Viral

An Indiana man is proud of himself this weekend, thinking he cleverly combined 2 symbols of hate -- the Confederate flag, and a noose. And, he has them displayed on the back of his pickup truck.

The man was in Bedford, Indiana when he recorded himself next to his pickup truck with the flag adhered to the back. Draped over the flag -- a noose.

He and one of his cohorts joked that it was just a leash for his dog, which itself is thinly-veiled dog-whistling. The men joked they couldn't understand why someone would leave a note on their car in disapproval.

One of the TikTok's biggest personalities says he thinks there are serious issues with the app, but isn't worried if the U.S. bans it outright ... 'cause he's got a surefire backup plan.

We spoke to the uber-popular content creator, Thomas Petrou, Saturday night in WeHo, and he told us straight-up ... he DOES think TikTok has privacy and security issues ... something the Trump administration came out and said as justification for possibly nixing it from our shores.

Tom didn't get into the details of what he thinks the problem with it is, but if you've been keeping up -- you know it's a Chinese-run company ... and U.S. officials are very skeptical.

So, what's the solution? Well, according to TP ... he says he hopes a competitor comes along and offers what TikTok does, but in a safer environment. He's got the perfect man in mind for the job too ... any guesses?

But, get this ... Thomas says if TikTok is, in fact, shut down and deemed an actual security threat to Americans -- he'll have no problem migrating to another platform that he knows and loves. Yes, it's where Jake Paul and a ton of other viral video folks live ... YouTube, baby.

A Houston-area water park is getting hosed with backlash after their packed-to-the-gills nighttime rager got put on blast -- but the place is sticking to its guns, despite a ghastly increase in COVID cases that is about to overrun the City's ICU's.

Typhoon Texas Houston was super busy Friday night during one of its night swims. The park is known for staying open after dark ... they do a whole glow-in-the-dark show and all.

Sure enough, a lot of folks recorded the goings-on ... which amounted to little or no social distancing, on dry ground and in the pools. And, of course, hardly a masks.

Now, we've seen this before -- notably, in Wisconsin last weekend. There, too, the place was jam-packed with not a whole lot of safety precautions being taken by really anyone.

As far as Typhoon Texas goes, though, they say they're doing everything they can to keep people safe -- regular cleaning of the tubes and slides, putting out hand sanitizer stations and having their cabanas and seating areas spread out.

They also say there's tons of signage telling people to practice proper social distancing -- it certainly doesn't look like it's being enforced too extraneously if we're being honest.

It's a shame, because the COVID numbers in Texas -- much like elsewhere across the country -- are skyrocketing. Deaths in Texas are reportedly up 108% over the past seven days, and Saturday marked the highest single-day case count at 10,351. Wild figures.

Disney World just reopened their doors to a couple major parks, and if you asked Goofy how the safety measures were going ... he'd probably say something like, "Oh, gawrsh."

The Mouse House welcomed back guests Saturday to both Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom -- Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios are to follow next week -- and on day 1 after being closed for months, the place didn't seem to fully have its act together.

The good news is that just about everyone -- including Disney staff -- were wearing face masks. The problem though ... lines to get in were incredibly long, and it didn't seem like too many people were properly practicing social distancing as they waited to gain entry.

Once inside, it looks like folks were able to spread out a bit more -- plus, they were doing temperature checks at the front gates ... so some reassurances there. Disney hasn't given any hard numbers, but word is they're limiting their park capacity by at least half.

As for how things operate on the inside -- reports say they suspended firework shows and parades to avoid large crowds. Cast members and costumed characters are spread out -- but sure enough, it's the same Disney cheer you always get when roaming the grounds.

Unclear how they're running the rides -- if it's anything like how they're doing it in Shanghai ... each car will look considerably emptier than they usually do. So longer waits there too.

While the park grounds themselves seem to be running according to plan and with apparently effective measures, it's still pretty clear that funneling people in from the beginning is something Disney and co. will have to tighten up. Journalist Carlye Wisel documented some of the s***show from outside -- she decided it was so bad, she left.

Of course, this comes with a backdrop of spiking coronavirus cases throughout the U.S., especially in Florida -- which recorded its highest case count Friday since July 4 and nearly 500 new hospitalizations ... the highest on record there since the pandemic began.

This could be the textbook case of how to de-escalate when cops make an arrest, and it has the stamp of approval of one of the leading civil rights attorneys in the country.

Attorney Ben Crump just said this is how it should be done ... with an emphasis on non-violent police tactics in subduing a suspect.

A Houston man was at a gas station Friday, and others present say he appeared to be under the influence and armed, possibly with a butcher knife.

Police came and tried placing the man under arrest. When he's on the ground, you hear a bystander implore the officer, "Don't get on his neck, now."  The cop responds, "I'm on his back."

And, then something startling happens. The officer asks for bystanders to help him. Some people who were present thought the officer was being sarcastic, but he wasn't.

The bystander, whose name is Ulerick Fields, tries to calm the suspect down.  You hear him say, "Chill out. They're going to put the handcuffs on you. Give them your arm, man ... I don't want you to get hurt, man."

In the end, the suspect was not taken into custody but rather to a hospital for mental evaluation.

A Karen in Florida decided to make mask-wearing racial by calling a woman who dared to follow the mandate of her county a "good little slave" ... and wait till you hear why Karen thinks she has a pass.

It went down in Pasco County, Florida Friday, when the 2 women were waiting for a bus. When it arrived, the black woman followed the county's mandate and put on her mask, since she was boarding an enclosed space.

That was enough for Karen to get all racist, but when she was called out, she tried to justify it by saying she was Mexican. News flash ... irrelevant.

Here's a dad trying to drain his RV's toilet after a camping trip with his family ... and the disgusting video turns into a total s**t show!!!

The guy's got a hose hooked up to the bottom of his RV, and he's trying to empty the toilet into a street drain, but things turn ugly in the blink of an eye.

All of a sudden, the hose comes loose, spilling tons and tons of dark brown sludge onto the ground and sending the family running and screaming for their lives!!!

The kids and their father can barely breathe as they document the disgusting episode ... and in the end, the ground is covered in poop. Cleanup on aisle 6!

Gotta hand it to one child ... the little fella seemed to have an idea dad's foolproof plan was doomed from the start, but sadly no one listened to his warning.

This dad's a regular Robin Williams in his unforgettable 2006 movie, "RV." Yes, there was a similar poop incident too.

Flavor Flav says it was a chance encounter at a swanky hotel that led to him snapping a photo with Steve Mnuchin -- nothing strange about it ... in his eyes, anyway.

The Public Enemy rapper's surprising pic with President Trump's Treasury Secretary left Twitter fans flummoxed Thursday after he posted it with the caption, "F**k politics - but I'm always happy to talk to anyone about the importance of knowing when your time is up."

Turns out, Flav actually met Mnuchin "a little while back" -- he doesn't say exactly when -- at the Hotel Bel-Air when he was having lunch. He tells us Steve and his wife, Louise Linton, called him over to say hi ... apparently, she's a fan.

So, the rapper says he went over to their table and exchanged pleasantries, but before Mnuchin left ... Flav was adamant he had to get a picture with the guy.

Flav doesn't specify why he felt this way, but he makes it clear it wasn't about politics. He says his partner, Chuck D, is the political one ... and that's pretty clear in their new track, as well.

Here's a good look at the "Karen" who went on multiple racist tirades in Southern California last month ... mugging for her booking photo.

TMZ's obtained the mug shots for Lena Hernandez, who, as we told you, was charged with criminal battery last week. It's unclear why cops snapped more than one pic of Hernandez, as there's only one charge.

It took a while after a warrant for her arrest was issued, but Hernandez was eventually located by police in the SoCal beach city of San Pedro and hauled into the station.

Her battery charges are related to an incident that occurred Oct. 11 at a mall in Torrance. Though there is no video of that incident, there is video of 2 separate incidents where the woman hurled racist comments.

TikTok influencers are dusting off their resumes because of President Trump -- they're terrified he's about to ban the app, and force them to find J-O-Bs outside social media.

With the Trump Administration considering a ban on the super-popular video creation app -- due to the escalating trade war with China -- TikTok influencers who make a killing on their posts tell us they fear the future.

Sean, whose magic trick-themed page @seandoesmagic has 13.5 million followers, says the China-based app shutting down would be financially crushing because he makes $15,000 to $20,000 per sponsored post.

Yes, you read that right ... Sean is cleaning up as an influencer, but fears the only thing he'll be cleaning soon is the fry machine!

Okay, that's a slight exaggeration, but Sean says he's in talks with McDonald's to do a promotional tour this fall, which would involve live magic gigs -- but he's worried that'll vanish if the app is banned.

Drage Kamerman's comedy channel @dragekamerman has 2.1 million TikTok followers, and while he has a plan B, it won't offset immediate financial losses.

Drake says he makes $7,000 to $10,000 every few weeks on TikTok, but it took him a year and a half to build his followers and start making that kinda cheddar. If the app goes away, he'll jump to YouTube and Instagram. He just worries his international followers won't find him -- not at first, anyway -- and his sponsor money would go with them.

Niko Valdes, whose family-centric page @babyfaceniko has 1.5 million followers, tells TMZ ... he's terrified he won't be able to make ends meet and put food on the table for his fam. His channel is all about his wife, his toddler and him -- and TikTok is their primary source of income ... $7k to $10k a month.

Without that cashflow, his wife would have to go back to her therapist gig, and he's not sure what he would do. Niko says he just inked a flurry of endorsement deals on TikTok after 4 fruitless years trying to make dough on YouTube and IG.

Of course, these high-paid influencers would be added to the more than 21 million people currently unemployed in America ... so, worst possible timing.

The L.A. County man who was found hanged on a tree died from suicide ... according to the Medical Examiner and the Sheriff's Department.

Investigators announced their findings Thursday in the Robert Fuller case. His death on June 10 in Palmdale, CA had sparked outrage ... given it came a week after another black man -- 38-year-old Malcolm Harsch -- had been found hanging from a tree in Victorville, from an apparent suicide.

The M.E.'s report confirmed the initial investigation into the 24-year-old man's death. While cops ruled it a suicide ... his family and friends demanded an investigation.

Fuller's death also came at the height of nationwide protests triggered by George Floyd's death.

Investigators say they found Robert suspended from a tree branch by his neck from a braided rope and a cloth fabric. They also said there were no defensive wounds observed on his body or any signs he attempted to remove the rope from his neck. They say they also observed several prominent linear scars on Fuller's left wrist consistent with suicidal intent.

Commander Chris Marks also mentioned there's a documented history of mental illness and self-harm ... adding Fuller had been admitted to hospitals in California, Arizona and Nevada after expressing he wanted to kill himself.

The online fashion retail site Shein is apologizing for creating confusion over its attempt to sell a Buddhist swastika necklace, which triggered outrage and led to the retailer removing the item from the site.

A rep for Shein tells TMZ ... the online retailer was NOT selling a Nazi swastika pendant, but rather a Buddhist swastika necklace, "which has symbolized spirituality and good fortune for more than a thousand years." The rep goes on to explain, "The Nazi swastika has a different design; it is pointed clockwise and tilted at an angle. However, because we understand the two symbols can be confused, and one is highly offensive, we have removed the product from our site."

Shein took TONS of backlash on social media after hordes of people pointed out the swastika-like necklace ... selling for a whopping $2.50.

Someone else tweeted, "I probably am (was) the most loyal @shein_official customer around, but now I"ll be taking my business to @zaful_official or really any other company that doesn't have such repulsive disregard for what that swastika represents to the millions of people killed by those who wore it."

A rep for Shein also tells TMZ, "As a multicultural and global brand, we want to apologize profusely to those who are offended, we are sensitive to those issues and want to be very clear that we in no way support or condone racial, cultural and religious prejudice or hostility.

Talk about loving America ... try saving a bald eagle's life on Independence Day, and the dude who did is Canadian!!! Man, they're nice up there.

Ya gotta see this video from Windermere Lake in British Columbia ... the hero, Brett Bacon, was in the middle of a relaxing family boat ride when he spotted the giant raptor struggling in the water and sprung into action.

Brett pulled the boat right up beside the drowning bird of prey, then leaned over the side of the vessel. Now, even though it's a baby, it's still a bald eagle and they're pretty huge with really sharp talons ... so what Brett pulled off here is pretty courageous.

He plucked the young eagle out of the lake, and it looked super anxious after its near-death experience ... trying to flap its massive wings. Brett calmly hugged the bird, trying to soothe the animal. He says it eventually dried its soaking-wet feathers, and he released the majestic creature back into the wild.

Brett's partner captured the rescue effort on video ... and you can even see his infant son in the boat watching his dad become a viral hero.

YOU JUST CAN'T STOP FAUCI!!!!

... the horse!!!

Yes, a 2-year-old colt named "Fauci" -- after Dr. Anthony Fauci -- got the WIN at Keeneland race track Thursday in Lexington, KY ... and you better believe it kept its distance from the competition!!

"Fauci" was named back in March to honor the COVID-19 expert's knowledge and contributions during the pandemic ... and he's been performing pretty damn well so far.

In fact, Fauci galloped to a 2nd place finish at Belmont Park in its debut race back in June!

And, just weeks later, the horse was a 5/2 favorite going into the race at Keeneland ... and again, performed like a champ!!

Hopefully, this becomes some sort of sign that things will get better with the coronavirus in the U.S. ... but then again, maybe it just means that's one fast thoroughbred.

A teenage soccer player had to fight for his life after being struck by a lightning bolt on a pitch in Moscow this month ... and the terrifying incident was all caught on video.

The footballer, ID'd as 16-year-old Ivan Zaborovsky, was warming up for a workout around the penalty box ... when suddenly, a crack of lightning shot down from the sky and exploded on him.

The clip is insane ... you can see the bolt hit him and release a fireball around him.

Zaborovsky immediately collapsed on the field ... and after trainers, teammates and coaches rushed to his aid -- he was transported to the hospital.

Multiple reports say Zaborovsky went into a coma after the strike and suffered serious burns ... but reports add signs for a recovery have been encouraging.

In fact, the club Zaborovsky plays for says it's been in contact with the boy's father and Zaborovsky's "eyes are reacting, he is answering commands, his return to the team is positive, he will play."

Scary incident ... get well soon!!

As we previously reported, a pro video gamer in the U.S. was struck by lightning while INSIDE her house earlier this month.

Despite some intense pain at first, she's basically recovered -- though her controller was melted in the process.

Consider this a PSA for all "Karens" out there ... you most certainly CAN be legally refused service for not wearing a face mask inside a private business -- just like this woman.

It's unclear when this incident went down or where but the video was posted on TikTok Wednesday showing a Karen going ballistic on a poor dental worker after being denied for a teeth cleaning appointment. She was told the policy is no mask, no cleaning ... and she was pissed.

Check out the video ... Karen's heard saying, "you're gonna work on my teeth, not my nose." She then tried covering her face with her hand, but that got her nowhere ... and her rage just got worse.

And, when they brought up taking her temperature before she could enter, she claimed that's illegal because dentists aren't MDs. Well, neither is your average restaurant owner, Karen, and they're taking temps too.

Anyway, the woman went on to make threats about talking to her lawyer and suing the dentist ... blah, blah, blah. Reality is ... she's out of touch with reality.

Obviously, private businesses in general have the right to refuse service to customers who violate their mask-wearing policy.

Businesses are also protected, especially if local or state governments have issued the mandate, like in New York where Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order that would allow businesses to refuse service to patrons who do NOT wear a mask.