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If Bernie Sanders wins the Democratic nomination for President ... he might have this endorsement from one of the biggest pop stars in the world to thank.

Ariana Grande just shared a couple photos with the 78-year-old Vermont Senator, thanking him for hitting up her concert in Atlanta Tuesday night and "making my whole night and for all that you stand for !"

She went on to say she's doing her best to register young voters and has already gotten more than 20k sign-ups at her shows. She added ... "i will never smile this hard again promise."

From the looks of it ... Bernie might not either!!!

Sanders is in town for tonight's fifth primary debate, which will feature 10 contenders for the Democratic nomination. Not that he needs the energy boost ... but ya gotta think a plug from Grande will provide one anyway.

BTW -- this isn't the first time Ariana and Bernie have had a noteworthy connection ... last month she posted "baby how u feelin" on Twitter, and he replied by tweeting he's ready to fight for Medicare for All.

She replied, "screaming" ... as many of her fans and Bernie fans are now, as well.

Aaron Carter's going to have to wait at least a year to contact his brother because a judge just granted Nick a restraining order against him.

Aaron was a no-show in court in Vegas Wednesday for the hearing -- Nick did attend -- so the judge had an easy decision. The order will stay in place until November of next year.

The order comes a day after Aaron came out on the losing end of another restraining order hearing with his twin sister, Angel. Along with being prohibited from having any contact with her or her family for a year, the judge also enraged Aaron by telling him he's too dangerous to possess guns.

He went nuts in court, screaming that he would just go to another state to stock up and threatened to leave the courtroom ... but the judge ordered him to sit down.

Aaron's anger was still on display outside the courthouse when our photog tried to talk to him.

As we reported ... Nick first sought out legal protection in September after Aaron allegedly threatened to kill his pregnant wife. At the time, Nick claimed he was forced to seek the order against his younger brother "in light of Aaron's increasingly alarming behavior and his recent confession that he harbors thoughts and intentions of killing my pregnant wife and unborn child."

Aaron blasted Nick online, saying he was done with him for life, but insisted he doesn't wish harm on anyone ... especially family.

Angel followed Nick's lead just days later and also got a restraining order. She claimed Aaron threatened to send hit men after her following a disturbing phone call.

Nick also alleged Aaron told Angel he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder ... something Aaron later claimed on Dr. Phil himself.

As we told you ... Aaron was briefly hospitalized last week, which his mother, Jane, attributed to the stress of the family drama. Of course, Jane's dog-smacking incident and subsequent squabble with PETA probably didn't help alleviate Aaron's stress.

Kanye West's plan to build an amphitheater on his ranch is drawing the ire of officials in Wyoming ... and they're ordering him to put the brakes on his construction project pronto!!!

Park County Wyoming Planner Joy Hill tells TMZ ... the County is ordering Kanye to cease construction on his property because he broke ground without a permit and that's a big no-no.

As we reported ... Kanye submitted docs to build a 70,684-square-foot amphitheater on his sprawling Monster Lake Ranch, and there were construction crews on the property moving large amounts of land to clear a footprint.

We're told Kanye's team was told to stop construction when county officials visited the site after he submitted his building permit application, but subsequent visits to the site by officials showed his team ignored the mandate and kept working.

And, get this ... we're told Kanye's proposed meditation space was on the agenda at a Tuesday meeting for the Park County Planning and Zoning Commission, but the topic never came up because a few hours prior, Kanye's team notified the commission he was changing the intended purpose of the site to residential use.

Now, we're told Kanye's about to get a letter from the County telling him to put an end to construction ... and he's gotta submit a whole new building permit application.

A$AP Rocky just got catapulted to "primary" status in the impeachment investigation of President Trump ... due to the EU Ambassador's testimony about a phone call regarding the rapper's Swedish assault case.

Rocky got roped into Wednesday's hearing because EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland said while he was sitting in a restaurant in Kiev on July 26 ... Trump called him and the "primary purpose" of their chat was A$AP.

Sondland testified Wednesday they mostly discussed A$AP's imprisonment in Sweden ... despite claims the phone call involved Trump inquiring about the Ukrainian government investigating Joe Biden and his son, Hunter.

As you'll recall, the rapper was jailed in Sweden for nearly 5 weeks as he awaited trial for assault following an altercation with a man on the street. He was eventually found guilty by a panel of judges, but with no further jail time ... Rocky bolted back to the States.

Trump was very vocal about the unfair treatment of Rocky and his administration got involved ... and Sondland says that's what they discussed on that July 26 call.

However -- pertaining to the impeachment investigation -- Sondland later testified the phone call also "included the subject of investigations" into the Bidens, and stated there was a quid pro quo established between Trump and Ukraine.

Taylor Swift may be locked and loaded to go after Scooter Braun Sunday at the AMAs, but we've learned she'll be talking to an empty chair because Scooter will be thousands of miles away.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Scooter's not scared of what Taylor might do ... fact is, he never planned on showing up for the show. He'll be in Tampa, Florida supporting one of his artists who's performing there ... in case you're not familiar, her name is Ariana Grande.

As we first told you ... Scooter's getting death threats from loyal Taylor fans in the wake of their idol claiming Scooter and other Big Machine honchos were holding her first 6 albums hostage.

Our sources say Taylor -- who's getting an award for Artist of the Decade -- plans to weave her anger toward Scooter and Big Machine into her acceptance speech, but there won't be awkward cutaways of Scooter, and that kind of deflates the balloon.

And, there's more intrigue ... Ariana and Taylor are both nominated for Artist of the Year and Favorite Female Artist Pop/Rock at the AMAs. It'll be interesting if Ariana wins since she's squarely in Scooter's corner.

The speeches could be super entertaining.

It looks like Kodak Black is gonna be a superman when he walks out of a federal prison -- that is, if he sticks to his higher education plan, which includes a little nihilistic philosophy!!!

Sources close to the incarcerated MC tell TMZ ... on the heels of getting sentenced to 46 months in prison, Kodak's shooting to get a college diploma by the time he gets out. We're told he's interested in pursuing business and marketing. The federal prison in Florida where he's doing his time offers classes, and he plans to register.

That's not where his learning road ends. Our sources say Kodak's actually planning to take the SAT when he's eventually released in hopes of getting into the University of Florida and earning a bachelor's degree.

Of course, this follows his previous goal of wanting a GED about a year ago while he was locked up. We're told he ended up getting it, BTW.

And, as if biz and marketing reading isn't enough, we're told he'll be supplementing that with some other literature to get his creative juices flowing -- good, old-fashioned Friedrich Nietzche books, in fact. Ah yes, "The Death of God," "The Superman" and "The Will To Power." Heavy stuff, but time's on his side. Sorta.

In addition to his nearly 4-year sentence, Kodak was just hit with two new counts of gun possession last week and could get up to 30 more years for each charge.

Ol' Dirty Bastard is the inspiration behind a brand of brew courtesy of Young Dirty Bastard ... who says he's getting into the beer biz because his late pops loved a cold one.

The new adult beverage is a honey ale called Young Dirty Brew ... and ODB's kid says he's wanted to honor his father with a drink ever since he first saw his pops sipping on Olde English.

Young Dirty Bastard's rep, Avery "Msartistry," tells TMZ ... the rapper poured in $60,000 to make his childhood dream a reality, and worked with Circa Brewing to stir up the right brew and get if off the ground.

The late Wu-Tang rapper's probably smiling down on his son. As you can see, Young Dirty Bastard was heavily involved in the brewing process, channeling his father's style along the way.

We're told YDB and his biz partners, Divine Everlasting and Logan Feldman, took about 6 months to perfect their ale, and 100 cases go on sale New Year's Eve in select New York liquor stores, bars and online.

A$AP Rocky says his time behind bars in Sweden is exactly why he's returning to that country -- which seems insane -- but he's on a mission to help the inmates and immigrants he met there.

We got the rapper Tuesday evening outside the swanky Rick Owens clothing store in NYC and asked why in the world he'd go back. A$AP says the month in jail for his assault case opened his eyes to the plight of immigrants. He says he was especially aware of the support he was getting, as a celeb, while some prisoners around him were rotting for 10 months or more before seeing a judge.

He's on a mission to change that. For starters, A$AP says he's donating proceeds from his December 11 concert in Stockholm to an immigrant rights org called FARR, the Swedish Network of Refugee Support Groups.

As we first reported ... Rocky was held in inhumane conditions while prosecutors decided whether to charge him for aggravated assault stemming from a street brawl. The case drew worldwide attention ... and even President Trump and his administration got involved.

A$AP was ultimately found guilty but did NOT have to serve any more time behind bars. Rocky wasted no time jetting outta Sweden, and it seemed that would be the last time he'd ever be there -- until Live Nation announced he'd be returning to Sweden next month.

A$AP had said jail was scary and humbling during his first performance in the States after getting back from Sweden. Still, he tells us he's not letting fear hold him back, and even plans to visit an area where police don't go ... just to boost spirits of Swedish immigrants.

There was one topic he did NOT want touch, though. We asked about Trump's efforts to free him, and ... well, just watch. Fair to say, Rocky would rather play a Swedish jailhouse concert than discuss POTUS!

Aaron Carter lost it in court when a judge ordered him to surrender his firearms.

Aaron was on the losing end of a hearing for a restraining order. His twin sister, Angel Conrad, convinced the judge to issue an order prohibiting Aaron from having any contact with her or her family for a year. Then the judge enraged Aaron, by telling him he's too dangerous to possess guns. He went nuts in court ... screaming at the judge that he would just go out of state and buy more firepower.

TMZ broke the story ... Angel filed docs back in September in L.A. for a domestic violence restraining order after claiming Aaron threatened to send hit men after her. She claimed that during a phone conversation Aaron told her, "I have people that would come and harm you."

Angel said she feared for her life because Aaron was brandishing firearms on social media. She said she also feared for her husband and her daughter.

After the judge lowered the boom on Aaron, he threatened to just get up and leave, but the judge ordered him to sit down.

What's unclear ... whether Aaron will surrender his guns. If he doesn't, the judge could hold him in contempt and throw him in jail. As part of the order, Aaron must also stay away from The Grove shopping center in LA where Angel's husband works.

As we first reported ... Aaron's brother, Nick, also filed for a restraining order against him claiming Aaron had "thoughts of killing babies." Nick claimed Aaron had made the claims during a FaceTime with Angel back in August.

Nick had also said Aaron told Angel he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Aaron's then-girlfriend, Lina Valentina, was there during the conversation and she chimed in, "Angel, how do you think I feel with him sleeping with a sword next to him?" According to the docs, Aaron got furious and said, "Shut up Lina, you are next on my list."

A hip-hop artist who was a close friend of Nipsey Hussle's had at least 6 firearms pointed at him by cops ... who mistakenly thought he was a car thief.

Rapper Hoggy, aka BH, was pulled over Tuesday in Beverly Hills after cops ran the plates of the vehicle he was driving ... and discovered it was a stolen rental car.

Video of the crazy incident -- obtained by TMZ -- shows Hoggy standing outside of the car with his hands in the air ... then slowly and carefully backing toward the armed officers. He was then ordered to get on his knees before being detained.

The good news for the rapper ... our law enforcement sources tell us it was determined neither Hoggy nor the person riding in the vehicle with him had anything to do with the car theft.

We're told they were both released without being arrested because they weren't involved in any crime ... but cops kept the car are still trying to get to the bottom of how it turned up stolen.

Kanye West's appearance and performance at Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church was one of the biggest Christian events in recent memory, with streaming numbers that shattered records.

Kanye's Sunday night service was broadcast across 4 Lakewood-related platforms on Facebook and YouTube with 4.17 million unique viewers total. We're told by comparison, Joel's Sunday morning service usually pulls between 700k and 1.3 million sets of eyeballs.

The 4.17 million is certainly impressive, considering Kanye's appearance at Joel's service earlier in the day also amassed hundreds of thousands of viewers. It was also broadcast on SiriusXM radio and will hit television sets in the coming weeks.

People in Christian circles tell us the Kanye collab was one of the biggest faith-fueled events in recent history ... and the effects are still being felt around the community.

Kodak Black wants approval to enter a drug rehab program while he's serving his Florida prison sentence -- but he could end up getting more than just clean and sober.

According to docs filed Monday in federal court, the rapper is asking the court to send him to a prison that offers the Residential Drug Abuse Program. The 500-hour program lasts 9 months and involves group therapy, as well as one-on-one treatment.

It also requires all participants to live in a separate unit from the general population -- a pretty clear benefit to a celebrity rapper doing time.

The biggest fringe benefit, though, for Kodak could be shortening his sentence. Upon completion of the program, inmates can get as much as 12 months knocked off their prison bid.

It's an interesting request from Kodak, who -- as we first reported -- claimed last week, someone in his current prison had drugged him, causing him to get involved last month in a prison brawl.

He's serving 46 months right now on federal weapons charges, and still has to deal with a sexual assault case in South Carolina.

Taylor Swift's battle with her old record label, Big Machine, over her performance at the AMAs should be over, but it's not, and the big question ... why is she still reluctant to sing her old songs?

Taylor has been angry at Big Machine and Scooter Braun over ownership of the masters of her first 6 albums. She claimed last week BM was withholding permission for her to sing her old hits, but the label fired back saying she can perform anything she wants during a live broadcast.

Our Taylor sources said that wasn't enough because Dick Clark Productions -- which produces the AMAs and rebroadcasts/repurposes the show -- has to get permission from BM. Then on Monday, BM announced it worked out a licensing deal with Dick Clark Productions so Taylor could sing all her old songs.

Taylor's people then complained that there couldn't be an agreement without notifying her camp in writing of the licensing agreement. That was done Monday, so all should be good. But, it's not.

Now, we're told Taylor may not have enough time to incorporate the old songs in her performance, because such rehearsals take at least a month. Here's the issue ... she told her fans last Thursday she had been planning to perform her old songs, so if she was planning to, you would think she would have rehearsed with them.

On top of that, we're told Taylor wasn't rehearsing in L.A. this past weekend ... she was at her apartment in London so it would seem she's locked and loaded.

So the question ... will you hear "Shake It Off" at the AMAs? The jury is out, but we're not betting on it.

Halsey's stirring the pregnancy pot with a hand gesture that could mean there's a bun in the oven ... or a bad meal just wasn't sitting right.

The singer was out Sunday with her boyfriend, Evan Peters, in Santa Monica -- where they both went in for a drawn-out rub of Halsey's belly, and they both seemed pretty happy about it. Toss in the fact she was wearing a baggy jumpsuit ... and ya get the rumor mill in full swing.

The couple went on to hit the beach, going into full-blown make-out sessions a few different times. They certainly look smitten after just a month or so of dating -- Halsey and Evan went public just this past October.

Prior to hooking up, Halsey was reportedly dating singer Yungblud as recently as this summer -- and before that, she was linked to Machine Gun Kelly and, of course, G-Eazy.

Evan was engaged to actress Emma Roberts for 3 years until breaking things off just a few months ago. He's mostly known as a regular on "American Horror Story," but he's been in a ton of stuff over the years ... including roles in the most recent 'X-Men' movies.

As for these suspicious belly rubs, we've reached out to Halsey's rep. So far, no word back.

Post Malone is celebrating the final leg of his tour in the most Posty way possible ... by renting out Hooters to chug beer and rip cigs with his boys!!!

We got the "Rockstar" rapper outside the world-famous Hooters on Hollywood Blvd bright and early Monday morning ... sipping a cold brew (not coffee) and bumming a cigarette after spending some quality time inside the wing joint with his buds and a solo Hooters waitress.

The family restaurant normally opens at 11 AM, but when you're Post Malone and you decide you want wings and things to kick off your Monday morning, you make a few calls, pull a few strings and get the place to yourself!!!

Post tells us he rented out the Hooters to celebrate life and the final 2 shows of his tour ... but he must want to keep the party going. Live Nation just announced a 2nd leg of his tour that extends into 2020.

Akon's ideal winning ticket in 2024 is Kanye West for President and himself for Vice President, but there's a small caveat ... he says it's all up to God.

We got the singer outside Avra restaurant in Beverly Hills Monday night, and he elaborated on some recent comments he made about Ye running for Prez -- he's definitely supportive, even though he knows many are skeptical.

Akon suggests Kanye could use some help ... and who better than a guy who's got his back, but also offers different viewpoints. Meaning, someone who does NOT align with Donald Trump -- like Akon!

Not sure that would work, since Kanye sure seems like he'd run as a GOP candidate, but still ... Akon says he'd be cool riding shotgun as VP.

As we reported, Kanye got some unintended laughs earlier this month in NYC when he doubled down on his presidential aspirations, and had to emphasize for the audience ... he's dead serious.

He went on to say when the time comes for him to launch his campaign, his Yeezy brand "will have created so many jobs, I'm not gonna run [for President], I'll walk."

Akon, at least, believes anything is possible ... even West/Thiam in 2024.