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Bill Burr tore into CNN for what he claims to be a fear-driven agenda that seeks to keep viewers restless and divided ... and one which needs Trump to keep ratings high.

The comedian absolutely obliterated the 24/7 cable news station in his latest installment on his "Monday Morning Podcast," the newest episode of which he just dropped a couple of days ago. He starts out talking about his day-to-day life/observations ... and then dives into the news.

Check it out ... Bill says his mother-in-law will come over to help watch his kids, and flip on CNN habitually -- which he says pisses him off, because he considers them "f****** morons" who do nothing but talk Trump, day in and day out ... even after he's left office.

The reason for that, he muses, is because President Biden is a "bore" -- that ... and he wears a "blue tie."

We'll let Bill do the talking here -- but his rant is worth a listen. In his eyes, he considers CNN just as bad as FOX News and MSNBC ... and any other cable news outlet, as he seems to think they're two sides of the same coin -- pounding one POV into viewers' heads.

He also gets into the dreary approach to news coverage in general -- constantly harping on negative stories like fires, racial tension and the pandemic. Bill says if he ran a news show, he'd go with the 1-step forward, 2-steps back approach ... giving a positive story every now and then instead of making people want to put a "gun in their mouth," as he puts it.

Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz thought they could come to a "conservative" area of Southern California to hold a rally without a problem ... but boy, were they wrong.

The congressmembers were slated to appear for an "America First" fundraising rally this weekend in Orange County -- just the latest stop in a series of similar events they've been hosting since the spring -- initially booking something at a venue in Laguna Hills.

Once word of their event started to make the rounds online ... tons of people vowed to try and get them canceled by blowing up the venue with calls, and even protesting in person if it came to it. Before that could even occur, though, the place gave Gaetz and MTG the boot ... canceling their rally amid public outcry, both in and around the SoCal beachside city.

After that, they were on to Plan B ... changing venues to the Riverside Convention Center. However, that too became public -- and the exact same thing happened again, including Riverside honchos telling them to scram. Their final attempt would be ... Anaheim.

They secured space at the Anaheim Event Center -- but after city officials publicly disavowed their appearance (plus the fact this venue had decided to host them) the Event Center people finally pulled the plug in the 11th hour. Seems like some power lobbying was at play.

Now, it appears they'll be hosting their rally -- which is being called a protest at this point -- back in Riverside ... but they'll be doing it in the streets outside of City Hall.

If anything, that'll probably end up being even more contentious than whatever they planned to hold indoors ... we're sure counter-protesters will show up (as they always do) and confront the far right-wing politicians and their supporters face-to-face ... which could get ugly. We'll be monitoring the scene as it plays out -- but something tells us cops aren't looking forward to the storm that's coming. Ditto for local residents, who might wanna steer clear.

Like said, this was reportedly supposed to be to raise money at first ... but at the moment, it looks like Gaetz/Greene are just gonna be out there railing against "communism," "cancel culture," "the far left" and "the stolen 2020 election" ... buzzwords they've been using lately.

It's pretty fascinating -- these two are definitely Trump disciples, and parrot what he says too ... but Trump-centered events have been allowed to go down in the OC without issue before.

Usher is officially playing Vegas -- and the one thing we imagine he/his team are probably thinking now that show #1's in the books is ... why the hell didn't we do this sooner???

Not kidding here -- the singer's debut residency show Friday at Caesar's Palace turned out to be everything anyone could've expected ... and perhaps more. And, based on the footage that's surfaced from the performance ... fans seem to be guaranteed to walk away satisfied.

Just check out some of these clips of Mr. Raymond doing his thaaang onstage in front of a reported 4,300 spectators -- selling the place out to the last seat -- who sang along, danced and did callbacks with a crazy amount of enthusiasm. Almost like it was 2007 again! 😆

Frankly ... it might be one of the best received Vegas residency shows we've seen in a while -- which just goes to show the strong fanfare Usher carries, even today. BTW, the dude's still got it bad ... but as "bad" as he was being with his moves (humping the stage, pelvis thrusts, etc.), the audience might've had it even worse, 'cause they were eating it up.

Usher is said to have gone through a bunch of his hits, including "Nice & Slow," "Yeah!" "My Boo," "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love," "OMG," "Caught Up" ... and, of course, "Confessions."

His stage design was something to behold too -- it looks like they made a full-blown makeshift club for him ... complete with an upper deck, stripper poles and lights galore. Usher was even seen throwing his now-infamous "Usher bucks" ... which make sense in this setting.

In other words, Usher and co. pulled out all the stops for opening night -- and it looked like one helluva party. Word is ... his next several shows are completely sold out for a good while -- proving that, yes, the demand is there ... he may just be the hottest ticket in Sin City right now. Again -- getting him on the Vegas slate was clearly a no-brainer good move.

We must confess -- it's a little surreal seeing him here. Residency shows are usually reserved for your favorite acts of the past (no hate on the legends who play there) ... and it would appear Usher's crossed over in that regard. He was still hot stuff some 7-8 years ago!!!

A video of two women being tossed from a swing along the edge of a 6,000-foot cliff AND SURVIVING might have you saying 2 things -- thank God, but also ... HOW?!?

Check out this gut-wrenching clip from this past June -- just now surfacing -- of what appears to be a group of tourists visiting Russia's Sulak Canyon near Dagestan ... the bottom of which lies a little more than a mile below where these folks were to get a view right before things drop off ... thousands of feet up high.

For some reason, it looks like someone installed a swing set right on the ledge -- where people can get on the bench and be pushed over into the canyon side for a thrill/better view of what's below. Sounds neat in theory ... that is, until you see what happened next.

The two ladies plop down into the seat -- which looks to be connected to the swing set by a couple chains -- and then a man starts to give them a few pushes to catch momentum ... and catapult further and further over the edge. All seems to be going okay, at first, until their last swing forward.

Suddenly, one of the chains snaps, and the two women literally get flung from the seat and fall over ... and down. It's absolutely terrifying -- and you can tell as much by how people reacted around them. The video cuts out shortly after that, but there's a happy ending.

Reports say there was a wooden platform just beneath the ledge here -- good thinking on whoever put it there -- and that these women landed safely on that not too far down below ... suffering minor injuries and being able to be successfully rescued by family members.

Ben Affleck is a man about town with Jennifer Lopez playing co-pilot as they continue to look for the perfect home for her -- and their latest stop featured a much-needed 3rd (and 4th) opinion ... from none other than her kiddos.

Bennifer was house hunting again Friday (on J Lo's behalf) ... this time cruising through what we're told was an upscale neighborhood in Santa Monica -- not too far from where Ben currently stays in the Pacific Palisades. Just like a couple days ago, Ben was in the driver's seat ... and Jen was mapping things out on her phone -- navigating him through SM's busy streets, we're sure.

The big difference this time, though, was the fact that her two children were tagging along for the stop-in. 13-year-old Emme and Max were in tow with their mom and what looked to be bodyguards/handlers ... who were also present for the tour of a place they ended up peepin'.

Check out the picks of the two tykes running into the crib -- a house that we're told was nice and all ... but not nearly as gargantuan or ritzy as the $65 million palace, among others, they were scoping Thursday in Holmby Hills. The price tag is that high for a reason.

No word yet on how much this new potential pad they saw Friday might cost -- but we've been told it appeared "modest" compared to the cribs the couple had just seen a day prior. Hey ... just 'cause she's filthy stinkin' rich doesn't mean she can't be smart with her dough.

At any rate ... something tells us Emme and Max offered some great insight that'll probably weigh in heavily on where J Lo ends up settling down. Like we told you -- this place would be just for Jen and the kids (for now) ... and it looks like her move West is all but guaranteed at this point, based on all the circumstantial evidence we've seen lately.

Damon Dash almost followed in Alice's footsteps back to Wonderland -- walking face-first into a see-though wall he apparently didn't see ... perhaps speaking to where his head's at lately.

The rap mogul arrived for a podcast sesh Thursday with TV producer Rob Weiss, Shawn Chase and O'Neal McKnight to be a special guest on their weekly offering of "The Cray" ... where the gang talks all things culture, lifestyle, politics ... and just real-life experiences.

As you can imagine, they were stoked to have Dame come on and share some knowledge -- but the dude had a bit of a whoopsie-daisy moment trying to enter the recording room ... slamming right into a clear, glass wall separating the spaces of their floor.

Don't worry -- he didn't hit it too hard ... but it definitely knocked him back a bit -- and it got a laugh from the rest who were around. Understandable, we suppose ... DD has been in a bit preoccupied lately on more serious fronts, like with Roc-A-Fella and Jay-Z.

Remember ... he's been in a legal war with his old company and biz partner over IP/interest he's trying to unload for some dough -- namely, selling Jay-Z's first album, "Reasonable Doubt" as an NFT, plus ... trying to sell off his 1/3 stake in RAF, which a judge just shot down.

Unclear if he got into any of that with the Cray crew -- but it sounds like we'll find out soon enough ... we're told this episode is set to air soon on PodcastOne.

Regrets ... Billie Eilish admits to having more than a few, but she says the Internet won't let her, or the world, forget any of them ... and that makes her cringe constantly.

Billie was referring, at least in part, to the recently resurfaced video of her using an epithet and speaking in a stereotypical Asian accent ... when she told Vogue Australia, "I said so many things then that I totally don't agree with now, or think the opposite thing."

She's said that video was from when she was 13 or 14, and the now 19-year-old singer says, "The Internet brings up things from everybody's past and I'm like: Don't you guys understand that everybody is incredibly embarrassed and ashamed about their past?"

Well, not everybody's used racist phrases or epithets ... but you get her point -- and for her, it sounds like social media's making it impossible to let go of past mistakes.

"The weirdest thing is how nothing ever goes away once it's on the Internet. Every interview I did when I was 15 is still out there, and I think about it constantly."

Billie's already admitted she was "embarrassed and appalled" when the video emerged on TikTok, showing her mouthing the slur, "ch**k," as she sang along to Tyler, the Creator's song, "Fish."

In her statement, she added she didn't know, at that age, the term was derogatory against the Asian community.

The driver of a TMZ Celebrity Tour bus is out of a job Saturday after hurling the n-word at someone.

The TMZ tour was not in progress at the time, nor were there passengers onboard, when the incident happened Saturday morning. The driver was not an employee of TMZ -- he worked for Exclusive Livery Service, the company that owns the bus which TMZ leases.

We have been in contact with the owner of the bus company, who tells us the driver was swiftly fired for his intolerable conduct.

Britney Spears is telling someone -- possibly her sister, Jamie Lynn -- to hop off the #FreeBritney bandwagon, because they didn't lift a finger to help her when she was at her lowest.

The singer is pissed off, and let it show as she said, "There’s nothing worse than when the people closest to you who never showed up for you post things in regard to your situation whatever it may be and speak righteously for support … there’s nothing worse than that!!!!"

Britney's rage seemed to build the more she typed in the Friday night IG post, which started with a photo with text that read ... "Never forget who ignored you when you needed them and who helped you before you even had to ask."

Simple enough ... but the caption is where she excoriated someone many fans believe is either her kid sister or her mom, Lynne Spears ... or both of them.

Brit added, "How dare the people you love the most say anything at all … did they even put a hand out to even lift me up at the TIME !!!??? How dare you make it public that NOW you CARE … did you put your hand out when I was drowning????"

The rant comes after Jamie Lynn seemed to react to Wednesday's conservatorship hearing with a post that simply said, "Dear Lord, Can we end this bull shit once and for all. Amen.”

Jamie Lynn also posted a video last month -- following Britney's emotional testimony in another hearing -- stating she fully supports Britney's effort to end the conservatorship.

For her part, Brit's mother had filed legal docs requesting her daughter be allowed to select her own lawyer. It was an odd move -- which some saw as a suck up to Britney -- because Lynne has no legal standing in the case. She's not a conservator or legal guardian of Britney.

Since demanding to speak in open court last month, Britney's been going scorched earth on anyone she feels has crossed her -- with most of her ire being directed at her father, Jamie Spears.

And, that's why she so publicly celebrated -- horseback riding and cartwheeling -- when the judge approved her new attorney, Mathew Rosengart.

As we first told you ... Britney has told Rosengart his first job is getting Jamie removed from his current gig as sole conservator of her estate -- a duty Rosengart started leaning into during the hearing as he told Jamie if he loved his daughter "he would resign today."

COVID-19 is officially in the house ... or at least the place Olympians will call home when the Olympic Games begin next week.

Organizers say an Olympic Village staffer tested positive Friday for the coronavirus. They added the person is not a resident of Japan, and their job was only described as "games-concerned personnel."

As it is, the International Olympic Committee is under intense pressure. As we reported, Tokyo is under a state of emergency due to a resurgence of COVID-19 cases. That news prompted the IOC to make the last minute decision to pull the plug on having spectators at the games.

Still, protesters have been rallying outside the Olympic Village, demanding the games not go on as planned ... and polls show less than half the Japanese population support the games being held at this time.

While the IOC says about 80 percent of Olympic athletes are vaccinated, the concern is less than 30 percent of Japan's population is vaccinated.

The person who tested positive has has been placed on a 14-day quarantine. The games open Friday, July 23 ... and about 11,000 athletes from around the world are expected to live in the Olympic Village during the 2 weeks of competition.

IOC President Thomas Bach oddly insisted earlier this week there was “zero” risk athletes could pass the virus to others in or out of the village. Makes ya wonder if the IOC is oblivious to what the world's been through for the last 18 months.

Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker had the Internet buzzing with engagement rumors after their recent weekend together in Las Vegas ... but it just ain't so.

The couple took in Conor McGregor's gnarly loss to Dustin Poirier last weekend, where they made out ringside, but it's what happened back at their hotel that had people talking. Travis' daughter, Alabama, posted a "So happy for you guys" photo of Trav and Kourt smiling -- and fans assumed the best, the couple was engaged to be married.

However, we've spoken to multiple sources close to the couple who all tell us the same thing -- Travis and Kourtney are a happy couple, but he didn't put a ring on it. Yet.

As for why Alabama posted the pic? She's happy to see her dad happy.

Kourtney helped to add to the engagement buzz when she posted a photo Thursday of herself with a ring on ... though it was on her right hand, it certainly looked like the engagement type.

Travis and Kourtney's relationship has really taken off in the last few months ... we've seen them at Disneyland, in the studio and road tripping through CA and beyond.

Britney Spears is getting used by U.S. Congressman Matt Gaetz ... at least according to actor Nick Kroll, who took Gaetz to task for showing up at a #FreeBritney rally.

Nick was guest hosting "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" Friday night, and in his monologue he went off on Rep. Gaetz ... or as he put it last night, "Florida congressman and human piece of s**t."

Like many others, Nick seemed flabbergasted as to why Gaetz was outside the L.A. courthouse Wednesday during Britney's latest conservatorship hearing -- especially because Gaetz has much bigger, and personal, fish to fry at the moment.

Kroll said, "I just love that the guy who's been accused of sex trafficking a minor is suddenly an advocate for troubled children getting less supervision."

ICYMI ... Gaetz grabbed a mic during the #FreeBritney rally Wednesday and tore into conservatorships, in general, and Britney's dad, specifically. He fired up Britney's supporters by saying, "One thing that we can all agree on is that Jamie Spears is a dick."

The crowd ate it up, but Kroll's point is, considering Gaetz's current legal situation ... he's an odd cheerleader for Britney. The congressman is currently under federal investigation for allegedly paying or gifting underage girls for sexual encounters, and taking them across state lines.

While it's fair to question the Florida congressman's motives for flying to L.A. to get some face time -- the reality is he's been on the #FreeBritney bandwagon for months now. We got him back in March on Capitol Hill, and he went on a rant about wanting Britney to testify for Congress about conservatorship abuse.

Point is ... we shoulda seen Rep. Gaetz's dog and pony show outside the court coming long before he touched down in Los Angeles.

Ramona Singer's apprehensive about the 'Real Housewives of NYC' reunion taping, because she believes Eboni K. Williams is going to try to make her look racist ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to production tell us ... Ramona recently went to 'RHONY' producers to express her concerns about potential racial talks during the reunion -- specifically, that Eboni might attack her and frame her as a bigot.

We're told Ramona attempted to negotiate terms in order to avoid topics such as race during the Bravo special, but producers shot that down and said they'd never agree to that.

Our sources say Ramona accepts that, and has no plans to dodge the reunion -- she just wanted producers to know how she feels.

Of course, there's been a lot of drama surrounding the reunion already ... as it was scheduled to film in early August, but got bumped to September. Fans are speculating it's either due to low ratings or strife among the cast, but we're told it's simply due to "scheduling conflicts."

We broke the story ... Eboni fired back at those blaming the ratings slide on her race convos, saying it's on producers to decide what makes the final cut.

Eboni also appeared to throw shade toward her fellow housewives Thursday, when she posted a photo of her and Crystal Kung Minkoff -- the first Asian-American housewife on 'RHOBH' -- and wrote, "These deranged bigots are just mad AF that their days of dominance are coming to an end."

She included the hashtag #TimesUpOnWhiteSupremacy too, but didn't call out anyone by name.

Britney Spears has the attorney she wanted, and J Lo and Ben are doing some 8-figure house hunting -- but COVID's making a comeback in some places. So, we gotta ask ...

Deontay Wilder's fiancée, Telli Swift, is calling Tyson Fury's COVID diagnosis straight up BS ... telling TMZ Sports the boxer's tryna buy time -- 'cause he ain't ready to go toe-to-toe with her man, the Bronze Bomber!

The Fury-Wilder trilogy fight was set for July 24 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas -- after Wilder actually went to court to compel Fury to take the 3rd fight.

But, the bout was postponed ... due to Fury recently testing positive for COVID-19.

We spoke with Swift at an event for her non-profit, Boxing WAGS Association, in El Segundo ... and we asked for her and Deontay's take on Fury's illness -- and Telli didn't hold back."

"You've trained so hard, blood, sweat, and tears and then for someone to have COVID and Deontay’s fight with torn biceps, broken fingers, burns on his arms, and he still fought," Swift says.

"So, I just feel like with COVID and you have sixteen days until the fight, he should still be able to fight and make it happen."

In fact, Swift thinks the 32-year-old heavyweight champ is tryna use COVID as a way to dodge Wilder ... saying it's just an excuse to give him some time.

"I don’t think that he’s ready. I think he’s buying time, and I just feel like he feels Deontay is at the best looking-wise."

Of course, Wilder and Fury fought to a draw in 2018 ... and Deontay lost the 2nd fight in 2020 via TKO.

Swift added, "Personally, I don’t believe anything that he says. So, I don’t believe anything that he says, and that’s that."

And, you can forget about Wilder boxing anyone else during the wait, Swift -- who got engaged to Wilder in 2018 -- tells us he's only focused on Fury.

"Deontay’s mind ... he eats, sleeps, lives Tyson Fury. So, he’s ready for Tyson!"

Rapper Biz Markie -- most famous for his iconic hit "Just a Friend" -- has died after a series of complications from diabetes that he's been fighting for more than a year ... TMZ has confirmed.

A family source tells us Biz passed away in a Baltimore hospital at 6:25 PM Friday night. We're told his wife, Tara Hall, held his hand as he took his last breath ... and the nursing staff was there to support his family, telling them how strong he was through his fight.

A rep for Biz tells us, "We are grateful for the many calls and prayers of support that we have received during this difficult time. Biz created a legacy of artistry that will forever be celebrated by his industry peers and his beloved fans whose lives he was able to touch through music, spanning over 35 years. He leaves behind a wife, many family members and close friends who will miss his vibrant personality, constant jokes and frequent banter."

TMZ broke the story, Biz was hospitalized last summer for an ailment his rep told us was related to his Type II Diabetes. At the time, the rep said, "He is receiving the best care from an amazing team of medical professionals and we remain positive about the outcome."

However, his condition remained somewhat of a mystery until April when Big Daddy Kane made an appearance on The Breakfast Club, telling the show's hosts Biz was doing better, and in a physical rehab facility.

Throughout his hospital stay, rumors swirled Biz was in a coma, but our source says that was never the case.

Born in Harlem, Biz first made a name for himself, nationally and internationally, in 1989 when his single "Just a Friend" became a Top 40 hit in multiple countries and went platinum.

The rapper's career took off after that ... he acted, did comedy, DJ'd and produced music.

The last time we got Biz was at Reagan National Airport in DC where he joked about the unique way he paid off a debt to 50 Cent.

Biz was just 57 years old.