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Here's a strange scene right out of the Big Apple about a week and change out from Election Day -- hundreds of people lined around city blocks to vote in person at the first opportunity available.

The first day of early, in-person voting started Saturday in NYC ... and a WHOLE LOT of New Yorkers were eager to get out the vote the good old-fashioned way -- namely, standing in line for hours in chilly weather, just to cast their ballot and make sure it went through.

The good news ... many of them (we'd say the vast majority) are wearing face coverings and appear to be social distancing as best they can out there. The weird part ... just seeing the throngs of bodies insistent on voting in person, when voting by mail is an easier option and has actually been encouraged.

It's interesting ... the sheer number of people who seem dead set on exercising their right in this fashion -- especially during a pandemic, and especially in a place that used to be the epicenter of said pandemic. In our minds, it speaks to a couple of things happening.

For one, President Trump has waged a war against mail-in voting (and voting in general) ... constantly sowing doubt about the legitimacy of the process, suggesting voter fraud is rampant and even stripping down the Post Office from the inside out, via a lack of funding and a new Post Master General -- who's implemented a lot of what Trump's demanded.

We've seen reports of mailboxes being yanked out of the ground and sorting machines sidelined ... not to mention long delays in mail delivery, so people have reason to worry.

Barack Obama really should consider taking up stand-up comedy in retirement, because the dude's got some great jokes about President Trump ... especially when he's in Florida.

44 was at a rally Saturday in Miami, where he was campaigning for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. While addressing a crowd of drive-in supporters, he lobbed some zingers at DT's expense -- likening him to the infamous/reckless "Florida Man" who makes headlines every now and then ... oftentimes for absurd things.

Welp, not even Florida Man would do some of the stuff Trump has done in office -- like nonstop tweeting, threatening critics with prison time and countless other bizarre acts -- at least according to BO. He says we wouldn't tolerate this type of stuff from virtually anyone else in our lives, so why take it from the leader of our country?

Barack also talked about the façade of being tough -- something he says Trump is none of deep down, but something Joe actually is ... since he's been there and done that on the biggest stage. Another point Obama made -- if elected, folks wouldn't have to constantly hear about Joe and Kamala in office, unlike now ... where Trump runs the news cycle daily.

The deadly hornets nest discovered in Washington is no more -- because some badass wildlife experts suited up and got rid of the damn thing ... with some crazy equipment in hand.

A group of scientists and entomologists working for the Washington State Department of Agriculture's Pest Program got up early Saturday morning and headed out to where the nest was recently found at a residential area in Blaine, WA -- right near the Canadian border.

The team was up and at 'em before the sun was even out, and it was all strategic ... they wanted to sneak up on the tree where the murder hornets had burrowed themselves inside and suck them out using some sort of a vacuum, catching the hive by surprise.

There was more to it than just that though -- apparently, they flooded the trunk of the tree with a paralyzing foam, wrapped a good portion of it in plastic to contain them even further ... and then got to the business of sucking them down and in different tubes, which they later showed off to the cameras that were standing by for the mission. It's pretty neat.

The hornets that were killed are said to be going "on ice" for further study -- but rest assured, they're not active anymore and pose no threat. The WSDA deemed the task a success, so it sounds like they got all of those buggers in one shot. Remember, there were dozens spotted entering and exiting the tree ... a hornets nest is said to be able to house up to 200 at a time. That explains the abundance of protective gear ... definitely necessary.

The nest sighting comes a few months after reports of the first Asian murder hornets here in the U.S. sent folks into a panic ... this as coronavirus pandemic was just getting underway. Since then, scientists have done a great job at tracking them -- and now, killing them too.

Khabib Nurmagomedov just RETIRED FROM MMA -- after choking out Justin Gaethje at UFC 254.

Wow.

Khabib essentially said he doesn't want to continue in the sport without his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, who passed away earlier this year after a bout with COVID-19.

Gaethje proved dangerous -- throwing bombs as the lightweight champ -- but ultimately, Khabib's ground game was too strong ... and he caught Justin in a triangle choke in the 2nd round. Gaethje was rendered unconscious but came to moments later. He's fine.

Afterward, Khabib broke down in the Octagon sobbing ... overcome with emotion in his first fight since the passing of his father.

Justin and Khabib embraced after the fight -- nothing but respect between these two.

"God give me everything," Khabib said in the post fight interview ... "This is my last fight. Ain't no way I come here without my father."

32-year-old Khabib ends his career 29-0 -- defeating superstars like Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, Gaethje and more.

Khabib says he's thought long and hard about his career -- and is certain his decision to retire will stand. It's not a publicity stunt.

In fact, Khabib left his gloves in the center of the Octagon -- a tradition from fighters to symbolize the end of their career.

Next stopgap UFC Hall of Fame ... he'll go down in MMA history as one of the greatest of all time.

Conor McGregor posted a respectful message to Khabib after the fight -- saying, "Good performance. I will carry on. Respect and condolences on your father again also."

President Trump thinks Sacha Baron Cohen is an unfunny jerk who tried, but ultimately failed, to fool him years ago -- and to that, SBC says ... appreciate the plug, DT!!!

POTUS gave a harsh critique of Sacha and his work as Borat, especially as it pertains to the sequel that just came out this week. He told reporters on Air Force 1 that he didn't really know what the new fuss was all about -- it's about Rudy Giuliani, if he isn't aware -- but went on to say Sacha tried duping him a while back, but that he called out his whole act.

Trump reportedly said, "That's a phony guy and I don't find him funny." He also called him a "creep," and it appears Borat himself caught wind of the insult ... and promptly replied.

Sacha writes, "Donald—I appreciate the free publicity for Borat! I admit, I don’t find you funny either. But yet the whole world laughs at you." He also offers Trump a job while making a presumption about Election Day results.

What Trump's referring to when he says he caught Sacha in the act dates back to the mid-2000s, when SBC got Donald to agree to a sit-down interview with another popular character he plays ... Ali G. Ali tries pitching Trump on an ice cream invention, but Trump remains stoic throughout and eventually leaves the interview entirely. No gotchas, no scandal.

Trump has maintained over the years he saw right through Sacha's bit, which is why he cut the interview short and left abruptly. Sacha doesn't think that's entirely true, but in any case ... he's never been able to completely prank the guy -- unlike Trump's adviser, Rudy.

If you hadn't heard, Giuliani is one of Borat's "victims," if you will, in the new flick -- and is actually caught in what some might describe as a compromising situation with Sacha/Borat's sidekick, who's portraying a reporter.

After interviewing him, she invites him into her bedroom for a drink and removes his microphone and untucks his shirt. Then Rudy puts his hand down his pants, seemingly to tuck in his shirt, but Sacha's claimed it was more creepy.

For his part, Rudy has since claimed nothing inappropriate was going on and that he was just tucking in his shirt. Sacha and co. argue the opposite -- asking ... who knows where it would've gone if left uninterrupted?

A family in New Mexico just got a helping hand after their young son was spotted using his closed school's WiFi ... since there was none available to him at home.

Roswell resident Angel Endecott says a good Samaritan stepped up and volunteered to pay for her family's Internet service for a year after a photo of her 10-year-old, Jonathon, sitting outside of his shuttered elementary school went viral, depicting him lying on the floor outside his school while using a computer for class time. The reason ... he needed access to WiFi.

Jonathon's mom says she and her husband had lost their jobs during the pandemic, and as a result ... had to cut off their Internet provider, among other things. Jonathon's still doing online learning, so they suggested he hit up the nearby campus to get a signal.

Luckily, the story had already gotten picked up after a few weeks of this ... so Endecott and co. don't have to worry about WiFi anymore. She says she's got other problems though, and has opened a GoFundMe account to solicit donations. Another GoFundMe to help other kids at the school who might not have WiFi has also been created. Both have raised thousands of dollars.

Jonathon's predicament is reminiscent of another one in California, where two little girls had to resort to hitting up a local Taco Bell for Internet. Just goes to show ... this isn't an isolated problem, and that schools offer a lot more than a basic education to a lot of families.

Kanye West and Joe Rogan finally had their recorded sit-down, touching on lots of different topics ... including the fact Ye's willing to make a pitstop on his way to the White House.

Ye appeared on Joe's hugely popular podcast, "The Joe Rogan Experience" Friday -- and it just went online Saturday ... running nearly 3 hours long. There's a lot to unpack, but what stood out to us right away -- Kanye saying he's down to run for Governor of California.

Naturally, Joe opened the show asking Kanye why he was running for President, which led to Ye recounting the fact that he was inspired in the shower around 2015 -- something he's mentioned before -- and how he feels a higher power calling him to serve and lead.

While discussing his political journey, Kanye said he was open to running for Gavin Newsom's job if it helped him get his feet wet ... but insists the presidency is his ultimate goal, even if that means trying again in 2024, and even if it means running as a Dem.

Another interesting nugget in all that political chatter ... Kanye claims Oprah actually discouraged him from running when he first said he would at the 2015 VMAs.

That just scratches the surface of what else they got into (politics and otherwise) -- in fact, we encourage you to go listen for yourself, 'cause it was truly a fascinating episode.

Kanye also talked medication, his mental health, religion, abortion, the music and entertainment industry, family and so, so many other things. He and Joe also discussed race, of which Kanye made a lot of interesting, and perhaps controversial, points. Namely, he believes much of the way white Americans treat African-Americans is inherently racist and meant to keep Black people down, even if they appear like advocates on the surface.

To make his point, he brought up the argument that Disney has essentially erased what a true "Black Panther" is ... because the Internet is now flooded with their movie, which Kanye thinks was actually meant to be a distraction by a "white man" and a "white company."

He also brings up Black History Month -- and the idea that Americans constantly putting "Black" in front of occasions and moments like that actually serve as reminders to Black people that they were once considered lesser-than ... which he doesn't think is healthy or helpful. Basically ... he's sick of qualifying Black achievements and progress, and wants to redefine how we talk about it as a whole. Ye also re-invoked the name of Harriet Tubman, but this time ... he had more time to flesh out his thoughts and put it in context (ish).

Still, some might find his train of thought a bit backwards ... almost in the vein of his "slavery was a choice" remark, which also caught him some heat at the time. Watch his full thoughts and judge for yourself.

An African-American man was arrested Friday because he refused to show cops his ID during a traffic stop in which he was a passenger ... and wait till you see how cops manhandled him.

The guy's name is Antoine. He was driving with his wife/girlfriend, Heather Janney, in Anne Arundel County, Maryland when she was pulled over for going 45 in a 30 MPH zone. For some reason cops wanted to see Antoine's identification, and he resisted, saying this was a simple traffic ticket and there was no reason for a passenger to show ID.

Cops clearly didn't see it that way. They placed him under arrest and then dragged him out of the car.

Antoine kisses Heather before he's removed from the car. You hear her cry as she videotapes him getting cuffed and taken away.

It looks like their newborn baby may be in the car.

Heather says they're lawyering up.

President Trump just racked up another vote in his column ... his own.

Trump hit the polls early Saturday in West Palm Beach, FL, telling his supporters, "I voted for a guy named Trump."

Trump was a longtime New York voter, but he changed his residence last year to Mar-a-Lago, in Florida. He has beef with New York -- especially NYC -- because he says the Big Apple has treated him unfairly.

Trump tweeted, "JUST VOTED. A great honor!"

Trump said in-person voting was preferable to mail in, but remember -- he has voted absentee twice this year.

Elon Musk has said he's moving shop -- as in Tesla shop -- to the Lonestar State, but he said something Friday night that made us wonder if the plan's still a go.

We got the Tesla/SpaceX honcho in WeHo Friday night at Boa, and asked about a couple of things. Our photog wanted the lowdown on Elon's plan to divest himself of his worldly possessions, ala John Lennon's "Imagine."  We specifically asked about the legendary home he sold that was once owned by Gene Wilder.

Elon told us he sold it to Gene's nephew, on condition -- that he retains its character. Elon sold it under market, possibly because he's a big Wilder fan -- we're guessing "Willy Wonka."

As we reported, Elon's shedding 2 massive homes in California ... Gene's home which was listed at $9.5 million and another estate listed at $30 million.

As for the move ... it seemed Elon was moving to Austin, and he said a few days ago he planned to open a Tesla giga-factory in Texas.

But, Friday night we ask Elon, "Is that why you sold the house because you're taking Tesla out of California. Are You Leaving?" He replies, "No, I'm not."

'Bachelorette' contestant Dale Moss had some tricks up his sleeve before becoming a contestant on the show.

We found these pics of Dale who was modeling costumes for Party City Halloween.  The costumes are, well, interesting. Check out Dale in a taco get, a jacked Superman and an adult centurion. He posed for the pics in 2016 and 2017.

Dale's the fav to steal the heart of Clare Crawley ... in fact, he's rumored to be her fiance.  When Clare met Dale, she said, "I think I just met my husband."

This season has been riddled with drama, but the centerpiece has been the relationship between Dale and Clare.

A road rage incident turned potentially deadly when one of the idiots pulled out a gun and fired at the other idiot ... and it was all captured on video.

It went down Friday at a Walmart in Bonney Lake, Washington. The video begins mid-rage when the guy gets violently thrown to the ground. He's able to stand and unsteadily walks to his car, where he grabs what looks like a weapon.

The other driver leaves, and the guy delivers a parting shot by slamming his hand on the back of the car.

The other jerk actually drives back for more, and then the guy with the gun -- who's covered in blood -- starts shooting. It looks like he's shooting at the tires, but who knows.

Legendary country singer/songwriter Jerry Jeff Walker, famous for writing one of the most iconic country/folk/pop songs ever has died.

Jerry had a storied career, but his crowning achievement came when he got inspired after meeting a New Orleans street performer in a drunk tank. That interaction led to the song, "Mr. Bojangles," which he recorded in 1968. The song didn't hit big until 2 years later, when the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band recorded it and it became a huge hit.

"Mr. Bojangles" became a staple for numerous singers who covered it ... Bob Dylan, Sammy Davis Jr., Neil Diamond, Harry Belafonte, King Curtis, Dolly Parton, Nina Simone and more.

Jerry was born in New York back in 1942 and spent a lot of time as a young adult in Greenwich Village in the folk scene back in the '60s. He migrated in the '70s to Austin, and is considered a founding father of the City's vibrant music scene.

He had famous pals, including Willie Nelson, who hit it big, but Jerry didn't seem to crave the spotlight and was better known for his songwriting and his efforts to make Texas a musical force, which he did. He did, however, record 36 albums, including the awesome, "Up Against the Wall Redneck Mother." He's considered one of the founding fathers of Texas country music.

Jerry helped form a couple of bands years ago, including the Lost Gonzo Band and a record company, Tried & True. He experimented with outlaw rock, blues, and Mexican-influenced music.

Jerry was a hard-living guy and made no secret of his penchant for alcohol and drugs.

Jerry revealed in 2017 he had throat cancer and pneumonia, and it was so bad it looked like he might not make it, but he was able to recover. His former publicist tells TMZ, Jerry's wife told him 2 months ago to prepare an obituary. The publicist says Jerry died from cancer and related ailments.

He released his last album a year later ... "It's About Time."

Jerry married his manager, Susan, in 1974. He's survived by Susan, his daughter Jessie Jane and son, musician Django.

Jerry was 78.

President Trump's claim wind "kills all the birds" is a bunch of hot air ... according to one of the country's largest bird conservation orgs. which says Trump's the real danger.

Trump raised eyebrows, and drew a laugh from Joe Biden, during Thursday's debate, when he declared wind-powered energy kills birds.

Kevin Fahey, the vice president for the Kern Audubon Society, isn't laughing though ... he says Trump's claim couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, he insists POTUS could care less about birds, because he's done lots of things to threaten their existence.

The organization says the biggest danger to birds is not windmills or wind-powered energy, as Trump would have you believe ... instead, we're told global climate change is the real grim reaper, and the best solutions for that existential threat are solar and wind power.

Kevin thinks Trump's not concerned with bird safety ... he says the comments are more likely about Trump's dislike for an alternative -- nonfossil fuel -- energy sources. Kevin points out Trump's administration has tried to roll back many regulations designed to protect birds, including the 100-year-old Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

Trump's not completely wrong about windmills killing birds, but as with most of POTUS' claims, there's a catch.

Kevin says there have been bird deaths related to wind-power generation, but newer wind turbines are much safer for birds -- they spin slower and are much larger -- and some models are even equipped with bird detection devices that turn off the turbines when birds are in danger.

Danny Trejo wants voting rights restored to felons who've paid their debt to society, but while they're on the inside ... he thinks Kim Kardashian's doing more to help than President Trump.

We got the actor -- who spent years in various prisons back in the day -- at Trejo's Cantina in Hollywood, and asked him if prisoners should be allowed to vote from behind bars, or while on probation or parole.

Danny says ex-inmates should be allowed to vote, along with people being held in county jails before they've been convicted. He's staunchly in favor of states -- like Florida has done -- restoring voting rights to folks who complete their prison bids.

As for prison reform's impact on the election -- Danny scoffs at President Trump tooting his own horn. Despite, the fact POTUS signed the First Step Act into law ... Trejo doesn't think he deserves all the credit.

We're rounding the corner on the final turn until the election, and police departments are bracing for violence, regardless of who wins. So we gotta ask ...