Controversial S#!T

President Biden and the rest of the White House celebrated Pride this weekend -- but conservatives are crying foul, claiming JB broke the law in doing so ... flag law, specifically.

Here's the deal ... Joe and co. were hosting a Pride event outside the WH Saturday, where he spoke passionately about protecting individuals who identify as LGBTQ+ ... especially transgender children, whom he said were seen, heard and most definitely belonged.

His remarks were embraced by the LGBTQ+ community and their allies -- but, of course, they also came under fire by right-wingers who felt he was playing a dangerous game.

Eventually, they found something on the grounds to pin their outrage to ... a flag display hanging from the White House itself, with the Pride rainbow flag slotted in between two U.S. flags.

You see, some were citing a certain part of the U.S. Flag Code -- which, yes, is indeed real -- and asserted JB was in violation of section 7, article (e) ... which discusses how U.S. flags should be displayed in public. There are 15 articles dissecting this whole topic, BTW.

Article (e) reads, "The flag of the United States of America should be at the center and at the highest point of the group when a number of flags of States or localities or pennants of societies are grouped and displayed from staffs." Basically, the red, white and blue oughta take precedent and be most prominent among an assortment of flags -- that's the "rule."

In response to how the WH arranged the flags here, one conservative -- echoing many others -- writes, "To advance revolutionary transgender agenda targeting children, Biden violates basic tenet of US Flag Code and disrespects every American service member buried under its colors." Some are even calling on Biden to apologize and/or be held to account.

The reality ... nobody is going to do squat about this -- because, frankly, it's not a big deal. More importantly, though, the U.S. Flag Code (while technically a federal law) is not enforced at all ... and operates more as a recommendation on proper decorum/custom than anything.

Nicki Minaj is the victim of a swatting prank ... one the Sheriff's Dept. says involved a caller falsely claiming Nicki's child was being abused, but also -- that her house was up in flames.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the attempted swatting went down earlier this month when child services got an anonymous call alleging child abuse at Nicki's L.A.-area home.

We're told sheriff's deputies rolled up to Nicki's place around 6 PM Monday, but after speaking with her and her husband Kenneth Petty ... and looking at their almost 3-year-old child, determined there was no abuse and everything was kosher.

Our sources say deputies chalked it up to a swatting call, and officers want everyone to know these sorts of calls are a huge waste of time and resources.

BTW, that wasn't the only thing being falsely reported about Nicki on this particular night -- sources with direct knowledge tell us another call came in around 3 AM to report that her home was on fire ... something that was also found to be completely untrue. In other words, 2 bogus calls came in a span of about 24 hours -- which is pretty jarring on its face.

For the uninitiated, swatting is a form of prank call where the goal is to get a big police response at someone's home ... and it's a growing problem for cops around the country.

Nicki's not the only celeb dealing with swatting calls. As we first reported, it's recently happened to YouTuber Adin Ross and influencer Madison Beer.

Gear up to turn to the dark side of the Force, Inter Miami fans ... Alexi Lalas tells TMZ Sports that after adding Lionel Messi this week, he can see the team now becoming a "super club Death Star!"

We spoke at length with the Team USA soccer legend just hours after Messi confirmed he'll play for Miami's MLS squad in 2023 ... and Lalas said the move is a tectonic-plate-shifting one for the sport in America.

He told us he expects it to attract millions more to the game in the States -- and raise the MLS' profile significantly.

He also, though, predicted it could alter the fabric of Inter Miami tremendously ... telling us he's envisioning Messi recruiting some big names to the team -- and turning it into a villain-like superpower in the near future.

"We're already seeing incredible names now being linked to coming to Inter Miami," Lalas said. "It's almost as if they're in the process of potentially creating this MLS super club Death Star, and the hate-watching is going to be absolutely epic!"

Lalas said if it does, indeed, take that turn ... he's anticipating it to create some serious rivalries in the U.S. league -- which would be a big boon for fans here in the States.

"I know if I was on another team -- a less sexy team, for example -- and Miami was doing all of this," he said, "and one of the greatest to ever play is there, I would want to kick his ass."

But, Lalas did offer fans to proceed somewhat cautiously at least initially ... explaining to us that, currently, the Inter Miami roster is not exactly the best -- which could lead to some early frustrations for Messi.

Then again, he told us he's fully ready to see flashes of brilliance from Messi ... despite his roster's limitations and his 35-year-old age.

Garth Brooks says he isn't keeping any beers off his tap list when it comes to what he'll serve at his new bar -- and that apparently includes Bud Light ... despite the backlash.

In a recent interview with Billboard, the country singer alluded to having the embattled Anheuser-Busch brand featured in his soon-to-be-opened Friends In Low Places Bar & Honky Tonk in Nashville -- which is gonna be on the famed Broadway strip there in downtown.

They were talking about the kind of vibe Garth wants to foster there -- and how he'll, perhaps, differentiate himself/his establishment from other honky tonks there -- and he said one thing they'll do to stand out is by serving beer that every kind of person can enjoy.

Here's the full quote ... "I know this sounds corny, I want it to be the Chick-fil-A of honky-tonks. I want it to be a place you feel safe in, I want it to be a place where you feel like there are manners and people like one another."

GB goes on to add, "And yes, we're going to serve every brand of beer. We just are. It's not our decision to make. Our thing is this, if you [are let] into this house, love one another. If you're an a**hole, there are plenty of other places on lower Broadway."

Of course, Garth didn't mention Bud Light or Dylan Mulvaney by name ... but it's obvious what he was referring to. Bottom line here is ... the dude's gonna have Bud ready to pour.

Garth's embrace of Bud Light is getting some flak from conservatives, who are accusing him of going "woke" and capitulating to left-wing viewpoints. There are even some who are vowing to boycott his bar and take their dollar elsewhere -- including Kid Rock's place.

Brian Austin Green is setting the record straight on a rumor -- regarding his ex-wife Megan Fox and their 3 children -- that's been circulating on Twitter.

First, here's what has Brian heated ... it's a tweet from a guy named Robby Starbuck -- a self-proclaimed "Free Thinker" who ran for U.S. Congress in 2022 -- who posted a pic of Megan and the kids, with the caption ... "These are Megan Fox’s sons. We used to live in the same gated community and our kids played at the park."

Starbuck adds, "I saw 2 of them have a full on breakdown saying they were forced by their mom to wear girls clothes as their nanny tried to console them. It’s pure child abuse. Pray for them."

Well, Brian tells TMZ ... "It’s a totally bogus story. There are only a few people in their world that can actually verify wether [sic] or not a story like this is true and I can tell you with absolute certainty it is not. This person trying to claim this is true is a perfect example of someone with selfish motives that does not care about negatively affecting a parent child relationship."

To Brian's point, Starbuck's motives in posting the phony claim do reek of political motivation, because he also said, "We knew California wouldn’t do anything about it because the state celebrates this stuff" -- and casually mentions he and his family moving to Tennessee.

Translation: He hates liberal CA, and hightailed it for greener conservative pastures in TN.

For the record, Megan has said she does not tell their children what to wear, particularly their eldest, Noah. Five years ago she did a few interviews saying, “If a boy loves princesses and a girl loves baseball, that’s not indicative of their sexuality. It’s indicative of their communication and creative expression. We can’t limit children by telling them how they should play.”

YFN Lucci is rejecting a plea deal Georgia prosecutors offered him in his racketeering case ... we've learned Lucci's instead opting to go to trial to clear his name.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ Hop Hop, Fulton County D.A. Fani Willis recommended a 20-year sentence, 17 of them in prison ... and in exchange, Lucci would have to plead guilty to multiple charges -- including felony murder, racketeering, aggravated assault and violation of the street gang terrorism and prevention act.

Lucci, whose real name is Rayshawn Bennett, is not interested in the offer. His attorneys, Drew Findling and Gabe Banks, tell us the plea offer is "absurd," and they strongly hinted the D.A. is intentionally dragging her feet -- they point out Lucci is still waiting to go to trial after 2.5 years in custody.

The attorneys also slammed Willis for focusing instead on "newer, high-profile cases that have completely monopolized the Court’s resources" and pointed out her "utter inability to prosecute complex cases."

They went on to say ... "Despite the obstacles consistently placed in the way of Mr. Bennett’s constitutional right to a speedy and fair trial, we continue to be ready and prepared to defend these false allegations."

Zoey Stark has been making a name for herself since being drafted to "Monday Night Raw" ... but the former NXT star is ready to become a champ on the main roster -- and wants to go through WWE Smackdown Women's Champion Rhea Ripley to make it happen!

TMZ Sports spoke with Stark just days after she defeated Natalya to qualify for the Money in the Bank Women's ladder match with help from her friend, Trish Stratus ... and she's already envisioning going toe-to-toe with the Judgement Day member in the squared circle.

"I really want Rhea Ripley," Stark said. "I feel like we can have an amazing match. I feel like we'll have great chemistry inside of a ring together. And we'll have a fun time doing it, and honestly, we'll beat the crap out of each other. And I think that would be fun to watch."

Stark's on-camera relationship with Trish blossomed after she helped Stratus defeat Becky Lynch at "Night of Champions" ... and Zoey told us she attributes her early success on RAW to Trish's mentorship.

"Trish has been very big in helping me," Stark said. "Every week, we sit down, and we talk about what could have been better, what do I need to fix. She's been an amazing mentor. So being able to work alongside her is so fun, and I'm truly blessed to be able to do that."

Before Stark can get her hands on Rhea, she'll have to defeat several competitors at the Money in the Bank Ladder match, slated to go down Saturday, July 1, at the O2 Arena in London ... but she assured us she's going to emerge from that match victorious.

She also gave Haley & Hanna Cavinder some advice after the twins recently made their first WWE appearance on NXT ... reminding the former college hoopers that becoming a WWE Superstar requires sacrifice and commitment.

Kim Kardashian's got some serious star power as an actress ... according to Zachary Quinto, who says he was 'really impressed' by her work on the upcoming season of “American Horror Story."

Zachary gave Kim the kind words at the recent Tribeca Film Festival premiere of his new flick "He Went That Way," which he stars in alongside "Euphoria" actor Jacob Eldori.

The 'AHS' alum not only confirmed he'll be returning to Ryan Murphy's franchise as a cameo, but says Kim did pretty damn well from what he saw ... saying "She seemed really in her element, and I was really impressed by her spirit and her openness."

He says he's extremely excited to see her work in the final product -- adding she's going to do a wonderful job. Zachary even admitted, "I don’t think she needs my advice."

As we reported, it was revealed in April that Kim K would be joining the ranks in season 12 of "AHS," titled "Delicate" -- the big announcement also revealed Emma Roberts would be returning to the long-running series, although everyone's parts are kept under wraps.

Amanda Nunes believes she is the greatest mixed martial arts fighter of all time... but if you don't, that's cool with "The Lioness."

TMZ Sports talked to 35-year-old Nunes, who is returning to the Octagon in the main event at UFC 289, and asked her who she believed was the greatest ever.

Amanda didn't mince her words ... "Me."

Of course, it's a subjective question ... it can't be definitively answered. In the wake of Jon Jones going up to heavyweight and dominating Ciryl Gane with ease, a lot of fight fans, including Dana White, have declared "Bones" Jones the greatest.

Others in the conversation are Khabib Nurmagomedov, Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson and Georges St-Pierre, in addition to Nunes.

Amanda, who won back her belt vs. Julianna Pena in July, will fight 35-year-old Irene Aldana Saturday night in Vancouver. We asked Nunes, who has done everything in the sport (double champ, beaten "Cyborg", Ronda Rousey, V. Shevchenko), if retirement has entered her mind.

The short answer is no ... 'cause Amanda says she still enjoys the "feeling" of a fight, and "process" of preparing.

"I wanna keep doing this because this is what makes me alive, keeping me fresh, keeping me on my toes. I love the competitions and I don't see anything after this fight so I guess I'm gonna go through this, get my belt back home, and get right back to the next."

We also talked to Irena, who is on a mission to stop the belt from going back to Florida with Nunes, and she made it clear she isn't content with simply sharing the Octagon with Amanda. She wants to win.

And since her teammate, fellow Mexican fighter Alexa Grasso, won the belt by beating another dominant champ in Valentina Shevchenko, Aldana has faith that it's possible.

"I learned a lot from [Alexa] and I love the way she handled all these things. She had the world against her and nobody gave her a chance and she showed the world."

FYI, Grasso was a huge underdog ... and so is Aldana.

But, Alexa won ... and that's Irene's plan, too.

Someone might wanna take Justin Bieber's dad's phone -- he's attempting to clear up his previous anti-LGBTQ comment, claiming he's misunderstood ... and really is just making things worse.

Jeremy hopped on Twitter Friday morning to further explain what he meant in posting, "Don't forget to thank a straight person this month for your existence."

Jeremy says, "My post was to acknowledge families, that's it! and before you say I abandoned my son, move on! that's an old narrative pushed! its ridiculous and didn't happen. Now my delivery may have been poor but it was not to be hateful or homophobic."

What Jeremy has clearly failed to learn from the wave of criticism he's received is ... straight people aren't the only ones who have families.

He also played the "some of my best friends are" card in his clarification, tweeting ... "My brother is gay and I adore him, Love whomever you want that’s your business not "mine"  my problem is the hostile takeover of our cities and schools by LGBTQ this is the concern of many. There is a place for everyone, and everyone’s opinion! That does not equal hate!"

Jeremy's reference of a "hostile takeover" screams of someone who's been shooting up cases of Bud Light, and/or tearing down Pride displays in a Target store.

He's claiming he's not anti-LGBTQ, but to say there's been a "takeover" of cities and schools is not only inaccurate, it's the dangerous kind of rhetoric that puts LGBTQ members at risk.

Little advice for Jeremy -- maybe just take the rest of this month off to enjoy your version of a family.

Boxing star Adrien Broner is itching to show his critics he's far from washed ... telling TMZ Sports he's looking to knockout Bill Hutchinson later on Friday!!

The 34-4-1 welterweight hasn't stepped into the ring since 2021 ... but he says he's more than ready to put back on his gloves at the FITE event inside Casino Miami in Florida.

"It's been a crazy training camp," the 33-year-old said earlier this week. "I feel good. I'm ready. I can't wait to put on a show."

Many, however, don't believe Broner can return to the boxer he once was ... particularly because he's only taken one fight since he lost badly to Manny Pacquiao in Jan. 2019.

But, Broner says he isn't the least bit concerned about his detractors ... telling us they're all simply just like "ass****s."

"Everybody got one," he said. "If I didn't have critics or haters, then I wouldn't be doing something right, you know? I'd feel like, 'S***, why nobody hatin' on me?'"

AB's opponent, Hutchinson, is by no means a tomato can ... he's 20-2-4 with nine knockouts -- and will present a tough test for Broner. The fight is expected to begin around 10:30 PM ET.

Ugly scene during the UEFA Europa Conference League final on Wednesday ... soccer star Cristiano Biraghi was pelted with trash while on the field -- and one of the objects hit him so flush, it opened a gnarly wound on his head.

The incident happened during the first half of West Ham's heated tilt with Fiorentina at Fortuna Arena in Prague ... after Biraghi's Fiorentina squad was awarded a corner kick.

You can see in footage from the game's broadcast, West Ham supporters were so upset over the call -- they launched empty cups at Biraghi's head.

Initially, the 30-year-old defender was unnerved by the trash-throwing -- aiming some sarcastic claps back at the unruly fans -- but when he realized he was bleeding profusely from the back of his noggin, he sought out medical attention.

Thankfully, while the gash looked bad, he was able to put a bandage on it and continue.

Refs, though, did have to pause the game -- while a public address announcer urged fans to refrain from throwing objects on the pitch.

At halftime, BT Sport commentator and ex-soccer star Joe Cole ripped the supporters for "moronic behavior."

Zion Williamson didn't get much time to celebrate being a girl dad before becoming the center of some bombshell allegations ... 'cause a popular porn star says the hooper "better pray" he's not about to be a father of two.

32-year-old Moriah Mills -- a music artist and OnlyFans model with more than a million followers on Twitter -- alleged she is in a romantic relationship with the New Orleans Pelicans forward in a Twitter rant on Wednesday ... claiming she had no idea he was seeing someone else, let alone expecting a baby, too.

Mills says she was intimate with Zion as recently as last week ... and posted alleged Snapchat messages that appear to show him arranging to have her move to New Orleans.

Moriah gave X-rated details about her alleged experiences with Zion -- she also took credit for getting him get back into shape as he sat out the majority of the season with an injury.

"Better pray I’m not pregnant too because I’m definitely late @Zionwilliamson," Moriah added.

Zion's GF, Ahkeema, appeared to respond to Moriah's tirade ... saying, "Happy hoes ain't hating and hating hoes ain't happy."

Moriah clapped back ... saying, "You not on my level mah believe that."

Zion and Ahkeema shared footage of their gender reveal party on Tuesday ... which showed they are expecting a baby girl together.

Justin Bieber's dad, Jeremy, is letting everybody know exactly how he feels about Pride Month, posting dismissive messages about the celebrations happening this June.

Jeremy, who has children with 3 different women, took to Twitter Wednesday to post a meme of a Pride flag and the message, "Don't forget to thank a straight person this month for your existence."

The meme comes on the heels of his posting Monday, which read, "We need to celebrate families. U know the reason we’re all here! The things this generation glorifies is unbelievable!"

Jeremy's messaging is pretty clear ... he's not about celebrating the LGBTQ+ community, and Justin's fans have certainly let him have it with their responses.

One wrote, "Don't forget to thank Justin Bieber this month for your paid bills" another said, "Yes! thanks straight man, who left your woman at the time raising your child alone. You are definitely the best person to something about family, respect and love."

Jeremy had Justin with Pattie Mallette when the two were 18 and split shortly after. Pattie raised Justin on her own with the help of her own parents ... though Justin and Jeremy maintained a relationship as he got older.

Of course, Jeremy's posts come on the heels of heightened tension and anti-LGBTQ legislation over the past several months. As we reported, a brawl broke out in California last night as a school board met to discuss including LGBTQ curriculum.

We covered it all in the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

Originally Published -- 7:21 AM PT

Rory McIlroy is breaking his silence on the PGA Tour and LIV Golf merger, saying he feels like a "sacrificial lamb" after turning down a reported $500 MILLION payout from the Saudis last year, only to watch the organizations come together ... minus the half a billion dollar check.

But, despite his personal feelings, the 4x Majors winner admits he believes the merger is "ultimately good for the game of professional golf."

34-year-old McIlroy met with the media at RBC Canadian Open in Canada ... and as expected, Rory was asked about the news that shocked golf to its core on Tuesday, when the two bitter enemies decided to put aside their differences and instead work together.

"It's hard for me to not sit up here and feel somewhat like a sacrificial lamb. Feeling like I've put myself out there and this is what happens," McIlroy flatly told reporters.

Rory added ... "Removing myself from the situation, I see how this is better for the game of golf. There's no denying that. But, for me as an individual, there's going to be conversations that have to be had."

Good or not for the game, McIlroy admits he doesn't like LIV, at all. And, he actually thinks LIV (in its current form) could go away with the merger.

"I still hate LIV. I hope it goes away and I fully expect that it does and I think that's where the distinction here is. This is the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour, and the PIF. Very different from LIV. All I've tried to do is protect what the PGA Tour is and what the PGA Tour stands for, and I think it will continue to do that."

The "PIF" is the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, operated by the Crown Prince, which backs LIV.

The PIF made big payments to stars like Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, and Dustin Johnson, enticing them to leave the PGA Tour. However, Rory and Tiger Woods turned down an unthinkable amount of money (reportedly $500m for Rory, and $800m for Tiger) to stick with the PGA.

Despite being left out in the cold, Rory says he hopes the seemingly endless amount of money ends up trickling down to the players.

"Whether you like it or not, the PIF and the Saudis want to spend money in the game of golf, and they weren't going to stop. The thing for me is how can we get that money into the game but use it the right way and I think that's what this ultimately will do."

Chris Paul says his championship-less career is really starting to affect his family ... revealing his daughter is now actually getting bullied in school over it.

The Phoenix Suns star went into detail about the sad situation on "The Pivot" podcast this week ... explaining his 10-year-old has been receiving hate from classmates following yet another season without a title for the 38-year-old.

"She had a little boy, whatever, at school that said some reckless stuff to her," Paul said. "He was like, 'Your daddy ain't never gon' win no championship.'"

Paul said his little girl kept it cool while at the school -- but she later gave him a phone call about it.

"She was upset," he said. "I had to have that conversation with her and talk to her and tell her, like, 'Baby, some people talk and some people do.'"

Paul got emotional as he spoke about the matter ... but he vowed to work as hard as possible to change it all at some point.

"It's tough man, but can't nobody ever be harder on me than I am on myself," he said ... before adding, "As mad as I am and whatnot, I cannot let that define me. Right? I got to get back to work."

Despite no rings, CP3 has had a helluva career nonetheless. The 2005 first-round pick has made 12 All-Star games, nine All-Defensive teams ... and he was even named to the Association's 75th Anniversary Team.