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Bernie Sanders is making money for some of his constituents, thanks to a meme from the Inauguration ... because folks are buying more of those famous mittens on the 1st anniversary.

Here's the deal ... Bernie became an instant meme when he wore a pair of mittens, gifted to him by an elementary school teacher in Vermont, when Joe Biden was sworn into office on a chilly day in Washington D.C.

People started buying tons of handmade mittens from Jen Ellis, the woman who sent that pair to Bernie back in 2016, and now we're told sales are spiking again.

Jen was overwhelmed by the initial demand ... she partnered with the Vermont Teddy Bear Company to manufacture and distribute the mittens infamously worn by Bernie ... and the company tells us they saw a 50% spike in mitten sales Thursday, which marked one year since the Inauguration.

VTBC says they attribute the uptick in mitten sales to the anniversary of Bernie's viral moment ... with folks mostly snapping up blue and gray mittens, even though there's no exact replica of Bernie's for sale.

The company says they've sold 12,000 pairs of mittens since partnering with Jen back in March 2021 ... and to keep up with the demand they hired 10 more workers.

Jen says she gets tons of fan mail now ... people send her art, books and mittens they've made ... but Jen tells us she's still focused on teaching her 2nd-grade students and doesn't want the mittens side hustle to become her full-time gig.

Daniel Jones won't be going to Super Bowl LVI this year -- but the NY Giants signal-caller made sure a New Jersey H.S. QB is attending ... surprising the player with free tickets!

"What's up Danny Dimes?!" a stoked Alex Brown said when DJ hit him up via Facetime on Wednesday.

FYI -- Brown is a senior QB out of Red Bank Catholic H.S. ... and made headlines after he scored 8 touchdowns (6 passing, 2 rushing) in a 58-34 playoff win in November 2021.

What made this stunning performance even more impressive was the fact Alex lost his mother, Michelle, to breast cancer the day before.

"Yesterday I lost my amazing mother," Brown said on Nov. 12, "Today I scored 8 touchdowns, thank you for watching over me mama ❤"

The G-Men QB admired the heartfelt moment and told Brown he was hooking him up with three SB tickets -- for him and his family.

"On behalf of the Giants, just wanna let you know that we wanna recognize you," Jones said, "and give you three tickets to the Super Bowl this year for you, your dad, and your brother."

And, needless to say ... Brown was hyped!

"Oh my God," Brown screamed, "That's insane! Oh my God!!!!"

A reporter in West Virginia just earned some extra stripes ... because she got hit by a car during a live shot and didn't miss a beat!!!

It all went down Wednesday night, when WSAZ-TV reporter Tori Yorgey had started to report from the field when you see a car come from behind and strike her. Her body kind of lunges forward out of frame and she screams, "Oh my god! I just got hit by a car, but I’m OK."

Ever the trooper ... Tori hops back up, moves her camera and sluffs it off ... “That’s live TV for you. It’s all good." Tori said that wasn't the first time she had been hit either. It happened in college as well.

As for the driver who hit her, she apologizes during the live shot, and Tori is unbelievably gracious ... "Ma’am, you are so sweet, and you are OK."

This is 2022, so social media was looking for someone to drag, and they went after the anchor for not having what they felt was an appropriately horrified reaction. He defended himself in a tweet, saying he could only hear Tori and didn't see the actual impact. He says she was taken to a hospital as a precautionary measure.

And, get this ... this was her last week at the station. She's moving on to Pittsburgh.

On "Wheel of Fortune" you're either a winner or a loser -- but one contestant who many feel got screwed into taking an 'L' ... still managed to scoop up a brand new Audi.

That's right, on Monday Charlene Rubush finally got some justice when she took home a brand new Audi Q3 3, the SUV she would've won when she was on 'Wheel' ... if not for a technicality.

In case you missed it, Charlene lost during a final round last month after solving the phrase "CHOOSING THE RIGHT WORD." The problem is she paused too long before saying "word" -- well, at least that's what Pat Sajak and the 'Wheel' judges deemed. Watch the clip ... easy to see why viewers were outraged.

Anyway, she missed out on taking home a $40,000 Audi Q3 -- but now the Audi dealer in Henderson, NV came through for her. Charlene tells TMZ ... “The car drives so well. I'm loving it!! Much needed since my husband and I have been sharing one car since we moved here 3 years ago!”

After Charlene's episode, Audi actually tweeted that she was still a winner in their eyes. They tracked her down to gift her with the car anyway. And, yes they covered the entire cost ... including taxes!!!

In the beginning, man learned not to trust serpents — but even in the 21st century, they’re still biting us in the ass ... or in Maeta’s case, the face.

The 21-year-old R&B singer -- who's signed to Jay-Z's Roc Nation -- dished about what exactly led up to her viral snake bite — of which she shared in BTS footage last month, showing her get nipped on the chin — and apparently .... it wasn’t really her idea to begin with.

Check it out ... Maeta tells us the whole snake idea came courtesy of the directors who worked on the video to her single, “Habits,” which she says she just rolled with. And, as for the snippy snake itself, she actually says there’s no hard feelings!

Fortunately for her, the reptile wasn’t venomous ... nor were its fangs all that long. Still, Maeta says the little bastard’s bite did indeed draw blood — but she doesn’t hold anything against it. Sounds like it was just a freak thing from Mother Nature.

While she says it was scarier in the moment than after the fact — considering the sheer shock value of getting chomped on — Maeta does have this to say about the prospect of ever working with these slithering creatures in the future ... hell to the no.

She’s taking a page out of Adam and Eve’s playbook ... and ditching snake play for any other projects going forward.

Jeff Daniels doesn't just have friends in low places -- a newly discovered, and pretty damn vicious, worm now bears his name ... and tarantulas everywhere are quaking in their boots!!!

Here's the dirty lowdown ... scientists discovered a new species of parasitic worm that's particularly deadly to the hairy spiders and decided to name it Tarantobelus jeffdanielsi. If you're wondering why Jeff, you probably haven't seen his 1990 flick, "Arachnophobia."

In the movie, Jeff's character saves a town from an invasion of deadly spiders ... and the scientists at UC Riverside must be fans of the cult classic.

The actor clearly digs his new place in the animal kingdom, saying ... “Honestly, I was honored by their homage to me and Arachnophobia. Made me smile. And of course, in Hollywood, you haven’t really made it until you’ve been recognized by those in the field of parasitology.”

BTW, jeffdanielsi do some pretty nasty things once they infect tarantulas -- the spiders' limbs are slowly paralyzed ... making them walk on their 8 tiptoes, and their mouths and fangs are rendered useless. They eventually starve to death.

The Betty White Challenge raised tens of thousands of dollars for animals in need -- and probably even more -- and one dog, in particular, is getting the ultimate benefit ... a new lease on life.

We surveyed some of the shelters and animal rescue orgs that participated in Monday’s nationwide fundraising effort -- and the haul from coast to coast was impressive. Even sweeter ... the real-world impact this money is going to have on their four-legged beneficiaries.

That’s perhaps most evident for Golden Retrievers In Need (aka G.R.I.N.) whose president, Lisa Kine, tells us a lot of the dough they raised is gonna help out one of their most beloved pooches, Zilly. Kine says they collected about $7,600 from about 200 people on the #BettyWhiteChallenge Day -- much of which, we’re told, is going toward life-saving surgery Zilly needs to walk properly.

You see ... he suffers from hip dysplasia, and while he already had one procedure for his right side -- he still needs the other one done as well. Luckily for him, this cash will help cover the cost of both surgeries ... and should help him get back to 100%.

There’s also places like K9s for Warriors, Puppy Jake and Days End Farm Horse Rescue ... which raised $4,390, $1,190 and $4,200 for their institutions Monday, respectively. The money will go toward everything from training service dogs for veterans (which we're told can cost thousands of dollars per dog) to rehabbing horses ... not to mention helping pay for equipment, tools and gear all these critters might need along the way.

One of the biggest winners of the #BettyWhiteChallenge, it seems, is the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association ... a rep for which tells us they pulled in over $70k on Monday ... accounting for 1,731 donations from 49 different states and 11 countries.

All told, GLAZA says it’s banked a little over $94,000 in Betty White-inspired funds ... which means the donations were coming early and often these past two weeks.

And just like that ... the truce between Britney Spears and Jamie Lynn Spears is over, 'cause Brit's now openly wishing she'd slapped some sense into her sister and their mom when she had the chance.

Jamie Lynn's new book, interviews and social media posts continue to trigger angry reactions from Britney -- and in the latest one she laments not being "strong enough to do what should have been done" to Jamie Lynn and Lynne.

In the post, speaking directly to her kid sis, Britney says she should've "slapped you and Mamma right across your f***ing faces!!!!!"

Britney's rant is basically about how, in her view, Jamie Lynn was a spoiled younger sibling riding Britney's coattails and living the good life at home while Britney worked her butt off to make tons of money for her family.

BS also accuses her mom of being high on pain meds after splitting from her dad, Jamie Spears, claiming Lynne "was more messed up than anything !!!!"

As you know ... Britney's been taking shots at Jamie Lynn over claims her little sister makes about life with Britney in the book, "Things I Should Have Said."

A wedding party in Southern California turned into an all-out brawl with police -- a melee that started with a simple noise complaint ... and the video is wild.

Check out this footage, obtained by TMZ, which we're told shows what occurred after a wedding ceremony at a Quality Inn in Barstow, CA Sunday night, into early Monday morning.

Sources say cops were called over an apparent rowdy group of guests. We're told there was wrestling going down, as a bunch of the guests were MMA trained.

It looks like, when officers arrived, things escalated into violence, with what appears to be one of the cops punching a guy on the ground, who also gets tasered. We're told the cops came upon the group in a common grass area ... and saw 2 guys wrestling. Eyewitnesses tell us the crowd was trying to tell them it was a friendly match, but that the police didn't listen.

We're told the guy who's seen getting punched on camera was zapped 3 times while on the ground. We're told the bride, who is pregnant, was also tased/detained in the mayhem ... and that there were kids present.

Barstow PD tells us the call came in as a report of 4 males fighting in the courtyard, and that a use of force investigation has been opened ... while noting the clip is just a small part of what happened. BPD says the investigation will determine why the officer was punching.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris' wax figures are now on public display ... and it's a historic moment.

Madame Tussauds New York revealed the sculptures Tuesday as part of their "Oval Office" experience ... and it's the first time the famous wax museum immortalized a Veep.

As you can see, the resemblance here is uncanny ... MT really has this thing down. Biden and Harris are dressed in replica outfits from Inauguration day -- smiling as they stand on opposite ends of the Resolute desk.

The White House should be pretty damn satisfied with the final result here. Fact is, we've seen some of these displays go south. Just ask the Beyhive!!!

Madame Tussauds even accessorized Biden with a pair of his trademark aviator shades. 😎

Tradition calls for the famed wax museum to give this treatment to each U.S. president, but we've never seen them extend the honor to a VP ... until Harris.

Devin Booker opened a can of worms by going after the Raptors mascot ... 'cause now the Spurs' fuzzy character is getting in on the fun with a "Cone of Silence."

If you missed it, the Phoenix Suns star had referees move the Raptor from underneath the basket in the empty Scotiabank Arena last week ... claiming the dino was being too distracting.

Fast forward to Monday, and the San Antonio Spurs' beloved Coyote mascot decided to poke fun at the incident ... by holding "Quiet" and "Shhh" signs and rocking a "Cone of Silence" over his head during Booker's free throws.

Booker noticed what was going on and laughed it off ... 'cause even he had to admit the troll job was pretty epic.

FYI -- Booker had a solid outing at the charity stripe ... going 7-for-8.

The Spurs aren't alone in trolling D-Book -- last Friday, the Indiana Pacers mimicked the Raptors incident by putting someone in a dinosaur costume right behind the basket.

A Michael Jackson impersonator got the best of a dude on the mean streets of Las Vegas, and ... well, it's hilarious!

There's not a whole lot of info on what's behind the fight, but it went down on Fremont Street.

The fight looks almost slapstick ... MJ and the dude squaring off with fists raised, and then they tangle.

Michael's ground game is far superior to the guy in green, and he eventually gets the guy in a headlock and begins to squeeze. At a point, it's not funny anymore, and it looks like the guy might lose consciousness. Some passersby disentangle the 2 and no one seems worse for wear.

We don't know what started the fight, but the shirt on the guy in green reads, "CAN'T FIX STUPID."

It's the most entertaining lookalike fight since SpongeBob squared off with 2 women.

A famous pastor out of Oklahoma got very literal in his sermon this weekend about seeing God's hazy vision for ourselves in 2022 -- needing to hawk one to make his point.

Michael Todd, who leads the Transformation Church in Tulsa, conjured up grossed-out reactions from his congregation Sunday during his service -- which was being streamed for the folks at home. The reason ... he wiped his own spit all over the face of a parishioner, who was up there volunteering for the yuck fest.

Even crazier ... the guy just stood there and took it!!! Check out this video of the moment it happened -- it's surreal to see, because Mike really builds up to it with a lot of theater.

The whole purpose of doing this, it seems, was to emphasize his analogy about how "receiving vision from God might get nasty." We'll let him do the explaining -- 'cause, frankly, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to us -- but he seems to be saying ... sometimes, you'll  have to go through some muck to fulfill God's will. Or ... something like that!

It's ironic ... as the audience gasps in horror at his weird stunt, MT fully leans into it ... arguing that's the exact sort of response one will get for answering God's call, no matter how counterintuitive it might feel ... like letting someone rub a bunch of loogies/saliva on your mug.

Of course, he's getting totally roasted online over this ... as is this poor guy who allowed himself to be the guinea pig. Y'know ... on account of the pandemic and all.

Just doesn't seem safe ... even if God cosigns. 🤷🏽‍♂️

A surgeon, who's also a Delta Sigma Theta sorority member, is apologizing for posting pics from a patient's procedure ... all to plug a historic day for her sorority.

Dr. Nicole E. Williams ruffled a lot of feathers by sharing photos and info about the surgery she performed on January 13 -- she boasted about removing 22 fibroids from a patient who's a member of another sorority ... Alpha Kappa Alpha. The photos showed the fibroids on a table next to Dr. Williams who was making the Delta hand signal to rep her sorority.

That day also happened to be founders day for Delta Sigma Theta, so the good doc thought she'd show some pride -- but it totally backfired as she faced swift online backlash.

Dr. Williams has now deleted the original post and backtracked, saying ... "A terrible decision was made. I unequivocally and prayerfully apologize for any hurt I may have caused."

A lot of the outrage came from folks who felt she was violating a patient's privacy simply to promote her sorority.

She did provide a history lesson in the original post, pointing out the 22 members who founded DST in 1913 had broken off from Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.

Ex-NBA superstar Yao Ming says he spoke with tennis star Peng Shuai last month ... the former Wimbledon doubles champ who vanished from public eye after accusing a powerful Chinese official of sexual assault.

“We had a pleasant chat,” Yao said Monday, as he fielded questions at a news conference to promote the Beijing Olympics which open in 18 days.

Ming -- the current president of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) -- said he's known Peng for about 20 years ... and the two attended a winter sports exhibition with other prominent Chinese sports figures.

"We asked many questions about the game as we were not familiar with snow sports," the ex-NBA star said.

Of course, Peng's disappearance raised international concern after a post on her verified Weibo social media account claimed a powerful government official sexually assaulted her.

36-year-old Peng has since denied making the claim ... telling a Singapore newspaper, "I have never said that I wrote that anyone sexually assaulted me."

Everyone from Naomi Osaka to Novak Djokovic expressed public concern for Peng ... whose recent public appearances haven't done much to quell concerns for her safety.

Speaking of Djokovic -- who was recently deported from Australia after losing his appeal -- Yao said it's unfortunate the Serbian tennis star won't be able to compete in the Australian Open.

Fans from all over the nation are gearing up for what would've been Betty White's 100th birthday ... joining in on a challenge encouraging fans to spread the love to animals in need and donate to local orgs.

Brittany Vizcarra from Paw Works joined us on TMZ live to pitch the "Betty White Challenge." As you know, Betty was a fierce animal rights advocate who spent her adult life tirelessly working for animal rights orgs. Brittany says this challenge is about everybody doing more -- just like Betty -- by caring for abandoned and abused animals.

Paw Works is an animal rescue org that places unwanted animals in L.A. shelters into loving homes.

Since the Betty White challenge has taken off on social media, some orgs have seen an uptick in donations ... and with the help of people like Brittany, those donations are bound to pour in all over the U.S., as the 17th approaches.

Brittany says it's super simple to "be more like Betty" ... folks can volunteer, adopt, foster or find any other way to get involved.