Controversial S#!T

Martin Luther King III begs to differ with Vice President Mike Pence, who said President Trump is honoring MLK's legacy by pushing for the border wall.

Pence quoted MLK's legendary and inspiring "I Have a Dream" speech and said, "He [MLK] inspired us to change through the legislative process, to become a more perfect union," adding, "That's exactly what President Trump is calling on Congress to do ... come to the table in the spirit of good faith."

We got MLK III last Wednesday at LAX, and he said his dad would view the shutdown as "inhumane," and he blames Trump for triggering the misery among federal workers.

9:20 AM PT -- Law enforcement sources in the U.K. tell TMZ that Emma Fairweather's suggestion that she's been ignored by police investigating the crash or that there's some sort of cover-up happening is simply not true. We're told the Norfolk Police are treating this collision as they would any other, and the fact Prince Philip was involved bears no weight in how cops have handled things. Our sources say the only thing that's unique about this case is that a family liaison officer was assigned to Emma, due to its high-profile nature.

Interestingly enough, Emma claims the liaison officer who was assigned to her promptly resigned ... allegedly because she was asking too many questions and was difficult to deal with. Our law enforcement sources dispute that characterization, saying Norfolk Police reached out several times over the weekend to answer any lingering questions she had, and that she never called back.

Regarding the investigation, we're told that it's ongoing and that any "appropriate action" necessary will be taken by the time it's over.

A Norfolk Police spokesperson tells us that officers plan to take Emma's statement on Tuesday, adding that arrangements to do so were made last Friday.

The woman who was hurt in a crash involving Prince Philipsays she was told to shut her yap and also claims the gravity of her injuries have been seriously downplayed by what she suggests is a cover-up effort by police on behalf of the Royals.

In an interview with the Mirror, Emma Fairweather says she was told by authorities not to speak to anyone following the accident and to expect a call from the Palace ... presumably from Philip or the Queen herself to offer an apology, well-wishes or ... something.

She claims that personal call never came, and instead ... a police family liaison officer phoned, passing on some vague message from the Royals.

Emma also claims the family liaison officer would call to check in on her in the aftermath of the accident ... adding that shortly after speaking with the officer, a report came out detailing her status, which she says mischaracterized her well-being just 'cause she'd been discharged.

Emma -- who was a passenger in the vehicle that Philip hit -- suffered a broken wrist in the accident on Thursday, and says at one point she was circling the possibility of surgery.

None of that was reflected in the reports that came out though, which she doesn't seem too pleased with. Adding insult to injury ... Philip was back behind the wheel over the weekend, without a seat belt, no less.

Police say they issued a warning to Philip after photos of him driving without a seat belt went around the web.

Detroit rapper Tee Grizzley is pissed at Adrien Broner ... saying Adrien cost him a grip of cash when he got punished by Manny Pacquiao ... a $20,000 grip to be exact.

Broner got his ass handed to him Saturday night, in a fight where he only landed 50 punches and spent most of the match on his bike, running from a 40-year-old.

After the fight, Broner told Jim Gray he believed he won the fight -- and noted his pals in the "hood" were behind him.

"I did this for the hood," Broner said during the post-fight interview ... "You know I beat that boy."

Most of Twitter was disgusted with AB's performance, but Tee was especially pissed -- taking to social media to throw major shade at Broner.

"AB, what hood was you doing that sh*t for bro? You shootin' dice and all in the airport playing and sh*t, you shoulda been training. I lost 20 racks f*cking with you."

R. Kelly's ex-wife says the stories on "Surviving R. Kelly" rang true to her because of what she says she went through with the singer -- including alleged abuse in all forms.

Andrea Kelly went on "Good Morning Britain" after appearing on Lifetime's docuseries, and she told hosts Piers Morgan and Susana Reid that R. Kelly abused her verbally, emotionally, physically, sexually ... and, as of late she claims, financially as well by cutting off child support.

Morgan asks her point blank if she believes the women and believes he's a serial abuser -- to which Andrea says she believes R. Kelly is an abuser ... but refuses to either confirm or deny the women's claims as she didn't experience them herself.

The 'GMB' hosts also ask R. Kelly's daughter, Joann, how she feels about her dad ... and she says she's torn because there's still love there on her end.

Baker Mayfield took ANOTHER jab at Hue Jackson ... AND joked about a crotch grab that got him suspended -- and it all went down in a video skit with Peyton Manning's bro.

Baker went on Cooper Manning's "Manning Hour" -- a FOX NFL Sunday skit ... and while he was "cooking" up a cake -- he took a jab at his ex-coach while praising his current one.

Cooper: "Look, if you're not a fan of kitchens, it's OK."

Baker: "No, I love kitchens."

Cooper: "Yeah, kitchens are great. They're better than Jacksons."

Baker: "Anything's better than Hue -- oh, um, you."

Of course, Mayfield and Jackson have had a longstanding beef ever since Hue bolted for the rival Bengals after being fired from Cleveland back in October.

There's more ... Mayfield also mocked a sideline crotch grab that earned him a suspension back when he was a QB at Oklahoma.

Cooper: "Grab the nuts."

Baker: "NFL doesn't really like it when I do that."

Cooper: "No, the nuts!"

Baker: "Oh! Sorry, I have a history with that."

This ain't the first time this month Baker's mocked an issue he's had in the past ... he also laughed off his Arkansas arrest in a Fortnite stream last week.

Lady Gaga went scorched earth on Vice President Mike Pence and his wife over the weekend ... calling them terrible representations of what it means to be Christian.

Gaga was performing Saturday at the Park Theater in Vegas -- as part of her new residency -- and at one point as she played the piano ... she paused to talk politics and take some shots at the Trump administration, especially the Veep and Second Lady, Karen.

The pop star first openly wondered if or when President Trump would reopen the government, which got a huge round of applause. She then launched into a tirade against the Pences over Karen resuming her teaching gig at Immanuel Christian School in VA ... which aims to ban LGBT kids and teachers supportive of them. Gaga didn't pull any punches.

She says, "And to Mike Pence who thinks that it's okay that his wife works at a school that bans LGBTQ -- you're wrong. You're the worst representation of what it means to be a Christian."

Gaga continued ... "I am a Christian woman, and what I do know about Christianity is that we bear no prejudice and everybody is welcome. So you can take all that disgrace, Mr. Pence, and look yourself in the mirror and you'll find it right there."

1/20/19 -- The student who came face-to-face with Nathan Phillips has released a statement to the media about what he claims actually happened Friday. Nick Sandmann, a junior at Covington Catholic High School, says he and his classmates were waiting for their busses to arrive at the Lincoln Memorial when a handful of African-American protesters began shouting "hateful things" at the group of boys. Sandmann says that he and his classmates were given permission by their adult chaperones to sing their school spirit chants in response. At some point during this chanting, Sandmann says a separate group of protesters from the Indigenous People's March approached his group, and claims that Nathan Phillips then "waded" into the crowd with his drum. Other videos that have surfaced online appear to show Phillips doing exactly that.

Sandmann says Phillips singled him out for some reason and walked right up to him ... and the clip that has since gone viral is what happened shortly after. Sandmann says he did not provoke Phillips, nor did he block him from going anywhere. He says he only smiled because he sensed Phillips and his group were trying to incite a larger confrontation, and he wanted to communicate that he wouldn't engage. Sandmann says he respects Phillips for his service as a Marine vet, but does not approve of his methods -- namely, getting in people's personal spaces. Sandmann also says he will be cooperating with his school's investigation into the matter. His full statement can be read below.

5:56 PM PT -- A spokesperson for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington says the confrontation between a horde of Catholic high school boys and the Native American war vet is under investigation, adding that students could be expelled. In a statement, the spox says ... "We condemn the actions of the Covington Catholic High School students towards Nathan Phillips specifically, and Native Americans in general, Jan. 18, after the March for Life, in Washington, D.C. We extend our deepest apologies to Mr. Phillips. This behavior is opposed to the Church’s teachings on the dignity and respect of the human person."

A mob of MAGA hat-wearing teenagers swarmed around a Native American man to harass and drown out his peaceful demonstration -- and the scene was tense.

The face-off went down Friday at the D.C. National Mall -- near Arlington National Cemetery -- where Omaha elder Nathan Phillips was drumming and singing toward the tail end of the Indigenous People's March. Phillips was a marine during the Vietnam War, though he was never deployed.

According to local reports, a large group of men -- including many young boys who were wearing MAGA gear -- descended upon Phillips and began mocking him ... with one student getting right up in his face as he peacefully tried reciting his song.

What's depicted here is alarming ... many of the boys are mimicking Phillips' singing in a demeaning manner as they surround him and a few lingering marchers. As you can see, one of the boys stands face-to-face with Phillips with a smug grin on his face as he continues to drum.

Phillips addressed the altercation afterward in an emotional explanation of why he was singing, and how he internalized what had just happened to him. He explains how youth used to interact with elders, and how times have changed for the worse.

Fortunately, there are no reports of violence breaking out ... but it appears these kids were on the verge of something nefarious. Some of the boys have been reported as Covington Catholic High School students in Park Hills, KY. It's unclear why they were in D.C., but it's possible they were there in support of the March for Life, which took place the same day.

Covington's website temporarily crashed Saturday as tons of people demanded answers from Principal Bob Rowe and other faculty. A communications rep for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington released a statement on the matter saying, "We are just now learning about this incident and regret it took place. We are looking into it."

Ironically, CCHS' mission statement reads ... "At Covington Catholic, our primary purpose is to embrace the gospel message of Jesus Christ in order to educate young men spiritually, academically, physically, and socially. With this focus, we are Building Minds and Living Faith."

We've reached out to Covington Catholic High School for comment ... it appears their phone line is busy, as calls are not going through.

1/21 -- Erykah took to social media to clarify her comments, explaining, "I love you. Unconditionally. That doesn't mean I support your poor choices. I want healing for you and anyone you have hurt as a result of you being hurt."

She then states, "That's all I've ever said. Anything else has been fabricated or taken out of context."

Erykah Badu is back with yet another controversial train of thought about unconditional love and seeing the good in people ... this time her focus was on R. Kelly.

The R&B crooner was doing a show Saturday at Chicago's Aragon Ballroom, where she stopped her performance at one point to launch into a tangent about R. Kelly ... which did NOT go over well with the audience in attendance. Far from it, in fact.

Erykah said she wanted to send out a prayer to "R," clearly referring to R. Kelly ... and the remark definitely stunned the crowd for the worse. She said she hopes he sees the light of day if he's done all the things he was accused of on "Surviving R. Kelly."

As the boos mounted, Erykah continued her remarks by openly wondering if anyone who was allegedly assaulted by R. Kelly went on to be an offender themselves ... do they too deserve to be crucified? She followed up by asking, "How do we do this?"

It's a pretty tense scene as Erykah loses her fans more and more with each R. Kelly thought. Eyewitnesses tell us that a few people even got up and left the venue because of how turned off they were by her defending the embattled singer.

This is very much in line with Erykah's views on Hitler. At least she's consistent ... for whatever that's worth.

Da Brat has quite the hot take on R. Kelly -- she's questioning the role of his alleged victims' parents, and asking one simple question ... do ya keep track of your kids?

We got the legendary femcee Saturday at the Trumpet Awards in Atlanta, where we asked her about R. Kelly -- whom she says she's close with and has shared history. DB and R. Kelly went to the same Chicago high school, and he even wrote her 1st demo record.

Da Brat tries to walk a tight rope here at first, saying she doesn't believe the women in "Surviving R. Kelly" are lying -- and acknowledging R. Kelly probably does need to get help -- but she eventually makes it clear where her allegiance lies ... it's with him.

Then she drops a bomb -- asking point blank, "Where are the parents?" She says the parents of the young women who are allegedly being held captive by R. Kelly need to take responsibility and get a grip on where their children are at, and who they hang out with.

YoYo is still reeling from something that happened with R. Kelly sometime ago when she went to his recording studio with her daughter and the singer's people slipped her daughter his phone number.

The rap legend was in Atlanta Saturday night for the Trumpet Awards at The Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center when she revealed the story her daughter told her.

YoYo says her daughter was over 21 at the time, but R. Kelly didn't know that. She clearly felt betrayed by him and said at that point she knew something was up but didn't know the scope of the problem.

Pete Davidson was in good spirits on 'SNL' Saturday night and turned his personal crisis into a pretty funny bit.

During the Weekend Update segment, Pete appeared with John Mulaney and addressed the rough patch he's had, in particular, the alarming suicide threat he made back in December.

Mulaney says he spent a lot of time with Pete trying to get him back on the straight and narrow, and Pete's response will make you laugh, even though the subject is dark.

Sixty prominent citizens are marking Martin Luther King Jr. Day by calling for new investigations into the assassinations of 4 men -- assassinations that changed the world -- John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.

The group -- The Truth and Reconciliation Committee (TRC) -- believes all 4 assassinations were the result of conspiracies that were covered up by the government.

Members of TRC include Oliver Stone, Alec Baldwin, Martin Sheen, Rob Reiner, David Crosby, Mort Sahl, Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Kathleen Kennedy Townsend and MLK's nephew Isaac Newton Farris Jr.

TRC claims, "The conviction of James Earl Ray [MLK's convicted killer] has steadily lost credibility over the years." They note following the verdict, Coretta Scott King said, "There is abundant evidence of a major, high-level conspiracy in the assassination of my husband."

The JFK assassination has long been controversial and scores of experts and others including Dr. Robert McClelland, one of the surgeons who tried to save JFK's life, believe Oswald did not act alone.

There has also been significant criticism into the murder of Malcolm X, suggesting the investigations was a massive coverup.

As for Robert Kennedy, TRC calls the trial of Sirhan Sirhan, "A mockery of a trial that has been demolished by numerous eyewitnesses, investigators and experts," including the then L.A. County Coroner. TRC says forensic evidence proves the fatal shot was not at the hands of Sirhan.

Former U.S. figure skating champion John Coughlin has killed himself in the midst of an internal investigation within his sport.

Coughlin -- a two-time U.S. Pairs champion -- took his own life Friday in Kansas City, according to his sister, Angela Laune, who revealed the news on Facebook. Police have reportedly confirmed his death as well.

The Olympic skater had recently been temporarily barred from participating in any skating events in any capacity due to an investigation launched by SafeSport last month. SafeSport is an independent body that investigates allegations of misconduct, and has "exclusive jurisdiction over allegations of sexual misconduct but also looks into other forms of abuse," per USA Today.

The investigation quickly escalated, as he was suspended by U.S. Figure Skating following a recommendation from SafeSport. The details of what he'd been accused of remain unclear for now.

5:40 PM PT -- Nancy Pelosi seems to have changed her a tune a tad in light of the President's announcement, saying Dems will vote next week to "add additional border security funding for ports of entry, advanced technology for scanning vehicles for drugs & immigration judges."

That doesn't sound like she's budging on the issue of the "wall." Time will tell, though.

President Trump wants to strike a new deal with Democrats to reopen the government -- but his plan is already being shot down by the party's leaders.

DT made his pitch Saturday in a nationally televised address from the White House, where he basically offered limited protections for current DACA recipients and immigrants with temporary protected status in exchange for the border security funding he's demanded.

Trump said he'd give 700,000 people eligible for DACA three years of legislative relief and extend TPS for 300,000 immigrant beneficiaries if Congress would give him his big ask of $5.7 billion for a border structure (which he says will only consist of about 230 miles of steel barriers rather than a 2,000-mile-plus concrete wall).

He's also asking for $805 mil to implement new drug smuggling technology, another $800 mil for humanitarian assistance at the southern border, about 2,750 border agents to be hired on, 75 new immigration judges as part of his package.

Unfortunately for the Prez, word about what he'd be proposing leaked early ... and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi released a statement which in effect turned him down before he could even get a word out. She says his new proposal is one that's been discussed in the past and is literally a "non-starter."

Either way, Trump says Senate Leader Mitch McConnell is going to introduce these new proposals in a bill on the Senate floor this week. Unclear if it'll pass in the House though.

In other words ... we're still in shutdown mode, for now.

James Woods shocked us big time ... a day after tweeting Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the most dangerous person in America, he told us he has mad respect for her.

We got the super conservative actor Friday night in WeHo at Dan Tana's, and we thought he was going to double down on his comments that AOC was so powerful she cannot be ignored ... and, he said, "Ignore her at your peril."

Yet, he told our photog how impressive he thinks she is ... a bartender becoming a leader in Congress has to be admired.

Skrillex had an interesting take on R. Kelly and the movement to mute his music, and he says it's way more complicated than you think.

We got the EDM star Friday in WeHo leaving Equinox gym, and he begins by agreeing that Sony's decision to drop R. Kelly was the right thing to do.

But, when the convo turned to whether Jay-Z should yank his collabs with R. Kelly, he said it's way more nuanced. As he says, a lot of bad things happen in history and you can't just turn away from them and pretend they don't exist.