Viral

It has been 9 days since that emergency on a United Airlines flight where a passenger with COVID apparently lied about his symptoms and later died ... yet we've called passengers who were in close proximity to the man and they have still not been contacted by the CDC.

We have obtained new video of the incident as you see the man getting CPR. One of the passengers who is hovering over the man giving him chest compressions is Steven Chang, who was administering first aid for 45 minutes.

Chang has been tested and so far he's negative, but he's had COVID symptoms. We contacted him Wednesday morning and he has NOT been contacted by the CDC. This, despite United telling us they passed on the flight manifest and the CDC would be getting in touch with passengers in close proximity.

Ditto for 2 other passengers who were near the man who died. BTW, the medical examiner confirmed he died from COVID.

As we reported, United has not contacted any of the passengers to warn them. Remember, the man's wife said during the emergency her husband had lost his sense of taste and smell, and he was experiencing shortness of breath. United could have contacted passengers -- especially since many were going home to family for XMAS -- urging them to exercise caution, but United told TMZ it's the CDC's job to do that, not theirs.

Short story ... 9 days in the CDC apparently hasn't gotten in touch with any of the passengers we could find.

So, exactly how safe is it to fly?

Just like ol' times in Murdock, Minnesota, where a "whites-only" church just got approval to open its doors.

It's true ... The Asatru Folk Assembly applied and was granted a conditional use permit to preach its pre-Christian messages. The Church, which formed in Northern Europe, operates openly to exclude anyone but white people.

The Murdock City Council approved the permit this month, but not without protest. There's a petition drive opposing the Council's move and it has 50,000 signatures, though clearly not just from the town. Murdock has a population of 280.

Many locals have also protested, saying they support the growing Latino population in the town and favor them over the views of the church.

A neo-Nazi t-shirt is being hawked online, with a message bemoaning that more Jews were not exterminated during the Holocaust.

The shirt is emblazoned with letters and numbers ... "6MWE" -- that's code for 6 million wasn't enough.

It's important to note these do not seem to be Holocaust deniers ... they're actually acknowledging that 6 million Jews were savagely murdered, but they feel like the Nazis could have done more.

The logo has a resemblance to the Proud Boys logo, but it's unclear exactly who's behind this disgusting display.

Several passengers who were on the same United jet where a passenger fell ill and died of COVID now fear they may have COVID themselves, and they're thinking about legal action.

Francois Montinat tells TMZ ... he's suffering from strong nasal and head congestion, and it's freaking him out because he had COVID back in May and those were 2 of the many symptoms he experienced.

Adding to his worries ... he can't get an appointment for a COVID test and he feels like crap and doesn't want to stand in a first-come-first-served line for hours. Montinat says he thinks United's safety protocol is deficient and he's pondering legal action for emotional distress.

Megan Hubbard and Cameron Roberts were also on the flight and they tell us ... Cameron's been experiencing symptoms since landing in L.A. He says he's developed a persistent cough and suspects he's come down with COVID.

Megan's not experiencing symptoms but the anxiety for both has reached a breaking point ... she says she's seeing a shrink to help her deal with it.  Megan feels someone should pay her medical expenses ... and you can guess who.

Welp, here's a Christmas nightmare -- a guy with a painful grumbling in his gut quickly learned more than 100 worms had set up shop in his body, and had to be surgically removed.

This went down this week in the Vietnamese city of Thanh Hoa, where reports say a man wandered into a hospital with complaints of incessant stomach pain. A doc checked him out and discovered his stomach resembled a live bait shop -- it was basically worm city in there!

Of course, they immediately sent the dude into surgery, and recorded the whole thing -- which means you can watch what happened, but ya better be into this kinda thing, 'cause it is GROSS!!!

The doctor and his team literally fished out more than 100 parasitic worms -- which had apparently started with just one that laid a bunch of eggs. Word is ... the medical team chalked the infestation up to poor eating habits. Go figure.

Incredibly emotional and raw moment from NFL star Bradley Chubb ... the Denver Broncos pass rusher sobbed uncontrollably after learning he earned a 2020 Pro Bowl selection.

"Went through a lot this year," the 24-year-old told reporters Monday with tears streaming down his face. "This for sure feels good."

Chubb tore his ACL in 2019 and rehabbed for MONTHS to get back into the starting lineup this season ... and when he reflected on that road on a Zoom call with media members, he broke down.

"I remember after -- when I got the news about the ACL, I called my dad crying," Chubb said while wiping away tears. "I was a little emotional going through it."

"And -- I'm sorry -- he just told me to keep my head on straight, put my head dead and keep on working. And, that's what I did, man. The accolade is huge."

The Pro Bowl selection was the first of Chubb's career -- and it was DEFINITELY deserved.

Bradley -- the 5th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft -- has balled out in this season, logging 7.5 sacks in 14 games.

The family of a Southern California man who died in police custody says he got the same treatment as George Floyd ... which can now be seen on video as authorities investigate.

33-year-old Ernie Serrano died last Tuesday after he was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon following an incident that required police assistance at a grocery store in Jurupa Valley ... which left him bloodied, battered and, ultimately, unresponsive.

The Riverside County Sheriff's Dept. released body cam footage as well as witness and surveillance video from that day ... and it shows Serrano at a Stater Bros. attempting to check out at the register, when for some reason security intervenes ... and they tussle.

The fighting goes on for a few minutes -- reports say the guard Tasered him and used pepper spray on him as well ... and that's when several Sheriff's deputies arrived. In the video, you can see one of the deputies unloads on a stumbling Serrano with his baton, striking him several times in the arm and stomach -- until, eventually, the whole squad tackles and detains him.

Body cam video shows Serrano bleeding from his face as deputies attempt to handcuff him -- while pinning his torso against a countertop. He's screaming for them to let him go as cops try to calm him down. Serrano actually screamed, "Excessive force" at one point.

They then put a spit mask on him, and he quiets down ... at some point after that he lost consciousness. Deputies put him on the floor and tried to resuscitate him. Serrano was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.

RCSD held a press conference Monday, saying the department and the District Attorney's Office were investigating. They also released a preliminary autopsy report they say lists his cause of death as acute methamphetamine intoxication ... which the Sheriff's Dept. says caused a fatal arrhythmia as he struggled with deputies.

The Sherrif's Dept. also says the autopsy shows contusions on his right arm and stomach, consistent with baton strikes. They add there's no sign of asphyxiation or other forms of trauma. Of course, Serrano's fam and their attorney, Humberto Guizar, see things differently.

Guizar says it's clear the deputies held him down in a compromised position for too long, which he believes led to Serrano's death. He's calling for an independent autopsy to be done, while also signaling he and the family are ramping up for a lawsuit. Guizar believes what happened to Serrano was not dissimilar to George Floyd.

The United Airlines passenger who fell ill on a flight last week and died did indeed have coronavirus ... yet United has not notified passengers they may be at risk for COVID.

The Jefferson Parish Coroner's Office in Louisiana released the passenger's cause of death -- he died from acute respiratory failure and COVID-19. The passenger -- a 69-year-old Los Angeleno -- died at a New Orleans hospital following an emergency landing.

As TMZ reported, the passenger's wife was overheard telling people on the plane that her husband had COVID symptoms, including a loss of taste and smell as well as shortness of breath. It appears the man did not tell the truth before boarding when asked if he had COVID symptoms.

One of the passengers on the flight -- EMT Tony Aldapa -- administered CPR for 45 minutes before the plane landed. He says United contacted him a few days ago and said it was turning the flight manifest over to the CDC and they would either get in touch with him or he could call them.

The incident occurred 8 days ago, and Tony says although he's had symptoms he tested negative as recently as Monday. He's getting another test today.

We've spoken with other passengers who say they have still not been contacted by anyone about the flight or the danger of contracting COVID onboard.

If you saw an extra bright star in the sky Monday evening, you're not alone -- our Solar System's 2 biggest planets crossed paths ... closer than they've been since the year 1226!!!

Monday's winter solstice -- the longest night of the year -- happened to coincide with a rare celestial occurrence star-gazers call the Great Conjunction, when Jupiter and Saturn align in their respective orbits around the sun ... only this time, they got extra cozy in space.

While Jupiter will pass Saturn every 20 years, the last the gas planets appeared as together as they do this right now was some 800 years ago. That time, they nestled up too close to the sun, so hardly anybody could see. Now, they're crystal clear in the night sky.

It's a rare, cool thing ... one that's colloquially been called the "Christmas Star" -- y'know, from the Bible and all. The planets might look conjoined to the naked eye, but even then -- they're about one-tenth of a degree apart from our vantage point.

Up there, though, they're really hundreds of millions of miles apart. Still, there's no way you could've missed their closest point Monday if you looked to the southwest shortly after sunset ... assuming weather conditions allowed for a peek. Tons of folks snagged photos too.

Jupiter and Saturn will remain in close proximity for the remainder of the month, but after that, they'll drift back apart to their usual distance.

Helen Keller might be coming under fire for her white privilege -- but an institution bearing her name thinks that's a misguided view of Helen's history, and wants to change the conversation.

Sue Pilkilton, director of the Helen Keller Birthplace Museum in Tuscumbia, AL (THE all-things-Helen-Keller spot in the country) tells TMZ people shouldn't be focusing on Helen's skin color ... but more so on her accomplishments, and all the good she did for others.

She says Helen's legacy is tied to activism, education and breaking barriers for hearing and sight-impaired people of all races, genders and status -- and all the chatter about white privilege detracts from her life's work.

It's interesting ... the Museum goes on to say that because Helen overcame so much despite her disabilities it pretty much overshadows her skin color, which the Museum believes shouldn't be the benchmark on how we talk about her.

Here's another thing -- Sue tells us speculation Helen was wealthy or came from a family of great means is a misconception ... explaining that, yes, her family did receive income from a cotton plantation -- but they were far from aristocrats or big ballers.

The point Black disability rights advocate Anita Cameron made over the weekend -- to mixed reaction -- was that, money aside, Helen was likely patched through to the right people as a result of being white ... whether she knew it or not. For what it's worth, the museum thinks that would be an inaccurate headline for her life.

Pilkilton says much of Helen's schooling and education was facilitated by charitable orgs and other philanthropic folks who saw potential in her ... and the museum feels like her white privilege had little if anything to do with that.

A couple of guys came to blows in a barbershop when they disagreed about who was in line first -- and the wild fight video is more evidence of short fuses in a long pandemic.

This melee unfolded at a place called Hayden's Barbershop in Perth, Australia -- where a 30-something reportedly didn't wait his turn for a trim, and plopped down in the barber's chair ahead of another man who was waiting ... and, obviously, not happy about it.

In footage obtained by Australia's 9 News ... you see that, at first, the older man gets up and makes his frustration known to the younger guy, who argues back but eventually gives up the seat. As the older man takes his place, the chirping continues ... until it fully erupts.

The younger man -- who was later charged with assault for this November brawl -- finally swatted the older fella upside his head, and all hell broke loose from there.

Both men were throwing haymakers at each other as the rest of the guys tried to break it up -- and just when it looked to be over ... the fighting spilled into the parking lot, where more punches were thrown.

The police chief says there is no bodycam footage and the officer should have been wearing a face covering due to the pandemic, and he's extending an invitation to sit down personally with the man to hash things out.

A Black man was yanked from his family and put in handcuffs in a mall because he matched the description of an alleged credit card fraudster ... but cops had the wrong guy.

This happened Saturday at the Lynnhaven Mall in Virginia Beach, where the guy in question was in the food court with his family when, suddenly, a cop comes up behind him and slaps on cuffs -- seemingly without any explanation other than to say he wants to talk outside.

The man and his wife, who recorded the encounter, were understandably pissed as cops walked him out of the mall in front of several other people -- it amounted to a humiliating perp walk for the man ... who, again, was NOT the guy cops wanted.

Eventually, the officer releases the man ... who's irate. His wife stuck around for an explanation, and it's this -- VBPD got a call about a Black man with dreads wearing all black using stolen credit cards ... who was accompanied by a child wearing red. The real suspect was also driving a black truck, which the wife repeatedly notes they do not own.

Interestingly enough, while the cop explains all this ... the wife pans the camera to her right and sees cops talking to another party with that same matching description. Long story short, the cop here jumped the gun and did apologize.

Too little too late though ... the family is outraged, as they say the whole situation was handled incorrectly -- cops didn't ask questions or assume innocence, and instead treated him as the culprit immediately. As the pissed of man repeatedly yelled at the cops ... this is why people are protesting for Black Lives Matter.

VBPD says it understands the family's anger, and is looking into the incident to see if the officer's actions were warranted -- but also points out he was respectful throughout the incident.

A horse pulling a carriage in NYC suddenly went down in a heap this weekend -- but rather than get the animal checked out, the carriage driver kept on truckin'.

This scary incident went down Sunday in Central Park, and eyewitnesses tell NYCLASS (New Yorkers for Clean, Livable and Safe Streets) the horse was pulling its carriage with the driver and a couple of passengers in tow ... when it collapsed on a slippery, icy road.

Pretty dangerous sitch for the horse ... but, apparently, the driver (and spokesperson for Carriage Cavalry) got the horse back up on its feet, loaded his passengers back inside and continued on like nothing happened. No vet check for the horse ... according to the witnesses.

The advocacy group, NYCLASS, is pissed and says it's organized a protest Sunday to decry the cruel treatment of the horse. It's been a longstanding issue in NYC -- the care for those horses used to pull so-called hansom cabs for millions of Central Park tourists.

While they're a familiar sight and tradition in Manhattan, many feel it's time to hang up the reins and stop using the horses this way.

If Santa Claus is gonna come to town, successfully, he's gonna have to keep a better eye out for power lines ... and he's damn lucky some mere mortals saved his ass this time.

A man dressed as Saint Nick had to be helped down by firefighters Sunday morning in Sacramento after he somehow got his sleigh powered parachute vehicle snagged in some utility wires ... leaving him awkwardly dangling, helmet still on and all.

As for how this happened, apparently the guy's a local who often gets airborne with his motorized aircraft, and he was trying to do something nice for the kids by handing out candy canes from the sky. Seems one of his reindeer led him astray and straight into this.

Santa wasn't harmed, which is noteworthy as this screw-up could've gone awry in a hurry. Sacramento Metro and CHP responded to the scene, and were able to successfully roll out the hook and ladder to rescue the dude ... shutting off power to about 200 residents in the process. Of course, they also poked some fun at the situation on social media.

The jolly one should count himself lucky -- SMF told local outlets that the way he hit the wires and how he was positioned in his seat didn't allow for an electric current to zap him

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez just gave an awesome break-down of what's in the COVID vaccine, what it'll do and how it works ... this after getting the shot herself.

The New York Congresswoman hopped on IG Sunday to both document the Pfizer vaccine being administered to her by a health pro, as well as explain it ... which is truly helpful, since she talks in terms most people can understand, using a stellar analogy.

Check it out ... AOC says the vaccine being rolled out right now is NOT the actual virus, unlike other vaccines we take which often contain a dead version of the virus to train our bodies on how to recognize and fight it. This time around, we're getting a blueprint.

Rep. Ocasio-Cortez characterizes it this way -- rather than having a live burglar break into your home and you learning how to ward him off in the moment, we're getting a photo of the burglar in hopes of being able to recognize it before said crook fully infiltrates.

That "photo" we're getting through this vaccine, as AOC illustrates, is called the mRNA of COVID (aka SARS-CoV-2), and it's meant to be a forewarning to the real McCoy. That way, if/when you come into contact with the virus ... your body's already prepped to stamp it out.

Denmark's decision to kill off all of their minks, out of fear the animals could spread a mutated version of COVID-19, is coming back to bite them -- because the little bastards are rising out of their graves, and slaughtering them might've been illegal to begin with.

A month ago, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen handed down a national order to cull the country's 15-million-plus population of minks that were scattered about in farms all throughout the country ... and the farmers who sell off their fur agreed and did just that.

The reason ... scientists discovered minks could catch COVID-19 from humans, have it mutate within their own bodies, and then transmit it back to people, which government officials feared could screw up vaccination efforts. So, they called the shot and wiped 'em all out.

Not all of the dead minks -- most of which were suffocated with CO2 -- were able to be incinerated ... millions had to be buried in mass trenches at said farms and elsewhere in the country ... which might've been a bad idea, 'cause they're literally back from the dead.

Gasses released from their dead bodies have been forcing their remains back above ground, and it's grossing people out. Not only that, but there've been concerns burying so many minks at once has compromised the drinking water supply in parts of Denmark.

Adding insult to injury, lots of farmers who agreed to go along with the PM's order are hurting and fear their business will forever be ruined ... since they killed off their product line. Not only that, it's now clear the Prime Minister didn't technically have the authority to order the deaths of an entire population of species ... which is forcing some major backpedaling and catch-up as far as legislation. They're apparently working to pass a law that retroactively gives the PM that power ... even though she didn't have it at the time.

The Danish Parliament agreed this weekend it's probably best to dig up 4 million of those dead minks and to burn them properly ... but thing is, that won't happen for at least another 5 months, when it's deemed safe to do so.

The PM has also apologized for the rushed decision, saying she was just doing what she thought was right for her people to keep them safe.