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Denying there's a pandemic is one thing, and then there's this ... actively, and disgustingly, committing a crime by intentionally spitting on someone -- and, stupidly, doing it on camera.

This Trump supporter went face-to-face with Black Lives Matter protesters over the weekend in Swampscott, MA. The guy who posted the video claims the man in shades and a Trump 2020 cap just turned to him, unprovoked, yelled "all lives matter" ... then started hacking and spitting.

The video is pretty graphic ... when ya see this jerk loading up to spit, which he did at least twice, on people standing across from him. As if this video wasn't enough evidence ... a police officer on scene witnessed the crime.

It's called assault and battery or unwanted touching -- and that does include spitting on someone -- and it's a crime. Cops were there observing the protest, and did cite the guy for assault.

This vile individual is clearly ignoring the images of patients packed into hospital ICUs, stressed nurses and doctors ... or the fact more than 330,000 Americans are already dead from COVID-19. But, intentionally doing what's seen here?

A couple's refusal to wear face masks inside a Sephora, spilled into a parking lot confrontation where one guy hurled Asian ethnic slurs.

In this video, you see the guy behind the wheel of a Jeep get out of his car as he's yelling "go back to China," and calling the person recording him a "stupid g**k."

According to witnesses, this all started Sunday inside Sephora in Irvine, CA ... and the couple in the video allegedly refused to wear masks, which upset nearby customers ... including the woman recording this video.

They met again in the parking lot just outside the store ... and on top of hurling epithets, the guy charged toward the woman in a threatening way, saying ... "Are you really that stupid? You know that recording doesn't do anything."

Doesn't look like police got involved this time, and the guy threw one more bigoted parting shot as he pulled away -- "Stay home, and thanks for giving my country COVID."

Kudos to the woman who got the brunt of this hate speech -- she's choosing to focus on positives, and posted ... "I understand there's always unfortunate people living in hate. It's pathetic."

Authorities have confirmed the identity of the Nashville bomber -- it's who everyone thought it might be, and his fate is also sealed ... the guy's a goner.

The U.S. Attorney for Tennessee made the revelation Sunday at a presser, saying 63-year-old Anthony Quinn Warner is, indeed, the man they believe detonated a bomb in an RV that was camped out in front of the AT&T building in downtown Nashville early Christmas morning.

He also said Warner died at the bomb site, and that human tissue discovered -- and later analyzed by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation -- matched Warner's DNA profile.

As for the RV ... officials say that, too, also belonged to Warner. They linked the VIN number to him. It appears the vehicle had been in his possession for a while, as it had been seen parked at his property as recently as last year. Neighbors also ID'd it in interviews.

Still no word on motive -- although there's speculation he might've been paranoid about 5G tech, but that hasn't been confirmed. The feds also say they can't link his act to any type of ideology they've picked up on in the early days of their investigation. As a result, they aren't dubbing it as terrorism just yet.

Fortunately, Warner himself is the only fatality from the bombing ... which is pretty miraculous considering how big it was. A few people were injured, but not critically.

The moments leading up to the explosion add an extra layer of unease as the why continues to be a mystery ... Warner had an alarm blaring for several minutes telling people to evacuate, and then right before his bomb went off -- cops say he played Petula Clark's "Downtown."

Surrounding businesses were decimated in the blast -- not to mention other damage to public property -- and several shopkeepers are looking for help as they navigate next steps.

2020 was the year of 'rona, but 2021 could be another year plagued with a new ailment that's apparently on the come up ... "super gonorrhea," which is getting a COVID assist.

The World Health Organization (WHO) told the Sun a mutant, more powerful strain of the burning STD is spreading worldwide ... partly because of the pandemic, which has gotten more people on drugs and antibiotics -- plus, limited their access to healthcare.

The WHO rep says, "Overuse of antibiotics in the community can fuel the emergence of antimicrobial resistance in gonorrhea. Azithromycin -- a common antibiotic for treating respiratory infections -- was used for Covid-19 treatment earlier in the epidemic."

This is true ... in the early days of the virus, docs and hospitals were prescribing azithromycin, thinking it could help ward off problems caused by COVID -- but the therapeutic has recently been debunked as mostly ineffective.

There's more though ... the WHO rep goes on to explain STI services have been severely curtailed due to shutdowns and all ... and because of this a lot of people have gone undiagnosed and untreated, which could have led to super gonorrhea spreading.

As a result ... the regular form of gonorrhea we all know and love has gotten stronger and more resistant to antibiotics that would normally kill it (like azithromycin). Not only that, but having it increases your chances of contracting HIV by at least 5 times ... so there are bigger ramifications.

So, what's the solution??? A few things, according to medical experts ... new treatments for one, less prescribing of antibiotics unless necessary, and maybe more protection during sex.

The Nashville bomber made a game out of his terror plot ... he not only amplified his 15-minute warning to authorities, he wanted the area to reverberate with a classic song that has a connection to the area.

Authorities and others in the area heard the song, "Downtown" by Petula Clark blaring from the RV that eventually exploded, wreaking havoc in Nashville's downtown area.

A police spokesperson who clearly was unfamiliar with the song by butchering the singer's name -- he's got an excuse because he's too young to know the tune -- said the song is all about shining lights and such.

As we reported, authorities are looking at a person of interest ... 63-year-old Anthony Quinn Warner, who had an RV that looked just like the one that exploded and has not been seen since the bombing. He's also the right age to know the song, which became a massive hit in 1964.

There's another verse -- the opening one, actually -- that could be more telling ... "When you're alone and life is making you lonely you can always go, downtown."

Jennifer Aniston has something in common this Xmas with chestnuts -- they're both getting roasted.

Aniston's getting dragged for posting a pic of an engraved, circular wooden ornament with the inscription, "Our first pandemic 2020."

Lots of folks felt Jen was trying to be inappropriately cute over a disease that has taken the lives of more than 300,000 Americans and steadily counting.

Aniston has not responded to the criticism.

It's the first blowback Aniston has gotten since joining Instagram in October, 2019 which shattered records for the fastest growing celeb on the platform.

Aniston scored nearly 5 million followers in just 12 hours after posting a selfie with Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer and Matthew Perry. Her followers have grown to 36 million.

The Nashville bomber may have had a motive that had nothing to do with hurting people ... it seems the FBI believes he may have been paranoid over 5G technology.

As you know, one of the structures damaged was the AT&T building. The person of interest authorities are honing in on -- 63-year-old Anthony Quinn Warner -- may have feared 5G was being used to spy on Americans ... this according to a report by the NBC affiliate in Nashville.

The FBI interviewed a Nashville real estate agent who had hired Warner to do IT for him. Agents asked the realtor if Warner had mentioned anything about his feelings toward 5G technology, but he had not.

As we reported, Warner had an RV on his property that was similar to the one carrying explosives that detonated Xmas Day in the business district of Nashville, knocking out AT&T service.

There's another interesting turn ... Warner apparently had conveyed the property to a 29-year-old woman last month ... this according to the NY Post. He transferred title without charging her a penny. The woman told The Post she had no knowledge of the transfer.

Rapper Lil Tjay had his music video shoot unceremoniously interrupted by New York cops, and it's unclear why he was targeted.

The 19-year-old rapper was shooting the vid when cops searched his car. Lil Tjay hopped on Instagram during the stop and recorded it.

A crowd gathered around the vehicle as NYPD cops conducted the search. It's unclear if anything was found.

A crowd gathered around to watch what happened. Lil Tjay, who is one of the biggest new rappers of last year, was not arrested.

Tjay has had trouble with the law in the past, but it's unclear if that had anything to do with the encounter.

We contacted the NYPD to find out why they stopped Tjay ... they said they are putting together a response and would let us know.

Jamar Mackey says the Virginia Beach Police Department's apology for an embarrassing case of mistaken identity rings hollow ... and he wants big changes at the PD.

Jamar, the innocent man who was ripped from his family and handcuffed at a mall because he supposedly matched the description of an alleged credit card fraudster, tells TMZ ... police chief Paul Neudigate is just saying sorry because the incident got national attention.

His fiancée, Shantel Covil, says they want more than an on-camera apology ... they want new rules, laws and police reform ... and they want the officer fired.

The video shows the moment Jamar was yanked from his family while they were eating in a mall food court, with the officer immediately placing him in handcuffs and taking him outside in a humiliating perp walk. Cops finally admitted they had the wrong guy.

The Police Chief apologized a few days after the incident, once it started getting attention ... and while he said he wants to reach out to Jamar to hash things out, Jamar and Shantel tell us no one from the PD has followed through.

An anti-masker pitched a fit at a CVS Saturday ... insisting she doesn't have to wear a mask because she's healthy and shows no symptoms ... and she dared them to call the cops.

It went down in L.A., where COVID is out of control. She approached the counter and got immediate pushback from staff who said she wouldn't get service unless she wore a mask.

The woman blanched at that, firing back it's "nonsensical" to treat healthy people like they're sick. The staff properly asked how she knew she was healthy ... she said she had no symptoms and felt fine. Of course, people with COVID can feel fine in the early stages and, for that matter, even as the disease progresses and still transmit the disease.

She seemed to be saying 2 things ... suggesting she has an underlying condition and can't be refused service, and then saying she's a perfectly healthy person.

A nurse who happened to be in the store tried explaining how bad COVID has ravaged L.A., but she wasn't having it, saying "asymptomatic spread has been shown to be a myth."

She claimed she's entitled to service. Fact is ... they have an absolute right to deny her service. If a store demands someone wear a mask and they won't, they can pitch a fit all they want ... they're not entitled to service.

One of the ritziest, most exclusive celeb joints in L.A. is secretly inviting people to an in-person New Year's Eve party, asking them to keep it on the low ... but to also spread the word.

The restaurant in question La Scala, and it's their Bev Hills location that's doing this "speakeasy" thing. They've apparently been slipping invites in to-go orders for a NYE dine-in event ... and they're being cutesy with it by slugging it as a '20s-era Prohibition blowout.

An invite of theirs was recently posted online, which reads ... "We are considering taking reservations for New Year's Eve Dinner. Inside. If this is something you'd be interested in, please let us know as soon as possible."

The message goes on ... "If enough interest we'll contact you back to secure your reservation. Please keep this discreet, but tell all your friends." So ... not a secret at all.

La Scala's plans are on the radar of Beverly Hills city officials -- who are issuing a harsh rebuke, but not much else at this point in the way of threats to shut this thing down.

The official rep for the City of Beverly Hills says, "We understand this is an incredibly difficult time for all of our businesses, however the County Order does currently prohibit indoor and outdoor dining, including in the City of Beverly Hills." Cool ... but is that it???

Time will tell if La Scala is able to move forward with their shindig -- you'd imagine cops would step in and try to stop it -- but at this point ... it could fall into a grey area, like so many of these lockdown measures we've seen defied this year, including around L.A.

BTW, La Scala is one of these legacy restaurants in Hollywood ... it's been around since forever, and some of the most famous faces in history have stopped by for a meal or two. People like Frank Sinatra, Cher, David Geffen, Khloe Kardashian, Lamar Odom, Barbara Walters and so many more have visited ... until recently, that is.

Now, this is creative ... a handful of Clubhouse users put on a live production of 'The Lion King' -- complete with a full cast and choir -- and THOUSANDS of people dropped in to listen live.

Organized by executive producer and director Noelle Chesnut Whitmore -- along with the assistance of a full crew, including voice actors/singers and others -- the performance is a two-show event that kicked off Saturday ... which entailed a matinee at 12 PM PT, and a later show at 5 PM PT. It appears to be free ... but ya gotta have Clubhouse to catch it.

Word is, auditions were held organically on Clubhouse itself ... and a ton of super talented people prepped for a live reading of the Disney animated classic, including those famous numbers we all know and love. And as it turns out, it sounds pretty decent too!

One such actor, Lee-Lonn (one of the guys playing Simba), posted a video of him rehearsing for 'I Just Can't Wait to be King' -- and it's obvious these folks are taking it pretty damn serious ... it comes off almost movie-like. So yeah, they're pros here at work.

The afternoon show is over, but like we said ... there's an encore coming up in just under an hour. At one of its peaks, there were reports of upwards of 5,000 Clubhouse users listening in live (on mute, of course) ... including tons of kids and families.

The problem -- if you haven't signed up for Clubhouse yet (which appears to still be in the beta phases of development), ya might have to wait until next time ... because the admin team has to approve you and your username before you can hop on, and that takes a bit.

The good news ... some people are capturing parts of the performance and posting (which is technically against their rules) -- so we can all at least get a taste of the treat in play. Not only that, but there's talk of other famous productions that might get the Clubhouse treatment -- like 'A Raisin in the Sun' for example, so more shows are on the horizon, it seems.

It might be worth your while to sign up -- Clubhouse is all the rage these days, and a ton of celebs are constantly dropping in and chatting with folks about a variety of topics. Celebs like Kevin Hart, Damon Dash, Joe Budden, Tyrese, Bow Wow and countless others have accounts and have made appearances ... with complete strangers tagging along for the ride.

The Nashville explosion that rocked downtown sent shards of glass and rubble flying all about in neighboring businesses -- including this one ... which was just a few short yards away from the blast.

TMZ has obtained new video captured from inside a sports bar named Buffalo's -- which sits at 2nd Ave and Commerce Street ... literally right down the block from where the RV in question blew up in a ball of fire. It's clear from this clip -- the impact was absolutely immense.

The security footage from inside shows 4 different angles from within the building -- all of which documented the moment shock waves from the explosion came roaring through their building early Christmas morning ... sending window fragments and debris in every direction.

The apparent bombing seems to have been orchestrated to go down in the wee hours -- right before 6:30 AM, based on what we're seeing here -- which is fortunate for the Buffalo's team ... because it doesn't look like anyone was inside yet. If they were, they would've almost certainly been seriously injured, or possibly killed by the explosion or flying debris.

Of course, there are reports of 3 injuries -- but, thankfully, none of them critical. Law enforcement has identified one person of interest, and agents are at his home now investigating ... but so far, nobody is in custody. It's likely the suspected bomber is dead.

As for Buffalo's ... they're especially in need of some help right now. Not only were they struck hard by the pandemic and new COVID measures in Davidson County, but their staffers have also been affected by natural disasters from earlier this year -- and now, this mess.

They got a GoFundMe set up to help hold over hourly employees' living expenses as upper management figures out the next steps. Any and every little bit helps, we're sure.

The person who intentionally set off a massive explosion in Nashville has apparently died -- because authorities say they aren't actively searching for anyone who might be directly responsible ... which would be standard operating procedure if they were alive.

Cops and federal official held a news conference Saturday with an update on where things stood after an RV blew up in downtown and caused devastating damage ... and the main takeaway here is that there's no manhunt underway for the culprit, which is telling.

Considering law enforcement came out early and said this appeared intentional means somebody's to blame -- and there's no way in hell cops and agents wouldn't be pounding the pavement if they thought the person who did this might still be walking free.

Tie that with the fact that officials have also said it looks like they've found possible human remains at the scene -- that leads one to believe that the culprit was blown to smithereens.

Here's another thing that makes us think the bomber is a goner ... he was referred to as the "ultimate Scrooge" by the U.S. Attorney there -- that's not the tone one takes when your man is on the run.

Now, cops have said they're pursuing over 500 tips for possible leads about others who might've been involved ... and there's a report there is one person of interest. A raid's going down at a Nashville-area home, where neighbors apparently saw a similar looking RV parked in recent weeks.

There've been no reported arrests ... just a lot of speculation. Cops say there are no more active threats they're aware of either -- which also points to the fact this was probably a successful suicide bombing, and an isolated incident.

The how and why are still unknown -- but law enforcement is scrambling for answers.

The equivalent of a snack bar -- or perhaps even a food truck -- has surfaced in the ancient city of Pompeii ... and by the looks of it, those Romans sure liked their chicken and duck.

Archaeologists publicly unveiled a discovery Saturday in the ruins of the one-time flourishing Italian city -- which was buried under volcanic ash in an historic eruption nearly 2,000 years ago -- and it amounted to a street food vendor set-up that's incredibly well-preserved.

The technical term for it is "termopolium" -- Latin for hot drinks counter -- but it would appear the Romans served more than just beverages out of this thing ... diggers uncovered traces of really old animal parts in the counter wells you see here ... fish, pork, snails, beef and other protein that were apparently dished out to paying customers once upon a time.

Not just that, but check out the fresco paintings on the front and sides of this bygone eatery -- the Romans depicted chickens, mallards, dogs (supposedly as a warning, they say) and even an angel-looking figure. So yeah, they knew how to advertise their goods/services.

Some other related items that archaeologists found ... a bronze drinking bowl, ceramic jars for soups and stews, wine flasks and amphora (a long jar/vase used for transporting a variety of crops and/or food). It just goes to show once more -- the Romans were pretty damn advanced before things came crumbling down, but most of us already knew that.

Ace Hood -- one of DJ Khaled's former artists -- was given an awesome Christmas gift to celebrate his success since going fully independent ... and it comes courtesy of his wife, who's got the perfect way to explain it.

The Florida-based rapper was greeted with custom commemorative plaques from his wife, Shelah Marie, on Christmas Day ... which she documented from her camera. She had them made special for him, as they account for the millions of streams he's racked up since leaving the grasp of Universal Music Group and all its subsidiaries (including We the Best).

Shelah writes, "When @acehood was last on a major recording label they were excellent about celebrating wins. Ace has so many plaques in the house from that era. Since Ace went independent, he hasn’t received any plaques for his projects. Ace is too damn talented not to have his flowers while he can smell them."

She goes on to explain that the plaques honor his first two independent projects -- 'Trust the Process' and 'Trust the Process II: Undefeated' -- while adding, "because in this house we don’t wait on the validation we want — we give it ourselves. I love you @acehood."

You can tell how much it meant to Ace ... he was damn near tearing up as he unpacked the sweet gift. It's also symbolic of how tough independent artists have it if they're not part of the massive machine that is a major record label. Not only do you not get formally recognized anymore ... but most albums ya might put out afterward get dubbed "mixtapes."