Controversial S#!T

Alec Baldwin's claim he's not responsible for Halyna Hutchins' death is not echoed by the woman leading the "Rust" shooting investigation -- instead, she says Baldwin, and several others, could still be charged for their roles in the tragedy.

During his sit-down with George Stephanopoulos, Baldwin said he didn't feel guilt over what went down. As he put it, "Someone is responsible for what happened and I can't say who that is, but I know it's not me."

Well, Santa Fe County District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies isn't ready to clear his name, criminally, just yet. She tells TMZ ... "Everyone involved in the handling and use of firearms on the set had a duty to behave in a manner such that the safety of others was protected, and it appears that certain actions and inactions contributed to this outcome."

Her Office, along with the Sheriff's Dept., hasn't completed their probe yet ... and she's making it clear no decisions have been made about exactly who could be charged. She says, "Once I have had the opportunity to review the complete investigation, certain individuals may be criminally culpable for his/her actions and/or inactions on the set of Rust."

And, there's this ... Baldwin's explanation for how he fired the fatal shot isn't holding water with weapons expert Steve Wolf, who says the "no trigger" theory IS possible -- but there were several other mistakes made on the set.

Steve's been working with munitions and props for TV and film for decades, so he was particularly interested in Baldwin's claim that the replica antique revolver he was holding fired without him pulling the trigger.

Steve was on Friday's "TMZ Live" when he held up a similar handgun and demonstrated exactly what Baldwin described. He pulled back the hammer on the weapon, but unlike Alec claimed ... Steve says it's just not possible for the hammer to strike and fire a bullet without the trigger getting engaged. Not normally, anyway.

He admitted there are 2 possible exceptions -- first, there could have been a mechanical flaw ... and the other possibility has to do with how the weapon was manufactured.

The Colt .45 Baldwin was using is a replica of an 1873 revolver, and it could have been made without a safety feature that is standard on such weapons now, but wasn't back in the 19th century.

Ola Osundairo says he's not the homophobe Jussie Smollett claims he is, and we've got the photo he showed the court to prove it.

Both Ola and Abel Osundairo testified in the Smollett case Thursday, among questions directly related to the case, Ola also worked to fight Jussie's previous claims he was homophobic.

Ola told the court Jussie was full of it, and he has plenty of respect and experience with the gay community ... working as a bouncer at a gay club and even marching in a Chicago pride parade years ago "handing out condoms and flexing" as a Trojan warrior to promote Trojan condoms.

We've obtained the photo Ola shared with the court, and you can not only see him, but his brother Abel shirtless and decked out in Trojan gear.

Tristan Thompson is allegedly about to become a dad x3, this time with a woman out of Houston who claims she got pregnant after a brief fling with the NBA star ... and now wants him to pay up in the form of child support.

Maralee Nichols claims she's due to give birth to a baby boy today, December 3, according to new docs obtained by The Daily Mail. Nichols says the baby was conceived in Houston back in March ... around the time Thompson was in town to celebrate his 30th birthday.

The DM reports Thompson admits to having sex with Nichols several times at the hotel ... and previous to meeting up she had promised him a "birthday surprise" which he knew meant birthday sex.

If Nichols' timeline is accurate, Tristan was still publicly with Khloe Kardashian at the time he and the expecting mom hooked up.

One thing up for debate -- how long the fling lasted. Tristan reportedly says it was only a one-night stand, but Nichols says the two had been together off and on for around 5 months prior to the March hook-up.

As for Tristan and Khloe, they broke up in May, shortly after a woman named Sydney Chase made allegations she and Tristan had hooked up. Both Tristan and Khloe have publicly supported each other since the split and are often seen co-parenting their daughter True.

The baby boy would be Tristan's third known child.

Nichols is asking for child support and for Tristan to cover her pregnancy-related medical expenses.

Atlanta voters weren't swayed by T.I. and Isaac Hayes III spreading fake news about mayoral candidate Felicia Moore and strip clubs -- according to one of the city's former mayors, she just got drubbed.

We got Kasim Reed, who served as Atlanta's mayor from 2010 to 2018, at LAX and asked him about Moore's gripe that celebs spreading misinformation about her plans to shutter strip joints led to her defeat in the runoff election.

Kasim says Felicia needs to just move on, because the voters clearly said "bye Felicia" at the voting booth ... pointing out she lost with just 41% of the vote, compared to the winner, Andre Dickens, who got more than 60%.

TMZ broke the story ... Felicia claims T.I. and Isaac damaged her chances by spreading fake news from an article they screen-grabbed and reposted with the headline, "Woman Running for Atlanta Mayor Promises to CLOSE ALL STRIP CLUBS!!!"

While Kasim admits T.I. and other celebs carry some weight in Atlanta, he says their influence is just a drop in the bucket compared to the 20% losing margin for Moore.

Senator Ted Cruz is blasting the NBA -- and heaping praise on the WTA -- for the stark difference in both sports leagues' approaches to human rights violations perpetrated by China.

"I’ll tell ya something right now," Cruz said, "The Women's Tennis Association has bigger balls than the NBA. And I'd like to see courage be contagious and more people stand up."

Cruz made the comments while discussing the vanishing of star tennis player Peng Shuai in an interview with the "Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show" on Thursday ... as top athletes and organizations across the country have demanded proof the star tennis is okay.

"The Women's Tennis Association has shown extraordinary courage, calling out the Chinese communist government. Demanding that Peng Shuai be released and she be free, and they’ve put their money where their mouth is."

Cruz went on to talk about the WTA canceling all events in China ... a move he estimates could cost them "millions or hundreds of millions of dollars."

That's when the senator unloaded on the National Basketball Association.

"The NBA groveled on their knees before the communist dictators. You had people like LeBron James defending the communist dictators who engage in murder and torture and run concentration camps."

Of course, Cruz is referring to the controversy ignited when then-Rockets GM Daryl Morey tweeted support for protestors in Hong Kong in 2019.

China was furious ... and Cruz believes the NBA caved to the country, prioritizing cash over human rights. Since Morey's comments, James has taken heat for his perceived failure to highlight serious issues in China.

As far as Peng ... she recently accused a powerful Chinese politician of sexually abusing her several years ago. Shortly after making the accusation on social media, the post was removed and Shuai seemingly disappeared.

In recent weeks many have accused China of trying to quell concern ... appearing to trot Peng out in front of cameras to prove she was in no danger.

A statement attributed to Peng was also released ... though many believe the writing to be highly suspicious.

Finally, Cruz said he was grateful for the WTA ... adding he'd like to see more people do the same.

The NFL says Antonio Brown did, in fact, submit a bogus vaccine card to the league ... and officials just announced he's now been suspended three games over it all.

Brown's chef, Steven Ruiz, claimed last month that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers star had sought and then obtained the fraudulent paper back in July -- but Brown was adamant Ruiz was lying.

In a statement, Brown's attorney, Sean Burstyn, said the 33-year-old was vaccinated and did have proper paperwork ... adding, "Be like Antonio brown and get the vaccine."

But, the NFL said in a statement of its own on Thursday that after investigating the claims ... it found Brown did "misrepresent" his vaccine status, explaining their review "supported" the allegations made against AB.

The league said Brown has now been banned from playing for the next three games -- adding that Brown has "accepted the discipline" and will not appeal.

The NFL also revealed two other players -- Buccaneers safety Mike Edwards and former Tampa Bay receiver and current free agent John Franklin III -- also misrepresented their vaccine statuses and were also suspended three games.

Brown has been out of the Bucs' lineup since October while battling an ankle injury, but prior to that, he had been shining with Tom Brady -- scoring four receiving TDs in five games.

The Women's Tennis Association is sending a strong message to China amid the Peng Shuai case ... saying the organization will suspend all events in the country until a full investigation is conducted into her sexual assault allegations made against a powerful government official.

Steve Simon -- the WTA's CEO and Chairman -- sounded off on the handling of Shuai situation in a statement on Wednesday ... saying, "Unfortunately, the leadership in China has not addressed this very serious issue in any credible way."

"While we now know where Peng is," he added, "I have serious doubts that she is free, safe and not subject to censorship, coercion and intimidation. The WTA has been clear on what is needed here, and we repeat our call for a full and transparent investigation -- without censorship -- into Peng Shuai’s sexual assault accusation."

Simon says China's actions are unacceptable -- "If powerful people can suppress the voices of women and sweep allegations of sexual assault under the rug, then the basis on which the WTA was founded – equality for women – would suffer an immense setback. I will not and cannot let that happen to the WTA and its players."

Because of this, Simon says the WTA is suspending all events immediately ... also citing concerns other players could face in the country.

Simon says he regrets the issue getting to this point, but the WTA was left with no choice.

An Indiana cop captured on video kicking a dog on someone's front porch will not be prosecuted ... and his bosses say that's due to the full picture of what happened.

The disturbing video was posted this week by a woman who wrote, "Yesterday evening while my family and I were at work, someone broke into my home. My dogs ran the intruder off. This was the response shortly after a neighbor called. My home needed help and all it received was hurt."

Of course, outrage ensued ... and many were calling for the officer's badge number, not to mention his job. On its face, it looks like the cop is just going to town on the unleashed dog, which was barking at him.

Well, apparently there's more to the story. Terre Haute PD tells TMZ neighbors had been calling about this dog and another from this home constantly being on the loose and attacking people, including kids.

On this particular night, Nov. 29, they got a call about a white pit bull on the loose in the neighborhood -- just the latest call for this exact thing, they say. Officers came out, and THPD says they actually encountered 2 dogs -- including the one seen in this video -- which were allegedly lunging at the officers.

After talking to neighbors about how the dogs escaped their backyard, THPD says this sergeant walked onto the porch ... and that's where the video picks begins. The owners apparently weren't home, so the officers waited ... and then cited the owners when they eventually arrived, ringing 'em up for 6 separate counts related to the dogs being loose.

As for what happens now ... well, THPD says the Virgo County Prosecutor's Office has already reviewed the case, and found the cop didn't violate any laws. Still, the department says it's conducting its own review, and the cop is on leave for now.

President Biden just took a shot at Trump ... asked if he thinks Trump put him at risk during the debate, when Trump was apparently positive for COVID-19, Biden said, "I don't think about the former president."

It was a mic drop moment ... with Biden smiling before waving and walking away from the podium.

Trump went on FOX a few days after the debate and seemed to suggest he may have got the virus from his up close and personal meetings with Gold Star families.

Trump's comments are being resurfaced in a video clip on social media ... but remember, Meadows says Trump was positive before hosting the Gold Star families at the White House.

Donald Trump had tested positive for COVID-19 just days before meeting up with Joe Biden for their first presidential debate -- this according to his ex-Chief of Staff.

Mark Meadows makes the claim in a new book, 'The Chief's Chief,' describing how DT allegedly received a positive result on Sep. 26 ... 3 days before the Ohio debate. Meadows does say Trump took a second test which turned up negative, but that reportedly was an antigen test, which is not as reliable as the PCR test. The PCR test can detect COVID levels the antigen test can't.

Nonetheless ... Meadows says Trump was hell-bent on debating Biden, saying, "Nothing was going to stop [Trump] from going out there."

It's a shocking revelation. Apparently, Trump was symptomatic with a positive PCR test, which means he should have quarantined for 10 days, but he did the opposite.

He held a Rose Garden ceremony to introduce his last Supreme Court nominee -- Amy Coney Barrett -- to the public. Meadows says Trump was already showing symptoms but the president went to the event maskless. Not surprisingly, it turned out to be a super spreader event.

He also had a ceremony for Gold Star families at The White House ... again, he did not wear a mask even though he had COVID, at least according to Meadows.

The way Meadows describes it ... Trump was about to head to a rally in PA, when Meadows received a call from his doc, telling them to halt everything since POTUS had just tested positive. Meadows says he informed Trump, and the guy apparently had a colorful response.

MM writes Trump's answer "rhyme[d] with ‘Oh spit, you’ve gotta be trucking lidding me."

As if it weren't bad enough, Trump arrived at the debate late ... too late to be tested, and moderator Chris Wallace said at the time they were trusting Trump was negative based on the honor system.

Trump calls Meadows' description of events "fake news." He says he did not have COVID prior to or during the first debate. He cites a test proving he did not have COVID prior to the debate. That's not necessarily inconsistent with Meadows' account ... because even if he had a negative antigen test he still had a positive PCR test, according to MM.

If Meadows' account is true, there's no other way to cut it ... it's shockingly reckless, uncaring for others and, frankly, disgusting.

Cops at LAX are working a sad and gruesome case -- a dead dog was found there, and someone seems to have dumped the poor pup's lifeless body in a trash can ... TMZ has learned.

The horrific scene unfolded Tuesday afternoon when airport janitorial staff were alerted by a citizen who had discovered the animal's corpse in a bin -- and then the janitors alerted airport police.

We're told the dog -- apparently a French bulldog -- was stuffed inside a duffel-type bag that might have been the animal's carrier. Worth noting there was also a ripped luggage tag nearby.

Cops are trying to figure out what happened to the dog, and who placed it in the trash bin. Luckily, it's LAX and that means there are cameras almost everywhere -- we're told officers are checking all available surveillance footage.

Sadly, we've reported on way too many pets dying on airplanes -- usually in cargo holds, overhead bins or occasionally on the tarmac -- but this is the first time we've seen a dead dog turn up this way at an airport.

China says Peng Shuai is okay, but the European Union ain't buying it -- with the organization demanding "verifiable proof" the tennis star is not in harm's way.

Peng disappeared earlier this month after accusing powerful Chinese politician Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault ... but popped back up recently during an interview with the International Olympic Committee and making an appearance at the Fila Kids Junior Tennis Challenger Finals.

There are still many questions surrounding Peng's well-being ... and on Tuesday, the EU made it clear it's not satisfied with the current "proof" that's been provided thus far.

"Her recent public reappearance does not ease concerns about her safety and freedom," an EU spokesperson said Tuesday, according to the AP.

"The EU joins growing international demands, including by sport professionals, for assurances that she is free and not under threat." the EU said.

"In this spirit, the EU requests the Chinese government to provide verifiable proof of Peng Shuai’s safety, well-being and whereabouts.

The EU also calls for a full and thorough investigation into Peng's claims against Zhang.

"The EU strongly opposes the use of the practice of enforced disappearance and arbitrary detention...and calls upon China to comply with its human rights obligations under national and international law."

An episode of "The Simpsons" that lasers in on oppression in China has mysteriously disappeared from Disney+ in Hong Kong ... but there are clues as to who caused it to be yanked.

The episode -- titled "Goo Goo Gai Pan" -- aired in 2005, chronicling the Simpsons' trip to China. One of the main plotlines .... Marge's sister, Selma, is there to adopt a baby, but the infant is yanked from her arms by a Chinese official.

In another scene, the fam visits Tiananmen Square ... the legendary scene of protest, violence and defiance. A sign in the Square reads, "On this site, in 1989, nothing happened."  It's a not-so-subtle dig at China trying to sanitize what actually went down.

Tibet is also part of the show -- where religious oppression reigned supreme at the hands of Beijing.

WWE boss Vince McMahon is opening up about a contentious 20-year-old HBO interview he did with Bob Costas ... saying if Costas were bigger, the two would have come to blows.

The revelation was made in Jim Miller's new book Tinderbox: HBO's Ruthless Pursuit of New Frontiers ... where both McMahon and Costas recalled the combative convo that apparently left a bitter taste in Vince's mouth even to this day.

During the 2001 interview, Costas drilled Vince with a wide range of questions on everything from the XFL's ratings to certain aspects of WWE that he found distasteful ... and, well, McMahon wasn't too thrilled about it.

“Once we were doing the interview, he kept interrupting me and interrupting me, and bringing up topics that had nothing to do with what we were supposed to be talking about,” McMahon said.

“He kept trying to do the ‘I gotcha’ kind of thing. It was clear he didn’t want to hear any of my answers."

The interview got so heated at one point, that McMahon actually sat up in his chair, told Costas to shut his mouth ... and accused the legendary sportscaster of not knowing what he was talking about.

“The other problem was that Bob is so freaking pompous. The entire time he acted like he was above me and was just using me to show how great he was," Vince said.

"I was sitting there really pissed off and started thinking, I wish he wasn’t 5-feet high and 140 pounds. If he was 6-5 and 295, he would deserve to get the s**t beat out of him. I could have really given them some great television.”

Speaking of great TV ... Costas admits he knew the two were having a memorable moment, but contends his questions were coming from a legitimate place and not a malicious one.

McMahon was so furious over it all that he stormed off after the interview ... slamming doors in the process, according to Costas.

The two would go on to have another interview a year later ... however, that encounter was far less memorable than the first one.

Just hours after USC fans broke out a "F*** the Mormons" chant during the Trojans' game against BYU -- the school issued an apology, saying it was all "distasteful" and "offensive."

It's unclear at what point during BYU's game against USC on Saturday night that the synchronized yelling happened ... video has yet to surface of it all.

But, multiple people reported hearing it loud and clear during the contest at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum ... forcing USC officials to apologize on Sunday.

"The offensive chant from our student section directed towards BYU during the football game last night does not align with our Trojan values," the school said in a statement.

"It was distasteful and we apologize to the BYU program."

What's interesting ... USC's quarterback, Jaxson Dart, is actually a member of the LDS Church.

The Cougars, though, were clearly unfazed by the disturbing chants from the Trojan-heavy crowd ... they ended up winning the game, 35-31, improving their record to 10-2.

Rico Nasty is going through a very tough time on tour with Playboi Carti -- and it seems his fans have forced her to contemplate ending her life ... which is sounding an alarm.

The rapper posted some troubling messages over the weekend, giving insight into her mindset in the middle of this Narcissist Tour ... and it looks bleak.

One tweet reads, "Crazy how I wanted a tour bus my whole life and now I just be on the tour bus crying myself to sleep every night." She adds, "I dead ass need at least two hours out of each day. To just cry."

Further tweets were even more upsetting ... she wrote, "Y'all win," following up with, "I wish I was dead just as much as y'all do trust me."

She has since deleted these, but fans captured them and were clearly disturbed and worried about her mental health ... which appears to be in bad shape at the moment. Of course, folks who've been following Rico's journey of late know she's been dealing with a lot of BS.

We're referring to at least two separate incidents over the past month and change while she's been on the road with Carti, acting as his opener ... both of which were pretty ugly.

In one instance earlier this month, Rico was loudly booed during a stop in L.A. as she tried to take the stage before Carti ... and things got combative quickly. She was cursing at the concertgoers, trying to perform, but they just weren't receptive to her at all.

About a week or so later in Portland ... somebody actually threw a water bottle at her while she was rapping, and it led to a would-be rushing of the fans.

Rico jumped down from the stage and tried going over the barricades, before security stepped in. People say she's been dealing with this type of harassment (and more) during the entirety of the tour ... and we can only imagine what she's been dealing with online and elsewhere.

Many are calling on Carti to publicly disavow his fans who may be perpetuating this toxic environment -- arguing it'd go a long way from him. However, so far ... he's been silent.

The Royal Fam is calling BS on a new book that claims Prince Charles wondered out loud if Meghan and Harry's child might have a dark complexion.

Christopher Anderson claims in a new book, "Brothers and Wives: Inside The Private Lives of William, Kate, Harry and Meghan," that on the day Meghan and Harry announced their engagement, Charles wondered out loud to Camilla "what the children will look like?"

Anderson says Camilla was caught off guard and responded, "Well, absolutely gorgeous, I'm certain." Charles allegedly wasn't satisfied with the response, and shot back, "I mean, what do you think their children's complexion might be?"

A Palace spokesperson told The NY Post, "This is fiction and not worth further comment."

It is odd ... how would that convo between Charles and Camilla leak?

Anderson apparently does not say in the book that Charles is the Royal Meghan and Harry were referring to in their sit down with Oprah, but the intimation is certainly there.

As you know, Meghan said there were "concerns and conversations" regarding the skin tone of Archie, who had not yet been born.  The conversations were allegedly between Harry and at least one Royal.

Anderson also claims Queen Elizabeth 86'd a photo of Harry, Meghan and Archie from camera view during her 2019 XMAS message.