Controversial S#!T

Logic's got a powerful message to those struggling with survivor's guilt ... KEEP FIGHTING.

We got the rapper, and famous suicide prevention advocate, leaving 'The Daily Show' studio Tuesday night in NYC where he got serious with our photog for a hot minute. We wondered what Logic had to say on the heels of 2 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting survivors taking their lives.

The suicides happened just days apart ... and there was also a Sandy Hook victim's father who took his own life earlier this week.

As you know ... Logic performed his song "1-800-273-8255" at the Grammys in 2018. The track's title is the number to the suicide prevention hotline. After performing it, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline told us it may have saved many lives. So, clearly Logic's invested in this serious matter.

11:59 AM PT -- We just got Congressman Joseph Kennedy III -- whose family STARTED the Special Olympics -- and he echos Big Show's feelings on DeVos' proposed budget cuts.

"It's a terrible idea. It's a horrible policy ... it's never gonna happen," Rep. Kennedy told us out in D.C.

"And, I don't know why this administration continues to try to pick the fight with some of the most vulnerable people in our country."

Kennedy adds, "In our country, everybody is supposed to count."

WWE superstar Big Show is a Special Olympics ambassador -- and to say he's pissed at Betsy DeVos for trying to cut ALL govt. funding for the games is a TREMENDOUS understatement.

"She's like Cruella De Vil," Big Show tells TMZ Sports ... "I'm appalled."

DeVos -- the U.S. Secretary of Education -- has proposed major budget cuts for the upcoming fiscal year ... including axing ALL of the roughly $18 million the government has allocated for Special Olympics.

"This is like the most ridiculous budget cut, one-sided bullsh*t that could ever be done," Big Show says.

"The message she's sending is that people with special needs, children with special needs, aren't important enough to be part of society."

Big Show says he's worked with tons of special needs athletes and their families, and knows firsthand how the Special Olympics can positively affect so many lives.

"It's not about kids running and competing for medals," Big Show says ... "It's not like that."

"These kids are seen by doctors. There are so many education things, group programs, things that help them improve their quality of life ... and to take away that opportunity, it's just a horrible, callous, insensitive decision."

The 2 brothers who allegedly faked the homophobic and racist "attack" against Jussie Smollett will not go public and stand by their claim it was all staged ... and we've learned their lawyer has quit as a result.

Moments after Jussie was cleared by the State's Attorney, the lawyer for Abel and Ola urged them to make a public statement, standing by their claim Jussie faked the "attack." We're told they refused, and ultimately their lawyer, Gloria Schmidt, bailed on them, saying she didn't want to rep them anymore.

The question ... why would Abel and Ola go radio silent, especially because Jussie essentially pointed the finger right back at them, saying he never lied and the "attack" was real? The police, prosecutors and even the 2 brothers say they were the ones in the street with Jussie ... but everyone other than the actor says it was a hoax.

Mama June says she isn't threatened at all by her boyfriend and needs him by her side because he takes care of her ... this according to new legal docs.

Mama says she is partially blind, and her BF Geno Doak helps her get through the days dealing with it. According to docs -- obtained by TMZ -- she claims he's also very loving toward her kids and they are in love and working on their relationship.

She wants the court to know she does not fear for her safety or worry about what Geno could do to her, so she's asking the court to lift the order saying he has to stay away from her ... and she'd like his domestic violence charge dismissed too.

We broke the story ... Mama June was arrested for allegedly having crack cocaine on her after a gas station domestic violence incident. Geno was also arrested and allegedly threatened to kill her, which is why the court ordered him to stay away. The couple ignored the order, though, by hitting up a casino together a few days later.

Sources close to June's family says Geno's a bad influence on her, but she claims in the docs that's not the case. As for the gas station incident ... June says the situation "got heated and out of hand, but never was I in fear for my safety or did I want the police involved."

She adds she's lived with Geno for 3 years and they're "working on our relationship to make us stronger as a couple."

Jussie Smollett hasn't regained the full support of his "Empire" family despite criminal charges against him being dropped ... and things are still very divided among cast and crew.

Production sources tell TMZ ... there are still people on the set -- especially writers -- who believe the dismissal of charges is a vindication, proving Jussie was a victim. Point of fact ... the State's Attorney believes Jussie staged the attack but felt it was a low-priority, non-violent crime that would have resulted in a punishment of community service, so why bother.

We're told there are a number of people on the "Empire" set who share the view that Jussie staged the attack and are shocked by the lack of consequences ... and don't want him back on the show. They are especially offended Jussie allegedly faked the attack to squeeze more money out of producers.

The contingent who are angry at Jussie believes he's a liability to the show and should be cut if the show comes back for season 6.

One thing has united the cast ... they are all thrilled the case is now closed because they believe it's a threat to the show's future.

Fact is ... the case isn't closed. The FBI is still investigating the letter that was sent 8 days before the "attack," to determine if Jussie sent the letter. If that conclusion is reached, he could face federal charges.

Jussie Smollett got off in his criminal case simply because he's a celeb -- so says Chicago's mayor, Rahm Emanuel ... who stops short of calling this a corrupt move, but certainly insinuated it.

Mayor Emanuel went on GMA Wednesday morning following his blistering attack on the Cook County State's Attorney's Office the day before, after they dropped all 16 charges against Jussie and let him walk scot-free.

The Mayor said flat-out ... if he did the same type of thing, he'd have the book thrown at him.

First Assistant to the State's Attorney Joseph Magats says they decided to drop the charges because it wasn't a violent crime -- and thought Jussie coughing up $10k and doing community service sufficed as punishment. Hizzoner says no one on the outside can make sense of it.

Ariana Grande is laying down the law on concert photographers for a perfectly good reason -- she's been taken advantage of by greedy photogs in the past ... and she's over it.

Sources connected to the "thank u, next" singer tell TMZ ... Ariana's new concert photo policy stems from years of being exploited by a number of photo agencies that would often shoot photos of her in concert ... and then turn around to use those to make a profit.

Here's how it would happen ... we're told Ariana would perform, photogs would take as many pics of her as they wanted ... and then, shortly after, merch she didn't approve of would hit the streets with those photos emblazoned on the items. AG never saw a dime from any of it.

A few examples include calendars, photo books, memorabilia and other items that never got the green light from Ari, or her team.

Our sources say after multiple incidents, she and her camp made the decision to tighten things up in the pit. Of course, the National Press Photographers Association doesn't like this new policy one bit -- which is pretty strict -- but we're told Ariana couldn't care less.

Aside from the new rules she has in place, Ariana and her team also have their own in-house photog, and are happy to distribute whatever photos these publications want ... so long as they're approved by her.

While we're told it was only a handful of bad apples who crossed the line with their photo privileges, it was more than enough for Ariana to switch things up.

Jussie Smollett logged a total of 18 hours of community service over 2 days -- with Jesse Jackson's organization, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition -- and that was enough to satisfy prosecutors in Chicago.

Honchos at Rainbow PUSH -- a civil and human rights organization -- tell us, Jussie volunteered for the first time Saturday, putting in 8 hours from 10 AM to 6 PM. He just completed another 10 hours on Monday.

We're told Jussie's "service" included stuffing membership envelopes, working in the group's bookstore to sell merchandise ... and critiquing its Saturday broadcast. We're told he helped them with camera angles, and also worked with the music director on a plan to build the choir.

A Rainbow PUSH rep says it was their decision, not Jussie's, to keep his work with them under wraps. The rep added that they viewed his efforts as volunteering, not community service. Point being ... Jussie never mentioned his deal with prosecutors. Remember, the prosecutor's office says it was in discussions with Smollett's camp for weeks about dropping the charges.

Another group, the Black AIDS Institute, wrote a letter in support of Jussie.

Jussie Smollett had pals of his in the Cook County State's Attorney's ear early on in his case -- and, based on leaked correspondence, it looks like she acted on his behalf.

Texts and emails between State Attorney Kim Foxx and two Jussie allies -- one of which is reported to be a family member of his -- have been leaked, and they show that Foxx was asked to intervene in the case a few days after he'd reported the alleged attack to Chicago PD. It appears that she did exactly that ... and kept Jussie's camp in the loop.

The initial correspondence started when Michelle Obama's former chief of staff, Tina Tchen, emailed Foxx to say that she was reaching out on behalf of Jussie's family to express "concerns" they had with how the investigation at that point was being handled.

Jussie had not been charged with a crime yet, but it's believed Chicago PD was already doubting his story and leaking info to the press pushing that narrative.

Foxx responded to Tchen on Feb. 1, saying ... "Spoke to Superintendent Johnson. I convinced him to Reach out to FBI to ask that they take over the investigation. He is reaching out now and will get back to me shortly."

The same day, an unnamed relative of Jussie's texted Foxx herself, as well, and Foxx said she was working on getting the case sent over to the FBI. The relative replied, "Omg this would a huge victory." Foxx then responded, "I make no guarantees, but I'm trying."

Later, Foxx recused herself from the case when Jussie became a suspect. And, of course, her office just announced Tuesday that it was dropping all of the charges against Jussie, after coming out strong with a 16-count indictment just weeks earlier.

Her official reasoning for dropping the charges ... Jussie has done community service in the community, so we're good. Her office asked a judge to seal the case, and they obliged. Mayor Rahm Emanuel strongly hinted at corruption in the State's Attorney's Office.

The Chicago-Tribune first reported on the leaked texts and emails.

Michael Avenatti is not lying low following his release from custody for allegedly extorting Nike -- instead, he's doubling down ... and throwing two huge basketball stars under the bus.

The lawyer just went on a Twitter attack against Nike, claiming the company has not been cooperating with a federal investigation into its Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) for over a year.

Avenatti adds ... "Unless you count lying in response to subpoenas and withholding documents as 'cooperating.' They are trying to divert attention from their own crimes."

The "divert attention" part is interesting -- Avenatti is implying his arrest Monday for allegedly trying to extort $20 million out of Nike in exchange for not announcing harmful allegations against the company is a distraction for its own crimes.

But then -- speaking of diverting attention -- Avenatti dropped a bombshell tweet accusing Nike of paying off 20-year-old PHX Suns star Deandre Ayton and his mom before he made it to the NBA. Ayton played college ball at the University of Arizona and was a highly recruited high school star before that.

Avenatti wrote ... "Ask DeAndre Ayton and Nike about the cash payments to his mother and others. Nike’s attempt at diversion and cover-up will fail miserably once prosecutors realize they have been played by Nike and their lawyers at Boies. This reaches the highest levels of Nike."

And there's more ... he's also calling out star Univ. of Oregon center Bol Bol, saying he and his handlers received large sums of cash from the shoe co.

As we reported ... Avenatti was arrested Monday for an alleged extortion scheme prosecutors in NY say played out over the course of a few days last week. They claim Avenatti demanded payment from Nike to keep him quiet about allegedly paying families of some high school basketball players.

Avenatti is also facing more federal charges for bank and wire fraud in an unrelated case to the Nike one. The U.S. Attorney in the Central District of California claims Avenatti embezzled client money to cover expenses for his coffee corporation.

9:53 AM PT -- NASA has just responded to the backlash, stating, "To clarify, we have more than 1 medium size spacesuit torso aboard, but to stay on schedule with @Space_Station upgrades, it's safer & faster to change spacewalker assignments than reconfigure spacesuits."

9:25 AM PT -- Hillary Clinton just weighed in on the situation, and her solution is pretty clear ... "Make another suit."

NASA's no better than your average department store -- lack of the right sizes in its women's department just screwed 2 astronauts out of making history with the first all-female spacewalk mission.

Turns out the space geniuses don't have enough spacesuits to fit female astronauts Christina Koch and Anne McClain ... who were scheduled to make a repair to the International Space Station's solar panels on Friday. NASA says it only has one medium-sized space shirt, and it's going to Koch ... although it's kind of a hand-me-down.

McClain used it last week during a spacewalk, which is when she discovered the bad fit. She originally planned to wear a large, but found the medium more to her liking. Since McClain wore it last, Koch is getting the nod this week.

NASA and all the astronauts agree the proper fit is critical to mission success ... still sucks to miss out on history. Perhaps worst of all, a man's taking McClain's place Friday.

Yes, even at around 220 miles above Earth ... there's a glass ceiling.

Note to President Trump: More fitting rooms for Space Force, please.

Michael Avenatti's new legal woes -- being accused of extortion and fraud -- could derail the case against R. Kelly ... that's what the singer's lawyer thinks.

R. Kelly's attorney, Steve Greenberg, tells TMZ ... now that Avenatti has been charged with extortion as well as bank and tax fraud, his credibility is now a centerpiece in the singer's case -- specifically, the circumstances surrounding how prosecutors obtained a key piece of evidence.

That evidence, of course, is a sex tape that Cook County investigators claim shows R. Kelly having sex with an underage girl, who's alleged to be 14 years old. It's what many believe to be a smoking gun against R. Kelly ... and the catalyst that led to a 10-count indictment.

Greenberg says the issue of "chain of custody" -- how Cook County got hold of that tape via Avenatti -- is now questionable. Greenberg strongly suggests the possibility the tape could've been altered before it got to prosecutors.

Sources connected to the case tell us that the man who handed the tape over to Avenatti is a whistle-blower who has a history of extorting R. Kelly.

We're told the man recently confessed to prosecutors in Chicago that he squeezed about a million dollars out of R. Kelly's team in the past to stop the tape from going public. So, the question ... if the guy got the cash, how would Avenatti have gotten it?

Remember, there were supposedly TWO R. Kelly sex tapes that Avenatti turned over to Cook County officials, but Greenberg tells us he's only aware of one.

Either way, if Greenberg can create reasonable doubt in the jury's mind as to authenticity ... he could get R. Kelly off. Hey, we've seen it happen before.

Major League Baseball has suspended San Francisco Giants CEO Larry Baer -- without pay -- until July 1, 2019 for stemming from a March 1 incident with his wife, TMZ Sports has learned.

He must also undergo counseling.

MLB commish Rob Manfred says the unpaid suspension will be backdated to March 4, 2019 -- the day Baer took a leave of absence from the team.

"During the period of his suspension, Baer shall have no involvement in the operations of the Giants," Manfred says.

"The Club shall be operated by an interim control person appointed by the ownership group in consultation with the Commissioner. Baer will be required to undergo an evaluation by an expert to determine an appropriate treatment and counseling plan."

Manfred says, "At my direction, the Department of Investigations conducted an investigation into the March 1, 2019 video-recorded incident involving Larry Baer. I also personally met with Mr. Baer."

"Based on my review of the results of the investigation, I have concluded that Mr. Baer’s conduct was unacceptable under MLB policies and warrants discipline."

"In determining the appropriate level of discipline, I find that Mr. Baer should be held to a higher standard because as a leader he is expected to be a role model for others in his organization and community."

"Based on my conversation with Mr. Baer, it is clear that he regrets what transpired and takes responsibility for his conduct."

TMZ Sports posted video showing Baer in a physical altercation with his wife in a public park -- ultimately knocking her to the ground in a struggle to pry a phone out of her hands. You can hear her screaming, "Oh my god. Help!"

Baer's wife has publicly supported Larry after the incident -- chalking the whole thing up to an ordinary marital spat.

Larry has also issued a statement on the suspension ... saying, "I respect and accept the Commissioner's decision, and I respect and accept the Commissioner's decision, and appreciate the fair and thorough process undertaken by MLB and the Giants."

"I made a serious mistake that I sincerely regret and I am truly sorry for my actions. My unacceptable behavior fell well short of what must be demanded of every person, particularly someone in my position and role in the community."

D.L. Hughley is coming out swinging for Dr. Dre ... telling us Dre's daughter needs to appreciate the fact he "pushed" her to go to USC, and also that her dad can afford to LEGALLY grease the wheel for her.

We got the comedian at LAX, and our photog asked him about Dre deleting his post throwing shade at Lori Loughlin and all the other parents swept up in the college admissions bribery scandal.

D.L. says the rap mogul shouldn't apologize for donating $70 million to the University -- and adds even IF that helped his daughter, Truly Young, get in ... it's the least USC can do!!!

As for Truly saying her dad pushed her to attend SC ... D.L. says Dre's just being a good parent, and Truly has 70 million reasons to be grateful.

D.L.'s an expert on the topic ... his daughter's also at USC, and he's hustling every day -- he was just getting back from a gig -- to pay her tuition. College ain't cheap, even when ya do it all legal and stuff.

You gotta see his take on Dre's fam as a whole -- D.L.'s got a feeling Truly won't be its last Trojan.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib says President Trump is NOT off the hook in Robert Mueller's Russian collusion investigation ... because she clearly doesn't trust the man who summarized it.

We got the Democrat Congresswoman at Reagan National and raised the issue ... isn't it a good thing for the country if the Prez didn't collude with Putin and Co.? The Congresswoman recoiled and made it clear ... she's not convinced Trump's clean, given all we know is what his hired gun, Attorney General William Barr, said in his letter.

Barr did quote Mueller's conclusion on the issue of collusion ... "[T]he investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities."

The unconvinced Tlaib says the only way this "dark cloud" can be lifted is for the report to be released in full, without a cushion from a Trump ally.

Jay-Z, Chance the Rapper and Common are gonna attract a new generation to Woodstock 50 and anyone who's not down with that better get the hell over it ... STAT!!!

Michael Lang -- the co-creator of Woodstock's 50th anniversary festival -- tells TMZ ... he heard about the backlash the festival has received in response to the lineup it released last week. Fans bitched it's too pop and modern, with artists like Miley Cyrus, Imagine Dragons and Halsey.

The backlash was intense. One person tweeted, "The Woodstock 50 lineup looks like it was curated by someone who's only exposure to music has been through the Grammy's 'Best Rock Performance' category between 2010-2013."

But, check out the video ... Michael makes it crystal clear the lineup is an homage to the original 1969 festival ... where more than 400,000 spectators gathered in the Catskill Mountains united by their love for great music and disdain for the Vietnam War.

Michael says he's hoping to get a younger audience engaged in social discourse -- just like his generation once did -- and in the process, introduce Woodstock to a whole new generation.

So, while there will be familiar acts for the veterans -- like Santana and Dead & Company -- Michael's adamant Woodstock will benefit from an eclectic lineup.