Coronavirus

Rutgers football player Peyton Powell says he's transferring ... claiming it's all 'cause the university has made it mandatory for students to get the COVID vaccine.

The school announced back in March if students wanted to attend classes and play football for the university, they'd have to get the shots.

"We are committed to health and safety for all members of our community," Rutgers president Jonathan Holloway said when announcing the decision.

"Adding COVID-19 vaccination to our student immunization requirements will help provide a safer and more robust college experience for our students."

Powell says after considering the school's choice ... he's now decided to leave the university in search of one that will not make the vaccine mandatory.

"The University of Rutgers has made the COVID vaccine mandatory to attend school and play football," Powell said Tuesday on his social media page.

"Therefore I have no other choice but to enter my name into the transfer portal."

The move will mark the second time in Powell's college football career that he's transferred ... the 6-foot-2, 185-pound DB was at Baylor during his freshman season in 2019 before switching to the Scarlet Knights.

Before that, Powell was a touted 4-star recruit from Permian High School in Texas.

FYI -- Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano said earlier this month that 90% of the football team had been vaccinated.

The team is slated to begin its season on Sept. 2.

Kanye West isn't requiring folks to be vaccinated or test negative for COVID-19 to enjoy his "Donda" event in Chicago ... but the good news ... fans can get inoculated on site.

A spokesperson for Soldier Field, the football stadium where Kanye is hosting his next listening party for his upcoming album, tells TMZ ... there will be more than 1,500 doses on hand for Kanye fans who want to roll up their sleeves.

We're told the doses are split between the two-shot Pfizer and one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccines. For anyone getting their first shot of Pfizer, which just got full FDA approval, we're told officials from the Chicago Department of Health will be on-site to help set up appointments for the second dose.

Kanye's not the one pushing the vax ... we're told the folks who run Soldier Field, ASM Global Management, worked with the City of Chicago to make this happen.

It'll be interesting to see how many folks roll up their sleeves before listening to Kanye's upcoming album ... vaccines were available at Ye's last listening party in Atlanta, but only a measly 4 out of 40,000 got the shot.

There won't be quite as many folks allowed into Soldier Field ... the home of the NFL's Chicago bears is operating under reduced capacity ... with only 38,000 allowed inside instead of the usual 63,000.

Letitia Wright is still part of the 'Black Panther' franchise despite her anti-vax controversy and rumors she wouldn't be in the sequel ... and she's already filming scenes.

Letitia and Danai Gurira were on location this weekend at MIT campus in Cambridge, MA shooting scenes for the upcoming movie, "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever."

The duo was in full costume, chatting in between scenes as they leaned up against a black sports car.

The pics put to bed speculation Letitia was getting left out of the sequel in the wake of her recent controversy.

Remember ... she was accused of being an anti-vaxxer just this past December, and folks wondered if there was bad blood between her and Marvel, or perhaps Disney at large.

As we reported ... rumblings Letitia was being left behind grew louder last month, when Michaela Coel joined the cast for the sequel.

Buffalo Bills receiver Cole Beasley -- who's passionately outspoken against getting the COVID-19 vaccine -- will spend the next 5 days in quarantine ... this, after coming in close contact with a trainer who tested positive for the virus.

Beasley and fellow WR Gabriel Davis -- who have both been opposed to getting the jab -- tested negative for the virus on Monday ... but due to the NFL's protocols, they're now forced to spend nearly a week away from the team.

Worth noting -- the trainer who tested positive was fully vaccinated, according to Adam Schefter.

Of course, vaccinated players who are deemed close contacts are not required to quarantine ... and are only tested once every two weeks, as opposed to unvaccinated players being tested daily.

It shouldn't come as a surprise Beasley isn't vaccinated -- he's gone on countless rants on the topic, even saying, "I may die of COVID, but I'd rather die actually living."

Beasley's teammate, Dion Dawkins, meanwhile, is taking COVID-19 and the vaccination seriously ... after being hospitalized with the virus for four days.

Dr. Fauci's delivering a harsh dose of reality for Americans ... he says we won't get the pandemic under control until spring, 2022 -- and that's only if people get the damn vaccine.

It's a huge step backward from just a few months ago. Remember, President Biden hopefully called July 4 Independence Day from the pandemic, and it looked like we were heading in that direction. But then, the delta variant hit, and everything changed.

More than 80 million Americans have not received a single shot, and that's what triggered the explosion of cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the past month.

A number of states are reporting their highest level of COVID-19 cases since spring ... when vaccine rates were much, much lower.

The good news -- the FDA granted full approval to the Pfizer vax Monday, which could convince some of the holdouts it's time to get their shots. It also gives businesses an even better reason to mandate vaccinations and exclude those who refuse to get the shot.

Amid all the chaos in Australia over renewed COVID lockdowns, a damning report claims a local government killed a bunch of rescue dogs ... to keep the volunteers from going out.

The allegation stems from a Sydney Morning Herald story published Sunday, which cites a watchdog org that keeps tabs on the Bourke Shire Council ... which sits in a rural area in New South Wales. The shelter, which isn't named, apparently lies in the town of Cobar.

Per the outlet, the watchdog claims it'd been informed of the local council's decision to recently gun down a handful of rescue pups at a nearby pound -- this as a result of what they say is the government's twisted interpretation of Australia's newly imposed restrictions.

The idea behind this alleged onslaught ... keep the volunteers from leaving their home and potentially interacting/spreading the virus. To that end, apparently, they offed the pooches.

The watchdog also says they're investigating whether any laws were broken by the command -- namely, whether any companion animal or cruelty violations were at play. The cruelty one certainly seems like a viable claim ... 'cause this might've been totally unnecessary.

SMH says an anonymous source directly familiar with the shelter's staff/protocol claims they already had COVID measures in place to handle the dogs ... adding one was a new mom.

The drastic move speaks to just how crazy things are down under at the moment -- the government is enforcing strict rules for its residents ... which has led to a lot of unrest, protests and clashes with police -- especially this weekend, where people are out in force.

The issue has gotten so heated that people are finding creative ways to push back -- including reports of big rig truck drivers refusing to deliver goods en masse and slow down the economy. Some people have even gone the Paul Revere route to rally the citizenry.

It's a complicated matter. Like we said ... cases are through the roof there and the government appears to be doing what it thinks is best for its people. But, they're clearly not all down with the method -- and as it relates to the dogs that were allegedly killed ... it's BS.

Donald Trump can say just about anything to his base and they will cheer ... anything, with one big exception -- urging folks to get the vaccine.

Trump was booed -- yes booed -- during a rally in Cullman, Alabama Saturday night, after urging the crowd to get the COVID shot. "I believe totally in your freedoms," he said. "I do, you gotta do what you gotta do, but I recommend taking the vaccines. I did it. It's good."  You'd think he just told them to surrender their guns, because the crowd turned on him.

"That's okay, that's alright," Trump said, pressing on. "But I happen to take the vaccine. If it doesn't work, you'll be the first to know. But it is working. You do have your freedoms, you have to maintain that."

And, there's more. Trump has bragged in the past about his "good relationship" with the Taliban.

At the rally, Trump praised the Taliban as "great negotiators" and "tough fighters." He also said, “with me in office the Taliban would not have ever dreamt of capturing our airfield or parading around with our American weapons.”

He even suggested we might send our troops back to Afghanistan ... curious, since he's the one who set the wheels in motion for the withdrawal.

Reverend Jesse Jackson and his wife, Jacqueline, are in the hospital due to COVID-19 -- a worrisome update, especially considering his health problems ... and the fact he's vaccinated.

The civil rights leader's organization, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, broke the news Saturday ... saying the Jacksons were admitted to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago after contracting the virus. Their conditions are unknown, but they're being monitored closely.

The org also notes ... anyone's who's been around them in the last 5-6 days should quarantine and get tested, per CDC guidelines. Not much else was provided as far as updates -- but their son, Jonathan, says the family will release info accordingly.

Like we said -- Mr. Jackson (and presumably, Mrs. Jackson too) is vaccinated ... he actually got the jab way back in January, doing so publicly and broadcasting as a way to encourage the Black community and others to get inoculated early and often ... and to quell hesitation.

Rev. Jackson has had other health issues lately -- he was hospitalized shortly after getting the vaccine for abdominal pain and underwent surgery. He's also battling Parkinson's.

Mississippi health officials seem to be dumbfounded they have to say this, but they're doing it regardless -- because people are dumb ... ingesting a livestock drug to battle COVID.

State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs had to say as much this week during a press call, where he and others were forced to address the soaring number of people there who are apparently ingesting ivermectin at an alarming rate ... all in an effort to ward off the virus.

Local reports say that the majority of poison control calls in Mississippi lately -- a whopping 70%, no less -- are related to folks calling for advice after having taken ivermectin as some sort of COVID remedy. Supposedly, these are people looking for alternatives to the vaccine.

BTW, this drug is usually for livestock (like cows/horses) ... and it's made to fight off parasites that grow in their gut, like worms and whatnot. There have been instances where humans have also been prescribed ivermectin for similar purposes, but in way smaller doses.

As Dr. Dobbs notes in his remarks, taking ivermectin straight out of a box you might find at an animal feed or farm supply store can be VERY toxic and even kill you ... so, it goes without saying, that he doesn't recommend it -- and instead, suggests people just vaxx up.

Speaking of these stores, a photo was circulating this week purportedly showing a shop in Mississippi hawking ivermectin ... and apparently encouraging customers to stock up. It's unclear how exactly this quack treatment started making the rounds, but it looks like many are well aware of it, and a portion of them are even giving it a go with bad results.

Even the FDA had to step in and say something about this ... they tweeted out a direct warning against taking ivermectin, wisely noting that we humans are not cows or horses.

Stephen Ritz is already getting national attention, from the likes of Michelle Obama no less, for teaching students how to grow veggies ... and he's being called a hero for how that food was used during the pandemic.

The best-selling author, public school teacher and founder of Green Bronx Machine joined us Friday on "TMZ Live" and explained ... his students do learn how to grow their own food and cook.

But, Stephen says his program also teaches them other skills ... like reading, writing, math and how to engage with emerging opportunities.

The students are already making a difference in their community ... Stephen says they grew 5,000 pounds of food in his classroom alone during the pandemic, and a total of 100,000 pounds in schools across the country.

He says it all went to local communities struggling with food insecurity.

Stephen says his students are making their neighborhoods and themselves better. It starts in the garden -- but the plants help the kids grow, fueling them to make their schools and environments a better place for all.

Jerry Messing -- the "Freaks and Geeks" actor who's also the face of a famous meme -- has COVID and is fighting for his life in Florida ... TMZ has learned.

His father, James, tells us ... Jerry lives with his parents in an apartment in Tampa, and a few days ago he started feeling really sick all of a sudden and having shortness of breath, but assured his dad he was breathing fine.

A day later, James says he noticed Jerry was really struggling to breathe so he tested his oxygen level and it was very low.

James tells us he determined Jerry needed to go to the hospital right away, so they called an ambulance and he was transported Monday night.

We're told Jerry tested positive for COVID-19 and he was immediately placed on a ventilator. James says nobody is allowed to visit Jerry right now as he's struggling to survive.

According to James ... both he and Jerry's mom are fully vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine, but they both started feeling ill around the same time Jerry did. So far, Jerry's dad has tested negative, while his mother's test results are pending.

James says Jerry had received his first Pfizer dose, and was waiting for his second shot before he got sick.

Along with his role as Gordon Crisp on "Freaks and Geeks," Jerry's played Pugsley on the "Addams Family Reunion" TV movie and Artie Ryan on "Even Stevens."

If you're thinking of freaking out on a plane, hope you're flush with cash, because freak-outs don't come cheap. Some off-the-rails passengers have been fined and the total is now more than a million bucks.

The FAA just hit a milestone (a bad one) in the total amount of penalties they've dished out thus far in 2021 ... there have been 3,889 reports of unruly behavior this year, and many of these ridiculous passengers have been socked with huge fines.

Most of the in-flight eruptions involve disputes over mask-wearing. There are also a bunch of alcohol-related disturbances. For example ...

-- A JetBlue passenger was fined $45,000 for throwing objects, including his carry-on at other passengers, lying on the aisle floor, and then grabbing a flight attendant by the ankles and putting his head up her skirt.

-- A Frontier Airlines passenger was socked with a $30,000 fine after trying to gain entry to the cockpit by assaulting 2 flight attendants, threatening to kill one of them, and demanding they open the door.

-- A JetBlue passenger was fined $17,530 for failing to comply with the mask mandate, vaping on the plane and drinking alcohol not served by the airline.

-- An Allegiant Airlines passenger was fined $10,500 for refusing to wear a face mask and then urinating on the bathroom floor, which leaked into the galley.

Turns out a lot of these passengers got dinged for bringing alcohol on board -- which is a no-no -- and then getting belligerent.

The fines we were provided are all hefty -- starting at $7,500. On top of that, some passengers have been charged with crimes.

It's gotten so bad, flight attendants are now duct-taping out-of-control passengers to their seats.

Garth Brooks is pressing pause on the remaining stops on his stadium tour ... and he says it's because of the resurgence in COVID-19 cases across the country.

The country music star announced Wednesday he's scrapping 5 upcoming stadium shows at football stadiums in Baltimore, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Nashville and Foxborough, Mass. ... and he says he was wrong about COVID being done.

Garth says ... "In July, I sincerely thought the pandemic was falling behind us. Now, watching this new wave, I realize we are still in the fight and I must do my part."

It's an about-face for Garth ... as we reported, just last month he played in front of a packed house of 68,000 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Ticketmaster says it will refund all tickets and Garth says he's hopeful the shows can be rescheduled "when this wave seems to be behind us."

Garth and his band are vaccinated, as are his tour crew, but he previously said he would not require concertgoers to be vaccinated or show proof of a negative COVID-19 test. The stadium shows were expected to follow local COVID protocols.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott is now among the thousands who've recently tested positive for the coronavirus in his state, and his breakthrough case comes on the heels of him being in very close contact with a lot of people.

Abbott says he's tested daily and Tuesday was his first positive test result. According to a statement from his office ... he's receiving Regeneron's antibody treatment even though he's not experiencing symptoms, and will isolate at the Governor's Mansion and test daily.

The good news is, he's also fully vaccinated and says he's in good health. The bad news is ... just last night he attended a standing-room-only event in Collin County where, as you can see, there were no masks in sight and no social distancing.

Gov. Abbott says everyone he's been in close contact with Tuesday has been notified, but does not clarify if that includes all the people at Monday night's event. His wife has tested negative so far, but he also recently tweeted about meeting musician Jimmie Vaughan ... brother of the late legend, Stevie Ray.

The Texas governor has been under fire as cases, hospitalizations and deaths have been on the rise lately -- especially in nursing homes and cases are up even among kids.

Paul Anka's got a simple but effective blueprint for planning his tour during a pandemic ... hope for the best, plan for the worst.

The legendary singer joined "TMZ Live" on Tuesday and broke down how he's gone about launching his tour this fall. Remember, his tour was upended last year due to COVID-19 raging out of control across the country. And, while things are ratcheting up again ... Paul's praying things settle down.

In any event ... Paul's "Anka Sings Sinatra" tour -- kicking off October 23 in New York -- is sold out. What's more ... Paul says the venues he's playing in will have some sort of requirement for those who want to attend. He didn't specify ... but tons of venues are now requiring vaccination proof or proof of a negative test.

Paul essentially says all he can do is worry about what's in his control ... like the logistics. He's done just that ... the rest is up to fate. In the meantime ... Paul says between now and his tour he'll be working on his next album, "Paul Anka: My Christmas 2021."

And, speaking of albums ... the crooner just dropped his new album "Making Memories," just weeks after he celebrated his 80th birthday. You'll recall practically all of Hollywood and beyond showered Paul with some touching tributes.

"Making Memories" will feature duets with Olivia Newton-John, Michael Buble, Il Divo and Andrea Bocelli.

Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera is absolutely sick and tired of the fake news about the COVID vaccines ... calling misinformation spreaders "f***ing a**holes" who are causing people to die.

The 59-year-old -- who is immune deficient after battling skin cancer last year -- has been a strong advocate for getting his team and others to take the COVID-19 vaccine this season ... saying back in July he was "beyond frustrated" with players who hadn't been vaccinated.

Rivera says one of the biggest hurdles he's had to get over is all the wild lies that "experts" have been sharing on the Internet ... which is leaving a negative impact on the younger crowd.

"Gen Z is relying on [phones]," Rivera told Sports Illustrated. "And you got some, quite frankly, f***ing a**holes, that are putting a bunch of misinformation out there, leading people to die."

"That’s frustrating to me, that these people are allowed to have a platform. And then, one specific news agency, every time they have someone on, 'I’m not a doctor, but the vaccines don’t work.' Or, 'I’m not an epidemiologist, but vaccines are going to give you a third nipple and make you sterile.'"

"Come on. That, to me? That should not be allowed."