Controversial S#!T

President Biden paid tribute to his late congressional colleague, Harry Reid, this weekend -- continuing a tradition of funeral-going that the Washington Post appears to take issue with.

The former Nevada senator, who died last week, was honored Saturday in his home state through a memorial service ... one which featured major speakers from the Democratic party, including Biden himself, former President Barack Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and others.

46 delivered remarks about what Reid meant to American politics, as did Obama and the rest ... but just a day earlier, WaPo published a story that was all about how Biden has spent much of his presidency doing exactly this -- with what sounds like critical tone, no less.

The story is titled "Biden, funerals and a bygone America." The text itself details how consoling families of the fallen, especially old friends of his, is very important to JB ... and how some aides apparently avoid trying to stop him, as they've found it futile to do so.

The sentiment of the story -- despite never quite stating it explicitly in the body itself -- is that Biden's constant grieving is a bit of a turnoff and somewhat of a time-waster ... which was hit home in a since-deleted tweet by the Post that they initially used as a caption.

It read, "Biden, who heads to Sen. Harry M. Reid's memorial Saturday -- his seventh as president -- uses funerals to honor his friendships and make a point about bipartisanship. Not everyone thinks it's the best use of his time."

Almost immediately, the Post started getting a massive amount of backlash -- including from Press Sec. Jen Psaki -- and they deleted the tweet, later saying it didn't accurately represent the scope of the story.

That's still up for debate to many ... who wonder, what's the point of this story??? According to critics, the whole purpose of writing this was to highlight what WaPo perceives as Biden being out of touch/overly optimistic in trying to cling to a political dynamic of the past.

When the Lord said, "Let there be inflation," that pretty much gave Christian landlords the green light to raise rents without guilt ... that seems to be Dave Ramsey's take, anyway.

The financial guru radio host -- who's also a devout evangelical -- took this stance earlier in the week ... and it's getting a lot of backlash now from people who think the very nature of booting a tenant because they can't afford the rent anymore is ... not very Christ-like.

Not so, according to DR ... who gave his thoughts on the subject after a fan wrote in talking about his inner turmoil regarding raising prices on his properties, and reconciling that with his faith.

It's an interesting premise (if you're religious) ... the viewer says he feels he's technically responsible for displacing someone if he chooses to evict -- and thinks that makes him a bad Christian. But, Ramsey takes the opposite view ... saying that's total nonsense.

Check out the full clip for the entire context -- in which Ramsey and his cohost say there are circumstances where you don't have to be a cold, hard capitalist -- but for the most part ... they seem to agree that there's nothing un-Christian about adapting to the marketplace.

Of course, not everyone agrees with DR and co., including some prominent Christians ... who feel like, yeah, being a landlord that's willing to put someone out on the street DOES make one a crappy steward of Christianity.

One pastor writes, "We are absolutely responsible when our actions displace others from their homes. The Son of Man had no place to rest His head, and it sounds like Dave wouldn't give him one for even a penny under what he thinks 'market value' is."

Novak Djokovic's attorneys say Australian border officials screwed up when they denied the tennis star entry into the country ... claiming he had COVID-19 last month, meaning he didn't have to comply with the vaccine mandate.

Attorneys for the 34-year-old tennis superstar filed docs with an Australian court on Saturday, according to the NY Times, arguing officials went against the advice of their own immunization advisory group when they canceled Novak's visa, believing he received a bogus exemption allowing him to skirt Australia's strict vaccine mandate.

Djokovic's lawyers say Australian health officials previously suggested recent COVID infections could exempt travelers from needing the vaccine. Novak's lawyers say their client had COVID in mid-December ... and should've been granted entry.

In fact, the attorneys say border officials "radically and fundamentally" misapplied guidelines set forth by the immunization health officials.

FYI, it wasn't publicly known that Djokovic had COVID in December 2021. However, it was known he contracted the virus in June 2020.

Of course, the defending Australian Open champ had his visa canceled when he landed in Melbourne on Thursday. Novak opted to appeal the decision, so rather than instantly being deported, he was taken to a quarantine hotel run by government officials.

Novak's family says he's being held captive ... while Australian officials have insisted the #1 tennis player in the world can leave whenever he wants.

Even before Djokovic touched down in Melbourne, his impending arrival kicked off a raging debate in the country ... with many upset, believing the tennis star was going to get preferential treatment.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison even got involved ... vowing to investigate the medical exemption Djokovic received, in order to check its legitimacy.

Djokovic has a hearing on Monday ... where his fate will be determined. If the cancelation of the visa is upheld, Novak won't only have to worry about missing this year's tournament. He could be banned from entering Australia for several years.

The lawyer for Travis McMichael claims the judge in the case was pressured by the President, former Presidents and celebrities to hand down the harshest sentence.

Attorney Jason Sheffield tells TMZ, he believes the die was cast from the jump, saying the "decision-makers" were under a microscope. He says he's referring to the police, prosecutors, judge and jury.

Sheffield says anyone who voiced sympathy for his client was criticized and threatened, adding, "So the decision-makers face the same fate if they don't acknowledge the narrative that has been perpetrated by Ben Crump and Lee Merritt, as well as the national media, former presidents Obama, Trump and [current President] Biden, and top-level sports athletes and entertainers."

All 3 defendants were convicted of murdering Ahmaud Arbery. Travis and Gregory McMichael were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, after the judge described their lack of remorse and callousness. William "Roddie" Bryan was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole after 30 years.

Sheffield calls the sentence "scripted, because nobody wants to be on the other side."

Former President Barack Obama said of the case when he spoke at an HBCU graduation ceremony during the pandemic, "We see it when a Black man goes for a jog and some folks feel like they can stop and question and shoot him if he doesn't submit to their questioning. Injustice like this isn't new."

Donald Trump called the cellphone video showing the horrific murder "very disturbing."

President Biden's statement ... "Ahmaud Arbery's killing -- witnessed by the world on video -- is a devastating reminder of how far we have to go in the fight for racial justice in this country."

Aaron Rodgers is going after yet another member of the media ... this time, he eviscerated a Boomer Esiason report that said he was planning to boycott the Super Bowl if the Packers make it.

"Dumbest f***ing story ever," Rodgers said.

Esiason -- a former NFL star who's now an analyst and WFAN radio show host -- went on his morning show Friday and said a trusted source told him Rodgers is planning something diabolical for SB week if Green Bay gets there.

On the show, Esiason had his co-host read a text in which he claims a source said Rodgers will "threaten the NFL by saying he won't play in the big game or next season if they don't eliminate some of the COVID-related rules."

Esiason claims the text went on to say ... "He's told Jordan Love to be ready ... Super Bowl week will be set on fire and send [Roger] Goodell in a frenzy navigating the situation."

Rodgers got word of the report a couple hours after it dropped -- and sent out a tweet with laughing emojis.

"#fakenews," he said. "#boycottfakenews."

Rodgers then played around with Packers' third-string QB Kurt Benkert over the report ... adding, "Were you just mad I only told @jordan3love to be ready and not you?? #grudge #boycottvideogames"

Antonio Brown's bridge-burning clearly didn't end on Sunday with his departure from the Bucs -- 'cause on Friday, he took some major shots at Tom Brady that could signal the end of that relationship too.

The embattled wide receiver joined the "FULL SEND PODCAST" this week ... and it didn't take long for him to begin shading his former Tampa Bay quarterback.

Brown said he was annoyed with Brady over his "prove-it" contract with the Bucs, explaining he thinks the signal-caller should have helped him get paid like Rob Gronkowski.

"If Tom Brady's my boy, why am I playing for an earnest salary?" Brown said. "You my boy, though, right? Gronkowski is his boy, right? How much did he get paid? So, why is AB on a prove-it deal? Who's better than me over there? Let's be real!"

Brown also chided the Full Send guys -- and other members of the media -- for constantly praising Brady ... saying, "Brady can't do s*** by himself."

"But, you guys going to make it seem like he's just this heroic guy," Brown added. "Bro, we all humans. Bro, we're all dependent on somebody else to do the job."

Brown then railed against the QB over his targets in Tampa ... pointing out that Ben Roethlisberger threw him the football far more than Brady ever did.

"Does Tom Brady throw me the ball like Ben Roethlisberger?" Brown said. "Let's be honest."

Brown had claimed over the past few years that he and Brady had a good relationship ... with AB calling the quarterback his friend on numerous different occasions.

Julius Randle was so pissed with Knicks fans on Thursday night ... the star forward ran down the court and gave the sellout crowd the thumbs down gesture -- explaining after the game it was to meant to say "shut the f**k up."

"I really don't give a f**k what anybody has to say, to be honest," Randle said of the hand sign. "I'm out there playing. Nobody knows the game out there better than I do, compared to what everybody has to say."

"So, I really don't give a s***. I just go out there and play."

Randle -- who won the NBA's Most Improved Player award last season but has struggled to replicate the same play this year -- has had a rocky relationship with Knicks fans this season ... and it all came to a head during NY's game against the Celtics on Thursday.

Randle made a tough basket and then turned to the Madison Square Garden crowd and pumped his thumb downward.

And, even though the Knicks ultimately came back from a 25-point deficit to win the game, it was clear afterward that Randle is still furious with his fan support -- or lack thereof.

Randle's gesture was ultimately panned by the guys on "Inside the NBA" ... with Kenny "The Jet" Smith telling the Knicks vet that fans cheering and booing are a part of the game.

"Honestly, I wouldn't do that anywhere. New York -- that could be on Mars," Kenny said of Randle's gesture. "I'm not engaging in the 19,700 that's in Madison Square Garden. I'm engaging with the 12 dudes on that other team."

Of course, this isn't the first time we've seen a high-profile New York athlete rub sports fans the wrong way with a hand gesture -- just last summer, Mets shortstop Javy Baez gave fans at Citi Field the thumbs down after they booed the team during a slump.

Like Randle, Baez was also criticized for the move ... and he later issued an apology over it all.

Ashli Babbitt would not have died at the Capitol Riot if her husband was traveling by her side on the fateful cross-country trip ... at least that's how he feels about her death.

Ashli's husband, Aaron Babbitt, tells TMZ ... he did not accompany his late wife to Washington D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021, because he was back in Cali running their business, but if he had gone with her they would have never stepped foot inside the Capitol.

Aaron says he would have had Ashli's back at the insurrection, but says they would NOT have stormed the building if they were together ... and he was shocked to see her inside.

As you know, Ashli was shot by Capitol Police during the chaos, draped in a Trump flag as she jumped up on a windowpane and tried to charge through.

Video showed her falling backward onto the marble floor and blood flowing from her body. She later died in a hospital from her injuries.

The way Aaron explains it ... neither of them like crowds first of all, so they wouldn't have been in the thick of the mob if he was there.

Aaron also says he would have noticed something bad was potentially about to happen, calling himself a vigilant person, and explaining why there were red flags he thinks he would have picked up on if he were there.

It's interesting ... Aaron says Ashli made the decision to fly to D.C. when they were celebrating Christmas in Cabo, and he learned she was actually inside the Capitol from a friend who called to say he saw her on TV and it looked like she had been hurt.

Aaron was happy to see Ashli's name trending on social media on the first anniversary of the insurrection, because he wants to keep her name alive. However, since she passed he says he's gotten hate mail and death threats, but he's become desensitized.

Wizards analyst Glenn Consor is under fire for jaw-dropping comments made about Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. during Wednesday's game ... with LeBron James seemingly calling for his job.

The moment took place after KPJ hit a game-winning three-pointer to beat the Wizards, 114-111 ... with Consor saying, "Kevin Porter Jr. -- like his dad -- pulled that trigger right at the right time."

The issue??? Porter's dad, Kevin Porter Sr., was charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of a 14-year-old girl in 1993.

Porter Sr. claimed at the time he accidentally pulled the trigger -- which a witness later backed up -- but he spent more than 4 years behind bars as a result of the incident.

Porter Sr. later died in 2004 ... after he was shot 5 times in an incident at a bar.

Considering the Porter family's history, social media erupted in frustration over Consor's statement during the game ... including LeBron, who went off on the analyst early Thursday morning.

"Oh he thought this was cool huh!!??," James said on Twitter. "Nah we ain't going for this! Sorry but this ain't going to fly!"

He added ... "How insensitive can you be to say something like this. Beat it man! I pray for you but there's no place in our beautiful game for you!"

Others who spoke on the comments are hoping Consor mistakenly thought KPJ's father was former NBA player Kevin Porter, who led the league in assists 4 times during his 11-year career.

Porter Jr., Consor, the Wizards and the NBA have yet to comment on the situation ... but we'll keep you updated as soon as someone talks.

Buccaneers wide receiver Cyril Grayson says it's business as usual in the locker room following Antonio Brown's dramatic exit from the team ... telling TMZ Sports the guys are focused on moving past the fiasco.

We spoke with the 28-year-old Bucs wideout just days after catching a game-winning touchdown in Tampa's comeback victory against the moribund Jets ... and he told us that the team isn't dwelling on what went down with AB earlier in the game.

"I think we just shift our minds to the Panthers," Grayson said. "Obviously, the media and people are going to talk about what they want to talk about."

“They’re gonna make their judgments and stuff about Antonio. I just want everybody to remember that we’re human."

Both AB and the Bucs are entangled in a nasty divorce ... as both sides tell different stories of what led up to what occurred at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.

But, Grayson has stepped up big time in Brown's absence ... and he attributes his readiness for the moment to the Bucs' org. and their belief in his skillset.

“I learned from my coach when I played with the Saints that I can’t be anybody else but me," Grayson added.

“They saw a certain talent in me that they wanted to nurture and cultivate.”

Cyril says Tampa -- who has a Week 18 matchup with Carolina before the playoffs start -- needs to "lock-in" if they have any chance of making it to and winning another Super Bowl.

"We can’t let the outside noise cloud what our focus is. We gotta be laser-focused."

Baker Mayfield's list of enemies is growing -- this time, the Browns quarterback is taking aim at Cleveland media ... saying it's filled with "drama stirring reporters."

The 26-year-old signal-caller unleashed on Twitter just minutes ago ... after a report from cleveland.com claimed he could request a trade out of town if changes weren't made during the offseason.

But, according to #6, that's apparently not true ... and he's accusing the reporter of spicing up the story to get clicks.

"Clickbait," Bake said Thursday. "You and many other Cleveland local media continue to be drama stirring reporters with no sources or facts."

"Don’t put words in my mouth so you can put food on your table. I’m not your puppet."

The clapback comes on the heels of the Browns' recent elimination from playoff contention ... which capped off a disappointing season.

The 2021 campaign was filled with drama -- Baker recently called out head coach Kevin Stefanski over his play-calling ... and has reportedly taken issue with how the offense isn't utilizing his strengths.

On top of that, Odell Beckham's dad publicly campaigned for the receiver's trade out of Cleveland due to missed targets back in November ... which worked, as OBJ was released shortly after.

Just a few weeks later, Jarvis Landry spoke out about his role with the team ... saying he had no idea why he wasn't getting the ball.

Baker's been known to speak his mind with folks in sports media -- he's had a popular beef with Colin Cowherd in the past ... but the FS1 star told us back in 2019 he "loves" the guy.

The organizer of the Canadian party flight says passengers are still stranded in Mexico, and he understands why millions -- including PM Justin Trudeau -- are pissed off.

James Awad, the founder of 111 Private Club -- who put the trip together -- says everyone was tested for COVID prior to getting on the flight, and the only travelers on that plane were from his group ... he chartered an entire Sunwing Airline plane solely for the event.

Awad states, "As I thoroughly reviewed the current situation, I understand why many fellow citizens are upset about the current situation."

He goes on to explain he's worked tirelessly to try to get passengers back to Canada, discussing a plan with the airline which included no food or beverage service, masks, no standing in the aisles as well as proof of a negative PCR test.

However, Awad said he couldn't come to an agreement with Sunwing because he felt passengers would need a meal on the 5-hour flight. Awad says he's attempted to charter a plane from other airlines but is also hitting a wall.

As we reported, the flight -- from Montreal to Mexico filled with Canadian partiers featured vaping, open container drinking and loud music.

Canadian PM called the event a "slap in the face" to citizens who had followed the rules and worked to try and stay healthy.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have formally released Antonio Brown ... and in announcing the news, the team called its former star a liar.

The Bucs said in a statement after officially cutting the wideout that he never indicated to their medical personnel that his ankle was too hurt to play in Sunday's game against the Jets.

Brown, of course, said the opposite in a lengthy statement Wednesday night ... claiming he did tell the team he was too injured -- and that head coach Bruce Arians still wanted him in the game nonetheless.

"While Antonio did receive treatment on his ankle and was listed on the injury report the week leading up to last Sunday's game, he was cleared to play by our medical team prior to the start of the game," the Bucs said Thursday.

"And at no point during the game did he indicate to our medical personnel that he could not play."

The Bucs went on to say that they've asked Antonio several times this week to be evaluated by "an outside orthopedic specialist" ... but say Antonio "has not complied."

"Maintaining the health and wellness of our players is of the utmost importance to our organization," the Bucs said.

As we previously reported, Brown melted down on the sidelines of the Bucs' game against the Jets at MetLife Stadium, stripping off his pads and shirt before running into the locker room.

After the blowup, Arians suggested that Brown had quit on the team ... telling Jay Glazer that he tried to get the wideout to go into the game multiple times, but AB refused and then left.

Brown, though, said Wednesday that's not the way things went down ... writing in a statement, "I took a seat on the sideline and my coach came up to me, very upset, and shouted, 'What's wrong with you? What's wrong with you?' I told him, 'It's my ankle.' But he knew that."

"He didn't call for medical attention," Brown added. "Instead, he shouted at me, 'YOU'RE DONE!' while he ran his finger across his throat. Coach was telling me that if I didn't play hurt, then I was done with the Bucs."

Arians previously said this week that Brown did not indicate to him at the time that he was hurt.

"I didn't quit," Brown insisted in his statement. "I was cut. I didn't walk away from my brothers. I was thrown out."

Brown says on Monday he saw a specialist, who told him that his ankle injury was so bad, it'll require season-ending surgery.

"What they did know until now is that on Monday morning I had an urgent MRI on my ankle," Brown said. "It shows broken fragments stuck in my ankle, the ligament torn from the bone, and cartilage loss, which are beyond painful. You can see the bone bulging from the outside."

Brown is now a free agent ... and he said Wednesday night he has no plans to retire.

"Once my surgery is complete, I'll be back to 100% and looking forward to next season. Business gonna be BOOMIN!"

Trevor Noah is honoring Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani and others for trying to overthrow the government of their own country ... with monuments in New York City on the first anniversary of the insurrection.

The 'Daily Show' host put up an installation in the heart of the Flatiron District Thursday, which he's calling "Heroes of the Freedomsurrection."

There are 8 busts of 8 "patriots" ... Trump, Giuliani, Senators Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley, Representatives Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene, plus Tucker Carlson and Steve Bannon.

The monuments feature personalized engravings highlighting what Trevor says was "their involvement in that fateful day" ... and Trump's begins, "No hero played a bigger part in the Freedomsurrection than President Trump himself."

The installation is not permanent ... it's up for today only, at the corner of 23rd and Broadway.

Tennessee politician Jeremy Faison was booted from a high school basketball game earlier this week ... after he tried to pull a referee's pants down in a sideline temper tantrum.

Seriously.

Faison, a top Tennessee House Republican lawmaker, was in attendance to watch his son play in Lakeway Christian Academy's game against Providence Academy in Johnson City on Tuesday ... when he exploded over a call on the floor.

Video from the gym showed Faison was so irate with a ref over the whistle, he got in the man's face, screamed at him, and then attempted to pull his pants down.

According to the Nashville Tennessean, the ref wanted to immediately call the cops on Faison -- but fortunately for the House Republican Caucus chairman, law enforcement never arrived.

Instead, Faison was ejected from the venue.

Afterward, the politician issued a mea culpa, apologizing for his actions and calling himself a "fool."

"For years I thought how wrong it is when a parent loses their temper at a sporting event. It’s not Christian and it’s not mature and it’s embarrassing to the child have always been my thoughts," the 45-year-old said.

"Unfortunately, I acted the fool tonight and lost my temper on a ref. I was wanting him to fight me. Totally lost my junk and got booted from the gym."

Faison continued, "I’ve never really lost my temper for all to see, but I did tonight and it was completely stupid of me. Emotions getting in the way of rational thoughts are never good. I hope to be able to find the ref and ask for his forgiveness. I was bad wrong."

Faison is no stranger to sports controversy -- in 2017, he was famously part of a movement to stop the Univ. of Tennessee from hiring Greg Schiano as its football coach.

President Biden traveled to the U.S. Capitol on the 1st anniversary of the insurrection, and he made it clear ... Donald Trump is a loser who couldn't accept his loss and was willing to destroy democracy to maintain his grasp of power.

Biden painted a picture of his predecessor watching the riot unfold with satisfaction ... a riot fueled by Trump inciting his supporters in an effort to invalidate the election results. It was extraordinary ... the president called the former president a flat-out liar.

Biden did not mince words ... saying Trump was a loser whose ego went into overdrive as he spread lies about the vote count.

It was possibly Biden's strongest speech ever ... squarely calling Donald Trump a liar who tried to ruin the United States.