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The Ukraine crisis is no laughing matter, but that doesn't mean people fleeing couldn't use a smile -- especially the little ones ... to which one group of clowns has devoted itself.

Check out these clips shot by journo Andrew Kimmel, who's on the ground there documenting the devastation ... but also, a bit of magic at the same time. In this case, the much-needed clownery comes courtesy of a nonprofit called The Dream Doctors Project.

TDDP teams up with hospitals around the world and drops in these professional performers wherever they're needed, acting as a therapeutic way for folks -- especially children -- to cope with whatever they're going through ... and in this case, you see it's working wonders.

Kimmel reports that this specific group of clowns -- who go by the names of Slinky, Buzz and Shemesh -- met these families at the Ukrainian border near Palanca, Moldova ... and right off the bat, were happy to entertain the children in a variety of ways.

As you can see ... they were well prepared to get a chuckle by any means necessary -- be it via gag toys, balloons, pranks, jokes, juggling and even some tasty treats they had on hand.

Even on the bus ride over to a camp where they were treated/housed ... the show went on, and you can tell that not only the kids appreciated the gesture -- but their parents did as well. Considering the horror of what they'd just left behind ... this obviously goes a long way.

In addition to lifting spirits and serving as a morale boost, the Dream Doctors also had a ton of supplies at the ready, including clothing, food, and yes, even toys ... and were willing to help in any possible.

Billionaire Investor Jeffrey Katzenberg is many things, but like many of us ... he's not bulletproof from being hacked online.

Jeffery became a guinea pig of sorts, starring in a video showing how hackers take advantage of vulnerable and/or unsophisticated users and steal vital, personal info.

Check out the video ... Jeffery's devices get hacked by Rachel Tobac, CEO of SocialProof Security, and she's able to swipe his emails, contacts, photos ... even his ID/passport, and it's pretty shocking how it all goes down.

Online hackers have cracked into more than 13 billion connected devices ... in 2020 alone, Americans lost more than $4.2B from digital crimes, according to the FBI.

Pretty scary, right?

The co-founder and former CEO of DreamWorks Animation is touting digital security for consumers through a company called Aura.

Traci Braxton, the sister of Toni Braxton, has died ... TMZ has learned.

Traci's Husband Kevin Surratt tells TMZ ... "We have come to a time where we must inform the public that after a year of privately undergoing a series of treatment for Esophageal cancer our beloved Traci Braxton has gone on to glory."

We're told Traci's sisters, mom and friends were by her side when she passed.

Traci appeared on the family's reality show, "Braxton Family Values." She was an actress, best known for "Sinners Wanted." She also appeared in "There's a Stranger in my House" and "Chaaw." She recorded a hit song, "Last Call," that rose to #16 on the Billboard Hot 100. She also recorded "Broken Things" featuring her sisters, Toni, Towanda and Trina.

As you know, Traci has famous sisters ... Toni, Towanda, Tamar and Trina.

The family has experienced other recent tragedies. Her niece, Lauren Braxton, died from a heroin and fentanyl OD back in 2019 at age 24.

The last time we saw Traci she was joking and laughing with our cameras on the streets of NYC in April 2019.

Traci leaves a husband, Kevin Surratt and a child.

She was 50.

RIP

A guest of Rachel Maddow's compared Putin to Hitler while describing Ukraine -- but in the process ... kinda made it seem like Hitler wasn't nearly as bad, which didn't go over well.

Michael McFaul -- a former U.S. ambassador to Russia -- appeared Friday on Maddow's self-titled show on MSNBC ... this while she was on vacation and had a temporary host, Ali Velshi, filling in. In discussing the war, McFaul made a suspect analogy that got torn apart.

McFaul invoked the Nazis' former leader in an attempt to distinguish what they were doing during WWII and what Putin's doing now ... suggesting that Putin's actions are perhaps worse, because he's killing people with Russian roots -- aka, his "own" people.

The problem with that ... he claimed Hitler didn't necessarily go after ethnic Germans, a dubious assertion and one that Maddow's official blog retweeted as fact, without attribution.

Of course, as many pointed out, McFaul's characterization is false. The Nazis DID, in fact, target/kill "ethnic Germans" for a variety of reasons ... including, for example, disagreeing with their ideology, or not fitting the mold of what they thought was the perfect race.

This also gets to an even more controversial claim ... namely, the Jews who were murdered in and around Germany are not considered ethnic Germans, which many argue is simply not true and highly disrespectful ... if not teetering on anti-Semitism and revisionist history.

Sounds like Maddow's team got the picture pretty quickly, because they deleted their tweet and the accompanying clip -- which had already aired at that point -- and followed up with a correction and an apology.

They write, "The historical record is clear. Hitler killed millions of Germans. We tweeted out part of an inaccurate statement made last night by former Ambassador Michael McFaul without attribution, and we regret doing so. We have since removed the tweet."

Even McFaul himself reversed course, saying he was wrong to try and do a juxtaposition with Hitler ... whom he called "incomparably evil." He also asked for the best literature on this topic to educate himself ... and ended with one final clarification.

He writes, "And please, to clarify the obvious, last night and today, we were NOT discussing Hitler's horrific killing of German citizens. Please have some decency to know that I would never compare Mariupol to the Holocaust."

Ron DeSantis says Disney has joined a false narrative regarding a bill about LGBT education in grade schools there -- while also noting ... he's not backing down from making it law.

The Florida governor lashed out Thursday against what he called yet another "woke" corporation -- aka, Disney -- for trying to torpedo his party's efforts in passing HB 1557 ... which has also been colloquially dubbed as the "Don't Say Gay" bill.

During an event in Boca Raton, DeSantis said Disney isn't gonna make him cave on the issue -- namely, he's going to sign it for what he says is the best interest of families ... going on to point out what he sees as hypocrisy from a company that touts wholesome values.

ICYMI ... Disney caught a lot of backlash last week for initially staying quiet (at least publicly) on the bill, which has become a lightning rod of controversy for months now. Eventually, though, the Mouse House's CEO, Bob Chapek, said they screwed up on that front.

Chapek said Disney had always opposed the bill, but didn't want to take a position on it, as he and leadership apparently thought they could do more BTS -- via lobbying and/or just through their content ... some of which has been viewed as LGBT-friendly, especially lately.

But, after being rebuked by his own employees, he apologized ... saying Disney would, in fact, publicly oppose the bill -- and even expressed Disney's concerns to DeSantis personally.

This clip is basically DeSantis' response to Disney's balancing act ... and to everyone else who's up in arms about this, it seems. He's defiant, and doubled down on this sentiment in an email sent out to donors and supporters shortly thereafter -- again invoking "woke."

As far as what the bill actually says and what would become the law in the Sunshine State, it's worth a read in full. While there are different sections and components, the big sticking point has to do with what students in kindergarten through 3rd grade can or can't learn.

Essentially, this will ban classroom instruction -- either from a teacher themselves or a 3rd-party -- on sexual orientation and/or gender identity in those earlier grades -- while allowing for "age-appropriate" learning in higher grades ... with parents looped in at every juncture.

Drake is going where he hasn't gone before -- at least in his famous adulthood -- and that would be ... long braided hair, a look that he's now rockin' and rockin' well!

Champagne Papi debuted the new hairstyle this weekend, showing off two photos that gave fans an up-close view of his hair tied up and braided back -- something we just haven't seen from Drake since he splashed onto the scene way back in the last 2000s.

Unclear if he's planning to keep the 'do and let his hair grow out even more -- but we'll say this ... he should definitely consider it ... 'cause the braids suit him well.

What might have caught some off by surprise is the fact his strands were long enough to braid at all -- but, if you've been paying attention ... it might come as no surprise. He has, indeed, been sporting a bit of a poof lately -- as seen in photos of him at events like The Weeknd's birthday party last month ... and even clips of him on tropical vacations.

He's been kinda sly about it ... but yeah, the dude's been low-key letting his hair down. And now, he's got the final product on full display. We're curious to see what the back looks like -- because although his hair is longer than usual, it doesn't seem long enough to have a trailing effect from behind ... at least not yet!

Here's the funny thing ... Drizzy's own kid, Adonis, appears to have actually gotten a jump on braids first -- which is kinda crazy to think about.

As you know, Adonis has quite the mane on him ... with remarkably long locks, which he often has up in a 'fro style -- but he's also been known to get his hair knotted up, which we've seen on the biggest of stages next to his old man.

Hailey Bieber was hospitalized with a brain condition that doctors think may be COVID-related ... sources close to Hailey tell TMZ.

We're told Hailey was admitted to a Palm Springs area hospital a few days ago after suffering a "medical emergency." We're told it affected the way she moved, and the symptoms are typical for much older people. Hailey is 25.

Our sources say doctors ran a battery of tests and are looking to see if the symptoms involve COVID. As we reported, Justin came down with COVID a few weeks ago and has since recovered. As you know, Justin had to postpone his Vegas concert after coming down with the virus.

We're told Hailey has been released from the hospital and doctors are still trying to determine what caused the issues.

Our sources say she's now doing ok.

Jussie Smollett believes there's one overarching reason he was sent to jail, and it's not because of the hoax ... he says it's because he's Black.

Sources with direct knowledge and in constant touch with the "Empire" actor tell TMZ ... Jussie fully expected to get jail time. He told his defense team before sentencing he felt he would be treated more harshly than other defendants convicted of a non-violent crime ... all because of the color of his skin. He thinks it's more evidence of systemic racism in the judicial system.

Jussie told his team after sentencing he was dead-on when he predicted the outcome ... based on the animosity the judge showed toward him. He called it "unfortunate" and "sad."

As you know, the judge read Jussie the riot act, saying the hoax was rooted in a desire for more fame and more attention.

We reached out to the court for comment, and a rep for the Cook County Chief Judge's Office tells TMZ ...  "Judges can't comment on pending cases, and it's still pending."

As we reported ... Jussie will be held in protective custody -- as requested -- while serving his time behind bars, with security cameras and an officer with a body-worn camera monitoring his cell.

Our sources say Jussie spoke out in court about not being suicidal because he wanted to make it clear to the public that if something were to happen to him in jail, it was foul play ... and our sources referenced the Jeffrey Epstein outcome, and that was what was on Jussie's mind when he made the comment.

WWE superstar Big E suffered a horrific injury Friday night ... a broken neck.

It went down on "Smackdown" in Birmingham, Alabama, when Big E was in the throes of a tag team match. Ridge Holland gabbed E in a belly-to-belly suplex and it did not go as planned. He landed on his head and that was the end of the match.

Big E was taken out of the arena by stretcher and rushed to a nearby hospital.

It's pretty amazing ... recording a video for his fans hours after the injury in his hospital bed, reassuring everyone ... "I can move all of my digits, that's always a good thing, strength feels fine. But unfortunately, right now they tell me my neck is broken, so there's that."

Alec Baldwin knows no shame in the death of "Rust" cinematographer Halyna Hutchins ... this according to the lawyer for her widower and son.

Attorney Brian Panish is reacting to Baldwin's new legal docs which say the actor wanted to complete the film after Hutchins' death. Panish told Deadline, "It is shameful that Baldwin claims Hutchins' actions in filing a wrongful death lawsuit derailed the completion of Rust. The only action that ended the film's production was Baldwin's killing of Halyna Hutchins."

There's a great divide between Baldwin's take on the fatal shooting and that of Halyna's husband, Matthew Hutchins. Baldwin has said he bears no responsibility for her death, which Panish says, "Alec Baldwin once again is trying to avoid liability and accountability for his reckless actions before and on October 21st that resulted in the death of Halyna Hutchins."

As we reported, Baldwin claimed in his new legal docs his contract with the "Rust" production company immunizes him from financial responsibility for any mishap. That contract, however, in no way prevents the Hutchins family from going after Baldwin. If they win a wrongful death judgment against Baldwin, they could force him to pay the judgment. It would then be Baldwin's responsibility to go after the "Rust" production company to recoup what he paid, provided the production company is still solvent.

Bill Maher has a fascinating take on America's view of Ukraine ... everyone here is making the war about them. Let us explain.

As the "Real Time" host says ... "Everything proves what we already believed and everything goes back to the thing we already hate."

As he puts it ... Biden supporters blame Trump's policies for the war, and vice versa. He hilariously references a comment Trump made about the war, saying it wouldn't have erupted but for a rigged American presidential election. Maher's reaction ... "Kanye thinks less about Pete Davidson than Trump thinks about the rigged election." BTW ... it wasn't rigged.

He points to groups like the 1619 Project, that have invoked race into the Ukrainian mix.  Maher's reaction ... it's not always about race. It's not like an avocado, he says, that you put on everything.

As he puts it, this is just "reflexive partisanship" ... we're now conditioned to viewing anything that happens through our own, sometimes narrow world view. He says, "We put everything new in our mouths and nothing new in our brains."

An L.A. TV reporter was doing a story about a tragic hit-and-run accident, and what played out behind him is just crazy.

KTLA reporter Gene Kang was in South L.A., doing a story on a fatal crash at a dangerous intersection, when 2 cars behind him get into a gnarly accident. You see one of the cars bolting from the scene. In other words, it's a hit-and-run in the middle of a story about a hit-and-run.

Kang said afterward, "Our security guard Walter Mann yelled 'get back' and we moved as the car came racing towards us. It veered away at the last second and T-boned the car."

The driver of the car that left the scene may want to throw himself at the mercy of authorities, because his/her license plate fell off the car.

Tom Parker from The Wanted is bravely dealing with his illness ... confined for a time to a wheelchair after undergoing treatment for brain cancer.

His bandmate, Max George, posted this pic of Tom Friday in a wheelchair. Max captioned the pic of Tom, who looked chill, "I mean ... come on😍."

Tom was diagnosed back in October 2020, with stage 4 glioblastoma. Last year he say the cancer is being held at bay.

Tom had been getting treatments in Spain at a clinic that specializes in this type of cancer. The treatment lasted 3 weeks, and he was able to rejoin the band last month in an emotional reunion. He also appeared on stage at a U.K. concert and performed on a gold throne!

Max posted some pics of Tom after his return from Spain.

The Wanted has really stepped up ... pledging that one pound for every ticket sold will go to brain cancer research.

Comedian Jordan Carlos sees no problem making jokes about the tragedy in Ukraine ... but he says there's a delicate balance, with some lines that cannot be crossed.

We got Jordan at LAX and asked about some jokes he made when a woman in the audience at one of his gigs brought up Ukraine.

Jordan made some jokes about some folks online who are obsessed with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky ... saying he's hot.

Jordan says comedy helps the audience escape the woes of the real world, so he indulged with a few Zelensky jokes.

Jussie Smollett may actually be lucky, because the judge read him the riot act, and that Ryan Coogler thing at the B of A was super messed up. So, we gotta ask ...

Quavo's ready to showcase his hoop skills ... telling TMZ Sports that the directors for the reboot of "White Men Can't Jump" starring fellow rapper Jack Harlow need to give him a ring  -- 'cause he wants to play the role of Wesley Snipes.

We caught up with the "Bad and Boujee" MC at LAX after it was announced that Jack will be acting in the remake of the film ... and Quavo told us he's dead serious about wanting to be cast in the movie alongside Harlow.

"I think they need to call me, so me and Jack Harlow can do it," Huncho said.

"I need to play Wesley Snipes' role."

The movie -- which was originally released in 1992 -- tells the story of Billy Hoyle played by Woody Harrelson, and Sidney Deane played by Snipes, abandoning their on-court rivalry to team up together and hustle other guys.

The film was wildly popular ... meaning Harlow -- who landed the lead role in his first-ever screen audition -- has big shoes to fill. But, Huncho seems to think the rap star will do well on set.

"Jack Harlow's amazing," Quavo said. "He can do everything."

Of course, Quavo is no stranger to actual ballin' ... he's routinely traded buckets with some of the industry's biggest names -- such as Drake and Justin Bieber.

Huncho has also become a fixture in the NBA's annual All-Star Celebrity Game ... winning MVP honors in 2018 after dropping 19-points in an impressive performance.