Kids

San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler is very upset about the direction of our country after the latest mass shooting ... and now he's protesting the national anthem.

Gabe says he's breaking from baseball tradition and plans to no longer join players and coaches on the field before games for the playing of the national anthem.

The Giants manager told reporters Friday in Cincinnati before his club played the Reds, "I don’t plan on coming out for the anthem going forward until I feel better about the direction of our country."

In a post on his personal blog earlier Friday, Gabe reflected on the Uvalde school shooting and the response across the sporting world.

Gabe wrote ... "The day 19 children and 2 teachers were murdered, we held a moment of silence at sporting events around the country, then we played the national anthem, and we went on with our lives."

The all-too-familiar response is not sitting well with GK, who adds ... "We didn’t stop to reflect on whether we are actually free and brave after this horrific event, we just stood at attention."

Gabe says his father taught him a lesson early on in life, and he's applying it to his anthem protest.

"When I was the same age as the children in Uvalde, my father taught me to stand for the pledge of allegiance when I believed my country was representing its people well or to protest and stay seated when it wasn't," Kapler writes. "I don't believe it is representing us well right now."

Gabe says he tried to protest the anthem earlier this week, but it didn't materialize.

"My brain said drop to a knee; my body didn’t listen," he wrote. "I wanted to walk back inside; instead I froze. I felt like a coward. I didn’t want to call attention to myself. I didn’t want to take away from the victims or their families. There was a baseball game, a rock band, the lights, the pageantry. I knew that thousands of people were using this game to escape the horrors of the world for just a little bit. I knew that thousands more wouldn’t understand the gesture and would take it as an offense to the military, to veterans, to themselves."

Gabe says after a few days of reflection, he decided on his anthem protest.

The National Rifle Association is scrapping its benefit concert in Texas ... with performers dropping out left and right, the show will NOT go on.

Country music star Jacob Bryant was the only remaining act for the NRA concert in Houston, which was scheduled for the organization's annual conference, and he announced Friday the show has been axed.

Jacob made the announcement on Twitter as he was being pressured on social media to join the ranks of other performers who dropped out in the wake of this week's tragic mass shooting at a Texas elementary school.

As we reported ... the first domino was "American Pie" singer Don McLean, who decided the day after the Uvalde school shooting, which claimed the lives of 19 students and 2 teachers, he would not perform on the NRA stage. Don said it would be disrespectful to perform.

Next, "Broken Lady" singer Larry Gatlin pulled out Thursday, saying he could not perform at an NRA event in good conscious, saying he supports the 2nd amendment but wants background checks for gun purchases.

Jacob was the last man standing after T. Graham Brown, Lee Greenwood and Larry Stewart followed suit ... and it appears the hammer came down Thursday, though there has yet to be official word from the NRA.

The husband Irma Garcia, of one of the teachers who was murdered at Robb Elementary School, was videotaped placing flowers on a cross bearing his wife's name just hours before he died.

Joe Garcia was seen carrying the bouquet, riddled with grief, as he walked to the cross, placed the flowers next to it and walked away.

As Joe left, he looks stoic ... although he was clearly anything but.

He died later that night of a heart attack. A relative said the family believes he died of a broken heart. His nephew, John Martinez, posted, "EXTREMELY heartbreaking and come with deep sorrow to say that my Tia Irma's husband Joe Garcia has passed away due to grief, I truly am at a loss for words for how we are all feeling, PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR FAMILY, God have mercy on us, this isn't easy."

Joe and Irma were married for 24 years and had 4 kids.

An 11-year-old student at the Robb Elementary School in Texas went into what a relative called "survival mode" after seeing a classmate who was fatally shot by the gunman, and smeared the other girl's blood all over her body to make it appear she too was dead.

It's horrific to even imagine, but Miah Cerrillo is now suffering extreme trauma after taking measures to save her life.

Her aunt, Blanca Rivera, went on KPRC and explained how her niece "played dead."

According to Rivera, the 4th grader grabbed the phone of her teacher -- who was also shot and killed -- and called 911.

Rivera says around midnight the day of the shooting, she got a call from Miah's mom saying her daughter was having a panic attack.

The massacre was made all the worse for survivors after learning law enforcement didn't enter the building for more than an hour after the initial attack. Authorities have not given clear answers explaining the delay, because there were officers present almost immediately but they did not enter until reinforcements came with body armor.

Before this futuristic kid was putting on disco-pop shows around the world, she was just a classy gal posing on the beach with her shades in London.

This cool girl broke into the music industry by setting her own new rules and she prides herself on redefining pop music. Andrea Bocelli, Miley Cyrus and Pop Smoke are just some of the industry geniuses she has collaborated with.

Yes, her musical chops and idyllic dance moves have scored her a Grammy win (or three) ... however it is her creativity and sensuality that continue to have her "Loves" gushing over her.

In what was already a nightmare situation for the family of a teacher killed in the Uvalde, Texas elementary school shooting -- more heartbreak -- as the woman's husband has now reportedly died of a heart attack.

Irma Garcia was one of two teachers killed in Tuesday's mass shooting, and now her family has announced her husband of 24 years, Joe Garcia, is dead too.

Garcia's nephew, John Martinez, posted, "EXTREMELY heartbreaking and come with deep sorrow to say that my Tia Irma's husband Joe Garcia has passed away due to grief, I truly am at a loss for words for how we are all feeling, PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR FAMILY, God have mercy on us, this isn't easy."

Local reporter, Ernie Zuniga, says Garcia suffered a fatal heart attack ... and that the two had 4 children together. A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family.

Irma had reportedly died trying to protect the children in her classroom. As we told you, 19 children and 2 teachers were killed in the mass shooting, carried out by an 18-year-old armed with an AR-15 which he purchased legally in the state of Texas.

Larry Gatlin is now among the list of performers who will no longer perform at this weekend's NRA convention in Houston ... also offering up possible solutions to help prevent tragedies like this from happening again.

The "Broken Lady" singer tells TMZ, "I cannot, in good conscience, perform at the NRA convention in Houston this weekend. While I agree with most of the positions held by the NRA, I have come to believe that, while background checks would not stop every madman with a gun, it is at the very least a step in the right direction toward trying to prevent the kind of tragedy we saw this week in Uvalde — in my beloved, weeping TEXAS."

He continues, "It is not a perfect world and the 'if only crowd's' policies will never make it one. I am a 'what if guy' and I can't help but ask the question, 'What if the teachers had been proficient in the use of firearms and had, in fact been armed this week? My answer is that there would not be 21 freshly dug graves for 21 of GOD's precious children."

He also has a message for the NRA, saying, "I pray that the NRA will rethink some of its outdated and ill-thought-out positions regarding firearms in AMERICA."

Gatlin concludes, "I'm a 2nd Amendment guy, but the 2nd amendment should not apply to everyone. It's that simple. God Help Us Please."

The slaughter at the Robb Elementary School in Texas is almost impossible to comprehend, but this video -- as difficult as it is to watch -- unearths the human toll it has taken on the parents of the dead.

CNN's Anderson Cooper spoke to Angel Garza, the father of 10-year-old Amerie, who was among the 19 children shot and killed.

His pain is unbearable, and his story is simply hard to process. Angel, a medic, was outside the school just after the shooting when he saw a little girl covered in blood. He thought she was injured so he tried to help her. She tearfully explained she was ok, but she watched her best friend get shot. She told Angel the girl wasn't breathing and was apparently dead, and then she revealed the identity of the victim -- it was Angel's daughter, Amerie.

Angel's grief is palpable ... he sobs, telling Anderson his daughter had just made the honor roll, and was actually trying to help in the emergency by calling 911 when she was shot.

Angel and his wife have a 3-year-old son who was clearly attached to his big sister, and they've tried telling him Amerie is not coming home ... ever again.

Anderson asked how Angel's wife is doing, and he doesn't answer directly ... only to ask people to pray for her.

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Brooks Raley says the shooting in Texas on Tuesday hit very close to home for him ... revealing Wednesday he actually attended Robb Elementary School as a kid growing up in Uvalde.

"I walked those halls," the 33-year-old reliever told media members at his locker. "I can't imagine what they experienced yesterday."

Raley said he learned that a gunman had killed 19 students and two teachers at the school from family and friends who still live in the city ... and called it all an absolute tragedy.

"Obviously growing up there, going to that school, it kind of hits home," said Raley, whose parents and brother still live in Uvalde. "Having young children myself, you just feel for those families."

"And you pray for them, and your thoughts are with them."

Raley -- who moved out of Uvalde as a teenager to go to college at Texas A&M -- called the community surrounding Robb Elementary "small" and "close-knit" ... and added that he's really feeling for them.

Parents are doing anything to keep their kids safe on the heels of another school mass shooting -- and that means an all-new run on bulletproof backpacks.

Former Secret Service agent, Mike De Geus, is the founder and CEO of Leatherback Gear, and he says his company has seen an 800% spike in sales for their fortified knapsacks since Tuesday's shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

Mike, who protected former Presidents Trump, Obama, Bush and Clinton when he was a Secret Service agent, says his brand's backpacks offer the same amount of bulletproof armor he had when he was protecting POTUS.

We're told most of the sales are for a $249.99 Sport One Jr. backpack that separates into two pieces, creating a bulletproof vest in seconds, covering the user's front and back.

Mike says the backpack was designed with active shootings in mind.

Another bulletproof backpack manufacturer, TuffyPacks, says it's seeing a noticeable uptick in sales for armor inserts that can go inside any bag. Owner Steve Naremore says the products are being shipped all over the country, with sales up 300%.

It's interesting ... TuffyPacks is based in Texas and they say they work with several school districts across the country, but not the one in Uvalde, where 19 students and 2 teachers were gunned down.

A third company, Guard Dog Security, says it's seen an increase in demand from consumers and retail partners who carry their bulletproof bags, including Lowe's and Dick's Sporting Goods.

The company's president, Yasir Sheikh, tells TMZ the brand donates a portion of its proceeds to Make Our Schools Safe, an organization founded by the parents of a student killed in the 2018 Parkland shooting in Florida.

A little kid was reduced to tears while watching pro tennis on Thursday ... and it's all because one of the competitors on the court nearly hit him with her racquet during an outburst.

The scene played out during Irina-Camelia Begu's match against Ekaterina Alexandrova at the French Open ... when Begu was so pissed over her performance in the third set, she tossed her racquet into the ground in frustration.

The star's piece of equipment, though, bounced off the clay surprisingly, and made a beeline toward a child who was sitting in the first few rows of the stands.

Somehow, the racquet just missed the boy -- according to spectators -- but the close-call scared the kid, who began crying so loudly, the match was actually put on pause.

Pictures from the event show the kid was terrified ... needing to be consoled by his parents and other fans.

But, to her credit, Begu -- who was given a code violation for the outburst -- went on to win the match and then did all she could to cheer the kid up.

She hugged him, and posed for a picture with him -- and it seems everyone was happy again after that.

Most Congress members are pawns in the hands of gun lobbyists, according to former Ohio State Senator Nina Turner ... which is why she's calling on another group to make gun reform happen.

We got the outspoken Ohio politician at LAX, and she gave us way more than her 5 cents about Congress' reaction -- or lack thereof -- to the tragic Texas mass shooting that killed 19 elementary school children and 2 adults.

Nina ripped elected officials for playing footsy with gun lobbyists, and insists politicians do have the power to stop gun violence, but instead they make decisions based purely on money and power.

You can see and feel just how fed up Turner is with politicians who refuse to act -- and now she wants mothers across the country to unite and demand action from lawmakers.

While we've seen lots of officials making speeches since the Uvalde tragedy -- she's calling BS, saying we need results instead of rhetoric.

And, as far as Beto O'Rourke confronting Texas Governor Abbott during a news conference ... Nina says that was genuine, and also a bit of theater. But, as she explains ... it's necessary theater!

In a powerful final plea, she says there's only one way to break gun lobbyists' hold on Congress ... "If the mamas get together, we'll shut this whole thing down!"

The National Rifle Association will be without one of its performers this weekend ... singer Don McLean will no longer play at the event after the elementary school shooting in Uvalde.

McLean tells us, "In light of the recent events in Texas, I have decided it would be disrespectful and hurtful for me to perform for the NRA at their convention in Houston this week. I’m sure all the folks planning to attend this event are shocked and sickened by these events as well. After all, we are all Americans."

He continues, "I share the sorrow for this terrible, cruel loss with the rest of the nation."

McLean, the voice behind the 1971 hit, "American Pie," was one of several performers scheduled to take the stage in Houston this weekend -- some of the others include Lee Greenwood, Danielle Peck and Larry Gatlin.

As we reported, 19 children inside a 4th-grade classroom and two teachers were killed when an 18-year-old gunman opened fire with an AR-15.

Josh Duggar has been sentenced to 12 and a half years behind bars after being found guilty in his child porn trial ... TMZ has learned.

As we reported, the "19 Kids and Counting" star was found guilty on one count each of receiving and possessing child pornography. According to prosecutors, some of those images were minors under the age of 12.

The possession charge was vacated because of an agreement between Duggar's legal team and the court, so he was only sentenced for the receiving child porn charge.

Duggar's legal team have previously stated they'll appeal.

The trial went on for two weeks and featured the testimony of digital forensic analysts and other witnesses. One family friend claimed Duggar confessed to molesting children, during tearful testimony.

You'll recall ... the feds raided his office at the car dealership where he worked in Arkansas, back in November 2019. Federal agents seized his computer, his iPhone and MacBook from inside the RV.

Duggar's lawyers asked the court to send him to prison for five years.

Beto O'Rourke just crashed a news conference on the deadly school shooting in Texas ... confronting Governor Greg Abbott and other Republican leadership, including Ted Cruz, and getting escorted out.

Beto showed up unannounced to Wednesday's press briefing in Uvalde, where 19 children and 2 teachers were shot and killed the day before at an elementary school, and went off on the state's GOP leaders.

Video shows Beto approaching the stage, where Abbott is sitting on the dais along with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and blames them for the tragedy, saying the blood is on their hands.

Beto says to the group, which includes Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn ... "This is on you until you choose to do something." He also says the incident was predictable.

Beto's been vocal about the school shooting on social media, mostly going after Abbott, but now he's literally taken the crusade to the Governor's feet.

Someone on stage shoots back at Beto, who is running for Texas Governor, telling him this isn't the time or the place to get political and calling him an "a**hole." There are reports the man is Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin.

Beto's then escorted out by law enforcement, but not before turning back to say his piece  ... while some folks in the crowd call for him to be able to speak.

Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson joined us on "TMZ Live" and called for background checks on anyone trying to buy a gun in the country.

Eva Mireles, the 4th-grade teacher who was killed in the Texas school shooting, is being remembered as a hero in a touching tribute from her daughter, who says her mom used her body to shield students from bullets.

Eva's daughter, Adalynn, says her mom "selflessly jumped in front of her students to save their lives" and adds ... "I'm so happy that people know your name and that beautiful face of yours and they know what a hero looks like."

The teacher's daughter says she's heartbroken by the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX, which claimed the lives of another adult and 19 children, expressing disbelief and saying she never imagined writing a goodbye to her mom.

Eva sounds like a great mom ... her daughter says they were best friends who laughed over TikToks, sang karaoke together, woke each other up from naps, talked on the phone every day after work and fought over the stupidest things only to laugh about it later.

Adalynn she's proud Eva was her mother ... and she's promising to take care of dad and the family dogs.