Money

Pete Buttigieg feels people's pain when their flights get canceled last-minute ... and his team at the Department of Transportation wants people to know they're entitled to some serious green during those annoying situations.

The Transportation Secretary joined us on "TMZ Live" to chat about the DOT's new system, which is aimed at picking up the pieces for travelers when the airlines keep the deets vague regarding cancelations.

The soon-to-come dashboard will help customers determine if they're owed cash when their flight gets delayed or canceled -- something he claims airlines have failed to make obvious.

President Joe Biden canceling student debt could win him and other Dems votes in November and beyond -- something Senator Ted Cruz is well aware of ... in hilarious terms.

The legislator from Texas was firing away on his podcast, "The Verdict with Ted Cruz," over JB's decision to dish out upwards of $20k for free to people with outstanding loans -- under certain parameters, of course ... saying it could have a significant impact politically.

Watch ... TC says, yeah -- it could get a certain demographic of the Democratic party off their asses and out at polling places for the midterms ... but he makes that point with some jabs.

He says the "slacker baristas" who wasted years at college with nothing to show for it now are probably ecstatic over this news -- and he worries they may even pay Joe back in key votes for both 2022 and 2024 ... assuming they put the bong down and remember to do it.

It's pretty funny that this is who Cruz thinks this will be affected ... hippy-dippy losers working at Dunkin' -- it's just such an outdated caricature. Anyway, his point is well taken.

While Biden's student loan forgiveness is being celebrated by many, it's also receiving a lot of criticism ... with some noting that the financial burden it creates falls on tax payers, not to mention screwing people who, in the past, already paid their debts fair and square.

He and his cabinet members, including the Sec. of Education Miguel Cardona, addressed that last week -- with their argument essentially boiling down to ... tough luck, this is for the greater good.

Princess Diana might've gotten the Royal treatment for most of her life, but sometimes ... she wanted to drive like a normal person ... and the car she did that in has fetched a fortune.

The late Princess of Wales was top of mind Saturday over in the UK, where an everyman vehicle that used to belong and be driven by her in the '80s hit the auction block at the Silverstone race circuit -- a ways outside of London -- and sold for a whopping $763,555!

The ride in question was a Ford Escort RS Turbo Series 1 -- and it's in great shape ... no different than when PD herself was cruising around in it between '85 and '88.

Apparently, there was a huge bidding war over this thing -- with high rollers from all over the world participating -- but in the end ... a British person walked away as the victor. Reports say this played out like a sports game, with a massive crowd cheering on the bidders.

The winner's identity is being kept anonymous. Whoever it is, they had at least an extra mil lying around ... because there was no sign they were going to slow down on the price if someone else insisted on going the distance. Silverstone officials had expected it to rake in at least $117,000 ... but no one seems to have expected to go for what it ultimately did.

A Roberto Clemente rookie card -- one of the greatest outfielders in MLB history -- is hitting the auction block next month ... and is expected to sell for over $1,000,000!!

TMZ Sports has learned Clemente's 1955 Topps rookie card -- recently graded a PSA 9, indicating "mint" condition -- will go up for auction in September at PWCC Marketplace and could rival the previous record for a Clemente card, $1.107 million.

PWCC officials tell us the '55 Clemente rookie card is in the "upper echelon of quality for vintage trading cards."

The card's front features two images of Clemente in his Pittsburgh Pirates uniform and baseball cap, and the back has stats from when Roberto played in the minor leagues.

"There are just so few copies of this card in this quality in existence that they require the highest level of custodianship possible," said PWCC exec Jesse Craig.

"We're talking about a museum-quality piece here."

During his rookie season, Clemente played 124 games for the Pirates, tallying 121 hits, 23 doubles, and a .255 batting average.

A 12-time Gold Glove winner and 15-time All-Star, Clemente finished his career with four batting titles, 2 World Series rings and a World Series MVP award.

Clemente was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973.

The auction is still a few weeks away ... so bidders start saving.

Valerie Bertinelli is super close to selling her Los Angeles home ... 'cause she's secured a buyer, who's in line to whip up some killer recipes once they move in.

Real estate sources tell TMZ ... the actress is getting rid of her house in Laurel Hills, and she's selling it for $2.9 million. The 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom pad was recently updated and comes with some really nice features.

The interior is beautiful with a modern feel. It's got recessed lighting throughout, vaulted ceilings and gorgeous doors.

The true star of the house, though, has got to be the kitchen. Seriously ... it's a TV star, of sorts. Valerie whipped up all kinds of dishes here during the last 3 seasons of her Food Network show, "Valerie's Home Cooking."

If you step outside, you'll find a private backyard with a fire pit and built-in seating.

Of course, there's the obligatory gorgeous pool for relaxing. Hey, it's L.A., baby!

The home went under contract on August 10, so the sale isn't final just yet.

Boosie Badazz was popped for speeding in Fulton County on Friday … but instead of flying off the rails like last time, he performed an impromptu concert on the spot!!!

Deputy Chief for Fairburn PD, tells TMZ Hip Hop ... Boosie was pulled over for going 73 in a 55 zone ... but before the stop, an unknown object was tossed from the vehicle.

Once stopped, police say they smelled weed, prompting a search of the car.

In an apparent act of defiance, Boosie decided to rap his classic song “Set It Off” … y’know the one that starts off with him being annoyed? 😬

During the search, cops say they found a small amount of weed, but didn't cite him for it. The same couldn’t be said for Boosie’s driving habits  ... cops say they issued the Louisiana-born rapper speeding and littering citations before letting him go on his way.

Check out the video -- at one point, Boosie strikes up a convo with an officer -- offers him a new job ... and dangles $30k in “pocket change” in the cop’s face!!!

Boosie tells the cop the gig comes with, um, unconventional benefits. The cop didn’t seem to bite so maybe the pocket change will just go towards paying the speeding ticket.

Charlie Sheen has decided to settle his lawsuit with an ex-girlfriend who claimed he exposed her to HIV ... putting to bed the case that's been simmering for years.

Legal docs, obtained by TMZ, show the stipulation was filed Wednesday in L.A. County Superior Court ... the actor agreed to settle with the woman for $120K -- which will be paid to her in $10K monthly installments over the next year.

As we reported back in 2017, the woman, who filed as Jane Doe, claimed she met the "confidential male defendant" and they quickly began having sex -- eventually unprotected sex -- according to the lawsuit.

She never mentioned him by name in the initial docs, but she did note the person she was suing announced his HIV status on national TV on November 17, 2015. That's the day Sheen went on "Today" and told his story, so she wasn't doing much to conceal his identity.

She claimed he dismissively told her to take pills to prevent transmission, but told her to not believe "the convenient rumors of the medical community," saying, "You don't need to be on all that f****** s***."

Jay Gruden's casa es Carson Wentz's casa now -- the Washington Commanders QB bought the former coach's Virginia home after being traded this offseason, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

The 7,280-square foot home sits on 3 acres in Leesburg -- an hour west of Commanders' FedEx Field stadium -- and we're told it's a popular area for pro athletes.

The crib -- detailed as a "magnificent French-Provincial estate" -- comes with 5 bedrooms, 5.5 baths, a chef's kitchen, a home gym and a 3-car garage.

There's plenty of space to watch some game tape -- from the Great Room (which has a fireplace) to the game room, where Wentz can sip on some wine from the cellar that holds over 300 bottles.

This amazing pad was listed by Bill Davis from Century 21 -- who confirmed Gruden used to hang his hat there.

Remember, Gruden started coaching the Commanders in 2014 and was fired in 2019 after a 35-49-1 record with the franchise. He's currently the L.A. Rams' offensive consultant.

Wentz was traded to the Commanders in March ... and bought the place for $3,675,000 in July.

Fake Drake is missing out on his big celebrity turn with Lamar Odom, and he's blaming real deal Drake for sabotaging his money bag!!!

Fake, Izzy, whatever ... that guy was a recent guest on the WeInMiami podcast, where he got candid about his recent encounter with Drake … who allegedly cold-shouldered Frake and team when approached about the nixed celebrity boxing match with Lamar Odom.

Champagne Papi seemed fine with coexisting with his clone in the past, but lately, he's got no patience for the whole scene. During the podcast, Fake Drake claimed the megastar rapper threatened to pull up to the fight and slap him ... free of charge.

Frizzy also accused Drake of paying off LO to stay out of the ring, but sources involved in the celebrity boxing deal tell TMZ Hip Hop ... Drake cashing out the ex-NBA star is false, and LO simply backed out on his own.

Speaking of fights, one almost broke out during the podcast taping when Sparkling Cider Papi's new opponent, YouTuber M2thaK, promised to remove all signs of Drake … with his fists.

The fight is scheduled to happen in October, and should be worth the price of admission … especially if real Drake shows up to get in a few shots. Hey, we can dream.

It's a classic case of out with the old, and in with ... some cold hard cash for "90 Day Fiancé" star Andrew Kenton, who's selling off the ring he gave his ex on the show.

Andrew tells TMZ ... he moved to California earlier this year, and left the ring and wedding band with his family before deciding to put them up for sale.

He says the ring holds a lot of old memories and is a sad reminder of his past with Amira Lollysa, his ex-fianceé. While he has no need for it, he figures selling it is a golden opportunity for any superfans of the TLC hit show.

Andrew has listed the ring on eBay with an opening bid of $1k, but says it's worth $7,300 ... at least, according to the appraisal he got back in 2019.

Whoever snags the bling will get a shiny white 14k gold ring made by Neil Lane. It's princess cut and has an emerald that sits on top of the crown of diamonds.

You might remember Andrew from season 8 of the series where he and Amira, who's from France, met online and eventually got engaged in Las Vegas in 2018.

The couple faced major hurdles with getting a visa due to the pandemic and split on the finale before getting married. When they broke up Andrew asked for the ring back, and claimed he had to send Amira nearly $300 in Kim Kardashian makeup to get her to return it.

Vanessa Bryant is sinking the $16 million she won from L.A. County into the cause near and dear to her late husband Kobe Bryant -- she says it will all be donated to the Mamba & Mambacita Foundation.

Bryant and co-plaintiff Chris Chester won their lawsuit against L.A. County over the distribution of photos taken at the helicopter crash scene in Jan. 2020 ... with the jury awarding Vanessa the $16 mil, and $15 million to Chris.

Vanessa's attorney Luis Li tells TMZ, "From the beginning, Vanessa Bryant has sought only accountability, but our legal system does not permit her to force better policies, more training or officer discipline."

Li's statement, first posted by the L.A. Times, continues ... "Those measures are the responsibility of the sheriff’s and fire departments -- responsibilities that Mrs. Bryant’s efforts have exposed as woefully deficient, even giving amnesty to the wrongdoers. Mrs. Bryant was courageous and never faltered, even when the County attempted to force her to submit to an involuntary psychiatric examination. She is deeply grateful to Ralph Mendez and Luella Weireter, the good Samaritans who brought to light the decades old practice of taking and sharing photos of accident and crime victims for no legitimate purpose."

Li says Vanessa hopes this case will help to change the "callous behavior" of the sheriff and fire departments' first responders.

She also wants the $16 mil to "shine a light on Kobe and Gigi's legacy."

As we reported, during closing arguments in the trial Chester's attorney proposed the jury should award Chris $32.5 million, but Vanessa's team did not suggest a dollar amount during their closing.

The owners of Yoga to the People -- a profitable nationwide yoga business -- could be teaching their exercise classes behind bars for decades ... 'cause the feds arrested them on tax evasion charges.

Gregory Gumucio, Michael Anderson and Haven Soliman were rounded up Wednesday by federal agents and charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the IRS and five counts of tax evasion. The trio faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted.

According to a criminal complaint, obtained by TMZ, the execs raked in $20 million from 2013 to 2020 and lived high off the hog.

Prosecutors claim Gumucio doled out nearly $270,00 to United Airlines and $76,000 on hotels. Gumucio also held Denver Broncos season tickets worth over $40,000, the complaint says. All three execs allegedly paid for personal expenses using business accounts.

Problem was, according to prosecutors, all three failed to file individual or business tax returns ... and they didn't pay any income taxes between 2013 and 2020.

Yoga to the People allegedly avoided paying taxes by taking customer cash payments that were stuffed inside tissue boxes and passed around during classes. Teachers were allegedly paid in cash and off the books.

Between 2015 and 2020, Gumucio didn't report $1.6 million in income, and Anderson and Soliman had $2.1 million and $961,000 in unreported income, respectively. They owed $431,000, $603,000, and $196,000 in taxes, respectively, prosecutors said.

Paul Pelosi's vehicle, which he was driving during his May DUI crash, is set to go to the highest bidder at an upcoming auction.

According to the listing on Copart.com, there's no date set for the auction yet ... but the 2021 Porsche 911 Carrera S has a retail value of $168,576 -- of course, that's before factoring in the wreck.

There was some damage done to the undercarriage and side of the car, especially that back bumper. The odometer shows the vehicle wasn't used much since first purchased -- it only has 2,738 miles.

Pelosi's ride is currently sitting at a lot in Martinez, CA -- about 30 miles away from Napa, where the accident went down.

As we reported, Nancy Pelosi's husband pled guilty to DUI this week, getting a sentence of 3 years probation and 5 days jail time, 4 of which were already served. He won't serve the one remaining day ... he'll enter a 8-hour court-ordered work program.

Recently-obtained photos from the May crash show the damage done to his car at the scene ... seemingly in worse condition than the Jeep that hit him.

President Biden's move to let millions of Americans off the hook for student loan debt is certainly drawing some controversy -- but a key cabinet member says it's more positive than not.

U.S. Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel Cardona joined us on "TMZ Live" right on the heels of his boss's big announcement -- and broke down exactly what it means for all Americans.

As the Prez said -- and as Secretary Cardona reiterates here -- anyone who's taken out a federal loan and makes less than $125,000/year is eligible for at least $10,000 of forgiveness. If you've taken out a federal Pell Grant, you could receive an additional $10k discount.

Dr. Cardona tells us that equates to 43 million Americans who can get relief ... and about half of those can have their student debt wiped out entirely. That way they can get on with their lives and finally be out of a huge hole that might've otherwise hindered their economic goals.

There are surely many who are celebrating this news ... and, yes, there are countless people who have been stifled because of crippling, seemingly never-ending student loan debt.

However, critics are asking, "What about all those folks who've paid off their debt already, or who didn't take on any debt to begin with?" There's also the premise of students with high-paying degrees, who'll make a fortune later, being able to exploit this new system now.

Prez Biden addressed that Wednesday, and essentially it seems to boil down to, tough luck. His Secretary of Education elaborates a bit, though, telling us he understands the concern ... but that this move is going to help more people in need than those who really aren't.

Vanessa Bryant has won her lawsuit against Los Angeles County ... after a jury of ten decided she has suffered and will continue to suffer severe emotional distress as a result of the death scene photos captured on the cell phones of 8 L.A. County Sheriff's deputies -- photos she fears will someday surface publicly. That fear was the basis of her lawsuit.

The jury awarded Vanessa $16 million. Chris Chester -- who lost his daughter and wife in the helicopter crash -- was awarded $15 million.

Chester's attorney, Jerry Jackson, tells TMZ ... "Grateful to a jury and judge that gave us a fair trial."

Vanessa broke down sobbing when the verdict was read. The jury was polled and Vanessa looked at them one by one in approval.

The verdicts were against both the L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. and the L.A. County Fire Dept.

The deputies not only took the photos but shared them with friends, family and even strangers at a bar. The photos were even shared at a party with fire officials.

Lawyers for the County had argued the photos have never surfaced and they have been deleted from the cell phones in question ... so there was no cause for alarm that they might leak.

During closing arguments, the lawyer for Chester asked for up to $32.5 million. Bryant's attorney did not ask for a specific amount ... rather asking the jury to award what's right.

The trial lasted two weeks and was at times so laden with graphic descriptions, Vanessa cried and periodically left the courtroom.

Kobe and Gigi Bryant, along with Sarah and Payton Chester, were killed along with 5 others in the January 26, 2020 crash.

Two women claim George Foreman sexually abused them when he was in his 20s and they were minors, this according to two new lawsuits, obtained by TMZ Sports.

In the documents, which were filed in L.A. on Wednesday, the plaintiffs -- described as Denise S. and Gwen H. in the suits -- say they initially met Foreman through their fathers in the late 1960s, early 1970s.

Denise says in her suit she first encountered Foreman when she was around 8 years old, after her father had worked with the boxer ... and claims the pugilist began "grooming her at an early age by taking her out for ice cream and allowing her to sit on his lap as [he] drove his car."

She said in the suit when she was 13 years old, Foreman -- who she alleges was around 24 at the time -- became sexually inappropriate with her, and eventually engaged in sexual intercourse with her when she was 15.

Gwen, in her suit, said she met Foreman when she was around 9 years old through her father, who she said was Foreman's "long-time advisor." She claims roughly six years after the meeting, when Foreman was 23, he courted her and then "would molest and sexually abuse" her until she was 16.

Both women say in their suits a friend of Foreman's confronted the former heavyweight champ about the allegations "on at least one occasion," and they claim he "did not deny the allegations."

The two women are suing for unspecified damages. It should be noted they describe Foreman in the docs as "DOE 1."

73-year-old Foreman denied accusations of sexual abuse last month -- saying in a statement to TMZ Sports that two women were making up false claims in an effort to extract millions of dollars from him.

"Over the past six months," Foreman said at the time, "two women have been trying to extort millions of dollars each from me and my family. They are falsely claiming that I sexually abused them over 45 years ago in the 1970s."

"I adamantly and categorically deny these allegations. The pride I take in my reputation means as much to me as my sports accomplishments, and I will not be intimidated by baseless threats and lies."

He added, "I am, and always will be, guided by my faith and trust in God. I will work with my lawyers to fully and truthfully expose my accusers' scheme and defend myself in court. I don't pick fights, but I don't run away from them either."