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Another brazen display of thievery at a Walgreens went down this week in the Bay Area -- but the difference now ... someone actually tried doing something, with nutritious help.

Check out this wild video of a guy literally going behind the checkout counter at one of these drug stores in the Richmond District of SF -- where these types of smash and grab thefts have become all too common ... with little to no resistance by anyone there.

Per usual, the dude is having his way back there ... snatching up whatever he can and throwing it in a bag, all while the staff standby and call 911 right next to him.

However, this time ... it looks like somebody was sick of playing bystander and wanted to get in the mix a bit, to at least let the thief know -- hey, this isn't cool ... and also, screw you! And so ... they got into a food fight of sorts, with fruit being the first weapon of choice.

The crook and customer trade banana blows, and eventually ... the former throws what appear to be cookies before getting out of Dodge. It's kinda funny, but also surreal.

BTW, this is far from the only incident like this that's occurred at a Walgreens -- not just in the Bay, but across the country it seems ... as thieves seem to have figured out the retail giant will literally not do a thing to stop anyone, as it's against their shoplifting policy.

All they'll do is call the cops, but by the time they show ... a lot of these folks are long gone. Even the hired security guards have orders not to interfere -- and it's becoming untenable, as Walgreens has recently announced mass store closures, citing these hits as a partial reason.

Kanye West's girlfriend, Chaney Jones, has been getting compared to Kim Kardashian -- and for good reason -- but it seems she wants the world to know ... she's her own woman.

Obviously, that goes without saying ... but it seems CJ wanted to hit the point home this weekend with an "about me" section that probably helps people out ... because, frankly, before this -- nobody knew much about her at all. She just sorta splashed onto the scene.

In since-deleted IG posts -- which were captured and shared before she got rid of them -- Chaney threw up 5 facts that described her ... and depending on how you read this, some of these points may or may not be shade at Kim. You decide for yourself, folks.

First she posted a photo of herself from behind that she says was from when she was just 20 years old, before her Brazilian butt-lift procedure. As you can see ... she notes that she's always been a bit thick in the booty area, and was never in "denial" about it when asked.

Hmmm ... OK, go on.

After that, Chaney appears to have thrown up more self-factoids in a list format ... and there, too, one could interpret a little saltiness perhaps being tossed in Kim's direction.

For example ... Chaney says her ethnic background includes mixes of both European and African blood -- explaining she's got roots in West Africa, Nigeria and Ghana. The reason that *could* be significant ... Kim has often been accused of appropriating Black culture, so maybe this is something or maybe not ... could be a totally innocent statement of fact.

There's more ... Chaney goes on to say she's getting her Master's degree and maintaining a 4.0 GPA -- adding she's the COO of a behavioral health org. She also touches on surgery again ... saying she's never had it done on her face, and that she was "born like this." 🤔

It also sounds like Chaney is quite young ... just 24. So yes, both Kim and Kanye are dating hot 20-somethings. The difference -- Pete's not being compared to Ye, but Chaney is absolutely being compared to Kim, as both women do look similar, especially in their bods.

While Robert Pattinson's turn as "The Batman" is being praised by many, a small group of conservatives are clutching their pearls ... claiming the flick is too woke for its own good.

Here's the deal ... the new movie about the Dark Knight takes place in a modern world (aka, the 21st century, post-2000) and some of the plot elements certainly reflect that ... for better or worse. If you look at what some mostly right-leaning critics are saying, it's the latter.

BTW, we're gonna get into spoilers here -- so if you're not into that ... stop reading now.

For starters, there's one scene, in particular, that's got Twitter trolls all up in arms -- it's when Batman and Catwoman (Zoe Kravitz) are chatting about who the Riddler is targeting ... rich, corrupt politician types ... all in the name of social inequality and justice. More on that later.

Catwoman is arguing that the people getting knocked off might actually deserve it, calling them "white privileged a*****es" ... including Bruce Wayne -- who's right in front of her.

The phrase is getting some eyerolls online, but it also leads to another criticism about the stars themselves ... namely, the fact that director Matt Reeves tapped a number of Black actors for significant roles, including Catwoman, James Gordon and the Mayor-elect.

You'd think that'd be a positive ... but lo and behold, there are a handful of critics bashing it, calling it "woke casting," etc. In response, many are calling such criticism racist, perhaps rightly so. For the record, everyone kills it in their respective parts ... regardless of race.

There's more representation in the film too, including for the LGBTQ+ crowd -- confirmed by Kravitz herself, who said she interpreted and played her character as bisexual ... and which gets alluded to quite a bit early on in what appears to be a romantic relationship between her and a Russian escort friend she's trying to help flee Gotham (who ends up dying, sadly).

Lastly, Paul Dano's Riddler is also being seen as an eerie reflection of society ... both in his crusade against corruption and the wealthy class (speaking to real-life larger convos these days about rich vs. poor/"eat the rich," etc.) ... but also, in his radicalization of people.

Without giving too much away ... the movie ends on a somewhat ominous note when it becomes clear Riddler's message is being embraced by a fringe social media crowd -- which leads to a would-be mass shooting situation ... something that was actually feared when Joaquin Phoenix's "Joker" came out a few years ago ... but is literally depicted in this take.

Ukraine is getting pummeled by the Russian military, but not at zero cost, and this image of a Russian helicopter going down in flames is proof ... Ukrainians still have a lot of fight left in them.

It appears the helicopter was cruising along when it was hit by a Ukrainian missile. You see the chopper burst into flames as it crashes to the ground.

The direct hit causes the helicopter to explode in a fireball. It looks like the video was shot from a drone. As the chopper goes down, you hear someone say "Glory to Ukraine!"

It's unclear where the incident occurred, but there are reports it's around 25 miles from Kyiv.

The type of helicopter is commonly referred to as a "flying tank" because of its size. The type of helicopter was featured in 'Rambo: First Blood Part II' and "Rambo III."

Neyo White went viral after a trip to a Georgia spa turned into a trip from hell ... and now he says he's taking legal action.

In the video, Neyo details what went down Feb 17 ... and how he ended up with burns all over his face after going to a Buckhead spa for a chemical peel. He also makes two things clear -- this isn't a stunt for clout, and he absolutely plans to sue.

Neyo says he had gone to the spa before, to get other facial procedures, to help with discoloration and evenness ... but he wanted to try something a little stronger, so he went in for a chemical peel.

Neyo says he felt burning during the process, but the woman doing the peel assured him that everything was fine. Well, things were not fine ... and 4 days later he ended up with burns and a completely discolored face.

It looks pretty painful, to say the least ... but luckily, we're told he is slowly recovering.

As far as the folks at the spa, Neyo says they haven't responded to him and have denied his Cash App request for a refund on the chemical peel ... so, now he plans to take matters into his own hands.

Neyo plans to sue for his legal bills, medical fees, and Uber payments for his hospital trips. He also wants to be refunded for the $150 chemical peel.

'Jeopardy!' is getting ahead of any issues viewers might have with tonight's episode that features a clue tying Russia and Ukraine together ... saying it was recorded well before the current conflict in Europe.

The show's Twitter account posted a message Friday, hours before the show aired, that read, "Please note the clue in today's show concerning Russia and Ukraine was recorded on Jan. 11, 2022."

As for the clue in question, it's alleged to be, "The Kerch Strait -- Along with Serious Border Issues -- Separates Russia From This Country on The Black Sea."

Donald Trump says he threatened Vladimir Putin during his presidency ... telling the Russian leader America would attack Moscow if the ex-KGB officer attacked Ukraine.

#45 made the revelation during a phone conversation with golf legend John Daly (JD had the call on speakerphone, and someone recorded) ... which was posted on the Internet.

"It's like they're afraid of him. You know, he was a friend of mine. I got along great with him. I say, 'Vladimir, if you do it, we're hitting Moscow.' And he sort of believed me, in like 5%, 10%, that's all you need."

"He never did it during my time, John," Trump told Daly, adding, "Why didn't he do this during the last 4 years?"

Of course, Trump is referring to Putin's forces invading Ukraine -- a sovereign nation -- just 1 year into Joe Biden's presidency.

Moscow is the capital of Russia, and the country's largest city, with an estimated population around 13 million.

Trump also touched on China and its president, Xi Jinping and the possibility of a future crisis in Taiwan.

Many security analysts are concerned China could follow Russia's playbook and invade Taiwan ... but Trump says he also warned China -- like he did with Putin -- of serious consequences if there was an incursion into Taiwan.

"Xi didn't bother me either. I told him the same thing."

Trump believes with Biden at the helm, an invasion is imminent.

"Taiwan will be next. You won't have any computer chips. They'll blow them off the face of the earth."

The country is responsible for the manufacturing of a majority of the world's semiconductor chips ... a necessity for almost all modern technology, including everything from cell phones to military equipment.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger is on board with encouraging the assassination of Russian President Vladimir Putin, but he admits America's leaders need to be very careful about how and where they say that.

The Republican congressman joined us Friday on "TMZ live," and we got his reaction to Sen. Lindsey Graham's controversial comments ... calling for Russians to kill Putin. He actually agrees with Graham about taking out Putin, but says he doesn't think the U.S. has to be the one to do it.

Kinzinger says the whole point of seizing the assets of Russian oligarchs is to push them toward taking out Putin.

Sen. Graham came under fire Friday after publicly pushing the notion of assassination.

However, Kinzinger did acknowledge words matter, and the last thing we want to do is stir up folks in Russia to rally against the U.S.

As far as other folks within the Republican party going after Graham for his comments, Rep. Kinzinger says he respects them too and adds ... it's good for politicians in the same party to have a mind of their own.

Senator Lindsey Graham has said out loud what lots of people have been wishing, but the reality is ... calling for the assassination of a foreign leader is a dangerous, even reckless game.

Graham appeared on Fox News Thursday and called for someone in Russia to "step up to the plate" ... "The only way this ends is for somebody in Russia to take this guy out. You would be doing your country and the world a great service."

Graham was direct, asking, "Is there a Brutus in Russia? Is there a more successful Colonel Stauffenberg in the Russian military?"

Graham then doubled down in a tweet ... “Unless you want to live in darkness for the rest of your life, be isolated from the rest of the world in abject poverty, and live in darkness you need to step up to the plate."

Putin has become a despised war criminal who is randomly killing innocent civilians, flirting with nuclear reactor disaster and destroying a country. He's also become extremely unstable and paranoid.

The problem -- several problems -- what Russia and the world could end up with could be even worse. Maybe more to the point ... it's dangerous for American leaders to call for the assassination of a head of state. It's hard to maintain moral high ground when we call for the violent overthrow of another government. We should've learned that from the Bay of Pigs.

Graham's remarks drew fire from both parties. Rep Ilhan Omar tweeted, "I really wish our members of Congress would cool it and regulate their remarks as the administration works to avoid WWlll."

It's been over a week since the NBA All-Star Game ... but Macy Gray is STILL wondering if LeBron James was laughing at her anthem performance.

The singer took to TikTok on Wednesday to try to get clarity on the situation, asking her 100,000 followers if they think LBJ was really cracking up over her rendition of the "Star-Spangled Banner."

"Ya'll really think LeBron was laughing at me?" she asked. "I heard he wasn't but maybe."

If you missed it ... in the buildup to the Association's All-Star contest, Gray took center court and belted out a unique version of the national anthem.

Some found it fun, some found quirky -- and many believed LeBron found it straight-up funny, as the King was snickering throughout the song.

People, though, speculated LeBron was giggling about something else -- perhaps Steph Curry related. LeBron never clarified, leaving everyone wondering, what was so funny??

Seems Gray is still trying to get to the bottom of it ... but at this point, it probably ain't happening. So, what do you think, yes or no?!

Brett Hankison -- the former Louisville cop being prosecuted in connection with Breonna Taylor's death-- was just acquitted on all the charges against him.

A jury found Hankison not guilty of all 3 counts of felony wanton endangerment in the Breonna case ... returning the verdict Thursday in a Kentucky court.

You'll recall ... Hankison was never charged for shooting and killing Breonna during a botched police raid back in 2020 ... instead, he was charged for shooting into one of her neighbor's apartments.

Hankison pled not guilty and was fired from the Louisville Metro Police Department ... and he was facing 1 to 5 years in prison for each charge.

During the trial, prosecutors argued Hankison blindly fired bullets through Breonna's window and sliding glass door into a neighboring apartment with 3 people inside ... and one of the neighbors testified they would have been shot if the bullets were one or two inches in a different direction.

Suck at golf? Here's something that'll make you feel a whole lot better about your game ...

Jon Rahm -- the world's best golfer -- missed a 10-inch putt during the first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Thursday ... and it was truly unbelievable.

Rahm went to nonchalantly tap in his par putt at the par 3 7th hole at the famous v ... when disaster totally struck.

Rahm didn't hit the ball hard enough ... and according to PGA Tour's shot tracker -- it actually went just 1 inch!!!

"He just went for the tap-in, and I don't know what happened exactly," one of the stunned announcers said on the broadcast. "It didn't move but a few inches."

To everyone's surprise, Rahm somehow kept his cool ... wiping off the face of his putter before hammering the ball into the cup for a bogey.

Rahm's still out on the course and he was able to rebound on the next hole to card a par ... but the extra stroke took him way down the leaderboard.

Joy Behar co-hosts a show that gets rough and tumble, and Thursday the tumble part took center stage, as she performed a spectacular face plant as the show began.

Joy's view from "The View" was hardwood after she tried to take a seat but seriously misjudged where she was plopping down.

Whoopi and a P.A. helped the 79-year-old co-host back up on her feet, and Joy laughed it off. Nevertheless, it was a nasty fall and she could have hurt herself some and tried to power through the show.

Joy actually didn't miss a beat, getting back on her feet and then threatening legal action ... joking of course ... we think 👀.

In case you're wondering, when someone slips and falls on someone else's property, the property owner is not automatically on the hook ... only if there's some sort of negligence, and it seems this one's all on Joy.

Later in the show, Joy used her fall to take a more serious turn ... urging folks not to take these sorta incidents lightly ... mentioning Bob Saget, who died after falling in his hotel room. She said, “If you hit your head, and you feel dizzy or you have blurred vision, or you feel like you want to go to sleep, go to the doctor. Because that will kill you."

The "Wheel of Fortune" contestant who missed what many consider the most obvious answer ever says the bright lights played a role in his historically unforgettable moment on the show.

Christopher Coleman -- one of the 3 'Wheel' contestants who failed to solve ..."ANOTHER FEATHER _N YO_R _A_" -- tells TMZ ... the pressure and scrutiny were just too much in his big moment.

It wasn't just the stress of trying to solve the puzzle in crunch time, though ... Christopher says it had been more than 30 years since he last heard the idiom, "another feather in your cap."

By now you have probably seen the clip of Christopher spinning the wheel and guessing "G" before getting another crack and guessing "D" -- neither of which were in the phrase.

As Christopher explains, he guessed "G" because he thought the last word was "bag," but meant to say "C" when he guessed "D" ... a mistake he chalked up to being up against the clock.

Naturally, folks on social media are having a field day at Christopher's expense ... but he's calling for some empathy and has a message for all the trolls out there.

Pat Sajak has come to the contestants' defense ... and Christopher echoed many of Pat's comments, saying folks at home don't know what it's like to be in the middle of a nerve-wracking game, and it's easy to poke fun from your couch.

Christopher is owning up to his mistakes though ... he says he should have just solved the puzzle when he finally figured out the answer, instead of taking a risk on another spin and going bankrupt.

Despite the viral fail, Christopher says going on 'Wheel' fulfilled a lifelong dream and he appeared on the show in memory of his grandmother, Lucy, who recently passed away.

The tables have turned on 'Tinder Swindler' Simon Leviev ... he was bamboozled himself in an Instagram scam.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ … Simon was hit up last Thursday by a verified female on Instagram. She claimed she'd help Simon and GF Kate Konlin get verified on the app through her BF -- saying he worked at Meta, Mark Zuckerberg's tech company that owns IG.

The alleged swindlers went to great lengths to pull this off ... Simon Facetimed the BF, who was in a busy office -- appearing like he was at Meta, with employees walking around behind him.

The fake "Metamate" said the only way he could give him the blue check on his profile -- as well as delete the fake accounts under his name -- would be to offer up a big chunk of change ... $6,664. The payments were sent via PayPal through 2 separate transactions -- one for him and one for his GF.

Shortly after, Simon's manager found the deal suspicious and reached out to an actual team member at Meta, who told them they don't charge for verifications. Before anyone could call out the swindlers, they completely scrubbed themselves from the Internet -- including removal of their IG accounts ... letting the swindlers walk away with the cash.

Simon allegedly swindled countless women out of more than $10 million through Tinder ... ghosting them once he got what he wanted. Since then, he's had "enemies" after him -- most recently a criminal court complaint against him from the true Leviev family, which he has no real part in.

If you thought the story behind Matthew Coleman -- the QAnon-obsessed dad who confessed to killing his 2 kids because he believed they had "serpent DNA" -- couldn't get any weirder ... it just did.

According to new docs in the horrifying case ... Coleman told the FBI, last August, he'd been "seeing all the pieces being decoded like 'The Matrix,' and that he was Neo," before he says he murdered his children.

In that same interview, following his arrest, Coleman also talked to FBI agents about time travel, teleportation and claimed his kids -- 2-year-old Kaleo and 10-month-old Roxy -- had told him about babies being placed in fireworks, food and walls.

The affidavit, first obtained by People, is a truly bizarre read, and includes Coleman's assertion he had to kill Kaleo and Roxy because they might have been corrupted with serpent DNA from their mom ... and he had "to prevent them from becoming an alien species that would release carnage over the Earth."

Also interesting ... months before the kids were killed, Coleman spent hours each day looking up conspiracy theories online, according to one of his close friends.