Conor McGregor just made a VERY passionate plea to the country of Ireland -- demanding they go into '"full lockdown" ASAP to protect themselves against COVID-19.
You gotta watch the clip ... the UFC superstar is HEATED -- saying straight-up, "True lockdown must begin, and it must begin now!!!"
McGregor shouted out the leaders of his country -- from the President on down -- saying, "While we are currently debating a full lockdown, I feel that we must! Any time spent debating this is needless time from the clock."
So far, at least 6 people have died from coronavirus in Ireland -- and more than 1,000 people have tested positive. Conor clearly believes the country needs to stop the spread.
Conor points to other countries that have seen success from quarantine -- and urges his people to take the threat seriously.
"Let's get it together and ring the bell ourselves," Conor says.
McGregor calls for the country to shut down everything from airports to non-essential businesses -- "along with stricter adherence to social distancing, must be put in place now!"
"We have the advantage here in that we can see this coming!"
He added, "Let's go Ireland! Let's go rest of the world. Lockdown united. Together we stand. God bless us all."
Los Angeles traffic cops are easing up on writing people tickets and towing away their vehicles ... and you have coronavirus to thank for it.
L.A. City Hall sources tell TMZ ... the LAPD just issued new city-wide guidelines as a result of the state of emergency in California and because of what City Council has ordered them to do ... vowing to not issue any citations or haul anyone's ride away for a lot of parking violations they normally would.
For example ... 5 or more unpaid parking tickets are chillin', so are the folks who park in one location for more than 72 hours, and yes -- any inoperable vehicles aren't going to be touched either for the time being. Just so long as none of these situations pose a threat, that is.
There's more though -- the police department says rush hour parking restrictions are scrapped, street sweeping violations in residential areas are exempt, and abandoned/oversized vehicles or those that park somewhere overnight won't be hassled at the moment.
And, for those who are behind on their vehicle registration or who may have an expired driver's license over the last 6 months ... you're good to go too. LAPD will leave you be.
These are fairly sweeping changes amid the pandemic -- and considering L.A. is such a huge city, it's likely other law enforcement agencies across the state (and maybe the country) will follow suit.
10:20 AM PT -- 3/24 -- The Olympic torch relay has also been postponed due to the postponement of the 2020 games ... and the torch will be displayed in Fukushima, according to Yoshiro Mori.
UPDATE
5:36 AM PT -- Shinzo Abe -- the Prime Minister of Japan -- has reached an agreement with the IOC to postpone the Games to Summer 2021, the first time EVER the Games will be postponed.
UPDATE
Abe spoke with IOC President Thomas Bach and proposed the postponement.
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Abe confirmed the news with reporters early Tuesday morning.
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics will NOT go down as scheduled on July 24, an IOC official just announced.
International's Olympic Committee member Dick Pound says that they have officially decided to postpone the games ... in light of the COVID-19 global pandemic.
“On the basis of the information the IOC has, postponement has been decided,” Pound told USA Today.
“The parameters going forward have not been determined, but the Games are not going to start on July 24, that much I know.”
It's unclear when officials will reschedule the games.
“We will postpone this and begin to deal with all the ramifications of moving this, which are immense,” Pound says.
The move should surprise absolutely nobody ... the globe has been paralyzed by COVID-19, with major cities and even countries shutting down over fears of spreading the lethal virus.
IOC officials tried their best to keep the games on ... but pressure from critics clearly grew too heavy for them to move forward with the July games as planned.
Remember, both Canada AND Australia said they would NOT send players to Tokyo to compete if the games were not postponed.
"With COVID-19 and the associated risks, it is not safe for our athletes, and the health and safety of their families and the broader Canadian community for athletes to continue training towards these Games," Canadian Olympic officials said in a statement.
"Containing the virus must be our paramount concern. We are in the midst of a global health crisis that is far more significant than sport."
President Donald Trump has suggested officials reschedule the Summer Games next year.
Knowledge is power, and for a little while, it'll also be free ... so long as you use the online company hooking up parents with a homeschooling curriculum.
That's right -- panic-stricken moms and dads scrambling to keep their children learning and up to date in their academics, now have a free option for online education from a company called Calvert.
While several millions of households are dealing with closed schools due to the coronavirus ... Calvert is offering its online homeschool system for free for the next 3 months. Starting Tuesday night, Calvert will allow parents to sign up and use their services to teach their kids.
Calvert tells us it started with a 30-day free trial -- but, presumably, because of the overwhelming amount of new users ... they decided to extend that through July. At that point, parents will have to pay.
The company offers K-12 course bundle packages that normally go for anywhere from $1,300 to $2,800 for a whole year. The higher the grade level, the more subjects there are to dive into and study.
The best part -- for parents who suddenly have to become teachers (ain't so easy, is it?) -- the whole thing is planned out for you, just plug in and follow along. Some manual grading might be required here and there, BTW. Old school, baby!
12:05 PM PT -- Embiid is applauding his team for doing the right thing and paying the staffers ... saying, "In these trying times, I'm proud of the Sixers organization for reversing course and 'doing a 180.'"
UPDATE
"Let's focus on beating this Coronavirus now. Let's be responsible and Trust the Process!!"
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11:04 AM PT -- 76ers owner Josh Harris is realizing how bad of an idea it was to cut staff salaries during the coronavirus suspension ... saying, "After listening to our staff and players, it's clear that was the wrong decision."
UPDATE
"We have reversed it and will be paying these employees their full salaries."
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"To our staff and fans, I apologize for getting this wrong."
NBA superstar Joel Embiid is gunning to help those in need "do a 180" during the coronavirus pandemic ... donating HALF A MILLION DOLLARS to medical relief.
But, the 76ers center isn't stopping there -- the 26-year-old is vowing to financially support team staffers who have been asked to take a pay cut during the NBA suspension.
As Adrian Wojnarowski reported Tuesday morning ... 76ers employees who make more than $50k a year are being required to accept a 20% salary reduction ... and the remaining staffers have been asked to voluntarily take the cut.
The amount Embiid will shell out for his fellow Sixers employees will depend on how many will need financial support during the league's hiatus.
8:27 AM PT -- So, this is alarming ... Donald Trump said Tuesday he really wants to get people out of their homes and back into life as we knew it. His comments are getting perilously close to urging Americans to ignore doctors and scientists, all of whom seem to be saying we need these drastic measures until the virus subsides. The irony, of course, is if Trump gets his way, we'll clearly have way more deaths than if we were isolated from each other ... and what does he think will happen to the economy then?
UPDATE
This will put a smile on President Trump's face ... the Lt. Gov. of Texas says to hell with social distancing, because old folks should risk death by COVID-19, so the economy can start recovering.
Yes, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick told Tucker Carlson Monday evening, "Those of us who are 70-plus, we'll take care of ourselves, but don't sacrifice the country. Don't do that. Don't ruin this great American dream."
Patrick, who acknowledged he is a grandfather, was 100 percent echoing the President's sentiment during an earlier briefing on coronavirus. Trump says he's strongly considering ending social distancing after just 2 weeks.
3/16/20
FOX
POTUS stressed he wants to get America back up and running. Of course, the problem with that is several hundred Americans could be dying EVERY day at that point ... due to the spread of the virus.
When It Comes To Coronavirus
Something Went Wrong
That would seem to be an odd time to stop doing what every scientist says will prevent the virus from spreading and killing more people.
Still, if the President proceeds ... you can count in grandpa Patrick, who says he's willing to risk dying -- "We can't lose our whole country, we're having an economic collapse."
Oprah's longtime partner, Stedman, isn't getting any snuggles during these days of sheltering at home -- he's in the guesthouse ... but you could call it the dog house, too.
Oprah's been quarantining at her home in Santa Barbara, CA during the coronavirus pandemic, but in an interview with her magazine she revealed her longtime partner is separately self-isolating in their guesthouse for an important reason ... to protect her health.
O says she's more at-risk because she had pneumonia late last year and just recently got off meds following a bronchial infection ... but it's still mostly Stedman's fault he's not able to be by her side now.
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She claims Stedman's "one of those" people who didn't take the COVID-19 crisis seriously enough and was "late to the party" in getting onboard with taking precautions.
In fact, Oprah says Stedman flew from Chicago to California just on Thursday and when he asked her what the procedure was for coming home, she says she told him ... "The procedure is...you ain't coming and sleeping in my bed!"
Oprah says she added ... "Have you not been paying attention to the news? Social-distancing does not mean you go and sleep in the same bed with the person. When you just got off American Airlines!"
O says it's all good, though, and Stedman's happy to be keeping her safe. She says she and her girls bring him meals daily and they have "love chats" ... with a window between them.
For the record, he's not tested positive for coronavirus either ... they are just being extra-careful, and it's only for a couple weeks, right?
Feeling stressed over coronavirus and quarantines? Terrell Davis has the perfect solution -- GET OFF YOUR BUTT AND GET A WORKOUT IN!!!
The former Super Bowl champ offered up the advice to TMZ Sports ... saying breaking a sweat can REALLY help people get over the COVID-19 blues.
"It's great for stress," TD says. "It's a great stress reliever. We're all going through these times, uncertain times. Everybody's feeling the pinch, and you can feel real stressed out. So working out a routine is always good."
The Denver Broncos legend is certainly practicing what he's preaching ... the 47-year-old posted a workout vid over the weekend -- and the dude is JACKED.
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He tells us he doesn't have a magic formula for getting as ripped as he is ... but his advice to those who want to get on the journey is simple -- start small!
"Find something that you want to do and stick with it," Davis says. "Don't pick something that's too hard that you're not going to want to do every day."
As for Davis -- who's killing it in the CBD business with his DEFY sports drink company -- he says he's feeling so good these days ... the thought of possibly playing ball again has crossed his mind.
Then again, he says his knees always tell him to rethink that idea twice!
Therapists aren't going to stop putting patients on the couch due to the coronavirus outbreak -- they just have to find creative ways to do it ... billing included.
TMZ spoke with a number of therapists and patients across 3 states, and what we're hearing is that one-one-one sessions continue to be the norm during the outbreak. However, with the mandate for social distancing ... those appointments have moved to digital platforms.
As the "Peanuts" character, Lucy, would say, the doctor is still in -- but she's having phone convos or video chats with patients from home.
The biggest hurdle with the new format comes down to money. Shrinks are still charging top dollar even if all the communication is virtual -- but we're told some insurance companies won't cover telemedicine methods.
One option for patients appears to be going through a company called Doxy.Me, which lets doctors and patients hop into a private chat while honoring HIPPA.
TMZ.com
That's one loophole, and a necessary one. Obviously, there's been plenty of upheaval in society that might prompt one to seek professional help -- as we did recently with Dr. Philon "TMZ Live."
Our sources tell us some therapists are simply playing a good samaritan and only charging patients their out of pocket co-payments, if their insurance won't cover video or phone sessions.
It's a nice gesture ... not everyone's doing it though.
Yes, Jeremy Renner's made bank as one of "The Avengers," but the pandemic has left him short on funds, just like millions of unemployed Americans ... according to Jeremy.
Hawkeye filed docs Monday in L.A., asking a judge show some mercy when it comes to how much he has to pay his ex, Sonny Pacheco, in child support. In the docs, obtained by TMZ, he says his financial circumstances have changed dramatically in recent weeks. Tell us about it.
Jeremy says he knew 2020 would be a down year for him, financially, since his work in "The Avengers" films is done -- but he says he did have some work lined up. Then, the pandemic set in, and "it is likely that most productions will not resume again prior to the end of the year. As such, the projects that I had previously lined up to film this year are likely cancelled or postponed."
He says he's currently paying about $30k per month, tax-free, for their daughter Ava's housing, food, transportation and clothing. Jeremy has some issues with how, he claims, Sonny is using the funds.
He alleges she's using it as a "slush fund" to support her lifestyle and to wage a child custody war against him in court. In docs, his attorney says, "Sonny's voracious appetite for Jeremy's money has no end in sight."
Jeremy's got serious trust issues with Sonny, and is asking the judge to let his business managers have sole control over the funds in Ava's account. Due to his financial situation, he wants the amount of support reduced.
While he doesn't ask for a specific number, Jeremy does say he believes Ava's "reasonable needs" come to about $11k per month.
Bill Maherhas been worrying out loud for a year that Donald Trump might declare Martial Law and not willingly leave The White House when his time is up, and although Martial Law probably is not in the cards, Trump could make a play to delay the election and -- it could work.
We spoke with one of the national authorities in constitutional law -- University of North Carolina Law Professor Michael Gerhardt -- who says Trump does NOT have the power to postpone the election if the coronavirus is still out of control come Fall.
That said, Gerhardt is way more worried about Trump trying it anyway. It would go something like this .... people are still locked inside, candidates can't really campaign, so what if he decides to move the election 6 months down the road or even longer?
Gerhardt says that worries him. What worries him more is that the Supreme Court is now stacked in Trump's favor, and Gerhardt notes SCOTUS has not broken with Trump on major issues.
Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard are doing their part to help financially-strapped folks living in the L.A. buildings they own ... by waiving rent for April.
TMZ's learned the married couple decided to forgo rent collection for next month amid the coronavirus pandemic, during which many of their tenants are without jobs as California is under a "stay at home" order.
We're told a manager of Pringus Property LLC -- Kristen and Dax's company that owns at least 2 residential buildings -- emailed all tenants this weekend to give them the good news.
Our sources say the message expressed empathy and encouragement, and the manager -- who we're told is Dax's sister -- promised to work with residents going forward as best as possible as everyone learns to adjust to the public health crisis.
With more than 100 million Americans now ordered to stay inside, unemployment is skyrocketing and making rent is going to be a major concern across the country.
Many landlords are giving tenants a pass for now -- as Kristen and Dax have. The issue will be how long the outbreak continues, and how much leniency those landlords can afford residents.
Kim Kardashian West says Taylor Swift has left her no choice but to set the record straight about the phone call between Kanye and Taylor that led to years of conflict.
Over the weekend, unseen footage from the 2016 call leaked online. In the call, Kanye tells Taylor about a song he's working on -- that he later released as "Famous" -- with lyrics about Taylor. Swift seems nervous to hear what Kanye has to say ... but calms down after he tells her the lyrics are simply, "I feel like Taylor Swift might owe me sex."
2016
When Kanye did release "Famous," the final lyrics were different, West rapped, "I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex. I made that bitch famous." The song reignited the feud between Kanye and Taylor, with the main source of contention focusing on the word "bitch."
At the time of the song's release, Taylor's rep allegedly told EW, "Kanye did not call for approval, but to ask Taylor to release his single on her Twitter account. She declined and cautioned him about releasing a song with such a strong misogynistic message. Taylor was never made aware of the actual lyric."
On Monday, Taylor broke her silence on the unseen footage, saying about the video, "proving that I was telling the truth the whole time about **that call**" ... she then goes on to say it was edited and put her, her family and fans through hell for 4 years.
Clearly, Taylor's message didn't sit well with Kim ... "@taylorswift13 has chosen to reignite an old exchange - that at this point in time feels very self-serving given the suffering millions of real victims are facing right now ... because she continues to speak on it, I feel I’m left without a choice but to respond because she is actually lying."
"To be clear, the only issue I ever had around the situation was that Taylor lied through her publicist who stated that “Kanye never called to ask for permission...” They clearly spoke so I let you all see that. Nobody ever denied the word “bitch” was used without her permission."
Kim continues, "In her statement when her team said she “declined and cautioned him about releasing a song with such a strong misogynistic message." The lie was never about the word bitch, It was always whether there was a call or not and the tone of the conversation."
Kim -- who posted parts of the video back in 2016 after the song's release -- also says she never edited the footage.
Kim also defended Kanye recording the call without Taylor's permission, saying, "Kanye has documented the making of all of his albums for his personal archive, however, has never released any of it for public consumption and the call between the two of them would have remained private or would have gone in the trash had she not lied and forced me to defend him."
As for whether or not the back and forth will continue? Kim says she's done speaking on it ... your move, Taylor.
Dr. Phil has a good idea of what you're gonna be into when the coronavirus pandemic subsides -- some of you will make up for lost time, and some will move on from significant others.
The good doc was on "TMZ Live" to talk about the aftermath of all this change we're currently going through. In other words ... what's gonna happen when you can finally socialize again, face-to-face?
Dr. Phil says he expects Americans to be a little scared to get back out there, at first ... due to understandable concerns about the virus. But, once group gathering restrictions are lifted, he sees people will get back in the swing of making real human contact -- and they'll do it with vigor.
Now, the other side of the coin. Dr. Phil says China's seen a spike in divorce after its strict shutdown, and he suspects the same will happen here. Especially, if things aren't going so smoothly with your quarantine bae.
Celebrities are coming together and sending a unified message amid the coronavirus pandemic ... staying home to prevent the spread of the virus and protecting their loved ones and folks who are at risk.
Some of the biggest names in Hollywood are making #IStayHomeFor go viral ... with Elton John, Demi Lovato, David Beckham, Mariah Carey, Kevin Bacon and Bebe Rexha telling you who they're looking out for by self-isolating.
As you know ... folks everywhere are being told to stay home to flatten the curve and slow the spread by practicing social distancing.
Check out the gallery ... and see why these celebs understand what's at stake here.
Sorry, Bucs fans -- Tom Brady almost certainly ain't bringing Rob Gronkowski to Tampa this season ... Gronk's bro tells TMZ Sports he thinks the TE is officially DONE with football.
"I can't say anything for him," Chris Gronkowskisays. "But, I think that he might be moving on ... I would be surprised for sure."
Of course, rumors have flown about a possible Gronk-Brady reunion in Tampa this past week ... with some thinking, the move is in the best interest of both parties now that TB12 is theBucs' new starter.
Remember, Gronk's had a year off to get his body right after retiring suddenly in March 2019 ... and he'd certainly be a big weapon for his old pal in the new Florida digs. Also, Chris tells us Rob DID use to own property in the area.
But, Gronk just signed a deal with WWE to be a part-time personality for the org. ... and when we spoke with Chris on Monday, he said he thinks that should officially signal the end of Rob's football days.
"Man, it looks like it after this deal," Chris says. "But, I'm not him, so I have no idea what he's thinking. But, as of right now, it looks like a pretty cool position that he's in."
As for how Chris thinks Gronk's Wrestlemania-hosting gig will go next month ... big bro has all the confidence in the NFL legend, telling us, "I expect good things."
"I think it's going to be entertaining and I hope he gets in the ring at some point as well."