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A Louisiana State Rep. had the audacity to suggest, out loud, that if a school is going to teach slavery it should talk about all parts of it ... including the "good." Seriously.

If there wasn't video of State Rep. Ray Garofalo making the argument this week, we wouldn't believe this ... but there is. While debating his controversial education bill that critics say aims to ban the acknowledgment of institutional racism, another legislator asked Garofalo what he considers a "larger course of academic instruction."

That's when he spewed, "If you're having a discussion on whatever the case may be, on slavery -- then you can talk about everything dealing with slavery. The good, the bad, the ugly."

Mind you ... Garofalo said this while a Black man, presumably another legislator, was sitting right next to him.

You gotta see how most of the legislative body reacted to the outlandish remark and, to her credit, Rep. Stephanie Hilferty quickly fired back a response.

Tommy Tuberville tells TMZ Sports ... Thursday's NFL draft picks should avoid speaking publicly about politics, saying the rookies should straight-up "talk about what you know about."

The Alabama Senator -- who coached future NFL draft picks for YEARS during his tenure as a college headman -- tells us he wants to see less political chatter from athletes, and more playing.

"Nobody's looking for an outspoken person," Tuberville said on Capitol Hill this week of the advice he'd give to his players if they were heading into Thursday's draft. "We're too divided as it is."

Tuberville clearly believes the sports landscape would be better off if players -- particularly younger ones who are just arriving in their respective leagues -- avoided polarizing subjects altogether.

"Everybody wants to make an opinion and that's fine," Tuberville tells us. "But, I think, especially for young people to get involved in something that maybe they might not understand as much, I think they need to let people that, whatever they do for a living, justify it."

Tuberville added, "I'd just like to see our country be more settled down in terms of people getting into politics or in sports and vice versa."

What's interesting ... the draft's projected top overall pick, former Clemson star Trevor Lawrence, has made it clear he's already comfortable commenting on hot-button topics outside of the gridiron.

Ronnie Ortiz-Magro ended up getting arrested because cops say his girlfriend had visible marks on her body when they showed up, responding to her call for help ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us it was actually Ronnie's girlfriend, Saffire Matos, who called the police that night ... after they'd gotten into some type of argument that allegedly got physical. We're told when officers arrived, they spoke to both parties, and determined Ronnie was the aggressor.

As for why ... our sources tell us officers observed visible marks on Saffire's body which they determined she sustained during the alleged fight. We're told that was one of multiple observations that spurred police to slap the cuffs on Ronnie.

This is interesting because it shows Saffire had enough of a problem with whatever was going on to actually pick up the phone and dial 9-1-1. Since Ronnie's arrest, she tried to downplay the alleged violence.

She posted a statement in the aftermath, telling her followers not to believe media accounts of what had happened, insisting she and Ronnie were "fine."

Ronnie's attorney, Scott Leemon, tells us, "We are still investigating the incident of last week and have not yet received any of the police reports. Therefore, we will continue not to comment while our investigation is still ongoing. As we have all learned in the past, initial reports can be and are often incorrect.”

Of course, as we reported, this is bad news for Ronnie ... who's been down this road before with his ex, Jenn Harley. He ended up getting probation in that DV case -- and a judge could deem this latest arrest a violation of that probation.

Speaking of Jenn ... she drove all the way from Vegas to come get her and Ronnie's daughter, once she heard he'd been arrested.

Marvin Scott III -- a 26-year-old Black man who died last month in a Texas jail after being restrained to a bed for several hours -- died as a result of homicide, according to the medical examiner.

Scott was arrested for misdemeanor marijuana possession in a Dallas suburb on March 14, and though he was first taken to a local hospital for reportedly acting erratically ... he was later transported to the Collin County Jail in McKinney.

It was there Scott began "exhibiting some strange behavior" according to Collin County Sheriff Jim Skinner, and officials say he was subsequently restrained, pepper-sprayed and had a spit mask put on his face by detention officers.

According to reports, sometime during the several hours of being restrained to a bed, Scott became unresponsive and was later pronounced dead at a hospital. Skinner called it a "profound tragedy" at a news conference.

But, Collin County's chief medical examiner, Dr. William Rohr, is calling it a homicide. According to Rohr, his findings show Scott's cause of death was "fatal acute stress response in an individual with previously diagnosed schizophrenia during restraint struggle with law enforcement."

Scott's family says he had schizophrenia and was experiencing a mental health crisis while in police custody, and family attorney Lee Merritt claims Scott was using marijuana at the time of his arrest "to self-medicate after being two years diagnosed with schizophrenia."

Merritt tells TMZ ... he got the news about Marvin's death being ruled a homicide around the same time he learned the suspects in Ahmaud Arbery's killing were being charged with federal hate crimes, so it was a bittersweet day.

Lee, who represents Arbery's family as well, adds ... "I now have another uphill battle, having to fight the system for justice. Again, the cycle continues."

Worth noting -- the Collin County sheriff announced earlier this month that 7 detention officers who were allegedly involved in Scott's death have been fired for violating department policies and procedures.

Tekashi 6ix9ine's baby mama flew down to Colombia for a little mommy makeover but it came at a high cost ... in the form of a severe reaction.

69's baby mama, Sara Molina, had gone through a bout of depression from being holed up at her house during the pandemic ... according to her manager. So, she went down to Colombia for a little pick-me-up in the form of a Brazilian butt lift and a 360 liposuction.

Thing is ... after Dr. Humberto Peña performed the 5-hour surgeries over the weekend, Sara, who has Multiple sclerosis, had a severe MS flare-up hours after the surgery ... her entire body was racked with pain.

We're told Sara was given nausea medicine but doctors also removed a pain pump that had been placed under the skin of her abdomen to funnel medication directly to the source of the pain. We're told this helped, but she still has big issues. She can't even lie flat.

Sara now rests in a special recliner and although she's still experiencing pain ... we're told she's recovering at the posh Lluxe Recovery facility in Colombia until mid-May.

Video evidence isn't required to see there's a problem with the policing of Black people -- that's activist Tamika Mallory's take on a judge blocking the release of body cams in the fatal cop shooting of Andrew Brown Jr.

We got Tamika in Bev Hills, and she went in on the judge's decision to withhold the Pasquotank Sheriff's Dept footage from the public ... at least for now. She says the judge's ruling only adds to the distrust of the entire criminal justice system and perpetuates the idea that the authorities would rather protect each other ... than protect citizens from police brutality.

Tamika's also not buying the judge's intent to let the situation cool down a bit before releasing the video ... because she says the nationwide temperature is up to stay as a result of the long list of Black people killed by cops.

Regardless, Tamika tells us it shouldn't matter what happens with the body cam footage because she believes the basic facts in the case show Brown was shot in the back of the head by police as he was trying to flee ... and that's just wrong.

As we reported ... the judge in Brown's case ruled the fatal encounter with cops in North Carolina can be viewed, but only by his family and NOT the media. The judge will reevaluate making it available to more eyes in 30-45 days.

Chrishell Stause is hoping Britney Spears' request to speak to the judge in her conservatorship means the singer's about to get exactly what she wants -- the power to tell her father to kick rocks.

We got the "Selling Sunset' star Wednesday evening in L.A. and she told us why she's all aboard the #FreeBritney movement. Chrishell's adamant Britney should be able to choose who's in charge of her estate.

The high-end real estate agent also thinks it ridiculous Britney's had to jump through hoops just to get to this point where she can tell the judge herself -- and she firmly believes a man would never be put in this position.

We also ask her about the comment she left on one of Britney's posts last month ... which was deleted. In case you missed it ... Chrishell says she left a comment on one of Britney's dancing vids -- the one where Brit included the caption, "I didn't watch the documentary but from what I did see of it I was embarrassed by the light they put me in."

This led some people to believe Britney didn't write her own captions ... including Chrishell, who commented, "Instead of dancing can we get a video of you typing your own captions next time? I want to believe you it's you speaking for yourself, but I am skeptical. We love you!"

Vice President Kamala Harris and Speaker Nancy Pelosi just made history before President Biden's first address to Congress ... celebrating the moment with a super cool elbow bump!!!

It's the first time in our nation's history two women are flanking an American president inside the House Chamber ... and Kamala and Nancy marked the occasion in style.

The mutual respect didn't stop with the iconic elbow bump, Kamala and Nancy also shook hands, even though they aren't supposed to get so close due to coronavirus protocols.

But, hey, this is a huge deal, so it's easy to understand how they could get caught up in the moment.

And, this is super interesting ... the two women who just made history tonight are not only both from Cali, they're both from the Bay Area. As Pelosi said today, there must be something in the water!

Get ready to see the elbow bump in history books one day, but in the meantime, we're sure it will get the meme and GIF treatment.

Bryce Harper is lucky to have avoided complete disaster Wednesday ... the MLB star was drilled in the nose by a 97 MPH pitch, but thankfully, he says he's somehow "all good."

The Phillies outfielder was up to bat in the 6th inning of Philadelphia's tilt with the St. Louis Cardinals ... when Génesis Cabrera's pitch got away from him and smashed BH right in the face.

The clip is horrifying ... the fastball appeared to catch Harper right between the eyes -- and Bryce immediately left the game for the training room.

Of course, with players like Giancarlo Stanton having suffered SEVERE damage from being hit with pitches in the face in the past ... many feared the worst for Harper.

But, fortunately, Harper said in a video after the game he passed all tests and expects to recover in no time.

"Everything feels good," Bryce said, showing off nothing more than minor swelling on his nose. "Everything came back good -- CT [scan], all that kind of stuff."

"So, face is still there. So, we're all good. See you guys soon!"

As for Cabrera -- who also hit Didi Gregorious in the back in the at-bat following Harper's -- he felt so badly about the night, he apologized after the game.

"I really wish him the best," Cabrera said of Harper. "I hope he has a speedy recovery, in whatever it is that happened, and that he'll be able to return to baseball activities."

"The game got away from me at that point. I'm really sorry for everything that happened today. None of it was intentional. And again, I'm sorry for everything."

A movie about Dionne Warwick's incredible life could be collateral damage in film and theater producer Scott Rudin's workplace bullying scandal ... because biopic talks are on pause following the allegations against him.

Sources familiar with the project tell TMZ ... Rudin reached out to Dionne's team earlier this year after the singer playfully tweeted a pitch for a Netflix series about her life and career, but the Hollywood honcho had a movie in mind instead.

We're told Scott first met with Warwick's son to present his vision for the biopic -- something in tune with "The Social Network," another film he produced about a famous person -- then spoke with Dionne directly and they all agreed ... he was the right man for the job.

Our sources say since January, Rudin's been working on developing the movie and had even begun hiring writers, but before he and Dionne's team could ink a deal ... the story broke about Scott allegedly abusing his employees.

ICYMI ... Rudin's been accused of mistreating and bullying staffers for years. The allegations include sexist and racist behavior, as well as claims that he threw items -- like glass bowls and potatoes -- at his colleagues and assistants, causing injury.

In light of that news ... we're told Dionne and her team have backed away from the deal with Rudin for now, and are waiting to see how things pan out. We've reached out to Scott's team too ... so far, no word back.

Before this fella in fur was one of the most stylish fashion designers in the world, he was just another pipsqueak pouting for the camera in Bordeaux, France.

This dressed-up darling began his career in the fashion world almost 20 years ago ... he rose the ranks and became the creative director for a top luxury brand which received its name from its founder in 1945. With his huge following, he has scored some of the biggest celebrity fans to rep his concepts -- including Kim Kardashian, Rihanna, Justin Bieber, and Jennifer Lopez.

Just as Tommy "Tiny" Lister's loved ones suspected, he did have COVID-19 at the time of his death ... but the L.A. County Medical Examiner says that's not what caused his death.

According to his autopsy, the "Friday" star died of hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease ... commonly called heart disease.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, the ME also says a nasal swab came back positive for COVID-19 ... and notes Tommy had fluid in his chest when he died. Additionally, he had an enlarged heart with high blood pressure, poor circulation in his legs and coronary artery disease.

TMZ broke the story ... the 62-year-old actor died suddenly last year at his L.A.-area home. Paramedics responded, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Rudy Giuliani's apartment and office in Manhattan were crawling with federal investigators Wednesday ... we've confirmed they just executed search warrants as part of a criminal investigation.

Our law enforcement sources tell us federal investigators seized Giuliani's electronic devices from his home and his Park Ave. office space as part of a criminal probe involving his alleged dealings with Ukraine.

As you know, the feds are looking to see if Rudy, the former New York City Mayor and Donald Trump's attorney, illegally lobbied the Trump administration in 2019 on behalf of officials and oligarchs in Ukraine ... while those same folks were allegedly helping Giuliani dig up dirt on Joe Biden and other Trump political rivals.

The FBI and the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's Office had no comment on the raids. BTW, this is the same prosecutors' office Rudy once headed up back in the '80s.

NBA player Sterling Brown was COMPLETELY covered in blood when cops found him after he was attacked at a Miami strip club ... new police video obtained by TMZ Sports shows.

In the footage from the scene, which was captured on an officer's body cam in the early morning hours of April 19, you can see Brown was constantly pressing his shirt hard against a gnarly wound on his head to try to stop the bleeding.

Video shows Brown -- who just minutes prior had been reportedly hit in the head with a liquor bottle -- was clearly annoyed with the situation ... consistently being short with cops and brushing off officers who tried to ask him questions about the incident.

Brown repeatedly asked first responders for an ambulance ... and when he got close to one of the officer's cameras, you can see blood was oozing so heavily from his head, it gushed all the way down to the bottom of his stomach.

Eventually, medical personnel arrived ... but things clearly didn't go smoothly as they tried to tend to the Houston Rockets guard.

Brown's teammate, Kevin Porter Jr., had made his way to the scene ... and for some reason, he became argumentative with cops in the area.

Police redacted the audio -- they said in a document it's currently being reviewed as part of an open internal investigation -- but it's obvious the two NBA players were very upset.

You can see in the clip, Porter Jr. was animated ... waving his arms and making gestures toward one of the officers.

Eventually, things calmed down enough for medical personnel to bandage up Brown ... and he was ultimately stitched up at a local hospital.

The NBA said Wednesday it's completed its investigation into the incident ... and hit Porter Jr. with a $50,000 fine for violating the league's Health and Safety Protocols, which prohibits players from attending "indoor social gatherings of 15 or more people or entering bars, lounges, clubs or similar establishments."

What's interesting -- despite visiting the club with KPJ, Brown is NOT expected to receive a fine, according to Marc Stein.

The report adds the league's investigation into the incident is officially closed unless further information surfaces that would require the probe to be re-opened.

"Seeking Sister Wife" star Dimitri Snowden no longer has to deal with a restraining order against him ... a judge just tossed the case.

Demitri was in court Wednesday when the judge dissolved the temporary restraining order his third wife, Christeline Petersen, got against him when she made allegations of domestic violence. The judge found Christeline did not meet her burden of proof.

Christeline testified what we had first reported ... claiming Dimitri slammed her head into the headboard and choked her during sex after she told him to stop.

Dimitri countered by showing text messages he claims Christeline sent him saying she liked the choking. In the end, the judge said she could not ascertain which party was telling the truth ... so she tossed the case. As for Christeline's separate allegations against Ashley -- one of Dimitri's other wives -- the judge tossed that case, as well.

As we first reported ... Christeline, who came to the U.S. from South Africa to be courted as a third wife on the TLC reality show, claimed in legal docs she suffered bruises, scratches and redness around her neck.