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The NFL says Deshaun Watson is currently free to practice, workout and even play with the Houston Texans ... this despite the QB facing numerous allegations of sexual misconduct.

The league made the announcement Tuesday ... saying in a statement there are currently "no restrictions" being placed on Watson even though more than 20 female massage therapists have accused him of crossing the line during what were supposed to be routine rubdown sessions.

"At this time," NFL officials said, "there are no restrictions on Watson's participation in club activities."

As we previously reported, police and the NFL are currently investigating Watson ... after multiple women claim he got inappropriate with them on several occasions over the past few years.

Twenty-two women in total have filed civil lawsuits against Watson ... and the QB's attorney said Monday that 10 accusers have filed criminal complaints against the quarterback as well.

Most NFL pundits believed the allegations would be enough to land the 25-year-old star on some sort of paid leave -- similar to the way the MLB is handling the Trevor Bauer accusations -- but, clearly, that's not the case.

"As we continue to gather additional information and monitor law enforcement developments," the NFL said, "we will make appropriate decisions consistent with the Collective Bargaining Agreement and the Personal Conduct Policy."

The NFL added its probe into Watson is still "ongoing and active."

For Watson's part, he's insisted he committed no wrongdoing ... while his reps have said anything that went down between the quarterback and masseuses was entirely consensual.

A rare Wu-Tang Clan album once owned by convicted felon Martin Shkreli has been sold by the feds ... wiping his slate clean with the U.S. of A., financially speaking.

The feds said Tuesday it sold "Once Upon a Time in Shaolin" ... Wu-Tang's only known physical copy that exists. You'll recall Shkreli, the guy who jacked the price of the AIDS/cancer medicine from $13.50 to $750 a pop, dropped $2 million for it back in 2015 at auction.

The sale of the album will cover the balance remaining on the $7,360,450 in forfeiture the judge ordered Shkreli to pay at his 2018 sentencing. According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the feds have already collected $5,121,967.70 ... leaving an outstanding balance of $2,238,482.

As for what the album sold for and to whom ... the feds aren't telling. According to prosecutors ... the sale's contract includes a confidentiality provision that protects information about the price and the buyer.

BTW ... the album includes a hand-carved, nickel-silver box as well as a leather-bound manuscript with lyrics and a certificate of authenticity.

Simone Biles has withdrawn from the gymnastics team finals in Tokyo -- the Olympic superstar is dealing with a "medical issue" that has forced her to back out of the event, officials say.

There are conflicting reports on what caused Biles -- quite possibly the greatest gymnast of all time -- to leave the competition. The 24-year-old appeared to suffer an injury early in the event, but the NBC's broadcast stated a coach claimed her withdrawal was due to a "mental issue."

USA Gymnastics released a statement Tuesday morning ... saying, "Simone Biles has withdrawn from the team final competition due to a medical issue. She will be assessed daily to determine medical clearance for future competitions."

Biles seemingly injured her leg after landing her vault attempt ... speaking with a trainer and leaving the floor before returning with her right leg wrapped.

It's crushing news for Team USA -- the Red, White and Blue were favorites to take home the gold for the third-straight Games.

Biles spoke out about the pressure to succeed after prelims on Monday ... saying, "I truly do feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders at times."

"I know I brush it off and make it seem like pressure doesn’t affect me but damn sometimes it’s hard hahaha! The olympics is no joke! BUT I’m happy my family was able to be with me virtually🤍 they mean the world to me!"

There's still hope for the 4-time gold medalist -- she could possibly be recovered in time for the all-around finals on Thursday.

Dieter Brummer -- an Australian soap opera star famous for "Home and Away" -- has died.

The Aussie actor's body was reportedly found by police Sunday after a welfare check was requested in a suburb of Sydney. His cause of death hasn't been announced, but cops say foul play isn't suspected.

Brummer's family released a statement, saying ... "We lost our handsome, talented, funny, complicated and beloved Dieter on Saturday morning." They add, "He has left a massive hole in our lives and our world will never be the same. Our thoughts go out to all of you who knew him, loved him, or worked with him over the years." They also asked for privacy.

Dieter's mostly known for his role as Shane Parrish on the Australian soap, on which he starred for several years in the '90s ... more than 500 episodes.

He'd done some other work since -- including roles on shows like "Underbelly," "Neighbours" and "Winners & Losers," among other small, one-time appearances -- but "Home and Away" is by and far his biggest claim to fame. It doesn't appear he'd acted much since about 2014.

Brummer was 45.

There's a notable, near-ish-collision on Earth -- or at least one that's looming -- and the object that may be about to crash is traveling at 18,000 MPH!!!

NASA has sounded an alarm that a giant asteroid is about to pass Earth. It's somewhere between 318 and 720 feet in length ... about the size of the Taj Mahal and the Great Pyramid of Giza.

The thing's even got a name -- 2008 G020.

Well, when we say near-collision, it's all relative. It's supposed to come as close as 2.8 million miles to our planet. In NASA-ese ... it's labeled an Apolo, which is a "near-Earth" designation.

To give you more context ... the Moon is 238,855 miles from Earth, while Mars is 236.5 million miles away. So, somewhere in the middle.

This won't be our closest encounter with G020. In 1901 it got 1 million miles from Earth.

Jackie Mason, the crusty, self-doubting, enduring comedian who was anointed into pop culture by "The Simpsons," has died.

Jackie passed Saturday at Mount Sinai Hospital in NYC. His longtime friend Raoul Felder, tells TMZ ... Jackie had been hospitalized for more than 3 weeks ... admitted with inflammation of the lungs. He had been experiencing a number of health issues over the last few years.

Mason's comedy career spans 60 years, with some huge successes along with some pretty big bumps along the way.

His big break came in 1960, when he appeared on "The Steve Allen Show" and killed. That led to huge bookings at various clubs and regular TV appearances, including "The Ed Sullivan Show" where he appeared 12 times ... and then, disaster struck. In 1964, Mason was on Sullivan's live show but it was partially preempted by a speech by then-President Lyndon Johnson. When regular programming resumed, Mason was mid-way through his act and Sullivan was already counting him down with his finger "1 minute to go." Mason responded by looking at audience members, saying "Here's a finger for you, here's a finger for you" ... and so on.

He was damaged goods after that for years ... club owners felt he was "crude and unpredictable." Mason said, "It took 20 years to overcome what happened in that 1 minute."

And, there was more ... in a 1966 Vegas show, Mason mocked Frank Sinatra's marriage to young Mia Farrow -- "Frank soaks his dentures and Mia brushes her braces." As the story goes ... a gunman pumped a bullet into Mason's hotel room.

Mason's comedy was sometimes hilarious ... especially when he groused about his self-doubt.  He joked, "When I attended a football game, every time the players went into a huddle, I thought they were talking about me."

His biggest success came in 1986, with his one-man show "The World According to Me!" ... which ran on Broadway for 2 years and earned him a Tony and an Emmy for HBO's take on the show.

The title of his autobiography underscores his Jewish humor -- "Jackie, Oy!"

Mason was the voice of Rabbi Hyman Krustofsky, Krusty the Clown's dad, on "The Simpsons."

At the time of his death, Mason was surrounded by his wife, Jyll, and friend, Felder.

He was 93.

Jay-Z and Beyonce are going to be in the market for a cleaning crew ... after a mansion in New Orleans, they reportedly own, caught on fire.

TMZ has confirmed firefighters responded Wednesday night to a 1-alarm fire at the Spanish baroque mansion in the Garden District. We're told the fire department got the call around 6 PM and a little over 2 hours later the fire was fully extinguished.

At this point the extent of the damage is unclear ... but a 1-alarm fire's no joke. Apparently, it took 22 firefighters to knock down the blaze.

Luckily, there were no injuries and the cause of the fire is unknown. Thankfully, a properly working smoke alarm alerted the fire department about the blaze.

As to whether the Carters own the house ... Curbed New Orleans reported back in 2015 the listed owner, Sugarcane Park LLC, shows its mailing address is the one for Bey's management company, Parkwood Entertainment.

As for the house itself ... it was reportedly built in 1925 as a Presbyterian church before it was re-purposed as a ballet school. The 3-story house features a main residence, 3 separate apartments, 26-foot ceilings and a green roof.

One of Donald Trump's allies -- who also happened to scoop up Neverland Ranch after Michael Jackson lost it -- is facing federal charges for acting as an agent of a foreign government.

Thomas Barrack was busted Tuesday in L.A. after the feds accused him of acting and conspiring to act as an agent of the United Arab Emirates between April 2016 and April 2018. The 7-count indictment also charges Barrack with obstruction of justice and making multiple false statements during a June 2019 interview with the FBI.

Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of NY Jacquelyn Kasulis says Barrack, who chaired Trump's 2017 inaugural committee, "abused his access to government officials to illegally advance the interests of foreign governments."

There are 2 other defendants whom the feds claim capitalized on Barrack’s friendships and access to Trump and other high-ranking officials to advance their goals without disclosing their true allegiances.

According to court docs, Barrack informally advised senior U.S. government officials on issues related to U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East as early as January 2017. Prosecutors also say Barrack sought appointment to a senior role in the U.S. government, including the role of Special Envoy to the Middle East.

Barrack, who founded Colony Capital, is the former owner of Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch. He purchased it for $22.5 million a year before MJ's death. Barrack ultimately sold the property in December 2020 for $20 million to the billionaire Ron Burkle.

Luke Prokop -- a third-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft -- just announced he's gay ... saying in a statement Monday, "I am no longer scared to hide who I am."

The 19-year-old Nashville Predators prospect continued, "It has been quite the journey to get to this point in my life, but I could not be happier with my decision to come out."

Prokop -- a 6-foot-4, 217-pound defenseman who currently plays in the Western Hockey League for the Calgary Hitmen -- said he's hopeful coming forward with his truth will help him ultimately reach his goal of making an NHL roster.

"From a young age I have dreamed of being an NHL player," Prokop said, "and I believe that living my authentic life will allow me to bring my whole self to the rink and improve my chances of fulfilling my dreams."

If Prokop does make it to the NHL show ... he would become the first-ever openly gay player in the league.

"I hope that in sharing who I am I can help other people see that gay people are welcome in the hockey community, as we work to make sure that hockey truly is for everyone," Prokop said.

Both the Predators and the NHL have already released statements in support of Prokop ... with commissioner Gary Bettman saying Monday, "We pledged to do everything possible to ensure that Luke's experience is a welcoming and affirmative one and continue to work to ensure that any current or future NHL player contemplating following in his trailblazing footsteps knows our League is ready to provide full support."

The hockey player's announcement comes less than a month after Las Vegas Raiders star Carl Nassib became the first-ever openly gay player in the NFL.

Prince George is just like any other English person around the world right now -- cheering on his national team at the UEFA 2020 Final ... and freaking out when they scored early.

The 7-year-old son of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge was shoulder-to-shoulder Sunday at Wembley Stadium in London ... where England was facing off against Italy for the last match of the tournament, in which all the European national teams competed for the gold.

His pops, Prince William, was seen showing his boy the ins and outs of the game ... at one point crouching down to Georgie's level and pointing out what was down on the pitch below.

George seemed quite attentive throughout -- but when England scored first in the opening few minutes of the match ... and he and his old man celebrated together in what made for an awesome (and viral) moment that most of the UK noticed with glee.

So, yeah ... the kid's a big fan of the game. And, although he probably has his folks (and entire national heritage) to thank for that ... some are also giving big ups to his great-grandfather, the late Prince Philip -- who was a HUGE sports fan, especially for English football.

The Duke of Edinburgh -- who died earlier this year at the age of 99 -- famously visited Wembley himself waaay back in the day ... and actually greeted the national England team in person, shaking the players' hands on the field, and no doubt enjoying himself too.

Some are joking that Prince George might just be Prince Philip reincarnated -- and by the looks of how excited he is right now watching this ... they may just be right.

Sweet moment for the Royal Family. BTW, it's 1-1 now -- Italy tied it up, and there's only a few minutes left in regulation. Don't let George down, Team England!!!

Richard Branson is pulling out the big guns for his first trip to space ... as in Stephen Colbert, who's hosting the live stream of Virgin Galactic's first space flight with its boss onboard.

Branson's company is launching its SpaceShipTwo -- dubbed the V.S.S. Unity -- into sub-orbital space Sunday morning from Spaceport America, New Mexico ... and we'll be streaming it here. The launch is set for 7:30 AM PT.

If all goes as planned, the British tycoon will become the first billionaire in space ... just edging out Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who's scheduled to make a similar flight on July 20, aboard his Blue Origin spacecraft.

The launch should be pretty spectacular. Unity will get a boost of sorts ... it will be attached to a specially designed airplane that takes off traditionally from a runway, and carries Unity about 9 miles up. At that point, Unity will separate from the plane and fire rocket engines to reach an altitude of 55 miles!

David Mackay and Michael Masucci will pilot Unity through the mission, while Branson and 3 other Virgin Galactic employees evaluate the weightless experience ... which is expected to last only about 5 minutes. After that, the ship returns to Earth, much like NASA's space shuttles -- gliding to a runway landing.

The whole mission's expected to take about 2 and a half hours.

Branson founded Virgin Galactic in 2004 with the intent of leading so-called space tourism. The idea is to start taking paying passengers up to experience zero gravity while getting to see Earth from the edge of space.

In addition to Colbert hosting, Branson lined up Khalid to perform once the crew lands safely. Grab your coffee and a muffin ... the show launch should be pretty amazing.

Richard Donner -- one of the most famed and prolific directors of all time, known for flicks like "Superman," "Lethal Weapon," "The Goonies" and countless others -- has reportedly died.

The legendary filmmaker recently passed away -- this according to his production company, The Donner's Company, who confirmed the news to Variety. No word on when exactly he passed, or under what circumstances -- we've got calls in to his reps to figure it out.

At any rate ... it's a tragic update, as the guy was absolutely beloved in Hollywood -- and rightly so. He's responsible for some of the most iconic films to grace the big screen over the years -- including an incredible run of pictures from the late '70s throughout the '80s.

Donner got his first big directing break with the cult classic horror film "The Omen" (the original one), which catapulted him into stardom and led to his next major studio film, "Superman" (also the original) ... which paved the path for countless other flicks, including 'Goonies,' and ALL of the "Lethal Weapon" movies, starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover.

Other notable film directing credits of his include staple movies, such as "Scrooged," "The Toy," "Maverick," "Ladyhawke," "Assassins," "16 Blocks," "Timeline" and more. His EP credits are even more impressive.

Donner shepherded films like "The Lost Boys," "Free Willy," "X-Men" ... this list goes on. His death is actually quite shocking, and seemingly sudden -- just last year, he announced a desire to direct the 5th installment of "Lethal Weapon," and it seemed that was in the works.

We even congratulated Rich on that news a full year ago, when we ran into him out and about in Hollywood ... and chatted him up about the controversy (at the time) surrounding Amazon's new show, "Hunters," which was catching flak for its portrayal of the holocaust and the fallout that followed. In his mind, he said producers were to blame ... not directors.

At any rate ... very sad to hear. Donner is survived by his wife, Lauren. He was 91.

The remaining section of the collapsed condo building in Florida has been demolished ... it went exactly according to plan and could actually help in the rescue/recovery effort.

Explosives were detonated in the middle of the night Sunday ... bringing down the remaining structure of the tower. Authorities made the move to get ahead of a looming tropical storm, which could have caused the structure to fall to the ground ... severely hampering the search.

Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett warned extreme winds could have destabilized what remained of the Champlain Tower South, endangering search crews.

Residents in nearby buildings were urged to stay inside and close all windows to prevent debris and dust from coming in.

The demolition could actually assist in the search efforts ... rescuers are now able to access the underground garage, which had not been accessible before.

So far, 24 bodies have been found ... 121 people are still unaccounted for, but it's been 11 days since the collapse and after the first few hours no one has been pulled out alive.

Search teams resume their work Monday

Nick Cannon is on a baby roll ... he just welcomed #7 and the kid's really Zen!

Nick and GF Alyssa Scott welcomed Zen Cannon to the world nearly 2 weeks ago. The baby was born on June 23. His mom posted a pic of the newborn with the caption, "I will love you for eternity."

We knew Alyssa was pregnant back in January, but Nick didn't say he was the dad until Father's Day.

Nick's been busy ...  earlier in June, before Zen was born, he had twins -- Zion and Zillon -- with DJ Abby De La Rosa. Nick also had a baby -- Powerful -- 6 months ago with Brittany Bell. They also share another child -- 4-year-old Golden.

As you know, Nick and his ex-wife, Mariah Carey, share 10-year-old twins, Monroe and Moroccan.

He's already got a basketball team ... the question now, is he shooting for a baseball franchise!!!

One of the few copies of the Declaration of Independence, which was found in an attic in Scotland, has sold for a whopping $4,420,000!

It's an incredible story ... a woman named Cathy Marsden who works for Lyon & Turnbull discovered the document proclaiming independence while rooting through a bunch of papers in a Scottish ancestral home. When she first eyed it was folded up.  When she unfolded it, she was stunned, saying, "When I got back to the office and started doing some research I became really excited as its significance became clearer."

There were only 201 copies made, but only 48 are known to still exist. The copies were made so they could be distributed and read to people who lived in the 13 colonies.

As for the document Cathy found, it was initially given to Charles Carroll, a Catholic Founding Father, who was a signer on the document. He later became a U.S. Senator.

Only 6 copies are currently in private hands. As for this one ... the name of the highest bidder has not been disclosed.

The document -- which is known as America's Birth Certificate, includes the famous words, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

First responders who frantically tried to save residents in that Florida condo collapse, located a woman who was banging on debris as she begged them to save her ... but it was not to be.

Dispatch audio of communications with rescuers shows the desperation during the first 11 hours after the building crumbled to the ground.

You hear one rescuer say, "In communication with a victim who's saying that there's a total of 3 people that was in that apartment with her."

Apparently, the woman was in the apartment with her parents when disaster struck.

A first responder is heard saying, "She's stuck in between two beds right now. But her parents was also in the apartment. I don't hear them," adding, "She's banging on some debris. Seems like she's pretty close to us." You hear banging in the recording.

A first responder who was on scene told Local 10 news ... “Everybody that was there that’s what we’re trying to do get this lady out and comfort her. She was asking for help and she was pleading to be taken out of there. We were continuously talking to her…'Honey, we got you. We’re going to get to you.'”

The Fire Chief for Miami-Dade added, “We did hear audible sounds and they were searching for a female voice for several hours and eventually we didn’t hear her voice anymore. Everyone that’s here on scene is trying to do the best we can with these heroic efforts. But, yes, unfortunately we didn’t have success with that."

During the rescue, there were reports of a fire ... possibly from a burning mattress.  It's unclear if this is connected to the woman who was trapped.