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Kim Kardashian's star power isn't just window dressing, it's exactly what the prison reform movement needs ... according to activist Jason Flom, who's been doing the work for decades.

Jason praised Kim for her Wednesday meeting with President Trump, saying her push to free prisoners serving draconian sentences has been "transformative."

Jason, a successful recording exec, has put in 25 years working on prison reform, and believes the movement is nearing a tipping point ... thanks, largely, to Kim and other celebs drawing so much more attention to it.

Kim is turning her focus to the case of 30-year-old Chris Young, who is serving a life sentence in Tennessee for cocaine and weed possession.

Matt Barnes has just obtained a temporary restraining order against his baby mama, Gloria Govan, in the wake of her arrest at their kids' school, TMZ Sports has learned.

As part of the court order, Govan must stay at least 100 yards away from the kids. She can see the kids once per week for 4 hours but a professional monitor has to be present -- and Gloria must foot the bill for the monitor.

Gloria is allowed to be near Matt to get the kids, but she must be peaceful.

Gloria is also not allowed to take the kids outside of L.A. County during her visitation unless she gets written permission from Matt.

Matt's attorney, Samantha Spector, tells TMZ Sports, "Today wasn't about Matt or Gloria. It was about the children and their safety. This was a good day for those kids, and that's all that matters."

The next hearing is scheduled for the end of Sept. -- where Gloria can argue to change the arrangement.

As we previously reported, cops arrested Govan on August 31 after she allegedly blocked Matt from picking up their 9-year-old twin boys on Matt's scheduled custodial day.

Matt claims Govan used her car as a weapon against him -- and claims he feared for his life (and the lives of his kids) and Gloria punched the gas in her Escalade and "[barreled] toward me."

"I am ever thankful that no child or parent was hit by Gloria and her 17-foot-long Escalade as she endangered every child's and adult's safety when she plowed through the parking lot."

In court docs, Matt claims Gloria put their children and other kids at the school in physical danger -- and Matt claims the twins have been traumatized by Gloria's actions and subsequent arrest.

Matt and Gloria got married back in 2012 but split almost 2 years later. Their divorce wasn't finalized until 2016.

Ben Affleck left rehab Wednesday morning ... but we've learned not for long.

Ben showed up at his Pacific Palisades home after driving from his live-in rehab facility in Malibu. Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ, Ben has permission to leave to work out at his home. One of the conditions ... he travels with his sober coach.

We're told Ben has been allowed to leave before for the same purpose and it's now part of his rehab regime.

TMZ broke the story ... Jennifer Garner staged an intervention last month and drove Ben to rehab. We're told Ben actually wanted the help because he was in a deep tailspin after falling off the wagon.

The tipping point came 2 days before the intervention, when Jen saw a pic of Ben accepting delivery of beer and hard liquor at his home.

As we reported, Ben had been on and off the bottle for 18 month and that's one of the reasons his divorce case had stalled. We're told Jennifer did not want to cement joint custody into their deal until she knew he was stable. We know Ben and Jen have settled their divorce, and the plan is to finalize with the judge when Ben leaves rehab.

"Gilligan's Island" star Dawn Wells is severely down on her luck -- nearly $200k in the red -- and she's seeking financial aid from Gilligan fans ... TMZ has learned.

Dawn famously played Mary Ann Summers on the iconic TV sitcom, but according to a friend who launched a GoFundMe she's desperately in need of money so she can move into an assisted care facility.

The friend tells TMZ ... Dawn broke her knee this year, and was already recovering from a major surgery where she suffered complications. According to the fundraising page, she's been struggling since losing almost everything during 2008's banking crash.

The GoFundMe page says Dawn, who's now 79, needs to be moved to a smaller assisted living home that caters specifically to people in the film/TV industry, but the facility won't accept her because she's $180k in debt. The friend tells us Dawn has no family and has already lost her home.

Vanilla Ice was one of more than 500 passengers aboard a double-decker plane from Dubai to JFK that had to be quarantined after more than 100 passengers fell ill.

The rapper tweeted from the top floor of Emirates Flight 203 on Wednesday and was STUNNED to see the plane swarmed by emergency trucks. At first he seemed to be unaware of what was going on but quickly learned the gravity of the situation -- tons of passengers and some crew members "complained of illness including cough and some with fever," according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Vanilla later tweeted, "This is crazy. Apparently there is over 100 people sick on the bottom floor, so happy I'm up top, it's a double-decker plane 380." A total of 521 people were aboard the A380 superjumbo plane. At least 10 people were taken to a hospital.

10:45 AM PT: Law enforcement sources tell TMZ, Lawford was at a yoga studio Tuesday night when he had a medical emergency and later died. Our sources say the death appears to be from "natural causes." The coroner is performing an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.

Actor Christopher Lawford, the son of Peter Lawford and Patricia Kennedy, has died ... TMZ has confirmed.

Christopher -- a longtime Hollywood actor -- appeared on "General Hospital," "Terminator 3," "All My Children," "Fraiser" and various other TV series. He was also a correspondent on "EXTRA."

Lawford's uncle was John F. Kennedy and his family often hung out with the First Family during JFK's presidency.

Lawford, who got a J.D. at Boston College School of Law, was very politically active all his life. He was active with the Democratic National Committee and worked for his Uncle, Senator Ted Kennedy. He also worked with the Special Olympics, the org his Aunt Eunice Shriver created.

He was also a New York Times best selling author with his book, 'Symptoms of Withdrawal.'

Lawford had battled addiction issues back in the '70s and '80s. He was reportedly arrested in 1980 for allegedly impersonating a doctor to score prescriptions.

TMZ got Lawford out in 2013, when he talked candidly about addiction.

Lawford was 63.

Jay-Z's no Instagram hubby, but he's playing one for Beyonce in Italy.

Jay and Bey are in Sardinia Wednesday, the day after her 37th birthday. They jumped on a boat and headed to a hotel restaurant for a lil chow down. On the way there, Jay admired the picturesque views. Italy looks good too.

Even Sardinia's blue waters gotta take a backseat to Beyonce celebrating her bday. The Hive would demand it.

10:30 AM PT -- We now have the legal docs Geena filed, and she says she and Dr. Jarrahy made the intentional decision not to file for a marriage license, though she doesn't say why. She says, as a result, the marriage never occurred. She says on the day of the marriage ceremony they knew full well it wasn't a legally binding marriage.

She says throughout their relationship they filed tax returns either as "single" or "head of household."

Geena also says they always kept separate bank accounts, separate credit cards and never owned any real property as husband and wife. She says in 2012 he submitted an application for a home loan in which he says, "I filed my 2009 tax returns as a single individual because I am not currently married. Miss Davis and I cohabitate and co-parent our 3 children but are not officially wed."

9:15 AM PT -- Geena's lawyer, Peter Lauzon, tells TMZ he and his client take issue with the source connected to Dr. Jarrahy calling their kids "illegitimate." Lauzon says it's an arcane term that has no place in modern society.

Geena Davis has just filed a shocking legal document in her divorce case. She's asking the judge to dismiss her husband's divorce petition, because she says they were NEVER legally married.

Geena's husband, Dr. Reza Jarrahy, filed for divorce last May in an attempt to end their 17-year marriage. In the new docs, Geena claims there was a fatal problem back in 2001 when they had their marriage ceremony in New York. She says the marriage license was never properly returned to the court clerk, and she says under New York law that means they did not legally tie the knot.

The upshot ... Geena claims if there was no marriage, there's no property to split ... what's his is his, and what's hers is hers. What's more, Dr. Jarrahy would not be entitled to spousal support, 'cause he's not a spouse. In his divorce petition, Dr. Jarrahy asked for spousal support.

We're told Dr. Jarrahy doesn't see it Geena's way ... he believes the marriage was valid from the get-go, regardless of any irregularity with the license. We're told the doctor believes the ceremony and the fact he and Geena held themselves as husband and wife for all these years makes the marriage legal.

A source connected to the doctor tells TMZ, it's especially upsetting because Geena's request, if granted, would make their 3 kids "illegitimate."

Nike isn't backing down from its Colin Kaepernick ad campaign -- they just released a brand new 2-minute commercial featuring the QB -- and it's slated to air during the NFL season opener.

The spot features Colin narrating inspiring messages about overcoming the odds while real video of really inspirational athletes plays on the screen.

Colin references Serena Williams and praises her as "the greatest athlete ever" -- while throwing similar compliments at stars like Odell Beckham, Shaquem Griffin and the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team.

Regarding Odell, Colin says ...

"Don't picture yourself wearing OBJ's jersey. Picture OBJ wearing yours."

Regarding Shaquem, Colin says ...

"If you have only one hand, don’t just watch football, play it at the highest level."

Regarding LeBron James, Colin says ...

"Don’t become the best basketball player on the planet. Be bigger than basketball." (while video runs showing LeBron opening his new school in Ohio)

Regarding Serena, Colin says ...

"And, if you’re a girl from Compton, don’t just become a tennis player. Become the greatest athlete ever. Yeah, that’s more like it."

It's the second phase of Nike's "Just Do It" ad campaign featuring Kaep -- a deal that we're told was put together in the last several weeks.

We're told the deal put together by Mark Geragos and Ben Meiselas also includes a new custom Kaepernick shoe and apparel line.

No word on when that's supposed to drop.

As for the commercial, a source with knowledge of the situation tells us the plan is to air the commericial at some point during the Falcons vs. Eagles broadcast on NBC.

The National Black Police Association is applauding Nike for their new ad with Colin Kaepernick -- saying the QB's stance is "is in direct alignment with what law enforcement stands for."

In fact, the NBPA is ripping another major police association -- saying anyone calling for a Nike boycott is just plain wrong.

As we previously reported, the National Association of Police Organizations fired off a letter to Nike saying the Kaep ad "grossly insults the men and women who really do make sacrifices for the sake of our nation."

NAPO added, "We are calling on all our member officers, their families and friends to join in boycotting all Nike products."

Well, the National Black Police Association could not DISAGREE more -- sending their own letter to Nike praising the company and slamming the other police org.

"The National Black Police Association is not in agreement with NAPO on this matter, and we strongly condemn their call for police officers and their families to boycott Nike and its products," the letter says.

"Your inclusion of Mr. Kaepernick in your ads seems appropriate to us. We live in a country where the 1st Amendment is a right of the people."

"The NBPA believes that Mr. Kaepernick's stance is in direct alignment with what law enforcement stands for -- the protection of a people, their human rights, their dignity, their safety, and their rights as American citizens."

"NAPO has shown an adeptness at maintaining the police status quo and the tone in their letter further validates Mr. Kaepernick's concerns, as it undermines the trust that is needed by law enforcement in order for the profession to maintain its legitimacy."

The NBPA believes NAPO's stance "only perpetuates the narrative that police are racist, with no regard, acknowledgment, respect or understanding of the issues and concerns of the African American community."

"For NAPO to presuppose that Mr. Kaepernick has not made sacrifices because he did not die on a battlefield, shows you just how out of touch NAP is with the African American community."

Sen. Marco Rubio and "InfoWars" host Alex Jones got right up in each other's faces outside a Senate hearing ... and Rubio threatened to open a can o' whoop ass on Jones.

The toe-to-toe showdown went down Wednesday morning after Rubio exited a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on social media. It gets heated right around the 1 min mark of the video.

Jones, the king of conspiracy theorists, was there and pissed about being censored on social media platforms, so he decided to upstage Rubio in front of reporters. Rubio played the "I don't know who this guy is" card ... then Jones condescendingly patted Rubio on the shoulder, and it was on.

Rubio threw down some tough talk, for a Senator, saying ... "Don't touch me again, man. I'm asking you again not to touch me." Jones kept jawing at him until Rubio took the bait, blurting out ... "You're not gonna get arrested, man. I'll take care of you myself."

The verbal jabs continued, but no physical fight. Not this time.

11:35 AM PT -- Kim just tweeted about the trip, saying, "It started with Ms. Alice, but looking at her and seeing the faces and learning the stories of the men and women I've met inside prisons I knew I couldn't stop at just one. It's time for REAL systemic change."

7:57 AM PT -- Kim just left the White House ... Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley described the meeting in further detail, saying, "Today at the White House, members of the Administration are hosting a listening session about the clemency process. The discussion is mainly focused on ways to improve that process to ensure deserving cases receive a fair review."

Among the other attendees at the meeting were Jared Kushner, Van Jones and Judge Kevin Sharp, who sentenced Chris Young.

Kim Kardashian West has just entered the White House to meet with President Trump and his administration Wednesday morning to talk prison reform and to possibly lobby the Prez to free another person who has been sentenced to life in prison for drug-related charges.

We've learned Kim flew to DC in the middle of the night from L.A. for the face-to-face.

Kim just pulled up to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. and is getting cleared by security to enter the Oval.

Her cause is prison reform ... and she's also championing the case of Chris Young, who is serving a life sentence in Tennessee for cocaine and marijuana possession. Young, who is now 30, has already served just under 10 years.

Kim was on the 'Wrongful Conviction' podcast with Jason Flom and talked about the Young case ... saying she had a phone call with Young and promised to work for his freedom.

Kim also says she's in regular touch with Jared Kushner, who she says is "passionate" about prison reform ... especially in drug cases where the sentences are draconian.

12:17 PM PT -- Cosby's attorney, Joe P. Green, tells us, "This claim arises from a disagreement over the amount of legal fees charged. Mr. Cosby’s team offered to submit that dispute to mediation, but Mr. Silver’s firm decided to file suit. We still hope to resolve the claim fairly.”

Bill Cosby may have to pay extra for his sex crime conviction, 'cause one of the law firms that was previously repping him is suing for money it says he still owes.

The Philly-based firm, Schnader Harrison Segal and Lewis, just filed suit against the now-convicted actor for failing to pay more than $50k in legal services it says it provided him. One of SHS&L's partners, Samuel Silver, was one of Cosby's new lawyers as he geared up for his second trial earlier this year. However, Sam later withdrew from the case before proceedings got underway in April.

The details are scant in the legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- but there's no question SHS&L worked on Cosby's case for a while. He'd announced his new legal team -- which included Michael Jackson's former lawyer, Tom Mesereau -- in August of 2017, which also included Silver at the time. Silver bailed on the case in January ... so that's 5 months on the books.

Silver has also repped Cosby in other cases, and the expenses in the lawsuit reflect that work as well.

Serena Williams is bringing families together ... just ask the Jonas bros. who brought along their hot fiancées -- and a future mother-in-law -- for another U.S. Open family double date.

Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner finally came up for some air Tuesday and were joined by Nick and Priyanka Chopra at Arthur Ashe Stadium in NYC to watch the GOAT do easy work on Karolína Plíšková ... winning in straight sets.

Remember, Joe's been spending tons of time with Sophie at the tournament in NYC -- turning up with Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle and doing some beer chuggin' and floss dancing. Joe and Sophie turned up the heat with their tongues.

Things were way more PG on Tuesday ... probably because Priyanka's mom, Madhu, was there too.

Priyanka posed with Nick and mama Chopra for the 'gram and captioned it #famjam.

Click through the photo gallery to see all the other non-Jonas related VIPs in the box -- Michael Keaton, Gigi and Bella Hadid and La La Anthony were all within arm's length.

Kevin Spacey is getting an ice-cold send-off from "House of Cards" ... courtesy of Robin Wright, whose character is practically dancing on his grave.

We've known for months Spacey's character, ex-Prez Frank Underwood, would be killed off in the show's final season, and with this new trailer we get our first look ... at his tombstone.

Netflix decided to 86 Spacey last November, after multiple allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced -- including several from crew members from the show.

In the show's final season, Spacey's TV widow, Claire Underwood, becomes POTUS -- and looks like her celebration starts graveside.

Nike's decision to make its bold deal with Colin Kaepernick was partly a shrewd business move, but sources involved in the negotiation tell TMZ Sports a big part was also cultural.

Our sources say Nike was fully aware there would be outrage by embracing Kaepernick's cause but, on balance, the company knew it would attract way more customers than it would lose. Although the target demos are highly protected by Nike -- industry sources tell TMZ Nike's customer base is "significantly urban" and the company felt the decision would be solidly embraced.

But, beyond demos ... we're told Nike's decision was a long play. Up-and-coming athletes are no longer just shills for corporate America. They increasingly embrace causes and are not afraid to speak out, even at their own expense. In other words, they believe in Colin's mantra, "Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything."

We're told Nike wants to show these athletes it will back their causes, even if it means getting attacked by the President of the United States. The company wants the up-and-comers to feel proud to be associated with the brand.