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One day, we'll be able to zip through tubes at super-fast speeds like "The Jetsons" -- and that day is coming sooner than later thanks to Sir Richard Branson's company ... which just tried it out with humans.

Virgin Hyperloop announced Monday it had successfully tested a Hyperloop ride with a couple of passengers -- 2 company execs -- over the weekend out at their Las Vegas test site.

The track -- which is, in fact, completely tubular -- only runs about 500 meters or so, and because of that ... the pod was only able to reach up to 100 MPH.

Normally, according to techy lore, a full-blown hyperloop track should (theoretically) be capable of firing down a cylinder at around 600 MPH -- which is faster than a freakin' airplane. Unfortunately, this test didn't quite get there ... but by all accounts, it was a huge first step.

If you're unfamiliar with what a hyperloop system is exactly, it's basically propelled by magnets -- with zero friction on the vehicle you're actually traveling in. So, in other words, you're pretty much hovering ... and because of that, sky's the limit as far as speed. Again, in theory.

There are other companies and wizzes that have eyed getting into the hyperloop market -- like Elon Musk, for example -- but with Virgin ... it seems they're the first ones through the gate on this endeavor. There's other hyperloop-like tech already in use in places like Japan and Germany ... where some of their train systems use magnetic tracks.

It's not quite like this though, and if Virgin continues to roll out passenger tests with more success -- not to mention building out their track for faster speeds -- it could open a whole new mode of transportation, the likes of which we've never seen but were always promised.

Eddie Van Halen was honored at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Saturday night ... as one of the greatest guitar players in the history of music.

The tribute is incredible and shows Eddie's miraculous talent.

Some of the greatest living guitarists, including Slash and Tom Morello, paid tribute to the man who was one of 2 guitarists in competition for the G.O.AT. title -- the other, of course, being Jimi Hendrix.

Tom Morello, from Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, called Eddie, "The Mozart of our generation. He had the kind of talent that maybe comes around once a century."

Slash said, "His style and his sound were completely unique to him. He had a massive impact on guitar playing."

The sounds emanating from Eddie's guitar were like none heard before. The ferocious sounds hit like a nuclear bomb and were subsequently mimicked by many -- but no one had Eddie's touch.

You gotta watch the video to remember how inspiring Eddie was on the guitar.

As you know by now, Eddie died last month after a long battle with cancer at 65.

The inductees Saturday night were Whitney Houston, Nine Inch Nails, Notorious B.I.G. and T-Rex.

Supermanager Irving Azoff and producer Jon Landau received the Ertegun Award award.

The election has not been called on the news shows, but that didn't stop Bill Maher from stating what is increasingly obvious ... Joe Biden's gonna be the next president.

Bill flat-out declared Biden the winner, and he reveled in the fact he's the only one in the media who's said it out loud for all to hear. He also says Trump's acting like a "whiny little bitch" in challenging the process ... something Bill predicted 3 years ago.

The numbers certainly support Bill's conclusion ... Biden is pulling away from Trump in Pennsylvania and Georgia with a dwindling vote count remaining ... and that would be more than enough to win.

Bill also cautioned during his show ... it's not going to be smooth sailing for Biden, because there are 70 million Americans who voted for Donald Trump, and although Biden has vowed he'll be a president for all Americans -- whether they voted for him or not -- it's going to be a tall order to get them under the tent.

Nevertheless ... Bill celebrated with balloons cascading down from above -- balloons that startled the host in the middle of some pretty great conversations.

This bizarre weather report is pretty shocking ... as the meteorologist goes after California Governor Gavin Newsom, referring to him as a king who is ruining Thanksgiving, and that's just for starters.

Mark Mathis, the weather dude from KUSI in San Diego, has some major beef over turkey, accusing the Governor of acting like a king for daring to impose guidelines on how to stay safe during a COVID Thanksgiving.

Mathis, among other things, says Newsom is urging everyone to regularly sanitize bathrooms, but says the Guv's "throne" is only for him.

He went as far as suggesting Newsom worships Lucifer and not God.

It's ridiculous, but also telling that there's so much contempt for COVID precautions as America breaks some awful records ... on Friday alone there were 25,000 new cases.

Atlanta's mayor's on cloud nine over her state being on the verge of flipping to blue ... and she says the spirit of some fine Georgians shone through to make it happen.

Keisha Lance Bottoms is feeling incredible, as all signs point to Joe Biden being elected as the next President of the United States ... something she says reflects on Georgia and inspiration it drew from the late John Lewis, C.T. Vivian and Joseph Lowery.

Though she's happy now, the Mayor admits the overall election results felt more like a "gut punch" a couple days ago when she saw roughly half the country supported Trump. Mayor Bottoms told us on "TMZ Live" she said Biden needs to address some of their issues given their sheer numbers.

That's why she says it's so important to have a President like Biden who's unifying instead of divisive ... so we can get back to "civil disagreement" and move forward in a positive way together.

She says the past 4 years have been very dark, but Keisha sounds hopeful that America's heading toward the light.

Folks in New Jersey have green on the mind -- they are eager to brush up on their marijuana skills after voting to legalize it, and their Google searches show it.

The term "how to roll a joint" saw a nearly 3,000% jump in the ultimate search engine during a solid 4 hours Tuesday evening as the Garden State overwhelmingly passed a ballot measure to make it legal to grow, smoke and sell herb starting in 2021.

Of course, like California, you'll have to be 21 to do all that ... and there's still some red tape they gotta go through -- like setting up the rules of this trade -- before anyone can partake. Still, a whole new batch of tokers are obviously itching to bust out rolling papers.

Also trending in Jersey ... the term "when will weed be legal in New Jersey." So, yeah, they're ready to burn.

Several other states are saying puff puff pass with Jersey, too -- Arizona, Montana and South Dakota also voted to approve pot measures.

Colorado, Washington, Cali, Oregon and Illinois have been leading the nation in cashing in on marijuana users ... having gone fully legal with it years ago.

Kentucky State Police used to train their cadets with inspiration from 2 infamous leaders ... Robert E. Lee and Adolf Hitler.

One of the training slides had the title, "Violence of Action," and instructed cops to be "ruthless killer[s]," like Robert E. Lee and imploring officers to have, "a mindset void of emotion" and to "meet violence with greater violence," like Hitler.

And, there's more ... another training slide reads, "The very first essential for success is a perpetually constant and regular employment of violence." That is from Hitler's "Mein Kampf" manifesto. The Dept. then linked to a Hitler page on Goodreads. There are 3 quotes from Hitler in the training program.

A spokesperson for the Dept. says the slides were removed back in 2013, adding, "Our administration does not condone the use of this material."

Kentucky has been reeling for months in the wake of the Breonna Taylor killing, where Kentucky State Police have been involved in handling the various protests.

Walmart's anticipating civil unrest ahead of the presidential election ... and that's triggered the retail giant to stop pull guns and ammo from shelves.

The nation's biggest retailer has pulled the items from its stores in an effort to keep firearms and ammo from being stolen in the event there's civil unrest. A spokesperson for Walmart said, "We have seen some isolated civil unrest, and as we have done on several occasions over the last few years, we have moved our firearms and ammunition off the sales floor as a precaution for the safety of our associates and customers."

It's important to note ... customers can still buy guns and ammo in half of the 4,700 stores where they're available, they just have to request it. The firearms just aren't on display for now.

Walmart made a similar move back in June following George Floyd's death. It's unclear how long the store will keep guns and ammo out of store displays.

There IS something worse than a SoCal traffic jam -- try getting caught behind a semitruck as powerful wind tosses it like a rocking chair, nearly tipping it over right in front of you!!!

The incredible footage shows the big rig leaning and rocking in the wind, and as you can see, at one point the entire trailer was lifted up on one side as it came oh so close to falling over.

Erik, the guy who shot the video, tells us he was driving onto the 210 Freeway Monday in Fontana, CA -- an hour east of L.A. -- when he noticed the semi struggling to cut through the strong Santa Ana winds, which gusted up to 96 MPH that day.

Erik says he started filming the semi, thinking it was only a matter of time before it blew on its side. He was dangerously close to being right.

The worst part for Erik was there was already bumper-to-bumper traffic on the freeway due to multiple other semis flipping in the wind.

Darnella Frazier -- the teenager who captured George Floyd's final minutes and started a worldwide movement -- is getting an award from a prestigious nonprofit.

PEN America announced Tuesday they were honoring 17-year-old Darnella with its annual PEN/Benenson Courage Award. The org's CEO, Suzanne Nossel, says, "With nothing more than a cell phone and sheer guts, Darnella changed the course of history in this country, sparking a bold movement demanding an end to systemic anti-Black racism and violence at the hands of police."

Nossel adds, "Without Darnella’s presence of mind and readiness to risk her own safety and wellbeing, we may never have known the truth about George Floyd’s murder. We are proud to recognize her exceptional courage with this award."

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump -- who reps George's family now -- praised Darnella as well on Twitter, saying she showed tremendous courage and the award was well-deserved.

As we reported ... Darnella went through a lot of backlash in the immediate aftermath of her video being posted, with many questioning why she didn't do more than record it. Her family told us they were seeking therapy to help Darnella cope with the emotional trauma.

The police killing of a 27-year-old black man wielding a knife in West Philadelphia set off severe unrest in the city ... and escalated to extreme violence and chaos.

At least 30 Philly police officers were injured overnight and 33 people were arrested for rioting, vandalism and looting. A 56-year-old female sergeant suffered a broken leg and other injuries when she was struck by a pickup truck.

Philadelphia PD says she's hospitalized in stable condition, and the other 29 officers suffered non-life-threatening injuries from being hit by bricks or rocks thrown at them. Cops say multiple businesses were looted and damaged, and 5 police vehicles -- along with one fire vehicle -- were vandalized.

Protesters first clashed with cops outside a police precinct as tensions rose over the fatal shooting of Walter Wallace. Around 2:45 PM Monday, cops responded to a call of a man with a weapon.

The officers discovered Wallace brandishing a knife and acting erratically, according to Philadelphia Police Chief Eric Gripp. Footage of the incident shows Wallace walking around a parked car as the officers back away with their guns pointed at him.

Wallace appeared to move toward them and they opened fire, taking him down instantly. He was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead.

Gripp says the officers ordered Wallace to drop his weapon multiple times to no avail ... which you can hear on the video. One witness, Maurice Holoway, says several people were yelling for him to drop the knife, but Holoway told reporters he also thinks cops could have shot him in the leg instead of shooting to kill.

Wallace's father, Walter Wallace Sr., says his son was shot at least 10 times. He told reporters his son had mental health issues and was on medication, and questioned why he had to be gunned down instead of police using non-lethal force.

A guy is threatening to jump off the very top of a roller coaster in San Diego ... and authorities have been unsuccessful thus far in talking him down.

This is happening right now at what appears to be Belmont Park, atop the Giant Dipper attraction -- also known as the Mission Beach Roller Coaster. As you can see, there's a man up there at the highest peak (which is said to reach around 75 feet), looking out.

He's not in a car -- doesn't look like the ride is even operating right now, but somehow ... he climbed his way to the tip-top and has been screaming, making threats and acting erratically for at least an hour now, according to eyewitnesses. We're told many on the ground there believe he's prepared to jump ... and that the fire department and police are on the scene.

We're told the guy's been pacing back and forth as negotiators try speaking to him, but thus far ... no sign of him cooperating. Witnesses also tell us the man has yelled out that he's 21 years old and that he's "no fool." There's about 100 people scattered about watching.

It's a delicate situation obviously -- a fall from there would likely kill him, so the folks running point on this don't wanna scare him into anything rash.

We've reached out to the police for more details ... so far, no word back.

The deadly hornets nest discovered in Washington is no more -- because some badass wildlife experts suited up and got rid of the damn thing ... with some crazy equipment in hand.

A group of scientists and entomologists working for the Washington State Department of Agriculture's Pest Program got up early Saturday morning and headed out to where the nest was recently found at a residential area in Blaine, WA -- right near the Canadian border.

The team was up and at 'em before the sun was even out, and it was all strategic ... they wanted to sneak up on the tree where the murder hornets had burrowed themselves inside and suck them out using some sort of a vacuum, catching the hive by surprise.

There was more to it than just that though -- apparently, they flooded the trunk of the tree with a paralyzing foam, wrapped a good portion of it in plastic to contain them even further ... and then got to the business of sucking them down and in different tubes, which they later showed off to the cameras that were standing by for the mission. It's pretty neat.

The hornets that were killed are said to be going "on ice" for further study -- but rest assured, they're not active anymore and pose no threat. The WSDA deemed the task a success, so it sounds like they got all of those buggers in one shot. Remember, there were dozens spotted entering and exiting the tree ... a hornets nest is said to be able to house up to 200 at a time. That explains the abundance of protective gear ... definitely necessary.

The nest sighting comes a few months after reports of the first Asian murder hornets here in the U.S. sent folks into a panic ... this as coronavirus pandemic was just getting underway. Since then, scientists have done a great job at tracking them -- and now, killing them too.

Sure, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un is alive and well, but the same can't be said right now for his wife ... who hasn't been seen in public since January.

Ri Sol-ju was last with Kim for a public event at the Samjiyon Theatre in Pyongyang during a Lunar New Year celebration, but after she missed a military parade she usually attends on October 10 ... speculation's swirling about why, and where in the hell she is now.

Along with the darkest guess that immediately comes to mind, there are 3 main theories that are less disturbing -- but also maybe less believable.

One is that she's taking care of Kim's aunt who is ill. Another, from experts in South Korea, is that she's afraid of getting sick herself amid the COVID-19 pandemic due to lack of social distancing and masks at events.

And finally, there are reports she stepped out of the public eye to take care of her daughter, who's believed to have been born in 2013.

It should be noted -- about a year ago there was similar concern for Ri after she wasn't seen in public for 4 months, but then she was ... and people speculated she may have given birth.

Of course, it's hard to know what to believe when it comes to North Korea ... as we learned this past summer about her husband.

Asian murder hornets have made their way to Washington State ... authorities just found a nest, the first one discovered in the U.S., and now humans wanna kill the deadly insects ASAP!!!

The Washington State Dept. of Agriculture says they've located an Asian giant hornet nest on a private property in Blaine ... and as you can see, the murder hornets set up shop inside a tree.

The WSDA says they're gonna try and destroy the nest Saturday, after plans to wipe it out Friday were dashed due to inclement weather. It's 2020, did you really think murder hornets would go out that easy?!?

Entomologists from the WSDA found the nest after a trapper caught two live murder hornets Wednesday using a new type of trap. Two more hornets, also living, were found in another trap Thursday and entomologists attached radio trackers to the big buggers, which led them to the nest.

It's pretty scary ... the nest is inside a tree near an area cleared for a residential home, and authorities counted dozens of hornets entering and exiting the tree. These murder hornets usually nest in the ground, but sometimes they pick a dead tree for their home base.

As we've reported ... the WSDA has been on the hunt for murder hornet nests since the first insect was caught earlier this year, and authorities had to navigate a ton of false reports.

The hope here -- eradicating murder hornets before they decimate our bee population, not to mention any human casualties along the way.

Sacha Baron Cohen says it's pretty clear to him what was on Rudy Giuliani's mind during his notorious scene in the 'Borat' sequel ... but urges everyone to judge for themselves.

Borat himself, along with Maria Bakalova -- who plays his daughter, Tutar, in "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm" -- addressed Rudy's compromising appearance in the movie ... in which he puts a hand in his pants after being duped into a fake interview by Bakalova's character.

Giuliani denies any inappropriate behavior and claims he was simply tucking in his shirt after taking off recording equipment ... but Cohen calls BS.

The actor tells "Good Morning America" ... "If the president’s lawyer found what he did there appropriate behavior then heaven knows what he’s done with other female journalists in hotel rooms."

The movie was released Thursday night, so everyone can judge for themselves.

Bakalova says she's thankful Cohen busted in to save her when things started getting dicey, and he claims he was "quite concerned" during the scene ... and felt the need to protect her.