Exclusive

Issac Bruce says if he were runnin' the Rams show ... he'd dump Jared Goff for Deshaun Watson -- telling TMZ Sports a potential trade with the Texans would be a no-brainer for him.

"I'd love to see it, I'm just going to be honest," the Rams legend says. "I think Deshaun Watson is a great talent. He can throw the football well. He's a competitor."

"You don't have to worry about if this guy is going to show up on Sunday. At all."

Of course, a Houston-Los Angeles trade would take a LOT of dominoes to fall ... first, the Texans would have to be willing to jettison their star QB -- even if he's as disgruntled as some reports say he is.

Second, the Rams would have to get creative with contracts considering Goff's massive deal ... AND they'd likely have to come up with a bunch of draft picks to give away as well.

But, Bruce says if there's any way L.A. can make it work ... the Rams should do it and not think twice.

"If Les [Snead] can pull it off, man," Bruce said of the Rams' general manager, "I'd be jumping on the table as well to make it happen."

As for Bruce's feelings on Goff going forward ... you can tell, Isaac ain't exactly Jared's #1 fan.

DaBaby's shopping spree on world-famous Rodeo Drive came to an abrupt halt when Bev Hills cops stopped him and his pals and allegedly found a gun.

DaBaby hit several stores on Rodeo Thursday including Dior, Gucci and Moncler. As he and 3 other men were about to drive off, multiple cop cars surrounded their vehicle. Law enforcement sources tell us someone had called the cops to report DaBaby and his crew had weapons.

Baby and his friends were detained while officers searched the vehicle, and found one handgun.

We're told the rapper was arrested for carrying a loaded firearm, a misdemeanor. Although cops initially detained everyone in the car, we're told DaBaby is the only one getting booked.

Tony Lopez -- one of the popular members of TikTok's Hype House -- used social media to "groom" and have sex with 2 teenage girls ... at least according to an explosive new lawsuit, but he denies the allegations.

The underage girls -- suing under the aliases H.L. Doe and C.H. Doe -- both claim 21-year-old Lopez first began communicating with them via text and social media despite knowing they were minors ... and say he tried to coerce them into meeting for sexual encounters.

H.L. alleges Lopez first lured her away from her friends on Jan. 4, 2020 and engaged in unlawful sexual acts with her ... including oral and vaginal sex. In the suit, the teen claims she told him she was 16 before that encounter, but later admitted she was really 15.

Even so, she alleges they had sex again on Jan. 19 at his place in Nevada -- and that Lopez told her not to take any pics with her phone because he wanted to keep their relationship secret.

The other accuser, C.H., claims she met Lopez in April 2020 when she was invited to the Hype House in L.A. by one of its founders, Thomas Petrou. She claims they exchanged text and Snapchat info, and Lopez -- knowing she was 16 -- almost immediately began soliciting nude photos or video from her.

C.H. alleges Lopez sent a photo of himself with the caption, "Show me your boobs," and repeatedly tried to coerce her into sending explicit photos or sneaking out to meet him to have sex.

She says she always declined, but according to the suit ... he allegedly sent her nude photos exposing his penis.

Both girls are suing Lopez for sexual battery and emotional distress. They're also suing Hype House and its founders -- including Petrou and Chase Hudson -- for negligence.

Lopez tells TMZ ... "These allegations are not at all true. I never sent nudes to these women and didn’t ask them to send me pictures either. And, I certainly wouldn’t have sex with someone who told me they were underage."

The U.S. Capitol Police Dept. may have been able to thwart Wednesday's attempted coup if it had all hands on deck, but we've learned they had less than ONE-QUARTER of the force working ... despite multiple, clear warnings the protest could turn violent.

Capitol Police sources tell TMZ ... 500 officers were working Wednesday as President Trump revved up the huge crowd of his supporters upset over the election results -- giving them their marching orders with the Capitol as the final destination. Trump has been dog-whistling for weeks now, promising something big would happen on January 6.

With that backdrop, the Capitol Police are 2,200 strong, yet only 500 were on duty. The way it works in most police departments around the country ... when there's the possibility of social unrest it's all hands on deck. That did not happen here.

Our source says the police believed they had enough staff to contain any unrest ... by setting up barricades and locking up the 3 House office buildings -- the Cannon, Longworth and Rayburn Buildings. The sad fact ... they were grossly understaffed.

Even worse, we're told when the cops on duty were instructed to start deploying tear gas to clear the rioters ... they were not given masks or proper protective equipment. This resulted in many officers becoming debilitated themselves ... meaning even fewer police were at the ready to contain the insurrection.

We're told when it became obvious things were completely out of control, several Capitol Police officers who work the night crew made their way to the Hill to help out ... but by then, according to one Capitol Police source, it already felt like "Olympus Has Fallen."

Rep. Karen Bass of California -- who was in the Capitol Building at the time of the invasion -- is shocked and appalled at the security breach ... and not necessarily buying Capitol Police excuses.

She suggests -- like many others -- the insurrection was made possible by the lax treatment of Trump's supporters, and she believes if a similar situation arose with BLM protesters ... they would have dealt with it in a vastly different, more violent way.

White House Correspondent for TheGrio April Ryan has a slightly different take, but it still doesn't reflect kindly on the Capitol Police. She tells us they acted like keystone cops during the failed coup attempt, but feels it's par for the course.

She says the grotesque images will be long remembered around the country and the world, and there needs to be a drastic revamp of the Capitol Police Dept. to protect the building and its occupants from terrorists ... both domestic and foreign.

We were even told cops were not allowed to take time off from January 5-7 and a plan was being implemented to have a heavy police presence in the area -- both uniformed and in street clothes. It makes it even more puzzling why the full complement of cops wasn't there.

On the bright side -- the FBI is on the hunt for the rioters ... as Rep. Bass says they should be.

Rep. Karen Bass is outraged and saddened about the ordeal she and all of Congress endured -- and can't help thinking the Capitol attack would've been thwarted if rioters weren't Trump supporters.

The Congresswoman from California's 37th district joined "TMZ Live" Thursday to recount the terror of the moment lawmakers had to be evacuated ... a shocking event she calls ironic ... in a couple of ways.

First of all, Bass says she anticipated things getting dicey on the streets of D.C. ... but she told her family she'd be safe and sound inside the typically heavily guarded Capitol.

Secondly, she believes the protesters-turned-rioters were almost enabled by the authorities to do what they did. Rep. KB says it stands in stark contrast to what happened during last summer's Black Lives Matter demonstrations.

Her implication is pretty clear, and it all comes back to President Trump ... who still has 13 days left in office. If you think Bass isn't concerned about that even though the riots are over ... think again.

As she points out ... it's not just his actions yesterday that are troubling, but his behavior on social media over the course of his presidency and his plethora of recent lamed duck hirings and firings

Nothing was spared in or around the Capitol in the chaos and destruction triggered by President Trump ... including the Inauguration stage which suffered significant damage.

TMZ got these pics showing the stage's siding torn to shreds ... as it appears the insurrectionists were gung-ho to do maximum damage. The stage itself is still standing, but it's gonna need a lot of repairs.

In a move that's clearly coming one day too late ... security's erecting 8-foot high fencing.

There are also guards now standing watch over the construction that had been going on for at least 5 months.

As we reported ... work had been ramping up on the West Front of the Capitol. At the time, it was hard to tell what the setup would look like ... whether it would be a scaled-down version of past inaugurations ... due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It remains to be seen how Wednesday's deadly violence at the Capitol will change final plans for Inauguration Day.

April Ryan says members of Congress want President Trump gone before Inauguration Day ... and, as of now, their best path to getting it done looks like the 25th Amendment.

The veteran White House Correspondent for TheGrio joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live" and told us what she's hearing from folks on both sides of the aisle -- the attempted coup was the last straw, and the only issue now is how they'll oust Trump.

April says the 25th Amendment is very much in play ... which is pretty eye-opening considering invoking it is a tough sell. Remember, Mike Pence and either a majority of Trump's Cabinet OR two-thirds of both the Senate and the House have to be on board.

April ran down the list of lawmakers coming out against the President ... and really painted a picture of how the dynamics in D.C. are drastically changing.

April also told us what Congressional leaders were thinking and feeling as they were being whisked off to an undisclosed location Wednesday with the Capitol under siege ... and she tells us why some of the most powerful people in the country were very much afraid.

Ashli Babbitt, the woman who was shot in the Capitol as she and other Trump supporters stormed into the building, was pumped up after the President's speech ... and posted one last video as she entered the mayhem.

Ashli went live on Facebook Wednesday in the moments leading up to the coup attempt in D.C., boasting that she was part of the mob marching to the Capitol.

The 35-year-old California native and Air Force veteran claimed there were more than 3 million pro-Trump protesters in D.C. along with her ... and she appeared zealous about what they were doing.

As we reported ... Babbitt was draped in a Trump flag as she jumped up on a window pane and tried to charge through.

Tragically, she was hit by a gunshot -- fired by Capital Police -- during the chaos and was seen falling backward onto the marble floor with blood pouring out of her upper body area.

Babbitt was transferred to the hospital in critical condition, where she later died of her injuries.

Steven A. Sund, Chief of Police for the US Capitol Police, says the employee who fired on Babbitt has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.

Johnny Depp's crib was hit by a would-be burglar ... but fortunately for him and his neighbors, cops nabbed a suspect before she could get away.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... a woman -- possibly homeless -- broke into Depp's Hollywood Hills home over the weekend. We're told the break-in triggered the home's security system and cops were called.

Our sources say the woman may have been spooked by the alarm system because she took off before cops arrived. But, get this ... cops say they found her nearby and also connected her to another recent burglary.

It's unclear if the woman took anything from Depp's home. The investigation's ongoing.

LeBron James might have some stiff competition (or a great partner!) if the WNBA's Atlanta Dream does go up for sale ... 'cause Renee Montgomery says she's dead serious about potentially buying the squad too.

"Listen, I'm interested," the WNBA star said on the "TMZ Sports" TV show on FS1 (which she co-hosts). "I think that people talking about it are actually serious. And, I'm actually serious."

Of course, the Dream is NOT for sale at the moment ... but team owner Kelly Loeffler -- who just lost her U.S. Senate run-off election in Georgia this week -- has become a villain in the league, and it's led to speculation a sale could be imminent.

In fact, it seems Loeffler's players would actually prefer that ... 'cause members of the Dream have been so outraged by Loeffler's controversial comments during the Black Lives Matter movement this summer, they openly encouraged people to vote her out of office.

And, if Loeffler does end up selling over it all, LeBron tweeted on Tuesday he was "gone put together an ownership group for the The Dream," adding, "Whose in?"

Apparently, Montgomery is ... with the 34-year-old saying Wednesday, "If everything goes OK, I would definitely be interested."

Montgomery is no stranger to owning orgs ... as we previously reported, the WNBA player -- who played for the Dream before taking a hiatus to focus on social justice issues in 2020 -- co-owns the Beasts team in the new Fan Controlled Football league.

Joe Exotic's father has died ... and Joe's loss is now dovetailing with a trip to D.C. for a pardon that would allow Joe to attend his dad's funeral.

We've learned Joe's father, Francis Schreibvogel, recently died following complications from COVID ... The funeral is set for Saturday in Oklahoma, and Joe desperately wants to go.

TMZ broke the story ... Joe's legal team will be flying to Washington D.C. today pushing for that pardon, but now there's an added urgency since the clock is ticking for the funeral.

As we reported, Joe's legal team, headed up by Eric Love, hopped on a friend's jet with a Joe/'Tiger King' wrap that they're flying to D.C. ... making it a show. Love has told TMZ he has a big meeting with someone White House/pardon-related, but he's not saying who.

If Trump doesn't grant the pardon, they have a plan B ... going to a judge and asking for a day pass -- essentially a temporary release -- so Joe can attend his dad's funeral.

Dr. Dre is at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after suffering a brain aneurysm ... TMZ has learned.

Sources connected to Dre and with direct knowledge tell us, Dre suffered the aneurysm Monday and was rushed by ambulance to Cedars and was taken directly to ICU, where he remains Tuesday.

Our sources say the 55-year-old music mogul is stable and lucid, but doctors don't know what caused the bleeding and they are doing a battery of tests.

As you know, Dre is in the middle of a very contentious divorce with his estranged wife Nicole. As we reported, Nicole wants $2 million a month in temporary spousal support and $5 million for attorney fees, but Dre says he's been paying all of her expenses so the $2 mil demand was outlandish. He also says the attorney's fees are outrageous since her lawyers have only been working on the case for a few months.

And, as we reported, Nicole wants a judge to reject the prenuptial agreement she signed in 1996, claiming Dre ripped it up early on in the marriage. Dre strongly denies that.

Miya Ponsetto falsely accusing a Black teen of stealing her iPhone and attacking him had nothing to do with racism ... at least according to her lawyer, who says she was having a panic attack.

Attorney Sharen H. Ghatan is representing Miya and her mother, Nicole Ponsetto, and Ghatan tells TMZ ... the NYC incident that led to Miya getting labeled "SoHo Karen" is not what everyone is making it out to be.

Her lawyer says she was in NYC visiting her father for Christmas, and like everyone else -- her whole life is on her phone and she needed it to navigate the city. He says she started feeling anxious when she realized she'd lost it.

Ghatan claims Miya has a history of anxiety attacks and was experiencing one when she accused Keyon Harrold's 14-year-old son of stealing her phone and went after him. Ghatan isn't excusing her aggression -- she says that wasn't right, but insists it was anxiety-induced ... not racially charged.

All of that is, no doubt, info NYPD will want to hear. Detectives investigating the iPhone incident are flying to L.A. this week to speak with Miya ... but that could become an issue, because Miya's off the grid.

Ghatan says Miya left home and turned off her phone -- she's not responding to messages from her mother or her attorney, who say they're concerned about her well-being.

They say strangers have shown up at their L.A.-area home, followed them and made threats.

Assuming everything is alright, Ghatan says Miya and Nicole are open to speaking with the Harrold family to gain closure. As for NYPD ... Ghatan tells us detectives will need to talk to her first before getting to Miya.

As we first reported, Miya and her mother have other legal troubles -- they were both arrested in February 2020 for allegedly being drunk in public at the Peninsula hotel in Bev Hills.

Mahlon Reyes, a deckhand on one of the "Deadliest Catch" crab fishing boats, died from a drug overdose ... TMZ has learned.

Mahlon's cause of death is listed as acute cocaine intoxication ... according to Flathead County Sheriff and Coroner, Brian Heino. He also tells us the death has been ruled accidental.

TMZ broke the story ... Mahlon died in Whitefish, Montana back in July, after suffering a massive heart attack and going on life support. His wife told us his death came as a complete shock to the family because he had no known existing health conditions.

Mahlon's death came while he was rehabbing a torn Achilles, suffered while crabbing, and we were told he was working his butt off to make it back to Alaska for another crab season.

"I know y'all scared and sh*t, but let's just make the fight happen for the fans. Let's just do that. Don't overprice yourselves. If y'all believe y'all the best and y'all think that y'all can take this, then let's make the fight happen! Man, don't be p**** about it!"

That's 23-year-old boxing champ Teofimo Lopez throwing down the gauntlet to rivals Ryan Garcia, Gervonta Davis and Devin Haney ... 3 of the sport's youngest, most-talented stars.

TMZ Sports talked to the undefeated, lightweight champ about his next move ... as he plots his return just months after dethroning pound-for-pound king, Vasyl Lomachenko.

"Our goal is to shoot for three fights this year whether it's my mandatory [boxer George Kambosos], Garcia, Haney, Tank Davis, those guys at 135 lbs., that's where our goal is."

22-year-old Garcia (21-0, 18 KO's) beat Olympic gold medalist Luke Campbell Saturday night ... and then demanded a fight with 26-year-old Davis (21-0, 20 KO's), telling us he'll knock out Tank inside 2 rounds.

Why isn't anyone calling out Lopez?? Teo says it's fear.

"It's because they're scared! It's really what it comes down to. They're scared."

Unbeaten Tank Davis, scared?

"Yeah, he is [scared]. He is. He's not scared of the opposition he's facing right now because it's light work. I mean he knocked out a 122 pounder [Leo Santa Cruz]. C'mon yo! I can do the same sh*t and I can do it better, in a better fashion," Teofimo says.

"But hey, I take my hat off to [Davis], he's doing his thing and I congratulate all of them. Haney, Garcia, Tank. But, when it comes to it man, I'm the king of the division. I'm the kingpin!"

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have been in marriage counseling, and we've learned the subject of divorce was looming for much of 2020, but they haven't given up.

Multiple sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ, the marriage was in deep trouble for the last half of 2020. In fact, we're told Kim was ready to pull the plug on the marriage at one point but it was when Kanye was going through a serious bipolar episode and she felt it was cruel to do it when he wasn't well.

They have been living separately for a few months ... with Kanye spending the majority of his time in Wyoming while she has been in Calabasas with the kids. They were absorbed in personal business projects and didn't focus on making any final decisions.

Kim has gone back and forth, we're told ... at times thinking divorce was the only option but other times believing there was a chance to save the marriage. That's why they took a family vacation late last year ... to see if they could repair things.

Everything got put on hold for the Christmas holidays, but now the issue is front and center. Kim's had disso queen Laura Wasser on retainer for years for various reasons, and the subject of divorce was discussed months ago, but Kim never gave the green light to file.

Her ambivalence is understandable, what with 4 small kids. They married in May, 2014.

We're told no final decision has been made, and it's telling they've been in counseling for a while.

We're told their issues have been neither contentious nor ugly, but they do have lots of differences ... from lifestyle to politics. They are, however, fully aligned on parenting.

One thing our sources wanted to make clear ... there is no third party.