You Might Want to Rethink

Bill Maher has some advice for Lin-Manuel Miranda ... stop apologizing to the bullies who take joy in making people crawl like a dog in shame for every move they make.

Miranda is taking heat for his movie, "In the Heights," a movie about the Washington Heights area of New York City. He got dragged because the cast did not have Afro-Latinx representation.

Fact is ... the cast has Latinx performers, a Black lead, but, as Bill says, "the committee" is outraged the skin tone of the cast is somehow off.

Miranda capitulated, saying, "I'm truly sorry. I'm learning from the feedback.  I thank you for raising it and I'm listening. I promise to do better in my future projects."

Bill was incredulous ...“You’re the guy who made the founding fathers Black and Hispanic! I don’t think you have to apologize to Twitter.” Maher doesn't believe Miranda really believes an apology is in order ... “I think that he just wants to avoid the news cycle, and I don’t blame him," adding, “This is why people hate Democrats; It’s cringey."

Maher wasn't done ... “People are going to have to stand up to these bullies, because that’s what it is, bullying. It’s ‘I can make you crawl like a dog and I enjoy it.'”

And, then the "Real Time" host went in for the kill ...“I mean he’s a Latino making a Latino movie with a Latino cast. Not good enough. Nothing is ever good enough for these people. They’re like children. We don’t raise our children right and it’s reflected in the media. No one ever tells their children, ‘Shut the f*** up. Sit down. Listen to your elders. Stop bitching.'”

FIFA has just dropped the hammer on Mexico's men's soccer team ... hitting the national squad with sanctions over their fans' anti-gay chants.

The soccer org. announced Friday that Mexico will have to play their next two home games with no fans in attendance after their supporters repeatedly yelled homophobic language during games in March.

FIFA also announced it's fining Mexico around $65,000.

There could be more punishment coming down soon as well ... FIFA officials said they're also looking into other games in which Mexico supporters hurled anti-gay chants.

"The committee has also opened separate proceedings against the FMF in relation to homophobic chants by Mexican fans at their team's friendly match against Iceland played in Arlington, Texas, on 29 May 2021," FIFA said in a statement.

It's unclear if FIFA will also launch a probe into Mexico's most recent CONCACAF Nations League games, in which refs had to pause play due to the crass chants from the crowd.

Congressman Donald Payne Jr. is reporting for duty ... he's just not bothering to get dressed for it.

The U.S. Representative from New Jersey got caught in an embarrassing situation Thursday during a Zoom call with colleagues, as he apparently forgot to turn off his camera as he rolled out of bed in his pajamas for the meeting.

So, instead of seeing a sharp-dressed politician, the legislators on the call who were listening to Rep. Yvette Clarke speak also got an eyeful of Payne's slightly-too-small Captain America t-shirt, his exposed belly ... and what looked like blue striped boxers.

The clip was shared by Texas Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne, who used it to take a shot at all Dems by adding the caption ... "Another reason Democrats should get off Zoom and back to work."

Payne's legislative director tried to defend him from Van Duyne's dig by citing the Congressman's weight struggle and diabetes, but in reality ... the reaction of Rep. Kat Cammack at the bottom of the screen says it all.

Rep. Payne Jr. has addressed his gaffe, telling TMZ ... "As a public servant, my focus has always been the public good and my work to better the lives of my constituents and all Americans, regardless of the circumstances."

D.L. Hughley's fired up about Juneteenth becoming a federal holiday, but it's got nothing to do with getting a 3-day weekend -- he's fuming at the ironic dilemma it presents.

We got the comedian on "TMZ Live" Thursday and he made a hilarious comparison about President Biden soon signing Juneteenth into law to make it the 12th federal holiday. D.L. says it's like getting the wrong order from Amazon, and keeping it ... but still wondering why the original order's missing in the first place.

His point is Black people have been demanding justice and equality, but instead got a 3-day weekend. Yeah, no one's gonna complain, but what about the justice part?

D.L. says there's another aspect of the new Juneteenth federal holiday that reeks of irony -- the fact that several U.S. Senators who voted for the bill are simultaneously trying to block schools from teaching about the role slavery played in building America. As he put it ... it's kinda hard to explain the holiday if critical race theory is censored.

More than 20 states have introduced legislation that would restrict lessons on racism or any other "divisive" concepts. Hughley says this is the duality of our life in America.

A notorious piece of ATL real estate is changing hands ... the home where R. Kelly allegedly held women against their will has a new owner.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... the mansion the singer used to rent in Metro Atlanta sold June 3. Folks who work for Fulton County, where the home is located, tell us the sale closed at a cool $1,785,000.

The property is infamously known as the place where Kelly allegedly kept women as part of his reputed sex cult. As the docuseries "Surviving R. Kelly" detailed ... some of the women claim they were forced to call him "Daddy," and had to ask permission for everything from bathroom breaks to meals.

Kelly, who is in custody in Chicago awaiting a federal trial, has denied the allegations.

The new owner clearly looked beyond the home's bad rep, and saw the value of its 11,455 sq. ft., 7-bedrooms, 12-foot ceilings and 2 kitchens.

President Biden got testy with a reporter over a question about his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but he was quick to say sorry ... even if it was a little backhanded.

Here's what happened -- CNN's Kaitlan Collins asked Biden why he was confident Putin would change his behavior following the Geneva summit, and the Prez took serious issue with the word "confident."

Biden was so miffed at the question, he actually walked back out at the end of his Wednesday press conference to address Collins and explain what he meant ... ultimately telling her she's "in the wrong business" when she asked a follow-up question.

Moments later though, Biden walked over to other reporters on the tarmac in Geneva -- as he was preparing to depart Switzerland -- and issued an apology to Collins for being short with her.

POTUS said, "I shouldn’t have been such a wise guy with the last answer I gave."

However, he later continued ... "To be a good reporter you gotta be negative; you gotta have a negative view of life ... you never ask a positive question." He also said reporters are the brightest people in the country so it makes no sense for him to negotiate with them.

The Florida principal who paddled a 6-year-old will be punished after all, after getting prematurely reinstated, and the child's family couldn't be happier ... despite the fact she's still reeling from the beating.

The family's attorney, Brent Probinsky, tells TMZ ... the principal in question, Melissa Carter, recently received a letter from the Florida Department of Education -- notifying her its investigation found probable cause for sanctions ... which could include a fine, probation, suspension or revocation of her teaching license (AKA, termination).

While a decision on what exactly her punishment will be is still to be handed down, Probinsky says the family is happy Carter will feel some repercussions ... and they hope it helps spread awareness to avoid a repeat situation with another kid.

Even though Carter will get hers, she was oddly reinstated to her position as principal this week by the local school district -- seemingly jumping the gun ahead of the FDOE findings.

As for the child who got paddled ... she's still dealing with the fallout, both physically and emotionally. Probinsky tells us she has been experiencing severe pain in her back and hips, not to mention numbness in her legs ... for which she's in physical therapy. The kid's also seeing a therapist due to the trauma we're told she's been through.

One of the stars of Netflix's "Bling Empire" got called out for allegedly spreading Asian hate by dissing a famous sushi joint -- but he's hollering right back ... respectfully, calling BS.

Kane Lim -- a Singaporean real estate developer -- was recently filmed on a pal's IG Story, hyping up the fact they were eating from another sushi restaurant in town, Tadaima, instead of L.A. celeb hot spot Yamashiro ... which they, including KL, openly mocked and called "disgusting."

Yamashiro's head chef, Vallerie Castillo Archer, took the jab personally, and also leveled an allegation against Lim and his buddies ... saying they were helping spread hate against their own race.

She wrote, in part ... "How can we promote Stop Asian Hate when we are the ones publicly hating on Asians?" She added that she found Lim's remarks hurtful to the cause.

Despite how Vallerie interpreted Lim's comments, he tells TMZ she's got this one wrong, and is kinda making a mountain out of a mole hill. Kane says his remarks were simply based on his own eating experience at Yamashiro from a few years back -- and were not aimed at her, her work or her staff directly. He just didn't dig the food there, period.

With that said, Kane adds this ... "It's unfortunate this has escalated to this level. I get how it has been interpreted and am disappointed it's been crafted into an Asian-hate thing."

Kane goes on to clarify that he does NOT hate his own race, and as far as Val ... he's more than willing to make amends and give Yamashiro another shot. In fact, we're told they're making plans to meet up and hash this out in the near future.

The Black woman who claims she was dragged down a flight of steps due to racial profiling was in the mix of a brawl right before the brutal act -- but she's sticking to her version of events.

Somebody captured what happened to Keisha Young at D.C.'s Nellie's Sports Bar last weekend -- but this video includes the moments before a security guard started yanking her by her hair.

It's clear there was a massive fight going down at the top of the stairs, and Keisha was right there getting her licks in ... throwing punches, until she appears to get tossed over the huddle of bodies down toward the security guard.

We can't quite tell if it's the guard himself who initially moves her, or if it's someone else -- but at any rate, once she's at his feet ... she starts to unload on him too, and he reacts.

That's where the hair-dragging seems to begin from the original video that has since gone viral. Remember, Keisha's attorneys told us they were outraged ... because they felt she'd been singled out due to the color of her skin, suggesting racism was at play in her treatment -- and they're still maintaining that.

Keisha's attorney, Brandon Burrell, tells TMZ ... the reason Keisha is seen tussling here is because she was defending her cousin, Dayon Kidd, whom we're told is the guy in the white T -- and who we're told Nellie's security team was pummeling after some words were exchanged.

Long story short -- her team says the facts haven't changed ... claiming she was approached by security when they mistook her for someone else and asked her to leave.

We're told Keisha's fam didn't like the way they got at her, and in attempting to defend her ... ended up brawling. Keisha's team says this new video picks up after that. Burrell also says the truth would be seen easily ... if only Nellie's would release the full surveillance video.

Lil Pump's not just throwing his support behind naming Migos to rap's Mt. Rushmore ... he's anointing them the G.O.A.T.!!!

The "Gucci Gang" rapper and his entourage were in the middle of a serious L.A. shopping spree at A Bathing Ape, and we asked him about the whole "Mt. Rushmore" debate that went down last week.

ICYMI ... the prominent hip-hop outlet, My Mixtapez, tweeted its Mt. Rushmore of Atlanta's best. Shockingly, Migos was NOT on the list. Jeezy, Future, Rich Homie Quan and Lil Baby took the honors.

Since then ... the omission has gotten attention from a lot of culture writers, including The New Yorker ... which recently penned an article headlined, "Migos Would Like to Be on Rap's Mt. Rushmore."

So, why the diss from My Mixtapez? Takeoff reportedly said he thinks they're being counted out because they're a group, with Offset suggesting a quick fix -- "It should be a little circle with all three heads like boom, boom, boom on that Mt. Rushmore, 'cause we done birthed a lot of this."

FWIW ... Migos thinks T.I., Gucci Mane, OutKast and Lil Jon also belong on the Mt. Rushmore of Atlanta's greatest. But, Lil Pump is certain Migos should be right up there with them ... regardless of being a group.

Several Euro 2020 spectators were injured when a parachuting protestor crash-landed into a stadium Tuesday ... and the horrifying scene was all caught on video.

The gliding demonstrator tried to touch down on the field just before France's game against Germany at Allianz Arena in Munich ... but accidentally hit overhead camera wires on his way in.

What happened next was terrifying ... 'cause the collision with the camera setup sent debris falling onto fans -- and nearly sent the protestor crash-landing into the stands.

Check out the footage of it all from near field level, it's jaw-dropping.

UEFA officials say the stunt "caused injuries to several people attending the game who are now in hospital."

They added the whole thing was "reckless and dangerous" and insisted law enforcement would get involved.

German team spokesperson Jens Grittner also added, "The incident is being checked by the police, the authorities here in Munich and at UEFA. But, of course, we also condemn what happened there. It could probably have turned out much worse.''

As for the point of the protest, the guy's chute had the words "KICK OUT OIL!" and "Greenpeace'' written on it.

The man was taken off the field by security after touching down on the grass.

The Shake Shack manager will get his day in court, and now one of the NYPD cops wants hers too -- because she's suing the burger joint, and she's sticking to the bleach story!

NYPD officer Genesis Novadiaz just filed a lawsuit against SS, claiming she was one of the 3 officers who thought they were "poisoned" ... and she's pointing the finger at Shake Shack and its employees, including the manager who just filed a lawsuit of his own over the incident.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Novadiaz claims Shake Shack workers at the Manhattan location -- including manager Marcus Gilliam -- were negligent in their duty to maintain equipment in a safe manner for customers ... and, as a result, she alleges she was subjected to harmful cleaning chemicals in her shake, including bleach.

So, she's sticking to her guns, claiming there must've been bleach in those damn shakes. While the theory of intentional poisoning was debunked by an NYPD investigation, Novadiaz is still calling out the restaurant for careless or reckless upkeep on their shake machines.

In the suit, she claims Shake Shack violated a number of New York City and State health code violations -- and oughta be forced to pay for it, because she says she became ill.

Remember, Gilliam himself just sued New York and the officers over the same incident -- claiming they defamed and falsely arrested him by lying about being intentionally poisoned.

The home where Charles Manson's followers murdered the LaBiancas is finally in the hands of a new owner ... after months of sitting on the market and a significant slash in price.

Sources familiar with the purchase tell TMZ, the Los Feliz crib -- where Leno and Rosemary LaBianca were infamously killed in '69 -- just passed hands from Zak Bagans to someone who's not so famous, and wants to keep it that way.

The anonymous buyer closed on Tuesday, and we're told they paid around $1.8 million ... quite a bit less than the $2.2 mil originally sought when the "Ghost Adventures" star first listed it back in October.

If you can get past its very dark history, the property itself is actually pretty sweet. It's a 2-bed, 2-bath home that clocks in at around 1,600 square feet. It's got a pool, and fantastic views of the city.

You might recall ... Zak told us he bought the place last summer in hopes of shooting a project there, but reversed course after checking the house out for himself, and feeling it'd be best to let it be out of respect to the LaBianca family.

Manson's followers stabbed Leno and Rosemary more than 50 times, and although ZB's famously into all things morbid and macabre ... this one proved too much for even him.

Vladimir Putin and Russia are not responsible for the swarm of UFOs being reported by U.S. Navy pilots, according to Rep. Tim Burchett ... who says the aircraft must be from another galaxy!!!

We got the U.S. Congressman from Tennessee on Capitol Hill Tuesday and asked him about the rash of sightings in U.S. airspace or off our shores ... and the speculation President Biden plans to raise the issue Wednesday during his Geneva summit with Putin.

Rep. Burchett's having a hard time believing the Russians are involved. He says if they had the kind of advanced technology pilots have reported seeing ... Putin would already own America.

Instead, the Congressman thinks the objects -- which are seen on video operating in ways defying known laws of physics and gravity -- must be something from beyond the Milky Way.

There's lots of government chatter about UFOs these days, with intelligence officials expected to release an unclassified report for the first time before the end of June. Burchett says he's been disappointed with empty promises before about releasing UFO info ... and even calls out former Prez Trump for missing the mark.

The Congressman told us "something's clearly going on" ... but the powers that be think folks can't handle the truth. He also offered up a Biblical theory about the existence of UFOs.

If the highly-anticipated government report doesn't cough up some real intel, Burchett says it will only prove why some people believe more in UFOs than in their elected officials.

Jon Stewart going off about COVID-19 originating from a Chinese lab -- seemingly embracing that unproven theory -- could have a negative impact on scientists working to combat future pandemics ... so says vaccine expert Dr. Peter Hotez.

Dr. Hotez, co-director of the Center for Vaccine Development at Texas Children's Hospital, takes serious issue with Stewart's Monday night rant on Stephen Colbert's 'Late Show' -- the first episode in-studio since the pandemic began, no less.

ICYMI ... Jon shared his thoughts with his late night buddy on where the virus might've come from, making a big show and strongly suggesting what he thinks is obvious -- namely that it leaked from a lab in Wuhan that studies the virus.

It's certainly a possibility that's that's been given more legitimacy in recent weeks from the scientific community -- this after largely being written off as a conspiracy theory at first.

Despite that, Dr. Hotez told us on "TMZ Live" that Jon really needs to check himself before putting that theory out as gospel ... at least until a full investigation can be done, which many have been calling for lately.

He says Jon's words will become fodder for unwarranted attacks against legit scientists.

Check out the doc's rationale here -- you can understand why he and his colleagues might wanna rein in this theory before it gets prematurely taken as fact. As he notes, scientists are being demonized over this, and worse yet ... they're being harassed and threatened.

Pooh Shiesty might not have shot the club security guard in Miami after all -- at least that's what the alleged victim's saying now ... claiming he doesn’t remember giving his original statement to cops.

PS's attorneys, Bradford Cohen and Saam Zangeneh, filed a new motion this week with what they say is sworn testimony from the guard in question ... who now claims he was on a powerful painkiller and unaware of what he was saying to the police when they first spoke.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Frivin Dor's transcribed interview with Pooh's legal team is documented ... and he's on record saying he was given Dilaudid -- a powerful opioid painkiller -- when he first arrived at the hospital that night, which he now claims knocked him on his ass as he spoke to a detective about the matter, 'cause he doesn't remember a thing.

In this new account, Dor suggests the commotion in the club might have been caused by a fan (the spinning type, not a person) that fell in a parking garage nearby. He also says he doesn't recall Pooh aiming at him or even shooting at him.

According to the docs, he also said he doesn't want to press charges, and doesn't want officials in FL to contact him about this matter either ... which Pooh's lawyers say is enough for prosecutors to at least reconsider the decision not to release Pooh on bond.