Viral

Two Oxford scientists have skewered Facebook, claiming the company is engaged in anti-democratic censorship by flagging their article on mask-wearing "false information."

Professor Carl Heneghan and Dr. Tom Jefferson authored a paper called, "Landmark Danish Study Shows Face Masks Have No Significant Effect." They based the article on a study done in Denmark in which 6,000 folks were divided into 2 groups -- half wearing masks outside their homes and half not wearing masks. According to the study, the infection rate for mask-wearers was 1.8%. The rate for those who didn't wear masks was 2.1%.

The study called the results "inconclusive," but the 2 Oxford doctors went further, saying, " ... it seems that any effect masks have on preventing the spread of the disease in the community is small." That was enough for Facebook to step in and call BS, slapping a warning on the article and adding that it was "checked by independent fact-checkers."

Professor Heneghan railed on Facebook, saying, "I'm aware this is happening to others -- what has happened to academic freedom and freedom of speech. There is nothing in this article that is 'false.'"

Dr. Jefferson told the Daily Mail, "It is censorship and it is one of the reasons we face a global meltdown of free thinking and science."

On the scientific front, the study did not address what appears to be an indisputable fact ... that masks do reduce the spread of COVID-laced droplets and that's just common sense ... if someone who is infected wears a mask it's harder for the droplets to escape into the air.

A large group of biz owners in Erie County, NY called the local authorities' bluff when they tried shutting down their get-together ... and sent Johnny Law packing.

This went down Friday night at a CrossFit gym called Athletes Unleashed in Orchard Park -- not too far away from Buffalo -- where upwards of 100 local businessmen and women congregated to discuss how to navigate the state's new COVID-19 guidelines ... which again are limiting hours, customers and access in NY.

While these folks were having their meeting -- with most people not wearing masks -- Erie County Sheriff's Deputies and Health Dept. officials made their way inside and attempted to disperse the crowd ... saying they were in violation of Gov. Cuomo's new 10-person-or-less rule for public gatherings.

What happened next is nothing short of shocking ... the crowd actually stood their ground and demanded the cops and county workers beat it -- which they did.

They were chased off in dramatic fashion, with the angry mob chanting "Get out!" and "We will not comply!" as they followed the Sheriff's deputies and others out into the parking lot and all the way back to their vehicles ... like dogs with their tail between their legs. It's cringe-worthy to see -- the cops pretty much folded.

An American Airlines flight encountered one of the most terrifying things a plane could go through mid-flight -- one of its windows started looking like a spider web ... and it happened in the cockpit, no less.

Check out these wild photos TMZ obtained of an AA flight that was on its way to Cleveland, OH Saturday ... something apparently struck the cockpit's windshield and damn near shattered it to pieces.

BTW, this happened midway through the trip ... the plane was forced to turn around for an emergency landing in Chicago.

The passengers didn't know anything was amiss, until the captain got on the intercom and said it looks like they hit something and the window was cracked. The pilot reassured passengers the plane was still fully operational ... nonetheless, it was really scary.

The jet was greeted by fire trucks and other emergency vehicles. It taxied to the gate and the relieved passengers disembarked.

After an hour's wait, passengers boarded another plane and were off on their merry way. American tells us they're looking into the incident.

Hopefully, Sully was on standby ... just in case.

Anyone looking to get schooled in sarcasm, irony or satire ... check out Brian Williams going full Jonathan Swift on President Trump's COVID response, and Geraldo's praise for the Prez.

The MSNBC anchor ended his broadcast Friday night by mocking Geraldo Rivera over-praising Trump's handling of the virus on 'FOX & Friends' ... which Brian then proceeded to piggy-back on and take it to a whole new level of ass-kissing.

If you take BW at his word here, it sounds like he's completely on Trump's side -- but, as his remarks go on ... it becomes clear he's doing nothing but making fun of the Prez, because everything he's saying isn't true. Watch for yourself, it's a riot.

Brian says it's possible we aren't giving Trump enough credit for his FDR-like commitment to eradicating the virus and the relief efforts he's fast-tracked to help people struggling. He also asks where would we be without Trump's constant lecturing to the American people that masks are crucial and must be worn.

Then comes the full farce ... Brian goes on to compare what Trump Steaks did for the hungry, what Trump Water did the for thirsty, and what Trump University did for the uneducated -- comparing all that to what Trump did here with 'rona.

The Wet Bandits are once again being chased off a property by young Kevin McCallister this holiday season ... because somebody went to extreme lengths to bring 'Home Alone' to life at their own crib ... almost quite literally.

The house in question is decked out in perhaps the most EPIC Christmas decoration set-up ever ... with this home-owner going above and beyond to recreate some of the most iconic scenes and snapshot moments from Macaulay Culkin's 1990 comedy classic.

They even have life-size figurines of the three main characters -- little Kevin's up on the roof with his memorable paint can booby trap ... while Marv and Harry try to make a run for it from the porch below. Not exactly how things played out in the flick, but close enough.

If you'll recall, Kevin actually throws the paint cans from inside the huge Chicago-based McCallister mansion, tossing 'em over the stair banister and hitting each crook in the head to send them toppling back down to the first story.

There's more décor from the movie all over the house -- including the Michael Jordan cardboard cutout that Kevin used to make the bandits think someone was home ... plus the front page of the newspaper showing that Marv and Harry had escaped from prison. Whoever shot this also had the good sense to throw Brenda Lee's 'Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree' as the background music ... a prominent song featured in 'Home Alone.'

Oh, and who could forget the classic line from the fake noir film Kevin used to scare people -- like an unwitting pizza boy -- as well ... 'Angels with Filthy Souls,' which had the best tagline ever?!? That makes a cameo here too, in spirit (and signage).

Forget fancy dinners with escargot ... there's a ton of free chicken nuggets waiting to be scarfed down by Charli and Dixie D'Amelio!!!

Here's the deal ... the TikTok stars almost got canceled after a million followers jumped ship following a family dinner that saw the sisters being bratty about the menu, specifically the snails. So, now they're getting what they really want ... dino nuggets!!!

The fine folks behind Charli and Dixie's preferred grub, Yummy Dino Buddies, tell TMZ ... they've seen the infamous clip of Dixie throwing up her escargot and Charli asking for dino nuggets instead, so they're hooking up the girls with coupons for the dinosaur-shaped nuggets!!!

The free nuggets are nice, but that's not all Charli and Dixie have coming -- we're told they're also getting Yummy Dino Buddies swag.

See kids ... if you complain about your private chef's food and act like a brat at the dinner table for the whole world to see, you get free stuff!!!

Two cops in South Africa are under fire after they were recorded on video practically assaulting a disabled man ... with one cop shown throwing the man out of his wheelchair.

The disturbing incident played out Thursday in Cape Town where the man in the wheelchair, Zwelenkosi Ngidi, found himself in a tense confrontation with 2 cops at the Central Police Station.

You can see tensions reached a tipping point after one of the cops appears to stop Ngidi from moving by putting his foot on the wheelchair. Then all hell breaks loose... with the second cop coming from behind and violently tipping the wheelchair over ... causing Ngidi to fall out of his wheelchair. The cop pushes the wheelchair away ... leaving Ngidi on the ground confused as hell before someone else picks him up and puts him back in the wheelchair.

You hear someone in the crowd yell, "Why are you doing this to the old man?" It's unclear what triggered the standoff between Ngidi and the cops or why he was there.

A puppy learned firsthand how scary nature can be, but luckily a brave man came to its rescue ... by battling a gator with his bare hands.

The wild scene went down in a pond somewhere in Florida -- naturally -- where the poor little doggie wound up in the mouth of an alligator ... which thankfully wasn't nearly as big as that one who visited a golf course in Naples last week.

It's still terrifying nonetheless, as the gator had the puppy completely submerged before our hero jumped in and pulled them out.

As the frightened pooch yelps for help, the man uses his brute strength to pry open the beast's jaws, allowing the dog to get free and run to safety.

Florida's version of Crocodile Dundee wasn't done dealing with the gator, though. He reportedly tossed it over a nearby fence, in hopes it would not return to the pond.

Bad news really does come in threes. Just ask this poor Porsche driver who sideswiped an SUV, drove off a wall and landed on top of another car. Ouch.

The driver of this Porsche Taycan tried parking in the driveway of a home in Essex, England but instead suffered a MAJOR fail. He or she brought the expensive whip to a stop, but then suddenly accelerated ... and it all went downhill from there, quite literally.

Unclear if the driver mistakenly hit the throttle instead of the brakes -- or if they just underestimated the electric car's power -- but the Taycan easily pushed the SUV out of the way before heading over the wall.

Guess you could say they stuck the landing, at least -- ending up wedged between the wall and a blue car on the street below.

The driver was shaken up but suffered no serious injuries, but definitely a bruised ego. Hey, it happens to best Porsche drivers - just ask this other Taycan owner.

You win Rookie of the Year, you get the giraffe -- or should we say, Ja Raffe!! -- 'cause Grizzlies star Ja Morant officially has a baby giraffe named after him at the Memphis Zoo!!

And, we must say ... it's JA-mazing!!

The zoo announced its newest addition to the fam on Thursday ... saying it welcomed a baby boy on Nov. 10.

Fresh off Ja's JA-dropping rookie campaign -- he averaged nearly 18 points and 7 assists a game for Memphis -- the place decided to JAnor the 21-year-old with the long-necked namesake.

"We have some new hooves on the African Veldt. His name is Ja Raffe to celebrate @memgrizz’s @JaMorant winning @NBA Rookie of the year," the zoo said on Twitter ... revealing the cute baby giraffe in a video.

Ja hasn't spoken about the big token of JA-ppreciation from the zoo just yet ... but we're sure he's JA-st thrilled.

We take it they're saving the bear naming for when Ja wins MVP??

The setting for Gucci Mane and Jeezy's highly-anticipated Verzuz battle is fit for a king ... and strippers, 'cause it's going down at a famous ATL strip club.

TMZ's obtained behind-the-scene video and pics inside Thursday's face-off going down at the world-famous club, Magic City. It's unclear if a red carpet will be rolled out for the MCs but they're definitely getting the royal treatment ... with 2 thrones for them to sit and spit lyrics.

The crew worked hard to turn the strip joint into an awesome set for the season 2 kickoff of Verzuz ... which streams live Thursday at 8 PM ET on Apple Music and on Apple Music's official Instagram account on Instagram Live.

We're told the guest list is pretty star-studded ... with T.I., Rick Ross, Migos, Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys among the celebs expected to attend.

There's always concern for security and our production sources tell us that base is definitely covered. We're told the Nation of Islam will be there for protection. As for Atlanta PD ... we're told the dept. is aware of the event ... adding that Magic City's an area where it commonly has additional patrols.

As we reported ... Gucci already drew first blood when he openly touted the fact he killed one of Jeezy's best friends. Remember, Gucci posted a meme earlier this week mocking the shooting of Jeezy's former labelmate, Pookie Loc in the 2000s. Pookie allegedly attempted to break into Gucci's home, and Gucci fired in self-defense.

Gucci's joked about the fatal shooting before. It'll be interesting to see how it all plays out when they finally face off on camera together. It's gonna be 🔥.

Nobody likes to get that dreadful break-up text ... but Chris Bosh says that’s EXACTLY how he found out LeBron James was leaving the Miami Heat in 2014 ... admitting he was initially pissed about the move.

The 2-time champ made the big reveal to Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson on the "All The Smoke" podcast Thursday ... when he was asked how King James broke the news he was returning to Cleveland.

"Through a text," Bosh said, laughing. "I thought he was BSing, and then about 10 minutes later it's everywhere."

"At the time, I didn't understand it."

"At the time, in my mind, I was ready to put the team together because we had just lost," Bosh added. "So we wanted to put something together so we could win. And it really didn't go like that."

The 11-time All-Star said it took months to get over James' departure ... but added, "It still worked out for everybody." After all, the Big 3 did win back to back championships in 2012 and 2013.

Of course, LeBron went on to bring Cleveland its first NBA title ... breaking the 52-year title drought in the city.

"He starts beating on my car, beating on my windows right at my dogs."

That's Patrick Mahomes' fiancee, Brittany Matthews, detailing an incident Thursday with a "homeless person" in Kansas City ... saying she was so scared, she ran a red light to escape possible danger.

"Guys, I can't even talk about this because I just got so scared out of my mind," Matthews said in a video after the incident.

"Ya know, with homeless people around Kansas City, there's quite a few of them and I always try to give them the benefit of the doubt and be nice to them and wave at them and smile and give stuff if I have it -- but like today, this guy really just messed things up."

Matthews -- who's pregnant -- says she was driving through the plaza with her windows open when a man approached her car.

"He kept coming ... and kept coming ... and so finally he was saying something and I was like 'No thank you.' So, I was like rolling all the windows up and right as I rolled 'em all up he starts beating on my car, beating on my windows right at my dogs and the dogs going ballistic."

"So, I just sped off and ran the red light! I didn't even look to see if anyone was coming or anything but you know what, I made it home and that was scary."

Glad no one was hurt -- but the incident puts a spotlight on a larger issue in K.C. ... homeless shelters and resource centers are struggling to keep up with the need for shelter and aid since the pandemic began.

Charli D'Amelio's crying a river after tons of followers canceled her ... and now she's wondering if she should just quit TikTok after encountering her first major PR hurdle.

Here's the deal ... Charli, TikTok’s most-followed star, is losing followers at a rapid rate after posting a family dinner video that rubbed lots of folks the wrong way. In part of the video, she complained to YouTube star James Charles about only having 95 MILLION followers, and not 100.

Fans felt the comment was anything but humble, and now followers are jumping ship by the boatload -- as in more than 1 million people have left Charli's page -- leaving her in tears.

Fans are also pissed that Charli and her sister, Dixie, scoffed during their family's meal -- prepared by a private chef -- more spoiled brat behavior.

During her tear-filled post, Charli wondered out loud if she should stay on an app where there's so much hate. At least one person's got her back though, Aaron May, the chef, says things are getting blown out of proportion -- but the damage is clearly done with Charli.

Rudy Giuliani's sweat-fest is stealing the spotlight from President Trump's election battle ... because he appears to have hair dye streaming down his face.

The man in charge of President Trump's legal fight to overturn the election results was sweating profusely throughout a news conference ... often taking breaks to wipe his face and visible beads of sweat on his forehead.

At one point, it got so bad ... streams of what looks like dark hair dye ran down both sides of his face.

As for what's actually being said at the news conference ... Giuliani's continuing to make baseless claims of rampant voter fraud and discrepancies in multiple states, with added ire for Michigan, Georgia and Pennsylvania.

A part-time sheriff's deputy in Michigan got canned after sharing a photo of Trump, Biden and Pence jack-o'-lanterns made from pumpkins ... and a watermelon one to represent Kamala Harris.

The Oakland County Sheriff's Office terminated longtime employee Sherry Prose last month after she posted the Halloween/election-themed photos ... with the horribly racist twist.

The sheriff's office says ... "These types of incidents are disgusting and will never be tolerated or pushed aside at the sheriff’s office." It adds that behavior like this "brings tarnish to the badge."

It's unclear when Prose shared her post, but it featured 3 pumpkins in one photo with the caption, "Trump, Biden, Pence and Kamala. Happy Halloween." The second photo shows Harris as a watermelon jack-o'-lantern.

Prose has reportedly worked in law enforcement since 1994, and insists she's not a racist. She says, "I worked hard in my law enforcement career and I am proud of the reputation I earned in my 30 plus years of service. I am not racist and never will be." She never explained the photo, though.

Rev. Dr. Wendell, president of Detroit’s NAACP branch, points out that the watermelon correlation with Black people is "linked to buffoonery and to less than." He adds ... "I believe that the intent was purposely structured to diminish and to dilute the significance of the first African American ... as Vice President of these United States."