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Ali Alexander -- the pro-Trump organizer of the "Stop the Steal" movement -- calls himself one of the originators of the D.C. rally that preceded the Capitol riots ... but he claims he got help from 3 Congressmen.

The right-wing activist had been vocal for weeks about holding a huge event on January 6 in order to stop Congress from certifying the election win for Joe Biden, and he stated on video he schemed with 3 GOP Representatives to make it happen -- Andy Biggs and Paul A. Gosar from Arizona and Mo Brooks from Alabama.

All 3 GOP lawmakers are hard-line Trump supporters and have links to Alexander through video and social media posts ... and Ali claims their plan was to put "maximum pressure on Congress while they were voting."

He adds that they wanted to "change the hearts and the minds of Republicans who were in that body, hearing our loud roar from outside."

As you know, the D.C. rally for President Trump was followed by a march to the U.S. Capitol, where an angry mob of his supporters violently stormed in ... resulting in 5 deaths.

Alexander and his "Stop the Steal" group have been banned from Twitter, and though he's denied inciting the riot ... the 3 Republicans are taking heat for aiding him.

Biggs and Brooks have denied involvement with Alexander in organizing the Jan. 6 rally, and Gosar has not responded yet.

As we've reported ... Democratic members of Congress like Rep. Jim Clyburn have suggested the Capitol riots were part of an inside job facilitated by GOP politicians -- though he didn't name names. Similarly, Rep. Mikie Sherrill claimed she saw some of her GOP colleagues leading groups on "reconnaissance" tours of the building the day before the insurrection.

Jacob Blake says George Floyd's death was front and center in his mind when confronted by the Kenosha PD pulled ... as he explains, in his own words, what went down when an officer shot him 7 times in the back.

Jacob told 'GMA' anchor Michael Strahan, "I resisted to getting beat on. What I mean by that is not falling, not letting them put their head on my neck. That's all I was thinking."

For the first time, Jacob revealed why he was walking around his car, away from the Kenosha PD officer, Rusten Sheskey. As you know, Sheskey opened fire last August when Jacob opened his driver side door. His 2 children were in the backseat, and Jacob says he was sure he was about to die.

"I said 'Daddy loves you no matter what.' I thought it was going to be the last thing I said to them. Thank God it wasn't. I didn't want to be the next George Floyd. I didn't want to die."

Jacob, who remains partially paralyzed, says he was not fleeing from police, and points out his hands were up ... even after they tased him. He believes the video of his shooting speaks for itself.

If the insurrectionists had a bite to eat, a rental car or a pillow to lay on while in D.C. last week before storming the Capitol, the feds just might find out about it ... because they're digging through a laundry list of receipts to track down the culprits.

Federal law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the FBI has gone well beyond just resorting to flight manifests to find the people they suspect took part in Wednesday's siege -- they're looking at any and everything the rioters might've put their name to while in town.

That includes sifting through restaurant bills, hotel ledgers and rental car records in the days leading up to and following the attack on the Capitol ... and linking that up with intel of their own.

Here's another thing ... our sources say much of the legwork for this comprehensive approach is being done by the FBI-NYPD Joint Terrorism Task Force ... a group founded in NYC in the '80s.

Of course, there have been several high-profile arrests all over the country since last week's insurrection. Law enforcement says they nabbed the horn guy, the shield guy, the feet-on-desk guy, the two zip tie guys, the Auschwitz sweater guy, the lectern guy ... and others.

Granted ... there are literally hundreds more who didn't stick out so clearly ... so there's a lot more work to be done in the weeks and months to come as law enforcement attempts to bring all these people to justice.

TMZ broke the story ... they're investigating certain Capitol police officers and others who work at the Capitol, because there's evidence this could be an inside job. Our sources say 10 to 15 cops are under the microscope and the investigation is far along.

We've seen law enforcement in D.C. mobilized like never before -- the Capitol swarmed by thousands of National Guard members, FBI, Secret Service, Capitol Police and on and on.

Macaulay Culkin has just one word for the petition calling for the removal of Donald Trump's scene in 'Home Alone 2' ... SOLD!!!

Macaulay, best known as Kevin McAllister in the insanely popular 1992 Christmas comedy, says he's most definitely on board with leaving POTUS on the cutting room floor ... after last week's deadly insurrection at the Capitol.

The petition calls for Trump's cameo to be digitally replaced by 40-year-old Culkin, and when Macaulay posted his one-word response ... that was all the green light one fan needed. They took it upon themselves to make the edit ... albeit in amateur fashion.

Good enough for Macaulay, though ... who responded with, "bravo."

If, for some awful reason, you don't have "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" in your Christmas movie rotation ... Macaulay runs into Trump at the Plaza Hotel in NYC and asks him for directions to the lobby.

Funnily enough ... Trump told him it was to the left.

'Home Alone 2' director Chris Columbus has said Trump, who owned the Plaza from 1988 until 1995, told them they could use the location (for a fee) ... IF they wrote him into the movie. He says audiences cheered when they screened the film ... so Chris told his editor, "Leave him in the movie. It's a moment for the audience."

The storming of the U.S. Capitol is taking a serious toll on the undermanned police officers who were on the front lines ... so their mental health is now a top priority.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... counseling services provided by the Capitol Police have been in high demand over the past week, as officers are reeling and grieving after the violence that took place on January 6.

As you know, the riots resulted in 5 deaths ... including Officer Brian D. Sicknick, who was killed by rioters, and officer Howard Liebengood died by suicide days later.

We're told Capitol PD brass is periodically encouraging the rank and file to utilize their Employee Assistance Program ... and welcoming administrative leave, if needed.

The program includes on-site, confidential counselors who can help employees cope with a wide range of issues. It's been in place for decades, and was a huge help to officers after 9/11.

Our sources say the counseling is available 24/7 -- usually via phone call -- and a large number of officers have been taking advantage of the program ... and it's likely saving lives.

Former "Real Housewives of New Jersey" star Siggy Flicker is calling BS on the internet sleuths who say she was at the Capitol riots ... and she's got an alibi.

Siggy tells TMZ ... she was never near the Capitol during last week's attempted coup, despite some social media users claiming she was there. She says she wasn't even in D.C.

SF claims she's been holed up with her family at their home in Boca Raton, FL for the last 2 months and she was at the Boca Hotel and Resort with her kids and husband while the mob was busy storming the Capitol.

Siggy's on the defense because actress Vivicca Whitsett sent a tweet to the FBI, alleging Siggy is the woman wearing a MAGA beanie in this grainy picture from inside the Capitol. Siggy tells us the tweet is a "blatant lie."

Siggy also posted video of a Jan. 5 flight to D.C. showing a plane full of people singing "The Star-Spangled Banner," which seems to have gotten the ball rolling on the allegations ... but she tells us it's not her video, and she downloaded it from Twitter and reposted it on her IG because she thought it was "beautiful."

A diehard Trump supporter, Siggy tells us she last went to a Trump rally Oct. 16 in Ocala, FL and she doesn't support or condone the violence ... she says anyone who caused damage inside the Capitol during the insurrection should go to jail, no matter their political beliefs.

Siggy says she wouldn't be caught dead at a mass gathering like the Capitol riots because she's gearing up for another surgical procedure on her ankle and isn't supposed to be around large crowds.

A Mickey Mantle baseball card just sold for $5.2 MILLION at auction ... smashing the previous record by over a million bucks!!

The 5 million dollar card?? A 1952 #311 Topps Mickey Mantle ... considered one of the most desirable trading cards in existence.

We're told the card -- graded in mint condition and 1 of only a few in existence -- was brokered by the people at the online auction site, PWCC.

Aside from Mickey being a 20x All-Star and 7x World Series champ ... 1952 was also the 1st year Topps produced baseball cards.

This isn't the only time this particular Mantle card has been sold ... back in 2018 it raked in $2.88 mil at auction. 2 years later ... it's almost doubled in value.

Before the Mantle card set the new record ...a Mike Trout 2009 Bowman Chrome Draft Prospects Superfractor held the title -- with a $3.9 million price tag.

So, who has a big enough fortune to drop $5 mil plus on a 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 inch (albeit extremely valuable) piece of cardboard?

The guys' name is Rob Gough ... and if that name rings a bell, it's because he's the man behind the iconic CBD brand, DOPE CBD.

Rob's bank account is $5 mil lighter today ... but on the bright side, he now owns the most valuable baseball card ever made.

Los Angeles local Hope Sandoval burst onto the scene in the mid-'90s as the melancholy singer and founder of the indie dream pop band Mazzy Star ... they released their sophomore album So Tonight That I Might See on Capitol Records in 1993 and their track "Fade Into You" landed on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

While Mazzy Star didn't have the same success with their follow-up albums Among My Swan and Seasons Of Your Day ... Hope still performs as a solo artist and collaborates with other high-profile indie artists like Massive Attack, Kurt Vile and Mercury Rev.

Angie Jakusz, a former 'Survivor' contestant, has died after battling cancer.

Angie died Friday in the New Orleans area, and while we don't know her exact cause of death yet ... a recent GoFundMe page in her name says she'd been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.

Her fellow contestants playfully gave her the nickname, "No Fun Angie," when she appeared on the competition show's tenth season, "Survivor: Palau." She competed for the Ulong tribe.

Angie made a little history on the show ... she was voted out on Day 12 after becoming the first contestant to lose a revote in tribal council. Fans also got to see her on the 'Survivor' 10-year anniversary party in 2010.

She was born and raised in Waukesha, Wisconsin ... but eventually settled in New Orleans where she was an artist, and a bartender in the French Quarter.

Angie is survived by her husband, Steven Calandra, her parents, brother, niece and nephew. She was 40.

What a difference a week makes ... President Trump is now very clearly asking his supporters to call off any violent plots around next week's inauguration.

His dramatic change of tune came hours after the House of Representatives voted to impeach him -- for a historic 2nd time -- for inciting the Capitol insurrection. Trump said, "I unequivocally condemn the violence that we saw last week. Violence and vandalism have absolutely no place in our country and no place in our movement."

In the video message, recorded in the Oval Office, he spoke directly to his loyal followers, saying ... "No true supporter of mine could ever endorse political violence. No true supporter of mine could ever disrespect law enforcement or our great American flag."

Of course, just one week ago he told his assembled followers in Washington D.C. to show strength to take back the country, and then directed them to march to the Capitol where Congress was voting to verify Joe Biden's Presidential victory.

In his new message, Trump referenced FBI intelligence about plans for violent protests in all 50 states on and before Inauguration Day. He said the National Guard and law enforcement will ensure the transition to Biden will happen "safely and without incident."

Trump also griped about censorship, a reference to his ban from multiple digital platforms like Twitter. He never mentioned his impeachment, but it certainly seems he's going overboard to distance himself from the Capitol violence.

He'd already released a written statement earlier in the day condemning the riots, and this was his 2nd video message doing the same.

One part of the video that might be hard to swallow was his claim that ... "Like all of you, I was shocked and deeply saddened at the calamity at the Capitol last week."

Armie Hammer is leaving a movie he was supposed to star in opposite Jennifer Lopez, and it's all over a scandal involving alleged DMs of his ... which he's now addressing.

The 'Social Network' star tells TMZ ... "I’m not responding to these b******* claims but in light of the vicious and spurious online attacks against me, I cannot in good conscience now leave my children for 4 months to shoot a film in the Dominican Republic." Armie adds, "Lionsgate is supporting me in this and I’m grateful to them for that."

The flick Armie's referring to is "Shotgun Wedding," which was supposed to start filming ASAP. A source close to the production tells us Armie's role will be recast.

As for what this is all about ... it has to do with alleged messages from his Instagram account that were leaked this past weekend, which appear to show Armie messaging women in very graphic and explicit sexual terms, while also discussing cannibalism.

We won't post any here, but there's a lot of talk about drinking blood, eating body parts, and a bunch of stuff like that. The posts -- which have NOT been confirmed as authentic -- also portray Armie as domineering, demanding these women call him "daddy" and repeatedly mentioning rape, biting and "marking" in very raunchy sex talk.

A separate exchange that was captured and posted by the person who first spread these alleged DMs appears to show she made the whole thing up, but it's hard to tell if she's talking the Armie posts, or something unrelated. Frankly, it's all speculative.

Post Malone is making sure hospital workers working on the pandemic frontlines are comfortable while spending hours on their feet by gifting thousands of pairs of his custom Crocs.

The Post Malone x Crocs Duet Max Clog II are still sold out after hitting the market last month, but Posty is pulling strings to hook up 10,000 hospital workers with the impossible-to-find footwear.

Post and Crocs teamed up with a charity called Musicians on Call -- which brings tunes to hospital bedsides - to donate the shoes to frontline caregivers, housekeeping staff and healthcare workers busting their tails at about 70 facilities across the nation.

Now, the custom Crocs are being worn around various hospital units ... including, COVID, cardiac, ICU, oncology, surgical care and pediatrics.

President Trump just became the first Commander-in-Chief to be impeached twice -- and what happens next may decide whether he can ever run for office again.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted Wednesday on one article of impeachment that was introduced earlier this week -- incitement of insurrection -- and the motion passed with majority ... which included a couple handfuls of Republicans.

The House needed just 217 votes for impeachment, and they greatly exceeded that number. Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger, John Katko, Fred Upton and Jaime Herrera Beutler were among the Republicans who voted to impeach.

The impeachment vote comes after Speaker Nancy Pelosi gave VP Mike Pence an ultimatum -- either remove Trump using the 25th Amendment, or we'll do it ourselves with another impeachment. Pence refused Pelosi's proposition, saying it was time to heal and move on.

As such, the House charged 45 with high crimes (again) -- and now, the Senate will have to take the matter up among themselves ... either voting to convict, or acquit. Remember, Trump was cleared of wrongdoing last time ... but it might be different now.

Fact is, several Republicans are said to be fed up with Trump at the helm of their party -- and the Capitol riot was the last straw. Some have proven to be loyal no matter what -- like Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley -- but others have denounced POTUS, publicly or privately.

Here's the deal ... if Trump is impeached and convicted by the Senate, not only would the President be removed, but he couldn't run for federal office again. Sen. Mitch McConnell says the Senate will not take up the trial until after Biden is sworn in as the 46th President.

As for how 45 feels about all this, well ... you've heard it all before. Trump's refused to take responsibility -- denying his words and actions sparked the mob he assembled to storm the Capitol, and insisting his comments beforehand were wholly "appropriate."

And, of course, he's cornered the term "witch hunt," which he's been invoking again.

Nancy Pelosi's lectern is back at the U.S. Capitol ... a week after a Florida man gleefully carried it out during a failed coup.

The House Speaker's lectern was wheeled into the building Wednesday and, as we reported, it did not suffer any damage. Still, pretty sure the lectern was or will be sanitized like hell. No word yet if the gavel was also returned.

As you know by now ... Adam Johnson is the man picked up last week on a federal warrant in Florida for his role in the Capitol riots, which, of course, included him taking the lectern. Images of the 36-year-old were plastered online and on TV during and after the insurrection. Goes without saying, it wasn't hard to ID him.

Johnson, a married man and stay-at-home father of 5, is slated to appear later this month in D.C. but already Johnson's lawyer told reporters earlier this week the case is going to be an uphill battle 'cause, ya know, there are pictures of the guy taking the lectern!

Johnson's attorneys, Dan Eckhart and David Bigney, acknowledged as much during a news conference this week outside a Tampa courthouse. Eckhart said, "You have a photograph of our client in a building, unauthorized to be there, with what appears to be a podium or a lectern."

When a reporter told Eckhart how the photo will be problematic, he said, "Yeah, I don't know how to explain that. But, that would be a problem. I'm not a magician."

Tommy 'Tiny' Lister was all in for the movie that made him famous -- namely, Ice Cube's cult classic "Friday" -- because he legally changed his name to pay homage to his unforgettable character.

TMZ has obtained Tommy's death certificate, and while a cause of death hasn't yet been officially determined ... there was one very interesting nugget we noticed. His full name reads Tommy Debo Lister, very different from his reported birth name ... Thomas Duane Lister Jr.

It's interesting for a number of reasons. Obviously, Tommy is most famous for portraying Deebo in the "Friday" franchise -- and, no, we didn't spell that wrong ... but it appears Tommy did. In any case, it's quite clear he loved the character -- so much so, he actually made it part of his real-life identity ... opting for that instead of "Tiny," his longtime public nickname.

His manager, Cindy Cowan, tells TMZ he made the change in an L.A. court about 6 months ago -- because he felt his fans and the public at large simply knew him from "Friday."

Like we said ... Tommy's cause of death is pending right now -- it's listed as "deferred" on the doc, which just means they're still doing tests.

Remember, though, many in Tommy's immediate circle believe it was COVID-19. He was incredibly sick in his final days -- evident in several different videos he participated in -- and he'd already caught the virus earlier this year.

While the medical team works on getting closure on that front -- there's one last thing we should note about Tommy's death certificate. It says he was married to Felicia Lister.

If you know, you know ... gotta love it.

TMZ broke the story ... 62-year-old Tommy died suddenly last year at his L.A.-area home. When paramedics arrived, he was pronounced dead at the scene.

President Trump is singing a different, more peaceful, tune now that he's about to be impeached a second time -- he's now urging law and order from his followers.

Banned from Twitter, the Prez instead had to issue a statement Wednesday through the White House in which he urged non-violence among his supporters.

Trump says ... "In light of reports of more demonstrations, I urge that there must be NO violence, NO lawbreaking and NO vandalism of any kind. That is not what I stand for, and it is not what America stands for."

As we've reported ... insurrectionists are vowing to stage protests in all 50 state capitals, including a return to the U.S. Capitol, and the FBI has said many are plotting violence.