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Jeffrey Toobin thinks it's awfully peculiar President Trump seems to have a habit of viciously attacking black people ... but stops short of calling him a full-on racist.

We got CNN's Chief Legal Analyst Monday at LAX and asked about DT's latest vitriol against prominent African-Americans -- namely, his disgusting tweet calling LeBron James and Don Lemon dumb and dumber -- and Toobin thinks there's a pattern here that can't be ignored.

Bottom line ... Trump has a track record of going after blacks both on Twitter and at rallies. He's called out LaVar Ball as being a "poor man's version of Don King" and has constantly referred to Rep. Maxine Waters as a "low IQ" person. And, don't forget the NFL's SOBs.

Toobin doesn't want to get into name-calling -- unlike the Prez -- but says 45's barbs reek of racism.

He also praises his coworker's eloquent response to Trump after getting attacked this weekend.

Alex Trebek can't host "Jeopardy!" forever -- in fact, he says there's a good chance he'll retire from the show soon -- and he's already got a replacement in mind ... with a very fitting name.

Trebek talked to Harvey Levin on the latest episode of 'OBJECTified' Sunday night about his legendary career as a game show host. He says chances are more than 50/50 he'll leave "Jeopardy!" when his contract expires in 2020, and when he departs ... he thinks the LA Kings hockey announcer should take over.

Who is Alex Faust? CORRECT!

Trebek's support would obviously carry a lot of weight ... he's deeply involved in the production of the show and his blessing would clearly sit well with viewers. Plus, having the same first name has its benefits.

Faust, who is just 28, already has some experience replacing icons -- he was chosen to replace Hall of Fame broadcaster Bob Miller after 44 seasons to do play-by-play for the Kings ... and has apparently impressed Trebek with his work.

The "Jeopardy!" host has one other option in mind -- CNN legal analyst Laura Coates. Obviously, she has less in common with Trebek than Faust ... but he thinks she'd be a good fit as well.

A taped conversation between Donald Trump and his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, discussing financial payments has been released ... and this is going to get interesting.

CNN just released an audio recording it obtained of the Prez talking to Cohen, which it says is a convo between the 2 about buying the rights of former Playboy model Karen McDougal's story of an alleged affair with Trump.

On the tape, you hear Cohen say ... "I need to open up a company for the transfer of all of that info regarding our friend, David," who CNN suggests is a reference to David Pecker, the head of America Media, which publishes National Enquirer.

Then, after some more financial discussions, Trump is heard saying what sounds like either "Pay with cash" or "Don't pay with cash" ... and the debate over what this all means is born.

The audio's release comes on the heels of reports that Cohen had recorded them talking about the Karen McDougal situation, followed by Trump tweeting it was "perhaps illegal" for a lawyer to record a client.

Anthony Bourdain and his hit show, 'Parts Unknown,' will be in the spotlight at the Emmy Awards, because he's up for 2 statuettes and the show got 7 nominations.

Bourdain got the nod for Outstanding Informational Series or Special as an executive producer. His show has swept that category for the last 4 years. He's also up for Outstanding Writing for a Nonfiction Program ... for his episode on Southern Italy.

Bourdain had been filming an episode of 'Parts Unknown' in France when he died of a suicide on June 8.

The show's other nominations are for Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series (for the show's website), Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program, Outstanding Picture Editing for a Nonfiction Program, Outstanding Sound Editing for a Nonfiction Program, and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction Program.

Anthony Bourdain left a sizable estate behind and most of it is going straight to his 11-year-old daughter, Ariane.

A copy of Bourdain's will was filed in a New York court Thursday and the celebrity chef/TV host left behind about $1.2 million in known assets at the time of his death. That includes $425k in cash, $250k in personal property, $35k in brokerage accounts, and about $500k in royalties and residuals ... according to the NY Daily News.

Bourdain's will also reportedly indicates an outstanding $1 million mortgage, but doesn't specify the location of that property.

As happy as a lot of folks might've been seeing the U.S. and North Korea meet peacefully, no one was as jubilant as Dennis Rodman ... dude was literally crying tears of joy.

Rodman went on CNN shortly after President Trump met Kim Jong-un Tuesday, where he had streams coming down his face -- albeit behind sunglasses -- and praised the historic summit ... which he's insinuated he had a role in brokering by softening up Kim.

As you might know ... Rodman has been the U.S.'s unofficial spokesperson on all things North Korea for a while now -- even bringing over a basketball team to the country to get on Kim's good side. He also claims he got Trump's book, "The Art of the Deal," in Kim's hands.

One of the last images taken of Anthony Bourdain shows him riding a tandem bike through eastern France with the chef who would find him, days later, dead in his hotel room.

The photo was taken 2 days ago in the town of Colmar. We know Bourdain had been out there filming an episode of 'Parts Unknown' with pal and fellow chef Eric Ripert. Ripert is at the helm of the bike with Bourdain, who looks deep in thought.

Anthony's crew had their own tandem ride to capture the footage as they rode alongside Bourdain and Ripert.

Anthony Bourdain revealed he suffered from depression during a 2016 episode of 'Parts Unknown' -- in which he said something as simple as a bad burger could send him into a downward spiral.

Bourdain addressed the issue while visiting Argentina -- a country that fascinated him because it embraced psychoanalysis and mental health treatment.

The episode featured several scenes of Bourdain speaking with his therapist and addressing real issues in his life. And, even though it seems like a joke at first, it becomes clear he's not kidding around.

When asked what brought him into the office, Bourdain says ... "I will find myself in an airport, for instance, and I'll order an airport hamburger. It's an insignificant thing, it's a small thing, it's a hamburger, but it's not a good one. Suddenly I look at the hamburger and I find myself in a spiral of depression that can last for days."

He goes on to explain how he often feels alone.

"I feel kind of like a freak and I feel very isolated. I communicate for a living but I'm terrible at communicating with people I care about."

The episode ended with Bourdain saying he has positive moments too.

Morgan Freeman's keeping his head down -- as he fights back against the sexual harassment allegations -- and focusing on his J-O-B ... making movies.

The actor was spotted on set of "The Poison Rose" Wednesday in Savannah, Georgia ... carrying on with filming his scenes the week after CNN reported multiple women are accusing him of sexual misconduct.

As we reported ... Freeman's lawyers lashed out at CNN, calling the story "the product of malicious intent, falsehoods, slight-of-hand, an absence of editorial control, and journalistic malpractice." CNN says it stands by its story.

Larry King seems baffled by everyone he's known for decades ... and yes, you can add Roseanne Barr to that list.

The ex-CNN talk show host was out Wednesday in Bev Hills reflecting on Roseanne's swift nose dive following her extremely racist tweet, saying he didn't think that was the woman he's known for 30 years ... calling her recent pivot into extreme bigotry "bizarre."

Sounds like the people he was once chummy with have changed A LOT since the good ol' days, including President Trump ... whom Larry also said he didn't know anymore.

9:35 AM PT -- CNN has just released a response, stating, "The unfounded accusations made by Mr. Freeman's lawyer are disappointing and are difficult to reconcile with Mr. Freeman's own public statements in the aftermath of the story."

CNN also says it "stands by its reporting and will respond forcefully to any attempt by Mr. Freeman or his representatives to intimidate us from covering this important public issue."

Morgan Freeman is lashing out at CNN over its report that he sexually harassed women ... his lawyer calling the story "the product of malicious intent, falsehoods, slight-of-hand, an absence of editorial control, and journalistic malpractice."

CNN's report profiled 8 women over several years on the sets of his movies and other related events, claiming he made inappropriate sexual remarks and one time allegedly tried to lift up a woman's skirt to see if she was wearing underwear.

Morgan's lawyers fired off a lengthy letter to CNN, saying the report emanated from the bias of CNN reporter Chloe Melas, who claimed during a interview she had with Freeman when she was 6 months pregnant he allegedly shook her hand but did not let go and repeatedly looked her up and down saying, "You are ripe," and "Boy, do I wish I was there."

In the letter Freeman's lawyers wrote to CNN, they say Melas' version of the interview is false. They say the only comment on tape is "I wish I was there," and that was a reference to a story Michael Caine had told about congratulating a woman who he thought was pregnant when she was not.

The letter states, "One cannot know if [Melas' version of events] was the product of something as innocuous as Ms. Melas having misheard what Mr. Freeman said, her runaway self-centeredness, or her search for a sexual harassment perpetrator to 'expose' so that she could grab attention and advance her career."

The attorneys say CNN gave Melas a "greenlight to use CNN's considerable resources to launch a year-long witch hunt against Mr. Freeman."

The letter also says at least 2 of the alleged victims have said CNN misreported what they said.

When Van Met Winnie, it was nothing like Harry and Sally ... but CNN host Van Jones still got an unforgettable story out of it.

We got the CNN host Monday at LAX as he was heading to Memphis to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination. He also reflected on Winnie Mandela's death ... and the moment he, unexpectedly, came face-to-face with her.

As we reported, Nelson Mandela's wife died Monday after a lengthy battle with illness -- and even though her life was filled with scandals, Van says it's hard to judge her.

Rick Santorum says students who were protesting for gun control this weekend should look inward to help to solve mass shootings ... by learning CPR instead of taking to the streets.

You heard right. Santorum -- a former Republican U.S. senator -- gave his controversial hot take Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union," where he actually said student survivors should stop asking law makers to solve the gun crisis, and simply help themselves ... literally.

He suggested students oughta learn how to properly respond to real-life threats in the moment rather than doing a big song and dance for new gun laws, like the March for Our Lives rally Saturday. He also criticized Hollywood elites who helped organize the event.

Santorum was immediately met with pushback from the host running the panel, but we're not even sure if she understood exactly what he'd just said. We hardly believe it ourselves.

Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal got emotional talking about her relationship with Donald Trump, and although she admits she knew it was wrong ... she says the 2 were in love.

The 1998 Playboy Playmate of the Year sat down with CNN's Anderson Cooper ... and got misty-eyed talking about her alleged affair with Trump in 2006. McDougal says she's sorry for what she did and felt guilty about it, but she put the guilt aside because she was having fun ... and truly believed they had a meaningful thing going.

Karen claims she and Trump were much more than just sex partners -- they even said "I love you" to each other frequently -- and he had lovey nicknames for her too.

Earlier in the interview, McDougal reiterated one of her previous claims -- Trump tried to pay her money for sex. She says she declined and it made her sad because she couldn't believe he thought of her that way ... and she cried the whole ride home.

Anderson Cooper has officially split from his longtime boyfriend, Benjamin Maisani.

Cooper released a statement Thursday confirming that he and Maisani, a night club mogul, had "separated as boyfriends some time ago." He added, "We remain the best of friends, and will continue to share much of our lives together."

The two were spotted together earlier this week leaving the home they still share in Manhattan, so it seems they're still on good terms. They were together for nine years.

Rumors the two had broken up began to surface after several photos of Cooper with Dallas doctor Victor Lopez made their way onto social media over the past few months.

Cooper has not confirmed or denied if he and Lopez are dating, but all signs seemingly point to yes.

CNN's Erin Burnett's interview with ex-Trump campaign aide Sam Nunberg ended with a bang ... Burnett saying she smelled booze on him after a wild live broadcast.

Nunberg made the rounds on all the major networks Monday after making a big stink about a subpoena he'd been issued by Special Counsel Robert Mueller in connection to the Trump-Russia investigation -- saying he wouldn't comply and basically daring Mueller to arrest him.

He also said a BUNCH of other bizarre things on the air -- from claiming Trump had to have known about the Trump Tower Russia meeting in 2016, to accusing Carter Page of colluding with the Russians ... and calling Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders a "fat slob."

One of his last stops was apparently on Burnett's show, and she asked him point-blank if he'd been drinking at all throughout the day. Nunberg denied drinking, saying he'd only taken some anti-depressants.