Controversial S#!T

Donald Trump is calling for all PGA golfers to jump ship and join the Saudi-backed LIV tour ... claiming if they don't take the massive payday now, they'll be left in the dust when there's an "inevitable merger" between the organizations.

#45 made the comments on his Truth Social media platform on Monday -- just days ahead of LIV's tournament at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster.

"All of those golfers that remain 'loyal' to the very disloyal PGA, in all of its different forms, will pay a big price when the inevitable MERGER with LIV comes," Trump said. "And you get nothing but a big 'thank you' from PGA officials who are making Millions of Dollars a year."

"If you don’t take the money now, you will get nothing after the merger takes place, and only say how smart the original signees were."

Trump's involvement in LIV has garnered criticism from many -- especially families of 9/11 victims, considering Trump once publicly speculated Saudi Arabia played a role in the World Trade Center attacks.

Members of 9/11 Justice -- which consists of those affected by the 2001 terrorist attacks -- sent a letter to Trump earlier this week ... calling for him to cancel the event.

LIV Golf responded ... saying, "As we have said all along, these families have our deepest sympathy. While some may not agree, we believe golf is a force for good around the world."

Sesame Place might not be too friendly a neighborhood after all -- more videos are surfacing showing the park's costumed characters acting messed up to Black kids ... and now the parent company's bailing water.

A few other clips have come to light since the initial video showing Rosita apparently snubbing a couple little Black girls at Sesame Place in PA ... and these new ones seem to demonstrate more of the same -- namely, that the mascots kinda mistreat or ignore children of color.

One, in particular, is pretty nuts ... it shows one of the Honkers rushing a very young girl, who's African-American, and literally knocking her down with its protruding belly.

Another video shows Bert going down a line of kids and high-fiving them, but then blatantly refusing to do so with an older Black girl -- who looks back at the camera shocked.

There are even more accounts of similar behavior ... but none seem to have been more crystalized than what went viral this weekend. Sesame Place said it was a misinterpretation/misunderstanding, and they'd apologized to the fam to make it right.

Of course, the family isn't buying it and is weighing their legal options amid suspicions of racism ... as TMZ first reported.

Now, in light of all these other videos -- which appear to show a pattern of this sort of thing at Sesame Palace -- the parent company Sesame Workshop, producers of the TV series "Sesame Street," is promising to tighten things up with bias training ... plus a thorough review of how the park workers are engaging with guests.

They stop short of saying the recorded incidents were intentional -- which bias training wouldn't really fix, frankly -- but at least it's on their radar, and everyone else's too.

Teddy Bridgewater is calling on his fellow NFL players to quit pretending to be hard and start acting like role models ... releasing a lengthy message to all the guys who act "gangsta," but are really only "football tough."

The Miami Dolphins QB shared his thoughts on the matter in a social media post on Monday ... explaining how he's annoyed with players who act differently when they reach the top level.

"Tired of seeing football players portray this tough guy image or pretend he's gangsta," TB said. "You went to school, attended those classes, and some even got their college degree."

"So, don't wait until you inherit this legal money from the league to decide you want to be tough or portray a 'street image' cause it's kids that's looking up to everything we do."

Bridgewater admits there may be a few in the NFL who are really about that life ... but, "98.5% are only football tough.'"

At the end of the day, Bridgewater -- who graduated from Louisville in 2013 -- just wants kids to understand they can play football, go to school, do right and still get love from the people back home.

"Look at me," Bridgewater added. "I'm far from perfect, but I chose the ball route but I still can go to the hood and post up and it's all love."

"My people accept me for making all the right decisions and not falling victim or being tricked by the false image you see on IG from a lot of ball players."

Many NFL stars agreed with the Pro Bowler ... including Dalvin Cook, Stefon Diggs, DeSean Jackson and Micah Parsons who commented, "That's real 🔥🔥."

A viral moment at Sesame Place amusement park appears to show Muppet character Rosita ignoring, or rejecting, 2 Black children -- and now their family's retaining an attorney to investigate, and possibly sue.

B’Ivory LaMarr is the attorney repping the family who interacted with Rosita at the Philadelphia park, and he tells TMZ ... they want to investigate the incident by interviewing other people who were in attendance, and evaluating other Rosita videos popping up online.

The other clips allegedly show similar situations -- Rosita refusing to high-five or interact with kids of color.

LaMarr says all options are on the table for them, including a lawsuit.

In case you missed it, video spread of Saturday's incident, showing the character giving high fives to people in front of the 2 young girls, then allegedly gesturing to them, but denying them the opportunity to interact as well.

The family says they're "completely appalled" by what they call the intentional mistreatment of the young girls -- they claim they were verbally told "no" during the brief exchange.

They also aren't buying Sesame Place's response, which came soon after the clip went viral ... saying they quickly addressed the behavior of the employee.

LaMarr says, "While we hate to rush to judgment to consider 'race' as the motivating factor to explain the performer's actions, such actions both before and after the young girl's request only lead to one conclusion."

Activist Tamika Mallory joined us Monday on "TMZ Live" -- she was one of the first to put Sesame Place on blast after its response.

She says it's nothing more than gaslighting, and it adds insult to injury ... she spoke with the mother of the girls who is "really hurt" by what she sees as a lack of apology.

More videos have spread since Saturday's incident ... which the family thinks shows this is a pattern and not an isolated incident.

A rep for Sesame Place Philadelphia tells TMZ ... the park sincerely apologizes for the family's experience, and adds, "We will conduct training for our employees so they better understand, recognize and deliver an inclusive, equitable and entertaining experience to our guests."

Jim Harbaugh is against abortion ... and the Michigan football coach delivered a passionate message on the controversial topic, saying, "I believe in having the courage to let the unborn be born."

Harbaugh -- who is Catholic -- was tapped to deliver the keynote address Sunday during the Plymouth Right to Life dinner and auction at St. John's in Plymouth, Michigan ... where he passionately spoke about abortion, according to the Detroit Catholic.

"I believe in having the courage to let the unborn be born," Harbaugh said. "I love life. I believe in having a loving care and respect for life and death. My faith and my science are what drive these beliefs in me."

According to the outlet, the theme of the night was "We Were Made to be Courageous," and Harbaugh, along with his wife, Sarah and Father John Riccardo, another keynote speaker, emphasized that in their addresses.

Jim's comments come at a time when the abortion rights debate rages in the country ... especially after the Supreme Court recently ruled citizens don't have the constitutional right to get an abortion.

Throughout the night, Harbaugh acknowledged conversations about abortion can get "passionate" and "messy" ... but maintaining respect and civility when dealing with each other can go a long way.

"I have faith in the American people to ultimately develop the right policies and laws for all lives involved," Harbaugh said. "I recognize one's personal thinking regarding morality of a particular action may differ from their thinking on whether government should make that action illegal."

Harbaugh said he's well aware the government allows things others deem immoral, but out of respect for the "greater good or constitutional right" those actions are allowed ... but in Jim's eyes, abortion doesn't meet that criteria.

"Ultimately, I don't believe that is the case with abortion," Harbaugh said. "Yes, there are conflicts between the legitimate rights of the mother and the rights of the unborn child."

Prince Harry lumped the recent Roe v. Wade decision in with other international issues, saying they were all hurting democracy, but Meghan's calling BS -- Meghan McCain, that is.

The Duke of Sussex delivered a speech to the U.N. this week -- in observance of Nelson Mandela Day -- and one of the things he said was the reversal of a federal right to an abortion was among the many things he considers a threat to freedom.

The others ... COVID, the war in Ukraine, disinformation and climate change -- all of which he said were among the top perils facing the world. But, McCain thinks he's misinformed.

In a piece written for Daily Mail, she slams the ex-Royal for what she considers virtue signaling -- especially on the Supreme Court's Roe decision ... which she says isn't a threat to democracy, but more so an exercise in it since it gives the power over that issue back to the states.

McCain, who is undoubtedly conservative, argues Harry is ignorant because he isn't an American citizen -- but likes to play one on TV now that he lives here with his wife Meghan Markle. She cites other times where he's admitted ignorance to the First Amendment.

The whole op-ed goes on to call Harry "woke," rhetorically asking if America isn't good enough for him ... why is he even here? She also cites his and MM's accusation of racism within the Royal family to make her point.

Indeed, it's a Harry-bashing think piece ... and in the end, McCain asks this of the Duke: "Maybe he needs reminding that he is a guest here and not a guest who has been universally embraced by the American public."

She adds ... "So here goes: This is not your home country. In fact, my country went to war against yours so that we'd never have to be subject to a royal lecture ever again."

DaBaby’s heinous remarks about HIV patients cost his Dua Lipa feature maximum exposure, but according to one of his Billion Dollar Baby artists ... he still made off with a pretty penny.

Stunna 4 Vegas poured the tea, revealing -- at least according to him -- DaBaby got $350,000 last year for appearing on DL's “Levitating (Remix).”

In his VladTV interview, Stunna went on to vouch for DaBaby’s character, saying he was in good standing with all his fans and funds.

During DaBaby’s “cancelation” period, he says DB’s cash and car flow didn’t stop. They say there's no such thing as "bad" publicity, and that's totally true in this case ... if Stunna's stats are accurate.

Remember, as that controversy was exploding ... DaBaby had dropped a Lil Wayne collab that got him back on the Billboard chart. The song peaked at No. 2 and went 4x platinum.

But he eventually had his credit snatched from the Billboard charts after the July 2021 backlash from Rolling Loud engulfed the internet.

Dua immediately ripped into DB … citing how she was “surprised and horrified” at her collaborator’s words and distanced herself from the situation in a fiery response.

Kanye West is no longer headlining Rolling Loud Miami, and while many thought Travis Scott would have been the perfect fit to replace Ye, the festival's founder says it wouldn't have been possible after the deaths at Astroworld.

Ye was scheduled to perform as Friday night's headliner, but Rolling Loud announced over the weekend that he would no longer be taking the stage due to circumstances out of RL's control ... Kid Cudi, who has his own beef with Ye, was named as the replacement.

Fans got pissed, demanding Travis Scott should've subbed in ... but RL co-founder Tariq Cherif posted a comment on social media saying, "venue won't allow travis because of astroworld deaths."

What Tariq didn't make clear, why would the venue, Hard Rock Stadium, feel Astroworld was Travis' fault? An RL spokesperson tells us, "All artists are in consideration for the event. But, in this case, each situation had logistical challenges and Travis wasn’t an option for this upcoming week."

We spoke with sources familiar with the festival's planning who tell us there simply wouldn't have been enough time to arrange production logistics - like security and get insurance - to cover Travis' performance. We're told it's just not possible to land someone of Travis' level with such short notice.

As we've told you, Travis and his team have maintained he didn't know the severity of what was happening in the crowd -- and video of cops calmly watching his performance while chaos was unfolding in the audience seems to support Travis' claim of not knowing how bad things actually were.

The Astroworld music festival resulted in 10 deaths, but the investigation into the failures that led to those deaths continues ... there's also billions of dollars worth of open litigation in connection to the festival.

As for Rolling Loud Miami, Cudi, Future, Lil Durk, Latto, Kendrick Lamar, Lil Baby, Curren$y and several others are still scheduled to perform ... so even without Ye and Travis, there's still plenty of talent for fans to get excited about.

Cameron Smith, #2 ranked golfer in the world and winner of The Open, is nearing a deal to join LIV Golf, TMZ Sports has learned … which would make him the latest star to join the Saudi-backed organization.

Of course, big names like Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau have defied the PGA Tour and inked huge money deals to play in the new league. Smith, by far, would represent the highest-ranked player they've been able to lure over.

Our sources tell us they'd be shocked if the deal didn't happen.

In fact, after winning at St. Andrews, Smith was asked by reporters about rumors he was going to LIV. Cam's response? He wasn't thrilled with the question, but didn't say no.

“I just won the British Open, and you’re asking about that? I think that’s pretty not that good,” Cameron said. “I don’t know, mate. My team around me worries about all that stuff. I’m here to win golf tournaments.”

As for the money Smith would receive, that's not known ... but obviously it'll be significant.

For reference ... Mickelson was reportedly paid $200 million to sign with LIV. DeChambeau's contract was said to be around $125 million. All the big named players received huge deals.

Of course, the PGA Tour and LIV are in the midst of a full-on war with each other ... as the upstart org. has persuaded some of the game's biggest names with windfalls of cash. The Tour has responded by threatening to ban players who sign.

In fact, there was talk last week that LIV players may not be allowed to compete in the four Majors starting in 2023 ... a move that'd be a huge blow to the golfers.

Not all of the biggest golfers have said "yes" to LIV. Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy both turned down lucrative offers. Woods's offer was said to be "high nine figures," according to LIV CEO Greg Norman.

Police in Milan are adamant they did nothing wrong when holding soccer star Tiemoue Bakayoko at gunpoint ... saying while the situation ended up being a "misunderstanding," they were in the midst of searching for someone allegedly involved in a shooting.

"With reference to the video released today, related to a police check carried out against the Milan player Tiemoue Bakayoko, we underline that the check -- occurred during an operation whose context justified the adoption of the highest security measures," police said in a statement to CNN.

Police said the search "was carried out in a manner that was absolutely consistent with the situation of danger" for "self-protection purposes."

"It was a misunderstanding, but colleagues behaved correctly," police said.

The incident involving 27-year-old Bakayoko -- who joined Milan on a two-year loan last summer -- happened about two weeks ago, but went under the radar until video of the incident went viral on social media Monday.

On Monday, AC Milan said the search occurred following a shooting in the nearby area.

Police added once they established Bakayoko's identity and confirmed he had no role in the crime(s) allegedly committed, he was released without further incident.

It's a sad day for Steelers fans -- the transition from Heinz Field is officially underway ... with the stadium's iconic ketchup bottle signs coming down on Monday.

Last week, the Pittsburgh Steelers announced they're partnering with tech insurance company Acrisure for a 15-year naming rights deal ... which will end the Heinz Field era after 20 years.

A news photographer from KDKA captured the first steps of the makeover on Monday -- showing the massive Heinz ketchup bottle sign being removed by a crane and placed on the ground.

Some of the construction workers on site even used it as a photo opp -- posing in front of the bottle after it came down.

While some fans are hurt over the change, Steelers President Art Rooney II is excited about the new name ... saying in a statement the org. is "excited to partner with Acrisure for the naming rights to our stadium."

"We are very appreciative to partner with Greg Williams and his company, and we look forward to a long, beneficial relationship for years to come."

Steelers Hall of Fame coach Bill Cowher likes the name change as well ... adding,  "Pittsburgh will always be a very tough place to play."

Well, 7,000+ Black and Gold fans disagree ... and started a petition in hopes of halting the change.

Based on the quick action to remove all things ketchup from the building, it's not looking good for their cause.

Curt Schilling clearly has no problem seeing Brittney Griner's detention in Russia drag on ... the ex-MLB star said Sunday night he believes the WNBA player should "pay the penalty for breaking another country's laws."

Schilling wrote the controversial statement on his Twitter page -- in a response to LeBron James' plea to bring Griner home.

"I know this may seem like a stretch," the 55-year-old said. "But something like 300 million people understand 'OBEY THE F***ING LAW', why is that such a challenge?"

"And why on earth should she NOT pay the penalty for breaking another country's laws?"

Griner has been locked in a cell in Russia since mid-February, after authorities said they found hashish oil in her luggage at an airport in Moscow. At a hearing in the case earlier this month, Griner pled guilty to the charges ... telling a judge at the time, "I didn't want to break the law."

Schilling obviously believes her plea and subsequent statements are justification for her to remain behind bars as long as Russia sees fit.

"She, as far as I know from every quote of hers," Schilling said, "has NEVER denied committing the crime, not once."

The United States government, meanwhile, has classified Griner as "wrongfully detained" and is in the process of negotiating with Russia to bring her home.

Dave Chappelle getting an Emmy nomination for a stand-up special some call transphobic is emboldening the transgender community -- but not so much in the way you might think.

We spoke to Ashlee Marie Preston in L.A. to get her reaction to the comedian getting a Primetime Emmy nod for Netflix's "The Closer" -- which, as you know, was the subject of much controversy last year ... and even spurred Netflix employee walkouts in protest.

Preston -- who isn't a Netflix employee, but still helped organize the walkout -- tells us she and other members of the transgender and queer community have an action plan ... the details of which she's purposely keeping under wraps, but promises we'll see soon as a response.

Give the clip a watch ... it sounds like Ashlee and Co. are about to roll out a campaign or an announcement of sorts that advocates for LGBT-friendly content -- something she says the industry needs more of to help combat the POVs Dave expressed in "Closer," which she considers harmful.

Preston also tells us that instead of focusing on Chappelle ... she encourages anyone who supports their cause to turn their attention to Emmy nominees who help tell their story -- folks like Bowen Yang and others, who are also up for awards this year.

It's also interesting to hear Preston's approach this time around -- rather than being triggered and reacting in haste, she and her colleagues appear to be going about the response much more strategically.

Senator Ted Cruz seems to be telegraphing what many believe the Supreme Court might do next -- namely, overturn legalized gay marriage ... this on the heels of Roe v Wade.

The Texas legislator expressed his own personal disapproval of the landmark decision in Obergefell v Hodges back in 2015 -- a ruling that made gay marriage legal throughout the entire United States ... and which some worry might be on the chopping block soon.

Watch ... during a recent appearance on 'The Cloakroom' podcast via Verdict+, Cruz says he thinks the High Court overreached in its authority back then, ushering in a new right that isn't explicitly stated in the Constitution -- TC, of course, is a strict constructionist.

While he doesn't go further to say anything but his viewpoint on the matter -- saying that it was the wrong decision -- the Twitter-sphere is, no doubt, up in arms after seeing this.

The theory ... the Supreme Court isn't going to just stop at abortion -- that the Justices might try and overturn a lot of old cases tied to privacy -- including Obergefell, if not more. Of course, in order for that to happen ... a case touching on this must be brought forth, of which there doesn't seem to be any right now on the court docket in the near future.

Still, the fact a case could potentially make its way to SCOTUS is a very real possibility ... and with this current Justice lineup, they might be inclined to undo years of precedent.

Justice Clarence Thomas explicitly said he thought the court had a duty to go back and overturn a number of cases that were in the same legal ballpark as Roe ... and it sounds like Senator Cruz is onboard with that.

Ricky Martin's brother is backing his sibling's claim that their nephew -- who's accusing Ricky of domestic violence and incest -- is a deeply troubled guy.

Eric Martin took to social media this week to air out his grievances about the case playing out in Puerto Rico ... starting out by saying that just because someone takes out a protective order under this statute -- which is admittedly serious -- does not necessarily mean the alleged victim is telling the truth ... and that the facts still must be vetted thoroughly.

Eric says he's on the side of justice and truth, but by his rant here -- you can tell he's defending Ricky, and casting doubt on their nephew -- whom he's ID'd as 21-year-old Dennis Yadiel Sanchez. He also says IF the allegations against Ricky are true -- which he's incredulous over -- the response from society should not be retribution ... but rehabilitation.

That seems to be more of a general thought, though, about instances of incest ... because, again, Eric clearly doesn't believe Ricky did this.

He makes one last point in another video … namely, that he too believes their nephew suffers from mental health problems -- which he addresses directly to Dennis, whom he says he loves. Eric also says Dennis is estranged from the family, and that he knows what kind of hurt he's inflicted on other family members before all this ... but Eric doesn't elaborate.

As we reported, Ricky has called BS over all of this ... insisting his name will be cleared in court. He reportedly faces upwards of 50 years behind bars if convicted of the charges.

LeBron James has something to say you Boston basketball fans -- you're SO racist.

LeBron went off on his latest episode of "The Shop," after being asked why he hates Boston. His blunt answer ... "Cause they racist as f***."

King James went on ... "They will say anything. And it's fine. It's my life, f*** I've been dealing with it my whole life. I don't mind it. I hear it. If I hear somebody close by, I check them real quick, then move onto the game. They're going to say whatever the f*** they want to say."

James offered receipts for his conclusion ... reminding folks about the 2012 incident at the Eastern Conference Finals, where Celtics diehards doused him with a drink as he walked toward the locker room.

LeBron's not alone. Other players have also groused about the way Celtics fans behave, Klay Thompson complained, "We've played in front of rude fans before. Dropping f-bombs with children in the crowd. Really classy. Good job, Boston."

Draymond Green's wife blasted them for chanting "f*** you Draymond" during the NBA finals.