You Might Want to Rethink

The Lt. Gov. of Texas is dangling a very expensive carrot in hopes of finding proof of voter fraud ... but what he's really doing is motivating liars to come out of the woodwork.

Yes, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick made the crazy announcement Tuesday ... saying he "will pay up to $1 million to incentivize, encourage and reward people to come forward and report voter fraud." He says the cash will come from his campaign fund.

There is a catch ... Patrick says any whistleblowers would have to turn over evidence that leads to an arrest and conviction in order to get paid. Each person who does that will receive at least $25,000 -- so, Patrick is clearly planning to hook dozens of tipsters.

Remember ... Republicans have filed several affidavits and complaints in courts across the country alleging potential voter fraud and unfair elections, but so far, no court has reversed any election results or confirmed the allegations.

Make no mistake, Patrick is scoring points with President Trump, who still refuses to concede to President-elect Joe Biden. Patrick says he supports "Trump's efforts to identify voter fraud in the presidential election and his commitment to making sure that every legal vote is counted and every illegal vote is disqualified."

With $25k up for grabs, we're guessing Patrick will get plenty of people claiming to have the evidence he's seeking -- whether they actually have it or not.

Tony La Russa has been charged with DUI stemming from a February incident ... where he allegedly crashed his car in Phoenix and was "argumentative" with police.

The 76-year-old -- who was just hired to manage the Chicago White Sox -- allegedly hit a curb just before midnight on Feb. 24 ... which apparently wrecked his tire.

Cops were called to the scene and found La Russa standing next to his SUV ... which was still smoking, according to court docs obtained by ESPN.

La Russa reportedly smelled like alcohol -- and told the responding officer he had recently left a dinner with some old pals with the Los Angeles Angels.

According to the report, La Russa told the officer his tire had blown out -- but the cop didn't exactly believe Tony's story and conducted a field sobriety test.

La Russa was "argumentative" -- and refused to take a breathalyzer or willingly offer a blood sample to measure his blood-alcohol level, according to the court docs.

Now, prosecutors are moving forward with DUI charges and if convicted, he could face jail time ... though it's unlikely in this particular case.

La Russa has a previous DUI conviction stemming from a 2007 incident in Jupiter, Florida ... but since it's been more than 7 years, it wouldn't be a factor in his current DUI case, under Arizona law.

Phil Collins' ex says he's going back on his word to give her 50-50 ownership of the home he's now trying to evict her from, and she's saying he became a filthy mess along the way.

Orianne Cevey filed new docs in the ongoing legal battle between her and her famous musician ex-hubby -- who's trying to boot her from their Florida mansion. In her response, obtained by TMZ, Orianne claims Phil made a deal with her that she says he's now trying to back out on.

Basically, Orianne says that in 2015 ... she and Phil rekindled their relationship, and she claims Phil told her that if she divorced her then-husband, Charles Alami, and relinquished her stake in their $20 million estate on Sunset Island in Miami ... he'd give her a 50% stake in their new pad.

Orianne says she agreed and did exactly that -- even moving back in with Phil and their kids and snapping up a massive property in Miami Beach that she says she made her own over the past 5 years.

After a while though, Orianne says things went south ... as she claims Phil became a hermit and completely secluded himself from the world. She also says he lost his musical talents and began abusing pain killers -- and adding insult to injury ... she says he stank.

Orianne mentions a very detailed state of squalor she says Phil allowed himself to fall into -- claiming he stopped brushing his teeth and refused to shower for damn near a year, from 2019 to 2020. Orianne says his stench became unbearable and that by 2019, he was incapable of having sex. She claims "Philips stench became so pervasive that he became a hermit, refusing to interact personally with any people."

As to the meat of the issue -- Orianne is sticking to her story, that Phil promised her half of the home, and is now trying to jettison her without honoring the deal.

The stench of relationships ... it's in the air tonight.

Michael Jackson's famous Neverland Ranch is the backdrop for a new music video, but it's not for a posthumous MJ track ... it's an artist who allegedly snuck onto the property.

Here's the deal ... up-and-coming artist Daeshard shot his music vid this summer, and while he tells us he had permission to be at Neverland Ranch, the folks who run the property say he's full of it.

MJ fans who came across Daeshard's video started to raise the alarm, saying there's no way someone would be approved to film a project at Neverland Ranch. We reached out to honchos at Colony Capital, which owns the ranch, and they tell us the video was NOT authorized.

Colony Capital claims the people who shot the video, including Daeshard, were trespassing and security asked them to leave, which they did.

Sources close to the situation tell us security spotted 3 individuals with 3 GoPro cameras and an iPhone shooting the video on July 23.

Our sources say security told them they were trespassing, and ordered them to erase the footage and get off the grounds. We're told security erased footage right in front of them and thought everything was erased before they left, and that's the only reason they didn't call the police.

But, Daeshard obviously didn't stop till he got enough ... footage. His music video was recently released, and very clearly shows him rapping all over the ranch.

He also posted a pic from the property ... so, it's not like he's trying to hide it.

Our sources claim the group intentionally hid some of the footage when confronted by security.

Here's hoping this is the last we'll have to hear about "fake news" for a long time -- which, ironically enough, is coming to us courtesy of President Trump's own campaign staffers.

The Trump campaign's Communications Director, Tim Murtaugh, tweeted out a photo this weekend that showed the walls of the interior of their headquarters in Arlington, VA completely plastered with copies of a newspaper front page that read, "President Gore."

The paper was supposedly the front page of the Washington Times from 2000 -- Tim was trying to show they got it wrong and called a Gore win prematurely. He wrote, "Greeting staff @TeamTrump HQ this morning, a reminder that the media doesn't select the President."

The problem ... that front page is FAKE, and the outlet actually called him out over it on Twitter -- noting the photos/headline were doctored, and NOT what they ran at the time.

Of course, somebody tracked down the actual front page TWT ran in 2000 after Election Day, and sure enough ... they actually called it for George W. Bush (which, while still premature the day after, ended up being correct in the end). In other words, actual fake news that Team Trump fell for, and taped up in their offices. Murtaugh eventually deleted his post.

It's just a testament that Trump's delusion about this election and his unfounded claims of a rigged system and voter fraud runs deep through his ranks ... which is not a good sign of what's to come.

PETA's making a strong effort to get Doc Antle in the USDA's crosshairs ... filing a complaint and asking the department to investigate him over Lil Pump's recent visit.

The animal rights org fired off a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture formally requesting it investigate the 'Tiger King' star for apparent violations of the Animal Welfare Act at his Myrtle Beach Safari.

In the letter, obtained by TMZ ... Debbie Metzler, associate director of captive animal law enforcement, cited Lil Pump's trip there this week, and a video that shows him make "direct physical contact with a juvenile tiger."

She claims it violates the law requiring that “dangerous animals such as… tigers… or elephants must be under the direct control and supervision of a knowledgeable and experienced animal handler."

Then there's the Lil Pump encounter with the elephant, Bubbles. Metzler calls the stunt exceptionally dangerous because it could have spooked the elephant and triggered the elephant to bolt and potentially injure people. PETA wants the USDA to hold Antle accountable for any and all violations it discovers during its investigation.

As we reported ... Pump and his boys took a trip to South Carolina and had one helluva close encounter with Bubbles. Video shows Pump getting picked up by the elephant's trunk. The rapper damn near fell off before safely landing on his feet.

The dog owner who was caught on camera slapping around his dog has just been charged ... TMZ has learned.

The Santa Monica City Attorney's Office charged Jeffrey Previte, CEO of an environmental consulting firm in L.A., with 1 count of animal neglect ... a misdemeanor. If convicted, he faces up to 6 months in county jail and a maximum fine of $500.

As we reported ... Previte snapped on the dog, Bici, back in August in the hallway of his Santa Monica apartment building. The video was pretty damn disturbing ... showing Previte dragging, choking and slapping his poor dog after it started peeing.

A professional hotline dedicated to reporting funny business at the polls was inundated with calls alleging voter intimidation this election cycle ... far surpassing anything they saw 4 years ago.

Election Protection is a safe haven for whistleblowers who see something fishy or downright illegal at polling places all over the country -- and according to the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (a nonprofit that manages the hotline) ... 2020 was crazy busy.

A rep for the Lawyers' Committee tells TMZ ... since the month of October, their collection of 40k-plus legal volunteers fielded upwards of 115k calls about potential voter suppression -- which pales in comparison to the total 150k or so calls they got for the ENTIRE year in 2016.

As of this past weekend -- when early voting was in full swing in a majority of states -- we're told EP got a call from out from Hanover, VA about what appeared to be a militia group holding a parade in front of a polling place ... which freaked out some people.

Lawyers' Committee adds that officials on the scene noted there were BLM counter-protesters on hand too -- and that voters were feeling uneasy about the whole thing in general. We're told local authorities were alerted to check it out and make sure nobody was being harassed.

On Tuesday, Lawyers' Committee tells us they received several calls regarding alleged voter intimidation in Florida ... from counties like Hillsborough, Brevard, Palm Beach and more. In Orange County, we're told they got a report of 5 pickup trucks blocking the entrance to a polling place there ... something Election Protection says they flagged to officials.

There are more incidents they were made aware of on Election Day, including pollsters taking temp checks in Virginia -- which some folks thought was meant to keep people from voting -- as well as a heavy reliance on paper ballots, misappropriated voting machines and delayed opening times at polling places in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Ohio and other states.

President Trump's locked and loaded for a loooong night of watching election results ... dishing up comfort foods, and one menu item feels like a troll job aimed at Black Lives Matter demonstrators.

Pigs in a blanket are being served up to Trump's 400 guests watching all the election map drama unfold at the White House. Remember, the President repeatedly accused BLM protesters of shouting an anti-police chant, "Pigs in a blanket, fry 'em like bacon."

The Prez even mentioned it during the final presidential debate.

The hors d'oeuvres are being served individually at the White House, and under glassware. Yes, these pigs in a blanket are super classy! Unclear if they were fried, but they don't appear to be adorned with bacon.

The rest of the menu at the watch party looks similar to what he served to Clemson's national championship football team when they visited the White House during the government shutdown.

Trump's family, chief of staff Mark Meadows, donors and cabinet members are chowing down on sliders, french fries, chicken tenders and a wide selection of desserts.

A couple of kayakers are lucky to be alive after a humpback whale damn near swallowed them whole ... and it was all caught on video.

Julie McSorley and Liz Cottriel were kayaking and whale watching Monday off California's Avila Beach in San Luis Obispo when, out of nowhere, the massive mammal came up to the surface to gobble up a big pool of fish.

Check out the video ... you can see other kayakers and paddle boarders near the whale ... with another kayaker filming the incident from a distance. At first, it appeared like the whale swallowed the women, but their kayak only capsized and they were thrown underwater.

Cottriel told FOX26 News, "I'm thinking to myself, 'I'm gonna push.' Like, I'm gonna push a whale out of the way! It was the weirdest thought. I'm thinking, 'I'm dead. I'm dead.' I thought it was gonna land on me. Next thing I know, I'm underwater."

Several paddle boarders reportedly came to their rescue before they hopped back on their kayak and rode back to shore. Cottriel said when they got back to the car "I was shaking my shirt and a bunch of fish came out of my shirt." None of the women suffered injuries ... but McSorely reportedly lost her car keys.

There's deep concern for what will happen tonight and beyond in the streets of America, regardless of who wins the Presidential election, and we've learned the feds have spent millions to protect the candidates and the building they want to live in.

According to federal docs obtained by TMZ, the Secret Service has dished out $2.6 million in security expenses to protect Donald Trump and Joe Biden tonight -- money earmarked for contractors who specialize in setting up secure perimeters at political events.

One company, Arcus Group LLC, is raking in $988,788 to secure the perimeter of the White House on Election Night. Another company, Showcall Security Services will collect $1.6 mil to keep Joe Biden safe in Delaware Tuesday night.

Each company will construct barriers and walls to keep people out. As you've seen by now, the perimeter of The White House has already been fortified.

Cities across the U.S. are also preparing for the worst ... businesses from Washington D.C. to Beverly Hills have been boarded up out of fear of potential unrest. Police forces have beefed up their operations as well, bringing in additional officers and reinforcements.

President Trump has a thought or two about big-name music acts who perform for Joe Biden these days -- especially Jon Bon Jovi, whom he claims is a total brownnoser.

POTUS rallied Monday in Avoca, PA and talked about the fact Lady Gaga is set to perform for Joe Biden at a dueling rally in the Keystone State later today. He claimed to know "a lot of stories" about her, suggesting she's not so "good" -- whatever that means.

As you might've heard, Gaga's doing a show for the Democratic nominee on the eve of the election ... something she also did for Hillary Clinton, as well, back in 2016. Guess Biden's not superstitious.

Trump also went after Bon Jovi, who performed at a Biden drive-in rally last week, and claimed the dude kisses his ass in private. Yep, the President actually said that.

BTW, Jon also performed for Hillary in 2016 -- and in keeping with that theme ... Trump even took some shots at Jay-Z, another one of Hillary's marquee music acts that year. His performance was a little controversial at the time because he used explicit language.

He made sure to remind everyone about Jay dropping f-bombs ... which apparently has DT clutching his pearls.

A guy in Montana thought it'd be a great idea to war a Ku Klux Klan outfit for Halloween -- and, apparently, so did the people at the bar who voted him as having the best costume.

This happened in Glasgow, MT Saturday night, where witnesses say this guy was bar hopping around town and stopped at a joint called Sam & Jeff's. Patrons there loved his homage to hatred and awarded him the grand prize for the bar's costume contest.

Lots of people took photos of him, naturally and it's stirred outrage in the community. Many people are calling out Sam & Jeff's, and another bar, Dink's, which allowed him to wear the KKK getup.

The backlash had an impact. The man under the hood has identified himself as Luke Morehouse, and he apologized on Facebook ... as did the owner of Sam & Jeff's.

The bar owner, Sam Knodel, says he's deeply sorry for the "distasteful and offensive actions" that went down at his place of business. He adds that although Halloween's full of offensive costumes, this one crossed the line ... and should not have infiltrated the bar on their watch.

As for the contest, Knodel explains that the bar flies were the ones who deemed him the winner ... and that in no way reflects the views of himself or his partners.

Morehouse also apologized -- albeit somewhat in an ass-backward way. He admits his costume was offensive and disgusting, and didn't think of the repercussions. While saying sorry to those he offended, he also says in the same breath, "What started as an innocent costume escalated and there are no excuses for it and I can not take that back."

President Trump gave his Florida rally crowd what they wanted -- a strong suggestion he's going to send Dr. Anthony Fauci packing after the election.

Trump was addressing his supporters in Opa-locka shortly after midnight when he began talking about COVID-19 ... specifically, repeating his misleading claim that the country is "rounding the turn" on the pandemic as cases and deaths surge.

This prompted the crowd to break out in a "Fire Fauci!" chant, to which the Prez implied he's already planning to ax America's leading infectious disease expert.

Trump said ... "Don't tell anybody, but let me wait until a little bit after the election ... I appreciate the advice." The crowd loved it.

The President added that Fauci's a good guy but has been wrong about a lot, something he's repeated as they've openly feuded in the media over the last months.

Trump recently said the country is tired of listening to "Fauci and these idiots." If he wins, seems likely Trump would take that as a sign most of the country agrees with him.

Megan Fox just went scorched Earth on her ex, Brian Austin Green, for posting a Halloween photo with their youngest son ... and she didn't pull any punches.

BAG threw up the post on IG Sunday, which depicted him at home in a Yeti costume and his and Meg's boy, Journey, behind him in what appears to be a Spider-Man outfit. Brian's doing some goofy pose, and he captioned it ... "Hope you all had a good Halloween!"

Innocent enough, right? WRONG!!!! At least according to Megan, who left one hell of a public comment ... ripping BAG to shreds.

She writes, "Why does Journey have to be in this picture? It’s not hard to crop them out. Or choose photos that they aren’t in." Megan adds, "I had a great halloween with them yesterday, and yet notice how absent they are from my social media."

She continued, saying ... "I know you love your kids. But I don’t know why you can’t stop using them to posture via Instagram. You’re so intoxicated with feeding the pervasive narrative that I’m an absent mother, and you are the perennial, eternally dedicated dad of the year. You have them half of the time. Congratulations you truly are a remarkable human!"

One last jab from Megan ... "Why do you need the internet to echo back to you what should be inexhaustibly evident in the way your children love you?" Oof, gut punch. Then again ... Brian has posted his three boys' faces before, so it's strange MF flipped over this.

We've reached out to Brian for comment ... so far, no word back, and we're guessing he's not gonna respond.

President Trump is reportedly gearing up to prematurely declare himself the winner of Tuesday night's election if he gets an early lead ... but Kamala Harris has other plans.

Axios published a story Sunday, claiming sources in Trump's inner circle have heard he's actively making plans to call himself the definitive winner if it looks like he's ahead of Joe Biden in a handful of key states -- namely, Ohio, Florida, Texas, Arizona and other key holdings.

The report says Trump has spoken to people in his camp and ran the scenario of him walking up to the podium and claiming victory ... even if all the votes aren't counted yet.

Well, to that Kamala basically says ... PSSSHHH, PLEASE! Reporters asked the Democratic VP-hopeful about the story Sunday, and she told them Trump wouldn't even have the opportunity to do that, because she and Joe Biden plan on cleaning up nationwide.

She says, "Well, first of all, we plan to decisively win this election. So, I don't, I don't think we're going to need to get to that point." Well said ... sounds like she's confident.

Still, if the Axios report is true and Trump follows through ... it sounds like this election is going to be hotly contested, and a winner will likely not be announced Tuesday -- assuming it's close. Remember, the 2016 election wasn't called until very late in the night.