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A gun-rights group has sued the Mayor of Los Angeles, claiming he had no right to shut down gun stores in the City in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

The California Rifle & Pistol Ass'n claims Mayor Garcetti broke the law when he determined gun stores were not essential businesses. The group notes the feds have called gun and ammo stores "essential" and therefore they can stay open.

Likewise, California Governor Gavin Newsom's stay-at-home order makes gun stores essential, with a twist. Newsom was asked if a city could shut gun stores down, and he said he'd defer to local law enforcement. L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said he did not consider gun stores essential, so they were shut down with the threat of arrest and prosecution if they stayed open.

There's no doubt ... there's been a huge run on guns in lots of cities around the country. This is a pic of a Southern California gun shop from last week, where people were lined up out the door to buy weapons, mostly for protection.

The org. claims their rights have been violated because the State order -- stating specifically that gun stores are essential businesses -- trumps any local ordinance. They also say their due process rights were violated because the City nullified their licenses to sell firearms.

It's interesting ... the suit does not focus at all on the Second Amendment which provides for the right to bear arms.

Andrew Yang says it's sad but true -- many Americans are aiming their hostilities over the coronavirus at Asians ... but he's trying his best to be empathetic.

The former presidential candidate -- who's Taiwanese American -- tells us he understands that times are tough for everyone right now, and with tough times comes feelings of anger ... and for some, it creates a need to find scapegoats.

Unfortunately, many Asian Americans like Yang are bearing the brunt of what he calls "racial hostility" ... due in part to people falsely equating the coronavirus' Chinese origins to all Asians somehow being responsible for it. It didn't help Trump started calling it the Chinese virus.

Yang points out that Asian Americans' lives have been upended just like everybody else's by the COVID-19 crisis ... but everyone else isn't having to deal with daily prejudice on the streets because of it, as well.

It's totally unfair, but Andrew's not one for sulking during the pandemic ... he's about solutions.

He's been urging his fellow Asian Americans to not cower in fear, but to "do everything in our power to accelerate the end of this crisis."

Georgia's Governor apparently lives under a rock, but crawled out long enough to make a shocking statement -- that he just found out people showing no symptoms can still spread COVID-19.

No joke ... Gov. Brian Kemp, who on Wednesday finally issued a stay-at-home order for Georgia, admitted he had just learned in the last 24 hours the virus could be spread by asymptomatic people.

We should probably say he "claimed" that because it seems impossible he, or someone on his staff, could have avoided information that's been widely known and disseminated for weeks.

Clearly, Kemp hasn't been listening to Dr. Anthony Fauci during the daily White House briefings with President Trump ... with whom Kemp is reportedly pretty tight.

Safe to say, Kemp would NOT be one of the governors Pete Buttigieg is hailing for showing leadership in a time of crisis.

Democrats are going to have to wait a little longer before they officially know who will be the party's presidential nominee ... cause the Democratic National Committee just postponed its presidential convention due to the coronavirus.

The DNC just announced it's pushing its presidential convention from July 13 to August 17 in Milwaukee. The move now means the DNC will hold its convention a week before the Republicans hold their convention in Charlotte.

The move also comes on the heels of the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden publicly calling for the convention to be delayed as the nation continues to get a grip on the deadly coronavirus pandemic. BTW, there's still no clear timeline on when the nation, as a whole, will have flattened the curve on COVID-19 cases.

Joe Solmonese, the CEO of the Democratic National Convention Committee, said, "In our current climate of uncertainty, we believe the smartest approach is to take additional time to monitor how this situation unfolds so we can best position our party for a safe and successful convention."

He went on to say, "During this critical time, when the scope and scale of the pandemic and its impact remain unknown, we will continue to monitor the situation and follow the advice of health care professionals and emergency responders."

Dr. Anthony Fauci is getting a beefed-up security detail ... because our nation's top infectious-disease expert is now the target of a growing number of threats.

It's pretty crazy ... Dr. Fauci is facing threats to his personal safety and a wave of unwanted communications from fanatic followers, according to the Washington Post, forcing the feds to step up the good doc's security.

Fauci has fast become the face of the nation's response to the coronavirus pandemic, often appearing on TV and taking the podium at President Trump's daily briefings, where he's unafraid to deliver harsh truths about the spread of the virus and the need for Americans to shelter in place.

But, with added fame comes added criticism ... and he's facing tons of backlash from different pockets and corners of the online community.

While Fauci is suddenly getting more security, the Post says the exact nature of the threats against the doctor remains unclear.

As we reported ... Dr. Fauci's face is now plastered on a super-popular donut at a New York bakery ... and now his admirers are reportedly approaching him with requests to sign baseballs and other strange requests.

Dr. Fauci's security detail includes agents from the U.S. Marshals Service, according to the Post, and it's been in place since Tuesday at least.

While Dr. Fauci and President Trump's messages on the virus have often clashed, Trump says everyone loves the doc.

Pete Buttigieg says it's inspiring to see the leadership coming from state and local governments during the pandemic -- something he says the White House is lacking.

Mayor Pete joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" and praised the decency, compassion and informed decisions being displayed by governors, and even mayors. He thinks President Trump's been doing the exact opposite.

The former Presidential candidate says it doesn't even feel like we have a President any more -- despite daily virus briefings from POTUS. Pete says it's all about proper messaging ... not so much about Trump's hair.

NY Governor Andrew Cuomo is getting a lot of praise for the way he's handled his state's astronomical COVID-19 stats. As a result, many are hoping he can make a late run to become the Democratic nominee -- but Mayor Pete is sticking with Joe Biden, telling us why Obama's VP would make a much better Prez than Trump.

Ronald Reagan's Presidential Library and Museum is losing hundreds of thousands during the pandemic lockdown -- so it wants the public to extend a helping hand ... filled with cash, preferably.

It's a pretty sad situation, actually -- a letter was recently sent to all museum members, asking for some help during the coronavirus-mandated shutdown. The Library's doors have been closed since March 13.

The letter, obtained by TMZ, says it bluntly -- the library is bleeding cash daily, about $150k per week.

Give it a read ... the library's executive director, John Heubusch, says without its usual flow of visitors and revenue from ticket sales and on-site vendors ... it just can't stay afloat for much longer.

The library, which notes it receives zero federal funding, says any size donation from members would be greatly appreciated right now.

They're serious about all donations being helpful -- the low-end suggested pledges are $10, $15 and $20.

President Trump apparently thinks his daily press briefings on how his administration is handling the coronavirus pandemic is a reality show ... 'cause he's hyping his "ratings."

DT tweeted out the callous and insensitive message to his followers Sunday, boasting about sky-high numbers he and his task force are supposedly bringing in for news networks and other TV stations broadcasting his crucial health updates to the American people.

Trump cites the NY Times as referring to his ratings as "Bachelor finale, Monday Night Football type numbers," and says the "Lamestream Media" is going nuts about the fact he's reaching so many people. He ends his tweet with a promise to return ... "See you at 5:00 PM!"

The Prez then went on to quote the NYT writer, seemingly for context and to imply that it wasn't him, per se, that was obsessed with ratings (even though he is). The quote from Michael M. Grynbaum reads, "President Trump is a ratings hit. Since reviving the daily White House briefing Mr. Trump and his coronavirus updates have attracted an average audience of 8.5 million on cable news, roughly the viewership of the season finale of ‘The Bachelor.’ Numbers are continuing to rise..."

He continues by citing the numbers across different networks, adding "...alone attracted 6.2 million viewers for the president’s briefing — an astounding number for a 6 p.m. cable broadcast, more akin to the viewership for a popular prime-time sitcom..."

He then quoted Grynbaum as saying a low percentage of Republicans trusted the news media for info on the virus. Implication being ... they trust 45 more.

The fact he's giving any conversation -- be it his or others' -- about ratings oxygen whatsoever is pretty asinine -- of course, people are tuning in ... their lives are on the line.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has been a fixture the last 2 weeks -- providing a steady flow of scary information to a public hungry for answers -- but on Sunday he paused to reflect on things people can do to feel some sense of normalcy.

The Gov rhapsodized about his youth, when his parents would have what appears to be a mandatory family dinner every Sunday ... and frankly, it sounds delicious.

The Governor talked about the need for comfort, which is often found in the family unit.

He explains his own current circumstances and, if we understand the message, he's trying to inspire people to connect with their loved ones and even enjoy each other's company ... family members quarantined together, of course.

John Kerry didn't hold anything back on the lone representative in the House opposing the coronavirus stimulus bill, calling him an a-hole and an idiot ... and President Trump's impressed.

It seems Democrats and Republicans have come together not only to form the Save Our Workers Bill, but to skewer Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie ... who happens to be a Republican.

Not long after POTUS called him a "third rate Grandstander" and pushed for him to get kicked out of the party, Kerry chimed in saying ... "Congressman Massie has tested positive for being an a**hole."

He added about Massie ... "He must be quarantined to prevent the spread of his massive stupidity. He's given new meaning to the term #Masshole."

Trump replied, commending Kerry for his good sense of humor.

It's no laughing matter, though ... Massie's opposition to the bill is forcing members of Congress to return to Washington for a potential roll call and in-person vote on the bill, instead of passing it via voice vote.

As you may know ... some representatives have already tested positive for COVID-19 and are quarantining, so they won't be able to make the trip.

For others, a gathering in Washington means an increased risk of coronavirus exposure for the lawmakers ... along with a delay in the bill getting passed.

TMZ broke the story, some representatives complained weeks ago that the Capitol was still open to visitors and lobbyists and begged for the leadership to close the doors on visitors, but that didn't happen. One of the congressmen told us he's tested positive.

Bill and Hillary Clinton sent a special delivery to the hard-working staff at two hospitals battling some of the worst coronavirus cases in the country ... free pizza!!!

The former President and Secretary of State ordered dozens of pizzas Wednesday night and had the pies delivered to the doctors, nurses, and other staff on the front lines at Blythedale Children's Hospital and White Plains Hospital.

The Clintons also sent a note with the free za ... "Thank you for helping the community! Bill and Hillary Clinton."

White Plains Hospital is running the busiest department in Westchester County, where they're getting hit extremely hard by the coronavirus pandemic. Blythedale Children's Hospital has no cases yet of COVID-19, but it's one of only 14 specialty children's hospitals in the country.

The hospitals and the outbreak are in the Clinton's backyard ... Bill and Hillary live in nearby Chappaqua.

It was a really nice gesture ... and then Chelsea Clinton decided to bring up the infamous pizzagate conspiracy. Maybe a little too transparent, Chelsea?!?

This will put a smile on President Trump's face ... the Lt. Gov. of Texas says to hell with social distancing, because old folks should risk death by COVID-19, so the economy can start recovering.

Yes, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick told Tucker Carlson Monday evening, "Those of us who are 70-plus, we'll take care of ourselves, but don't sacrifice the country. Don't do that. Don't ruin this great American dream."

Patrick, who acknowledged he is a grandfather, was 100 percent echoing the President's sentiment during an earlier briefing on coronavirus. Trump says he's strongly considering ending social distancing after just 2 weeks.

POTUS stressed he wants to get America back up and running. Of course, the problem with that is several hundred Americans could be dying EVERY day at that point ... due to the spread of the virus.

That would seem to be an odd time to stop doing what every scientist says will prevent the virus from spreading and killing more people.

Still, if the President proceeds ... you can count in grandpa Patrick, who says he's willing to risk dying -- "We can't lose our whole country, we're having an economic collapse."