Coronavirus

Barack Obama's 60th birthday bash looks like it would have been epic, if not for the damn Delta variant ... just look at this massive tent where the party would've been held!!!

As you can see, there's a couple of temporary structures taking up tons of real estate at the Obamas' sprawling property on Martha's Vineyard ... including the tents, which is where a reported 500 or so of his closest friends would have been celebrating. Oh, and about 200 staffers were lined up to serve the guests.

Remember ... Obama nixed the party at the last minute after struggling to make it COVID safe in the face of the surging Delta variant, on top of the CDC now saying vaccinated people can spread the virus as easily as non-vaccinated folks.

The tents are so big you can see them from super far away ... and you can just imagine what the party would have been like. It was supposedly going to be a who's-who of power brokers with folks like Oprah, George Clooney and Steven Spielberg expected to rub elbows with Obama.

Like we told you ... Obama's reps say the event is now going to be a more intimate affair for close friends and family.

O.J. Simpson says he had such a tough battle with COVID last year, he was worried he was going to die ... explaining the virus made it nearly impossible for him to catch his breath.

The former NFL superstar went in-depth with The Athletic about his 2020 battle with coronavirus ... saying things at one point got so dire, death crossed his mind.

"When I had COVID, I almost couldn't get out of bed," Simpson said in a lengthy interview. "I made it to my balcony, trying to breathe. I couldn't catch my breath."

Simpson said his symptoms were so bad, he actually spoke with his children about final arrangements.

"I felt vulnerable," 74-year-old Simpson said, "and for the first time thought I might be near the end."

Simpson was able to recover ... and said he's grateful for it, explaining he's loving his life out of prison in Las Vegas.

Simpson said he golfs "four or five days a week" now, and bragged about how he's still treated like a celebrity.

"People want to buy me drinks," he said. "I'm always taking pictures with people. Ladies hug me."

"People truly care for me," he continued. "You don’t know who truly cares about you until you've gone through some serious stuff, and I've gone through serious stuff."

"The media won’t say it, but that is my life. I'm living a good life now."

Simpson, though, did say his life now includes far less trips to Los Angeles.

He explained he's troubled by being in the city because he's concerned Nicole Brown Simpson's killer could still be there.

Jennifer Aniston knows the drill ... you say anything on social media, you're gonna get dragged, but after drawing fire for her vaccination comments, she was ready to fight back.

Aniston was criticized for saying when it comes to friends, she only wants those who are vaccinated, revealing she's cut "a few people" out of her life who just won't get the shot.

The criticism was mild as far as criticism goes, but here's a sample ... "If [Jennifer's] vaccinated she's protected correct? why be worried about [unvaxinated people] around her?"

She fired back ... "Because if you have the variant, you are still able to give it to me ... I may get slightly sick but I will not be admitted to a hospital or die" ... BUT I CAN give it to someone who does not have the vaccine and whose health is compromised -- and therefore I would put their lives at risk."

And, she zeroed in on the point ... "THAT is why I worry ... We have to care about more than just ourselves."

The Offspring are telling people their drummer, Pete Parada, was NOT kicked out of the band due to being unvaccinated ... but as a practical matter, it may be the case.

Jason "Blackball" McLean -- famous for singing "You gotta keep 'em separated" on The Offspring's 1994 hit, "Come Out And Play" -- tells TMZ ... Pete was never given the boot by his bandmates and a mutual agreement was reached ... but frankly, a return is sounding more and more like a pipedream.

We're told there have been several discussions between Pete and the other band members for months about getting back on the road, traveling and touring again ... which would require getting vaccinated.

More and more venues, cities and countries are requiring proof of vaccination to perform ... and we're told the band needs a drummer who's all-in on getting the shot.

Pete says he can't get vaccinated due to a medical issue that's gotten worse since childhood, so he's out ... and there doesn't appear to be a pathway for a return in the foreseeable future.

Drummer Josh Freese will be filling in for The Offspring's upcoming shows -- but the band is telling folks it's not permanent and as soon as things get better and Pete's not required to be vaxxed to be in a venue, there's an open invitation to return.

Thing is ... vaccine mandates don't appear to be going away anytime soon, nor does COVID, and with herd immunity seeming further and further away, it's increasingly hard to imagine Pete getting behind a drum set with The Offspring.

BTW ... though Jason's not an official member of the band, he will be appearing at some of their upcoming shows to perform his iconic lyrics, just like he did on a recent ep. of their "Cockpit Karaoke."

Health officials say the large crowd gatherings for Milwaukee Bucks' playoff games both in and near the NBA champion's arena this summer spurred a spike in COVID cases.

Milwaukee Health Commissioner Kirsten Johnson made the announcement Tuesday ... saying findings have revealed more than 400 recent coronavirus cases in the state of Wisconsin could be linked back to large gatherings near Fiserv Forum in July.

"Anytime people gather I think it's important to recognize -- anytime there's a large gathering of people -- we're going to see the virus spread," Johnson said.

Johnson explained all of the new cases did not necessarily stem from one day of celebrating the basketball team -- but rather were a culmination of fans crowding closely together throughout the Bucks' playoff run.

"That [more than 400 cases] number is from the entire month of July," Johnson said. "So it's not linked directly to one day, the Final game -- it's through the entire course of the month of July."

Johnson said she and other officials expect the number of cases linked to Bucks crowds to continue to rise ... saying they're still collecting data that suggests more positive tests are coming.

Kendall Jenner's being sued by a famous Italian clothing designer for only appearing in one of 2 contracted photo shoots -- but her management team says COVID's to blame, and the company refused to be flexible.

According to the suit filed by Liu Jo ... the company struck a deal with Kendall in early 2019 to pay her $1.5 million to appear in 2 shoots -- one for Liu Jo’s Spring/Summer 2020 campaign and the second originally intended to be used for its Fall/Winter 2020 campaign.

Liu Jo says Kendall fulfilled her obligation for the first shoot in 2019 and received more than $1.3 million by Feb. 2020 when it was time for the second shoot ... but then the coronavirus pandemic happened.

According to the docs ... the Italian fashion house offered to reschedule with Kendall for fall of 2020, but it claims she "ultimately turned down all of Liu Jo’s good-faith offers of compromise."

The company says it even tried to work with her to shoot in October 2020 in Italy when she was already going to be there shooting with another designer ... but Kendall allegedly told them it wouldn't work.

Liu Jo claims it became clear then, she had no intention of fulfilling her contract, so it had to sue ... and it's seeking at least $1.8 million in damages.

However, we're told Kendall's team tried to come up with a compromise to shoot in the U.S. during the pandemic, but it was unable to commit to that. Our sources say it's always her intention to complete every deal ... and it's unfortunate Liu Jo decided to go this route.

A spokesperson for The Society Management tells TMZ ... "This suit is without merit. The Society Management, on behalf of Ms. Kendall Jenner, has continually offered Liu Jo alternative dates and locations to fulfill an agreement that was forced to be delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic."

The Delta variant of COVID-19 seems to have stopped the Obamas in their tracks -- the ex-President's birthday bash has been canceled.

A rep for 44 broke the news Wednesday, saying the Obamas would not be hosting nearly 500 celebs and others with a staff of around 200. We're told the Obamas were planning the event for months, and struggled to make it COVID safe, but the Delta variant made it too dangerous ... especially because the CDC now says vaccinated people can spread the virus just as easily as non-vaccinated folks.

Now, the rep says it'll just be close friends and family in attendance -- no word on an actual headcount, but it sounds more intimate than crazy. They add on BO's behalf, "He's appreciative of others sending their birthday wishes from afar and looks forward to seeing people soon."

The party was supposedly going to be a who's-who of power brokers -- folks like Steven Spielberg, Oprah and George Clooney were expected to show (although Biden weirdly wasn't) ... and instead of gifts, Barack was asking folks to donate to programs supporting kids and people of color.

The Texas cop who mounted a Black teen didn't just get too close for comfort for the family, but perhaps too close for the CDC as well ... because the guy allegedly had COVID that day.

Nekia Trigg's family attorney, Kim T. Cole, tells TMZ ... the Kaufman County Sheriff's Office just got ahold of them to let both Nekia and her mother, Antanique Ray, know that Deputy Conner Martin had tested positive for the virus at the time of the altercation.

Cole says Antanique tested negative Monday, but they're still waiting on results for Nekia ... who just went in for a test herself on Tuesday.

Still, despite testing negative ... we're told Antanique lost 5 days of work because she quarantined until she got her test results back ... she's out a week's worth of income.

The KCSO declined to comment on Martin's condition.

It's just the latest setback for Nekia and co. -- remember, they had to essentially flee their home because of mounting death threats they say they'd been receiving in the wake of the dustup. Not just that, but Antanique still has criminal charges to deal with over the incident.

Lollapalooza wasn't just a breeding ground for COVID this weekend -- it also led to some serious violence ... as seen in this brutal video of a festival ticket sale gone wrong.

The scuffle broke out Sunday just outside the Congress Plaza Hotel & Convention Center in Chicago ... literally across the street from Grant Park, where the multi-day music festival was being held outdoors.

In the clip, you can see 3 men tussling in front of a glass window ... which ended up getting shattered when at least one dude got shoved through it.

You see him cry out in pain and then try and drag himself away from the chaos. According to Chicago PD, this was all over one guy selling "bad wristbands" for Lolla to a group of 2 men and 2 women. The dispute between the 3 men ended with the shattered glass and all 3 getting hospitalized for various cuts on their heads, legs and arms.

Cops are investigating, but no one's been arrested yet.

This incident aside, the bigger danger for festival-goers this weekend appears to have been COVID-19 ... in particular, the Delta variant, which is starting to run rampant across the U.S.

CDC officials say it is infecting a helluva lot of people at alarming rates once again. The fact that Lollapalooza was packed to the gills, with a sea of people who were mostly unmasked, probably won't help.

Even those who are vaccinated aren't safe against Delta -- not entirely, anyway. Those people are getting infected just as much as unvaccinated people, but the shot does help mitigate symptoms ... and usually prevents the patient from needing hospitalization.

A notable case in point for this new surge and who's catching it lies in Provincetown, MA -- which is experiencing a major outbreak of Delta. The town was key in the CDC issuing new indoor mask guidance recently ... as positive cases among the vaccinated there were found to be in step with those who hadn't gotten inoculated yet.

So, everyone's at risk again, it seems ... granted, to varying levels.

Still, it's pretty crazy ... Provincetown is a left-leaning city that usually plays by the rules for this type of thing -- and despite that, they're still catching COVID like crazy.

The NFL Alumni association was paid a whopping $3,500,000 by the CDC to promote the COVID-19 vaccine, TMZ Sports has learned.

U.S. Federal Procurement docs show the CDC and the NFL Alumni assoc. signed the multi-million dollar deal at the beginning of May.

The total value of the contract is listed at $3.5 mil ... with the money earmarked for "NFL Alumni (NFLA) Health COVID-19 Vaccination Community Outreach and Education Project."

FYI, the NFL Alumni was founded in 1967 by a group of retired football players. The organization's current president is former NY Giants lineman, Bart Oates.

The NFL Alumni's website features pro-COVID-19 vax testimonials from former NFL stars like Franco Harris, Rod Woodson and Harry Carson, amongst others.

The site also has a "Vaccination Tracker" and a link to access vax locations.

The group is a separate entity from the NFL ... though you must have played or coached in the league to be a member.

Prior to awarding the windfall of cash, the CDC issued a Notice of Intent, announcing the grant.

"The [CDC] intends to award a sole source firm fixed price purchase order to The NFL Alumni Association (NFLA). The overall purpose of this contract is to facilitate collaboration among NFL Alumni and federal state and local public health officials as well as other local leaders to address vaccine hesitancy through communication and engagement with communities less likely to get vaccinated."

The notice continues ... "The CDC Vaccine Task Force will work directly with the NFLA to promote community-level and national COVID-19 education outreach and vaccination acceptance."

The agreement with former players is interesting, because many current players and coaches are pissed about the NFL's new COVID vax rules

The league has threatened to take away players' game checks and even force forfeitures if unvaccinated players cause COVID outbreaks.

29-year-old superstar WR DeAndre Hopkins tweeted his frustrations with the rules, even hinting at contemplating retirement. Minnesota Vikings assistant coach Rick Dennison was even reassigned after refusing to get the shot.

Congresswoman Cori Bush spent the night sleeping on the steps of the U.S. Capitol to protest the end of the COVID eviction moratorium.

We got the Rep from Missouri Saturday morning after she spent a night with several other members of Congress -- Ayanna Pressley and Ilhan Omar -- to highlight the impending struggle of millions of people who will be evicted from their homes unless Congress extends the eviction moratorium.

Bush, who was once homeless herself, is frustrated Congress has just taken a 7-week recess without voting to extend renters' protection.  Democrats tried and failed Friday to extend the law, so it's a certainty that the law will expire today.

Bush made a personal plea to her fellow members, saying she's been evicted 3 times in her life along with her 2 children. She says she lived in a car and tried conveying the harsh realities of living without a roof over your head.

Trey Parker and Matt Stone want to buy a beloved Colorado restaurant featured in "South Park," but it's still just a pipedream ... because we're told Casa Bonita is NOT for sale.

Here's the deal ... the "South Park" creators made it pretty well known this week they want to buy the Mexican restaurant they often shout out in their sitcom, in part because the real Casa Bonita has remained shuttered since the outset of the pandemic.

But, as flattering as their desire to buy Casa Bonita might be, honchos at the restaurant's parent company, Summit Family Restaurant Inc., tell TMZ ... they're not interested in selling, despite filing for bankruptcy.

Since the bankruptcy filing, we're told tons of people have reached out to Summit about purchasing Casa Bonita -- but Trey and Matt weren't among them.

We're told the decision-makers at Summit plan to reopen Casa Bonita ASAP once the current bankruptcy process wraps, with the goal being to get folks back to work in the next month. Summit's owned Casa Bonita for 25 years.

The New Orleans Saints are doing their part to try to get people vaccinated as COVID cases are surging in Louisiana ... trading signed jerseys for shots at their training camp Friday.

N.O. officials made the vaccines available to fans at their practice facility in Metairie ... and encouraged people to show up by giving away autographed Michael Thomas and Cameron Jordan swag.

And, while they limited the cool gear to just the first 15 people who got the shots, the gesture is a powerful one ... considering how bad COVID is hitting the state at the moment.

More than 20,000 people have tested positive for the virus in Louisiana in the last week ... making it arguably the nation's biggest COVID hotspot area.

Of course, Sean Payton knows all too well the effects of the virus ... the Saints head man was the first big NFLer to test positive for COVID in 2020, and battled fever and chills in his bout with it.

Sharon Stone is taking a stand, demanding vaccinations on the set of a new project ... but as a result, she says she's "being threatened" with losing that job.

Sharon isn't naming names yet, but says it's a show shooting in Atlanta, which she calls "a good job" she really wants to do. However, she's insisting on the same precautions Sean Penn recently did for one of his sets. The difference is ... Sharon says she might get cut.

Stone is running for an actors' union position ... a seat on SAG-AFTRA's national board of directors, and according to Deadline she laid out the COVID testing nightmare in a campaign video. In another campaign vid she reveals a health insurance nightmare that's prompted her to run -- "I lost my vested insurance after 43 years in the business because of Covid. I was $13 short and, you know, I don’t really think that that is reasonable for any of us.”

As for the COVID testing -- Stone reportedly blames the Producers Guild of America for not guaranteeing everyone working on her potential show is vaccinated. It's a very personal issue for Sharon.

As we've reported, her family has been ravaged by COVID-19. Last year she tearfully revealed her grandmother and godmother both died in the pandemic. Her sister and sister's husband, Bruce, also battled the coronavirus, but survived.

"Top Gun: Maverick" star Lewis Pullman has a weak stomach ... a plausible explanation/justification for puking his guts out while filming his flight scenes.

We got the actor arriving at LAX Thursday and it seemed like an appropriate place to talk about his fear of heights. It certainly raises the question ... why on earth did he take on the role of Bob the pilot trainee for the T.G. sequel?

Lewis concedes .... at first, he didn't think the film was for him. But, he was later inspired by one Tom Cruise and his fearlessness when filming some of the baddest scenes on the planet.

Nevertheless, Lewis says his stomach could only take so much. And, he couldn't help but hurl, over and over ... and over.

UFC superstar Amanda Nunes has tested positive for COVID-19 ... and her fight against Julianna Pena next weekend at UFC 265 is off.

The UFC is planning to reschedule the title fight once Amanda is 100% healthy.

Nunes and Pena were scheduled to be the co-main event of the August 7 event ... on a card that also features a highly anticipated heavyweight matchup pitting Derrick Lewis and Ciryl Gane against each other.

The events going down at the Toyota Center in Houston, TX.

It's a matchup 31-year-old Pena -- who has wins over Cat Zingano and Jessica Eye -- has been champing at the bit for ... previously telling us she was the GOAT's "kryptonite."

Interesting to note, back in June 2020, Amanda -- who's currently on a 12-fight win streak -- speculated she may have battled COVID ... saying she experienced all of the traditional symptoms, and was in bed for several days.

Nunes says her wife, UFC contender Nina Nunes, was so sick they took her to the hospital.

No word yet on whether the UFC will replace Nunes-Pena with another fight.

Story developing ...