Controversial S#!T

Family members of the victims of the Buffalo mass shooting are trying to make sure their loved one's deaths are not in vain -- they want Congress to do something, anything, about firearms and white supremacists.

We got Ben Crump and the families he represents Wednesday on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers are hearing testimony from survivors and loved ones of the recent mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde.

Michelle Spight, whose cousin Markus Morrison was one of the 10 killed in Buffalo, says she's tired of the rhetoric coming from Congress ... and she wants more done to combat white supremacy, because the gunman in their case followed that ideology.

Dominique Douglas, another of Markus' cousins, says if Congress members do nothing in the wake of multiple mass shootings, they should be voted out of office.

Crump says the bodies of the Buffalo 10 were so mangled by the shooter's assault rifle, they're the modern equivalent to Emmett Till ... and he's calling on lawmakers to put people over politics to enact gun reform before there's another public tragedy.

A group of topless women ran onto the basketball court during the NY Liberty game on Tuesday ... storming the floor to protest pro-abortion rights.

The incident went down during the Lynx-Liberty game at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY on Tuesday ... when several women -- who we later learned were with the Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights org. -- rushed to the court midgame, shirtless, with green paint on their breasts.

One of the protestors made reference to Roe v. Wade ... "Overturn Roe? Hell no" painted on her chest.

The group was chased down by Barclays security and dragged off the court, not just in front of fans, but also NBA star Ben Simmons, who was sitting courtside.

There were other abortion advocates who stormed the court -- and remained in the stands holding up signs reading, "Abortion On Demand & Without Apology".

According to the NY Post, no arrests have been made ... and the org. released a statement on Twitter after the game.

"This wasn't to protest the game or players, but to call on YOU to #RiseUp4AbortionRights NOW!" the org. said.

"Yes we know most people here support #abortionrights. NOW SAVE THEM! GET OFF THE SIDELINES & INTO THE STREETS!"

The org. added, "Bring society 2 a halt. Stop the Supreme Court from Overturning #RoeVWade!"

Alicia Keys is setting the record straight about her song choice at the Queen's Platinum Jubliee -- saying her NYC-based hit wasn't her pick -- it was the Queen's.

Alicia's been facing some backlash ever since performing "Empire State Of Mind" at Queen Elizabeth's royal ceremony on Saturday, with many thinking the song serves no purpose at an English bash ... but she says she was only giving the 96-year-old Royal what she wanted.

She posted some BTS videos from her big performance on Instagram Tuesday, showing how the whole thing went down.

The clip shows her 11-year-old son Egypt saying, "You can't refuse the Queen. It's against the law here!" She even wrote on her IG caption, "FYI: Every song was requested personally by the Queen ... Even EMPIRE!!"

Of course, fans of both Alicia and the royal family were confused when she sang her classic song about New York for the festivities overseas ... one even tweeted about the odd choice, saying "why the hell were American entertainers even invited."

The Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard trial might be over, but the ridicule isn't … especially for folks who disagree with the jury, and stand by Amber.

Ruth Glenn, CEO of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, tells TMZ … since releasing a statement in support of Amber last week, the group has been besieged by Depp fans on all fronts.

She says some of the backlash amounts to impassioned commentary -- including sentiments that NCADV doesn't believe men can be abused, that real DV victims believe Johnny and even more shots at Amber … like people calling her a liar or a "psycho."

As for the people pointing out NCADV leaders are clearly pro-Amber -- their statement said they were "appalled by the verdict" -- Glenn admits that's accurate, because her org thinks Amber is the victim in this case ... despite the jury's verdict.

That being said, Glenn tells us the vitriol -- toward Amber and her supporters -- is unwarranted, and she adds even Ray Rice didn't get publicly dragged this much after his infamous domestic violence case.

As for what the future holds, Glenn says the #MeToo movement won't suffer a permanent setback, but she does think people need to rethink what it means to believe all survivors.

In the short term, though, she suspects this verdict might affect how DV victims come forward and speak on these issues.

It appears Lil Nas X isn't going to let the 2022 BET Awards skate after snubbing him of any nominations this year ... to the point, he's created a diss track going after the network.

A topless Lil Nas X posted a snippet of an upcoming new song on Tuesday we'd be surprised is called anything but "F*** BET."

After starting the song off with the disrespectful phrase on repeat, LNX goes into an auto-tuned flow where he brags about his riches and even proclaims he has "100 sticks" at his disposal.

Following the announcement of nominations last week, LNX went haywire when he realized he missed the Best Male Hip Hop and Pop Artist categories and no mention of his hit singles "INDUSTRY BABY" or "MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)."

He blamed discrimination and Queen Latifah even agreed he should have been nominated for at least something.

LNX's gripes feel a bit heavy-handed seeing he was nominated in 2020 and got primetime exposure in June 2021 when he kissed his boyfriend.

But, there's no putting the genie back in the bottle … apparently it's "F*** BET" if you're Team Montero until further notice.

Channing Crowder regrets making his polarizing comments about Ciara during a podcast back in April ... but he says he still ain't budging on his opinion of Russell Wilson, insisting the dude is "a lame."

To catch you up ... the ex-Miami Dolphins linebacker made waves on his "The Pivot" pod after he said he believed Ciara was only with Wilson because of his money.

Crowder insisted there was no way Ciara could be with the NFL star otherwise ... saying he couldn't fathom how she could go from dating a guy like Future to dating one like Wilson.

On Tuesday, Crowder backpedaled on at least some of that opinion, saying on "The Breakfast Club" that he shouldn't have involved Ciara in the conversation.

"Bringing up Ciara, bringing up the man's family -- I'll take that back," Crowder said.

But, the former NFL player refused to walk back his shade of Russ.

"Have ya'll seen Russell's videos?" Crowder asked. "Have you seen, 'Mr. Unlimited'?! And, this goofy s*** he does?!"

"I don't know why so many people were mad at my opinion of Russell Wilson is a square and a lame."

Crowder added, "I didn't call him an alcoholic. I didn't call him a deadbeat dad. I didn't call him a pedophile. I called him lame!"

CC told the roundtable his remarks toward Wilson were not personal ... explaining, "There's lame people all around."

Robb Elementary School teacher Arnulfo Reyes is mourning the deaths of every single student in his classroom, and is especially angry at police in Uvalde for standing by while they were massacred.

The 4th grade teacher, who was shot twice, is speaking out for the first time, recounting the horrifying moment the shooter entered his class. Arnulfo says his students heard gunfire and asked him what was happening ... he was unsure at first, but told the students to get under their desks and pretend they were sleeping -- just as they'd practiced in drills.

He told ABC News' Amy Rohrbach that's when he turned and saw the shooter ... the beginning of 77 minutes of carnage. When it was over all of Arnulfo's students were dead, in addition to 8 others and two of his fellow teachers.

Make no mistake, Arnulfo feels the police abandoned his students, and he spoke directly to them, saying ... "You have a bulletproof vest, I have nothing. You are supposed to protect and serve. There is no excuse for their actions, and I will never forgive them."

He tearfully added, "I feel so bad for the parents because they lost a child, but they lost one child. I lost 11 that day, all at one time."

He is now a man on a mission, vowing to be active in the national debate about gun control and demanding new legislation.

Dustin Johnson's days of playing on the PGA Tour are over -- at least for right now -- the golf superstar just announced he's resigning his membership in order to play full-time in the Saudi-backed LIV league.

DJ broke the news during a meeting with media members at Centurion Club near London on Tuesday ... just days before he's set to tee it up for the first time at a LIV Golf Invitational Series event.

"For right now," Johnson said, "I resign my membership from the Tour. I'm going to play here for now, and that's the plan."

The new league -- which is backed by the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia -- has been controversial, due to the country's past record of human rights violations.

Golfers who have defected to the league have been accused of taking loads of cash to play and effectively help the country "sports wash" that track record.

In addition, the PGA Tour has not been friendly about the rival league ... threatening suspensions and bans for golfers who accept the invite to play in it.

Johnson -- who reportedly received around $125 million to golf in the new league -- said the decision to leave the Tour ultimately came down to "what's best for me and my family."

Now ineligible for the Ryder Cup, Johnson said he was unsure if he'd be allowed to participate in golf's major events from here.

Other golf superstars, meanwhile, have joined in Johnson's decision to play in the league -- most notably, Phil Mickelson revealed on Monday he, too, has accepted the invite. He has not, however, formally resigned from the Tour yet.

Top golfers Louis Oosthuizen, Graeme McDowell, Kevin Na and Sergio Garcia have joined as well. Tiger Woods, however, reportedly turned down a "nine-digit" offer to play.

If Ryan Clark's goal for Monday was to stir things up, mission accomplished ... the former NFL star just kicked a hornet's nest by saying Chris Brown is "more talented" than the legendary Michael Jackson!

Oh, he was immediately ripped for it ... the ex-safety received all sorts of mean comments from Twitter users after he tweeted the controversial statement.

"Chris Brown is more talented than Michael Jackson," Clark said, "there I said it! Have a great week."

"I do not care!! You out CB and MJ in the talent Olympics Chris Brown wins."

The responses RC got were hilarious -- from GIFs to some fans asking Clark if he was drunk or high ... 'cause they couldn't believe a sober mind could come up with such an analogy.

"Drinking early this morning??" one fan said while another said, "Whatever you're sippin on, I need it for later 😂 😂"

Another fan thought Ryan needed a Snickers candy bar ... saying, "I trust you and highly respect you but maybe you are hangry or something! Stay happy!"

Clark -- who currently works for ESPN -- even got ripped by his colleagues ... Marcus Spears hit him with the classic 'how?' GIF. Cowboys writer Clarence Hill Jr. even got in on the fun, responding, "get your boy man".

😬😬😬😬😬

Bradley Cooper is living life through the late Leonard Bernstein's eyes while he shoots a movie about the guy's life -- which translated to a kissing scene with Matt Bomer this week.

The two actors locked lips on set Monday in NYC, where they're shooting this new Netflix biopic about the legendary conductor -- titled "Maestro" -- and it seems the smooching went well ... 'cause BC was all smiles during the scene, as was Matt.

Of course, Bernstein was openly gay -- so it's no surprise/NBD the lead star is making out with a dude for the flick -- if anything, it was 100% expected. Bomer just happened to be the lucky man to land the role of romantic interest ... and fun fact, Matt's gay in real life.

What's been getting way more buzz as it pertains to the film is how unrecognizable Brad looks as Lenny ... it seems he'll be playing the Maestro at different life stages, including in old age, and some of the shots of Brad in costume and makeup have gotten double-takes.

There's also been some controversy ... it's been noted that Brad's using a prosthetic to make his nose look longer than it really is, which many have called anti-Semitic -- as they see this as clear "Jew face," as it's been dubbed by some.

Now we know why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were so conspicuously missing from the end of the Queen's Jubilee celebrations -- they were at 30,000 feet several hours beforehand.

Harry looked pensive and exhausted in Santa Barbara Sunday morning after the Sussexes and their 2 children flew private from London -- passing on the final Jubilee events, including the People's Pageant, and a surprise appearance by Queen Elizabeth herself.

QE2 kept it brief, but she did come out on her Buckingham Palace balcony to do some royal waving to her subjects gathered for the pageant. It was her first public appearance since the Jubilee began on Thursday, because she'd been feeling under the weather. Once again, she was joined by Prince Charles and Camilla, Prince William and Kate and their 3 kids.

Even if Meghan and Harry had stayed for the finale, it's doubtful they'd have been on the balcony. They'd been banished to a separate room for the Jubilee kickoff, and they sat as far as possible from Kate and William during a church service.

Their early retreat back to their home in Montecito is just one more confirmation of what's painfully obvious -- the U.K. trip was for the Queen's sake, and NOT because things are any better between Harry and his brother and his father. The 3 of them were never photographed together all weekend.

The woman who claims Alaska Airlines gave her the boot because she was too fat has drastically slimmed down ... going under the knife to shed hundreds of pounds.

Ray Lin Howard tells TMZ … she weighed 420 pounds when she was removed from an Alaska flight back in September, and she's since lost 181 pounds following a surgical procedure and changes to her diet and exercise routine.

Ray Lin says she's down to 239 pounds and credits the gastric sleeve surgery performed by Dr. Samuel Kashani ... combined with healthier eating habits and daily walks.

Remember ... RLH claims she got kicked off her flight for being too fat for her sports bra, alleging harassment and discrimination and saying it was the worst case of "fatphobia" in her life.

But, she used the incident as a turning point, telling us she decided to make a change in her lifestyle following all the headlines.

TMZ broke the story ... Dr. Kashani reached out to Ray Lin after he saw her airline story, with the Bev Hills surgeon offering to perform the gastric sleeve surgery for free -- a sweet deal because it normally goes for $42,000.

Ray Lin says she's happy she went through with the procedure, and while she still loves her curves ... she does want to remove some excess skin after the weight loss.

One more big change for her -- she separated from her husband when she returned home from the surgery.

Deshaun Watson seems to be shooting himself in the foot ... courtesy of his own lawyer, who is now trying to clarify comments he made about massages and "happy endings." 😣

The Browns QB -- who's been cleared in a criminal probe, but still faces a mountain of civil suits about alleged sexual misconduct from multiple women -- is in damage control this week ... this after his lead attorney, Rusty Hardin, made some wild remarks on the air.

The dude was doing an interview with SportsRadio 610 (based out of Houston, DW's previous home in the NFL) when he said it isn't technically illegal for men to get a little something extra at the end of a session ... so long as nobody is forced or coerced into it.

Yeah ... he literally said that. And yes, it left a lot of people with their mouths open, because they couldn't believe Hardin had said it ... seemingly in connection to Deshaun's sitch.

You can listen to what he said for yourself and decide whether he's talking about Deshaun or not -- especially in light of Hardin's clarifying comments thereafter, in which he said he was talking "hypothetically," and that his remarks in no way, shape or form explicitly reflected what Deshaun had or hadn't done pertaining to all these masseuses accusing him.

BTW, the number of lawsuits he's facing is now in the dozens (24 to be exact) and the NFL's apparently on the verge of announcing their decision on what to do about DW this season.

Of course, Deshaun was signed to a monster contract during this offseason ... getting a five-year $230 million deal from the Browns, with all the dough guaranteed. And it's not even clear if he'll even play in 2022!

Kathy Griffin is taking low-blow shots at Johnny Depp -- beyond believing Amber Heard ... she thinks he's far from the dreamboat he once was, focusing on his looks.

The comedian went on the offensive this week -- shortly after the pro-Depp verdict came down in Virginia -- during an appearance on "Just Ask The Question with Brian Karem" ... where she hurled a lot of insults at JD and his legion of fanboys (and girls).

Specifically, she made fun of his appearance ... likening him to Trump, and saying he resembled a "bloated booze bag" these days -- despite what his supporters might think.

KG also commented on his voice and manner of speaking ... saying it was such a phony act, and that she's shocked anyone is buying it -- even invoking Kanye West during his wire days. The host agrees, saying he sounds sorta British ... even though he's from Kentucky.

Kathy wasn't done there though ... she went on to express direct support for Amber, saying she 100% bought her story of alleged abuse -- despite a jury saying otherwise -- and even followed in Amber's footsteps by dredging up supposed old rumors about Johnny.

She mentions Kate Moss (who denied any abuse at the hands of JD) ... and even Winona Ryder. Her theory -- which sounds totally speculative -- is that ... these other ladies are, perhaps, afraid of being "Amber Heard'd" and therefore won't speak out against him.

We'll let Kathy speak for herself here ... but let's just say she's certainly catching backlash because of this, from both Depp "stans" and beyond.

Boosie is a happy man this weekend -- he looks like someone who just found out they weren't the father on "Maury" ... except, he's celebrating vicariously through his own seed.

The rapper posted a wild video showing himself screaming in pure joy from within his car ... touting the idea that his 18-year-old, Tootie Raww, was supposedly cleared by a DNA test as NOT being the father to a baby that his GF/would-be baby mama allegedly claimed was his.

Check it out ... his victory lap is hilariously on-brand for Boosie. He's shouting from the top of his lungs and praising Jesus that the baby isn't his ... son's.

Boosie claims Tootie's SO brought somebody else's kid down to his high school graduation recently and sprung it on him like he was the father -- and Boosie thinks it was all BS ... even going on to call it a "conspiracy." Unclear if he's joking or not ... seems to be though.

Tootie appears to have taken ownership ... he was posing for photos with the child. But, his dad was skeptical from the beginning -- saying he didn't think this was Tootie's baby.

Boosie has also posted a ton of alleged receipts that he believes clear this up even further, throwing up photos of the supposed "real" mom and dad ... saying it's further evidence.

Lisa Bloom says her clients are already feeling the impact of the Depp-Heard trial by being silenced -- but she's being labeled a hypocrite ... because of Harvey Weinstein.

The famed women's rights attorney -- who has made a career following in the footsteps of her mother, Gloria Allred, by repping women with claims against high-profile men -- shared some insight into how the verdict against Amber is taking a toll on other alleged victims.

She writes, "I had to advise two women today that if they speak out about their sexual assaults, they can be sued. Even if they don't name their abuser. Even if they don't identify him by job or relationship. One wept at being silenced. The fallout from (Depp vs. Heard)."

Lisa also addressed a caveat proposed by some who say truthful accusers are A-OK ... "Some of you said they need not worry if they are telling the truth. If only. Defamation case = years of anguish in pretrial proceedings + 2-5 years to get to trial + a half mil to a million $ in attorneys fees (not to me). Few have the emotional strength and wealth for that."

It's a fair point ... women, in general, might second guess going public with allegations now, especially knowing they could be sued and lose. But, the flip side of that argument is ... Amber was literally one woman making claims against Johnny, while no other woman did.

Comparing JD to the likes of Weinstein or other notorious #MeToo men with a sea of accusers isn't fair -- you could say this was a unique one-off that won't have a chilling effect ... especially if you believe Amber lied, which a vast majority of folks (including the jury) do.

Speaking of Weinstein, Lisa's history with the guy is resurfacing in the wake of these comments of hers. Many are pointing out what they see as her being sanctimonious ... seeing how she was advising HW at the beginning of his own scandal in 2017.

As we reported, Lisa was doing extensive investigative work for Weinstein in the summer of 2017 ... looking into Rose McGowan and other accusers who were going public.

While that was true at the time, so too is the fact that Lisa has repped scores of women over the years, specifically alleged victims. So whether it's her or someone else, the argument has been and will continue to be made ... this verdict was mega.