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Kanye West is in the throes of a serious bipolar episode, our Kanye sources say, and those around him are concerned it has impacted his decision-making and some of the things he's said in the last week ... sources close to Kanye tell TMZ.

Our Kanye sources tell us, he suffers a serious bout with his bipolar disorder, usually once a year ... and our sources say Kanye's in the midst of one now.

As you know, Ye announced he's running for president via Twitter over the weekend, and also did a rambling interview with Forbes ... which drew harsh criticism, confusion and concern.

Our sources say his family and those close to him are worried, but they believe things will stabilize as they have in the past. The problem here, we're told -- Kanye's proclamations are causing problems.

Of course, Kanye's apparent bipolar episode hasn't kept him from garnering presidential campaign support from the likes of Elon Musk ... who hung with the rapper just days prior to his announcement.

Others are much more skeptical, and that skepticism likely grew in the wake of Kanye's wide-interview with Forbes ... in which he dumped Trump, slammed Biden, revealed he's running as part of a new party called the "Birthday Party," claimed he had COVID-19, pushed an anti-vaxx narrative and talked a lot about God.

What the interview didn't touch on, weirdly, was Kanye's mental health.

President Trump has "Black Lives Matter" all up in his face, metaphorically, as another giant yellow street mural is being completed outside Trump Tower on NYC's Fifth Avenue.

The street mural painting process began early Thursday morning, and a crowd has been gathering to watch. Mayor Bill de Blasio -- a longtime Trump nemesis -- is expected to take part in it at some point, so hard to say this isn't political.

It's unclear if there will also be a BLM protest, but it wouldn't be surprising ... as the project has been harshly opposed by the Prez.

As you may recall ... Trump blasted the plan for the mural last week in a series of tweets in which he said it would be "denigrating" to the luxury avenue and antagonize the NYPD.

He also accused Mayor de Blasio of hating and disrespecting police for supporting the BLM painting, which Trump referred to as a "symbol of hate."

The Mayor responded by saying ... "Here's what you don't understand: Black people BUILT 5th Ave and so much of this nation. Your 'luxury' came from THEIR labor, for which they have never been justly compensated. We are honoring them. The fact that you see it as denigrating your street is the definition of racism."

Consider this a PSA for all "Karens" out there ... you most certainly CAN be legally refused service for not wearing a face mask inside a private business -- just like this woman.

It's unclear when this incident went down or where but the video was posted on TikTok Wednesday showing a Karen going ballistic on a poor dental worker after being denied for a teeth cleaning appointment. She was told the policy is no mask, no cleaning ... and she was pissed.

Check out the video ... Karen's heard saying, "you're gonna work on my teeth, not my nose." She then tried covering her face with her hand, but that got her nowhere ... and her rage just got worse.

And, when they brought up taking her temperature before she could enter, she claimed that's illegal because dentists aren't MDs. Well, neither is your average restaurant owner, Karen, and they're taking temps too.

Anyway, the woman went on to make threats about talking to her lawyer and suing the dentist ... blah, blah, blah. Reality is ... she's out of touch with reality.

Obviously, private businesses in general have the right to refuse service to customers who violate their mask-wearing policy.

Businesses are also protected, especially if local or state governments have issued the mandate, like in New York where Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order that would allow businesses to refuse service to patrons who do NOT wear a mask.

Jewish NFL star Julian Edelman says he wants to have an "uncomfortable conversation" with DeSean Jackson about the WR's anti-Semitic IG post ... but he's hopeful the two can learn from each other.

Edelman broke his silence on Jackson Thursday morning ... saying he "wanted to take some time because it's a complicated issue and I wanted to be thoughtful."

As we previously reported, DeSean posted a quote on IG attributed to Hitler (though it's not a real Hitler quote) suggesting a secret Jewish conspiracy for global domination.

Edelman acknowledges Jackson posted some "ugly things" about Jews ... but notes, "I do see an opportunity to have a conversation."

The 34-year-old Super Bowl MVP explained his own experience with anti-Semitism -- and how he was called a hateful slur on the football field back in 2011.

He called on the Black and Jewish communities to listen and learn from each other ... and then made an offer to DeSean.

"DeSean, lets do a deal. How about we go to D.C. and I take you to the Holocaust Museum and then you take me to the Museum of African American History and Culture."

"Afterwards, we grab some burgers and we have those uncomfortable conversations. This world needs a little more love, compassion and empathy."

For his part, Jackson has said he's been meeting with Jewish leaders to try and educate himself about anti-Semitism.

A statue of Melania Trump near her hometown in Slovenia was torched over the weekend ... and the charred aftermath has now been removed.

The life-size wooden statue near Sevnica was set on fire on July 4, as the First Family celebrated Independence Day in the U.S. ... according to the American artist who commissioned the statue, Brad Downey.

Downey, who's based in Berlin, told reporters the statue was severely damaged and blackened by the flames ... so he had it taken down.

The artist says he wants to know why people did this, and police say they are investigating.

The Melania sculpture -- which features her in a blue coat similar to what she wore during President Trump's 2017 inauguration -- was carved with a chainsaw by local artist Ales "Maxi" Zupevc and unveiled last year.

It had been widely roasted, verbally that is, for not looking anything like the First Lady ... but Downey maintained it was "absolutely beautiful."

Melania's statue being set ablaze is surprising, though. As you'll recall ... her hometown was excited about her new status in America back in January 2017, and Sevnica's tourism industry boomed because of it.

The Black man who says he was nearly lynched on the 4th of July has mixed feelings about the feds taking up his case -- because he doubts they truly care.

We spoke to Vauhxx Booker -- the alleged victim of a hate crime, who was pinned to a tree by white men, one of whom he claims threatened to "get a noose" -- and he says the FBI deciding to investigate is probably more about public pressure than wanting justice.

The reason he feels that way ... Vauhxx says the guys who allegedly attacked him last weekend are still not in custody, despite some pretty damn compelling video evidence.

ICYMI ... Vauhxx was at Lake Monroe near Bloomington, Indiana with 5 of his white friends, crossing a trail in the woods to catch an eclipse.

They came across this group of white guys on ATVs -- one of whom Vauhxx says was wearing a Confederate flag hat, while another allegedly cried out "white power." Vauhxx says they told him and his friends to scram because they were on private property.

When they refused to leave, it escalated into what you see here. Vauhxx sincerely believes he would've been hanged if his friends didn't intervene, but he's less thankful about how local cops dealt with the situation.

He tells us the officer ended up lecturing him about property rights, instead of arresting the men for allegedly trying to murder him. As a result, he says he's lost faith in the system ... but still wants his day in court.

The organizer of a "Trump Supporter Gathering" at the site of slain singer Selena's statue in Corpus Christi, TX is getting shut down by the city, but he's vowing to do it anyway.

We broke the story ... Joe Michael Perez already got threatened with a lawsuit from Selena's dad, Abraham Quintanilla, Jr., for allegedly infringing on her name, image and likeness for the July 11 event. Now, he's also running the risk of becoming a criminal.

Shelly Rios, Corpus Christi's Interim Program Manager for Cultural Services & Special Events tells us ... Perez would normally be issued a "spontaneous demonstration permit" for his planned public event, but it got rejected ... and not because of his politics.

Instead, the problem is the coronavirus. Texas currently doesn't allow for groups of more than 10 people to congregate in a space, so Rios says if Perez and other Trump supporters show up at the statue ... law enforcement will instruct them to leave.

Perez says his group of at least 150 people is defiant, and still planning to go. He says if police arrive, he'll tell them they are there peacefully and won't leave.

As we told you ... Perez has been using a photo of him taken last month -- when he put a Trump hat on the Selena statue -- to promote his Trump-stumping event on Facebook.

Selena's father warned Perez to delete the Facebook event page and stop producing Selena-related merchandise ... or he'd sue him.

David Ruprecht wants in on the new "Supermarket Sweep" fun, but with a different J-O-B -- the former host says he's is in the running to be the announcer.

David, who hosted 'Sweep' from 1990 to 1995 and again from 2000 to 2003, tells TMZ ... he auditioned with honchos at ABC for an announcing position and says he's still on the short list for the role.

If ya hadn't heard, the new host is former 'SNL' star Leslie Jones -- but David says he'd love to carry on the classic game show's legacy by putting on a new hat for the reboot. He even gave us his announcing pitch.

It sounds like he's in game shape ... ready to share play-by-play of shoppers running around grocery stores throwing hams and turkeys into their carts.

While David hosted the show for almost 10 years, he doubts his wealth of experience will help Leslie. While she hasn't reached out to him for hosting tips, he knows she doesn't need it because she's already a pro.

"He's gonna be a target. He's got a target on his back. Wait and see."

That's "Shark Tank" star Barbara Corcoran warning Patrick Mahomes that with giant fortune comes giant scammers trying to take your money!

But, if you know anything about Barbara, you know she's a gangster when it comes to finance ... and she's dishing out some sage advice for the QB so he can STAY RICH for the rest of his life.

So, what should the KC Chiefs QB do with the $500 mil he's expected to make over the next 12 years?

"First of all, it's not $500 million," Barbara says ... "Remember, he has an Uncle named Sam. He's gonna have to pay him $250 million so he really only has $250 million. Bear that in mind."

Corcoran explains, "The first thing he should do is put it in the bank. Not do a thing! I know because when I sold my business, every creep came out of the woodwork with a $10,000 problem. Everybody is after your money and you can't trust anybody."

Barbara says it took her at least a year to realize how to turn people down effectively -- and the key is to hire a "bad guy" to tell people "no."

"The most important thing is before he buys that big house and a big jet ... he's gotta figure out how much money he needs to live on."

"He's a kid but he's gonna live a lot of years! So for every $25 million he puts away, he's going to get a $1 million income for the rest of his life"

"He should figure out, I need $1 million? I need 2 million? I need 5 million? And put that money aside. That's what he's gotta do."

Corcoran says Patrick should spend some time with her "Shark Tank" pal Alex Rodriguez -- who has become a major real estate investor.

That's saying something considering A-Rod reportedly made more than $441 million in MLB contract money!

There's more ... Corcoran also has a business strategy for Patrick -- and it's pretty damn smart! Watch the video and if you have the money, you might wanna take her advice!!

She also offered this final warning to the 24-year-old NFL superstar ...

"Let me tell you something, the more money you make, the more creeps you attract. The more people dressed in fancy suits, and not some fancy suit, friends or family -- all come out and are after your money."

Los Angeles native Jason Hervey was only 16 years old when he shot to stardom after landing the role of the bully big brother Wayne Arnold -- who regularly ribs on his younger sibling Kevin and gives him rude nicknames -- on the iconic '80s television show "The Wonder Years."

Jason Hervey was cast alongside a now-classic group of actors including Danica McKellar as the girl next door, Winnie Cooper ... and of course Fred Savage as the awkward brother Kevin Arnold.

Before his break on "The Wonder Years," Hervey could be spotted in movies like "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure," "Back To The Future" and "Meatballs Part II."

'Platinum' Mike Perry -- a star in the UFC -- punched an elderly man in the face at a Texas restaurant Tuesday night in a violent, angry rage ... and the entire incident was caught on video.

Witnesses tell TMZ Sports ... the whole thing started when Perry got into a physical altercation with someone at his table at the Table 82 restaurant in Lubbock, TX around 10:30 PM on Tuesday night.

We're told a restaurant staffer approached Perry -- who had been ordering Berry Mojitos -- and asked him to leave the restaurant.

But instead of leaving, the witness says Perry PUNCHED the employee in the eye. We're told the employee suffered injuries.

That's when our video begins ... you can see people -- including Perry's girlfriend -- are trying to get Mike to leave the restaurant, but he won't go peacefully and drops several N-bombs on the way out.

It doesn't appear the N-word was directed at any Black people in the restaurant -- Perry is known to casually throw the word around in daily conversation.

As Perry and his GF left the dining area and walked outside, several men followed him out ... and things again escalated.

One of the older men got too close to Perry and Mike swung -- connecting with a haymaker from his right hand.

The older man went down -- and we're told he was later transported to a hospital with injuries.

As for Perry, he sat down on a ledge and challenged witnesses to call police -- which they did.

When cops arrived, we're told a report was taken but Perry was NOT arrested. We're still trying to get more info from law enforcement.

Aside from the alleged battery, we're told Perry also left without paying his bill and sources tell us the restaurant is considering pursuing a theft charge.

We reached out to Table 82 for comment and a rep for the restaurant told us, "Pending the criminal investigation, we prefer not to comment further because one of the victims was an employee of our company who had asked Mr. Perry to leave."

We reached out to Perry for comment but didn't hear back. However he did offer an official "no comment" on his Twitter page.

Perry is 14-6 as a professional MMA fighter -- defeating Mickey Gall on June 27 ... with his GF acting as his cornerman.

The whole incident reminds us of Conor McGregor -- who also punched an elderly man at a pub in Ireland back in 2019.

The driver who plowed into protesters on a Seattle freeway, killing one and seriously injuring another, was just charged with vehicular homicide.

The King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office filed new charges Wednesday against Dawit Kelete for the fatal crash, which happened in the early hours of July 4 on a stretch of the I-5 that was closed to traffic.

Kelete is charged with vehicular homicide, vehicular assault and reckless driving. He is in jail after prosecutors asked a judge to hold him on $1.2 million bail.

Prosecutors say Kelete, who was initially arrested and charged with 2 counts of vehicular assault, could be hit with additional charges pending the outcome of an ongoing investigation being conducted by the State Patrol and FBI. His initial charges were upgraded Wednesday because one of the protesters died after the incident.

24-year old Summer Taylor is the protester who died later that night in the hospital. The other protester who was injured, Diaz Love, remains in the ICU in serious condition.

"I wonder why Senator Loeffler wants to even be involved with a brand that just doesn't align with her views."

That's 2-time WNBA champ Renee Montgomery talking about her boss -- Atlanta Dream co-owner Kelly Loeffler -- after Loeffler slammed the league for its plans to incorporate Black Lives Matter in the 2020 season restart.

As we previously reported, Loeffler -- a U.S. senator from Georgia -- is strongly against the WNBA's social justice plans ... and even penned a letter to the WNBA Commissioner explaining her position.

"I adamantly oppose the Black Lives Matter political movement, which has advocated for the defunding of police, called for the removal of Jesus from churches and the disruption of the nuclear family structure, harbored anti-Semitic views, and promoted violence and destruction across the country," Sen. Loeffler said in her letter.

"I believe it is totally misaligned with the values and goals of the WNBA and the Atlanta Dream, where we support tolerance and inclusion."

"The truth is, we need less -- not more politics in sports. In a time when polarizing politics is as divisive as ever, sports has the power to be a unifying antidote."

Montgomery -- who recently announced she's opting out of the 2020 restart to focus on social justice issues -- says she's read Loeffler's comments, and she has a question for the Senator.

"I'm just curious, I wonder why Senator Loeffler wants to be involved with a brand that just doesn't align with her views. I don't understand the connection," Renee said on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs nightly on FS1).

"If the Republican views are very different than what the WNBA stands for, what the Atlanta Dream stands for, why do you want to be a part of it?"

Montgomery says she's trying to understand where Loeffler is coming from ... and hopes the two can sit down face-to-face and have a constructive conversation.

"Have your people call my people. For real. Let's talk about it," Renee says ... "I think that when people have such opposing views that maybe we won't agree, but we can come together and have an understanding. So, let's talk."

We asked Renee if she thinks players will boycott as a result of Loeffler's comments -- she doesn't think that will happen.

"I don't because l think that they know the coach doesn't feel that way, that the GM doesn't feel that way, that multiple coaches don't feel that way. So, I think that when the person you're talking to every day or working with every day is assuring you that they don't feel that way, I think the players will still continue to play."

A Black NYPD cop recorded himself making fun of societal calls for police to be more cautious during arrests -- and while he and his buddies thought it was hilarious ... D.L. Hughley says this guy's part of the problem.

The officer, whose video's been reposted on social media, does an impersonation of how he thinks cops are expected to act and carry themselves post-George Floyd.

Long story short ... he's basically doing the most to make it seem like cops have no power or authority anymore, and that they have to be totally soft on criminals they encounter.

The officer improv'd an entire skit for friends, presumably cops, who you can hear laughing in the background. He acts out making an arrest while taking extra care not to offend the suspect or handle them roughly.

D.L. found the video and reposted it himself, condemning the officer as delusional for his take.

He writes, "I guess he forgot that w/out that uniform he’s a #BLACKMAN in #America." D.L. continues ... "The delusion that, that uniform affords you the same privileges as your white counterparts, will probably catch up to your goofy ass one day. Ignorance is bliss and in cases like this, IT’S ALSO DANGEROUS!! YOU, OFFICER, ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM!!"

Adam Lambert's finally saying sayonara to his crib in the Hollywood Hills ... cause someone else will be idolizing it after plunking down a good chunk-o-change.

The 2009 "American Idol" runner-up just sold his 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom crib for $2.92 million. You'll recall the singer put the house up for sale back in August 2019 ... five years after originally buying it. He had no problem finding a new spot ... dropping $6.5 million for an awesome new pad with home theater and wine cellar.

Back to the Hollywood Hills crib ... it's a perfect contemporary blend of style and private oasis. It features city light views from the main level with a sliding glass wall. Big wine drinkers will love the floor-to-ceiling climate-controlled wine wall as well as a home theater and gym. The backyard's sick too ... with 2 reflecting pools and a 10-person spa and fire pit. Friends not included ... but with this backyard, it won't be hard to make some.

George Floyd was startled by cops when they first arrived on the scene that led to his death ... because he claimed he'd been shot before.

Thomas Lane -- one of the former officers charged in Floyd's death -- is seeking to have his charges dismissed ... and included transcripts from bodycam footage as evidence.

The transcripts are from 2 body-worn cameras -- Lane's and his codefendant, J. Alexander Kueng -- and they show Floyd seemingly unsettled as Lane approached, briefly drew his weapon and told Floyd to show his hands.

According to the transcript, Floyd said ... "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. God dang man. Man, I got shot. I got shot the same way, Mr. Officer, before."

Lane then asked a woman who was in the car with Floyd why he was "getting all squirrelly" and not showing his hands right away, and "just being all weird like that?" ... to which the woman suggested maybe "because he's been shot before."

The transcript from Kueng's camera reveals he then helped escort Floyd from his vehicle across the street to sit down, at which time Floyd thanked him and gave his ID info then said ... "I got shot last time, same thing, man."

Kueng then informed Floyd he was being detained on suspicion of passing a fake bill, which led to a struggle by Kueng and Lane to get him into the back of a squad car ... which eventually led to him going to the ground and Derek Chauvin's involvement, as seen in the notorious video.

According to the transcript, while Floyd was on the ground, one of the officers said ... "Man, you going to die of a heart attack. Just get in the car."

As they continued to restrain Floyd on the ground, Lane asked, "Should we get his legs up?" ... but was shut down by Chauvin and Kueng. As the officers continued to debate whether Floyd was high on something, Floyd continued to plead that he couldn't breathe, saying ... "I can't breathe. Please, your knee on my neck. I can't breathe, sh*t."

According to the Kueng transcript, Floyd's final words were "I can't breathe," followed by "Please sir, please" and a final "Please." At this point, Lane asked if they should move him on his side but was again told no by Chauvin, who added ... "That's why we got the ambulance coming." Lane responded, "Okay, I suppose," but later expressed concern Floyd was about to pass out.

Lane filed a motion Wednesday to dismiss the charges against him -- aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter Wednesday -- arguing he "did not intentionally aid, advise, hire, counsel, or conspire with [Derek] Chauvin or otherwise procure Chauvin to commit second-degree murder."