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Bernie Sanders is making money for some of his constituents, thanks to a meme from the Inauguration ... because folks are buying more of those famous mittens on the 1st anniversary.

Here's the deal ... Bernie became an instant meme when he wore a pair of mittens, gifted to him by an elementary school teacher in Vermont, when Joe Biden was sworn into office on a chilly day in Washington D.C.

People started buying tons of handmade mittens from Jen Ellis, the woman who sent that pair to Bernie back in 2016, and now we're told sales are spiking again.

Jen was overwhelmed by the initial demand ... she partnered with the Vermont Teddy Bear Company to manufacture and distribute the mittens infamously worn by Bernie ... and the company tells us they saw a 50% spike in mitten sales Thursday, which marked one year since the Inauguration.

VTBC says they attribute the uptick in mitten sales to the anniversary of Bernie's viral moment ... with folks mostly snapping up blue and gray mittens, even though there's no exact replica of Bernie's for sale.

The company says they've sold 12,000 pairs of mittens since partnering with Jen back in March 2021 ... and to keep up with the demand they hired 10 more workers.

Jen says she gets tons of fan mail now ... people send her art, books and mittens they've made ... but Jen tells us she's still focused on teaching her 2nd-grade students and doesn't want the mittens side hustle to become her full-time gig.

Charles Barkley is so tired of the Lakers, he went on an epic rant on Thursday saying the team flat-out sucks and is a bunch of "cowards" and "wussies."

The "Inside the NBA" host held nothing back on the set of the insanely popular TNT hoops show ... railroading L.A. for its recent losses and the team's responses to them.

"The Lakers are such wussies," Barkley said, "and I only say wussies because I can't say the word I want to say."

"The way they have tried to throw Frank Vogel and Russell Westbrook under the bus is really pissing me off."

Ernie Johnson, the show's host, interrupted Charles ... reminding him that they had a scheduled guest about to come on, but CB wasn't about to let some interview stop him from going in on the Lakeshow.

Check out the clip ... Barkley responded to Johnson by saying, "The Lakers still suck when we get back from this interview."

Barkley went on to express his disgust for the Lakers' front office ... accusing it of "running and hiding" after putting together a crappy roster.

"I'm not going to sit at like all these clowns on other networks that got they heads up the Lakers booties," Barkley said.

"The people up top who put that trash together are running and hiding like cowards. You put all them old geezers out there. The best guy, other than LeBron, for the last month has been who? Stanley Johnson."

"It's ridiculous, man," an exasperated Barkley continued.

Charles ultimately said he doesn't care who wins or loses ... joking that he can't wait for the season to be over so he can golf and fish.

Jeff Lowe's sticking to the old adage of the show must go on, but this time it's gonna be in Spanish -- he's taking the zoo 'Tiger King' made famous out of the country to skirt a U.S. government ban.

Jeff tells TMZ ... he just signed a deal to build a zoo down in Mexico, on a 35-acre property between Playa del Carmen and Tulum. He says the new spot will be built among a lush jungle with natural water features, and he already has all the necessary permits for construction and possession of animals.

The plan is to open the zoo in the next 12 to 16 months ... and Jeff says it will mostly showcase big cats, as well as lemurs, sloths, giraffes and a pair of elephants.

Jeff says he's still working on a name for the zoo ... but naturally, it will be related to the 'Tiger King' brand.

Despite how things played out with Joe Exotic, Jeff's not shying away from partnerships. He says he's working on the Mexico project with an old friend who already owns a small zoo in Playa del Carmen.

We're told the plan is to move his large animals into Jeff's new zoo.

The move to Mexico comes on the heels of the feds banning Jeff and his wife Lauren from ever exhibiting animals again in the States -- a judge ruled they'd violated the Endangered Species Act by delivering, carrying and exhibiting animals without a license. However, the DOJ dropped all of the civil charges against the Lowes.

Dwayne Haskins' wife is off the hook in her domestic violence case ... TMZ Sports has learned the felony charge against her was dropped this month.

Court records show Kalabrya Gondrezick-Haskins' case was dismissed on Jan. 10. We reached out to the Clark County District Attorney's Office multiple times for comment, but never heard word back.

As we previously reported, Kalabrya had been accused of causing "substantial" injuries to Dwayne during an altercation in Las Vegas back in July.

In a police report, cops said they were called to The Cosmopolitan to investigate claims that Kalabrya had attacked the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback in their hotel room.

In the docs, cops noted Dwayne had a busted lip that needed stitches, as well as a missing tooth -- and they eventually arrested Kalabrya.

In police video we obtained, you can see she wasn't pleased about being taken into custody ... asking officers inside of the hotel, "Are you serious?! So, I'm under arrest?!"

Kalabrya -- who said in the docs she and Dwayne had been married since March 2021 -- was later charged with felony domestic violence battery.

We reached out to Kalabrya's attorney for comment on the disposition of the case, but so far, no word back yet.

Illinois born actor Anson Mount (full name Anson Adams Mount IV) had only been working in the entertainment biz for a few years when he landed the role of the hunky boy behind the wheel, Ben -- who takes the BFFs on a road trip and falls in love with Lucy along the way -- in the 2002 teen love story "Crossroads."

The open-road movie is packed with stars including Zoe Saldana and Taryn Manning as the ride-or-die friends Kit and Mimi ... and of course the pop sisters Jamie Lynn Spears and Britney Spears as the young and current versions of the mother-seeking, Lucy.

Dak Prescott's foot-in-mouth moment following the Cowboys' loss on Sunday just cost him serious cash ... 'cause the NFL announced Thursday it's fining the Dallas QB $25K after he praised fans for throwing trash at refs.

Following a controversial end to the Cowboys vs. 49ers game at AT&T Stadium ... fans hurled garbage at officials as they exited the field of play.

One bottle actually hit Cowboys star pass rusher Demarcus Lawrence ... and when Dak was informed that the debris-throwing was actually aimed at umps, he commended the acts.

"S***," Prescott said. "Credit to them, then."

Dak was immediately panned for the comments -- and the criticism grew so loud, he eventually apologized.

"I deeply regret the comments I made regarding the officials after the game on Sunday," the 28-year-old said. "I was caught up in the emotion of a disappointing loss and my words were uncalled for and unfair."

He continued, "The safety of everyone who attends a game or participates on the field of a sporting event is a very serious matter."

"That was a mistake on my behalf, and I am sorry."

One of the 'Joe Millionaire' guys is taking mama's boy to a whole new level -- openly admitting he was literally spoon-fed for YEARS after he could do it himself.

You gotta see Steven McBee in this exclusive preview we got from tonight's episode of "Joe Millionaire: For Richer or Poorer" -- it's Steven hanging out with Annie, who grilled him about spoon-feeding rumors.

Brace yourself ... Steven confirms it's absolutely true!!!

He says that his mom spoiled him before school, because he was too tired to do it himself. Annie didn't completely let him off the hook, either. She drilled down even more about the odd fact -- but they both ended up laughing about how weird it was.

On the new episode, airing tonight at 8 PM ET/PT on FOX, Steven cops to being embarrassed about this page of his history -- but he's not the only one in the hot seat this episode.

The days of Angel Hernandez makin' you pull out your hair may soon be over ... 'cause Major League Baseball is instituting robot umpires for the 2022 Triple-A season -- moving one big step closer to an eventually automated strike zone in The Show.

MLB let the cat out of the bag on the plans this week ... posting a notice on its website seeking seasonal employees to operate the automated ball-strike system at the highest level of MILB.

According to the Associated Press, 14 teams will be looking to fill openings at their respective ballparks.

The development comes just two years after the Independent Atlantic League became the first American pro baseball league to let a computer call balls and strikes.

It's something that many players and fans have been calling for forever ... and it would eliminate the inconsistent strike zones.

After taking a year off because of the pandemic, robots were used in Low-A ball (Southeast League) at a majority of ballparks in 2021.

The Major League Baseball Umpires Association did agree in 2020 to assist and cooperate with MLB commissioner, Rob Manfred, if he decided to ultimately institute change at the major league level.

As for will we see them next season on opening day -- MLB did say the robot umps will be used at some spring training ballparks ... and didn't rule out the possibility of them being used at non-MLB venues.

Jamie Lynn Spears says she tried to help Britney free herself from her conservatorship ... but the efforts went nowhere and pissed a lot of people off.

The former Nickelodeon star says Britney made it seem like she wanted out of the conservatorship during some late-night sister talks on a trip to Hawaii, and Jamie Lynn says she tried to get involved.

As Jamie Lynn explains on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast, she took Britney's comments to heart and talked to her sister's lawyer ... but it blew up in her face big time.

What's more, Jamie Lynn says she and her husband had some judges look into Britney's conservatorship and told her all she needed to do was move out of California for 6 months and the conservatorship would end.

JL says she even offered to have Britney live with her in Louisiana in an effort to dissolve the conservatorship ... but she still doesn't know why Britney never followed through with that option.

Jamie Lynn doesn't give an exact time frame for when any of this was happening ... but says she was always going to support whatever Britney wanted to do.

A Wisconsin Badgers hoops fan has been banned from buying tickets to the school's sporting events ... after making disgusting slant-eye gestures toward Northwestern students during a game.

The incident happened during Tuesday's matchup at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Illinois ... when a man in Wisconsin colors was recorded on video standing up and taunting the Northwestern student section with the middle finger and anti-Asian gesture.

The fan recording the incident was in complete shock ... as well as the targeted students, who appeared to be of Asian descent.

The man was eventually kicked out of the arena by security ... and as he was leaving, the guy continued to make the racist gesture as the Northwestern students cheered for his departure.

The Univ. of Wisconsin thanked Northwestern for removing the Badgers fan after the offensive act ... and announced on Thursday that he's no longer welcome at Badger sporting events.

"We join with @UWBadgers and all #Badgers in condemning the abhorrent anti-Asian actions of an attendee at the Northwestern game this week," the school said in a statement.

Criss Angel could simply be celebrating his son's cancer going into remission, but instead, he wants to help other families feel the same hope and joy -- and he believes sharing Johnny's story is the best way to do that.

The famed illusionist got the great news Monday about 7-year-old Johnny, whose remission comes after he was first diagnosed at just 20-months-old. Criss captured much of his son's brave battle on camera, and joined us on "TMZ live" to talk about their new documentary "1095."

Criss tells us the 13-minute film documents the trials and tribulations his family faced with pediatric cancer ... and he knows it mirrors the experiences of so many other families. He says that's why he wants to use his platform to help people who are struggling but don't have the resources to raise awareness about this form of cancer.

Criss couldn't hold back tears as he admitted the ordeal has made him a different person. While he's still the same crazy guy onstage ... offstage he's focused on helping others in this dire situation.

After several streaming platforms rejected "1095" -- which is the number of days of chemo Johnny endured -- Criss simply posted it on his YouTube channel ... and we've included it above as well, so pass it on.

It's been seven years since Deflategate, but Aaron Rodgers clearly hasn't forgotten about it -- 'cause the dude is STILL taking jabs at Tom Brady over the scandal.

The Green Bay Packers superstar was doing an interview with Sportsnet when he unleashed the zinger ... commenting on the feeling of a football that was handed to him.

"This is too firm for the Patriots," Rodgers said.

Get it? 'Cause Brady (allegedly) deflated Patriots' footballs in the 2015 AFC Championship game in order to gain an edge on the Colts?!

Don't worry ... Rodgers clearly had no malice behind the comment -- he and Brady have a good relationship, and Rodgers even smirked toward the camera while making the quip.

It's still possible, though, that Brady gets the last laugh on Aaron this month ... because if both the Packers and Buccaneers win this weekend, they'll play in the NFC Championship Game the following weekend.

Sha'Carri Richardson won't be running to the "Big Brother" house any time soon, cuz reports the one-time Olympic favorite is joining the show's cast just ain't true ... TMZ has learned.

The American track superstar's name flooded "Celebrity Big Brother" message boards and then hit outlets Wednesday reporting she'd be an upcoming contestant on the popular show.

Unfortunately for Sha'Carri fans, the reports just aren't true ... her rep, Ashley Blackwood, tells TMZ, “Sha’Carri was contacted months ago to be on Big Brother and declined. All coverage on her participating are false and simply just rumors.”

You'll remember -- Sha'Carri was a favorite to represent the USA at last year's Olympic games ... but those dreams were dashed when she failed a drug test with marijuana in her system.

She later made headlines when she appeared in a Beats by Dre commercial which featured a first listen of Kanye West's song "No Child Left Behind."

Other possible contestant names that circulated this week were "RHOBH" star Erika Jayne and former "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star NeNe Leakes ... sources close to both tells us neither will be on the show.

As for some celebs who actually might be on the show? Tiffany "New York" Pollard, Vanilla Ice and Todrick Hall are all names still floating around as possible houseguests.

Kelly Rizzo has no regrets about what she and Bob Saget discussed very shortly before he passed away in an Orlando hotel room, and says their final chat was totally representative of Bob's entire life.

Bob's widow told Hoda Kotb on "Today" she felt she'd finally reached a point where she was all cried out about her husband's sudden death -- and yet, moments later she broke down talking about how deeply Bob loved her and everyone in his life.

Kelly sobbed as she recalled his routine during road trips -- "Every time he would be out of town he would always try to ... he would work so hard, and he loved to sleep in, but when he was away, he would still go to bed at 2 and wake up at 4" to ensure he could get home on the first flight.

As we've reported, that's exactly what Bob intended to do after checking into the Ritz-Carlton around 2 AM on January 9. He was scheduled to fly home to Kelly early that Sunday, but when Kelly didn't hear from him, she notified the hotel ... and a staffer found him unresponsive around 4 PM.

We know Bob had spoken to Kelly after his final show, Saturday night in Jacksonville. She says, "It was all 'I love you so much.' I think I said, 'I love you dearly,' and then he said, 'I love you endlessly,' and then I said, 'I can't wait to see you tomorrow.' It was just all love."

Kelly told Hoda that final convo is pretty much how they always spoke to each other -- she says Bob was all about loving the people in his life, and letting them know about it.

In fact, she says she marveled at how he found the time to talk to everyone and tell everybody that he loved them ... all the time. When you see Kelly talking about Bob and how deeply he cared about his friends, it's easy to understand the outpouring of love we've seen for him since his death.

The Super Bowl is still a few weeks away, but you can start losing your minds for the halftime show now ... 'cause the official trailer for the big event just dropped -- and it's awesome!!

Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar are set to share the stage on February 13 ... which, understandably, has a ton of people hyped.

Pepsi just added to the anticipation by releasing a nearly 4-minute Hollywood film-style clip dubbed the "official trailer" ... featuring all the performers getting "the call" and preparing to hit up L.A. for the show.

The vid shows Em, Snoop, MJB, Kendrick and Dre all leaving their daily lives to join forces outside SoFi Stadium ... with Dre moving all the pieces in a big game of chess.

The visuals are nuts ... and if it's any indication as to how the real halftime show will go, we're in for a treat.

Jamie Lynn Spears is NOT intimidated by Britney's threat of a defamation lawsuit over her book ... in fact, she says if anyone has the facts wrong ... it's her big sister and her lawyer.

Attorney Bryan Freedman, who reps Jamie Lynn, sent a blistering letter to Britney's lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, who triggered this war of words with his letter Tuesday night threatening a lawsuit.

For starters, Freedman says, for all its bluster, Rosengart's letter doesn't show any mistruth on his client's part.

Freedman says it's rich Britney and her lawyer have attacked Jamie Lynn for mudslinging, claiming they took the high road. Freedman notes some of Britney's recent social media posts directed at Jamie Lynn ... she should have "slapped you and mamma right across your f***ing faces!!" And, "Whipped your ass." And, "popped the s*** out of your ass."

Freedman essentially says Britney has mobilized her fans to threaten the lives of Jamie Lynn and her family.

A few more points ... Freedman says it's ridiculous Rosengart didn't read Jamie Lynn's book before sending the cease and desist letter. He says if Rosengart would have read the book, he would have seen Jamie Lynn is kind to Britney, characterizing her as "kind, supportive and a protective sister."

He says it was also disappointing to see the letter plastered all over the media, and says it's no way to resolve a dispute and try to repair damaged relationships.