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Jeff Bezos did some damage control Saturday night, saying he was "heartbroken" over the tragedy at one of his Amazon plants, where at least 6 people died as a tornado ripped through the facility ... this after being radio silent about the deaths as he celebrated his latest flight into space.

Bezos said on Twitter, "The news from Edwardsville is tragic. We're heartbroken over the loss of our teammates there, and our thoughts and prayers are with their families and loved ones."

He went on ... "All of Edwardsville should know that the Amazon team is committed to supporting them and will be by their side through this crisis. We extend our fullest gratitude to all the incredible first responders who have worked so tirelessly at the site."

The statement came 24 hours after the tornado struck, and after Bezos had posted a photo on Instagram with the latest crew of his New Shepard rocket, including former NFL champion Michael Strahan.

He spent the morning cheering on the latest group of Blue Origin space travelers. Early Saturday he said, “Happy crew this morning in the training center.”

Bezos was effusive when the capsule came back to earth, bear-hugging Strahan, who made the trip with 4 other passengers. There was no mention of the tragedy before or after the flight, and the celebration did not sit well with lots of folks on social media.

Megan Thee Stallion is now Megan Thee Graduate -- 'cause she just got her diploma ... and the video is something to behold.

The rapper received her Bachelor's Degree Saturday during a graduation ceremony at Texas Southern University -- where she's been studying health administration for a while now ... which all paid off in a climactic walk across the stage, in a traditional cap and gown.

Check out the clip ... MTS definitely made it a moment to remember, posing for selfies and waving at the crowd as her name was read (Megan Pete for official purposes). It was quite surreal, in a good way.

Gotta say, we're impressed. This ain't an honorary degree or anything (something celebs are adorned with all the time). Meg actually buckled down and hit the books -- and has been for years now -- enrolling in the HBCU and working her butt off to achieve undergraduate status.

Word is ... Megan was studying at Prairie View A&M way back in 2013, and transferred to TSU shortly thereafter -- but as her rap career has taken off, she's had to do online classes on and off while navigating her professional life.

It's a lesson for the kids out there -- even as an incredibly famous star, you can still achieve your dreams, especially if it's in higher education -- something Meg has said she's wanted under her belt, with her late mother in mind. Her mom passed a couple years back.

She wrote, "I want y'all to remember that you can do whatever you wanna do and be whoever you wanna be, cause look at me!"

Tornados ripped through Kentucky, Illinois and other states last night ... and the death toll could reach 100 ... and it could even go higher.

The images are horrifying ... one tornado traveled 223 miles, ripping through county after county in Kentucky. Governor Andy Beshear said, "We have deaths in multiple counties. This is one of the toughest nights in Kentucky's history."

And, there was at least one death in Arkansas Friday night, when a tornado ravaged a nursing home, causing the building to collapse.

And, there's this ... workers inside a Kentucky candle factory posted Facebook audio ... showing the sheer terror of the weather event. The workers can be heard sobbing and begging for help ... "Please y'all, give us some help. We are at the candle factory in Mayfield. Please, please. Y'all! Please send us some help. Somebody, please send us some help, we are trapped."

She goes on ... "The wall is stuck on me. Nobody can get to us, y'all, we can't move."

Michael Strahan just went where no news anchor has gone ... to the edge of space!!!

It was a flawless flight after a short hold at 15 minutes. Blue Origin hurled into space with Strahan and 4 other astronauts on board, including Laura Shepard Churchley, the oldest daughter of America's first astronaut, Alan Shepard.

The capsule was atop the New Shepard rocket ... named, of course, after Alan.

When they experienced weightlessness, the astronauts were giddy with excitement ... you can hear the joy as they floated in space.

The New Shepard rocket was originally supposed to take off for the 10-minute flight on Thursday but Bezos gave it the yellow light, due to high wind.

This Blue Origin flight is the third launch with people on board. Astronaut Strahan and others had lots of training before they boarded. The TV host says he went to the Blue Origin facility for a week-and-a-half training prior to today's launch.

If taking a trip to space isn't already a good enough incentive, apparently all passengers get some sort of stipend... and Strahan says he is donating his to The Boys & Girls Club.

Josh Duggar isn't the only person in the family experiencing legal issues, his sister, Jana, has been charged as well ... TMZ has learned.

Jana's been charged with endangering the welfare of a minor, a court clerk confirms to TMZ. The circumstances surrounding the charge are still unknown, but we're told Jana -- the oldest daughter of Jim Bob and Michelle -- was cited on September 9, 2021 ... she'll be back in court next month.

As we reported on Josh, the former "19 Kids and Counting" was charged with one count each of receiving and possessing child pornography ... one of the images was allegedly of a child younger than 12.

Josh was immediately taken into custody, though his legal team says they'll appeal the decision.

Michael Nesmith, singer/guitarist for the famously famous 60s group The Monkees, has died.

His family said, "With infinite Love we announce that Michael Nesmith has passed away this morning in his home, surrounded by family, peacefully of natural causes."

Nesmith was part of the quartet that was manufactured for a TV show about a rock 'n roll group ... and the group exploded with hit after hit ... at one point even rivaling The Beatles.

Among the hits ... "Last Train to Clarksville," "Daydream Believer," "I'm a Believer," "Valerie," and many more.

Mike fought for artistic control of the group ... he wanted them to be a real group, not just one that's made for TV. Point of fact ... initially on the show, they didn't actually play the instruments. He once got into such a heated discussion over this he put his fist through a wall.

Mike once said, "We were kids with our own taste in music and were happier performing songs we liked -- and/or wrote -- than songs that were handed to us."

One of his biggest impacts after the group disbanded ... he helped launch MTV by pitching a show called "PopClips," which evolved into the 24-hour video channel.

His mom famously invented Liquid Paper -- AKA white-out -- which became a cash register for the family.

Now 3 of the 4 Monkees have died. Mike and sole survivor Micky Dolenz performed their final show together last month at the Greek Theatre.

Nesmith was 78.

RIP

Travis Scott is breaking his silence for the first time since Astroworld, insisting he didn't know the severity of what was happening in the crowd, and alleging the person in his ear never expressed an urgency to immediately stop the show.

Travis sat down with Charlamagne tha God for nearly an hour to talk all things about the tragic Houston festival. Travis says he feels a sense of responsibility to figure out what went wrong, but did everything he could with the knowledge he had during the show.

Travis claims his "in-ear" told him to end the show "after the guest" AKA Drake, and that he was never told just how bad things were in the crowd.

At times, Travis was clearly emotional -- especially when talking about the families who lost loved ones -- and even says he's met with some of them privately.

Travis says, "They lost their loved ones, I just always wanna be there for them, I’m gonna fix this problem and make sure this doesn’t happen in the future and be the number one voice for this. We gotta figure it out.”

Charlamagne asked Travis if he felt a sense of responsibility for what happened, and while Travis admits he was the face of the festival, he says he feels his responsibility is now to figure out what went wrong and how to prevent it in the future. In other words, he never takes responsibility, nor does he lay the blame on anyone else.

While he was pressured several times to say who was responsible, TS never gives a straight answer -- mostly preaching a message of future prevention.

He does, however, say as an artist, he and his team focus on the creativity of the show ... not so much the safety and logistics -- something that's handled by promoters.

One safety possibility Travis suggests -- though how exactly it would work is still in the air -- is to equip fan festival wristbands with health and location trackers to pinpoint issues in the crowd.

Travis says he never heard pleas from the crowd, asking him to stop ... and says he's done the best he can during shows in the past -- and even at Astroworld -- to stop the show when he could see someone needed help.

TMZ broke the story ... there was an apparent breakdown in communication from the time Houston Fire Dept declared the concert a "mass casualty event" and the time the show ended. We obtained video showing cops watching and recording the show nearly 30 minutes after the declaration was allegedly made.

Scott was heavily criticized for photos showing him golfing with Mark Wahlberg and Michael Jordan over Thanksgiving. Charlamagne asks Travis why he chose to go, and while he didn't really expand, Travis said Mark and Jordan were good people for him to be around, and it was just a thing for the holiday.

Tiger Woods is back ... the golf legend has just committed to playing again nearly 10 months after his car crash -- officially signing up for next week's PNC Championship with his son.

The event will take place beginning on Dec. 16 in Orlando, Florida ... and it's a huge deal -- considering it'll be the first time Woods has competed on the course since he horrifically broke his leg in a Feb. 23 car crash.

As we previously reported, Woods suffered comminuted open fractures in his right leg -- and he said last week the injuries were so bad, amputation was a very real possibility.

But, Tiger's made huge strides in his comeback -- swinging his golf clubs regularly ... and now, he clearly feels he's ready to compete in a tournament.

While the PNC Championship is certainly not the Masters -- it's still a 36-hole event that'll pit Tiger and his son, Charlie Woods, against some of the biggest names in golf -- including John Daly, Justin Thomas and Bubba Watson.

"Although it’s been a long and challenging year," Woods said of his impending return, "I am very excited to close it out by competing in the PNC Championship with my son Charlie. I'm playing as a Dad and couldn't be more excited and proud."

Nick Cannon just shared some devastating news, his youngest child has died from a brain tumor.

An emotional Cannon made the announcement Tuesday on "The Nick Cannon Show," telling his audience his 5-month-old son, Zen, passed away. Nick says things took a turn for the worse around Thanksgiving, and the tumor began to grow very quickly.

Breaking down, Nick says he spent this last weekend in California with his son, and on Sunday they took a trip to the ocean where Nick held Zen for the last time, he died soon after.

Giving some background, Nick says when he was about 2 months old, Zen started to develop what they thought was a sinus issue, and they noticed his head seemed large. Doctors said fluid had started to build up in Zen's head, and they discovered a tumor, which required immediate surgery.

Zen was Nick's 7th child, born earlier this year with model Alyssa Scott. Zen was the 4th of Nick's kids born in the last year and a half, twins Zillion and Zion were born in June and his daughter, Powerful, last December.

Medina Spirit -- the thoroughbred that won the 2021 Kentucky Derby -- suddenly died on a track in Southern California on Monday.

The horse's owner, Amr Zedan, confirmed the death to Thoroughbred Daily News ... revealing it appears the colt suffered a heart attack just after a workout in Santa Anita.

The horse was just 3 years old.

Medina Spirit famously won the Kentucky Derby in May ... but, as we previously reported, it was not without controversy.

The horse tested positive for steroids following its run ... and even though Medina Spirit's legendary trainer, Bob Baffert, denied that they cheated to win -- the colt could be stripped of the victory down the road pending the results of an ongoing investigation.

Medina Spirit went on to finish in third place in the Preakness Stakes after the Derby -- but did not race in the ensuing Belmont Stakes after Baffert was suspended over doping allegations.

It is now clear what forced CNN's hand in firing Chris Cuomo -- the guy was accused of sexual misconduct this week ... this is as he was already on thin ice.

Attorney Debra S. Katz came forward Sunday to reveal she'd been retained by a woman who wanted to go public with an allegation against the ex-anchor ... something she was apparently inspired to do after hearing about his involvement in his brother's own scandal.

She says while Gov. Cuomo's mess played out in public, Chris came on the air for his own show and said, "I have always cared very deeply about these issues and profoundly so. I just wanted to tell you that." Katz adds, "Hearing the hypocrisy of Chris Cuomo’s on-air words and disgusted by his efforts to try to discredit these women, my client retained counsel to report his serious sexual misconduct against her to CNN."

According to NYT, the woman -- who is remaining anonymous for now -- is a former junior colleague of Chris' from another network, and her claims are unrelated to Gov. Cuomo.

Katz goes on to describe how she contacted CNN on Wednesday -- a day after he'd been suspended -- to report her client's allegations against Chris ... and by Friday, she says she was already in discussions with the network to provide evidence and making the woman available for an interview with CNN's outside counsel.

She finishes by saying, "My client came forward at this time because she felt in sharing her story and related documentation, she could help protect other women. She will continue to cooperate with CNN’s investigation into her allegations. Given the nature of her allegations, she wishes to remain anonymous, and we ask that you respect this decision."

Bob Dole -- one of the most enduring U.S. political figures -- has died, 10 months after revealing he was battling lung cancer.

The Republican stalwart from Kansas passed in his sleep early Sunday morning, according to his wife, Elizabeth Dole. Her foundation released a statement on his death, highlighting his 79 years of political service.

Dole was not only a U.S. Senator from Kansas, but also a decorated Army veteran, a U.S. Representative and a candidate for Vice President, and later, President.

In February, Dole announced he'd been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. He said, “While I certainly have some hurdles ahead, I also know that I join millions of Americans who face significant health challenges of their own.”

Dole enlisted in the Army in 1942 to serve in World War II. It was during a battle in Italy that he was severely injured under enemy fire -- his right arm, collarbone and spine were all damaged, and he was eventually transferred to a hospital back in Kansas.

Although he beat the odds to survive a long list of injuries, Dole never regained full mobility of his right arm and suffered numbness in his left. He earned 2 Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star for his service.

He won his first national political election in 1951 when he ran for the House of Representatives -- and became a U.S. Senator in 1969. He would remain in the Senate until 1996 when he resigned.

Dole ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 1980 and 1988, losing to Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

It might seem shocking in today's era of bitter bipartisanship, but after the Republican icon retired ... President Bill Clinton presented him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Chris Cuomo is without a cable news job -- the longtime CNN anchor just got fired ... and it sounds like there's more to the story on the help he offered his brother this year.

The network just announced Chris' termination, saying they retained a respected law firm to conduct the independent review of his conduct -- and in light of that digging, they say they found further evidence that they felt warranted kicking him to the curb.

CNN writes, "While in the process of that review, additional information has come to light. Despite the termination, we will investigate as appropriate."

This is a stunning turn of events, but perhaps not totally unexpected ... as the writing appeared to be on the wall here. The fact Cuomo had been suspended indefinitely raised red flags to many, who felt like his days at CNN were limited.

Of course, this all comes on the heels of an investigation by the New York Attorney General's Office ... which published its reports, plus transcripts, which suggested Chris' involvement in his bro's scandal back in the Spring was way more intricate than previously thought.

There are text messages he's purported to have sent to Andrew's staffers, including one that read "I have a lead on the wedding girl" -- pertaining to one of the ex-Gov's accusers.

The parents of a 15-year-old Michigan student who killed 4 students in a school shooting have been arrested after hiding out in a warehouse, and they have just been arraigned on 4 counts of involuntary manslaughter.

Jennifer and James Crumbley were nabbed after a tipster contacted police, saying their SUV was in a parking lot connected to a warehouse. Police say they appeared "very distressed" during their arrest. The police chief says they were wearing hoodies and seemed "just very upset."

The Crumbleys have been charged with 4 counts of involuntary manslaughter -- one count each for the 4 students who were murdered -- and each count carries a maximum prison sentence of 15 years.

The charges are unusual and possibly even unprecedented. Authorities say the parents knew their son, Ethan Crumbley, had serious mental health issues and yet they bought him a gun just days before he shot up his school. School officials were so concerned about the boy they brought him in along with his parents just before the shooting, not knowing he had the gun in his backpack.

Ethan and his father went to a gun store the day after Thanksgiving and bought the 9-millimeter Sig Sauer handgun, which Ethan called on social media, "My new beauty."

The Monday following Thanksgiving, a teacher saw Ethan looking up information online about ammunition, told his mother but she did not appear alarmed. In fact, she texted her son, "LOL, I'm not mad at you. You have to learn not to get caught." The next day he shot 4 of his Oxford High School classmates to death.

The man who allegedly killed Jacqueline Avant was caught in a backyard roughly an hour after shooting the 81-year-old ... and video shows him handcuffed to a wheelchair after being taken into custody.

According to cops, Aariel Maynor traveled from Beverly Hills to the Hollywood Hills after his attack on the Avant home. He attempted to break into another home in the Hills, and in the process somehow shot himself in the foot with an AR-15.

You can see in new video, Maynor was tended to by paramedics, and handcuffed to a wheelchair while he was loaded into an ambulance. Maynor appears to be quite chatty with first responders, though it's unclear exactly what he was saying.

His right foot -- presumably the one he shot -- is bandaged.

TMZ broke the story, Maynor was arrested in connection to Avant's case ... cops say neighborhood surveillance helped them connect him from the crime in Hollywood to the murder at the Avant home.

Demi Lovato will no longer drink alcohol or use cannabis ... announcing they're now kicking their "California Sober" lifestyle.

The singer just posted a message on Instagram, saying, "I no longer support my 'California sober' ways. Sober sober is the only way to be." It's unclear exactly what caused the revelation, but Demi had previously been criticized for talking so highly about the lifestyle, which allowed for alcohol and marijuana use.

As we reported, Demi revealed in an interview earlier this year that they were "5-10 minutes from death" when they overdosed on heroin in 2018.

After a lengthy stint in rehab, Demi was able to get back to their singing career and share their message of struggle with substance abuse.