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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez doesn't believe justice was served for Breonna Taylor -- not only that, she says politics were unnecessarily brought in by the Kentucky Attorney General.

We got AOC Wednesday on Capitol Hill, shortly after the grand jury charges were unveiled ... just one officer involved in Breonna's death was charged with the unrelated crime of recklessly shooting into a different apartment unit.

AOC can't fathom how everyone basically skated on this. She says the results speak to systemic issues in LMPD, and larger ones about policing in this country -- as far as what cops are allowed to get away with ... often with the help of prosecutors.

Kentucky AG Daniel Cameron gets the bulk of her criticism here -- watch ... she goes off on him for what she believes was politicization of the case when he spoke at this year's RNC. The guy knew the spotlight was on him, and in AOC's eyes ... it was bad form.

She says quite pointedly somebody being killed and getting to the bottom of it shouldn't matter if people are on the right or the left -- but with what's true and righteous. While AG Cameron says he was impartial and stuck to the facts ... AOC just doesn't buy it.

It seems 2020 will alter one final tradition before it wraps up, and there will even be a countdown for it -- New York's iconic ball drop for New Year's Eve is going virtual.

Organizers of the annual festivities in Times Square have announced that in order to say good riddance to this year and ring in 2021 ... it will have to be a "virtually enhanced celebration."

According to the Times Square Alliance, there will still be some scaled-back and COVID-cautious live events ... but the goal this year, for obvious reasons, is to pull off festivities like the ball drop safely.

The Alliance says ... "One thing that will never change is the ticking of time and the arrival of a New Year. On December 31st, the Ball will drop in Times Square."

Sadly, there just won't be anyone physically present to see it.

Alliance President Tim Tompkins is staying positive though, and says 2020 will go out with a bang of "significantly new and enhanced virtual, visual and digital offerings."

Mayor Bill de Blasio is also praising the innovation in order to keep the long tradition going, adding ... "A new year means a fresh start, and we’re excited to celebrate."

You can say that again.

"Cake Boss" Buddy Valastro is recovering following a horrific bowling accident where his right hand was impaled ... and required multiple surgeries.

The famous baker suffered the gruesome injury Sunday while spending some QT with his family in the bowling alley in their home. A rep tells us there was a malfunction with the bowling pinsetter -- a problem the family's had in the past and usually a common fix, but not this time around.

We're told Buddy tried to release a bowling pin from the cage mechanism, but his right hand got lodged and compressed inside the unit. His rep described what happened next this way -- "Unable to remove his hand, [Buddy] can see a 1 1/2" metal rod slowly and repeatedly impale his hand three times between his ring finger and middle finger."

After more than 5 minutes, Buddy still couldn't get his hand free from the metal rod jammed through it. His rep says his sons, Buddy Jr. and Marco, "rushed to the garage for a reciprocating saw to cut through the metal rod" and finally got Buddy's hand free.

Buddy was rushed to a hospital where he underwent emergency surgery to remove the rod and stabilize the wound. A second surgery followed ... performed by renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Michelle Carlson in Manhattan.

The rep says Buddy will have an uphill battle given it's his dominant right hand. He faces a long road to recovery and therapy. Buddy's not exactly ready to call this a pinhead move ... but he's definitely kept his sense of humor through this painful ordeal.

He posted a pic Wednesday from his hospital bed with the caption, "I was involved in a terrible accident a few days ago... 😔 What do you think of my new accessory?"

Sending positive vibes, boss!!!

The grand jury has indicted just one officer, Brett Hankison, on charges of wanton endangerment. Hankison was not charged for the shooting of Breonna Taylor ... he was charged with shooting into a neighboring apartment. The other 2 officers who fired shots the night Breonna Taylor was killed were not charged. In other words, no one was charged for killing Breonna.

Hankison has been indicted on three counts of wanton endangerment in the first degree -- for firing recklessly and without due regard for life. His bail has been set at $15,000. Wanton endangerment carries a maximum penalty of 5 years if convicted.

The indictment has already sparked anger. Rev. Al Sharpton called it "grossly insufficient."

AG Daniel Cameron called Breonna's death a "gut-wrenching" tragedy but said his job is to follow the law. He said for civil rights violations, the federal government can charge officers who cross the line. But, civil rights lawyer Lee Merritt told us on "TMZ Live" a few minutes ago ... he believes the fix was in between Cameron and Trump, and Trump is not going to tolerate federal charges.

Merritt noted the medical examiner ruled Breonna's death a homicide, yet that seemed lost on the grand jury. Merritt mentioned an old legal joke -- that grand juries would indict a ham sandwich -- meaning prosecutors have an easy time securing criminal charges. The question ... did the AG press for a homicide indictment? We don't know, because the proceedings are secret.

A few key takeaways from Cameron's comments -- he says the 3 officers who executed the warrant had no prior knowledge of how it was obtained or the background of the case up 'til then. Cameron says they were brought in as extra personnel, and were briefed with basics. He also makes clear ... it was NOT a no-knock warrant, as has been widely reported.

Cameron assured the public -- the officers claimed they did knock and announce themselves, and says that was backed up by a civilian witness who was in one of the neighboring apartments. A journalist asked Cameron if one witness coming forward to say they heard the police announcing themselves was enough when no other neighbors could confirm it.

Cameron skirted that question and said it was clearly enough for the grand jury. There's more ... he goes on to say that after officers received no response at the door, they entered. Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly was the first one in, and apparently saw Breonna and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, standing at the end of the hall. He claims Walker was in a shooting stance with a gun in hand, and that he fired at Mattingly first, who was struck in the thigh.

Cameron says Mattingly returned fire -- shooting six times -- while another officer behind him, Myles Cosgrove, also returned fire ... unloading 16 rounds. As for Hankison, Cameron says he fired 10 rounds from outside, which went everywhere ... including into another unit.

Cameron says Breonna was struck 6 times, and that the forensic reports indicate the one fatal bullet that killed her likely came from Cosgrove's weapon. He stressed that there wasn't conclusive evidence that Hankison's bullets hit her -- it was just Mattingly and Cosgrove's, and because of that ... Cameron said his office couldn't look into any criminality around her death, as he says the 2 officers inside were authorized and justified in their use of force, under Kentucky law.

Cameron also noted that justice is not easy and not meant to appease what the public wants -- under the letter of law, it can only answer to the facts. He also pled with Kentucky residents not to allow outside influences and voices to tell them out to feel about this.

Of course, Breonna's family's own legal team -- led by Ben Crump -- feel very differently about the results here. Crump said the fact that Hankison was charged for wanton endangerment of OTHER people besides Breonna is "outrageous and offensive."

He also made a pretty good point ... that if Hankison was charged for endangering others while firing recklessly, how is it possible he wasn't charged for endangering Breonna herself? While the AG did not specifically touch on that, presumably ... Hankison, too, was found to be justified, at least in part, when he fired from the outside in.

Crump emphasized that point by writing, "How ironic and typical that the only charges brought in this case were for shots fired into the apartment of a white neighbor, while no charges were brought for shots fired into the Black neighbor's apartment or into Breonna's residence."

He goes on to call the decision an utter travesty of justice, but goes on to hold out hope that the pending federal investigation into possible civil rights violations might bring about some actual closure the family and the Black community is looking for.

It's been a long road up to this point, which Cameron also touched on ... saying he and his team wanted to turn over every stone and conduct their investigation from scratch.

Here's Harry Styles whipping around in a fancy sports car and a super cool speedboat in Italy for a music video shoot ... which could double as his audition to be the next 007.

The former "One Direction" singer is giving off serious James Bond vibes shooting the video for another song off his album, "Fine Line," and looks like he's loving his new toys. Harry's behind the wheel of a vintage Alfa Romeo, dropping the top and tearing through curves on a windy cliffside road. Take that, Daniel Craig!

He's also steering a pretty baller speedboat off Italy's famed Amalfi Coast, unbuttoning his shirt and doing his best "Titanic" pose ... or maybe "Live and Let Die."

Comedian Bryan Callen claims his rape accuser's husband is waging a war to destroy his livelihood as an actor and stand-up comedian through intimidation ... so he claims in a new lawsuit.

Callen -- best known for roles in "The Hangover" and "The Goldbergs" -- is suing Gabriel Tigerman, the husband of Kathryn Fiore Tigerman, who recently publicly accused Callen of raping her back in 1999. Callen claims since the accusations came to light, Gabriel's been on the warpath to destroy his career through threats, harassment and intimidation of anyone who dares to hire him.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Callen claims Gabriel contacted his reps at talent agency CAA and asked whether they still represented Callen in light of the allegations ... suggesting doing so would send a "message to victims that this behavior is okay." Callen says the email went on to say, "Do you and CAA still represent this serial sexual predator? I hope the answer is no."

What's more ... Callen claims Gabriel went as far as contacting comedy clubs and attempted to get them to drop him. He claims some comedy clubs have cut ties with him after Gabriel reached out to them.

This shopper could use a drink ... too bad she destroyed an entire rack of wine when she threw a fit over coronavirus precautions in a grocery store and got arrested.

The woman, who some are calling a "Karen," went HAM on the wine display inside a supermarket in Surrey, UK ... and it was all captured on surveillance cams. As you can see, she started pounding on the protective barrier at the register after staff reportedly reprimanded her for blowing off the one-way system being used to maintain social distancing ... and then she went to town on the wine rack.

The video is wild -- the woman clears a couple shelves full of wine bottles, shattering them on the floor and leaving a pool of red wine and broken glass in her wake. She seems to have gone for the good stuff too, wiping out the top-shelf vino.

Surrey Police tell TMZ ... they responded to the store and the woman was arrested for criminal damage and public order. We're told she's also been banned from the store.

The video is from back in May, during the height of the UK's lockdown, but it's going viral now as retailers say they're seeing more and more of this sort of behavior.

LeBron James is adamant he condemns ALL FORMS of violence ... including violent acts of revenge against police officers.

Following the Lakers game 3 playoff loss to the Denver Nuggets, Bron was asked whether he believes the spotlight he's put on bad cops and police brutality incites violence against law enforcement.

“I’ve never in my 35 years ever condoned violence. Never have," LeBron said.

"But, I also know what’s right is right and what’s wrong is wrong, and I grew up in the inner city in a Black community in what we call the hood or the ghetto, however you want to picture it. And, I’ve seen a lot of counts first hand of a lot of Black people being racially profiled because of our color."

LeBron has been very outspoken about several high profile police-involved shootings ... including the shooting of Breonna Taylor and Jacob Blake.

Many political pundits have suggested the narrative James is pushing puts cops in danger.

While James made it clear he doesn't condone violence -- and understands there are good people in law enforcement -- he also said he has personally witnessed cops racially profiling and improperly treating black people.

“I’m not saying that all cops are bad because I actually, throughout high school and things of that nature and I’m around them all the time and they’re not all bad," James said.

"But, when you see the videos that’s going on and you can see all over the, not only my hometown, but all over America, you continue to see the acts of violence towards my kind, I can’t do nothing but to speak about it and see the common denominator."

LeBron was also asked about the L.A. County Sheriff's suggestion that James should put up a 6-figure reward to help find the person who shot 2 Sheriff's Deputies in Compton.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg is lying in repose in the house where she left a remarkable imprint -- and the accolades were spectacular.

RBG's casket was carried into the Great Hall in the Supreme Court building as her current and former law clerks lined the steps of the building and then entered to pay respects.

Her casket was placed on the Lincoln Catafalque ... a distinct honor that is reserved for very special American dignitaries. She's the first woman and the first Jewish person ever to rest on the Catafalque.

Chief Justice Roberts spoke to the crowd, as the remaining 7 justices looked on.  He talked about her precision in writing her opinions, her brilliance, and her collegiality.

Roberts joked about the famous picture of Ruth and Antonin Scalia -- her close friend and ideological rival -- as they rode an elephant in India. People asked Ruth why she was sitting on the back of the elephant, behind Scalia. Her answer -- weight distribution.

Justice Ginsburg's casket will remain at the Supreme Court most of the day Wednesday and Thursday and there is a public viewing between 11 AM and 10 PM -- so as many people can come by and pay their respects. Normally, people would be allowed in -- like they were for Justice Antonin Scalia -- but the pandemic doesn't allow for that.

President Trump has indicated he will visit the Supreme Court building over the next couple days as well ... despite recently mocking her dying wish and suggesting it was faked.

There's more news about the Justice being honored -- her body will actually lie in state Friday at the U.S. Capitol, where her casket will be placed in National Statuary Hall. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says there'll also be a formal ceremony for invited guests only.

RBG will be the first woman and Jew to lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda.

She passed away last Friday after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

She was 87.

RIP

Chicago Bears legend Gale Sayers has died after a lengthy battle with dementia ... the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced Wednesday.

He was 77 years old.

Sayers -- despite only playing in 68 career games due to various injuries -- is considered one of the greatest running backs of all-time.

He made the All-Pro team FIVE times and was selected to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 1977 ... and, at 34 years old, is still the youngest person to ever be inducted.

HOF President and CEO David Baker said Wednesday the death rocked the football world ... adding, "The entire Pro Football Hall of Fame family mourns the passing of Gale."

"Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Ardie, and their entire family. We will forever keep his legacy alive to serve as inspiration for future generations. The Hall of Fame flag will fly at half-staff until he is laid to rest."

Gale was diagnosed with dementia several years ago ... and his condition had deteriorated so much, his wife, Ardie, said last year Gale was struggling to move and speak.

Sayers, though, famously made an appearance at the Bears100 celebration last summer ... and the ovation he got at the event appeared to move him to tears.

In his 7-year career, Gale rushed for 4,956 yards and scored 56 career touchdowns.

Sayers also gained fame for his friendship with Brian Piccolo -- which was documented in the award-winning movie, "Brian's Song."

Gale and Brian became pals while teammates with the Bears ... and after Piccolo was diagnosed with cancer, Sayers stayed by his side until Brian's tragic death in 1970.

Sayers -- who was played in the movie by Billy Dee Williams -- had often called Piccolo one of the best men he'd ever known.

RIP

MoneyBagg Yo is denying rumors he was the target in a shooting during his birthday celebration in Las Vegas.

The Memphis rapper and Yo Gotti protege addressed the incident that went down Tuesday, around 11 PM, outside the Aria Resort & Casino. As he put it on social media ... "Shot at who? Ain't no motherf***er shot at us" while sitting inside his brand new Maybach SUV ... a birthday gift from his GF.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... a group of people outside the Aria got into an altercation while in the valet section. At some point, during the fight, at least one person fired gunshots. Our sources say one woman suffered a minor grazing injury and was treated and released from the hospital.

Someone who was there was on Instagram Live when the shots rang out and captured the chaos. You can hear three shots at what sounds like pretty close range and then someone yells, "They're coming back" ... as tires screech.

We're told the shooting suspect remains at large and cops say the investigation is ongoing. While MoneyBagg Yo insists he was NOT the target this time ... there's good reason fans thought it was about him.

This mountain lion has a San Fran suburb on red alert, because it's been seen staring down kids at play! Yeah, things are getting hairy.

This big cat made its way into Timothy Kerrisk's yard in Pacifica, CA last weekend, and he recorded this video of it sitting by his front gate ... seemingly stalking kids who were riding their bikes just across the street.

Kerrisk tells KRON4 he thought it was a dog, like a German Shepherd, at first, but once he realized he was staring at a cougar ... he started shouting for the kids to get inside.

As you can see, the commotion made the big kitty decide to split ... so it jumped the fence and hid under a nearby truck for a bit. Kerrisk says the puma was still looking like it wanted to pounce though ... so he chased it away and over a hill.

Here's the scary part -- Kerrisk says the same mountain lion was going after his cat earlier in the day, then killed a deer behind his neighbor's house.

Cougar attacks on humans are very rare, but 2 people were killed by them in 2018. So ... yikes.

A father's instincts kicked in when gunshots rang out inside a car dealership ... covering his 3 kids with his body and taking a bullet for them.

The incident unfolded Monday night around 7:30 PM inside a car dealership in the Bronx when 3 men started shooting multiple rounds at a fourth guy, who returned fire.

Surveillance video shows the father sitting on a couch with his 3 small children when the bullets started flying. He immediately threw himself on top of the kids, dragging them to the floor and completely covering them with. Our law enforcement sources say the hero's name is Anthony Jefferson, and he was shot in his right thigh.

We're told Anthony was taken to a hospital and is in stable condition. The gunmen ultimately fled on foot. At this time it's unknown what led to the shooting, and police are searching for the suspects.

Vanessa Bryant is revealing some of the most cherished items she's collected over the years ... showing off her incredible keepsakes from Kobe's life.

Vanessa -- who proudly calls herself a "hoarder wife" -- shared some of her favorite items ... including Kobe's high school jersey and warmups, which she says their family did not get back until 2013.

"The fact that this was auctioned off and my husband had to buy this and more back is so sad," Vanessa said. "Glad we have it back."

Among the other items include the Adidas shoes Kobe wore during his first championship run with the Lakers ... as well as his champagne-soaked locker room shirt and shorts after winning the title in 2001.

"I keep EVERYTHING for my baby and our girls," Vanessa added.

Bryant also shared pics of Kobe's All-Star jerseys and autographed basketballs from the NBA events ... and his Lakers jacket from his "teenage years."

We know what you're thinking -- collectors would salivate over the idea of getting their hands on these items ... but it's clear they'll NEVER be for sale.

The Jacob Blake investigation is nearing its end, but before it crosses the finish line, a neutral third party has been looped in -- a former cop -- something a Blake family member is none too pleased about.

Jacob's uncle, Justin Blake, tells TMZ ... he feels the news about DOJ investigators bringing in former the Madison, WI police chief as a consultant in the probe is an open-palmed slap in the face.

Fact is ... he believes the so-called impartial second set of eyes announced this week, Noble Wray, can't be impartial. Justin believes he simply can't help but be biased against Jacob.

Wray is a retired chief who was on the force in Madison for years, a Wisconsin native ... and even has experience in legal consulting on the biggest stage. He served as a police reform specialist for the U.S. Department of Justice. But, Justin doesn't think Wray's accomplishments matter, because he says it's simply impossible for ANY law enforcement officer -- especially a former police chief -- to objectively reach conclusions about police brutality.

Justin favors putting a judge or even a politician in place of Wray.

ICYMI ... Wisconsin AG Josh Kaul and Kenosha County D.A. Michael Gravely said Monday they were going to have Wray -- who's African-American -- give a thorough review of the feds' DCI unit's findings in the case, offer up his analysis ... and then kick all of that back to Graveley's office for consideration on possible charges against Rusten Sheskey, and maybe others.

The process has dragged on for a month now -- the timeline the AG first gave to the public initially -- and now, it might be even longer before a final decision is made. The fact it's taken this long also irks Justin, who tells us he's been wanting more consistent updates.

Uncle Ben of Uncle Ben's rice is no more -- the parent company of the food brand ditched its logo, rooted in racism, and even whittled down the name as well to something much more kosher.

Mars Inc. revealed the changes Wednesday after getting called out for its logo back in June -- like several other brands like Aunt Jemima syrup. So, ya ready for it??? Uncle Ben's is now ... Ben's Original. That's it, nice and simple.

The company also did away with the photo of an older African-American man in a bow tie as their logo -- which some felt conjured up the idea of Black servitude. Now, it's just the lettering that remains -- same font and color scheme, really. Just no image attached.

The global president of Mars Inc., Fiona Dawson, said it was the right thing to do -- even though it might not be the easiest, and knowing they weren't going to please everyone. Big picture ... she says they listened to their customers and associates and felt it was time.

A lot of food brands committed to retiring their dated logos -- including Jemima and even Cream of Wheat, which features another Black man in a chef hat ... same issue as with Ben here.