Viral

Those who speculated COVID-19 might've arisen from a lab in China -- meaning it was created by scientists and accidentally escaped -- appear to have been right all along.

Per the Wall Street Journal -- which says it's reviewed an internal report by the U.S. Energy Dept. that was apparently shared with the White House and Congress recently -- the lab leak theory seems to hold true, at least based on their own investigation and findings.

The DoE's classified intelligence report concludes COVID likely slipped out into the public via a "mishap" at a lab in China -- unclear which one though, or under which exact circumstances -- and that they've reached this new determination with fresh intel. However, the report also notes their confidence is "low" in terms of being absolutely sure here.

Here's the thing ... the FBI arrived at a similar assessment in '21 on the origin of the virus -- through their own investigation -- but not every government agency agrees. In fact, there are 4 other (unidentified) agencies, as well as a national intelligence panel, that still feel it may have emerged through natural transmission ... but their confidence in that is also "low," according to WSJ. In other words, no one really knows -- but everyone has a good guess.

So, while this Energy report is far from a definitive say on how COVID came about -- it does open the door for debate ... which was widely shut down as conspiratorial 2-3 years ago, when regular folks were suggesting it might have been something man-made/man-spread.

In fact, some claimed they were being outright censored on social media for spreading this type of theory ... which was being written off at the time as misinformation, and some even went so far as to say it was racist and xenophobic in nature to even suggest the lab leak.

The old "Crying Indian" commercial that used to play in the '70s -- which was meant to be a PSA against pollution -- is never going to be aired again ... now thanks to its new owner.

Nonprofit Keep America Beautiful is the OG creator of the ad, several variations of which they shot and ran with the help of actor Iron Eyes Cody ... who was the face of the campaign and who'd often be depicted in Native American regalia/crying at the sight of litter.

While their intentions might've been in the right place at the time, the PSA hasn't aged well ... with many Native American groups having since said it pushes hurtful tropes and stereotypes.

As a result, KAB has given up its claim to the PSA at large and transferred ownership to the National Congress of American Indians, which says it's retiring all of the promos and will monitor to make sure it's never played without historical context. In other words, this won't ever be played unironically as a real anti-littering message ... like it once was for years.

A rep for the Congress says, "NCAI is proud to assume the role of monitoring the use of this advertisement and ensure it is only used for historical context; this advertisement was inappropriate then and remains inappropriate today. NCAI looks forward to putting this advertisement to bed for good." It also seems like this is partially due to Cody's legacy.

At the time, he was all in on this campaign ... but his work in Hollywood -- where he starred in upwards of 200 films, often portraying a caricature of a Native American character -- has many in the community feeling like he's not the best representation of actual environmental work that real Native American people are involved in today ... especially all these years later. One activist says the "Crying Indian" appears to have no agency in the problem.

Another Norfolk Southern train has derailed in North Carolina, but the company says there were no hazardous materials aboard ... and that there's no danger to the public this time.

One of the freight train's 132 cars fell off the tracks Saturday morning near Lexington, which affected a few Amtrak trains' paths near Greensboro/surrounding areas. The announcement from one Amtrak train went out around 9:20 AM, but the path was partially clear again about an hour later ... so it sounds like a cleanup crew was able to get out there quickly.

Norfolk Southern confirmed it was, in fact, one of their freights that had toppled over, telling FOX News ... "There are no reports of a hazmat situation or danger to the public. Our crew is safe and additional personnel are on their way to begin cleanup. We appreciate the public’s patience and care near this area during the cleanup work."

Still no word on what might've caused this, but it's certainly not a good look for NS -- which is still dealing with the fallout from another more serious derailment in East Palestine, OH.

As you know, the EPA ordered Norfolk to cover the costs for all cleanup efforts in Ohio ... and has vowed they'll pay triple if they cut corners and don't do the job right the first time.

Meanwhile, Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg went down to East Palestine Thursday for the first time -- blasting Norfolk Southern for pushing back on safety regulations that could've possibly avoided this in the first place. He and the Biden administration continue to face criticism for the seemingly slow response to the ongoing environmental disaster unfolding.

The creator of the classic comic strip, 'Dilbert,' may have just lined up the final nail in his coffin when it comes to newspapers running his stuff ... via a racist rant about Black people.

Scott Adams posted a new episode to his podcast Wednesday, where he discussed a poll he says was put out by Rasmussen ... which cites 53% of Black Americans agreeing with the phrase "It's okay to be white," meaning almost half of the respondents surveyed didn't necessarily agree, sending Adams into a tirade about the ramifications of that, from his POV.

Check out what he said ... because it's truly something. SA launches into a tirade about how white people should simply stop trying to help African-Americans in this country, because it always backfires and only festers hate from Black people's side. That's his takeaway.

He also goes so far as to say that Black people, at large, are a hate group ... with his rationale being -- if they're not okay with the phrase, they're trafficking in racial bigotry.

Adams went on to distinguish the differences between white and Black neighborhoods -- invoking Don Lemon, no less -- and ended with the cherry on top ... namely, his suggestion that white citizens steer clear of Black people ... 'cause it's just more trouble than it's worth.

As hostile and antagonistic as that sounds, Adams insists he's tried being an ally to Black folks throughout his life ... so much so, he apparently started *identifying* as Black too. 🤔

Welp, that was enough for some major flagship news operations to kick him and 'Dilbert' to the curb -- including Gannett, which runs and publishes USA Today ... which now says it's done with him and will no longer continue to print 'Dilbert' comics in any of its papers.

The Plain Dealer -- a Cleveland publication -- announced the same shortly thereafter ... but it's actually late to the game. Several other newspapers in recent years have already dropped Adams/'Dilbert' ... upwards of 77 under Lee Enterprises and the SF Chronicle too.

A buck-naked man gave drivers a free peep show on a Texas highway ... and the bizarre incident was partly caught on video.

Check out this footage, obtained by TMZ, showing the mystery man -- in the buff -- running along the shoulder of Central Expressway in Dallas on Friday afternoon.

We're told another man dressed in a suit was chasing after him, but you can't see the second guy in the clip. That man apparently turned around at some point and went back the other way.

We don't know what happened to the streaker ... witnesses tell us they lost track of him as they drove down the highway.

TMZ reached out to a rep for Dallas PD, but she said cops never received a 911 call so they didn't respond.

Ricky Gervais has opinions about 86'ing the words "fat" and "ugly" from children's books, and he concedes it's child's play compared to what he says onstage.

Ricky is clearly appalled by the move to cut the 2 words from Roald Dahl's books for kids, mocking the "fragile" and "easily offended."

Ricky says he's been noodling over words he uses onstage ... words like f**k, fat, ugly, greedy, pathetic little stupid f**king c*** -- "Stuff like that."

Ricky followed up with a tweet where he displayed a pic of himself making a wonky face and exposing his belly, saying, "I've changed my mind. I think we should ban the words 'fat' and 'ugly. No reason."

Someone on Twitter took him seriously and said the comedian's standup is different, because it's not aimed at kids.

Ricky's reply -- “Yeah I know ... It was a joke.”

As you probably know, Dahl's books, notably "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," have been re-issued where "fat" will no longer be used.

A Disneyland superfan has etched his name in the Guinness Book of World Records -- by visiting the house of mouse nearly 3,000 times in a ROW!

50-year-old Jeff Reitz made his mark by hitting up the Anaheim resort a whopping 2,995 times consecutively, starting back in 2012 ... adding up to a total of 8 years, 3 months, and 13 days.

The Huntington Beach local and Disney fan told Guinness the idea started as a joke a decade ago when the park announced it would be holding a 24-hour event on Leap Day ... making it possible for him to spend 366 days at the park starting in 2012.

Clearly, it evolved from just a joke, though -- suddenly Jeff started picking up steam as the days went by, getting contacted by newspapers and radio stations to tell his story. He was even given a gift basket and declared an honorary citizen of the park after his first 366 days.

Jeff was hoping to reach the big 3K milestone, but his run was cut short in March 2020 when the park was shut down due to COVID restrictions ... but it's an accomplishment he's incredibly proud of nonetheless.

FYI -- Jeff quickly became a bit of a celeb in the parks, with other Disney fans and even cast members wanting to take photos and meet the guy.

Gotta admit you know you've made it when Chewbacca wants YOUR autograph. Congrats Jeff!

Selena Gomez isn't here for all the Internet jabs being thrown by her fans and Kylie Jenner's ... so, she's getting off social media amid all the heat over Kylie, her and their eyebrows.

Selena hopped on TikTok Live Thursday to let her fans know she's a-okay after rumors of a feud with KJ exploded Wednesday -- frankly, the singer's fans are certain Kylie shaded Selena ... despite the fact, Selena says that's not the case.

She added, "I’m gonna be taking a second from social media cause this is a little silly and I’m 30. I’m too old for this."

ICYMI, all the drama started after Selena posted a vid saying she accidentally laminated her brows too much. Then, a few hours later Kylie posted a FaceTime screenshot of Hailey Bieber and herself, focusing on their eyebrows -- and also a selfie with the text, "this was an accident?????" over her own eyebrows.

While SG supporters perceived it as a direct attack ... both Kylie and Selena denied their posts were related. KJ even called it a "reach" from fans.

Still, including Hailey in the alleged eyebrow beef was bound to piss off Selena stans.

HB and Justin Bieber's ex just met up last year for a photo op, attempting to assure their followers there's no animosity between them. If they bought it before, they're definitely not anymore ... not after Kylie's alleged eyebrow shading.

As for why this ridiculous subject (we're talking eyebrows, people) is getting so much attention -- Kylie and Selena both have armies of fans, they're top dogs on IG after all.

As of yesterday, Kylie was number 2 with 380 million followers ... and Selena had just regained the crown with 381 mil.

The elementary school students who targeted Black classmates with horrifically racist drawings aren't being held accountable, despite multiple other incidents of bigotry ... so says the SoCal school's PTA President.

Robin Allen joined "TMZ Live" Thursday, and unloaded on the school district for failing to issue any meaningful punishment for the students at Pepper Tree Elementary in Upland, CA. She also shot down the theory parents are behind the racist drawings.

Robin pointed out 6th graders made the offensive drawings on their own, completely unsolicited by teachers -- in other words, this was NOT a Black History Month lesson gone awry.

As we reported ... the drawings included captions like, "You're my favorite monkey," and "To my favorite cotton picker."

Even more disturbing ... Robin says the group of students responsible for the drawings have been calling Black kids monkeys and making animal noises all year -- not just this month.

Unfortunately, she claims the school district has let them get away with it for far too long.

One pair of parents of a Black student is blaming the parents of the offending students for teaching them bigotry -- but, as we said, Robin isn't letting the kids off that easy ... and wants the school district to prove it really does have a zero tolerance for hate.

Robin also feels the principal's apology for the incidents was far too delayed, coming 2 weeks after news of the drawings.

It ain't easy becoming an overnight billionaire -- and there's a new headache for the winner of the largest lottery jackpot in history -- as one man claims the winning ticket was stolen from him ... and he's now filed a lawsuit.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Jose Rivera says he bought his lottery ticket from Joe's Service Center in Altadena, CA on November 7 -- the day before the big $2.04B drawing.

He says a man by the name of "Reggie" stole the ticket from him the very same day he bought it.

After the numbers were drawn, Jose says he tried to get Reggie to return the ticket, which allegedly held the winning numbers, but to no avail ... with Reggie simply saying it wasn't a winner, and if found he'd agree to give up half.

Jose says he "refused to be blackmailed" and reported the theft to the CA Lottery and law enforcement.

Fast forward to this month, when a man named Edwin Castro was named the winner of the big prize and reportedly elected to collect the prize as a lump sum of $997.6 million ... Jose says he submitted a claim form to the CA Lottery, claiming the ticket had been stolen and asking for an investigation before paying out the winnings.

Jose lists both Castro and Reggie as 2 separate defendants ... seemingly insinuating that they both might be liable for failing to hand over the cash, although the details are not clear in the lawsuit.

He's asking the court for damages and to declare him the winner of the historic $2.04 billion jackpot.

The parents of one of the Black elementary school students targeted with heinous racist drawings are blaming it on the parents of the offending classmates, making a fairly compelling case ... the racism comes from somewhere.

The crayon drawings are shocking ... one read, "You're my favorite monkey,' and another reads, "To my favorite cotton picker." Another student was told she would get a drawing with the image of a black person hanging from a tree, with the caption, "You're my favorite slave."

The drawings were supposedly passed out by students during Black History Month at Pepper Tree Elementary School in the Southern California town of Upland.

Parents of the children targeted are outraged, but not necessarily at the kids. They point to the parents, because what child knows these words and phrases?

The Upland School District called the incident "racially insensitive" ... a remarkable understatement.

Former Department of Energy Official Sam Brinton could be in even more hot water regarding stolen bags ... this time a fashion designer claims she saw Brinton wearing an outfit from her missing suitcase.

Fashion designer Asya Khamsin dragged Brinton on Twitter, saying her luggage went missing back in 2018 at the Ronald Reagan Airport in Virginia ... and it wasn't until she heard about Brinton's prior alleged luggage stealing that she became suspicious.

Check out the side-by-side Asya showed, which she says shows Brinton wearing one of her custom-made dresses a year after she claims her bags were swiped.

Asya told Fox she was heading to D.C. to put her clothes on display for an event when the bag went missing ... and lost out on the opportunity as a result. She said her husband filed a police report at the time, but nothing was found.

Asya says she filed another report this December after seeing pics of Brinton in what she claims is her outfit -- and says she was then contacted by the FBI the next month regarding the complaint ... but says nothing much has happened since then.

As you know, Brinton's been accused of stealing suitcases from airports on 2 separate occasions ... getting charged in both Nevada and Minnesota. Brinton appeared in court last week in Minneapolis for one of the alleged incidents.

The 911 call from an alligator's deadly attack on an 85-year-old woman in Florida has just been released ... and it's terrifying.

The frightened caller, who saw it all go down, tells the 911 dispatcher ... "There's a woman in the lake. The alligator's got her!"

The caller says the huge gator grabbed the woman as she walked her small dog by the water, telling the dispatcher ... "He pulled her into the lake."

The dispatcher asks if the gator dragged the woman below the surface ... and the caller says "Yes."

As the call unfolds, the caller says she hasn't seen the woman surface for several minutes ... but about 8 minutes in the caller notices a body floating in the water and exclaims, "I think she's gone, oh my God."

As we reported ... the attack happened Monday at a retirement community in Fort Pierce, FL, where the victim, 85-year-old Gloria Serge, was walking her dog near a retention pond when the gator lunged at them.

The roughly 10-foot alligator was ultimately captured and killed ... but the woman's dog survived.

Just when you think you've seen it all ... check out this crazy clip of a couple of snowBOARders gettin' their shred time interrupted by a wild animal in a pretty violent way.

The video of the porky perp comes all the way from a snow resort in Myoko, Japan ... you can see the animal come from higher up on the mountain, ramming directly into an unsuspecting snowboarder.

After taking a few shots at the first person -- and knocking them to the ground -- it takes off to victim #2, who defends themself with a few swings of their board. The boar eventually runs away from the humans, which is when the video cuts off.

Staff nearby reportedly didn't buy the snowboarders' claims of a boar attack ... that is, until they saw the crazy clip for themselves.

The video's since gone pretty viral, and comments show just how divided the internet is on it -- some call the defense strategy cruel to the animal, while others say they couldn't help but laugh.

Starbucks baristas must be gluttons for punishment -- because taking orders for things like a venti shaken double espresso oat milk macchiato with extra brown sugar and extra whip isn't painful enough, they're adding a new option ... olive oil!

The coffee giant already launched 'Oleato' range -- which adds about a spoonful of Partanna cold-pressed virgin olive oil to selected drinks -- in Italy, and now that's gonna be coming to the U.S. of A.

Starbucks also plans to add the olive oil option in its UK, Japan and Middle Eastern stores.

Howard Schultz, the company's interim executive officer, said he was inspired by the coffee he had during trips to Italy, and he's hoping this kick starts a new coffee revolution around the world.

The latte, iced shaken espresso and the golden foam cold brew will all be available with olive oil -- and, apparently, select stores will give you the option to add a spoonful of olive oil to any drink.

The company's official take on this new twist is it yields "a velvety smooth, rich texture, with the buttery, round flavors imparted by the olive oil perfectly pairing with the soft, chocolatey notes of the coffee."

Oooookay.

BTW, we told you Ryan Seacrest is heavy into the olive oil biz -- even entering his own in competitions -- so his life after "Live with Kelly and Ryan" could get interesting if he's got an in at Starbucks.

An elderly woman is dead after an alligator attacked while she was walking her dog -- and her efforts to save her pooch ended up costing her her life.

The tragedy happened Monday at a retirement community in Fort Pierce, FL where the beast lunged at 85-year-old Gloria Serge. The gator reportedly went after the dog first, but Gloria wasn't giving up her pet without a fight.

Unfortunately, Serge got knocked over in the struggle, and the alligator yanked her by the foot into a nearby pond ... where she drowned. Not too long after that, the authorities were called in to wrangle and kill the gator.

Photos released by the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Dept. show the dramatic scene ... officers straddling the reptile and tying it up as they prepared to haul it off in the back of a truck.

This one was estimated to be 10 feet in length, and was ultimately euthanized ... while the dog survived the ordeal.

As we know, gators are a dime a dozen in the sunshine state, and are incredibly dangerous. A toddler was killed under similar circumstances at Disney World in 2016.