him pornographic videos of her having sex with other boys her age. She also claims he asked her to meet and have sex with his friends.

Years after the alleged hotel encounter, the woman claims she was disturbed to see Chris' character in the Netflix series, "You," as he plays a comic who preys on underaged girls.

Grindr founder Joel Simkhai just matched with the perfect penthouse ... scooping up a beaut in NYC's Gramercy Park.

Joel's reportedly the proud new owner of a 7,000-square-foot penthouse with 5 bedrooms and 6.5 bathrooms ... but the crown jewel's definitely the gigantic private, landscaped roof terrace that, on its own, is a whopping 5,680 square feet.

As if things couldn't get any better up there ... the terrace also includes a full outdoor kitchen, BBQ grill, wet bar, fireplace and lounge. When the party moves back inside, the unit features 18-foot ceilings and a kitchen worthy of any celeb chef. There are other amenities ... like a gym, spa and pool.

Dr. Seuss' books should NOT be yanked from shelves -- because all they need is a little context on page 1 ... so says a woman who was raised by the man himself.

Leagrey Dimond -- one of Dr. Seuss' stepdaughters -- tells TMZ she doesn't think his work needs to be censored or stored away from public view ... which is essentially what Dr. Seuss Enterprises did on Monday.

Instead, Dimond suggests adding a disclaimer to the 6 books in question ... something a lot of media companies have been opting for lately for questionable or outdated material with racist depictions. The same thing should happen here, in Dimond's eyes anyway.

She also has this to say about Seuss' work -- yes, some of his earlier publications and illustrations DID feature racist imagery, but his legacy shouldn't hinge on that alone ... as she insists the full breadth of his literature shows he's a good guy and evolved over time.

Dimond says Seuss publicly regretted some of his earlier work -- such as ads, comic strips and political cartoons he helped craft during the WWII era -- which featured blatantly racist drawings of Black people and Asian people.

But, there's a bigger reason the org bearing his name should hold off, per LD ... nobody who runs the place knew him personally.

Dimond says since coming into Seuss' care at age 9, she never once experienced any hatred, hate speech or bigotry of any kind ... which she says was emblematic of his character at large. The fact people are judging him in death, she says, doesn't sit right with her.

You'll recall -- the Enterprise announced it was ceasing further sales of 6 Seuss children's books -- including "And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street," "Scrambled Eggs Super!" "If I Ran the Zoo," "McElligot’s Pool," "On Beyond Zebra!" and "The Cat’s Quizzer"

Some examples of the problematic imagery -- from 'Mulberry' and 'Zoo' -- feature Asian stereotypes ... like referring to one character as a "Chinaman ... with sticks."

Tamar Braxton no longer has to keep her distance from her ex-boyfriend ... because we’ve learned his restraining order's been dissolved after neither one of them showed up in court.

Neither Tamar nor the singer's ex, David Adefeso, appeared for their court hearing on the matter Tuesday, so the judge dismissed the case and dissolved the restraining order.

We broke the story ... Adefeso filed for a domestic violence restraining order against Tamar in September and was temporarily granted one. David claimed Tamar attacked him while he was driving his car and threatened to have him killed.

Tamar denied the allegations the following month on "The Tamron Hall Show."

As you'll recall ... David was the one who called 911 last summer when he was dating Tamar and reported her alleged suicide attempt. He claimed at the time, her WeTV beef was the reason she wanted to kill herself.