5:39 AM PT -- 3/23 -- Australia is following Canada's lead ... after a phone meeting early Monday morning, Aussie officials say they will also NOT send a team unless the Games are postponed.
UPDATE
"Our athletes now need to prioritize their own health and of those around them, and to be able to return to the families," a rep said.
Canada ain't playin' around ... demanding officials postpone the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo for a year -- or they will NOT compete.
The Canadian Olympic Committee and the Canadian Paralympic Committee have fired off their ultimatum to the International Olympic Committee ... saying they have "made the difficult decision to not send Canadian teams to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the summer of 2020."
The Canadians feel the coronavirus pandemic isn't just a risk to athletes -- but families and spectators as well.
"With COVID-19 and the associated risks, it is not safe for our athletes, and the health and safety of their families and the broader Canadian community for athletes to continue training towards these Games," the joint statement read.
"Containing the virus must be our paramount concern. We are in the midst of a global health crisis that is far more significant than sport."
As we previously reported, multiple Team USA sports -- including Gymnastics and Swimming -- feel the same way. They are also calling for the IOC to postpone the games.
However, the IOC says they're giving themselves 4 weeks to analyze the situation before making a final decision.
3:48 PM PT -- 3/23 As for his case in L.A. ... the District Attorney's office announced Monday it has started the process to get Weinstein to the West Coast. A rep says a detainer was filed March 13 to bring Weinstein to L.A. to face rape and sexual assault charges.
UPDATE
It is not yet clear when exactly Weinstein will arrive and an arraignment date has not yet been set.
Harvey Weinstein has tested positive for coronavirus ... TMZ has confirmed.
Sources tell us that the incarcerated former movie mogul has, indeed, been confirmed as one of two inmates at the Wende Correctional Facility in New York to have the viral infection. He was moved to the prison recently after being taken to Rikers Island following his rape and sexual assault conviction earlier this month.
It's unclear when exactly Weinstein might've contracted the virus, but we're told he's been in isolation since he was taken to Rikers a few weeks back. Our sources also say he hasn't had contact with his family or lawyers since the diagnosis.
The reality -- Weinstein is among the most at risk for serious symptoms.
Weinstein has looked incredibly frail of late, making appearances in court with the help of a walker and aides. He's also been hospitalized in New York a couple different times over the past month or so -- complaining of chest pains and receiving cardiac treatment.
Weinstein might just be the tip of the iceberg in NYC and NY State prisons -- at least 19 inmates in NYC prisons and 12 employees have coronavirus, the NYC Dept. of Corrections announced Saturday. It's unclear what might be happening at a state-wide level.
A rep for the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision -- which currently has custody and supervises Weinstein -- tells TMZ ... "With each confirmed case, DOCCS worked with the Department of Health to identify any potentially exposed individuals in order to provide notifications and to stop the spread of the virus."
4:18 PM PT -- It's back to the drawing board in D.C. for Congress -- with Senators failing to pass a stimulus package bill with a split vote of 47-47 Sunday ... this after the House already sent a version of the bill along and suspended their session in hopes the Senate could get it done.
UPDATE
Welp, amid fears of U.S. Representatives having to come back to D.C. to draft up a new bill and take a new vote again ... President Trump offered up a temporary remedy for everyone scared of catching coronavirus. During Sunday's press briefing, he said his administration wouldn't be opposed to let people work from home ... as in vote.
UPDATE
The question was lobbed to the Prez in the wake of Rand Paul and others quarantining after Paul's coronavirus diagnosis, and DT said it straight up -- he'd be cool with a temporary measure of voting remotely, not necessarily needing bodies in D.C. to do it.
UPDATE
That would solve the quorum problem for House members, a good amount of whom would have to be back in D.C. otherwise in order to get any official business done.
UPDATE
Unclear if Trump and his administration would have the final say over this -- it's probably a resolution that'd have to be written in Congress and voted on -- but it doesn't sound like he'd make a big fuss if both houses decided to go this route. Desperate times ...
There is a quiet panic going around behind the scenes at the House of Representatives because some members tell TMZ they sounded a warning 3 weeks ago about the Capitol being unsafe but they weren't heeded ... and now some fear they have the coronavirus.
The members we spoke with -- who only wanted to talk on background -- tell us, about 3 weeks ago when the problems associated with coronavirus started blowing up they began talking about limiting or excluding visitors from the Capitol.
It was an especially busy time, because the House was putting together spending bills and people were flying in from all over the country to lobby members. There were also lots of visitors who came by and interacted with a number of members. We're told the hallways were packed.
One congressman told us, "No one took this seriously. Leaders from both sides initially said they didn't want to panic people. We're told the leaders ultimately consulted the Congressional doctor, but as one congressman said, "He was scared to make a decision because he was afraid he would trigger a national panic."
A congressman we spoke with says he believes he has the virus and is exhibiting mild symptoms and he has self-quarantined. He also says, "I think lots of us [representatives] are going to get it."
The House is currently not in session, but there's a big problem. The Senate is in session and is hopefully going to pass a relief bill soon. The House members have gone home, and the only way they can approve the bill without flying to D.C. is if the vote is unanimous.
If one member wants to vote no on the bill, the traditional solution would be for members to fly to D.C. to cast their votes. But, putting 435 people on airplanes -- especially when there's fear some of the members have or were exposed to the virus -- it's super risky. We're told there's talk of flying 40 at a time or figuring out some way of keeping people away from each other.
No decisions have been made on what to do if the vote is not unanimous.
As for the other chamber ... as we reported, Senator Rand Paul has tested positive and incredibly he was at the Senate gym today swimming. The fact the Senate gym is open when gyms across the country have closed because a gym is a breeding ground for the virus ....well, it's just baffling.
Joshua Tree's campgrounds may be closed -- but people are still visiting in droves during the pandemic ... which is pissing off a lot of the locals, who are shooing the masses away.
The national park closed its gates Saturday to campers and vehicles wanting to pull into their lots for some desert fun -- but because the area is still open to hikers and bikers ... a bunch of Angelenos and others made a mass exodus to the Coachella Valley-area grounds this weekend.
That caused a bit of pandemonium for some of the locals who live right nearby, including 15-year resident Carrie Dagher ... who tells TMZ she's been in full chase-off mode with out-of-town dopes who keep wandering onto her property, apparently thinking it's God's land.
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Not the case, according to Carrie ... who says she's literally confronted and driven about 100 different people who unknowingly crossed her front and back yards while exploring the area. Her property and others can stretch anywhere from 1 to 3 acres, so it's understandable a mistaken trespass might happen here and there. That's not the only problem though.
Carrie also tells us some would-be campers have even tried pitching a tent right in her front yard, which she quickly put a stop to as well. Lawn chairs and picnics have also been attempted on her property -- it seems people either don't know or don't care.
The bigger issue, though, is that because of the massive amount of cars coming to the area -- not to mention all the people they're transporting -- Carrie says these bored city-slickers are actually ruining the land with constant traversing, contaminating the rich soil specifically.
BTW, Joshua Tree is far from the only hiking hot spot people want to get to right now -- the Runyon Canyon trail in the heart of L.A. is also drawing hordes of bodies ... most of whom are NOT maintaining any sense of social distancing as they shuffle past each other.
Snitches (or good citizens, really) have been tagging Gov. Gavin Newsom and L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti to notify them of the bizarre scene, in hopes of getting these public places shut down to avoid further spreading of the coronavirus.
Until then though ... it looks like the people are restless!
President Trumpis getting chewed out by the deaf community, which feels it's getting screwed out of critical info during his daily coronavirus briefings.
Americans stuck at home are relying on the White House for the latest COVID-19 info, but when the Prez holds court with his cabinet members and Dr. Anthony Fauci, one person's missing ... an ASL interpreter.
Stephanie Cawthon of the National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Outcomes tells TMZ ... members from the deaf and hearing-impaired have fired off some requests to Trump, including the use of a single ASL interpreter when he's at the podium discussing the pandemic. The National Association of the Deaf also sent a letter to the White House.
She says they've gotten no response, so far, and they're frustrated.
In addition to an ASL interpreter at all public health announcements, we're told the deaf and hearing-impaired want improved closed-captioning and better graphics to relay virus updates.
Previously, the President has sporadically used ASL translators during news conferences and the State of The Union. Deaf and hearing-impaired groups tell us it's way more crucial Trump uses one now because so many American lives hang in the balance.
FYI, some governors and mayors have been using ASL interpreters during their coronavirus news conferences -- notably Cali's Gov. Gavin Newsom and L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti.
We reached out to the White House for comment, but so far ... radio silence.
Australians and Floridians ... one in the same. Who knew???
The coronavirus global pandemic is serious enough to force Australia to close its borders for the next 6 months, but the country's beaches are still open for biz ... and apparently not big on social distancing.
World-famous Bondi Beach -- where, it's highly relevant, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson were hanging days before testing positive for COVID-19 -- still has hundreds of people enjoying the surf, sun and sand.
While CDC guidelines call for gatherings of 10 or less in the U.S., Australia has banned outdoor gatherings of 500 people.
Australian Prime Minister just announced the 6-month ban on all visitors, so it would seem the Aussies are taking the outbreak very seriously. At last count, they have 756 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 7 deaths.
Of course, the sand here in Florida has been alarmingly packed all week as spring break festivities ignored the health crisis -- and the state's governor refused to close the beaches.
3/19/20
CNN
However, Miami-Dade County made the call Thursday to shut down its beaches. That didn't stop at least one jackass from attempting to catch some rays on Miami Beach.
Not for long though ... cops quickly slapped the cuffs on him (bad tan lines, bro) for trespassing.
The Olympic flame has arrived in Japan -- and shockingly, a TON of people turned up to welcome the torch.
The flame was officially passed from Athens, Greece to a representative of Japan on Thursday -- who took the torch to a waiting jet, which flew to the Matsushima Air Base in Miyagi, Japan.
When the plane touched down on Friday, a group of important people were waiting on the tarmac to greet it -- including Japanese Olympic gold medallists Saori Yoshida and Tadahiro Nomura. Tokyo 2020 president Yoshiro Mori was also on hand.
But, the most shocking part ... a large group of fans and reporters gathered at the airport to witness the moment. The people were smothering each other despite massive calls for social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic.
So far, Japan has nearly 1,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 -- but insists the 2020 Games will go on as planned.
2:53 PM PT -- Gurley is using humor to cope with the news ... channeling the famous "Friday" quote, "Damn I got fired on my day off #QuarantineAndChill"
UPDATE
Despite the joke, Gurley tweeted he knows it was a business move ... and it seems like he's okay with the breakup.
Todd Gurley's run in Los Angeles was just cut short ... the Rams announced they're releasing the former All-Pro -- less than 2 years after making him the NFL's highest-paid RB EVER.
The team made the roster move official Thursday ... and while it's shocking considering his massive contract -- it ain't exactly surprising, considering his actual play on the field.
Gurley has been a shell of himself almost since the day he signed his 4-year, $60 MILLION deal in July 2018 ... with things getting so lousy, L.A. media grew obsessed with talking about a knee injury he insisted didn't exist.
Todd had his worst season as a pro last year ... rushing for just 857 yards -- and gave away a lot of playing time to backup Malcolm Brown, who usually found more success than TG on the field.
The Rams were reportedly trying to trade Gurley the past few weeks ... but couldn't find a dance partner -- mostly because of the dude's enormous contract.
The Rams will have to eat MILLIONS of dollars on their cap to cut the tailback ... which probably says all you need to know about what they think of Gurley's future.
But, the halfback is only 25 years old ... and a nice market could exist for him if the price is right.
Evangeline Lilly is going against the grain in a big way ... sending her kids off to gymnastics and having lots of dicey interactions, because she believes the coronavirus scare is not only overblown ... it might even have some sinister tinges to it.
Evangeline just said for her and her fam, it's business as usual. She said, "Just dropped my kids off at gymnastic camp. They all washed their hands before going in. They are playing and laughing."
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It gets even more real ... The actress says she's living with her dad who has stage 4 leukemia. She says, "I am also immune compromised at the moment."
And then, there's this mantra ... "Some people value their lives over freedom, some people value freedom over their lives. We all make our choices."
One thing that she doesn't address .... if anyone in her family contracts the virus and interacts with others, they could spread it to people who might be at risk and, as you know, a number of those people are dying.
She says the virus is really just a "respiratory flu" ... despite just about every doctor saying it's more serious than the flu.
She feels the government has taken too much control over our lives and it's getting too close to Martial Law for comfort.
And then, there's this ... She insinuates there might be something fishy here as the run-up to the 2020 Presidential election ... "There's something every election year."
Zac Brown is torn up over the pandemic ... he's broken up over temporarily saying goodbye to his stock-in-trade, and he's outraged that young people are hangin' out in beaches and other places.
Zac was emotional as he explained how he had to pull the plug on touring ... something all artists are now dealing with. He says he'll figure out a way of making music, but for now, the only concern is coronavirus and keeping it from spreading as much as possible.
Speaking of spreading it ... Zac launched on all the very dim young folks on the beach in Miami and other places. Spring Break has to take a backseat to the virus.
BTW ... the CDC now says young people are getting sick -- some critically ill -- just like older people, so Zac's message is sound ... and even life-saving.
Amazon is doing its part to help stabilize its home turf, pouring additional millions into the Seattle area ... a community devastated by the coronavirus outbreak.
The shipping giant is behind a number of community-related efforts underway in several locations, but especially in Seattle, its primary HQ. Amazon's created a $5 million Neighborhood Small Business Relief Fund to provide cash grants to local companies in Seattle and Bellevue, WA. The money's intended to help them continue paying employees, and cover rent and other costs.
The corporation's also made a million-dollar donation to provide sick leave pay or health insurance to Seattle residents -- and pitched in another mil in Washington, D.C. toward medical response teams for the homeless, the elderly and hourly workers.
Of course, the goodwill efforts come on the heels of Amazon catching flak from some of its employees around the world -- some of whom reportedly feel overworked and not totally safe from the pandemic in their warehouses. We're told Amazon's committed to paying them even if they can't work due to COVID-19 cases or schedule changes.
Amazon's payroll expense is about to jump anyway ... because it's hiring at least 100k more people in the U.S. to meet surging demand. All those quarantined customers shopping from home want their stuff now.
The Chicago Bears are trading for Nick Foles ... and it all begs the question -- is Mitch Trubisky officially done in The Windy City?!?!
Multiple NFL reporters say Da Bears are sending a 4th-round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars for the former Super Bowl MVP ... and it's gotta hurt Trubisky's feelings a bit.
A lot of the Bears' current staff have old ties to Foles ... head coach Matt Nagy worked with him in Kansas City, while new QB coach John DeFilippo coached him in Philly.
But, the message from Chicago all off-season was that they still loved Trubisky as their QB ... in fact, remember when Prince Amukamara told us at the Super Bowl the Bears were Mitch believers?!
TMZSports.com
Seems that might not be the case anymore ... because not only is a 4th-rounder a pretty pricey fee -- the Bears are likely going to have to eat a whole lot of the 4-year, $88 MILLION deal Foles signed with the Jags last off-season.
Of course, Foles was expendable in Jacksonville because of the unexpected play of rookie Gardner Minshew -- who crushed it filling in for Nick all last year.
Now, does this trade make Trubisky -- the former 1st-round pick who was selected AHEAD OF Patrick Mahomes -- expendable in Chicago as well???
8:47 AM PT -- Tom's wife, Gisele, is speaking out about the change of scenery ... thanking the people of Boston for welcoming their family through the years.
UPDATE
"What a ride the last decade has been," Gisele said on Instagram. "Boston has been so good to us and will always be in our hearts. We will forever have wonderful memories."
UPDATE
"Our kids were born and raised there and we have made special friendships to last a lifetime. I’ll miss our friends, the beautiful change of seasons and the rides to the stadium to go cheer for Tom and the Pats."
UPDATE
"Thank you to everyone who has been so supportive of my husband and our family throughout all these years. We will miss you!"
UPDATE
5:43 AM PT -- 3/18 -- Could Antonio Brown follow the G.O.A.T. to Tampa??
UPDATE
Brady reportedly wouldn't mind seeing it happen ... NFL Network's Ian Rapoportsays, "The word among teams interested in Tom Brady were among the impression that Brady wanted to bring Antonio Brown with him to a new team."
UPDATE
Of course, it's unclear if/when Brown would be able to play if the Bucs signed him ... AB is still under league investigation for a myriad of issues, including allegations of assault and rape.
It still sounds like Tom has some I's to dot and T's to cross, but it's essentially a done deal at this point. Unclear how long the contract is for. Guessing it's on the shorter side considering Tom is 42 years old.
BEST DAY EVER FOR MIKE EVANS THO, HUH?!
There is one little issue ... the #12 currently belongs to Bucs star WR Chris Godwin. Will he give it up for free or will Tom have to pay up?!
Of course, the 6-time Super Bowl champ announced he was leaving the New England Patriots on Tuesday morning -- and things developed rapidly after that.
There was reported interest from the Chargers, Dolphins, Raiders and others -- but in the end, the Bucs won out. The Chargers were the last team in the mix before the Bucs came out on top.
Of course, it's a sad day for Pats Nation ... and as owner Robert Kraft put it, "I had hoped he would choose to stay, as a fan and an owner. But, out of respect for the relationship we’ve built, I gave him his freedom."
Brady played 285 games for NE in 20 seasons with the team ... throwing for more than 74,000 yards, 541 TDs ... and oh yeah, winning 6 Super Bowls.
It's the first time Brady was a free agent in his career ... and a new era in the NFL is here.
9:16 AM PT -- Another twist ... ex-Texans WR Jaelen Strong seems to be backing up Irvin's report.
UPDATE
"This is who Bill O Brien is," Strong wrote in response to Irvin's ESPN segment.
UPDATE
"Y’all thought it was my fault I wasn’t seeing the field. The man simply didn’t like me because I was a product of my environment. PERFORMANCE means nothing. He wasted my first 3 years ultimately ruining my NFL career. I never knew how to kiss ass."
UPDATE
8:56 AM PT -- DeAndre Hopkins is now speaking out about Irvin's claims -- saying, "This is being blown way out of proportion."
UPDATE
"As I’ve said before, I enjoyed and am proud of my time with the Texans. I have the utmost respect for Coach O’Brien and that will not change."
UPDATE
He added, "Now, I’m ready to play for the Cardinals."
... this is all according to Michael Irvin, who says he spoke with the superstar WR after he was traded out of Houston -- and man, the allegations are SHOCKING.
Irvin said on ESPN's "Get Up" on Wednesday that O'Brien had called Hopkins into a meeting recently over the wideout being "too influential" in the Texans' locker-room.
Irvin claims the whole confrontation started out with O'Brien saying, "Hey, uh, the last time I had to have a meeting like this it was with Aaron Hernandez."
FYI, O'Brien was the offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots in 2011, when Hernandez was a star tight end for the team. Hernandez was later accused of killing multiple people before taking his own life in prison. So, yeah, it's not a name to be thrown around lightly.
The Playmaker says Hopkins was blown away by the comment -- saying, "I've never been in any trouble" -- but Irvin says things got even worse later in the meeting.
Irvin claims O'Brien was upset that Hopkins brought the mothers of his children around the team, saying, "He told De'Andre he doesn't like that he has his baby mamas around sometimes."
"And, from that, I think the relationship just went bad," Irvin added.
Hopkins and a 4th-rounder were ultimately traded Monday for running back David Johnson, a 2nd-round pick and a future 4th-rounder ... a shocking move considering the Vikings received a 1st-round pick AND MORE for Stefon Diggs later in the day.
We made multiple attempts to reach the Texans and O'Brien for comment -- so far, no word back.
Oprah Winfrey got trolled by some idiots pushing a bizarre QAnon conspiracy theory, claiming she was arrested in a global sex trafficking ring, and sadly ... she was forced to debunk it herself when her name began trending on Twitter.
Welcome to the new normal?
Oprah responded to the nonsense after her name and the bogus story -- which claims, among other things, that coronavirus is a hoax created to conceal a global drug and child trafficking ring among celebrities -- began trending late Tuesday night.
She wrote ... "Just got a phone call that my name is trending. And being trolled for some awful FAKE thing. It’s NOT TRUE."
Oprah added ... "Haven’t been raided, or arrested. Just sanitizing and self distancing with the rest of the world. Stay safe everybody."
Unfortunately, with a vast majority of the country holed up in their homes and bored on their computers ... the wild conspiracy theory began to spread like a virus, and by Wednesday morning hashtags like #opraharrested and #OPRAHDIDWHAT were also trending.
And if ya aren't familiar ... QAnon followers -- mostly big Trump supporters -- believe there is an anonymous secret agent working in the government who shares messages and symbols showing there is a plot to overthrow the President.
QAnon wackos support the notion that the COVID-19 pandemic is "the biggest covert U.S. intelligence operation that the world has ever seen."
By the way ... the same wild story Oprah's name was involved in also claimed Tom Hanks was actually arrested for pedophilia and is being held in Australia -- and his coronavirus story is fake.
Harvey Weinsteincoerced an actress into having sex with him by dangling a role in a film, then threatened to ruin her career if she didn't give in ... this according to a new lawsuit.
The disgraced movie mogul is being sued for sexual assault and battery by a Jane Doe, according to new legal docs obtained by TMZ.
According to the suit, the woman met Weinstein at an event in Los Angeles back in 2014, and he told her "I run Hollywood," before suggesting they should meet-up later.
In the docs, the woman claims she went to meet Weinstein in the lobby of the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills, but he didn't come down, and he told her to come up to his room.
In the suit, the woman claims Weinstein answered the door wearing a bathrobe without a belt, and told her she was perfect for a few of his projects. And, that he was the "King of Hollywood" and she should be smart about behaving and being nice to the right folks.
The woman claims Weinstein excused himself to use the bathroom, and when she heard the shower running, she left the hotel room. She claims he had someone send her a script for a movie, then demanded she meet him again at the Peninsula, and that's when things got sexual.
In the docs, the woman says when she went back to Weinstein's room for what she thought was a business meeting, he was again wearing his bathrobe and threatened to blacklist her from Hollywood. She says she felt she had no choice but to let Weinstein have his way with her, and they had sex while he demanded she call him "King."
After the alleged encounter, the woman says she fell into a state of shock, became depressed, had a mental breakdown and became distressed to the point she started losing hair.
The woman is going after Weinstein for damages.
Weinstein's spokesperson, Juda Engelmayer, tells TMZ ..."We are reviewing the allegations and will reserve further comment until we learn more."
