THIS is some real-life superhero stuff -- a good Samaritan pulling a driver to safety just as his flame-engulfed vehicle starts to explode ... and it's all on video.
The dramatic rescue went down in St. Louis, where the life-saving hero, Antonio Morgan, encountered the burning vehicle Tuesday on Interstate-70 and noticed the driver, Keilen Robinson, slumped over with his car on fire.
Antonio pulled over and sprung into action, telling his teenage son they had to save the driver.
With flames from the engine licking at his face, Antonio struggled to pull Keilen to safety before realizing he was still buckled in the driver's seat. After one explosion, Antonio had to step back, but quickly returned to unhook the seat belt and drag Keilen away from the burning wreck.
A second hero was Johnny, on the spot with a fire extinguisher to prevent any more explosions. He got a well-deserved bear hug from Antonio when all was said and done.
Keilen got super lucky, saying he only suffered a scratch to his finger. His mom says Antonio is a "guardian angel." Check out the video ... mama's right.
Tamar Braxton is opening up about her attempt to end her own life, claiming her years in the reality TV business and the "toxic, systemic bondage" that dwells there almost killed her ... but now she's healing and speaking up.
Tamar says the July 16 incident was "my attempt to end my pain and my life," and only by God's grace and mercy did she make it out alive.
As you know ... Tamar was rushed to a hospital July 16 after her boyfriend, David Adefeso, called 911 from their hotel room in downtown L.A. EMTs found her unconscious inside her room when they arrived.
Tamar says her pain has been building for 11 years, and had eaten away her spirit and caused her to suffer mental illness. She says over the past 5 years, in particular, she has been overworked, underpaid, taken advantage of and betrayed by reality TV producers. She flat out accuses them ... claiming they "filmed the damage made, for monetary gain."
She says over 2 months ago, she wrote a letter to WE tv -- the network producing her new series, "Get Ya Life!" -- asking to be freed from her contract and explained the "demise" she was experiencing. She claims her cry for help was ignored.
Instead, she says the network pushed forward with the new series, which she says tainted her spirit and her soul. She adds ... "It was witnessing the death of the woman I knew, that discouraged my will to fight. I felt like I was no longer living, I was existing for the purpose of corporations gain, and that killed me."
Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... the final straw for Tamar was when she viewed the first episode of "Get Ya Life!" and felt the network and producers did everything they promised they wouldn't ... including portraying her as the "angry black woman" who was choosing a man over her family.
We're also told she was very upset about how her BF, David, was used by the network and came off in the show.
Now, as we first reported, sources connected to the Braxton family told us the family believes it was David who got angry about his portrayal in that first episode, and that's what fueled Tamar's emotions.
First episode aside, Tamar clearly has a bigger issue with reality TV and its treatment of minorities. As she put it, "They promise us opportunity but produce exploitation."
As we've reported ... WE tv has delayed the premiere of Tamar's new show until September as she focuses on healing. However, our sources say she does not want it to air at all.
A dramatic rescue scene played out in Kansas when an SUV driver slammed into a city bus, but kept his foot on the gas and wouldn't let up.
It all went down in Wichita after a 41-year-old guy crashed his black Escalade crashed into the back of the commuter bus. According to reports ... the SUV driver suffered a medical emergency, triggering the crash.
That explains why the driver also kept his foot on the gas pedal. Check out the video ... the tires were screeching and smoke was billowing everywhere during the Tuesday incident. Good Samaritans frantically jumped into action, with one man literally punching the SUV's passenger's side window in an effort to get in and take control of the Escalade.
The SUV actually pushed the bus forward for a while before coming to a stop!
The same man who punched the window eventually forced his way inside with a hammer and a fire extinguisher before he finally got the driver's foot off the pedal and stopped the vehicle.
The SUV driver was pulled out safely and reportedly suffered only minor injuries.
Barstool Sports guys Dan "Big Cat" Katz and PFT Commenter are putting their bodies through the wringer, but this time ... their shenanigans are all about helping children.
The "Pardon My Take" podcast hosts hold a fundraiser like this every year -- something they call "Grit Week" -- but due to the pandemic, they had to get creative with their grittiness this year.
So, the fellas decided to put themselves to the test to show their commitment to the charity drive for the Children's Miracle Hospital Network ... with a full 24 hours of beer and hot dogs.
Starting Wednesday morning, PFT drank a beer every hour and Big Cat downed a dog ... and they live streamed the whole thing for their massive podcast audience.
The obvious questions are how'd they hold up, and which was worse -- the nonstop alcohol or the processed meat? We'll let them explain ... sounds like they're both in bad shape, but maybe Big Cat's worse off thanks to a questionable hot dog decision.
The good news is they made it out alive, and raised a bunch of money for an important cause ... and there's still time for you to chip in too.
2:02 PM PT -- West just returned to the field ... now umping from third base.
UPDATE
Washington Nationals broadcasters say he required stitches to close the wound.
Scary scene on the diamond Thursday ... MLB ump Joe West took an accidental bat to the side of the head -- and was forced to leave the game after he couldn't stop the bleeding.
It all went down just a few minutes ago in the Nationals vs. Blue Jays game in D.C. ... when Toronto star Bo Bichette swung at a pitch but accidentally let the bat slip from his grasp.
The piece of lumber went backward, connected right to the side of 67-year-old West's head ... and immediately, players signaled for trainers to rush over.
West was bleeding profusely from his ear area ... and despite medical personnel pressing a towel on the wound -- he was forced to go into the locker room for further treatment.
It should be noted ... West didn't seem out of it, and cameras actually caught him smiling -- but there's been no official update from MLB on his status yet.
Rep. John Lewis' home-going was a rousing, inspiring ceremony -- highlighted by President Obama's eulogy which took aim at President Trump's actions ... while also urging all Americans to vote.
The roughly 3-hour funeral in Atlanta's historic Ebenezer Baptist Church featured speeches from President George W. Bush, President Clinton and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi ... who all spoke before Obama delivered his eulogy for the longtime Congressman and Civil Rights leader.
Obama went after Trump without naming him, saying, “Even as we sit here, there are those in power who are doing their darnedest to discourage people from voting by closing polling locations and targeting minorities, and students with restrictive ID laws and attacking our voting rights with surgical precision; even undermining the postal service in the run-up to an election that’s going to be depending on mail-in ballots so people don’t get sick."
He also invoked George Floyd's memory saying, "Today we witness with our own eyes kneeling on the necks of black Americans" as well as the civil unrest that's been going down for more than 50 straight days in Portland.
Obama had opened his tribute to Lewis, saying ... “It a great honor to be back in Ebenezer Baptist Church in the pulpit of its greatest pastor, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to pay my respects to perhaps his finest disciple.”
Fox 5 Atlanta
Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush sat near the front row as they paid their respects. Bush spoke first, saying ... “We will never forget joining [John] in Selma, Alabama for the 50th anniversary of his march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where we got to watch President Barack Obama thank John as one of his heroes."
President Clinton was up next and warmly quipped, "I must say, for a fella that got his start speaking to chickens John’s gotten a pretty finely organized and orchestrated and deeply deserved sendoff this last week.”
Clinton closed his remarks, saying ... “I would infect every American with whatever it was that John Lewis got as a 4-year-old kid and took through a lifetime to keep moving and keep moving in the right direction and keep bringing other people to move and to do it without hatred in his heart."
Fox 5 Atlanta
The funeral closed with the gospel family the Winans performing an original song, "Good Trouble," written for John Lewis, who famously urged young people to "get into good trouble" ... by being activists.
President Obama had awarded Lewis the Medal of Freedom in 2011, and said during that ceremony ... "Generations from now, when parents teach their children what is meant by courage, the story of John Lewis will come to mind."
The tributes began in Troy, Alabama where he was born, and carried on to Selma's infamous Edmund Pettus Bridge. His body was then flown to D.C. for a memorial in the Capitol rotunda Monday, and finally ... his public viewing Wednesday at the Georgia State Capitol, which drew thousands to pay their respects.
TMZ.com
To coincide with his funeral, Rep. Lewis sent an essay to The New York Times 2 days before his death to be published today. In his last words, Lewis called for Americans to "answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe."
He said he was inspired in his final days by the social justice movement following the killing of George Floyd and others, saying ... "You filled me with hope about the next chapter of the great American story when you used your power to make a difference in our society."
The Congressman ended with this ... "walk with the wind, brothers and sisters, and let the spirit of peace and the power of everlasting love be your guide."
Bryan Cranston's one of the millions who've contracted the coronavirus, but he says he was lucky to have mild symptoms ... and now he's doing his part to help others.
The "Breaking Bad" star just shared a video of himself going through the process of donating plasma, which contains COVID-19 antibodies and can hopefully be of good medical and scientific use in the future.
Along with the vid, Bryan revealed he tested positive for the virus pretty early on and had some of the common mild symptoms -- headache, tightness in his chest and loss of taste and smell. He points out it affects everyone differently, though, and tragically ... has now resulted in more than 150,000 deaths in the U.S.
So, the actor's encouraging people to remain patient and vigilant -- and keep following the rules -- in order to prevail through this pandemic.
And, for other "lucky ones" out there like him, he's also providing a pretty great tutorial on how to contribute in the battle against COVID-19.
Of course, Cranston makes it pretty entertaining too.
Here's Dave Chappelle hanging with David Letterman in Chappelle's hometown for what looks like a new episode of Letterman's show ... and possibly for one of Dave's socially-distanced comedy shows.
The two comedy giants shared a laugh and a cup of coffee Wednesday in Yellow Springs, Ohio, sitting on a bench outside Dark Star Books and Comics. You don't see this every day.
Chappelle and Letterman, who had a Chappelle-branded face mask hanging off his ear, were followed by a big camera crew -- which seems to indicate they're shooting an episode of Letterman's interview show, "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction."
However, Chappelle's been doing socially-distanced comedy -- which he's dubbed 'Chappelle Summer Camp' -- and Letterman popped up there too. It's unclear if Letterman actually did a little standup.
Chris Rock's already flown in for one of Chappelle's shows, which have featured Jon Stewart, Jon Hamm,Tiffany Haddish, Michael Che, Erykah Badu, Common, Donnell Rawlings, Talib Kweli and Michelle Wolf.
In any event, whatever Chappelle and Letterman are cooking up, it's sure to be funny!!!
The NCAA has voted to allow athletes to put social justice statements on their jerseys this upcoming season ... giving all students the opportunity to express their views.
The vote came down last week ... and follows the lead of the MLB, NFL, NBA, WNBA and more leagues in using jerseys to promote equality as they return to competition.
The org.'s playing rules oversight panel determined each student-athlete will be able to sport patches on the front and messages on the back of their uniforms "to express support and voice their opinions."
Of course, the NBA is allowing players to wear messages like "Black Lives Matter" and "Equality" when the season restarts Thursday ... and WNBA players are wearing Breonna Taylor's name on their jerseys.
The NFL also announced it will feature the names of police brutality victims on helmets for the 2020 season.
Shaquille O'Neal's son, Shareef -- who plays for LSU's basketball team -- showed his support with the NCAA's decision ... saying, "GOOD ✊🏽!! I was hoping they would let us."
10:39 AM PT -- As expected ... the Phillies' games against the Blue Jays this weekend have been postponed.
The Philadelphia Phillies have brought all team activities to a screeching halt ... after 2 members of the organization tested positive for the coronavirus.
Remember, the Miami Marlins announced a serious COVID-19 outbreak after playing a series in Philly over the weekend ... with at least 19 reported cases as of Thursday morning.
The problem -- some Marlins players reportedly found out they tested positive for COVID prior to Sunday's game against the Phillies ... but the rest of the team decided to play anyway.
Now, the Phillies are reporting 2 members of the team -- zero players -- have tested positive ... and are taking no chances at letting things get worse.
The team says it's shut down all team activities "until further notice" ... which also leaves the Phillies' weekend series against the Toronto Blue Jays up in the air.
The Phillies' series against the Yankees was postponed due to the COVID outbreak ... but MLB commish Rob Manfred says the outbreak is "no nightmare."
3:28 PM PT -- We spoke with the folks over at Done In One who tell us THEY were the ones to first reach out to Erik. They first got in touch with Jeff and Lauren, who set up the connection with Cowie. We're told Lowe handled Erik's flight to Florida ... but the plan from the beginning was to give Erik the new chompers for free.
Erik Cowie, one of the ''Tiger King' stars who you saw caring for the zoo's animals, has a nice new set of chompers -- a gift from the man in charge, Jeff Lowe.
Sources close to the GW Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma tell TMZ ... though Erik interacts with the public daily -- leading tours and answering questions about all the animals -- he has a hard time connecting with people, because he's always been self-conscious about his smile and felt bad about his teeth.
We're told Jeff and his wife Lauren wanted to do something nice for Erik -- who's still the head zookeeper like he was for Joe Exotic -- for all the hard work he does at the park.
So, our sources say Jeff surprised Erik and flew him down to Florida, where he'd arranged for him to get permanent teeth implants installed at Done In One ... which does the job in 48 hours.
We're told the dental center got his mouth all fixed up, and even decided the procedure was on the house. As you can see, Erik's one happy customer.
As you may recall ... Cowie was a sympathetic character in the 'Tiger King' docuseries, as he seemed greatly impacted by Joe's alleged mistreatment of animals. He later testified at his trial that Joe killed older tigers to make space for new animals, and expressed guilt he couldn't do anything to stop it.
Erik's also on record saying he doesn't believe Joe should get out of prison.
BTW, Erik's not the first 'Tiger King' star to get new teeth ... Exotic's ex-husband John Finlay blazed that trail months ago, and almost looked like a whole new person afterward.
Herman Cain, once a GOP Presidential hopeful, has died from COVID-19 ... Cain contracted the coronavirus after attending Trump's Tulsa rally.
The businessman and politician's death was announced Thursday on his website. A statement read, "Herman Cain -- our boss, our friend, like a father to so many of us -- has passed away."
Cain fell ill shortly after attending President Trump's rally in Tulsa on June 20 -- he was hospitalized for about a month ... getting oxygen treatments.
Cain posed for a photo, without a mask, at the rally with a caption that read, "Here’s just a few of the #BlackVoicesForTrump at tonight’s rally! Having a fantastic time!"
Remember, at the time of the rally, Oklahoma was in grips of a spike in coronavirus cases. Afterward, reports surfaced that the Trump campaign asked Tulsa venue organizers to remove social distancing signs.
Cain's Twitter account had kept his followers up-to-date on his condition, and a post on Monday -- just 3 days ago -- read, "doctors say his other organs and systems are strong" and that "re-strengthening the lungs is a long and slow process, and the doctors want to be thorough about it." The post added, "He really is getting better, which means it is working."
Cain, who Trump once considered to run the Federal Reserve, is one of the highest-profile public victims of the coronavirus.
The handwriting is now on the wall ... Donald Trump is revealing his plan to stay in office beyond January 20, 2021, and he wants to do so without even having an election.
Trump, who has made false claims about voter fraud, just tweeted, "With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???"
So, Trump is trying to start a groundswell to put off an election where polls show him way behind Joe Biden. The claims of voter fraud have no foundation ... nevertheless, he's been beating that drum for months.
So, why would Trump want to delay the election? Well, we just got word on GDP for the second quarter, and it reached historic proportions, plunging more than 32%. It's pretty obvious Trump wants to stall, hoping for a vaccine and an economic rebound.
The big worry ... Trump might as well just come out and say it ... he's not gonna leave The White House willingly. Bill Maher has been saying that for months, and the evidence is mounting that he's right.
In fact, in 2018, Trump reportedly said this about Chinese President Xi holding the position for life ... "And look, he was able to do that. I think it's great. Maybe we'll have to give that a shot someday." So scary.
LeBron Jameswill be repping Kobe Bryantwhen the NBA season restarts Thursday night ... wearing a #24 finger sleeve on his left hand.
Bron has been honoring Kobe with the sleeve since Mamba passed away back in January ... but wanted his fans to know he's keeping the tribute alive in the NBA Bubble in Orlando.
"Stucc in the Grind! The Marathon Continues tonight and forever. Let’s Get It," James posted on IG with a photo of the finger sleeve.
The lyrics are a tribute to another late L.A. legend, Nipsey Hussle.
The Lakers will rebegin their season Thursday night against the L.A. Clippers -- both teams are favorites to win the NBA title.
Congresswoman Jackie Speier says Congressman Louie Gohmert, who tested positive for COVID-19, is still a clear and present danger to Congress, because he lives in his congressional office, just like more than 100 of his colleagues.
Rep. Speier tells TMZ, Gohmert was reckless all the way, saying he went to the House gym even after he learned he was positive for the virus, putting others at risk. Side note -- interesting the House gym is still open, given that gyms around the country are closed because of COVID.
Speier went on to say Gohmert is now stuck in D.C. ... he certainly can't fly with the virus, and he doesn't have a home in the Nation's capitol, so he sleeps in the Capitol, in his office.
The Congresswoman worries about all the folks who are in contact with him, from other members to staff, to the janitorial crew. She thinks it's ridiculous more than 100 members use their offices as their home. Many members choose to live in their offices because it's too expensive to maintain both a home in their district and in Washington.
Gohmert had been an anti-masker for months, appearing on the House floor without a mask. There are even reports members of his staff were berated for daring to wear masks. He also made a ridiculous claim that messing with the mask on his face may have exposed him to the virus.
Breonna Taylor posthumously made history by landing on the cover of Oprah's Magazine ... the first time EVER in the magazine's 20-year history O herself was not front and center.
Oprah stepped aside for one of her final print editions ... dedicating the September cover with Breonna's image, declaring, "If you turn a blind eye to racism, you become an accomplice to it." These words are emblazoned on the cover ... "HER LIFE MATTERS."
O dropped the news on Insta ... where she gave a touching tribute to Breonna ... "She was just like me. She was just like you. And like everyone who dies unexpectedly, she had plans. Plans for a future filled with responsibility and work and friends and laughter."
Oprah went on, "I think about Breonna Taylor often. Imagine if three unidentified men burst into your home while you were sleeping. And your partner fired a gun to protect you. And then mayhem. What I know for sure: We can’t be silent. We have to use whatever megaphone we have to cry for justice. And that is why Breonna Taylor is on the cover of @oprahmagazine."
