Controversial S#!T

Local and federal authorities are investigating after a group of anti-ICE protesters crashed a Minnesota church service ... and one of the demonstrators tells TMZ she'd still do it all over again.

Here's the deal ... the DOJ and local police are investigating after protesters interrupted a service at the Cities Church in St. Paul ... which is getting major headlines because Don Lemon was in the mix live-streaming the incident.

Chauntyll Allen, leader of Black Lives Matter Twin Cities, who was among the group, tells TMZ … the jarring protest inside the church was necessary to make clear to the parishioners that having a pastor who is also an ICE official is unacceptable.

D.L. Hughley has some strong words for Nicki Minaj after her online tirade against Don Lemon following an incident at a church in Minnesota Sunday, where Don was reporting from amid a crowd of protesters.

We caught up with D.L. at LAX Monday, and he told us while Nicki is focused on Lemon ... she really needs to worry about keeping her husband off of "To Catch a Predator."

As you know ... Nicki attacked Don on X, calling him a homophobic slur for reporting on the protest at a Minnesota church.

She wrote, "DON 'C*** SUCKIN' LEMON IS DISGUSTING." Don is a married gay man.

D.L. told us he finds it amazing how "many on the right" hate transgender and gay people "more than they do pedophiles."

He joked ... "Damn Don Lemon, Nicki Minaj needs to be worried about Chris Hansen."

Donald Trump just cosigned a social media post saying Don Lemon should go to prison for reporting from an anti-ICE church protest in Minnesota.

On Truth Social Monday, the U.S. president reshared a post from an account called "MoniFunGirl," who said she wants to see the journalist slapped with 40 years in prison just for showing up at the protest crowd outside Cities Church in St. Paul on Sunday.

The number didn't come out of thin air ... Moni claimed a group of elderly women got 40 years in prison for protesting at an abortion clinic under the FACE Act, and basically insinuating Don was doing the same, and should face the same consequences.

The U.S. Department of Justice has launched a criminal probe into an anti-ICE protest that tore through a Minnesota church service Sunday ... and former CNN host Don Lemon could be swept up in it under the century-old "KKK Act."

DOJ Assistant AG for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon tells TMZ ... every demonstrator who stormed the Sunday service at Cities Church in St. Paul is now under federal investigation. When we asked if Don is in the crosshairs, Dhillon wouldn't confirm or deny it, telling us to connect the dots ourselves.

Don says he was merely doing his job -- reporting a news story from the scene. But, on his livestream, Don is seen kissing the organizer of the protest on the cheek, which the feds might interpret as him having a closer connection to the group.

Dhillon says FBI agents are already talking to witnesses, and while no formal charges have been filed yet, it’s "fair to say" charges are coming under the Face Act and KKK Act, that make it a crime to terrorize and violate the civil rights of citizens.

8:09 AM PT -- Nicki is continuing her bashing of Don on X, reposting a tweet by someone else who rips apart the independent journalist.

Nicki Minaj is so pissed at Don Lemon that she called the independent journalist a homophobic slur for reporting on a protest at a Minnesota church service.

On Sunday, the rapper went on the attack on X, writing in all caps that "DON 'COCK SUCKIN' LEMON IS DISGUSTING." Don is gay, and married real estate agent Tim Malone in 2024.

Minaj continued, "HOW DARE YOU? I WANT THAT THUG IN JAIL!!!!! HE WOULD NEVER DO THAT TO ANY OTHER RELIGION. LOCK HIM UP!!!!!"

Nicki blew her stack at Don after the former CNN anchor livestreamed a news report from Cities Church in St Paul, MN, where a bunch of demonstrators had interrupted the Sunday service to protest the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the state. Several media outlets have reported the pastor of the church allegedly has ties to ICE.

1:27 PM PT -- The Miami nightclub, Vendôme, has announced that three employees have been terminated following an internal review. The venue also says it has “permanently banned the individuals involved in this incident from the Vendôme premises,” though members of the group -- including Andrew Tate and Nick Fuentes -- are not named directly.

The nightclub adds that it has implemented new protocols and policies to ensure a similar incident does not occur again.

Andrew and Tristan Tate are distancing themselves from backlash after they were seen partying while Kanye West’s song “Heil Hitler” played ... making it clear they were not singing along, and they're denouncing antisemitism.

ICYMI ... the influencer bros were seen alongside Nick Fuentes, Sneako, Myron Gaines, and Clavicular on a party bus and later at a Miami nightclub as the controversial song blared in the background this weekend -- with members of the group singing along and even flashing Nazi salutes.

While Andrew and Tristan are not seen singing along in the footage, they do appear to be enjoying themselves -- with Tristian even bopping along in the party bus beforehand.

1:08 PM PT -- Nicki's paying attention to Don's reaction, and the media's, to her comment. In a new X post she says, "LOL!!! And i purposely wrote it that way b/c I knew that would be the only way to get the c**k suckas to post about it."

She also warned, "I'm glad they're angry. They're about to get angrier" ... and included a pic of a Chucky doll flipping the bird.

Don Lemon is going off on Nicki Minaj! The former CNN news anchor stopped by "TMZ Live" and unloaded on the rapper, telling her to "sit the f*** down" ... and while she's at it -- "get a life and grow some brains."

As you know ... Nicki bashed Don on X, calling him a homophobic slur, writing, "DON 'C*** SUCKIN' LEMON IS DISGUSTING." Don is gay, and married real estate agent Tim Malone in 2024.

But Don told us Nicki is an ignorant, bigoted woman who's been weighing in on things she doesn't understand.

As we all impatiently wait for the next batch of the Epstein files to drop, a mystery has surfaced from the old batch ... a very puzzling, four-legged (we think) mystery.

Check out this bizarre photo of what appears to be a shaggy pooch stuffed, or sitting, in a garbage bag ... which was placed inside a cardboard box.

The pic was buried inside a mountain of documents and visual footage released last month by the Department of Justice as part of the now-stalled rollout of the Epstein files.

The snapshot was overshadowed by all the attention on pics of famous people like Bill Clinton, Chris Tucker and Mick Jagger, but we dug it up for you now.

Harvey and Charles are usually a tight team ... but Michael Rapaport's "Traitors" comments stirred up some trouble in paradise -- with the two men passionately debating on "TMZ Live."

Our two colleagues discussed the reaction to Rapaport claiming Colton Underwood -- a gay man who was looking for a wife on "The Bachelor" while he was still in the closet -- would be an incredible secret-keeper ... and that received quite a negative reaction from his costars. Michael later apologized to Colton.

Check out the clip ... Harvey's actually stepping up for Michael here -- telling Charles that he thinks Michael's referring to Colton keeping the secret from millions of people on national TV.

Michael Rapaport's explosive comments before his banishment pissed off "Traitors" cast members ... which was par for the course while shooting -- because we've learned they couldn't stand the guy the entire time.

A source close to the production of Season 4 tells TMZ ... the cast thought Michael was "toxic" on set -- and they were all very happy when his time on the show came to an end this week on the fifth episode.

We're also told a rumor circulated on set that the network thought viewers would be so put off by his behavior ... Peacock pushed out his final episode early to get him off fans' TVs.

2:46 PM PT -- A DHS spokesperson tells TMZ ... “Fearing for their lives and the safety of others, agents grabbed his arm, but he broke free. The agents struck, and he immediately dropped a wrench -- a deadly weapon. Agents extracted him from the car, but he continued to violently resist arrest including grabbing an agent’s throat. This alien was ultimately arrested for aggressive driving, fleeing from law enforcement, and physically resisting arrest. Reminder obstructing law enforcement is a federal crime and a felony.”

As Customs and Border Protection officers swarm a man to arrest him in Minnesota, one agent repeatedly knees him in the head and face ... and it's all on video.

Footage out of Minneapolis shows a scrum of Border Patrol agents detaining a man in the middle of a busy street, piling on top of him ... and at one point during the struggle, one agent is seen smashing his knee into the guy's face. Another of the agents appears to notice they're on camera, and seems to check his colleague, who delivers a last blow to the man's forehead.

David Harbour seems to be taking it easy after a difficult few months ... with a companion putting a grin on his face in New York City earlier this week.

The actor hit the Big Apple Tuesday night ... trying to keep a low profile while walking through Times Square.

Harbour's got a hat and thick jacket on ... keeping his head down and focusing on conversing with the woman at his side, who's bundled up in a long white coat.

Lots of folks apparently didn't listen when Mickey Rourke disavowed a GoFundMe for him ... 'cause still more than $100,000 was raised ... and now the actor says he's actively trying to get folks their money back.

Mickey took to Instagram Thursday to sound off on the crowdfunding "scam" ... he says his attorney is doing everything in his power to make sure everyone who donated gets refunded.

In fact, Mickey says there is $90,000 that still needs to be refunded.

President Donald Trump has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act in response to ongoing protests over ICE activity in the state of Minnesota.

The Insurrection Act has not been used in more than three decades -- last employed during the 1992 Los Angeles riots. President George H.W. Bush sent troops to the city at California Governor Pete Wilson's request following unrest in the wake of four LAPD officers being acquitted of police brutality in the videotaped beating of Rodney King.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has not requested federal assistance ... quite the opposite. He has called for ICE and CBP personnel to leave the state.

POTUS posted on Truth Social Thursday morning ... "If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT, which many Presidents have done before me, and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great State."

The Insurrection Act allows the President to deploy the military and federalize state National Guard forces in limited circumstances.

Before 1992, it was utilized during a civil rights dispute in 1957 in Arkansas, and during the Civil War and Jim Crow eras.

This isn't the first time Trump's threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act ... he floated the idea of invoking the act in October on cities like Portland and Chicago.

Federal prosecutors say some college hoops games were straight-up rigged ... and they just dropped the hammer.

According to a bombshell indictment unsealed Thursday, 20 men have been charged in a jaw-dropping point-shaving and bribery scheme that allegedly corrupted at least 39 Division I players, 17 schools and nearly 30 rigged matchups over the last two seasons.

Prosecutors claim the operation was run by Shane Hennen and Marves Fairley -- two guys already deep in other federal gambling cases -- with help from former LSU and NBA player Antonio Blakeney.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents got a heated reception upon entering a restaurant in Minnesota ... with customers screaming profanities at them and demanding they get out.

Video of the wild interaction this week has surfaced online ... beginning when agents storm into Cancun Mexican Grill & Cantina in St. Paul, MN and head for the bathroom.

It doesn't look like they need to use the little federal agents' room either ... it seems they're searching for someone -- because they walk right back out into the restaurant after a quick look around.