Fairly Legal

Nick Reiner had an eventful day in court ... he's now being repped by a public defender and his outgoing defense attorney made it clear he thinks Nick is NOT guilty of murdering his parents ... but the way Alan Jackson made his statement has our antennas up.

We got into every angle of Nick's appearance in a Downtown Los Angeles courtroom Wednesday on "TMZ Live" ... the change of lawyer, an interesting statement from the D.A., a possible defense strategy, and we even had a reporter inside the courthouse who told us how Nick was acting.

The big thing here is Jackson is out, and a public defender is in ... but Jackson left some breadcrumbs that seem to indicate Nick's got a strategy ready and a new defense team may be coming in to take over.

A federal judge has ordered Lindsey Halligan to explain why she continues to use the title of "U.S. attorney" in the months since her appointment was ruled unlawful, CBS News reports.

Halligan -- a former personal attorney to President Donald Trump -- was named the head of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia in September. She had no experience in criminal law prior to her appointment, and primarily focused on insurance law.

Although she brought cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, they were dismissed after a district judge found Halligan's appointment to head that U.S. Attorney's Office was invalid in November.

The issue was noted following an indictment filed in early December in which Halligan was listed as a "United States attorney and special attorney."

Judge David Novak has since given Halligan seven days to explain why she continues to represent herself as a U.S. attorney and how her identification "does not constitute a false or misleading statement."

Aldrich Ames, a former CIA agent who was convicted of spying for the Soviet Union, has died, CBS News reports.

The former counterintelligence officer died Monday while serving a life sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Cumberland, Maryland. His cause of death wasn't released.

Ames, whose father also worked for the CIA, began working for the agency in 1962 and married a fellow CIA operative in 1969. His first assignment was in Ankara, Turkey, and ended three years after his job performance began to decline.

He eventually divorced his first wife and married a cultural attaché from the Colombian Embassy in Mexico City, who was also a CIA asset. Ames later said financial pressure ended his first marriage, and said the responsibilities of his second marriage led him to start accepting payment from the Soviet Union for espionage in 1985.

Ames reportedly used the compensation -- which mounted into the millions -- to fund a lavish lifestyle.

The information Ames provided to the Soviet Union -- which dissolved in 1991 back to Russia -- reportedly led to the death of several agents, and the CIA was later criticized for missing warning signs about his activities.

Ames was arrested in February 1994. Ames and his wife pled guilty to espionage charges two months later. He received a life sentence; his wife was sentenced to five years in prison.

He later downplayed his spying activities and claimed the conflict between the Soviet Union and the United States wasn't as dire as it had been perceived.

Justin Baldoni claimed Blake Lively was setting him up "for a trap" during the filming of sex scenes in their film "It Ends With Us" ... according to private messages unveiled in new court documents.

The papers, obtained by TMZ, contain a correspondence Baldoni allegedly sent to his former agent Danny Greenberg, venting about working with Lively.

In the message, Baldoni complained he just had a "really really bad week," writing, "She had the audacity to email me directly and invite me to a meeting at her house alone if I chose."

Baldoni went on to allege Lively refused to use a body double for sex scenes, writing, "Sony and [producer Todd Black] have to jump in to make sure that happens because that's just setting me up for a trap."

"M3GAN" needs a good lawyer ... not to defend her murderous rampage, but to defend her creators from allegedly ripping off another movie.

Universal Pictures, Blumhouse Pictures, James Wan and screenwriter Akela Cooper have been sued by a man named Carl Watts -- a former airline pilot and amateur filmmaker -- who claims their movie bears numerous similarities to his movie "Paranormal Adoption," released in 2012.

According to Watts, both films feature a girl orphaned at a young age who develops a strong attachment to a doll that grows violent toward other people in the girl's life when they try to get in between the doll and the girl.

Watts also points to the sequel potential of both films -- leaving the possibility of more rampage open at the end of each film -- as another defining characteristic.

6:40 PM PT -- Haley tells TMZ Sports she's "genuinely shocked and incredibly hurt" by the lawsuit.

"Litigation is a harrowing and emotionally draining experience, and I am heartbroken that he is choosing to subject us and our families to this ordeal," she said.

While Haley didn't address the comments in question, she pointed out six other times in the conversation with Marlon where she spoke highly of her ex, even referring to him as the "greatest guy in the world" at one point.

Matt Kalil is finally breaking his silence after his ex-wife, Haley, shockingly claimed his penis size torpedoed their marriage ... in the form of a lawsuit against the influencer and model.

TMZ Sports obtained the docs filed on Tuesday ... in which the former Carolina Panther says Haley's "invasive commentary" ruined his attempt at keeping out of the public eye after retiring from football.

In the lawsuit, Kalil says it all stems from Haley's appearance on popular streamer Marlon Garcia's "Mar-Athon" video in November 2025. In the clip, Kalil says Haley "implied that the size of Plaintiff's genitalia was a primary factor in the parties' divorce and claimed that sexual intercourse with Plaintiff would leave her 'in tears.'"

In that stream ... she described it as "two coke cans, maybe even a third" and said it contributed to them going their separate ways. As we previously reported, Haley filed for divorce in 2022.

Diddy's got a big payday problem, as in some of his employees are angry they're not getting paid while he's locked up in federal prison ... but his rep insists he has it under control.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Diddy's fortune is being handled by business management firm Tri Star Sports & Entertainment while he's in the clink, and we're told they're keeping a tight leash on his money -- too tight for some people on the payroll.

For instance, we're told some attorneys handling Diddy’s mountain of civil lawsuits have gone unpaid, and other staffers have been stiffed as well, and, as a result, at least one of them has quit.

Mary J. Blige can bank on at least a partial victory ... now that the lawsuit filed by her former sidekick Misa Hylton has been dismissed in New York court!!!

According to docs, obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, Blige and her legal squadron of Lisa Moore and Andrew Pequignot were granted the motion to dismiss the suit Hylton filed back in July 2025 ... without prejudice.

Which means, Hylton can still pursue sanctions against the megastar singer if she chooses, but her lack of movement -- after Blige labeled the lawsuit "frivolous" -- suggests there will be no more drama.

The children of a murdered dentist and his wife remain "unaware" of their parents' deaths ... according to one of their relatives.

FYI ... Dr. Spencer Tepe and his wife, Monique, were shot and killed at their home in the Weinland Park neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio, in the early hours of December 30. Police said there weren't any signs of forced entry or weapons found at the scene.

Their children, ages 4 and 1, weren't harmed in the shooting, and they were placed in the care of Spencer's brother-in-law, Rob Misleh, before they were taken in by other relatives.

Misleh told NewsNation the murdered couple's children were "in loving hands" and had been "taken care of" in the days since the violent incident occurred. He believes the children likely didn't see anything at the crime scene and were "just as happy" as ever.

Misleh said he didn't have any ideas about anyone who would have had anything against the Tepes, and said they were respected members of their community.

Misleh did, however, comment about recently released video of a person of interest in the case walking near the Tepes' home around the time of their murders. He described the unidentified individual as "suspicious-looking" but surmised the person could have simply been "walking home drunk from a bar."

Tommy Lee has entered the chat! While Falling in Reverse frontman Ronnie Radke says he never wooed Tommy's wife, Brittany Furlan -- insisting she was catfished by fake social media accounts -- Tommy is telling him to get a life.

ICYMI ... Ronnie filed for a temporary restraining order against Brittany, accusing her of harassing him on social media and waiting outside his house.

The TRO was denied, but Ronnie alleged Brittany contacted some of his underage fans online and encouraged them to come forward with alleged inappropriate experiences with the singer.

Tommy broke his silence on the situation when a fan brought up the events in his comments.

Replying under a New Year's post Tommy shared of himself and Brittany, the user wrote, "I hear the wife is stirring up sh*t with Ronnie again. Maybe it time to let it go?"

Doug LaMalfa, a California Republican who served in Congress for more than a decade, died Monday.

The politician's death was announced by President Donald Trump during a gathering of House Republicans at the Kennedy Center Tuesday. POTUS said he felt "tremendous sorrow" following LaMalfa's death, NBC News reports.

The cause of LaMalfa's death was not released. He was reportedly in good spirits leading up to the holidays.

Stephen Miller said Greenland would "obviously" be better off as a part of the United States while speaking with CNN's Jake Tapper on Monday evening.

Although Tapper asked President Donald Trump's Homeland Security advisor if he'd rule out using military action to take Greenland by force, Miller initially sidestepped the question and pointed to how Trump had been "clear for months" about his desire to take control of the island.

Miller said Greenland should be part of the United States' "overall security apparatus" and said the United States likely wouldn't face any military resistance to taking over Greenland.

Miller then questioned Denmark's right to maintain governance and "assert control" over Greenland.

The island became part of the Danish Kingdom in 1953, and it currently operates as an autonomous territory under the Danish Crown.

Trump first floated the idea of taking control of Greenland during his first term in office, and he told The Atlantic the United States "absolutely" needed control over the island earlier this month.

Donnie McClurkin, a Grammy Award-winning gospel singer and pastor, has been sued by a man accusing him of sexually abusing him over a period of several years ... according to a report from NBC News.

Giuseppe Corletto has alleged he first met McClurkin when he joined the pastor's Perfecting Faith Church in Long Island, New York, during his early 20s. Corletto said McClurkin served as a mentor figure while he struggled with his sexuality as a young man.

Corletto claimed he eventually started working as McClurkin's personal assistant and said the singer began groping him during what were described as "pray the gay away" spiritual sessions.

TMZ Sports has obtained more details about Lenny Dykstra's New Year’s Day traffic stop ... with cops suspecting the former Mets star had either crack or meth on him.

Pennsylvania State Police claim Dykstra -- who was the passenger -- opened the glove box during questioning just after midnight to confirm his identification ... and they observed in plain sight a "container holding suspected crack-cocaine/methamphetamine and a glass smoking device containing suspected drug residue."

Police didn't field test the substances, but he has since been formally charged with misdemeanor possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia, according to local reports.

Nick Reiner has been taken off suicide watch at the Los Angeles jail where he's locked up for allegedly stabbing his director dad, Rob Reiner, and his mom, Michele, to death ... TMZ has confirmed.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... Reiner no longer has to wear a suicide prevention smock -- which mainly prevents inmates from hanging themselves -- inside the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Downtown L.A. Our sources say it's standard operating procedure to remove the smock whenever an inmate does not attempt suicide for a 2-week period.

PEOPLE was first to report Nick is now off suicide watch ... but he will remain in High Observation Housing under the watchful eyes of correction officers until a judge rules otherwise.

Cher's been through love and loss throughout her life ... but when it comes to Kristen Bell's love life, the singer can't believe she ended up with Dax Shepard -- and thinks she can do better than him!

The topic was mulled over during Monday's episode of the "Armchair Expert" podcast, and Dax point-blank asked Cher to give an example of a "dream partner" she'd match up with Kristen -- and noted he wouldn't disagree with whoever she picked.

While Cher stayed tight-lipped about a potential partner for Kristen, with whom she costarred in "Burlesque," she admitted she trusted the actress' judgment before adding Dax had to have "something that I don’t see" ... maybe it's just confidence?

Oh, and when Dax said he didn't think anyone exactly measured up to Kristen's standards, the actress piped up and said he was "almost too good" for her -- hey, it's high praise!