Money

Donald Trump thinks Bitcoin is modern-day fool's gold -- calling it bad for the dollar, which is seriously making him sound like a boomer stuck in the 20th century.

The ex-Prez went on "FOX Business" early Monday morning to talk stocks, the market, the economy ... and for relevance sake, crypto too -- which always comes back to Bitcoin, the proverbial king of them all.

It's not regal to Trump, though ... just a royal pain in the ass.

He told host Stuart Varney he considers Bitcoin a good old-fashioned scam ... noting that when he was eyeballing it himself, it was as low as $6,000 a pop. It's a helluva lot higher than that now, sitting around $36k for one Bitcoin -- and recently got as high as $61k.

Don's not the only one doubting Bitcoin -- and, more importantly, its reliability -- but his rationale is quite strange. Watch ... he chalks his hesitancy up to America First, or the dollar first, rather.

DT says Bitcoin is just another currency competing against the dollar, and that he wants traditional greenbacks to be king in the world of commerce. So, in other words, he's looking at Bitcoin like a foreign enemy -- quite on brand.

The rich thing here is that Bitcoin's charge against the dollar is classic capitalism ... something Trump himself advocates for, not just as a businessman, but as a Republican.

Ground control to Major Jeff ... you sure you really want to do this, sir???

Jeff Bezos says he's heading to space as part of the first crewed flight on a rocket ship made by his aerospace company, Blue Origin. The Amazon CEO will be joined on the crew by his younger brother, Mark, who he calls his best friend.

Bezos says he's dreamed of traveling to space ever since he was 5 years old, and he's going to turn that dream into reality on July 20 in a rocket ship called New Shepard.

The plan is for Jeff and Mark to join the auction winner for a seat on the 6-seat capsule and go on an 11-minute journey in the 59-foot rocket that will reach more than 60 miles above Earth.

As of now, the highest bid for a spot on New Shepard is approaching $3 million.

Bezos -- the world's richest person with a net worth of $187 billion -- will be the first among the billionaires with a space company to actually take a ride aboard the technology he's spent a fortune developing.

Elon Musk's SpaceX is doing some incredible things, but so far he's not announced any plans to travel to space himself. Richard Branson has said he will board Virgin Galactic's rocket-powered plane ... but that's not scheduled until later this year.

So, Jeff's going first, and it must be said -- this is an incredibly dangerous adventure and for someone with so much to lose, it'll be interesting to see how he prepares for it ... physically, mentally and, of course, financial planning.

T.I. and Tiny are expanding their real estate portfolio by snapping up a massive home in the ATL -- a move they actually made before they faced multiple sexual assault accusations.

According to our sources ... T.I. purchased the 7-bed, 10-bath, 14,000-square-foot Atlanta home at the end of 2020, and it's an absolute palace.

The mansion, which sits on a private gated estate on the Chattahoochee River, features a massive pool, a spa and an outdoor fireplace ... so, it's built for entertaining.

The expansive interior is built for luxury too, with a massage room, sauna, gym and home theater -- plus there's a wine cellar (nothing but vintage, baby) and a guest house.

According to property records ... the home was sold for $3,265,000. The listing was held by Bonneau Ansley III, agent and owner of Ansley Real Estate.

As you know ... not long after T.I. and Tiny's home purchase, they came under scrutiny as several women across the country accused the couple of sexual abuse.

Eric Prydz's ex-wife won't be calling on him for any monthly spousal support in the future -- but he is forking over 6 figures in one lump sum to wrap up his divorce.

The famed Swedish DJ has reached a settlement with his now ex, Sofie, after they called it quits a year ago. The long and short of what they've agreed to is ... she gets a decent amount of cash, and he gets the house and an SUV.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Eric and Sofie's prenup was enforced in deciding how much spousal support she's entitled to, which came out to about $920k -- $200k for each year they were married. They were together for 4.6 years.

The paperwork says he's already paid her that amount ... and he's keeping their Mulholland Drive home, along with all of their household furniture, artwork and jewelry that wasn't already set aside for Sofie.

Eric also gets a 2016 Land Rover, and gets to keep his business, Leja Corporation, all for himself. Likewise, Sofie gets all rights to her own LLC, Little Friends Friend.

As for their 2 young children, the exes have agreed to joint legal and physical custody -- however, the kids will primarily live in California with mom ... while Eric will apparently relocate to Sweden.

He'll get them for up to 8 weeks each summer, plus rotating holidays. He'll also be paying $4,000 a month in child support.

Anyway, we're sure Eric will be just fine, financially -- he's got hit after hit under his belt, including his famed 2004 smash, "Call on Me." He's also bought into multiple record labels over the years.

Floyd Mayweather is taking care of the people who take care of him -- buying a fleet of cars for his closest friends, family and team members ... TMZ Sports has learned.

... and he also got himself a brand new Rolls-Royce!

We spoke with Chop -- owner of Towbin Auto Group in Las Vegas -- who tells us Mayweather bought NINE cars in the past week, dropping nearly $1 MILLION in total!

Chop (yes, the same guy from A&E's "King of Cars" reality show) says Floyd's haul included:

-- 1 2021 Rolls-Royce White Ghost
-- 1 2021 Mercedes S560
-- 1 2021 Maybach sedan
-- 1 2021 Dodge Journey
-- 2 2021 Dodge Chargers
-- 3 2021 Dodge Challengers

A source connected to Floyd confirmed the purchase -- but says Mayweather has since added a SECOND Rolls-Royce Ghost to the final order.

Obviously, Floyd can afford the rides ... not only has he banked around $1 BILLION from high-profile boxing matches over the years -- but Mayweather told us he's expecting to make around $100 MILLION from the Logan Paul fight!!!

Chop tells TMZ Sports ... Floyd has purchased 157 vehicles from Towbin over the years -- including 29 different Rolls-Royce automobiles!!!

Elon Musk appears to be in the crosshairs of a notorious group of hackers who are responsible for some of the biggest digital breaches/leaks in modern history.

The Tesla CEO is the subject of a new video posted by Anonymous -- a coalition of self-described freedom fighters who use the "V for Vendetta" Guy Fawkes mask as their logo ... and who've caused a lot of grief for different orgs over the years, including Scientology, PayPal and others.

In their latest offering ... they're going after Elon, claiming the power he wields over cryptocurrency markets -- and the cavalier way he wields it -- has gone far enough ... especially as it pertains to Bitcoin, which has reacted wildly to Elon's words of late.

Anonymous claims that even though Elon has positioned himself as concerned about the environment with Tesla's pivot away from Bitcoin, he doesn't practice what he preaches within the company itself -- hurling many allegations against him and Tesla's practices at large.

Anonymous goes on to take even more shots at Elon personally ... saying he suffers from a superiority/savior complex -- noting he once dubbed himself the "Emperor of Mars" -- and that he's actually hurting working-class people and their prospects by his constant crypto trolling.

There's a lot to unpack here ... but the bottom line is, Anonymous seems to think Elon isn't a friend to the common man -- something they consider themselves to be -- and because of that ... they seem to be issuing a warning. As to what that is ... it remains to be seen.

Anonymous has famously disrupted computer systems from large corporations, as well as municipalities -- especially following police-involved deaths like Michael Brown and, recently, George Floyd, whom they vowed to avenge by "exposing" MPD's alleged misdeeds. They've also been involved with spurring noteworthy social movements like Occupy Wall Street ... not to mention partaking in high-profile leaks, especially surrounding Jeffrey Epstein.

First Logan Paul ... then Jake Paul?!

Floyd Mayweather tells TMZ Sports ... Logan's little bro is "probably" his next opponent, after he takes on Logan on Sunday.

... and why?? MONEY! MONEY! MONEY!

Check this out ... 44-year-old Floyd says he expects to make between $50 and $100 MILLION for the 8 round exhibition against Logan and believes he can pull similar figures against Jake.

In fact, Floyd tells us he's already raked in somewhere around $30 million for the Logan fight -- and that's in guaranteed cash before he even throws a punch.

Depending on the PPV numbers, Floyd says he can hit the 9-figure mark.

Floyd bragged that he changed the game with the first boxing/MMA crossover when he pulled $350 MILLION for the 2017 fight against Conor McGregor.

Regarding Logan, Floyd says he's aware people think it's a no-win situation for him ... but he doesn't care.

"To me, it's a win-win but I'm in a no-win because if I knock him out fast in the 1st round, they're gonna be like 'Aw man this wasn't worth it.' If I let it go a few rounds and drag it out, they're gonna be like 'Aw man, he let a YouTuber hang in it for a few rounds'. But, it is what it is. We're gonna have some fun Sunday."

As for Floyd's future, Mayweather says nothing is set in stone -- but "After Logan, probably Jake. We don't know. We will see."

Floyd and Jake definitely don't like each other -- remember, Jake stole Floyd's hat at a media event in May ... and Floyd was so pissed, he threatened to kill the 24-year-old.

But, before that can happen, Jake is set to fight ex-UFC champ Tyron Woodley ... someone Floyd wants to sign to a boxing contract.

"I would love Tyron Woodley to come to Mayweather Promotions, well Mayweather Boxing gym -- and I would love to sign Tyron Woodley so he can be fighting other fighters in the sport of boxing."

"Not on a high, high level but on the same level as what Jake Paul is doing because Jake Paul is fighting a bunch of nobodies. So, why can't Tyron Woodley do that and I sign him?!"

Floyd also says he wants to help train Tyron for the Jake fight.

Marilyn Monroe's cookbooks -- the only 2 confirmed to have been owned by the icon -- offer a glimpse into her personal life along with her diet ... and they're expected to fetch up to $75,000.

The books -- "The New Fanny Farmer Boston Cooking-School Cook Book" and "The New Joy of Cooking" -- were both published in the early 1950s and are in decent shape for being 7 decades old ... but of course, the content of the hardbacks are hardly the attraction.

Instead, it's the fact that several handwritten notes are included in the cookbooks ... including a listing menu for Beef Bourguignon and marrow bone soup, a grocery shopping list, and a deli business card on which she wrote a Doheny Drive address on the back.

There's also a newspaper clipping of a recipe for cheese lasagna that she doodled on, and perhaps most interestingly ... a typed diet with options for all 3 meals.

According to the diet ... Marilyn had either orange juice or stewed prunes to drink daily for her 8 AM breakfast along with toast and cereal. She went pretty carb-heavy for lunch, and had the choice of beef, chicken, lamb, sweetbread, fish or chicken liver for dinner.

She also had 2 scheduled milk and cracker snacks, and capped everything off at the end of the night ... with eggnog at 11 PM!!! It's unclear if the nog was spiked.

Ezekiel Elliott's Rottweiler has been accused of being a very bad boy yet again ... TMZ Sports has learned another person is claiming the NFL star's dog violently attacked them.

It's all spelled out in a new lawsuit ... in which a pet resort employee says Elliott's Rottweiler viciously bit him on March 25, 2021.

Brandon Williams says he was working for Bliss Pet Resort in Prosper, Texas ... when he encountered the three dogs Elliott had boarded.

Williams claims he was taking the Cowboys running back's Rottweiler and two bulldogs out to relieve themselves -- when all of a sudden, Elliott's Rottweiler attacked.

Williams says the dog seized his right arm, clamped down, and threw him to the ground. Williams claims the bite was so ferocious, he needed stitches and was "seriously injured."

Williams is now suing Elliott and Bliss Pet Resort ... seeking more than $250,000, but less than $1 million.

Of course, this is FAR from the first time Elliott's dogs have been accused of attacks ... he was already battling a separate lawsuit in which a pool cleaner claimed she was bitten by his dogs in March 2020.

In that case, a woman says she went to clean Elliott's pool in Frisco, TX ... when Zeke's Rottweiler and two bulldogs severely mangled her arm.

As we previously reported, Elliott is also currently under police investigation after cops say his dogs, including his Rottweiler, escaped his Frisco, Texas home last month and bit neighbors.

"You making the millions, you're doing the media."

That's Marcellus Wiley telling TMZ Sports ... Naomi Osaka should NOT get a pass from speaking with reporters after matches -- even if she's claiming it's for mental health reasons.

The former NFL star says the tennis player straight-up just HAS to do the post-match sessions ... explaining the interviews are one of the biggest reasons for the sport's popularity.

"How do they think that this sport is driven?" Wiley said. "Just because people show up and pay for cotton candy? That's not it!"

"It's all of the investment that goes into the sport and participation."

In other words, the host of FS1's "Speak for Yourself" says Osaka's boycott could cost the sport fans' interest ... and in turn, take money out of players' pockets.

As for the mental health argument ... Wiley admits it's important for Osaka to deal with that aspect of her life -- but he claims she should still have to do media regardless.

"Handle your mental health -- you!" Wiley tells us. "And, then show up when you're ready and don't burn down the house."

As we previously reported, Osaka had initially planned to do no press conferences at the French Open ... saying it was all in an effort to improve her mental health.

Dan Ige always wanted to be a champion ... but now the UFC fighter says he’s got a little extra motivation to beat the "Korean Zombie’s" ass -- his newborn baby boy, Bam.

TMZ Sports talked to the 29-year-old, 8th ranked UFC Featherweight star -- who's taking on Chan Sung Jung at UFC Fight Night on June 19 -- and we asked if the birth of his newborn changed the way he approached fighting.

FYI, Dan's wife, Savannah, gave birth to Bam Alexander Ige at the beginning of April.

"Yeah, for sure," Ige says ... "I've always been a pretty motivated guy. I was never a guy to look for that type of external motivation to push me. I've always had that internal drive but definitely having a little external motivation doesn't hurt at all."

"50K" Ige continued ... "Having my son and my family and my wife and everyone just kinda adds to that fuel and yeah, now it's not just about me anymore."

"It's about my son, it's about making sure he has a good life and he's set and he's secure, making sure my family is secure, so it's definitely a driving factor when I go to training every day or when I'm tired."

As for the fight ... Dan -- who's 15-3 as a pro and has beaten beasts like Edson Barboza -- believe's a win over the 4th ranked Zombie will put him in a prime position to make a run at the 145-pound title.

Cops say they've nabbed the guys who made off with $3 million in cash and jewelry from one of 50 Cent's businesses -- and the key to cracking the case was a stolen car.

According to prosecutors in Bergen County, New Jersey ... a resident of the apartment building where the theft went down reported the heist back in January, shortly after the Cliffside Park PD recovered a stolen vehicle in that area.

Law enforcement sources say cops reviewed surveillance footage and tied the stolen ride to the burglary, and after a 5-month investigation ... were able to track down the guys who allegedly did it.

The 3 men have each been charged with burglary, conspiracy to commit burglary, receiving stolen property and criminal mischief.

Fiddy's attorney tells us this burglary has incorrectly been reported as a break-in at the rapper's home, when it was actually a leased corporate apartment for one of his businesses.

The lawyer adds ... "At the time the suspects were in the unit, police drove by but did not realize the individuals were still inside. The entire matter was caught on surveillance cameras."

The former NASA astronaut commanding the first civilian crew to the International Space Station is feeling good about the so-called space tourists, because they're handling zero gravity better than him!!!

Michael Lopez-Alegria, the decorated astronaut with 2 NASA records for spacewalks, joined us on "TMZ Live" Friday to tell us how he and his 3 crew members handled their first weightless training flight.

It's pretty funny ... Michael says he was the one who felt the worst, while the philanthropists and entrepreneurs had a blast doing somersaults and backflips while they were experiencing zero gravity.

Larry Connor, Mark Pathy and Eytan Stibbe are the 3 men who've dropped $55 million each to punch their tickets to the ISS and, so far, they're making their commander proud.

Axiom's Ax-1 mission -- the first private mission to the ISS -- blasts off in January with Michael at the controls. He admits he'll have a "tough needle to thread" during the 10-day mission with space newbies ... since he's their commander, but also ... kinda their tour guide in orbit.

It's a new challenge, for sure ... even for a guy who's logged more spacewalks than anyone else in history.

"I think it's gonna be just a big s**t show."

Gotta appreciate the honesty from Andre Berto -- who tells TMZ Sports he doesn't exactly have high expectations for the big Floyd Mayweather vs. Logan Paul fight on Sunday.

Look, Berto -- a very accomplished and well-respected boxer -- has actually been in the ring with Mayweather in 2015 ... and knows what's like to fight against the best in the world.

So, how does he feel about a YouTube star getting a crack at TBE?

"This s**t is more of an event [than a real fight] and I'm tired of people texting my phone asking me, 'Ay bro, who you think is gonna win, Logan or Floyd?' I wanna throw my phone at a f**king wall!"

Don't get it twisted, Berto actually LIKES the Paul Bros -- and clearly has professional respect for Mayweather ... but he thinks it's a circus.

So, does Logan have a chance?

"You always got a puncher's chance ... I mean this is boxing. Anything can happen but of course, I think Floyd has it, running away with it and I think it's gonna be a show."

This is Yana Sizikova ... the pro tennis player suspected of taking BRIBES in a match-fixing scheme at the 2020 French Open.

... and now she's behind bars.

The 26-year-old Russian player -- currently ranked #765 in the world by the WTA -- was taken into custody in Paris on Thursday evening, officials confirm.

Sizikova was in France competing in the 2021 French Open -- and had lost in a doubles match earlier in the day.

Now, prosecutors say she's facing charges of "sports bribery and organized fraud for acts likely to have been committed in Sept. 2020."

Here's the deal ... Sizikova -- who's ranked #101 as a doubles player -- was involved in a doubles match at the 2020 French Open that was flagged after bookmakers noticed unusual bets being made.

Officials say hundreds of thousands of euros were wagered on the match -- and then noticed Sizikova was playing unusually bad.

After an investigation, prosecutors believe they have enough evidence to prove Sizikova was tanking on purpose as part of a match-fixing scheme.

So far, no official comment from Sizikova -- who is reportedly still in custody.

Peter Berg's pumped about movie theaters finally making a pandemic comeback even though he's in business with Netflix, because as he explains ... it's good for the entire film biz.

The producer/director was heading to Gold's Gym in Venice when we got his response to the Memorial Day box office rebound thanks to "A Quiet Place Part II" ... and he seems as excited to head back to the movies as everyone else.

It might seem like Berg's biting the hand that feeds since he recently scored a first-look deal to produce and direct live-action projects for the streaming giant ... but he says that's not the case at all.

Peter points out Netflix can release movies in theaters first, and then on its platform ... and that's actually what they want. He calls it the best of both worlds.

Berg admits box office numbers might take a hit from folks who still opt to watch movies from home -- like millions did last year for his Netflix hit, "Spenser Confidential" -- but he suggests that's a small price to pay.