TMZ Live

Tekashi 6ix9ine does NOT believe what he did in court to save his own skin was snitching ... and he laid out his argument Thursday on "TMZ Live."

As you know, Tekashi became the star witness in his 2018 RICO case by testifying against his fellow gang member buddies ... which resulted in their conviction.

Tekashi argues it all boils down to loyalty -- or a lack thereof. He makes a decent point about beefing with just about everyone from coast-to-coast and ultimately being targeted by his own crew in what amounted to a scary stick-up job.

You'll recall ... Tekashi was kidnapped by his own security team in the summer of 2018 -- part of which was captured on dashcam video and surveillance footage. He was taken for a ride around the block, where he was threatened at gunpoint, and ordered to fork over cash and jewels he had at his NYC pad ... an exchange ultimately carried out by his then-GF.

In light of that, 6ix9ine explains he doesn't owe anything to those guys ... and even suggests what he did was wise. The Nine Trey Bloods almost certainly feel differently.

Of course, we also had to ask how he's holding up these days, and whether he fears for his life now that he's labeled a traitor with a violent gang. Fact is ... Tekashi was looking over his shoulder when the subject was raised ... but it ain't for the reason you'd think.

The pesky murder hornets that made it to North America last year are NOT all dead and gone -- in fact, a battle's being waged to contain the danger.

We spoke to renowned Washington state beekeeper Ted McFall Tuesday on "TMZ Live" about the new Discovery Channel documentary, "Attack of the Murder Hornets." He says enough have made it over here now to the point that different nests have developed.

Pros like Ted are addressing the crisis now ... however, he fears if they don't get it under control quickly, the U.S. honeybee population could be in serious jeopardy -- which eventually impacts our food supply too.

You might not realize it, but honeybees are a HUGE part of what keeps a lot of our crops growing at the rate they do. Murder hornets can easily wipe out colonies of bees, and that's why they're such a menace.

You'll recall, scientists in Washington state set out on a weeks-long mission late last year to snatch up as many murder hornets as they could find in one woodsy section of Washington, right on the Canadian border.

They thought they'd gotten them all in that one fell swoop, but had to go back later to retrieve a lot more of these hornets ... including hundreds of queens!

Turns out, those weren't the only ones out there -- and now, a black (and yellow) cloud hangs over the area.

Ex-NBA star Chris Webber believes there's A LOT of money to be made in the weed business ... and he wants to make sure minorities get a fair shot to get that green.

Webber has teamed up with JW Asset Management to launch a $100 million private equity fund specifically to help minority entrepreneurs succeed in the marijuana industry, which has exploded all over the country.

The issue ... Webber says there are several barriers in place which seem to prevent minorities from getting a piece of the action -- and he's looking to even the playing field.

Webber told the guys on "TMZ Live" ... some states require a $60,000 deposit to apply for a license to open a dispensary which is an extraordinarily high price.

"People need help," Webber says ... "So we’re gonna come in these places and we’re gonna train, we’re gonna make sure we provide jobs, and we’re gonna make sure you have a hub to understand how you can enter the cannabis industry not just as a cultivator or grower, or some star, but also how to make a great living by providing certain services that the industry allow."

Webber broke it down this way in a statement -- "It’s crucial that we diversify the leadership in the cannabis industry and level the playing field for people from our communities."

A video of young Dylan Farrow accusing her adoptive father, Woody Allen, of molestation is about to go public in an HBO documentary, and Rosanna Scotto says it's not for the faint of heart.

Rosanna -- co-host of FOX5's "Good Day New York" -- is very familiar with the subject matter of HBO's "Allen v. Farrow" because she covered it extensively in the early '90s ... and saw the footage of Dylan back then.

Rosanna suggests Allen's lawyer and "PR machine" kept the videotape under wraps, but she adds ... when people see it now, "I think that your stomach is going to turn."

The veteran journalist thinks Allen came out of the scandal largely unscathed because his image was favorable back then -- and she feels his PR team successfully painted Mia Farrow as a scorned ex.

Rosanna claims that's also how he avoided career suicide when he married Mia's adoptive daughter Soon-Yi.

Rosanna's pretty adamant the upcoming documentary, in which she's featured, will change some minds about Allen ... and offers one last anecdote about how it's been a long time coming.

Cyhi The Prynce says the folks who tried to gun him down chased him at speeds over 120 MPH, and he tried all sorts of dangerous maneuvers to escape before crashing.

The rapper joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday and detailed his brush with death ... he says a Maserati started chasing him last week on an Atlanta highway, and stuck to his Bentley SUV like white on rice.

You gotta see him explain all the moves he was forced to make, nearly causing a massive pileup -- it sounds like something you'd see in an action movie!!!

As we reported ... he ended up crashing, and he told cops someone was trying to gun him down.

Dr. Oz and Dr. Phil are warning folks to watch out for scammers using their names to sell CBD -- they don't endorse the products, which could be poisonous.

The good docs joined us on "TMZ Live" Tuesday and railed against online retailers using bogus celeb endorsements to trick customers. They say the scammers are stealing people's money and messing with their health.

It's pretty shocking ... Dr. Oz tells us he got his hands on some of the CBD products sold by online retailers falsely claiming to have his blessing, and lab testing showed lead levels that were 15 times higher than allowed!

Dr. Phil cautions folks to watch out for the clickbait ads, he says once you hand over credit card information it's practically impossible to cancel the automatic payments.

"Ink Master" star Daniel Silva says he's still struggling to deal with the death of his friend, Corey La Barrie, but wants to do what he can to honor him.

As you know ... Corey was killed last May on his 25th birthday after he and Daniel left a party together. Daniel was driving his McLaren sports car, when he got into the fatal wreck.

Daniel joined "TMZ Live" Tuesday to talk about the painful experience, and what he's doing to try to make up for the tragedy ... including being an advocate for safe driving.

He also says he hopes to one day be able to speak with Corey's family in person to express his contrition, but until then ... he's focused on making amends however possible.

Earlier Tuesday, Daniel shared a lengthy video talking publicly for the first time about Corey's death, and what the loss has meant to him.

Daniel also thanked the La Barrie family for showing him empathy and acknowledging the incident was a tragic accident in a legal letter, which he read.

He ended up pleading no contest to vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and was sentenced to 4 years in state prison, but most of the sentence was suspended and he only got 365 days in county jail with 216 days of credit instead. He was released in October.

The La Barrie family filed a wrongful death suit against Daniel last year, and in January ... Daniel's legal team responded by claiming Corey was partly responsible for his own death.

Daniel Wu says that much of the Asian-American community are afraid to celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year in public amid a spike in racist attacks.

The actor joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday and told us why Chinatowns across the country are looking like ghost towns on the eve of Chinese New Year ... and it's not because of the pandemic.

Daniel says the community fears the increasing number of attacks, and it's putting a damper on a time that's usually filled with pride, joy and happiness.

He says there have been more than 3,000 incidents of anti-Asian attacks in the past year, mostly targeting the elderly and vulnerable -- and those are just the ones reported. Daniel's sure it's even worse.

Remember ... Andrew Yang noted this as the attacks were just starting last April, telling us how many Americans were aiming their hostilities over the coronavirus at Asians.

Like Andrew, Daniel says Donald Trump's partially to blame ... because Trump repeatedly said "China Virus" and "Kung Flu" when referring to the coronavirus.

Olivia Munn's trying to sound the alarm and raise awareness too, but Daniel says more people need to wake up to the fact Asians are under attack.

Rebecca Black has passed hundreds of Fridays since the release of her viral hit song, and as releases a remix ... she's hopeful and thankful for the 10-year ride.

The "Friday" singer came on "TMZ Live" Wednesday -- 10 years to the day since the OG's release -- to discuss a new spin on her classic tune, which now features Dorian Electra, Big Freedia and 3OH!3.

RB herself's rocking a wild outfit in the video ... way different from the first version when she was just 13.

Of course, "Friday" blew up in 2011 ... but not for all the right reasons. It was mocked and ridiculed at the time -- as was Rebecca, but even in light of all that, Rebecca tells us she's happy to have gone through it and come out the other side.

She says while she's glad some folks have embraced the song as their end-of-week ritual -- Rebecca also believes those who put her through the wringer all those years ago have learned a lesson in humanity.

We'll let Rebecca explain for herself -- but long story short, the bullying she went through in the early 2010s simply wouldn't be tolerated today. It's just unfortunate it took damn near a decade for everyone to realize that.

All good, though ... Rebecca's keeping her chin up. Check out the remix too -- much of the same lyrics and beat, but it's a whole other vibe.

Ray J and Princess Love might have just needed a change of scenery ... they're working on reuniting as a couple down in Miami, where they're planting some island roots.

The 'Love & Hip Hop' star joined us on "TMZ Live" to talk about tonight's 'L&HH' reunion show, and he dropped a few bombshells about his tumultuous relationship.

Ray J says he and Princess are living together with their children despite being in the middle of a divorce ... and while he stops short of declaring they're back together, he makes it clear they're really close to it.

Lots of the family drama went down in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and it seems Ray's leaving their baggage back West -- because they're in Miami now and loving the vibe.

As for the 'L&HH' family reunion mini-series, premiering tonight on VH1, Ray says it's going to be like an atomic bomb with so many outspoken personalities from all the franchises under one roof.

Elon Musk's handing over the keys to a SpaceX rocket to Jared Isaacman -- a billionaire himself, and pilot who's preparing to lead the first-ever, all-civilian spaceflight.

Jared joined us on "TMZ Live" Tuesday and told us all about the historic mission set to blast off this October, and what he's looking forward to most once he and 3 other civilians get into orbit.

Elon announced Monday Jared will be Commander for the trip, and he's already started some hands-on training for the SpaceX Dragon capsule. Sounds like he'll be ready to override the automatic pilot, if necessary, but don't worry ... he's an accomplished pilot with a flying speed record to his name.

It's pretty cool ... Jared's bringing 3 other civilians to space for a multi-day trip around the Earth, and he tells us how 2 lucky people can snag spots on the capsule by donating to a great cause.

For now, Isaacman Rocketman's trying to stay grounded and take the mission preparations day by day -- but you can tell he's champing at the bit to get some serious pilot bragging rights.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger is fed up with today's Republican Party ... so he's starting a movement to reclaim the GOP ... and he's even open to becoming its standard-bearer.

The Republican Congressman from Illinois appeared on "TMZ Live" Monday and said he launched his Country First PAC because of the state of his party, which has embraced Donald Trump's big lie that the election was stolen ... and that's just for starters.

Kinzinger -- who is one of 10 GOP members who voted to impeach Donald Trump -- acknowledges there's a wrestling match of sorts within the party.  He thought eyes would open after the January 6th insurrection ... he uses the metaphor of a Friday night bender to describe what he thought would be a turning point for the party, but that didn't happen.

So the Congressman has made it clear ... he will be a leader in the movement he's starting, and turns out there are like-minded members of Congress who are quietly supporting his effort.  There are also lots of Republicans who are sick and tired of people like Marjorie Taylor Greene and others with crazy conspiracy theories ... who may find a home in Kinzinger's camp.

Wendy Williams is beaming about Lifetime's movie and documentary covering her life and career, and not only because they're helping her get revenge on her ex-husband.

The talk show host joined "TMZ Live" Friday and in true Wendy fashion was not afraid to throw equal amounts of shade -- for Kevin Hunter -- and praise ... for the cast of her biopic.

Wendy tells us she developed a friendship with Ciera Payton -- the actress playing her in "Wendy Williams: The Movie" -- and says she really put her all into the role. Same goes for Morocco Omari -- who Wendy says she hand-picked to play Kevin.

As you know ... Kevin and Wendy were together for more than 20 years, have a son together and worked together, but things ended very bitterly. Actually, as she explained, it was bitter long before the end.

"Wendy Williams: The Movie" and the companion documentary, "Wendy Williams: What a Mess!" premiere Saturday night on Lifetime -- and yes ... she'll be watching.

One might say Mark Cuban's got a baby shark on his hands -- his 11-year-old son got in on the Robinhood craze, but in just one day he learned some tough lessons.

The "Shark Tank" star joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday and told us all about his fam's newest trader, Jake, who was flying high Wednesday, when he opened his Robinhood account and picked up a couple shares of AMC and BlackBerry.

Mark says Jake was riding high as he turned his first trades into seemingly easy money -- but like millions of investors, Thursday morning turned into a learning experience for him.

Pop had to break it down for Jake -- what goes up sometimes comes way down. Like, way down.

Fortunately for Jake, his father is a billionaire, so this lesson won't cost him everything -- he only invested about $100, anyway. But, watch the clip ... Mark taught his son something else about how to react when a stock you like suddenly plummets.

Stock school aside, Jake is ticked off about Robinhood shutting down trades -- and Mark told us why the free-trading app has some explaining to do.

Jordan Belfort's all for the little guys getting rich, and taking on Wall Street's establishment -- but he warns they're going about it the wrong way, and might get burned.

Let's face it, the "Wolf of Wall Street" understands what the subreddit, WallStreetBets, is doing more than just about anyone, but Thursday on "TMZ Live" he told us they should be investing their money into winning companies ... not failing ones like GameStop, BlackBerry or AMC.

If you've seen the movie, you know Jordan infamously battled stock-shorting hedge fund managers ... and made a fortune doing it. He says the Reddit guys are basically doing what he did, but with the benefit of the Internet.

But, here's the irony ... the Wolf says he gets why Robinhood and other online platforms are stopping normies from trading the junk stocks -- it comes down to liability. When the little guys start losing their shirts, or homes, Jordan says they'll start suing ... and Robinhood's trying to dodge that.

One of President Biden's Senior Advisors says the Prez is laser-focused on fulfilling campaign promises, and unlike the previous POTUS ... he's not thirsting for the spotlight.

Former Congressman Cedric Richmond -- who now serves as Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement -- joined "TMZ Live" Thursday to run down the record-setting list of executive orders Biden's signed. It's the most ever for a President during his first week in office.

Richmond tells us these orders are all Constitutionally-sound and address some of the most important issues for the nation in the eyes of the administration.

That includes COVID vaccines and recovery, protecting Dreamers, racial equity, climate change and, of course, overturning some Trump-era policies.

As for Trump ... the current Prez isn't concerned about all the media attention his predecessor continues to get. Richmond compared Biden to a certain Hall of Fame football star known for scoring a lot of touchdowns.