Current Events

One of Nolan Wells' friends is calling out the late teen's mother ... saying her social media posts were at least partially responsible for some of the hate being thrown their way.

In a new interview on "The Officer Tatum Show", YouTuber Brandon Tatum sat down with Nolan's so-called best friends Morgan Seymour, Warren Hudson, and Jax Pitalo ... asking the boys straight-up how they think the coverage surrounding Nolan's death should have played out.

Jax claims that -- aside from wishing "Nolan could still be here" -- "his mom blasting us on social media from the get-go" triggered a huge media frenzy.

A child's playtime inside a Kansas home turned deadly ... when a 4-year-old was allegedly electrocuted by a clothes dryer.

The Allen County Sheriff's Office says the child was playing at a residence in Savonburg on Thursday when they reportedly received an electrical shock from a 220-volt dryer.

Deputies responded to a report of a child not breathing shortly after 9:30 PM ... but by then, the parents were already racing their unconscious child to Neosho Memorial Regional Medical Center in Chanute.

The man who claims to have the world's smallest penis is ready for a growth spurt ... 'cause his enhancement procedure is officially on the books.

Michael Phillips tells TMZ ... he has an appointment set for August 17 with a doctor in Charlotte, North Carolina ... where he'll get a little boost below the belt with an injection of semi-permanent dermal filler designed to increase girth.

Michael says the procedure will run him nearly $4,000 -- but he's got plenty of financial girth after his GoFundMe swelled past $13,000.

Beloved California bald eagle Jackie is dead ... just weeks after suffering a brutal attack carried out by two other eagles ... ending weeks of hope that the iconic Big Bear bird would pull through.

The Ojai Raptor Center announced Monday that Jackie died early Monday morning after more than three weeks of intensive medical treatment.

The facility shared a remembrance photo of Jackie on Facebook, writing, "Our team is heartbroken. It has been an extraordinary privilege to care for her."

Nolan Wells' friends say they wish they had never gone to Horn Island on the Fourth of July ... believing Nolan would still be alive if they had stayed home.

TMZ obtained exclusive clips from the group's sit-down with YouTuber Brandon Tatum and their attorney, J. Tyler Cox ... ahead of the full interview dropping Monday on "The Officer Tatum Show" ... and his friends talk regret, race and more.

Warren Hudson, Jax Pitalo and Morgan Seymour open up about the tragedy and the allegations that followed ... including claims race played a role in Nolan's death.

The triple-murder trial for Lindsay Clancy is entering its third week ... and a psychiatrist who treated the Massachusetts mother in the weeks leading up to her children's brutal deaths is set to testify.

Clancy is accused of strangling her three children ... 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson and and 8-month-old Callan ... with elastic workout bands at her Duxbury home -- before she tried to kill herself.

Her defense team is attempting to make a case for insanity, arguing Clancy was experiencing postpartum psychosis when she allegedly brutally killed her kids.

Mark Zuckerberg is taking some heat for his yacht not giving any assistance to a skiff that ran out of fuel ... but the Meta CEO says there's nothing to see here.

The drama reportedly began last Monday night when a cruise ship took a detour to help out the 21-foot skiff in Southeast Alaska.

Michael Love, one of the cruise ship's passengers, wrote on social media that the captain announced Zuckerberg's yacht was actually closer to the skiff, but did absolutely nothing to help.

08/09/2026 10:35 AM PST -- A NYPD spokesperson confirms to TMZ ... Manuel Hernandez, age 46, was arrested on 13 counts of reckless endangerment following Saturday night’s deadly incident -- and we have obtained the dispatch audio from the accident.

Two people died -- including a 5-month-old girl -- and 12 others plunged into the waters near NYC's Statue of Liberty after their boat capsized Saturday night, according to law enforcement.

NYPD sources tell TMZ ... the terrifying incident occurred off the coast of Liberty Island in New York Harbor, where the world famous monument stands ... 14 people were on the boat that suddenly overturned, causing them to be thrown into the choppy waters.

Our sources say NYPD Aviation and Harbor Units quickly responded, along with a scuba diving team, after receiving a call for an overturned vessel.

A frantic search for a 5-year-old boy with autism ended in heartbreak ... after authorities say he was found dead in a pond just 30 feet from his Florida home.

The nonverbal child was last seen by his father around 5 AM Friday inside their Tampa-area home, according to Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister. His dad told investigators the two fell back asleep ... and when he woke around 9 AM, his son was gone.

The father searched the home and discovered a screened-in area had been broken and pushed open. After looking around outside, he called 911.

Over 140 sheriff's office units joined the search, along with aviation, drones, K-9s and a dive team. Chronister said a police dog repeatedly circled a retention pond about 30 feet behind the home ... leading divers to enter the water.

Nolan Wells' friends set out Friday to Horn Island after launching an investigation of their own into the death of the teen ... and the visit was intense.

Warren Hudson and Jax Pitalo took their lawyers, J. Tyler Cox and Edward Andrew Paltzik, to inspect the Mississippi barrier island ... and a realization hit them like a ton of bricks.

Cox tells TMZ ... things got raw for the boys ... "The trip was tough for Warren and Jax because that’s the last place they saw their best friend. A couple of times we had to pause and give them their space.” He pointed out one of those places included the site where Nolan’s body was discovered.

The family of former Miss North Carolina USA 2026 Brittany Boltinhouse is speaking out after she was stripped of her title after her alleged past social media posts contained racist language.

An unnamed family member seemed to defend her in a statement to the Daily Mail, stating ... "I think it's important to put her truth out and have the proper narrative out versus a narrative that is saving the face [of] an organization."

They continued, "As you can imagine, there's a lot we would like to say but we are taking the time to be in prayer and unity and [will] respond in a manner [that] God calls us to."

Ben Crump isn't sweating Nolan Wells' friends turning to Trump's lawyer for help.

We caught up with the prominent civil rights attorney in NYC Thursday ... and he says the boys' choice of attorney is just a distraction.

Crump tells us the only thing that matters to him and Nolan's family is getting to the truth about what happened.

Nolan Wells' friends are launching an investigation of their own ... with their attorneys heading to Horn Island to get a firsthand look at where the 18-year-old disappeared, and where he was found dead.

Attorneys J. Tyler Cox and Edward Andrew Paltzik tell TMZ in a joint statement ... they, along with their clients, plan to inspect the Mississippi barrier island Friday as they begin investigating Nolan's death on behalf of their clients -- Warren Hudson, Jax Pitalo and Morgan Seymour.

They stress they won't be gathering evidence during the visit ... saying the purpose is to understand the island's "layout and dynamics." Paltzik "needs to lay eyes on the island himself."

The man accused of making chilling threats over Nolan Wells' death had a message for the FBI as he was hauled to jail -- justice for Nolan.

According to a newly filed FBI report, obtained by TMZ, Joseph Alfredo Vasquez Dumarce was arrested July 29 at a West Sacramento, CA library ... and while FBI agents drove him to jail, one agent told him she wouldn't question him about his federal charges -- but Dumarce apparently started talking anyway.

According to the report, Dumarce said he knew "what this was about" and acknowledged his words got him in trouble ... before adding, "I hope they get justice for that boy."

Warren Hudson's family is sharing some of the threatening messages they say they've received since Nolan Wells' death ... and they certainly sound alarming.

Warren's dad, Benjamin Hudson, sent audio to the SunHerald that allegedly features the various threats people have called in, including one that says ... "Justice for Nolan Wells. Son for a son."

Another caller says Ben is the "father of a murderer."

A different voicemail, filled with profanities and vulgar insults, said ... "Don't run now." The caller also said the Hudson family is "gonna get what the (expletive) coming to you."

Miss North Carolina USA 2026 Brittany Boltinhouse has been stripped of her crown ... just over a month after alleged old social media posts with alleged racism resurfaced.

Miss USA CEO Thom Brodeur said Wednesday Boltinhouse agreed to step down from her role as Miss North Carolina after her conduct violated the standards of the pageant organization.

Brodeur wouldn't go into specifics, but he said the organization “does not tolerate racism, homophobia, transphobia nor language that strips any person of their dignity.”