Young Thug COVID Outbreak Among RICO Defendants Court Orders Testing

Young Thug might soon be fighting more than charges ... as a COVID-19 outbreak has hit several of his codefendants in his RICO case.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, a bunch of the defendants and attorneys in Young Thug's ongoing case have tested positive for COVID. The court order states Young Thug could also be at risk of getting COVID and says he must get tested.

The court order, stamped on 12/28, does not have results from Young Thug's COVID test.

As we reported, Young Thug has been in custody for more than 7 months ... he was arrested back in May on gang-related charges tied to a 56-count indictment. He's slated for trial in January, with jury selection beginning on January 5.

12/14/22
GUNNA LEAVING JAIL
Fox 5 Atlanta

Gunna, who was also locked up for several months, took a plea deal earlier this month by pleading guilty to a racketeering conspiracy charge. He was sentenced to 5 years with one year commuted for the time he's already served. The remaining 4 will be suspended, pending community service and other special conditions.

DJ Vlad I Regret Not Convincing Kay Slay To Get Vaxxed Before He Died!!!

DJ Vlad says he feels guilty for not putting more pressure on the late DJ Kay Slay to get vaccinated for COVID-19 -- a battle that took his life.

Vlad and Michael Jai White were America's problem with obesity ... both agreed an aggressive approach is best for convincing loved ones to eat healthily and exercise. The discussion caused Vlad to express his regrets for not coming down on Kay Slay prior to his death.

Vlad says he and Kay Slay were texting about the COVID-19 vaccine and Kay Slay refused to get vaccinated at the time, revealing he was waiting for some of the variants to clear up.

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Vlad and Kay Slay's relationship dated back 20 years to the days when mixtapes were actual physical copies but Vlad said it was the Drama King's age difference and veteran status that made him bite his tongue.

The convo was framed as their last -- Kay Slay contracted COVID-19 and battled the disease for 4 months before passing away in April.

Vlad maintains the vaccine woulda saved Kay Slay's life and Michael thinks urging someone to live better is worth ruining a relationship over.

Bam Margera Hospitalized with Pneumonia ... Put on Ventilator

Bam Margera is in a hospital battling a very serious case of pneumonia, complicated by COVID-19 ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the situation tell us Bam was hospitalized in San Diego earlier this week. He then tested positive for Covid while in the hospital ... and since then we're told doctors decided to put him on a ventilator. He's being treated in ICU, but his condition is stable.

As we reported, Bam's been in and out of rehab this year after he had completed a one-year treatment program for drug and alcohol abuse.

Our sources say during one of his stints in rehab, he befriended an attorney who convinced him he could get him out of the court-ordered treatment and "free Bam."

Since then, we've seen him partying it up in Atlanta in September, and hitting Las Vegas the following month. We're told Bam never completed his court order and many people close to him were concerned for the former 'Jackass' star.

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Our sources say the so-called "Free Bam Movement" -- which was fueled by online speculation his family put him in a conservatorship similar to Britney Spears -- really confused Bam and hurt his recovery process.

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We're told it got so bad, his family and temporary healthcare guardian -- who's a longtime family friend -- started receiving threats over the summer, and had to address it publicly.

Get well soon, Bam!

Formula One Cancels Chinese Grand Prix Amid Covid-19 Restrictions

Formula One will NOT be making a return to China in 2023 -- the series just announced it has pulled the Chinese Grand Prix due to Covid-19 difficulties.

China recently implemented strict guidelines and lockdowns as part of a "zero-Covid" approach ... which has resulted in public protests.

China has since reportedly announced a plan to loosen its protocols by reducing mass testing in the coming days ... but F1 decided it was best to start its search for a replacement host ASAP.

"Formula 1 can confirm, following dialogue with the promoter and relevant authorities, that the 2023 Chinese Grand Prix will not take place due to the ongoing difficulties presented by the COVID-19 situation," F1 announced Friday.

"Formula 1 is assessing alternative options to replace the slot on the 2023 calendar and will provide an update on this in due course."

The April 16 event at Shanghai International Circuit was set to be F1's first return to China since 2019 ... and would have been Alfa Romeo driver Zhou Guanyu's debut home race of his career.

It's not the first time the plug has been pulled on the Chinese GP -- it was one of the first races to be canceled prior to the pandemic in 2020.

YouTuber Holy Soup Crimes, Bat Girl!!! Woman Arrested for Eating Bats On Camera

BATTY BREAKFAST
ViralPress

Cops in Thailand have a new definition for bats**t crazy after busting a young woman for devouring an entire bat ... and she could be facing some serious jail time for the clickbatting stunt.

The woman, Phonchanok Srisunaklua, uploaded the nasty clip Monday, showing her eating a bowl filled with broth, tomatoes and multiple dead bats! She's speaking Thai in the clip, but reportedly describes the meal as "delicious."

We don't know what's proper etiquette for this kinda dish, but Srisunaklua ripped the wings off before chowing down on the remaining animal.

Needless to say, her comment section was filled with shocked and disgusted viewers, at least one of whom was triggered, remembering the alleged origins of the novel coronavirus ... writing, "If you're going to die, die alone. No one will blame you. But you'll be damned if you start a pandemic."

The clip's been scrubbed off Srisunaklua's page, but authorities in Thailand reportedly arrested her for possession of protected wildlife carcasses, and for violating the Computer-Related Crimes Act of 2007 by uploading the clip. If convicted, she faces up to 5 years behind bars.

After the stomach-churning clip was taken down, she uploaded an apology video.

Dr. Patarapol Maneeorn, a wildlife vet in Thailand, expressed serious concern over the many health risks involved ... most notably the fact that bats carry tons of pathogens, adding, "There is no proof that the hot water temperature will actually kill the germs."

Something tells us her concern was going viral, and not so much about catching viruses.

NYC Fugitive Nabbed at Disney World!!! Accused Of PPP Loan Fraud

There's no magic at the Magic Kingdom, not for an NYC fugitive who successfully dodged the law for a year ... only to be captured at the so-called happiest place on Earth!!! 😂

Quashon Burton was reportedly kicking it at Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom park in October when federal postal inspector Jeff Andre spotted him.

Eagle-eyed Jeff identified Burton by a distinctive "H" tattoo on his neck, and reported him to cops ... who caught up to Burton about an hour later. They reportedly found him with 2 family members while they were sitting at a bus stop in the park.

Cops say Burton wouldn't produce any ID and resisted arrest, so they took him down to the ground ... and later ID him with fingerprints.

Officials say Burton ran from his home in Brooklyn last year after fraudulently obtaining over $150K in forgivable PPP loans from the government, and allegedly used multiple identities to get cash out of an ATM at an NYC post office.

He's being held without bail, as NY prosecutors believe he's an "extreme" flight risk.

The lesson here -- even the mouse house can't protect ya from the feds!!!

Drake 21 Savage Collab Album Delayed ... My Producer Got COVID!!!

Drake and 21 Savage are pushing back the release date for their highly anticipated joint album ... because the producer is battling coronavirus.

Champagne Papi announced the delay Wednesday, revealing on his Instagram story that his longtime producer, Noah "40" Shebib, became infected with COVID while mixing and mastering the album.

Drake and 21 Savage's project is called "Her Loss" and it was due out this Friday ... but it's going to be the fan's loss, because Drizzy says the collab is being delayed at least a week, with the new release date moved to next Friday, Nov. 4.

Drake and Noah have worked together for years ... but based on Drake's post, it seems like the COVID diagnosis is only a minor bump in the road.

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"Her Loss" was only announced a couple days ago ... Drake revealed the album's title and original release date in his new music video for "Jimmy Cooks," a song featuring 21 Savage off Drake's last album, "Honestly, Nevermind."

PUSHIN' IT BACK
TMZ.com

So this means Drake/Savage won't go head-to-head with Rihanna.

Britney Spears Seems to Slam Selena Gomez ... Over 2016 AMAs Speech

UPDATE

8:11 AM PT -- Another blow for Selena Gomez ... she just revealed she's got COVID and will miss her appearance on Jimmy Fallon scheduled for tonight.

UPDATE

Britney Spears is trashing Selena Gomez for something she said 6 years ago -- even though signs point to them being pretty good friends today.

The singer delivered a bizarre message Tuesday that looks to be aimed in Selena's direction -- based on the caption anyway. BS cites a specific line Selena dropped at the 2016 American Music Awards, which references women showing their bodies on social media.

She writes, "Don't you just love the nerve of women who stand firmly getting awards and speak on their beliefs about not showing their bodies on Instagram ???!!!!! They say "This is NOT something I would do" yet those women are the very ones who get 4 million dollar budget videos made about sucking and licking on homemade ice cream!!!!"

Britney goes on to say she thinks it's hypocritical for someone engaging in a sexually suggestive music video to criticize others for showing off their curves for the Gram.

The clues she mentions all point to Selena. Like we said, SG's the only person in recent memory who touched on "bodies on Instagram" while also going on to star in a 2020 music video featuring ice cream cones. The song is "Ice Cream" by K-Pop girl band BLACKPINK.

The IG post is still live on Britney's page, but she's edited the caption to just show 3 roses.

Selena's loyal fans definitely see it as a diss, and they're telling Britney to back off. Frankly, her attack seems to be coming out of nowhere ... and the even stranger thing is Selena was one of a few celebs who attended Britney's wedding this year.

Of course, we know Britney's fully leaned into posting her nudes online ... despite controversy it's stirred, especially among her own family members.

As usual, it's hard to make sense of Britney's POV. There is a trend, though ... less and less people on her side as she posts some weird and unprovoked hot takes.

Selena, for her part, hasn't responded to this. Something tells us she won't.

Originally Published -- 7:04 AM PT

Indiana School Board Candidate ... Not All Nazis Were Bad

A guy running for a seat on a local Indiana school board might just be out -- suggesting some Nazis were good dudes ... and comparing them to misunderstood anti-vaxxers of today.

Dr. Matt Keefer, who's in the hunt for a Zionsville Community Schools Board of Trustees post, made the inflammatory comment on Facebook this week while apparently going back and forth with someone about Nazis ... only to then defend said Nazis.

He wrote, "All Nazis weren’t ‘bad,’ as you specify. They did horrible things. They were in a group frenzy in both cases you site (sic). Who is to say if we were both there in the same place and same time, that we wouldn’t have done the same thing."

Keefer went on to say Nazis were victims of "presentism" -- judging old acts by today's standards -- and said maybe one day ... we'd look back at Covid differently, specifically when it comes to folks who threw such a fit about it during the pandemic.

He finishes by saying ... "History is written by the victors. No other candidate will talk about the issues like I will." Later, after a ton of backlash, Keefer doubled down in his sentiment that not all Nazis were bad -- but in the same breath, denied being a Nazi sympathizer.

Sounds pretty Kanye-ish -- making one wonder if the guy's emboldened antisemites.

Jesse Williams Judge, COVID's Real, Don't Make Me Sit for a Depo!!!

Jesse Williams, the star of an upcoming Broadway play, "Take Me Out," is pleading with a judge to cut him a break, so COVID doesn't take him out.

You see, Jesse is being sued over a car crash and the lawyer for the other driver has subpoenaed the actor to sit for a deposition. Jesse is afraid the close quarters during the depo will expose him to the virus. If he gets sick, well he'll violate the Broadway mantra, "The show must go on!" In other words, if there's no Jesse, there's no play.

It's not that Jesse doesn't want his depo taken -- he's more than willing to do it over Zoom -- but he says an in-person depo is just too risky.

As for the lawsuit, as we reported ... the woman in the other car claims the "Grey's Anatomy" star rear-ended her and then fled the scene.

We're told Jesse admits to rear-ending the other car but insists he did not book it out of there.

Ringo Starr Catches COVID ... Postpones Tour

Ringo Starr's sudden weekend illness was actually the beginning stages of COVID -- and now, the former Beatle has been forced to hit the pause button on performing.

The announcement came Monday from The Canada Life Centre -- where Ringo and his band were scheduled to perform this week -- writing ... "Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band were forced to cancel their recent shows due to illness. It has been confirmed today that Ringo has Covid and the tour will be on hold while Ringo recuperates."

They add, "As of today the Canada Life Centre show on October 4 has been canceled," while going on to explain that he's recuperating at home and hoping to return to the stage soon.

Ringo's been on tour, and he's got a string of shows coming up that, for now, seem to be getting pushed -- including five Canadian dates through Sunday ... which were due to kick off in Winnipeg. Starting next week, he's got more shows here in the U.S.

Ringo's diagnosis follows his cancelation of a concert this weekend in Prior Lake, Minnesota -- while it was noted he'd fallen ill, the official word was that he didn't have the 'rona. Obviously, he's contracted it since then.

No word on whether it's just Ringo who's got the virus, or if the rest of his bandmates are also sick. He's been rocking out with a rotating crew of musicians, dubbed the All-Starr Band.

Kyrie Irving On COVID-19 Vax Mandates: 'Biggest Violations Of Human Rights'

Kyrie Irving is speaking out against the mandatory COVID-19 vaccine enforcement ... calling it "one of the biggest violations of human rights in history."

The Nets superstar -- one of the most well-known celebs who personally opposed getting the jab -- took to Twitter to air out his grievances, and he didn't mince his words.

Irving made the point ... if he's allowed to play for the Nets while unvaccinated (that wasn't always the case -- but is now), then he says everyone should receive the same treatment.

"If I can work and be unvaccinated, then all of my brothers and sisters who are also unvaccinated should be able to do the same, without being discriminated against, vilified, or fired," the 30-year-old NBA superstar wrote.

SOME RESPECT PLEASE
@kyrieirving / Instagram

Of course, Kyrie only played in 29 games last season ... primarily because NYC implemented a rule which prevented Irving from working in the city without the jab.

Irving stuck to his principles and refused the shot ... and the City eventually did away with the controversial measure.

10/14/21
"REAL ENOUGH TO STAND UP"

Despite public perception, Irving has repeatedly reiterated that he's not anti-vaccine ... but feels people should be allowed to make their own decisions without coercion.

Aaron Rodgers Pissed Djokovic Couldn't Play In U.S. Open ... 'Make It Make Sense'

Aaron Rodgers is livid Novak Djokovic was not allowed to compete in the U.S. Open tournament ... highlighting the absurdity of some of the COVID-19 regulations that simply make no sense.

Rodgers sat down with Bill Maher for an episode of his 'Club Random' podcast ... where the two had a candid conversation about Djokovic being kept out of the high-profile tourney for remaining unvaccinated.

"The best f***ing player on the men's side can't play," Rodgers said of Djokovic. "One of the most fit guys in the f***ing world whose had covid at least once, if not twice, can't f***ing come to New York?"

Rodgers then brought up Kyrie Irving's long, drawn-out saga with the Nets ... which saw the star point guard miss a bevy of games during the season over his refusal to get vaccinated.

"Kyrie Irving attended a basketball game courtside but couldn't play for his team."

"How is that f***ing possible?" Rodgers asked. "He attended a basketball game and got to watch it in the stands but couldn't play f***ing play on his team because he wasn't vaxxed."

"Make it make sense. Make it sense. You can't," Aaron continued.

10/14/21
"REAL ENOUGH TO STAND UP"

Rodgers and Maher accused the Nets, who told Irving he could play in road games but not home games, then said he couldn't play for the team at all ... of changing their tune once the team started struggling.

AR and BM were dumbfounded that Bradley Beal, who is unvaccinated like Irving, was allowed to play in games at Barclays Center and Madison Square Garden, despite the NYC mandate.

"It was as stupid as it is to sit at a restaurant and take your mask off and then put it on when you stand up as if the virus only attacks you while you're standing."

DIANA JENKINS Won't Attend 'RHOBH' Reunion in Person I have Covid!!!

UPDATE

10:37 AM PT -- Despite her social media activity, a source close to Diana says she's been in L.A. -- not Hawaii -- for the last few days, and flew in for the reunion.

'RHOBH' star Diana Jenkins will be missing from the reunion couches when the highly-anticipated episode airs ... and it's all thanks to a case of COVID.

Jenkins has been all over Instagram the last few days, showcasing her trip in Hawaii -- but a source close tells us she's gotten COVID -- and won't be able to attend Friday's taping of the reunion with the rest of the cast.

There is, however, some good news for her fans -- and any of the other Housewives who might wanna confront Jenkins -- because she'll still participate via Zoom.

We're told she does have symptoms, and is under a doctor's care.

TMZ broke the story, Diana's recently had some major beef with publications and reports who accused her in the past of running a prostitution ring. Her legal team fired off 8 cease and desist letters to the outlets, which actually resulted in some of the fake stories to come down.

She does, however, appear to have an alliance with her 'RHOBH' costar Erika Jayne, recently donating $100K to family members of those who died during the 2018 Lion Air 610 flight.

WHO KILLED MJ?

Of course, some of those victims were allegedly defrauded by Erika's estranged husband, Tom Girardi, but sources tell us Diana's donation wasn't a dig at anyone, she just wanted to help.

Originally Published -- 9:49 AM PT

Aaron Rodgers Breaks Down Vaxx Controversy ... On Joe Rogan's Podcast

Aaron Rodgers gave a full play-by-play breakdown of what exactly happened with his vaccine controversy last year ... dishing the deets to none other than Joe Rogan.

The Packers quarterback was on the 'JRE' this week, and he drilled down on how things unfolded, through his perspective, from the start of training camp to the day he was asked if he'd been vaccinated ... and it sounds like he thinks he got a raw deal in the whole thing.

Watch ... AR explains that he's allergic to a certain part of the vaccine -- the polyethylene glycol found in both the Moderna and Pfizer jabs -- and was all set to take the Johnson & Johnson shot ... until it got pulled for causing blood clots in certain recipients.

When that was out, Aaron says he researched another alternative to protect himself -- one that involved holistic medicine, he says -- and went that route ... without getting a vaccine.

Aaron says he showed up to camp with everyone knowing what his status was -- something that was hard to miss, because he says the NFL would literally separate players both physically and symbolically ... giving out different colored wristbands to differentiate.

He also says he was appealing for a waiver with the league, but he felt he wouldn't get one -- especially when they allegedly called him a conspiracy theorist after he refuted that vaxxed people couldn't contract or spread the virus ... something we now know is possible.

Aaron says he eventually caught COVID -- from an already-vaccinated player, he says -- and that's when word got out officially. He says he felt it was a witch hunt environment to begin with, and when the truth came out ... Aaron says he felt betrayed by the media.

It's a pretty fascinating convo ... AR has already apologized for misleading people, but here -- he almost sounds like he's not sorry. As he says, he was just waiting for a follow-up question.

Magic Johnson Slams Rumor ... I Have Never Donated Blood

Magic Johnson just shot down a rumor claiming he recently donated blood ... with the Hall of Famer calling the story a flat-out lie.

A Twitter account posted what appeared to be a picture of Magic donating blood back on Aug. 18 -- and it quickly went viral, as it claimed the Lakers legend, who was diagnosed with HIV in the early 1990s, was giving blood in order to help those affected by COVID.

But, Johnson said Tuesday it's all completely fabricated.

"I'm aware of the false story circling the internet," the 63-year-old said, "and to be clear, I have never donated blood."

Johnson initially went public with his HIV diagnosis in 1991 -- announcing he was retiring after contracting the virus.

The former point guard did ultimately come back to play in the 1992 All-Star Game, and he also returned to the Lakers in the 1995-96 season.

But, following that year, Johnson called it quits for good ... and has since become an advocate for safe sex and HIV awareness.

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