Controversial S#!T

The second night of unrest in Minnesota had echoes of 2020 protests past -- as citizens remain furious over Daunte Wright's death at the hands of police.

Even more people took to the streets Monday evening in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center ... where folks gathered outside a police station to demand justice for Wright and his family.

As the hours went on and the 7 PM curfew came and went, police eventually began to disperse the crowd with flash bombs and chemical agents ... this as protesters hurled projectiles at cops in return. Meanwhile, all throughout the area, looting was underway.

Gas stations and businesses were ransacked ... including a notable hit at a Dollar Tree, the aftermath of which was captured on video and shared online like wildfire.

There was even more tension on the streets ... where CNN correspondent Sara Sidner came face-to-face with an irate demonstrator who got in her face during a live shot, and basically told her and her network to kick rocks -- accusing the media of making matters worse.

It made for a heated on-camera moment -- the guy unloaded expletives at Sidner, who kept calm and deescalated the situation.

Of course, the protests were not just limited to Minnesota, there were also clashes with police in Portland as well ... where tensions have remained high for almost a year now.

The renewed wave of fury and outrage came on the heels of Brooklyn Center PD releasing the shocking body cam footage from officer Kim Potter -- reportedly a 26-year vet -- which showed the moment she fired on Daunte.

The disturbing video shows what Potter and her superiors are calling an accidental discharge ... as she apparently reached for her handgun instead of her Taser and fired off one round as Daunte tried to escape custody.

Potter is on administrative leave, but hasn't been fired yet -- the BCPD says it's letting the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension conduct its investigation and will proceed accordingly when those findings are complete.

The violent traffic stop of Army Lieutenant Caron Nazario has Black veterans demanding changes from law enforcement -- reform to ensure Black soldiers aren't treated like crap.

Several state commanders for the National Association for Black Veterans tell TMZ ... something's gotta change among police departments to avoid a repeat of the treatment Lt. Nazario got in Virginia ... getting pepper-sprayed 4 times by cops barking orders.

The commanders, who all saw the incident as blatant racism, suggested different approaches -- increasing racial sensitivity training, improving police department hiring practices, shifting police funding and more criminal prosecution of bad cops.

The Kentucky commander we spoke to wants to see funds for tanks and special equipment reallocated and invested into mental health services for cops, plus the creation of a citizens review board.

The Texas commander wants police departments to look closer at prospective officers' intentions before handing them a badge and a gun, and added ... the cops on the Nazario stop looked like they treated the Lt. that way on purpose.

As we first reported ... Lt. Nazario's attorney, Jonathan Arthur, says prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into the incident. Once completed, Virginia State Police will submit their findings to the Isle of Wight Commonwealth Attorney for possible charges, or to a special prosecutor.

Hank Azaria -- who voiced Apu on 'The Simpsons' for years -- says his guilt after ditching the role is so great, he feels he has to say sorry to every Indian person he encounters.

The actor relayed this sentiment on the Armchair Expert podcast, telling hosts Dax Shepard and Monica Padman ... "Part of me feels like I need to go to every single Indian person in this country and personally apologize. And, sometimes I do."

Hank also said he learned about the impact of the character -- which many say is stereotypical and inherently racist -- after taking seminars and just talking to people on the ground, including kids he's met through his own son.

Hank described one interaction he had with an Indian teen, who was apparently in tears as he told the longtime 'Simpsons' star that Apu had had a devastating effect on him and his community at large ... pleading with Hank to deliver the message to Hollywood writers.

He says he's a big advocate of actors of color voicing characters of the same race -- which is exactly why he stepped away from the gig back in 2017, following the backlash of 'The Problem with Apu.' It's interesting, Hank even referred to Apu as a de facto racial slur on the podcast.

Of course, not everyone is on the same page with Hank ... including series' creator, Matt Groening, who recently said he was proud of what they'd done with Apu as a character.

The internet is ablaze with fury that Usher allegedly made it rain on strippers with fake ass money -- with his face on it, no less -- but take a breather, because that's not how it went down.

You might have caught wind of this today -- a dancer going by the handle @beel0ove on IG posted photos of three "Usher bucks" that came in $100, $20 and $1 denominations ... all with Mr. Raymond's face in place of the usual dead Presidents.

She posed the question ... "Ladies what would you do if you danced all night for usher and he threw this??" The insinuation was she actually got the bogus cash for services rendered, and called for Usher to be "blasted" for passing the funny money.

She kinda got her wish, based on all the Usher memes out there now -- BUT, turns out there's way more to the story ... according to people directly involved.

For starters, this all happened at Sapphire in Vegas -- and a rep for the club tells TMZ Usher did NOT tip the strippers with this fake money, and actually dished out authentic greenbacks, while also going on to tip the staff at large quite generously.

We're told Usher and co. ended up spending thousands on the dancers (REAL thousands, mind you) and also enjoyed bottle service ... which he definitely didn't cover with these Usher bucks. It goes without saying ... Sapphire tells us they'd love to host him again, anytime.

Now for some more intel on what the hell actually happened here -- sources close to Usher tell us that somebody in his crew (not him) left some stray Usher dollars behind on the stage as a bit of a gag ... both to be joke-y, but to also promote his new Vegas residency.

We've been assured by folks in the singer's camp that he did, in fact, tip the girls who danced for him ... and that the Usher bucks in question weren't used for payment AT ALL.

Another bad look for Conor McGregor ... who's admitting he never forked over the $500,000 donation check to Dustin Poirier's charity, despite promising to make the payment before they fought back in January.

In the lead up to their main event scrap at UFC 257, McGregor repeatedly publicly declared he would send the sizable donation to Poirier's "The Good Fight Foundation," a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides resources to underprivileged youth in Poirier's home state of Louisiana.

McGregor initially pledged the money in October 2020 -- repeated the $500k promise again in November ... and vowed to cut the check again in the days before the fight.

But, Poirier revealed Sunday night his organization NEVER got a cent from Conor's team -- claiming McGregor's team went MIA on Poirier's charity "after the fight" in January.

Poirier later explained, "We thanked him because his team reached out fight week to initiate the process but ghosted us the past 2 months after the fight."

"My foundation has reached out 3 times since with no reply. We've moved past it! We will be announcing our next goal soon! It's a big one."

Conor sheepishly replied on Twitter with allegations of his own -- saying, "A donation, not a debt. We’ve been awaiting the plans for the money that never came. I do with all my donations. Know where it’s going dot for dot. Otherwise it goes walking. As is the case with a lot of these foundations, sadly. You took the McG over the belt shows I was right."

McGregor is trying to paint Dustin as more interested in money than legacy -- both in and out of the ring.

He's insinuating Dustin only took the Conor fight because of the massive check -- instead of taking a fight with another opponent that would have brought him closer to winning the UFC lightweight title.

Dustin responded to Conor early Monday morning ... saying, "100% never a debt. You offered, we accepted, and like I said your Team never responded to our emails regarding the process of where funds would be put to work! July 10th you will taste defeat yet Again."

So, here's the long and short ... McGregor is suggesting Poirier's charity is shady -- which is a pretty heavy allegation to make publicly.

But, McGregor had MONTHS to do his own research before making a public declaration to donate such a hefty amount.

Props to Dustin for dealing with the situation with class.

The NCAA is going to bat for transgender athletes who want to compete at the college level -- saying it will only hold NCAA championship events in areas that are "safe, healthy and free of discrimination."

The NCAA Board of Governors issued a strong statement on the issue as more U.S. states reportedly move closer to passing laws that would make it much more difficult for a transgender athlete to compete at the high school and college levels using their gender identity instead of gender assigned at birth.

"The NCAA Board of Governors firmly and unequivocally supports the opportunity for transgender student-athletes to compete in college sports. This commitment is grounded in our values of inclusion and fair competition," the statement said.

The NCAA then spelled out its policy about transgender participation in college sports.

"Our approach -- which requires testosterone suppression treatment for transgender women to compete in women’s sports -- embraces the evolving science on this issue and is anchored in participation policies of both the International Olympic Committee and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee."

"Inclusion and fairness can coexist for all student-athletes, including transgender athletes, at all levels of sport."

Then, in a move that seems similar to the MLB's decision to yank the All-Star game out of Georgia ... the NCAA warned it would pull NCAA championship events out of areas where it feels the environment is not safe for transgender athletes.

"When determining where championships are held, NCAA policy directs that only locations where hosts can commit to providing an environment that is safe, healthy and free of discrimination should be selected."

"We will continue to closely monitor these situations to determine whether NCAA championships can be conducted in ways that are welcoming and respectful of all participants."

Paul Blart: NFL coach!?

Kevin James is all set to play New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton in an upcoming Netflix project ... and it's all based around the fallout from the infamous "Bountygate" scandal.

Remember, Payton was suspended for 1 year after the NFL found Saints defensive players were getting cash payouts from 2009 to 2011 for targeting and injuring opponents during games.

But, the movie doesn't sound like a dark look into the violent side of the scandal ... it's reportedly based on Payton's decision to focus on coaching his son's youth football team during his time away from the league.

The movie is being produced by Adam Sandler's Happy Madison Productions -- so it seems the flick will be a lighthearted, family-friendly depiction of the situation ... despite the heavy and despicable nature of the suspension in the first place.

The movie is titled "Home Team" ... and Payton is reportedly heavily involved, according to Peter King -- who says Payton received a copy of the script and actually submitted a round of notes to producers.

In real life, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was FURIOUS with Payton and the Saints for the scandal -- saying it gave the league a serious black eye.

An NFL investigation found that Payton both knew about the bounty situation AND made efforts to conceal it from the league during subsequent investigations.

One of the players who had a bounty on his head was Brett Favre -- who got the snot beat out of him during the 2010 NFC Championship game. The beating he took that day was exceptionally violent.

The NFL ultimately found Payton failed to "act in a responsible manner" to shut down the bounty scheme and suspended him for the entire 2012 season.

During his suspension, Payton helped out his son's 6th-grade youth football team.

According to Peter King, Payton used the suspension to "re-assess his life and put it in some perspective" -- and that will serve as the theme for the upcoming movie.

There is already some backlash on social media from people who are afraid the movie will paint Payton as some sort of hero. Then again, people can change ... right?

The four-legged friend of the U.S. Army Lieutenant who was repeatedly pepper-sprayed by a cop is feeling better after choking on pepper spray and struggling to breathe.

Lt. Caron Nazario's attorney, Jonathan Arthur, tells TMZ ... Nazario's pooch, Smoke, is OK after the scary incident, despite feeling the effects of the toxic chemical.

As you know, Nazario was pulled over in Virginia, pepper-sprayed and attacked ... all over the fact he didn't have a rear license plate. Smoke was in the backseat of the SUV during the incident, and one of the cops fired pepper spray at the Lt. four separate times.

The Lt. told the cops the dog was in distress, but they did not come to his aid.

The dog, who was in a kennel in the back of the SUV, eventually shook off the toxins. He did not need to see a vet.

The woman caught on video pointing a gun out of her car window, then firing it out of her sunroof at a busy L.A. intersection has been charged with 3 felonies ... and she's still sitting in jail.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ ... Ashley Tamika Greenwade's been hit with one count of assault with a firearm for the April 6 incident, along with one count of discharge of a firearm with gross negligence, and one count of having a concealed firearm in a vehicle that's not registered to her.

We're told the first charge is due to Greenwade allegedly aiming her weapon at a person from her vehicle before she fired it up in the air.

Greenwade is still in police custody. She's being held on $35,000 bail ... and is facing up to 4 years behind bars.

As we reported ... the surreal road rage scene went down last week. The suspect was recorded screaming at someone off-camera before whipping out a handgun and loading it.

As she pointed it, she asked .... "Anybody wanna die now? Anybody???" Then, she unloaded several shots straight up through her sunroof.

A so-called White Lives Matter rally is ending early in Orange County .... since way more people showed up to counter the group's message, and almost literally sent them packing outta town.

The march went down Sunday afternoon in Huntington Beach, CA, and several face-offs -- mostly verbal -- broke out, but this one came closest to getting physical. When 3 men there supporting the rally quickly found themselves surrounded.

The counter-protesters were outnumbering the WLM contingent all day ... even before the rally got off the ground. When marchers, like these guys, did show up they were greeted by chants like, "Go home Nazis."

The ol' strength in numbers theory was in full effect, though, as the huge crowd chased these 3 guys away from the action ... without laying a hand on them.

Vin Diesel has a security problem ... with his neighbors, who say the actor's security team act like they own the hood.

Vin is renting a place in a gated community in the Dominican Republic, and neighbors say he has 12 aggressive security guards protecting him and his fam.

The neighbor next door says the last straw was this Easter, when the guards blocked pedestrians and traffic so Vin and his kids could bicycle.

The neighbor wrote a letter to Vin, obtained by TMZ, in which he says, "For a few weeks I have personally witnessed and heard from fellow homeowners the unprecedented and abusive display of your security people around our homes and beach. Interrogating us, blocking our street with five or six SUV's. Stopping residents while walking when you ride your bicycle."

The neighbor goes on ... "In over ten years the homeowners in Fundadores Juanillo Beach have never endured and suffered such absurd comportment by anyone renting a home in our very small, private and very secure community."

The neighbor, who's from New York, had a tinge of sarcasm when he wrote, "You should know that you are visiting a community where no one is a threat to you, or anyone else that visits us."

A source close to Vin tells TMZ, the actor's been going to the DR for 20 years, and he's gotten along great with everyone. As for the Easter incident, the source says Vin was riding his bike with his kids and handing out Easter baskets to workers in the community. The source adds there was extra security because Vin's entire family was there.

An SUV in California is rolling around with "ASN FLU" license plates, and people are enraged ... especially with Asian hate crimes on the rise amid the pandemic.

The SUV also sports a Trump 2020 sticker on the window.

Though the plates seem very 2020 -- given Trump's not-so-subtle attack on Asians by calling COVID "Kung Flu," among other things -- the California DMV says these plates were actually issued in 2006.

It's unclear why the owner wanted these plates or why the DMV approved them, because the application is no longer available. The agency also has no legal ground to revoke the plates, and the owner of the vehicle reportedly is not in any trouble.

Prince Harry's returning to Britain for the first time in a year following the death of Prince Philip ... and he's flying solo.

The Duke of Sussex is making the trip to the UK to attend his grandfather's funeral, but Meghan Markle -- who's pregnant with their second child -- did not receive medical clearance from her doctor to travel.

Harry will be following COVID-19 protocols for travel to and from the U.K. as well as during his time in his homeland, and the timing will work out for him to be at Prince Philip's funeral ... which will be held April 17 at Windsor Castle.

The funeral will be a family service closed to the public, and the Palace says Philip took part in planning it and asked for a private ceremony.

It goes without saying -- Prince Harry's return home will be very interesting ... as it will be his first face-to-face with the Royal Family since his and Meghan's bombshell TV interview with Oprah. Our sources say the Royal Family is not happy (understatement) with Meghan and Harry's interview, which some view as an attack and should have been handled privately.

It's also the first time Prince William's little brother will be back to see Queen Elizabeth II since he and Meghan stepped down as senior Royals in early 2020 and began their new lives in North America.  As you know, Harry and William are all but estranged, and the Oprah interview further drove a wedge between the two.

As we reported ... the Duke of Edinburgh, the Queen's husband of nearly 73 years, died Friday at Windsor Castle. His death came after some major health issues recently ... he was hospitalized back in February due to heart problems.

There will be no pity party for Paul Pierce -- the NBA legend's not wasting any time sulking over his departure from ESPN ... insisting he's already on the verge of a major comeback.

"Truth gonna bounce back like never before ... that's all you gotta know," so claimed "The Truth" on his way out of Il Pastaio restaurant in Beverly Hills Friday night.

So what's Paul's big move?? Well, we know Barstool Sports is making a recruiting push. In fact, Dave Portnoy personally tweeted out to Pierce just hours after his split with ESPN ... urging him to hit him up.

Pierce wouldn't dish out any details of his next gig after dinner though, but whatever it is ... he's pretty fired up about it.

As we reported ... ESPN parted ways with Pierce last week, though the network wouldn't reveal the reason for its decision.

Bill Maher obliterated the Oscars Friday night ... musing that the choices the Academy is making for best films require a name change to the Debbies ... as in Debbie Downer!!!

The 'Real Time' host ticked off the nominees for Best Motion Pic, and viewing may require a serious dose of Prozac, 'cause they're all super depressing.

Bill goes down the list -- "Judas and the Black Messiah," "Promising Young Woman, "The Sound of Metal," "Nomadland," "The Father," "Minari" ... Bill describes each and then lowers the boom with this ... "The 2021`Oscars, brought to you by razor blades, Kleenex and rope."

It's a hilarious ride ... Bill wonders, "What happened to show business? Did they all decide to quit cocaine at the same time?"

It wasn't just funny ... Bill had a point -- “Academy nominations used to say, ‘What great movies we make. Now they say, ‘Look what good people we are.’”

Kerry Washington learned an increasingly obvious lesson ... just don't say anything on social media, 'cause you'll get torn apart.

Kerry has now deleted her tweet suggesting an after-life connection between DMX and Prince Philip. She wrote, "Anybody else wondering what DMX and His Royal Highness Prince Phillip are chatting about together at the pearly gates? My love to both their families. May they both Rest in Peace."

The reaction was predictable ... “The assumption that DMX and that white man are going to the same place…now miss washington please…”

Another user took a stab with this ...  “One of them slid down the @LilNasX pole to hell, and it wasn’t DMX.”

And, then there's this ... “DMX and Prince Phillip going to two very different places…don’t lump in DMX with a white supremacist pls queen.”