TMZ Live

An air traffic controller working two jobs through the government shutdown isn't trying to alarm flyers ... but, he thinks a mental lapse on the part of another ATC is possible given the current issues in he field.

We spoke with Jack Criss -- an air traffic controller with more than 15 years of experience in the field -- on "TMZ Live" Thursday ... and, he told us he has a friend who refused to fly to visit him because she feared getting on a plane amid the increased stress on other controllers.

Criss tells us he's a safety advocate, and he always gives 100% focus to his job when he's working ... but, he could see a situation where an air traffic controller -- worried about not receiving any pay, while also dealing with other personal issues -- could screw up and end up hurting a lot of people.

We want you to be a part of TMZ, so every weekday, between 9:30 AM and 11:30 AM PT, we take you inside our newsroom via live stream.

You never know what you're gonna get ... a big story that breaks, an argument erupts in the room, or someone's just joking around.

Your comments are a big part of the stream, and the staff spends a lot of time speaking directly to you. Every day is different!

The Pentagon is cherry picking data when it tries to shoot down a popular new movie's portrayal of America's $50 billion nuclear missile defenses ... at least according to national security analyst Joseph Cirincione, who says 'House of Dynamite' has it right!

Check out our chat with Joseph Tuesday on TMZ Live, where he said the government can only declare our anti-ICBM system 100 percent effective if it limits available test results to the last 10 years.

However, he insists the Netflix movie "A House of Dynamite" is far more accurate with the 60 percent success rate in its script.

We want you to be a part of TMZ, so every weekday, between 9:30 AM and 11:30 AM PT, we take you inside our newsroom via live stream.

You never know what you're gonna get ... a big story that breaks, an argument erupts in the room, or someone's just joking around.

Your comments are a big part of the stream, and the staff spends a lot of time speaking directly to you. Every day is different!

We want you to be a part of TMZ, so every weekday, between 9:30 AM and 11:30 AM PT, we take you inside our newsroom via live stream.

You never know what you're gonna get ... a big story that breaks, an argument erupts in the room, or someone's just joking around.

Your comments are a big part of the stream, and the staff spends a lot of time speaking directly to you. Every day is different!

Harvey Levin's new political movement, OWTA -- "Out With Their Asses" -- is gaining traction ... Congresswoman Maxine Waters encouraged him to continue pushing forward.

The Representative from California joined us on "TMZ Live" Friday and said she's also fed up -- and told us, "Keep saying it!"

Like millions of Americans, Harvey is sick of the government shutdown, and he proposes we threaten every congressional office with a primary election challenge to let them know ... if they're not able to work together competently enough to keep the government open, they need to find another line of work.

1 PM PT -- The former professional dog-sitter who lost her job at Rover.com has now been kicked off her jiu-jitsu club.

Miami's Fight Sports Club tells TMZ they just learned of the incident, and said both the pet-sitter and her boyfriend have been banned from the team.

The academy said ... "We are very sad and deeply sorry for this situation. ... We want to make it clear that we have no involvement or responsibility for anyone’s personal life or business outside the academy. Fight Sports stands for truth, values, and integrity, and we will always take action when something goes against those principles."

The HGTV couple who say their dog was killed while supposedly in the care of a professional pet-sitter is demanding accountability ... and, they're thinking about ways they can redefine the legal status of dogs in Florida.

We spoke with Eilyn and Ray Jimenez -- best known for starring in the hit reality show "Divided by Design" -- on "TMZ Live" Friday ... and, they ran through the events surrounding their dog's death, which they previously laid out on social media.

ICYMI ... Eilyn and Ray were told their dog Aria -- a 12-year-old Shih Tzu -- died of a heart attack while in the care of a pet-sitter while they were out of town for 2 days. However, they said they learned from the cremation center where their dog was taken before they got home that their pup was actually killed by another dog.

We want you to be a part of TMZ, so every weekday, between 9:30 AM and 11:30 AM PT, we take you inside our newsroom via live stream.

You never know what you're gonna get ... a big story that breaks, an argument erupts in the room, or someone's just joking around.

Your comments are a big part of the stream, and the staff spends a lot of time speaking directly to you. Every day is different!

Former Mafia captain Michael Franzese -- who once ran his own crew with the Colombo crime family -- says the NBA should blame itself for Thursday's shocking Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier and Damon Jones arrests.

The ex-mobster explained to Harvey and Charles on "TMZ Live" that the league's growing relationships with various gambling platforms have invited all kinds of trouble for its employees.

Franzese told the guys that by partnering with the betting sites, they've sent a "Hey, it's OK, you can gamble" message to players and coaches throughout the league.

We want you to be a part of TMZ, so every weekday, between 9:30 AM and 11:30 AM PT, we take you inside our newsroom via live stream.

You never know what you're gonna get ... a big story that breaks, an argument erupts in the room, or someone's just joking around.

Your comments are a big part of the stream, and the staff spends a lot of time speaking directly to you. Every day is different!

Ellen Greenberg's parents say Philadelphia officials are still trying to clean up the city's mess from a botched investigation ... which is why no one will admit Ellen was murdered.

Sandee and Josh Greenberg joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday to talk about a medical examiner recently reaffirming their daughter Ellen's death as a suicide ... and, they told us it's all spurred on by corruption.

According to the Greenbergs, they weren't surprised at the ruling ... because it's the answer they've gotten from city officials for years ... which they see as an attempt to simply get to them to stop digging.

We want you to be a part of TMZ, so every weekday, between 9:30 AM and 11:30 AM PT, we take you inside our newsroom via live stream.

You never know what you're gonna get ... a big story that breaks, an argument erupts in the room, or someone's just joking around.

Your comments are a big part of the stream, and the staff spends a lot of time speaking directly to you. Every day is different!

A friend of Billy Joe Cagle -- the man arrested Monday at Atlanta's major airport for allegedly threatening a mass shooting -- is now talking to TMZ ... revealing the red flags that pushed him to reach out the night before cops swooped in.

Nick Roberts joined us on "TMZ Live" Tuesday ...  telling us he hit up Billy on Sunday night after spotting some troubling Facebook posts ... ones that, at first, looked more like warnings of self-harm than threats against others.

Nick said during that chat the 49-year-old seemed totally fine, giving off no sign he was plotting anything for the next day. Cops, though, were tipped off by Cagle's family’s concerns ... and thankfully, any potential tragedy was avoided.

We want you to be a part of TMZ, so every weekday, between 9:30 AM and 11:30 AM PT, we take you inside our newsroom via live stream.

You never know what you're gonna get ... a big story that breaks, an argument erupts in the room, or someone's just joking around.

Your comments are a big part of the stream, and the staff spends a lot of time speaking directly to you. Every day is different!

Eli Roth is on cloud nine with his new horror flick "Dream Eater" ... calling it a dream come true as his twisted sleepwalking nightmare finally stalks its way into theaters this week.

The horror king himself hit up "TMZ Live" Monday ... telling us the movie's plot was so nightmarish, actors flat-out admitted the script was too intense, forcing the directors to roll up their sleeves and play the parts themselves!

Eli went all in on just how groundbreaking "Dream Eater" really is … bragging the whole thing only cost $40k to make -- and saying it’s proof a low-budget, must-see mashup like this could flip Hollywood on its head.

George Santos says he's taken inventory of his life after a nearly six-week stint in solitary ... and, he's got a new mission after President Trump commuted his sentence and set him free.

The former New York Congressman joined us on "TMZ Live" Monday ... and, he gave us the rundown on his time in the clink, which he says gave him a ton of time to think about his past mistakes -- especially while he spent 41 days in the special housing unit.

Santos says he's embarrassed by the lies he told and his own duplicitous nature ... and, he watched his whole life like a movie in his own head -- running through each and every mistake. During this time, Santos says he fell back on his own religion, and he thinks he's square with the big guy upstairs now.