Coronavirus

Dr. Charles Sophy -- one of the leading psychiatrists in the country - has a scary outlook on the direction America's heading -- downright terrifying -- but on the bright side ... he thinks we can turn it around.

The famous shrink joined "TMZ Live" Friday, and we wanted to know ... why all the craziness right now?! It seems even the smallest thing sends people into a rage.

Unfortunately, Dr. Sophy thinks it's gonna get worse ... because we're in a perfect storm of chaos.

The way the doc describes it, people are lashing out because they feel contained, caged, and they don't have control of their lives ... due largely in part to COVID-19, but also because of the ever-pronounced divisions in this country.

The NBA's reboot just got really real ... both LeBron James and Anthony Davis made their returns to Lakers practice Wednesday -- and they look GOOOOOOOOODDDDD!!!

The team announced their superstars' comebacks in a sick highlight video Wednesday night ... showing shirtless Bron getting after it in the weight room and getting buckets on the hardwood.

Davis' jumper looked wet as well ... and the Lakers captioned it all with a subtle, "And we back."

The vid is FINALLY a breath of fresh air for the NBA ... lately, it's been nothing but pessimism toward the restart as COVID-19 cases rise and players continue to question if there should even be a season.

Of course, the Lakers haven't been immune to it all ... Dwight Howard is still pondering whether or not to play -- while the team had to sign J.R. Smith to replace Avery Bradley, who opted out of the restart last week.

But, LeBron's maintained throughout this offseason that the league SHOULD play ... and as Clippers star Pat Beverley tweeted last month, "If @KingJames said he hooping. We all hooping."

The Lake Show is the prohibitive favorite heading into Orlando's bubble -- King James' squad had the best record in the West before teams suspended operations back in March.

And, after seeing the new clips ... you really ready to bet against LeBron in the return?!

Is Marv Albert opting out of the NBA restart in Orlando? YESSS!

The 79-year-old broadcasting legend says it's just too risky to travel to the Walt Disney World bubble environment in Orlando with the pandemic surging -- and therefore will NOT be a part of TNT's on-site coverage.

"I had second thoughts," Albert told the NY Post.

Albert told the Post he got a call from Turner Sports boss Jeff Zucker about the move -- and even joked about his own age.

"He said to me, 'Maybe this is something you should skip in my age bracket,'" Albert said while joking, "I’d like to point out to you that 79 is the new 78.”

The good news ... Albert WILL contribute to the NBA broadcasts from a remote location -- he just won't be doing the play-by-play from the sidelines.

Of course, this is all contingent on the season actually starting again -- but with the new wave of positive COVID tests sweeping through the league, commish Adam Silver admits there's a chance things could get shut down before the July 31 tip-off date.

Major League Soccer says its players are NOT getting the Fyre Festival treatment inside the Disney bubble -- claiming the players who posted sad sandwich pics are NOT inside the restricted area.

Toronto FC defender Omar Gonzalez posted a pic Tuesday showing an "MLS Is Back" In-Room dining menu which describes some delicious-looking, expensive food options ($65 for lunch!) ... cut next to an unimpressive sando in a brown box.

He tweeted out, "Yummm" ... leading people to believe the widely-touted Disney bubble was looking more like a sham than a glamorous experience.

Omar's teammate Eriq Zavaleta added fuel to the fire by posting another unappetizing sandwich pic. Not a great look.

But, our MLS sources tell us ... those two players are not yet in Orlando -- they're still in Toronto.

The league is unsure who shot the photos -- but reps say the food was served at a quarantine site OUTSIDE the official bubble where players are required to stay for 10 to 12 hours until they are cleared to enter.

There is basic food service at the quarantine site -- like sandwiches, etc -- but since it's essentially a layover spot, the food service isn't as robust.

Once players are allowed into the Walt Disney World bubble environment, it's a completely different story.

We're told players will get "banquet meal" service served in their club meal rooms -- and so far, the feedback on the food has been super positive.

Also, all players will have access to 4 restaurants in the bubble -- including Shula’s Steak House, Todd English Bluezoo, Il Mulino, and Kimonos sushi restaurant.

We're also told, "Players do not pay for meals."

So, yeah ... the travel meal might not be the fanciest food in the world, but MLS insists they're not pulling a Billy McFarland.

D.L. Hughley's got a good idea where he picked up the coronavirus, and even without experiencing any symptoms ... he's pretty sure he passed it on to his radio show staff too.

The comedian tells us he's recovered from COVID-19 and is in the last days of self-quarantine, and while the virus probably contributed to his on-stage collapse last month at a Nashville comedy club ... he says he's remained asymptomatic -- before and after diagnosis.

Unfortunately, as health experts have warned, it seems that's also the reason D.L. spread the virus to his team ... making him a "regular Typhoid Mary," as he put it.

Hughley says he was in Dallas for a few days -- where COVID precautions were a bit more lax -- but returned to do his radio show on Tuesday, June 16. A few days later ... he had the scary incident at Zanies Comedy Club, and subsequently tested positive for coronavirus.

He tells us everyone he came in contact with on that Tuesday has since tested positive, as well -- except for his daughter -- but it sounds like, so far, everyone's gonna be okay.

A British journalist reporting live from home got yanked back into the field of family life during her broadcast -- and it's freakin' adorable ... even if the anchor didn't think so.

Sky News' foreign affairs editor, Deborah Haynes, was live on the air Wednesday with presenter Mark Austin -- and they were talking shop about a new law across the pond that'll allow millions of people in Hong Kong to -- y'know what, let's just get to Deborah's cute kid.

Her young son -- who can't be more than 5 -- storms into the room she's doing her live shot from ... and saunters over to bring something of the utmost importance to her attention -- biscuits. Highest priority!!!

Deborah handled the situation as gracefully as she could, excusing herself from the chat for a moment to address her boy's pressing concerns ... namely, if he could have 3 biscuits.

She haggled and gave him the okay for 2 -- but by then, the camera had cut back to Mark in the studio and he was already moving on, seemingly irritated by the interruption. He kept it relatively chill too though, saying that's what happens when reporting amid a lockdown.

Of course, that phenomenon isn't specific to coronavirus or WFH, per se -- and the Brits oughta know that first-hand. This reminds us of another very famous/very funny kid-trusion a few years back that happened live on the BBC, before COVID-19 was running rampant.

American professor Robert Kelly was doing a live shot from home to dish on South Korean policy, when his own two young children sashayed into the room ... only to have his wife fly in after them and yank them out.

'Rona-truthers have infiltrated the Lone Star State -- here's a Texas woman melting down at a 7-Eleven over their mask policy ... only here, she left behind a gross remnant to mark her territory.

The woman is trying to buy a rack of Miller Lite -- but the front counter clerk won't let her check out because she's not wearing a face covering. She starts throwing a tantrum, and it's all downhill from there.

The guy points out the obvious ... she doesn't have a mask. She agrees, flabbergasted that he won't sell her the beer because of it. He stands firm though, saying it's the convenience store's policy to have one on while shopping, and that pisses her off even more.

The woman says the amount of time he's wasting is probably spreading more germs than if he would just let her purchase the booze and be on her way -- and his response is ... buy a mask here. The lady absolutely refuses to do so, starting to proclaim ... well, 'MURICA!!!

In the latter half of the video, the woman continues to escalate the situation ... outright spitting on the counter before storming out. The 7-Eleven guy keeps his cool throughout.

No word on whether this got to the point of getting cops involved, or if things ended here. In any case, it's another example of would-be freedom fighters pushing back with all their might against a simple policy that even some of Trump's closest allies are starting to follow.

"Certainly if we had a lot of cases, we are going to stop. You cannot run from this virus."

That's NBA commissioner Adam Silver acknowledging his plan to continue the season in Orlando could hit a huge speed bump if players and staff continue to test positive for COVID.

Of course, several NBA players have tested positive for coronavirus recently ... including DeAndre Jordan, Jabari Parker, 3 members of the NO Pelicans, several members of the Denver Nuggets organization and more.

And, with concern growing, Silver addressed the issues Tuesday during an appearance on 'TIME 100 Talks' ... saying he's still "pretty confident" the season will happen, but nothing is certain.

"We and our players together with their union, look at the data on a daily basis. If there were something to change that was outside of the scope of what we are playing for, certainly, we would revisit our plans."

"We are testing daily," Silver continued ... "We haven't put a precise number on it, but if we were to see a large number of cases and see spread in our community, that would, of course, be a cause to stop as well."

Silver says the league has a team of medical and science experts to help guide them through the pandemic plan.

Still, Silver believes the bubble environment at Walt Disney World in Orlando will still be relatively safe.

"I am absolutely convinced that it will be safer on this campus than off this campus because there aren't many situations that I am aware of where there is mass testing of asymptomatic employees," Silver said.

"In some ways, this is maybe a model for how other industries can ultimately open. But, I am only going to say we will be responsible and watch what is happening, but the biggest indicator will be if we begin to see a spread in our community."

The NBA season is set to tip-off on July 31 -- but some teams are planning to begin travel to Orlando as early as July 7.

It took 400,000 man-hours and 350 tons of metal -- but now Fight Island is ready to roll and it looks AMAZING!!!

Dana White just dropped the hype video showing the tremendous effort it took to bring Fight Island to life in just a few months ... transforming part of Yas Island in Abu Dhabi into a city custom-built for the UFC.

Of course, Fight Island was created to provide a safe place for the UFC to host fights in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic -- so, there was clearly an emphasis on testing facilities on the premises.

There are 17 medical personnel stationed on the island, according to UFC -- and they've already administered more than 2,000 tests.

You can see in the video the massive construction effort it took to erect the main fight arena, the beach Octagon and other facilities necessary to host all of the upcoming UFC events.

White has said all fighters and their crews will undergo 5 rounds of testing -- starting with tests before they board their flights to Yas Island.

Once on the island, there will be 3 more rounds of testing before the fights -- and then a final post-fight test before fighters are allowed to fly home.

There is a massive security presence on the Island to keep things safe -- and Dana White is fired up!

"I can't wait to get there," White said.

The first event on Fight Island is UFC 251 on July 11 -- featuring some crazy bouts ... including Kamaru Usman vs. Gilbert Burns.

Max Holloway is fighting Alexander Volkanovski and Paige VanZant is fighting Amanda Ribas.

President Trump is ditching plans to hold a rally in Alabama next weekend ... and it seems his campaign is finally taking COVID-19 seriously amid rising infections in the U.S.

The Prez was scheduled to visit Alabama ahead of its Senate race between Jeff Sessions, his former attorney general, and Tommy Tuberville, the former Auburn head football coach, but plans were scrapped as Alabama officials started voicing concerns about a mass gathering amid the pandemic.

Trump's campaign ultimately decided against another rally like the one in Tulsa ... where masks and face coverings were not required and campaign staffers ordered the removal of social distancing signage.

Alabama's Governor Kay Ivey announced a state order Tuesday encouraging face coverings in public and prohibiting non-work-related gatherings of any size where social distancing cannot be maintained ... which makes a massive rally unfeasible. Coronavirus cases in Alabama are also on the rise again.

The scrapped rally is just the latest sign some of the President's allies are getting serious about COVID-19 concerns -- even if he isn't yet.

Donald Trump Jr. now says "I don't think it's too complicated to wear a mask or wash your hands and follow basic hygiene protocols." Mitch McConnell finally said wearing a mask can't be stigmatized, and wearing face coverings in public are part of American's new routine in the pandemic.