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Nobody's above bending over to pick up after their dog ... just ask Stassie Karanikolaou who says her billionaire pal Kylie Jenner even gets down and dirty.

We got Stassie leaving the trendy eatery Croft Alley Wednesday afternoon in L.A. and wondered if her BFF has handlers to handle all deuces ... especially because KJ's got a new pup, Kevin.

Well, we asked and Stassie gave us the straight poop on ... who's doing Kev clean-up duty. Hehe. Anyway, her answer is a good lesson for dog owners everywhere, and says a lot about Kylie.

As for the mad pooper ... sorry we meant to say Kevin -- his fur mom introduced him to the world a few days ago, and if stupid amounts of cute are your thing, he's got ya covered.

He's got plenty of siblings, besides Stormi, to keep him occupied too -- Kylie reportedly has chickens, bunnies and 8 more dogs!!!

Josh Richards is as happy as can be to go from in front of the camera to behind-the-scenes with his new production company ... something Mark Wahlberg is making a reality.

We got the TikTok star Tuesday on the streets of West Hollywood where we asked about his new joint venture with Mark's Unrealistic Ideas -- which is going to help create programming and content that Josh and co. come up with via their new project, CrossCheck Studios.

As for what exactly may end up on camera ... check out what Josh has to say. Sounds like he and the team will focus on unscripted content at first -- but he eventually wants to dive into full-blown scripted stuff ... movies and shows.

Of course, we had to ask about the prospect of filming with Marky Mark one-on-one -- and while it might be a ways away, Josh doesn't hide his enthusiasm at the idea. He'd love a shot to co-star in something.

Elijah McClain was dealt with in a severely uncalled-for manner by Aurora, CO cops and paramedics -- so says an independent panel investigating the 23-year-old Black man's death ... and now his family wants the officers criminally charged.

Elijah's father, Lawayne Mosley, and the family's attorney, Mari Newman, joined us Tuesday on "TMZ Live" to discuss the findings of a commission gathered by the Aurora City Council.

Newman says the commission determined cops did everything wrong during the 2019 incident ... starting with having no legal reason to stop and frisk Elijah, not to mention later detaining him in a chokehold.

As for the paramedics, the commission found they gave Elijah way too much ketamine to sedate him, and ended up putting him in a coma ... before he later died.

Newman says Aurora PD tried covering up their mess after the fact -- another finding she says the panel discovered and made clear in its 157-page report.

Elijah's dad says the commission's findings are just the start, because his family wants justice. They'd like to see the officers criminally charged for Elijah's death -- plus, they've already filed a civil rights lawsuit against the city and the police department.

There's another update for this case ... the fact that the firing of three Aurora PD officers last year was upheld a just couple weeks ago by the city's Civil Service Commission. When the Chief of Police spoke about their actions at a presser, it was clear she was sickened ... they photographed each other mockingly reenacting a chokehold during a memorial for Elijah.

The pesky murder hornets that made it to North America last year are NOT all dead and gone -- in fact, a battle's being waged to contain the danger.

We spoke to renowned Washington state beekeeper Ted McFall Tuesday on "TMZ Live" about the new Discovery Channel documentary, "Attack of the Murder Hornets." He says enough have made it over here now to the point that different nests have developed.

Pros like Ted are addressing the crisis now ... however, he fears if they don't get it under control quickly, the U.S. honeybee population could be in serious jeopardy -- which eventually impacts our food supply too.

You might not realize it, but honeybees are a HUGE part of what keeps a lot of our crops growing at the rate they do. Murder hornets can easily wipe out colonies of bees, and that's why they're such a menace.

You'll recall, scientists in Washington state set out on a weeks-long mission late last year to snatch up as many murder hornets as they could find in one woodsy section of Washington, right on the Canadian border.

They thought they'd gotten them all in that one fell swoop, but had to go back later to retrieve a lot more of these hornets ... including hundreds of queens!

Turns out, those weren't the only ones out there -- and now, a black (and yellow) cloud hangs over the area.

Ahmaud Arbery's mother just filed a bombshell federal lawsuit, alleging the men charged in her son's death were in cahoots with local law enforcement.

Wanda Cooper is suing Greg and Travis McMichael and William Bryan -- the 3 who've been charged in connection with Ahmaud's killing one year ago Tuesday  ... as well as a number of police officials in Glynn County, and the county itself ... all of whom she says violated Ahmaud's civil rights.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Wanda recounts the events of Feb. 23, 2020 ... claiming Ahmaud went out for a jog that day, only to be targeted by the McMichaels and Bryan, who she alleges were deputized by Glynn County PD, and says Greg McMichael even had a police-issued revolver.

With those firearms -- including the revolver and a 12-gauge shotgun carried by Travis McMichael -- Wanda claims the men chased Ahmaud down on a "gut feeling" that he might be involved with recent break-ins in their neighborhood ... and then murdered him in cold blood.

Once Travis McMichael shot at Ahmaud point-blank range with his shotgun, Wanda alleges he uttered the words, "f***ing N***er." The aftermath, she alleges, is just as disturbing.

Wanda claims there were efforts by Glynn County and Brunswick County prosecutors -- as well as other officials involved in the initial investigation -- to sweep the incident under the rug, as she says Gregory McMichael had once been employed by the local police force as well as by the D.A.'s office. She says if it wasn't for the video of Ahmuad's death being leaked, it's possible nobody would've ever known or believed what happened to her son.

Ahmaud's mom alleges multiple causes of action ... including excessive force, conspiracy to violate Ahmaud's civil rights, conspiracy to obstruct justice, a failure to properly train officers, and several others.

UCLA has dismissed runner Chris Weiland from its track and cross country teams over video and text messages featuring racist and homophobic slurs.

Unclear exactly when the video was shot -- but it's bad. During the footage, which has gone viral, Weiland can be seen and heard griping to a woman about a girl he believes cheated on him.

During the conversation, which takes place at night inside of a car, Weiland bashes his lover's other man ... calling him the n-word and the homophobic f-word.

When complaining to the woman on the call, Weiland says his lover "wants to be with this f**king f****t who has no future. She's going to be with a stupid n****r who's going to be in community college all his life."

When the woman on the call urges Weiland to calm down and control his emotions, Weiland threatens to "beat the f**k" out of the other guy.

Video of the conversation was posted on Instagram this week and it BLEW UP quick -- with star UCLA athletes including gymnast Margzetta Frazier calling for the University to take swift action.

Weiland allegedly sent text messages to his ex-lover using similar offensive language. Those text messages were also posted to social media.

UCLA track coach Avery Anderson issued a statement Monday saying Weiland has been dismissed from the program.

But, Avery also confirms he was aware of the video months ago -- and suspended him -- before eventually allowing Weiland back on the track and cross country teams.

"When first learning of this a few months ago, I was disgusted and immediately suspended him indefinitely from the team," Anderson said.

So, why was he reinstated? Anderson says he wanted to give Weiland an opportunity to learn and grow from his mistakes.

"Even in my disgust, as a coach, my intentions are always to lead and educate and make the change happen that I want to see in this world. I can talk about changing the world, or I can put in the work to do so. And that is what I have done over the last few months with this individual. In January, I decided to reinstate him to the team."

Now, Anderson says he's had a change of heart.

"After team members and the athletic community expressed concern, it became clear that his continued involvement with the team is incompatible with the culture of mutual support and respect we’re fostering. I now realize that the decision to reinstate him was not the right decision, and that the action today is best for the well-being of our team."

Here's a verrrry good girl with a little extra pep in her steps ... she was born with 6 legs but veterinarians say the pooch is miraculously beating the odds.

This newborn Aussie-border collie mix named Miracle but who also goes by Skipper was born in Oklahoma City and taken to a vet after she was rejected by her mom. Vets at Neel Veterinary Hospital say she's nothing short of a miracle because she's survived longer than expected. The pup was 4 days old at the time the pic was taken.

And get this ... the vets say Skipper has duplicate organs basically from her waist down, and they're all functioning. There's no published research showing another dog with this condition born alive.

Skipper has congenital conjoining disorders called ... monocephalus dipygus and monocephalus rachipagus dibrachius tetrapus ... that's science talk for 1 head and chest cavity but 2 pelvic regions, 2 lower urinary tracts, 2 reproductive systems, 2 tails and 6 legs, among other things.

All things considered ... Skipper does have some positive signs going for her. The vets say her organs appear to be in great condition and she's peeing and pooping like a normal doggy, She's also very strong and growing appropriately so far.

The mariachi band that made Ted Cruz's stoop a stage performed at a discount, saying the Senator's actions were so despicable, they would've played it for free if they could.

TMZ spoke to Jose Antonio Solis of Mariachi Mi Mexico -- the group that brought their song and dance to Cruz's front door Sunday -- and he says they took nearly $100 less than normal for the gig in Ted's well-to-do Houston neighborhood.

Normally, Solis says their hourly rate runs $475, but they agreed to $400 flat. Solis says he understands Ted and the fam wanting to get away from the cold, but not when the people Ted represents are dying.

Solis says they would've played the gig for free, but lost out on recent money because of the storm.

Mariachi Mi Mexico was hired by a fella named Bryan Hlavinka ... whom Solis says told them there was a GoFundMe account set up specifically to pay them to play.

'Jeopardy!' was short on guest hosts after Ken Jennings' stint expired -- so a chief showrunner had to lace up himself and get on the field ... which turned out to be a beaut of a decision.

Executive producer Mike Richards stepped in Monday to serve as host of the quiz program -- kicking off the broadcast by introducing himself and explaining to viewers at home why there wasn't a more well-known face on their TV sets ... like a celeb, or a 'Jeopardy!' alum.

Long story short ... the team behind the scenes had a hard time booking someone -- which he explains was, in part, due to COVID fears -- so he decided to take up the mantle himself and present answers to this week's contestants. He says it best ... the show must go on.

As the rest of the half-hour played out ... it became clear Richards was a natural, and the reviews online were stellar. People loved him -- his style, his wit and humor ... all very reminiscent of the late, great Alex Trebek.

The show went off without a hitch -- and Richards says he'll be doing hosting duty for the next 2 weeks.

As we reported, the show's already announced a slew of celeb guest hosts in coming months, but folks seem to really like Mike!

If Sen. Ted Cruz swung by his crib at any point Sunday, he would've seen the brigade of standing musicians in sombreros ... reminding him what he was missing in Mexico.

Somebody hired a mariachi band to swing by Ted's Houston home yesterday, where the fellas were cranking out Mexican tunes from the sidewalk, quite loudly -- with a crowd of neighbors and spectators forming around them and enjoying the vibes.

Unclear if Ted was around to take in the show himself -- we know he'd been out and about, helping distribute supplies to Texans devastated by the winter storm ... albeit, several days after first going to Cancun with his family.

As we reported, Cruz did a quick U-turn after touching down last week -- and, at first, tried blaming the whole thing on the will of his daughters, and his desire to be a good dad. He eventually just copped to it ... calling the whole thing a mistake in hindsight.

Janet Jackson was so impressed with a UCLA gymnastics star who busted out a floor routine inspired by her music, JANET FACETIMED HER!!

The athlete behind the routine is Margzetta Frazier -- who busted out some of Ms. Jackson's legendary dance moves to songs like "Nasty" and "If" during a competition against BYU earlier this month.

Footage of the routine went viral -- because it's awesome -- and got all the way to Janet, who DEMANDED she talk to Frazier face-to-face (virtually, of course).

The two connected on Friday -- and Jackson gushed about Frazier's routine, talent and raw athleticism.

"I just want too say thank you," Janet said to Margzetta ... "Thank you for sharing your talent. It's so beautiful to see you tumble. Really inspiring."

"It just inspired me to want to do more, and do better and be stronger. I loved it. Absolutely loved it."

Frazier was so touched, she choked back tears and told her idol how much Janet and her music meant to her.

COVID-19 has claimed an astonishing number of American lives -- surpassing half a million Sunday -- more than we lost on the battlefield in three combined wars.

Compare the numbers .... there were 291,000 American deaths in WWII. There were 47,434 American battle deaths during the Vietnam War. There were 33,739 American battle deaths in the Korean War.

Compare those numbers to COVID ... as of this post 502,000 Americans have died, and the numbers keep going up. Despite the vaccines, some doctors and scientists believe there could still be a new, devastating wave of deaths because of highly-transmissible variants.

The good news, of course -- the vaccines are going into arms at a rapid pace .... lately around 1.5 million per day. Still, we are nowhere close to vaccinating enough people to achieve herd immunity. Around 70% of Americans -- possibly even more -- must be vaccinated to achieve that goal.

As you know ... there's a lot of skepticism over the vaccine for various reasons. Some people think it was rushed, and others -- especially African-Americans who endured shocking abuse in the disgraceful Tuskegee experiment -- just don't trust it or the government when it comes to vaccines.

There has been a slew of stories about the vaccines, suggesting they may not be effective as variants arise ... and lots of people resistant to the vaccines seem to be saying, what's the point?

In any case, we've lost more than half a million Americans to COVID.

The sick George Floyd Valentine's Day gag in L.A. found legs and went on over to Nevada, where a high school student used a twisted line as a Sadie Hawkins dance invite.

This photo was captured recently on a sports field at Foothill High School in Henderson, NV -- not too far outside of Vegas. It depicts what appears to be a female high school student holding up a poster with a request that someone be her date to the Sadie's dance.

The poster features a hand-written message and a crude drawing of Floyd. The writing reads, "If you went to SADIES w/ me it would take my BREATH away! George Floyd."

Yeah ... nothing subtle about that at all.

The Clark County School District says it's investigating the matter, and Foothill also posted this message on its site -- "Foothill and CCSD will not tolerate racially insensitive behaviors that contradict an inclusive community and impact the school culture of our students."

This is in the same vein as a Valentine with George Floyd's photo that was being shared among LAPD officers -- which captioned, "You take my breath away." Someone reported it to higher-ups and it too is now being investigated. LAPD also said it had a zero tolerance for such behavior.

Ted Cruz may have come up with a bright idea on his flight back from Cancun -- if no one else gives him props, he'll do it himself.

Cruz posted pics Saturday of him delivering water to his desperate constituents. You see Cruz carrying a case of H2O ... shaking hands with a fellow Texan.

And, speaking of cases ... this may be one of too little, too late. As you know, while Texans were freezing and dying, the Senator from Texas and his family jetted down to Cancun for some fun in the sun. He blamed his daughters for the trip and even suggested he was merely escorting them down and flying right back. That was a lie, although he did fly back the next day after being almost universally shamed.

What's super interesting ... AOC flew to Texas this week to help the folks and raised millions for relief efforts, and it ain't even her state! BTW, the Congresswoman, who's way more liberal than most of the state, was received warmly and enthusiastically.

So, regarding Ted ... is it true -- better late than never?

Huge pieces of a plane started raining down from the sky and onto the front yards of a handful of Colorado residents, but luckily ... everyone seems to be okay.

Check out these photos that were captured and posted out in Broomfield, where police shared images of massive chunks of debris from what appears to be the turbine engine and other parts of the plane laid scattered about on the lawns of folks in neighborhoods below.

It's pretty freaky ... but it sounds like, for now, nobody was struck by any of this stuff falling from the sky -- which appears to have broken off from the wings and other parts of the aircraft.

Broomfield PD is instructing folks not to touch the debris and to leave it where it landed, so that the National Transportation Safety Board -- the federal agency that investigates situations like this -- can come out to take a look, and determine what's what.

BPD posted more photos of other parts of the plane, which seem to have landed at a park ... on a turf field, no less. Again, it's a miracle no one was hit by any of it -- just about anything falling from that high of an altitude could easily kill someone who wasn't paying attention.

It sounds like if you were in the area and outside, you couldn't have missed this ... because people captured footage of the plane when it first started going up in flames -- and it apparently made a loud boom noise. You can see a huge cloud of black smoke it left behind in the air too -- and it certainly disrupted neighbors in the area.

BTW, people on the flight itself caught some of the malfunction live ... and it looks terrifying. Imagine being on board and having to wait for this to be resolved ... not being able to do a thing about it.

This story has a happy ending ... the plane -- a United flight -- is said to have landed safely at Denver International Airport -- where it had departed on its way to Honolulu. Investigators are looking into what caused the engine failure.

Jim Henson's sense of humor is getting a shout-out on the heels of his beloved series hitting Disney+ -- but as we look back, it's clear his puppets weren't always made just for kids.

The 'Muppets' creator used to work on TV commercials for Wilkins Coffee back in the day (from the late '50s through the early '60s) in which he used early versions of puppets he had to peddle java for the food brand. Millennials are just discovering them ... and are in awe.

One guy wrote, "can't stop laughing at these early jim henson commercials where one guy just kills another for not liking wilkins coffee." Yep, that's the gist of these throwback spots -- it's basically one Henson puppet murking another puppet who refuses to drink the Wilkins.

Some of the pranks are harmless, like kicking the puppet off a tree they're both resting on -- but as you watch on ... you'll see some of the sketches become increasingly violent.

In some of the ads, the stockier puppet gets shot at with a gun, bonked over the head, cut with a razor, electrocuted, boiled alive, tossed off buildings and hot air balloons ... and a lot more. It's all in good fun -- but many are pointing out just how graphic they seem to be. Somebody uploaded a full 14-minute clip of all the Henson Wilkins ads, and it's eye-opening.

Henson also had a stint of doing ads with Claussen's Bread -- in which Kermit himself appeared -- and they too are pretty damn dark ... albeit somewhat watered down.

Of course, "The Muppets" is laced with a ton of adult humor too -- so it's no surprise, really, that some of Henson's material with his prized creations pushed the envelope. Just check out this early 'Muppets' toy commercial, where the dolls threaten violence onto the viewers if they don't buy them.

A lot of this stuff aired in the '50s, '60s and '70s ('Muppets' have been around a long time) ... so something tells us Henson and co. could get away with edgy scripts back then. By the time the '90s rolled around, though, 'Muppets' underwent major rebranding ... to be more kid-friendly.

Anyway, most episodes of "The Muppet Show" are now available to stream -- and folks are remembering the genius who brought it all to life. Henson died of pneumonia in 1990.

He was 53.