You Might Want to Rethink

President Biden did right by getting the U.S. out of Afghanistan but Rep. Barbara Lee -- who was against the war from the get-go -- says there was one HUGE problem ... the execution sucked.

The Congresswoman from Oakland joined "TMZ Live" Thursday and praised 46 for getting U.S. troops out of Afghanistan because, in her words, there was "no military solution." She said adding 10,000 troops would have exacerbated the situation because it would have inevitably created another 20 futile years of military operations in the war-torn region.

That said ... Lee didn't let Biden off the hook. She took him and the administration to task over the execution. She called it "horrible" ... adding the U.S. has a moral obligation to make sure Americans, allies and journalists alike have a safe passage out of Afghanistan.

Biden told George Stephanopoulos he had no regrets over the U.S.'s chaotic exit from Afghanistan, because he said they didn't make any mistakes. Lee begs to differ ... and she's calling on U.S. troops to stick around until all appropriate personnel who want to get out ... do get out.

Biden was grilled on whether U.S. troops might stay beyond the August 31 deadline. The prez initially hedged saying it depended on the situation ... but finally relented and said he may keep troops there past the deadline until all Americans are out. He did not say the same for the Afghan allies who are at grave risk.

Lee -- the star of a documentary, 'Speaking Truth to Power,' dropping Friday -- says she doesn't feel vindicated 20 years after opposing the war on Afghanistan. She made the argument on the House floor just 3 days after the September 11 attacks ... and was the lone House member to cast a "no" vote authorizing then-President George W. Bush's actions.

If you're thinking of freaking out on a plane, hope you're flush with cash, because freak-outs don't come cheap. Some off-the-rails passengers have been fined and the total is now more than a million bucks.

The FAA just hit a milestone (a bad one) in the total amount of penalties they've dished out thus far in 2021 ... there have been 3,889 reports of unruly behavior this year, and many of these ridiculous passengers have been socked with huge fines.

Most of the in-flight eruptions involve disputes over mask-wearing. There are also a bunch of alcohol-related disturbances. For example ...

-- A JetBlue passenger was fined $45,000 for throwing objects, including his carry-on at other passengers, lying on the aisle floor, and then grabbing a flight attendant by the ankles and putting his head up her skirt.

-- A Frontier Airlines passenger was socked with a $30,000 fine after trying to gain entry to the cockpit by assaulting 2 flight attendants, threatening to kill one of them, and demanding they open the door.

-- A JetBlue passenger was fined $17,530 for failing to comply with the mask mandate, vaping on the plane and drinking alcohol not served by the airline.

-- An Allegiant Airlines passenger was fined $10,500 for refusing to wear a face mask and then urinating on the bathroom floor, which leaked into the galley.

Turns out a lot of these passengers got dinged for bringing alcohol on board -- which is a no-no -- and then getting belligerent.

The fines we were provided are all hefty -- starting at $7,500. On top of that, some passengers have been charged with crimes.

It's gotten so bad, flight attendants are now duct-taping out-of-control passengers to their seats.

New "Jeopardy!" host Mike Richards is apologizing for some insensitive remarks he made about women on his old podcast ... he says it's "a terribly embarrassing moment of misjudgment."

Here's the deal ... Mike used to host a podcast from 2013 to 2014 when he was the executive producer at "The Price Is Right" and he's now under fire for referring to his female co-host as a "booth ho" and "booth slut," among other degrading remarks aimed at women.

The podcast, called "The Randumb Show," has already been scrubbed from the Internet after The Ringer reported on Mike's derogatory comments, which also include him asking his female co-host and his assistant if they had ever taken "booby pictures," during a segment about leaked celebrity nudes.

According to The Ringer, Mike also went on the podcast and said women "dress like a hooker" for Halloween, said a former employee who took up baking would get "giant" and said one-piece swimsuits make some women "look really frumpy and overweight."

There's a lot more comments of the same ilk, according to The Ringer, but these are the lowlights.

Mike's apologizing in a statement, via Sony, telling us ... "It is humbling to confront a terribly embarrassing moment of misjudgment, thoughtlessness, and insensitivity from nearly a decade ago. Looking back now, there is no excuse, of course, for the comments I made on this podcast and I am deeply sorry."

He adds ... "The podcast was intended to be a series of irreverent conversations between longtime friends who had a history of joking around. Even with the passage of time, it’s more than clear that my attempts to be funny and provocative were not acceptable, and I have removed the episodes."

As you know ... Mike was just announced as the new day-to-day host of "Jeopardy!" and lots of folks aren't happy. He's also denied allegations of discriminating against pregnant women at his past stops.

Garth Brooks is pressing pause on the remaining stops on his stadium tour ... and he says it's because of the resurgence in COVID-19 cases across the country.

The country music star announced Wednesday he's scrapping 5 upcoming stadium shows at football stadiums in Baltimore, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Nashville and Foxborough, Mass. ... and he says he was wrong about COVID being done.

Garth says ... "In July, I sincerely thought the pandemic was falling behind us. Now, watching this new wave, I realize we are still in the fight and I must do my part."

It's an about-face for Garth ... as we reported, just last month he played in front of a packed house of 68,000 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Ticketmaster says it will refund all tickets and Garth says he's hopeful the shows can be rescheduled "when this wave seems to be behind us."

Garth and his band are vaccinated, as are his tour crew, but he previously said he would not require concertgoers to be vaccinated or show proof of a negative COVID-19 test. The stadium shows were expected to follow local COVID protocols.

Ric Flair says he is NOT a train ridin', oral sex givin' son of a gun ... telling TMZ Sports the viral photo making rounds has to be some other guy -- 'cause it ain't him!!

Here's how we got here: A pic began trending on Twitter on Wednesday ... which appears to show a man with light, slicked-back hair ... *clears throat* pleasuring a woman.

People were quick to say the guy in the photo was 72-year-old Flair ... with the jokes coming in left and right.

Welp, we made some phone calls ... and Ric himself tells us the guy in the pic is NOT him ... and for what it's worth, he hasn't been on a train in a while.

We wanted to show the photo ... but Harvey wouldn't let us. So, go search on Twitter.

The Nature Boy has made headlines recently for REAL things that actually happened -- the wrestling legend has parted ways with WWE after a lengthy relationship.

Flair has kept busy in his time since ... but not in *that* way.

Detroit Tigers analyst Jack Morris apologized on-air Tuesday night ... after he used an offensive accent before an at-bat by Angels star Shohei Ohtani.

Just before the L.A. designated hitter -- who's Japanese -- stepped up to the plate in the 6th inning of the Halos' game against the Tigers ... Morris tried to be funny on the broadcast by using an accent that many felt was mocking Asians.

"Be very, very careful," Morris said when asked by play-by-play man Matt Shepard how the Tigers should pitch to the hitter.

Morris' remarks were immediately panned on social media ... with critics calling them racist and offensive.

In fact, the backlash grew so loud ... Morris issued an apology for the words just 3 innings later.

"Well, folks, Shohei Ohtani is coming to the plate and it's been brought to my attention, and I sincerely apologize if I offended anybody, especially anybody in the Asian community for what I said about pitching and being careful to Shohei Ohtani," Morris said.

"I did not intend for any offensive thing and I apologize if I did. I certainly respect and have the utmost respect for this guy and don't blame a pitcher for walking him."

Morris -- a former MLB pitcher who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018 -- has been analyzing games on broadcasts for years ... helping call tilts for the Blue Jays, Twins and Tigers.

Taliban members allegedly gunned down a woman in the streets of Afghanistan ... just as Taliban officials swore they would not exact violence on women.

It happened in the province of Takhar -- 8 hours outside of Kabul -- where an unidentified female was photographed lying dead in a pool of blood ... reportedly at the hands of the insurgents.

The woman reportedly refused to wear a burqa ... required under sharia law, a version of Islam to which the Taliban subscribes that subjugates women.

The murder is evidence Taliban spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, was disingenuous to say the least. He vowed the newly-formed government would afford women more basic rights, even encouraging them to go back to school/work and to get involved in the government if they so desired -- so long as they abide by sharia law, that is.

There are other reports the Taliban fired shots at protesters all around the country. Although the Afghan military fled without a fight, some demonstrators were vocal in their displeasure over the turn of events in the country, and it cost some of them dearly.

There are also reports they beat journalists.

The scene in Kabul is chaotic and tragic ... thousands of Afghans who assisted Americans over the last 20 years are stuck -- unable to secure the proper papers to flee the country.  Many U.S. military and intelligence officials believe they will be executed once Americans are gone.

Bhad Bhabie's got beef ... but it's not with another rapper. It's with Airbnb.

The "Gucci Flip Flops" rapper is pissed off at the vacation rental company to the point she's threatening to file a lawsuit. Her problem? BB's pissed Airbnb will let an 18-year-old like her sign up for an account on the site but NOT let her book a rental.

She posted a series of messages Tuesday morning on her Instagram Story, which have since been deleted, lashing out at Airbnb. In one story she wrote, "F*** @airbnb ya’ll are weird asf not renting to me Bc I’m 18 FYI I’ve never thrown a party in my life believe it or not . Ya’ll will b hearing from my lawyer bitches."

In a separate Story, she asked, "Why am I able to sign up then???" Good question. But, Airbnb sources say it's nothing personal. They also point to Airbnb's age requirements policy.

The policy strictly says that "in some locations, people under age 25 with fewer than 3 positive reviews can't book entire home listings within their local areas" but "they can still book nearby private rooms and hotel rooms. Outside the local area, they can book any type of listing."

Lionel Messi is worth so much money, even his boogers come with a hefty price tag -- 'cause a tissue he allegedly used earlier this month is on sale for a staggering $1 MILLION!!!

According to multiple reports, the person who snagged the handkerchief that Messi used during his Barcelona farewell press conference back on Aug. 8 has now listed it on an international auction site for a small fortune.

In the listing, per Rojak Daily, the seller claimed the tissue contained Messi's "genetic material" ... and therefore could potentially be used to someday clone the soccer superstar.

Ethics aside, the seller seemed to believe that potential was worth the massive asking price.

Of course, unclear if there are any serious potential buyers ... 'cause, after all, the item -- while certainly historic -- is super gross.

At Messi's newser, he wiped his nose and his eyes multiple times with the tissue ... and yeah, probably not something worth sinking $1 million into.

Then again, can you put a price tag on creating multiple Messi's ...

Facebook is stepping in to scrub hateful comments directed at Lizzo from its social media platforms ... and some trolls are even getting their accounts removed.

Sources at Facebook tell TMZ ... the company's already removed a number of comments left on Lizzo's recent Facebook and Instagram posts, and FB will continue reviewing reports of hateful comments on an ongoing basis.

As we reported ... Lizzo broke down on video over the weekend, crying over being the subject of fat-shaming and racist comments. She said she noticed people go out of their way to rip her and she couldn't make sense of it, and all the hate was getting to her.

Our Facebook sources also tell us they're removing accounts of users who continue breaking community guidelines around hate speech, harassment and bullying -- so, any trolls going after Lizzo could soon get the ax.

"FBoy Island" star Sarah Emig wants Garrett Morosky to save his apology ... at least for now, 'cause she's not in the mood for it after he embarrassed her on the show.

We got Sarah hanging out with her co-star, CJ Franco, Monday outside the Peninsula Hotel in Bev Hills and asked if she was down to give Garrett another shot now that they're both in Los Angeles.

For the record ... Sarah says Garrett has, in fact, reached out to patch things up -- but it's clear she's not ready to hear it. She still has strong feelings about how Garrett left her hanging at the end of the HBO Max show. She says Garrett really did her dirty, and for that reason alone ... she's won't be breaking bread with Garrett.

As we reported ... Garrett showed his true 'FBoy' colors in the finale by choosing the $100k prize over a relationship with Sarah. Now, he told us he's planning to apologize ... but Garrett might wanna watch this clip first.

We can sum up her response to a potential date with Garrett in 2 words: Hell nah!!!

Twitter quickly turned into "The Roast of Travis Kelce" on Monday ... with trolls absolutely ripping the NFL star's new beardless look.

But, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end took the heat in stride ... by simply adding his scruff back to his face with some world-class Photoshop skills!!

31-year-old Kelce was the center of a ton of jokes after rocking his new baby face at practice this week ... with people demanding he grow his facial hair back immediately.

There was a copious amount of cracks on Twitter ... including these gems:

"Travis Kelce looks like Will Ferrell if Will Ferrell was playing Travis Kelce in a movie," one user said ... with another adding, "Omggg I just seen a picture of Travis Kelce without a beard.. I’m shaking crying and throwing up."

One more -- "I went to go see why Travis Kelce was trending and I wish I could unsee it."

Kelce -- who's arguably one of the more handsome fellas in the league when he has a beard -- proved he can laugh through all the hate ... by changing his avatar to include a scribbled James Harden-esque scruff to make everyone happy again.

Khloe Kardashian and Tristan Thompson aren't together again ... even though they've been in each other's company a lot lately.

Despite recent reports that have surfaced claiming the exes are back on again -- and that Khloe is "desperate" to make it work, despite repeated instances of cheating -- sources that are actually plugged into the situation tell TMZ ... all of that is a load of baloney.

We're told Khloe and Tristan are not romantically linked whatsoever ... regardless of recent pics of them side by side with True. Just last week, they took their daughter to a movie, and exited together ... looking like a happy fam.

It's not the first time they've been photographed in close proximity since the split -- remember, they both attended True's dance class earlier this year -- and we're told it won't be the last time either ... as they're committed to presenting a united front for True's sake.

Our sources say Mom and Dad are fully aligned as parents, and want True to see her parents maintaining a healthy relationship -- which apparently means semi-frequent joint outings.

An alligator handler got wrangled in by the creature she was hired to control -- but before things turned deadly ... some on-the-spot heroics by zoo guests saved the day.

An unidentified employee of Scales and Tails Utah -- who was in charge of showing off one of the facility's gators to paying customers -- got ensnared in the animal's teeth as it clamped down on her hand, and barrel-rolled her!!!

It was a freaky scene ... the woman looked like she was about to become alligator food Saturday, right there in front of horrified zoo goers -- that is, until a guy named Donnie Wiseman literally threw himself into the mix ... jumping on the gator's back.

He was, fortunately, able to get it to stop rolling, and then the handler instructed him on what to do next -- sounds like she was taking steps to prevent herself from having a panic attack ... and, finally, the gator loosened its grip, and another guest pulled her to safety.

That left Wiseman on top of the gator by himself, and the handler stuck around to walk him through how to get out of the sitch. Eventually, he escaped unscathed.

Soulja Boy heard Aaron Carter call him out loud and clear ... firing back at the pop star with some fighting words of his own ... saying, "I'll beat the candy out his pockets!!"

But, it isn't just talk ... TMZ Sports has learned there is a legit offer on the table for both guys to step in the ring and duke it out!!

Of course, the "That's How I Beat Shaq" crooner told us last week he'd be down to step in the ring again ... saying he'd rip the rapper apart.

33-year-old AC added he felt 31-year-old Soulja would never respond ... claiming he feels threatened by all his success and wouldn't want to be embarrassed with a big L.

But the "Pretty Boy Swag" MC wasted no time clapping back at Carter on social media ... and yeah, the dude went OFF.

Sources close to the situation tell us Celebrity Boxing has reached out to Soulja in hopes of making a deal happen ... but so far, he hasn't responded.

Remember, AC accepted a challenge against Lamar Odom earlier this year ... but came up short and got knocked out in the 2nd round.

Soulja has flirted with taking boxing matches in the past -- he almost entered the ring with Chris Brown in 2017 ... and more recently, went back and forth with Jake Paul.

Johnny Depp has addressed the elephant in the room -- which is that he's seen as a pariah in Hollywood now ... something that isn't lost on him, and which he seems to think is BS.

The embattled actor sat for an interview with the Sunday Times -- to promote his new movie, "Minamata" -- and he opened up about what he perceives as a de facto ousting from the biz, while also vowing to shed more light on the "truth" and thanking fans for sticking with him.

Johnny is quoted as saying that he feels like those who got on board late for his latest flick owe the real-life Japanese mercury poison survivors on which it's based fairness in its release -- the film's only being released in the UK, for now. A U.S. release date hasn't been set.

The distributors, MGM, have been accused of shelving it over JD's legal issues -- an alleged reaction to which Depp says ... "And for anything ... for Hollywood’s boycott of me? One man, one actor in an unpleasant and messy situation, over the last number of years?"

On that topic, he goes on to say that he's "moving towards where I need to go to make all that … to bring things to light." Sounds like he's talking about his acrimonious case against Amber Heard here in the U.S. -- the one he still has a fighting chance to win (maybe).

Remember ... he already lost a libel case over his tumultuous relationship with Heard across the pond somewhat recently, when he sued The Sun over a headline they ran that called him a "wife beater" -- something a judge there found to be true in a ruling against him.

Depp lost (again) in an appeal in that case ... and the book is closed there. The legal battle wages on, though, here at home as he continues to press the issue in a U.S. court -- going after Amber herself for outright defamation. She, in turn, has countersued him ... for a lot.

With that said, Johnny made sure to shoutout his loyal fans in this interview ... because he says they're the ones who are on the right side of history, calling them his true "employers." He adds, "I'm proud of these people, because of what they are trying to say, which is the truth. The truth they're trying to get out since it doesn't in more mainstream publications."