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Work is separating Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez for the time being, but he's still making time to have some fun on his own ... he's in Las Vegas, hitting the tables and directing a project.

Check out this video we got -- Ben was at the Wynn Resort and Casino early Wednesday morning, standing alone at a table ... just the dealer and him. Unclear what game he was playing, but witnesses tell us he was in the high limit room. Naturally.

We're told casino staff was standing guard to shoo away any fans who happened to notice one half of Bennifer laying down bets around 3 AM.

The witnesses say there were no camera crews during his time at the tables ... an important detail, because Ben is actually working in Vegas too. We got more video of him Wednesday afternoon shooting something over at The Palazzo, but we're told the actor shot a ton of other scenes in the working casino, too.

You can hear someone yelling, "action" as he started walking through the casino, but a source tells us Ben is also directing the project.

While he and Jennifer have been nearly inseparable since reuniting last month, y'know what they say ... duty calls. Even they gotta pay the bills.

A Tennessee woman busted out some spray paint to cover up a rainbow on a bridge, because as she puts it ... "I'm sick of you all's s***."

The video speaks for itself -- the latest "Karen" was apparently upset that 2 teens painted a rainbow on the spot the community reportedly designates for people to express free speech ... and she made her point in a very bigoted way.

The lady drops the obligatory "I'm an American who works hard and pays taxes" spiel as her reason for painting over the rainbow, which the teens had put there to celebrate Pride Month.

If that wasn't enough, she expresses her disdain for what she feels is the teens' -- and apparently all gay people's -- desire to stand out and get attention, when she just wants them to shut up.

It's unclear exactly where this went down in Tennessee, but it's almost certain to add to the stigma of the name Karen ... which has plummeted in popularity over the past year thanks to incidents like this.

Team USA Soccer has Mark McKenzie's back ... it released a statement Wednesday saying the racist trolls who spewed hate toward the USMNT player are NEVER welcome in the sport.

The org. stood up for the defender after he claimed that following the U.S.'s huge win over Mexico in the CONCACAF Nations League final in Denver on Sunday, he received tons of racist comments from fans online.

22-year-old McKenzie -- who struggled in the huge 3-2 win -- said the "racial abuse" and "personal attacks" were rampant ... and even affected family members.

But, on Wednesday, his team ripped all of the vitriol ... saying anyone sending the comments McKenzie's way (and any other player's way, for that matter) needs to stop ASAP.

"This type of behavior should not and cannot be allowed to continue," the org. said.

"If you make racist, homophobic, vulgar or disrespectful comments while hiding behind the anonymity of social media, you are not a true fan. And you are not welcome. Ever."

USMNT manager Gregg Berhalter echoed those statements in a meeting with the media Tuesday ... calling the racism flat-out "disgusting."

"We support Mark 100% and we don't stand for any of that stuff," Berhalter said. "We have absolutely zero tolerance for things like that."

While the East Coast is dealing with the cicada plague, some L.A. towns are dealing with their own shrieking nightmare ... hundreds of peacocks running amok!!!

The beautiful-until-they're-in-your-backyard birds are delivering sleepless nights for folks in the L.A. County cities of Arcadia, Pasadena and San Marino. If you haven't had the pleasure ... peacocks reliably sound off at dawn with a noise so piercing, some neighbors described it as babies being tortured ... next to a very large microphone.

The birds -- which often travel in packs -- are everywhere, from sidewalks and streets to yards and roofs ... and they're damaging cars and yards.

They've been roaming the towns since a pair were brought back from India in the 19th century by a wealthy man named Lucky Baldwin. It's unclear exactly how many birds are in the area now, but their numbers have grown exponentially during the pandemic.

Things are so out of control, neighbors have reportedly gotten into heated arguments over how to deal with the birds.

The L.A. County Board of Supervisors is trying to get a handle on this ... beginning with drafting an ordinance that would prohibit feeding the peacocks.

President Biden kept his cool while having every right in the world to bug out ... this as a creepy-crawler tried making itself at home smack dab on his head!

46 was at Joint Base Andrews Wednesday AM ahead of his international trip to Europe -- where he's slated to meet with other world leaders, including Vladimir Putin -- and before takeoff ... the guy had to play defense against a freakin' cicada, brushing it off his neck.

The gross-out moment was caught on camera as JB talked to one of the men in uniform -- as was Biden's grossed-out face after he flicked the little bastard onto the ground ... where it belongs.

Joe trotted over to the press afterward and confirmed ... cicadas were around, and that he'd just taken care of one personally. His warning did NOT go unheeded -- as the folks following him around had to deal as well. Reports say the press plane was chock-full of cicadas.

Apparently, a swarm of the insects found their way into the engine area of the aircraft ... and actually caused a delay Tuesday night before they could hit the skies.

These buggers are all over D.C. ... CNN's Manu Raju had to fend for himself during a live shot from Capitol Hill. He reacted a little more frantically than ol' Joey here did.

Waka Flocka Flame is getting the next generation ready for their next step by delivering the commencement address at a Chicago high school graduation ceremony.

The "No Hands" rapper will appear virtually at Chicago's Soldier Field when graduates from Innovations High School get their diplomas after a challenging school year that required them to learn virtually while overcoming a pandemic.

Waka Flocka Flame tells TMZ ... he's honored to be speaking to the kids, and plans to let them know how proud folks are of them for graduating despite a rough and very abnormal year.

The charter school's executive director, LaShaun Jackson, tells TMZ ... Waka's the right speaker for this graduating class because he's a success story from the streets, and his life has been all about overcoming adversity.

Remember, Waka got a lifetime achievement award for his charitable efforts before former president Donald Trump left office ... and in October he got his honorary doctorate degree in philanthropy and humanitarianism from the Bible Institutes of America.

The first offering Kanye West and Gap are putting out to the public is a jacket -- one you can't really bundle up in ... but it'll still cost you a couple Benjamins, plus tax.

The YEEZY Gap Round jacket has officially arrived ... the inaugural article of clothing from Ye's fashion company and the iconic American retailer that's now available for pre-order. Its debut comes on a notable date ... Mr. West's 44th birthday.

As for the structure of it, it's pretty simple. Like we said ... it's a coat -- a puffer with some billowy heft to it, made of recycled nylon material ... and, as you noticed, screams bright blue. Unclear if it'll come in any other colors, or if this is it.

The other feature folks are pointing out ... you can't zip or button the damn thing up, like at all. So, this thing's clearly just for fashion, and is clearly a shift for Gap. Oh, and it retails for $200.

Regardless of what you *thought* YEEZY/Gap gear would cost when they first announced this partnership ... here's an early indication of what may come, so ya better start saving up if you were expecting traditional Gap prices. YEEZY comes at a bit of a premium, folks.

BTW, Ye himself has been rocking this puppy lately ... he was seen wearing the puffy jacket earlier this week, no doubt teasing its forthcoming release. So we gotta ask ... you coppin'???

Ellie Kemper's finally addressing photos of her in a debutante pageant run by an organization rooted in racism ... saying she should've done more homework on the group.

The actress -- known for "The Office," "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" and "Bridesmaids" -- is apologizing one week after the pics resurfaced showing her being crowned in 1999 as the new Queen of Love and Beauty at the Veiled Prophet Ball in St. Louis.

At the time, Ellie was a 19-year-old freshman at Princeton, and said, "The century-old organization that hosted the debutante ball had an unquestionably racist, sexist, and elitist past. I was not aware of this history at the time, but ignorance is no excuse. I was old enough to have educated myself before getting involved."

When the pics of Kemper resurfaced, activists pointed out the pageant had been organized by heads of major banks and corporations who refused to hire Black men.

Ellie added, "I unequivocally deplore, denounce, and reject white supremacy. At the same time, I acknowledge that because of my race and my privilege, I am the beneficiary of a system that has dispensed unequal justice and unequal rewards."

The pageant was established in the late 1800s by a former Confederate officer in St. Louis, which is Ellie's hometown.

Part of the tradition includes the winner being crowned by a so-called "Veiled Prophet" in an outfit that largely resembles the KKK's white robes ... though that connection has since been refuted after historians reportedly noted the pageant's outfit goes back to the 1870s while KKK members didn't start wearing white robes and hoods until the early 1900s.

Simone Biles proved yet again why she's the G.O.A.T this weekend ... 'cause the gymnastics superstar just took home her SEVENTH national title -- becoming the first woman to EVER win that many championships!!

The 24-year-old Olympic gold medalist straight-up dominated the competition at the US Gymnastics Championships in Texas ... winning first place by an incredible 4.7-point advantage.

Of course, Biles is known to be a trailblazer in the sport ... and lived up to her reputation when she nailed her signature "Biles II" move -- two flips and three twists BACKWARDS -- during her floor routine.

FYI -- The move was named after Biles in 2019 ... after she became the first woman to successfully nail it in competition.

Biles explained her decision to go so hard after winning the competition, saying, "I feel like I did try to enjoy it because it could be one of my last championships that I'll attend."

"But it's also the road to Tokyo, and after this we have trials, so we just have to really embrace the moment."

To make things even better, Biles' NFL player boyfriend, Jonathan Owens, was able to watch her in person ... and raved about his girl in a super mushy Instagram post.

"What an amazing experience 👏🏽," the Houston Texans safety said Sunday.

"First time getting to watch you compete in person and you didn’t disappoint. It’s so cool that i get to watch you do what you love, and be the best at that ‼️ I’m so proud of you my lil champ 🥰❤️."

"Trials up next and you already know I’m there!! Love you baby."

Biles responded to the touching shoutout ... saying, "I love you so much 🤎 I’m so happy you got to come watch while in the middle of OTA’s 😘😘 you a real one."

Donald Trump thinks Bitcoin is modern-day fool's gold -- calling it bad for the dollar, which is seriously making him sound like a boomer stuck in the 20th century.

The ex-Prez went on "FOX Business" early Monday morning to talk stocks, the market, the economy ... and for relevance sake, crypto too -- which always comes back to Bitcoin, the proverbial king of them all.

It's not regal to Trump, though ... just a royal pain in the ass.

He told host Stuart Varney he considers Bitcoin a good old-fashioned scam ... noting that when he was eyeballing it himself, it was as low as $6,000 a pop. It's a helluva lot higher than that now, sitting around $36k for one Bitcoin -- and recently got as high as $61k.

Don's not the only one doubting Bitcoin -- and, more importantly, its reliability -- but his rationale is quite strange. Watch ... he chalks his hesitancy up to America First, or the dollar first, rather.

DT says Bitcoin is just another currency competing against the dollar, and that he wants traditional greenbacks to be king in the world of commerce. So, in other words, he's looking at Bitcoin like a foreign enemy -- quite on brand.

The rich thing here is that Bitcoin's charge against the dollar is classic capitalism ... something Trump himself advocates for, not just as a businessman, but as a Republican.

Former USMNT star Oguchi Onyewu was forced to issue an apology Sunday night ... after he threatened to choke his female co-host live on air.

The mea culpa all went down during the CBS Sports broadcast of the USMNT vs. Mexico game in Denver ... minutes after Onyewu got verbally aggressive with Mexican soccer star Janelly Farias.

"I will come across this desk and choke you," Onyewu said as part of a segment with his co-host.

Oguchi appeared to be joking, he let out a laugh while unleashing the comment, but still, the remark was immediately criticized on social media.

In fact, the backlash grew so loud, later in the broadcast, Onyewu felt the need to apologize on air.

"Early in the show, you know, throughout our banter back and forth, I got carried away for sure," Onyewu said. "And I said a stupid thing that should've never come out of my mouth."

The 39-year-old continued, "And I am deeply sorry for it and I apologize to you and I hope that you can forgive me and don't take any offense to it. So, I just really want to sincerely apologize for what I said."

The USMNT's soccer game against Mexico turned VERY ugly Sunday night ... 'cause fans in the stands yelled anti-gay slurs and also violently threw objects at players.

The disturbing scenes all went down late in the CONCACAF Nations League final in Denver ... when the game actually had to be paused over homophobic chants.

Fans in the stands could reportedly be heard screaming a Spanish word that translates into an anti-gay insult -- and the chanting grew so loud, refs had to halt play until it stopped.

But, the unruly behavior didn't end there ... 'cause throughout the end of the wild soccer match, players were hit by debris thrown from the stands.

Check out footage that the broadcast picked up ... players on BOTH sides were cracked in the face and head by full cups and bottles.

In fact, US player Gio Reyna was hit so hard in the face by one of the objects ... he collapsed to the grass.

It all got so bad, soccer legend Alexi Lalas said, "The crowd behavior in Denver was a disgrace to our sport and our country."

Logan Paul came out swingin' ... but in the end, Floyd Mayweather is just too good.

There was no "official" winner in Logan Paul vs. Floyd Mayweather -- but we didn't need judges to see the domination after it went the distance, a full 8 rounds.

26-year-old Logan came out strong Sunday night -- and even landed a handful of serious power shots.

But, 44-year-old Floyd ate everything Logan had -- and began to really open up in round 3 in front of a fired-up crowd at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

From then on ... it was pure Mayweather domination.

Logan looked like he started to gas in round 3 ... Mayweather looked fast, strong and confident all the way to the end.

Hell, Mayweather probably could've fought another 10 rounds if he wanted to.

The fight was an exhibition -- so there is no "official" winner ... but everyone knows Floyd gets the "W."

Floyd praised Logan after the fight -- "He was better than I thought he was."

Mayweather says Paul would have his work cut out for him against real heavyweights -- but called Logan a "good guy" and admitted, "I had fun."

Logan was equally respectful -- saying, "Floyd Mayweather, it was an honor ... this is one of the greatest moments of my life."

"This is the coolest thing ever, I'm happy I made it out ... he's tough to hit.

He then teased a rematch -- "Floyd Mayweather vs. Logan Paul 2?"

Props to Logan though ... he did pretty well for a guy with an 0-1 pro boxing record.

Mayweather's ring entrance included TWO rap performances. First up, Migos ... followed by Moneybagg Yo.

His ring entrance outfit looked like it was made of GATOR SKIN.

Logan walked out with a super-rare (and expensive) Pokemon card hanging around his neck.

The crowd was packed with stars -- from Fat Joe to Paul Pierce, Ryan Garcia, Antonio Brown, Terrell Owens, Michael Irvin, Evander Holyfield, Matt Barnes and more.

Before the fight, Floyd told TMZ Sports he expected to make between $50 and $100 MILLION for the fight ... and had already spent some of the money on brand new cars for his close friends and family members.

Hollywood royalty, Pearl McKay, was only 2 years old when she screamed her way into the hearts of the world as the foul-mouthed landlady Pearl -- who lays down the law when she comes to collect the overdue rent from Will Ferrell -- in the breakthrough viral video "The Landlord" on Funny Or Die back in 2007.

"The Landlord" was one of the top videos on the comedy site with over 80 million views and continues to get lots of love on their youtube channel over a decade later!

Fun Fact: Pearl is the daughter of big-time comedy icon Adam McKay and Jeremy Piven's sister Shira Piven.

A Texas mom's social experiment ended up with her facing criminal charges after she successfully infiltrated a middle school disguised as her 13-year-old daughter.

The lady's name is Casey Garcia ... a 30-year-old who's got a 7th grader attending Garcia-Enriquez Middle School near El Paso ... whose security process she wanted to test by going "undercover" as a student ... just to see how far she could get without being caught.

Garcia recorded her experience and posted the footage on YouTube, TikTok and other social media platforms -- which have taken off and gone viral. It's pretty crazy ... she does a full incognito attempt, undergoing a makeup routine and a wardrobe change to pull it off.

Sure enough, she does kinda resemble a middle schooler -- granted, the face mask she had to wear certainly helped. Still, she made it through about 85% of the school day undetected.

Garcia is seen walking through the halls, interacting with faculty, sitting in class listening to lectures, and even eating lunch at one point ... and no one seems to notice she's an adult. Eventually, the jig was up ... somebody called her out and reported her to the principal.

She went willingly -- and even though she seemed to think it was NBD ... the administration thought differently, getting the police involved who busted her for falsifying records and for trespassing. The incident happened Tuesday, but she wasn't booked until this past Friday.

Again, the whole point of doing this was to show that the school was a little too lax when it came to vetting students ... especially as kids start heading back to campus in person.

Of course, people were concerned Garcia could get in so easily ... which could pose bigger problems if it was someone who meant to do harm. The superintendent reportedly sent a note to parents saying they were reviewing and revamping their security measures.

If this sounds like something straight out of a movie, that's because it kinda is. Drew Barrymore did something similar in "Never Been Kissed" -- except that was high school.

Pamela Anderson's sex tape scandal with ex-hubby Tommy Lee is getting resurrected for the small screen ... something another ex of hers, Chuck Zito, is calling ... no bueno.

We ran into the actor and celeb boxing trainer -- who dated PA back in the 2000s -- and just had to ask about this new Hulu miniseries that's in the works ... in which Lily James and Sebastian Stan are portraying Pam and Tommy during their early years as a married couple.

More specifically, the series will focus on the period of their marriage when their infamous sex tape was stolen and peddled on the black market ... something they say they never saw a penny for, at first.

According to Chuck ... Hulu's probably doing wrong by Pam in revisiting a chapter that's more than 20 years old by now, and suggests making an entire show around those events is in bad taste -- especially if the couple themselves haven't signed off (which they haven't).

He makes the point that the whole saga is ancient history -- adding Pam probably doesn't care very much about it ... even joking that she seems more interested in rings these days. Oof ...

Of course, some of her closest friends are taking a stronger stance ... including Courtney Love, who claims the show is making Pam relive the trauma she went through ... going on to say the tape "destroyed" Pam's life, and calling the show exploitative and disgusting.