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6:37 PM PT -- CNN has come to the defense of Acosta, saying the White House's actions are a threat to our democracy and calling Sanders a liar.

In a statement, CNN said the Trump Administration's decision to strip Acosta's press credential "was done in retaliation for his challenging questions at today's press conference. In an explanation, Press Secretary Sarah Sanders lied. She provided fraudulent accusations and cited an incident that never happened. This unprecedented decision is a threat to our democracy and the country deserves better."

5:03 PM PT -- The White House has pulled Acosta's press credential. Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders released a series of tweets, saying, "President Trump believes in a free press and expects and welcomes tough questions of him and his Administration. We will, however, never tolerate a reporter placing his hands on a young woman just trying to do her job as a White House intern."

She continues, "Contrary to CNN’s assertions there is no greater demonstration of the President’s support for a free press than the event he held today. Only they would attack the President for not supporting a free press in the midst of him taking 68 questions from 35 different reporters."

Finally, she says, "The fact that CNN is proud of the way their employee behaved is not only disgusting, it‘s an example of their outrageous disregard for everyone, including young women, who work in this Administration. As a result of today’s incident, the White House is suspending the hard pass of the reporter involved until further notice."

Donald Trump went for the jugular Wednesday ... calling a CNN reporter unfit for his job and a "terrible person" ... and it didn't end there.

CNN reporter Jim Acosta asked Trump during a news conference about the President's claim there was an impending invasion by people in the refugee caravan.

It got hot almost immediately ... Acosta pressed Trump, and POTUS erupted in anger.

The President tried to shut Acosta down, ordering him to put his mic down, but the next person to ask a question was NBC's Peter Alexander, who defended Acosta. That further infuriated the President.

And, it didn't end there. American Urban Radio Networks correspondent April Ryan tried to ask a question and Trump rudely shut her down.

And then, there's Yamiche Alcindor from PBS NewsHour, who asked Trump about his comment during the campaign that he's a nationalist. When she said that seemed to embolden white nationalists, Trump said she was asking racist questions.

BTW ... another amazing moment -- Trump was asked if he'd comply with the inevitable demand by the House to release his tax returns, and the Prez essentially said it was too complicated for Congress to understand.

Chris Pratt and Anna Faris are split, but won't be living too far from each other -- it's part of their divorce settlement ... TMZ has learned.

As we told you, Chris and Anna hammered out their divorce with the help of a private judge ... who just signed off Wednesday on the deal. According to the docs, they've agreed to live no more than 5 miles apart for about the next 5 years.

The clause calls for the 5-mile rule to stay in place until Jack completes the 6th grade. Right now, he's 6 years old ... so, that means they've got another 5 years living in relatively close quarters.

If for any reason one of them needed to move further apart, they have to give the other party written notice no later than 3 months in advance of the move ... according to the docs.

They also have to provide 30 days notice if they want to travel out of the country with Jack ... and "reasonable" advance notice to travel out of state.

As we've seen ... everything is peachy-keen between Anna and Chris right now -- as evidenced by their trick-or-treating with Jack and their new baes, Michael Barrett and Katherine Schwarzenegger.

Tom Steyer is reveling in the midterm election results after dumping $120 million into Democratic campaigns ... and he's not afraid to rub it in President Trump's face.

We got the billionaire philanthropist Wednesday in Washington D.C., and he was over the moon about Dems taking control of the House of Representatives. Steyer says it's a clear pushback against Trump's administration.

Tom's PAC, NextGen Climate Action, helped flip 12 congressional seats for the Dems.

It wasn't a total blue wave for Tom's wallet. The Cali native invested $14 mil in Andrew Gillum's gubernatorial campaign, and came up short.

3:52 PM PT -- According to the divorce docs -- obtained by TMZ -- Nichols lists the couple's date of separation as October 23. She contributes "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the split, is asking for physical custody of their daughter and joint legal custody. Nichols also wants spousal support.

"Riverdale" star Marisol Nichols -- who plays Hermione Lodge on the CW show -- has filed for divorce from her husband.

Nichols married Taron Lexton -- a cinematographer -- in 2008 and filed docs to end things on Wednesday. The two have one minor child together, a daughter named Rain India Lexton.

Nichols has been a regular on "Riverdale" since the show's beginning in 2017, playing the wife of Mark Consuelos' character, Hiram Lodge.

Nichols got her start as Audrey Griswold in "Vegas Vacation" in 1997. She was also a cast member on the FOX show "24."

It's unclear what led to the split.

Originally Published -- 2:44 PM PST

The man who allegedly shot and killed Angela Simmons' ex-fiance has turned himself into authorities ... TMZ has learned.

The lawyer for Michael Williams tells TMZ ... Williams turned himself into the Atlanta Police Dept. just moments ago. The 44-year-old has been charged with murder.

The attorney, Jackie Patterson, tells us his client denies the allegations that he shot and killed Sutton Tennyson, Angela's ex-fiance and father of their child.

As we reported ... Sutton was shot and killed over the weekend at his home. Cops say they found him dead in his garage with multiple gunshot wounds. Cops added Sutton was talking in the driveway with another man when the conversation got heated and he was shot. The suspect fled in a car.

Following Sutton's death, Simmons said, "Thank you for leaving behind my greatest gift. I'm hurting. I'm numb. Thank you for the outpouring of love everyone. I can't believe I'm even saying Rest in Peace Sutton. I promise to hold SJ down in every way I promise."

1:29 PM PT -- Lele just addressed the hit-and-run on Twitter, saying the car that struck Corentin was a grey Acura ... adding that she and her team have provided all the details they witnessed to police. She also said she'll be taking a break from social media to concentrate on Corentin's recovery.

YouTube star Lele Pons saw something truly horrific -- her friend was struck by a speeding vehicle ... which didn't stop and sped off in a hit and run ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us Lele's friend, celeb photographer Corentin Villemeur, was walking through a crosswalk Tuesday night in Hollywood when he was hit by the car ... which had just run a red light.

We're told Lele was in a parked car nearby and rushed out to be by his side as paramedics arrived. As you can see in video from the scene, Lele was freaking out as the crowd gathered.

Sources close to Lele tell us Corentin had just attended her performance with Latin singer Karol G at Avalon Hollywood. She saw the accident happen as they were leaving the club.

We're also told one of Lele's other friends followed the suspect and got a license plate, which they reported to cops. We're told police are currently pursuing leads.

12:24 PM PT -- Floyd had already made up his mind to back out of the fight by Tuesday night -- because he was telling people at an L.A. nightclub that it was off.

In fact, Floyd's friend Michael Blackson -- the famous comedian -- came on "TMZ Live" on Wednesday and told us when he saw Floyd at Murano Nightclub, the boxer made it clear it wasn't happening.

Floyd Mayweather is making it clear his massive New Year's Eve fight with Tenshin Nasukawa is off -- and claims it's because he was misled by fight promoters.

It's strange considering the press conference Floyd participated in on Sunday night -- promoting the fight at RIZIN 14 in Japan -- but alas, here we are.

In short, Floyd claims he only ever agreed to fight Tenshin in a private, closed door, 3-round exhibition fight "for a small group of wealthy spectators for a very large fee."

But, when he got to the press conference (weird that he would even agree to do a press conference for a small private event) the RIZIN promoters told the media it would be a globally televised superfight.

Floyd says he went along with the press conference because he was blindsided and didn't want to "create a disturbance."

During the press conference, Floyd was PRAISING the fight promoters and said the goal was to create a longterm relationship with RIZIN to promote more fights together in the future.

Whatever the case, seems the fight's off for good. Here's Floyd's statement in its entirety.

"Now that I am back on U.S. soil after a long and disappointing trip to Tokyo, I now have the time to address you, my fans and the media in regards to the upcoming event on December 31st that was recently announced."

"First and foremost, I want it to be clear that I, Floyd Mayweather, never agreed to an official bout with Tenshin Nasukawa. In fact (with all due respect) I have never heard of him until this recent trip to Japan. Ultimately, I was asked to participate in a 9 minute exhibition of 3 rounds with an opponent selected by the 'Rizen Fighting Federation.'"

"What I was originally informed of by Brent Johnson of 'One Entertainment' was that this was to be an exhibition put on for a small group of wealthy spectators for a very large fee. This exhibition was previously arranged as a "Special Bout" purely for entertainment purposes with no intentions of being represented as an official fight card nor televised worldwide."

"Once I arrived to the press conference, my team and I were completely derailed by the new direction this event was going and we should have put a stop to it immediately."

"I want to sincerely apologize to my fans for the very misleading information that was announced during this press conference and I can assure you that I too was completely blindsided by the arrangements that were being made without my consent nor approval."

"For the sake of the several fans and attendees that flew in from all parts of the world to attend this past press conference, I was hesitant to create a huge disturbance by combating what was being said and for that I am truly sorry."

"I am a retired boxer that earns an unprecedented amount of money, globally, for appearances, speaking engagements and occasional small exhibitions."

Farrah Abraham is on the verge of having a real fight on her hands -- a legal one, anyway -- if she keeps talking smack.

A lawyer repping celeb boxing promoter Damon Feldman has fired off a cease and desist letter to Farrah threatening to sue her ass if she continues trash talking him and the event ... slated to go down Saturday in Atlantic City.

The lawyer, John A. Gallagher of the Gallagher Law Group, calls Farrah's bashing defamatory. In the letter, obtained by TMZ, Gallagher says Feldman kept his end of the deal ... which included paying Farrah's fees up front, providing training and equipment.

What's more ... the law firm says it was Farrah who bullied promoters with unreasonable and unnecessary demands. Promoters gave in ... with a suite of rooms for her posse, but did so as a courtesy to maintain the relationship. It was NEVER part of the deal.

Farrah's manager, David Weintraub, tells us, "This letter is utterly hilarious coming from these "janky promoters" pretending to be a boxing organization. We wish them lots of luck trying to enforce our rights and ability to speak freely about the absurd way they handled their amateur business over the course of this deal."

He continues, "Bottom line, they have no money, they have no pay-per-view deal, they aren't selling tickets and couldn't even afford proper travel, accommodations or security for my clients, hence that's why they are in breach and she isn't fighting. Enjoy your flop fight Saturday."

The Miss BumBum finalist who flew into a rage onstage claiming the winner had a fake ass is now ass-out of all future booty competitions ... TMZ has learned.

We're told the loser, Aline Uva, is dunzo with the Miss BumBum brand. You'll recall Ellen Santana won Brazil's final showdown this week but things quickly went south after Aline rushed Ellen and ripped off her sash ... claiming Ellen's ass was surgically enhanced, and hers was the only natural one onstage.

We're told the folks who run Miss BumBum were so pissed at Aline, they've already removed all her pics and videos from their website.

As for the fake asses allegation -- officials say Aline shoulda spoken up back in August, when all the contestants lined up for a photo while holding their X-rays to prove all the junk in their trunks was natural.

French Montana wants people across the globe to embrace immigration and universal health care, and he's spreading his message of peace and love throughout the Middle East.

The rapper wears his immigrant status on his sleeve in a series of GQ covers across the region, with the images aiming to promote peace.

French touches on everything from immigration to health care ... telling the mag, "immigration means everything to me. It means hope, it means faith, it means a voice for the people that come from different places and build a country."

FM also has a strong stance on health care ... saying it should be a right and not a privilege.

Kevin Smith's new movie about Jay and Silent Bob is still in the works -- despite a delay -- according to Jay himself ... who's giving us a major update on the status of their reboot.

We got Jason Mewes Tuesday night at Caroline's Comedy Club in NYC where he told us Smith's forthcoming sequel to the 'J & SB' franchise -- "Jay and Silent Bob Get a Reboot" -- will head into preproduction early next year ... and that filming will begin soon after that.

Kevin teased a sequel early last year, and reports said that production was supposed to start this past summer. It doesn't appear that actually happened, but Jason's got a bit of an explanation there too.

Dennis Hof, unfortunately, won't be able to serve the people of Nevada -- 'cause he's dead and all -- so the Silver State's running good old-fashioned want ads to find a replacement ... TMZ has learned.

A Nye County spokesperson tells us officials there plan to advertise the vacancy on their site, and in local newspapers. Nye is one of 3 counties that make up Nevada's 36th district, which Dennis would've repped if he was alive. Lincoln and Clark counties are the others.

We're told potential candidates will have until the end of November to submit applications, and then members of the Board of County Commissioners in the 3 counties will get together and pick whomever they deem fit. There are some requirements, though.

The replacement for the late brothel owner -- who was posthumously elected Tuesday night -- must be Republican, and must live within the district.

While all 3 counties get a say in who ends up being picked, we're told Nye County will get slightly more votes because it has more residents. We're told board members will likely meet in the first week of December to make their official pick.

"Big Brother" alum Christmas Abbott was arrested in Florida this week ... TMZ has confirmed.

Abbott turned herself into authorities Tuesday in Tampa, where she was booked for felony criminal mischief.

According to a police report, obtained by TMZ, Christmas drove to a Tampa gym back in August to confront her baby daddy's alleged side chick. Cops say that Abbott flew into a rage, asking all kinds of questions, and hurling a cup of coffee. She then rammed into the chick's car in the parking lot.

Per the report ... Abbott called the other woman a "pathetic home-wrecking little slut" among other insults.

The responding officer says Abbott continued to scream at the side chick while he tried calming her down. Abbott was 8 months pregnant at the time and, according to the report, cops declined to process her because she was so far along. Her vehicle was seized, but they allowed her to turn herself in later.

For the record, she had a little boy in October.

Abbott came in third place during season 19 of "Big Brother" ... back in 2017. In addition to her stint on 'BB,' Christmas was a big-time CrossFit competitor, and was the first female NASCAR pit crew member.

Originally Published -- 8:10 AM PST

El Chapo has a simple request for the judge in his drug trial ... he wants to hug his wife in the courtroom.

Chapo's lawyers just filed legal docs asking the judge to allow him to embrace his wife, Emma Coronel Aispuro, over the courtroom railing.

The lawyers say it would be a "humanitarian gesture," because he hasn't had any contact with his wife for 2 years since his arrest. He's been in solitary confinement and has had no ability to see, call or write her the entire time.

Chapo's lawyers say, aside from meeting with them, he's had no contact with the outside world and, as a result, his mental health has deteriorated. The legal docs say, "The only human contact Mr. Guzman has had since his extradition has been with the jail personnel when putting and removing his shackles, and a quick handshake from his attorneys when he goes to court."

The judge has yet to rule on the hug.

Buncha old PGA golfers trying to do young people stuff -- this time, they're recreating the celebration dances from Fortnite.

Are they terrible at it? Yes.

Are they trying really hard? Yeah, sure.

Guys like 59-year-old Tom Lehman and 61-year-old Bernhard Langer gave it their best shot before heading into the final event of the PGA Tour Champions season.

They're all really good golfers -- but the dancing needs work.

It's almost like if your favorite Fortnite character suddenly got arthritis and was considering a reverse mortgage loan.

Meanwhile, the guys are all gearing up for the Charles Schwab Cup Championship which goes down at the Phoenix Country Club.

Langer is currently the points leader and gunning for his 4th Schwab Cup in 5 years.

Beto O'Rourke is steeped in politics, but that doesn't mean he has to be politically correct, because he dropped the F-bomb during his concession speech and it may actually work to his benefit down the line.

Beto fired up the crowd during his concession speech and boasted his campaign wasn't contaminated by political action committees. A lot of times, politicians try to sound off-the-cuff but it's actually very, very studied ... in his case, if he planned to drop the F-bomb you coulda fooled us.

He may be down, but he ain't out ... there's a groundswell to make him the guy to challenge Trump in 2020.