TMZ Live

Breonna Taylor's boyfriend's words -- captured by body cameras moments after the deadly raid -- will loom large in a potential federal case against the cops who killed her ... according to Lee Merritt.

The famed civil rights attorney joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday to discuss 2 crucial takeaways from the newly released body cam vids ... and both focus on Kenneth Walker's statements to Louisville cops on the scene.

In the video, Kenneth repeatedly tells cops he and Breonna didn't know it was police busting into her apartment. When an officer asks which of them fired at cops, Kenneth says, "It was her. She was scared." It's about one minute into this clip.

Lee says that might seem to create some uncertainty about who fired the shot that hit Louisville PD officer Jonathan Mattingly -- Breonna or Kenneth -- but he adds the video also shows Kenneth very emotional and under intense duress.

Since the night of the raid, Lee says Kenneth has insisted he's the one who fired his legally-owned 9mm handgun. He provided some insight into why Walker said otherwise as he was being arrested on the scene.

The other thing the videos reveal is the immediate confusion as to whether police announced they were law enforcement. As you know, a dozen neighbors said they did not. Merritt says the obvious emotion in Kenneth's voice as he repeatedly told police, "We didn't know who it was" adds credibility to his side of the story.

Nathan Apodaca -- AKA the Fleetwood Mac "Dreams" skateboarder -- has a couple of huge reasons to smile today, as well as an explanation for why he chugs huge bottles of cranberry juice.

Nathan was on "TMZ Live" Wednesday talking about how his life's changed dramatically since uploading that now-viral skateboarding clip to TikTok. He calls it a blessing, because it led to him getting that brand new truck, delivered Tuesday by Ocean Spray.

As we told you ... Nathan said the donations that poured in shortly after would be used possibly for a new ride, but then he got Ocean Spray's gift. By the way, he told us how his first drive went in the truck went -- it's gonna make ya smile.

Nathan says his family had been talking about saving money for his daughter's upcoming 16th bday party and getting a new place. Now, they're plans are changing ... for the better.

As for why Nathan sips on that large 64 oz. jug of his fave beverage while skateboarding -- it's pretty simple. It's all about time, size and value. Doggface (his TikTok handle) broke it down for us, and reacted to rumors Travis Scott even wants to collaborate with him now.

Americans should absolutely be concerned the man with our nuclear codes is on steroids, because the reality is President Trump's judgment could be impaired ... according to Dr. Robert Wachter.

Dr. Wachter, considered the father of the hospitalist field, joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and told us older COVID patients sick enough to be hospitalized have a decent chance of experiencing cognitive problems.

He added ... coupling that with steroids increases the odds POTUS might not be thinking straight.

Dr. Wachter, who's the chair of UC San Francisco's Dept. of Medicine, says Trump could be experiencing euphoria or sometimes even mania due to the steroids ... which might explain some of the President's recent tweetstorms. Let's be honest, its hard to tell.

Just to give you an idea how impairing steroids can be ... Dr. Wachter says the FAA wouldn't allow the Prez to fly a plane -- if he were a pilot -- due to his steroid dosage.

Michael Bloomberg isn't the only one donating money to help thousands of ex-felons regain the right to vote in Florida, because the movement is NOT about politics ... according to one of its advocates.

Desmond Meade of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition joined us Tuesday on "TMZ Live," and told us the $25 million his organization raised to allow former felons to vote in the election came from folks across the country ... and before Bloomberg donated a dime.

While the billionaire is grabbing headlines for adding $16 mil to pay the court fines and fees necessary for the Sunshine State's ex-felons to vote ... Desmond says his coalition is making an impact thanks to a grassroots approach encompassing over 88,000 donors.

Some of the donors you know, like Ariana Grande, Michael Jordan and LeBron James ... but Desmond says lots of non-famous Americans donated their hard-earned money.

The problem with Bloomberg's name getting attached, Desmond says, is the political spin that follows. He's adamant none of the ex-felons getting voting rights restored should feel beholden to vote how donors vote.

Daymond John is dropping knowledge and giving away money through a brand new venture he's cooking up, and he has a ton of celebs ready to inspire a new wave of entrepreneurs.

The "Shark Tank" star filled us in on his latest initiative called Black Entrepreneurs Day, telling us how folks can get $25,000 to help their small businesses.

It's pretty cool ... Daymond's got a dream team of celebs, who are also very successful business people. Shaquille O'Neal, Gabrielle Union, Jamie Foxx and LL Cool J will be with him to share experiences and advice in a series of one-on-one conversations.

Daymond and co. will be streaming live for Black Entrepreneurs Day on Oct. 24 and you can tune in and take notes on Facebook, Twitter, Twitch, LinkedIn, YouTube and TikTok.

Check out Tuesday's "TMZ Live" to see more from Daymond about how he put this huge event together -- and you can apply for one of the $25k grants starting today at blackentrepreneursday.com.

JoJo's coming through with an uplifting message for folks disillusioned by the first presidential debate ... and it's all in her new song.

The singer joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live" to download us on her track called "The Change" ... which was written by mega hitmaker Diane Warren. JoJo says it will remind you why it's so important to vote, and although it's not a political song -- she admits it has added meaning coming so soon after President Trump and Joe Biden's showdown.

"The Change" drops Friday, which is gonna be a huge day for JoJo ... she's been a huge fan of the Crash Bandicoot video game ever since she was a kid ... and Friday also marks the release of "Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time" on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Earlier this week, we surprised JoJo by getting Crash himself to make a cameo on Sunset Blvd, and ya gotta see her reaction!!! Yeah, you can tell she's ready to play the first brand-new Crash game in more than 10 years.

Van Jones can't stop smiling about the REFORM Alliance's big win -- the new law he says will improve the lives of tens of thousands of Californians ... and it's just the start, he hopes.

The REFORM CEO and esteemed news commentator joined "TMZ Live" Thursday, still riding high after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the AB 1950 bill into law ... which Jones calls a "transformative" piece of legislation.

Van says it's all about giving people a fair shot and setting them up for success, and gives props to Newsom for working with REFORM to make a much-needed change to the state's probation system.

As we reported ... the new law limits adult probation sentences to a maximum of 1 year for a misdemeanor, and 2 years for felony offenses. Van says ideally, this will lower petty probation violations and keep people from going back to prison when they're not even committing crimes.

More importantly, Jones says the law is set up to give people in the criminal justice system a "springboard to success, and not a trap door into failure" ... in order to lead productive lives after they've done their time.

Jones also believes this progress is a result of all the protesting for change, and even though the alliance was founded by big names like Jay-Z, Meek Mill, Michael Rubin and Robert Kraft ... everyone involved in the movement helped.

President Trump refusing to condemn white supremacists and continuing to undermine confidence in the election has Rev. Al Sharpton concerned about division and voter intimidation.

Sharpton was on "TMZ Live" Thursday to address the President's ominous words -- "Stand back and stand by" -- for alt-right group the Proud Boys ... and his apparent encouragement of supporters to take to the streets if he's dissatisfied with the election.

According to Rev. Al, the message is clear -- Trump stands by white supremacy, and gave a hate group his stamp of approval Wednesday night.

Sharpton believes this could have dire consequences and deliver a blow to our democracy if voters are intimidated to go to the polls ... something he suggests is Trump's motive.

"Cake Boss" Buddy Valastro is sparing no details of his horrific bowling accident, but says the gruesome injury's left him more grateful than ever ... for his family and the doctors who saved him.

Jersey's other Boss joined "TMZ Live" Tuesday to give his account of the freak bowling accident, telling us he's got a long road to recovery ahead due to severe tendon, nerve and muscle damage to his right hand.

Word of warning ... if you're enjoying a piece of cake -- or any food -- right now, finish up before watching Buddy's description of the pinsetter machine impaling his hand.

As we reported ... Buddy was bowling with his fam on their at-home alley and tried to fix the malfunctioning pinsetter. Buddy said the "blunt force" he felt as a metal rod repeatedly rammed through his hand was by far the worst pain he's ever felt.

He also revealed it wasn't just his hand that was severely injured 😬 ... and gushed about the amazing job his family did to free him from the evil machine to get him to a hospital.

As for the road to recovery ... the "Cake Boss" told us it's gonna be a long one -- but he said it's giving him a newfound appreciation for the medical pros doing miraculous work to fix his hand.

Sounds like renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Michelle Carlson can expect a Christmas card, and probably a cake too!

Breonna Taylor's family attorney Ben Crump wants the grand jury transcript released to see if prosecutors tried to make a case for charging the cops with involuntary manslaughter ... or simply let them off the hook.

The civil rights attorney joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday and tore into Kentucky AG Daniel Cameron, and got heated about something the 3 officers did NOT do the night they raided Breonna's home and shot her.

Police reportedly failed to give Breonna medical aid for at least 20 minutes after riddling her body with bullets -- and Ben explained why, under the law, that amounts to involuntary manslaughter. The question he has is whether Cameron even presented that potential charge to the grand jury.

For now, Crump says there's only one way to know, and he's calling for public pressure on Cameron's office to release the grand jury transcript ... something Cameron said Wednesday he would not do.

Crump also has an issue with the witness who claimed to hear police announce themselves before entering Breonna's home and gunning her down. Watch the clip, and it should be clear why he, and others, feel it's crucial to know what Cameron said to the grand jury.

D.L. Hughley wants Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron to get something through his head -- celebs are invested in Breonna Taylor's case because they're BLACK. They also just so happen to be celebrities, not the other way around.

The comedian and author joined "TMZ Live" on Thursday and took issue with Cameron warning Kentuckians to not let celebrities, influencers and activists "capture our emotions" in wake of the Grand Jury's decision not to indict anyone in Breonna's death.

Cameron said, "There will be celebrities, influencers and activists who having never lived in Kentucky will try to tell us how to feel, suggesting they understand the facts of this case, that they know our community ... but they don't. Let's not give in to their attempts to influence our thinking or capture our emotions." By Cameron's logic, only those who live in Kentucky have earned the right to feel a certain way.

D.L. cites the great Martin Luther King, Jr. -- "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." Point being ... you don't have to live in Kentucky to be a stakeholder.

D.L. says celebrities are speaking out first and foremost because Black celebrities have Black wives, Black daughters, Black nieces and nephews. His passion jumps off the screen.

But, the comedian -- like many pro athletes and other famous folks -- are outraged that, as he puts it, "the holes in the wall are getting more justice than the holes in our bodies."

President Trump's trying to keep voters' eyes off the prize of racial equality -- at least that's how NAACP leader Bishop Talbert Swan is viewing Trump's latest defunding threat.

The President of the NAACP's Springfield, Massachusetts chapter, joined us Tuesday on "TMZ Live," and ripped POTUS for threatening to pull federal funds from Seattle, Portland and NYC ... cities he's now labeled "anarchist jurisdictions."

Swan pointed out the term "anarchist jurisdiction" has never existed in America, and believes the Trump administration made it up to rationalize his threat to cut federal funding to those cities. That threat is already facing legal challenges, but the Bishop told us it's also creating a distraction ahead of the election -- and he thinks that's exactly what the President wants.

He's imploring Americans to not lose sight of the mounting issues that truly matter -- racial inequality, coronavirus, the economy and the possibility of a Supreme Court he believes will "attack every Civil Rights gain made in the last 100 years."

Tarek El Moussa is a glutton for punishment -- at least that's what HE joked as he revealed he'd love to work side-by-side with wife-to-be, Heather Rae Young.

The "Flipping 101" star joined "TMZ Live" Thursday, and said, yeah ... he's down to walk that familiar path again of shooting a TV show with his spouse. He told us Heather -- who's on the Netflix show "Selling Sunset" -- tends to be with him nearly 24/7, anyway, so why not do a show with her?

Well, naysayers would probably remind Tarek about his ex-wife and "Flip or Flop" costar, Christina Anstead. They enjoyed incredible success together before a very public 2016 split that ultimately led to their 2018 divorce.

To their immense credit, they not only remained friends but also costars. That being said, Tarek says shooting a show as spouses did NOT lead to their divorce ... so he's not worried about working with Heather.

Christina, of course, has more than moved on. She and Ant Anstead welcomed a baby boy a little over a year ago.

Dr. Oz is appalled, and embarrassed, by stats like Black newborns are 3 times more likely to die under the care of white doctors -- and now he's on a mission to do something about it.

The doc joined "TMZ Live" on Tuesday to explain why he launched the #moreBlackdoctors initiative as part of his effort to raise awareness about racial bias in hospitals. He told us how one of his staffers opened his eyes to the Black community's view of the medical field.

Oz, who just kicked off the 12th season of his show, says he got goosebumps after learning Black babies taken care of by Black doctors have a higher survival rate than Black babies under the care of White doctors. It's shockingly true.

A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the U.S. (PNAS) showed the mortality rate of Black newborns dwindled from 58% to 39% when they're under the care of Black docs. But, when it came to white babies, their mortality rate was hardly affected regardless of the doctor's race.

You'll recall, activist Bakari Sellers recently shared his shocking tale about his wife's pregnancy -- and Dr. Oz says that's a stark reminder of the biases that exist even in medicine.

The Kardashian/Jenner family's decision to call it quits on "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" means the world is now their oyster ... according to Daymond John, who has some suggestions on how they can take it over.

The "Shark Tank" star joined "TMZ Live" Friday to weigh in on Kris, Kim, Khloe, Kourtney, Kendall, Kylie and co. announcing the end of the popular series that launched them into superstardom, telling us if you thought that was a phenomenon ... you ain't seen nothing yet.

Daymond says this is a huge move and allows the ladies to divide and conquer the media market, and he predicts a global takeover is coming.

As he points out ... the family now has several separate booming brands, and suggests the TV show may have actually been holding them all back from reaching full potential, business-wise.

The Kardashian clan combined has billions of followers as well, which is why Daymond suggests they could actually launch their own social media platform, or at the very least ... take some of that sweet streaming money.

After all, it's already proven to work for other big names ... the Obamas, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, etc.

Finally, just to show how incredibly far all the girls have come ... Daymond tells us a cool story about when he was responsible for product placement on 'KUWTK' in the early days.

Ice Cube has a list of demands to help Black Americans that he feels needs to be addressed in order to get his vote ... and says both sides of the aisle want to, at least, hear what he's got to say.

We spoke to Cube Wednesday on "TMZ Live" and he elaborated on his "Contract with Black America" that he's been promoting these past few months ahead of the election. Bottom line ... he says he'll vote for whoever implements his ideas, even if it's President Trump.

Check it out ... for Cube, identity politics is gone, and he's only looking out for his people at this point -- telling us that if a candidate doesn't clearly explain what's in it for the Black community if they're elected, he doesn't see a point in voting for them.

Specifically, he says economics is a huge part of his agenda -- explaining that there needs to be a monumental shift in the wealth gap between Black people and everyone else.

Now, Cube says he's heard from Joe Biden's camp AND Trump's about his 'Contract' ... and insists there's nothing partisan about his demands.

There's also this ... he says Biden should not think for a second he has the Black vote locked up. Fact is, Trump is still in office and could roll some of these things out before November, which would go a long way for Cube, and possibly other voters.

It's a fascinating take, and Cube is determined to hold Trump and Biden's feet to the fire.