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A high school student got lit up with a Taser during a tense encounter with a cop on an Atlanta school bus ... and the disturbing moment was caught on camera.

The clip shows things spiraling fast -- 18-year-old Lanier Johnson-Hunt refuses to get off the school bus, despite repeated warnings from a school resource officer that he’ll be tased ... and after a brief scuffle, the threat turns real ... with the Taser deployed at point-blank range, right on the teen's chest, leaving him screaming in pain.

This is bananas ... a passenger at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport was caught trying to bring "nonhuman primate meat" through Customs.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said they seized the prohibited item along with some "unknown plants" and beans that were reportedly carrying pests. All the items were reportedly destroyed.

The passenger, from Congo, apparently didn't think anything of it.

Jourdin Pauline says she's stepping back from social media because of relentless cyberbullying ... posting a concerning message that also accuses people online of talking disrespectfully about her late sister.

Here's the deal ... the singer and influencer has recently made waves online after she accused Tylil James -- a member of the content creation collective Clover House -- of sexual assault. James categorically denied the claims ... and suggested he has evidence which will disprove Pauline's allegations. Fans of his immediately jumped to his defense ... and Pauline says they've taken to attacking her online.

Pauline wrote in a since-deleted tweet that the online hate has impacted her mental health ... and she's getting off social platforms to get away from the "lies, threats, and dehumanizing comments" about her.

3:53 PM PT -- A Waymo spokesperson tells TMZ ... “We are resuming ride-hailing service in the San Francisco Bay Area. Yesterday’s power outage was a widespread event that caused gridlock across San Francisco, with non-functioning traffic signals and transit disruptions. While the failure of the utility infrastructure was significant, we are committed to ensuring our technology adjusts to traffic flow during such events.

“Throughout the outage, we closely coordinated with San Francisco city officials. We are focused on rapidly integrating the lessons learned from this event, and are committed to earning and maintaining the trust of the communities we serve every day.”

San Francisco was hit with a major power outage Saturday night, turning the whole city into darkness and dangerously stalling a ton of self-driving Waymo taxis.

The citywide outage forced Waymo to halt its driverless car service, stranding the autonomous vehicles in the middle of the streets and intersections, according to pedestrians posting videos on X Saturday.

A Waymo spokesperson tells TMZ that ride-hailing services have been "temporarily suspended" due to the outage. They added, "Our teams are working diligently and in close coordination with city officials to monitor infrastructure stability, and we are hopeful to bring our services back online soon.”

SFGATE reports the company had to shut down its operation at around 8 p.m. due to the cars being unable to operate without traffic signals.

According to online footage, at least four Waymo vehicles were parked in the middle of an intersection with their hazards on, creating a large traffic jam at the busy intersection in the North Beach neighborhood.

SFGATE reports thousands of San Franciscans still remain without power on Sunday morning, as PG&E crews continue to work to restore electricity after a now nearly day-long outage.

Nearly a dozen gunmen reportedly opened fire outside a bar in South Africa, killing 9 people and injuring 10.

The mass shooting was the second in South Africa in the last 3 weeks, with the latest incident occurring early Sunday morning in Bekkersdal, a township 28 miles west of Johannesburg, according to CBS.

Investigators are still looking into the plane crash that claimed NASCAR legend Greg Biffle's life ... and, new video shows them looking for clues in the wreckage.

The National Transportation Safety Board released video of agents combing through the debris ... taking photos of the plane and looking in the woods surrounding the crash area.

The plane's a wreck ... broken into pieces both large and small and burned to a crisp in places. It's unclear what investigators might be able to glean from the crash site.

There are plenty of familiar faces in the newly released Epstein Files drop ... including some big-name musicians and entertainers like Mick Jagger and comedian Chris Tucker.

Check out our gallery -- you'll see The Rolling Stones frontman dining with Jeffrey Epstein, Bill Clinton and Ghislaine Maxwell at a circular table full of small dishes and drinks. The group appears to be in great spirits as they chat and laugh amongst themselves. Mick also stands up to pose with the former president, as well as a woman whose face was redacted.

And then there's the intriguing snap of magician and illusionist David Copperfield hugging Maxwell as they're both wearing white robes ... and showing off some candy in another.

The convicted pedo's former girlfriend and associate is also seen smiling next to comedian Chris Tucker in front of the window of a plane in a pic included in the drop. Chris sits next to someone who appears to be Clinton at a dinner in an additional photo.

Dave Chappelle says Charlie Kirk's murder is eerily reminiscent of Martin Luther King Jr.'s ... but that's where the similarities between them end -- full stop.

The comedian released an unexpected Netflix standup special Friday titled "The Unstoppable" ... and, unsurprisingly, Chappelle waded into some of the world's most controversial topics -- such as the life and legacy of Kirk.

DC addressed the killing of Kirk ... noting Charlie got "murdered in a terrible fashion" just like Dr. King, and adding they both were shot in the neck. However, Chappelle says the two can't be compared ... because Kirk was an internet personality who "fundamentally can't function like" the late civil rights leader.

The murders of Rob and Michele Reiner have shaken America, and the Epstein files dump is far from complete. So we gotta ask ...

Walter Cronkite, who was once regarded as "the most trusted man in America" when he was anchoring the evening news on CBS, is pictured with Jeffrey Epstein in new photos released by the feds.

The photos show the legendary newsman -- who anchored such historical events as the JFK assassination and moon landing -- sitting in a room with Epstein and an unidentified man. Walter is leaning forward in an armchair, talking with Epstein and the other guy, who is seated on a couch.

In between the men is a tray of food and drink and a bunch of magazines spread out across some ottomans.

There is nothing risqué or questionable going on ... and no one else is in the photos.

Hugh Jackman is a Bondi Beach local when he's back home in Australia, which is why the terror attack at the famous gathering spot has him reeling.

We got the movie star at LAX on Friday, and our photog asked Hugh how he's processing the tragic events at a place he holds near and dear to his heart.

Hugh says the whole thing is just devastating ... and not just for him, but for countless others who were affected by the mass shooting and its aftermath.

New footage shows Nick Reiner walking around in Santa Monica hours before his parents' dead bodies were discovered in their Brentwood home ... and he's heading toward the hotel he checked into.

TMZ obtained surveillance video from a local business on Santa Monica Pier. You see Nick walking down the sidewalk, towards the Pierside Santa Monica hotel.

The video was shot around 4 AM Sunday ... and Nick looks like he's carrying a black backpack and wearing a hat ... just like the video we obtained of him at a Brentwood gas station earlier in the evening.

We don’t know if this video of Nick was shot before or after he allegedly murdered his parents.

What we do know is that he checked into the hotel approximately 6 minutes after he's seen in this footage. Sources with direct knowledge told us no one saw any blood on Nick when he arrived at the hotel at 4:15 AM.

Late NASCAR star Greg Biffle's wife, Cristina, sent her mom an alarming message minutes before they died in a plane crash.

Cristina Biffle texted her mother, "We're in trouble," according to PEOPLE.

Greg's mother-in-law, Cathy Grossu, told the outlet that's all she heard from her daughter before the plane crash ... and she says the family is "devastated" and "brokenhearted."

Kata Hay, a former contestant on "The Voice," has been arrested on a vehicular homicide warrant ... TMZ has learned.

The Goodlettsville Police Department in Tennessee tells TMZ she had a warrant out of Davidson County, TN ... and was picked up by authorities in Oklahoma early Wednesday morning. The Osage County Sheriff's Office in OK tells TMZ a deputy from their department arrested her in a residence in the county on the active Tennessee warrant.

She's currently being held at the Osage County Jail in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, and the sheriff's office tells us she will go before a district court judge Monday to sign a waiver of extradition.

Investigators think there could be a link between the campus mass shooting at Brown University and the MIT professor who was later killed at his home -- and law enforcement is now digging into a possible connection, TMZ has learned.

A federal law enforcement source tells TMZ … federal, state and local authorities are now looking into whether the fields of physics and engineering are a factor in the murders linking the two cases. No suspects have been identified or apprehended in either case.

This is a major shift in the investigation -- especially since FBI Boston Special Agent in Charge Ted Docks said Tuesday there didn’t appear to be any connection between the two shootings.

A private jet reportedly crashed in North Carolina Thursday morning, leaving multiple people dead.

According to local news station WBTV, the plane -- a Cessna C550 -- exploded in a massive fireball after crashing at Statesville Regional Airport, about 50 miles north of Charlotte.

The FAA confirmed the plane went down while attempting to land at approximately 10:20 AM ET.

Business records indicate the jet was owned by a company affiliated with retired NASCAR driver Greg Biffle, WBTV reports. Local news outlets are reporting Biffle and his wife died in the crash, citing social media posts from a colleague and from one of his brands ... TMZ is working to confirm.