You Might Want to Rethink

Like many of her colleagues, AOC condemned the decision to force hundreds of National Guard soldiers to take their breaks in a frigid parking garage instead of the warm Capitol building, but she went a step further by offering them her office couch for a nap ... and snacks.

The National Guard members were ordered out of the Capitol Building Thursday by Capitol Police, and told to either take their rest breaks outside or in a nearby parking garage ... which resulted in some truly bad optics and, frankly, shockingly inhumane treatment.

The Guardsmen and women were packed like sardines in the parking garage -- "breathing in exhaust fumes and covid" as one reporter put it -- after spending the past several days in D.C. to protect the Capitol and provide increased security for Joe Biden's inauguration.

Though the reason behind the Capitol Police ordering the Guard to move out Thursday is unclear, it sure seems the reasoning is that they didn't want the building to look like an armed camp.  The move drew condemnation by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, and some of the guard members said they felt betrayed.

The good news -- AOC's tweet and the outrage of other members apparently forced an about face ... all of the service members were allowed back inside the building for the night.

A National Guard spokesperson shed some light on what went down Thursday, saying ... "As Congress is in session and increased foot traffic and business is being conducted, Capitol Police asked the troops to move their rest area. They were temporarily relocated to the Thurgood Marshall Judicial Center garage with heat and restroom facilities."

Well, there was just one restroom with 2 stalls available to the 5,000 troops who were told to leave the Capitol ... and temperatures dipped into the low 40s by nightfall.

And, if you want to know what it might be like to be exposed to the elements in D.C. ... well, just look at frigid Tom Hanks during the Inauguration show.

Donald Trump is no longer president, but his supporters still turned up at state capitols across the country to protest President Biden's inauguration ... a handful of them anyway.

It appears that in at least a few states -- Maine, New York, Utah and Arizona -- only a lone supporter of 45 arrived at the government building to express their right to peacefully protest.

In New Hampshire ... those numbers were doubled, maybe tripled.

A man named Mark Leggiero was the solo Trumper out in front of the New York State Capitol. According to reports he drove 45 minutes for the demonstration and expected a few thousand others. So, he's disappointed.

As we've reported ... the authorities have been warning of the potential for big turnouts and violence by far-right groups gathering at state capitols ever since the U.S. Capitol attack on January 6.

Donald Trump's in jeopardy of losing another vote -- this one with Hollywood's labor union -- and it could cost him a return to his beloved 'Apprentice.'

Trump is facing expulsion from SAG-AFTRA, with the union's board of directors set to gather Tuesday for a special session that could decide DT's fate ... according to Deadline.

There's a lot riding on Tuesday's meeting regarding possible disciplinary action for Trump ... if he's expelled from the Screen Actors Guild, he couldn't do "The Apprentice" again.

As you know, Trump starred in "The Apprentice" and 'Celebrity Apprentice' before becoming President, and he's been a union member since 1989.

Trump's expulsion requires a two-thirds vote from the national board, and Tuesday's emergency meeting is just the first step in a long process, which includes a hearing on the charges he's facing.

The SAG-AFTRA Constitution says members can be expelled or suspended for "engaging in actions antagonistic to the interests or integrity of the union." Trump's repeatedly labeled the media an enemy of the people, but the insurrection seems to be the tipping point here.

Stay tuned.

The alleged Capitol rioter accused of swiping Nancy Pelosi's laptop -- possibly intending to give it to Russia -- has turned herself in, but she's not facing theft charges ... yet.

Instead, the feds have booked Riley Williams for the same slew of charges as several other alleged insurrectionists -- basically, trespassing, violent entry and disorderly conduct. She was seen on video taking part in the Capitol attacks, and according to court docs ... appeared by a staircase near Pelosi's office.

In the docs, the feds say Williams' former partner contacted the FBI several times in the days after Jan. 6, claiming Williams planned to give Pelosi's laptop or hard drive to a friend ... who would turn it over to Russian intelligence.

The partner claimed she'd seen video of Williams swiping the laptop from Pelosi's office -- but the Russia plan fell through. The partner claims Williams still has the laptop or she destroyed it.

The FBI says the theft allegation's still under investigation.

As you know ... Pelosi's office was a hot spot for the insurrectionists, who included Richard Barnett, the man who was photographed with his foot up on her desk.

Barnett -- who left a "nasty note" behind for Pelosi and took a piece of her mail -- was arrested on multiple criminal charges.

New York Mets GM Jared Porter -- who had just helped the team land Francisco Lindor in a blockbuster trade -- has been fired ... after he admitted to sending a penis picture to a female reporter.

The journalist -- described in a bombshell ESPN report as "a foreign correspondent who had moved to the United States to cover Major League Baseball" --- told ESPN through an interpreter under the condition of anonymity that she had met Porter while he was working in the Chicago Cubs' front office in 2016.

The woman says the two had seen each other in an elevator at Yankee Stadium and exchanged business cards. Soon after, she claims he began texting her.

Copies of the texts were obtained by ESPN ... and they showed Porter and the woman initially had casual conversations. But, the baseball exec began complimenting her, messages show, calling her "pretty," "beautiful," and "gorgeous."

At one point, she says Porter asked if she had a boyfriend.

The messages show Porter invited the woman repeatedly to meet up with him in different cities across the U.S. ... and, eventually, the messages show Porter sent her a picture of a man with a bulge in the groin area on a bed in front of a TV.

The woman says she stopped responding after that photo ... but says Porter kept on messaging.

The woman claims Porter sent over 60 texts to her ... with one featuring a naked, erect penis. She says after he sent her that photo, she demanded he stop.

"This is extremely inappropriate, very offensive, and getting out of line. Could you please stop sending offensive photos or msg," the woman wrote.

The woman says Porter later apologized.

When reached by ESPN for comment, Porter admitted to texting with the woman ... adding, "the more explicit ones are not of me. Those are like, kinda like joke-stock images."

The Mets said Monday they would look into it all ... and early Tuesday morning, team owner Steve Cohen announced he was firing Porter.

"We have terminated Jared Porter this morning," Cohen said. "In my initial press conference I spoke about the importance of integrity and I meant it. There should be zero tolerance for this type of behavior."

Team president Sandy Alderson added in a statement, "Jared's actions, as reflected by events disclosed last night, failed to meet the Mets' standards for professionalism and personal conduct."

The Trump supporter who spit on a Black Lives Matter protester on camera during an argument has a big problem ... he's now a criminal defendant.

Prosecutors in Massachusetts charged Scott Marberblatt with assault and battery. An officer on duty at last month's protest said he witnessed Marberblatt spitting and coughing on a BLM protester.

The alleged victim, Marcus Johnson, tells TMZ ... he was with his mom, who was holding a BLM sign, when the guy started arguing with them that "all lives matter" ... then suddenly, he was on the receiving end of the gross discharge.

Aside from the obvious, Marcus had a deeper concern -- coronavirus. He says he couldn't get a COVID test immediately after the incident, so he self-isolated for days. He says he was finally able to get a COVID test, which came back negative.

An autistic teenager died after being restrained by Sheriff's deputies following a violent episode between the teen and his dad, and now ... his parents are suing the department, claiming they suffocated the kid to death.

Donna Lou and Daren Parsa have filed a lawsuit against the Jefferson Parish Sheriff in Louisiana over an incident last January that left 16-year-old Eric Parsa dead ... which the parents allege happened because deputies on the scene sat on him for 9 minutes.

The lawsuit claims on January 19, 2020 ... Eric and his family were leaving a laser tag facility at a shopping center, when for some reason he started attacking his dad in what his parents describe as a "meltdown" related to his condition.

Cops were called while Daren tried restraining Eric, and eventually, a few deputies arrived and handcuffed him while also shackling his feet ... all the while holding him in a face-down position on the parking lot pavement as he continued to squirm and struggle.

Eric's parents allege one deputy placed all his body weight onto the kid in the face-down position for nearly 10 minutes, and that at one point ... another deputy reportedly put him into a chokehold, and never once moved him on his side so he could breathe properly.

The lawsuit claims it was only when Eric's body went limp and he urinated himself that deputies turned him over, but it was too late. Eric was taken to a hospital, where he went into cardiac arrest and died. The family says the cops used unreasonable and excessive force that directly caused Eric's death.

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office denounced the lawsuit, saying it contained malicious and false claims about the deputies who tried to help that day ... and that they'll fight this in court.

The altercation was captured on surveillance video from afar ... so it's difficult to make out exactly what happens on camera. There was clearly a tussle that went on for several minutes, and it does appear some people -- including a shirtless man -- were on top of Eric, who's in the black shirt.

While the suit doesn't appear to mention training -- or a lack thereof -- the family does seem to imply deputies were ill-equipped to handle this situation ... which has echoes of Patrick Warren, another person with mental health issues who was fatally shot by police last week.

This is a story of life and death -- two 911 calls a day apart to help a man with a mental disability, two different officers respond, and in the first case the man lives and in the second he's shot dead ... and the proof is in the 2 videos below.

Patrick Warren -- the unarmed Black man who was shot and killed in Texas after having an episode that required de-escalation -- was able to get the help he needed just one day prior to his death ... proving that training makes a world of difference in these situations.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 9TH -- Patrick was behaving erratically so a family member called 911 for help. A Mental Health Resource officer with de-escalation training responds, greets Patrick and asks if they could sit on the sofa and talk. The officer listened to Patrick unload his feelings and he began calming down. They continued to talk, and then the officer told Patrick he was concerned about him and maybe it was a good idea to get checked out.

TMZ has obtained new Ring doorbell video from Patrick's family home, showing the officer and Patrick walk calmly to the car. The officer took Patrick to the hospital where doctors examined him and then he went home.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 10TH Another 911 call, but this time no Mental Health Resource officers were available, so police officers showed up. As you have seen from the video, this went the opposite of de-escalation. Patrick failed to follow orders, so he was tased and ultimately shot dead.

Mind you ... the 2,911 calls were for the identical problem with the same person, yet the techniques could not have been more different -- nor could the result.

BTW ... the Mental Health Resource Unit is part of the Police Department. Maybe one solution would be to increase the number of officers in that unit so they would be available whenever such calls come in.

Bow Wow's catching heat for performing at a packed club this weekend, but more than him ... the people who put their lives at risk here who are catching major heat.

The rapper was one of a handful of artists who showed up Friday night to Cle Houston for a bash celebrating club promoter Larry Morrow's birthday ... with some footage from the event leaking online, showing just how packed it got -- packed and mostly unmasked.

Meek Mill and J. Prince Jr. were also there ... neither seemed to be wearing masks.

Anyway, the clip making the rounds captures the audience below the stage, and it's clear there are upwards of 100 people (and probably more) looking on as Bow Wow performed. They were singing the lyrics to his song "Like You" ... before BW jumped in to finish it off.

People were quick to criticize Bow Wow for participating in what appears to be a clearly unsafe event, especially as the pandemic continues to rage and cases surge -- especially there in Houston, which just reported over 24k new positive patients Friday alone.

Along with the criticism came jokes at Bow Wow's expense, with many openly wondering why anyone in their right mind would put their life on the line for ... a Bow Wow show. Even actor Zach Braff got in on the mockery, writing ... "I thought about it and have decided I’m not willing to die for Bow Wow." A lot of other folks felt the same way.

Of course, this comes about a week after he posted a video of himself on a boat with a bunch of ladies, all of whom weren't masked up. Basically, the guy seems to be flouting COVID protocols, and people are taking notice and calling him out.

The United passengers who risked their own health to give aid to a man who had COVID-19 have been compensated for the "inconvenience" ... with vouchers barely worth a round trip anywhere.

Tony Aldapa -- one of the passengers who performed CPR on the COVID-infected man for 45 minutes -- tells TMZ, he got a call from a United rep Thursday thanking him for his assistance during the crisis, and letting him know a $200 electronic travel certificate would be emailed to him.

Tony says the rep didn't mention anything about the man who died having the coronavirus, and the email from United simply says ... "We apologize for the inconvenience you experienced on your recent trip."

Steven Chang also assisted the ill passenger, and likewise ... got a thank you call and a $200 voucher. We're told Chang's wife, who was also on the December 14 flight, did not get a voucher. Neither did a couple other passengers who were on the flight -- Megan Hubbard and Cameron Roberts. So, it seems United is only dishing out travel cash to those directly involved in trying to save the COVID positive passenger.

You'll recall, United said the man claimed he had not been diagnosed with COVID and had no symptoms, but his wife commented during the emergency that he had recently lost his sense of taste and smell and had trouble breathing.

He died at a hospital shortly after an emergency landing in New Orleans, and it was later confirmed he had COVID.

Despite all that, United told us it wasn't their job to notify passengers they may have been exposed to the virus, and instead passed the buck to the CDC.

Aldapa told us it took a full 10 days before he was contacted by the L.A. County Dept. of Public Health ... telling him what he already knew.

Airbnb is blocking and canceling reservations in the D.C. area for Inauguration Day, but supporters and protesters looking for a crash pad have a plan B ... they're flocking to Craigslist.

The online classifieds site is fast becoming the place to go for those looking to sleep somewhere other than a hotel for the Inauguration ... with accommodations ranging from apartments to homes, to vacation properties.

TMZ did some digging and here's what the inauguration rental landscape looks like on Craigslist:

One-bedroom apartments a little over a mile from the Capitol are running $250 per night, but there's a catch ... ya gotta book a minimum of 3 nights. That gets ya a fully furnished pad with a full kitchen that could come in handy due to COVID restrictions at restaurants.

A little further out from the Capitol -- 2.2 miles or a 15-minute drive -- 600-square-foot apartments loaded with amenities are running around $90 a night for 2 people.

One reason for low prices -- low demand, or at least that's what the Biden administration is hoping. They're encouraging people to take in the Inauguration from the comfort and safety of their own homes. Remember, the National Mall, where inauguration crowds typically gather, is now closed to the public due to heightened security.

For those who persist, and are traveling in big groups, nearby Arlington, VA has larger accommodations ... for instance, you can get 3 days in a 4-bedroom, 3-bath home for a total of $1,650. Again, that's a deep discount from the usual price of $4,500. There are also 5-bedroom options in Arlington.

A Florida substitute teacher who was caught on video telling students Antifa was responsible for the Capitol riot has been fired ... TMZ has learned.

Dr. Damien Moses, principal at Bok Academy in Lake Wales, FL., tells TMZ ... the teacher's conduct was immediately dealt with following the incident from earlier this week. Moses said, "We met with her and she has been dismissed not only from our school, but also from the Lake Wales Charter School System."

A student at the academy started recording the substitute teacher's rant during a middle school language arts class in which she falsely claimed 3 Antifa members were paid to storm the Capitol in last week's failed coup, and were solely responsible for the violence.

Remember ... the FBI has said there is no indication Antifa played a role in the mob that stormed the Capitol.

The substitute teacher was referencing a Washington Times story from last week with the headline "Facial Recognition Claims Antifa Infiltrated Trump Protesters who Stormed Capitol." The story has since been retracted ... after the Singapore-based XRVision tech company refuted the report, adding the company was never in contact with the outlet.

You can hear the student recording the video tell the sub rioters were seen wearing MAGA hats and Trump flags ... but the sub fired back saying, "When they're paid to be there and cause a riot they wanna make it look like Trump supporters so they wear Trump hats and carry Trump flags."

You can sense the discomfort in the room ... and one student asked for permission to leave, while another said, "I don't care about your opinions."

Kyle Rittenhouse -- the teenager charged with homicide in the Kenosha, WI killings -- needs to stop drinking and flashing white power symbols ... at least that's what prosecutors want.

The Kenosha County D.A.'s Office is asking a judge to modify Rittenhouse's bond conditions to bar him from boozing, going anywhere alcohol is served, making white supremacist hand gestures in public, or hanging out with groups like the Proud Boys ... according to new legal docs obtained by TMZ.

In the docs, prosecutors claim Rittenhouse was hanging out with Proud Boys members inside a Wisconsin bar last week, with the Proud Boys serenading him and posing for pictures chock full of white power symbols.

However, Rittenhouse claims he's not a member of the Proud Boys, or any other white nationalist groups, and believes prosecutors are just trying to inject race into his case.

Remember ... Rittenhouse is charged with killing 2 protesters and wounding a 3rd during the civil unrest in Kenosha that exploded following Jacob Blake's shooting. He was 17 at the time, and video allegedly shows him shooting 2 of the 3 people before walking right past police. He's currently out of jail on $2 million bail.

What a difference a week makes ... President Trump is now very clearly asking his supporters to call off any violent plots around next week's inauguration.

His dramatic change of tune came hours after the House of Representatives voted to impeach him -- for a historic 2nd time -- for inciting the Capitol insurrection. Trump said, "I unequivocally condemn the violence that we saw last week. Violence and vandalism have absolutely no place in our country and no place in our movement."

In the video message, recorded in the Oval Office, he spoke directly to his loyal followers, saying ... "No true supporter of mine could ever endorse political violence. No true supporter of mine could ever disrespect law enforcement or our great American flag."

Of course, just one week ago he told his assembled followers in Washington D.C. to show strength to take back the country, and then directed them to march to the Capitol where Congress was voting to verify Joe Biden's Presidential victory.

In his new message, Trump referenced FBI intelligence about plans for violent protests in all 50 states on and before Inauguration Day. He said the National Guard and law enforcement will ensure the transition to Biden will happen "safely and without incident."

Trump also griped about censorship, a reference to his ban from multiple digital platforms like Twitter. He never mentioned his impeachment, but it certainly seems he's going overboard to distance himself from the Capitol violence.

He'd already released a written statement earlier in the day condemning the riots, and this was his 2nd video message doing the same.

One part of the video that might be hard to swallow was his claim that ... "Like all of you, I was shocked and deeply saddened at the calamity at the Capitol last week."

Nancy Pelosi's lectern is back at the U.S. Capitol ... a week after a Florida man gleefully carried it out during a failed coup.

The House Speaker's lectern was wheeled into the building Wednesday and, as we reported, it did not suffer any damage. Still, pretty sure the lectern was or will be sanitized like hell. No word yet if the gavel was also returned.

As you know by now ... Adam Johnson is the man picked up last week on a federal warrant in Florida for his role in the Capitol riots, which, of course, included him taking the lectern. Images of the 36-year-old were plastered online and on TV during and after the insurrection. Goes without saying, it wasn't hard to ID him.

Johnson, a married man and stay-at-home father of 5, is slated to appear later this month in D.C. but already Johnson's lawyer told reporters earlier this week the case is going to be an uphill battle 'cause, ya know, there are pictures of the guy taking the lectern!

Johnson's attorneys, Dan Eckhart and David Bigney, acknowledged as much during a news conference this week outside a Tampa courthouse. Eckhart said, "You have a photograph of our client in a building, unauthorized to be there, with what appears to be a podium or a lectern."

When a reporter told Eckhart how the photo will be problematic, he said, "Yeah, I don't know how to explain that. But, that would be a problem. I'm not a magician."

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says she could feel death breathing down on her last week as Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, searching for lawmakers ... and you can tell she's still shaken.

AOC's revealing she had an incredibly close encounter on Jan. 6, which had her seriously feeling like she would die right then and there. The New York Congresswoman said it point-blank during an IG live session Tuesday night -- she honestly didn't know if she'd make it out of there alive that day, something she says a lot of her colleagues also experienced first-hand.

As for what exactly happened to her, AOC says she can't disclose the full details for security concerns ... but says, rest assured -- it was very traumatizing all the same.

Makes sense that she wouldn't get into the nitty-gritty -- fact is, there are said to be secret hideaways and chambers in the Capitol for emergencies like the one that took place ... and she's got a duty to keep that stuff private for future safety.

Nonetheless, AOC says she had that life flashing before her eyes experience, and it sounds as surreal as you'd imagine.