You Might Want to Rethink

Count Sen. Martin Heinrich among those who think there's something otherworldly about the UFO sightings in our skies ... he says the technology is too advanced for humans.

We got the Senator from New Mexico on Capitol Hill Wednesday and asked him about the UFO sightings pilots in the Armed Forces say are becoming very common.

Sen. Heinrich is definitely intrigued by the new UFO footage, telling us it's something Congress needs to investigate, because everything he's seeing tells him the crafts aren't being built or piloted by people.

It's interesting ... the Senator says if foreign governments had this kind of advanced technology, there would be other indications of their capabilities, and he says that's just not the case.

As we reported ... Sen. Marco Rubio says UFOs pose a risk to our national security and it's an issue that needs addressing. He says some senators aren't taking UFOs seriously, but Sen. Heinrich is definitely not in that boat.

Torah Bright says her handstand breastfeeding wasn't meant to bring anyone down -- and despite some mothers apparently feeling that way ... there were even more who were supportive.

The Olympic gold medalist snowboarder will be on "TMZ Live'" Thursday to clear up her M.O. behind the now-viral photo -- which shows her balancing herself upside down topless, with her baby boy latching on to her breast and sucking away.

There were A LOT of reactions to it ... including good old-fashioned, pearl-clutching indignation -- but as Torah explains here, there were also some moms who genuinely felt they were being shamed for not being as fit and/or capable of doing something similar.

For anyone who might've perceived it like that ... Torah's here to set the record straight, telling us that was NOT her goal in posting this, noting everyone's breastfeeding experience is different -- and that she was simply sharing her own in a way she thought was fun. She also says it's a testament to the bond between mother and son.

That leads us to her next point ... which is that as big of a "backlash" she got from this, there was more love she says she got that toppled it -- which is great to hear.

The man who bleeds Denver orange and Colts blue is now throwing his support behind Green Bay ... with Peyton Manning telling TMZ Sports he'd REALLY like to see the Packers resolve the drama with Aaron Rodgers.

We got the future Hall of Famer out at Dulles on Wednesday ... and he explained to us that he'd prefer it if Rodgers stayed put with the Packers.

"When I think of Aaron, I think of him as a Green Bay Packer," Manning said. "Hopefully they can get it worked out."

Of course, things currently aren't looking super promising for GB in that department ... because while Packers head coach Matt LaFleur has been begging for a Rodgers return, the star QB has been vacationing in Hawaii, seemingly dug in on his trade demands.

Manning -- who had to famously leave the Colts for the Broncos at the end of his career -- told us he knows a move could happen, but he'd really rather not see it.

"He's done such a great job there in Green Bay," Peyton said.

As for if Rodgers could -- and perhaps should -- leave it all behind to host "Jeopardy!" full-time ... Manning didn't seem to love that idea, explaining he thinks Aaron could do both!

By the way, when it comes to Manning's own off-the-field endeavors ... he still doesn't sound ready to jump into a broadcast booth or an NFL general manager role -- telling us he's content just coaching kids in baseball and flag football for now.

Though he did admit, he's had to do some explaining to parents given his history as a leader of children ...

Bill Gates might be getting divorced, but he's still coming off as a happily married man ... at least by the looks of his digits, anyway.

The Microsoft founder beamed into a conference Wednesday for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce -- where he got on camera at one point to make some remarks. It's one of the first times we've seen Bill since he and Melinda announced their split.

Because of that ... there were prying eyes trying to pick up on what he was wearing (or not wearing), and sure enough -- they spotted the prize ... dude still had on his wedding band and wasn't trying very hard to hide it.

NBD, obviously -- he IS, technically, still married. It's also possible he just hasn't thought to take it off yet. Who the hell knows?

That said, this is sorta weird on its face ... especially since there've been reports BG's been playing the field -- or at least attempted to, allegedly -- while he was still married.

Kendall Jenner's new tequila ad has a lot of people up in arms, claiming the supermodel is taking advantage of Mexican culture to push her new beverage ... but truth is, many male celebs have done the same thing without criticism.

KJ is featured in the new promotional spot for her 818 Tequila on an agave farm in Jalisco, Mexico ... where her operation is running. The video and pics feature a lot of native farmers -- with Kendall alongside them rocking pig tails, as well as what some describe as traditional Mexican garb.

Online critics almost immediately chimed in, calling it cultural appropriation/tone-deafness/colonizing/exploitation ... you name it. It's all being sent her way right now.

It should, however, be noted that celebs like George Clooney, Rande Gerber, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, LeBron James and Kevin Hart have all launched tequila brands of their own without criticism. In fact, The Rock recently posted a video of himself with Mexican farmers very similar to the one Kendall put up.

The biggest criticism, it seems, is that Kendall is hijacking Mexican culture and trying to wear it as a costume for a photoshoot she went down there for ... and that she's being disrespectful for trying to pass as a "ranchera."

However, most critiquing Kendall just plain have it wrong, we're told the focus of the ad was to highlight the farmers doing the actual work to make the product. Kendall has created jobs, and those involved are grateful for that.

Our sources say Kendall has been very passionate about 818, putting in the work, doing the research and making sure she works with farmers to put out the best project possible.

Perhaps there's some merit to come of the criticism, but other quibbles that have surfaced are absurd ... like at least one person claiming she's modeling a "chic migrant worker look," while another person said they could "see the pain in this old man's eyes" -- referencing one of the dudes in the clip.

For starters, this took place IN Mexico ... so the migrant worker critique is BS. Also, to assume this man is being exploited/mistreated by working on the farm is about as ignorant as Kendall is allegedly being by posing with the workers.

Johnny Depp is fighting tooth and nail to uncover whether his ex, Amber Heard, actually donated millions of dollars to charity like she said she would ... suing the actual org who was supposed to get to the money to get to the bottom of it.

JD just sued the ACLU in an effort to obtain financial documents as he seeks to undo a judge's ruling in London late last year ... which concluded The Sun hadn't defamed him with their 2018 "wife-beating" headline.

That's where this ACLU drama comes in. Johnny and his legal team are attempting to prove Amber perjured herself in court when she claimed she donated $7 million total to the ACLU and Children's Hospital L.A. -- something she agreed to do as part of their divorce settlement.

Remember, it was in August 2016 when the ACLU put out a release thanking Amber for pledging to donate half of her $7 million settlement. A few months later, the organization announced Heard had donated $350,000 directly ... but Depp's team believe it was Elon -- whom Heard was dating at the time -- who paid that and anything else donated in her name.

Johnny believes the judge bought Amber's charitable deeds and it worked against him in the final ruling, so he wants the truth to surface about where that money actually went ... and who it came from. If it turns out she didn't fork over the loot, he believes it could help his second defamation case here in the United States.

Depp thinks Heard only donated around $450k total from her own pocket in the end -- and he claims the ACLU has refused to play ball and turn over docs on the issue. So, now, he wants a judge to step in and make it happen with the slam of a gavel.

Tristan Thompson's had it with the woman insisting he's the father of her baby, despite a DNA test he says proves otherwise ... so he wants to make her pay.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ ... the NBA baller's seeking a default judgment against Kimberly Alexander -- the paternity accuser he sued for libel last year.

Thompson wants the judge to hit Alexander with $100k in damages plus additional costs, claiming the allegations seriously hurt his reputation.

In the docs, Tristan says he's a proud, loving and providing father to 2 children, and he claims Alexander's false accusations potentially cost him endorsement deals because companies and brands viewed him as a troubled athlete.

Thompson insists that if Alexander's child was his he would have taken his parental duties seriously, but again ... he claims a paternity test proved he's not.

BTW, as we previously told you, Tristan's acknowledged he did have sex with Alexander, but says it was years before she alleges and long before he was dating Khloe Kardashian.

Joe Rogan thinks there's no end to woke and/or cancel culture -- even going so far as to say that it will silence straight, white men and relegate them to being indoor cats if it continues.

The famous podcaster made the comment on an episode of the 'JRE' last week while talking to comic Joe List ... starting out by saying you can never be woke enough for the so-called woke crowd -- and that, basically, they're taking a mile instead of the inch they were given.

He was making a somewhat decent point at first ... but then threw skin color into the mix, which is what A LOT of people have a problem with, it seems -- as the backlash has mounted.

Check it out for yourself ... Joe says straight, white men will be the ultimate victims of this rising PC culture, as he believes they won't be allowed to talk in the near future -- because their "privilege" has allowed them to do so for while others were forced to be quiet.

He goes on, saying straight, white men won't be allowed to go outside one day too at this rate "because so many people were imprisoned for so many years." He's speaking in hyperbole, of course, but everyone gets his point ... and not everyone agrees.

But, JR offers his simple solution ... just be nice to each other! He goes on to say there are nefarious people who are exploiting these overly-sensitive times.

Soulja Boy wants credit for being the "first" rapper to plug Icebox bling -- but the shop couldn't care less ... especially since they say there's dough he still owes.

A rep for the famed jewelry and diamond store tells TMZ ... Soulja's viral tweet from the weekend doesn't mean diddly squat to them -- in light of the (alleged) fact that there's an unresolved lawsuit they have out against the guy, which they claim he's been ducking.

Icebox sued Soulja back in 2013 for an open tab of over $60k they say he never paid -- and now tell us they haven't been able to collect ... even all these years later. At this point, Icebox says the debt has ballooned to around $200k, and of course ... they want the money they believe is long overdue.

In other words ... Soulja getting Twitter love for seemingly being ahead of the curve doesn't do anything for their bottom line -- despite him getting his flowers by using their name.

BTW, Icebox tells us they even dispute the notion that Soulja was the first rapper they'd worked with in Atlanta ... clarifying that while he was one of the initial big artists to get them on YouTube way back when, he was far from the first MC to cop some ice there.

Icebox's message to Soulja is quite simple ... screw the street cred -- just crank that credit card, and pay us through the phone -- or however else you want, bro.

A man full of hate tried his best to destroy the George Floyd memorial in Minneapolis, but he got scared away ... and left his ax behind.

The video tells the story ... the man drives up to the memorial site -- a block from where Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd -- at around 2 AM Sunday. As you can see ... he pulls up in his pickup truck, gets out and begins vandalizing the area by removing barricades and ripping down Black Lives Matter signs.

He continues his rampage as he moves to the square's shed, and that's when he decides to go back to his truck and retrieve an ax. Yeah, it's pretty shocking.

After taking several whacks at the structure, the man puts his ax down and some people in the area begin yelling at him to scram. He does ... but he forgets his ax.

George Floyd Square's Instagram account has posted a reaction to the man's tirade, sharing a photo of the shed facade fully intact with the simple caption, "We fine."

A giant statue of Marilyn Monroe in her iconic dress-fluttering pose is making a comeback in the California desert ... but now, people are finding new ways to be pissed about it.

The 26-foot tall stainless steel effigy -- aptly titled "Forever Marilyn" -- has returned to the city of Palm Springs after a 7-year itch hiatus ... and is here to stay for good as it towers in front of the entrance to the Palm Springs Art Museum, this following a recent city council vote.

The statue was in town back in 2012, and stuck around for 2 years ... serving as a major tourist attraction. The idea here is ... bringing her back will help PS get back on its feet.

Of course, some like it hot out there -- a small spread of party poopers say they're utterly outraged about the "Forever Marilyn" being resurrected ... but for wildly different reasons. NPR outlined it well -- citing folks' indignation over obscenity, sexism and basic geography.

First, there's concern about where Marilyn's ass is facing ... which is directly at the front doors of the museum. A local official says he worries about the thousands of students who'll have to bear witness to Marilyn's derriere annually ... which he finds unimaginable/offensive.

Next, there's supposedly a Change.org petition floating around ... demanding the statue be removed, as the folks behind that claim this is straight-up inappropriate -- as it encourages upskirting (snapping shots up a lady's dress) ... and, by extension, predatory behavior.

Finally, some argue that the placement of the statue allegedly goes against city codes and road/highway planning guidelines -- and they're making a stink on that front. Even more say there's no evidence this statue will actually make a difference in boosting the local economy.

However you wanna cut it ... people are finding reasons to be angry about this. But, in reality, it's literally THE most famous shot of Marilyn in existence, and sits high in the pantheon of pop culture.

Ricky Schroder doesn't seem to understand the CDC's new guideline about mask-wearing -- and he learned about it the hard way at a Costco, which held its ground on policy.

The former child star from "Silver Spoons" filmed an aggressive encounter between himself and a Costco manager named Jason at an L.A.-area warehouse ... which is now making the rounds online.

You see Ricky asking the guy why he isn't being allowed inside without a face covering, noting the new news that fully vaccinated people don't really have to wear them indoors or out in most settings -- except for a few exceptions. Turns out, a Costco in Cali is one.

The manager calmly explains that there is still a state-wide mask mandate that's in effect throughout the state -- it's true, there is -- and that even though Gov. Newsom has signaled that may be lifted around mid-June ... their Costco is still following local guidelines to a T.

Ricky then goes on a bizarre rant about kings and lords ... and something about societal control. Jason hears him out, but stands firm -- basically telling him to scram.

They eventually get Ricky a refund and even amid his calls for boycotting Costco ... they get him to leave. It's a great lesson -- yes, the CDC has new guidelines about mask-wearing, but no ... not every retailer in every state out there is up to speed on switching gears just yet.

First, destroy Aaron Carter ... then, get revenge for Nate Robinson by knocking out Jake Paul?!?

That's the plan for Lamar Odom ... who, after his June fight with Carter, is gunning to box Paul to avenge Robinson's embarrassing loss to the YouTube star.

Odom made that very clear in a video obtained by TMZ Sports ... with the ex-NBA star saying, "After Aaron Carter, I would love to fight Jake Paul. For Nate Robinson!"

Lamar is set to throw hands with Carter on June 12 in Atlantic City ... and the 41-year-old is considered the big favorite, especially after recent sparring footage showed him looking polished in the ring.

Carter is training like a mad man with the hopes of not being some sort of pushover ... but if Odom can get through the pop singer as expected, he could be a very intriguing next opponent for Paul.

You'll recall, Jake annihilated Robinson in November, and then demolished Ben Askren in a fight last month ... but, he does NOT have another opponent lined up yet.

Seems Odom would be a great fit if he scores a win next month.

Fat Joe seems to think DJ Khaled is the "Quincy Jones of hip-hop" -- but a lot more people seem to think he's dead wrong ... and outright disrespecting the legendary record producer.

Joe made the inflammatory comment this week while chopping it up with N.O.R.E. on his 'Drink Champs' podcast ... talking about the new Jay-Z/Nas song "Sorry Not Sorry" that appears on Khaled's latest album, "Khaled Khaled."

They were gassing up the song -- rightfully so, it's solid -- but then FJ turned the focus back onto DJK ... saying the guy really doesn't get enough credit for what he does.

Joe said people believe all Khaled does is get the biggest names in hip-hop/pop and throw them together on catchy songs -- but he insists there's a lot more to it than that, as several other DJs/producers attempt to do the same time and again and don't get the same results.

Then came Joe's hot take ... saying Khaled's the Quincy of the rap game, and A LOT of people were NOT having it. Joe caught wind of the backlash, however, and tried clarifying a bit.

He writes, "All these back seat drivers Monday morning quarterbacks always got an opinion but can’t do it themselves shit crazy." Joe adds, "To me the term Quincy jones of this time was used in reference to the work khaled has put in years and years of hit obviously there’s only one Quincy but f*ck it tune in tonight EXPLOSIVE lol."

The reason folks are pissed for the comparison is because, well, DJ Khaled doesn't make his own beats ... which isn't a secret either, BTW. He mostly curates, collecting tracks he likes ... and ad-libbing his famous lines over them while getting his music industry pals to feature.

President Biden is just like us -- meaning, the guy sends quick cash to his friends and family on Venmo, which might sound like no big deal ... but it really might be, big picture.

Joe's private Venmo account was tracked down in a rather quick fashion Friday by BuzzFeed, which says it only took them about 10 minutes or so to find it after an NYT article went up earlier in the day saying he sends his grandkids money on the peer-to-peer money app.

The outlet reports all they used were in-app features to quickly find associates to Joe's -- and before they knew it, they landed on 46 ... plus a small network of his immediate family, like his wife and children (Jill and Hunter), extended family (grandchildren) and senior White House officials.

They weren't able to see his transaction history itself -- since it was set to private, which is NOT the default setting for Venmo -- but they say some in Biden's extended Venmo network weren't private ... and they could see what they'd been up to in recent days on there.

Here's the problem, as BFN points out ... a hacker/troll and/or a freakin' adversary spy could easily locate these people and harass them, or even attempt to infiltrate Biden's inner circle -- potentially posing as someone while gathering intel and activities and patterns.

Jake Paul is under investigation ... this time by officials in Puerto Rico for riding a motorized vehicle on a protected beach.

To use a bullfighting metaphor ... Jake waived the proverbial red flag in front of a bull by posting a video of him and some friends tooling around a beach in golf carts, smack in the middle of turtle-nesting season. That's illegal.

It looks like the driver is his brother, Logan, although we haven't been able to confirm.

Jake deleted the vid, but it's too late because the investigation has been launched by the territory's Dept. of Natural and Environmental Resources.

Logan said back in February he was moving some of his businesses, including Maverick Clothing, to Dorado, Puerto Rico ... which is near San Juan. Logan said on his podcast back then, “I thought it was more third-world than I suspected, so I went out there to scout it and I just fell in love with it.” Jake and Logan snagged a $10 million beachfront mansion.

They fell in love with Puerto Rico, but it doesn't sound like everyone there feels the same.