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This is scary ... a Black Lives Matter protester in Pittsburgh was grabbed by armed men in civilian clothes and yanked into an unmarked van ... and turns out they were cops.

Matthew Cartier was allegedly blocking traffic during the protest and refused commands by officers to clear a path for cars. They say he left but came back and did it again.

Police say the 25-year-old protester was scaring drivers, and that's why they moved in.

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto said they're reviewing all the video and will have a statement Sunday.

Cartier has been charged with disorderly conduct, failure to disperse and obstructing traffic.

As for armed officers who are not wearing uniforms jumping out of unmarked vans and taking people into custody, the justification appears to be that they don't want to become an obvious flashpoint, but the idea someone can be yanked in a van this way ... well, it's pretty frightening.

Joe Biden just introduced his new running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris, and her first speech as a potential VP went off without a hitch ... and sounded as good as one could've hoped for.

Joe and Kamala made their official debut as the faces of the Democratic ticket Wednesday in their first joint press conference out in Wilmington, Delaware. After Joe got through a fairly moving speech himself about why he chose Kamala and what he expected of her ... he let her speak for herself, and boy she did not disappoint.

Check it out ... Kamala was polished, firm and in command of her talking points as she bashed Donald Trump and Mike Pence's failure of leadership ... while at the same time propping up Joe and eloquently explaining what their administration would bring about.

She also discussed her own upbringing from immigrant parents -- one from Jamaica and another from India -- and how that has shaped her own life path and decisions ... leading her to where she is today. Kamala said her parents met during the Civil Rights movement, and used to bring her out to protests in a stroller -- which she said is being reflected again now.

She rattled off the different groups of Americans that she said she hoped to represent and fight for if she and Joe are elected into office come November -- and she made clear what a Biden White House would look like for America ... drawing a stark contrast to Trump's term.

It's the stuff of movies, really, how well this joint presser went -- and if we do say so ourselves, Joe knocked it out of the park with his choice here. She held her own fantastically.

Biden's historic choice makes Harris the first Black woman to join a major party's Presidential ticket -- and she's the first candidate of Jamaican and Asian descent. Her parents were Indian and Jamaican immigrants.

Harris is also only the third woman to be selected to join the ticket as VP for a major party ... behind Alaska's Republican Gov. Sarah Palin and NYC Democratic Rep. Geraldine Ferraro.

As we reported ... it appeared Biden was all but going to pick Harris, when back in July a reporter got a peek at his cheat sheet during a news conference that included Harris' name with the words ... "don't hold grudges." The "grudges" note is in reference to their first debate, where Harris attacked Biden for his stand against school bussing ... something Harris benefited from during her school days.

Harris would go on to endorse Biden in March after she suspended her own presidential campaign. Biden's announcement has already paid dividends, literally.

Joe Biden has finally picked a Vice President ... California Senator Kamala Harris will be joining him on the ticket.

The presumptive Democratic candidate announced his VP running mate Tuesday, and the choice is historic. Harris will become the first black female vice presidential candidate in the history of this country.

Biden appeared to signal Harris as his running mate back in July, when a reporter got a peek at his cheat sheet during a news conference and at the tip, it had Harris' name with the words ... "don't hold grudges."

Of course, the "grudges" note references their first debate, where Harris attacked Biden for his stand against school bussing ... something that Harris benefited from during her school days.

Harris was in a somewhat unique position among the various women Biden was considering. She has executive experience, both as a District Attorney and California Attorney General. That's a huge asset for Biden, and for voters.

Given Biden's age, a Veep who can step into the role is a reality and, some say, a necessity.

It's interesting ... just Monday, Charlamagne and Diddy warned Biden ... if he didn't pick a black female, he'd lose the election.

The one problem Biden has with Harris ... both have been criticized for their stance on crime. Biden's support of the '94 crime bill had dogged him, while Harris took some shots during the debates over prosecuting marijuana cases which disproportionally affected African-Americans.

Biden's big decision comes ahead of a big week for the Dems ... the Democratic National Convention kicks off Monday, and Biden will accept the party's nomination Thursday from Delaware, where he will deliver his virtual acceptance speech.

Now, buckle up and wait for President Trump to tweet about Biden's pick in 3 ... 2 ... 1.

2020 has brought us a deadly pandemic, a devastating hurricane, tornados, shocking examples of police brutality ... so really, how surprising is a big earthquake in North Carolina?

A 5.1 quake rocked Sparta, NC Sunday, just after 8 AM. The epicenter is near the Virginia border and was felt in South Carolina and Georgia.

It's the biggest earthquake to hit the area in more than 100 years.

Check out the video ... the beauty salon surveillance video shows the force of the quake as items all around sway back and forth.

The Mayor of Sparta said the quake was so loud it sounded like a train roaring down the track.

Fortunately, no injuries and only minor damage, but the shaking was real.

A 5.1 is a big quake, but typically significant damage usually occurs when a quake is in the 6's or higher. Of course, depending on the way buildings were constructed ... a 5.1 could do serious damage ... though not the case here.

Oakland A's bench coach Ryan Christenson says he "made a mistake" by throwing up a Nazi salute TWICE during Thursday's game against the Rangers ... insisting it was unintentional.

"I made a mistake and will not deny it," Christenson said in a statement.

Christenson made the salute while greeting players in the dugout at the end of the game. You can see pitcher Liam Hendriks trying to correct Christenson's salute into an "elbow bump" position.

But, R.C. eventually went back to the Nazi salute one more time.

Christenson says the whole thing was born out of an attempt to be more COVID-conscious.

"Today in the dugout I greeted players with a gesture that was offensive. In the world today of [COVID-19] I adapted our elbow bump, which we do after wins, to create some distance with the players."

"My gesture unintentionally resulted in a racist and horrible salute that I do not believe in. What I did is unacceptable, and I deeply apologize."

The A's acknowledged the move looked like a Nazi salute and apologized as well.

"We do not support or condone this gesture, or the racist sentiment behind it."

Donald Trump says he's not pulling strings to help Kanye West get on state ballots for the presidential election ... but he's got lots of good things to say about Ye and Kim Kardashian.

Trump denied claims he's encouraging Republicans to help Kanye get on the ballot for prez in swing states. He was asked by a reporter during a Wednesday press conference if he was encouraging several Republican operatives who allegedly were helping Ye ... he said no.

POTUS says he likes Kanye very much. He did not seem to know about Kanye's recent struggles with mental illness but said Kanye has always been nice to him.

That paled in comparison to his praise for Kim, whom Trump largely credited with convincing him to release several inmates, including Alice Johnson.

This is heartbreaking ... a beautiful bride draped in a stunning white gown was in the middle of taking her wedding pics when Beirut was decimated by an atomic-like explosion, and it was all caught on video.

The 27-second video taken Tuesday starts with the camera zooming in on the happy bride, but within seconds the blissful moment turns into utter horror as 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate explodes ... obliterating Lebanon's capital and killing hundreds.

You can see in the video the videographer runs for cover as does the bride and the rest of the party. It doesn't appear any of them were seriously hurt. It's unclear how close this party was when the massive blast occurred, but its impact was still felt as it destroyed surrounding buildings.

As we reported ... Lebanon's prime minister, Hassan Diab, said the 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate had been sitting unsecured for 6 years in a port warehouse. Here's a little context ... the Oklahoma City bombers used 2 tons of ammonium nitrate in 1995 ... killing 168.

Beirut looks like an atomic bomb went off, after a massive explosion rocked the city and left hundreds of people severely injured.

Several videos captured the terrifying moment Tuesday in the Lebanese capital -- where, at first, a port-adjacent building simply appeared to be on fire with smoke billowing up.

Suddenly, a massive explosion erupted from the site ... sending a huge mushroom cloud into the air ... along with debris and shockwaves.

It immediately engulfed the area ... and people were screaming in horror at the sight. The scene was frighteningly similar to watching the Twin Towers fall on 9/11 -- although it's unclear yet if the Beirut explosion was a terrorist act.

Lebanese news agencies have reported it started with a fire in a building housing fireworks -- but other reports say there were high-powered explosives in there.

Based on the size of the blast, the latter makes more sense.

SpaceX and NASA's #LaunchAmerica journey is on the verge of completing a successful mission -- they're coming back to Earth, and we're streaming it live.

American astronauts Robert Behnken and Doug Hurley -- who were shot into orbit back in May aboard SpaceX's Dragon Endeavor -- are set to touch down Sunday. Their spacecraft is scheduled to splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, FL at 11:45 AM PT

They've been in orbit aboard the ISS for the past 62 days and made 1,024 revolutions around our planet ... this after Elon Musk and co. sent them up in an effort to get more American space missions kickstarted ... not to mention potential space tourism in the near future.

The initial launch went off without a hitch -- after the Falcon 9 rocket took Bob and Doug to a certain point ... it landed safely aboard a ship waiting out at sea. The boys then took control from there, and once they were close enough ... they docked with the ISS.

The #LaunchAmerica mission marks the first time in nearly a decade since Americans have been up among the stars.

Have Super Bowl champ Travis Kelce and longtime girlfriend Kayla Nicole called it quits??

It sure looks that way ... with the TV host/model unfollowing the Kansas City Chiefs superstar and deleting all their pics on Instagram -- which is usually a strong indication it's over.

It's almost the same situation as Danica Patrick and Aaron Rodgers -- which started with a social media wipe ... and culminated in an official break up statement.

Kelce and Kayla have been together for YEARS ... and first went public back in 2017.

The couple has provided nothing but hot content in their time together -- from TikToks to boat parties to epic SB parades.

The couple even joined Patrick Mahomes and Brittany Matthews in Lake Tahoe for a weekend of raging shortly after the QB signed his massive $503 MILLION contract.

Kelce famously tried to find love on the "Catching Kelce" reality show a few years back ... but ended up with Kayla shortly after instead.

Powerful moment from the NBA restart -- where every single player on both the New Orleans Pelicans and Utah Jazz took a knee in solidarity during the national anthem.

It was quite a statement Thursday evening in the first official game of the NBA restart -- which tipped off in the bubble environment at Walt Disney World in Orlando.

Seems every coach and referee in the building also took a knee alongside stars like Rudy Gobert, Lonzo Ball, Zion Williamson and Donovan Mitchell.

All of the players were wearing "Black Lives Matter" shirts -- and were standing behind the BLM art at center court.

The anthem was performed by musician Jon Batiste -- an instrumental rendition featuring heavy guitar and piano elements.

The players were arm in arm during the anthem -- some players raised their fists.

After the anthem, Shaquille O'Neal praised everyone involved -- saying the kneeling was "beautifully done in unity -- nice to see."

He added, "We have to continue to fight, continue the movement ... now we have to go vote."

Charles Barkley also weighed in ... saying, "If people don't kneel, they're not a bad person. I want to make that clear."

Barkley added that if a person chooses not to kneel, "they should not be vilified."

Of course, the kneeling movement was started by Colin Kaepernick who says the point of the demonstration is to put a spotlight on police brutality and social injustice.

The NBA allowed players to replace their names on the back of their jerseys with social justice messages.

Zion's jersey says "Peace." Lonzo Ball's says "Equality." Brandon Ingram's says "Freedom." Mike Conley's says "I Am a Man."

COVID has infiltrated Formula One -- with driver Sergio Perez testing positive for the coronavirus and dropping out of the British Grand Prix.

The 30-year-old Mexican driver was in England getting ready for Sunday's race when his first COVID test on Thursday came back inconclusive.

A second test later confirmed he has coronavirus.

Now, Perez is quarantining himself in hopes of limiting exposure to other drivers or crew members.

"Perez has entered self-quarantine in accordance with the instructions of the relevant public health authorities, and will continue to follow the procedure mandated by those authorities," F1 said in a statement.

The racing org. also says a "full track and trace initiative" has been launched to see if anyone may have been exposed.

"All close contacts [to Perez] have been quarantined."

So far, the event will continue as planned ... as long as there's no Miami Marlins-style outbreak.

As for Perez, F1 says he's "physically well and in good spirits."

Perez is the first F1 driver to test positive for COVID.

Of course, the pandemic has hit other sports hard over the past few months -- everything from baseball to soccer to MMA.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will be recovering in a hospital bed for the rest of this week after undergoing another medical procedure.

RBG's office says she is resting comfortably at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City after undergoing a minimally invasive, non-surgical procedure Wednesday. Doctors revised a bile duct stent she got last August.

The famously tough cookie is expected to be released from the hospital by the end of the week, according to the Supreme Court, which says RBG's doctors point out stent revisions are common occurrences and the non-surgical procedure was performed to minimize the risk of future infection.

The 87-year-old's hospital trip is her second this month and comes on the heels of Ruth announcing her cancer returned and she recently completed a round of chemotherapy.

Jeff Lowe is pissed off at PETA over a Joe Exotic Halloween costume ... and the animal rights organization is taking some major swipes back as their beef heats up!!!

Here's the deal ... PETA is hawking a "Joe Exotic Tiger Killer Costume" for $159.99 ... but Jeff isn't laughing at the funny costume and says he's owed a slice of the pie.

Jeff's lawyer fired off a cease and desist letter to PETA, obtained by TMZ, claiming he owns the rights to "Joe Exotic" and "Tiger King" and threatening a lawsuit if PETA doesn't pull the costume or come to the bargaining table to work out a licensing deal.

As you know ... Jeff now operates Joe's old zoo, The Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma.

PETA fired back with a letter of their own, which we also obtained, calling Jeff's claims "absurd" and claiming that, even if Lowe owns the trademarks, the costume is an obvious parody and doesn't violate any trademark.

The animal rights org takes some jabs at Jeff ... the letter advises, "We suggest Mr. Lowe focus instead on his serious legal problems in Nevada, Oklahoma and elsewhere, including the numerous recent federal Animal Welfare Act violations perpetrated against endangered big cats at his Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park."

Nothing like Halloween costume beef in July!!!

Malik B., one of the founding rappers of The Roots, has died.

The hip-hop group announced Malik's passing Wednesday with a tribute post that read, in part, "It is with heavy hearts and tearful eyes that we regretfully inform you of the passing of our beloved brother and long time Roots member Malik Abdul Basit."

They added, "May he be remembered for his devotion to Islam, His loving brotherhood and his innovation as one of the most gifted MCs of all time. We ask that you please respect his family and extended family in our time of mourning such a great loss."

It's unclear what caused his death ... neither the band nor Malik's family have released details.

Malik helped start The Roots with Questlove and Black Thought back in the late '80s, and appeared on four of the group's albums through the '90s before distancing himself in the 2000s. He was featured prominently on "Organix," "Do You Want More?!!!??!," "Illadelph Halflife" and "Things Fall Apart."

He reportedly departed from the Philly band during the recording of their 2002 album, "Phrenology," although he'd previously said he never quit and was never fired. Malik went on to be featured in a number of their songs afterward.

Black Thought -- the lead MC of The Roots -- posted a lengthy tribute to his partner in rhyme, saying ... "We made a name and carved a lane together where there was none. We ressurected a city from the ashes, put it on our backs and called it Illadelph."

He added, "In friendly competition with you from day one, I always felt as if I possessed only a mere fraction of your true gift and potential. Your steel sharpened my steel as I watched you create cadences from the ether and set them free into the universe to become poetic law, making the English language your bitch."

Malik was 47.

MacKenzie Scott truly is putting her money where her mouth is -- she just announced she's donated nearly 2 BILLION BUCKS to a slew of charities.

MacKenzie, who restored her maiden name after divorcing Jeff Bezos, said Tuesday, "Like many, I watched the first half of 2020 with a mixture of heartbreak and horror." Referring to her enormous wealth, she acknowledged the privilege and opportunities she had and said she wanted to help organizations that level the playing field for all.

As she put it, "Many will choose to share some of what they have with people whose equal participation is essential to the construction of a better world."

Here's the breakdown of her jaw-dropping gift:

-$586.7 million to racial equity
-$46 million to LGBTQ+ equity
-$133 million to gender equity
-$399.5 million to economic mobility
-$55 million to empathy and bridging divides
-$72 million to functional democracy
-$128.3 million to public health
-$130 million to global development
-$125 million to climate change

MacKenzie -- who last year pledged to give away the majority of her wealth -- wanted to make it crystal clear ... she didn't just blindly shove money to non-profit organizations. She said, "On this list, 91% of the racial equity organizations are run by leaders of color, 100% of the LGBTQ+ equity organizations are run by LGBTQ+ leaders, and 83% of the gender equity organizations are run by women."

As you'd expect, she's getting big props for her donation, although that's not always a given ... as her ex-husband knows. Remember, even though Jeff's thrown his support firmly behind the Black Lives Matter movement, that hasn't stopped others from targeting him ... like when his D.C. home was targeted by angry protesters with a guillotine.