Controversial S#!T

Cardi B made something clear Saturday night -- at least to us -- she's becoming the voice of her generation.

We got Cardi leaving the Bryant Park Hotel after a night of celebrating Jason Lee's birthday with Wendy Williams, and boy, she did not disappoint. Two things were on our photog's mind -- Bernie Sanders and Jay-Z.

He asked about her interview with Bernie, which was better than the sterile, canned interviews in traditional media, but turns out that's not gonna be her thing ... she says her mouth is "too slick" for a talk show.

And, then there's Jay-Z, who's taking a lot of heat for partnering with the NFL. Cardi has a different view, saying she believes he'll change the culture in the League and might even get Colin Kaepernick a quarterback gig. Not sure about that, but love her POV.

Here's the thing about Cardi. She showed everyone during her chitchat with Bernie how she can have conversations with politicians ... not just fire questions at them. She uses her experiences to punctuate her points, and at least in Bernie's case, he connected with her in a big way.

Here's what we think ... if she wants to keep doing this, it would touch millions of people who couldn't care less about politics, especially the way it's currently presented. And, if she does, any candidate who doesn't sit down with her is missing the boat.

Steve Harvey had a hard time walking through a slave trade site in Ghana -- where countless Africans were brutalized and tortured ... and the photos are tough to see.

The legendary comedian and daytime talk show host was with his family Friday visiting the Elmina Castle on the Cape Coast -- where they were getting a tour and being briefed on the dark past of the trading post that was erected by the Portuguese in the 1400s.

The Elmina Castle served as a cornerstone in the early European slave trade, and the inhumane conditions slaves were relegated to in those days clearly got to Steve, who had to sit down at one point and take a breather. It appears he was weeping in these pics.

Eyewitnesses tell us Steve and co. saw how Africans were crowded into small spaces throughout the castle, where there were no windows for fresh air ... or even light. Steve was also shown some of the shackles, whips and other devices used on slaves before they were taken away on boats. We're told the Harvey family even put on some of those chains.

The experience was definitely one Steve wanted to capture himself -- he posted a video of his walk-through, and you can see the ins and outs of the castle that he and his fam witnessed first-hand. It's obvious how much of an impact it had on him, with his caption reading ... "This was real pain I felt going back to Ghana’s slave castles...I could feel my ancestors on me... Powerful beyond words that I can explain."

FWIW, the Elmina Castle has seen some very prominent people visit over the years, perhaps most memorably ... the Obamas toured the grounds back in 2009, and it moved them as well.

Todd Chrisley's estranged daughter hopes to someday patch things up with him -- despite claiming her dad recently tried extorting her with a sex tape -- with only one condition ... NO TV CAMERAS ALLOWED!!!

Lindsie badly wants to reunite with the fam and smooth things over with her father, but she doesn't want a phony TV reconciliation ... this according to her lawyer, Musa Ghanayem.

We're told Lindsie is looking for a heartfelt gesture from pops ... and if the opportunity presents itself to become a happy fam again, she'd jump at the chance.

Problem is ... we're told Lindsie has serious doubts about her father's sincerity, and she's worried he only reaches out when he needs something from her -- like when he allegedly tried to get her to lie about the family's tax fraud case by holding a sex tape over her head.

Another reason Lindsie is wary of Todd ... his statement on the alleged sex tape, where Todd publicly accused her of cheating with 'Bachelorette' stars, Robby Hayes and Josh Murray.

We're told Lindsie felt her father slut shamed and degraded her.

Sources close to Todd tell us ... if Lindsie was serious about working things out, she could reach out ... and she hasn't.

Jay-Z had multiple reasons for becoming part of the NFL family, and TMZ Sports has learned one of them is that he is going to become part owner of an NFL team ... and it's going to happen soon.

Sources connected to Jay and with direct knowledge tell us ... Jay is going to have a "significant ownership interest" in an NFL team.

As for which team ... we're not being told, but we are told "it is going to happen in the near future."

We're told Jay wants to become a part owner "because he's a huge fan, already has a sports business and wants to continue to be a change agent for the NFL."

There's a question ... can Jay manage players if he owns a team? Our sources make it clear ... "Jay is not an NFL agent and does not take part in the operations of the NFL players in Roc Nation."

Mayor Pete Buttigieg says no one deserves to be fat shamed ... even our fast food-loving Prez.

We got the Democratic Presidential candidate at the Young Leaders Conference in Atlanta and asked him to weigh in on Trump's blatant fat shaming at his New Hampshire rally -- and you gotta see his response. It's a case study in political strategizing.

Pete couldn't help himself, and launched into a "glass houses" remark ... but quickly stopped himself, and rerouted to the high road. It's the decision any candidate taking on Trump has to  make: get down in the mud with him, or turn the other cheek.

As you know ... President Trump brazenly fat shamed an American citizen Thursday night, taking a cheap shot at the man's weight, even though the dude turned out to be a Trump supporter ... who's also in better shape than POTUS.

Mayor Pete thinks the latest controversy involving Trump is pretty rich but adds ... there's no need to spell out the irony.

Pete's right ... no need to talk about 45 scarfing down fast food ... when there are pictures.

The owner of the Florida nightclub where a mass shooter killed 49 people has no issues profiting off other people's pain ... at least according to some of the survivors.

Barbara Poma, the owner of PULSE and founder of the nonprofit onePULSE, is leading an effort to build a museum blocks away from the site of the deadly shooting ... but survivors say her plans are a smack in the face because it puts profit over healing their pain.

Norman Casiano-Mojica tells TMZ ... he and other PULSE survivors are pissed because, to them, Poma's museum plans seem more like a tourist attraction than a tasteful memorial. He says the fact there will be a gift shop and admission fee makes him cringe.

Norman, who was shot twice during the tragedy and now has to walk with the aid of a cane, says he's not against a museum or memorial ... but only under certain conditions.

In his eyes, Poma has already botched the makeshift memorial outside Pulse. He says it's more of a photo op than a place of remembrance, and that's why he doesn't trust her to get the museum right.

The onePULSE Foundation tells TMZ ... they're "following the model of other museums and memorials such as those in Oklahoma City and the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City. As with those sites, the memorial will be free, while the museum will charge a modest admission, which will go to keep up the museum and the memories of those it honors."

The foundation added, "Without a museum, there is no place to tell the story for future generations and we risk the tragedy being erased entirely over time.”

Justice is served!

Deborah Sue Culwell -- the woman who was caught on surveillance video tossing 7 pups into a dumpster in Coachella earlier this year -- has pled guilty and been sentenced to 1 year in jail.

The sentence, which also includes 6 years' probation after her time behind bars, was reduced to 174 days with credit for time served.

Culwell was originally charged with 7 felony counts of animal cruelty, plus 7 misdemeanor counts of abandoning the dogs – and she pled guilty to all 14 charges. She was initially facing up to 7 years behind bars, so it's surprisingly good luck for the Cruella de Vil wannabe.

In addition to the jail time, she must undergo random drug testing, and also complete mental health counseling. She also cannot possess any animals during the probation. Thank God.

At the time of the bust, the 54-year-old animal abuser reportedly had 38 other dogs in her custody.

As we reported, the woman was caught in April casually dropping a plastic bag filled with 3-day-old puppies into a dumpster, with temperatures hovering around the mid-90s.

A Good Samaritan dug the lil guys out of the trash. He alerted authorities and the animals were taken to Riverside County Animal Services.

6 of the 7 puppies survived, and the case triggered mass outrage across the country. The 6 pups all went into foster care and we're told several were adopted.

Leah Remini's show has come to an end -- and nobody's more ecstatic than the Church of Scientology -- who just went in on the actress.

Remini -- who used to be a member of the Church of Scientology -- just announced the show's 3rd season about the Church will be its last. A rep for the Church tells us Remini's show, 'Scientology and the Aftermath,' was purely a "hate machine" and they couldn't be happier to see the show wrap up.

The rep says, "Leah Remini has blood on her hands. Her show’s lies, distortions and exhortations to hate and bigotry generated assassination threats against the leader of the Scientology religion, physical attacks on Churches, and the murder of a Scientology religious worker whose throat was slashed by a madman egged on by Remini’s horrendous distortions."

Remini's cohost, Mike Rinder, released a statement shortly after the murder of the religious worker, saying, "They basically seek to shift the blame to our show for their abuses. Their statement that this is all caused by A&E and our show because someone apparently looked at a website that mentioned our show -- that's absurd."

Jeffrey Epstein reportedly had multiple fractures in his neck bones, something that is more common in death by strangulation than by hanging.

The breaks include a bone near the Adam's apple, according to the Washington Post. TMZ reported early on Epstein committed suicide by hanging himself ... this according to multiple sources. It appears the fractures are the reason the cause of death has been deferred pending further investigation.

Meanwhile, an American flag is flying at half-staff on Epstein's private island -- Little St. James Island in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Jay-Z defended his decision to partner with the NFL by saying he's past the kneeling protest and onto bigger things.

TMZ Sports obtained video of the entire meeting Wednesday between NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Jay-Z and members of the media.

Charlamagne tha God kicked off the meeting with the question on everyone's mind ... how do you partner with the league when Colin Kaepernick is still out of a job?

Jay's response -- the kneeling protest was never about Kaepernick's employment ... it was about police brutality. He went on to say he's past the kneeling protest, saying the options are clear -- "Reaching millions and millions of people or [protesting] Colin not having a job." He says by choosing to partner with the NFL on social justice issues, he's choosing the former.

What's more ... Jay said in response to the question, "Would you kneel or would you stand? ... "I think we're past kneeling."

Jay-Z says the task at hand is using the NFL's resources to change the culture of policing. He says there are 2 parts to protest -- first taking a stand, which Colin did, and then getting the company [the NFL] to say, "I hear you."

Here's the full audio of the meeting.

Todd Chrisley has more drama on his plate -- his daughter ran to cops a month before he was indicted on tax fraud charges, claiming he tried extorting her with a sex tape to get her to lie ... but Todd claims BS.

Here's the situation ... Todd's daughter, Lindsie  -- who's estranged from the fam -- filed a police report last month in Georgia, alleging her brother, Chase, and her father were harassing her and threatening her with a sex tape of hers she believed Chase purchased.

In the police report, obtained by TMZ, Lindsie claimed Todd and Chase threatened to release the sex tape if she didn't lie about a certain "incident." Sources close to Lindsie say the lie was related to her testimony about the tax mess.

As we reported ... Todd and his wife, Julie, were indicted Tuesday on multiple federal charges ... including tax evasion, bank fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy. They pled not guilty in court Wednesday after turning themselves in, and have denied any wrongdoing.

As for Lindsie's allegation that Todd and Chase were in cahoots, Todd is denying it flat-out ... saying there's no truth to it and Lindsie's lying. Todd says he and Chase didn't purchase Lindsie's sex tape ... which allegedly includes a 'Bachelor' star. He tells us, "Although our hearts are broken, Lindsie is our daughter and we will always love her."

That said, sources connected to Todd tell TMZ he has a suspicion Lindsie might be part of the reason he and Julie got indicted in the first place, although it's unclear why. However, Lindsie's attorney, Musa Ghanayem, tells us that's absurd ... saying any report of Lindsie squealing on her fam is untrue, and that she didn't leak a damn thing.

For the record ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ that Lindsie's case in GA has been officially dismissed, because the alleged threat and harassment occurred in Tennessee.

Carolina Panthers safety Eric Reid is blasting Jay-Z for his new partnership with the NFL ... saying it looks like the rap mogul is selling out and helping "bury" Colin Kaepernick's football career.

Kap's longtime friend and former teammate sounded off on social media late Wednesday night ... responding to a quote from Jay that read "... everybody knows I agree with what you're saying [in Kaepernick's underlying message]. So what are we gonna do? ... [Help] millions and millions of people, or we get stuck on Colin not having a job."

"These aren’t mutually exclusive," Reid wrote back ... "They can both happen at the same time! It looks like your goal was to make millions and millions of dollars by assisting the NFL in burying Colin’s career."

Of course, Jay-Z has taken plenty of heat for his partnership with Roger Goodell -- one where Hov will help the league with entertainment and social justice issues -- because some feel it undercuts Kap's cause.

Clearly, Reid is in that corner ... because he also retweeted several tweets that hammered Jay for the move, including one that read, "You don't 'move on' from riding for the people."

For his part, Kaepernick has yet to respond directly to the whole ordeal ... but he did write on social media Wednesday, "Today marks the three year anniversary of the first time I protested systemic oppression. I continue to work and stand with the people in our fight for liberation, despite those who are trying to erase the movement! The movement has always lived with the people!"

Daymond John is adamant the NFL partnering with Jay-Z helps its brand, but says make no mistake ... Hova's not going to be the league's puppet just to help them save face.

We got the "Shark Tank" star out Wednesday in NYC and got his take on the NFL teaming up with Jay-Z's Roc Nation for a music and social justice campaign. Daymond's all for it, despite some critics feeling Jay abandoned Colin Kaepernick.

Daymond firmly believes Jay did NOT undercut Kap's cause. Daymond says, if anything, there's no one better who can champion Kap ... now that he's working on the inside.

When our guy straight-up asks if this is all an NFL publicity stunt, Daymond scoffs ... saying Jay-Z's too smart, and would walk from the deal if that were the case.

In fact ... Daymond says he saw right through the NFL when he turned down The Shield to perform at the Super Bowl. Now, things are different.

Jay-Z talked to Colin Kaepernick ahead of announcing his new partnership with the NFL -- according to reports -- but the rap mogul said his deal with the league goes beyond Kaepernick's kneeling protest.

Some thought Jay -- by signing on to help the NFL with entertainment and social justice issues -- was undercutting Kap's cause ... but both Jay and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell addressed that Wednesday at Roc Nation's NYC offices.

The two men sat next to each other and discussed the partnership with about 30 invited media members. Referring to Kaepernick and other NFL players kneeling during the anthem, Jay said ... "I think that we forget that Colin’s whole thing was to bring attention to social injustice so in that case this is a success — this is the next thing. There’s two parts of protest: the protest, and then there’s a company or individual saying ‘I hear you, what do we do next?’ For me it’s about actionable items, what are we gonna do about it?"

As you know, Kaepernick still doesn't have a job in the NFL, and Goodell was asked if he's been blackballed. He said "any team" can sign him. Both Jay-Z and Goodell said they had spoken to Kaepernick ahead of Tuesday's announcement they'd be teaming up. However, neither would reveal what Kaepernick said.

As far as whether Kaepernick would be involved in the partnership -- where the NFL will support Jay-Z's social justice causes and Jay will produce the Super Bowl Halftime Show -- Jay said, "You'll have to ask him, I'm not his boss. That's for him to say."

Goodell and Jay seemed like a old friends ... shaking hands and laughing through the event.

We've reached out to reps for Kaepernick to see if he has any reaction to Jay's sit down with the NFL Commissioner.

By the way, the NFL and Roc Nation only allowed one still photographer in the event. The NFL shot the only video which it plans to release later Wednesday.

R. Kelly wants to change up his legal team ... by bringing on one of the most powerful, successful criminal defense lawyers in the country ... Tom Mesereau.

Sources familiar with the case tell TMZ ... Mesereau is in Chicago right now, meeting with Kelly, who is charged with various sex crimes in 4 different jurisdictions -- Illinois State, Illinois Federal, New York Federal and Minnesota State. Raed Shalabi -- one of R. Kelly's current attorneys -- accompanied Mesereau into the jail to meet with Kelly behind bars.

In case you don't know ... Mesereau has worked miracles in the courtroom. He got Michael Jackson acquitted of child molestation in 2005, and got Robert Blake acquitted of murdering his wife, also back in 2005.

We're told Mesereau has not officially signed on, but that's the plan. If he does, he will be the lead attorney and possibly the sole attorney representing Kelly.

The big question ... how's Kelly paying his legal and other bills? As you know, he's struggled to pay child support and was even jailed for a time before someone footed the bill.

A$AP Rocky did not beat the rap in Sweden, because the judges in his assault case have found him guilty ... but he will NOT have to go to prison.

The 4 judges in the case issued their written ruling Wednesday ... concluding A$AP was guilty of assaulting a man during a street fight in Stockholm. The judges said Rocky, and his 2 friends who were also standing trial, "were not in a situation where they were entitled to self-defense."

The case hinged on whether A$AP threw a bottle at the victim during the all-out brawl in late June. Prosecutors argued Rocky hurled the bottle and badly cut the guy, but they couldn't produce a single witness who saw a bottle fly during the melee. Rocky conceded he was holding a bottle for protection, but put it down and it never made contact with the guy.

The judges said prosecutors did not prove the bottle was used to hit the victim. As a result, the judges said the crime did not warrant any further time served, and added Rocky will NOT have to do community service.

Rocky got a suspended sentence ... meaning he'll have to pay various fees and fines, and if he does he's in the clear. The judges felt Rocky and his co-defendants got ample punishment already with time served -- 1 month in a Swedish jail.

The upshot ... the court found hitting and kicking the victim while he was on the ground was a crime -- namely, assault -- because A$AP and his crew were not in danger of imminent harm, but prosecutors failed to prove the biggest issue ... that A$AP struck the victim with a bottle, and that's why he got no jail time.

A$AP and the co-defendants will, however, have to pay restitution to the victim, and also cover Sweden's court expenses.

As we reported, the alleged victim was the initial aggressor, harassing Rocky and his crew despite pleas from the rapper to leave them alone. The guy also attacked Rocky's bodyguard before A$AP took care of business.

A$AP was jailed for a month, and 3/4 of that time spent behind bars was before he was even charged. A$AP never claimed his arrest was racially motivated ... but his mom and G-Eazy had a different view.

The case became an international incident -- claims of racism and inhumane conditions in the jail. President Trump intervened ... but that didn't sit well with the Swedish Prime Minister who told him to butt out.

After a month in jail and a 3-day trial, the judges allowed Rocky to fly home to the states while they decided his fate. Prosecutors wanted Rocky to remain in jail pending the verdict, because they said he was a flight risk.

A$AP blew out of Sweden on a private jet, and was gleeful when he touched down at LAX.

As we reported ... Rocky performed last weekend at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA for the first time since his arrest and told his fans, "Hopefully I'm not guilty and hopefully we ain't gotta go back to jail or nothing like that."

Rocky seemed to indicate he would have returned to Sweden to do the time if found guilty -- however, that won't be an issue.