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It's ironic ... the day 'Carter V' was released, we've confirmed Birdman is under investigation for allegedly plotting to shoot up Lil Wayne's tour bus.

The Cobb County, GA D.A. tells TMZ they are indeed investigating the man who calls Wayne his son.

We're told Young Thug is also being investigated in connection with the shooting.

TMZ broke the story ... Wayne's tour bus took on gunfire in Atlanta back in 2015, after Wayne performed at a nightclub.

The shooting went down just minutes after the bus pulled away from the club.

No one was injured, but not for lack of trying.

Huge victory for Dustin Johnson at the Ryder Cup in France -- Paulina Gretzky's letting him KISS HER again!!!

Seemed like it'd never happen again after she scrubbed him from her Instagram in the wake of cheating rumors ... but Dustin's put in the work and now he's back!!!

The couple arrived to Paris for the Ryder Cup recently and Paulina immediately put him to work -- making him shoot video of her for her IG page ... even though the page is still void of any DJ pics.

Dustin and his partner, Rickie Fowler, lost their matchup with Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose on Friday and the USA is currently losing to Europe -- but who cares, DJ's got his baby mama back!

As for the cheating rumors, the alleged "other woman" has denied hooking up with DJ.

Only one hurdle left for Dustin ... he's gotta get Paulina to put his pic back on her IG page.

2:30 PM PT -- POTUS has authorized the FBI to begin the Kavanaugh investigation that Sen. Flake called for right before the Judiciary Committee voted to recommend confirmation.

Several other Senators demanded such an investigation during Thursday's testimony, and Flake suggested the investigation should only delay the full Senate vote on Kavanaugh's confirmation by a week.

President Trump is one huge step closer to getting his guy, Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court -- the Senate Judiciary Committee just voted 11-10 to recommend he be confirmed.

The Committee has 11 Republicans and 10 Democrats, so the tally comes as no shock -- even after Thursday's emotional day of testimony from Kavanaugh and his sexual assault accuser, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. The next step for Kavanaugh is the confirmation vote before the full Senate.

Before he cast his vote recommending confirmation, Sen. Jeff Flake came face-to-face with two sexual assault victims who confronted and cornered him in an elevator on Capitol Hill. The incident might have had some impact -- before the Committee voted, Sen. Flake requested the Senate vote be delayed for one week to let the FBI conduct an investigation. However, the Committee voted to recommend confirmation ... and did NOT insist on the one-week delay.

Emotions have been running high since Thursday's nearly 9 hours of testimony. Two other women -- Deborah Ramirez and Julie Swetnick -- also levied allegations but were not allowed to testify.

Ford recounted Kavanaugh's alleged attack on her at a house party when they were in high school. Kavanaugh followed, and vehemently denied the allegations ... seemingly coming unhinged at times.

Yasiel Puig doesn't seem too fazed about all the burglaries at his L.A. home -- he just went out and bought a bunch of expensive replacement stuff!

Puig and the Dodgers are in San Francisco to play the Giants in a hugely important 3-game series beginning Friday night ... but before Yasiel took the field, he hit Gucci and Louis Vuitton with some of his teammates, including Pedro Baez!

Of course, Puig could use some new stuff -- his home was hit 4 times in the past 2 years. In the most recent invasion, crooks raided his bedroom earlier this month while he was playing at Dodger Stadium.

The good news for Puig ... he's rich. Dude's in the middle of a $42 million contract.

In fact, back in November Puig told us he has "too much f**king money" to worry about burglaries.

So, Friday morning he proved it -- hitting some of the fanciest stores in San Fran and leaving with a ton of bags.

Daniel Cormier just went OFF on Jon Jones -- the latest in their nasty rivalry -- this time, DC's labeling Jones a cheating, coke-abusing "snitch" who rolled on one of his teammates.

Jon started the latest round this week ... taunting Cormier on social media for failing to accept the "truth" that PEDs had nothing to do with JJ's two UFC victories over him.

Jones says the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency has backed his claims that he didn't intentionally ingest any prohibited substances ... and insists Cormier simply can't come to grips with the fact he's the superior fighter.

Enter Cormier ... who fired back on social media Friday morning.

"So here we go again Jonny boy. First off, if you did nothing wrong and were 'innocent' then you’d have never been suspended," Cormier said.

"And on top of all the cheating you’ve done around UFC 182, UFC 200 and UFC 214 that’s not even the straw that broke the camel’s back. You are actually a SNITCH!"

Cormier is referring to reports that Jones cut a deal with USADA for reduced 15-month suspension after his positive PED test -- and in exchange, Jones provided "substantial assistance" to the agency.

Many believe (including Cormier) the aforementioned "assistance" was info about other fighters -- aka "snitching."

Back to Cormier's attack ...

"You think you’re the only one that’s been offered this deal? No, you’re just the only scumbag low enough to take it!"

"Which one of your teammates did you tell on to get this joke of a punishment from USADA! I thought there was nothing lower than a cheater but it’s not surprising that you show me a whole new level."

"You’re a cheater and a SNITCH! Get off my page and go do some coke, or steroids or whatever you losers do in your spare time. #doublechamp"

Senator Jeff Flake is getting immediate, powerful and emotional feedback on his decision to support the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh ... in the form of 2 tearful protesters who cornered him on Capitol Hill.

The AZ Senator stepped into an elevator Friday morning and, before the doors closed, the women -- surrounded by cameras and reporters -- tore into Flake. The gripping scene unfolded live on CNN as the women told Flake they were sexual assault survivors, they believed Dr. Christine Ford ... and they demanded to know how he could allow Kavanaugh to have a seat on the high court.

One protester said, "What you are doing is allowing someone who actually violated a woman to sit in the Supreme Court. This is not tolerable!"

The other said, "Look at me when I'm talking to you. You're telling me that my assault doesn't matter ... and that you're gonna let people who do these things into power. That's what you're telling me when you vote for him."

It's an uneasy standoff to watch -- Flake is absolutely captive in the elevator, and there's NO security to protect him ... but it's also symbolic of the emotions of millions in the country.

LSU basketball player Wayde Sims was shot and killed near Southern University's campus early Friday morning, Baton Rouge PD confirms. He was just 20 years old.

Cops say the junior forward was shot at a Subway restaurant across the street from the SU's football stadium around 12:30 in the morning.

Sims was transported to a local hospital where he later died from the gunshot wound.

FYI, Southern University is also located in Baton Rouge ... about a 15-minute drive from LSU's main campus.

Baton Rouge PD released video of a violent altercation leading up to the fatal shooting ... and are trying to identify the person wearing a gray t-shirt and red pants seen toward the end of the clip.

“We are all devastated," LSU coach Will Wade said Friday morning. “We need your prayers for Wayde, for his family, for all of us. We are heartbroken.”

“Wayde Sims’ loss is simply unbelievable to us right now,” Joe Alleva, LSU's athletics director, added. “There are no words that can express our sorrow for his parents and family."

"He was such a lovable young man who was full of joy. We are circling around his teammates and friends who need all the love and support we can give them. We are praying for his family, for his parents. God bless Wayde Sims.”

"This is your worst nightmare as a coach," Wade said in a news conference Friday morning.

"Everybody liked him. Anybody he came in contact with you automatically just loved him and loved his personality. He was just a blast to be around at all times."

"Obviously, we're all still devastated and in shock about everything. But we're going to support Wayde's family and support our guys and slowly move forward from this."

LSU alum and former NFL star Marcus Spears shared his condolences, saying "Sick about the news of #WaydeSims of @LSUBasketball woke up to this, this morning and it’s heartbreaking for these young men to lose their lives at the hands of someone that shouldn’t make that choice for them! #RIP young Brah #Senseless"

Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari released a statement Friday morning -- "Saying a prayer this morning for Wayde and the @LSUBasketball family. Very tough news to hear we've lost a young man just getting started. My condolences to his family, friends and teammates."

Philadelphia Sixers superstar Ben Simmons dedicated an Instagram post to Sims, saying "Gone too soon. Sending my prayers to the Sims family and everyone back home at @lsubasketball Nothing but positive things to say about you brother #lsuforever"

Auburn basketball head coach Bruce Pearl added, "Devasted to hear of the passing of Wayde Sims. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and the entire LSU community during this difficult time. Father God please take care of him!"

Sims -- whose dad Wayne also played for the Tigers from 1987-1991 -- averaged 5.6 points and 3 rebounds a game last season. He was a high school prodigy and was named the Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year in 2015.

Everson Griffen says he's "focused on resolving personal issues" after being hospitalized for a mental health evaluation this week ... but has vowed to return to the field.

As we previously reported ... the Minnesota Vikings star was involved in a series of bizarre incidents -- including at the team hotel on Saturday -- which ended in the All-Pro being transported to a hospital for a mental health exam.

At the time, team staffers feared he could hurt himself or others.

Griffen broke his silence Thursday on social media ... apologizing for the incident and promising to address his issues.

This past week's events have raised many questions and I want to apologize to everyone who was impacted," Griffen says. "I am currently focused on resolving personal issues with which I have been dealing for a long time."

"Once I have had time to address those issues, I hope to share my story with everyone."

"I am extremely grateful for the support I have received from my family, the Vikings organization, my teammates and our tremendous fan base."

Griffen also apologized for missing the team's Thursday Night Football match-up with the Rams ... but Vikes head coach Mike Zimmer made it clear he wants to make sure Griffen is okay getting back on the field.

9/28 -- Roger posted a video vowing to win his wife back.

The next season of 'Jersey Shore' just got real interesting ... JWoww is divorcing her husband, Roger Mathews ... TMZ has confirmed.

JWoww -- aka Jenni Farley -- filed docs in Ocean County, NJ 2 weeks ago. The split comes just shy of the couple's third anniversary. She cites irreconcilable differences, and says their marriage has been on the rocks for at least 6 months.

Roger occasionally appeared on episodes of the original 'JS' run, but he has not been involved with the most recent tapings of the rebooted version of the show ... "Jersey Shore: Family Vacation."

It's unclear what's at the center of their marital strife -- but earlier this year Roger kinda poured his heart out on social media ... admitting he and Jenni went through several ups and downs. He said, "Some days it’s a struggle to stay together. Some days she calls me a f**king d**k head (cause I am). Some days the grass looks greener on the other side. We aren’t even close to perfect and I have no intention on pretending that we are."

JWoww and Roger have 2 kids -- a 4-year-old daughter, Melani, and a 2-year-old boy, Grayson.

3:48 PM PT -- The hearing has come to an end after more than 8 excruciating hours. The committee is slated to move forward with Friday's vote on Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court.

12:40 PM PT -- Kavanaugh delivered a passionate, tearful denial, saying the Democrats have tried to assassinate his character and destroy his family.

Brett Kavanaugh's fate may well be determined in the next 8 hours, after the showdown in the Senate Judiciary Committee between the Supreme Court nominee and his accuser, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford.

The hearing kicked off at 10 AM ET and Ford was first up. She had the floor to make her case before fielding a series of questions. The Republican senators turned over questioning on their part to Rachel Mitchell, an Arizona sex crimes prosecutor who has been viewed as a victim's advocate in such cases.

The process is about to now be repeated with Kavanaugh, but after he makes his opening statements he's fair game to the full panel of senators -- both Dems and Republicans. Mitchell will join in and ask questions of Kavanaugh as well.

Dr. Ford opened with an emotional, tearful recount of the alleged sexual attack by Kavanaugh.

There will be no other witnesses ... notably 2 other accusers -- Deborah Ramirez and Julie Swetnick -- will not be permitted to testify.

The hearing will last for hours and the Committee has 3 options -- voting to recommend confirmation of Kavanaugh and then sending the matter to the full Senate for a vote, voting to reject Kavanaugh and sending it to the full Senate, or not voting at all and sending the matter to the full Senate.

Kavanaugh needs a majority vote on the floor of the Senate. The Republicans have a 51-49 edge. If the vote is a tie, Vice President Pence will become the tie-breaker.

2:55 PM PT -- Ohio State has deleted all traces of its "Silence" campaign -- which was supposed to promote this weekend's game against Penn State ... after a MASSIVE backlash.

The University campaign featured a football player making a hushing gesture -- with the caption, "Silence the white noise."

But, as high-profile people like Ryan Leaf pointed out ... the timing and message are HORRIBLE considering the major scandal the University was just involved in.

As we previously reported, OSU suspended Urban Meyer for 3 games for not properly handling alleged domestic violence incidents involving OSU assistant football coach Zach Smith.

Smith's ex-wife claimed Meyer knew about the abuse and covered it up ... so, the whole "Silence" campaign was probably not the best idea.

A school rep issued a statement to Cleveland.com after pulling the "Silence" campaign saying, "The message has been interpreted in ways we absolutely did not intend, and we have removed it from our channels."

"We understand why people were critical."

Oops.

Ryan Leaf is blasting Ohio State for its new football campaign centered around the word "Silence" -- saying it's stupid and "tone deaf" in the wake of the Urban Meyer scandal.

The Buckeyes released a promotional poster for their upcoming game with Penn State featuring WR Austin Mack making a hushing gesture -- along with the caption, "Silence the white noise."

Enter Leaf ... who has a big problem with the timing and message of the promotion.

"I know this is a marketing poster for a football game, but the lack of perspective and it being as tone deaf as it is, really says a lot about what the [Urban Meyer] saga continues to reveal about [Ohio State]," Leaf tweeted.

Leaf -- who played football at Washington State -- is referring to the OSU scandal where Courtney Smith claimed Meyer knew her husband (an OSU coach) had been abusing her ... but swept it under the rug.

Meyer denied any wrongdoing -- but he did admit to mishandling the situation. And, when asked if he had knowledge of the situation at BIG10 Media Day, Meyer lied to reporters.

Urban was suspended 3 games as a result of an investigation -- and he returns to the sidelines against Penn State.

So, yeah ... Leaf makes a pretty solid point.

And not to mention, Penn State had their own problems with SILENCE.

Elon Musk just got hit again with a lawsuit from Uncle Sam, who's pissed about the tweet he fired off about Tesla last month ... and if the government gets its way it could cost Musk his job.

The Securities Exchange Commission is suing Tesla's CEO, claiming he misled investors after he tweeted in August ... "Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured." The SEC's lawsuit includes several other tweets, such as ... "My hope is *all* current investors remain with Tesla even if we're private. Would create special purpose fund enabling anyone to stay with Tesla."

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Musk recklessly posted the tweets because he'd only had preliminary conversations about the possibility of going public, and did not consult with his board of directors about tweeting it. As a result, the SEC contends the information was misleading to investors who may have reacted.

The federal agency says his tweets caused significant confusion and disruption in the market for Tesla's stock, and ended up hurting investors' wallets.

The SEC's going for Elon's throat ... because they want to "prohibit him from acting as an officer or director" of any public company. The agency also wants a court to prevent him from further misleading tweets and to force him to pay back any profits he might've made as a result.

9:55 AM PT -- Kanye just explained to the group he's redesigned the MAGA hat ... changing the brim and the shape of the front of it. He also says he's put "positive energy" in the hat.

Can you support both Donald Trump and Colin Kaepernick at the same time?

Kanye West believes you can ...

The rapper rolled over to the offices of The Fader on Thursday in Trump's "Make America Great Again" hat ... while wearing a sweatshirt with Kaep's name spelled out across the chest.

Is he making a point about how he can see both sides? Is he just out of clean laundry?

Remember, Trump famously referred to Colin as a "son of a bitch" and called for NFL owners to fire all players who didn't stand for the national anthem.

But, Ye applauded Nike for signing Kaep to a deal recently -- saying, "I stand for giving everyone a voice."

He added, "Adidas giving me a voice and Nike giving Colin voice on a big business level makes the world a more advanced place."

Colin Kaepernick says he's THRILLED his pal, Eric Reid, is back in the NFL -- but claims the safety shoulda been signed WAY earlier.

"Congratulations to my brother [Eric Reid], an all pro safety who should have been signed the first day of free agency, who has signed a football contract," Kaep posted.

"He has was the FIRST person to kneel alongside me. Eric is a social justice warrior, continues to support his wife, two beautiful daughters and communities in need."

Kaep and Reid were teammates on the 49ers and have been good friends for a WHILE.

In fact, when the guys found themselves jobless after the kneeling demonstrations -- they hired the same lawyers to sue the NFL for collusion ... claiming they'd been blackballed.

As for Kaep's claim Reid shoulda been signed sooner, he's right -- Reid's just 26 years old, has a Pro Bowl on his resume AND had 67 tackles and 2 picks last season.

Reid's new teammate, Torrey Smith, also commented -- saying, "I’m excited. It shouldn’t have taken this long, a person with his talent."

"We all understand the reason why."

Eric Reid -- who filed a collusion grievance against the NFL -- has just signed a 1-year contract with the Carolina Panthers, the team announced.

Reid was widely considered one of the best free agent safeties on the market -- but he believed he was being blackballed, like Colin Kaepernick, for taking a knee during the national anthem at NFL games.

Eric and Colin were teammates on the 49ers. They're still good friends and are using the same lawyers -- Mark Geragos and Ben Meiselas -- to go after the NFL for collusion.

Reid is a former Pro Bowl safety who racked up 67 tackles and 2 interceptions last season -- and many believe he should have easily gotten a roster spot in 2018 based on his talent.

Reid, 6'1" and 215 pounds, played the first five seasons of his NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers after being selected by the team in the first round (18th overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft.

“Eric has been a starting safety in the NFL and has played at a high level throughout his career," Panthers GM Marty Hurney said.

"After we put (safety) Da’Norris Searcy on injured reserve, Ron (Rivera) and I discussed our options, and Eric was at the top of our list. He is a physical safety with good ball skills and play-making ability."

Reid is already at the team facility.

Story developing ...

Dallas Cowboys fans everywhere rejoice ... Tony Romo is healthy enough to play quarterback in the NFL again!!!!!!!!!

Sooo ... when's the comeback date?!?!

Well ... maybe never.

Romo stoked the rumor mill Wednesday when he said his back, collarbone and everything else he broke in his playing days are good enough for him to get back on the field.

"I played much more hurt back in probably '13 and '14 then I would be now," Romo told the Ben & Skin Show.

"Yeah, I mean, I'm healthy enough. That wouldn't be the issue at all I don't think. That would be the least of my thoughts when it came to a decision like that, obviously."

But, is Tony actually considering it?!?! Romo wouldn't say, poo-pooing the question by saying, "You guys are silly."

Romo's been killin' it in the CBS broadcast booth ... and he's got big-time golf dreams now too. Football seems to be firmly in his past.

So, sorry, Dallas. Looks like you're stuck with Dak.