You Might Want to Rethink

President Trump says Mayor Pete Buttigieg bears a striking resemblance to the fictional MAD Magazine cover guy, Alfred E. Neuman, and that alone disqualifies him.

DT shared his thoughts -- one of the first times he's acknowledged Buttigieg's presidential campaign, it seems -- in an interview with Politico Friday, where he's described as dismissively saying about the South Bend, Indiana mayor ... "Alfred E. Neuman cannot become president of the United States."

It doesn't appear Trump said much else about Pete, who's one of the first openly gay candidates to be seeking the highest office in the land ... and actually catching fire.

Regarding the Neuman remark -- definitely harsh ... but Mayor Pete was quick to fire back, taking a shot at Trump's age (72 going on 73) in quite a classy way.

Buttigieg was asked for a response, and he said he actually "had to Google that," suggesting the reference was lost on him ... and perhaps a "generational thing." In case you forgot ... Mayor Pete is only 37 years old -- one of the youngest candidates running.

Always the good sport, Buttigieg even says the quote was kinda funny to him, but then asks a serious question -- why isn't Trump trying to resolve the major trade impasse he's at with China, and instead, taking the time to make fun of me? Fair question.

Ariana Grande as the spitting image of Audrey Hepburn for Givenchy has set off strong feelings from Audrey's son ... who applauds the tribute, but also thinks Ariana should fire her team.

Audrey's son, Sean, tells TMZ ... he's happy with the tribute to his late mother, but he's baffled that Ariana's team wasn't more creative to build something original. Sean says he'd fire her team if he could because all they did was make Ariana a look-alike.

As you know by now ... the French luxury fashion house tapped the "7 Rings" singer as the new face of its 2019 Fall and Winter campaign that'll be unveiled in July. Givenchy announced the news Friday with an Ariana video ... featuring her in a black dress super similar to the one Audrey wore in "Breakfast at Tiffany's." Ariana's also posing kinda like Audrey did in the opening scene.

The double nod to Audrey didn't go unnoticed, and it's also no surprise given Ariana's obsession with the film. She has the movie's famous phrase "mille tendresse" (meaning a thousand tendernesses in French) tattooed on the back of her neck. It's Ariana's favorite movie ... and if you needed more evidence, the opening lyrics to "7 Rings" goes, "Yeah, breakfast at Tiffany's and bottles of bubbles."

Don't get it twisted ... Sean's down with the tribute because it's clear Audrey Hepburn and Givenchy will forever be synonymous because he says Audrey and designer Hubert Givenchy not only collaborated but built the brand together.

It's true ... Audrey's black dress in 'Breakfast' was designed by Givenchy ... as was the wardrobe she wore in "Sabrina," "Funny Face" and "Love in the Afternoon," among others.

Jermaine Jackson is slamming Quincy Jones for removing Michael Jackson references from his orchestral show in London ... Jermaine thinks Quincy's caving to outside pressure.

We got Jermaine at LAX and asked him about Quincy's decision to scrub all references to the King of Pop from his upcoming concert across the pond ... and Michael's big bro had a very stern message for the legendary producer.

Quincy's orchestral show at The O2 arena in London next month was originally billed as a live performance of 3 classic MJ albums -- "Off the Wall," "Thriller" and "Bad" -- but now Quincy is calling it a "soundtrack of the 80s."

As you know ... Quincy produced Michael's 3 biggest albums, and the 2 will forever be linked. Jermaine tells us it's grossly unfair for Quincy to try and distance himself from Michael.

So far, Quincy isn't saying what prompted the change ... but there's been a lot of media pressure in the UK to mute Michael in the wake of "Leaving Neverland." Jermaine feels Quincy is listening to the wrong voices. BTW, the movement fizzled in the U.S.

The guy cops busted in that MASSIVE weapons raid in a ritzy L.A. neighborhood was also detained a couple years ago for allegedly intimidating a group of people ... at gunpoint.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the suspect, Girard Saenz, held up a team of house cleaners back in 2017 when he found them on a Malibu property owned by his longtime companion, Cynthia Beck.

Beck is the real estate mogul who also owns the Holmby Hills mansion where authorities arrested Saenz Wednesday and seized more than 1,000 firearms.

Our sources say Saenz happened to be driving by the property when he noticed the team of people removing items from the house. Cops say that's when he held them at gunpoint to investigate. Cops eventually intervened and took everyone back to the station to sort it out.

It turned out a property manager hired the team to clean the pad ... unbeknownst to Saenz. Beck -- who has 3 daughters with J. Paul Getty's son, Gordon Getty -- was apparently out of the country at that time too. Our sources say the cleaners decided NOT to press charges and the case was closed.

Good news, bad news for David Beckham ...

The bad news -- the soccer legend just got hit with a 6-month driving ban in London after being caught using his cell phone behind the wheel back in November.

The good news -- the 44-year-old turned the courtroom into a catwalk and strutted into court looking BEAUTIFUL.

Officials say the square-jawed superstar was chatting away on his celly while pushing a $130,000 Bentley in Central London on Nov. 21 -- and just like in Los Angeles, that's a big no-no across the pond these days.

During his appearance at Bromley Magistrates Court, Beckham -- wearing a sharp charcoal suit with a white shirt and black tie -- was ordered to pay a $1,100 fine and had his driving license suspended for 6 months.

Of course, Beckham has so much money, he can afford a driver to take him anywhere he wants to go for the next 6 months ... so, no biggie for Becks.

Rick Schroder's bad month just got a lot worse ... he's been dropped by his entire team in wake of his domestic violence arrests.

Sources close to the former "NYPD Blue" star tell TMZ ... his agent, manager and PR people have severed ties with him as a result of 2 recent altercations with his girlfriend that could lead to felony charges.

We're told Schroder also got axed from his current gig, but it's unclear what he was working on. Truth is, he hasn't been seen in an acting role since 'Dolly Parton's Christmas of Many Colors' TV movie in 2016, but he did produce the 2017 war documentary, "The Volunteers."

More bad news for Rick ... law enforcement sources tell us even though prosecutors declined charges against Schroder after his April 2 arrest -- for allegedly hitting his girlfriend in the face and grabbing her hair -- the case could still be reopened.

We broke the story ... Schroder was then arrested a second time 30 days later on May 1 for felony domestic violence for allegedly striking his girlfriend again.

We're told his second arrest looks worse now because of the first ... so prosecutors have more to work with in building their case against him.

The D.A.'s Office declined to comment.

4:05 PM PT -- Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein announced late Wednesday the team has identified the fan and banned him from Wrigley Field for life.

"We've made clear how egregious and unacceptable that behavior is, and there's no place for it in our society, in baseball and certainly no place in Wrigley Field," Epstein said.

The Chicago Cubs are trying to find -- and possibly BAN -- a fan who flashed a hand sign sometimes associated with white power, the team announced Wednesday.

During Tuesday night's broadcast of the Cubs-Marlins game ... a fan flashed a hand sign that looks like an upside-down "OK" gesture.

In recent years, the hand sign has been used by white supremacist groups. But, the symbol obviously has another -- non-hateful meaning -- and the Anti-Defamation League warns that people have been falsely branded as racist for using it without racist intent.

This particular incident went down in the bottom of the 3rd inning ... when the telecast cut to commentator Doug Glanville -- and a fan made sure to make the sign viewable for the camera.

The Cubs now say they're investigating the incident ... and are considering removing the guy from Wrigley Field forever.

"An individual seated behind Mr. Glanville used what appears to be an offensive hand gesture that is associated with racism," Cubs President of Business Operations Crane Kenney said.

“Such ignorant and repulsive behavior is not tolerated at Wrigley Field. We are reviewing the incident thoroughly because no one should be subjected to this type of offensive behavior."

"Any derogatory conduct should be reported immediately to our ballpark staff. Any individual behaving in this manner will not only be removed from the ballpark, but will be permanently banned from Wrigley Field."

Diana Ross' gripe about an alleged overly handsy TSA agent doesn't warrant any action or change -- according to the agency, which closed its investigation into her complaint.

A TSA honcho tells TMZ ... airport security personnel on the ground there at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International conducted an investigation into Ms. Ross' description of what she says went down over the weekend, when she claimed she felt "violated" by a pat-down.

TSA reviewed surveillance footage and interviewed the officers involved with Diana's screening -- which happened after she went through a body scanner machine -- and says everything was kosher.

The TSA official says, "Protocols for resolving alarms during Advanced Imaging Technology screening were correctly followed," adding that TSA procedures are designed to protect all travelers from potential threats to aviation system.

You'll recall ... Diana took to social media to complain about what she felt was an "over the top" search, which left her feeling violated.

Diana says the female TSA agent had told her she was just doing her job, and it looks like her bosses agree with her. The agency had asked Diana to reach out and elaborate on the incident -- but it's unclear if TSA ever spoke to her during the investigation.

R. Kelly just got a small victory in the sexual abuse lawsuit, which he'd lost by not responding -- 'cause the judge is giving him a do-over in court ... TMZ has learned.

As we first told you ... R. Kelly's new attorneys filed a motion in Cook County asking a judge to throw out the default judgment entered against the singer back in April when he didn't show up to fight the claims he'd allegedly sexually abused Heather Williams at age 16.

R. Kelly's lawyers argued he was confused and overwhelmed when he got served the court papers in jail. More importantly, they said he's illiterate, and didn't know what he was reading.

Looks like the judge bought that, and vacated the default judgment... which now means he can fight the lawsuit on its merits. Kelly's attorneys, Zaid Abdallah and Raed Shalabi tell us ... "We’ve never been part of a criminal case where an alleged victim has filed a civil case during a criminal proceeding."

Chris Brown got wrapped into some bad juju after cops say a woman trekked across the country trying to get him to remove a curse she believed CB inflicted on her son.

Cops responded to a call Saturday night reporting a strange woman with a preteen who was seen wandering around Chris' L.A.-area property ... throwing a bible over his wall, no less.

Officers responded, and they got quite the tale from the woman. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... she said she had flown into town from Texas that day with her boy -- all in the hopes of convincing Chris to lift some voodoo. We're told she felt the presence of a bible on his lawn would help lift the curse.

As for why she thought all of this -- pretty clearly, cops figured she might have mental health issues. She was taken in for evaluation, and her son was taken into protective custody.

Chris wasn't directly involved in the incident ... he wasn't home at the time.

We know Chris luckily dodged the encounter because he was partying it up with Jake Paul, Lamar Odom and a bunch of his celeb pals in Calabasas on Saturday night for Desiigner's 22nd birthday.

Lori Loughlin may have gotten an assist in her defense -- good old-fashioned ignorance -- 'cause her daughters almost perfectly fit the mold with how women's rowing teams recruit.

An ad for the USC women's crew team popped up on campus over the weekend -- and we for sure thought it couldn't have been real ... seeing how tone-deaf it came off and the implications behind it, considering Olivia Jade and Isabella's "no experience."

Well ... turns out, the poster is real because we've been educated on how USC women's rowing teams work when it comes to recruiting walk-ons and the like.

A USC alum who was actually a coxswain at the university tells us women's rowing teams often recruit potential teammates who have zero experience in the sport -- which is kinda what Olivia Jade and Isabella were coming to the table with.

Typically, the way it works is that you already have to be a student to qualify for the team ... it's not for some random people on the street who want in at USC.

But, here's the thing ... in Lori's case, prosecutors have to prove criminal intent to seal a conviction. Sources connected with Lori's defense claim Lori didn't know the $500k payoff was shady, even if the plan was to pretend her daughters were crew-team ready. The poster would seem to help Lori and her husband, both of whom are charged with multiple felonies, because crew experience doesn't seem to be essential.

Unless Layzie Bone can prove a DNA test with 99.9999999% accuracy is wrong, he IS the father of another child ... TMZ has learned.

We broke the story ... the Bone Thugs-N-Harmony rapper -- real name Steven Howse -- was involved in a paternity case in Michigan with the baby's mother, Shateira Marketa Childress. She claimed he was the father of her child, Sevyn, and turns out ... she was right.

According to the test report ... DNA samples were collected from the trio in April, and Layzie's been determined to be the biological father with almost 100 percent certainty.

As we told you, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is looking to establish Layzie as the father in order to determine how much he'll have to fork over in child support.

The rapper was involved in another paternity suit in 2013 with a different woman, and he was found to be the father that time as well. Layzie -- who apparently ain't all that lazy -- also has 3 other kids with his wife of many years.

Great news for UFC star Brian Ortega ... the 27-year-old says he's been medically cleared to return to the Octagon -- and he's got his sights set on a rematch with Max Holloway.

Ortega suffered a broken nose and a broken thumb after his Dec. 8 bloodbath with Max at UFC 231 ... a fight Brian ultimately lost when the doctor stopped it at the end of the 4th round.

Brian fought his ass off -- and later said he was "willing to die" in the Octagon.

After the fight, Ortega underwent surgery -- which was successful -- and now the featherweight star tells us he's looking to book a fight as early as July.

Unclear who the opponent will be -- but Ortega says the ultimate goal is to earn another crack at Holloway, an opponent he has tremendous respect for.

Ortega says he's replayed the Holloway fight in his head -- and knows he can win the second time around.

The guy who was suing the Duffer Bros. for allegedly stealing the idea for "Stranger Things" from him is doing a complete 180 and yanking his lawsuit ... right before their trial was set to begin.

Charles Kessler reportedly withdrew his suit against Matt and Ross Duffer Sunday, issuing a statement as well that completely recanted any and all claims of plagiarism he'd made against them over the past year.

His reasoning is a bit odd, as it seems he just realized he had no case against them. Kessler wrote, "After hearing the deposition testimony this week of the legal expert I hired, it is now apparent to me that, whatever I may have believed in the past, my work had nothing to do with the creation of Stranger Things."

He added, "Documents from 2010 and 2013 prove that the Duffers independently created their show. As a result, I have withdrawn my claim and I will be making no further comment on this matter."

TMZ broke the story ... Kessler sued the Duffers back in April of last year, alleging that he'd met with them in 2014 to pitch an idea similar to "Stranger Things" but never heard back -- only to see a show incredibly similar to his idea get greenlit by Netflix courtesy of the bros.

He claimed that his 2012 short film "Montauk" was the inspiration for the show, but he never got any credit ... or cash. The Duffers, meanwhile, fired back saying they had documented evidence that they'd been working on "Stranger Things" since at least 2010.

We reviewed some of those documents -- emails that the Duffers were sending back and forth -- and sure enough, it appeared to prove they were, in fact, developing a "Montauk"-like series well before Kessler came into the picture.

Netflix chimed in on the news as well Sunday, saying ... "We are glad to be able to put this baseless lawsuit behind us. As we have said all along, Stranger Things is a ground-breaking original creation by The Duffer Brothers."

The studio continued, "We are proud of this show and of our friends Matt and Ross, whose artistic vision gave life to Stranger Things, and whose passion, imagination and relentless hard work alongside our talented cast and crew made it a wildly successful, award-winning series beloved by viewers around the world."

Never has a typo from President Trump sounded so tasty as when he misspelled "stolen" to gripe about his presidency ... reminding everyone of a sweet holiday treat in the process.

DT made the hilarious blunder Sunday while going on a Twitter tirade about two years of his presidency that he feels were "stollen" due to Robert Mueller's investigation into potential Russia collusion -- which his team found no clear evidence of, BTW.

On obstruction of justice though ... well, that's a whole other can of worms.

Anyway, folks online seemed to overlook the President's complaint and zero in on the spelling error -- which brought forth an entirely different word in an entirely different context ... sweet, sweet Euro bread.

Stollen is a rich German fruit and nut loaf, usually covered in powdered sugar. You've probably seen it around your relatives' homes during Christmas time ... it's kind of a staple for the holiday.

Clearly, that's not what Trump meant at all -- but the dude hasn't corrected his tweet yet. So, "stollen" bread it is for the time being. The big question now ... will it get as big as his other "words?"

2:37 PM PT -- TSA has released a statement regarding Diana's uncomfortable pat-down. The agency says, "TSA is committed to ensuring all travelers are treated with respect and courtesy. TSA is aware of concerns presented by Diana Ross about her screening experience at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport this morning.

They continued ... "Initial review of CCTV indicates that the officers involved with Ms. Ross’s screening correctly followed all protocols, however, TSA leadership will continue to investigate the matter further. We encourage Ms. Ross to reach out to TSA so we can work with her directly to address her concerns."

Diana Ross says a TSA agent at a New Orleans airport took a pat-down search too far -- which left her feeling shaken and violated afterward.

The legendary soul singer described her experience early Sunday morning in a string of tweets, explaining that while she's normally treated like royalty in NOLA ... she got the exact opposite treatment at an airport there -- saying, "I was treated like s**t."

BTW -- Diana was in town this weekend performing at the Jazz and Heritage Festival, but it sounds like getting there was a nightmare.

Ms. Ross says she's not blaming the airline she flew with -- Delta, apparently -- but instead is pointing the finger at a female TSA agent that conducted an "over the top" pat-down as Diana was going through security. She says it's not what was done ... but how.

Diana says she felt violated by the incident, going on to say she could still feel the woman's hands "between my legs, front and back." She says the agent told her she was just doing her job, but Diana ain't buying that ... presumably feeling the pat-down was too handsy.

She posted a clip of herself performing later in the day and said she was feeling better, but it's clear the TSA moment left its mark. Diana isn't the first celeb to become infuriated with TSA protocol either -- CNN contributor Angela Rye had a testy run-in herself in 2016.

Ben Affleck got a handful as well in 2017 ... and even Kim and Kanye got held up one time, which caused quite a ruckus (and an investigation in the process).

It's unclear if Diana is gonna take her complaint up the chain, but ya gotta imagine if her people come calling to take it any further ... the airport's gonna listen.