Viral

The pregnant woman using the overturn of Roe v. Wade to fight a traffic ticket in Texas says she's getting tons of backlash, and she worries the added stress could trigger an early birth.

Brandy Bottone tells TMZ ... she's catching tons of heat for using the SCOTUS decision to try to wiggle out of a ticket for driving solo in the HOV lane, with some folks even telling her to get an abortion, even though she's over 34 weeks pregnant.

For Brandy, she says the abortion hate mail is triggering, and as a result, she's stopped reading replies and responses to her viral story. That's probably for the best.

As we reported ... Brandy says she was 34 weeks pregnant when she got pulled over in Dallas County and a cop issued the $275 ticket. She plans to fight it in court though, arguing her fetus is a person -- and therefore a passenger -- under Texas law.

Brandy tells us she's pregnant with her first girl, and she's concerned about going into early labor with all the stress -- something she says happened when she was pregnant with her 2 sons.

This black bear's got no problem getting up close and personal with humans -- it was chilling at a bus stop where an unlucky woman encountered the animal while waiting for her ride.

The incident went down in British Columbia and was uploaded to TikTok with a caption that jokingly reads, "Did someone lose their dog?"

The bear goes right up to the clearly frightened woman sitting on the bench, checking her out and sniffing her belongings as she tries to keep calm -- before shifting its attention to a nearby trash can.

The person behind the camera offers up some sage advice to the woman during the ordeal, saying "Um, I would just, like, chill."

The original uploader says the safest option when encountering a black bear is to be gentle and make some noise so it doesn't feel threatened.

The comments on the video might be missing the vital safety tips, however ... with one saying "My toxic trait is that I would have pet it thinking it was a good boy."

Seattle officials are revealing how a baggage handler was able to steal an Alaska Airlines plane off the tarmac and takeoff ... before dying in a fiery crash.

The Port of Seattle just released the CCTV footage of 29-year-old Richard Russell towing the Alaska Airlines' Q400 Turboprop into position back in 2018 at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport -- oddly no one on the tarmac took notice.

Russell worked at the airport, and other footage shows him calmly walking through security a few hours before he gained access to the plane. He didn't raise any red flags, most likely because he was an employee. Eerily, though, he was wearing a t-shirt that read "The Sky's No Limit."

Shortly after taxiing the plane and taking off, Russell crashed into a remote island in Puget Sound -- not far from the airport -- and a bystander recorded the aftermath, showing billows of smoke after his crash. The FBI eventually ruled the incident a suicide.

A conversation between Russell and air traffic control, first released by The Seattle Times, reveals he wasn't well-versed in the specifics of flying -- they ask him about his altitude and position, which he calls "mumbo jumbo."

You've heard the age-old advice of not going and chasing waterfalls, but avalanches might need to be added to the mix -- or at the very least, get out of their way if you can.

A British guy named Harry Shimmin posted this wild footage taken Friday out in Kyrgyzstan, where he says he was on a guided tour with 8 others through the Tian Shan Mountains ... at one point through which the group reached the highest point possible by hiking.

That's when an avalanche from a nearby peak started to unfold, barreling down on Harry -- who had separated from the group a bit to take photos on his own. As he looks on at the snow, which seems to be quite some distance away, he quickly realizes it's coming closer.

Soon, the reality sets in ... that he's about to be buried by this thing if he doesn't take cover. Acting as a bit of a daredevil, Shimmin waits 'til the very last second to do exactly that.

HS explains that he knew he'd be alright all along -- as he was right by a ridge where he could duck under when the snow came over him -- but admits ... it was risky business.

Vince Staples left people with a philosophical take on gift-giving that's now resurfacing and making folks think ... yeah, the guy has a point -- it's kinda the opposite of selfless.

The Long Beach rapper was a guest on "360 with Speedy Morman" on Complex back in April to plug his new album, 'Ramona Park Broke My Heart,' and during the discussion ... they landed on the subject of presents, something VS apparently does NOT like to partake in.

Watch ... he tells the host that he doesn't like gifts -- giving or receiving them, apparently. He explains that, in his mind, the act itself is usually more so about the person actually giving the gift than it is about the one getting it ... counterintuitive to the concept itself.

Vince's answer is illuminating when asked why he's not a gift-giver ... "Because gifts aren't selfless. Like, if somebody gives you a gift, right, they want you to like it because it's really about them -- it's not about you. They want to feel like they did something right for you."

He adds ... "If somebody gave you a gift and you were like, 'Alright, fasho, thanks,' they gonna be mad." Vince says the gift-giver is often seeking reassurance they're a good person.

As this clip gets picked up anew this weekend, the jokes are flying ... some at Vince's expense, and some just at the general scenario of reacting negatively to gifts -- which is pretty funny. Vince himself caught wind of all the chatter, and thinks it's not that deep.

Meanwhile, what Vince apparently wants to talk about at length is which R&B female icons were likely the best fighters -- a topic for which he actually hosted a Twitter space convo.

San Francisco has a new District Attorney that's promising to clean up the city in terms of drug use and drug crimes -- a problem crystalized with a new viral video that's unsettling.

Check out this clip that was shot and posted this week by an SF resident named Ricci Wynne ... who filmed himself getting off at a bus stop near downtown SF -- around Mission St. and 8th St. -- while a ton of school kids were also disembarking at the same time.

The reason many found this disturbing ... a massive crowd had formed at this particular stop, a majority of whom have been labeled as alleged drug users or homeless. Wynne took in the scene ... and it's not pretty. You can see some of the children wading through what some might characterize as a dangerous area. And yet, they act like it's normal.

Wynne, meanwhile, is sending the kids off with good luck messages ... telling them to be safe, using a juxtaposition to show what sort of environment they're forced to navigate.

He later did an interview with a local CBS news station to explain why he recorded this ... saying he felt anger that the local leaders there have allowed things to get this bad.

Speaking of those leaders, the recently-recalled DA Chesa Boudin has now been replaced by a woman named Brooke Jenkins ... who's touted herself as tough on crime, and who vowed during her introduction ceremony last week to end open-air drug markets with ferocity.

During her speech, she appeared to address this exact incident, saying the city's kids shouldn't have to endure this out in the open. So, a new philosophy change, it seems.

Crazy scene on a Spirit Airlines flight -- the jet catches fire, passengers see and smell smoke and start heading for the exits ... until calm and collected flight attendants tell 'em, "Please remain seated."

The airliner landed Sunday morning at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, and a fire started around the landing gear. As you can imagine, once some passengers noticed ... panic set in, and they jumped up to evacuate -- but the crew immediately turned them back.

Multiple flight attendants were on the PA system telling the passengers to get back in their seats, and leave the aisles clear. They said there was no need for evacuation at this time.

Easy for them to say, and they would certainly know better -- but you totally get why the passengers wanted to bolt.

As they say during those safety demonstrations -- while most of us are furiously sending last-second texts instead of paying attention -- always follow crew instructions.

In this case, the Spirit flight attendants were able to maintain calm, and everyone got off the plane safely once it was towed to a gate.

Rhode Island State Senator Tiara Mack is standing by the viral TikTok of her twerking on a beach as a way to garner votes ... saying it's all about being an authentic version of herself.

Senator Mack tells TMZ ... her supporters know exactly what kind of politician she is -- one who's never going to become a fake politician, so she doesn't think an apology is in order for something that is authentically her.

She says she's never shied away from labeling herself as a "queer, Black woman," and hopes she can show the younger generation it's ok to be yourself and stay happy while making a difference in the community.

Senator Mack's comment section has been flooded with hate since posting the clip, and she says it has more to do with her as a Black woman than her as a politician -- seeing racial slurs thrown her way.

Southern hottie Katie Martin spanked the shores of Florida when she pumped up a paddle board and popped into some steamy swimwear that created a new level of heatwave ... even for the Florida humidity!

When Katie Martin isn't creating wild looks for her Instagram and TikTok audiences ... she can be spotted sharing makeup tutorials, traveling, taking care of her French bulldog and is a self-described Oreo addict.

Talk about a treat!

We are continuing to whip up our Summer Hot Shots for 2022 from a distance and have collaborated with some mind-melting hotties from around the world for your viewing pleasure!

Twitter is yet again proving it's the worst for bulk bad takes -- this time, debating whether Anne Frank, who was hunted and killed by Nazis, had white privilege while alive. 🥴

You might've noticed the late Holocaust victim was trending Saturday, but finding out why is disheartening ... some, it seems, have floated an argument that Frank benefited from white privilege in Nazi Germany -- an argument that is rightly being shot down left and right.

Unclear how this toxic discourse first started, but it seems to stem from a warped notion that Jews had the benefit of their skin color to go unnoticed in public, if only temporarily, during that bleak time in history ... while POC, historically, haven't been able to do so.

The theory is so twisted, and yet ... it's being defended by a select few on the bird app ... despite a vast majority of folks swooping in to bat down the rhetoric by noting that Jews were, in fact, seen and treated as an inferior race in an ethnic sense ... and that Anne Frank was murdered specifically because she was Jewish. Plus, she was in hiding!

As someone wisely put it, "Anne Frank didn’t have white privilege…you wanna know why? Jewish people aren’t included when white nationalists define the perfect Aryan race. If you think she did, tell that to all the other innocent jewish people forced into concentration camps for not being white enough."

In other words, Jews were not considered one and the same as Nazis at the time, by said Nazis, even pigmentation-wise -- evidenced in their literal extermination by the millions.

This harkens back to another weird debate from a few years ago, when folks were going after Hellen Keller -- who was both blind and deaf -- for only have achieved such notoriety and success in her day due to her own "white privilege." That was bad, this is much worse.

This also seems to be in the same vein as what Whoopi Goldberg put forth on 'The View' this year ... when she likened the Holocaust to one group of white people against another, and not wanting to conflate that with the plight experienced by African-Americans.

She was suspended, and ultimately apologized. As some have noted, convos like these devolve into a contest of suffering -- with this new trend just being the latest iteration.

Forget cheering or crying ... Maveric Lamoureux's folks straight up swapped tongues to celebrate their son's selection in Thursday's NHL draft -- and it was such a wet kiss, the broadcast's commentators even noticed it!!!

Just seconds after the Arizona Coyotes drafted Lamoureux -- a Canadian defenseman -- with the 29th pick of the first round ... the 18-year-old's parents got in a little tonsil hockey.

ESPN's cameras managed to catch the PDA -- and, of course, its analysts couldn't help but remark on it.

The guys giggled on-air, with the show's host, John Buccigross, saying, "Get after it, Mom and Dad!"

But, the TV guys weren't the only ones who seemed to notice the makeout sesh ... Lamoureux also appeared to see it, and looked sheepish on stage about it all!

After the kiss, Lamoreux's dad said during an interview that he's very proud of his son, calling it "the best day of my life."

Travel influencer Jessica Nabongo is the first Black woman to visit every country on this planet ... and her new book shows off some of the most exciting parts of her years-long journey!

We talked to the author on "TMZ Live," and she concedes some places were more welcoming than others ... she's been to more than 190 countries during her journey -- needless to say, she's got her favorites -- and some to which she won't return.

She's been in North Korea, which was an eerie experience ... her Ugandan passport got her in -- the U.S. isn't allowing people to travel to NK.

Pyongyang was weird for her, just because of how normal things felt ... it was nothing like it seems in movies.

Joey Chestnut's inner dog wasn't going to be deterred by a would-be human torpedo, who tried derailing his wiener gobbling mid-competition ... but failed, 'cause the guy won anyway.

The reigning Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest champ successfully defended his title Monday in Coney Island, where year after year he comes back to devour dozens of dogs in a matter of 10 minutes. This year, he did it again ... downing 63 franks, far ahead of the competition.

But something nuts happened about midway through ... a dude in a Darth Vader mask made his way onstage and made contact with JC -- and the King didn't take too kindly to that!

Check it out ... rather than let security haul the poser away (which they eventually did), Joey took care of this punk himself -- putting the whipper-snapper in a headlock and yanking him around a bit, before getting back to stuffing his face. He didn't even think twice about it.

We got video of the aftermath ... namely, this poor sap being dragged away to be dealt with -- but it's insane that Joey still won the race even with this major interruption.

Ya gotta wonder if it actually affected the number of sausages he was ultimately able to inhale. While 63 is nothing to sneeze at -- and way more than anyone else got to -- it doesn't compare to his record 76 hot dogs from last year.

Maybe the dark side did actually get to Joey after all. Oh well ... congrats, man!

California Governor Gavin Newsom just took out an ad in Florida for what seems to be nothing more than a troll effort ... poking fun at Gov. DeSantis, and conservatives at large.

Newsom's campaign ad is 30 seconds, and the word is -- he bought airtime on Fox News in Florida markets for this cheeky spot, set to run through the holiday weekend. It's pretty funny, 'cause GN's embracing rhetoric the right often use, including "taking your freedom."

Check it out ... the Gov. is addressing Floridians directly, telling them that their freedom and rights are under attack in their state -- via book banning, voting restrictions, limiting speech in classrooms, as well as criminalizing women and doctors (a la the new abortion ruling).

He goes on to say that he urges everyone living in the Sunshine State to "join the fight" ... by coming over to California, where he says the idea of freedom is still very much alive.

The whole thing is super ironic and full of satire -- and Newsom's getting a lot of praise online for going out of his way to stick it to DeSantis (seen as an up-and-coming star in the GOP) and right-wingers generally. Others, however, are raising an eyebrow over this.

Some have noted this stunt -- which has no bearing on his re-election chances in November, since no one in Florida can vote here anyway -- was expensive ... and probably unnecessary.

So, why do it??? Well, as political pundits have articulated ... Newsom seems to be ambitious beyond just California politics, and may be trying to lay the groundwork as a go-to Dem voice on the national stage in the not-too-distant future. He also probably sees DeSantis as a good foil ... because he too is seen as a GOP leader going forward, post-Trump.

Janet Jackson was not impervious to technical difficulties that plagued Essence Festival -- losing audio midway through her performance ... but powering through to kill it regardless.

The singer was one of the big headliners at the NOLA concert series this weekend at Caesars Superdome ... where TONS of huge stars performed in an event comparable to Coachella. What was also comparable ... audio issues often experienced in a live show.

No exception for Janet, unfortunately, because during her set ... her mic seemed to cut out while she was in the middle of either talking or singing, seen here in video obtained by TMZ.

The good news is that this little hiccup appeared to go mostly unnoticed, and the rest of Janet's time on stage was a smash hit ... as she rifled through hit after hit after hit for more than an hour -- leaving fans more than satisfied with the tunes and choreography.

Now, it's worth mentioning ... there seemed to be quite a bit of sound issues throughout the past couple days of acts -- including some complaints about Halle and Chloe Bailey's set, with folks saying their levels were off and that they sounded funky to the live audience.

The audio for C/H were the least of some people's concerns though ... even more viewers at home were pissed that Hulu only live-streamed their very last song ... a recurring theme for the festival -- namely, who subscribers watching on Hulu actually got to see.

This was perhaps most notable during Friday's show, when Nicki Minaj was the headliner for the night ... even though her performance didn't end up making it onto the Hulu broadcast.

Angela Yee -- who was on hosting duties that night -- noted they weren't going to be able to show Nicki's set for audiences at home, citing "circumstances beyond our control." NM did indeed perform ... and she aired out her frustrations with whatever was going on BTS.

In light of Nicki's mishaps -- as well as other artists here and there -- many were daring Essence/Hulu to screw up Janet's set (jokingly), saying there'd be problems if they did.

Welp, they did end up screwing the pooch a little bit for JJ after all ... but no harm, no foul. She carried on like a pro, and appears to have put on a helluva number for everyone.

A man claiming to be an off-duty Chicago PD officer pinned a 14-year-old boy to the ground with his knee after accusing him of stealing his own son's bike -- and the whole thing was caught on video.

The boy's parents tell TMZ the incident happened Friday at a Starbucks in Park Ridge, IL -- just outside of Chicago. They say their son, who is Puerto Rican and an honor student, athlete and member of the local church was at the coffee spot with a group of friends and saw an abandoned bike laying on the sidewalk.

We're told the boy -- who also had his own bike with him -- attempted to move the abandoned bike out of the way ... and that's when the alleged off-duty officer pounced.

The parents tell us the man grabbed the boy by the wrist, slammed him to the ground and pinned him with his knee -- accusing the 14-year-old of having stolen the bike from his son.

We're told the man's son's bike had allegedly recently been stolen from a nearby location.

You can see in the video, the situation is tense, with the other teens coming to their friend's defense ... eventually pulling him away from the man.

A spokesperson for the Park Ridge PD tells us the man told their officers, who responded to the scene, that he was an off-duty Chicago Police officer. We spoke to a rep for The Chicago Police Department who tells us they're conducting an internal investigation into the situation.

The 14-year-old's parents are pissed -- pointing out their son was the only kid in the group who was of a different ethnicity ... and have plans to file a formal complaint in the near future.