You Might Want to Rethink

Donald Trump's got a home outside the GOP if they ditch him in 2024 -- namely the American Independent Party ... which says he's their guy, assuming he runs for POTUS again.

AIP chairman Markham Robinson tells us he and his party cohorts are dead set on nominating Trump to head up their ticket for the next presidential race ... that is, if Trump decides to have another go at it.

There's still a lot of time to see how things officially play out, but Markham made clear he and the AIP leaders were more than enthusiastic at Trump's apparent desire to stay in politics, which he strongly hinted at during his CPAC speech this past weekend.

In Markham's eyes, DT is the perfect guy to lead their party -- for starters, they're notoriously far-right ... and support a limited role in government, tax cuts and are pro-life. Just take a look at his MAGA supporters ... and you can see how some see it as a good fit.

The American Independent Party's first presidential nominee was segregationist George Wallace. Another segregationist, Lester Maddox was also the party's standard-bearer in the '70s.

Of course, the AIP also nominated Trump and Pence in 2016 -- which Republicans obviously didn't support, especially in California ... the only place they're currently recognized on the ballot. Markham says they're working on expanding their reach nationwide, hopefully in time for 2024.

As for whether Trump himself wants any part of Markham and Co. ... probably not. He was firm in his remarks at CPAC about sticking with the GOP, saying he wasn't jumping ship to start his own thing. Presumably, that means he ain't itching to run over to the AIP either.

We've seen this before with these guys ... they can nominate whoever the hell they want, even if that person doesn't publicly agree or acknowledge. Just ask Kanye about that ...

Breonna Taylor's mother is hurt and troubled by a Georgia teacher spreading lies about her daughter's death, but also deeply appreciates the students who pushed back.

Tamika Palmer's attorney, Sam Aguiar, tells TMZ his client saw the video of the Zoom class where Pebblebrook High's Susan McCoy told students Breonna's death was her own fault ... and spread misinformation about the case.

We're told it was disturbing for Tamika to witness, and troubling in that the real facts still aren't quite understood by all ... and that a twisted version of it is being forced onto youths by educators.

The one upside ... the kids themselves, whom Aguiar says Tamika was proud of as they spoke out against McCoy in real-time and fired back with the truth -- namely that Breonna was NOT with a man wanted on charges, but with her current BF at the time, Kenneth Walker.

Of course, you've heard the rest ... Louisville cops insist they knocked and made their presence known before entering. Walker, however, claims the exact opposite ... saying he thought burglars were entering their home.

He says he fired in self-defense, at which point the officers fired back ... killing Breonna in the crossfire. The students in McCoy's class made that known, and for that ... we're told Tamika is grateful, especially as BT's death anniversary looms on March 13.

No word on what Tamika would like to see happen to McCoy, but school district officials say they're reviewing the matter and weighing their options.

Greg McDermott -- head coach of the 14th-ranked Creighton University men's basketball team -- is pleading for forgiveness days after using the word “plantation” in a post-game speech.

Following Creighton’s 77-69 loss to Xavier on Saturday, McDermott admits he made the following statement to his squad ... "Guys, we got to stick together. We need both feet in. I need everybody to stay on the plantation. I can't have anybody leave the plantation."

Yeah ... not a good look.

Now, McDermott -- head coach at CU since 2010 and dad of NBA player Doug McDermott -- is apologizing for the “terribly inappropriate analogy” in a statement posted on his social media page.

“On February 27th, after an emotionally tough loss on the road, I addressed our student-athletes and staff in the postgame locker room and used a terribly inappropriate analogy in making a point about staying together as a team despite the loss."

That's when McDermott says he uttered the racially insensitive analogy.

The head coach says he knew right away that he screwed up.

"I immediately recognized my egregious mistake and quickly addressed my use of such insensitive words with the team. I have never used that analogy and it is not indicative of who I am as a person or as a coach."

"I am deeply sorry. I have apologized to our student-athletes and to our staff, as well as to President Hendrickson and Director of Athletics Bruce Rasmussen."

Creighton -- currently 2nd place in the Big East -- has had a great year on the floor ... with wins over teams like Villanova and Seton Hall.

Joe Exotic is getting the best revenge he can against Carole Baskin -- hiring the attorney who recently repped the family of her missing husband ... who's now working to free him.

John M. Phillips of the Phillips & Hunt firm broke the news Tuesday, saying he'd been retained by the 'Tiger King' himself in a bid to get a new trial arranged so Joe can plead his case in front of a new set of 12 jurors.

Phillips writes, "Work has already begun on @joe_exotic's New Trial Motion. We are proud to be leading his team. I was sworn into the Western District of Oklahoma this morning. This isn't about tigers, television or tomfoolery, it's about justice and evidence. More soon."

He also posted a video ... which took some shots at Joe's former legal team, who Phillips characterized as engaging in "buffoonery" in their bid to get JE pardoned by Prez Trump.

Doesn't sound like Joe disagrees -- at least that's how Phillips makes it sound. He says shortly after the failed attempt, the man himself reached out and asked about his services. One thing led to another, and now Phillips is on the case -- and he ain't looking to Joe Biden for a bail-out either.

Remember, Phillips was also brought on by Don Lewis' surviving family members -- who seem to believe Carole knows more about his mysterious vanishing than she's let on. They even bought air time during her debut appearance on 'DWTS' which aired mid-broadcast.

Jake Paul is firing back at Canelo Alvarez for kicking 2 of the YouTube star's fans out of the ring during his post-fight interview on Saturday ... calling the champion an "old hater" who's ducking the real competition.

Of course, Canelo and Jake have had a beef brewing for months ... with the 30-year-old boxer saying the Paul brothers are disrespecting the sport of boxing.

The feud reached new levels when fans -- donning Jake and Ben Askren's faces on their shirts -- invaded the ring after Alvarez's dominant win over Avni Yildirim ... with Canelo telling them to "get the f*** out."

Jake is now speaking out about the incident ... and while he's not saying whether he knew about the prank beforehand, he's mad at how Alvarez handled the situation.

"Canelo, what's your problem, bro?! Why you hate me so much?!," Jake said on Tuesday.

"Canelo's mad. He has this thing against me. Said I'm bad for the sport. I'm disrespecting it, which doesn't make sense at all."

"I'm actually just bringing more eyeballs, more awareness to the sport of boxing. But since Canelo, you wanted to start this beef, let's do it!"

Jake goes on to say Canelo isn't the true pound-for-pound fighter in the world ... claiming he's hiding from real competition.

"Why not fight Caleb Plant? David Benavidez? BooBoo Andrade? You're ducking them. You're ducking them, Canelo! You're an old hater, that's what you are."

But, Canelo ain't the only boxing superstar going after Paul -- heavyweight champ Tyson Fury also had some words for Jake, seemingly trying to get him to fight his little brother, Tommy Fury.

Paul has some words for the Gypsy King as well ... saying he likes the guy and wants no beef -- but Tommy is a different story.

"If Tyson Fury took a s**t, it would be his little brother."

Dr. Seuss' books should NOT be yanked from shelves -- because all they need is a little context on page 1 ... so says a woman who was raised by the man himself.

Leagrey Dimond -- one of Dr. Seuss' stepdaughters -- tells TMZ she doesn't think his work needs to be censored or stored away from public view ... which is essentially what Dr. Seuss Enterprises did on Monday.

Instead, Dimond suggests adding a disclaimer to the 6 books in question ... something a lot of media companies have been opting for lately for questionable or outdated material with racist depictions. The same thing should happen here, in Dimond's eyes anyway.

She also has this to say about Seuss' work -- yes, some of his earlier publications and illustrations DID feature racist imagery, but his legacy shouldn't hinge on that alone ... as she insists the full breadth of his literature shows he's a good guy and evolved over time.

Dimond says Seuss publicly regretted some of his earlier work -- such as ads, comic strips and political cartoons he helped craft during the WWII era -- which featured blatantly racist drawings of Black people and Asian people.

But, there's a bigger reason the org bearing his name should hold off, per LD ... nobody who runs the place knew him personally.

Dimond says since coming into Seuss' care at age 9, she never once experienced any hatred, hate speech or bigotry of any kind ... which she says was emblematic of his character at large. The fact people are judging him in death, she says, doesn't sit right with her.

You'll recall -- the Enterprise announced it was ceasing further sales of 6 Seuss children's books -- including "And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street," "Scrambled Eggs Super!" "If I Ran the Zoo," "McElligot’s Pool," "On Beyond Zebra!" and "The Cat’s Quizzer"

Some examples of the problematic imagery -- from 'Mulberry' and 'Zoo' -- feature Asian stereotypes ... like referring to one character as a "Chinaman ... with sticks."

A Youngstown State football official has just been booted from the sidelines for the foreseeable future ... after he knocked an opposing player to the ground with his shoulder.

The scene was pretty wild ... during YSU's game against the University of Northern Iowa on Saturday -- Panthers star receiver Quan Hampton was speeding toward the YSU sideline when Director of Player Personnel Tim Johnson appeared to throw himself at the guy.

Hampton took Johnson's shoulder at full speed ... and tumbled to the ground awkwardly -- clearly fortunate to not suffer any serious injures.

FYI -- Johnson is a BIG man (6'0, 245 lbs) with a history of tossing around football players ... he was a former All-American linebacker at YSU who played in the NFL and was later inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 2010.

You can see in the replay of the check, Hampton was clearly disturbed by Johnson's actions ... and pointed him out to refs immediately after hitting the ground.

Despite no penalty called, YSU launched an investigation into the incident ... and on Monday, the school announced it was banning Johnson from the sidelines for the rest of the spring football season.

The school also said Johnson -- who's in his first year on the YSU football staff -- had accepted the punishment.

"I apologize to UNI, Youngstown State, the Missouri Valley Football Conference and our community for what occurred on Saturday," Johnson said.

Taylor Swift is picking up the battle her fans started with Netflix -- ripping one of its hit shows for a sexist and misogynistic joke targeting her dating life.

Taylor fired back Monday morning at the streaming service and the writers of "Ginny and Georgia" over the show's finale which showed Ginny (Antonia Gentry) and her mother Georgia (Brianne Howey) arguing about relationships. Ginny quipped, "What do you care? You go through men faster than Taylor Swift."

Well, Taylor ain't laughing. She says, "2010 called and it wants its lazy, deeply sexist joke back. How about we stop degrading hard working women by defining this horse s**t as fuNny."

Swift's fans are also peeved ... #RespectTaylor started trending overnight, and one fan tweeted, "It's not sitting right with me [that] Netflix has two Taylor Swift projects on their platform and they are okay with treating her like this!!! RESPECT TAYLOR SWIFT."

Kim Kardashian's got more headaches to deal with ... cops say a man crashed through the gate to her Hidden Hills community and said he was trying to pay her a visit.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the incident happened around 6:30 PM Wednesday, when a 24-year-old man breached the main entrance gate in an effort to track down Kim at her Hidden Hills home.

We're told security managed to stop the guy before he could get anywhere near Kim's place, and the Sheriff was called.

Our sources say the man told law enforcement he was going to see Kim, and at one point even claimed she was his wife. We're told the Sheriff cited the guy for trespassing and he was released.

Governor Andrew Cuomo has admitted he has, at times, made inappropriate jokes with staffers that might've crossed the line in others' minds ... this as an independent investigation ramps up to probe sexual harassment claims against him.

Cuomo issued a new statement Sunday, in which he said he never intended to cause harm or to offend anyone in the way he carried himself at the office or among subordinates.

With that in mind, he did say this ... "At work sometimes I think I am being playful and make jokes that I think are funny. I do, on occasion, tease people in what I think is a good natured way. I do it in public and in private."

He adds, "You have seen me do it at briefings hundreds of times. I have teased people about their personal lives, their relationships, about getting married or not getting married. I mean no offense and only attempt to add some levity and banter to what is a very serious business."

Cuomo went on to say that some of his interactions in the past may have been insensitive or too personal ... and considering his position of power, might've made others feel uncomfortable. He goes on to explain, "I acknowledge some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation. To the extent anyone felt that way, I am truly sorry about that."

He does make this clear from his POV ... he asserts he never inappropriately touched anyone, and never propositioned anyone either. In light of that, he says he has asked for an independent investigation to be undertaken, by someone the NY AG's Office picks.

The remarks come after two ex-staffers -- Charlotte Bennett and Lindsey Boylan -- alleged misconduct ranging from an unwanted kiss to remarks about their appearance or about their sex life -- including Cuomo allegedly asking if Bennett had slept with older men.

George Floyd's murder case is bound to be the new trial of the century -- and it seems Minneapolis wants to get ahead of any bad publicity ... 'cause they're bringing on "influencers" to peddle their narrative as it unfolds.

The City Council made the announcement this week, saying they're rolling out a new initiative ahead of jury selection/opening arguments next month ... namely, to partner with influential social media users to share public information with underserved communities -- some of which, they say, might not tune in or have access to traditional news mediums.

The Council described the effort, in part, this way ... "The goal is to increase access to information to communities that do not typically follow mainstream news sources or City communications channels and/or who do not consume information in English."

Sounds nice, but reading between the lines ... many folks are saying this is actually a move by the City to play spin doctor for itself -- as these influencers won't be able to post freely.

Fact is ... the 6 users they bring on will be paid $2,000 a pop -- so they're temporarily on the City's payroll. Not just that, but the Council made clear the messaging will be "city-approved" ... which made ears perk up and start to question the whole thing. A lot of people are already speculating the content will be fully pro-City/defense.

You'll recall ... Minneapolis experienced unrest in the months after the George Floyd video surfaced. The peaceful protests, at times, spun out of control into violence. Some believe the City wants to avoid that kind of reaction again, and are trying to get ahead of it.

A Georgia high school teacher is fending off calls for her firing after she told her students Breonna Taylor caused her own death by hanging out with bad people.

Susan McCoy, who teaches forensic science at Pebblebrook High School in Mableton, GA, told her students in a Zoom class, "I'm sorry she was killed, but you know, when you hang out with people with guns and shooting, you're likely to get caught in the crossfire."

McCoy, who at one point said, "What's her name -- Breonna something" -- leveled false allegations against Breonna's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, saying Breonna was "hanging out with the guy who was wanted on charges ... and he fired at them, and they fired back."

As most people know by now, Walker was NOT the guy who was wanted on charges ... he and Breonna were simply sleeping when cops broke into their home. Walker says cops never ID'd themselves and he fired a shot in self-defense, striking a cop, and that's when police returned fire, killing Breonna.

Now, McCoy is doing her mea culpa, saying, "I want to apologize sincerely publicly for things I said today in my class that had to do with something that I was very ignorant about. I'm just heartbroken that I said something so rude and disrespectful." She went on to say, "I should never have talked about something that I didn't understand and I truly, truly apologize and ask for forgiveness and hope that someday I can have that trust back with my students that I know that I lost."

Nathan Apodaca -- AKA, Doggface, the skateboarder who went viral to "Dreams" -- is having a nightmare West Coast trip after crooks targeted his family.

Sources close to the internet sensation tell TMZ ... Nate and his fam have been in the Bay Area recently on a getaway to celebrate his daughter's 14th birthday ... and all seemed to be going well until Tuesday, when he says their rental vehicles were broken into and ransacked.

We got Nathan out on Hollywood Blvd. talking about the ordeal ... and although he doesn't want to let it ruin the trip, he's clearly rattled by what he calls a scary trend in San Fran right now.

We're told they had pulled up to the Twin Peaks Overlook, and ended up parking and locking their rented Suburban and Pathfinder in a garage down below.

When they came back down, our sources say Nathan and co. found windows to both vehicles smashed ... and a number of items missing inside. He filed a police report, but says cops told him there wasn’t much they could do since there were no cameras in the garage.

According to the report, obtained by TMZ, Nathan says they made off with credit cards and checks, sunglasses, reading glasses and some wallets filled with identifying information ... like Social Security cards and driver's licenses.

All in all ... we're told the estimated loss and damage comes out to about $4,000. The worst part is that Nathan and his family were spooked, and quickly got the hell outta Dodge.

Our sources say Nathan returned the damaged vehicles Wednesday and picked up new ones, with plans to then book it down to Los Angeles -- which was NOT a stop in their OG itinerary. They're also changing their return flights to fly out of L.A. instead of SF.

It's a total bummer for such a nice guy, who's been riding high on good vibes since he blew up from his TikTok video last year -- which has brought so much good fortune and beyond.

A Black Superman film might be among us soon -- but a Black actor who already starred in a DC flick is pouring cold water on it, re-affirming his claim he experienced racism on WB's watch.

Ray Fisher -- who played Cyborg in 2017's 'Justice League' -- reminded folks Saturday that as hyped as they were on the idea of Michael B. Jordan potentially donning the red cape ... there are still issues he believes run deep at the studio.

He resurfaced claims he made last year against Warner Bros. and a handful of WB execs, including Walter Hamada ... whom Fisher alleges swept his concerns under the rug, and tried covering for another exec, Geoff Johns, while using other folks involved in 'JL' as scapegoats.

It's a long story, but essentially ... Fisher claims director Joss Whedon (who replaced Zack Snyder mid-shoot) was abusive on the set, while also alluding to racist behavior -- without getting into the nitty-gritty. Fisher alleges when he brought these issues to the attention of Hamada -- the Prez of DC Films -- the guy gave him lip service and brushed him off.

On top of all that ... Fisher claims WB's independent investigation into his claims -- which found no evidence to back his characterization -- was also BS, and hindered by Hamada.

The backdrop to all this, of course, is that it was reported this past week author Ta-Nehisi Coates, an African-American, would be penning a new Superman reboot -- with J.J. Abrams attached to produce -- and that WB's "intent" was to intro a Black Superman.

That kicked the rumor mill into high gear that MBJ would be brought on -- which had been speculated about some years back. Some say he could play Val-Zod ... a Black character from Krypton who's part of DC canon, and who's got all of Kal-El's superpowers.

It's a neat idea, but Fisher seems to think it's nothing but an empty make-good -- in light of what he claims happened to him. For the record, WB denied Fisher's claims before, and doubled down again Saturday ... saying there's simply no truth to it.

A rep for the studio says, "As we have stated before, an extensive and thorough third-party investigation was conducted. Our executives, including Walter Hamada, fully cooperated, no evidence was found of any interference whatsoever, and Warner Bros. did not lie in the press." They add, "It’s time to stop saying otherwise and move forward productively."

The main CPAC stage where Republicans and other conservatives are gathering this weekend in Florida looks eerily similar to an old Nazi symbol ... something that's causing utter outrage.

Somebody pointed out the design, noting the stage appears to be shaped like an emblem the Nazis proudly flashed during WWII. And no, it's not the swastika that everyone knows ... but it is an offshoot of it, one that's less known but still as hateful.

The symbol is called Odal rune, and it dates back to ancient Germanic languages. Its rough English translation is heritage, inheritance or inherited state. Yeah, pretty Nazi-ish.

This specific symbol ended up being emblazoned on uniforms of Nazi SS soldiers belonging to the 7th Volunteer Mountain Division, which was stationed in occupied Yugoslavia. The infantry formed in 1941, but it's unclear how the rune came to be adopted.

In any case, there's no question its part of Nazi history ... there are even photos of old Nazi soldiers with the rune prominently featured on their getups. As for how it came to be an apparent blueprint of the CPAC stage -- it's anyone's guess, but many feel it's no coincidence.

BTW, this doesn't seem to be a fake photo or a photoshop attempt -- the stage looks similar in design to where Ted Cruz did his best William Wallace/Mel Gibson and screamed "Freedom!" on Friday. Wide shots of Rep. Matt Gaetz's speech also seem to match.

Now, people are up in arms over this -- whether it was intentional or not -- and are demanding answers from the Hyatt Regency in Orlando, where this stage was built. We've reached out to the hotel, but no word back yet.

A plastic surgeon wanted to fight his traffic ticket this week and was ready to make his case to the judge ... in the operating room where he was performing surgery on a patient!!!

It's a crazy video ... Dr. Scott Green appeared virtually before Sacramento Court Commissioner Gary Link. The doc was decked out in surgical scrubs and you see the patient on the operating table ... mid-surgery.

The police officer and the lawyers were all present on zoom as the doctor raised his right hand and swore to tell the truth.

Truth be told ... he acknowledged he was in the middle of the operation, but he was quick to add there was another surgeon who was working on the patient while Dr. Green fought the ticket.

Judge Link seemed freaked out, and said he wasn't comfortable holding the trial ... worrying about the well-being of the person on the operating table.