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Michael K. Williams' overdose death was caused by drug dealers who sold him dope laced with fentanyl ... according to the feds who are announcing arrests in the case.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of NY broke the news Wednesday ... saying they had 4 individuals in custody who've been charged in connection with Williams' death last year in Brooklyn.

According to the feds ... a man named Irvin Cartagena made a hand-to-hand transaction with Williams on Sept. 5, 2021 -- allegedly taking cash from the actor and giving him heroin the authorities claim was laced with fentanyl ... which later caused Williams' fatal OD. Law enforcement nabbed Cartagena in Puerto Rico.

Prosecutors allege the exchange between Williams and Cartagena was captured on surveillance video, and posted screenshots they claim show the drug deal going down.

Cartagena is charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl analogue, fentanyl and heroin. He's also being charged with causing Williams' death in connection with the narcotics conspiracy.

All told, he could get life in prison if convicted on all charges.

There's more though ... 3 other guys were also arrested and charged -- Hector Robles, Luis Cruz and Carlos Macci, who the feds allege are part of the same drug trafficking org in Brooklyn.

As we reported, Williams was found dead in his Brooklyn home, and his death was later ruled an accidental OD.

Jeff Zucker just dropped a bombshell at CNN -- he's resigning as network president, because of a romantic relationship he kept hidden ... one that only came to light during the Chris Cuomo investigation.

Jeff, who is also stepping down from his post as chairman of WarnerMedia's news and sports division, blasted out a memo to co-workers Wednesday ... saying that during the Cuomo probe he was asked "about a consensual relationship with my closest colleague, someone I have worked with for more than 20 years."

He doesn't say the relationship itself is the problem, he says it's because he lied. Jeff wrote, "I acknowledged the relationship evolved in recent years. I was required to disclose it when it began but I didn't. I was wrong."

Jeff did not name the colleague who he had a relationship with in his memo ... but CNN says the person is Allison Gollust, the network's chief marketing officer.

CNN says Allison is keeping her job.

It's interesting the Cuomo investigation also took down Zucker ... remember, Jeff initially stood by Chris when the anchor came under fire for advising aides to his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, on how to fend off a sexual harassment scandal.

But, as the investigation dragged on, Jeff eventually distanced himself from Chris and dropped his support.

The Washington Football Team finally has its new name ... the Washington Commanders.

The NFL's D.C. org just announced the rebranding -- nearly two years after it dropped its old moniker due to its racist ties.

Commanders co-owner and co-CEO Tanya Snyder said in a statement the team landed on the new name after "40,000 fan submissions and countless surveys, focus groups and meetings."

The team unveiled three new logos with the name change -- a capital W, a stylized "Washington Commanders" insignia, and a team crest.

The Commanders also showed off their new uniforms -- red and burgundy kits that aren't too much different than what they've been wearing the past few years.

"As an organization," team co-owner and co-CEO Dan Snyder said Wednesday, "we are excited to rally and rise together as one under our new identity while paying homage to our local roots and what it means to represent the nation's capital."

The confusion surrounding Tom Brady's future is finally over ... the quarterback just said he is officially retiring -- though he made one glaring omission in his goodbye note.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB announced on his Instagram page early Tuesday morning that he's done ... saying, "My teammates, coaches, fellow competitors, and fans deserve 100% of me, but right now, it's best I leave the field of play to the next generation of dedicated and committed athletes."

Brady then thanked his family, friends, teammates, coaches and Buccaneers execs in the post ... but he notably made no mention whatsoever of the New England Patriots.

There's no note to Bill Belichick or Robert Kraft -- two guys he spent 20 years of his career with before he bolted for Tampa Bay following the 2019 season.

It's unclear if the omission signals some sort of rift between the QB and the org. -- or if he felt he had already said his appropriate goodbyes to them when he left two years ago.

Either way, Brady's announcement officially ends arguably the greatest sports career ever. Tom played in the NFL for 22 seasons and won seven Super Bowls. He also won three MVP awards and was selected to 15 Pro Bowls.

In his career, he logged 84,520 passing yards and 624 passing touchdowns. He's considered the greatest football player of all time.

As for what's next, Brady has his hands all over several business projects -- but he mentioned in his post he has no real idea what he'll do from here.

"I'm fortunate to have cofounded incredible companies like @autograph.io @bradybrand @tb12sports that I am excited to continue to help build and grow," Brady said, "but exactly what my days will look like will be a work-in-progress. As I said earlier, I am going to take it day by day."

"I know for sure I want to spend a lot of time giving others and trying to enrich other people's lives, just as so many done for me."

Not so fast ... Tom Brady says he has NOT made the decision to retire from the NFL after 22 seasons, despite an ESPN report to the contrary.

"I'm just still going through the process I said I was going through so sometimes it takes some time to really evaluate on how you feel and what you wanna do and when the time is right, I'll be ready to make a decision one way or another just like I said last week," TB12 said on his Let's Go! podcast.

Of course, the sports world was rocked over the weekend when NFL insider Adam Schefter reported the 44-year-old GOAT was stepping away from football.

On the pod, the 7x Super Bowl champion was asked if he had a timeframe for when he'd make a decision.

"I don't know. I'll know when the time's right. Like I've always said, I'm very blessed to play as long as I have. As things have gone on the later parts of my career whether that was five years ago, you know, even this year, there's a lot of interest of when I'm gonna stop playing and I understand that."

"It's not that I don't recognize that, it's just when I know, I'll know and when I don't know, I don't know. I'm not gonna race to some conclusion about that."

Brady was also asked if he was surprised by the ESPN story.

"Haha, it's always a good line. 'I'm responsible for what I say and do and not responsible for what others say or do,' so. Again, one thing I've learned from sports is you can control what you can control and what you can't, you leave to others."

Brady continued ... "We're in such an era of information and people want to be in front of the news often and I totally understand that. I understand that's the environment we're in but I think for me, literally it's day to day with me. I try to do the best I can every day, evaluate things as they come and try to make a great decision for me and my family."

Shortly after the news broke on Saturday, the Bucs revealed Brady hadn't informed them of his intent to hang up his pads. Then, TB12's dad, Tom Brady Sr. told a local reporter his son hadn't made up his mind.

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky are expecting, and they are showing off that baby bump with style!

The two were absolutely glowing out in Harlem (his hometown). Her outfit seems to compliment the reveal super well … with a gold cross and some jewels resting on the bump! They weren’t out long, as it seemed pretty chilly out there, before heading back to their apartment.

The couple has been friends for years, but started dating back at the end of 2020, and have been inseparable ever since … TMZ reported at the beginning of that year, they were seen hanging out quite a bit after her breakup with Hassan Jameel, and speculation started flying around about the now-lovebirds.

Since they’ve gone public, they’ve been spotted out in NYC nonstop.

Tom Brady -- the most successful quarterback in NFL history -- is walking away from the game of football after 22 historic seasons.

The 44-year-old 7-time champ is retiring as the league's all-time leader in wins at quarterback, passing attempts, completions, passing yards and passing touchdowns, according to a report from Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington

Brady was the 199th pick in the 2000 NFL Draft ... after playing at Michigan from 1996-1999.

Brady played for New England from 2001-19 ... winning 6 Super Bowls with the Patriots. He went on to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he won his 7th championship in 2021.

The Bucs went 13-4 this season and ran away with the NFC South title ... but were defeated by the Rams in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.

Brady married supermodel Gisele Bundchen in 2009 ... and just this week, he hinted at the possibility of hanging it up for his wife and children's sake.

He previously spoke about how he hoped to play until he was 45 years old, but was open about his struggles with being away from family during the football season.

"It pains [Gisele] to see me get hit out there, and she deserves what she needs from me as a husband and my kids deserve what they need from me as a dad," Brady said this week on his "Let's Go" podcast.

Brady threw for 84,520 yards and 624 TDs over his 22-season career.

Brady's ex-teammate, Julian Edelman, congratulated the quarterback ... saying, "Thanks for the memories, babe."

Chris Godwin -- who won a ring with Brady last season -- added, "The best ever. Congratulations bro @TomBrady grateful to have gotten to share the field with you! Much love fam."

Congrats on retirement, G.O.A.T.

Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is retiring after more than 2 decades on the bench -- the timing is certainly significant, and the battle over his replacement will be fascinating.

Justice Breyer was appointed to the Supreme Court way back in 1994 by President Bill Clinton, and there was mounting pressure from Democrats for him to step aside for some new blood.

From the outside, it certainly appears Breyer learned a lesson from Ruth Bader Ginsburg's situation -- with RBG not stepping down when a Democrat was in office as she grew older, ultimately leading to Donald Trump's hand-picked replacement ... Justice Amy Coney Barrett.

The timing of Breyer's retirement is interesting ... the midterm elections are looming and there's a possibility the Democrats could lose their slim majority in the Senate, which would make it nearly impossible for President Joe Biden's pick for a new Justice to get confirmed.

Breyer will remain on the bench until the Supreme Court's current term ends this summer.

Republicans have made clear their intentions to block any potential candidate put forward by President Biden, if the GOP wins back a Senate majority in the midterms.

Right now the Democrats hold the majority in the House and Senate, so look for President Biden to push through a replacement for Justice Breyer rather quickly.

President Biden insulted a reporter with some foul language over what he thought was a ridiculous inquiry ... and it got picked up on a hot mic!

JB brought the press in to the White House Monday for a photo-op following a roundtable chat with his cabinet on how to quickly lower costs in the U.S. -- this as prices continue to soar nationwide. As chirping journos were being ushered out ... FOX News' White House Correspondent Peter Doocy fired away.

He asked Biden if he thought inflation could be a political liability for the midterms, and Joe actually responded -- albeit, under his breath. It seems he thought the mic was turned off.

Not the case ... because his microphone was on, and you hear sarcastically say, "That's a great asset -- more inflation. What a stupid son of a bitch."

Doocy says he didn't hear it and was told by other reporters about the comment.

Doocy was interviewed about the jab shortly following Biden's remarks, with one FN host openly wondering ... are ya, in fact, a stupid S.O.B.??? PD had a hilarious response.

The man allegedly responsible for the stabbing death of UCLA grad student Brianna Kupfer has officially been charged with murder.

The L.A. County District Attorney's office announced the murder charge against Shawn Laval Smith Friday, along with a special allegation that he used a deadly and dangerous weapon, a knife.

As the charges were announced, D.A George Gascon said, "Those who show no compassion for human life will face serious consequences. The murder of Brianna Kupfer has left Los Angeles County devastated and my office is reaching out to her family to provide any services they may need.”

TMZ broke the story ... Laval was arrested Wednesday in Pasadena after a city-wide search following Brianna's murder. Laval allegedly walked into the Hancock Park furniture store where Kupfer was working on January 13 and stabbed her to death.

Cops were quick to put out photos and surveillance of Smith -- taken at a 7-Eleven store shortly after the murder -- urging the city to help track him down.

We obtained video of Smith's arrest from Wednesday, we're told a man called police after believing he spotted Smith walking the streets ... turns out, he was right.

The man who allegedly stabbed an L.A. woman to death this week has been arrested ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Shawn Laval Smith was arrested Wednesday morning in Pasadena for the murder of Brianna Kupfer.

We're told a random citizen saw the man on the street and he felt it matched the wanted picture, so he called the police. Cops raced to the scene, found the man who did indeed match the description, took him back to the station. We're told police have now confirmed the person arrested is Smith.

As we reported, the 24-year-old woman was working in a high-end furniture store in L.A. when a man came in wielding a knife and repeatedly stabbed her. The killer was seen casually walking away in a nearby alley.

Cops say the culprit was Smith, who was seen on surveillance video an hour later buying a vape pen at a 7-Eleven.

The murder sent shockwaves through L.A. ... which has been experiencing a crime wave, along with many other problems.

There's been a break in the investigation into the Brianna Kupfer murder case in Los Angeles ... law enforcement says they've identified a suspect.

The Los Angeles Police Department says the man is 31-year-old Shawn Laval Smith and he's now wanted in connection with Brianna's murder.

Cops released a mug shot of the suspect Tuesday and say Smith should be considered armed and dangerous. LAPD says he's been all over Southern California recently and is likely to be using public transportation.

Brianna, a grad student at UCLA, was murdered Thursday while working at a furniture store in what cops are calling a random daytime attack.

Police say Smith did not know Brianna and they do not have a motive. Cops say the suspect attacked Brianna with a knife and fled the store using the back door.

Warriors part-owner Chamath Palihapitiya is attempting to clarify his controversial comments made about Uyghur concentration camps in China ... acknowledging his initial statements came off as cold, and claiming he really does care about human rights.

Palihapitiya -- who owns a minority stake in the Warriors franchise -- came under fire for his recent appearance on the "All-In Podcast" ... in which he said, "Nobody cares about what’s happening to the Uyghurs."

According to the U.S. Dept. of Labor, more than 1 million Chinese Uyghurs have been detained in mass detention camps. There are reports that they've been subjected to slave labor, sterilization and rape.

But as Palihapitiya put it, "Of all the things I care about, yes it is below my line."

The Warriors quickly denounced the billionaire's comment ... saying, "his views certainly don't reflect those of our organization" ... adding he has zero day-to-day operating functions within the team.

Amid the backlash, Palihapitiya released a short statement Monday trying to put out the fire.

"In re-listening to this week's podcast, I recognize that I come across as lacking empathy," Palihapitiya said. "I acknowledge that entirely."

"As a refugee, my family fled a country with its own set of human rights issues so this is something that is very much a part of my lived experience."

"To be clear, my belief is that human rights matter, whether in China, the United States, or elsewhere. Full stop."

Chinese affairs have become a huge issue within the NBA ... starting with now-Philadelphia 76ers GM Daryl Morey tweeting support for protesters in Hong Kong ... and more recently, with Enes Kanter Freedom calling on the Association to take a stand against the Chinese government over human rights violations.

If you thought all this talk of digital goods and wealth was just some sort of nerdy fad, think again -- because the retail market space is going all in on VR ... including Walmart.

The big-box behemoth has reportedly filed a number of trademark apps in recent months seeking to gain exclusive rights to sell virtual goods on their digital shelves -- and we're not just talking about their website either. Sounds like Walmart is ramping up for a full-blown online experience, where their customers can actually own stuff ... within this dimension itself.

Per CNBC, 7 separate applications were filed of late ... and in addition to being able to hawk Walmart-related products in this forthcoming virtual reality, they're also apparently gunning to offer their own lines of NFTs (non-fungible tokens) and even a unique cryptocurrency.

No word on what those tokens might look like ($5 DVD bin NFT, perhaps?) or when all this is supposed to be rolled out ... but it seems they're getting their 4D ducks in a row for what most everyone in Corporate America is scrambling for ... a seat at the metaphysical table.

Several different companies have been doing the exact same thing recently -- including other big shots like Nike (which is said to be developing a VR venture called "Nikeland"), Gap, Under Armor and even smaller outfits like Urban Outfitters, Abercrombie and Ralph Lauren.

Essentially, everyone took Zuckerberg's announcement about the metaverse last year and ran with it ... looking to protect their brand within this new frontier ... and to make money there too, obviously, if they can. So far, it seems to be a very popular/lucrative endeavor.

Funny enough, Walmart actually had a vision for what an augmented shopping reality might look like in their cyberworld about 5 years ago, when they commissioned a tech company called Mutual Mobile to create a demo of Walmart in the metaverse ... before that term was even a thing.

A gunman has reportedly taken several people hostage at a synagogue in Texas, and his demands are simple ... free his sister, who was once suspected of terrorist activities.

According to ABC's Aaron Katersky, the armed man who wandered into the Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue in Colleyville Saturday has allegedly been ID'd as Muhammad Siddiqui, whom he says is claiming to be the brother of convicted felon Aafia Siddiqui.

She was sent to prison in 2010 after being found guilty of attempted murder of a U.S. military officer in Afghanistan -- among a slew of other charges -- and is serving out an 86-year sentence in the Fort Worth area. She's alleged to have had ties with al-Qaeda over the years ... and has been placed on federal law enforcement terrorism watch lists in the past.

Per Katersky, the gunman is demanding her release. Other reports say the perp claims to be armed with bombs, among other weapons ... the full extent of which is still unknown. Local law enforcement has descended on the scene to negotiate, as has the FBI.

Even crazier ... there was apparently a bar-mitzvah going on when the guy busted in, which was being live-streamed to the synagogue's FB account ... a stream that has since been deactivated. Still, some of the snippets that were captured are now surfacing, and you can hear what is presumably the hostage-taker railing on America, and saying he's willing to die.

The fact this man crashed a synagogue for hostages is not lost on those who covered the Siddiqui case. She is reported to have had strong objections to Jewish people representing her in her defense. She also asked for Jews to be tossed from the jury pool at the time.

At the moment, the synagogue's rabbi and three others are believed to be among those being held captive. No word on injuries or deaths yet, but SWAT units have arrived.

Prince Harry is giving the British government an ultimatum when it comes to his security across the pond ... afford me and my family protection one way or another, or else.

The Duke of Sussex's lawyers fired off a "pre-action protocol letter" to the Home Office department of the United Kingdom Government -- think Homeland Security for comparison -- in which they made clear ... if Harry and his family are not offered public security, from police officers and the like, while in the U.K. ... they'll be seeking a judicial review.

The move to essentially threaten the government with legal action reportedly comes after Harry, of late, has offered to pony up the cash for his own police security detail ... which was apparently denied from high-ups in HO, despite Harry insisting it was absolutely necessary.

Harry's reps released a statement explaining why he was doing this, arguing that he has taken on an inherent risk that he acquired from birth ... and which he'll carry for the rest of his life. Now, that he's got a family with Meghan Markle, that risk extends to them as well.

His reps also said this ... even though Harry and Meghan pay for their own private security here in the States -- where they now live since Harry stepped away from his Royal duties -- but unfortunately ... those bodyguards/that intel does not suffice when they visit his native land.

They cite a security breach in July 2021 -- when he was in town for a statue unveiling for his mother -- and once again insist ... he needs to be able to protect himself and his family.

Harry's team goes on to say he wants to bring his children, Archie and Lilibet, to the U.K. to visit ... but because of this ongoing issue -- which has apparently been playing out BTS for at least a couple years now -- he isn't able to, as they say, it's too dangerous.