You Might Want to Rethink

College kids attending Brigham Young University-Idaho might have intentionally contracted the coronavirus in order to sell their plasma containing antibodies ... and they're in big trouble if it's true.

The university has launched an investigation into reports of its students deliberately exposing themselves and others to COVID-19 with the hope of getting it, then getting paid for their antibody-rich plasma.

BYU-Idaho says it's "deeply troubled" by the allegations, adding it "condemns this behavior and is actively seeking evidence of any such conduct among our student body."

Students found to have engaged in this COVID-for-cash scheme will be suspended immediately and could be kicked out of school permanently ... according to the university.

It adds ... "The contraction and spread of COVID-19 is not a light matter. Reckless disregard for health and safety will inevitably lead to additional illness and loss of life in our community."

The school also warns that if coronavirus cases in the county and in Idaho continue to trend upward ... it may be forced to go to full-time remote learning.

Even though he came within a cougar's whisker of death ... the hiker who was stalked by the big cat for more than 6 minutes, says he's got no beef with the animal.

Kyle Burgess is the guy whose voice you heard during that terrifying wild encounter in Utah, and he tells TMZ the whole ordeal was actually his fault ... although unintentionally.

Kyle says he had stumbled upon what he thought was an adult bobcat during the hike on Slate Canyon Trail near Provo, and that's why he pulled out his phone to record.

Of course, as he quickly and scarily learned, it was a cougar cub ... and Kyle says he totally gets why the adult was protecting its young.

"It was doing what it's supposed to do" ... that's how he sees it, and that's why he doesn't want anyone -- wildlife officials or others -- harming the animal.

Crazy as it may sound, Kyle says he's not scared to return to the scene of his brush with danger. Check out his explanation ... it's logical, but we doubt most people would do the same.

Not after getting stalked by such a pissed off kitty.

Somebody sent notorious prisoner Erik Menendez some herb from the outside -- and now, officials are trying to figure out if he was in on it ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us ... Menendez was moved into isolation Monday at the R.J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego -- where he's currently incarcerated -- after some mail arrived for him ... a package containing a bunch of weed. The area where he's being housed is called the Administrative Segregation Unit.

We're told the package of marijuana was intercepted by prison personnel. Prison officials have launched an investigation ... and we're told one of the things they want to know is whether Erik planned on either distributing the weed or using it as currency, or whether it was just for his personal use.

Our sources say Menendez was siloed away in a separate wing, away from other inmates. Prior to the incident, he could interact with fellow prisoners in the yard, but for now, pending the investigation, he's all by his lonesome.

If prison officials conclude Erik had someone from the outside send him the weed, the matter would be referred to the D.A. for prosecution.

A Louisiana kid put himself in the driver's seat of a vehicle where he'd normally be a passenger -- his school bus -- and there's video of him leading cops on a wild high-speed chase.

The unidentified 11-year-old boy was busted Sunday in Baton Rouge after cops say he somehow managed to start a school bus, and then fled from police when they tried stopping him. What followed, according to authorities, was an intense 45-MINUTE PURSUIT through city streets.

Cops say the kid taunted and flipped off officers as they gave chase, before eventually crashing into a tree. The real miracle here is the kid was okay, and was immediately arrested. Cops say he also hit 3 other vehicles along the way, but no one was seriously hurt.

As for the kid ... you can see from the pics taken by WAFB he was placed in handcuffs at the scene. He was booked on charges of theft of a vehicle, aggravated flight, damage to property and aggravated assault.

A man adventuring through a Utah hiking trail stumbled across perhaps the worst thing you could find in the wild -- a big cat predator -- which tracked him for 6 terrifying minutes.

Kyle Burgess posted a full video of the terrifying encounter that went down this weekend at what he says is the Slate Canyon Trail near Provo, UT -- footage that shows him coming across a couple cougar cubs along his run ... only to come face-to-face with their mother.

As soon as he recognizes the mountain lion is hot on his trail, he starts to backpedal slowly, trying not to startle the beast or trigger it to pounce -- but it did rush at him several times!

Burgess tried different methods to scare it off, including using some foul language. Watch the video -- ya can't blame him it all under these circumstances. Not that there's anything funny about this ... BUT, we'll admit, Kyle repeatedly calling a wild animal that could've killed him, "dude" ... got us to chuckle.

The cliché of making yourself "getting big" against Mother Nature appears to have saved his ass. That and a well tossed stone!

Just wild video, and Kyle should have needed some fresh shorts.

Pennsylvania's Second Lady -- the Lt. Governor's wife -- was accosted by a woman who hurled racist epithets and told her to get out of the U.S.

Gisele Barreto Fetterman -- who's married to Lt. Gov. John Fetterman -- had to deal with this ugly encounter Sunday when she went to the grocery store alone ... getting recognized by a woman in line who had to the gall to verbally attack her and follow her out to the lot.

Fetterman says she was able to capture some of the lady's hateful remarks -- including a clear use of the n-word -- after she got back into her vehicle and pulled it together in between crying. She writes, "This behavior and this hatred is taught. If you know her, if she is your neighbor or relative, please, please teach her love instead."

For what it's worth, Fetterman is of Brazilian descent and is not Black. Still, the fact this woman weaponized such a racist term shows you some folks are just way too comfortable these days hurling it ... at anyone.

The incident also highlights how divided the country is right now -- which Fetterman also noted on Twitter. Of course, Pennsylvania is a huge swing state in the upcoming election ... and while recent polls show POTUS trailing there, much of it is still Trump country.

Joe Biden lawn signs are triggering people in certain parts of the country ... like this woman who threatened to sue her neighbor in an epic meltdown captured on video.

Home security footage shows the lady storming up to her neighbor's front door, ringing the doorbell twice and demanding to talk. When the other woman inside says she can't come to the door, the lady breaks out the neighborhood bylaws. Oh, snap!

Her angrily stated argument ... posting a political sign in the front lawn is against neighborhood rules, and she's threatening legal action if her neighbor doesn't "take this Harris, Biden s*** down!!!"

She doesn't stop there ... she claims she was gonna have the neighbor sell her house, but is gonna find someone else to do it instead.

After citing the alleged bylaw infraction again, the lady storms away and walks over the lawn right past the Biden sign.

Demi Lovato's abrupt end to her engagement still has the would-be groom down in the dumps -- he's also down at the beach where he got on bended knee, clearly heartbroken.

Here's actor Max Ehrich out in Malibu this weekend -- supposedly, at the same beach where asked Demi to be his wife not too long ago ... to which she said yes. The guy's seen sitting by himself, and at one point ... gets up to walk a bit before plopping back down to sulk.

It's pretty sad to see ... obviously, the breakup -- which he still maintains he learned about through a tabloid -- has him shaken up. Remember, they had gotten engaged just a couple months ago ... until they weren't, when Demi confirmed she'd called things off.

We ran into Max this past week at LAX, and he pleaded with people to stop bullying him over the split -- and to give both he and Demi their privacy without trying to villainize anyone.

Dr. Anthony Fauci is pushing back on Donald Trump in a big way, calling shenanigans on a new campaign ad that makes it look like the good Doc is endorsing the Prez.

The Trump campaign just released a new ad called "Carefully," in which they describe POTUS recovering from the virus, like so many other Americans are also doing and have already done.

The spot lists Trump's alleged achievements and the screen flashes to a soundbite from a Fauci interview, in which he says "I can't imagine that ... anybody could be doing more." This makes it seem like AF was talking about DT, but that's not the case.

Fauci came out and said the Trump administration used this segment without his permission -- but, more importantly, they took his words out of context. He adds, "In my nearly five decades of public service, I have never publicly endorsed any political candidate."

These comments are actually from an interview he did with FOX News' Mark Levin, in which he praised federal health officials and the Trump administration's coronavirus task force on how they were responding to the pandemic -- which he characterized as "impressive" and "all hands on deck." So, not a Trump compliment ... tangential at best.

Donald Trump says he now has a "protective glow" ... his way of saying he somehow has immunity from coronavirus.

Trump appeared on Maria Bartiromo's FNC show, "Sunday Morning Futures" and said he believes he now has immunity from the virus. He did not say if his tests are now negative for COVID. It's possible his doctors were able to measure the level of COVID in his system and make such a determination, but his doctors have been mum for nearly a week.

The President's planning trips to battleground states on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, starting with Florida. As we reported, he hosted an event Saturday on the South Lawn of the White House.

Trump tried shading Joe Biden on the show, saying, "It seems like I'm immune, so I can go way out of a basement." Fact is ... Biden's been out of his basement for weeks. He's been able to campaign because he's been wearing masks and socially distancing so he didn't get COVID and land in the hospital.

Trump's attitude toward his COVID treatment has alarmed doctors and scientists, who believe he continues to send an incorrect, dangerous message about the perils of COVID. Trump, who called the virus a "blessing from God," has been a terrible patient ... leaving his hospital bed for a drive-by rally, going back to the White House without wearing a mask, working in the Oval Office rather than self-isolating, holding a rally on the South Lawn, and on and on.

Eric Trump says the presidency has cost his dad an arm and a leg combating the forces out to get him -- and that he doesn't really need the headache ... music to many people's ears.

The President's son -- who helps heads up at the Trump Organization -- was on ABC Sunday morning and asked about a new NYT report suggesting Trump engaged in several alleged pay-for-play deals with private companies, special interest groups and even foreign governments who patronized his hotels and resorts in exchange for lucrative contracts granted by Uncle Sam -- supposedly, to return the favor on Trump's behalf.

Rather than respond to the allegations, Eric went on an off-topic tirade ... repeating talking points from his father and accusing ABC, the Dems and the NYT of sabotaging DT. But, he also revealed Trump's apparently been bleeding money over these 4 years in office.

Eric said something else noteworthy ... "the last thing ... Donald Trump needs in the world is this job," going on to say that he sticks it out because it's the "right" thing to do for America.

When pressed on the actual story he was supposed to be responding to, ET eventually offered an answer ... saying millions of people stay at their hotels and properties each year, and that the NYT is "fake news." The interview was cut short quickly afterward.

Kanye West just confirmed he is definitely NOT down to be second banana in this election -- he says he wants the whole enchilada or nothing at all.

Ye's campaign just sent out a note letting voters in Cali know he's gunning for President, not Vice Prez ... and although he's a VP candidate for the American Independent Party on California ballots, he'd actually prefer folks to write him in as the main guy.

He says, "I am campaigning to be the next President of our great country -- not Vice President. The political party in California that listed my name as its VP candidate has done so without my knowledge." Ye adds a direct plea to the good people of the Golden State.

His remarks end with, "Californians, I ask for your vote for President and urge you to write in 'Kanye West.'" Kanye's request comes on the heels of what a buddy of his recently did ... namely, writing him in and snapping a photo of their ballot to prove they voted Ye.

Mail-in ballots have started to be sent out to folks here on the West Coast -- and the moment of truth is upon us ... even a few weeks before actual election day. The pic Kanye posted got tons of people riled up on Twitter this week ... who couldn't believe someone had actually cast their ballot for the rapper/producer.

One woman must've had Elvis lyrics in her head as she stormed into a Target, hunted for her fiance in a bride's dress and demanded his hand in marriage ... it's now or never.

Check out this video of a gal on a mission to walk down the aisle, but first having to peruse other types of aisles so she could confront her Target employee hubby-to-be with a minister in tow. Eventually, she finds him stocking something ... and it pops off.

Customers recorded the awkward scene, and you can make out the gist of what's happening here. Bridezilla tells her man she wants to get married right there and then, or she's ending things between them for good. The ultimate ultimatum.

She says he put an engagement ring on her finger 2 years ago -- but hasn't pulled the trigger yet ... and she's sick of waiting. The dude is clearly uncomfortable, and asks her if they can talk outside. The woman agrees, but it sounds like her mind is made up.

It's funny too, as the caravan of people passes the photog ... you can hear the fiance say something to the effect of, "Could someone had told me then?" Sounds like he was caught as much off guard as anyone else witnessing this bizarre love blitz.

Donald Trump went back to the scene of the crime -- AKA a public event at The White House -- to host Black and brown people ... while he's still recovering from COVID-19.

Our COVID-riddled POTUS threw a campaign event Saturday along the South Lawn of the White House, which was meant to cater to supporters of his who are POC ... a group that, statistically speaking, has been unequally infected by the virus -- and often worse.

Trump came out to a terrace-like area with a waiting podium to address the crowd that had formed below -- almost like Mussolini from the balcony ... it seriously had that type of vibe.

Anyway, his remarks were brief -- but it was definitely in the spirit of a traditional Trump rally ... which was an odd scene, considering Trump is usually pretty polished whenever he does White House gigs. Here, it was about as unhinged and off-the-cuff as he might get at a stadium somewhere, except the backdrop of the White House was front and center.

Trump rambled about how his administration had done more for Black and Latino people in this country than probably any president in history -- stuff we've heard him say before -- and he also threw some lines out jabbing at Joe Biden and the "socialist" Democrats. He told his audience -- which were decked out in light blue shirts and red hats -- that they needed to vote the other party to oblivion come Election Day ... which drew cheers from everyone.

He also said he felt great health-wise, and again referred to COVID as the "China virus." Trump went on to promise to eradicate coronavirus all over the world once a vaccine was developed here at home ... something he assured them was right around the corner.

While it's unclear exactly how many people were in attendance -- it's fair to say it was around a few hundred or so. Almost similar to the Amy Coney Barrett event which became a super-spreader event 2 weeks ago to the day. The White House is now riddled with 'rona.

Frankly, today's event was reckless ... even if Trump was far enough from the crowd. No one will be tested, there will be no mandatory mask-wearing and, based on history, there's not likely to be social distancing. Trump did call this a "protest" ... but it's one that could potentially leave people sick or dead -- the White House is a hazard area these days.

The event was organized by ultra-conservative Candace Owens, who launched a "Blexit" campaign urging Black voters to leave the Dems. The theme -- "Remarks to Peaceful Protesters for Law & Order."

Trump will speak from the Truman Balcony. It's unclear if he'll have a face-to-face reception before or after, like he did with the Amy Coney Barrett event.

Although Trump says he feels "perfect" ... there are lots of deep concerns. He clearly still has a cough -- you could hear it when he spoke with Hannity -- and no one at the White House will say if Trump's still testing positive for the virus.  He's also on steroids, which mask symptoms.

Trump is doing everything most doctors say a COVID-positive patient should not be doing. He is not self-isolating, he is exposing himself to an untold number of staff, he is not wearing a mask, he is not resting.

In fairness ... the White House has "instructed" guests to wear masks, but ultimately it seems like it's optional, because the invite goes on to say attendees are "strongly encouraged" to follow CDC guidelines ... including wearing masks and socially distancing. They won't be tested ... just temperature checked.

Although the number of guests are expected to be in the hundreds, 2,000 invitations went out.

The Archbishop of New Orleans is outraged that a priest allegedly had sex inside a church, so he's doing an exorcism of sorts by having the altar removed and burned!!!

Archbishop Gregory Aymond called the act "demonic." As for how it went down ... someone called the cops after allegedly seeing the priest at the Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church, saying they saw the man of the cloth with 2 high-heeled women wearing corsets. He was dressed in his priestly issue ... well, only partially. The witness shot video of the encounter and went to cops.

The priest and the 2 women were arrested for allegedly violating an obscenity law that prohibits people from having sex in public view. What's bizarre here ... the only way the witness could have seen it was to peer through the windows.

It's a breathtaking comment ... Senator Lindsey Graham said South Carolina cops don't pose any problems for Black people and immigrants ... as long as they're of the conservative persuasion.

Graham dropped the comment during a debate of sorts between him and his rival, Democrat Jaime Harrison. The Senator said the killing of George Floyd "was wrong and people should pay the price." BUT ... Graham said there's a war in America -- a war against police. He said, "Do I believe that our cops are systemically racist? No. Do I believe that South Carolina is a racist state? No."

And, then he said this ... "If you are a young, African American, an immigrant, you can go anywhere in this State. You just need to be conservative, not liberal."

It's a bizarre comment. Is he talking politics, and if so, is the idea to show cops you're a card-carrying Republican? And, why aren't liberals free to roam without fear in S.C.?