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Meghan Markle's dad, Thomas Markle, has never asked his daughter for money -- despite reports -- because he says he leads a frugal life by choice and doesn't need extra cash.

Thomas is shooting down reports that, in the weeks before his daughter's lavish royal wedding, he reached out to Meghan for money on at least two occasions and Meghan refused to help him out.

Thomas tells us the rumor is "just plain bulls***" despite outlets repeatedly pushing the story. He says he's got a decent retirement fund and doesn't need his daughter's help when it comes to money, but if he did he knows Meghan would help him out.

Thomas says money has never been a topic of conversation between the two. Neither brings it up when they talk.

As for his health ... he says he's been resting a lot since his heart surgery and will be going to his 2-week follow-up appointment next week.

UFC superstar Cris Cyborg says she learned A LOT in her court-ordered anger management class ... and wants to use the knowledge to "be an example for other people."

As we previously reported, Cyborg was ordered to complete an "impulse control program" as part of her sentence in the battery case stemming from a 2017 altercation with UFC fighter Angela Magana.

Cyborg completed the program and the battery charge has been dropped. So, when we saw her outside Cobrinha Fitness in L.A., she was proud of her accomplishment,.

"I studied the anger management," Cyborg said ... "Every mistake you do, you learn."

Cyborg says she knows other people will try to make her snap in the future -- and she plans on using her new skills to avoid a physical confrontation.

"I have to control myself."

As for her fighting future, Cyborg talked about that too ... and told us she thinks she's on a collision course for a rematch with Holly Holm.

Cyborg also got a new Tesla -- and couldn't wait to show off one of her car's new tricks!

6/1/18 5:10 PM PT -- It looks like the puppet wars are over -- Sesame Street just dismissed its lawsuit against producers of "The Happytime Murders" ... according to new legal docs.

Melissa McCarthy and her cast of raunchy puppets are free to keep using their "Sesame Street"-inspired tagline -- 'cause a judge says the 2 ideas are clearly not the same thing.

A judge in NYC handed down a ruling Wedenesday in favor of STX Productions -- which is producing McCarthy's "The Happytime Murders" -- saying the film's catchphrase, "No Sesame. All Street.," makes a blatant distinction to fans that this is NOT "Sesame Street."

As we reported ... Sesame Workshop is suing STX for allegedly infringing on their company name, and trashing their kid-friendly reputation with a not-so-kid-friendly flick.

Lawyers for "Sesame Street" reportedly tried saying that an older court case about a 1970s porn movie named "Debbie Does Dallas" being found to infringe on the Dallas Cowboys' good name supported their argument now ... but the judge shot that down, saying that flick's X-rated ... this one's R ... and there's a difference.

STX issued a statement through their pupper lawyer, Fred, Esq., saying ... "We fluffing love Sesame Street and we're obviously very pleased that the ruling reinforced what STX's intention was from the very beginning — to honor the heritage of The Jim Henson Company's previous award-winning creations while drawing a clear distinction between any Muppets or Sesame Street characters and the new world Brian Henson and team created."

Long story short ... ejaculating puppets walked away with a win on the street.

John Legend has only two words to describe Roseanne Barr in the wake of her Twitter scandal ... and they rhyme with racist and idiot.

We got John and his wife, Chrissy Teigen, leaving Il Pastaio Wednesday in Bev Hills with their daughter, Luna, hanging onto mom ... but no sign of their newborn, Miles.

They were getting peppered with questions from paps -- from whether they'd be hitting up Kanye's listening party for his forthcoming album and if they thought Kim could change hearts in D.C., but it wasn't until John was asked about Roseanne that he answered.

Remember ... Roseanne tanked her own show after calling former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett a baby born out of the "muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes."

Nikolas Cruz recorded a chilling video of himself meticulously plotting how he was about to carry out a deadly attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

The Broward State Attorney's Office released the video Wednesday as prosecutors prepare to possibly ask for a death penalty trial. In one of the videos, Cruz looks into his cell phone and says, "With the power of my AR you will all know who I am." Prosecutors would not say when exactly the videos were made, though Cruz suggests in one video he was going to carry out the mass shooting later that day.

Cruz killed 17 people on February 14 ... a deadly outcome that triggered massive nationwide protests for better gun control spearheaded by the Parkland kids.

6:56 PM PT -- Kim Kardashian has issued a statement on her meeting with Trump, saying ... "I would like to thank President Trump for his time this afternoon. It is our hope that the President will grant clemency to Ms. Alice Marie Johnson who is serving a life sentence for a first-time, non-violent drug offense. We are optimistic about Ms. Johnson’s future and hopeful that she—and so many like her—will get a second chance at life."

3:31 PM PT -- Our sources say the meeting with Trump went "extremely well." We're told Kim and Shawn will now meet with Jared Kushner -- who's been very passionate and hands-on with Alice's possible pardon and criminal justice reform -- and Ivanka at their home for a private dinner.

Before she left the Oval Office, Kim posed for a pic with 45, which he posted. One of them smiled ...

Kim Kardashian West is all business, in a pantsuit, as she arrives at the White House to meet President Trump.

Kim and her attorney, Shawn Holley, entered through the security gate for the West Wing of 1600 Penn ... around 4:40 PM EDT. As we reported, the meeting with POTUS has been in the works for months ... as KKW's been in talks with Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner to get Alice Marie Johnson's life sentence commuted.

Alice is the great-grandmother who was convicted for drug conspiracy and money laundering in 1997 ... they were her first offenses, and Kim's taken up her cause over the last year.

Her attire -- all black, besides yellow heels -- shows just how serious Kim is about her mission.

Harvey Weinstein has just been indicted by a grand jury on multiple rape charges.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. announced Wednesday the grand jury handed up charges of rape in the first and third degrees, as well as committing a criminal sexual act in the first degree.

Vance said the indictment brings Weinstein "another step closer to accountability for the crimes of violence with which he is now charged."

As expected, the disgraced movie mogul did not testify on his own behalf during the proceedings. His attorney, Ben Brafman, thinks prosecutors have "unfairly denied access to critical information about this case."

Sarah Huckabee Sanders finally cracked ... she got very emotional when an intrepid young (very young) reporter asked what the Trump administration was doing to prevent school shootings.

The school kid, Benje Choucroun, was reporting for "TIME for Kids" at Wednesday's White House Press briefing -- and fired off a solid question about the very real fears of children across America. Sanders, who normally remains stone-faced through all manner of crises, actually broke down ... her voice quivering as she responded.

Kendrick Lamar is the toast of a Pulitzer Prize event where some of the most influential people in the world are pressing to rub elbows with him.

The pride of Compton was at Pulitzer luncheon Wednesday at Columbia University. He's being honored in the music category, and Mia Farrow couldn't wait to get a snapshot with him. Mia's son, Ronan, is getting Pulitzer's public service award for blowing the lid off Harvey Weinstein's history of sexual misconduct.

Kendrick's arrival was so highly anticipated, the Pulitzer's administrator welcomed him before he even walked into the building.

Kung Fu Kenny winning the music category was unprecedented. He's the first non-classical or jazz artist to win the prize since they started awarding them for music in 1943.

ABC went too far by canceling "Roseanne" according to T.I.'s wife, Tiny, who says there are people who've gotten away with tweeting and saying worse things than Roseanne Barr did.

We got Tiny at LAX Tuesday night and she made it clear she's a huge fan of the "Roseanne" reboot -- and was bummed to hear it had been canceled due to Roseanne's racist tweet about Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett.

Tiny wasn't giving Roseanne a pass for the bigotry, but did say she's heard worse ... and would have preferred to see ABC take a different approach.

Offset just paid back the good Samaritan who he says saved his life following his accident with a new car, so the guy won't ever have to walk to and from work again.

We broke the story ... the Migos rapper totaled his green Dodge Challenger in Atlanta earlier this month. He said he was swerving to avoid hitting a "crackhead" in the road.

The good Samaritan, Jamar, had been walking to work when he saw Offset climbing out of the wrecked car... at least that's how Offset described it. Offset says now Jamar will be driving around a new whip, instead.

The wreck was so bad Offset had to go to the hospital where his hand was bandaged. It's unclear exactly what Jamar did, but Offset says he got him to his destination safely.

The people who manage Michael Jackson's estate say The Walt Disney Co. has some nerve for profiting off the tears of MJ's kids and stealing a bunch of its property ... all to make a shoddy TV special they claim never came close to documenting Michael's 'Last Days.'

The estate just sued The Walt Disney Co. claiming copyright infringement and saying it never had permission to use a bunch of its footage for its "The Last Days of Michael Jackson" TV special ... which premiered last week to more than 5.5 million viewers.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, the estate claims Disney's lawyers told them they were making a documentary, so use of the MJ clips was fair game. But the estate calls BS ... saying the special "did not focus on his last days ... rather it was simply a mediocre look back at Michael Jackson's life and entertainment career."

The estate goes on to claim Disney jacked a bunch of MJ's songs -- including recordings of "Billie Jean" and "Beat It." The estate says Disney even exploited MJ's kids when they aired Paris Jackson's heartbreaking remarks about her father at his 2009 memorial service. The estate says it's never licensed that footage for commercial use.

The estate says it was never approached by Disney about the making of the TV special, much less asked for permission to use its intellectual property. The estate says that's ironic since Disney goes to great lengths to protect its copyrighted characters ... citing how Disney once sued a couple on public assistance for $1 mil when they dressed up as an orange tiger and blue donkey that looked too close to Tigger and Eeyore.

Estate attorney Howard Weitzman tells us, "Can you imagine using Disney’s intellectual property – like Mickey Mouse, Cinderella, Star Wars, The Avengers, Toy Story, and so many other works – without asking Disney’s permission or getting a license? The Estate has no choice but to vigorously protect its intellectual property, which is the lifeblood of its business.”

The estate is suing for profits Disney made off the special and other damages. We've reached out to The Walt Disney Co., so far no word back.

Brigitte Nielsen has already proven age ain't nothing but a number with her stunning beauty ... but she just took it to a whole new level by announcing she's pregnant at 54!!

Sylvester Stallone's ex took to Instagram to announce she's pregnant with her 5th kid ... posting this picture in a white getup and holding her rather large baby bump. She captioned the pic,"family getting larger #me #family #brigittenielsen #babybump."

Brigitte -- who played Ivan Drago's wife in "Rocky IV" -- has 4 sons -- Julian (34), Killian (28), Douglas (25) and Raoul (23) -- but none with Stallone.

NOFX crossed the line in a big way Sunday in Vegas, when they made a crack about the Vegas shooting, saying the silver lining was that the people killed were country fans and not punk fans.

The band was playing the Punk Rock Bowling & Music Festival, and when they finished a song frontman Fat Mike said, "We played a song about Muslims and we didn't get shot. Hooray."

But, it didn't end there ... another band member jumped in and said, "I guess you only get shot in Vegas if you are in a country band."

And it got even worse ... "That [the massacre] sucked, but at least they were country fans and no punk rock fans."

Some audience members audibly recoiled, but the singer then jumped in, "You were all thinking it."