Controversial S#!T

They boycotted #45 ... but the Golden State Warriors got LOTS of love for #44 -- with the entire team meeting with Barack Obama on Thursday before taking the court against the Wizards.

Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and the rest of the squad met with President Obama at his Washington D.C. office ... and then posed for a group photo afterward.

Unclear what they all talked about -- but after the game, Durant told the media, "It was amazing."

Draymond described the meeting this way to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne -- "A private team meeting, team event, it was good."

Of course, the Warriors famously boycotted the White House after winning the NBA Championship in 2017 ... after visiting Obama in 2016 and 2015.

Durant previously told TMZ Sports, "We don't f*ck with [Trump]."

They DO, however, like Nancy Pelosi ... the Speaker of the House not only attended the Warriors vs. Wizards game on Thursday -- she also met with players after the game, including Draymond.

By the way, the Warriors won the game 126 to 118.

The Kentucky prosecutor investigating threats against Nick Sandmann's high school wants to punish anyone threatening physical harm ... with prison time.

Rob Sanders, whose jurisdiction includes Covington Catholic High School, tells us he's deadly serious about seeking incarceration for people threatening Sandmann's teachers and classmates ... because it's a Class D felony in Kentucky, punishable by 1 to 5 years in a state penitentiary.

As you know ... threats against Nick and others at his school have been pouring in via email, phone calls and social media, ever since his confrontation with Native American elder Nathan Phillips at the Lincoln Memorial.

Sanders says the threats include burning down the school, blowing up the school, shooting up the school and attacking students ... and he wants to set an example for the nation -- threats made on social media have real-world consequences.

Chris Brown's rape accuser is attempting to clarify key points of her claims, because her lawyer is saying she was under "great psychological pressure" during the alleged rape.

The alleged victim's lawyer, Franck Serfati, told the Associated Press Thursday his client "was not pressured physically" into having sex with CB, and the lawyer insists "non-consensual sex" allegedly took place.

Serfati says Chris allegedly "cornered her in a room that was locked" ... the lawyer also claims "there were forced sexual relations" and says his client "was only with men, older men, men who you imagine to be buff."

We broke the story ... Paris police had big problems with the accuser's story because she told cops Chris raped her in his hotel suite and then she went into another room and was raped again. We're told cops find her story almost impossible to believe because she never attempted to leave or alert anyone.

Chris' Parisian lawyer filed a defamation suit against the alleged victim Thursday morning.

As we reported ... Chris was freed by cops Tuesday, hours after he was arrested ... and he's been hanging around in Paris, where he's working on a music video.

The author of "13 Reasons Why" claims he was expelled from the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators over false allegations of sexual harassment ... this according to a new lawsuit.

In the suit, obtained by TMZ, book author Jay Asher claims he was kicked out of SCBWI after 7 anonymous women alleged he was using his status to prey upon other female members of the organization and intimidated them into silence, an allegation he says was completely false.

In the docs, Jay claims he was expelled from the society after the allegations of sexual harassment came out, and says the organization never adequately investigated the allegations against him. In the docs, Jay says he believes his accusers were resentful of his success.

Jay is going after SCBWI for damages, and says he thinks the false allegations could hurt his ability to make money as an author of young adult novels.

Killer Mike says Americans know better by now -- weed doesn't cause the same harm as booze, cigarettes or even sugar ... so it's time to get progressive with the drug.

The Atlanta rapper and activist was on "TMZ Live" Thursday and gave us his take on the medical marijuana ad being blocked from airing during the Super Bowl. Mike says it's not fair to blame CBS or the NFL for this, because the U.S. as a whole has been too slow to accept the benefits of cannabis ... and it's shameful.

His solution -- citizens need to make sure promoting a progressive agenda on marijuana is top of mind when they go vote in the next elections ... so people like those in the rejected Acreage Holding PSA can get the help they need.

There's more -- if ya don't know, Killer Mike has a new show on Netflix called 'Trigger Warning,' where he gets creative dealing with some of America's biggest issues and controversies.

Case in point -- he thinks the notorious Crips and Bloods should capitalize on their brand to market their own sodas and have some friendly competition in the process. He points out that the mafia and biker gangs do it and cash in ... so it's only fair.

Bryan Singer will NOT be removed from his directing role on the remake of "Red Sonja" -- despite a bombshell report that details pedophilia allegations against him.

Avi Lerner of Millennium Media -- a producer for the upcoming film -- released a statement Thursday in support of Singer in the wake of the Atlantic article, in which 4 men claimed Singer had either molested or raped them as minors.

Lerner says, "I continue to be in development for Red Sonja and Bryan Singer continues to be attached." He adds, "The over $800 million Bohemian Rhapsody has grossed, making it the highest grossing drama in film history, is testament to his remarkable vision and acumen. I know the difference between agenda driven fake news and reality, and I am very comfortable with this decision. In America people are innocent until proven otherwise."

Singer denied the allegations and called the article a "homophobic smear piece" which rehashed "claims from bogus lawsuits filed by a disreputable cast of individuals willing to lie for money or attention." He hasn't been charged with a crime related to the allegations.

Lots of folks were outraged that Singer was set to direct a movie about a fictionalized victim of sexual assault. Among the upset groups is GLAAD, which reacted to the Atlantic article by removing "Bohemian Rhapsody" from contention for its Media Awards this year.

Florida Sec. of State Michael Ertel is learning the same lesson Megyn Kelly learned about blackface, but in a much harsher way -- he's stepping down after offensive Halloween pics of him emerged online.

Ertel had the audacity to wear blackface 14 years ago when he dressed up as a female Hurricane Katrina victim. His costume also included a headscarf and fake boobs.

Newly elected Gov. Ron DeSantis, who appointed Ertel, got wind of the pics Thursday morning after the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper obtained them. Shortly thereafter, Ertel resigned his post.

The photos were taken in 2005, 2 months after Katrina ripped through Louisiana, and while Ertel was serving as Seminole County's supervisor of elections.

Worth noting, Gov. DeSantis had his own racial controversy during his hotly contested campaign against Andrew Gillum. You might recall his "don't monkey this up" comment. If ya don't, here it is ...

T.I. believes Travis Scott's decision to do the Super Bowl halftime show is selfish ... and he hopes the rapper makes up for it by being selfLESS down the road.

Scott's taken all sorts of heat for his decision to perform at Super Bowl 53 from people like Common and Nick Cannon who have been critical of the NFL for the way it's treated Colin Kaepernick.

In fact, Cannon told Raquel Harper on BET's "Raq Rants" that Scott's move clearly shows he doesn't care for black culture.

So, how does T.I. feel about it? See if you can read between the lines ...

"I think every man have an opportunity ... he can make a decision for himself, or he could be selfless. And, nobody can tell someone when to be selfless."

"That's every man's right to choose that moment for themselves. So, if this ain't something that he wanted to be selfless about, hopefully in the future we'll see other moments where he will. You dig?"

We dig.

Not everyone is upset with Scott -- rap legend Nelly told us just a few days ago the outrage over the halftime show is stupid -- and said he'd "probably do it" if asked.

Marshawn Lynch has finally responded to Donald Trump's scathing attack on the NFL players who didn't stand for the anthem (he was one of 'em) -- and it doesn't get more Marshawn than this ...

"That mothaf*cker say a lot of sh*t."

The Oakland Raiders superstar appeared on "Real Time with Bill Maher" where he went off about POTUS -- essentially saying he doesn't know a DAMN THING about the real Marshawn Lynch.

"You call me unpatriotic but if you come to my neighborhood where I'm from you'll see me take the shirt off my back and give it to someone in less need. I mean, what would you call that?!"

Marshawn famously sat during the anthem during the 2017 and 2018 NFL seasons -- even after Donald Trump called for NFL owners to fire any "son of a bitch" who didn't stand.

Maher and Lynch also spoke about the work Marshawn does in the community -- he's become a legend in Oakland for helping low-income communities and fighting gentrification.

In fact, Lynch has his own way of defining gentrification -- "It's basically when ... it's a lot of white people come over to the hood and kick everybody out that's there."

Lynch says he's been a witness to it "since I was a small jitterbug."

Trina Braxton's not conflicted at all -- she supports the rights of the LGBT community ... AND she supports the rights of folks who want to gobble down some Chick-fil-A.

We got the "Braxton Family Values" star outside Publik Draft House in Atlanta Wednesday night and first asked her about the fast food chain being closed during the Super Bowl ... despite having a primo location inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

She says Chick-fil-A fans like herself know the restaurant's always closed on Sundays -- no exceptions -- so just deal with it. It's their prerogative.

Trina also tells us it's her prerogative to eat at Chick-fil-A -- despite its history of supporting anti-gay groups -- because she personally supports LGBT rights. Eating a delicious chicken sandwich isn't going to change that ... for Trina, anyway.

Rosie O'Donnell's looking forward to having a President who's armed with more than one adjective ... and she's confident Sen. Kamala Harris is the right woman for the job.

Rosie was leaving a screening Wednesday night at NYC's Metrograph when we asked her about President Trump's victory in the Supreme Court ... which upheld his transgender military ban. She teed off on him for devaluing and abusing Americans, and then started looking to the future.

She believes there's a handful of qualified women to replace Trump in 2020 -- including Senators Amy Klobuchar, Elizabeth Warren and Harris. Rosie says any of them would be a vast improvement, but she's especially impressed by the junior Senator from California.

She told us the moment she was convinced Kamala has the right stuff. As Rosie put it, "She has an actual large vocabulary, unlike our President."

Chris Brown is walking around Paris without fear of getting cuffed and hauled back to the police station, because cops found his rape accuser's story almost impossible to believe ... TMZ has learned.

One source directly connected to the case tells us, "The weakest part of the case is the alleged victim's statement to police."

We're told she told cops that Chris raped her in his hotel suite dressing room for somewhere between 25 and 30 minutes. She says she then went into another room and was raped again, this time by one of Brown's friends. And then, she said she was "abused" for a third time in another room. We're told police believe the story doesn't hold water because she never attempted to leave or alert anyone of the 20 or so people who were in the living room.

Right or wrong, we're told that's why cops made the decision to release Brown without any conditions, including surrendering his passport. A source close to Brown says police actually apologized to Brown when they let him go.

What's especially interesting ... Brown didn't beeline it for the airport. He's staying in Paris -- at the same hotel -- apparently without fear he'll be arrested again. We're told the investigation is still ongoing, although it seems authorities have made some fundamental decisions about the case.

Brown certainly acted like he was exonerated Wednesday, when he mingled in public, proclaiming his love for everyone.

High school student Nick Sandmann was the perfect person to get into a showdown with Native American elder Nathan Phillips, according to a congressman from Nick's home state.

Rep. Thomas Massie, whose district is home to Covington Catholic School, was on Capitol Hill when we asked him about Sandmann and the criticism of how he handled the face-off. Not surprisingly, he's got a lot of love for his young constituent.

Massie says he's proud of the way Nick handled himself while Nathan continued beating his drum during the weekend confrontation at the Lincoln Memorial -- and he gives Nick ALL the credit for defusing the turbulent situation.

The congressman says he fears what kind of violence could have erupted if Nathan was drumming in front of someone else, who didn't have Sandmann's calm temperament.

As we reported ... Nick says his smirk was misinterpreted, and Rep. Massie backs that up.

Nathan Phillips doesn't feel the need to sit down and hash things out with Nick Sandmann about their Lincoln Memorial face-off -- instead, he'd prefer a MUCH bigger conversation take place.

Nathan was on "TMZ Live" Wednesday, responding to the Catholic high school student's "Today" interview ... where he said he wanted a sit down with Nathan. Doesn't sound like it's gonna happen though, because Nathan made it clear the issues go beyond them now.

Phillips believes his incident with Sandmann -- which has sparked debate, outrage and lots of hand-wringing -- has elevated to such a level of importance that it should be handled by the 2 major groups represented ... the Catholic church and the indigenous people.

As for President Trump siding with the kids from Covington Catholic, Nathan seems to have mixed feelings and went with the ol' "If you can't say something nice" adage.

As we reported ... Sandmann was interviewed by Savannah Guthrie and claims his infamous smirking wasn't meant to be disrespectful to Phillips -- it was simply his way of containing the situation.

Sandmann also refused to offer an apology for his actions, but did express regret for not walking away from the confrontation ... and said he'd be willing to chat with Phillips about it.

Saints superstar Michael Thomas is STILL salty over the way his team's season ended ... posting a pic on social media Wednesday calling next week's Big Game, "Super Bowl LIE."

The entire city of New Orleans has been up in arms since the refs blew a potentially game-winning pass interference call at the end of the NFC Championship Game on Sunday.

In fact ... Louisiana congressman Steve Scalise tells TMZ Sports commissioner Roger Goodell should force the Rams to replay the Saints this weekend 'cause of the robbery.

Thomas clearly agrees ... 'cause he took to IG this week to post a meme that transformed the Super Bowl LIII logo into a "Super Bowl LIE" one.

Other Saints have been vocal about the controversial ending too ... tight end Ben Watson posted on his social media saying, "It’s not fair. I’m angry for a number of reasons. And we are all incredibly disappointed. But we will not be shaken!"

Photos from inside R. Kelly's alleged "sex cult" recording studio in Chicago have just been released ... showing proof of code violations and plenty of evidence someone may have been living there.

The photos were taken by Chicago officials when they raided the building on suspicion the unit may be used as a permanent residence. Check out the gallery ... it's a completely bizarre scene inside the studio that was heavily featured in "Surviving R. Kelly."

During one point in the documentary, the family of one of Kelly's alleged victims showed up at the property to try and rescue their daughter.